Chapter 219: The Last Move of Kushan

Counterattack!

They called it a counterattack, but it was not like a normal one.

After successfully receiving 500 Yarkand cavalry from King Zhen of the Kingdom of Yarkand, Mo Xiaobai found Li Guang. “Tonight during the Chou Hour, the Flying General can lead troops out of the North Gate, then find and disperse those scattered Kushan cavalry for me.”

“Remember one thing: the goal of this sortie is not to kill enemies. If you encounter enemies with no loot, just scatter them. If you meet those who have successfully looted, intercept the food they stole, but do not need to kill them all.”

“Yes!”

Li Guang clasped his fist in salute and agreed. Although Mo Xiaobai’s orders would prevent him from enjoying the fight to the fullest, Li Guang was not a fool. He knew what his lord was planning.

Cut off the Kushan’s rear supply lines from plundering, while keeping their troop numbers unchanged.

Once the great Kushan army truly ran out of food, a collapse without fighting would be a light punishment.

Watching Li Guang leave with the order, Mo Xiaobai stroked his chin and a smile curved his lips. “This is a ‘low-profile’ tactic. Although it might look unglamorous, it is indeed the most effective method of war. As long as Li Guang strictly follows my orders, the good days for the great Kushan army must be coming to an end.”

…

That night, at 3:00 AM.

On a cool night with a gentle breeze, the area outside the North Gate of the Kingdom of Yarkand was silent.

After several nights of “peaceful coexistence,” the alertness of the Kushan troops had dropped significantly. As the city gate slowly opened, over a thousand cavalrymen quietly walked out of the North Gate with bits in their mouths and reins held tight.

“The success of this battle rests on your shoulders.”

Seeing Li Guang off personally at the North Gate, Mo Xiaobai couldn’t help but advise: “If you succeed, the Kushan can be broken in a few days. If you fail, remember to protect your own life. In short, make sure you come back to see me alive.”

“My Lord, do not worry. I think that Kushan iron-clad army has no great skill. This time, I will surely complete the heavy trust you have placed in me.”

“Good, I will wait for your return to celebrate your victory.”

“My Lord, I take my leave. This subordinate is off!”

After the lord and minister said their goodbyes, watching Li Guang lead the troops away quietly, Mo Xiaobai rubbed his hands together vigorously. “Maogong, if the Kushan people knew our plan, what do you think they would feel?”

“Perhaps they would regret it, regretting their decision to cross Congling and fight the Great Han.”

“Hah~ I just want to see that look of regret on their faces!”

…

Early the next morning, while Mo Xiaobai sat calmly in the main tent of the Military Camp, waiting for Li Guang to send back good news.

Far away in the northeast, outside the Wang City of Shule, Vice-King Xie had just ordered the main army to continue the assault on the city when he received some bad news.

The food supplies brought by the army could not possibly last two days at full rations.

Without food, this war could not be fought at all. The middle-aged Vice-King Xie paced back and forth in the tent with a dark face for a while before speaking. “Has General Diliya not sent the food yet?”

“Reporting to the Vice-King, General Diliya has not sent any troops.”

“What a waste!”

The middle-aged Vice-King couldn’t help but curse inwardly. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke again. “Gather all the soldiers’ food rations together. Starting today, everyone will eat only one meal a day. This will allow us to last a few more days. Diliya should be able to bring the food.”

Although Vice-King Xie said this, no one in the tent responded.

After a long while, a heavily armored Great General spoke in a low voice. “Vice-King, perhaps Diliya could not steal any food at all. Even if he could steal some, it would not be enough for his own troops.”

Speaking such words at a time of critical food shortage undoubtedly required great courage. Before the General could finish, Vice-King Xie’s entire face was filled with anger and dissatisfaction. “Susa, are you questioning my orders?”

“Susa dares not, but Vice-King, you have seen it yourself. This time we came to the Western Regions, and everything here is vastly different from before.” The heavily armored Great General Susa helplessly waved his hand and said with a frown.

“Just last year, neither Yarkand nor Shule had so many strong castles and fortresses. But now, strong cities of all sizes can be seen everywhere in these two places. Like the Wang City before us, the Han People and the Shule people defend from behind the walls. We have already had five thousand warriors die at the foot of the city, yet we still cannot open the main gate.”

“Now, even with our warriors well-fed, we cannot capture the city defended by Ban Chao. Once our food supplies are scarce, how will the warriors manage to assault the city and fight the enemy?”

What Susa said was the biggest dilemma for the Kushan in this war.

They completely did not understand the changes in the Western Regions, nor had they experienced the city defense battles against the Han Army. Rashly leading an army of 60,000 to 70,000 men to the Western Regions, they only discovered upon arrival that no matter how they fought, they were always restricted.

Here, the Han Army would not engage them in the open field battles that were best suited for Kushan cavalry.

Here, the Han Army had enough food, while the Kushan troops might run out at any moment.

It was not that Vice-King Xie was so arrogant that he did not bring supplies. If they had brought supply wagons, they simply could not have crossed Congling.

“Then tell me, what should we do?” Vice-King Xie felt his scalp tingle for a moment. He glared silently at the many subordinates in the tent.

As the middle-aged Vice-King asked for advice, Susa spoke again. “Vice-King, we now need reinforcements. Reinforcements that can provide us with food and military armament for siege.”

“Reinforcements? Where do we have reinforcements left?”

“There are some. In the Western Regions, not all states side with the Great Han. If I remember correctly, Qiuci was not that friendly to the Great Han, and they were even enemies at one point.”

“Qiuci?”

Hearing his subordinates mention these two words, Vice-King Xie’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Right, Qiuci can be considered a great power in the Western Regions. They should have no problem supplying military food. Susa, I leave this task to you. I still have some gold coins and jewels here. Take them all to the King of Qiuci. You must convince him to help us defeat Ban Chao.”

“Once we break through Ban Chao, the Western Regions will no longer be under the Great Han’s control. This is not only beneficial for us Kushan but also for the King of Qiuci. The King of Qiuci has always refused to submit to the Great Han. He will agree to help us.”

Like a lost person in the dark suddenly seeing a bright lamp, Vice-King did not think twice before deciding on Qiuci. Meanwhile, the heavily armored Great General Susa promised to accept the order.

Neither of them knew that the King of Qiuci had already changed, and the new King of Qiuci was too busy being friendly to the Han People to possibly help them. As for that former King of Qiuci, he was already walking on the official road to Luoyang.

Seeking help from Qiuci was destined to end in disappointment.

Moreover, the opponent the Kushan faced now was Ban Chao. When it came to familiarity with the Western Regions, even the Westerners probably knew less than Ban Chao.

Ban Chao had anticipated what the Kushan would do if their war situation went poorly, long before the battle even began. Otherwise, when he and Mo Xiaobai left the Wang City of Qiuci together, he would not have left the 800 convicts in Qiuci.

In other words, Ban Chao was probably wishing the Kushan would take this exact step.

Once the Kushan was forced to play this last card, it meant they had no other moves left and could only hope for external help.

When this external force could not provide help, the fate of the great Kushan army would be reduced to one word:

Defeat!