Chapter 95: Eighty Thousand in Grain, Twenty Thousand Workers

Illegitimate Son of a Noble House

"Swearing by the Chishui River..."

Sitting in the seat of honor, upon hearing this, the head of the Qu family fell into contemplation: "Without this fortress, who will take us seriously anymore?"

Yet as he pondered, his brow furrowed again as he asked, "That Wang Shen—was he really killed?"

"Absolutely certain. His head is right there, it can't be fake," the steward said with conviction.

"Could it not be a body double?" the family head asked again.

The steward remained quite confident: "On my way back, I deliberately took a detour and went outside Wang's fortress. On the walls, they've raised the Wei character flags."

"He just corresponded with me, and within days he's gone? Are Wei Wusheng's soldiers really that capable?" The head of the Qu family immediately lost confidence. "I thought that since it was a siege, it shouldn't be so easy... The Wang family had three thousand men."

"But they were all civilian workers. Only four or five hundred could actually fight. Moreover, they had very few sets of armor," the steward mentioned, perhaps carrying psychological trauma from what he witnessed, showing some fear as he spoke. "I saw that Forbidden Army—every single one wore gleaming armor. The spearheads in their hands shone bright enough to reflect a person's image, absolutely not something country folk could resist."

"If Wei Wusheng is already this formidable, wouldn't Ji Yuan be even more ruthless?"

People are drawn to strength—if they're going to surrender, naturally they'd surrender to someone more capable.

But then again, you can't quite put it that way...

The Qu family head hesitated again: "We are, after all, people of Great Yu. If we surrender to Ji Yuan, even if we're not openly despised, we won't receive much regard either."

The so-called "clan bandits"—that was what others called them.

The clan bandits themselves would never consider themselves as such.

And in fact, they truly were citizens of Great Yu, not to be treated the same as mountain bandits.

"Then let's surrender to Wei Wusheng."

After considering for a while, he finally decided: "Either way, we have to leave the fortress, either way we have to look at others' faces. At least this Wei Wusheng is an imperial prince, and he swore an oath by the Chishui River."

"I also think it won't be too excessive..." the steward added. "Right now, he just doesn't want you, Master Qu, to turn toward Ji Yuan. He doesn't have much killing intent. After killing the Wang lord to establish his authority, he quickly appointed that young Master Xu to an official position."

"Good, then gather up the grain, weapons, and farming tools, and prepare to leave."

The matter was thus decided.

Several days later, Wei Wusheng's army arrived.

Only a few dozen men, but led by a Military Commandant.

The 1,243 people from the Qu family fortress, bringing over four thousand shi of grain, along with iron shovels, plows, machetes, bows and arrows, plus numerous livestock like cattle, horses, pigs, and chickens, all moved out of the fortress.

After assembling outside the fortress, Master Qu sat on his horse and looked back at the Wulei fortress built nearly a century ago, the accumulated effort of five generations. Somewhat reluctantly, he asked the Military Commandant, "After we leave, what will happen to this fortress?"

"Master Qu, we'll burn it all clean with one fire," the Military Commandant said.

"Nothing will remain?" Master Qu asked, his voice trembling.

"Only by burning it to complete ruins will Ji Yuan have nowhere to stay when he comes," the Military Commandant said with a smile.

"Alas..."

Master Qu heaved a long sigh, feeling particularly pained.

"Would you like to watch it burn? Or avoid it?" the Military Commandant suggested inquiringly.

"Once it really starts burning, I'll leave."

The Military Commandant looked at this deeply depressed man. Already possessing some military-poetic sentiments, he kindly consoled: "The fortress still exists. When we win the battle, Master Qu can return and build an even higher tower on the ruins."

.........

Ever since using the greatest clan bandit, the Wang lord, as a sacrificial offering and burning all those so-called "letters," the remaining clan bandits had no choice but to stop ignoring both summons and orders. At a unified time, they were all brought outside the fortress.

Then all the people were gathered together in the wilderness of a certain township in central Qi County.

According to what the Sixth Prince said, they would be uniformly arranged to a safe place.

Six hundred soldiers managed a total of 22,400 people.

"When will we be able to go to Southern Liang?"

"After we get there, where will we live?"

"If all the grain is requisitioned, what will we eat..."

Everyone was thinking about these three most important survival questions.

At this time, Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng, after arranging matters in Shuofeng, personally rushed over and brought over a thousand cavalry.

Looking at the vast, endless black mass of people in the distance, this spectacular scene made both of them feel it was somewhat exaggerated.

In ancient times, you constantly hear about armies of hundreds of thousands, thinking that ten thousand or so doesn't amount to much.

In reality, if there are a thousand people, they fill the earth and sky; if there are over ten thousand, there are no bounds.

"This is twenty thousand already. Ji Yuan's hundred thousand men—what kind of momentum must that be?" Wei Wusheng joked.

"Moreover, those are a hundred thousand soldiers. Our twenty thousand can at most muster four or five thousand capable fighters, and they'd still be new recruits," Song Shi'an said.

