Rong Liang was alarmed. He hurried forward to support him. “General!”
“Quick, call the physician!” he roared toward the hall outside.
Tang Tishou braced one hand against the table. “No need.”
Rong Liang asked anxiously, “General, are you all right?”
Tang Tishou waved him off. He took the handkerchief a servant offered and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His voice was filled with unwillingness and resentment.
“How did the Jinyang Army take Dan City in such a short time?”
Everyone in the hall fell silent. This was precisely what they could not understand.
Dan City had clearly made extensive preparations, and Han Ning was a seasoned veteran of countless battles. Why had they been so helpless before the Jinyang Army?
Zhu Dian suddenly remembered something and shot to his feet. “General, now that Dan City has fallen, quite a few of our soldiers must have escaped. Shall I go meet them?”
Rong Liang shook his head. “No. Given the Jinyang Army’s methods, there are likely many of their men lying in wait nearby. If we send troops out, we may walk straight into their trap.”
He continued helplessly, “We have more than ten thousand soldiers in Heichun City. As long as we remain inside, it won’t be easy for the Jinyang Army to take us. We only need to hold the city until the Grand General has dealt with matters on his end. Then we’ll win.”
Tang Tishou let out a soft breath, his heart heavy with sorrow.
That was what he had thought before as well. As long as they did not leave the city, they had enough food and soldiers. Let alone holding out for a few days—they could defend the city for a year or even longer.
But he no longer believed that.
Dan City might not have had ten thousand soldiers, but it still had five or six thousand.
More importantly, traps of all kinds had been laid within two li of the city in every direction.
Yet the Jinyang Army had taken it with ease. Faced with such methods, how could they possibly defend themselves?
Rong Liang naturally understood the situation too, but what could he say? They could hardly tell the truth and undermine the army’s morale.
Zhu Dian was unwilling to let the matter go. “So we’re just going to let our soldiers be slaughtered?”
He hardened his voice. “Why not kill a few hundred Han civilians to vent our anger?”
Tang Tishou felt utterly exhausted in both body and mind. Ignoring his fury, he asked, “What does everyone think we should do now?”
The men exchanged glances. The fierce general Qu Gan suggested, “Why not hang the Han civilians from the city walls? If the Jinyang Army attacks, they’ll surely hesitate to shoot for fear of hitting them.”
Rong Liang shook his head. “And how do you know when the Jinyang Army will attack?”
Qu Gan bared his teeth in a grin. “I don’t. But they’re only Han slaves. Hang them up, and they’ll live for a few days at most. Once they die, we can replace them with another batch.”
Zhu Dian also thought the plan excellent. “Exactly. Isn’t the Jinyang Army fond of night raids? If we hang the Han slaves outside, I refuse to believe they’ll still dare to fire their stake-piercing arrows!”
“Without that siege weapon, let’s see how they plan to take the city.”
Rong Liang frowned. “Those who accomplish great things do not concern themselves with minor details. I don’t think the Jinyang Army will abandon an attack merely because of these Han slaves. Still, it may disrupt their morale to some extent.”
Tang Tishou lowered his head and pondered. At last, he nodded. “Do it.”
About ten li north of Heichun County, Shuangjiang watched the dozen or so riders flee past in disarray and inwardly lamented the missed opportunity.
Hua Ruo was also unwilling to give up. “A bunch of cowards hiding in their shells.”
Although they both knew that the Quzhao Army most likely would not send troops out at a time like this, she was still disappointed. They had been lying in wait there for most of the day.
If the Quzhao Army had come out, they could have worn down some of its forces and prepared the way for the attack on the city.
“Shouldn’t we attack those riders?” one of the female soldiers asked.
Shuangjiang shook her head. “That few aren’t worth exposing ourselves for. Wait another hour. If Quzhao still doesn’t send anyone out, we’ll withdraw.”
Tang Tishou was still discussing defensive measures with the others when a soldier came to report, “General, a dozen or so people have escaped from Dan City. They’re at the southern gate. Should we let them in?”
