Warring States Survival Guide-Chapter 368 - 254: Surprise Attack

When Stone Bodhisattva joined the Wanjin Army, he still had the naivety of a young man. But after so many years in the Wanjin Army, with all kinds of training, his youthful innocence had long disappeared. Additionally, with good food and restful sleep, he had grown into a man full of vigor.

It seems that thanks to a high fever he had as a child, which almost killed him, he became quite intuitive, and his thinking was slightly different from ordinary people. In combat, this often allowed him to attack the enemy’s weak points unexpectedly and easily. This allowed him to stand out among the many Wanjin Army officers, and at a young age, with average qualifications, he took the lead in becoming the commander of a unit.

In terms of personality, he hadn’t changed much over the years. He didn’t care if others insulted him; he was still like that stray little beggar back then. Even when facing a group of anxious junior and mid-level officers, he remained calm and kind, never feeling his authority was challenged, not demanding the military judge to have them beaten up or arrested.

Yet, he just wouldn’t change, still insisting that everyone remain in a state of silent waiting until the order to attack is given.

That group of junior and mid-level officers could do nothing. Since the founding of the Wanjin Army, Harano had always feared they would turn into a group of "looting and raping criminals," and the military discipline was extremely harsh, without any sign of softening over the years. Even if these junior and mid-level officers were very dissatisfied, they couldn’t really do anything about him and could only retreat, disheartened.

Now, they could only claim eagerness for battle, which barely made sense. But if they continued to stir things up against the insistence on orders by the military commander, none of them would enjoy any good outcome.

"Lucky for these guys, navy people are just incompetent, you should show them who’s boss." After those junior and mid-level officers who came to "request battle" were sent away, the military judge of the military police lowly cursed and spat on the ground—those questioning were mainly officers of the Wanjin Navy. They were temporarily under Wanjin Army’s First Regiment and weren’t very familiar with Stone Bodhisattva, and now felt very uneasy.

"Probably afraid of accountability afterward, after all, we are to blame if we truly miss our deadline." The supervising officer guessed softly from the side, his tone also tinged with unease. However, the supervising officer was primarily responsible for soldiers’ lives and logistics, not military tactics.

"The navy is just slippery!" The staff officer also added, to show his stance was steadfast—with the Wanjin Navy having sucked quite a lot from the Wanjin Army over the past two years, drawing away many personnel, criticizing the Wanjin Navy was politically correct.

Stone Bodhisattva shook his head, standing up for the Wanjin Navy officers, "They had no choice but to come. If they didn’t ask, their soldiers below would blame them—soldiers are uneasy, especially those from the navy who came ashore."

Having come up from being an ordinary soldier, he understood the thoughts of ordinary soldiers very well, especially in situations like this where they were detached from the main force, lightly armed, deep in enemy territory, and had yet to see any action. Ordinary soldiers were prone to wild thoughts and internal worries.

Such things can’t be restrained by military discipline, and leading troops isn’t that simple. Just relying on discipline to demand silence won’t work in the long term, problems will arise if it goes on too long.

The others were somewhat aware of this as well. After a brief silence, the staff officer tentatively asked, "Changye Army remains inactive, and we’ve been hiding here for several days doing nothing. It’s quite unsettling... Bodhisattva, should we implement the contingency plan?"

The battlefield situation is ever-changing, and the situation in Luoling County remains unclear. Their mission wasn’t necessarily to capture Daheicheng. If there’s no opportunity for a surprise attack, they could alter the mission to local harassment, trying to create a big enough commotion to lure the Kitahata Army back for reinforcements.

However, Stone Bodhisattva, this military commander, had previously not given up on the primary mission to seek combat opportunities, and he, along with the two deputy regiment commanders, had expressed agreement. That’s why these 1,400 men had been idling here.

Stone Bodhisattva shook his head once more, took out a dry seaweed cracker, lay down on the camp bed, and started nibbling, mumbling, "The families of Hokitate Family’s samurais, most of them are still in the city. Executing the contingency plan cannot guarantee 100% that the Hokitate Family would return for reinforcements, not achieving the optimal tactical effect nor fully destroying their morale."

"But waiting like this..."

Stone Bodhisattva directly interrupted, "Waiting is worth it!"

The supervising officer couldn’t hold back, "But from His Highness’s side..."

"His Highness’s side is stronger than us, I trust there won’t be any problems from His Highness’s side."

"But now it’s been delayed for several days, if the main force is forced to assault resulting in heavy casualties, and accountability is pursued afterward..."

Stone Bodhisattva turned around and sat up, resolutely stating, "The higher-ups ordered us here to maximize the disturbance of the enemy so that the main forces can easily crush them and completely annihilate the enemy’s field forces, securing victory in one move. It wasn’t to have us worry about this or that. I will bear all responsibility. If they pursue accountability afterward, I will face the martial court myself."

"So shouldn’t we try splitting up to stealthily attack a manor, inciting Daheicheng and Changye Army to leave the city? Doing something is better than doing nothing, right?"

