Taiheiki

Chapter 142 Changes in Situation
"Yes!" Liu nodded. "Then Wei Cong's actions make him seem like the governor of Nanhai County, or rather, the king of Nanyue. Governors have a term of office and leave when their time is up. The results of his work won't be seen in a year or six months. Only a king passed down from generation to generation would invest so much effort in his fiefdom!"

"Sister-in-law, you're talking nonsense again!" Yu Wen laughed. "What prefect, what king? This Wei Cong is just a rebel leader. The court sent him to rescue Jiaozhou and quell the bandits in Jiuzhen County. But he took advantage of the rebellion of the moth bandits and the lack of communication between the north and the south to occupy Panyu and refuse to leave. Wait until the court has time—no, there's no need to wait until then. As long as the local heroes of Jiaozhou gather enough troops, they can drive this group of rebels out of Panyu!"

"But Awen, do you really think Wei Cong is the leader of the rebels?" Liu asked. "It's been almost a month since we met that night on the way to Panyu. Do you think he is?"

This time, Yu Wen fell silent. Whether in appearance, conversation, or actions, Wei Cong, the self-proclaimed Captain of the Rebellion, was completely different from the crude and barbaric rebel leaders. Especially his subordinates. Although Wei Cong treated his subordinates leniently, anyone with eyes wide open could see that it was Wei Cong who was in control, driving them, rather than them holding him hostage. This was completely different from the impression of the rebel leaders who were forced, held hostage, and driven into blind action by their subordinates.

"Do you think he can win, sister-in-law?" Yu Wen asked. "The only thing he can rely on is the army. Nanhai County, no, even Panyu City is only temporarily subservient to his power. As long as the army reaches the city, it will collapse!"

"So Wei Cong will definitely not defend the city!" Liu laughed. "He will lead his army out of the city and fight the enemies to the death somewhere. Whoever wins will be the master of Jiaozhou! I guess that's what he thinks. That's why he sits and watches his enemies gather without doing anything. He believes he will definitely win on the battlefield!"

"What an arrogant guy!" Yu Wen whispered.

"That's right. What if he really wins?" asked Liu.

"Then, Jiaozhou will really be his!" Yu Wen said in a low voice after a long silence.

This conclusion wasn't difficult to reach. As the southernmost prefecture of the Han Dynasty, Jiaozhou had a rather peculiar topography, like a clenched fist with a long middle finger extending out. Rinan Commandery, situated at the end of this middle finger, reached the waist of present-day central Vietnam. Here, the Truong Son Mountains plunged almost directly into the Pacific Ocean, leaving only a narrow strip of plain between the mountains and the sea, less than 8 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. This served as the natural dividing line between northern and southern Vietnam. Meanwhile, the two Commanderies of Yulin and Cangwu at the northern end encompassed the southern reaches of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

As the younger brother of the prefect of Rinan County, Yu Wen certainly knew what the rebellion that was breaking out in Jiuzhen County meant - if the rebels won, Rinan County, located at the southernmost tip of Jiaozhou, would become an enclave and lose its land connection with other prefectures and counties in Jiaozhou. Its fall would then be only a matter of time. This was why Yu Xin, the prefect of Rinan County, wanted to send his family back to his hometown.

To prevent this worst-case scenario, Jiaozhou Governor Zhang Pan had already mobilized most of his available forces and deployed them to the Jiuzhen Commandery to suppress the rebellion. This was the reason Wei Cong was able to capture Panyu with virtually no resistance. However, the only forces assembled to defeat Wei Cong were newly recruited soldiers from various counties and the family soldiers of powerful families. This was the last of Jiaozhou's forces that could be mobilized. If this force were also defeated by Wei Cong, there would be no force within Jiaozhou that could stop him from doing anything he desired. Under these circumstances, the gentry of Jiaozhou's counties, however reluctantly, had no choice but to submit to Wei Cong in order to preserve their families.

"Sister-in-law, what do you think we should do now?" Yu Wen asked in a low voice.

"If Wei Cong is defeated, then of course he'll have to flee," Liu said. "If he wins, then we'll have to make peace with him. After all, your brother's current situation means he can't rely on the court anymore!"

