Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

"Su Dingfang, you and I will hold fast at the center with the transformed wagons arranged into a wagon fortification," the Great General ordered, "Raise my king's banner and wait for Lord Qin to charge our formation!"

After the arrangements, Li Hongyun had assigned all the generals he knew to their positions.

Zhang Qingte, Wang Wan, and Su Dingfang were all generals he trusted completely, with no worries about leaks.

Therefore, he had specifically retained these individuals and allocated important tasks to each of them.

These men evidently harbored doubts, uncertain of the purpose behind such arrangements.

After all, to their understanding, though the Xia Army had sent out thirty thousand troops, there were still seventy thousand left.

Once the battle began, it would undoubtedly be the Xia Army attacking and the Liang Army defending, with no other possibilities.

Why then send the elite cavalry across the northern banks of the Yellow River? And what was the purpose of forming a wagon fort in the central army?

Yet they asked no further questions, each simply accepting their orders.

Li Hongyun, on the other hand, was patiently waiting for the great battle to commence.

...

The next day, at the break of dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, the Xia Army had already mobilized in full force, marching forward to the beat of the drums.

In an instant, the area below Hulaoguan Pass was aflutter with banners and resounded with the neighing of warhorses, presenting a magnificent sight.

Great General Zhang Qingte led the vanguard of over twenty thousand men, arranging them along the Si River in a single-file serpent formation.

In actual history, Dou Jiande had his hundred thousand troops form a serpent formation that stretched over twenty miles long. But at this moment, with only over twenty thousand troops in Zhang Qingte's vanguard, the formation was much shorter, spanning merely three or four miles.

This did not affect the plan, however, as long as the intention was clear.

These over twenty thousand men in the vanguard were relatively the elite of the Xia Army, with sturdy fighting spirits, not likely to collapse at the onset of defeat and capable of gradually regaining their organization.

Li Hongyun had also specifically instructed Zhang Qingte to ensure that his soldiers immediately show signs of disturbance at the approach of probing cavalry—regardless of whether they were truly disturbed.

This was a key step in luring the enemy deeper into their territory.

...

Meanwhile, Lord Qin had ascended to Hulaoguan Pass, gazing into the distance at Dou Jiande's grand army.

Upon seeing the serpent formation laid out by Zhang Qingte at the forefront, Lord Qin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"These bandits from Shandong have never met a formidable enemy. To show such audacity beneath a perilous pass!" he exclaimed, "Our army needs only to hold its position without engaging. In a short while, the enemy's courage will wane. Then when we pursue and strike, the bandits will surely be defeated."

Lord Qin's words were tinged not only with excitement but also a trace of relief.

During this period of standoff, the pressure on the side of the Liang Army had been growing by the day.

The intelligence on Liu Heita's seizure of River East had naturally been delivered at the earliest to both Chang'an and Hulaoguan Pass.

At first, Emperor Gaozu of Liang had not taken this detachment of thirty thousand troops too seriously, believing that the defending force in River East was sufficient to rely on the formidable defenses of Zhi Pass.

Even though Lord Qin was worried, there was nothing he could do.

However, subsequent battle reports grew increasingly grim day after day.

By the time Emperor Gaozu recognized that the commander of this troop, Liu Heita, was no simple matter, and when he thought to forcefully redistribute troops to support River East, Liu Heita's army had already breached Zhi Pass and was unstoppable in River East.

Liang Army reinforcements sent to assist were all defeated by Liu Heita.

The entire River East region descended into chaos.

For the Liang Army, while River East was certainly important, the situation in Luoyang was not to be neglected.

Hence, the final decision was to hold Hulaoguan Pass and focus on defeating Wang Shichong first.

Yet, after over a month had passed, Luoyang City still remained impregnable, and knowing that Dou Jiande was preparing to come to his aid outside Hulaoguan Pass, Wang Shichong was even more determined to fight like a cornered beast.

Moreover, Wang Shichong was no weak combatant: though he had never won against Lord Qin in open battle, he had managed to kill several of his horses, showcasing considerable combat strength.

Currently, with Wang Shichong defending Luoyang, the Liang Army was at a loss.

Therefore, contrary to the historic situation, it was now Lord Qin who became somewhat impatient.

In the original course of history, Dou Jiande had not split his forces to attack River East, keeping his hundred thousand troops stationed before Hulaoguan Pass.

Lord Qin could then focus all his attention on Dou Jiande, raiding for provisions and ambushing scouts every few days.

Besides, the Liang Army's logistics were more than adequate; they were not concerned about being outlasted.

But now, with the additional threat of Liu Heita continuously conquering territories in River East, every day of delay put the Liang Army in a more unfavorable position.

Although Lord Qin was not yet worried that Liu Heita would truly march through Pu Jin Crossing to attack Chang'an City, if he continued to conquer unchecked, by the time Luoyang fell, the whole of River East might also be in Xia Army's hands.

River East was a strategic location highly coveted by military tacticians, allowing control over both Guanzhong and Hebei regions from a commanding position.

If the Liang Army held River East, they could use it as a springboard to assault Hebei from both sides; conversely, if the Xia Army seized River East, they could redirect Hebei's forces there and subsequently threaten Guanzhong.

Under these circumstances, even if everything else went smoothly, relying on Lord Qin's military prowess, national unification would still be delayed by several more years.

How could this be tolerated?

Thus, it was the Liang Army that now desired a swift victory more than ever.

Finally, amidst this anxious waiting, the Xia Army showed a flaw.

Spy reports from the previous night indicated that Dou Jiande intended to lead his grand army into battle early in the morning.

Of course, Lord Qin was overjoyed by this information, and upon seeing the serpent formation along the Si River, his glee was beyond unexpected.

For he saw the possibility of capturing both kings in a single battle!