Chapter 609
“The enemy army?” Dong Zhi could not believe it. This was Jiangling. It was located at the inner regions of Nanjun. There was the Yangtze River in front and the Huarong Road at the back. It can be said there is no safer place in the whole of Jingzhou. It was because of these advantages that Liu Biao had stored several years of provisions for a hundred thousand men. Yet, now he is being told that the enemy was already inside. Where could they have come from?
“Your Excellency! I am speaking the truth! The enemy is already inside attacking. Officer Han is currently fighting against the enemy!” The messenger shouted anxiously.
“Your Excellency. He doesn’t seem to be lying.” Dong Zhi’s advisor added after seeing the blood on the messenger’s body. It was unlikely for them to hurt themselves. Also, military matters was not something they could joke about as it would be a capital offense. A soldier like this would probably not joke around.
“The Yangzhou Navy?” If this information is true, then the enemy can only be the Yangzhou Navy. But how did the Yangzhou Navy reach the city? Did they clear up the shipwreck at the Yangtze River? That would be impossible. Dong Zhi personally handled that matter as there can be no mistakes. The river was fully blocked up to the extent that it can only be cleared after several months. Besides that, if it was cleared up, then Dong Zhi simply needs to block up the river again. It was easier to block the river than to clean up the wreckage.
“Your Excellency! They did not come from the Yangtze River!” The messenger wailed.
“They did not come from the Yangtze River? Then how? Are you telling me they flew?” Dong Zhi asked. Huarong Road was so dangerous that the possibility slipped his mind.
“Your Excellency! They came from the East. It is possible they passed through the Huarong Road!” The messenger replied. He also added that the enemy seemed to be covered in mud.
While Dong Zhi was still in shock, the shouts of killing approached.
“Your Excellency! The enemy army is breaking in!” The servants outside rushed in and shouted. Yangzhou’s Army have already broke in through the East Gate and was approaching the governor’s residence. They were only about three streets away.
“Useless! What is that Han Wei doing?” Dong Zhi shouted angrily. Han Wei was supposed to guard the East Gate. Despite the fact that Jiangling’s defenses was stronger than the other cities in Jingzhou, the enemy have already broken in.
“I want that officer dead! How could he fail to protect the walls with four thousand men?” Dong Zhi was hysterical. The enemy have already breached the gates. Even if he could chase them out, news of this would spread. It would be easy for him to lose his position as a result. After all, this was Liu Biao’s ‘escape route’.
After all, there had been four thousand men guarding the East gate. Even if they were facing an enemy ten times their size, they should at least be able to hold out for half a day. Even pigs would do a better job.
“Your Excellency! Officer Han doesn’t have four thousand men!” The advisor reminded bitterly. Normally, the Han Wei would have four thousand troops under his command as the officer in charge of guarding the gates. However, the Han Family was close to the Wu Family so his troops were transferred away by Dong Zhi using many different excuses. As a result, he only had about two thousand men with him.
“Quickly send reinforcements! Dispatch men from the West Gate!” Dong Zhi was also worried. Jiangling was his territory and there were enemies in it. He had to chase them all out.
“Wait!” The advisor suddenly stopped Dong Zhi.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your Excellency. Don’t you hate Han Wei?” The advisor asked. The source of this content is N0veII_bIn
“Yes.” Dong Zhi admitted it. It was because of this that he removed most of Han Wei’s men. He even thought of dealing with the Han Family when the Wu Family was wiped out but could not because the Han Family had actual military power while the Wu Family only had money. It would become a problem if Han Wei choose to fight back.
“If that is the case, this is a good time to get rid of the Han Family!” The advisor said with a smile and then gave an advice.
“Good. Let us do it like this.” The two men immediately agreed.
****
“Brothers! We must persevere!” Han Wei shouted as he wiped off the blood from his face. His sword arm was trembling from exhaustion. Though it had not been long, he had used too much strength as the enemy’s attack was too intense.
They were caught unprepared. By the time they could react, the enemy was already in the city. Han Wei laughed bitterly as he thought about the enemy’s prowess. He believed his own troops as powerful but they collapsed relatively quickly. It was only because they were familiar with the terrain that they were not immediately routed.
“General! When are our reinforcements coming?” The deputy general asked.
“Soon! The Governor have already been informed. The reinforcements will come soon!” Han Wei reassured his troops. Though he seemed calm, he was actually anxious himself.
