Chapter 1102: [Surprise Attack] (Part 1)

Zhuge Guanqi said: "No matter what, we must delay for one hour, so that Sir will have enough time to complete the surprise attack. If we cannot capture Dongluo Depot within four hours, Sir must withdraw in time, otherwise we will surely fall into the Yong army's encirclement."

Capturing Dongluo Depot in such a short time is undoubtedly an extremely difficult task for Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian said: "How to capture Dongluo Depot?"

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Regardless of victory or defeat, the five thousand troops led by General Zhao will retreat to Dongluo Depot immediately after delaying for one hour. If Sir wishes to capture Dongluo Depot, we can smoothly enter Dongluo Depot to jointly defend; if the assault fails, we will send a signal and retreat entirely." Zhuge Guanqi said solemnly: "For Sir, time is everything; every step must be controlled within the allotted time, otherwise the consequences are unimaginable."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What if we attack Dongluo Depot earlier?"

Zhuge Guanqi shook his head: "Too early won't work, too late won't work either! Timing, terrain, and harmony—timing comes first. Sir must seize the opportunity."

At the same time, a military conference was being convened in Shaoyuan City. Shaoyuan's Chief Commander Qin Yangming pointed at the map on the wall and said: "The day after tomorrow at noon is the time for the final exchange of prisoners, and also the time for us to attack Dongliang Jun."

Qin Yangming's finger traced a route from Shaoyuan to Dongliang Jun: "I will personally lead twenty-five thousand troops northward; within three hours we will surely reach Dongliang Jun, Chang Fanqi!"

The garrison commander of Dongluo Depot, Chang Fanqi, stepped forward. He was over ten feet tall, with red hair and flowing beard, imposing and mighty, exuding an overbearing aura: "Your subordinate is present!"

Qin Yangming said: "Transfer fifteen thousand troops to Huang Xincheng's command; advance simultaneously from the northeast with us, flank Dongliang Jun and attack the western gate!"

Chang Fanqi said: "General, I am willing to personally lead the troops there."

Qin Yangming shook his head: "Dongluo Depot is of utmost importance; it cannot be lost. You must personally hold the fort."

Chang Fanqi laughed: "General, do you think they dare to attack Dongluo Depot? Even if they dare, without a hundred thousand troops they cannot even dream of breaching the walls of my Dongluo Depot." He was full of confidence in Dongluo Depot's defenses.

Qin Yangming said: "Hu Xiaotian is extremely cunning; previously he defeated General Tang's thirty thousand elite naval forces with only three thousand men, proving his ability. We must by no means underestimate him, and certainly not repeat General Tang's mistake."

Deputy Commander Yang Xian beside him said: "General, the time has also been set for the Nanyang Water Fortress. After leaving Dongliang Jun, those exchanged prisoners will immediately rearm, gather and advance by water toward Dongliang Jun to block their retreat to Wuxing Jun. At the same time, the Nanyang Water Fortress will mobilize seventeen thousand troops by land to approach Dongliang Jun, so that we can arrive simultaneously and attack the eastern gate of Dongliang Jun." The Nanyang Water Force abandoned its strength in waterways and chose land routes, intending to strike where unprepared.

Qin Yangming nodded: "Any movements from Wuxing Jun?"

Yang Xian said: "Recently Wuxing Jun has moved many troops to garrison Dongliang Jun. However, their main force remains in Wuxing Jun; we should guard against them taking advantage of our absence."

Qin Yangming said: "Wuxing Jun relies on the natural barrier of the Yong River, easy to defend but hard to attack; we need not take this risk. In the previous battle we lost nearly twenty thousand elite naval troops. That should sound the alarm for us; we must not be greedy for glory and rush ahead. First secure Dongliang Jun, then advance steadily—this is the way to lasting victory."

Chang Fanqi secretly thought. Qin Yangming this time mobilized nearly seventy thousand troops to attack Dongliang Jun, while Dongliang Jun's garrison totals only about ten thousand. Victory should be without doubt; his reason for not letting me go is likely that he does not want me to share his merits—never mind, never mind! Chang Fanqi harboring such thoughts is quite normal. With the new ruler on the throne, almost every Yong general wants to show his worth; Tang Boxi is such a case: he wanted to take Dongliang Jun to claim credit before the new ruler, yet feared others would dilute his achievements, so he sought no land support from allied forces, thus ending in utter defeat. Although Chang Fanqi's rank is slightly lower than Qin Yangming's, the troops under his command at Dongluo Depot are relatively independent; this time his assistance in attacking Dongliang Jun is entirely in response to Qin Yangming's request.

Qin Yangming has now learned his lesson: not only advancing by both water and land, but also organizing a seventy-thousand-strong army—such a massive mobilization for a siege is somewhat like using a cleaver to kill a chicken. Chang Fanqi is dissatisfied with Qin Yangming; although Qin Yangming has many military achievements, his tactics are overly cautious, lacking absolute superiority, and he will not launch attacks lightly. Although Chang Fanqi is nominally under Qin Yangming's supervision, this does not mean he acknowledges Qin Yangming's ability. This time Qin Yangming transferred away his fifteen thousand troops and refused to let him personally command troops, making Chang Fanqi inevitably feel like he is doing someone else's wedding dress. All talk of "paramount importance" and "just in case" are mere excuses.

