novelSusiti In Chapter 70, the grain official reported the number three times—Sima Yi didn't make him read
In Chapter 70, the grain official reported the number three times—Sima Yi didn't make him read
Chang'an. Commander's tent.
Zhang He knelt before the table.
Nobody made him kneel. He knelt down on his own.
Seven thousand cavalrymen returned from the empty granary of Mei County. Four hundred horses died of exhaustion along the way. Those that survived were also nearing their end.
Zhang He's helmet lay on the ground. His white hair was disheveled. His lips were cracked and peeling. The ash on his face was thicker than his armor.
"Chen Cang—"
He opened his mouth. His throat was full of hoarseness.
Sima Yi sat behind his desk. He didn't look at him.
He held a slip of silk in his hand. It had been delivered to Zhang He a quarter of an hour before he entered the tent. The scout had copied down the exact words—
The Emperor of Han personally led the expedition, and those who surrendered were spared and reinstated to their original positions.
The soldier who shouted the order was shot dead by Hao Zhao.
Hao Zhao himself died.
The city gates opened. Sixteen hundred people surrendered.
Chencang is gone.
Sima Yi placed the silk strip on the table. He tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"Junyi".
Zhang He looked up.
"stand up."
Zhang He didn't move.
"minister--"
"You lost three thousand cavalry. The grain carts were lost. Chencang could not be saved."
Sima Yi's voice was calm. He spoke each word clearly, without a trace of anger.
It's more terrifying than having a fiery temper.
"I know all of this. Kneeling won't change anything. Get up."
Zhang He propped himself up on his knees to stand up. His legs were a little stiff.
Sima Yi emerged from behind the desk, walked up to him, and stared at him for a couple of breaths.
When Zhao Yun intercepted your supply wagons, did you turn around?
"no."
Why?
"Chen Cang is even more urgent."
Sima Yi nodded. "Your judgment was correct. I would have made the same choice if I were in your shoes."
Zhang He's lips moved slightly. He didn't utter a sound.
"but--"
Sima Yi walked back to his desk. His finger landed on the geomantic map. The location of Wuzhang Plain.
"The order to intercept the supplies. Zhao Yun can't give it. He's seventy years old. Two thousand cavalry. When to charge, from which direction—he can't decide that himself."
Zhang He's gaze shifted from the geomantic map to Sima Yi's face.
"The siege of Chencang, the interception of grain, the burning of granaries, and the blocking of strategic passes—all four were carried out on the same day."
Sima Yi's finger traced a path from Wuzhangyuan to Chencang, then back again.
"Four pieces on each side. They move differently, but the rhythm is the same. They all move on the same beat."
Zhang He did not respond.
"Wei Yan couldn't do that. Neither could Zhao Yun. Zhuge Liang was stationed at Qishan, too far away to reach him."
Sima Yi withdrew his hand from the geomantic map.
"A man was sitting on Wuzhang Plain."
The tent remained quiet for three breaths.
"You didn't lose to Zhao Yun."
His gaze fell on the ink dot at Wuzhangyuan.
"I used to only have to guard against Zhuge Liang. Now I have to guard against one more."
-
The tent flap was lifted. The grain official entered.
He was holding an account book. The cover was frayed. Inside were numbers.
"Grand Tutor, today's grain and fodder inventory—"
Sima Yi returned to his desk and sat down.
The grain official opened the ledger.
"The main force numbers 50,000 men. Daily consumption includes 1,200 shi of grain, 600 shi of horse feed, and 40 shi of salt."
Sima Yi did not move.
"After General Zhang's 7,000 cavalry returned to their posts, the daily consumption increased by an additional 170 shi (a unit of dry measure). Four hundred horses were lost in feed loss, bringing the actual consumption to 280 shi."
Zhang He clenched his fist. Then he loosened it.
"Total daily consumption of the entire army is 2,360 shi (a unit of dry measure)."
The tent was quiet for two breaths.
The grain official turned to the next page. His finger landed on the numbers. His mouth opened.
"The current state of the treasury is as follows—"
"I, the Grand Tutor, know."
The grain official shut his mouth.
