To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 210 Divide the troops and burn the grain!

Zhang Fan smiled and reassured everyone:

"What are you afraid of?"

"If we're gone, doesn't Wang Li still have city towers six through ten?"

Fang Kui said urgently:

"But it's the Guru!"

"If we divide our forces and burn our supplies, our movements will inevitably be detected by Wang Li's scouts!"

"He could easily divide his forces to intercept us and defeat us one by one!"

Zhang Fan smiled slightly, patted his shoulder, but offered no further explanation.

After receiving the order, Mo Feng, who was standing to the side, said excitedly,

"Alright! Immortal Master, let's proceed according to plan!"

"This is so much fun!"

"I can't wait to see Wang Li's expression!"

at the same time.

Wang Li's army had advanced to within one kilometer of the No. 1 city gate, and the tall outline of the gate was already faintly visible.

Wang Li sneered inwardly, about to order an accelerated advance to seize the city tower in one fell swoop.

But at that very moment...

The scene ahead startled everyone, causing them to stop in their tracks!

Suddenly, a raging fire broke out on the No. 1 city tower in the distance, and thick black smoke billowed up into the sky!

"General! That...that is..."

The adjutant beside him was dumbfounded and could not even finish his sentence.

Wang Li and his three thousand soldiers were all stunned on the spot, their faces full of disbelief.

Zhang Fan... he actually burned the grain and fodder in the No. 1 city tower?

"General, what should we do now... what should we do now?"

A centurion asked anxiously.

Wang Li quickly recovered from her shock.

He stared intently at the towering flames, his mind racing.

A moment later.

A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Li's eyes, and he immediately gave the order:

"Order! The entire army will split into three routes!"

"A force led by Vice General Fang Jie is marching at full speed towards the No. 3 city gate!"

"I will personally lead the team straight to the second city gate!"

"The remaining troops, immediately return along the same route and retrieve the provisions from our city towers number 6 to 10, transporting them here as quickly as possible!"

He then shouted at the scouts beside him:

"Keep a close watch on Zhang Fan's troops' movements and report back immediately!"

"yes!"

The scout immediately led his men away. (Scout: reconnaissance soldier, scout, informant.)

A cold smile appeared on Wang Li's lips as he thought to himself:

"Zhang Fan, do you think burning the grain will throw our army into chaos and hinder our advance?"

"How naive! Without supplies, let's see where you can run to!"

……

On the city wall of Xianyang.

Ying Zheng had already returned to his imperial carriage and was resting with his eyes closed.

The officials, however, continued to eagerly await their arrival.

Suddenly, a scout rushed up the city wall again, reporting loudly:

"Report—!"

"National Protector Zhang Fan has burned all the grain and fodder in City Tower No. 1!"

"General Wang Li has divided his troops into three groups, heading towards the second and third city towers respectively, and has also sent a troop back to camp to transport supplies!"

This statement came out.

The platform erupted in chaos!

"What? Self-destructing our supplies?"

"He's gone mad! Zhang Fan must be insane!"

"The city walls one through five were his supply lines, yet he personally cut off his own escape route?"

"Hahaha, this is going to be good!"

"Without supplies, his thousand men will fall into disarray within two days!"

The civil officials had been rendered speechless by Zhang Fan's "open conspiracy".

Now that they had finally found an outlet, they all started to mock and ridicule, their words full of schadenfreude.

Meanwhile, Wang Ben, Meng Tian, ​​and other military generals frowned, completely baffled.

"Burning their own grain supplies... what... what kind of logic is this?"

As the art of war says, "An army marches on its stomach."

"His actions have put him in a hopeless situation, but how can there be any hope of survival in such a deadly situation?"

Zhang Fan's bizarre behavior, which completely defied common sense, is truly baffling.

This left everyone present, well-versed in military strategy, in a state of bewilderment.

Amidst a chorus of discussion.

Only veteran Wang Ben, after the initial shock, revealed a hint of approval in his eyes.

He sighed deeply, feeling that Zhang Fan was truly exceptionally intelligent.

Seeing the strange look on his face, Meng Tian couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"General Wang, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Wang Ben stroked his long beard and slowly said:

"The Immortal Master's move isn't entirely unexpected!"

"Think about it, my son and his army are not far from the number one city gate!"

"The Immortal Master's force numbers only a thousand. Even if all the soldiers are elite, how much food and provisions can they carry?"

"Besides, time is of the essence! They can't bring much food!"

"If we don't burn the rest, wouldn't it all end up going to Li'er?"

He paused, then continued his analysis:

"As for holding out here, that's an even worse strategy!"

"Three thousand against one thousand; with a strong attack, we might be able to hold out for a while!"

"But ultimately they will be slowly worn down and killed within the Number One Tower!"

"Therefore, burning the grain was an inevitable move!"

"Then what's next, Immortal Master..." Meng Tian pressed.

"His best course of action now is to retreat continuously and hold out on towers two through five!"

A glint of light flashed in Wang Ben's eyes.

"Li'er has now divided his troops to pursue the enemy, and also sent men back to camp to transport supplies!"

"It will take time for these supplies to arrive and return!"

"During this period, I have been away from my son and his soldiers, who have been traveling on three separate routes. The army must be exhausted!"

"At that time, the immortal master will have his chance to strike back!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian nodded thoughtfully, then turned his gaze back to the vast training ground.

but.

His opinion of Zhang Fan rose even higher!

He said no more, but simply observed the unfolding situation quietly.

……

As darkness fell, night descended.

The No. 2 city gate is eight or nine kilometers away from the No. 1 city gate.

To avoid being tricked, Wang Li did not travel overnight.

Instead, he ordered the army to set up camp in an open area and rest briefly.

Scouts report that the fire on Tower Number One has been extinguished!

But all the grain and fodder had been burned!

Fortunately, the troops had eaten their fill before today's military exercise and were still able to sustain themselves.

"Thump! Thump-thump! Thump—!"

Just as the military camp had quieted down and the soldiers were preparing to sleep fully clothed,

Suddenly, the deafening sound of war drums resounded all around the camp!

The group, who had just been resting, immediately became alert!

Wang Li was startled and instinctively jumped up, shouting:

"Enemy attack! All troops on alert! Form ranks!"

The thousand soldiers reacted swiftly and formed ranks in the shortest possible time.

Holding a spear, he warily surveyed the surrounding darkness!

However, the tense atmosphere persisted for a long time, but no one came to attack.

Just as everyone was wondering, a scout rushed over to report:

"General! It's Zhang Fan's small unit!"

"About a dozen people were pretending to beat drums in the distance, but by now... by now they've run far away!"

"How dare you, you brat!"

Wang Li was so angry that she almost cursed him out.

He suppressed his anger and gave the order:

"No problem! Pass down the order to continue resting!"

Two hours later.

As the soldiers fell into a light sleep once more, the sound of war drums rang out again from all directions.

The noise was even louder than last time!

Everyone was startled awake again, and after some commotion, they realized it was just a false alarm.

Two more hours passed!

The sound of war drums rang out again from another direction!

It was the same small team of a dozen or so people, they would strike and run, slippery as can be.

Wang Li's eyes were bloodshot, and he was furious.

How could he not know that Zhang Fan was deliberately wearing down the morale of his soldiers!

He gritted his teeth, forced himself to lie down on the cot, and closed his eyes to rest.

This time, however, two hours passed.

The expected sound of war drums never rang out!

The deathly silence startled Wang Li, who couldn't sleep, and he sat up abruptly!