Chapter 693: Pan Mei Holds the City

At Liyang City, a skirmish of modest intensity had already come to an end. More than two hundred corpses had been added to the moat and the ground before the city walls. Amid the crisp sound of the retreat gong, the assault troops before the city withdrew rapidly, each man looking as if pardoned from death, faces full of the relief of survivors.

Scattered below the walls lay banners and arrows, and a siege ladder had been damaged, doused with fire oil, and was burning, belching thick black smoke. The eastern wall was the Chu army's main direction of attack. After prolonged pounding, cracks had appeared in many places, but the damage had not reached the core—the wall could still be relied upon. It was like a maiden whose clothes had been torn to shreds, but who was still fully armed beneath, her vital parts wrapped securely.

Behind the thick parapet, the Han army's defenders had already raised a chorus of cheers, watching and seeing off the rebels fleeing in disgrace. Two officers even drew their bows and nocked arrows, competing to shoot at the enemy stragglers hanging at the rear. Their aim was passable—a few whistling shots cut through the air, and three more corpses joined the ground before Liyang. The winning officer burst into wild laughter and said to the officer beside him: "Horse Face, next time we go to the brothel, you'll stand guard outside the door and serve us well!"

That officer lived up to his name—a long, horse-like face, extremely distinctive. Having missed his last shot, he was already furious; at these words he grew even more irritable. He spat toward the ground and cursed: "These thieving rebel troops, they run fast enough!"

Turning his head to face the winner, he refused to concede: "When this battle is over, if you're still alive, I'll be sure to serve you well!"

"Don't worry, my life's a tough one. But you'd better stay alive yourself—though if you die, it's no matter. If you die, I'll find a lady and bring her to your grave..."

The soldiers around them heard this and immediately burst into jeers and laughter.

"All of you, shut up!" At this moment, the battalion Commander of the eastern wall came up and harshly cut them off: "Take your men and go down from the wall to rest!"

"Yes!" They immediately straightened up.

After a period of attack and defense, the defenders on the wall had grown increasingly adept. Soon, under the officers' direction, another round of brisk rotation and resupply was carried out. The city gates opened, and over a hundred laborers even had time to go out and clear away the corpses.

On the gate tower, Pan Mei personally made his rounds, missing no detail. As he passed, officers and soldiers alike saluted respectfully. Pan Mei, who had been given command in a time of crisis, had through this period of city warfare won the hearts of his men and established his authority.

"Governor!" The battalion Commander approached and reported: "The casualty count is in: 8 dead, 13 severely wounded, 25 lightly wounded. The rebels left at least two hundred corpses, and their wounded are beyond counting!"

"These thieving rebel troops seem to be getting weaker and weaker—their attacks lack force, their morale is low!" The battalion Commander looked very optimistic, smiling at Pan Mei, his words already tinged with contempt for the besieging Chu army.

Over these days, every Chu attack had been more miserable than the last, and their retreats were quick as well. Like today—in less than an hour, they had left behind their usual quota of corpses and withdrawn.

"It's not that the enemy is weak—it's that they're using their weak troops!" Pan Mei maintained a composed demeanor, showing no arrogance, merely shaking his head gently: "These recent assaults have been completely without tactics, relying purely on raw courage, and mostly made up of the old and feeble. If they committed their elite troops as they did in the first three attacks, driving them back wouldn't be so easy!"

In fact, this time the Chu army had taken the initiative to attack Liyang, relying only on the pressure their fresh momentum had put on the defenses in the first few days. Only in those days had the fighting been fiercest and bloodiest—in just three days, the defenders had lost over four hundred men. At the most critical moment, Pan Mei had even personally taken up his blade and joined the fighting to boost morale.

But after that, the Chu army's offensive had deteriorated day by day. By now, it seemed more like going through the motions, completing a daily routine. As news from the north kept arriving, the morale of the Chu troops outside the city sank even further, taking on a half-dead look.

But as their opponent, Pan Mei had detected something unusual in it.

"Governor, you mean the enemy is up to something?" Hearing this, the battalion Commander couldn't help asking.

