Chapter 633: Burning Weiwu City

"General, at the Battle of Huanghua Valley, we suffered few casualties, and the Shu army threw away their armor and fled in defeat! If every battle were this easy, that would be wonderful!" On the way to Tangcang Town, a retainer riding beside him sang Shi Shouxin's praises: "The General's talent for commanding troops in battle marks him as a famous general of our age—few can match him!"

"This is but a minor victory, hardly worth mentioning!" Shi Shouxin sat on his horse with a slight smile, yet his tone was quite calm as he summarized last night's battle: "This victory was won, first, because our army's intelligence was accurate and true, and the Chief Commander's decisions were forceful; second, it relied on the soldiers of the various battalions who, heedless of fatigue and hardship, cast aside thoughts of life and death to fight the enemy bravely; third, the Shu army was caught unawares and unprepared, giving us the opportunity for a great victory!"

At daybreak, leaving one battalion of soldiers and the wounded behind, and having made arrangements for the defense of Huanghua Valley and the guarding of prisoners, Shi Shouxin set out with the remaining troops, heading for Tangcang Town.

Guided by the scouts and guides, along the way they could still see many banners and armor discarded by the fleeing Shu soldiers, and they also took in more than three hundred scattered troops. These Shu soldiers, facing the large force of the Han army, offered no resistance at all—some even ran out on their own initiative, and when given a bit of dry rations to ease their hunger, they became even more docile.

From the Shu soldiers' mouths, they also obtained much fragmentary yet useful information.

"The Shu army that sallied forth has been utterly routed, but I wonder how Han Chongyun's progress fares!" Shi Shouxin sat tall on his horse, gazing southwest: "Pass the order—scouts are to expand their search range and reconnoiter in the direction of Tangcang!"

It was not until they neared Tangcang Town that word arrived, from a liaison junior officer sent by Han Chongyun.

"General, General Han sent me to report!" The liaison officer's face bore a simple, honest smile as he reported to Shi Shouxin: "Last night, General Han led his troops in a surprise attack on Tangcang Town, successfully taking the Shu camp, beheading the Shu general Wang Luan, killing more than three hundred enemies, and capturing over fifteen hundred. Before noon, the Shu general Han Jixun led the routed army back to Tangcang in retreat, and General Han sallied forth—the entire Shu army laid down their arms and surrendered!"

"Excellent!" Shi Shouxin's expression broadened, and he said in a loud voice: "Han Chongyun is a brave general indeed—he has lived up to the trust placed in him!"

"General, with this, we can be said to have achieved complete success against the enemy at Tangcang!" The retainer beside him, upon hearing this, was far more excited than Shi Shouxin.

"Let's go—speed up the march, to Tangcang!"

"The General's command was masterful—defeating a larger enemy with a smaller force and crushing the Shu army. Han admires it greatly!" Inside Tangcang Town, Han Chongyun welcomed Shi Shouxin into the hall, beaming as he offered his flattery.

"The General is brave and skilled in battle, leading from the front, breaking the enemy's camp—that too is extraordinary!" Shi Shouxin likewise said to Han Chongyun with a smile.

The two exchanged a round of mutual flattery, then both could not help but laugh heartily, the laughter carrying the joy of victors.

"Someone, bring wine and food!" Han Chongyun turned to his personal guards to give the order, then said to Shi Shouxin: "Han Jixun, the Shu army's main general who sallied forth at Huanghua Valley, has surrendered—would you like to see him?"

"Though this man suffered successive defeats, when facing the enemy in battle, he did display no small skill in commanding troops! Last night, when the Shu army collapsed like a mountain crumbling, he still managed to gather nearly a thousand routed soldiers and return to Tangcang—that takes some ability!" Shi Shouxin said.

Han Chongyun was somewhat dismissive: "I see no great ability in him. When his army returned, I expected a fight, but I never anticipated he would surrender so quickly!"

To Han Chongyun's words, Shi Shouxin merely smiled.

Before long, Han Jixun, disheveled in appearance and haggard of face, was escorted into the hall by two soldiers. He looked at Han Chongyun, then noticed Shi Shouxin who was in the midst of eating, and could not help asking: "So you are the Han army's main general who set the ambush at Huanghua Valley and defeated my army?"

"Correct!" Shi Shouxin looked at him: "I am Shi Shouxin, Chief Commander of the Left Wing of the Inner Palace Guard of the Great Han!"

Gazing at Shi Shouxin, whose eyes shone brightly and whose spirit was vigorous, Han Jixun could not help sighing with emotion: "The Great Han's military talents—how numerous they are! The General's bearing is extraordinary; this old man's defeat is not unjust!"

Likewise appraising Han Jixun—this could be considered a veteran general of Shu—Shi Shouxin thought for a moment, then divided his own wine and meat in half and had a soldier pass it to him: "Please, help yourself!"

