Chapter 76 Solar Eclipse
The next day, the Vietnamese army had reached Li Ze and faced the Wu army camp across the river.
Looking at the momentum of the Wu army camp, Yun Chang did not rashly issue an attack order, but instead asked his troops to set up camp on the spot and wait for the opportunity to act!
"It seems that Sun Wu is planning to fight our army in Li Ze!"
Yun Chang stroked his beard and chuckled.
"Hahahaha! I thought Sun Wu was so powerful, but it turns out he's just this good."
Grand Marshal Shi Mai sneered and said, "The Wu army has only a few thousand people. How can they defeat the Yue army in a field chariot battle? If I were Sun Wu, the best strategy would be to defend Wudu!"
Hearing this, Helu and Wu Zixu felt helpless and could only secretly curse Shi Mai for being short-sighted!
Sun Wu gave up defending the sturdy capital of Wu and instead fought the Yue army in Lisha. This was not because Sun Wu was stupid, but rather a very smart approach!
Wudu was the capital of the State of Wu. Why was it repeatedly besieged by enemy troops?
It's detrimental to the national dignity!
Moreover, there are many officials and ministers in the capital of Wu who have close personal relationships with Helu.
Helü was ready to spend all his money and asked Yunchang to bribe those greedy officials with large sums of money to help the Yue army attack the capital of Wu with internal and external support.
At the same time, it also helped Helu regain the throne!
In Helü's view, he was the rightful King of Wu and should rule the Kingdom of Wu legally!
It’s a pity that Sun Wu didn’t play by the rules at all.
Sun Wu had long realized that it was too difficult to defend the capital of Wu, so he might as well give it a try and fight the aggressive Yue army in the wild!
"Da Sima, don't take it lightly."
Helu looked indifferent and said, "Although Qingji's main force is fighting the Chu army in Zhenzi, there should be quite a few soldiers near Wudu."
"Our army has successively broken through the fortifications built by Sun Wu, which delayed our advance for quite some time. I believe that Wudu has already gathered a lot of troops by now, otherwise how could Sun Wu dare to fight?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Wang Yunchang nodded slightly and said, "Mr. Wu is right. Before Wudu is captured and Qingji is defeated and killed, everything is still unknown!"
At this moment, the originally clear blue sky was suddenly covered with a layer of dark clouds. The winter day, which was already vague, was gradually swallowed up by the dark clouds, adding a dim color to the earth.
Is it raining?
No!
Wu Zixu couldn't help but feel alarmed.
Suddenly, the horizon seemed to be covered by a black curtain. It instantly became pitch black and gradually spread out.
"Oh no! It's a solar eclipse!"
Wu Zixu exclaimed, "Be careful of the Wu army's sneak attack!"
He noticed the sign, but it was too late!
At this time, the ground became pitch black and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. The Vietnamese soldiers who were originally carrying stones, wood and other materials to build the camp could not help but feel panic.
People are quiet and horses are neighing!
No one had reacted yet and didn't realize what was about to happen.
The Wu army soldiers who had been lurking on the side of the mountain immediately rushed over silently, and did not dare to shout and kill until they entered the Yue army's camp, which had not yet been built!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
In panic, the Vietnamese soldiers couldn't help but shout loudly.
All I heard was the rumbling sound of horse hooves not far away, followed by a volley of arrows.
Arrows were thrown over like a swarm of locusts, indiscriminately, instantly killing a large number of Vietnamese soldiers !
The Vietnamese army was suddenly attacked and their formation was thrown into chaos. Many people were trampled to death.
"Don't mess around! Don't mess around!"
"Raise your shield! Quick!"
In this pitch-black environment, the Vietnamese army could not tell which direction the enemy was in.
The Wu army did not engage in close combat with them at all, but just shot arrows from a distance, indiscriminately shooting at the chaotic Yue soldiers.
Yunchang, Helu and others shouted loudly, trying to stabilize the morale of the army.
Not long after, the chaotic Vietnamese army calmed down, and the Wu army soldiers who launched the surprise attack had begun to retreat in an orderly manner.
As the Wu army withdrew, the dark clouds dispersed, and the winter sun hanging in the sky gradually emitted its own luster.
It's like the sudden change from night to day, which is really hard to adapt to for a while.
"Hateful! God damn Sun Wu! God damn thief Wu!"
Yun Chang looked around and saw the Vietnamese soldiers who had suffered heavy casualties nearby, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth in hatred.
Just from those dozens of rounds of arrow rain, at least 800 Vietnamese soldiers were killed, and countless others were wounded!
The two armies had not yet engaged in a formal decisive battle, and had not even come into close combat, but the Vietnamese army had already suffered such heavy casualties. One can imagine how angry Yun Chang must have been.
"Your Majesty, calm down."
The Vietnamese generals nearby came forward to comfort Yunchang.
Wu Zixu could not help but sigh and said, "Your Majesty, there are capable people among the Wu army. Today's solar eclipse was something we had not expected."
"The Wu army was able to seize the opportunity of this solar eclipse and take action, which shows that Sun Wu's army has many talented people who know astronomy and geography!"
"snort!"
Sima Shimai, who was standing at one side, said with disdain: "What great talent? In my opinion, Sun Wu is just an opportunist who wanted to launch a surprise attack on our Yue army. He just encountered a solar eclipse!"
“…”
Wu Zixu felt speechless and wondered how Shi Mai, with his intelligence, could become the Grand Marshal of the Yue State?
"If it is as the Grand Marshal said, the Wu army may not be a threat. However, if the Wu army really calculated the solar eclipse and had a plan in advance, I am afraid they still have a backup plan."
"Backhand?"
Yun Chang and others were very puzzled.
"I wonder if the king has noticed anything unusual?"
Wu Zixu frowned and said, "Just now, the Wu army took advantage of our army's unpreparedness and shot us with arrows. It seems that they did not use short weapons to attack us suddenly."
"But I think that at this time when the sky is dark, which is a good opportunity, how could the Wu army just shoot arrows from a distance? If I were Sun Wu, I would definitely have a deeper purpose for doing so!"
"What's the purpose?"
"Please send someone to count the soldiers in each camp. It is possible that the Wu army took advantage of the solar eclipse to infiltrate our Yue army with elite soldiers."
Upon hearing this, Yunchang couldn't help but change color.
If things really turned out as Wu Zixu guessed, the consequences would be disastrous!
Therefore, Yunchang did not dare to delay and immediately sent people to gather troops and began to count the soldiers in each camp in preparation for any eventuality.
There are more than 20,000 Vietnamese soldiers, and there are many unfamiliar faces among them.
The only way to distinguish between friends and foes is to screen them layer by layer, from senior generals to low-level military officers, and then to ordinary soldiers, one by one!
At this time, seeing that a group of Yue soldiers were identifying their own soldiers one by one, the Wu soldiers mixed in the Yue army couldn't help but sweat, and were ready to draw their swords at any time!
