By late April, the reeds on both banks of the Shao River had grown lush and verdant, with white egrets roosting among them. On a stormy night with thunder and rain, the Pingzhou army crossed the Shao River at night to launch a surprise attack on Tao Commandery.
Raindrops hammered down like steel pellets, splashing shallow pits one after another in the muddy, rain-soaked ground. Warhorses stamped their hooves restlessly in the rain. Xiao Li gently stroked his horse’s mane to calm the agitated animal. Rainwater streamed down from his helmet, sliding past his eyelids, yet he didn’t even blink. His wolf-like gaze locked tightly on the Tao Commandery city gate crouching like a giant beast in the pitch-black curtain of rain in the distance.
A scout once again braved the rain to deliver a message, but brought no news from the East Gate. Fan Yuan waved the scout away, wiped the rainwater from his face, and cursed in a low voice, “Damn it, this rain probably won’t stop tonight. By rights, Lord Chen’s side should have already begun the siege. Why does the South Gate here seem to have no movement at all?”
In the pitch-black rain curtain, lightning flashed pale white. In that fleeting moment of brightness, it illuminated the dark mass of ambushed troops extending behind them into the dense forest, and also revealed a row of guards standing in stern formation atop the distant Tao Commandery city tower.
Xiao Li glanced at the intensity of the rain and said, “With such heavy rain tonight and thunder, even signal fires and flares probably won’t work well. Message transmission would be slower.”
Fan Yuan turned his head to look at him and laughed, “Brother Xiao, you’ve been in the military for only a short time, yet now when you analyze these matters, you actually seem quite competent.”
Xiao Li’s warhorse’s coat had been thoroughly soaked by the rainwater. He shook water droplets from the reins and said, “I picked up some wisdom from Lord Li Xun. I’m showing off my meager skills before you, General Fan.”
Fan Yuan said disdainfully, “Go on, you lad. You got yourself a good teacher and you’re flaunting it in front of this old man!”
Xiao Li had previously wanted to engage a strategist to attend him. Fan Yuan had recommended several, but none suited his tastes. Those strategists either only knew how to rigidly apply what was written in books, or had only superficial knowledge of the entire military system. Many of Xiao Li’s questions left them red-faced and unable to answer.
Because Li Xun had been responsible for liaising with Fan Yuan on various military matters, and the night raid on Tao Commandery—along with the stratagem of simultaneously dispatching troops to disguise themselves as Xinzhou forces and pose as Yizhou troops to raid ships—had also been discussed together by them, upon learning of Xiao Li’s many confusions, he personally resolved several doubts for him. Perhaps feeling that Xiao Li had considerable aptitude, Li Xun told Xiao Li that in the future, if he didn’t understand something, he should just ask him.
Every few days, Xiao Li would go ask Li Xun again. With the foundation of those things the crazy old man had taught him to memorize in the past, and having himself compared and practiced演排 many battles from storytelling performances, his progress was so rapid that Fan Yuan and others jokingly called him “the Lu Meng of Pingzhou.”
Fan Yuan glanced eastward and said, “I only hope everything goes smoothly on Lord Chen’s side.”
A deputy general interjected, “I only learned today that the Prefecture Administrator actually knows how to fight battles too.”
Fan Yuan looked at him. “What kind of talk is that? If Lord Chen weren’t both civil and military, how could the Prince have placed him in a place like Pingzhou?”
The deputy general scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, “That’s also true.”
In the darkness of night, the sound of horse hooves came splashing through the rain again. Several people looked sideways. They saw the urgently galloping scout flip down from his horse’s back and kneel on one knee, saying, “General Fan, Lord Chen says there are no signs of troop reinforcement inside the city at the East Gate. The Tao Commandery Administrator must not have seen you and guessed it was a feint to attack the east while striking the west. Lord Chen wants you to lead another thousand troops to the West Gate for a diversionary attack to draw away forces. The surprise attack on the South Gate will be left to Deputy General Tan and Lieutenant Xiao.”
After hearing this, Fan Yuan cursed, “That old bastard, the Tao Commandery Administrator, has more tricks than a hornet’s nest!”
