Tang Tishou could only rub his aching head. “What do you think?”
Rong Liang pondered for a moment before saying, “It is indeed unsafe to keep the horses at Shantong. However, Shantong County must be defended. If the Great Chanyu sends troops, they may have to take a detour through those mountains.”
He sighed inwardly. The Jinyang Army was now powerful and well-trained, and the Quzhao army would not dare pass through Shanguan County lightly.
The endless mountain range was difficult to traverse, but it was still better than being ambushed.
Zhu Dian said bitterly, “General, why don’t we choose either Fuchuan or Xianglu and attack one of them? We could take the city back. They only seized the county recently, so they certainly haven’t had time to prepare their defenses.”
“They traveled by water, so they definitely didn’t bring many troops. This is the perfect opportunity for us to retake the county. I refuse to believe that more than ten thousand of our soldiers can’t take a single county.”
Rong Liang frowned. “I don’t know whether more than ten thousand soldiers can take a county, but if we send all our troops to attack Fuchuan, Dancheng and Heichun will be left undefended. What will we do then?”
Zhu Dian’s heart sank. “You mean the Jinyang Army is waiting for us to make a move?”
Rong Liang said helplessly, “Exactly. We made extensive preparations for Heichun and Dancheng, and it would be difficult to take either city. That is why the Jinyang Army changed its target.”
“But given how shrewd and cautious the Jinyang Army is, I’m afraid Shanguan County has already made preparations. The moment we make a move, they’ll take advantage of our weakened defenses.”
“I believe we must not move our troops. In fact, we should send more soldiers to Dancheng. We must hold Dancheng—the cities are our foundation.”
“There is also Pingwan County. It is a small city, but if Pingwan falls, the Jinyang Army can bypass it and march straight on Heichun County.”
Tang Tishou’s brows furrowed so deeply they looked capable of trapping flies. “Perhaps we can have Zhou County make a move.”
Zhu Dian’s eyes lit up. “Exactly. They’re making a feint in the east while attacking in the west, so we can do the same. Have Zhou County attack Gefeng. That will force them to deal with the threat themselves, and naturally they won’t have the strength to attack Dancheng.”
Rong Liang disagreed. “The garrison at Zhou County has no more than ten thousand soldiers. Even if they borrow troops from the surrounding counties, they’ll have at most twenty thousand. Taking Gefeng will be difficult. Still, they can certainly tie down part of the Jinyang Army’s forces.”
Xia Chanyi led the Dragon Shadow Guards, along with several Fuchuan locals familiar with the area, through the Fuchuan region in search of farmers working the fields and Quzhao patrol scouts to hunt down.
Xie Nanxiao was doing the same, except his search area was Xianglu County.
When it came to guerrilla warfare, the Jinyang Army was unquestionably expert—especially with the elite of the elite under their command.
This was, after all, the second operation carried out by the Cangming Guards. Their first had been the assault on the docks. They were still relatively inexperienced and needed plenty of practice.
Although it was already May, the weather was still somewhat cold. Datou bent over as he worked the fields. Even when his back had stiffened to the point that he could no longer feel the pain, he still did not dare straighten up and rest.
A small stray dog suddenly surfaced from the murky water in the field. The light in Datou’s famished, dazed eyes suddenly brightened. His hands moved faster than his thoughts. He seized the dog, dragged it into his palm, and gripped it tightly.
Though the weather was cold, sweat broke out on his forehead from the tension. Looking at his blurry reflection in the muddy water, he guessed that there were no Quzhao soldiers nearby.
He swallowed, then pretended to wipe his face with one hand, slipping the dog into his mouth.
This was one of the few scraps of food he could obtain while working the fields.
He was starving. Hunger had left his whole body cold and weak, but he did not dare stop working. If he did, death awaited him.
Raw dog meat was hardly tasty. The instant it entered his mouth, the dog squirmed twice, its sharp claws scraping painfully against the tip of his tongue.
Datou paid no attention to it. He bit down hard. Bitterness flooded his mouth, accompanied by a strange taste.
