novelSusiti Chapter 62 A cornered beast fights on.
Chapter 62 A cornered beast fights on.
In early September, at the Wu King's camp, Xia Xiang was appointed.
Inside the command tent, all was deathly silent, the air thick with the stench of blood and fear.
King Liu Bi of Wu sat on a tiger-skin chair, his face flushed an unnatural red, his chest heaving violently.
On the ground before him lay a shattered jade cup and an overturned table, all scattered about. The strategist Ying Gao, General Liu Ju, and several officers who had narrowly escaped from Juye Marsh, kneeling before him, were all ashen-faced.
"Ten...fifteen days' worth of provisions..." Liu Bi's voice was hoarse, as if it were being forced out of his throat. "The provisions I've accumulated for three years...after one fire...only fifteen days' worth left?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger..." Ying Gao said, forcing a smile. "The most urgent task at hand is to stabilize morale and make a swift decision. Whether to advance or retreat requires..."
"Retreat?" Liu Bi suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with terrifying bloodshot veins. "Where can I retreat to? I've killed the angel and sent out a proclamation throughout the land. Do I have any way out?! Will Liu Heng let me go? Will those Liu clan members in Guanzhong let me go?!"
He coughed violently, taking a while to calm down. His gaze swept over everyone in the tent, finally settling on Ying Gao's face. "Didn't you say the court was afraid of war, our army was sharp, and we could take Xingyang in ten days? What about Xingyang? We haven't even touched a brick of Xingyang, and my granaries are already gone!"
Ying Gao was sweating profusely and dared not reply.
"Zhou Yafu..." Liu Bi chewed on the name, his hatred almost tangible. "Investigate! Find out for me! Who is this Zhou Yafu! The governor of Hanoi? Zhou Bo's son? Well, what a son of Zhou Bo! His father helped Liu Heng secure the throne, and now his son is ruining my plans!"
General Liu Ju gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle Wang, although our army has lost its supplies, our strength and morale remain intact. The enemy is holed up in Xingyang, clearly fearing our might. We should concentrate all our forces and launch a fierce attack on Xingyang! Once we take Xingyang and seize Aocang, what need is there for supplies? Then, riding the wave of our great victory, we can advance westward into Guanzhong, and our great cause will be accomplished!"
"A fierce attack on Xingyang?" Liu Bi laughed bitterly. "Do you think Han Tuidang is a clay sculpture? Do you think Xingyang is made of paper? Even if we take it, how many lives of my Wu and Chu soldiers will be lost? When Dou Ying comes from Changyi, and that madman Zhou Yafu stabs us in the back, we will all die without a burial place!"
He stood up and paced anxiously in the tent, like a wounded tiger trapped in a cage. After a long while, he stopped, a desperate madness flashing in his eyes.
"Liu Ju is right. With supplies running low, the only option is a swift victory." His voice lowered. "But not a direct assault on Xingyang. Isn't that brat Liu Qi in Xingyang? The Crown Prince is leading the campaign personally... Heh heh, what a huge bait."
Ying Gao seemed to understand something, and looked up in surprise: "Your Majesty means..."
"If we're going to fight, we'll fight the biggest fish!" Liu Bi said fiercely. "Didn't Dou Ying leave Luoyang? Isn't he here to rescue his nephew, the Crown Prince? Issue the order: the army will set off tomorrow, making it appear as if they are making a full-scale westward advance and launching a fierce attack on Xingyang. But the main force will be secretly moved to Wanqu (southwest of present-day Heze, Shandong)!"
"This place is bordered by the Yellow River to the north and the Sui River to the south. It's only a two- or three-day journey to Xingyang to the west and Changyi to the east. Moreover, it's mostly hilly and forested, making it easy to set up an ambush. If Dou Ying comes to Xingyang from Changyi, this is the only route he can take! I will wait here in comfort and exhaustion, and first swallow up Dou Ying's most elite reinforcements! Once we destroy Dou Ying and kill Liu Qi, Guanzhong will be shaken, and which of the lords in the world will dare to disobey? At that time, will we lack food? If we lack food, we'll just plunder the enemy's food!"
