Taiheiki

Chapter 82 Attack
"Yes!" Diwu Deng responded, turning and gesturing to the outside. A moment later, Lu Ping and Liu Qun walked in, bowing and paying their respects. Wei Cong beckoned, "Come, both of you, come and take a look at this sand table. Is there anything wrong with the layout?"

Lu Ping responded and stood up and walked forward. He saw a wooden plate covered with a thick layer of sand on the table. There were several piles of sand, as well as wooden blocks and wooden figurines of various colors.

"This is the market town, this is Dongting Lake, this is Baqiu Mountain, and this is the bandit camp. Take a look, is there anything wrong with the placement?" Wei Cong asked, pointing on the sand table with a thin wooden stick. Lu Ping leaned over and looked carefully, comparing it with his memory of the local topography. He carefully extended his finger and said, "Here, yes, you should move a little east. Yes, that's it. Also, there's a village here, there's a river branch here, and there's a small path over there..."

Wei Cong followed Lu Ping's instructions and moved the markers on the sand table. When Lu Ping was sure everything was correct, he let out a long sigh: "Well, judging by the location of this camp, the bandit leader also understands the art of war!"

"Yes!" Zhao Yannian nodded. "They're located close to the mountains and the water, with woodlands nearby for firewood. They also control the nearby roads, allowing them to advance or retreat. They're truly experts!"

"If that's the case, then we can only contact the defenders in the mountain city and force them to retreat!" Wei Cong sighed.

"Yes, it's a pity, but that's all we can do!" Wen Sheng laughed. "The thieves have already controlled these three intersections. If we want to catch them, we can only follow them. But the roads along the way are full of swamps, wetlands, and mountain thorns. It's too dangerous to follow them!"

"That's right. Anyway, as long as we lift the siege of Ba Qiu, we can report to our superiors, right?" Huang Ping said with a smile.

"Yes, that's all we can do!" Wei Cong nodded. He had observed along the way that the area around Dongting Lake was very underdeveloped. Most villages were located on the high ground surrounding the lake, with the adjacent swamps drained and cultivated. Between the villages lay vast expanses of mountain swamps and wetlands. A long march in such conditions for a foreign army unfamiliar with the local terrain was extremely dangerous. They could easily fall into a trap set by insurgents familiar with the local conditions, let alone pursue the retreating bandits. Therefore, after Wei Cong eliminated the rebel group besieging the market town and defeated their reinforcements, he became more cautious in his actions.

"Captain!" Lu Ping, who was standing by, also understood about half of what was going on. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "If you're worried, I know a way to bypass the bandit camp and cut off their retreat!"

The tent fell silent. Lu Ping could feel everyone's eyes on him. Liu Qun, standing beside him, knelt down with his knees weakened. He tugged at his friend's sleeve and whispered, "Get down now! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Lu Ping gritted his teeth, tensed his body, and repeated, "I know a way to bypass the enemy camp and cut off the bandits' retreat!"

"Very good!" Wei Cong finally spoke. He handed the thin wooden stick to Lu Ping and said, "Show me where the road is. Where does it go from?"

Lu Ping took the thin wooden stick and drew a thin line on the sand table: "From here to here!"

"Hmm!" Wei Cong leaned over and carefully examined the sand table for a moment. If that thin line really existed, it could indeed bypass the thieves' camp and cut off their retreat. But did it really exist? What kind of path was it? Wei Cong raised his head again: "How long is it, how wide is it, and how long does it take to walk?"

"It's about 17 or 18 miles. The widest part is about 7 or 8 feet, and the narrowest part is only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It will take almost a whole day to walk!"

"So it's just a mountain trail?" Wei Cong frowned.

"That's right. Usually only hunters and woodcutters use that road. Outsiders don't know about it!" Lu Ping said with certainty, "Even ordinary people in the market town don't know about it!"

"Oh?" Wei Cong's gaze suddenly turned to Lu Ping, and the implication was clear: "Then how did you know?"

"My uncle is a hunter, and I've often followed him up the mountain since I was little. Later, the market town at the foot of the mountain became increasingly prosperous, so I moved down the mountain with my parents to settle down! But sometimes I still go up there with my uncle to hunt, and sometimes I do some bootlegging business."

