Chapter 1562

This war is not what Hu Xiaotian hoped to see. Although he really wanted to obtain Yunyang, he did not want to achieve it through war. He once placed hope in Su Yuchi, believing he could persuade Su Yuchi to submit to him. During their previous meeting at the black sand, Su Yuchi had already shown some wavering, but Hu Xiaotian did not seize the opportunity; a trip to the Fragrant Kingdom made him miss the best chance. Now Su Yuchi no longer has that melancholy, and has become loyally devoted to the Dakang Court again. Persuading him seems impossible. Indeed, life involves gains and losses.

Now produce English line.

Let's craft:

【1】 This war is not what Hu Xiaotian hoped to see; although he very much wants to obtain Yunyang, he does not want to achieve it through war. He once placed hope in Su Yuchi, believing he could persuade Su Yuchi to submit to him; during their previous meeting at the black sand, Su Yuchi had clearly shown some wavering, but he himself did not seize the moment then, and a trip to the Fragrant Kingdom made him miss the best opportunity. Now Su Yuchi no longer has that former gloom, having become loyally devoted to the Dakang Court again; persuading him seems impossible. Indeed, life always involves gain and loss.

Check we kept all info: yes.

During the time away from Dongliang Jun, Qiqi used her extraordinary political skills to let Su Yuchi regain confidence in the Dakang Court, and Yunyang also became a true nail, a nail wedged behind Hu Xiaotian, making him unable to sit or lie peacefully.

Translate: Dongliang Jun? Actually Dongliang Jun is Dongliang Jun per glossary. Qiqi is Qiqi. Su Yuchi is Su Yuchi. Dakang Court Dakang Court. Yunyang Yunyang. Hu Xiaotian Hu Xiaotian.

Now translation:

【2】 During the time after leaving Dongliang Jun, Qiqi used her extraordinary political skill to rekindle Su Yuchi's confidence in the Dakang Court, and Yunyang also became a true nail, a nail driven into Hu Xiaotian's back, leaving him unable to rest.

Check: "unable to sit or lie peacefully" = unable to sit or lie peacefully. Good.

Hu Xiaotian let out a sigh, secretly thinking that if he had persuaded Su Yuchi earlier, perhaps he could have avoided a war; now saying anything is too late, this great war is inevitable. The surrounding people have just won a bountiful season, yet they have not had time to celebrate this happiness and enjoy a moment of peace before being plunged back into war.

Translate:

【3】 Hu Xiaotian sighed, secretly thinking to himself, if only he had persuaded Su Yuchi earlier, perhaps he could have avoided this war; now saying anything is too late, this great war is inevitable. The surrounding people have just won a bountiful season, not yet having time to celebrate this happiness and enjoy a moment of peace, when in the blink of an eye they must fall into the flames of war.

Check: "The surrounding people have just won a bountiful season" = "The surrounding people have just won a bountiful season". Good.

Hu Xiaotian noticed a winding procession crossing the Wangchun River, heading due east; these were the people leaving Yunyang to seek refuge.

Translate: Wangchun River? Wangchun River is Wangchun River (Hope Spring River). We'll translate meaning: "Wangchun River". "winding procession" = winding procession. "due east" = due east. "people leaving Yunyang to seek refuge" = people leaving Yunyang to seek refuge.

【4】 Hu Xiaotian noticed a winding procession crossing the Wangchun River, heading due east; these were the people fleeing Yunyang for refuge.

Xia Zhangming said: "My lord, recently many refugees have fled to our place from Yunyang."

Xia Zhangming is Xia Zhangming per glossary. lord/master (Hu Xiaotian) = lord/master (Hu Xiaotian). Yunyang Yunyang. our place (his territory) = our place (his territory). We'll translate.

【5】 Xia Zhangming said: "My lord, recently many refugees have been fleeing Yunyang to our side."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "I have already let Xiong Anmin of Warehouse Wood County designate an area in the west for settling these refugees."

English translation:

Now translation:

【6】 Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "I have already had Xiong Anmin of Warehouse Wood County demarcate an area on the west side to settle these refugees."

Xia Zhangming said with some concern: "Will this situation become uncontrollable?"

【7】 Xia Zhangming said with concern: "Will this situation become uncontrollable?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "No!" Things are not as they were before; as his territory expands, with years of abundant harvests and prosperous maritime trade, his strength continues to grow. Merely the refugees from Yunyang would not be enough to drag down his economy; in fact, Hu Xiaotian could completely close the border, leaving a passage for Yunyang's people to flee to the Dakang Court. However, Hu Xiaotian increasingly realizes the importance of popular sentiment, and would rather sacrifice some economic gain to win the people's favor. Any war is not limited to surface-level siege and capture; behind the scenes, it is more a struggle for popular support. Many excellent generals can win a hundred battles, yet they can never become an excellent leader, for the fundamental reason is that they have not seen this point.