In ancient times, the most valuable were middle-aged "veteran" soldiers.

Next, elderly veteran soldiers.

Newly enlisted recruits, in terms of combat capability, could only be stronger than forcibly conscripted old farmers.

One particularly awkward thing in the New Three Kingdoms is how they like to distinguish army strength using "old, weak, and disabled troops" versus "young, strong elite soldiers."

Actually, aside from those who've gone mad with hunger and eat anything, very few warlords would forcibly conscript farming old men who've never fought to expand their armies.

If a person can remain a soldier into old age, he is the most precious asset in the military.

"Burning all those Wulei fortresses like that—isn't it too much of a waste?" Wei Wusheng also felt heartache over those fortresses standing there that, if heavily garrisoned, would definitely be hard nuts to crack.

"There's no help for it, Your Highness. If we divide our forces to defend them, Shuofeng's soldiers would have to be reduced by at least half. And if Ji Yuan only besieges Shuofeng, we'll fall very quickly."

Back to that earlier point—you can't treat these ragtag troops as having one-to-one combat capability with Ji Yuan's soldiers.

Only by defending the fortress could they maximize their value.

Only by defending the fortress could this disparity in combat strength be minimized.

This was the strategy Song Shi'an had already determined when he chose to come to Shuofeng.

The Northern Liang valley wasn't like other places with terrain to serve as buffer zones where you could fight ambushes and guerrilla warfare.

"Then let's recruit these four thousand into our army, and move all the rest back south," Wei Wusheng said.

"Mm." Song Shi'an agreed. "This way, the entire Northern Liang will have completed scorched earth tactics. If Ji Yuan comes again, he'll only be able to use the half of Shuo Commandery across the river to supply himself. Even if it's a large commandery, half a commandery isn't enough to feed a hundred thousand troops. The rest will have to come from the Qi heartland. As long as they have supply pressure, we can drag it out."

Even though just last year they experienced the Yizhou locust plague, and still had pressure from redundant soldiers and officials domestically, in terms of national strength, Great Yu could still outmatch the Qi state.

It's just a pity about losing Tongmen Pass—their supply lines are unobstructed. Otherwise, Great Yu would have another advantage—waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy.

"Your Highness, Master Song."

At this moment, a seventh-rank Adjutant from the army rode over, preparing to dismount and report.

"No need, speak from horseback," Wei Wusheng said.

Song Shi'an also smiled slightly, acknowledging his greeting.

Damn it, you're rank seven and I'm rank seven too, yet you're calling me Master Song.

Trying to flatter me to death, bro, is that it?

"The grain from the twelve powerful clans has been counted. The total is eighty-five thousand shi," the Adjutant reported.

Hearing this, both men simultaneously froze.

They looked at each other.

Wei Wusheng asked in surprise, "There's this much?"

"So, so much," Song Shi'an was also somewhat beyond expectations.

Great Yu's one shi was sixty catties, which after husking became approximately forty catties of refined rice.

In total, three million four hundred thousand catties of refined rice.

According to the normal daily requirement for soldiers in battle—about two catties—this was enough to feed ten thousand men for nearly six months.

"If Ji Yuan had obtained this, he could have resupplied on the spot for over half a month," Wei Wusheng felt somewhat frightened in hindsight.

Just twelve clan bandits could feed a hundred thousand troops for over half a month during wartime!

"Minister Sun's household has even more," Song Shi'an said.

"Then, Shi'an, write a letter asking Minister Sun to send some over," Wei Wusheng responded to his joke with another joke.

Both men were amused.

Xinyue on the side truly felt that these two could inexplicably start telling jokes to each other.

Yet very quickly, Song Shi'an could shift from frivolous to serious again: "Your Highness, then let's pull everyone into the city to resist the bandits."

"..."

Wei Wusheng was stumped by this seemingly flash-of-inspiration idea, and asked back, "Shuofeng is already very crowded. Twenty thousand people—can they fit?"

"They can sleep on roads, on roofs, in camps," Song Shi'an said. "Even tie a rope and they can sleep with their faces pressed against it. Of course, it won't be cruel to that extent."

Leading Great Britain's rhythm again.

"We have limited military tents. This summer is still fine, but as winter approaches, how will we handle such a huge population?" Wei Wusheng asked. "This is the north—people will freeze to death."

"By winter we should worry even less."

"Why?"

"By that time enough people will have died to make room."

"..."

Song Shi'an's goddamn gallows humor didn't make anyone laugh.

"Can the grain really last that long?" Wei Wusheng asked.

"It's enough." Regarding this, Song Shi'an said quite seriously, "This grain is just enough for these people under heavy labor until winter arrives."

Actually, the powerful clans originally would have had much more grain.

This year was a bumper year; by autumn harvest they would gain countless more grain.

Unfortunately, they couldn't wait for it—they could only burn it early. Otherwise, if Ji Yuan harvested here, the pressure would be stifling.

