readytorunbook Chapter 1244 Smuggling into Yinping: A Tribulations
Chapter 1244 Smuggling into Yinping: A Tribulations
Inside the General's Mansion in Chengdu, the atmosphere at the military meeting was heavy as lead. Zhang Song stood below the hall, listening to Liu Zhang personally admit that he had allowed Liu Bei to enter Shu. His fingernails almost dug into his palms. The thing he feared most had finally happened.
"My lord," Zhang Songqiang said, suppressing his anxiety, stepping forward to report, "Liu Bei is far away in Jingzhou, and his army's entry into Sichuan will not be accomplished in a day. General She Yuan's letter clearly states that Jiange may not be able to hold out for three days. Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; we must quickly dispatch elite troops from Chengdu to provide reinforcements!"
Before he could finish speaking, Huang Quan stepped forward to retort: "Prefect Zhang, you are mistaken! The Chengdu garrison is the foundation, how can it be moved lightly? In my opinion, Generals Wu Yi and Wu Lan have been in the army for a long time and are familiar with the war in Shu. Moreover, the Wu family is the head of the gentry in Shu. Sending them to reinforce Jiange will not only stabilize the morale of the army, but also deter the Xiliang army. This is the best strategy!"
Liu Ba immediately chimed in, "Lord Huang is absolutely right! General Wu Yi is composed, and General Wu Lan is brave. If the two of them go together, they will surely be able to lift the siege of Jiange!"
The generals of Shu all nodded in agreement. The Wu brothers already had deep roots, and no one in the various clans objected to them leading the troops. Zhang Song looked at everyone's unanimous recommendation of Wu Yi and Wu Lan, and his heart sank—these two were loyal to Liu Zhang and were not pawns he could pry. His plan to bring in local reinforcements to weaken Liu Bei's power had failed.
Just as they were at their wits' end, Wang Mou, the Chief Administrator, stepped forward again: "My lord, if Jiange falls, Bazhou County will be the first to bear the brunt. Although Prefect Pang Xi is loyal and brave, he cannot hold the line alone. I recommend General Yan Yan to go to Bazhou. If Jiange is not breached, Yan Yan will lead the army to support it; if Jiange falls, Yan Yan and Pang Xi will defend Bazhou to the death and cut off the Xiliang army's eastward advance!"
Liu Zhang was already in a state of panic, but upon hearing this, he nodded repeatedly: "Good! As Wang Gongshi said, quickly send Yan Yan to Baxi!"
As Zhang Song watched the imperial edicts being issued, the words he wanted to secretly pave the way for Ma Chao stuck in his throat, and he broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes darted around, and he stepped forward again, saying, "My lord, what the officials say is all reasonable, but there is still one crucial point that needs to be guarded against early—if something truly happens to Jiangge, Jiangyou City will be the next target. Once it falls, the enemy can penetrate straight to our heart! I wish to recommend Meng Da to go to Jiangyou to assist Ren Kui in defending the city. These two, one wise and one brave, will surely be able to hold this vital location!"
His words were half true and half false. Jiangyou was indeed important, and Meng Da... This man was on good terms with Zhang Song and had already been secretly persuaded by Zhang Song. If he could enter Jiangyou, he would be a hidden pawn that Ma Chao had planted in Shu.
At this moment, Liu Zhang's mind was filled with thoughts of Jiange and Brazil. Hearing Zhang Song's earnest words and feeling that Jiangyou indeed needed to be guarded against, he said without hesitation, "Granted! Order Meng Da to lead troops to Jiangyou immediately and await Ren Kui's command!"
Zhang Song bowed and accepted the order. As he retreated to the ranks, his palms were drenched in cold sweat, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Meng Da's entry into Jiangyou was finally a done deal. He looked up at Liu Zhang, who was hesitating in the hall, and sneered inwardly, "My lord, you think you've secured Jiange and Baxi, but little do you know that the real killing move is already hidden right under your nose."
After the meeting, Zhang Song hurriedly returned to his residence, dismissed his attendants, and wrote a secret letter: "Meng Da has gone to Jiangyou, and Ren Kui is a potential target. The reinforcements from Jiange are Wu Yi and Wu Lan, and Yan Yan is in Baxi. I hope my lord will prepare a response as soon as possible." As he sent the letter, he looked out at the deepening twilight, hoping that the Xiliang army would arrive sooner, much sooner, because once Liu Bei entered Sichuan, it would be too late.