Somewhat irritably, he yanked the reins and ordered his personal guards, “Quickly muster a thousand troops to follow me!”
The guards hurriedly galloped away. He also looked at Xiao Li and Deputy General Tan Yi. “I’m leaving the South Gate to you two. As the saying goes: the first drum invigorates, the second weakens, the third exhausts. Tonight we must take Tao Commandery. If they become alert, attacking again in the future will require tremendous effort!”
Deputy General Tan quickly cupped his fists. “This general will not fail General and Lord Chen’s trust!”
Xiao Li followed suit in cupping his fists.
With battle urgent, Fan Yuan couldn’t give much more instruction. He patted Deputy General Tan’s shoulder, nodded toward Xiao Li, and led a thousand troops to quietly withdraw toward the West Gate through the curtain of rain.
The torrential rain sound masked the movement of troops transferring. On the Tao Commandery South Gate tower, the night watch guards stood motionless as mountains.
After another half hour passed and there was still no movement whatsoever from the city tower, Deputy General Tan turned his head toward Xiao Li and suggested, “Perhaps the troop strength at Tao Commandery’s four major gates is fixed and they won’t transfer to support various locations. Why don’t we attack the city first?”
His seniority in the military was greater than Xiao Li’s. By rights, he didn’t need to consult with Xiao Li. However, everyone in the military knew that Xiao Li was Wen Yu’s confidant, and even Chen Wei had specifically mentioned Xiao Li when issuing orders, so naturally Deputy General Tan dared not act unilaterally either.
Their concealment point was a shrub-covered low slope. Hidden here, they could clearly see the movements of Tao Commandery’s South Gate while also avoiding inspection by the opposing scouts.
Xiao Li crouched on a rock screened by bushes at a high point, quietly observing the South Gate tower that seemed like a pool of dead water for a while before saying, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
The urgent rain sound intensified the restlessness in people’s hearts. Deputy General Tan said, “Lord Chen and General Fan each only brought a thousand troops. Tonight we’re launching a surprise attack taking advantage of the rain—we didn’t bring scaling ladders or siege vehicles either. If they attack for a long time without success and the Tao Commandery people see through that it’s a feint with much thunder but little rain, when we attack the city again, we won’t have the advantage. Battle opportunities cannot be delayed!”
Xiao Li said, “I know.” He stared intently at the opposing city tower. “But if the other side’s messenger scout hasn’t arrived yet, or if the reinforcements transferred to the West Gate haven’t gone far, and we attack up there, it’s tantamount to also telling them that the West Gate is also a feint.”
Deputy General Tan tightened the reins, suppressing the restlessness filling his heart, controlling his warhorse to turn around in the heavy rain. “Then when do you say we should attack the city?”
He couldn’t offend Xiao Li, but what Xiao Li said also made sense. He dared not rashly order an attack on the city with a gambling mentality. If this battle was won, that would be fine, but if it was lost, he wouldn’t merely be offending Wengzhu’s confidant—he would also be saddled with the charge of refusing advice and acting willfully. The responsibility for this battle’s defeat would rest entirely on him alone.
This was also why he inquired of Xiao Li before wanting to order the city attack. If they both made the decision together, and this battle was a great victory, sharing half the credit with Wengzhu’s confidant—though his heart wouldn’t feel entirely pleased, he also understood that Hanyang Wengzhu placing such a person in the military was originally meant to seize a portion of power. The generals above probably felt even more uncomfortable than him.
The safer aspect was that even if they couldn’t successfully breach Tao Commandery’s South Gate, with Hanyang Wengzhu’s face to protect them, Lord Chen wouldn’t overly blame him and Xiao Li.
Now that Xiao Li had vetoed his proposal, Deputy General Tan knew that even if they were defeated, he could completely shirk responsibility. But thinking that if they truly delayed the battle opportunity, it would completely disrupt the previous plan, he was still extremely anxious, to the point that when he asked Xiao Li that question, his tone wasn’t very good.