Now translation:

【8】 Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "No!" Things are different now; as his territory grows, with years of bumper harvests and flourishing maritime trade, his strength keeps increasing. Merely the Yunyang refugees would not be enough to drag down his economy—in fact Hu Xiaotian could completely seal the border, leaving a route for Yunyang's people to flee to Dakang. But Hu Xiaotian is increasingly aware of the importance of popular sentiment; he would rather sacrifice some economic benefit to gain the people's support. Any war is not merely about taking cities and strongholds on the surface; unseen, it is also a contest for popular hearts. Many fine generals can win a hundred battles, yet they can never become outstanding leaders, for they have missed this crucial point.

Check we kept all.

line:

Translate:

【9】 The people's demands are not high—enough food and warm clothing, to live and work in peace is sufficient. Taking Yunyang as an example, the reason people choose to leave their homes is nothing more than not wanting to be caught up in this war; they go to his territory because they believe he can protect them. Helping them settle anew, Hu Xiaotian does not worry that this will cause a population explosion; growth brings expansion.

Check we kept all.

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【10】 Returning to Dongliang Jun, Hu Xiaotian went straight to Zhu Ge Guanqi's place; Zhu Ge Guanqi had just come back from a walk with his wife. Hong Lingxue gave a faint smile as a greeting to Hu Xiaotian, then slipped quietly into the room.

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【11】 Hu Xiaotian briefly recounted what he had seen today; Zhu Ge Guanqi said: "It seems Su Yuchi has already fully prepared for the decisive battle."

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【12】 Hu Xiaotian said: "Including the Dakang Court's recent reinforcements, Su Yuchi commands at most sixty thousand troops. Xichuan and Xingzhou together have mobilized over one hundred fifty thousand this time; the disparity in strength is enormous. I do not know where Su Yuchi gets the confidence to fight this battle."

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【13】 Zhu Ge Guanqi said: "This is also what I have pondered over without understanding. The walls of Yunyang city are old; although they have been reinforced and repaired, they are still not high. The moat is not wide either; this siege defense is not optimistic. I originally thought the Dakang Court would send reinforcements quickly, but according to the latest news, there is no sign of a large army arriving."

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【14】 Hu Xiaotian said: "According to news from within Yunyang city, the Dakang Court has recently received a batch of aid supplies; what exactly they are is unclear, but one thing can be determined—they should be weapons."

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【15】 Zhu Ge Guanqi said: "Perhaps the key lies here."

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Now translation:

【16】 Li Yan of Xichuan led a force of one hundred thousand slowly advancing to outside Yunyang city, setting up camp twenty li out; according to their latest intelligence, on the Xingzhou side Guo Guangbi serves as commander-in-chief with Xie Jian as military advisor, and a force of fifty thousand has also arrived twenty li north of Yunyang city, ready to cooperate in the attack—it appears Xingzhou is still keeping its promise.

line:

Xichuan Chief Commander Li Yan was stationed in the central command tent; after just finishing a pre-battle mobilization meeting, he had Yan Hu Cheng stay behind alone. Li Yan, although he hasn't lost many battles, he also hasn't fought any major campaigns. Because earlier Yang Dao Yuan and Zhang Ziqian were assassinated in succession, causing some panic within Xichuan, only Li Yan volunteered to go, so Li Tianheng appointed him as commander.

Yan Hu Cheng's appointment this time as vanguard officer also had an element of redeeming his crimes through merit.

Li Yan said: "Hu Cheng, what are your thoughts on our battle plan?" He asked this because Yan Hu Cheng had not voiced any substantive opinions at the meeting. Since Zhang Ziqian's death, Yan Hu Cheng has become much more cautious.

Yan Hu Cheng said: "Grand Marshal, I have carefully studied Su Yuchi's past battle record; he wins few and loses many, and is adept at using surprise troops."

Li Yan said with a dismissive smile: "He is indeed both wise and brave, but in the face of absolute strength, any tactic is useless."

Yan Hu Cheng still understood Li Yan very well, knowing that he always had a high opinion of himself and had always regarded himself as an ever-victorious general; he indeed had not suffered much defeat in the past, but that was because he only fought unimportant small engagements and had never undergone the test of real battle. Upon hearing Li Yan say that, he inwardly thought, 'Oh no,' and tactfully reminded Li Yan, saying: 'Grand Marshal, you must never underestimate this person; Yunyang city also has a garrison of nearly sixty thousand, and if we launch a strong assault, we won't gain anything good.'

