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June 11, 2021

Chapter 17

CW: gore/violence

 

Zhuo Letai was not in a hurry to attack the city. Instead, he ordered Mang Hua’er, the valiant general under his command, to bring along a group of the Sheng prisoners of war to the walls of Guangning to be burnt alive every day, so that every soldier defending the city could see and hear their own people’s struggles and screams before their deaths. Then, they hung up the charred corpses with wooden pestles and stuck them in the snow one by one, and finally, led their soldiers to shout “if you surrender, you will not be killed” together.

If they ignored them with doors shut, they would shout as much as 4-6 hours. If they went out of the city to pursue them, then Mang Hua'er would leave quickly, and they were simply unable to be caught.

So, for three consecutive days, the soldiers who witnessed the atrocity began to lose their morale, and they were full of fear towards the Jin people. Even rumors began to appear that Han Zhaoxing wanted to surrender to Zhuo Letai.

Yuan Mao ordered the soldiers to pour water on the city walls day and night to strengthen the walls by freezing it, but he knew that even the strongest walls could not withstand the collapse from within. Although he kept stabilizing the morale of the army, he could clearly feel the impetuosity of the people around him. Zhuo Letai was worthy of being a famous general of the Jin state. It's vicious to attack the heart before attacking the city.

Han Zhaoxing discussed several plans to ambush Mang Hua’er with them. They all felt that it's too risky. Mang Hua’er must have come prepared. If they went out of the city hastily, there would be another ambush outside, and it would be what he desired.

This night, Yuan Sikong found Yuan Mao in a hurry: "Father."

Yuan Mao did not have time to pay attention to him: "Don't come here again. Tell your mother to be rest assured."

"No, father." Yuan Sikong ran up to stop Yuan Mao, "It may snow tonight."

"What?"

"Guangning has been clear for three days. All the snow has melted, but tonight it may snow, just in time to set up an ambush."

"How do you know it will snow tonight?"

Yuan Sikong pointed to the clouds in the sky: "It is said in the book that if the clouds are low, thick and squamous, then it will rain in summer and snow in winter. Kong'er has observed this for many years, and seven to eight out of ten is indeed true."

Yuan Mao looked up at the clouds in the sky and doubted: "Really?"

Yuan Sikong nodded: "If we sprinkle caltrops*  when Mang Hua’er is on the way here, there will be no traces left after a night of snow, and then order the soldiers to ambush when he retreats. You will get twice the result with half the effort."

Yuan Mao thought for a moment: "Okay! Father will try it. If it really works, we can kill the Jin's might greatly."

Yuan Sikong was very happy: "Father, the wounded soldiers have been settled down properly, what else can Kong'er do?"

Yuan Mao pressed his shoulder: "You take good care of your mother, your elder sister, and your younger brother. Then you will be sharing your worries with father."

"Of course, Kong'er will take good care of them, but ..." Yuan Sikong glanced at the towering city walls behind Yuan Mao, "Father, I can do more."

"It’s enough. You go back first."

Yet Yuan Sikong came closer. The transparent clear eyes that belonged to a youth were shining with a flame of determination: "Father, if it really snows tonight, and tomorrow Mang Hua’er is really ambushed, it will prove that Kong'er is useful. Can you let Kong'er follow you?"

Yuan Mao was shocked by Yuan Sikong's bright eyes: "Kong'er, of course father knows you are useful, but the war is too tragic. You are still young. I do not want you to get involved in it. Do you understand father's painstaking efforts?"

"Kong'er understands, but everyone in Guangning has already been involved in it. People will be here when the city is here, and people will die if the city is destroyed." Yuan Sikong kneeled on the ground with a thud, "Father, take Kong'er with you. Kong'er will be able to help you!"

Yuan Mao sighed lightly. His face was full of helplessness. No matter how much he wanted to isolate Yuan Sikong from danger and cruelty, Yuan Sikong pounced on him again and again. He knew that this child's future was unlimited. Since he was a legendary dragon*, he was destined to gallop through thunder clouds and stir up wind and rain. How long could he stop him?

Oh well.

Yuan Mao pulled Yuan Sikong up from the ground: "Okay, father promises you."

Yuan Sikong looked happy: "Thank you, father!"

"Where do the thanks come from? You still think of it as a good thing?" Yuan Mao said seriously, "I will set some ground rules for you."

"Father, just say it."

