readytorunbook Chapter 777 Arson and Burning of Grain
Chapter 777 Arson and Burning of Grain
The Wei army in the forty-six camps totaled over ten thousand men, plus the two thousand troops in the seventy-second camp. If they could all be captured, it would be a great victory.
Jiang Wei's eyes lit up as he listened, but he looked worried and said, "These three points are all west of Camp 72, near the Nanyang Basin. They are too deep. Once we occupy them, we will be attacked from both the east and west by Wei troops. If the Third General cannot arrive in time, we will be doomed."
This plan could yield huge profits, but it also carries great risks. If it fails, they will have to sacrifice themselves for their country.
Zhang Bao, however, said with great bravado: "In war, the bold get rich and the timid starve. Just like An Guo said, without courage, how can there be any output? Shall we do it?"
Jiang Wei stared at the map for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "We can do it, but there are a few things we need to do in advance. First, we need to attack Camp 72. Even if we can't take the camp, we have to burn the food supplies inside. That way, when we block the road, the retreating Wei army will lose its will to resist because they have no food supplies, which will buy time for the Third General to come and rescue us."
"Secondly, we need to discuss the battle plan with the three generals, agree on the attack plan and the attack time, and do our best to ensure the success of the plan."
Such risky actions require meticulous planning at every step, with all variables anticipated in advance and contingency plans prepared in order to maximize the chances of success.
Zhang Bao nodded and said, "Okay, let's go back and discuss it with the Third General now."
The two climbed down the mountain using ropes and quickly retreated back to Sui County along the pre-planned route.
It is worth mentioning that as the Han army continued to win victories, several Wei strongholds in the mountains near Sui County were captured, which made their return to the city much shorter. The two of them returned to the county government and met Zhang Fei in just one hour.
After hearing their plan, Zhang Fei was completely dumbfounded. He stared at the newly drawn map on the wall for a long time before saying, "Are you two crazy? If we get surrounded, we won't be able to escape."
Jiang Wei said with a forced smile, "We still have you, General. As long as you are fast enough, we won't die."
"Moreover, General, you see, it's difficult for us to attack the Wei army from inside the camp, but if we retreat, we'll have to leave the camp. Once we leave the camp, with your attack power, it will be a crushing victory."
"There is still food and fodder. The food and fodder stored in each camp are not much. As long as we burn the food and fodder of the 72nd camp, the retreating Wei army that we have blocked will run out of food. At that time, the Wei army that has no defenses and no food to use after leaving the camp will be nothing more than lambs to the slaughter in front of you."
Zhang Fei grimaced as he listened. Although the plan was risky, the temptation of annihilating tens of thousands of Wei troops in one fell swoop was also great, which made Zhang Fei very conflicted.
After struggling for about a quarter of an hour, Zhang Fei slammed his fist on the wall and said, "The bold get rich, the timid starve. Let's do this. Now let's discuss our action plan. Boyue, you go first."
On the way back, Jiang Wei had already simulated the action plan several times in his mind. Now he just told Zhang Fei what he wanted to say and let him add to it. The old man and the two young men talked for more than half an hour before they finished discussing all the details, such as the blocking force, the attacking force, the attack time, and the route of action.
Looking at the risky yet well-thought-out action plan, Zhang Fei sighed with a complicated expression, "What have you learned from Anguo? Your methods are too unconventional."
Zhang Bao retorted instinctively, "It's not that we're unconventional, it's that you're old and your thinking is outdated."
Lies are insignificant; the truth is the sharpest weapon.
Zhang Fei was truly old, so he hated it most when people said he was old. Upon hearing this, he broke down in anger on the spot, glaring at Zhang Bao while clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, saying, "Say that again to me, you bastard!"
Zhang Bao, with his neck stiff and unwilling to admit defeat, was about to retort when Jiang Wei quickly pulled him away, saying with a smile as they walked, "Third General, you're busy. We'll go and make preparations first."
