Taiheiki

Chapter 186 Arson
"I think it's unlikely!" Yuan Tian said. "It hasn't rained for half a month now, and the vegetation is parched. If a fire is set at night, it will spread and even a god would find it hard to stop. If the governor thinks it's not a good idea, I'm willing to lead five hundred men to raid the enemy camp at night. If we win, you can lead the main army to continue the advance. If the enemy is really lying, only my five hundred men will suffer losses!"

Wei Cong waved his hand, signaling Yuan Tian to wait a moment. He weighed the pros and cons for a moment: "I'll do as you say, but since there's still about an hour before dark, I want to go and see that gap with my own eyes!"

Having made his decision, Wei Cong immediately changed into a set of ordinary soldier's armor, covered with a worn gray cloak, and set off with Yuan Tian, ​​accompanied by a dozen guards. They traversed a narrow path, the muddy roadside overgrown with reeds. Wei Cong chose a mule as his mount, as it suited his appearance better; he didn't want to become the primary target of any archers lurking by the roadside. Reaching the end of the path, Wei Cong dismounted, half-bent over, and followed Yuan Tian into a thicket. As they entered a small hollow, Yuan Tian stopped and whispered, "Look, it's over there!"

Following the line of defense that Yuan Tian pointed to, Wei Cong could clearly see a narrow wall, which was obviously the fortification built by the Occupy people. But just as Yuan Tian said, he could even see one of his own soldiers hiding behind the parapet, carefully monitoring the direction of the enemy.

"Isn't there a camp behind the fortress for the soldiers to rest?" Wei Cong asked.

"Yes, it's over there, but it's empty now, though there are signs that soldiers used to camp there!" Yuan Tian pointed to a small hill about half a mile behind the fortress. It was a good spot, as you could easily overlook a large section of the fortress from there.

"They've evacuated?" Wei Cong frowned. "Then let's go take a look!"

“Prefect—!” Yuan Tian looked troubled.

“Even gamblers will carefully consider the risks before betting a few hundred dollars, let alone betting the lives of millions!” Wei Cong smiled and said, “Let’s go!”

The camp had not been abandoned for long; the air was thick with the stench of excrement, and swarms of large black flies buzzed around the trenches at the edge of the camp, landing on the piles of excrement that were everywhere.

“They shouldn’t have been gone long!” Wei Cong used a bamboo stick to pry open the excrement, judging from its dryness. “That’s strange. Why would they abandon such a strategically advantageous campsite?”

"Governor, it's very dangerous here. We should leave as soon as possible!" Yuan Tian suggested anxiously. He didn't want Wei Cong, the commander-in-chief of the army, to suffer any mishaps in his hands.

"Someone!"

A commotion came from outside the camp. A moment later, scouts brought in a flustered, dark-skinned man. After a brief interrogation, it was learned that the man was a soldier from the Zhan people in this camp. He had looted a sum of money and, to avoid being discovered by his comrades and superiors, had secretly buried it next to his tent. However, he hadn't anticipated that the army commander would suddenly order a complete withdrawal the previous day. In the chaos, he had no time to dig out his valuables and had to leave empty-handed with the army. He planned to escape along the way and return to retrieve his hidden treasures, but was caught red-handed by Wei Cong's men.

“Ask him why they left in such a hurry?” Wei Cong asked.

"Yes!" the interpreter asked in the Cham language. The man shook his head and rattled off a string of words.

"He said he didn't know either, but he heard on the way that the army was short of food, so their commander was going to retreat and plunder Han Chinese villages along the way to get food!"

"Then why is there such a large gap here? Has no one filled it?" Wei Cong asked.

The man shook his head blankly at the interpreter's question. Wei Cong nodded: "Take him away, give him some food, and don't hurt him!" "Yes, sir!" Yuan Tian responded, turned around and gave the order to his subordinate. When he turned back, he found Wei Cong pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. He dared not disturb Wei Cong or interrupt his thoughts, so he could only wait quietly to the side, holding his breath.

About fifteen minutes later, as dusk fell, the sound of horns drifted from afar, signaling the approaching night. Wei Cong stopped and looked towards the direction of the horns. A continuous plume of smoke rose from the Cham camp. He exhaled a long breath and suddenly laughed, "After all, one can't be omniscient and omnipotent on the battlefield! Yuan Tian! You stay here. I'll send reinforcements, and you'll be in command. First, attack the Cham elephant stables! Set them on fire!"

