Chapter 333: Cruel Cost

That day, Jiang Mingyu came to the command tent as usual to discuss siege tactics with Tukesiluo.

“Big brother, we’ve besieged Tang Xiang for five days now; the city’s defenders look like they’re at their last breath.”

Jiang Mingyu nodded, his voice heavy with worry: “I’m more concerned about Fang Hang and Li Goudan on the Liaotong route—we haven’t heard from them in so long; I don’t know how their siege is progressing.”

“Big brother, don’t worry—Fang Hang’s a genius; he won’t get himself killed. I’d bet my life they’ll take Liaotong City within a month and send us word of victory.”

“I hope so. Right now, the most critical thing is to capture the Western Xia capital as soon as possible and annihilate them before they can regroup.”

“Exactly! We need more intelligence on the Western Xia capital. I’ve already sent Gao Fei to bring in a surrendered Western Xia soldier—he used to be a personal guard under Wan Fan ti and has been to the capital.”

Soon after, a one-eyed Western Xia soldier was brought in. “Your Majesty, this humble servant, Chai Sui, once accompanied Wan Fan ti to the Western Xia capital and can provide some intelligence.”

“Good. Tell me everything you know about the Western Xia capital.”

“Four months ago, I went to the Western Xia capital with Wan Fan ti. At the time, the garrison numbered 250,000, commanded by Wu Gaojie—a man who never changes his ways and is a formidable fighter. Now that Tuoba Jiqian controls the Western Xia army, I estimate the capital’s forces are between 300,000 and 400,000.”

“Hmph. That usurper Tuoba Jiqian does command formidable forces. But what of the capital’s defenses?”

Chai Sui closed his single eye, straining to recall: “The Western Xia capital is the strongest city in Western Xia, its defenders elite troops. Though Wu Gaojie lacks loyalty, he is a master strategist. Tuoba Jiqian seized control so quickly precisely because the two colluded—their combined strength is immense. Taking the capital will be extremely difficult.”

Seeing Chai Sui was holding back, Jiang Mingyu narrowed his eyes and asked sternly: “Is that all? What are the exact defenses of the Western Xia capital? How high are the walls? How much weaponry and grain is stored? Answer in detail—leave nothing out!”

Chai Sui swallowed hard and stammered on: “The Western Xia capital’s walls are twenty zhang tall, built of thick granite blocks. Every ten zhang along the walls stands a watchtower, each manned by crossbowmen. Inside, the armory produces weapons day and night; tens of thousands of arrows are stockpiled in the city’s arsenals. The granaries are equally well-stocked, capable of sustaining a 300,000-man army for half a year. Around the city runs a moat, with access only through the eastern and western gates. Both gates have drawbridges and sluice gates that can be raised swiftly—extremely hard to breach.”

Jiang Mingyu fell into deep thought after hearing Chai Sui’s report. The Western Xia capital’s defenses were too formidable to take easily—but to crush Western Xia utterly, this heart of the kingdom must fall.

“Your Majesty, my counsel may be incomplete; I humbly beg your understanding.”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Mingyu waved off. “Do you have any suggestions for our siege?”

“With Your Majesty’s favor, in my humble view, the eastern gate of the Western Xia capital has the weakest enemy presence—it’s the best point for a breakthrough. If we can deceive the defenders with a ruse, we might launch a stealth assault. Above all, capturing the ruler is the key to victory. If Your Majesty can take the Western Xia monarch alive, the entire army will instantly lose its head.”

He bowed to Jiang Mingyu, signaling he had finished.

Jiang Mingyu nodded, waved for Chai Sui to withdraw, then spoke.

“Tukesiluo, what do you think?”

“Big brother, I don’t believe there’s a city we can’t take!” Tukesiluo spread his hands, dismissive.

Jiang Mingyu shook his head, troubled: “The issue isn’t whether we can take it—it’s what I’ll do when I face Mo Jiaqi. I owe the five thousand dead soldiers an answer, but I can’t bring myself to harm Jiaqi. This is truly unbearable...”

“Stop worrying yourself! What if that so-called princess isn’t Mo Jiaqi at all?”

“I know that. But I must prepare for the worst. When the city falls, even if it’s Jiaqi—or even Mo Tiantian—I won’t be able to raise my hand.”

Tukesiluo paced back and forth, as if straining his mind.

“What if, when we break the city, you send men specifically to protect Mo Jiaqi? After the troops vent their rage, we can deal with it later.”

Jiang Mingyu fell silent, weighing the proposal.

Jiang Mingyu gazed at the distant, gloomy sky and spoke slowly.

“How we break the city must wait until we get clear news from Fang Hang and Goudan.”

After all, the outcome of Fang Hang’s assault on Liaotong—and the casualties it incurred—are vital references for future strategy.

Moreover, compared to Tang Xiang, Liaotong is closer to the Western Xia capital; Fang Hang will surely bring more detailed intelligence later.

Tukesiluo sighed, sounding frustrated.

“Then we’ll just wait together.”

For the next several days, aside from Gao Fei training the newly formed Snow-Treading Camp, the entire Tang Xiang remained quiet.

More than ten days later, the messenger from Fang Hang in Liaotong finally arrived before Jiang Mingyu.

“Your Majesty, Duke Su and Duke Liao breached Liaotong City fourteen days ago. I’ve come to report our victory.”

The messenger’s face, dry and weathered, bore clear signs of exhaustion and excitement.