When Fa Zheng and Zhang Ren led their victorious army from Yangping Pass to Jiange, the sounds of battle cries were still raging outside the pass. She Yuan stood on the city wall, watching the Xiliang army surging in like a tide below, his face ashen. The constant harassment from Pang De had exhausted him, and now seeing reinforcements arriving from Yangping Pass only intensified his inner turmoil. He had no choice but to personally don armor and oversee the battle, his throat hoarse from shouting. He sent out letter after letter pleading for help, each ink mark filled with despair.
Fortunately, two days later, the reinforcements led by the brothers Wu Lan and Wu Yi finally arrived, instantly increasing the garrison at Jiange to 50,000. Seeing the fresh troops arrayed below the city walls, She Yuan's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he and the Wu brothers climbed the city wall to survey the terrain. Wu Yi pointed to the steep walls and the bottomless canyon, and said in a deep voice, "Jiange is a natural fortress, even more impregnable than Yangping Pass. As long as our army holds firm and doesn't venture out, no matter how many troops Ma Chao has, he won't be able to cross this line!"
Wu Lan gripped her spear tightly: "Brother is right! The Xiliang army has come from afar and is short of supplies. We can wear them down!"
She Yuan nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. Sure enough, after Fa Zheng and Zhang Ren arrived, although they joined forces with Pang De and attacked the city every day, they were always blocked by the gate wall. Not only did they suffer heavy losses, but they couldn't even budge the bricks of the gate wall.
Inside the central command tent, Fa Zheng stared at Jiange Pass on the map, his brows furrowed: "This formidable pass is indeed troublesome. Built against the mountain, the pass walls are integrated with the mountain rocks, and a direct attack would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock."
Xu Shu also sighed: "Wu Yi is calm and collected, Wu Lan is brave and fierce, and although She Yuan is afraid of battle, he is familiar with the terrain. It will be even more difficult for the three of them to defend the pass together."
The two exchanged a glance, both understanding that the current stalemate was part of the plan. Fa Zheng picked up his pen and wrote a battle report: "Jiange is heavily fortified. Our army and Pang De's forces have been attacking the city for half a month without making any progress. However, we have been attacking day and night as planned, and the enemy is exhausted. They are just waiting for Zhang Xiu's surprise attack to succeed so that we can attack from both inside and outside."
After the battle report was sent out, the Xiliang army's offensive did not weaken, but instead changed tactics. During the day, Pang De personally led heavily armored infantry to push battering rams and launch a fierce attack on the front, with arrows raining down like locusts. At night, Zhang Ren led light cavalry to circle around to the side of the pass wall, using the moonlight to climb and harass the enemy. Torches illuminated half of the mountain wall, and the shouts of battle continued throughout the night.
This relentless, day-and-night offensive tormented the defenders inside the pass. She Yuan had only slept for two hours in three days, his eyes were dark and swollen, and he nearly collapsed several times on the city wall. Wu Lan, with his impatient nature, was enraged by the night raid, but could only roar at the empty cliff. Wu Yi, though struggling to maintain his command, had increasingly bloodshot eyes, and even the strong tea he drank couldn't quell his drowsiness.
But whenever they saw the corpses of the Xiliang army piled up at the foot of the pass, they would always regain a bit of spirit. Wu Lan wrote in a letter to Chengdu: "Jiange is as solid as a rock, and Ma Chao's tens of thousands of troops cannot move an inch. My lord can rest easy."
When Liu Zhang received the letter, he was filled with anxiety. But seeing the letter's confident tone, his nerves, which had been taut for half a month, finally relaxed. He smiled and said, "With Wu Yi and Wu Lan here, I can finally get a good night's sleep."
Little did he know that the stalemate inside and outside the walls of Jiange Pass was merely a decoy set up by the Xiliang army. The real killing move was quietly approaching through the towering mountains of Yinping Road. Zhang Xiu's Trapped Camp and the Black Mountain Army were already stepping on the vines on the cliffs, getting closer and closer to Jiangyou City.
Since Zhang Xiu and his men received their military orders in Chang'an, they hadn't dared to rest for a moment. Before the morning mist had even dissipated when they arrived in Tazhong, Zhang Xiu, along with Gao Shun and Zhang Yan, had already stepped into the entrance of Yinping Road. Here, the mountains were dark and inky, with only a narrow path between the peaks, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Below them were bottomless ravines, and beside them were sheer cliffs, with vines entwined on the walls, as if they might drag them into the abyss at any moment.
