Taiheiki

Chapter 253 Destruction
"Light the fire and kill!" Nie Sheng roared and charged forward. Moments later, firelight rose from the tops of the reed huts in the old Moth Bandit camp, turning the night sky crimson, as if there were wounds there.

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If one were to choose a general in the Han army who knew the Mohe rebels best, Wei Cong would likely be the one. As an early weapons supplier for the Mohe rebels, and with high-ranking defectors like Lu Ping by his side, Wei Cong had an encyclopedic knowledge of their equipment: their spears, swords, and shields were basically on par with the average Han army, but they lagged far behind in bows, crossbows, and armor.

The reason is simple. Wei Cong provided a great deal of the former, and after the Moth Rebellion, they controlled the iron and copper mines near present-day Daye County, Hubei Province, attracting a large number of miners and metallurgical craftsmen. However, bows and crossbows and armor were a different matter. Bows and crossbows required large quantities of fish glue, sinews, horns, bamboo, wood, feathers, and metal, while armor required leather and metal. Both required a large number of skilled craftsmen, which the Moth Rebellion desperately lacked. As for horses, they were even scarcer. Therefore, Wei Cong did not believe that the Moth Rebellion could reach Luoyang—once they left the Han River basin and entered the Central Plains, their fragile supply lines would be cut by the Han cavalry, leading to their complete annihilation.

Based on the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, Wei Cong adopted a highly targeted strategy: choosing battlefields with limited width to avoid being overwhelmed by the enemy's overwhelming numerical superiority; constructing field fortifications and deploying archers on both sides of the spear formation to maximize the archers' lethality against unarmored or lightly armored enemies and avoid close combat.
By mixing their limited war elephants and cavalry together and concealing them in reed beds or low-lying areas, the Wei army could attack the enemy's flanks when the two armies were locked in fierce combat. Leveraging these strategies and their superior equipment, the Wei army achieved a series of victories in the initial skirmishes, repeatedly routing the enemy and even resulting in thousands surrendering on the battlefield.

However, both commanders were well aware that these victories were not decisive. After all, the peasant army still had a huge numerical advantage, and the number of troops lost in the preliminary battles accounted for a negligible proportion of their total strength. Although the Wei army was the victor, it also had to pay a certain price. When this price accumulated to a certain limit, the balance of power would shift against them.

However, Wei Cong had another purpose in conducting this series of preliminary battles: to attract the enemy's attention as much as possible so that Nie Sheng could successfully cross the dangerous swamp, outflank the enemy from behind, and attack their main camp where they stored food and supplies. This was the real key to victory.

In one of the few well-preserved houses in Queyue City, three people were still discussing military matters late at night. Several whale oil lamps burned around the round table where a sand table was set up. Wei Cong used his gold-hilted dagger as a paperweight to hold down the corner of the map, his finger tracing its lines: "Tomorrow, replace three battalions here, here, and here to fill the gaps and give them a rest! By the way, Wen Sheng, are there any more new recruits?"

"General, do not worry!" Wen Sheng hurriedly replied, "We have plenty of reinforcements. Two thousand men were transported from Jiangling the day before yesterday, and Liu Jiu said that another two thousand men will be sent in ten days. He said that the heroes of Nanjun are very enthusiastic."

"Is that so?" Wei Cong laughed. Due to geographical distance, more than half of the soldiers in his army were now from Jingzhou. To recruit soldiers, especially in large numbers, he would definitely need the cooperation of local powerful families, since this was taking away their share of the pie.

"Indeed, after the battle of Sangluozhou, anyone who isn't blind can see that you are the greatest contributor to quelling the Moth Bandits!" Wen Sheng laughed. "At your age, you have a bright future ahead of you, and becoming one of the Three Dukes in the court is just around the corner. If those people in Nanjun don't serve now, when will they?"

"Enter the court as one of the Three Dukes?" Wei Cong smiled nonchalantly. "That's a good thing. By the way, Li He, we must be careful when the three battalions rotate, and we must not let the thieves take advantage of any loopholes!"

"Don't worry, my lord, I'll stagger the shifts and personally oversee things!" Li He said.

Wei Cong nodded, about to say something, when suddenly his expression turned serious, and he turned his head as if listening to something.