"First, obey my orders absolutely and don't make your own decisions; Second, if you’re not allowed to speak, then you’re not allowed to speak; Third, you can only come and find me when you’ve taken good care of our family.”

"Okay! Kong'er will do it!" Yuan Sikong's heart thumped hard a few times. He always thinks about the military situation even at home and could not sleep or eat in peace at all. No matter how dangerous it was, he wanted to stay by Yuan Mao's side and guard Guangning together.

"Let's go, I'll let them set up the ambush."

Caltrops, also called barbs*, were made of several iron nails which were thrown on the ground, and there would always be an iron nail facing upwards to pierce through the horses’ hooves. It was said that this thing was invented in Wu Hou*. When Wu Hou died of illness in the Wuzhang Plains, the Shu army retreated. Sima Yi* pursued and Zhangshi* Yang Yi* "set up more barbs to block the road", which was very effective against cavalry.

During the night, the soldiers scattered the caltrops. Yuan Mao ordered Hu Baicheng to lead 500 soldiers and wait in ambush on the road where Mang Hua’er would be retreating in the middle of the night.

Mang Hua’er usually came to provoke early in the morning, when the snow was not thin nor thick. It's just right. Thin snow couldn’t cover the caltrops, and thick snow could make the enemy suspicious.

Everything was ready. They just have to wait for the snow to fall from the heavens.

The people stood at the head of the city waiting for snow until late at night, yet there's no change in the weather.

One soldier was so cold that he kept rubbing his hands together: "Lord Yuan, when will the snow fall?"

"Wait patiently." Yuan Mao stood with his arms crossed. His expression was serious.

Yuan Sikong also felt a little anxious. If it didn’t snow tonight, he would definitely be driven back home for breaking his trust with Yuan Mao.

A while later again, Yuan Shaoxu was also a bit suspicious: "Father ... Lord Yuan, how can you be sure that there will be snow tonight?" He glanced at Yuan Sikong beside him and suddenly thought of something: "Could it be Kong'er said that?"

Yuan Mao remained silent.

Yuan Shaoxu said anxiously, "Lord Yuan, do you really think he can predict the weather? How can such joking remarks be used as a basis for the deployment of the army?"

Yuan Sikong pursed his lips and wanted to retort but remembered that Yuan Mao did not allow him to speak freely, so he also followed the silence.

Yuan Shaoxu was about to say something when Yuan Sikong suddenly saw a tiny soft white color floating in front of his eyes. He raised his head suddenly. When he saw silver sprinkled in the sky, he said excitedly, "It's snowing, it's snowing!

Everyone looked up and Yuan Mao finally heaved a sigh of relief: "Good!"

Only Yuan Shaoxu frowned, and his expression changed.

Yuan Mao walked down the city tower while ordering, "Send scouts to survey the terrain of Mang Hua’er's retreat again."

"Yes!"

"This matter must be kept confidential. This mustn't be disclosed to the soldiers on guard tomorrow too."

"Yes!"

At this moment, Han Zhaoxing came to face him. He was still a few feet away when he asked, "Yuan Mao, was it you who sent Hu Baicheng out of the city?"

Yuan Mao cupped his fist and said, "Responding to Chief Soldier, it was I who ordered Hu Baicheng to go out to ambush Mang Hua’er."

Han Zhaoxing said in a deep voice: "You and I agreed a few days ago not to leave the city without permission. Why didn't I know when you gave the order?"

Yuan Mao answered neither haughtily nor humbly, "Before Lord Li left Guangning Wei, he handed over the commander’s seal to me. As the military officer of Guangning, I can assign the soldiers at will."

Han Zhaoxing raised his voice: "I am the Chief Soldier of Liaodong. I am under the order of the emperor to guard the border. It is up to me to dispatch the army of Liaodong. Are you not putting me in your eyes*?"

Yuan Mao knelt: "I don't dare." His expression was calm and collected, and his tone had no ripples, "It is my fault that I did not consult Chief Soldier, but the military situation is urgent, and orders are not given. Since I'm more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Guangning’s soldiers, I'm better at deploying them than Chief Soldier."

"You ..." Han Zhaoxing's face turned vivid with rage, so angry that he could not say anything.

