Chapter 622: Troops at the Gate, Enemy Intelligence, Decision

It was the height of the dog days of summer, the hottest, most oppressive time of the year, and among the lush, wooded mountain ridges it felt even more stifling. High summer was truly not a good season for moving troops, but fortunately the advance operation was not far, and Xiang Xun had timed things carefully—only when the final phase of the dog days arrived did he order Generals Wang and Li to formally dispatch troops southward.

Huangniu Eight Stockades lay roughly fifty li southwest of Sanguan Pass, commanding the Sanguan post road and bordering the Gushui waterway. The mountain paths were rough and difficult to traverse, but traveling by night and resting by day, one could reach them in just over a day.

Of course, slipping silently up to the Shu stockades undetected was nearly impossible; traveling by night and resting by day was merely to escape the scorching heat. But once the Han camp was established three li away, nestled against the mountains and beside the valley stream, with Han banners raised high, the Shu army inside Huangniu Stockade was immediately alerted and further tightened their defenses.

The Han army camp continued to be built and reinforced, with weapons being prepared, rations inventoried, water drawn, and meals cooked—busy but orderly. A portion of the troops was ordered to rest in place and recover their fighting strength, while three battalions of soldiers, under Wang Renshan's command, lay hidden in the mountain woods.

In the dense forest, the vegetation was thick, with broad, spreading canopies that provided shade from the sun, but at high noon, the stifling heat was unavoidable. The three battalions of Han soldiers each held their positions, but most had removed their armor and opened their garments—even the commanding general Wang Renshan did the same.

In the fierce Shu-Han battle two years earlier, Wang Renshan, for his merits in defending Sanguan Pass and pursuing and breaking the enemy, had been promoted from a minor general—recommended by Zhao Hui, who had come to the capital—leaping to the position of vanguard general of the southwest forward camp, serving as formation arranger. Thus he became a senior general of the Great Han court.

For Wang Renshan, then thirty-six years old, this could be described as achieving success late in life. However, he naturally possessed the talent to rise with the circumstances, having been discovered within the army.

Now, Wang Renshan was thirty-eight, his ambition still unshakable, his drive to strive upward ever stronger. For this campaign against Shu, he felt profound gratitude toward Xiang Xun for entrusting him with the vanguard merit.

Leaning against a green boulder, a faint trace of coolness seeped up from the stone—better than nothing, easing the oppressive heat. Wang Renshan had his eyes closed, seemingly sleeping deeply. He was quite handsome, and in this military setting, it added an extra touch of charm.

"General!" One of his battalion commanders came forward to report.

"The Shu army still hasn't moved?" Wang Renshan opened his eyes and asked.

"No. In my view, the Shu army won't easily sally forth! There were Shu scouts who came out of the stockade to reconnoiter, and we were nearly detected by them!" The battalion commander said: "It's already past noon now, and it's too hot in the mountain woods. The soldiers marched through the night and haven't had time to rest—they're exhausted, and their water supplies are mostly used up..."

The battalion commander's meaning was clear. Wang Renshan looked around. Within the dense forest, all was quiet, with nothing but the chorus of cicadas and the occasional cry of birds. The soldiers under his command remained hidden in their positions, holding their posts, strictly observing military discipline, but their weariness was plain to see.

Considering the situation briefly, Wang Renshan gave his orders: "Withdraw the ambush! Let the soldiers return to camp and rest! Pick a squad of men with good endurance to come with me—we'll approach the Shu stockade and scout it."

Originally, the plan upon arriving after the night march—felling trees to build the camp and raising banners prominently—was to lure the Shu army into attacking while the Han forces were still unsettled, and so elite troops had been chosen to lie in ambush here. But the purpose had clearly failed; the Shu army hadn't budged an inch.

"Why must the General go in person to scout the stockade? Let me take the men!" The Han battalion commander said to Wang Renshan.

"I need to get close myself, to survey the terrain and the enemy stockade—otherwise I won't rest easy!" Wang Renshan waved his hand: "The commander-in-chief has entrusted us with the vanguard mission. We must break the stockade and earn our merit, lest others look down on us!"

On the Huangniu Stockade side, the Shu defender was a general named Han Jixun, formerly the Defense Commissioner of Chengzhou in Shu, a senior general among the four-prefecture Shu army. He had been dispatched to Huangniu Stockade in the capacity of moat-and-fortification commissioner, overseeing the defense of the eight stockades to resist the Han army.

The activity outside the Han camp was detected by Shu scouts—of course, this was also because the Han troops had stopped concealing their movements when returning to camp. Upon receiving the report, Han Jixun, somewhat shaken, said: "The Han army is indeed treacherous—they were trying to lure our forces into sallying out!"

As he said this, two Shu junior officers under his command felt somewhat embarrassed, for it was they who had suggested attacking while the Han army was weary from the march and not yet settled, to blunt their edge. The cautious Han Jixun had refused, and though the outcome of a sally was uncertain, at least they hadn't played into the Han army's hands.

