Mythical Three Kingdoms

"Can it really be done?" Yan Yan looked at the three men before him.

"It can!" Zhang Song, Zheng Du, and Liu Ba nodded eagerly like chicks pecking at rice.

"There won't be any mishaps?" Yan Yan scrutinized them.

"Even if there are mishaps, it won't be a crushing defeat," the three said in unison.

"Good, I'm in!" Yan Yan said with a stern face.

Yan Yan did not know that this plan would make him famous throughout the land for capturing a vast territory, including Yiling to the west and Shangyong to the south, with just thirty thousand infantry. Although at the peak of his success, he was harshly brought down by Pang Tong's scheme, no one could deny Yan Yan's magnificence at that time.

Compared to Yizhou's intent to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop, both sides in Yanzhou clearly had some miscalculations. Chen Xi certainly had plans in place, but even he could not contend with the so-called odd and orthodox tactics of Xu You. Xu You's so-called ingenious plan completely exceeded the expectations of Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng; by the time they truly encountered it, Chen Xi's side was completely beset with ill fortune.

Similarly, Guo Jia in Jiyin did not fare any better, though Tian Feng did not gain any advantage either. Moreover, after several probes by Guo Jia, he had managed to grasp the essence of Tian Feng's Spiritual Talent.

"How are we going to fight this?" Guan Yu also felt somewhat embarrassed. After several failed stratagems, Guan Yu became increasingly steady. However, being steady wouldn't fill their stomachs, especially since Yan Liang's force was nearly four times the size of Guan Yu's.

"I'm starting to understand what's going on. Tian Feng is more troublesome than we thought. He probably can foresee the outcomes of direct schemes," Guo Jia said, pulling a face. This was simply maddening.

"This kind of Spiritual Talent is just shameless!" Guan Yu's face twitched. He now understood why Guo Jia's plans against Yuan Shao's forces had been so tentative over the past few days.

"Hmm, General Guan, what is your goal?" Guo Jia asked nonchalantly.

"In this situation, let's hold Jiyin first!" Guan Yu said grimly.

"That won't be hard," Guo Jia replied, nodding slightly.

"It's not easy either. The enemy truly has an abundance of troops and generals," Guan Yu said with a helpless expression.

Guo Jia smiled and said nothing more. He had a rough understanding of Tian Feng's Spiritual Talent. What remained was how to deal with Tian Feng's and Yan Liang's armies. Guo Jia was currently pondering which method to use.

[Considering the previous events, Tian Feng's Spiritual Talent has a significant inhibiting effect on stratagems. If I directly plot against the enemy, they'll basically know the outcome and become wary], Guo Jia silently analyzed.

[However, if I keep changing plans mid-course, even though he can still learn the outcomes, there would be a reaction issue. With this approach, changing the strategic plans a dozen times or so should be enough to exhaust him. But this would also be troublesome for our troops], Guo Jia thought as he massaged his temples.

However, Guo Jia soon thought that if Liu Ye were to deal with Tian Feng, it would truly disgust the latter. With one strategy after another, even if the outcome became apparent, all the switching back and forth in between would be enough to give anyone a headache.

"If it's the second method, what I estimated before should be correct; there was no calculation of the opponent. It was merely a coincidence that the opponent stumbled upon it. There's a process of transfer involved, just a matter of primary and secondary roles. However, this kind is not easy to grasp, and as for creating accidents, how did that guy Chen Gongtai manage to do it?" Guo Jia began to ponder the second approach.

But as soon as Guo Jia considered the second approach, he remembered Chen Gong. It was obvious that Chen Gong did not know about Tian Feng's Spiritual Talent, yet Chen Gong simply crushed Tian Feng, that unlucky fellow. As for the reason, after thinking it through and conducting some tests to confirm, Guo Jia concluded that Tian Feng's Spiritual Talent could not anticipate accidents.

In his previous confrontation with Tian Feng, Guo Jia had created an accident which, despite only wiping out a hundred or so of Tian Feng's men, was sufficient to verify Guo Jia's speculation. Of course, this accident also confirmed the first conjecture.

"As for the third method, it seems that it is the only one that is practically feasible so far." Guo Jia sighed.

The third method was something Guo Jia had prepared early on to deal with Tian Feng. The method was incredibly simple: force Tian Feng to move according to his own steps. He would set traps first and then Tian Feng would walk into them, rather than the previous approach where Tian Feng moved first and then he would set traps.

Frankly, this method could hardly be considered a ploy; it was essentially an understanding of the enemy's situation, like playing chess, getting ready in advance to capture your opponent's next move. Such a strong control over the situation required the opposite party to be significantly weaker than oneself to work; otherwise, even a slight carelessness could lead to self-destruction.

However, Guo Jia now had a suspicion: that Tian Feng placed unwavering trust in his own Spiritual Talent, even going so far as to develop all his abilities in opposition to the talent.

If that were the case, Guo Jia could still trap Tian Feng. Sometimes too great an advantage could cloud one's vision and prevent one from seeing their own shortcomings.

"With a three-pronged approach, let's see what the result is first. Accidents, what are they all about!" Guo Jia thought helplessly, "I also wonder how things are going with Zichuan. Xu You is no easy opponent, and compared to normal Spiritual Talent, those that directly boost intelligence are even more troublesome."

Just as Guo Jia feared, although Chen Xi had made preparations in advance, when he actually encountered Xu You, he also felt frustrated. Xu You did not play by the book at all. His Chaotic Fist left Chen Xi and his men all dizzy and confused.

Upon learning that the visitor was Xu You, Chen Xi made extra arrangements and sent someone to warn Sun Qian and the others in Linyi to be on their guard. He also instructed Wang Xiu to fortify the city in Linyi and ordered Xu Zhu not to be provoked by any possible besieging army. He even told Zhang Yan to tighten his control over his troops.

Overall, Chen Xi's response had no issues, but sometimes having the right response does not mean everything is fine.

In the afternoon, after Zhuge Liang confirmed that someone was indeed coming from the rear, Chen Xi began ordering his troops to rest in shifts to avoid a surprise attack. Then, when night fell and a full moon rose into the sky, its silver light spilled over the land. It was a cloudless night, so clear one could read a book by the moonlight.

"I forgot it's a full moon tonight; no one would dare to launch a night attack." Chen Xi looked at the moon nearing its zenith and gave a wry smile. On such a night, everything within a mile was in plain sight.

"I also overlooked it. However, if we hadn't discovered it, using the 'Wind Repelling Clouds' strategy might have put us at a great disadvantage." Zhuge Liang also sighed, "A good plan on the opponent's part."

"No matter how good their plan is, it's useless if we've discovered it." Chen Xi brushed off his previous concerns and said proudly. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and recommend tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)