"Understood!" Yuan Tian puffed out his chest, clenched his fists, and tried his best to appear calm.
Wei Cong patted the other man on the shoulder and laughed, "Well, if we succeed this time, I will appoint you as the governor of a prefecture!"

Yuan Tian's mind went blank, and he almost fell over. He gritted his teeth and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty's kindness is immense, how could I not repay it with my life!"

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When Wei Cong returned to the camp, it was already completely dark. He had dinner brought to him and, while eating, issued military orders, sending reinforcements to Yuan Tian's side, ordering all officers to return to their units, and instructing the soldiers to be armed and ready to go, with each unit awaiting orders. Anyone found disorganized or negligent in their duties would be beheaded.

Just as he was enjoying his meal, Yuan Shao came in from the outer room: "What happened? When I came in, everyone was preparing for war?"

"Hmm!" Wei Cong spat out a bone: "My men discovered an undefended section of the fortified village occupied by the enemy. The garrison has retreated to loot the Han Chinese villages along their route!"

"That doesn't seem right. Even if troops were being deployed to seize grain, there's no need to withdraw the guards from the fortress!" Yuan Shao frowned. "Even if they did withdraw, wouldn't they send replacement soldiers? Could this be a trap?"

"I don't know the specific reason! But I checked it myself, and there shouldn't be any problem. Or even if there is a problem, I've already benefited from burning down the elephant stable that was taking advantage of me! Elephants are most afraid of fire. If a fire starts, it can cause chaos and won't be easy to clean up." Wei Cong put down his chopsticks, picked up the tofu soup, took a big gulp, and looked smug.

“You are the commander-in-chief, so the decision-making power is naturally yours!” Yuan Shao said, “However, I have a condition!” “What condition?” Wei Cong asked.

"I want to stay by your side and see how you command!" Seemingly afraid that Wei Cong would refuse, Yuan Shao explained, "I am an Embroidered-Robe Envoy, responsible for supervising the governors and prefects of each province to capture thieves and punish traitors. If Governor Wei fails to effectively suppress the bandits, I will have the responsibility to supervise him!"

"Such a small matter, what's so difficult about it!" Wei Cong laughed. "Alright, then you'll be my equal tonight. You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Someone, bring another set of bowls and chopsticks!"

After having dinner with Yuan Shao, Wei Cong changed into his armor and began inspecting the military camp. Wherever he went, the fully armored soldiers stood up and saluted their general with their hands clasped. Wei Cong waved to them one by one, and when he encountered a familiar veteran, he would stop, call out his name, pat him on the shoulder, and inquire about his and his family's well-being. This didn't sound like a commander inquiring about his soldiers, but rather like a long-lost friend greeting him.

The soldiers whose names were called were all extremely excited, their faces beaming with pride, and they answered their commander's questions with gratitude. After Wei Cong left, everyone gathered around him, asking about his past deeds and achievements. The soldiers being questioned, however, acted with a reserved yet arrogant demeanor, recounting their past exploits and accomplishments to their comrades.

And so, whenever Wei Cong passed by a unit, a fervent clamor followed behind him. Whether their names were called or not, everyone was filled with anticipation, eager to earn their own glory in the upcoming battle. This intense longing burned like a red-hot iron.

It seemed even the heavens sensed this fervor. Those with keen eyesight noticed a strange, dark red glow appearing in the night sky in the enemy's direction. Soldiers whispered among themselves, believing it to be an auspicious sign, foretelling their victory and the enemy's defeat. As time continued, the dark red glow grew brighter and brighter, clearly a firelight. Faint, growing noise could be heard, growing louder and louder. Everyone, filled with a desire for victory, eagerly awaited this moment.

