Chapter 1151

Plans never survive change; Zuo Xingjian never imagined Jiang Zhengyang would be defeated so quickly, and utterly routed—those 100,000 dan of imperial grain sank without a sound together with the ships into the lake, and along with them vanished Jiang Zhengyang and his ten thousand troops. Remembering Jiang Zhengyang's promise of 500,000 catties of grain to me, Zuo Xingjian felt a pang in his heart. Having abandoned Jiang Zhengyang in Yunze regardless of his reasons, the grain promised to my father is gone—why should I save you? Moreover, your being alive, Jiang Zhengyang, is a liability to me; if you fall into the court's hands, wouldn't that also implicate me? Only with your death can I shift all blame onto you and possibly absolve myself.

Zuo Xingjian sat in the courtyard of his mansion, basking in the sun while pondering his thoughts; given the current situation, being able to bask in the sun is already a luxury.

A subordinate advisor came to Zuo Xingjian's side, seeing him with eyes closed, and for a moment couldn't tell whether he was asleep or awake, so he dared not speak up to disturb him.

Zuo Xingjian had already noticed his arrival; he opened one eye, let out a hum from his nose, and said, "Anything?"

The advisor smiled and said, "Sir, a Mr. Zhu from Dongliang Jun has come to see you."

Zuo Xingjian lazily said, "Not seeing him!" He was full of worries and had no mood for anything.

The advisor said, "Mr. Zhu says he came specially to deliver a letter from the city lord to you."

Zuo Xingjian furrowed his brows— isn't the lord of Dongliang Jun Hu Xiaotian? Hu Xiaotian sending me a letter? He sprang up, blinked, and said, "Quick! Ask him in!"

The visitor was none other than Zhuge Guanqi from Dongliang Jun; he originally intended to come alone, but Hu Xiaotian, concerned for his safety, had Gao Yuan and Zhang Peng accompany him. Although Gao Yuan is young, he has been wandering since childhood, giving him exceptional social experience and adaptability; Zhang Peng is highly skilled in martial arts and archery, and is alert and calm. With these two accompanying Zhuge Guanqi, even if they encountered some sudden situation, they should be able to keep him safe.

Zhuge Guanqi did not think his trip to Baichuan City would encounter any danger; his main purpose this time was to persuade Zuo Xingjian to see the situation clearly.

Baichuan City's geographic location is not important in Dakang, but it holds considerable strategic value for Hu Xiaotian's future development; with Hu Xiaotian's current strength, taking Baichuan City by force would pose no difficulty, yet using troops without the court's sanction would only provoke greater vigilance from the court.

This time Zhuge Guanqi aims to achieve his goal without spending a single soldier, letting Zuo Xingjian willingly serve Hu Xiaotian and turn Baichuan City into a forward outpost under Hu Xiaotian's control of Yunze.

Zhuge Guanqi brought only Gao Yuan; Zhuge Guanqi wore a scholar's robe while Gao Yuan dressed as a bookboy, making them look like a master and servant out on a study trip.

Seeing the two, Zuo Xingjian did not become overly wary; hearing that Zhuge Guanqi was delivering a letter for Hu Xiaotian, he showed some courtesy and rose to greet them.

Zhuge Guanqi smiled and said, "Zhu Guanqi of Dongliang pays his respects, Sir!" He clasped his fists in greeting.

Zuo Xingjian returned the salute with clasped fists and asked, "Mr. Zhu, what brings you here?"

Zhuge Guanqi said, "Nothing important; I am simply acting on my lord's orders to come to Baichuan City to verify a few matters."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xingjian's suspicions arose; the man only claimed to be acting on Hu Xiaotian's orders, but words alone are proof enough. He invited Zhuge Guanqi to sit and had tea served.

Zhuge Guanqi said, "I have just arrived in Baichuan City and found it quiet and deserted, with few carriages and horses—completely different from the rumored prosperity."

Zuo Xingjian said, "Baichuan City naturally cannot compare to Dongliang Jun; this summer brought floods, this autumn locusts, the crops yielded nothing, and the people can't even get a meal—how could there be talk of prosperity?"

Zhuge Guanqi said, "Live off the mountains, live off the water; with such a vast Yunze at one's back, even if crop yields drop, one can still have food to eat."

Zuo Xingjian said, "You don't know, but water bandits run rampant in Yunze, pillaging its shores; ordinary people even fear to fish, and who knows how many have lost their lives because of it." He wore a look of patriotic concern, yet inwardly he speculated about the visitor's purpose, estimating it was likely related to the lost 100,000 dan of grain.

Zhuge Guanqi said, "Sir, surely you have heard about what happened in Yunze these past two days?"

Zuo Xingjian said, "I don't know which matter you refer to." This was feigning ignorance, for the only major event recently in Yunze was that very incident.

Zhuge Guanqi said, "The disappearance of the imperial grain!"

Zuo Xingjian immediately furrowed his brows.

Zhuge Guanqi said, "Yunyang Prefect Jiang Zhengyang, acting on imperial orders, was escorting 100,000 dan of imperial grain to the capital, but lost contact upon reaching here."