Sima Yi didn't let him give a fourth number. Thirty-six thousand shi (a unit of grain). Fifteen days. He had calculated this number three times last night.
"Allocated in full. No reduction."
The grain official was stunned.
"The soldiers are not well-fed. They cannot fight. Do not reduce their numbers."
The grain official closed the ledgers and left.
Only Sima Yi and Zhang He remained inside the tent.
Zhang He stood still. He didn't leave.
"Grand Tutor. The eastern grain supply route—"
"Hedong," Sima Yi continued. "I have already sent people to transfer them. They will go from Hedong to Puban Ferry, bypassing Qishan and Wuzhangyuan, and transport them to the north of Chang'an."
Zhang He's brows relaxed slightly.
"but--"
They quickly moved back.
"From Hedong to Chang'an, it's 600 li. It takes 20 days by oxcart."
Zhang He's lips twitched.
Fifteen days' worth of food. Twenty days' journey. Five days short.
"Therefore," Sima Yi stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the curtain.
Outside. The main camp. Fifty thousand men. Tents lined up neatly. Smoke rising from cooking fires.
"Within fifteen days, I, the Grand Tutor, must win—"
He didn't say the second half of the sentence.
The curtain fell.
-
Wuzhangyuan.
Seventh day.
Liu Shan sat in his tent. Two maps were spread out in front of him. One was a geomantic map, and the other was a hand-drawn topographical map of Longyou by Zhuge Liang.
Chen's urgent dispatch. Three letters.
The first letter. From a scout.
"In the direction of Chang'an, Sima Yi's camp remains unmoved. Daily drills continue as usual. However, the amount of smoke from cooking fires is 20% less than three days ago."
Liu Shan placed the silk strip on the left side of the geomantic map.
Twenty percent less. Zhang He lost four hundred horses, and the horse feed and cooking oil were reduced. But the horse feed alone couldn't explain the twenty percent difference. Someone was saving grain. Regardless of which level was saving—grain was starting to run out.
The second letter. From Wei Yan.
"Chencang has been completely taken over. 1,600 surrendered soldiers have been incorporated into the supply battalion. 800 shi of grain have been found in the city. Water supply has been restored."
Eight hundred bushels of grain. Not much. But with Chencang in hand, the western gate of Guanzhong is locked tight.
The third letter. From Zhuge Liang.
"Wang Ping has three thousand infantrymen. They are at the eastern pass of Longyou. They have already engaged Guo Huai's vanguard in battle."
Liu Shan pulled open the bamboo tube. A strip of silk was drawn out. It revealed Zhuge Liang's handwriting. Neat and upright, each stroke precise.
Guo Huai sent 3,000 cavalry to attack the pass. The pass was less than 20 paces wide, making it difficult for the cavalry to maneuver. Wang Ping defended it with crossbow formations. Three volleys of fire killed 400 enemy soldiers. Guo Huai retreated five li.
Turn it over.
"I have led the main force of 15,000 men from Tianshui, around the northern foothills of Qishan, and will reach the flank of Guo Huai in three days."
The last line.
"This man, Wang Ping, I have recommended for three years. Only today have I seen him put to use. If he is to be used at Jieting—I will say no more."
Liu Shan looked at the last sentence. A slight smirk appeared on his lips.
It was rare for the prime minister to complain in the military report.
Set down the silk strip.
The tent flap was lifted. Zhao Yun entered.
"Your Majesty. On the north bank of the Wei River, Sima Yi's scouts have changed shifts."
"What do you mean?"
"It used to be once a day. Now it's once every half day. They're keeping a closer eye on things."
Liu Shan stood up and walked to the tent entrance.
The wind was strong on the cliff edge. Flags fluttered. Looking north, the Wei River reflected the light. Nothing could be seen on the opposite bank.
But he knew. Sima Yi was also somewhere looking south.
Two people. Separated by a river.
"He's waiting."
Zhao Yun followed behind.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Wait for the grain from Hedong."
Zhao Yun's hand paused on the spear shaft for a moment.
"From Hedong to Chang'an. An oxcart—"
"Twenty days," Liu Shan continued. "His provisions last for fifteen days. Five days short."