The generals in the tent were invigorated. This was indeed the only way to win in a dangerous situation.
"What about Xingyang..." Liu Ju asked.
"Leave 50,000 men under your command. Continue the siege of Xingyang, launching feigned attacks day and night, the greater the momentum, the better! Make sure that brat Liu Qi and Han Tuidang believe that my main force is outside the city and dares not divide my troops!" Liu Bi stared at Liu Ju. "Remember, it's a feigned attack! Preserve your strength and hold them off! If your reckless actions cause too many losses and jeopardize my plans, you'll pay with your head!"
"Yes, sir!" Liu Ju replied sternly.
"Should be high!"
"Your subject is here!"
"Immediately draft letters and send them to the Kings of Jiaoxi, Zichuan, Zhao, and Chu!" Liu Bi's eyes flashed with a sinister light. "Tell them that the minor setback at Juye is insignificant to the overall situation. I have already laid a trap to destroy Dou Ying and capture Liu Qi! Tell them to hold fast to Luan Bu and Li Ji, and not to retreat an inch! Especially the King of Chu, tell him that I will remember the grudge against his mother (Note: King Liu Wu's grandmother was the daughter of Liu Bang's brother, King Yuan of Chu, Liu Jiao, and was related to Liu Bi by marriage)! If we win this battle, I will share the empire with him!"
As orders were issued, the Wu-Chu allied forces, on the verge of collapse, began to function again under Liu Bi's fanatical will. A giant sack, nestled amidst the mountains and rivers of Wanqu, quietly opened, awaiting the arrival of its prey.
September 5th, Xingyang.
"Your Highness, the rebel offensive seems to have slowed down." Han Tuidang stood on the city wall, gazing at the Wu army camp in the distance. After several days of fierce attacks, the rebels had left behind thousands of corpses, but they had failed to budge the city walls even slightly, despite the strong defenses of Xingyang and the tenacious resistance of the defenders. Today, the drums of the siege were much less frequent.
Liu Qi frowned slightly: "Is he exhausted, or is there another scheme at play?"
Zhang Keran, standing to the side, held a scroll of bamboo slips recently compiled from scouts and spies at the front lines. He pondered, "Your Highness, Marquis Han, something is amiss. Although the rebels' attack on the city is fierce, most of them are driving away coerced laborers and newly surrendered soldiers. Their elite Wu-Chu troops don't seem to be fully committed. Moreover, according to reports from our scouts who have infiltrated near the enemy camp, the rebel camp saw frequent troop movements in the latter half of the night, but returned to calm before dawn, as if... they were deliberately concealing their tracks."
"A feint attack?" Liu Qi immediately became alert. "Is there any news from General Zhou?"
"General Zhou's last message three days ago stated that he had led his troops across the river and infiltrated between Dongjun and Jiyin, constantly harassing scattered rebel supply convoys and small units, but without making contact with the enemy's main force. He also noticed that the main rebel force seemed to be consolidating and regrouping, but their specific movements were unclear." Zhang Keran paused. "What I fear most is that Liu Bi, being cunning and treacherous, might take risks after losing his son and supplies. If he fails to capture Xingyang after a prolonged siege, might he... turn his attention to General Dou?"
Han Tuidang gasped: "General Dou has already left Luoyang and is heading towards Changyi. If Liu Bi uses a portion of his troops to hold back our army while he personally leads the main force to ambush us..."
"Immediately dispatch fast horses to inform General Dou and General Zhou separately!" Liu Qi made a decisive decision. "Remind General Dou to be wary of enemy ambushes, slow down the advance, and send out more scouts! Tell General Zhou not to be fixated on harassing supply lines, but to try to ascertain the true movements of the main rebel force. If necessary, he can move closer to General Dou for support!"
"promise!"
Shortly after the order was issued, a messenger on horseback with a red feather on his back galloped into the city from the west and went straight to the commander's mansion.
"Report! Urgent dispatch from Chang'an, six hundred li away! A decree from His Majesty!"
