Zhao Feng nodded. “The scouts intercepted Qu Zhao’s messenger as soon as they spotted him.”
Shuangjiang’s arrangements had not been made in vain. Scouts had been stationed everywhere, and Fuchuan was now practically under the control of the Jinyang Army.
The same was true of Xianglu County and Shantong County.
Fortunately, they had made preparations in advance, which was why they had been able to intercept Qu Zhao’s messenger.
“It would have been better if we hadn’t stopped him. We could have waited until they led their men out of the city and then killed them all,” Zhao Feng said regretfully.
But if they had not intercepted him, they would not have learned of Qu Zhao’s plans. Besides, Qu Zhao had intended to burn the city.
It was hard to say whether attacking the city or letting it burn would cause greater losses.
Yao Ji’s expression remained unchanged. “Did you find out how many people are in Tai’an City?”
Zhao Feng replied, “We asked him everything. Tai’an has few defenders, only around three hundred. However, there’s quite a lot of farmland around Tai’an, along with several thousand Han Chinese civilians.”
“Should we bring back the civilians who are farming outside the city?” he asked.
Yao Ji shook his head. “No. Don’t alert them. We’ll launch a night attack on Tai’an tonight and take the city.”
They had not taken Tai’an immediately for two reasons. First, the Jinyang Army did not have enough men. Second, they wanted to use Tai’an as bait to lure Qu Zhao into sending reinforcements, which they could then ambush and destroy on the way.
After all, Tai’an was only a small city without even a moat. For the Jinyang Army as it stood now, taking it would be effortless.
If Qu Zhao sent several thousand men to reinforce Tai’an, that would be the real prize. Soldiers caught out in the open were much easier to kill than those hiding behind city walls.
Unfortunately, Tang Tishou was simply too cautious.
Xie Nanxiao stood at the Xianglu County wharf, feeling rather triumphant as he directed the newly arrived construction workers in making basic repairs to the dock and camp.
All these facilities would eventually have to be rebuilt, but not yet.
The cement and brick kilns had not even been constructed, so for now they could only carry out some simple repairs and make the place usable.
Xin San and the others were already repairing the two “wrecked ships” at the dock. Qu Zhao’s shipwrights had never been able to figure out how to repair them.
After Qu Zhao had taken them out to sea twice without success, he had lost interest in the vessels. The two ships had been left at the wharf ever since.
Qiu Wu came hurrying over. “A letter arrived from headquarters. We’ve been instructed to keep an eye on the movements of Zeya Commandery.”
Xie Nanxiao frowned. “Is Zeya Commandery about to fall?”
Qiu Wu shook his head. “I don’t know. Probably. Those noble clans have managed to hold out this long, which is already quite impressive.”
Xie Nanxiao let out a cold laugh. “It’s just a shame that the grain seeds we gave them never even had a chance to be planted.”
“Send one large warship and four smaller ones to scout the waters around Zeya Commandery. Send another ten ships to the area near Dayan Mountain, in case the lord needs them. Keep the rest at Xianglu Wharf and have them stand by for orders.”
Lu Ping, covered in bloodstains, had just returned to Chunrong County when he encountered Zhou Sui.
“What brings you here?” Lu Ping asked.
Zhou Sui nodded. “Have the Qu Zhao reinforcements heading for Pingwan County been dealt with?”
A trace of pride appeared on Lu Ping’s face. “Of course. Our Jinyang Army wins every battle.”
“Confidence is a good thing, but an overconfident army is dangerous,” Zhou Sui said coldly.
Lu Ping hurriedly straightened and stood at attention. “Yes, sir!”
Zhou Sui gave a quiet hum. “How many enemies did you annihilate? Were you discovered?”
Lu Ping answered quickly, “More than eighteen hundred enemy soldiers. We weren’t discovered, and our scouts have been stationed all around the area.”
Only then was Zhou Sui satisfied. “Make your move tonight. Take Pingwan County.”
Lu Ping’s face lit up with excitement. “Yes, sir!”