“This is all because of that Dong Zhi! We should have had four thousand men! If we had four thousand men like we were supposed to, we would not be in this state!” One 1000-men commander complained.
“Shut up!” Han Wei quickly stopped the officer from speaking any further. Before this, Han Wei could ignore this as Han Wei and Dong Zhi were on opposing sides. However, the Wu Family was already eradicated. As a result, Han Wei needed to reconsider his own position and avoid offending Dong Zhi. Han Wei was also unhappy that Dong Zhi transferred half his army away. These were all elite troops personally trained by him. Yet he could not voice his complaints if he wanted to continue living in Jiangling. He had to endure at the very least until the Huang Family’s influence returns to Jiangling.
Besides, Dong Zhi would still be afraid of Han Wei even after taking away half his army as Han Wei still had troops. It is also why Dong Zhi had sent spies to monitor Han Wei. That was why Han Wei stopped his subordinate from speaking. It was possible that Dong Zhi would use this as an excuse to get rid of this officer. Though Han Wei could remain safe, the officer could not.
“Be careful. The walls have ears.” Han Wei advised.
“General. What should we do now?” The 1000-men officer asked. He understood Han Wei’s troubles.
“Persevere. Persevere until reinforcements arrive.” Han Wei replied.
“That Dong Zhi might be eager for all of us to die.” The first 1000-men commander replied, clearly still dissatisfied.
“He won’t.” Han Wei shook his head. While Dong Zhi would be happy that they died, this was not the time. If Han Wei and the others were wiped out, Jiangling would fall. The sin of losing Jiangling was definitely not something Dong Zhi could bear. That was why Dong Zhi had to send reinforcements.
“Then we wait.” Han Wei’s subordinates could only listen to the command given and wait for Dong Zhi to send reinforcement.
****
Turning back time a little.1
“Old man. Thank you for leading the way. This is your reward.” Lu Xun expressed his thanks to the old man.
“This...” The old man’s mind was not on the golden leaf at all. Instead, it was the scene in front of him. The people who said they were visiting family had taken out weapons and getting ready to attack Jiangling.
“Hm?” Lu Xun thought the old man refused to leave because he did not receive enough and ordered for his soldiers to give the man another gold leaf. However, the old man still refused to leave.
“Old man. Do not be so greedy.” The soldier said resentfully. The old man had only led the way for a few kilometers. On the other hand, each golden leaf was enough to buy a few acres of land.
“Give him all of it.” Lu Xun waved his hand. However, the old man still refused to leave.
“General. Should we...?” The deputy general gestured. Lu Xun furrowed his brows. Normally, he would have just killed the man but he was reluctant this time because they had really needed the old man’s help and had relied on the old man.
“Cousin. Let me deal with this.” Wu Mi stepped forward. “Old man. Take your golden leaf and go. There is a war going on here. If you stay here, you will die.”
“You... who are you all?” Old Li finally reacted and asked. He was somewhat regretful since his actions caused Jiangling to be attacked. What would the people say if they found out? Even if they do not find out, Old Li would not be able to be at peace.
“We are Yangzhou’s Navy.” Lu Xun replied.
“Yangzhou’s Navy? The King of Shu?” Old Li asked.
“Yes.” Lu Xun nodded as he watched carefully. If Old Li acted out of line, then he would have no choice but to kill Old Li.
“Oh! That’s great! Are we going to be a part of Yangzhou soon?” Old Li asked happily.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Lu Xun was confused. Is this guy happy that his homeland is being invaded?
“The tax!” Old Li said. Lu Xun then understood. Yangzhou’s tax was at thirty percent while Jingzhou’s tax was at sixty percent. The nobles might be afraid that Yangzhou would disturb their business but the common people were very eager if it meant paying less tax. If it was at thirty percent tax, Old Li could have afforded the dowry for his second son much earlier. The people were all very simple, if you treat them well, they would treat you well in turn.
“Of course!” Lu Xun replied. He never expected the low tax Liu Mang had set would give this benefit.
“You all want to get within the city walls? This would not be the best time.”
“Hm?” The deputy general’s eyes grew wide. What was this old man saying?
“I worked under General Huang before. There are three shifts guarding the walls. One shift would be from twelve to eight in the morning. Then the next shift would be from eight in the morning to four at noon. Finally, the last shift would be from four until the next day. If it wait until it is time to change shifts, you can strike while the enemy is at its weakest. Let us go to that end there. There is a gap on that side.” The old man said and then pointed.