By this time, Wei Cong had inspected about two-thirds of the camp. When he received the messenger's message, he stopped, a troubled expression on his face. After pacing back and forth a couple of times, he suddenly stopped, a resolute look on his face. He climbed onto a wooden crate and addressed the soldiers before him: "For a military general, the greatest shame is to cause the king to worry about the distant barbarians' rebellion. Now, the Moth Rebels are causing chaos, cutting off the road between Jiaozhou and the Central Plains, forcing the court's envoys to travel by sea to deliver the emperor's decree. I originally intended to lead the brave warriors of Jiaozhou north to quell the rebellion. However, the southern barbarians seized the opportunity to rebel, gathering an army of 30,000 and a hundred war elephants, occupying the two prefectures of Jiuzhen and Rinan. The young and strong have all fled, the old and weak have filled the ditches, and white bones have been exposed in the fields, with no rooster crowing for a thousand miles! As the governor of Jiaozhou and the Protector of the Baiyue, I had no choice but to gather warriors to go south to resist the barbarian invasion. We have been locked in a stalemate here for more than half a month. Although we have defeated the barbarians several times and killed many, the barbarian chieftain has summoned new reinforcements, and the situation remains extremely critical!"

"But Heaven's justice is just, and China will surely prevail; the people's hearts are loyal, and even a common man will avenge his enemies. Just now, fires rose in the barbarian camp, and shouts of battle echoed. Scouts brought news that the barbarian elephant stables were on fire, and those giant beasts howled in terror, charging in all directions and trampling each other. This is Heaven sending down calamity to punish them, but it is also bestowing upon us an opportunity to achieve great deeds. As the ancients said, 'If Heaven gives something and you do not seize it, you will suffer the consequences!' Tonight is a great opportunity for you all to achieve great deeds!" With that, Wei Cong tore off a piece of plain white cloth from the corner of his robe, tied it to his right arm, and shouted, "Tonight, all troops will use this white cloth as a marker to kill the enemy and achieve great deeds!"

"Let's use the white cloth as a marker to kill the enemy and achieve merit!" A chorus of enthusiastic responses erupted from the camp.

Seeing that the soldiers' morale had been boosted, Wei Cong immediately ordered the drums to be beaten. With each drumbeat, the troops, according to the pre-arranged plan, split into three groups and headed towards the Cham fortifications. Wei Cong's group headed towards the gap that Yuan Tian had previously discovered. But when the soldiers found such a long stretch of intact fortification undefended, they felt it was clear that heaven was helping them. They quickly leaped over the fortifications, torches in hand, and rushed towards the nearest Cham camp.

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"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

An Heng suddenly woke up. He was a light sleeper, especially after this military campaign. The numerous and complicated affairs of war weighed heavily on his shoulders, making this strong man look haggard. So he would drink a little wine mixed with herbs before going to bed so that he could get enough rest.

"What happened!" An Heng asked, gripping the sword beside his pillow. He could tell from the servant's terrified expression that it wasn't good news.

"Fire! Fire!"

An Heng rushed out of the tent barefoot. The towering flames were particularly dazzling against the backdrop of the night sky, followed by the roar of a giant beast. He gasped. That was the location of the elephant stable.

"What happened!" An Heng roared, "How could the elephant stables catch fire? I want those servants skinned alive!"

"It's a night attack by the Han Chinese!" the guard exclaimed urgently. "They're using some strange kind of rocket fire, and we can't put it out no matter what we do!"

"Damn it, send men to the elephant stables immediately and bring back as many elephants as you can!" An Heng felt his heart bleeding. He no longer had time to investigate how the Han raiders had silently breached his fortified defenses. He knew all too well that these war elephants were his greatest asset. The previous skirmishes had already proven that despite having nearly twice the numbers, he was doomed to defeat in open battle against the Han army's overwhelming cavalry superiority.

Watching the guards rush off to relay the orders, Anheng realized he was still barefoot. He returned to his tent and began to put on his armor with the help of slaves. Just as he raised his hands for the slaves to tighten his belt, someone rushed into the tent. Anheng turned around, wanting to see who was being so rude, only to find it was his uncle, the priest of Indra.

"What happened?" An Heng asked.

"What's going on?" the old priest retorted. "Indra, are you blind? The Han army has broken through the walls, their archers are firing rockets everywhere, and their knights are hacking and slashing! And here you are, making a fool of yourself!"

“I’ve already sent men to the elephant stables; that’s the most important thing!” Anheng replied. “We must remain calm at this time!”

"Come out and see for yourself!" The old priest grabbed An Heng's arm and pulled him out. Standing in the open space at the tent entrance, they could easily see a large swathe of firelight surging in from the west. At the same time, shouts of battle could be heard from the north, indicating that a fierce battle was taking place there as well.

(End of this chapter)