"Everyone, cheer up!" Zhang Xiu glanced back at the troops behind him. The soldiers of the Trapped Camp carried ladders and ropes, while the Black Mountain Army carried axes, saws, and rations. Everyone's armor had been stripped of its superfluous decorations, leaving only the lightest leather armor. "This road is treacherous. One wrong step and you will be crushed to pieces. Those who can't keep up should retreat on their own and not drag the whole army down!"
Gao Shun stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "This humble general will lead the Vanguard Camp, clearing paths through mountains and building bridges over rivers. General Zhang will lead the Black Mountain Army in the center, with brothers familiar with the mountainous terrain scouting ahead to guard against snakes, insects, and miasma." Zhang Yan grinned and patted the curved sword at his waist, "Don't worry, our Black Mountain Army has spent half our lives venturing into the Taihang Mountains; this little distance is nothing!"
Jia Xu did not follow the team deeper into the area. He stopped at the last post station in Tazhong and watched their figures disappear into the mist. He then said to his personal guards, "Send a team of scouts every three days to investigate along their tracks. Mark any dangerous or important places you encounter. Do not lose contact with them."
Once inside Yinping Road, they realized what a "deadly place" truly meant. The first three days were relatively smooth, but on the fourth day, the group reached a treacherous peak called "Motianling." The narrow path suddenly abruptly ended halfway down the cliff, with a rolling sea of clouds below. Only a few withered trees lay across the break, as if they would crumble at the slightest touch.
"General, this road... I'm afraid we can't get through!" The vanguard soldier's face turned pale. Without saying a word, Zhang Xiu untied the rope from his waist, tied one end to an old pine tree on the cliff edge, and wrapped the other end around his waist: "I'll go first!"
He moved slowly, stepping on the dead wood, which creaked and groaned beneath his feet. The wind from the cliff was like a knife, making it difficult to stand. Gao Shun gripped the rope tightly at the edge of the cliff, his palms sweating profusely. Only after Zhang Xiu landed steadily on the other side and waved to indicate "it's feasible" did he allow the soldiers to cross one by one. As the last soldier stepped onto the other side, the dead wood snapped with a "crack" and plunged into the sea of clouds, sending chills down everyone's spines.
On the seventh day of their journey, the group encountered miasma. A bluish-gray fog filled the valley, its scent causing dizziness and lightheadedness; several soldiers, their steps faltering, collapsed to the ground. Zhang Yan immediately ordered mugwort to be lit and then took out herbs he carried with him, instructing everyone to hold them in their mouths: "This fog is poisonous! Hold your breath and follow me!" Relying on the Black Mountain Army's ability to navigate terrain, he led the group around the thickest part of the fog, traversing dense forests for two days before finally emerging from the miasma zone. However, the group had already lost dozens of men.
The most dangerous part was crossing the Baishui River. Although the river was narrow, the current was swift as an arrow, and the riverbed was full of hidden reefs, making it impossible for ferries to pass. Gao Shun stared at the river for a long time, then said to Zhang Xiu, "General, we can have the soldiers cut down vines, weave them into a giant rope, tie it to the huge rocks on both banks, and then have the brothers who are good swimmers hold onto the rope and swim across."
Zhang Yan immediately selected twenty Black Mountain soldiers familiar with swimming. They tied leather bags around their waists, clung to the giant rope, and plunged into the water, struggling fiercely in the rapids. Several times, they were slammed against hidden reefs by the waves, a sight that caused great anxiety among the onlookers. After a full day of effort, the giant rope was finally secured to both banks. The soldiers, using the slippery vines as support, waded across one by one. Many were swept several meters away, only managing to grab the rope back with sheer grit. By the time the entire army had crossed the White Water River, everyone was soaked to the bone, their armor covered in mud and sand, yet no one dared to slacken their efforts. Once across the river, Jiangyou City was only three days' journey away.
Along the way, the wounds on everyone's bodies had scabbed over and reopened repeatedly, and their rations were long gone. They could only rely on wild fruits and vegetables to fill their stomachs, and even the most elite soldiers of the Trapped Camp had lost weight. Zhang Xiu looked at the faint outline of Jiangyou City ahead and said to Gao Shun and Zhang Yan, "The hard times are almost over. Once we take Jiangyou, we'll have a good meal in the city!"
Gao Shun wiped his rusty longsword, a sharp glint in his eyes: "I just hope that Sword Pavilion can hold on and not let all our hard work go to waste."
Zhang Yan patted his stomach and chuckled, "After we break through the city, let's find a drink first. We need to wash away all the suffering we've endured on the journey with some wine!"
As the sun set, it cast long shadows of them. This surprise attack force, which had emerged from Yinping Road, was finally nearing Jiangyou, weathered and exhausted.