Chapter 409
Chapter 409
Under such circumstances, the city's populace burned with animosity toward their common enemy, standing united with Zhang Chong. Furthermore, Zhang Chong propagated the message daily that once the Su Clan captured the city, they would slaughter every single resident. While slaughtering everyone was impossible, they would undoubtedly plunder everything. This was because Zhang Chong had distributed hundreds of thousands of gold coins to the people within the city walls.
Su Nan had hired mercenaries from the Western Regions and even mobilized the warrior monks of the Great Calamity Temple, so he needed to pay them. The Su Clan had recently suffered astronomical losses due to Shen Lang's outrageous actions, so it was only natural for them to recoup their losses by seizing the commoners' money. Some might ask if the Su Clan, having gone as far as treason, shouldn't be trying to win the hearts of the people, but that is too narrow-minded a view. In truth, one can plunder one group while winning the favor of another.
‘Zhang Chong, you truly are remarkable. A civil official carrying out the duties of a military general so effectively—impressive! But no matter how impressive you are, it will be for naught! Tomorrow, White Night Commandery City will fall, and you will be defeated!’
“Bring them in!”
At Su Yong's command, two people were pushed in by Su Nan's subordinates. One was Zhang Chong's second son, Zhang Shun, and the other was Zhang Chong's grandson, merely five years old. These two had just been abducted from the capital, a feat that cost the lives of a dozen of the Su Clan's top martial artists. This was because the King had ordered the warriors of the Blackwater Terrace to protect Zhang Shun's family. Su Nan reached out, touched the face of Zhang Chong's grandson, and asked.
“How old are you, little one?”
“Pah!”
Zhang Chong's grandson spat at Su Nan. Zhang Shun spoke in a voice trembling with indignation.
“Su Nan, to go this far… have you no lines you won't cross?”
Su Nan said with a smile.
“Are you only just realizing that I am a man with no lines to cross? Travel through the night and take this man and the child to the very foot of White Night Commandery City's walls. Make sure Zhang Chong can see his own son and grandson when the battle begins tomorrow. He hasn't seen them in months; he must miss them terribly.”
“Yes, sir!”
Zhang Shun and his five-year-old son were immediately locked in a barred prisoner cart, loaded onto a carriage, and sent speeding toward White Night Commandery City.
Su Yong asked.
“My lord, can we truly pressure Zhang Chong into surrendering with those two?”
“Surrender? No, Zhang Chong will never surrender. And even if he did, I wouldn't dare to use him.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Hold a blade to the throats of his son and grandson and pressure Zhang Chong to commit suicide in front of everyone. As impressive as Zhang Chong is, he is not a man without a heart. He won't be able to stand by and watch his five-year-old grandson be murdered before his very eyes.”
“Yes, sir! And what should we do after Zhang Chong commits suicide?”
“Naturally, we must eradicate the Zhang family, root and stem. When that five-year-old boy grows up, wouldn't he come seeking revenge? The fact that he dared to spit in my face shows he has great spirit, at the very least. Kill them!”
“Yes, sir!”
***
The fifteenth day of the fierce battle for White Night Commandery City.
Another hellish day had dawned. The defending forces under Zhang Chong's command were even smaller than Su Nan had predicted, now numbering less than two thousand. Moreover, over sixty percent of them were new recruits. Zhang Chong was once again gaunt and haggard, his sunken eyes making him look like a skeleton. Worse, he was running a fever. A wound on his body had become infected, causing inflammation, and he felt so dizzy that he feared he would collapse with every step. Zhang Chong shook his head desperately, which seemed to help a little.
‘Zheng Tuo, that bastard! He’s putting on an act!’
Although he had expected it, Zhang Chong couldn't help but feel enraged. A new day had come. The Su Clan's army of nearly twenty thousand had gathered once more. The brutal siege was about to begin again. Zhang Chong gazed to the southwest and muttered to himself.
“Young Master Shen, are you still far? This old man truly cannot hold on much longer!”
***
At that moment, tens of li outside White Night Commandery, a force of ten thousand cavalry was galloping madly, each rider leading a second horse. They flew the banner of King Qiang, A Luotai.
“We are the grand army of King Qiang, A Luotai! Let no one stand in our way!”
“We are the grand army of King Qiang, A Luotai! Let no one stand in my way!”
Shen Lang, A Luonana, and others were hidden within that cavalry force.
“Lord Zhang, you must hold on! Our army will arrive soon, and then we will attack from both inside and out, and annihilate the Su Clan's forces!”
Within the King of Wu's barracks, at the border between the states of Wu and Yue.
An oppressive silence filled the barracks, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The young King of Wu held a bloodstained war report, reading it over and over. Still, he could not believe what was written.
The report stated that Bian Wu's army of twenty thousand had broken through the defensive line at Yanzhou, stormed through several cities defended by the western front army, and penetrated directly into the heartland of the State of Wu. The defensive forces of Wu had divided into several groups to encircle and pursue Bian Wu's army, but his troops were like slippery eels, evading their nets and wreaking havoc throughout Wu's territory without meeting any real resistance.
