Every Strategist Was a Great Bluffer

Liu Dai turned around, his expression resolute. "Rouse the troops and follow me out of the city! We'll fight these bandits to the death!"

Everyone around him froze, then stared at Liu Dai with astonished expressions.

He's gone mad, hasn't he? They had every advantage in a defensive siege, yet he wanted to abandon it and engage the bandits in close combat—using their own weakness against the enemy's strength. Is there something wrong with his head?

Wang Yu stepped forward and grabbed Liu Dai's sleeve, speaking anxiously. "My lord, you mustn't. The bandits currently number five hundred thousand. The people are terrified, and the soldiers have no fighting spirit. Their momentum is unstoppable. However, the bandits' soldiers and families are mixed together and move as one. Their army also has no supplies or provisions, and survives only through plunder. The best strategy now would be to let our troops recover their strength, hold the city, and wear down the bandits' morale. After they fail to take the city several times, their morale will inevitably decline. We can then select elite soldiers to launch an attack and surely defeat the enemy in one stroke."

"Administrator Wang, that is mistaken!" another man stepped forward and looked coldly at Wang Yu. "If we truly follow your advice, you will surely plunge Lord Liu into a situation from which there is no escape!"

"Who are you? Is this a place where you have the right to speak?" Wang Yu flew into a rage after being contradicted. He turned his head and saw that it was Cheng Yu of Hedong. This man had risen to prominence during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and possessed a measure of talent, but his humble background meant that he was currently no more than a minor clerk in the city.