Wei Wusheng thought very hard. Then he murmured, "Since we're making them enter Shuofeng, yet we're gathering them in the more southerly Qi County township instead, you didn't think of this beforehand... No, no, you actually didn't tell me—you'd already thought of this long ago!"

Little Wei—he finally caught on.

Gathering everyone in the wilderness of Qi County township rather than Shuofeng was done with exactly this plan in mind.

The logic was simple.

If they gathered in Shuofeng, the powerful clans would tremble inside: They're not planning to drag us there to defend the city, are they?

But no—it was further south, even thirty li farther from Shuofeng.

Normal human thinking would be: This is for moving back south! Otherwise, why go backward?

Doing it this way allowed those people to follow the Yu army without misgivings, preventing civil unrest and desertion when there were fewer soldiers present and control wasn't strong enough.

Now, Wei Wusheng and Song Shi'an had brought more troops, mostly cavalry at that. Now, even if they wanted to leave, they couldn't!

"Your Highness, my apologies. I had my difficulties," Song Shi'an explained rather calmly. "Originally I truly thought that if the grain wasn't much, we'd take most of the grain and able-bodied men, and send the remaining women, children, and elderly to General Luo Ting."

"But if it was sufficient, you'd drag them all into the city to die defending it alongside us," Wei Wusheng said.

"Yes."

"But..."

This idea was certainly fine, but Wei Wusheng's particular discomfort stemmed from something else: "But I just swore an oath by the Chishui River, saying I'd send them to a safe place. Now turning around and breaking my vow... This isn't your difficulty—this is mine!"

"Your Highness's difficulty is my difficulty. Therefore, I have this idea," Song Shi'an looked at him, seemingly also somewhat "troubled."

Wei Wusheng: "?"

Xinyue truly couldn't hold it in.

"Your difficulty is my difficulty"... You really have the nerve to say that.

She forcibly pressed her lips together before maintaining her original expression.

Clutching his forehead, Wei Wusheng showed a somewhat struggling expression, then numbed himself: "I know, I'm fine, everything is for defending the city."

He said this, but the Sixth Prince truly did care about face.

Seeing this, Song Shi'an said, "Your Highness, I won't truly break the vow. I can be the one to say it."

"You..."

Wei Wusheng looked at him, somewhat worriedly reminding: "Can you still be somewhat dignified?"

The episode that best understands Duke Zhang!

"No problem."

Dignity included.

After obtaining Little Wei's permission, Song Shi'an had no more concerns.

The two thus rode their horses to the front of these twenty thousand people.

Seeing the Wei character flag and this spirited "general," the common people vaguely guessed this was the Sixth Prince.

"The Sixth Prince arrives—"

Accompanied by the announcement.

Those eleven clan bandit family heads hurriedly came forward together, performing prostrate kowtows to Wei Wusheng.

"Everyone, I promised you before," Wei Wusheng said from horseback. "If this battle is lost, I will also, in the name of the Sixth Prince, grant you farmland in Southern Liang. If this battle is won, your original land—not one inch less. Including those Wulei fortresses, towers will be built for you so you can move back."

"Thank Your Highness!"

Everyone gave thanks in unison.

"Then let's depart."

Wei Wusheng struck his horse's rump with his riding crop, pointing north, preparing to set out.

Everyone suddenly froze. After looking left and right, one of them hurriedly reminded: "Your Highness, the direction is wrong!"

"What's wrong?" Wei Wusheng asked.

"We should be going south! That direction—isn't that toward Shuofeng..."

"We're going to Shuofeng."

Wei Wusheng said, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Huh?"

"How can it be Shuofeng?"

"Your Highness, didn't you personally swear by the Chishui River..." One person was nearly in tears: "That you'd send us to a safe place?"

"Isn't the city safe?"

Just then, Song Shi'an suddenly spoke.

"..."

Everyone slowly turned to look at him.

Ahhhh (roaring inwardly)!

"Daren! How can Shuofeng be safe? Ji Yuan is about to attack!"

"We have the Forbidden Army, we have the Sixth Prince, and we have towering city walls. Is there anywhere safer than Shuofeng?" Song Shi'an countered. "Even if we send you south, now that you've lost your Wulei fortresses and your weapons have been requisitioned, if you encounter rebel troops, refugees, mountain bandits or local thugs—that would be truly dangerous!"

"Daren is too considerate, we're deeply grateful," that person was so anxious he wanted to stamp his feet. "But this humble one believes that mere mountain bandits and refugees pose no threat..."

"I don't want what you think, I want what I think."

Song Shi'an said solemnly: "Since His Highness has sworn an oath, he must take responsibility for the people of Shuo Commandery. No need for further discussion—quickly enter the city!"

Everyone was completely speechless.

Looking around and discovering that the army had already surrounded everyone, not even a fly could escape, they could only despairingly accept their fate.

At this moment, the head of the Qu family asked somewhat weakly: "After we defend this time, will Master Song still be in Shuo Commandery?"

"How could that be? No one here trusts me anymore," Song Shi'an said earnestly. "Definitely have to change locations."

The Qu family head slowly nodded: "Thorough consideration, thorough consideration."

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