Taiheiki

Chapter 239 Cleaning
"What are you doing?" Zhou Yi asked.

“That’s lighter!” Furuya replied, “We need to scout out the enemy’s situation before attacking!”

"You don't need to go yourself, do you?" Before Zhou Yi could speak, he saw Gu Gu jump twice on the spot and head towards Juchao City. Apart from two soldiers who followed, the rest of the soldiers either ate or rested. Zhou Yi stood there, not knowing what to do.

Zhou Yi immediately understood why Zhou Jin had specifically mentioned Gu Gu's nickname. Gu Gu's movements were swift and agile; obstacles that many found insurmountable were easily leaped over by him, his hands gripping the ground as he scaled them, like a tiger patrolling its forest. About fifteen minutes later, Gu Gu returned, and Zhou Yi hurriedly went to greet him: "How was it?"

"There are about two hundred people in the city, but they seem to be divided into three groups! As long as we take them down one by one, victory shouldn't be difficult!" Gu Gu took the water jug ​​from his subordinate, took a big gulp, and looked at the sky: "It's still a bit early. Let's wait until late afternoon to make our move!"

As per Nie Sheng's orders, Zhou Yi was merely a guide; the fighting was Gu Gu's responsibility. Therefore, Zhou Yi didn't say much, only nodding. Gu Gu issued orders to his subordinates, then walked to Zhou Yi's side and said, "When we attack later, do you want to fight the bandits with me, or stay here and wait?"

————————————————————

The man on the breach in the city wall was the first victim of the day. He crouched seventy paces away by the parapet, only half his body visible in the blood-red light of the setting sun. Then he began to move, stretching, standing up, facing the city below, seemingly speaking to those below. An archer's arrow struck him squarely in the back, and he tumbled limply down the steep, sloping breach in the wall, landing beside the fence.

The bandits had deployed three sentries, but the other two hid to the side, warming themselves by a fire, until the soldiers quietly climbed through the breach and pulled open the fence. Two soldiers fired arrows simultaneously. One was struck in the throat and fell instantly; the other was shot in the stomach and frantically threw away his torch. The flames licked at his clothes, and he screamed. "This is the end of our infiltration!" Gugu shouted, and the soldiers surged into the city, launching a fierce attack.

Zhou Yi didn't join the battle. He stood on the breach in the city wall, overlooking the houses, streets, taverns, and shops. Well, inside the city walls, there were only overgrown weeds, charred trees, and ubiquitous ruins. Most of the houses had been demolished, leaving only a few intact for the bandits to live in. The trees were almost completely bare, with only a few withered brown leaves clinging to their branches, offering no real obstruction to the view. Gu Gu had left a third of his men as reserves. Zhou Yi hated being seen as a useless coward left behind, but Nie Sheng had given his word, so he didn't argue and silently obeyed.

The western horizon shimmered with the dark red of the setting sun, an ominous sign. A biting north wind swept across the scene, accompanied by the sounds of running water and the creaking of the mill's large wooden wheels. The air was damp and chilly, threatening rain, but no rain fell. Rockets fired by the soldiers embedded themselves in the walls of the bandits' quarters. Some pierced the narrow, closed windows, from which thin, pale blue smoke quickly rose.

More than a dozen armed bandits rushed out of the gate. Archers were waiting for them. A volley of arrows flew, and the living fell like reeds in a strong wind. Many were even hit by multiple arrows, so fast that it was impossible to tell which arrow struck first. Even those wearing armor were pierced as easily as thin silk. The remaining men were impaled by spears that came flying at them, like sheep being attacked by a pack of wolves.

Flames climbed the west wall of the bandits' hideout, thick smoke billowing from a broken window. A crossbowman peered out of the adjacent window, fired an arrow, and then retreated. Zhou Yi could hear fierce shouts, the neighing of horses, and the clanging of metal coming from the other side of the bandits' hideout. "Kill them all! Leave no one alive!" he thought excitedly, clenching his fists.

