After Qi State's armies crossed the border between the two states, so many troops naturally could not all travel along a single road, and several routes of advance were soon planned.
Qi State's Ducal House Army circled around the Taihang Mountains on the left, while Tian Chang's family army took the main axis of attack, tasked with drawing the bulk of Yan State's forces.
Several ministerial clans led by the Grand Steward took the right flank, while the other vassals each followed their own lords into battle.
Logistics, meanwhile, required unified coordination, with grain and fodder shipments adjusted according to the three armies' directions of advance. All sides agreed to this because everyone was thinking of cutting the supply lines, which would allow them to inflict the greatest casualties.
Within Yan State's army.
A minister of the state, his face ashen with despair, said, "My lord, Qi State has now mobilized every soldier in the country against us. What are we to do?"
Wu Gou, the Marquis of Yan, smiled without speaking. Seeing him like this, those who were not clever were filled with anger. Having provoked such a calamity that blotted out the sky, how could he still smile?
The clever ones were somewhat curious about the mystery behind it, until the intelligence on Qi State's armies reached the Marquis of Yan.
It included not only their marching routes, but also their troop allocations, quantities of equipment, and the locations of their supply lines. To Yan State, the Qi armies were now essentially transparent.
"This..."
"Heaven and the Sage King above..."
Everyone was dumbstruck. Faced with this bizarre scene, they opened their mouths but did not know what to say. One glance told them this must have been sent by whoever had drawn up the plans. Across two thousand