novelSusiti Chapter 75 One Day to Go, Wei Yan's Entire Army Was Annihilated—White Flags Arrive at the Wei R
Chapter 75 One Day to Go, Wei Yan's Entire Army Was Annihilated—White Flags Arrive at the Wei R
Night falls. 9 PM (Hai hour).
The camp at Wuzhangyuan fell silent. The patrol bugle sounded for the third time. Most of the tent fires had been extinguished.
Liu Shan did not sleep.
Sitting at his desk. The third draft of the strategy lay open. He didn't look at it. His ears were perked up.
Outside the tent. Eight of Chen Dao's White Feather soldiers were scattered at the four corners of the supply camp.
They were wearing cook's clothes. Some were squatting by the stove, pretending to boil water.
Some were dozing off, leaning against the carriage shaft. Their eyes were barely visible through slits.
Zhou Fu's tent was at the east end of the supply camp.
They were crammed together with the other servants. Six people shared one tent.
The White Feather Soldiers' spies were in the next tent.
The first update has passed. Nothing more.
Second watch. Still no movement.
It's past midnight.
At the eastern end of the supply depot, Zhou Fu's tent flap moved.
A hand parted the corner of the curtain from the inside. Half a head peeked out and glanced left and right.
There was no one in the open space outside the tent. The patrol soldiers had just passed by. The next round—a quarter of an hour later.
Zhou Fu crawled out.
He wasn't wearing shoes. Barefoot. His footsteps made no sound as he walked on the muddy ground. He had a bulging cloth bag tucked into his waistband.
He did not go to the west side of the supply camp.
Heading south. Towards the stables.
Two soldiers followed. They were thirty paces apart. They crouched low, following in Zhou Fu's footsteps.
The stable was located at the south corner of the camp. Forty packhorses were tethered there. There was a shed with hay piled up underneath.
Zhou Fu went around to the back of the shed and squatted down.
and so on.
A stick of incense.
A figure approached from the other side of the stable.
Short in stature. Walks with light steps. Wears cloth shoes typical of an engineer battalion.
Zhao An.
The two people squatted behind the haystack, back to back, their voices hushed.
"We can't leave," Zhao An said first.
"Staying here means death. The grain supplies are burned. The Shu army is about to move. Are we still going to stay here—"
"It's safer to stay here. No one will check on the servants when things get chaotic."
Zhou Fu's hands gripped the cloth bag at his waist. His fingers were trembling.
"The connection is down. Liu An is in trouble. Did you know that?"
"Know."
"That 'blitz military report' in the mailbox—do you believe it?"
Zhao An did not respond.
Zhou Fu grew anxious. His voice rose slightly.
"The handwriting is wrong. Liu An writes with more weight on his right hand. That silk strip is drawn with his left hand—"
Zhao An placed his hand on Zhou Fu's shoulder.
"Keep your voice down."
Zhou Fu shut his mouth and took a couple of breaths.
Zhao An took out the piece of hemp rope from his pocket. Three feet long. He wrapped it around his hand twice.
Zhou Fu stared at the rope.
"What are you doing?"
Zhao An didn't answer immediately. He rubbed his thumb back and forth on the knot a couple of times, as if he were mentally reviewing something.
"Let's go. We'll climb over the south slope, go down the cliff, and run east along the Wei River. We can cover forty li before dawn."
Zhou Fu didn't move.
"Didn't you just say you weren't leaving?"
Zhao An tied the rope around his waist, using it as a belt.
"I told you to keep it safe. But you can't keep a secret. If we stay two more days, you'll sell us both."
Zhou Fu's face twisted slightly.
Zhao An stood up and peered out of the shed.
"Lead a horse. Ride it."
Zhou Fu then stood up.
The two men went around to the front of the stable and chose two packhorses.
My hands were shaking when I tried to untie the reins. The knot was too tight, and I spent ages trying to untie it.
The horse snorted.
Zhou Fu stopped.
Another horse in the shed neighed.
"Hurry up," Zhao An urged him.
Zhou Fu pulled off the reins and led the horse outside.
I took three steps.
"stop."
The sound came from behind the haystack. Not loud, not soft. Just loud enough for two people to hear.
Two soldiers in white uniforms emerged from either side of the haystack.
The dagger has been drawn. The blade doesn't reflect light. It's been coated with black paint.
Zhou Fu's legs went weak.
Zhao An reacted quickly. He threw down the reins and ran, darting towards the south slope.
After running ten steps, a third soldier in white feathers emerged from the shadows and blocked the way.
Zhao An turned right.
the fourth.
Go left.
the fifth.
Five soldiers in white feathers. From five directions. They surrounded the two men in the open space in front of the stable.
Zhao An reached into his robes and pulled out a short dagger.
The White Feather Army did not move.
Zhao An gripped the dagger. His hand was steady, but his feet were retreating. He took two steps back and leaned against the hitching post.
"lay down."
It was Chen Dao's voice. He was coming down from the roof of the stable.
He crouched on the roof. He crouched there all night. Waiting for this moment.
Zhao An looked up. A figure was on the roof. A crossbow was pointed at his chest.
The dagger fell. The sound of metal striking stone carried far into the night.
Zhou Fu had already knelt down. The cloth bundle fell to the ground. It was scattered.
Inside—two sections of bamboo tubes. A handful of shredded silk. Three black beans.
Chen Dao jumped down from the roof. He landed without making a sound.
He walked up to Zhao An, reached out, and untied the hemp rope from Zhao An's waist.
"What was I originally planning to do with this rope?"
Zhao An remained silent.
