Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 33: Strategic Analysis (Tang III)

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A man of divine talent!

[Shi] Siming. was enraged. and launched. fire. ships., desiring. to burn. the floating. bridge. [Li] Guang.bi. had previously. stored. hundred. foot. long. poles. using. massive. timbers. to support. their. base., and wrapped. iron. forks. around. their. tips. to. meet. the fire. ships. and. hook. them. The ships. were unable. to. advance. and in a short. while, they burned. themselves. out completely.

Siming. stationed. his troops. at. Heqing, desiring. to sever. Guang.bi’s. supply. lines. Guang.bi. camped. his army. at. the Yeshui. Crossing. to. prepare. for it, but once. evening. came, he returned. to He.yang. He left. behind a thousand, men. and ordered. General. Yong. Xiying. to guard. the stockade, saying. "The rebel. generals. Kun. Tinghui. and Li. Ri.yue. are both. match-for-ten-thousand. warriors original: "萬人敵" (wanren di) — a common historical idiom for a peerless warrior whose skill equals ten thousand men. When they. arrive. do not. fight. them. If they surrender. then. bring them. back with. you." The various. generals. did not. understand, his, meaning, and all, secretly, laughed, at him.

Shortly, after, Siming, indeed, spoke, to [Li Ri],yue, saying, "Li, Guang,bi, is skilled, at, relying, on city walls, but now, he has come out, and is in, the open field, You, take, the iron, cavalry iron cavalryHeavy armored cavalry used for shock tactics, and cross [the river], tonight, to, capture, him for me, If you do, not, succeed, then, do not, return." [Li Ri],yue, took, a hundred, cavalry, and at dawn, arrived, at, the stockade, and, asked, "Is the Minister of Works original: "司空" (Sikong) — one of the Three Ducal Ministers; here referring to Li Guangbi's official title, here?"