“I will give you an incense stick of time. If your master cannot give me a reply by that time, you will have to forgive me for the offense.” Lu Xun said to Han Lei. Han Lei simply snorted back and left to report this to Han Wei.
“What? Mi’er is on the opposing side?”
“Yes. Miss Wu is on the opposing side.” Han Lei replied.
“Are you sure you saw the right person?” Han Wei asked again.
“Yes.” Even though Wu Mi’s face was covered with ashes, he was certain that the woman was Wu Mi.
“That’s good! Mi’er is alright!” Han Wei was excited. Besides the connection between family, Han Wei also personally liked Wu Mi as a man. She was his childhood friend and he had pledged to always protect her when he was young. Han Wei was extremely heartbroken when the Wu Family was crushed so now he was very happy to hear that Wu Mi was still alive.
“Master. There is also a cousin surnamed Lu beside her! I believe Miss Wu has been deceived.” Han Lei continued.
“A cousin surnamed Lu?” Han Wei already realized that his opponent was the Yangzhou Navy so he tried recalling of a person named Lu. “Are you talking about Lu Xun?”
“Yes! It is Lu Xun! I believe this is the person that deceived Miss Wu! How could he be her cousin?” Han Lei said.
“If that person really is Lu Xun, then he really is her cousin!” Han Wei suddenly recalled that the Wu Family had close connections with the Lu Family from Lujiang. Their connection was cut off when the Lu Family was wiped out by Sun Ce. Recently, the Lu Family seemed to be making a comeback. The most well-known name being Lu Xun, who was the Yangzhou Navy’s commander. Yangzhou fought against Jingzhou and Jiangdong, sinking sixty thousand of the Jingzhou Navy and forty thousand of the Jiangdong Navy. They then took over the Jiangxia Navy. No one knew if this is all really because of Zhuge Liang. Jiangdong would not speak the truth as it would bring shame to them. The only one who knew the answer was Wen Pin but Wen Pin was still in prison. As a result, everyone believed this to be Lu Xun’s work. They believe that Lu Xun wiped out both the Jingzhou and Jiangdong Navy and then persuaded Zhuge Liang to surrender. This was more believable because of Liu Mang’s achievement in fighting back Jiangdong at Wancheng.
“Lu Xun? I did not expect him to personally come here!” Han Wei said with admiration as Lu Xun had personally headed towards danger.
Initially, Han Wei believed that the Yangzhou Navy would not be able to appear at the East Gate but now everything seemed possible since they had Wu Mi with them. This is because the Wu Family had been in Jiangling for a very long time. It was natural for them to have an escape route. If they could escape through Huarong Road, no enemies would be able to pursue them. It was unfortunate that their end came too suddenly for them to make use of it. No one expected Liu Pan to just slaughter them all and burn their residence like this.
“Let Mi’er pass?” Han Wei thought to himself. He wanted to do that and help her take revenge. However, this would implicate the entire Han Family. Yet if he does not let Wu Mi go, his own conscience would be affected. The Wu Family and the Han Family were very intimate. Han Wei himself loved Wu Mi. As he was in a dilemma, he received a report.
“Report! General, the enemy has dispatched an envoy to meet you.” One of Han Wei’s guards spoke up.
Han Wei was stunned but he still met with the envoy.
“Are you Lu Xun’s envoy?” Han Wei asked the young man.
The young man laughed and shook his head.
“You are not Lu Xun’s envoy?” Han Wei was confused. Was there a third party involved?
“No.” The young man laughed. “Genereal Han Wei. I am Lu Xun.”
“Oh. Wait what? Who did you say you are?” Han Wei reacted slowly and then asked, not daring to believe his own ears.
“General Han Wei. I am Lu Xun.” Lu Xun repeated himself.
“General. He really is Lu Xun!” Han Lei confirmed.
“That’s good! General! We have distinguished ourselves! We just need to capture him and the Yangzhou Navy would fall apart!” The Han Family’s soldiers shouted excitedly. If they could capture him, they would be able to win without fighting.
“Haha.” Lu Xun simply laughed as he continued to look at Han Wei.
“Withdraw!” Han Wei disregarded his men’s suggestion to simply capture Lu Xun. “General Lu. Aren’t you afraid we would just capture you here?”
“I am.” Lu Xun replied bluntly.
“Huh?”