Wei Cong did not say anything. Lu Ping's meaning was very clear. Although the road was difficult to travel, the bandits would not know about it and taking a detour would bring huge benefits. However, this was only his one-sided statement. If he was not telling the truth, and the bandits also knew the existence of this road and had sent scouts to guard it, the soldiers sent to attack by taking a detour would most likely be wiped out.

"Stay back first!"

Lu Ping and Liu Qun bowed and left the tent. Wei Cong turned his gaze to Diwu Deng and asked, "You recommended this person. Do you think what he just said is true?"

"I believe it's true!" Diwu Deng hesitated and replied, "When I first discovered this man, he was doing black market business with the bandits who surrounded the town, exchanging utensils for food. He was robbed and beaten by the bandits. This is consistent with what he just said about his smuggling business! And judging by all this, this man is very brave, willing to risk his life when given the chance."

"Yeah!" Wei Cong nodded: "Then are you willing to follow him and give it a try?"

"Yes!" Diwu Deng immediately reacted and puffed out his chest: "Of course I do!"

"Okay then! Call that guy back in, Lu Ping, right? I need to talk to him!"

"Yes!"

A moment later, Lu Ping re-entered the tent. He knelt down and bowed to Wei Cong, carefully peeking at his face, trying to glimpse his future from it.

"Tell me? If you were asked to be a guide, what reward would you want?" Wei Cong asked.

"Reward?" Lu Ping subconsciously turned his gaze to Diwudeng beside him. He was the only person he was familiar with.

"Captain, what do you want in return for being our guide along that path? Just name it!"

"Remuneration?" Lu Ping was stunned. This was the first time he encountered such an official who asked for compensation before even asking him to do any work. He hesitated for a moment and said, "It would be great if I could give you some silk!"

"You want silk?" Wei Cong turned to Huang Ping and asked, "Do you have any in the military warehouse?"

"Yes, we found some Suluo in the enemy camp!" Huang Ping whispered.

"Suluo?" Wei Cong frowned.

"It's a thin silk without any pattern or dye, often used to make single clothes!" Huang Ping explained.

"Then let's go with Su Luo? Twenty horses!" Wei Cong asked, "That should be enough, right?"

"That's enough!" Huang Ping knelt down subconsciously. The climate in Jingnan is hot, and Luobu is more popular than other thicker silk fabrics. It is a good material that only the local upper class can use. Twenty pieces of Luobu is equivalent to more than 12,000 copper coins, which is a considerable fortune.

"Okay, I'll give you ten first, and I'll give you half when we get back!" Lu Ping walked out of the tent in a daze, and was taken to the warehouse in the rear camp in a daze. He received ten pieces of silk and returned to his own tent. As soon as the soldier leading the way left, Liu Qun, who was standing next to him, could no longer contain himself and hurriedly snatched a piece of silk to take a closer look. "It's really silk, top-quality stuff! This anti-rebellion captain is really generous! He gave you ten pieces without doing anything!"

"Give it back!" Lu Ping snatched Rob back from his friend. Liu Qun looked at his friend's gloomy expression and said, "What's wrong? Isn't this a good thing?"

"Good thing? This is in exchange for my life!" Lu Ping pointed to his head and sneered, "The captain is planning to launch a surprise attack on the bandits from behind!"

"So what? They offered a good price!" Liu Qun laughed. "Aren't our heads sold to those who know the value? And this is what you wanted. If you hadn't told me the path, the captain wouldn't have let you be his guide, would he?"

"That's right!" Lu Ping smiled. He stood up and walked to the door of the tent. Looking at the night outside, he murmured, "I've had enough of this kind of life. Either I change my life or I die!"

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Ba Qiu mountain city.

"Finally, there's news from down the mountain!" Wang Gui smiled and waved the letter in front of Luo Hong: "Suppressing Rebellion Captain? Have you heard of it?"

"I haven't heard of it!" Luo Hong shook his head: "What's his name?"

"Wei Cong, hmm! You have really good handwriting!" Wang Gui said with a smile.

"Wei Cong? He is a thief official under the governor of Nanjun. I guess his master recommended him as a captain to suppress rebellion!" Luo Hong replied.

