Chapter 1080

Zhao Wusheng left White Tiger Hall, a group of officers waiting outside gathered around, concernedly saying, "General Zhao, how is it? What did the Commander say?"

Zhao Wusheng shook his head; everyone could already guess the result from his expression, and they all let out long sighs. When they first joined the army, they had vowed to defend home and country, to wrap their bodies in horsehide, but now the Da Yong army is about to invade our territory, yet they must stand by as spectators.

An officer angrily said, "Let's go find the Commander; we can't just hand over Dongliang Jun with both hands to the Yong people."

An older officer sighed and said, "Forget it; Dongliang Jun was originally given to us by Da Yong."

That officer snapped, "How can you say that? Dongliang Jun has always been Dakang's territory; Da Yong forcibly snatched it from our hands."

Another person said, "It's not just Dongliang Jun that Da Yong seized; almost all of Da Yong's land used to belong to Dakang—so what? Now Dakang has been driven south of the Yong River."

Everyone fell silent.

Zhao Wusheng said, "Forget it; the Commander also has his difficulties, he's in a bad mood—at times like this we'd better not go looking for trouble." That remark dispelled the officers' intention to go to White Tiger Hall.

After the crowd dispersed, Zhao Wusheng called out to one of them, "Yongfu! Let's go have a couple of drinks." He was the officer who had just been the most agitated, and he was Zhao Wusheng's sworn brother unto death.

Li Yongfu and Zhao Wusheng left the Commander's mansion together and went to a tavern at the street corner to sit down. Dakang was suffering from famine everywhere, and the tavern's business was extremely bleak; the upstairs was empty, with only their table occupied. They ordered two side dishes and a jug of wine, and began to drink facing each other, perhaps because they were too familiar. Or perhaps their moods were both bad, so neither spoke, just taking turns drinking cup after cup. Watching the jug of wine already disappear into their stomachs, Li Yongfu suddenly raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the table, making the cups and dishes jump. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! I can't swallow this anger—being bullied right to our doorstep and not daring to utter a sound; today it's Dongliang Jun, tomorrow maybe it'll be us!"

Zhao Wusheng said nothing, silently refilling his wine bowl. Li Yongfu said, "The Commander is your uncle. I shouldn't really say this, but his self‑preserving attitude, disregarding his fellow countrymen, is truly chilling."

Zhao Wusheng sighed and said, "In most people's minds, Dongliang Jun is just a piece of land that Da Yong forced upon us, with no strategic value whatsoever—like a rib of chicken. It's tasteless to eat, a pity to discard; to mobilize forces and go to war with Da Yong over a single Dongliang Jun is not wise, let alone given our current situation. We are no match for them."

Li Yongfu said, "Brother Wusheng, we are also seven‑foot tall men; we are also hot‑blooded youths. To watch our countrymen fall into fire and water while we remain indifferent—what face do we have to call ourselves Dakang officers? What face do we have to meet the Emperor?"

Zhao Wusheng said, "The Emperor perhaps no longer cares whether we are loyal, nor will he care about the people's suffering." He looked outward, seeing only desolation.

Li Yongfu said gloomily, "Could it be that Dakang is doomed? First Dongliang Jun, and next maybe it'll be our turn—the people's hearts have scattered, and the army's heart has scattered too."

Zhao Wusheng said, "Yongfu, would you be willing to go to Dongliang Jun on my behalf?"

Li Yongfu's eyes lit up; he nodded and said, "We are sworn brothers unto death—let alone going to Dongliang Jun, even if it meant climbing knives and plunging into fire seas, I, Li Yongfu, would not frown in the slightest."

Zhao Wusheng said, "My every move is under my uncle's surveillance, and besides, you're in charge of naval dispatch, which makes things relatively easier."

Li Yongfu said, "What do you want me to talk to him about?"

Zhao Wusheng said, "First we need to figure out Sir Hu's intention—whether he wants to fight or abandon the city and flee. Only by clarifying his true intent can we decide what to do next."

The entire Dongliang Jun was plunged into unprecedented busyness. Hu Xiaotian gathered the city's blacksmiths and conscripted all the blacksmith shops, just as expected; as soon as the order was issued, the city's blacksmiths immediately opposed it. In these extraordinary times, Hu Xiaotian had no choice but to adopt extraordinary measures—he ordered the families of the city's blacksmiths to be detained, thereby compelling the blacksmiths to obey. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary means. Regarding the city's defense, the refugees showed greater enthusiasm than the local populace. With the help of Yu Tianxing, his father Yu Dongqing spared no effort in mobilizing the refugees, and after they had erected the first pontoon bridge with all their strength, the refugees of Dongliang Jun began to retreat toward Jiangnan.

Although the war clouds are growing ever darker, few of Dongliang Jun's native residents wish to leave to escape this calamity; one reason is their deep attachment to their homeland, and another important reason is that many secretly hope Da Yong will recover Dongliang Jun and restore it to Da Yong's territory.

Zan Buliu's arrival somewhat surprised Hu Xiaotian; he had thought Zan Buliu had already left Dongliang Jun, but it turned out he had never gone away, and this time Zan Buliu came together with the merchant Hu Zhongyang.