“But I know that you will not do that.” Lu Xun continued.
“Why?”
“This is because you are already helpless. If you capture me, you will just become my companion is prison!” Lu Xun replied.
“What nonsense!” Han Lei shouted. “Once we capture you, our General would be able to use your head to gain merits! He would definitely be rewarded by the Lord!”
“No. You will just meet your end.” Lu Xun continued.
“Why do you say that?” Han Wei was not an idiot. While Lu Xun coming here alone was admirable, Han Wei was certain that Lu Xun was assured of something before coming.
“General Han. Even if I fail to capture Jiangling, I have already broken through the East gate. Who is going to be responsible for failing to defend the gates?” Lu Xun asked with a laugh.
“The responsibility for failing to protect the gates?” Han Wei frowned. Jiangling was the second capital. However, it was Liu Biao’s escape route. Even if he were to die and Xiangyang were to fall, Jiangling could shelter the future generation. It was easily defensible and had lots of provisions to spare. They could also just block up the river and the enemy would not be able to approach regardless of their numbers. Besides that, having a larger army also meant requiring a larger expense. As Jiangling was fertile, they could definitely last longer than the enemy.
Jiangling was extremely important and considered impregnable. Yet it was a fact that the enemy had already broken through the East gate. The person who have to be responsible for this would definitely not get out alive.
“Wouldn’t my achievements then cancel out the punishment? Especially since you are the Yangzhou Navy’s commander! Haha. I believe I may even go up a few ranks in promotion.” Han Wei said as he looked at Lu Xun straight in the face. Lu Xun was definitely one of the few people Liu Biao wanted dead due to their defeat the Yangtze River. Jingzhou had even allied with their long time enemy to save face only for both Jingzhou and Jiangdong to be wiped out together. So not only did Liu Biao fail to save face. He got another huge slap in his face.
“Haha. General Han, you did not think far enough.”
“Why do you say that?”
“General Han. Are you going to be the one bringing my head directly to Liu Biao?” Lu Xun asked with a laugh.
Han Wei furrowed his brows. Even if he were to capture Lu Xun, he had to hand Lu Xun over the governor, Dong Zhi first. Dong Zhi would then either hand Lu Xun over to Liu Biao or Liu Pan.
“Dong Zhi and Liu Pan! General Han. Do you know these two men?” Lu Xun asked purposefully.
Of course Han Wei knew them. These two were the reason the Wu Family was wiped out.
“Do you think they would let you receive those merits?” Lu Xun asked. Once Dong Zhi and Liu Pan obtain Lu Xun, Han Wei would not obtain everything. Han Wei himself was thinking that even if it was not much, it was still some merits earned.
“General! Yang Jun has returned!” Suddenly someone shouted. Yang Jun was the person Han Wei had dispatched to request for reinforcements.
“General!” Yang Jun shouted as he was brought over to Han Wei.
“Yang Jun. What did the governor say? Where are our reinforcements?” Han Wei asked. Though the situation was at a deadlock, Han Wei knew that his men were no match for the Yangzhou Navy. It was hard enough to fight back even if Wu Mi was not taken into account.
“The reinforcements are not here yet! The General say if you cannot hold out for six more hours, you do not need to go back anymore!” Yang Jun cautiously replied.
“Six hours? Hahaha!” Han Wei laughed.
“General?” The Han Family Army watched Han Wei laugh as though he had gone mad. They were all worried sick. The only other person laughing was Lu Xun.
“Dong Zhi! What a good scheme!” Han Wei sneered. Six hours was just enough time for the sky to turn bright. The reason why the Yangzhou Army attacked the East gate at this hour was to catch them unprepared. When the sky turned bright, their night raid would have already ended in failure and they would quickly be surrounded anyway.
Han Wei laughed because his troops would not even be able to last for two hours. Dong Zhi was planning to have Han Wei and the Yangzhou Army kill each other before coming in to take the rewards. Even if Han Wei were to win his army would be exhausted and he would have to take full responsibility for failing to guard the East gate. If Han Wei were to be defeated, there would be one less trouble for Dong Zhi.
Han Wei could easily tell what was going on as he was not an idiot. Besides that, it would only take two hours at most to dispatch the troops from the West gate to the East gate so Dong Zhi’s intentions were very clear.
“Men! Tie up General Lu Xun!” Han Wei suddenly ordered.
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There are two raw chapters marked Chapter 609. This second part/chapter starts before the attack.