Chapter 176. Siege Tactics.
In Xu Zhou,
Wu Kai was struggling to resist the besieging forces of Prince Chen.
Since Yuan Li's departure, Prince Chen's attacks on the city had intensified drastically. Especially after learning that Chen Xi had been captured alive by Yuan Li, Prince Chen unleashed all his fury on Xu Zhou.
Wu Kai had allocated half of his forces to defend Xian Bi and the surrounding counties, taking only ten thousand men to the frontlines to fend off Prince Chen's army and rescue the civilians from the outer cities to the rear strongholds.
However, Xu Zhou had just suffered a major natural disaster and was already extremely weakened. The outer cities lacked food and weapons, making them defenseless.
To make matters worse, most of the city walls were earthen walls, weakened by flooding and easily breached by Prince Chen's forces. Even though Wu Kai was determined to delay the enemy, he was powerless to prevent their advance.
Within a month, Prince Chen's army had captured over a dozen cities in Xu Zhou. Wu Kai kept retreating until he reached Sui Ling, where he finally caught his breath.
This was his final stronghold; behind him was Xian Bi, and the surrounding counties were manned by the Youzhou State troops. General Hong Yun had reinforced the city walls, and even at the cost of his life, Wu Kai was determined to protect this last line of defense and not lose Xu Zhou.
With this resolve, they managed to hold firm for a month, frustrating Prince Chen's soldiers.
In this deadlock, a decree from Yuan Li to subdue Prince Chen reached his hands.
In the main tent, Prince Chen sat in his chair, listening with closed eyes as his advisor read out the contents of the decree, calmly stating, "So, Lord Yuan Lejun is almost here to march to Xu Zhou."
"Yes," the advisor pondered, "Considering the time it took for this decree to reach us, Lord Yuan Lejun should be approaching the southern regions."
Prince Chen had aged significantly since a few years ago, with sunken cheeks and a lack of color in his face. Deep wrinkles lined his face, exuding a sense of gravity and authority.
Ever since learning of Chen Xi's capture by Yuan Li, Prince Chen had personally led the attack on Xu Zhou despite his ailing health. Medical treatments sustained him physically, but his spirit had improved significantly during these days due to the anger festering within him.
Upon hearing the advisor's report, Prince Chen's expression remained unchanged as he sighed deeply, "So Lord Yuan Lejun is returning, yet we have not yet taken Xu Zhou."
The civil and military officials in the room were unnerved by these words and promptly apologized.
Prince Chen waved his hand, "At this stage, the fault does not lie with you. If that scoundrel had not been captured by Lord Yuan Lejun, he would have been captured alive by you long ago. I warned that scoundrel repeatedly, yet he proved to be incompetent. He brought this upon himself."
The advisor wiped the sweat from his forehead, "My Lord..."
Prince Chen coughed lightly and continued, "I had hoped to have him capture Lord Yuan Lejun alive, to earn him a good reputation for bravery and strategy. But as expected, he fell short. Even with more reinforcements, he could not match Lord Yuan Lejun's prowess. Lord Yuan Lejun truly deserves his reputation as a young military genius. If he were my son, I would not have to risk my health leading the attack on Xu Zhou. I would not have to risk tarnishing my name and reputation."
His admiration for Yuan Li was unrestrained. Since Chen Xi's capture by Yuan Li and Yuan Li's successful retreat to the north after defeating a larger force, Prince Chen had consistently praised Yuan Li to those around him.
Prince Chen genuinely held a deep fondness for Yuan Li, so much so that he had instructed his subordinates to capture Yuan Li alive when sending the navy to besiege him. Prince Chen had mentioned that if Yuan Li was captured alive, he would shower him with luxury and delicacies.
If Yuan Li agreed to be his adopted son, Prince Chen would be entirely content, moved to tears by the fulfillment of his wish.
"Unfortunately, he ultimately has to stand against me," Prince Chen sighed before his expression turned cold. He turned to his advisor and asked, "Do you think Lord Yuan Lejun killed Chen Xi?"
The advisor hesitated for a moment and replied, "No news is good news. I believe Young Master Chen is still alive."
Prince Chen slowly opened his eyes, a glint of determination shining through his clouded gaze. "Just as I thought. But I suspect that Yuan Lejun may not have wanted to kill Chen Xi, but rather make his death more impactful."
The advisor pondered, "You mean..."
Prince Chen continued, "Yuan Lejun might kill Chen Xi before me, to provoke a reaction from me."