"From a clerk in the bandit department to a lieutenant in charge of suppressing rebellion, that's quite a leap!" Wang Gui smiled and shook his head. He opened the letter, and after reading just two lines, his expression turned serious. "This Wei Cong really has a big appetite!"

"What's wrong?" Luo Hong asked.

"Take a look..." Wang Gui was about to hand the letter to Luo Hong when he suddenly remembered that he couldn't read. He quickly took it back. "Forgive me, I forgot! The letter said that the day after tomorrow, I should wait for him to beat the drums on the mountain, and then he and Luo Hong would attack the bandits from both sides and break through the enemy camp in one fell swoop!"

"Attack the bandits from both sides?" Luo Hong glanced at Wang Gui in surprise. "Didn't the people you sent tell him how many defenders were still inside the city?"

"No!" Wang Gui shook his head. "I don't trust this guy. If he gets defeated by the bandits like Cai Buyi did, wouldn't that let the bandits know the real situation of the city?"

"This..." Luo Hong shook his head helplessly: "No matter what, they are reinforcements coming from afar, right? Besides, didn't he just win a victory and lift the siege of the town?"

"That was simply because we took them by surprise and seized the initiative. There were two thousand bandits surrounding the mountain city!"

"So what are your plans?" Luo Hong asked.

"Didn't he ask us to beat the drums? Then I will just beat the drums!" Wang Gui snorted coldly. "As for the rest, forget it. I won't attack unless the situation is certain. Otherwise, what will we do if the mountain city is lost?"

"This..." Luo Hong smiled bitterly and said, "Captain, this is not a good idea, right?"

"What's wrong with that? I'm a captain, and defending this city is my job!" Wang Gui said angrily, "That Wei Cong is just like Cai Buyi, obsessed with showmanship. I can't let this city go down with him!"

"Alright!" Luo Hong found that he couldn't convince the other party, so he could only shake his head: "I can't control what the captain does, and my men don't need to care either. Anyway, I can't just watch our friendly forces defeat the overwhelming majority!"

Wang Gui's face gradually turned red when he heard Luo Hong's answer. He suddenly threw his sleeves and said, "Okay, if you want to die, I won't stop you!"

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The blast of horns echoed across the plains. Flocks of birds flew out from the woods beside the road, flapping their wings and soaring toward the lake on the other side. The sunlight shone on their feathers, reflecting a shimmering light. Wei Cong dismounted and stood on a small hill beside the road, watching his army advance. From here, he could clearly see the mountain city of Baqiu, perched on the hill to his right. He could even make out the flags fluttering from the rock-clad fortress. According to the spies' report, the enemy camp shouldn't be far from here.

The bandit camp was located atop a gently sloping plateau. To its east lay a shallow, marshy stream, which flowed southward for about half a mile before emptying into Dongting Lake, the bandits' primary water source. On the other side of the camp lay a village. Like most southern villages at the time, the village was surrounded by vast mulberry and bamboo forests, a vital source of income for the villagers. This provided the bandits with ample materials for their fortifications. According to reports from the vanguard, the bandit camp was surrounded by fences, chevaux de frise, and a large number of bamboo sticks, making a frontal assault difficult.

"If possible, it would be best to lure the bandits out!" Zhao Yannian sighed, pointing at the camp.

"That might be a little difficult!" Diwu Deng said, "With such a strong camp, if it were me, I would definitely hold on!"

"There are two thousand bandits, and we only have eight hundred!" Wen Sheng said.

"You can't say that. The bandits are not blind. They can see the armor on us. There might not be one set of armor among twenty bandits, right?" Diwu Deng said, "Besides, the mountain city is high above us. The bandits actually need to divide their forces to guard that side!"

"That's right!" Wen Sheng sighed, "If it were me, I would retreat. That would be the safest strategy!"

"It's not that simple!" Zhao Yannian said, "There are 2,000 bandits in the camp, and they must be made up of several groups. It's okay to fight here, but once they retreat, they will definitely scatter and disintegrate. If I were the bandit leader, I would definitely not want that!"

"That's true!" Everyone nodded.

Everyone was talking excitedly, but they didn't notice that Wei Cong had been silent the whole time, staring intently into the distance, as if he was looking at something interesting. Finally, Huang Ping noticed this, he coughed softly and pointed at Wei Cong, and everyone noticed and quickly stopped talking.

(End of this chapter)