Chapter 1095

In the future situation's development, Yu Tianxing and Zhuge Guanqi arrived at the same conclusion; he likewise saw that Hu Xiaotian only had two roads left, but Yu Tianxing did not mince words like Zhuge Guanqi, and since he had resolved to assist Hu Xiaotian, he naturally wanted to frankly speak his mind.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Tianxing, if you were me, what choice would you make?"

Yu Tianxing said: "Retreating to defend Wuxing Jun is undoubtedly the prudent course, but abandoning Dongliang Jun would not only hand over our hard-won victory fruits, it would also dash the confidence the troops had painstakingly built."

Hu Xiaotian's eyes lit up; what Yu Tianxing said was also his concern: "So you advise battle!"

Yu Tianxing stepped slowly to the map and said: "Dongliang Jun has 3,000 soldiers, the Beggars' Sect 2,000, and Wuxing Jun's Yongjiang naval forces 30,000—these are all the troops at your disposal, Sir. Wuxing Jun enjoys a naturally advantageous position that cannot be lost; if Dongliang Jun falls in battle, my lord can still fall back to defend Wuxing Jun, and to hold Wuxing Jun at least 20,000 troops must be retained."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "That means we still have 15,000 troops we can mobilize."

Yu Tianxing said: "The hearts of the people in Dongliang Jun are unsettled, and there are plenty of villains waiting to stir trouble; to guarantee stability inside Dongliang city, we still need at least 2,000 men."

Hu Xiaotian said: "With that said, I have few usable troops left."

Yu Tianxing said: "My lord previously dared to pit 5,000 against Tang Bohui's 30,000; now with 13,000 in hand, why fear Qin Yangming's 50,000?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Don't beat around the bush; speak your mind."

Yu Tianxing said: "Dongliang Jun, due to its location, is easy to attack but hard to defend. To make Dongliang Jun as solid as gold, we must establish a solid defensive line in the east, west, and north. He pointed at the map and said: 'With the troops currently at my lord's disposal, we cannot possibly cover such a long line, so the only option is to hold the city—but holding the city is an inferior strategy. To turn passivity into initiative, we must seize the initiative. Although Shaoyuan has a garrison of 50,000, its geographic position is not the most important; Dongluo Cang is. Of Shaoyuan's 50,000 garrison, 20,000 are stationed at Dongluo Cang. Dongluo Cang is one of Da Yong's seven major granaries, responsible for supplying the southern armies of Da Yong. If we can seize Dongluo Cang, it is tantamount to gripping the throat of Da Yong's southeast, and it can also form a mutually supporting trio with Dongliang Jun and Wuxing Jun.'

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the map. Dongluo Cang is part of Shaoyuan, located east of Shaoyuan, west of the East Sea, northwest of Dongliang Jun, bordering both Shaoyuan and Dongliang Jun. Although Dongluo Cang lies on a plain, because its strategic position is extremely important, Da Yong has spared no effort in its defense. The walls are high and wide, arrow towers stand in rows, making its defensive strength far greater than that of nearby large cities like Shaoyuan and Dongliang Jun, not to mention the 20,000 garrison stationed there. Hu Xiaotian shook his head, with some worry he said: "With 20,000 defending the city, the walls are sturdy and the arrow towers tall and dense; I fear that even if we pour the strength of both cities into the attack, we may still fail to take it. I think capturing Dongluo Cang would be harder than taking Shaoyuan."

Yu Tianxing said: "Sir, I have studied the marching and deployment style of Shaoyuan's commander Qin Yangming. This person acts cautiously, displaying extreme caution in battle, usually winning by leveraging numerical superiority while avoiding his own heaviest casualties. Based on Qin Yangming's usual habits, I think he will likely deploy three routes of troops this time."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Which three routes?"

Yu Tianxing said: "Naturally, the water route is the Nanyang Water Stronghold; its commander Tang Bohui is dead, and everyone there must be grief-stricken, desperately needing a victory to wipe away their shame. If they agree to my lord's request to exchange grain for prisoners, that would be a stopgap measure, and I think they are likely to launch a counterattack immediately after the prisoners are out of danger."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; he shared the same thought.

Yu Tianxing said: "Tang Bohui's defeat came from underestimating the enemy and failing to join Qin Yangming in a combined land‑water assault; Tang Bohui lost so quickly that Qin Yangming didn't even have time to mobilize, proving that there is still friction between Qin Yangming and Tang Bohui. Although he has preserved his strength this time, he is bound to be rebuked by the Da Yong court, so Qin Yangming will surely join forces with the Nanyang Water Stronghold. I estimate that after the prisoners are out of danger, Qin Yangming will inevitably bring his army to bear. From Shaoyuan there are two main lines of attack on Dongliang Jun: Qin Yangming will command one, while the other is very likely to issue from Dongluo Cang. Following Qin Yangming's usual tactics, he seeks an overwhelming victory, so Shaoyuan will probably leave only 5,000 to defend and send out 25,000 troops, while Dongluo Cang, to the northeast, will respond in kind, with Qin Yangming drawing 15,000 troops from Dongluo Cang. Given Dongluo Cang's defenses, 5,000 are enough to hold it. Thus the Yong forces will form a northwest, north, and northeast three‑pronged attack." Yu Tianxing's finger traced three tracks on the map.