In fact, ever since Han Zhaoxing returned to Guangning, the fight for Guangning’s military power between them has been turbulent. On the surface, Han Zhaoxing was the Chief Soldier of Liaodong. Every city and every soldier in Liaodong was under his command, but in fact, he had already lost the will of all the people because he lost Qingzhou first followed by Huangshui, yet Yuan Mao had great prestige in Guangning, so Han Zhaoxing couldn’t command Yuan Mao's men at all. The Liaodong army brought back by Chen Yulong had been injured and disabled in large numbers. He had become an ornament in Guangning, so it was naturally hard to swallow this anger.

Yuan Mao also knew when to stop before going too far and made his tone more humble: "War opportunities often pass by in a hurry, and it is difficult to find them again if you miss them. I overlooked it in a haste, Chief Soldier Han, please punish me.”

The soldiers of Liaodong who were kneeling behind him were busy pleading mercy for Yuan Mao.

Of course, Han Zhaoxing did not dare to punish Yuan Mao, as long as Yuan Mao still held the military amulet in his hand. Seeing that Yuan Mao had given him a way out of an embarrassing situation, he also went along with it: "Punishment is too serious. Lord Yuan doesn’t need to be like this. Please get up."

Only then did Yuan Mao stand up.

Han Zhaoxing coughed lightly, "However, any future movement of the guards of Guangning must be discussed with me first."

"I understand."

Yuan Sikong applauded in his heart for Yuan Mao. He is worthy of being his most adored father. At the same time, he viciously disdained Han Zhaoxing.

----

The people were completely sleepless. By dawn, a report of success came from the front.

After a night of thin snow, Mang Hua’er was really ambushed. The cavalries he led stepped on the caltrops and fell into a complete mess. When they were escaping and retreating in a panic, they met Hu Baicheng’s troops in ambush halfway. The head and tail* were cut off. Nearly 100 enemy soldiers were killed in this battle, and more than a dozen Sheng soldiers were rescued. Mang Hua’er, the leader, was killed on the spot.

As soon as the news of the victory spread, there was a lot of joy in Guangning Wei.

The first battle is very important for the army's morale. They originally had a few soldiers, and the city was isolated and weak. With 70,000 troops bearing down in force, and its intimidation was conceivable, so this battle, although it’s only a small ambush and just a small enemy unit was fended off, it still filled people with enthusiasm. It was expected that Zhuo Letai would not dare to send anyone to come and provoke them anymore.

Of course, they also know very well that if Zhuo Letai no longer sent anyone to provoke them, he would really attack the city in the next step.

They hoped he would come and hoped he would not come.

In the battle of besieging the city, we are the host, and they are the guest*. Of course, the Sheng army wanted to delay if they could, but Zhuo Letai raised 70,000 troops to fight. He couldn’t afford the number of cattle and sheep they had to eat in a day. Since he could not delay, it’s better to fight!

Not surprisingly, seeing that threats were useless and persuasion to surrender was ineffective, Zhuo Letai took the cannons and battering ram to attack Guangning Wei in a raging manner.

 

 ----

PS: hope y’all have fun in the history lesson today. Translated like hell, Idw to imagine the rest of the following chapters...


Caltrops*[绊马钉]---in Chinese they are called “horse-tripping nails”. (see pic below) It was said that Zhu Ge Liang [诸葛亮] invented this.



legendary dragon*[蛟龙]---the same Jiaolong in WCJ’s Jiaolong Assembly. A legendary dragon with the ability to control rain and floods

barbs*[蒺藜]---this is used in modern-day Chinese instead, but in this novel, they used caltrops 绊马钉

Wu Hou*[武侯]---another name for Zhu Ge Liang

Sima Yi*[司马懿]--- Sima Yi (179-251), warlord under Cao Cao and subsequently the founder of the Jin dynasty

Zhangshi* [长史]---an official title

Yang Yi*[杨仪]--- a Chinese military counselor

putting me in your eyes*[把我放在眼里]--- u say this to someone when they don't treat u with any regards, or any importance, or don't care about you

The head and tail*[首尾]---the head and tail (of the escape route); no way to escape

we are the host, and they are the guest*[我主他客]---SQC is making a metaphor here. Guangning wants to “host” a battle for the Jin, which would make the Jin the “guest”. Another way to put it is that the Jin are going to their home. That would make Guangning the “host” and the Jin the (uninvited heh) “guest”.


Edited on 11 June 21 (Emzie)

Edited on 4 Jul 21 (Ari)


 

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