Tang Tishou stood in the camp, watching the setting sun slowly sink below the mountains. An unease lingered faintly in his heart.
Rong Liang hurried over. “General, Tai’an County hasn’t responded. I’m afraid something has happened.”
Normally, Tai’an’s messenger should have returned to report soon after delivering the order. The fact that he had not returned by now clearly meant that something had happened.
Tang Tishou’s expression did not change, but his heart turned cold for an instant. “The Jinyang Army will most likely launch a night attack on Tai’an tonight.”
He had noticed that the Jinyang Army particularly favored night attacks.
But when he thought about it, it made sense. The Jinyang Army possessed the tread-spike arrows, a miraculous weapon for attacking cities. At night, it was impossible to see the enemy clearly, which gave the attacking side a considerable advantage.
“Use a carrier pigeon to send word to Tai’an. Tell them to be on their guard,” he ordered.
The Donghu Commandery did not have many carrier pigeons. Under ordinary circumstances, messengers were used whenever the distance was short, since they could deliver information more clearly and accurately.
Rong Liang said helplessly, “The carrier pigeon may be intercepted as well.”
Since the Jinyang Army had been able to intercept their messengers, it meant they had stationed many people near Tai’an County. Naturally, they could intercept their pigeons too.
Tai’an was probably already an isolated city.
Tang Tishou closed his eyes briefly. “Regardless, we have to try.”
Rong Liang opened his mouth, but in the end he only said, “The people we sent to Shantong County still haven’t returned. Do you think something may have happened there too?”
He was referring to the second group they had sent that day. Two groups in a row had failed to return. That could no longer be considered an accident.
Tang Tishou suddenly opened his eyes, a murderous glint flashing within them. “The Jinyang Army!”
Rong Liang let out a heavy sigh. “Perhaps tonight is our opportunity. We could attack them while they’re assaulting the city and encircle them.”
They all knew that the Jinyang Army had not brought many troops with them. But with the support of their repeating crossbows, even a small Jinyang force was not something Qu Zhao’s limited troops in Donghu Commandery dared to attack recklessly.
Besides, Qu Zhao did not dare to commit all his forces.
But if the Jinyang Army left the city, things would be different. As long as they coordinated with the defenders inside Tai’an and caught the Jinyang Army off guard, they had a very good chance of defeating them.
Tang Tishou thought for a moment. “How many men do you think we should send?”
Rong Liang considered it. “They don’t have many troops, and Tai’an is only a small city. I estimate that they won’t send many men—at most, a thousand.”
“We’ll send three thousand. That’s three times their number, and we’ll be launching an ambush. There shouldn’t be any problem.”
Night fell. Silence settled over the darkness.
Meng You stood halfway up a slope, looking toward a dense forest in the distance.
It was pitch-black, and he could not see anything.
But he knew that some seven or eight hundred Jinyang soldiers were lying in wait there.
He sneered inwardly. Just as Counselor Rong had predicted, the Jinyang Army really was preparing to launch a night attack on Tai’an County.
They were certainly bold. A mere few hundred men dared to attack a city, even if it was only a small one.
Soon, the Jinyang Army would pay the price for its arrogance.
Although the enemy force was small, this battle was of great significance. If they won, they would shatter the myth of the Jinyang Army’s invincibility.
Shuangjiang was leading the night attack on Tai’an County this time, while Yun Yu had remained behind to defend Fuchuan.
She glanced at her pocket watch and said in a low voice, “Move.”
She led a squad swiftly toward the city wall, with the tread-spike arrows and crossbowmen advancing slowly behind her.
There were patrol soldiers on the wall, but they were lax and listless. From time to time, the sound of laughter drifted down.
Shuangjiang found their attitude rather irritating. If they had been her soldiers, she would have made them undergo extra drills.
Then she remembered the carrier pigeon from earlier that evening. It had been so small, but it had tasted delicious roasted.
Tai’an had no moat, and Shuangjiang reached the base of the city wall without difficulty. The troops quickly and silently split apart, moving toward both sides.
