November 3rd.
Lu Yonggang dispatched scouts to investigate around Zhuima City and estimate how many troops were inside the city.
Each army has its own method for estimating troop numbers.
The most mainstream method is to observe the camp, known as the camp calculation method, using the number of tents in the enemy's camp to estimate their troop strength.
The second method is to observe the logistics, the smoke calculation method. Soldiers in the army eat from large pots, and each pot feeds a certain number of soldiers, so scouts can count the number of smoke columns during meal times to estimate the troop strength.
The last method is to observe the amount of grain and fodder being transported to estimate troop numbers.
However, the last method requires entering deep into enemy territory, and it's unclear when the food will be transported, which means waiting for the right time.