Li Yan said: "I am very clear about the situation in Yunyang; their city walls simply cannot withstand our assault."

Yan Hu Cheng said: "Siege warfare is the last resort; it's best not to employ it unless absolutely necessary."

Li Yan said: "I also don't want to lay siege, but Su Yuchi will certainly not dare to meet us head-on; they only have sixty thousand, how could they dare to engage us directly?"

Yan Hu Cheng was both amused and exasperated; having just arrived in Yunyang, how could you, Li Yan, conclude that Su Yuchi would not dare to meet us head-on? His words hadn't finished when Li Yan interrupted him, and he continued his previous words, saying: "Grand Marshal, Su Yuchi rarely employs siege defense; I have studied his campaigns over the years where he won more with fewer troops, and he has not simply relied on holding the line…"

Li Yan chuckled: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles. Hu Cheng, you are indeed a conscientious commander, but do not merely boost others' morale while destroying your own prestige; you might try putting yourself in his shoes—if you were Su Yuchi, would you dare to venture out of the city to meet us in battle? In a situation of vastly unequal forces, a defensive siege is the safest choice; it's not just you who has fought in battles, nor are you the only one who understands the art of war. I can determine that Su Yuchi will surely hole up in the city and not come out; this siege is already unavoidable. Given that, we still need to make preparations early; we can organize the assault as early as tomorrow. The Prosperous Prefecture side has already agreed with us to cooperate in simultaneously laying siege; we must fight swiftly and decisively, striving to capture Yunyang city in one fell swoop to avoid complications that arise from delay."

Yan Hu Cheng said: "Grand Marshal, you should not have too high expectations of Guo Guangbi of Prosperous Prefecture; although they have over fifty thousand troops, they may not wholeheartedly exert themselves."

Li Yan said: "Guo Guangbi now has no other choice; besides cooperating with us to take Yunyang, they can only obtain grain from us, so there's no need to worry about them not exerting themselves."

Yan Hu Cheng said: "Grand Marshal, this battle may look easy, but it's actually not easy to fight; Guo Guangbi of Prosperous Prefecture and we could never be of one mind, and we must not rely too heavily on them."

Li Yan said arrogantly: "Even without their help, can our hundred thousand troops not take down a mere Yunyang city?"

Seeing Li Yan speak with such full confidence, Yan Hu Cheng knew that saying more would be useless, and he inwardly sighed; over the years, Xichuan has been too complacent, Li Tianheng is hidebound and indecisive in action, and although troop numbers have increased year after year, these soldiers have few opportunities to go into battle and kill the enemy, so their true combat effectiveness is not optimistic.

Yan Hu Cheng did not believe that a forceful assault on Yunyang was a clever strategy; prior to this expedition, he had also tried to suggest to Li Tianheng, but Li Tianheng gave him no chance to meet; now is not a good time for war, as Guo Guangbi of Prosperous Prefecture can no longer hold on; even without their involvement in attacking Yunyang, Guo Guangbi would still throw caution to the wind and attack Yunyang to seize grain and preserve his life—Xichuan aims to open a trade route, while Guo Guangbi seeks to seize grain to survive. Xichuan should not become the main force in assaulting Yunyang; instead, it should wait for Prosperous Prefecture to take the lead.

Su Yuchi stood on the western gate arrow tower, gazing far off at the scattered campfires on the horizon—that was where the Xichuan main camp was located. The approaching forces were mighty; Li Tianheng had actually mustered a hundred thousand troops this time, apparently having bottled up his strength to take Yunyang.

Yuan Qing Shan said: "General, it looks like they will launch the assault tomorrow."

A faint smile touched Su Yuchi's lips: "Siege? Why must we wait until tomorrow?"

Yuan Qing Shan said: "It should be that both sides have already agreed to attack our western and northern gates simultaneously."

Su Yuchi said: "Prosperous Prefecture is nothing to worry about; I understand Guo Guangbi's temperament—he will not lightly take risks, so his coming this time should be merely to go through the motions without exerting real effort."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Xichuan's hundred thousand troops are not easy to deal with."

Su Yuchi said: "Tonight we will launch a surprise strike on their main camp."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "They must have made preparations!"

Su Yuchi chuckled: "One burst of effort, then waning, then exhaustion! They want to sleep well, but it won't be that easy!" He turned to Yuan Qing Shan and said: "Have our brothers rested well these past two days?"

Yuan Qing Shan nodded heavily and said: "We can fight at any time!"

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