Hu Xiaotian said: "If I insist on not abandoning Dongliang Jun, we will end up surrounded by three lines."

Yu Tianxing nodded and said: "So my lord has only one option left: to use a surprise force."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Yongjiang naval forces of Wuxing Jun cannot be moved too much; we need only guarantee a defensive strength of 20,000, otherwise if they discover Wuxing Jun is empty, they might cut off even this retreat of mine."

Yu Tianxing said: "My lord originally had no retreat."

Hu Xiaotian was stunned by his meaningful remark, then laughed: "Not bad—I really had no retreat to begin with."

Yu Tianxing said: "To hold Wuxing Jun we need 20,000 troops, and to let Dongliang Jun hold out a little longer we need another 8,000. Therefore the troops at my lord's disposal for mobilization fall short of 8,000; using these 8,000 to seize Dongluo Cang leaves only a 50% chance of success."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "If you are right and Qin Yangming draws troops from Dongluo Cang to pinch us, then Dongluo Cang's forces will be reduced somewhat; but if he only pulls out 10,000, wouldn't our 8,000 be facing a garrison of 10,000?"

Yu Tianxing said: "Dongluo Cang also has a man famed as one of Da Yong's Ten Great Warriors, Chang Fanqi, who can uproot mountains and is extraordinarily formidable."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Then our chance of success is down to twenty percent."

Yu Tianxing said: "If we seize Dongluo Cang and take its military grain, even if we merely hold Dongluo Cang, Dongliang Jun and Wuxing Jun will have no worry about supplies for three years."

Hu Xiaotian's eyes brightened: "It looks like this battle must be fought!"

Yu Tianxing said: "Capturing Dongluo Cang will really hurt them; even if they divert grain from elsewhere, they cannot quickly organize an attack against us."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "How do you plan to assault the city?"

Yu Tianxing said: "My lord needs to prolong the prisoner‑exchange talks as much as possible; troop movements must be carried out without the enemy noticing, so we can pre‑position forces near Dongluo Cang. Once Qin Yangming moves out, the troops will swiftly gather at Dongluo Cang. Although Dongluo Cang's walls are thick, they cannot withstand the salvo of catapults."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "We can break down ten catapults, ship them in pieces to the vicinity of Dongluo Cang, and reassemble them there."

Yu Tianxing said: "We don't need ten; three will suffice. We aren't really trying to destroy Dongluo Cang's walls; the aim is to make them feel the walls are in danger, prompting them to venture out and smash the catapults."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Lure the snake out of its hole?"

Yu Tianxing smiled: "My lord, you've hit the nail on the head."

Hu Xiaotian had Liu Yuncai brought before him; times have changed, and now Liu Yuncai has become a prisoner. Upon entering, he originally wanted to display unyielding bravery, but Xiong Tianba kicked him in the knee, and with a thump he fell to his knees.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Tianba, don't be rude—quickly untie General Liu!"

Liu Yuncai thought he had misheard, blinked his eyes, and saw Xiong Tianba step forward and indeed untie his ropes. Liu Yuncai secretly wondered, 'Is Hu Xiaotian really not going to kill me?' He rose and said: 'If you're going to kill me, just do it—why all the talk?'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, gestured to an attendant to bring a chair for Liu Yuncai, and said: "Sit!"

Liu Yuncai snorted and lifted his head.

Hu Xiaotian gave a look, and Xiong Tianba shot out his big hand, grabbing Liu Yuncai's neck like an eagle seizing a chick, roaring like a fiend: "Damn it, you won't even take my face? Are you getting uppity? Third Uncle told you to sit, so you will sit!" He dragged Liu Yuncai and pressed him onto the bench; although Liu Yuncai resisted inwardly, he could not match his opponent and was forced down by Xiong Tianba's strength.

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "General Liu, don't misunderstand—I bear you no ill will; I asked you here to send you back."

Liu Yuncai was half‑believing, half‑doubting; he gave a hard shake trying to fling off the two black claws Xiong Tianba had on his shoulders, but instead Xiong Tianba pressed harder, his collarbones creaking as if they might snap at any moment; the pain turned Liu Yuncai's face pale, and he thought, 'A true hero does not take a present loss—how could I fare well against this oaf?' With that thought he stopped resisting and said in a low voice, 'You plotted to kill General Tang, captured our Da Yong soldiers, broke the two‑nation peace accord, and sparked war between the countries—aren't you afraid the world will laugh at you?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed loudly: "General Liu, your talent for turning black and white is not small!" He rose and walked toward Liu Yuncai; as the distance closed, fear appeared on Liu Yuncai's face, and Hu Xiaotian said: "It is you who broke the two‑nation accord, it is you who wanted to take Dongliang Jun, and Tang Bohui's death was deserved! Not to mention killing just one Tang Bohui—even if I slaughtered all of you, the world would not utter a single 'no'."

The killing intent that suddenly flared in his eyes made Liu Yuncai's heart tremble, and he quavered: "You aren't afraid that the Da Yong army will come and leave not a single soldier of yours alive…"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and patted Liu Yuncai's shoulder: "You have 11,300 lives in my hands; these past two days you have also consumed a lot of my grain and medicine. Killing you would certainly be a clean‑cut solution, but after thinking it over I still do not want to harm the harmony between us, so I have finally decided to give you a way out." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to come.)