This was only natural. Bian Wu had been a great general of Wu, so he knew the geography of the state better than the King of Wu or any other commander. He knew the mountain valleys, the roads, and the rivers like the back of his hand, knowing how to move his troops swiftly and which paths were shortcuts. He could even anticipate where the Wu army might lie in ambush.
The war report alone could not fully convey how devastating the surprise attack on Wu was, nor the full extent of Bian Wu's brilliant campaign. To put it simply, this was the situation.
An army of nearly one hundred thousand from Wu was mobilized to encircle and pursue Bian Wu as he rampaged through their territory. But this massive force was led on a wild goose chase, unable to engage effectively. Just as the pursuing army was on the verge of exhaustion, Bian Wu would strike like a venomous snake hunting its prey, mercilessly cutting down his enemies. Furthermore, Bian Wu carried no fodder for his horses or rations for his soldiers; he procured them from within the State of Wu as he went. Of course, "procured" was a euphemism; in plainer terms, they plundered.
With Bian Wu's army killing enemy soldiers and pillaging as they went, the interior of Wu was thrown into great turmoil. Dozens of war reports reached the King of Wu each day. News came in constantly of Bian Wu's phantom-like appearances, now here, now there. Even now, the King of Wu had no idea where Bian Wu actually was. Bian Wu targeted only weakly defended cities, looting at least three of them bare before burning them to the ground. Bian Wu's raid had resulted in massive casualties, numbering at least twenty to thirty thousand.
The young King of Wu felt as if he had been brutally slapped across the face by the King of Yue. Just recently, in the confrontation at the border, he had defeated the King of Yue at Go, and his army had won a great victory when the two forces clashed. As a result, the prestige of the State of Wu had soared, and with it, the King of Wu's own reputation had reached its zenith. Nearly everyone was saying that Ning Yuanxian was a setting sun, while the young King of Wu, Wu Qi, was a rising sun, shining brilliantly. With his heightened prestige, the young King of Wu had been able to check the conservative factions in his court and exert his full authority. He thought he was on the verge of achieving a truly glorious feat, but then, a bolt from the blue struck.
Finally, the King of Wu understood Ning Yuanxian's true intentions. The King of Yue, Ning Yuanxian, was nothing short of a rampaging madman. He had orchestrated this grand play just to give Bian Wu the opportunity to raid the State of Wu. For this performance, he had borrowed millions of gold coins for military expenses, personally marched to the border, and assembled an army of 110,000. Not only that, but to make himself an even more tempting bait, he had sent thirty thousand of his assembled 110,000 troops south, back to the capital. If Ning Yuanxian hadn't done that, Wu Qi wouldn't have moved an additional thirty thousand troops from the western front to march east.
The temptation to confront Ning Yuanxian head-on and defeat him was so great that Wu Qi had stripped the western front of its soldiers, leaving it nearly empty. This allowed Bian Wu's cavalry, numbering just under twenty thousand, to storm into Wu and unleash a river of blood. Another commander might have shown some restraint, but Bian Wu harbored a deep resentment for the State of Wu, so he fought fiercely, slaughtering every enemy he could find. Just how many people had Bian Wu killed in that campaign, how many cities, towns, and villages had he burned? Only heaven knew.
The King of Wu pressed a hand to his forehead, sat down in his chair, and closed his eyes. The terrible news he had received was so grave that his head was spinning. He wept tears of blood in his heart. Without capturing a single city, Bian Wu had dealt a fatal blow to the economy of Wu.
‘Ning Yuanxian, you truly are mad, utterly mad!’
Then, the King of Wu realized that, in a way, he was just like Ning Yuanxian—a risk-taker, stubborn to the point of being single-minded once fixated on something. The reason Wu Qi had led his army south, feigning an attack on Yue's Shangye City, was to create a diversion for his strategy to seize Raging Tide City. Ning Yuanxian had not seen through his true intentions. And Ning Yuanxian's feint of leading a punitive expedition himself was a diversion for Bian Wu's raid, a deception Wu Qi had also failed to see through.
‘So, what should I do now? Send more troops to encircle Bian Wu? Disband this phony showdown the two kings orchestrated for their little play? And be the first to retreat? What would become of my pride? I was the one who first marched south with great fanfare, posturing to attack the State of Yue. To retreat now, disheartened by these losses… absurd!’
Grand Marshal Wu Zhi said.
“Your Majesty, the thirty thousand troops from the western army have not yet reached our camp. Order them to turn back and join the forces pursuing Bian Wu.”
The King of Wu gave no reply. Wu Zhi continued.
“Your Majesty, every additional day Bian Wu's army remains in our lands, our nation's strength will continue to wane.”
The enraged King of Wu gradually regained his composure. He picked up a Go stone and began placing it on the board. He was playing a game against himself. This was how he could quickly calm his mind.
‘This kingdom is mine, so whatever the outcome, I alone must bear the responsibility. The more critical the situation, the calmer I must be. I must take responsibility for every decision I have made. For a king, the greatest taboo is not knowing when to advance and when to retreat, to lose formation in the face of the enemy. No matter how perilous the situation, a crisis is also an opportunity. Something terrible has already happened, so how can I find an opportunity in this disaster? How can I turn this crisis around and achieve a great victory?’