novelSusiti Chapter 67 The Granary of Mei County Burns to Ashes—Sima Yi, It's Time to Talk to Me.
Chapter 67 The Granary of Mei County Burns to Ashes—Sima Yi, It's Time to Talk to Me.
Before dawn, Zhang He broke camp.
Ten thousand cavalry. Lightly equipped. Without tents.
They carried no baggage. Each person wore only an empty water bag around their waist.
Direction—East. Mei County.
The lieutenant followed behind. "General, which road did we come from?"
There is no other way.
Zhang He's voice became hoarse.
I didn't sleep all night. I had no water to drink. My throat was full of sand.
The road we came by. At the foot of Wuzhangyuan. On the south bank of the Wei River. A bend in the road.
The place where Zhao Yun intercepted grain.
Zhang He knew Zhao Yun was still there. Two thousand cavalrymen were crouching behind the low hill, waiting.
But he had no choice.
Ten thousand iron cavalry. Two thousand cavalry couldn't stop them. They charged straight through. Some died. They could get through.
"The entire army is fully armored. The vanguard numbers three thousand. Wedge formation. Do not stop if ambushed. Charge through."
The order was given. Ten thousand cavalrymen set out.
The sound of horses' hooves echoed in the darkness before dawn.
-
Wuzhangyuan. Western foothills.
Zhao Yun had been waiting behind the low hill for two hours.
The white horse wasn't being ridden. It was being led by the hand. A cloth was covering its muzzle to prevent it from making a sound.
Two thousand cavalrymen were scattered in the woods on both sides of the low hill.
The rider doesn't dismount, the horse doesn't unsaddle. They are ready to move at any time.
The scout ran back from the front. Silence. Gesture.
Ten thousand cavalrymen have arrived.
Zhao Yun mounted his horse. He didn't rush to move.
and so on.
The sound of horses' hooves came from the east. First, it was muffled. It came from afar.
Then it got closer and closer. The ground began to shake.
Zhao Yun looked down from the top of the low hill.
Zhang He's vanguard consisted of 3,000 cavalry. They formed a wedge formation, prioritizing speed in their charge.
Zhang He knew there was an ambush here, so he didn't slow down and charged straight in.
Zhao Yun did not move.
Three thousand riders charged past the bend. They didn't stop. The sound of hooves faded into the west.
Following behind was the central army, seven thousand cavalry. Their formation was looser than the vanguard's, and their speed was also slower.
Zhao Yun gripped the spear shaft.
When the central army had passed halfway—
"move."
Two thousand cavalry surged out from both sides of the low hill. They advanced diagonally, cutting in from the flank.
Zhao Yun went straight for the center.
Cut it in half. The front one got away. The back one got blocked.
The silver spear thrust out. The first thrust. From the side.
The Cao Wei cavalry didn't even turn their heads.
The spear tip pierced his ribs. He fell from his horse.
Zhao Yun didn't stop. He sheathed his spear and then took down two more men in quick succession.
Two thousand cavalrymen crashed into the flank of seven thousand cavalrymen. The formation was torn in half.
The Cao Wei cavalry's formation was thrown into disarray.
The one in front accelerates forward, while the one behind reins in its horse, wanting to turn around and fight back.
The people and horses were squeezed together in the middle, horses bumping into each other and people jostling each other.
Zhao Yun swept his spear across. One spear. Three men. The spear shaft didn't even bend.
But Zhao Yun did not linger in battle.
A stick of incense.
Zhao Yun raised his spear. The spear tip pointed to the sky. The bugle sounded to signal the end of the battle.
Two thousand cavalrymen cut in from the flank, then withdrew from the flank again. Clean and efficient.
They retreated behind the low hill and disappeared into the woods.
-
Zhang He reined in his horse and turned around.
On the official road, people and horses lay sprawled haphazardly.
The lieutenant rushed back from the front. His face was splattered with blood. It belonged to someone else.
"General, you've fallen—"
"How many."
"Approximately three thousand. Half were killed or wounded. Two thousand horses were lost."
Zhang He gripped the reins tightly. His knuckles were white. His bones creaked.
Three thousand men. Ten thousand cavalrymen set out. Before they even reached Mei County, three thousand were lost.
Zhao Yun led two thousand cavalry. They charged in briefly and then left. No protracted fighting. No lingering battle.
They'll retreat after they've finished fighting.
"Keep going."
Seven thousand cavalry. Reorganize. Continue eastward.
Zhang He didn't turn around to look at the people lying on the ground.
-
Chencang. Inside the city.
Fourth day.
The mud at the bottom of the well has dried up. You can't scrape any water out.
Hao Zhao sat inside the city gate tower. A bowl of something was placed in front of him.
Brown. Thick. With a pungent, fishy smell.
Horse blood porridge.
Three warhorses were killed. Their blood was drained. Mixed with broken rice. Then cooked.
Two thousand people in the city. The blood of three horses. A mouthful for each person.
Hao Zhao didn't drink it.
