Chapter 398
Chapter 398
Following the denunciation of the State of Yue, the Su Clan's army swept through like a storm, moving from one victory to the next. If they took one city today, they would take two the next. They didn't even need to dispatch troops to every city in White Night Commandery; simply sending the proclamation was enough to secure their surrender. The lords of cities like Snowridge and Xueliang, along with all their officials, led their people to welcome the Su Clan's grand army. Countless commoners welcomed the Su Clan's forces, bringing food and shouting with joy.
“We're saved! The King of Yue sent that treacherous Shen Lang, and we suffered terribly. Why did the Su Clan's army take so long to arrive?”
Su Nan helped up an old man, his face a mask of misery, tears streaming down his cheeks. He took the cloudy rice wine the old man offered and drank it in one go before addressing the people who had come out to greet them.
“My dear elders, I, Su Nan, have arrived late. You have all suffered because of it!”
The Su Clan's army bestowed large quantities of cloth, grain, wine, and meat upon the people. In unison, the countless commoners praised Lord Su as virtuous and wise. In just three short days, Su Nan's army, with unstoppable momentum, had seized six cities in White Night Commandery. The commandery had swiftly changed its allegiance to welcome Su Nan, leaving only the main commandery city.
Su Nan sent a message to Su Zhan.
*I have liberated the cities of White Night Commandery from the King of Yue's tyranny, so why do the people of the main city still suffer? The traitor Zhang Chong cruelly oppresses the people within the commandery city's walls; one can only imagine their wretched state. I, Su Nan, cannot sleep at night for thinking of their suffering. I can almost hear the wails of the people of White Night City. When will you be able to save them?*
Grand General Su Zhan wept in response.
*They say a subject proves his loyalty with his life when his lord is shamed. This humble general will give his all to eliminate Zhang Chong and rescue the tens of thousands of innocent people in White Night Commandery City.*
Soon after, the ten thousand troops under Su Zhan's command, along with five thousand mercenaries from the Western Regions and three thousand warrior monks from the Great Calamity Temple, began a relentless, round-the-clock assault on White Night Commandery City. The battle immediately escalated to its fiercest point, with a grand army of eighteen thousand launching a ferocious attack from outside the walls. Inside, Zhang Chong's defending force numbered only four to five thousand, a stark disparity in numbers. Then, Su Nan conscripted another three thousand soldiers from Xueliang City, bringing the Su Clan's garrison there to eight thousand. They stood guard on the path that Zheng Tuo's army would have to take on their march south.
Su Nan of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate finally let out a long sigh of relief. Everything was going more smoothly than he had imagined. He almost felt he should thank Shen Lang. Thanks to Shen Lang leading his men on a destructive rampage through White Night Commandery like a great flood, the Su Clan had been able to take six cities without any hindrance. Once they crushed the commandery city defended by Zhang Chong, Su Nan's army would have dominion over the southern part of Tianxi Province.
At that point, he could march north to attack White Night Pass and join forces with the State of Chu to assault the Zhong Clan, or he could move south to coordinate an attack with the armies of Prince Gong and Zhu Lin. As for marching east... No. Best not to think about that for now. The capital of Yue was too vast and well-fortified; even with his twenty to thirty thousand troops combined with the seventy to eighty thousand of the Qiang Kingdom's allied forces, they would not be able to take it. Still, the current situation was like a ship with a favorable wind. The only slight annoyance was the King of Qiang. Shen Lang had reportedly fled to the Great Snow Mountains, and the King of Qiang had gone in pursuit. Su Nan was inwardly furious at this news.
‘Arutai, was that really necessary? Shen Lang and Aruna have only three thousand people with them. Sending ten thousand in pursuit would have been more than enough. Did you really need to lead thirty or forty thousand yourself? Are you that worried I'll seize command of your army?’
But King Arutai of Qiang did not see it that way. Since becoming the Great King of Qiang, he had not achieved a single noteworthy victory. When the three princes, including Aruozhuo, had occupied the Snow Mountain Divine Temple and stood against him, it was the two women of the Su Clan who had dealt with them. The civil war was quelled without losing a single soldier, a happy ending for all. However, Arutai was not pleased by this outcome; instead, it filled him with suspicion.
‘Aren't you people from the Su Clan a little too capable? Besides, the Qiang Kingdom can only have one king. Since Aruna has declared herself one, I, Arutai, must be the one to personally take her head. Only then will my claim to the throne be legitimate.’
If Arutai had to be the one to kill Aruna, he could have taken ten thousand troops in pursuit and left the other thirty thousand on the plains, saving both men and provisions.
‘No, that wouldn't work either. I've just been crowned the new king. How can I be separated from my army? The Su Clan is eyeing the Qiang Kingdom like a tiger. What if I'm away from my army for too long and they seize it? They're beasts who would do anything.’
***
In White Night Commandery City, defended by Zhang Chong, the air was filled with sky-shattering war cries. Flames, crimson blood, and corpses littered the ground from the brutal fighting. The ground was densely covered with bows and arrows. From the very first day, the Su Clan's grand army had attacked the city with unparalleled ferocity, a sight chilling enough to make one's blood run cold. The Su Clan's personal army was well-equipped and strictly disciplined. The warrior monks of the Great Calamity Temple were masters of martial arts and feared no death. The mercenaries, comprised of warriors from the Western Regions, were cunning, versatile in their attacks, agile, and experienced. In any case, none of these three forces were easy opponents.