Yet he ate as though it were a delicacy. At least this would ease the pain in his stomach and stop it from cramping constantly.
“Wretched slave! You dare slack off?”
With a sharp crack, the whip came down, accompanied by a Quzhao soldier’s furious curse.
Agonizing pain shot through Datou’s back. Already weakened by hunger, he was knocked into the field, sending muddy water splashing everywhere.
The filthy water soaked through his clothes and spread across his skin, making him shudder from the cold. He had just tried to get up and beg for mercy when another whip came down.
This time, it smashed his head into the field. Muddy water rushed into his left ear, muffling the sounds around him. Despair filled his eyes.
He closed them. Perhaps dying here would be for the best.
Then warmth suddenly spread across his body. He heard his mother begging.
“Please, officer, stop hitting him! I—I’ll make him get back to work. Ah… please, stop hitting him…”
Datou heard the sharp cracks of the whip, yet felt no pain. Instead, a dull ache spread through his heart.
He knew his mother was shielding him with her body. He also knew that the whip was striking her.
He opened his eyes and struggled to push himself up to beg for mercy. After several failed attempts, he could only lift his head slightly and speak in a weak voice.
“Don’t… don’t hit my mother!”
On the hillside, more than a dozen Quzhao soldiers sat or stood scattered beneath a large tree, their faces filled with amusement as they watched the spectacle below.
“Don’t beat him to death. Most of the Han slaves are already dead. If any more die, there’ll be no one left to work for us.”
“You have to beat him. He thought no one saw him stealing that stray dog? What a joke. Han slaves really are stupid.”
“Well, having a stray dog to eat is already lucky. It’ll help him survive a few more days. Spring is coming, and the wild vegetables in the mountains will be growing soon.”
“Then we can save more bran for the horses. What does a wretched slave need bran for? They should be eating grass. Ahahaha…”
The others joined in with hearty laughter.
The distance was too great for Xie Nanxiao to hear what they were saying, but judging by the whipping in the fields below, he could roughly guess what was happening.
A cold glint flashed through his eyes. He made a hand signal, and the Cangming Guards immediately split into several groups and advanced silently.
Crack!
The whip struck Datou across the face, twisting his head to one side. He caught sight of the hillside in the distance. The shadows beneath the trees seemed to shift slightly, and a figure flashed past.
He suddenly jolted.
A person?
At that moment, something resembling a black speck flew toward him. It grew larger and larger.
In the blink of an eye, warm liquid sprayed across his face. Then he heard screams and frantic shouts.
He turned stiffly and saw that the Quzhao soldier who had just been whipping him now had an arrow protruding from his neck.
There were only a few dozen Quzhao soldiers in the village. However, because they had to supervise the Han civilians working in the fields, they were spread out across the area.
The more fortunate soldiers stationed farther away saw their wounded companion and prepared to rush forward to help. But then they saw Xie Nanxiao charging toward them, the Longming repeating crossbow in his hands.
The Quzhao soldiers halted, terror filling their eyes.
“It’s the Jinyang Army!”
The moment they shouted, they turned and fled.
These were Jinyang soldiers armed with repeating crossbows. Anyone who didn’t run would be a fool!
But the instant they turned around, they saw the Cangming Guards waiting for them in the distance, weapons aimed straight at them.
They were surrounded?!
As the arrows flew, Xie Nanxiao shouted, “We are the Jinyang Army, the army of the Han people! All civilians, crouch down! Don’t move, or you may be caught in the crossfire!”
Many of the civilians cried out in fright. But when they heard him, they instinctively obeyed, immediately crouching down and very sensibly covering their heads.
By the time the battle ended, not one of the Cangming Guards had even a trace of blood on them.
Xie Nanxiao looked at the trembling civilians huddled on the ground and shouted, “We’re the Jinyang Army. Fuchuan and Xianglu have been reclaimed by our forces. Come back into the city with me now.”
The civilians were stunned. “W-what did you say?”