"What's wrong?" Wen Sheng asked.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and a guard rushed in, remaining silent. Meng Gaogong, who was standing behind Wei Cong, stepped forward and shielded his master behind him.

"What happened?" Wen Sheng shouted sternly.

"General, General, come out and see!" the guard shouted breathlessly, "The bandit camp, the bandit camp is on fire!"

Wei Cong's eyes lit up. He rushed out of the house and found a large locust tree in the courtyard, as thick as a man's embrace. To make it easier to see further, he had built a wooden ladder under the tree and climbed to the top. Wei Cong climbed the ladder and saw a burst of fire rising in the northwest. The firelight shot into the sky, illuminating the night sky and forming a terrifying blood-red glow. This kind of fire could not possibly be a campfire or bonfire; there was only one possibility.

"It's the young master who succeeded!" Wen Sheng exclaimed joyfully. "It must be the young master who succeeded. With such firelight, the bandits' main camp must have been burned down!"

"Excellent!" Li He's face was also beaming with joy. "Unbelievable, truly unbelievable! To think, to think—"

Wei Cong clenched his fists, feeling the pain of his nails digging into his palms. His heart was filled with pride and joy, even more so than when he had actually won. Nie Sheng had once again delivered victory into his hands.

"The previous rotation order is cancelled!" Wei Cong said in a deep voice. "Pass down the order: each battalion shall prepare food at midnight, eat at dawn, and attack at daybreak!"

"Here!"

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"So, your adopted son succeeded?" Lu Ping sat up from the brocade couch, the thin blanket slipping off her shoulders to reveal her fair skin.

"Hmm!" Wei Cong took a sip of water: "We'll attack after dawn, otherwise he'll be in danger!"

"Then I'll do my part too!" Lu Ping picked up her inner robe and put it on, then whistled. Ah Li silently ran in from the outer room, wagging its powerful long tail at its mistress.

"Give me a hand?" Wei Cong immediately realized: "You can turn enemy generals against their side!"

"Not bad!" Lu Ping said with a smile as she skillfully combed her hair. "It would be difficult under normal circumstances, but it's different now. Everyone has to find a way to survive!" She had finished combing her hair and put on her Taoist robe; at first glance, she looked every bit the beautiful female Taoist.

"My lord, you must not miss this opportunity!"

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This was the fourth day of the ninth month of the second year of Jianning. At dawn, the sky was deathly pale, as if even the heavens themselves were terrified by what had happened the previous night. The eastern dawn broke, the morning glow like blood, the sun slowly climbing above the horizon, its face weary, a deep crimson, its sunlight illuminating the river, marshes, lakes, and land. At the Wei army camp, large numbers of soldiers, warhorses, and war elephants poured out of the fortifications like a flowing river, forming rows of battle formations. Meanwhile, the opposing Moth Bandit camp seemed only now to have noticed the Wei army's movements. Their leader, on horseback, led his attendants and retainers away from the camp, heading west. Thousands upon thousands of eyes watched his actions; most assumed he was clearing away the reeds where enemy ambush might be hiding, preparing for the upcoming battle.

The leader, his attendants, and his troops moved further and further from the camp, gradually approaching the reeds, the sunlight shining on their armor. Suddenly, they turned and ran towards the Wei army. Just as everyone was astonished, this group of men dropped their weapons in front of the Wei army's lines and approached on foot. The Wei army's formation parted to let them in.

From the gate of the Moth Bandits' camp came panicked voices, or rather howls.

"Where are they? Run for your lives!" "What the hell? The officials have betrayed us!"

Hundreds of mouths merged into one voice shouting: "The officials ran away, abandoning us!"

The roar echoed through the crowd like a raging storm, rushing straight into the reeds. Tens of thousands of mouths then uttered that terrifying cry, seemingly coming from inhuman mouths.

"Run for your lives! Run for your lives! The government troops are coming! The officials have run away! We all need to save ourselves!"

Like a flash flood, everyone was in an uproar. Campfires were trampled out, supply wagons were overturned, tents were torn down, fences were overturned, people pushed and trampled each other, piles of people were trampled to death, and corpses even blocked the escape route.