To deliver this news as quickly as possible, he had ridden a thousand li through wind and snow, day and night, for half a month.

He arrived at Tang Xiang alive only after five horses collapsed from exhaustion and he nearly froze to death several times.

Excellent.

Jiang Mingyu slapped his knee, and Tukesiluo’s expression was equally elated.

“Fang Hang and Goudan did well. Now our only targets are Tuoba Jiqian and the Western Xia capital.”

“Big brother, time waits for no one—let’s march now and join Fang Hang to encircle the Western Xia capital.”

Western Xia had already lost five of its six provinces; even if Tuoba Jiqian was formidable, how much damage could he still do?

Jiang Mingyu waved his hand, signaling haste was unnecessary, then turned to his chief clerk.

“Within two months, Fang Hang and Goudan captured Liaotong—they’ve earned great merit. Issue an edict: every soldier who fought in the Liaotong campaign shall be rewarded.”

Seeing the messenger’s joy, Jiang Mingyu asked further:

“How many men did we lose in the Liaotong battle?”

The messenger hesitated. Jiang Mingyu frowned and demanded sharply: “Speak! What were our losses in this siege? Are Generals Fang and Li still alive?”

The messenger still tried to evade, but seeing Jiang Mingyu’s darkening face, he finally spoke plainly: “We lost many officers! Besides Generals Fang and Li, six deputy commanders—including Chao Biao and Li Shun—are dead, and thousands of troops are uncountable!”

Jiang Mingyu’s face darkened: “Such heavy losses mean Fang Hang and the others are hiding something!”

Tukesiluo hurried to soothe him: “Big brother, don’t fly into a rage. Taking Liaotong was already hard enough. Facing such harsh terrain, even Fang Hang and the others must have made mistakes.”

Jiang Mingyu fell silent for a moment, then asked the messenger: “Tell me the full picture. What errors did Fang Hang and Li commit that caused such losses?”

The messenger steadied himself and replied: “The Western Xia commander defended brilliantly, and his troops fought with extraordinary ferocity. Though Generals Fang and Li commanded well, their siege strategy was poorly conceived, leading to heavy casualties. The Western Xia general personally led charges and killed several of our deputy commanders, crushing our morale; his troops fought to the death, destroying most of our siege engines. Forced to change tactics, Fang and Li split their forces, using feints and distractions to exhaust the enemy. After several days, General Li ordered elite archers to launch a night raid on the western wall, killing the Western Xia commander with a single arrow—then we broke through.”

Jiang Mingyu fell into long silence. Tukesiluo ventured cautiously: “Big brother, we’ve taken Liaotong, but at a terrible cost. What’s your decision?”

Jiang Mingyu sighed: “This victory should make me happy—but hearing we lost over half our men... I can’t accept it.”

Tukesiluo slapped Jiang Mingyu’s shoulder hard: “I understand your feelings. But this was a siege—some losses were inevitable.”

“Half our men dead!” Jiang Mingyu paced restlessly. “This will devastate morale. I fear our troops will lose their will to fight, ruining future campaigns.”

Tukesiluo paused, then said: “Big brother, you’re rushing. With Fang Hang and Goudan’s ability, they’ll restore morale. Besides, capturing Liaotong is a huge strategic gain—our men will see the light at the end of the tunnel; their spirits will rise!”

Jiang Mingyu calmed himself: “You’re right. The cost is heavy, but our foundation is just beginning—we aim for Western Xia. I will honor the fallen, order Fang Hang to conduct a thorough self-criticism, shed his arrogance, and rebuild our army’s strength. Tukesiluo, notify all camps to strengthen defenses and prevent similar mistakes. I will personally lead the army soon, join Fang Hang, and strike directly at the Western Xia capital to eradicate this threat once and for all!”

Tukesiluo quickly replied: “Your Majesty’s martial prowess is divine—your strategy is flawless. How could pitiful Western Xia possibly stand against our Great Jiang cavalry? Victory is certain!”

Jiang Mingyu gazed at the bleak autumn wind in the distance and asked softly: “Oh? Is this encouraging conclusion backed by evidence?”

Tukesiluo froze, stammering: “That was merely my own speculation—I beg Your Majesty’s discernment.”

Jiang Mingyu smiled: “No matter. Tell me the real military situation. Our Great Jiang army claims eight hundred thousand—how many can we truly deploy? Liaotong cost us over half—how many can we move now?”

Tukesiluo hurried to answer: “Your Majesty, rest easy—I’ve checked our forces. We can still deploy over four hundred thousand. The remnants from Liaotong are reorganizing. Combined with the new troops from Tang Xiang, we still hold an advantage.”

Jiang Mingyu frowned, murmuring: “Four hundred thousand versus five hundred thousand—the balance hangs by a thread...”

Tukesiluo continued: “Your Majesty, why worry? I previously suggested mobilizing troops from all provinces to reinforce us—we’ll regain the upper hand!”

Jiang Mingyu shook his head: “No. Such troop movements would leave the western frontier vulnerable—Tuoba will strike back, and all our gains will be lost. This cannot be rushed.”

Tukesiluo fell into gloom, reluctantly replying: “Your Majesty’s wisdom is clear. I shall remember my duty and never act rashly with the army.”

Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly, patting his shoulder: “Enough. Let’s wait for the Liaotong troops to recover their morale. Then, when we break Tuoba and destroy Western Xia, it will be soon.”

In the days that followed, Jiang Mingyu’s mood brightened, and the Iron Cavalry trained with exceptional intensity...