Yu Wen nodded deeply.

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"The enemy's commander is Cangwu Prefect Zhang Xu. He's already raised the banner of a crusade against the bandits and is collaborating with troops from Yulin Commandery. They number about 20,000 men, advancing along the Xijiang River!" Huang Ping pointed at the map and said, "But legend has it that the true core of this army is Guangxin Shi Xie. His family is a prominent and powerful Lingnan clan, and it was he who spearheaded this expedition and formed alliances with all four corners of the country. Thousands of these 20,000 men are members of the Shi family. Furthermore, his younger brother is Shi Wu, a student of Prefect Kong, and he remains in Panyu City!"

"Are you saying that Shiwu is his brother's accomplice?"

"Obviously!" Diwu Deng sneered. "That kid's been acting rogue in the city these days, running around everywhere. He must be up to some tricks. Let me capture him and interrogate him. I'm sure we can uncover a bunch of traitors!"

"That's fine, I expected this!" Wei Cong sneered. "I was planning to use him to lure these people out anyway. Now he's useless. Let's spare his life and give Governor Kong some face! What about Hepu and Nanhai Commanderies?"

"There is another barbarian riot in Hepu County, and they are unable to take care of themselves. I guess Nanhai County will only start an uprising after we lose the battle!" Huang Ping replied.

"Well, at least you're not completely stupid!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Okay, then everyone go back to camp and prepare, and we'll march out tomorrow!"

"Who will stay in Panyu?" Liu Jiu asked.

"Let Kong Gui stay!" Wei Cong said.

"Kong Gui?" Diwu Deng was shocked. "Why is it him?"

"As soon as we leave here, there will definitely be people trying to stir up trouble. If we win, Panyu will naturally remain ours. If we lose, we won't be able to hold it even if we retreat! Why leave precious people in this place where we are doomed?" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Everyone, remember, we are in a place where we are doomed. Only by fighting to the death can we survive!"

"Yes!" all the generals responded in unison.

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At noon the next day, Wei Cong boarded a ship accompanied by 400 infantrymen. This was the last of Wei Cong's troops left in the city. They sailed northwest along the river and arrived at Gaoyao County, the closest county in Cangwu Commandery to Panyu, at noon on the third day. Diwudeng had captured it the day before, and Wei Cong planned to set up a fort there to garrison and meet the approaching enemy.

The horse's hooves thumped against the soft earth in the forest, making a dull sound. Wei Cong gently pulled on the reins, and his mount neighed softly as it climbed the small mound ahead. From here, he could clearly see the enemy camp being built in the distance. Thousands of axes clanged, and rows of sharpened wooden stakes were erected behind the trenches. Behind the fences and trenches were rows of tents, dotted with bonfires. Hundreds of smoke columns pointed like fingers into the sky. A column of spearmen passed through the bushes, flags fluttering above their heads. On the other side of the camp, boats could be seen slowly approaching from upstream, loaded with supplies, food, and new soldiers. Wei Cong tried to count the number of soldiers in the camp, but ultimately gave up.

"Arden, how many enemies do you think there are?" Wei Cong asked. "Fifteen thousand, twenty thousand, or even more!" Diwu Deng calculated for a moment and replied, "No less than twenty thousand!"

"Yeah!" Wei Cong nodded. His subordinates' judgment was very close to his. The number of enemy troops was somewhat beyond his original expectations. Even if only half of them were combat soldiers, this was still a very impressive army. Obviously, the number of enemies was far greater than he saw. If the stalemate continued, it would not be a good thing!
"We can launch a surprise attack while they're still trying to gain a firm foothold. Look over there!" Diwu Deng pointed ahead, where there was an unfinished trench. "That's a weak point. We can use ropes to pull down the fence at night, then rush in and teach these rookies a lesson!"

"Judging from the layout of the enemy camp, the enemy general is a knowledgeable soldier. He should be aware of the weak links in our defense and will naturally be on guard! If we attack rashly, it will be difficult to win! How about this—" Wei Cong's whip shifted about thirty degrees: "See that creek? The enemy cuts down trees upstream and uses the stream to float the wood here. They bring the wood ashore and use it to build fences."