Amidst screams, curses, shouts, and groans, the fleeing people raced over corpses. At the back gate of the camp, they were crammed together, pushed down like sacks of potatoes, and trampled underfoot. The dying stretched out their arms, trying to grab onto anything they could, clinging desperately. They cried out to heaven and earth, begging for their lives, before finally breathing their last. Some even fought each other, each vying for a chance to escape.

This terrifying cry was like a signal to launch an attack; the Wei army units couldn't even wait for the order and began to move forward. The troops surged into the enemy camp like a whirlwind. Those not trampled to death were sure to perish under swords and spears.

Blood was everywhere in the lake, making it difficult to distinguish between blood and water. The terrified moth thieves were in complete chaos, trampling each other as they jostled and pushed their way into the reeds, sinking into the mud. The reeds were littered with corpses; those with nowhere left to escape turned back, not to save their own lives, but to demand a final, desperate price. The slaughter and carnage were so brutal that even veterans who had fought many battles had never witnessed anything like it. Years later, recalling the battle still sent chills down their spines.

"General Xu, you are truly a wise man!" Wei Cong said, pointing to the enemy camp and addressing the leader of the Moth Bandits who had just surrendered.

"This lowly man dares not presume to call himself a general!" Xu Zhi looked at everything unfolding with a pale face: "I previously resisted the royal army, a crime deserving death. I beg the general to punish me!"

"That's all in the past!" Wei Cong waved his hand with a smile: "This time you surrendered to the royal army, you have done nothing wrong, and I will recommend you to the court for commendation!"

"Thank you, Lord Wei!" Xu Zhi's expression softened, and he lowered his voice, saying, "I have some personal belongings that I wish to offer to you for military supplies. Please accept them!"

"Private funds?" Wei Cong was taken aback, then laughed. "Your money didn't come easily, so there's no need to give it to me. Besides, you'll have many expenses in the future, so it's better to be frugal!" Seeing Xu Zhi's confusion, he explained, "I can petition the court to reward you. But there are many tricks involved in how the court rewards and appoints officials. After all, you come from a poor background, so you'll have to spend money to smooth things over in many ways. If you don't have much money in your pocket, I'm afraid you'll end up with nowhere to go! Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood!" Xu Zhi's face paled even more. "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Wei. However, I will rely on you in many ways in the future—"

Wei Cong raised his right hand, interrupting Xu Zhi: "Don't talk about relying on others. This battle isn't over yet. There are still tens of thousands of remnants of the Moth Bandits, stubbornly resisting. We'll need your help in recruiting and pacifying them!"

"Of course!" Xu Zhi puffed out his chest. "I will obey Lord Wei's orders!"

"Great!" Wei Cong laughed, "Warmth will rise!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Wen Sheng hurriedly stepped forward.

"This young master Xu will serve under your command and oversee the matter of persuading them to surrender!"

"Here!"

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The Moth Thieves' Camp.

"What should we do now?"

This was the question swirling in the minds of everyone in the tent; the situation was already quite clear. The army, originally numbering 170,000 to 180,000, had melted away like ice under the scorching sun after this crushing defeat. Worse still, their supplies and provisions had been destroyed, and the remaining food in the camp would only last for seven or eight days at most.

"Let's flee west!" someone raised their head. "Abandon the ships and supplies, and head west!"

"To the west lies the Yunmeng Marsh!"

"Yunmengze is great! We can split up and go our separate ways. Anyway, the soldiers can't stay here for too long! If we can hold out for six months to a year, we'll get through this!"

"That's a good idea!"

"Yes, it's better than staying here and waiting to die! In a few days, when Feng Kun and Zhang Huan find out, they'll definitely come chasing after us to steal the credit!"

"Yes! Oh, it's really unbelievable! Just a few days ago we had hundreds of thousands of troops, stretching for miles, how imposing and intimidating they were! But now?"

"So fate is beyond our control! In the end, Wei Cong is our nemesis. If we encounter him, we will only suffer defeat!"

"Is this something we should or shouldn't do? He's a government official, we're thieves, we're just destined to do the right thing!"

"We may be thieves, but he might not necessarily be a government official! We'll see!"

(End of this chapter)