Tyrant Sky Martial Soul

Chapter 1042: Chapter 1042: The Empty Fort Strategy

When the Sacred Dynasty was declining, many clans established their own countries and fought against each other.

In the Chu Kingdom, after his brother, King Wen of Chu, died, Prime Minister Gongzi Yuan greatly desired the beautiful Lady Wen.

He tried various methods to please her, but Lady Wen remained indifferent.

Thus, Gongzi Yuan sought to establish great achievements and display his capabilities to win Lady Wen’s favor.

In a certain year of the Sacred Dynasty, Gongzi Yuan personally led 600 chariots in a mighty expedition against the Zheng Kingdom.

The Chu army conquered several cities along the way, pressing towards the capital of Zheng Kingdom.

The national strength of Zheng was weak, and its capital was particularly short on troops, unable to withstand the Chu army’s assault.

The Zheng Kingdom was on the brink of destruction, its officials panicked—some advocated surrendering and seeking peace, others urged a desperate battle, and still others suggested holding out for reinforcements.

None of these plans could resolve the nation’s peril.

The senior minister Shu Zhan said, ”Neither seeking peace nor a decisive battle is the best strategy. Holding out for reinforcements is a feasible plan. Zheng Kingdom has a treaty with the Qi Kingdom; when faced with difficulty, Qi will send troops. However, mere talk of holding out seems insufficient to keep us safe. Prime Minister Gongzi Yuan’s attack on Zheng is actually to gain honors and impress Lady Wen. He is certainly eager to succeed and particularly afraid of failure. I have a strategy that could drive the Chu army back.”

Following Shu Zhan’s strategy, the people of Zheng took precautions inside the city.

They ordered the soldiers to all hide, leaving no enemy soldier visible.

The shops were instructed to open as usual, the civilians to come and go as if nothing was amiss, and not to show any sign of panic.

They opened the city gates wide and lowered the drawbridge, presenting an appearance of being completely unguarded.

When the Chu army’s vanguard reached the city of the Zheng capital, they saw this scene and became suspicious—could there be an ambush inside the city luring them into a trap? They dared not act rashly and waited for Prime Minister Gongzi Yuan.

Upon arriving at the city, Gongzi Yuan also found it extremely strange.

He led his generals to a high ground outside the city to observe, and indeed saw the emptiness inside but could also vaguely spot the fluttering flags and armored soldiers of Zheng.

Prime Minister Gongzi Yuan suspected trickery and decided not to attack rashly. He opted to scout the city first to ascertain the reality, so he held his troops in place.

At that time, Qi Kingdom had received Zheng’s request for help and had already allied with Lu and Song to dispatch troops to rescue Zheng.

When Gongzi Yuan heard this report, he realized that with the armies of the three countries arriving, the Chu army would certainly not win.

Luckily, he had won a few battles already, so it would be wise to retreat promptly.

He feared that Zheng’s troops might pursue them during the retreat, so he ordered his entire army to withdraw overnight, men keeping silent, horses’ hooves wrapped, without making any noise.

All camps were left intact, with the clan flags still flying.

The next morning, Shu Zhan climbed onto the city walls and said, ”The Chu army has already withdrawn.”

Seeing the enemy camp’s clan flags fluttering, people did not believe they had already retreated.

Shu Zhan said, ”If there were people in the camp, why would there be so many birds circling above? He also employed the empty fort strategy to deceive us and hurriedly withdrew his troops.”

Ji Ning had never heard of the Chu Kingdom nor the Zheng Kingdom, but indeed there was a period in the history of the Sacred Dynasty that was very chaotic.

During that time, countless small countries emerged and continuously fought against each other.

Of course, he didn’t care about these matters; what impressed him most was the strategy used in this story.