Zuo Xingjian said, "You are mistaken; Jiang Zhengyang never passed through Baichuan City. I had thought he would take the route via Baichuan City and even prepared to open the gates wide to welcome him, yet he took that 100,000 dan of grain and went to Yunze instead—I myself cannot fathom why he went there."

Zhuge Guanqi deliberately said, "Sir, do you know what happened after he went to Yunze?"

Zuo Xingjian shook his head and said, "I'm not clear on the details, but I know that that night he led 30,000 troops to escort the 100,000 dan of grain to Yunze; the next day the grain was completely gone, and his subordinates—over 20,000 of them—marched angrily to attack Baichuan City. I led my men in firm resistance, kept the gates shut, and kept them outside. One thing I can determine is that those 20,000 were not together with the grain."

Zhuge Guanqi said, "I have heard of this: those 20,000 then went to Tongyuan Bridge, intending to cross the river there; Hu Sir noticed something was amiss and immediately sent men to set an ambush at Tongyuan Bridge, cutting off their crossing. Now those people have nowhere to go, and they are likely heading for Baichuan City again."

Hearing this, Zuo Xingjian couldn't help but laugh, "Impossible, they were just driven off by me!" Before he finished speaking, his deputy commander rushed in, panting, and said, "Report… report… Sir… something serious has happened…"

Zuo Xingjian stared, startled, and said, "No need to panic—what exactly happened?"

The deputy said, "Zu Cheng… Zu Cheng again… has led his men in an attack… they are now ten li north of the north gate."

"What?" Zuo Xingjian jumped to his feet, having never expected Zu Cheng to return; what should be done? Baichuan City now has fewer than 3,000 troops left, while Zu Cheng commands over 10,000 remnants; he has come back because he has no other route, and will surely spare no expense to storm Baichuan City—this is a major problem.

Zuo Xingjian looked toward Zhuge Guanqi, only to see him calm and composed, lifting his teacup to sip the fragrant tea without haste; Zuo Xingjian couldn't help wondering how this man knew Zu Cheng and his men would come—had he already received the news beforehand?

Zuo Xingjian said, "Sir, you must have received the news earlier."

Zhuge Guanqi set down his teacup and said, "Jiang Zhengyang's remnants cannot cross the river, and their supplies are nearly exhausted; they are trapped south of the Yongjiang and east of the Wangchunjiang. To gain a breather, their only option is to find a city to hold, and choosing your place, Sir, is quite natural."

Although Zhuge Guanqi did not state it outright, he had already pointed out that Baichuan City is the weakest in strength.

Zuo Xingjian said, "Prepare for battle!"

Zhuge Guanqi said, "May I accompany you, Sir, to observe the battle?"

Zuo Xingjian had wanted to refuse, but then thought, since you were sent by Hu Xiaotian, coming along to look is no harm; even if the city falls and I die in battle, I'll have an extra cushion.

Zhuge Guanqi and Gao Yuan followed Zuo Xingjian up onto Baichuan City's watchtower; from there they could see countless black dots moving in the northern sky—likely the remnants of Jiang Yang's forces. Zhuge Guanqi now had a preliminary grasp of Baichuan City's troop strength, while Zuo Xingjian beside him was frantically arranging defenses; in truth he had little to work with—after returning from Yunze, the three thousand men he had sent to meet Jiang Yang were now almost gone, leaving him with barely over a thousand usable soldiers; relying on that thousand to defend the city is indeed stretching thin.

Zhuge Guanqi said, "Baichuan City's moat is only two zhang wide; if the enemy forces a crossing, this river won't stop them, especially since these over ten thousand have reached a point of no return and will surely fight to the death; your troops, Sir, will likely be unable to halt their advance."

Zuo Xingjian knew everything he said was true, yet given the circumstances the only option was a desperate defense; he sighed and said, "Against these desperate men, we can only seek victory through risk." He turned to his subordinates and ordered, "Have everyone on the walls withdraw, open the north gate, and lower the drawbridge."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Guanqi immediately understood that Zuo Xingjian intended to enact the empty city stratagem; this man still had some scheming, able to devise such a plan even in a life‑or‑death moment, though this risky tactic might not succeed this time. Zhuge Guanqi asked, "Sir, are you planning to employ the empty city stratagem?"

That remark awakened everyone; those around had thought Zuo Xingjian wanted to abandon the city and surrender, but after Zhuge Guanqi's comment they realized his true intent: to open the gate deliberately and exploit the enemy's suspicion so they dare not enter lightly.

Zuo Xingjian, having his thoughts laid bare by Zhuge Guanqi, looked somewhat embarrassed, thinking to himself, "This guy really is something—I didn't even say it, yet he guessed it."

Zhuge Guanqi said, "If you think that way, Sir, you must not—these are a band of desperate men, and now they will stake everything on a single throw."

Zuo Xingjian knew his words were true, yet faced with this situation, besides the empty city stratagem he didn't know what else to do; he said in a trembling voice, "What should we do?" As the ten thousand or more drew nearer, Zuo Xingjian lost his composure.

First Update uploaded, please give a few recommendation votes! (To be continued~^~)