A heavy snow arrived as expected, making Hu Xiaotian unable not to admire Zhu Guanqi's skill in reading celestial signs; this fellow is practically a Zhuge Liang of the present age—whether living in the present or even in modern society at a meteorological station, he would surely secure a high-paying job.

Because of this possible heavy snow, Hu Xiaotian had people prepare white cloaks and clothing in advance. Those participating with Hu Xiaotian in this night raid on Dongluo Depot were puzzled at first, but now they understand his foresight. Originally they planned to conceal their movements with black nightclothes, but after the snowfall, the world became boundless white; wearing nightclothes would instead become the most conspicuous part, likely getting them shot as targets before even nearing Dongluo Depot.

Wearing white clothing while walking in the snow can maximally avoid exposing one's whereabouts.

Zhan Peng, who had just returned, joined Hu Xiaotian's night raid operation. On the day of the prisoner exchange, they had already reached a mountain valley about ten li from the canal by the si hour; one thousand elite warriors were divided into ten groups, scattered and hidden, and could only launch their action when night fell.

Liang Yinghao handed Hu Xiaotian a pancake wrapped with beef; Hu Xiaotian smiled as he took it, bit into it—it was hard and tasteless. To avoid revealing their position, they could not light a fire to cook; they could only make do to fill their stomachs.

Liang Yinghao laughed: "My lord, make do for now; once we capture Dongluo Depot, we'll go there for a big feast."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "At least we still have a full meal to eat, whereas the Yong army prisoners can't even get a full meal."

Zhan Peng laughed beside him, recalling Hu Xiaotian's arrangement for Gao Yuan: the captured Yong troops receive only one meal per day; Hu Xiaotian intended to weaken their combat strength as much as possible, so before departure he gave them a full meal—of course laced with laxatives—so that these prisoners would likely suffer continuous diarrhea once aboard ship.

Liang Yinghao also thought of this and laughed: "Those grain transports will probably become dung transports."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, lifted his head to look at the sky—the snow had fallen all night long with no sign of stopping. No wonder Zhu Guanqi said the timing was on his side; Yu Tianxing may be extraordinarily talented, but he lacks Zhu Guanqi's ability to foretell celestial phenomena. Hu Xiaotian secretly resolved that, no matter the effort, he would bring Zhu Guanqi under his command; with Yu Tianxing and then Zhu Guanqi as left and right aides, he would surely be able to carve out a domain on the Yong River.

The surprise attack places extremely high demands on time; although Hu Xiaotian repeatedly emphasized it, lacking modern timepieces like clocks, they could only rely on the most primitive methods to estimate time. The heavy snow created convenience for concealing their movements, yet it also blocked sunlight, making their time estimation even more difficult.

This snow has caused too many changes in the situation—man proposes, heaven disposes. Hu Xiaotian grabbed a handful of snow, packed it into a snowball, then shoved it to his mouth and bit down hard.

Zhan Peng said: "Young master, if we capture Dongluo Depot, what will we do if their great army comes to besiege us?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Dongluo Depot is full of grain; within a radius of eight hundred li, Dongluo Depot is the center of grain and forage supply. I wonder how many days Qin Yangming's several-ten-thousand-strong army could last in this ice and snow?"

Liang Yinghao said: "If he loses Dongluo Depot, he probably won't even be able to keep his head."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I don't mind sending him on another trip."

Qin Yangming's army set out one hour earlier than planned; this snow created obstacles for the march, yet he had to reach Dongliang Jun within the allotted time—the plan to encircle Dongliang Jun cannot be altered. Qin Yangming did not feel annoyed by the snow; on the contrary, snow is beneficial, allowing maximum concealment of their movements. "Auspicious snow heralds a bountiful year"—perhaps this snow is also a good omen for the impending battle.

Qin Yangming does not worry about their movements being exposed; seventy thousand troops advancing from four routes straight toward Dongliang Jun will not go unnoticed by the enemy. Qin Yangming even looks forward to a victory without battle, hoping that Hu Xiaotian will retreat when faced with difficulty, abandon the city and flee to defend Wuxing Jun upon learning that our main force has arrived, thus maximizing the avoidance of casualties.

Thirty li from Dongliang Jun, a scout came to report: "Report! Sir General Qin, Dongliang Jun presently shows no signs of withdrawing troops to Wuxing Jun."

Qin Yangming furrowed his brows; at such a short distance the enemy could not possibly have failed to notice. It seems Hu Xiaotian has decided to hold Dongliang Jun to the death, making a major battle inevitable. Qin Yangming asked: "How is the situation with the Nanyang Water Force?"

The scout replied: "Report to the General, the water force is still ten li by water from Xiasha Port; so far the Wuxing Jun side has shown no reaction."

Qin Yangming looked doubtful, turning to his side and asking: "Di Yuan, what do you think?"

The staff officer Di Yuan in the tent said: "General, the Wuxing Jun side probably dare not risk sending troops. The encirclement has already formed; Dongliang Jun has become the general's pocket."

Qin Yangming told that scout: "Investigate again!" He narrowed his eyes at the snow swirling between heaven and earth, and whispered softly: "I always feel something is off; everything seems to be progressing too smoothly." (To be continued~^~)