"You intend to attack these lumbermen?"

"Well, attack them first with slingers. Don't use crossbowmen. Use the newly recruited barbarian slingers. This will be considered an insult, which will cause the enemy to despise you and will make it easier to anger them. Lure these guys out, and then--" Wei Cong swung the whip hard, making a sharp sound in the air.

"I understand!" Diwu Deng nodded in understanding.

"Set the ambush over there!" Wei Cong pointed westward, where a vast expanse of rugged hills appeared. "It's easier to hide there. Also, this is to provoke the enemy and disrupt their rhythm, not to kill more people. Do you understand?"

"My subordinate understands!"

"Then I'll leave everything to you!" Wei Cong turned his horse and headed down the hill, pondering another question in his mind: "If I were in the enemy general's position, what strategy would I choose to win at the lowest cost?"

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"It's time to begin!" Liu An whispered to the slinger next to him. His name was Wu Falcon, leader of the two hundred long-pole barbarians under Wei Cong's command, and Liu An's brother-in-law. A remarkably capable young man, he nodded at Liu An's command and gestured to the crouching slingers behind him. Over a dozen men rose, half-bent their bodies, and advanced through the bushes.

About two hundred paces away, in the creek, dozens of men were using ropes to catch logs drifting down from upstream. Each time a log was caught, the men on shore would drag it to the riverbank. The logs would be processed and transported to the camp by oxcart to be turned into fences and pickets. One man tied the rope tightly around the logs, waving his arms toward the shore, shouting something. Suddenly, his body swayed, and he fell, headfirst into the water.

Seeing this, his companion reached out to help. As he bent down, he saw a red blush on the water surface. It was blood. He was startled and quickly picked up his companion in the water. He saw that his eyes were open and there was a gash on his forehead, with blood gushing out.

"Be careful! There's a thief!"

Almost at the same time as he shouted, the men who were fishing for wood in the water let out screams one after another, and people kept falling down. Only then did people realize that there were more than a dozen men standing in the grass on the other side of the river, throwing stones at them with slingshots.

"Quick, run!"

"You bastard! Watch out!"

"Get ashore quickly!"

The men, caught in the surprise attack, fled to shore in panic, leaving only a few floating corpses in the river. They then realized that the enemy on the other side was not numerous, but rather a group of barbarians, armed not with bows and crossbows but with hunting slings. This immediately infuriated them. They grabbed their weapons, waded across the stream, and charged at the attackers on the other side, who immediately turned and fled.

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The expeditionary camp and the general's tent.

"I think the best way to defeat the bandits is to build a camp to confront them, while sending a light force to bypass the enemy camp to the east and go straight to Panyu to destroy their lair! As long as we can capture Panyu, the bandits will be in chaos, and we can win without fighting!" The wooden stick in Shi Xie's hand moved on the map, drawing a beautiful arc, and finally landed on the origin representing Panyu.

"Well! Wei Yan truly deserves to be my brainchild!" Cangwu County Governor Zhang Xu laughed with satisfaction. "As the saying goes, don't chase a desperate beast. Although the Wei bandits only have a little over ten thousand men under their command, they are all extremely vicious and have followed him all the way here. If we engage them rashly, even if we win, I'm afraid we'll suffer heavy casualties. It's better to attack their lair first and seize their baggage. This will disrupt their morale, and then we can attack them with a 100% chance of victory."

"Sure enough, a great idea!"

"Being able to defeat the Wei thieves without fighting is truly the best strategy!"

"If that's the case, that would be the best!"

Upon hearing Zhang Xu's words, everyone in the tent agreed. Most of these men were local tyrants from Yulin and Cangwu counties. Their joining the army with their own troops and guests wasn't so much a response to a call to arms to fight the bandits as it was a natural reaction from the local forces to the foreign invaders. Although they hadn't yet engaged Wei Cong's army, the secret letters sent from Panyu detailed descriptions of the Wei army's crossing of the Five Ridges and its direct march into Panyu, as well as their superior armor and weapons.

(End of this chapter)