"Exactly!" Ao Lie smiled calmly. "The Zhou Army will send troops to ambush us and prevent us from reinforcing General Lu, so our march is bound to face obstacles. Even if we don't disclose our route, anyone versed in military affairs could work it out with a little careful calculation. Once they identify a place we must pass through and lay an ambush beforehand, they can catch us off guard. At the very least, they can slow our advance."
Yu Da's expression gradually grew grave. Ao Lie was right. To climb mountains or cross rivers, they had to follow mountain paths or use bridges. Even without a public announcement, the enemy would know that the Shang Army had to pass through such places. He said, "In that case, General, we should pick up the pace and reach Sishui Pass to join General Lu as soon as possible, before the Zhou Army gets word and sends troops to stop us."
"No." Ao Lie shook his head. "Not only must we not march faster, we must slow down. And we must follow His Majesty's instructions, publish our route in the newspaper, and make it known to everyone. We aren't afraid of the Zhou Army finding out-we're afraid they won't!"
Yu Da was no fool either. After a moment's thought, he understood. "General Li, are you saying that His Majesty's intention in publishing our route is actually to turn their scheme against them? To let the Zhou Army think they can ambush and intercept us, when in fact they've already fallen into our trap to lure them in and will be ambushed by us instead?"
Ao Lie nodded approvingly. "Exactly. That is His Majesty's plan. Even after a crushing defeat, General Lu still has the advantage in numbers once he joins forces with