The bandit crossbowman peeked out again, but this time he didn't have a chance to pull the trigger. Almost simultaneously, three arrows shot into the window, and he was never seen again. Flames and thick white and black smoke billowed from the second floor of the bandit's hideout. Clearly, it was no longer possible to stay and hold out. The survivors swarmed out like ants, some jumping out of the door, others leaping out of the windows. Zhou Yi saw someone step over the second-floor window sill before being shot in the chest, falling with a piercing scream. The smoke grew thicker. He heard Gu Gu's distinctive shouts, and soldiers, spear in hand, surged up from the ditches and ruins. His black and red cloak billowed behind him, and he wielded a seven-foot spear in one hand and a ring-pommel sword in the other, his movements as swift as lightning. People fell in front of him, screaming in agony. Wherever he went, the enemy scattered to the sides, like sheep facing a ferocious beast.

The battle didn't last long. The bandits were either killed or seriously wounded, or they surrendered. A few escaped, but Gu Gu didn't care: "It's good to let the other two bandit groups know they should be afraid!" he said.

"What should we do with the prisoners?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Naturally, we will follow the general's orders!" Gu Gu said, "All the villains in the city must be wiped out!" He handed his weapon to a soldier beside him and ordered in Lin Yi language, "Bring them all here! Anyone who cannot prove their innocence will be executed!"

The soldiers moved swiftly, first showing mercy to the mortally wounded, then dragging the prisoners up. Due to their accents, Gu Gu assigned Zhou Yi to the interrogation. Zhou Yi coldly questioned them, and the bandits wept and begged. Some offered to lead them to buried treasure, others promised to be good soldiers, but ultimately they were all dragged to the drainage ditch, their heads chopped off with a single stroke. The rolling heads tumbled at the bottom of the ditch like little balls.

"This land will surely be incredibly fertile in the future!" Zhou Yi thought to himself, looking at the headless corpses lying on the ground, the burning houses casting a somber, bloody hue over their pale skin. He didn't know when or where the crows had arrived, cawing incessantly, seemingly celebrating their upcoming dinner. "Two more bandit hideouts! These crows are really lucky!" Zhou Yi thought to himself.

The house quickly collapsed amidst the smoke and fire. Gugu spared two survivors, instructing them to deliver a message to the remaining two bandit groups: either surrender all their money and weapons to save their lives, or suffer the same fate as the bandits. Both groups quickly gave the same answer—surrendering their weapons and money, but demanding that Gugu swear not to kill them first.

"I swear I will not harm you, or you will die a horrible death!" Gu Gu swore in front of the two bandit messengers. However, when the bandits handed over their weapons and money and came to the open space, he immediately ordered them all to be tied up and executed. This immediately provoked a chorus of angry curses.

"You barbarian who goes back on his word, you'll die a horrible death!"

"Damn barbarian, aren't you afraid to keep your oath?"

"Captain!" Zhou Yi was also very surprised. He didn't expect Gu Gu to be so direct, not even playing word games: "Aren't you really afraid that your oath will come true?"

"I already told myself when I swore that these were all lies and didn't count!" Furuya replied calmly.

"I'm afraid that won't work."

“Why not? The gods can tell which of my oaths are true and which are just tricks to deceive such fools!” Gu Gu said, “The general has already given the order to cleanse the evildoers. As his subordinate, I must carry it out word for word, or else I will be disobeying orders! In the army, disobeying orders is a capital offense!”

Hearing this, Zhou Yi felt a chill run down his spine and lowered his head, saying, "The captain is right, I understand!"

Ruxukou, Lujiang, Yangzhou.

A river breeze blew as the Chang Le cruise ship rounded Sangluo Island and sailed into the river bay.

Lu Ping walked to Wei Cong, who was standing at the bow of the boat. In front of them, the vast expanse of Leichi Lake could be vaguely seen. This ancient lake had shrunk considerably since the pre-Qin period, but it was still as vast as the ocean, occupying the area of ​​several counties today, and facing Poyang Lake, which is located on the southern slope of the Yangtze River, across the river.

"This is the battlefield I've chosen!" Wei Cong drew a circle with his leather whip: "The Moth Pirates' fleet will inevitably pass through this place on their return journey, while my fleet will be stationed on Sangluo Island, waiting in ambush!"

"The water is so wide here, aren't you afraid they won't fight you and will sneak across?" Lu Ping asked.

"How could that be?" Wei Cong laughed. "First of all, the Moth Pirates don't just have a few ships, dozens of ships. As far as I know, their navy is said to number in the hundreds of thousands, stretching for dozens of miles. If they could sneak past me, unless all my men were blind. Besides, my ships are so fast, how could they possibly cross over?"