Chen Dao weighed the rope in his hand.
"That's ridiculous."
Zhao An closed his eyes.
Chen Dao turned to look at Zhou Fu. He was kneeling on the ground, trembling. He had urinated. The stench wafted over.
"Take them away. Separate them. Gag them. Before dawn—don't let the camp hear a single word."
The White Feather Soldiers moved. Quickly. Two to a group. They carried each other.
The stables fell silent again. The packhorses lowered their heads and began grazing once more.
-
Central command tent.
Chen Dao placed Zhou Fu's cloth bag on Liu Shan's desk.
Two sections of bamboo tube. Seven strips of silk. Three black beans.
Liu Shan unfolded the silk strips one by one.
The first one. Written by Zhou Fu. "The Shu Emperor is at Wuzhang."
The second one. Also by Zhou Fu. "Ten thousand Shu troops. Three sides of cliffs. One road to the south."
The third one. Written by Zhao An. The handwriting is different. It's square and neat. It has a good foundation.
"The grain route goes north over the mountains from Chencang, along the western route of Longyou, with three thousand cavalrymen heading towards Puban Ferry."
Liu Shan stopped.
His fingertips rested on the edge of the silk strip. He didn't move. He didn't move at all. As if he were nailed to the chair.
Three thousand cavalry. Route. Direction. Troop strength. All correct.
When was this written?
The voice was very low. But Chen Dao could tell—it was half a tone lower than usual.
Chen Dao pointed to the bottom of the cloth bag. "The creases on the silk strip are fresh. The ink is completely dry. It was written at least a day ago."
One day ago. The day before Wei Yan left the valley.
"He wrote it. But he didn't have time to send it out."
"After that 'urgent military report' was taken from the mailbox, nothing new was ever put into the bamboo tube again. Zhao An no longer trusted that mailbox. Zhou Fu said—the handwriting was wrong."
Liu Shan arranged the seven strips of silk in a row.
Zhou Fu wrote four sheets. Zhao An wrote three sheets.
Zhao An's three reports—all contained military intelligence: location, troop strength, and movements.
Zhou Fu's four cards—vague. Rough. As if he didn't know the details.
"Zhao An is the main force. Zhou Fu is just a gofer."
Liu Shan turned the silk strip over to look at it. The back was clean.
"Is Zhao An still online?"
Chen shook his head. "Zhao An is stubborn. Zhou Fu was terrified and answered every question. But he said he didn't know who Zhao An was in contact with. He only knew that Zhao An used to send a letter to Chencang every two weeks."
Heading towards Chencang.
The Chencang Pass has fallen. The thread has broken.
Zhao An's letter was sent to Chencang, and the person who received it was on the Cao Wei side.
Chencang is now in the hands of the Shu army. The person who received the message has either run away or mingled with the surrendered soldiers.
"1,600 soldiers surrendered in Chencang."
Chen Dao paused in his steps.
"They were assigned to the supply battalion."
Liu Shan leaned back in his chair.
Sixteen hundred surrendered soldiers. Whether Zhao An's contact was among them—it's unknown.
"Interrogate Zhao An. No rush. Take your time."
Chen nodded.
"And also—the surrendered soldiers from Chencang. Re-screen them. Those who entered Shu from Guanzhong before the fifth year of Jianxing should be listed separately."
Chen Dao accepted the order and left the tent.
Liu Shan carefully folded the seven strips of silk and stuffed them into the hidden compartment.
When he withdrew his hand from the hidden compartment, he paused for a moment on the edge of the table.
The third one. Wei Yan's route. Zhao An wrote it but didn't send it out.
One day short.
If the mailbox hadn't been shut down. If Liu An were still alive, this silk slip would already be on Sima Yi's desk.
Three thousand cavalrymen traveled along the western route of Longyou, heading towards Puban Ferry—Sima Yi would ambush Wei Yan in the valley.
one day.
Liu Shan looked down at his hands, which rested steadily on the edge of the table.
He made it stable.
The tent flap moved. A gust of wind blew in from the east. Liu Shan ignored it.
Sitting. Staring at the hidden compartment.
He won the bet. But he didn't want to gamble like that a second time.
-
Outside the tent. Dawn was approaching.
Zhao Yun lifted the curtain and entered. He was covered in dew.
"Your Majesty didn't sleep all night?"
Liu Shan looked up. His face was expressionless.
"Two were arrested."
Zhao Yun didn't press the matter. He'd fought his whole life; spies in the army weren't uncommon. Just catch them.
"There was some activity on the north bank of the Wei River this morning."
Liu Shan stood up.
"Has Sima Yi broken camp?"
"No. But there's a white flag at the camp gate."
Liu Shan rested his hand on the edge of the table.
white flag.
It wasn't a white flag of surrender. It was a white flag of requesting an audience.
"He sent someone?"
Zhao Yun nodded.
"A lone rider arrived at the shallows on the south bank of the Wei River before dawn. He planted a white flag on his horse and waited by the river."
Liu Shan walked to the tent entrance and lifted the curtain.
The morning mist pressed down on the Wei River. A layer of white vapor covered the surface of the river. The sound of the water was muffled, and the distant shoreline was just a dark streak.
The white flag stood there in that ink mark.
The cloth was new. A gust of wind tugged at it, causing it to flutter twice in the mist. Beside it stood a figure, leading a horse, motionless.
Liu Shan stared at the white flag.
The fog slowly dissipated. There were no words on the flag. Just a clean, white cloth.
His lips twitched slightly.
"He wants to talk."
[End of Chapter]