"No, this won’t mobilize many enemies. The enemy isn’t foolish enough to go all out for a small manor, instead it may make us lose our greatest advantage, expose us, or arouse enemy suspicion." Stone Bodhisattva said, then lay down again, softly adding, "The main force over there must be on the offensive, Changye Army will surely continue to move south, so they can assist and support the Kitahata Army anytime, it’s impossible for them to stay near Daheicheng indefinitely. Let’s wait a little longer, wait a little longer... Capturing Daheicheng will maximally reduce casualties, which is the optimal solution."

After speaking, he closed his eyes and began to sleep, seemingly conserving energy and strength.

The senior officers of the First Squadron exchanged glances, all convinced that the name Stone Bodhisattva was indeed apt. Normally as gentle as a Bodhisattva, he turned extraordinarily stubborn when faced with issues, his resolve as hard as stone.

When drafting the plan, Harano, as the supreme commander, had already granted Stone Bodhisattva the authority for on-the-spot decisions, placing him in charge of its execution. All they could do was sigh silently and continue enduring.

......

Stone Bodhisattva truly had a head of stone; he insisted everyone hide in the valley for another day, which was driving many of the soldiers nearly insane.

Now, with the Wanjin Army recruiting, they only wanted sons from good families, specifically picking honest and reliable lads with families of their own. The generous treatment and generally respected social status instilled a strong sense of personal honor in the Wanjin soldiers. They were acutely aware of their combat duties, knowing that their comrades were suffering casualties and assaulting Anong City’s defensive system, their hearts burning with anxiety, fearing they might return without any achievements and be labeled cowards.

Yet Stone Bodhisattva remained motionless, wagering that the 1,500 troops of the Changye Army would move south following the large-scale battle near Anong City.

This mental strain was too much even for the staff officers and supervisors—they had already felt restless before, wanting to take action, and were even more so now. Yet Stone Bodhisattva stayed calm, eating and sleeping as usual, with an air of resigning to retire home and marry a widow, living off her for the rest of his life, if necessary.

At last, at dawn the following day, word came from the front that the Changye Army in the fortress of Daheicheng had finally shown signs of activity. They began blowing the Dharma Conch, gathering mules and vehicles, and distributing bags of rice and water flasks, seemingly preparing for a departure. The reconnaissance personnel didn’t dare approach Daheicheng, only observing from a distance hidden in the nearby mountains, unable to obtain detailed information or capture anyone for interrogation.

Nevertheless, it was good news. The command unit became busy immediately, with the staff officer and a group of subordinates spreading out the map of Daheicheng, reconfirming the attack targets and tasks for each banner unit. Some were preparing armor and weapons, others were boosting morale, and others arranging the pre-battle meals.

Soon, the First Squadron of Wanjin Army and the temporarily assembled navy were in combat readiness.

At this time, the front sent news again confirming that the Changye Army had indeed moved. Over 1,500 troops started moving south along the road, away from Daheicheng.

The supervisor let out a long sigh of relief, carefully examining the map, taking off his military cap to fan himself while laughing, "These guys reacted just as we predicted, indeed moving towards the main battlefield, probably heading to Mori City, trying to threaten our main force’s flank and ease their front pressure."

"Great, they’ve moved, exposing Daheicheng’s northern side, and Daheicheng still needs to station troops."

Though not commanding the battle, the military judge was still pleased to see this. Previously, the large force of the Changye Army occupying the northern fortress of Daheicheng blocked their path—the dilemma was whether to attack the fortress, making Daheicheng immediately alert, or attack Daheicheng, exposing their rear to the Changye Army. Unable to mount two simultaneous attacks with their lightweight and rapidly moving troops, they were stuck.

Now, fortunately, the most troublesome enemy force had moved on their own, truly a blessing from heaven.

"Commander, let’s attack tonight as planned!"

All eyes quickly focused on Stone Bodhisattva, who withdrew his gaze from the map and, without hesitation or any whim to modify the original plan, ordered directly, "Stick to the original plan, all units set out in order, reaching the attack positions before dusk."

They all responded in unison, and soon, the 1,400 troops of the Wanjin Army began departing the small valley they had been holed up in for several days, starting with elite small banners, heading towards the Luk Bell Mountain area.

Cautiously, they advanced, searching as they went along, fearing being spotted ahead of time, even in this desolate wilderness, by hunters going into the mountains.

If their efforts were to fail due to this, they’d be livid, forcing them to advance carefully, capturing anyone they came across first.

Fortunately, it was winter, with hardly anyone venturing into the mountains. Except for the difficult mountain roads causing ten non-combat injuries due to falls and sprains, there were no incidents.

By the afternoon, the 1,400 troops had successfully approached Luk Bell Mountain, then hid for rest, consuming food to replenish their strength.

After dark, following the pre-rehearsed plan, a squad of Wanjin Army donned a motley collection of armor, hoisting the Nagano Family’s back banners, set out in torchlight, openly posing as Nagano Family’s messengers and reinforcements, passing through checkpoints and forts, heading straight for Daheicheng.

No one at the Kitahata Family’s checkpoints suspected them, after all, they came from the north, while the Wanjin Army was in the south—it couldn’t be the enemy. Then, under Stone Bodhisattva’s watchful gaze, a large burst of fire erupted near Daheicheng’s gate in the distant night, accompanied by a deafening sound.

The gate of Daheicheng was blown up, and the Wanjin Army launched a night assault.