It was a critical moment, and they did not dare open the gates casually.
Tang Tishou brightened. “Have you confirmed their identities?”
The soldier hurriedly replied, “Yes. They’re led by Qu Zhong, the deputy general.”
Tang Tishou immediately ordered, “Quick, let them in.”
A quarter of an hour later, Qu Zhong hurried into the council hall. The moment he saw Tang Tishou, he dropped to his knees and began sobbing.
“General, Dan City has fallen! Wuwu… The county lieutenant, the county magistrate, and Deputy General Luo are all gone!”
Although everyone had already guessed the outcome, hearing it confirmed so plainly still made their hearts tremble.
“What happened exactly? Only you people escaped? Where’s the assistant magistrate?” Tang Tishou demanded.
Shame appeared on Qu Zhong’s face. “The assistant magistrate is still behind us. Two or three thousand of us escaped, though some took the side roads.”
He then recounted what had happened on the battlefield. Everyone fell silent as they listened.
After a long while, Zhu Dian muttered, “A bunch of swine broke through the traps we spent more than half a year digging?”
Rong Liang shook his head. “The real issue is their repeating crossbows. Otherwise…”
If the battle had been a conventional one, and both sides’ bows had had the same range, then even if the traps in front of the city had been breached, taking the city would not have been so easy.
The thought of the Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows gave Tang Tishou another headache.
Then something occurred to him, and he frowned slightly. “You said the assistant magistrate was not far behind you?”
Qu Zhong nodded. “Yes. We were scouting ahead, and we didn’t notice anything unusual along the way.”
Confusion also appeared on his face. “By rights, they should have arrived by now.”
Tang Tishou suppressed the fresh taste of blood rising in his throat and closed his eyes briefly. “They’re probably dead.”
Unlike the despondent atmosphere in Heichun County, Dong Si in Dan City was in high spirits.
“My lord, the Quzhao forces left in such a hurry that most of their money and supplies were left behind.”
Jiang Jin smiled. “Good. Just have everything counted and recorded.”
She then turned to Luo Qingci. “The civilians in the city are your responsibility.”
Luo Qingci’s expression grew solemn. “My lord, rest assured. I will not disappoint you.”
Jiang Jin nodded and strode quickly out of the county office.
Zhou Sui followed behind her. “Are we setting out now?”
Jiang Jin gave a quiet “Mm.” “We need to circle around them, and it’s a long way.”
Zhou Sui sighed. “You’ve worked hard, my lord.”
Jiang Jin smiled. “Only for the next few days. After that, things will ease up.”
At the same time, Dong Si was sighing as well. “My lord truly works too hard.”
Luo Qingci sighed. “Indeed. That’s why we must do our own jobs properly and ensure she has nothing to worry about.”
Dong Si nodded in agreement. “How many civilians are there in Dan City?”
Luo Qingci lowered her head to examine the records. “Around eight thousand inside the city. We don’t know how many there are outside.”
She sighed. “The fact that eighty percent of the civilians hung from the city walls survived is practically a miracle.”
Using Han civilians as sacrifices was standard practice among the barbarian tribes. Of those sent to their deaths, it was rare for even one in ten to survive.
Dong Si had heard about the matter as well. He smiled and said, “That is all thanks to our lord’s wise leadership.”
Tang Tishou waited and waited, but as expected, the assistant magistrate and the others never arrived. Fortunately, more than two hundred stragglers who had taken unusual routes eventually trickled in.
After an unknown amount of time, a scout finally returned to report.
“We found the bodies of our soldiers in three places. The assistant magistrate was on the main road…”
“The money, the horses—even the dead horses—are all gone.” He glanced up at Tang Tishou, then quickly lowered his head again.
“The assistant magistrate’s clothes and the soldiers’ armor… they were all stripped away. Taken.”
Zhu Dian’s face flushed red with rage. “Despicable! The Jinyang Army is going too far!”
Rong Liang murmured, “As expected, the Jinyang Army had planned for everything.”
He sighed. “General, I suspect the Jinyang Army may launch a night raid tonight.”