"How many men has the Han army brought this time? Who is the commanding general?" Han Jixun asked the scout junior officer.

The officer replied: "The Han camp is nestled against the mountain and beside the water, with our view obstructed—hard to gauge their numbers, but judging by the scale of their camp, at least five thousand men! Among their command banners, the characters 'Wang' and 'Li' are written."

"Among the Han generals of Fengxiang, there are few surnamed Li, but quite a number surnamed Wang!" One Shu junior officer said.

Han Jixun's brows were tightly knit, his expression sour. He glared at the scout and said: "Continue reconnaissance. Keep close watch on the Han army's movements—you must ascertain the enemy's situation. The enemy has set up camp at our very gate, yet we don't even know who their general is. Is there any more absurd business in this world?"

"Yes!"

"Governor, the Han army is about to launch a formal offensive. The enemy situation is urgent—should we request reinforcements from Liangquan?" A subordinate asked.

At these words, Han Jixun felt even more humiliated. He swept his gaze over the officers and rebuked: "The Han army has just arrived and their situation is unclear. We hold a fortified stockade, and they haven't even launched a probing attack—and I'm supposed to beg the commander-in-chief for reinforcements?"

"The Han army isn't a flood of beasts. Without crossing swords, how can we know who's stronger? We hold the stockade and defend the perilous ground—what is there to fear!" Han Jixun lectured, and also boosted morale: "Just send the enemy intelligence to the central command! You all just guard the stockade strictly. Also, pass the order to the other seven stockades to strengthen their defenses, heighten their vigilance, and not relax—be prepared for the Han army to attack!"

"Yes!"

"If we can't match them in offense, are we to be their inferiors in defending these mountain stockades too?" Han Jixun said coldly.

On the Han side, nearly an entire day had been spent settling in. The camp defenses were now consolidated and barely adequate for defense, and in the meantime, the battalion officers and soldiers had taken turns resting. Cooking smoke had risen; the mess was preparing the evening meal.

When Wang Renshan returned to camp, the sky had already darkened. He immediately sought out his deputy general, Li Yan. Two years earlier, at the Battle of Donghe Village, Li Yan had been surrounded by the Shu army and was rescued by Wang Renshan leading troops—from that time on, they had formed a bond of life-and-death brotherhood.

"Before a great battle, to still enjoy rice, noodles, fruits, and vegetables in the army—could this have been imagined in the past?" In the command tent, Wang Renshan patted his stomach, looking thoroughly appetized.

Li Yan took a bite of flatbread and a mouthful of vegetables, saying: "I've followed the Duke of Medicine for nearly twenty years of fighting—suppressing rebels, defending against the Khitan, striking the Tangut. In the past, just being able to fight without enduring hunger was already a rare blessing..."

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Renshan, who was wolfing down his food: "How did the enemy reconnaissance go?"

Eating as he spoke, Wang Renshan said: "I covered twenty li back and forth, took a look at several of the enemy stockades, and basically have them all in mind. The Shu army's eight stockades occupy commanding terrain, supporting each other like horns, mutually covering, linked in a chain. If the enemy turtles up and defends stubbornly, they won't be easy to attack.

Among all the stockades, this Huangniu Stockade is the largest and the most strongly built. I captured a Shu scout, applied a little persuasion, and learned from his mouth that Huangniu Stockade is personally held by the commanding general Han Jixun with three thousand troops, while the other stockades each garrison a thousand or so."

Pausing, a hint of mockery curled at the corner of Wang Renshan's mouth: "The Shu army certainly values these eight stockades—a full ten thousand troops stationed there. That's enough for the two of us to build one great merit!"

"But our forces are still fewer than the Shu army in the eight stockades!" Li Yan said with a light laugh.

"Well, it's not as if we're attacking all eight enemy stockades at once!" Wang Renshan replied calmly.

Li Yan took out a map and had Wang Renshan mark it up, explaining the terrain in detail. After thinking it over, he pointed at Huangniu Stockade and said: "Brother Wang, shall we start with this hardest bone to chew? If this pass falls, the stockade defense line will surely collapse, and the remaining stockades can be taken in succession!"

"Great minds think alike—I had exactly that in mind!" Wang Renshan said.

"Let the soldiers rest for a full day and night. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll take two battalions and make a probing attack on Huangniu Stockade to test its strength!" Wang Renshan said seriously.

Hearing this, Li Yan grinned and requested: "Brother Wang, you've worked hard today. Leave this stockade-probing business to me and my men—how about it?"

Meeting his gaze, Wang Renshan couldn't very well refuse him face, and nodded in agreement: "Then it's entrusted to Brother Li!"

"We also need to urge the central command to bring up the siege equipment, especially those trebuchets. Though the soldiers are brave, we can't have them charge perilous strongholds with nothing but flesh and blood!"

In fact, when fighting Qinfeng, Xiang Xun had already reminded all his subordinate generals that this battle would have to be won through hard, bloody fighting, and casualties would be unavoidable.