When Zhang Chong came to White Night Commandery, the king had managed to scrape together three thousand elite soldiers for him, along with six officers of Thousand-man Commander rank or higher. All the officers were exceptional talents; about ten of them were even military scholars who had passed the highest imperial examinations, a considerable number. They were first-rate talents in both military strategy and martial arts, but their only flaw was a lack of real combat experience. The State of Yue had been at peace for nearly twenty years. The rebellion of the Southern Ou Kingdom last year was the only real war, so most of the officers had no practical experience.
A Thousand-man Commander, one of the military scholars, said to Zhang Chong,
“Your Excellency, the battle is so fierce. This humble general fears the men cannot hold out much longer.”
Zhang Chong glanced at him and saw that his words were not born of fear. His armor was covered in cuts, a sign that he was a brave man who had led his soldiers from the front. Such a man would not be afraid of battle itself, but rather of the grim outlook of the current situation.
“It's been less than three hours since the battle began, and the enemy has already scaled the walls three or four times. There are too many of them. They outnumber us four or five to one, don't they?”
Zhang Chong smiled and said,
“Don't you worry. Throughout history, sieges always begin with a fierce onslaught, but their momentum wanes after several attempts. This intensity is just because it's the first day. Once we get through today, things will get easier.”
The young commander asked,
“Really?”
“What would this old man gain by deceiving you?”
“That's very reassuring.”
He hastily bandaged his wounds and rested for about fifteen minutes. Soon, he would have to climb the battlements again to relieve his comrades and rejoin the fight. Grand Princess Ning Jue stood beside them, saying nothing. She had seen through Zhang Chong's lie but kept silent. She knew that as fierce as today's battle was, the days to come would be even more grueling. The terrifying days had only just begun.
“This army is excellent, and its officers are outstanding. They just haven't been tempered by real battle, so their will isn't as strong as it could be. That will improve over time.”
Zhang Chong said consolingly. But he knew, deep down, that gaining combat experience meant bloodshed and death.
So, had Zhang Chong experienced war? Of course, he had. Zhang Chong's father was a mid-ranking general, and in his youth, he had followed him into battle many times. Zhang Chong had fought in the great war between Wu and Yue, and in the war where Yue killed the previous king of the Southern Ou Kingdom. He had even participated in the war where Ning Yuanwu annihilated the rebel army. Of course, there were no records of that war. Ning Yuanxian had deliberately erased it from history.
Grand Princess Ning Jue asked,
“When will Zheng Tuo's army march south?”
“Zheng Tuo's army will appear just when our defenders are about to break. But he probably won't even make it to the walls of White Night City.”
Ning Jue knew this as well. Zheng Tuo's army was like a stimulant; the news of their march south would boost morale just when the defenders of White Night Commandery reached their breaking point. To put it more bluntly, Zheng Tuo's army existed to squeeze every last drop of will and fighting strength from the defenders of White Night. King Ning Yuanxian had no expectation that Zhang Chong would win; he only hoped he would hold out a little longer. To be precise, he wanted Zhang Chong to hold out until the situation with the Southern Ou Kingdom was resolved and Bian Xiao had achieved a great victory. In Ning Yuanxian's eyes, Zhang Chong's three thousand soldiers were nothing more than sacrificial pawns, cannon fodder.
“Kill! Kill!”
From below the walls, another sky-shaking roar erupted. The Su Clan's allied forces surged forward in waves, attacking relentlessly as if every second was the final, decisive battle. Under their ferocious assault, it seemed Zhang Chong's defenders would not last even a single day. But this was only the beginning. Zhang Chong had to rely on these four or five thousand men to hold out for nearly a month. It was an ordeal akin to hell itself.
Watching his army attack with sky-piercing morale, the allied commander, Su Zhan, felt his blood boil. The moment for the Su Clan to finally shed its skin and be reborn as a soaring phoenix had come. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The decisive battle for White Night Commandery City before them was like the only great war the Su Clan would have to fight. Once they took the city, no one in the southern part of Tianxi Province would dare to resist. Afterward, when Su Nan was enfeoffed as a duke, Su Zhan would be made a marquis. At this thought, Su Zhan became unbearably excited and roared like a madman.
“Attack the city! Attack! I promised our lord I would take White Night City in three days. The moment we breach the walls, all the wealth inside is yours for the taking!”
Hearing this, the morale of the Su Clan's allied forces soared once more, and they attacked the city with renewed ferocity.
***
In the northern part of the State of Yue, inside the King of Wu's barracks.
“Hahahaha! Su Nan has finally raised the banner of rebellion! He's rebelled! The chance for our State of Wu to have its revenge has finally come. Ning Yuanxian, did you ever imagine a day would come when the whole world would turn against Yue? During the Yanzhou catastrophe, our State of Wu lost territory equivalent to nine commanderies to you. Did you ever imagine a day like this would come?”
The King of Wu could not contain his excitement.
‘A great era is upon us. In the east, our State of Wu's twenty to thirty thousand troops will soon take the Leizhou Archipelago. In the west, the grand army of Chu is furiously attacking the border pass defended by the Zhong Clan. In the southwest, Su Nan has rebelled with tens of thousands of troops and will soon sweep across the southern part of Tianxi Province. In the south, Zhu Lin's army is constantly shrinking, and Prince Gong continues to reclaim the lost lands of the Southern Ou Kingdom. Who in this world can save the State of Yue? Who can save Ning Yuanxian? Wu and Chu will carve up Yue between us. Our State of Wu has suffered decline for over twenty years, but now, we shall spread our wings once more and rise again in glory.’