Although Hu Xiaotian and Hu Zhongyang share the same surname, there is no familial warmth between them. Upon taking office, Hu Xiaotian immediately disbanded the guard unit organized under Hu Zhongyang's leadership, giving those Dongliang Jun merchants a show of force, and despite their opposition, he took in thirty thousand refugees.

Upon seeing the two arrive together, Hu Xiaotian immediately understood that the friend Zan Buliu had spoken of in Dongliang Jun was Hu Zhongyang.

After exchanging pleasantries, Hu Xiaotian invited the two to be seated. Zan Buliu smiled and said, "Sir Hu, just now we went to Xia Sha Port and saw that a pontoon bridge had already been erected on the Yong River, and the refugees had begun to shift to the south bank."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Southern Sun Water Stronghold's Tang Bohui has already issued us an ultimatum; the great army will soon be at our gates, and to avoid casualties I have mobilized those refugees to withdraw." He turned to Hu Zhongyang, whose brows were tightly knit, and said, "Actually I have also mobilized the city's locals, but they have shown extreme resistance to the idea of withdrawal and are unwilling to leave Dongliang Jun."

Hu Zhongyang said, "If there were even a slim chance, who would want to leave their homeland? If they wanted to go, they would have left when Da Yong gave Dongliang Jun to Dakang; why wait until now?"

Hu Xiaotian said to Zan Buliu, "I thought Brother Zan had already left, but I never expected you to still be in the city. These past days I've been busy evacuating the populace and haven't had a chance to greet you properly; please forgive my negligence."

Zan Buliu said, "I have come this time to bid farewell to Sir Hu; actually I am an old acquaintance of Tang Bohui, and I intend to go to Southern Sun Water Stronghold to persuade him to give up the idea of attacking Dongliang Jun."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I appreciate Brother Zan's good intentions, but Tang Bohui has come in force this time; it's clear he aims to take Dongliang Jun and present it as a gift to the new Da Yong ruler—no one's words are likely to get through."

Zan Buliu said, "Does Sir Hu know that Tang Bohui commands fifty thousand elite naval troops?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed, deliberately putting on a worried frown. Although Zan Buliu had shown friendliness several times, he is after all a Da Yong merchant, and it's hard to say where his loyalties lie; Hu Xiaotian could not reveal his true intentions to him.

Zan Buliu said, "Let me say something unpleasant: Sir Hu, why do you persist in your obstinacy? The disparity in our forces is enormous—do you really intend to clash head‑on with him?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although he commands fifty thousand elite troops, it's not that easy for him to breach the walls of Dongliang Jun." He deliberately leaked this information so that Zan Buliu would think he intended to hold the city and not sally forth.

Zan Buliu did not continue to persuade him; he nodded and said, "I'm off to Southern Sun Water Stronghold now, hoping Tang Bohui will give me some face, and perhaps spare the populace from this calamity."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Brother Zan, there's no need for you to undertake such a futile effort."

Zan Buliu bowed his hands in farewell and rose to take his leave.

Hu Xiaotian saw Zan Buliu out the door; Zan Buliu left, but Hu Zhongyang did not go. He said to Hu Xiaotian, "Sir Hu, are you truly determined to hold the city?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "We can't just hand Dongliang Jun over to Tang Bohui for nothing."

Hu Zhongyang said, "Since you have resolved to defend the city, I have something I'd like to present to you, which might be of some help."

Hu Xiaotian started, surprised that Hu Zhongyang had come to give him something to aid in defending the city, and he laughed, "What is it?"

Hu Zhongyang looked around; Hu Xiaotian understood his intent and invited him back to his own room. Hu Zhongyang then produced a booklet from his pocket and handed it to Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian unfolded the booklet, and on the first page he saw a catapult. His heart jolted—actually, these past days Hu Xiaotian had been pondering catapults; based on his impression he had already sketched a draft and was preparing to have the artisans build it, but unfortunately his former expertise was not in mechanical engineering, he was not particularly skilled in this area, so while constructing it would not be difficult, guaranteeing its power would be hard.

Hu Xiaotian said, "A catapult?"

Hu Zhongyang said, "This is no ordinary catapult; I acquired this booklet at great expense during my overseas trading voyages."

Hu Xiaotian flipped through the rest; just the catapult section alone had several varieties, plus siege crossbows, mobile ladders, battering rams—all sorts of large‑scale war engines. He could barely contain his excitement; this booklet is absolutely priceless, and for Hu Zhongyang to produce it now shows that his heart is truly aligned with Dakang.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Brother Zhongyang, this booklet is truly precious—I'll have the artisans start making it right away." Just thinking that if we could rush production and turn out a few catapults, we could strike Da Yong's warships from afar, giving us a better chance— the very thought thrilled him.

Hu Zhongyang said, "You don't need to hunt for artisans to rush production; I've already had some made beforehand."

Hu Xiaotian was stunned, good grief, this relative is really formidable; turns out what I'm seeing isn't just a manual—they actually have the real thing. A merchant! Indeed a merchant! Rare goods can be hoarded; want to take advantage of the fire to loot? At this moment, sell at a good price, damn it, buy! For such a highly destructive weapon, I'll buy it no matter the price, Hu Xiaotian said: "Brother Zhongyang, how many do you have?"

Hu Zhongyang said: "Ten catapults, six siege crossbows!"

Hu Xiaotian's excited voice trembled as he said: "Just name your price, Brother Zhongyang—how much?" (To be continued~^~)