Shi Shouxin's attitude was far better than Han Chongyun's—no contempt, no humiliation. Looking at the fragrant wine and meat, this was a gesture of courtesy toward him. Since he had already surrendered, Han Jixun did not stand on ceremony, clasping his hands in salute: "Thank you, General!"

Clearly starving, he wolfed down several mouthfuls of food and drink, then looked at Shi Shouxin again: "This battle leaves me with many doubts! As a general of a defeated army, I dare ask the General—how did you bring about the complete destruction of my forces?"

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. Our army was able to anticipate the enemy's moves and make our deployments in advance!" Shi Shouxin said calmly.

Han Jixun appeared lost in thought, a look of sudden understanding dawning in his eyes.

Taking a drink of wine, Shi Shouxin said to Han Jixun: "In our previous battles, each served his own master. Now that the General has submitted to the Great Han, for the time being, settle peacefully in the camp and await arrangements. The Great Han wishes to pacify Shu, and will sooner or later have use for talent such as the General's..."

After offering words of comfort, he had Han Jixun withdraw with his food, treating him with courtesy.

"Brother Shi, you were too courteous to this Han Jixun—he is but a general of a defeated army!" Han Chongyun said to Shi Shouxin.

"After all, he is a veteran general. Since he has already surrendered, there is no need to humiliate him—leave him some dignity!" Shi Shouxin picked up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then said: "Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, we must consider our next move!"

Hearing his words and observing his demeanor, Han Chongyun's spirits lifted slightly: "What does the General intend?"

"Baijian!" Shi Shouxin did not keep him in suspense, saying directly: "With the defeat at Huanghua Valley and the loss of Tangcang, the Shu army stationed at Baijian is now in a difficult position. Once word reaches them, their morale will surely collapse. My proposal is this: rest for half a day, then we combine our forces and march north to cut off their retreat route. I expect this battle will not be too difficult—let us take this merit together, the two of us!"

"Excellent!" Han Chongyun slapped the table.

"I wonder what the situation is with the main army?"

"I have already sent men to notify Commander Xiang of the results at Huanghua Valley overnight. He can set aside his concerns in the rear and focus all his strength on attacking Weiwu City! I fear the battle may already be underway by now!" Shi Shouxin said.

Just as Shi Shouxin had said, beneath the walls of Weiwu City, after tight and orderly deployment, the Han army had already launched its assault. Inside and outside the fortress, all was plunged into a fervor—a true fervor.

"Ignite!"

"Launch!"

Following the Han army officers' continuous waving of flags and issuing of orders, rows upon rows of fire-oil bombs, arrayed outside the fortress several hundred paces away, flew toward Weiwu City. Transforming into streaks of fire serpents, they ignited the fortress and the woods, and riding the wind, rapidly grew and spread, becoming a single great fire dragon that gradually devoured everything...

The flames raged, heat surged skyward, and the sounds of explosions, of things shattering, and of agonized screams interwove into one.

The great fire blazed fiercely, continuously spreading toward the fortress and the mountain forests. Thick black smoke rose ceaselessly from all around, like so many sinister black dragons, soaring straight into the heavens.

The Shu army within Weiwu City was already stricken with terror. The outer city was made of wood, easily ignited, and the fire spread with extreme speed. Great numbers of Shu soldiers were devoured by the flames, screaming and wailing as they retreated toward the inner city. Chaos, crowding, turmoil.

From the moment the Han army had arrayed itself outside, the Shu generals had taken notice. Gao Yandui was the quickest to react, but against such man-made calamity, reacting in time was of no use—they could almost only watch helplessly as the Han army's fire attack succeeded, gradually devouring the fortress.

Cries of "Put out the fire!" rang out continuously, but to little effect—the Shu soldiers could barely even flee in time.

On the inner city gate tower, Li Tinggui stared fixedly at the scene before the fortress. The fortress burned, crackling as it continuously collapsed and crashed down. Those Shu soldiers who could not dodge in time were crushed to death, burned to death—their piercing screams were enough to make one's heart shudder.

"Expedition Commissioner, the soldiers have all fallen into chaos—the fire simply cannot be stopped!" Gao Yandui ran up onto the city wall, drenched in sweat, and said to Li Tinggui: "A decision must be made quickly! Inside and outside the fortress, there are too many trees—they won't burn out anytime soon, and the fire will only grow larger! Once it spreads to the surroundings and our escape routes are cut off, without the Han army even attacking, we will all be burned to death!"

Sweat dripped ceaselessly from Li Tinggui's forehead as well. His face was flushed red from the heat, and his eyes were wide with desperation. Even as he touched the earthen and stone city wall, he could feel a slight heat. He took a deep breath, only to choke on the smoke, coughing until tears streamed from his eyes. Li Tinggui's voice carried a note of grief: "Pass the order—have all soldiers withdraw completely from Weiwu City and fall back toward Liangquan!"