Chapter 209 - Desolate Liangzhou (Part Nine)

When the Non-Returning cavalry splashed through muddy puddles to return to the Northern Qiang forces, Wang Yuepi was already instructing the rest of his troops to set up camp. They chose a small hill five li from Liangzhou.

The elevated position provided a clear view of the surroundings and offered a strategic advantage for cavalry charges. Wang Yuepi was not a man of brute force alone.

Watching Lin Zhongbao ascend the slope, Wang Yuepi pointed toward the distant city walls and asked, "How did it go?"

Lin Zhongbao sneered. "Those Ruen Dynasty jackals have been scared stiff."

Wang Yuepi chuckled. "Of course I know that. I was asking about our cavalrymen. If any of them are injured, you can go collect your punishment yourself."

Lin Zhongbao shook his head with a chuckle. "You overestimate the Ruen Dynasty mongrels, General. Their arrows are as soft and useless as women in bed; they couldn’t hurt a soul. Our men barely even needed to raise their shields."

"

Hahaha

!" Wang Yuepi laughed heartily and clapped Lin Zhongbao on the shoulder. "What do you know besides women? Get the men to eat and rest. When night falls, we’ll give them another scare."

Lin Zhongbao saluted and turned to leave.

Wang Yuepi suddenly called, "Hey, wait a second."

Lin Zhongbao turned and asked, "Any other orders, General?"

Wang Yuepi stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I recall the Arhat cavalry brought grappling hooks this time..."

Lin Zhongbao’s expression changed. "General, you mean to..."

"Why don’t we"—Wang Yuepi squinted at Lin Zhongbao—"give it a try?"

Lin Zhongbao forced a bitter smile. "General... The Marshal gave us our instructions. As the vanguard our role is not to siege the city, but to create the illusion of an assault to unsettle Liangzhou’s defenders. Once the Marshal arrives with the main army, the city will fall into our hands with minimal effort.

"There’s no need to take unnecessary risks... Even though we have grappling hooks, they are hardly ideal for a siege. How many of our Arhats even climb the walls and hold their ground? The casualties would likely be significant—"

"There’s no war that can be won without a few deaths," Wang Yuepi said, licking his lips. "Liangzhou has, at most, a few tens of thousands of defenders. We can hardly afford to wait them out. Besides, the Arhat cavalry are all the cream of the crop.

"If they lead the charge and take the walls, the rest can follow easily. We might even capture Liangzhou before the Marshal arrives. He wouldn’t fault me for acting on initiative.

"If the assault fails and we can’t scale the walls, we’ll just retreat. Bringing down Liangzhou with just our cavalry would be a monumental achievement!"

"General," Lin Zhongbao protested, but Wang Yuepi cut him off.

"That’s final. My word is law here." Wang Yuepi asserted his authority and ordered, "Eat quickly and prepare the troops immediately. No delays."

***

In Liangzhou, Zhou Tong remained on the city walls. Before long, a messenger arrived to report the results of the initial conflict.

"What are the casualties?" Zhou Tong asked.

The messenger replied, "Not many... 53 injured and six dead so far."

Zhou Tong nodded silently, his expression grim. He understood that the casualties were insignificant in the grand scheme, but something more troubling weighed on his mind, the ease with which the Northern Qiang cavalry struck and retreated had left the defenders demoralized.

The enemy’s effortless assault with a portion of their men had dealt a significant blow to the morale of the defenders.

Zhou Tong glanced around. Aside from a few veterans, he could see fear in the eyes of most soldiers. Looking again at the distant hill where the Northern Qiang were encamped, he noticed smoke rising to the sky. He couldn’t say when it had started.

Zhou Tong instructed the messenger, "Send the order. Have the men prepare food and eat quickly. No one is to let their guard down. Double the guard shifts tonight. They could attack at any time."

"Yes, sir." The messenger saluted and left.

After giving his orders, Zhou Tong rested his hands on the city wall again, staring at the distant enemy camp. The rain had long soaked through his clothes, and his hair clung uncomfortably to his forehead. Facing the enormous army outside, a sense of helplessness churned within him.

He wasn’t sure if his instructions to the messenger would have any real effect, but doing nothing felt worse. After all, they were facing two-hundred-thousand troops with only fifty-thousand of their own. Even if the Northern Qiang’s attacks were feints, he was forced to respond with his full effort every time, as if each attack were the real thing. To do anything less would risk a disaster.

"General," a messenger approached and softly called from behind Zhou Tong. "The food is ready. Please come and eat."

"Alright." Zhou Tong nodded lightly and turned to descend from the wall. As he was about to leave, he noticed two figures wearing bamboo hats standing under the eaves of a building on a street corner not far from the walls, both gazing in his direction.

"Are they hiding from the rain?" Zhou Tong muttered. Not giving it much thought, he continued down from the wall.

***

Xue Qiming leaned against the doorpost under the eaves of the building. The sign above read Nine Grades of Fragrance suggesting it was once a restaurant. "Who was that old man looking at?" he asked.

"At us," Ye Beizhi answered after a pause.

"Judging by his look, he seems like some kind of official?" Xue Qiming removed his bamboo hat, spinning it in his hand.

Ye Beizhi nodded. "That was the city commander."

Xue Qiming whistled. "A big shot, then? Why would he look at us? Maybe he recognized you as the fugitive with a thousand-gold bounty on your head?"

Ye Beizhi glanced at him and said nothing.

"Alright, forget that I said anything... If you’re really planning to leave the city, you’d better have a plan. Or are you just playing with your life?"

Ye Beizhi silently stared at the soldiers atop the city walls.

Following his gaze, Xue Qiming murmured, "Judging by the situation, getting out of the city will be tough. Even if you manage to return, it's hard to say whether they’ll let you back in."

"Wait," Ye Beizhi finally said. With that, he sat down on a dry spot on the ground and pulled out a piece of flatbread from his coat to eat.

Xue Qiming froze for a moment, looking at Ye Beizhi. "Wait? Wait for what? An opportunity or someone? Why don’t you explain yourself... And when did you even get food?"

Ye Beizhi didn’t reply. He simply tore half of the flatbread and handed it to Xue Qiming.

Xue Qiming sat down and started eating, muttering something under his breath.

Xue Qiming chuckled after taking a bite, then suddenly leapt up and walked to the restaurant’s front door.

Ye Beizhi watched him, unsure of what he was up to.

Xue Qiming examined the copper lock on the door for a moment before breaking it off with a strong twist.

Ye Beizhi glanced at him and lowered his head to continue eating.

Shortly after, Xue Qiming emerged from the door carrying a jug of wine and two bowls.

"Stealing wine again," Ye Beizhi remarked flatly.

"Watch your words! How can this be called stealing?" Xue Qiming glared, but his hands didn’t stop. He placed the bowls on the ground, filling each with wine. The aroma quickly spread as he continued, "I clearly just found it!"

Ye Beizhi ignored him, continuing to eat his bread.

Xue Qiming picked up a bowl and chuckled. "Eating that by itself is too dry... Have some wine to wash it down."

Ye Beizhi glanced at Xue Qiming, who held the bowl and stared back at him.

After a brief stare, Ye Beizhi finally set down his bread and reached for a bowl.

"Hm?" Ye Beizhi suddenly froze.

Following his gaze, Xue Qiming saw the wine in the bowl rippling.

The sound of hoofbeats shook the city like rolling thunder.