Wang Shichong nodded: “So Brother Duan’s suggestion is not to send troops?”
Just as Duan Da was about to speak, a soldier standing beside him suddenly said: “General, this humble one recognizes the person under the city.”
Liu Wenjing saw Wang Shichong conversing with those beside him, but because the distance was too great and their voices too low, he couldn’t hear them. He could only say: “I wonder when Duke Zheng can send troops?”
After waiting a moment, Wang Shichong’s voice came from the city wall: “Duke Wei is in trouble – I cannot stand by and do nothing. Give me one hour, and I will immediately deploy twenty thousand elite soldiers to follow you to Tong Mountain to provide assistance.”
Liu Wenjing frowned slightly: “I’m afraid twenty thousand soldiers won’t be enough to completely eliminate Yuwen Huaji. Could Duke Zheng perhaps…”
Before he could finish, Wang Shichong said: “I understand, but mobilizing twenty thousand soldiers within one hour is already the limit. I believe these twenty thousand soldiers will be enough to help you stabilize the battle situation. After dawn, I will send another fifty thousand soldiers. How about that?”
Although this result wasn’t entirely satisfactory, Liu Wenjing understood this was already the limit. If he said more, it might arouse Wang Shichong’s suspicions. He cupped his hands: “Thank you, Duke Zheng!”
Wang Shichong was true to his word. In less than an hour, the city gates opened, and twenty thousand fully armed soldiers filed out from the city. Led by Gate Supervisor General Pang Yu, they followed Liu Wenjing toward Tong Mountain.
At this time at Tong Mountain, although fighting had temporarily ceased, Yuwen Huaji’s situation was not good. Although Yuwen Zhiji had planned ahead and saved several carts of rice, for nearly one hundred thousand soldiers, these few carts of rice couldn’t fill everyone’s bellies – at most they ate half their fill, and as time passed, they would be hungry again.
What to do? What to do? Yuwen Huaji paced anxiously in circles. Food had now become the most urgent priority, but those Wagang Army troops were stubbornly resilient. Even though Li Mi was severely wounded, they still resisted tenaciously, causing their several fierce attacks to fail to scatter them.
Yuwen Huaji thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a solution to the food shortage. Angry and anxious, after cursing Li Mi who had deceived him several times, he said to Yuwen Zhiji sitting nearby: “Second brother, don’t just sit there – think of a solution! If we can’t get food, we’re definitely going to lose.”
Yuwen Zhiji said irritably: “Elder brother still has the nerve to talk. If you hadn’t believed Li Mi’s deception earlier, how would we have ended up without even a grain of surplus food?”
Yuwen Huaji said helplessly: “That matter was indeed elder brother’s fault, but… what’s the use of talking about it now? Finding a way to get food is the most important thing.”
Yuwen Zhiji sighed, somewhat helplessly: “Right now, there’s only one way to fill our bellies, but I really can’t guarantee what the consequences will be.”
Yuwen Huaji didn’t listen to the second half of his sentence at all, eagerly saying: “What method? Speak quickly!”
“There are quite a few common people near here. The common people’s homes must have surplus grain. Although not much, accumulated together, it should be enough for us to eat for several days.”
Hearing this, Yuwen Huaji immediately relaxed his brow and smiled: “Good, good! So much food right in front of us, and I didn’t notice it. Second brother really has brains.” As he spoke, he immediately called soldiers in: “Immediately send people to collect grain from nearby common people’s homes.”
Although Yuwen Zhiji felt this method had too many unstable factors, it was the only method available now. No matter how worried he was, he had to try. As the soldiers prepared to go out, he added: “Tell them to inform the common people that after we defeat the Wagang Army and obtain grain, we will definitely repay them double.”
While those soldiers were following Yuwen Huaji’s orders to seize the common people’s grain through the night, Liu Wenjing was also leading twenty thousand soldiers rushing to Tong Mountain. As soon as those twenty thousand soldiers had just left the city, scouts reported the matter to Li Shimin, who immediately personally led fifty thousand ready soldiers rushing toward Tong Mountain. Before those twenty thousand soldiers reached Tong Mountain, he would eliminate them at the fastest speed to weaken Luoyang City’s defenses.
When still more than ten li from Tong Mountain, Li Shimin’s army caught up with those twenty thousand troops and immediately launched a fierce attack. Those twenty thousand troops were suddenly attacked, and with enemies several times their number, they were quickly routed. Just as Li Shimin was preparing to press his advantage and completely defeat them, Pei Qiancheng, who was responsible for the rear, rode up urgently: “Marshal, there’s an enemy attack from behind!”
Li Shimin was startled and hurriedly looked back. By torchlight and moonlight, he saw a large force appearing behind his army, extending beyond sight in the darkness – clearly at least several tens of thousands strong. “Do you know which side’s army this is?”
Pei Qiancheng said gravely: “Their armor is the same as those soldiers in front. It should be… Luoyang’s army.”
Liu Wenjing had now reunited with Li Shimin. Hearing this, he hurriedly said: “This is impossible. Wang Shichong said the remaining troops would need to wait at least until dawn to be assembled. How could they appear here and attack us?”
Looking at the thunderous battle cries behind them, Li Shimin said gravely: “There’s only one possibility – Wang Shichong saw through our plan. Those twenty thousand soldiers earlier were just bait.”
Liu Wenjing said urgently: “That’s impossible. I was very careful during my conversation with Wang Shichong. He couldn’t have noticed.”
“If Wang Shichong didn’t see through it, how do you explain that army behind us?” Pei Qiancheng’s single statement left Liu Wenjing speechless. Li Shimin said: “Enough. The most important thing now is to face the enemy. Qiancheng, take ten thousand troops and continue fighting those twenty thousand in front. Their morale is already shattered – defeat them quickly. Remember, don’t let them unite their forces.”
“Yes.” Pei Qiancheng agreed and immediately rode off to battle. Li Shimin led the remaining forty thousand soldiers to turn and face the enemy army behind them.
A general with broad ears and a square nose rode his horse before the enemy army. He didn’t rush to attack, but seeing Li Shimin’s group approaching, he sneered: “Liu Jing, you really are Liu Wenjing!”
Liu Wenjing’s pupils contracted slightly: “Who are you? How do you recognize me?” By rights, he had never been to Luoyang before, so no one should recognize him. This was also why, after much deliberation, they had ultimately sent him to be this double agent.
“My name is Duan Da. I was also on the city wall earlier.” As he spoke, Duan Da smiled coldly: “You indeed acted quite well – both I and Duke Zheng were deceived by you. But no matter how carefully you calculated, you missed one thing: a soldier responsible for defending the city is from Jinyang, and he recognized you.”
When Wang Shichong had asked Duan Da questions, a soldier had interrupted – it was this soldier who recognized Liu Wenjing’s identity. Liu Wenjing’s surrender to Li Yuan was known to Wang Shichong and his men, so they immediately determined that Li Yuan’s army had also come to Luoyang. The claim of two hundred thousand Wagang troops hidden at Jintang City was false, and Li Mi’s emergency was likely also false. The purpose was to lure their main forces out of the city, thereby leaving Luoyang vulnerable and giving Li Yuan’s army an opportunity to exploit, or even using the chance of drawing them out in batches to annihilate their armies one by one.