With Wang Xuan's idea in hand, everyone naturally stopped taking little Yuan Shao seriously.
They devoted all their enthusiasm to making simple modifications to the supply wagons. All that remained was to experiment and determine how many people could stand in each War Chariot for the best effect.
At the same time, Yuan Shao's army broke camp and set out. The two hundred thousand troops were divided into three sections, their marching route stretching for more than twenty miles as they bore down on Ling County.
Three days later, the fifty-thousand-strong vanguard reached a position twenty miles from Ling County and began setting up camp. Wang Xuan, however, did not order anyone to launch a surprise attack while the enemy was still struggling to establish itself.
They would wait—wait until the entire two-hundred-thousand-strong army had arrived, wait for the opportunity to fight a decisive battle. That way, when the War Chariots made their first appearance on the battlefield, they would have a greater impact and cripple Yuan Shao's army in a single battle.
While everyone under Yuan Shao was puzzled over why Liu Bei's army was not taking advantage of its only opportunity to launch a surprise attack, the two hundred thousand troops gradually arrived outside Ling County.
Two hundred thousand soldiers, two hundred thousand laborers, and a camp for four hundred thousand people—it was simply enormous. The camp alone occupied an area thirty miles across.
Frowning as he looked at the challenge before him, Yuan Shao felt that something was wrong no matter how he looked at it.
Liu Bei had actually issued a challenge according to ancient custom, arranging a decisive battle for the following day.
To Yuan Shao, this revealed an eerie feeling everywhere. Judging by the despicable, shameless, and underhanded traits Liu Bei's army had displayed