Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

Upon hearing this, the generals who had been summoned by the drumbeats all looked at Li Hongyun with eyes filled with disbelief.

Clearly, they were all astounded.

Had Lord Xia suddenly changed his nature?

In the eyes of these generals, ever since they had arrived before Hulaoguan Pass, Lord Xia's actions had been nothing but bizarre.

With an army of a hundred thousand at his command, he had remained entrenched in the camp, refusing to emerge. Those unaware might think that it was the Liang Army that was the aggressor.

After all, inside Luoyang City, Wang Shichong could be eliminated at any moment.

And once Luoyang fell, the actions of the Xia Army before Hulaoguan Pass would become utterly meaningless.

Yet, even so, Lord Xia remained as immovable as a mountain. Apart from sending Liu Heita through Taihang Mountain to attack River East, he had given no further orders.

Now, suddenly, he wanted to attack?

The generals were puzzled, but no matter what, they were all quite pleased.

After all, these men had no idea what fate awaited them before Hulaoguan Pass. They had been frustrated and impatient, eagerly requesting to go into battle.

By now, more than a month had passed since the Xia Army had arrived before Hulaoguan Pass. Although this period of waiting had been difficult, it was still just in time.

"Your Majesty, how shall we attack?" a general asked, eager to test his mettle.

Li Hongyun surveyed the crowd and asked, "What do you all think? Speak freely!"

Quickly, the generals began to offer strategies and tactics, just as they had when discussing the plan regarding Ling Jing.

"A lowly general believes that while Hulaoguan Pass is easy to defend and hard to attack, the Liang Army only has three to four thousand men, whereas our army still has a force of seventy thousand. We could split our forces into three units and assail them day and night in shifts, exhausting the Liang soldiers within the pass. In this way, even if Lord Qin employs his troops like a deity, he would be hard-pressed to achieve anything under such overwhelming force!"

Li Hongyun nodded slightly but did not utter a word.

This strategy seemed to be the least bad option.

After all, the Xia Army still had seventy thousand troops. These men couldn't possibly deploy all at once before Hulaoguan to siege the city.

Under these circumstances, dividing the seventy thousand into three or four units to alternate between attacking and resting could continuously deplete the energy and vitality of the defending garrison.

If this onslaught could be maintained for three to four days, preventing the defenders from getting proper rest, capturing the city might become possible.

But this was merely the least bad option.

Using this method wouldn't break the army's spirit in an all-out charge, but when it came to fighting spirit and the ability to endure a protracted battle, the Black Armor Army was equally formidable.

And with the advantageous terrain of Hulaoguan Pass, it was possible that even after suffering heavy losses, the Liang Army might still hold the pass.

Another general voiced his opinion, "This lowly one believes that splitting forces is unwise!

"At this time, our grand army far outnumbers the enemy, hence assaulting their morale is key!

"This lowly one suggests that our army arrange itself along the Si River, pressing the full might of our force forward to amplify our military might and seize the initiative. Overwhelmed by the grandeur of our army, the Liang Army will lose all morale, and Hulaoguan will surely fall in one fell swoop!"

Li Hongyun silently turned his gaze toward him.

Good, the culprit has been found!

Was it you who caused Dou Jiande to draw up ranks beside the Si River, only to be utterly crushed by Lord Qin?

Not bad, you're just lucky to have encountered me. After all, as a player and a modern man, I don't endorse punishing someone for their opinions. If Dou Jiande were to be reborn and meet you again, he would probably hang you from the walls of Hulaoguan Pass.

Gradually, each general put forward their suggestions.

Yet not a single piece of advice could satisfy Li Hongyun.

That was reasonable; after all, with such a formidable obstacle as Hulaoguan Pass, a frontal attack was bound to be difficult.

The Liang Army was so fiercely strong that the siege of Luoyang, which Wang Shichong had occupied, had stagnated with no progress for over a month, and their losses had been severe.

At this point, the combat strength of the Xia Army was even less than that of the Liang Army, so regardless of the method selected for the siege, without the likes of the Huihui Cannon or other large-scale siege engines, any effort was in vain.

However, during this more than a month of standoff, Li Hongyun had not been idle.

His main task was to order the retrofitting of large carts used for transporting supplies and provisions, transforming them into war machines that could be used in battle.

Indeed, he was applying the same methods as General Deng Yuanjing of the Great Sheng Dynasty when countering the Northern Barbarians' cavalry.

Although Dou Jiande's army did not have specialized war machines, modifying the supply carts would yield a similar effect.

And Li Hongyun, gifted with the "Divine Machine" talent, was highly skilled in carpentry, and with the help of a few craftsmen, soon completed the modifications.

Regrettably, with the technological level of the time being far behind that of the Qi Dynasty, and without the ability to carry the "Divine Machine" chest, it was nearly impossible for one person to forcibly advance technology by hundreds of years. Therefore, crafting a Huihui Cannon-style large trebuchet was out of the question.

Otherwise, the odds of victory would be somewhat greater.

By this time, Li Hongyun's preparations were fairly comprehensive, which is why he intended to go into battle to test his luck.

"All generals, heed my orders!

"Tomorrow the entire army moves out, march to the beat of the drums! Line up along the Si River to bolster our might and seize Hulaoguan!"

However, after the meeting concluded, he called upon several generals to stay, assigning them additional detailed tasks.

"Zhang Qingte, you lead the elite vanguard along the Si River to amplify our presence!

"If any Liang cavalry scouts probe us, show them some agitation to lure the enemy forces.

"Wang Wan, you take three hundred cavalry across to the north side of the Yellow River, moving toward Hulaoguan. If any Liang troops come to reclaim the warhorses grazing in Hebei, pursue and attack them relentlessly!"