"General, you must drink." The bodyguard held out the bowl, his hands trembling.
Hao Zhao waved his hand. "Distribute them to the soldiers guarding the city walls."
The guard opened his mouth slightly, but said nothing. He then took the bowl and left.
Hao Zhao leaned on the battlements to stand up and looked out of the city.
To the east. Zhang He's camp.
Ten thousand cavalrymen remained there. There was no smoke from cooking fires. There was no movement.
There wasn't a sound.
To the west. The Shu army camp.
Smoke from cooking fires. Three wisps. The aroma of food wafts over.
Hao Zhao turned his gaze back.
When will General Zhang return?
No one answered.
-
Wei Yan stood on the watchtower, chewing on a dry biscuit, looking towards the walls of Chencang.
"It's the fourth day."
Jiang Wei came up from below, holding a piece of silk in his hand.
"His Majesty's reply."
Wei Yan took it and glanced at it.
Two lines of text.
First line: Zhang He returned to retrieve the grain. Zhao Yun had already intercepted him. Three thousand soldiers were lost. The remaining seven thousand continued eastward.
Second line: Mei County granary. I have already sent men to burn it down.
Wei Yan stopped.
"Burned?"
Jiang Wei nodded. "His Majesty sent five hundred White Feather Soldiers last night. They took a shortcut, circled around to the north of Mei County, and set it ablaze under cover of night."
Wei Yan turned the silk strip over. There was another line on the back.
"When Zhang He arrives at Mei County, he will find the granaries empty. At that point, he will only have two options: either retreat to Chang'an or launch a full-scale attack on Wuzhangyuan to seize the grain. Whichever path he chooses, Chencang will be irrelevant."
Wei Yan crumpled the strip of silk, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.
"His Majesty's brain is..."
Jiang Wei didn't reply. His gaze fell on the city wall of Chencang.
A figure stood atop the city wall, leaning against the battlements. He remained still.
Hao Zhao.
Jiang Wei glanced at him for three breaths. "General Wei, the city won't last two more days."
Wei Yan nodded. "Tomorrow, send someone to give him a way out."
"How should I shout?"
Wei Yan thought for a moment. "Just say—the Emperor of Han is personally leading the expedition. Those who surrender will not be killed and will be reinstated to their original positions."
Jiang Wei's brow twitched slightly. "Hao Zhao will not surrender."
"I know." Wei Yan swallowed the last bite of his pancake. "But his two thousand men—they will."
-
Wuzhang Plain. Central command tent. Night falls.
Two urgent letters from Chen.
The first letter. From Zhao Yun.
"Interception complete. Approximately 3,000 enemy troops were killed or wounded. Our forces suffered 120 casualties and have withdrawn to the western foothills of Wuzhangyuan."
The second letter. From the White Feather Army's night raid team.
"The North Granary of Mei County has been burned down. The fire lasted for two hours. The county magistrate abandoned the city and fled. The eight hundred garrison soldiers scattered."
Liu Shan placed the two silk strips side by side on the table.
Zhang He. Seven thousand cavalry. Arrive at Mei County tomorrow.
When they arrived, the granary was nothing but ashes.
What will he do?
Liu Shan tapped his finger twice on the edge of the table.
Retreat. Retreat is the only option. Retreat back to Chang'an. Ask Sima Yi for grain.
But Sima Yi—will also arrive in Chang'an tomorrow.
Seventy thousand people were crammed into Chang'an. What did they eat?
The spring planting in Guanzhong hasn't been completed yet. The grain reserves in the government granary—enough to feed 70,000 people for a long time.
Liu Shan retrieved a geomantic map from a hidden compartment. (The map was written with a red inkstone.)
A line of text was written next to Chang'an.
"Cut off the supply lines. The Prime Minister is in charge of the Qishan direction. I am in charge of the Wuzhangyuan direction. Cut them off from both ends."
The curtain was lifted. Dong Yun entered.
"Your Majesty. Zhou Fu—"
"Still there?"
"Still here. Today is normal."
Liu Shan nodded. He didn't ask any more questions.
Dong Yun didn't leave. "There's one more thing."
"explain."
"Sima Yi's advance scouts appeared this afternoon, thirty li east of Wuzhangyuan."
Liu Shan stopped.
Thirty li. Scout.
Sima Yi hadn't even arrived in Chang'an yet. Scouts had arrived first.
Sima Yi is surveying the terrain of Wuzhang Plain.
Liu Shan stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the curtain.
East. Dark. Can't see anything.
But thirty miles away, someone is watching this place.
Liu Shan loosened the curtain and returned to his desk.
"Let him see."
Dong Yun waited.
"After reading it, he knew—they couldn't defeat them at Wuzhang Plains."
Liu Shan sat down. He opened a geomantic map and traced a line from Wuzhangyuan to Chang'an with his finger.
"He will come to talk to me."
The wind outside the tent had stopped. The area towards the Wei River was unusually quiet.
The quiet before the spring floods.
[End of Chapter]