Chapter 153: The Stratagem

Half a month ago, the flames of war ignited at Shiyang Pass. Dai County had dispatched fifty thousand troops to the front, leaving only seventy thousand defending guards inside the city.

Su Wei had received the news from the front lines three hours earlier than Pei Yuan. He immediately summoned all his lieutenants and captains to discuss a counterstrategy. He hadn’t even found the time to eat dinner, and by the third watch of the night, he still hadn’t touched a single drop of water or crumb of food.

Su Wei had no appetite because the intelligence he received stated that Chunya Luan, the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu, was leading a massive army of 130,000 troops toward Dai County. They were coming with ferocious momentum, intending to wipe them out while Dai County’s defenses were depleted.

Some generals urged Su Wei to immediately lead the troops out of the city to confront the enemy, setting up battle lines against Chunya Luan’s vast army. One general argued passionately: “General, from what I see, we should take the initiative to attack! The weather is freezing right now, and violent blizzards are raging. Chunya Luan’s troops have marched all the way south, so they must be exhausted and lacking winter clothing. This is exactly when they are at their weakest. Though they outnumber us, they are like fragile window paper—easily pierced with a single poke. We have fewer men, but our soldiers are in high spirits and full of energy. Furthermore, Chunya Luan is notorious for his arrogance. He certainly won’t expect us to dare step outside the city to meet him. We can catch him completely off guard! Even if we can’t force them into a full retreat, we can deal a heavy blow to his prestige and crush his arrogance!”

Su Wei thought the general made some sense, but he still hesitated. After contemplating for a long while, he shook his head. “Right now, the fierce battle at Shiyang Pass is at its height. We are the most critical major town closest to Shiyang Pass; we absolutely cannot afford any mishaps. The tactics you propose are certainly thrilling, but they are improper. Have you ever considered what would happen if we threw caution to the wind to fight Chunya Luan to the death? The city would become even more vacant. If Chunya Luan had prepared in advance and dispatched troops to attack us from the rear, wouldn’t taking the city be effortless for them? Where would we go then?”

The lieutenant disagreed. “General, you are overestimating the enemy’s cleverness. If we are this timid and bound by fear, how are we supposed to fight this war?”

“You possess youthful hot-bloodedness, which certainly brings valor, but you are far too reckless.” Su Wei’s strategist, Dai Zeng, stood up and said, “I believe the General is entirely correct. Right now, we do not seek to destroy the enemy, but to seek stability. Pitting seventy thousand against 130,000 is a staggering disparity in military strength. Even if a God of War like Xiang Ji were to return from the dead, breaking through such a siege would be no easy feat.”

Su Wei nodded. This was exactly what he was thinking.

Seeing Su Wei nod, Dai Zeng pressed on even more eagerly with his advice: “General, we must absolutely not open the city gates to face the enemy. Remaining inside the city is our only safe bet. Our city walls are high and thick, and our stockpile of defensive spears is plentiful. Holding out for ten days to half a month will be no problem at all. Moreover, Prince Jibei is stationed in Feng County, which is not far from us. The military strength at his base is formidable. When the time comes and Prince Jibei deploys his troops to reinforce us, cutting off Chunya Luan’s retreat from behind, we can then open the city gates and charge out. Defeating his 130,000-strong army will be as easy as blowing away dust!”

“Military Counselor, your approach is far too conservative!” Su Wei’s lieutenant still refused to back down. “There is clearly a very high probability of winning. How can we just shrink back inside the city? What difference is there between us and a turtle hiding in its shell? Besides, Dai County is not an isolated city. There are three small towns and hundreds of thousands of civilians surrounding it. If we retreat and avoid battle, what will happen when those Xiongnu soldiers raid and harass them?”

Dai Zeng countered, “In our current situation, preserving the forces defending Dai County is the priority. We must distinguish what is urgent and important; we cannot afford to take risks.”

Displeased, the lieutenant wanted to argue further, but Su Wei cut him off: “No more discussion. We will proceed exactly as the Military Counselor suggests.”

The lieutenant could only shut his mouth sullenly, reluctantly accepting the order before taking his leave.

……

On a vast, open plain thirty li outside of Dai County, Chunya Luan’s troops were clearing the snow from the ground and pitching their tents.

The military tents were as numerous as the stars, stretching as far as the eye could see. The carriages transporting provisions formed a grand, sweeping convoy, each heavily laden, their wheels leaving deep grooves in the snow. When evening came and it was time to cook, the soldiers lit cooking fires—one every ten paces. Wisps of kitchen smoke coiled upward into the sky, nearly blotting out the sun.

Unless one actually entered the encampment, no one could tell that the vast majority of those tents were completely empty, the carriages were loaded with rocks, and the pots on the stoves were merely boiling melted snow.

With a mere twenty thousand men, they had conjured the grand momentum of a hundred-thousand-strong army.

Chunya Luan sat in his central command tent, drinking wine with great relish. His confidant, Cha Ergua, lifted the curtain and entered, saying with a laugh, “My Lord, your prediction was entirely correct. The gates of Dai County are tightly shut. The defending general, Su Wei, has been completely deceived and is scared to death. I had men shout provocations loudly down below, and he didn’t even dare make a sound.”

Chunya Luan replied, “Send more people to provoke him. The more arrogant our behavior, the more terrifying he will perceive our strength to be. Only then can our future plans proceed smoothly.”

Cha Ergua nodded in agreement and added, “People have already been sent to launch surprise attacks on the three small towns near Dai County. I expect Prince Jibei’s side should have received the news by now.”

“I really must give my proper thanks to Lord Pei Xiao.” Chunya Luan set down his wine cup and smiled. “If not for his full assistance, it would have been truly difficult for me to devise such an excellent strategy. I wouldn’t have known Su Wei’s weakness, let alone thought to bribe Dai Zeng.”

Cha Ergua asked, “My Lord, what should we do next?”

“We wait,” Chunya Luan said. “Our bluff succeeded in fooling Su Wei because he is old. He was originally a civil official, inherently mild-mannered and conservative by nature. But Prince Jibei is different. He comes from a military background; he is more brutal, but also more alert. He will realize our deception very soon. When that time comes, he will definitely deploy his troops to attack us. Once he leaves Feng County, we will seize the opportunity to strike Feng County instead. When Prince Jibei realizes he has been tricked, he will turn his army around to save it. We will set an ambush on the road and slaughter him! Once Prince Jibei is dead, Feng County will be leaderless, and capturing the city will be as easy as reaching into a pocket to take a treasure. Once Feng County falls, marching on to conquer Dai County will naturally follow. Two-thirds of the entire northern region of Yan will fall right into our hands.”

Cha Ergua said excitedly, “The bait has been set, we only wait for the fish to bite!”

……

In the midst of the continuous, drizzling rain of central Shu, Pei Xiao sat properly in a bamboo grove playing the qin. Small lanterns hung from the bamboo trees, and a stove burned below the platform to warm the wine. Everything was exactly as it had been when Chunya Luan first visited.

He finished playing a piece and lifted his eyes to look toward the north. It was evening, and the sun was slowly sinking.

He thought to himself that, calculating the time, things over there should have already fallen into chaos.

Falling into chaos was good. He wished nothing more than for the whole world to plunge into chaos. Since the people of the world had failed him, they couldn’t blame him for failing the world!

Support Sansukini on Ko-fi

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here