Map of the Kingdom's Warfare.

Summary

The chapter describes the tense situation in Guanzhong as the Zhou army, led by generals Xu Shiji, Lai Hu'er, and Liu Lan Cheng, surrounds Chengdu during the Tang Dynasty's crisis. The Zhou forces, numbering one hundred thousand, face a significantly smaller Tang army of only twenty-five thousand, which includes reinforcements that have not fully arrived. Xu Shiji devises a strategy to breach Chengdu's defenses while Lai Hu'er and Ling Jing contribute their insights. Meanwhile, Li Shen Fu and Chai Shao in Chengdu discuss military strategies and the dire grain shortage as they receive an envoy from Xu Shiji, Zhang Yi, who proposes rules for engagement to protect civilians. Chai Shao agrees to the terms, emphasizing the need for both sides to adhere to the established rules, while Li Shen Fu remains wary of Xu Shiji's cunning tactics.

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