However, Xiao Li seemed not to mind. His handsome features washed by rainwater, his eyes gazing forward, exceptionally focused: “From here to the West Gate, General Fan’s march takes half an hour. If the West Gate encounters an attack, messaging plus troop deployment will take at least two quarters of an hour. They say the Tao Commandery Administrator handles matters cautiously. If he transferred troops but didn’t let the city tower show any unusual movement, he’s guarding against ambush troops outside the city waiting for an opportunity to move. The troops assembled inside the city rushing to the West Gate also needs time. Let’s wait another quarter hour. Once the reinforcements have gone far, then we’ll attack the city.”
This thorough analysis landed and left Deputy General Tan stunned for several breaths. If previously he had felt that Chen Wei and Fan Yuan were both polite and accommodating to Xiao Li merely because he was someone Wen Yu recommended, then at this moment, he suddenly realized Xiao Li’s exceptional qualities.
He considered himself already an old general in the military. At such a critical juncture, he still couldn’t remain calm and collected. Xiao Li, someone entering the battlefield for the first time, could still calmly analyze these matters. This mental fortitude was truly steady.
When he spoke again, he unconsciously changed his form of address: “Then we’ll do as Brother Xiao says.”
The night rain didn’t stop. Time trickled by second by second amid the noisy rain sounds.
—
Tao Commandery.
The Administrator’s manor gate stood wide open. Under the eaves, the lanterns cast dim light, illuminating water puddles at the entrance broken by the coming and going of black boots. Military officers hurrying in and out all wore grave expressions.
The study was brightly lit. The gaunt Tao Commandery Administrator Yao Zhengqing sat at his desk. His beard and hair, already graying, appeared completely devoid of black color under the candlelight, yet his pair of eyes remained clear and profound as he asked, “What’s the situation at the four city gates now?”
An official below replied, “Chen Wei personally led troops to attack the East Gate. The night rain obscures vision, so we can’t clearly see exactly how many troops he brought. But having attacked until now, he still shows no sign of fatigue. Following your instructions, we’ve already secretly transferred some forces from the other three major gates to provide support. Shortly after, the West Gate also came under enemy attack. The one leading troops is precisely Fan Yuan. The south and north gates should now be secure. Shouldn’t we transfer all personnel to the east and west gates?”
After listening, Yao Zhengqing pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Transfer only half the garrison troops from the south and north gates. The city walls of Tao Commandery, Xinzhou, and Yizhou were originally built by the previous dynasty to resist Southern Chen. Only later, after Southern Chen was driven out of Bairen Pass, did the military defenses of these three places weaken. However, the city walls still retained their original form. The Pingzhou army cannot easily break through. Launching a surprise attack on a rainy night, they’re only counting on catching us off guard. All other advantages are with us. Otherwise, Chen Wei wouldn’t have come up with the method of feinting while having Fan Yuan actually attack from the West Gate.”
He gazed at the night rain outside the window, saying quietly, “The situation changes in myriad ways. Being cautious is ultimately good.”
His words had barely fallen when suddenly another scout came rushing urgently from outside the door: “Report—”
Amid rolling thunder claps, the scout urgently reported, “The South Gate is also under enemy attack!”
The officials inside the room all fell into chaos, whispering and conferring continuously.
“Chen Wei personally went to the East Gate, and Fan Yuan is at the West Gate. What other famous generals does Pingzhou have?”
“Could it be other generals who went to pledge allegiance to Hanyang Wengzhu?”
“What should we do? The South Gate tower just transferred troops to the West Gate. Will the North Gate also be attacked later?”
Yao Zhengqing listened to the discussion sounds from below. The expression on his aged face remained relatively calm. He quickly made a decision: “Have the reinforcements the South Gate sent to the West Gate return immediately. The North Gate should hold position for now.”
An official below remonstrated, “My lord, Pingzhou has acted in bad faith. Let’s form an alliance with Xinzhou and request aid. Can a Wen clan girl have harder methods than Wei Qishan?”
After pondering for a long while, Yao Zhengqing said, “Very well. I’ll write a letter and send it speedily to Xinzhou.”