Chapter 1104

Qin Yangming heard the shouts coming from the city wall of Dongliang Jun, and said in a low voice, "What are they shouting?"

Yang Xian said, "They seem to be saying that they have already seized Dongluo Storage."

Qin Yangming furrowed his brows, and Zhai Xian beside him said, "General, it should be a deliberate attempt to disturb our morale; they don't have the strength to spare troops to attack Dongluo Storage."

Yang Xian said, "Indeed, even if they attack Dongluo Storage, they cannot breach its sturdy walls; General Fanqi Chang is a formidable general of the present age—how could he be so easily defeated?"

Qin Yangming secretly contemplated, taking advantage of their attack on Dongliang Jun, Hu Xiaotian diverted troops to attack Dongluo Storage; this possibility they had already considered, and precisely for that reason he, out of caution, had stationed General Fanqi Chang to guard Dongluo Storage. Qin Yangming employed his troops aiming for flawlessness; although he thought the likelihood of Hu Xiaotian sending troops to Dongluo Storage was minuscule, he still made thorough defensive preparations. Hearing the enemy soldiers' shouts, Qin Yangming's state of mind was somewhat affected. Dongluo Storage is one of the seven major granaries of Da Yong, its important strategic position beyond doubt; as the guarding general of Shaoyuan, one of his most important duty duty is to mutually support Dongluo Storage.

Qin Yangming naturally understood what losing Dongluo Storage meant; he feared even he could not save his own head. After a moment's contemplation, Qin Yangming decisively ordered an attack on the city; the troops began advancing toward Dongluo Storage. When they entered the enemy's attack range, on the city tower Ye Tianxing waved the red triangular flag in his hand; the small flag fluttered amidst the falling snow, like a cluster of jumping vivid flames. This cluster of flames announced that the defensive battle of Dongliang Jun had officially begun. Four catapults positioned at the corners of the city wall launched, hurling boulders toward the grayish sky. The beautiful, crystalline snowflakes, like elves, dodged the incoming boulders' furious trajectories. The boulder turned into a black speck in the gray sky, then, pulled by gravity, plummeted swiftly from its highest point.

The Yong army saw this attack from the sky. They scattered, retreating to both sides, but dozens of soldiers who failed to evade were struck by the boulders, flesh and blood flying, splashing shocking bright colors across the pristine white snow. Viewed from above, it was as if the earth had burst into clusters of blood-red plum blossoms.

Seven trebuchets. Four are installed on the city wall, three inside the city; this combination allows medium- to long-range strikes. Although the trebuchet's power is enormous, each attack inevitably requires a certain interval, and even if it can inflict casualties on the enemy, its number compared to the enemy's total is merely a drop in the bucket. It is fundamentally impossible to shake the foundation of the Yong army.

The Yong army rapidly approached the city wall; when they reached the moat, they pushed the bridge carts to the bank and hastily erected bridges across the moat. The Yong army bravely crossed the bridges and charged toward the opposite shore.

A siege crossbow accurately hit a bridge cart, destroying one of them, yet more bridge carts reached the riverbank. The Yong army surged across the moat like a tide and rushed toward the foot of the city wall.

The scout sent to gather information arrived on horseback beside Qin Yangming; on the battlefield, formalities were unnecessary. He cupped his fists and said, "General, I have just received a definite battle report: the Dongluo Storage side has encountered an attack by the Kang army, with multiple outbreaks of fire; the specific situation is ominous."

Qin Yangming's heart sank; the very thing he least wanted to happen had indeed occurred. Hu Xiaotian truly employed a "feign east, strike west" tactic against him, taking advantage of his organizing a large army to attack Dongliang Jun, leading his troops to sneak into Dongluo Storage and assault their strategic stronghold. If Dongluo Storage were lost, he feared he could not save his own head.

Qin Yangming looked toward Zhai Yuan beside him; Zhai Yuan knew Qin Yangming was seeking his opinion and respectfully said, "This is a 'besiege Wei to rescue Zhao' ploy. They know they cannot withstand our great army's assault on the city, so they have diverted a contingent to attack Dongluo Storage. Dongluo Storage is garrisoned by five thousand troops under General Chang. I believe even if they attack the city, they could not possibly breach Dongluo Storage in a short time. Given our current situation, we can at most take Dongliang Jun within three hours; then we can concentrate superior forces to reinforce Dongluo Storage."

Qin Yangming's brows knit tightly as he said in a low voice, "That Hu Xiaotian is full of devious schemes; I don't know how many troops he has diverted to attack Dongluo Storage."

Zhai Yuan said, "Based on the information we have, he has diverted at most ten thousand troops to attack Dongluo Storage; it cannot be more than that."

Qin Yangming pressed his lips, thinking that ten thousand troops would already be more than double the garrison at Dongluo Storage; he feared not the number ten thousand but the possibility of a mishap. If Hu Xiaotian truly breached Dongluo Storage's gate, then even if he occupied Dongliang Jun he could not offset this crime, for one must know that the grain and supplies stored in Dongluo Storage provide provisions for the entire southeastern front of Da Yong; if Dongluo Storage were broken, it would mean that all southeastern cities, including the naval forces along the Yongjiang River, would face a dire shortage of military rations. After careful consideration, Qin Yangming turned to Deputy General Yang Xian and said, "Yang Xian, go at once to inform Huang Xincheng, suspend the plan to attack the eastern gate, and immediately return to Dongluo Storage to assist; you must ensure Dongluo Storage remains completely safe."

