Tang Tishou’s vision went black, and a sweet, bloody taste rose in his throat. He forced it back down. “What exactly happened? How many Jinyang troops came?”
The soldier shook his head. “It was too dark to see clearly. I’d estimate several thousand.”
Meng You roared, “Fuchuan said several thousand, and Xianglu said several thousand too. How many were there exactly?”
The soldier looked ready to cry. “It was too dark to see, and the fighting was fierce. We could only make out a rough estimate. It was, it was several thousand…”
Meng You slammed his hand on the table. “Useless.”
Zhu Dian asked, “What exactly was your county commandant doing? Didn’t we order him not to open the gates unless absolutely necessary?”
The soldier lowered his head even further. “They, they didn’t open the gates. The enemy launched a feint against the southern gate. It was pitch-black at night, and we couldn’t see clearly at all…”
He recounted how Xianglu County had fallen.
Silence descended over the hall once more.
Considering how Fuchuan had been lost, even though they were enemies, everyone had to admire the Jinyang Army’s varied tactics. They were practically impossible to guard against.
At that point, they still did not know that Shantong County had already fallen. Not a single person had escaped from Shantong, and the county was in a remote location.
Suddenly remembering something, Rong Liang said urgently, “General, there’s a great deal of farmland around Fuchuan and Xianglu, and it’s the busy farming season right now.”
“Many of our soldiers and Han Chinese civilians are working in the fields. Shouldn’t we have them come back first?”
Han slaves were an important asset to them.
The soldiers working outside were even more vulnerable. If the Jinyang Army hunted them down in the open, their troops would be no match for the enemy.
Only then did Tang Tishou remember this. “Right, right. Have the soldiers return first.”
“Bring all the Han Chinese back as well,” he added.
Worry appeared on Zhu Dian’s face. “What about the farmland? We already had insufficient grain after last year’s drought, and our reserves are running low. If this year’s harvest…”
“There’s no choice,” Tang Tishou said, rubbing his temples. “Now that the Jinyang Army has taken Fuchuan and Xianglu, they’re very likely to hunt down our people wherever they find them.”
Compared with their future food supply, saving their lives now was naturally more important.
Besides, the Han slaves were not merely property belonging to Quzhao. They were also an important resource for the Jinyang Army, providing both labor and soldiers. They absolutely could not allow the enemy to take those civilians away.
Yun Yu and Shuangjiang were also discussing the civilians in Fuchuan.
“I asked the people in the city. There’s a large amount of farmland north of Fuchuan, with several thousand civilians working there. Captain Xia has taken the Dragon Shadow Guards out to find them,” Shuangjiang said.
Although the farmland lay to the north, it was not concentrated in one area. It was scattered here and there, so they had to search for the villages one by one.
Yun Yu nodded. “How many Quzhao soldiers are guarding the civilians while they work?”
“Not many. I estimate only a few hundred,” Shuangjiang replied.
“I’m heading out as well,” she added.
She intended to survey the area around Fuchuan, familiarize herself with the terrain, and see where reconnaissance troops could be stationed.
Yun Yu gave a quiet “Mm.” “The civil officials should be arriving soon, shouldn’t they?”
Shuangjiang pondered. “Judging by the timing, they should be here any moment.”
Yun Yu studied the map. “We also need to inspect Taian County. We have to take Taian as soon as possible.”
Taian was a very small county. Now that the Jinyang Army had taken Xianglu and Fuchuan, it would inevitably take Taian as well.
Once that happened, Donghu Commandery would be surrounded from both north and south by the Jinyang Army.
Shuangjiang smiled. “Don’t worry. I have it under control. I’ll stop by and take a look later.”
Compared with the hectic activity in Xianglu and Fuchuan, things were far more relaxed on Jiang Jin’s side.
She had already received news of the great victories in both counties. With her mind at ease, she began making plans for Shantong County.
Mountains stretched across Shantong County’s western, northern, and eastern borders. This natural barrier cut Shantong off from the surrounding counties, forming a relatively isolated little region.
Within the county were gentle grasslands and low hills, making it especially suitable for raising livestock.
Yun Ce was excited. “My lady, all the horses have been driven back into the city.”
Jiang Jin nodded. “They can be kept around the county seat. Quite a lot of grass has sprouted now.”
Yun Ce hurriedly acknowledged the order. “Yes. The feed from the horse ranch has also been transported back. There’s quite a lot of it, enough to last for some time.”
Jiang Jin studied the map and pointed to several locations. “Have sentries been posted at all these places?”
“Once the construction team arrives, have an arrow tower built at each location. They’ll make it easier to guard the county seat and monitor developments.”
She had to prevent anyone from tunneling into the city.
Shantong was both difficult and easy to attack. It was remote and surrounded by mountains, so an army would have to take a long detour to reach it. There were also many places where an ambush could be laid.
At the same time, precisely because it was surrounded by mountains, a small force of elite troops could cross the high mountains and dense forests to reach Shantong County.
That was exactly the route she had taken this time—the “mountain road.”
So the most important thing now was to bring this rugged mountain road under her control.
The high ground, the best observation points, and the most dangerous ambush sites all had to be secured. She had to prevent the enemy from coming over the mountains.
If she succeeded, Shantong County would have only one remaining characteristic: it would be difficult to attack.
Yun Ce nodded. “Men have been assigned to all of them. Rest assured, my lady.”
Jiang Jin waved her hand. “Good. Go on with your work. I’m going to take a walk nearby.”
As Tang Tishou listened to the scouts’ report, his heart sank.
“Fuchuan and Xianglu are both flying the Jinyang Army’s banners. They really took two counties in a single night!” he murmured.
Rong Liang hurriedly asked, “Did you see the soldiers and Han Chinese civilians in the fields? Have they been brought back?”
The scout shook his head. “We were anxious to report what happened, and we didn’t encounter any soldiers who had gone out to bring back the Han slaves. We don’t know what happened. Should we go investigate now?”
Rong Liang waved his hand. He knew he had been too hasty; the men sent to retrieve the Han slaves had only set out a short while ago.
“Go. Send a letter to the Grand Chanyu, explain the situation here, and request reinforcements,” Tang Tishou ordered quickly.
“Yes!”
Someone soon went down to deal with it.
Rong Liang’s expression was grim. “General, the Jinyang Army’s next target is very likely to be Taian.”
Taian had little strategic importance, but it could harass nearby Fuchuan. Fuchuan had salt fields, after all. Even if the Jinyang Army couldn’t attack the city, couldn’t it harass the salt fields and the people working outside?
That was why he guessed Taian would be the Jinyang Army’s next target. After all, Taian was a small city with few defenders.
Tang Tishou rubbed his temples. “You want to reinforce Taian?”
Rong Liang shook his head. “My recommendation is to abandon it. The real danger now lies in Dancheng and our own Heichun County. As long as we hold our defenses, it won’t be easy for the Jinyang Army to attack us.”
Meng You was unwilling to accept this. “We’re just going to hand it over to them?”
“Of course not,” Rong Liang said with a cold laugh. “The Jinyang Army wants the city, don’t they? Then burn it and leave them nothing but ruins.”
If they defended Taian, the Jinyang Army’s strength meant they would probably take it sooner or later, at the cost of heavy casualties on their side. The grain and supplies in the city would also fall into the enemy’s hands.
Since that was the case, they might as well give up the city. The Han Chinese civilians and grain could be taken away.
As for the city, they would burn it to the ground.
Meng You’s brow twitched, but he said nothing.
“What about Shantong County?” Zhu Dian asked. “It has a horse ranch there. Should we move the warhorses to Heichun County first?”