Zhao Yun remained silent.
Liu Shan turned around and returned to his desk. He took out a vermilion brush from a hidden compartment.
On the geomantic map. North bank of the Wei River. East of Chang'an. Puban Ferry. East of the river.
A red line. Six hundred miles.
"General Zilong."
"Your subject is here."
"What if this supply route is also cut off?"
Zhao Yun's gaze shifted from the red line to Liu Shan's face.
"How do you determine this?"
"With Chencang in hand, Wei Yanteng has emerged."
Liu Shan's finger traced a line eastward from Chencang, passing the ruins of Mei County, reaching the north bank of the Wei River, and then continuing eastward.
"Wei Yan led three thousand cavalry. They crossed the mountains north of Chencang, took the Longyou trail, and circled around to the west of Puban Ferry. When the grain carts arrived, they burned them."
Zhao Yun stared at the red line. He rowed from the mountain road north of Chencang to Puban Ferry.
"The mountain road is narrow. Three thousand riders are stretched out in a long, winding line, probably twenty miles long. What if we get trapped in the valley?"
"Those narrow paths in Longyou. Guo Huai's 20,000 men are taking the main road to the east. The west side is unguarded." Liu Shan traced a line between the two paths with his finger. "The Prime Minister has Guo Huai bogged down at the eastern pass. The west is undefended."
"Supplies? Ten days of mountain road."
"Wei Yan brought five days' worth of dry rations from Chencang. As for the rest—after the Prime Minister captured Tianshui, he set up three supply depots along the route."
Zhao Yun loosened his grip on the spear shaft.
"The grain carts are still on the way. They're moving slowly. Wei Yan is taking the mountain path. That's faster."
Zhao Yun asked one last question.
"Didn't Sima Yi anticipate this?"
"He wants it. But he has no one to send him."
Liu Shan marked three locations on the geomantic map.
"Zhang He lost three thousand cavalry. The rest are exhausted. Guo Huai's twenty thousand men are tied up in Longyou by the Prime Minister. Chang'an's fifty thousand main force—not a single one can be moved."
His finger fell back to Wuzhangyuan.
"Because I'm stationed here. He wouldn't dare to break up his main force."
Zhao Yun rested his spear on his shoulder.
"Will His Majesty write a letter to Wei Yan tonight?"
"It's already written."
Liu Shan pulled a sealed strip of silk from his sleeve. It was sealed with sealing wax. He handed it to Zhao Yun.
"Use the covert route. We can reach Chencang in three days."
Zhao Yun accepted it, put it inside his armor, and left the tent.
The curtains fell.
Liu Shan returned to his desk and sat down.
I pulled out the third draft of the strategy from under the desk. I turned to the page on "The Standoff at the Wei River".
What I wrote yesterday: Give him twenty days, let him collapse on his own.
I added a line today.
"We won't give you twenty days anymore. We'll give you fifteen days."
Sign off.
The curtain moved. Dong Yun's note was slipped in through the crack.
Liu Shan glanced at it. Zhou Fu. As usual. But there was an extra half sentence—"This afternoon, Zhou Fu stood by the supply wagon for fifteen minutes. He didn't do anything. He just stood there."
Liu Shan folded the note twice and tucked it into his strategy book.
What is he waiting for?
Outside the tent. The bugle call to patrol the camp. Second time. 9:00 PM.
Liu Shan did not lie down. He unfolded the geomantic map again.
The finger points westward from Puban Ferry. Six hundred li. Ten days.
Wei Yan's blade was sharp enough. But the journey covered six hundred miles of mountain road—if even one part of it leaked information...
The finger stopped in the middle of Longyou. There was a small dot there. It was drawn by Zhuge Liang. There were two words written next to it.
"Be careful."
Liu Shan stared at those two words for five breaths.
He picked up his pen and added a line to the silk strip.
"The central section of Longyou. Further exploration."
Seal it. Stuff it into the hidden compartment.
The wind outside the tent shifted direction. It was coming from the east, towards Chang'an.
Sixty thousand people. Fifteen days.
The countdown has begun.
[End of Chapter]