The crowd murmured in shock, with a warrior cursing loudly, "Yuan Lejun is truly cunning and ruthless!"
"How can your health withstand such provocation!"
After their outburst, Prince Chen remained calm, "If Chen Xi is still alive, Yuan Lejun's likely plan is clear. You all must strive harder. Despite his mediocrity and foolishness, he is still my son, my future heir. If he is alive, we must find a way to rescue him from Yuan Lejun. The solution, difficult as it may be, lies within Xian Bi in Xu Zhou."
One subordinate had an idea, "You mean, Lord Ouyang Ting in Xian Bi?"
"Exactly," Chen Wang said slowly, "Since Yuan Lejun has captured my son, I will capture his mentor. So, you must hasten your efforts, ensuring—"
His aged eyes surveyed the group, "—ensuring that before Yuan Lejun arrives, you will break into Xian Bi and capture Ouyang Ting alive."
The group responded with a salute, "Yes!"
*
Wu Kai suddenly felt Prince Chen's attacks intensifying.
He and Xiang Hongyun were discussing the lord's next move when a soldier hurriedly reported, "General, the enemy has launched a fire attack!"
Wu Kai's face darkened, and he quickly went outside.
Outside the city walls, arrows and fireballs lit the sky as civilians panicked and fled in all directions. Thick smoke billowed, igniting multiple areas in a matter of moments.
Xiang Hongyun frowned, "I will go protect the provisions and help put out the fires. You lead the counterattack against the enemies launching the fire attack outside the city."
Wu Kai nodded, and the two of them worked swiftly and efficiently, tackling their respective tasks.
However, mounting a counterattack to disrupt the enemy's fire assault proved to be challenging. While it is said that defending a city is easy while attacking is difficult, the attacking side holds the initiative.
They retreat when faced with resistance, only to return when the defenders let their guard down, leaving the city residents to endure a series of passive assaults. Wu Kai used fire attacks and scalding hot liquids to strike at the enemy, hurling giant stones from the city walls.
This battle of offense and defense lasted a full three hours, finally ceasing at dusk.
Exhausted, Wu Kai surveyed the city walls, finding that the fires within had been extinguished. The citizens were gathered together, injured soldiers being carried to the infirmary for treatment.
Finding Xiang Hongyun, Wu Kai inquired, "Was the food supply turned to ashes?"
Xiang Hongyun looked relatively relaxed, "I anticipated their use of a fire attack, so I stored the provisions in a secluded place, untouched by the flames."
Relieved, Wu Kai exhaled, "Thank goodness, as long as the provisions are safe."
Xiang Hongyun then asked, "And what of the front lines?"
"The enemy has retreated," Wu Kai replied with a bitter smile, "Today should mark the end of their advances."
Xiang Hongyun shook his head, "The closer our lord gets, the more frequent Prince Chen's attacks will become. Tonight may not be as peaceful, so I ask you to remain vigilant, my trusted comrade."
Wu Kai's expression grew serious as he responded firmly, "Rest assured. As long as I am here, the city will not fall. I will not allow them to advance any further."
As night fell, exactly as Xiang Hongyun had predicted, the enemy made their move once again.
Rather than launching a direct assault, tens of thousands of soldiers stood outside the city walls, banging drums and cursing loudly. Throughout the night, they created various disturbances, preventing the soldiers and civilians within the city from getting any rest.
By the break of dawn the next day, everyone was exhausted, even the soldiers on guard atop the city walls forced themselves to stay alert.
The next few days followed a similar pattern, with the enemy creating noise through drumming and disruptions day and night. While it was tolerable for a day or two, as the days stretched on, the residents within the city grew desperate, fatigued, on the brink of mental collapse.
Xiang Hongyun tried various methods to block out the noise but achieved little success. Then, a spark of inspiration led him to tear up cotton jackets, stuffing the cotton balls into their ears as a makeshift solution to counter the noise.
With the cotton balls in place, the soldiers gradually regained their strength, allowing Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun to contemplate the enemy's intentions.
It was during this period that they discovered unusual movements from the underground tunnels beneath the city walls, obscured by the overwhelming noise. Wu Kai realized that while they were being tormented by noise, Prince Chen's was actually digging tunnels to launch a surprise attack!
Wu Kai acted swiftly, pouring boiling water into the tunnels to block them in time.
The relentless series of attacks left Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun utterly exhausted, counting the days until their lord's reinforcements arrived.