"From my observation, in these recent attacks, Yang Shifan seems to be deliberately reducing his commitment of veteran elite troops. That's why the rebel attacks grow weaker and your defense grows easier!" Pan Mei's gaze was sharp as he analyzed coolly: "Don't be fooled by the corpses strewn below the walls and the blood staining the moat—those are all weak soldiers dying. Their elite have taken no further losses! Tell me, what do you think the enemy's purpose is in doing this?"

"Could it be they've heard the news from the north and are afraid? Too scared to commit fully?" The battalion Commander guessed.

"Perhaps that's part of it!" Pan Mei said softly, but his eyes grew colder and colder: "But in my view, wearing down our supplies and lulling us into complacency is Yang Shifan's main goal. I've long heard that among Zhou's subordinates, this Yang Shifan has the most military talent—otherwise he wouldn't have been given independent command to attack Liyang. As it stands, this man does have some ability. He's scheming against me, Pan Mei!"

"Governor thinks the rebels are deliberately preserving their strength, planning to concentrate their forces and launch a full assault on us?" The battalion Commander was somewhat incredulous: "That... that can't be! When they came in full force that first day, at the peak of their momentum, we still held them off. Now they've been grinding for ten days, suffered heavy losses, and their morale is low—how could they possibly take the city?"

"Of course they couldn't!" Pan Mei's tone was equally certain, a cold smile curling at the corners of his mouth: "But over these past few days, I've watched our defenders—from officers to common soldiers—growing more arrogant by the day, careless and lax, treating the enemy as if they didn't exist. An arrogant army is easily defeated! If tomorrow Yang Shifan suddenly throws his rested elite troops into the assault with full force, could you hold them back?"

"This..." The battalion Commander finally realized, and couldn't help drawing a sharp breath: "The rebels actually have such cunning!"

He was somewhat startled, but after a moment's thought, he smiled: "Since the Governor has detected the rebels' scheme in advance, what is there to fear?"

"Do you know what to do now?" Pan Mei, who had stood silent for a long while, finally shifted his body and turned to gaze at him.

"I'll immediately strengthen our defenses and keep the men below on alert against the rebels. I can see some of the soldiers have indeed grown careless!" The battalion Commander reacted quickly.

"Good!" Pan Mei showed a satisfied expression and patted his shoulder: "When this battle is over, you'll be promoted and rewarded—don't forget to treat me to a drink!"

"Yes!" At these words, the battalion Commander's voice rose considerably, a brilliant smile blooming on his sallow face, and he seemed several degrees more spirited.

"But there's no need to be overly tense either!" Pan Mei maintained his reassuring composure, as if everything were under control, and said calmly: "Even if Yang Shifan has designs, his time is running out! Liyang is no easy place—the longer he lingers, the more dangerous it becomes!"

As he spoke, Pan Mei turned his head toward the north and let out a soft sigh. He was thirty years old, in the prime of his career, but defending a single city could not fully display his talents. Just as the Son of Heaven expected of him, Pan Mei yearned for a larger stage.

"Set up sentries to guard against a rebel surprise attack! I'll go check the other three gates!" With another instruction, Pan Mei strode off quickly.

The city had originally held three thousand officers and men. After leaving garrisons at key points within the city, only twenty-seven hundred could actually be committed to the defense. After some ten days of fighting, combat losses alone amounted to about seven hundred men. With such a force, facing an enemy several times their number, and holding the city on every front, Pan Mei had expended no small amount of effort.

The main strength was concentrated at the eastern wall, but the other directions could not be relaxed in the slightest. Indeed, Pan Mei was even more concerned that Yang Shifan might launch a surprise attack elsewhere. After all, the defenders on the other walls were mixed with many able-bodied conscripts who had only just taken up weapons as auxiliaries.

Compared to the composed Pan Mei within Liyang, the situation of the Chu army camped on the banks of the Li River was far worse than outsiders might imagine.

Another failed attack. While the other officers were dejected, Yang Shifan remained steady as ever—he even laughed aloud several times: "Gentlemen, do not be alarmed. The defenders grow ever more arrogant and complacent—my plan is succeeding!"