After the two nimbly slipped away, Zhang Fei immediately rushed to the side, picked up the bronze mirror, looked at his old face, and said with a hint of disappointment, "Am I really old? Time flies so fast."
Jiang Wei and Zhang Bao did not rest but went into the mountains again, this time with twenty or thirty people. Upon closer inspection, each person was carrying a piece of wood on their back, which varied in shape and size.
By the time they returned to the mountaintop where they had previously observed Wei Village No. 72, it was already evening. After selecting a good spot on the mountaintop, Jiang Wei ordered his soldiers to take down the wood from their bodies and assemble it on the spot. They quickly assembled a three-bow crossbow.
Jiang Wei patted the ballista and laughed, "Wei Village No. 72 is heavily defended. Whether we attack it head-on or launch a sneak attack at night, we will suffer heavy losses. But with the ballista, it will be much simpler. After all, we only want to burn the food supplies in the village, not wipe out the Wei army in the village."
The maximum range of the triple-bow crossbow is 700 paces. The straight-line distance from this mountaintop to the camp is at most 500 paces. With the advantage of being on high ground, the Wei army would be helpless against the fire set by the triple-bow crossbow, no matter how well they defended.
Zhang Bao sighed regretfully, "It's a pity we can't go into the village to pour the flammable oil on the grain; it would be perfect if we could."
Jiang Wei rolled his eyes and said, "If I could just pour hot oil on it, why would I bother setting up the ballistae? Wouldn't it be easier to just go into the camp, hold up torches, and set it on fire?"
"Let's wait. It's too dark to see clearly at night. Let's do it tomorrow morning."
As night deepened, the Wei army in the mountain stronghold, unaware that the Han army's ballistae were already aimed at them, feared a night attack from the Han army and sent one-third of their troops to stand guard. Under these circumstances, if the Han army were to launch a night attack, they would probably lose half their lives, if not die.
The Wei army thought its defenses were impeccable, but the Han army did not play by the rules this time.
As dawn broke in the east, Jiang Wei woke everyone and they began their operation. Together, they adjusted the angle of the crossbows, set up the arrows, and lit the arrowheads. Zhang Bao personally smashed down the trigger mechanism.
With a loud bang, an arrow as thick as a child's arm flew straight towards the house in the middle of Wei Village.
Although there were many houses in the stockade, most of them were inhabited by soldiers. In the rush, it was impossible to know which house contained grain. However, since Jiang Wei had chosen to take action, he must have already figured it out. He had sent people to keep watch for more than ten days and had already determined the location of the grain by observing the soldiers coming and going. After the operation, the target was naturally clear.
The flaming arrows streaked across the sky like meteors, heading straight for the Wei army's granary. The Wei soldiers who were changing shifts heard the whistling of the arrows and their faces changed. They shouted that the enemy was attacking and rushed to their battle positions. Then they watched as the arrows streaked across the sky and mercilessly struck the roof of the granary.
The hastily built camp could not possibly be brick and tile houses, but rather simple thatched huts. The thatch was very dry in winter and would burn mercilessly almost as soon as it came into contact with fire.
The Wei soldiers were startled by the sudden burst of flames and were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses, shouting in terror, "Fire! Fire! Put out the fire!"
The idea was good, but it forgot that if it was arson, how could you possibly have the chance to put it out?
Therefore, before the Wei army could rush to the warehouse to put out the fire, a second arrow carrying flames came, this time hitting the wall. The walls of the house were all made of wood, and they quickly caught fire as well.
Then the third and fourth arrows, as thick as a child's arm, kept coming. Some hit the roof, some hit the windows, some hit the walls and doors, and some hit the Wei soldiers fighting the fire. The other Wei soldiers were so frightened that they hurriedly looked for cover, which slowed down the firefighting speed.
Jiang Wei fired twenty arrows in succession, twenty fire arrows that were planted everywhere, quickly setting the Wei army camp ablaze, and then he ran out of arrows.
After firing all his arrows, Jiang Wei set fire to the crossbows before grabbing the ropes and quickly retreating down the mountain.