Yes!

Zhai Yuan, hearing Qin Yangming's decision, couldn't help but sigh inwardly; Qin Yangming was simply too cautious. The walls of Dongluo Storage are first-rate sturdy, and its defending general, Fanqi Chang, possesses the courage to withstand ten thousand men. Even with only five thousand troops, as long as they hold fast inside and do not sally forth, even if the enemy had ten times their numbers, they could not break Dongluo Storage's gate in a short while. They should concentrate superior forces to first take Dongliang Jun, then talk; it would be improper to change plans mid-battle, weakening this side's offensive. Such troop reallocation would inevitably diminish their striking power, and the siege plan originally expected to finish in three hours would likely be greatly prolonged. Zhai Yuan's worry was not unfounded. After Huang Xincheng received Qin Yangming's order, he immediately led fifteen thousand troops to withdraw and hasten back to Dongluo Storage. Huang Xincheng is the deputy commander stationed at Dongluo Storage; to him, the significance of Dongluo Storage is obviously far greater than that of Dongliang Jun. This time he came to attack Dongliang Jun merely to cooperate with Qin Yangming's military operation; capturing Dongliang Jun would surely earn him primary merit, credited to Qin Yangming. However, if Dongluo Storage suffered any mishap, he and General Chang would certainly lose their heads. Huang Xincheng knows General Chang's temperament well: although the chief general is peerlessly martial, his disposition is impulsive; should he misjudge the situation and make a wrong decision, it could very well lead to an irreparable blunder. Therefore, Huang Xincheng has no objection to turning back for rescue; upon receiving the order, he set out immediately.

Ye Tianxing saw the Yong army at the eastern gate just launch an attack and then begin to retreat; he knew their stratagem had begun to take effect, and he secretly admired Hu Xiaotian's far-sighted wisdom. Spreading the news of the attack on Dongluo Storage in advance was Hu Xiaotian's idea; it was precisely this news that defeated the enemy without fighting, reducing the attacking force by fifteen thousand and greatly easing their pressure. Ye Tianxing did not know that the person who actually conceived this idea was someone else.

Liang Yinghao made a gesture, pointing upward; above was the exit's location. Based on the distance traveled, they estimated they had successfully entered the interior of Dongluo Storage. Ten soldiers combined the I-beam iron bars they carried on their backs, quickly forming a ladder. Liang Yinghao climbed along the ladder; after confirming there was no movement above, he slowly shifted the stone slab. He was the first to climb up, and the others followed one by one. This should be a stable; filthy water covered the ground, muddy and messy. Although it was somewhat dirty, it facilitated concealing their whereabouts.

Liang Yinghao unfolded a piece of parchment, using the light of the Night Pearl to quickly ascertain their position, then pointed eastward and said, "This is a place where grain and fodder are stacked. I will lead a hundred men to set this place ablaze; because it is relatively isolated, the fire will not spread to other areas. Once ignited, the fire will surely draw the attention of the internal garrison. After setting the fire, we will immediately depart and head to the points near the north and east gates to set fires there, creating as much chaos as possible inside the city."

Hu Xiaotian said in a low voice, "Are a hundred men enough?"

Liang Yinghao replied, "Enough! Our main task is to draw the enemy's attention, seize the city wall; the task of breaking through their defenses falls to the lord."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, lifted his gaze to the city wall, and saw that there were eight lofty arrow towers on the wall; apart from the one mistakenly struck and destroyed by the catapult just now, seven remained. To occupy the wall, they first needed to take those seven arrow towers. The remaining nine hundred men were divided into nine squads; seven squads, led by Zhan Peng, would separately infiltrate the wall, striving to seize the seven arrow towers at the earliest moment. The remaining two hundred men, under Hu Xiaotian's personal leadership, would be responsible for blocking and killing the enemy along the way.

Several people agreed that they would launch their operation immediately after the fire started.

As they parted, another boulder fell onto the stable; the stable partially collapsed, sand, stones, and snow scattering everywhere. Fortunately, none of their own people were hit; it appears that Zhu Ba, leading those two thousand beggars, is still operating the catapult to continue long-range attacks.

General Fanqi Chang led three thousand troops out of Dongluo Storage, advancing at full speed toward the western hill. They had determined the attack originated from the hilltop. General Chang wielded an eighteen-foot serpent spear; his red hair and bristling beard stood on end, his strange eyes filled with a chilling killing intent. Beneath him, his Red Hare horse chased wind and lightning like a swift steed, racing across the snow like a flame through a snowy night.

A beggar responsible for wind-watching arrived before Zhu Ba, panting: "Report! Chief... about three thousand people are advancing toward us from the west gate of Dongluo Storage!"

Zhu Ba nodded and said, "Withdraw! Liu Wu and Jia Liu, you two take twenty brothers to cover the rear; after they enter the forest, set fire. The rest follow me and immediately head to Dongluo Storage."

Yes!

Flames suddenly shot up from the northeastern side inside Dongluo Storage; the blaze was in a warehouse storing dry grass, not far from the stable. This dry grass was used as winter fodder for the horses and is one of the eight fodder fields within Dongluo Storage.

The blaze and thick smoke instantly drew the attention of the garrison soldiers; they hurriedly dispatched personnel to rush to the fire. (To be continued~^~)