Though it was bold, the intricacy of this strategy in real combat was that risk often coexists with opportunities, benefits, and success—”Without entering the tiger’s den, one cannot get the tiger’s cubs.” The brilliance of this strategy lies in knowing how to correctly and timely grasp the strategic context, psychological state, and character traits of the opponents, adapting an extraordinary strategy to mitigate one’s own crisis.

And the opportunity was currently very fitting.

Northern Desert City was indeed in a vulnerable position.

But Si Kong Zun, being a suspicious person and not having absolute control over his troops, would not dare to act rashly under such circumstances.

Thus, the chances of success for this strategy were very high.

Ji Ning’s initial disdain for Ling Xiao instantly turned into admiration.

Ji Ning stood up from his seat and then knelt on one knee, saying, ”Just now, I ridiculed the young master in my heart, thinking him presumptuous, but after hearing what the young master had to say, I’m extremely impressed. What is this strategy called?”

”Empty Fort Strategy!”

Ling Xiao smiled and said, ”Si Kong Zun is not only suspicious but also exhausted by this point. As long as the general arranges things reasonably, and intentionally reveals to the enemy the emptiness of our city despite our own inability to defend it, this is what is called ’solidifying the real and nullifying the fake.’

The enemy will become doubtful and will hesitate to advance, which is ’doubt born from suspicion.’

We can let Si Kong Zun and his troops pass through Northern Desert City and then camp outside. Even if Si Kong Zun realizes later about the Empty Fort Strategy, it will be too late for him to do anything.

Of course, this strategy is not 100 percent guaranteed to succeed and, should it fail, we might have to fight a bloody battle within the city. Therefore, the necessary combat weapons still need to be arranged.”

”That is natural.”

Ji Ning nodded.

Once everything was set up, Ling Xiao left the city to inform Si Kong Zun, allowing him to lead his troops into the city.

Even Ji Ning came out to greet them.

Si Kong Zun was puzzled.

How had Ling Xiao, in less than half an hour, changed Ji Ning’s attitude so greatly?

Could there be a trick within the city?

Being naturally suspicious, he observed carefully as he entered the city.

He found everything in the city properly in order; the civilians were doing what they normally did, but the majority of the soldiers were nowhere to be seen.

From time to time, however, one could hear the sounds of weapons clashing, and judging from the noise, there were perhaps at least forty to fifty thousand men.

If a conflict arose, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar.

He had intended to cause trouble, but now he dared not act rashly.

”Could the intelligence have been wrong? Isn’t it said that Northern Desert City was already full of wounded soldiers?”

Although he thought this, Si Kong Zun, not daring to confirm it, refrained from any rash actions.

By the time he realized it, his forces had already passed through the north gate and reached a pass a mile outside of Northern Desert City.

By then, it was too late to clarify the situation inside the city.

”I was so nervous.”

Ling Xiao’s forehead was covered in cold sweat; after all, he was only ’fighting on paper,’ and it was uncertain whether Si Kong Zun would fall for it.

In reality, the city could muster no more than ten thousand soldiers; a real battle would definitely have been disadvantageous.

Fortunately, everything had proceeded very smoothly.

Of course, this was also due to Ji Ning’s perfect arrangement, which completely convinced Si Kong Zun that there were large numbers of soldiers ambushed inside the city.

”Hahaha, young master, your brilliant plan is truly admirable.”

Watching Si Kong Zun establish camp at the pass, Ji Ning finally relaxed.

The most difficult problem had been solved; what difficulties could not be overcome afterward?

”Great General, you really shouldn’t praise me so much. I was truly nervous to death just now.”

Ling Xiao wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After all, had the strategy failed, the consequences would have been dire.

”It turned out well, and that’s what matters on the battlefield. You can never have a hundred percent chance of success; if there is even a thirty percent chance, you must take action, or else you will regret missing the opportunity.”

In Ji Ning’s view, Ling Xiao’s move was extremely clever, truly showing both literary and martial prowess.

It’s a pity he lacked a daughter; if he had one, he would have insisted on marrying her to Ling Xiao no matter what.