Liu Qi took it, examined it carefully, and opened it to take out the silk scroll. It was Emperor Wen's own handwriting, the characters slightly hurried, clearly written when his anger had not yet subsided.
The imperial edict first praised the garrison at Xingyang and Zhou Yafu's achievements at Juye, then abruptly shifted to reveal a disturbing message: although Chao Cuo was being protected in the Eastern Palace, his proposal to weaken the power of the princes still had a large following in the court. Recently, a group of veteran officials, led by the late Marquis An, Shen Tu Jia (a retired prime minister who historically died of anger), jointly submitted a memorial, citing "the protracted war, enormous costs, and bloodshed of soldiers," and again subtly suggesting that "executing Chao Cuo to appease the world might bring an end to the conflict between Wu and Chu." Although Emperor Wen suppressed this, undercurrents were stirring within the court and among the people, and calls for punishing Chao Cuo to quell the unrest were growing stronger.
In his letter, Emperor Wen instructed Liu Qi: "You may make independent decisions regarding military affairs at the front. However, you must not ignore the opinions within the court. Although Chao Cuo may have been somewhat impassioned, his heart is with the nation. The policy of weakening the power of the vassal states should not be abandoned because of the war. However, if the war drags on and the soldiers are exhausted, it may give others ammunition to criticize us. My son, you should quickly seek a strategy to defeat the enemy and quell the rebellion as soon as possible, then the villains will naturally give up."
At the end of the letter, Emperor Wen also mentioned that Prince Liang, Zhang Wuji, had submitted a memorial stating that he had strengthened the defenses of the southwestern passes and sent envoys south to pacify the Nanyue region. He assured the court that the grain transport routes in Sichuan and Chongqing were currently unimpeded. Emperor Wen bestowed upon Prince Liang gold and silk as a token of his commendation.
Liu Qi handed the silk scroll to Zhang Keran and Han Tuidang for them to read, his expression solemn.
"Father... is reminding us that time is running out," Liu Qi said in a low voice. "There are people in the court who want to use Doctor Chao's head to buy temporary peace, or to gain their own political benefits."
After reading it, Zhang Keran understood. Emperor Wen, under immense pressure, still chose to trust the frontline generals, especially the Crown Prince and himself, the heir apparent to the Prince of Liang. But this trust was time-limited; if the war went poorly, the appeasement faction in the court could very well gain the upper hand.
"Your Highness," Zhang Keran said, bowing, "His Majesty is wise and the Liang Kingdom is at peace, so the court has no worries about the rear. The rebel army is currently running out of supplies and is like a spent arrow; the only concern is that they may fight like cornered beasts, making a desperate last stand. As long as our army holds its ground and Generals Dou and Zhou respond appropriately, we will surely defeat the enemy within a month! When the news of victory reaches Chang'an, all criticism will naturally vanish!"
Han Tuidang also said, "That's right! The most urgent task is to find out Liu Bi's true intentions and thwart his conspiracy!"
Liu Qi nodded, his gaze sharpening again: "Order the entire army to be on high alert and guard against enemy tricks. Send out more scouts and expand the reconnaissance area; we must find out the whereabouts of the main rebel force as soon as possible! In your letters to General Dou and General Zhou, add this sentence: Opportunities are fleeting; if you detect any gaps in the enemy's defenses, do not wait for orders from Xingyang; act decisively on the spot and aim to annihilate the enemy!"
The scales of war are tipping, and what will determine victory or defeat is not only the swords of the soldiers on the front lines, but also the emperor's resolve in the Weiyang Palace of Chang'an, and the political undercurrents surging in the darkness.
Liu Qi knew that he had to win a decisive victory as soon as possible, not only for the sake of the country and the people, but also to protect Chao Cuo, to uphold the national policies his father had insisted on, and to prove that he, as the crown prince, was capable of navigating this turbulent sea.
At this moment, Zhou Yafu, who was ordered to infiltrate behind enemy lines, was leading five thousand elite cavalry, like the most keen hunting dogs, searching for clues left by their prey on the vast North China Plain. A great battle that would determine the fate of the empire was about to break out!