"That's right!" Lu Ping laughed. "I almost forgot about that!"

After Wei Cong's navy left Jiangling, his military plans were gradually revealed. In fact, Wei Cong's plan was simple: he didn't intend to lead his troops north to meddle in the bitter battle between the rebels and the government forces. Instead, he would lead his fleet down the Yangtze River, sending several detachments to attack the rebel-controlled prefectures of Yuzhang and Lujiang. The rebels would inevitably send their navy back to reinforce them. Wei Cong's target was this returning navy. In his view, the key to victory in battles along the Yangtze River was "control of the waters." Unlike in modern times, the Yangtze River basin at the end of the Han Dynasty had a much larger water area; much of what is now land was still a vast swamp. Water transport was far more convenient and faster than land transport.

In this geographical environment, it is less a continent and more a huge archipelago and peninsula. Whoever possesses a powerful navy and controls the Yangtze River basin (including its many tributaries and lakes) can freely mobilize troops between various battlefields, creating a situation where the many defeat the few and the strong defeat the weak, thus winning the final victory.

Building a new naval force is far more costly and time-consuming than rebuilding an army. In other words, once Wei Cong defeats the Moth Pirates' naval force, the Moth Pirates will be unable to rebuild their fleet in the short term. Having lost their fleet, the Moth Pirates will quickly fall into a supply shortage, at which point Wei Cong can easily subdue them by offering better terms than the imperial court (in reality, the imperial court is unlikely to offer better terms than Wei Cong), thus ending the rebellion.

Of course, even the best plan is nothing but empty talk without execution. So while Wei Cong sent his generals to attack the prefectures and counties controlled by the Moth Bandits, he himself led his main fleet to build docks and fortresses on Sangluo Island and stockpile grain in preparation for the upcoming naval battle.

His fleet was now anchored beside the reeds and willows on Sangluo Island. The turbulent river and the unpredictable winds of spring and summer slowed him down, but it was a remarkable feat for the fleet to arrive at its destination unscathed at that time.

Behind the Chang Le were fourteen sailing ships, less than a tenth of the entire fleet, but the fastest and the ones Wei Cong placed the most hope in. The smaller ships sailed with the evening tide, forming a haphazard column that stretched for several miles behind. Looking at those sails, Wei Cong felt exhilarated. Having won this battle, the court would essentially have no choice but to accept the reality of semi-independence over the entire Yangtze River basin. His power would extend from the Five Ridges to the banks of the Yangtze—how sweet that was!

The longboats that had arrived stretched out in a line along the beach of Sangluo Island, reaching the limit of sight, their masts like a forest of spears. Larger vessels, with their greater draft and size, were moored in the deeper waters, unable to approach the shore. Familiar flags fluttered from the bows, sterns, and masts of each ship.

"Lord Wei, when do you think the enemy fleet will return?"

"I don't know!" Wei Cong shook his head. "There are too many factors involved, it's hard to predict! But it shouldn't be later than August!"

"Because of the autumn waters?"

Wei Cong nodded without speaking. By this time, the Chang Le had already anchored, and a small boat had been lowered and was moored against the side of the ship, with a rope ladder hanging down. Wei Cong climbed down the rope ladder into the small boat, and Lu Ping followed, patting the side of the boat twice: "Let's go ashore!"

That evening, the generals gathered in Wei Cong's tent. Outside, the campfire emitted an enticing aroma of roasting perch, waterfowl, and pork and mutton. Inside the tent, the generals huddled around a map, discussing the upcoming battle.

"The key to victory or defeat lies in time!" Wei Cong shouted. "Without a doubt, the Moth Bandits have more ships than us. The Ling Canal can only be navigable by smaller ships, and our large ships are almost all newly built in Jiangling, so their numbers are limited! Therefore, the fleets that attacked the various counties must return within the time limit, so that we do not lose to the Moth Bandits due to the dispersion of our forces!"

"General, please rest assured!" Wen Sheng said, "We will definitely return to Sangluozhou within twenty days at the latest!"

"I'll come back in twenty days, even if it means being struck by lightning!"

"If you can't even do this simple thing, then take your own head!"

The generals spoke with great enthusiasm, each of them brimming with confidence for the impending victory.

(End of this chapter)