On this particular day, as Wu Kai remained vigilant against any new tactics the enemy might employ, he was surprised to see the enemy using catapults to launch livestock, rats, and even human corpses and excrement into the city.
Helplessly watching these bodies fall, Wu Kai was puzzled by this unexpected move.
These bodies were lifeless, posing no real threat and proving less effective than hurling giant stones. What was Chen Wang hoping to achieve with this gesture?
He couldn't understand, so he had someone bring Xiang Hongyun over. When Xiang Hongyun arrived and saw the situation, his face immediately changed color, and he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves.
Startled, Wu Kai asked, "What's wrong?"
"These bodies are all decomposed," Xiang Hongyun's eyes twitched, pulling Wu Kai back to a clean area with a grim expression, "Chen Wang intends to spread disease or plague within the city!"
"What?!" Wu Kai was shocked, his expression darkening, "Truly a disgusting tactic."
"There's no time to waste; these bodies must be removed and burned immediately," Xiang Hongyun said solemnly, "All civilians and soldiers who came into contact with the bodies must be gathered for observation. The city lacks food and medical supplies, and if someone falls ill or contracts the plague and isn't isolated, it could quickly spread throughout the city. If anyone shows symptoms..."
Xiang Hongyun and Wu Kai locked eyes and spoke softly, "There's no cure, only containment through termination."
Given the circumstances of being trapped in the city with a shortage of supplies, they had no choice but to resort to lethal measures.
With a heavy heart, Wu Kai nodded.
He ordered soldiers to cover their mouths and noses with cloth and gathered the decomposed bodies to burn them. Some bodies had already been touched by civilians while they were being located.
Wu Kai isolated these civilians in a separate estate, where doctors would observe and diagnose them daily, fumigating and disinfecting the area.
During this time, Wu Kai prayed fervently in his heart, hoping desperately to avoid an outbreak of the plague. However, reality proved to be the opposite of his hopes.
Several days later, the doctors gravely informed Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun, "Twenty-three people in the estate have begun to experience fever and loss of consciousness."
Xiang Hongyun closed his eyes, realizing that these patients were not just suffering from a common illness due to the air.
One or two people experiencing fever and loss of consciousness might be attributed to a common illness, but twenty-three people... that was no longer a coincidence.
Wu Kai also felt a heavy weight on his heart.
After a moment of silence, he spoke with great difficulty, "...Move them out, kill them, and burn the bodies."
Unfortunately, the plague did not stop with the deaths of these twenty-three individuals. More and more people fell ill with symptoms such as fever, loss of consciousness, and gastrointestinal issues. Symptoms were not limited to the civilians in the estate, as people within the city also began to show signs of illness.
Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun were overwhelmed with busyness, with Wu Kai also having to watch out for Prince Chen's people. As the days passed, Wu Kai found himself becoming increasingly overwhelmed.
On one particular day, just as he descended from the city wall, he stumbled and almost fell.
Fortunately, a nearby soldier helped him up and asked, "Sir, what's wrong?"
"I'm fine," Wu Kai replied, shaking his head. After thanking the soldier, he hurried off to find Xiang Hongyun.
Xiang Hongyun was deep in discussion with the physicians about the plague, his brow furrowed tightly. When he saw Wu Kai approaching, he was about to call him over to join the discussion, but his words caught in his throat.
"Why is your face so red?" he exclaimed in surprise.
Wu Kai looked at him in confusion.
Wu Kai had dark skin, so even when he blushed, it was not very noticeable. Although Xiang Hongyun's eyesight was not good, he had been with Wu Kai for a long time and could tell something was wrong when he got closer.
Seeing Wu Kai in this state, Xiang Hongyun's heart tightened. "Physicians, come and examine him quickly!" he ordered.
Wu Kai was about to protest, but he was pressed into a chair. Only then did he realize that he was feeling a bit dizzy and lightheaded.
What was wrong with him?
Could it be that...
Wu Kai thought of a possibility, and his lips suddenly turned blue, his face ashen.
The physicians examined him thoroughly, their hearts heavy. With furrowed brows, they stepped back and asked another physician to step forward.
Only after all three physicians had examined him did one of them, his hands trembling, say to Xiang Hongyun, "Sir Xiang, Lord Wu's symptoms... do indeed match the initial symptoms of those infected with the plague."
Wu Kai felt as if a heavy club had been struck directly on his head, making his eyes spark and his mind go blank.