Chapter 101: Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Men, Army at the City Gates |
The newly recruited civilian laborers numbered over twenty thousand, the reorganized troops numbered twelve thousand, and the original Shuofeng residents numbered over ten thousand.
In total, forty-five thousand people.
This completely exceeded the population that Shuofeng could accommodate by more than double.
Therefore, all the cloth and fabric scraps in the city were requisitioned by Song Shi'an using the money he'd just confiscated from the wealthy clans, and made into tents and bedding.
For the summer season, this was barely sufficient.
After losing about ten thousand in battle casualties, when the northern winds arrived, they should be able to hold on through winter.
There was no choice—although it was hellish, such considerations had to be made.
But the actual population loss should exceed ten thousand.
So when that time came, things wouldn't become too dire.
Then, five enormous water storage pools were excavated. Even under the scorching summer sun, they could prevent excessive evaporation. As long as rainfall replenished them, there was basically no need to worry about water shortages.
Even during the dry season, with a bit of conservation, they could be self-sufficient.
"Laoye, we've already gathered all the mugwort and sweet wormwood within a radius of several dozen li—not a single blade remains."
A lengthy convoy delivered the mugwort and sweet wormwood piled on carts like small mountains into the city.
Song Shi'an picked up a tender green herb shaped like a snowflake, examined it carefully, and asked, "You're certain this is sweet wormwood?"
"How could we mistake it? Near my subordinate's home, this stuff grows everywhere." A centurion said with certainty, then asked curiously, "But among medicinal herbs, this is considered low-grade. Laoye, what do you need so much of it for?"
"Why ask so many questions? Go on, go on."
Song Shi'an waved his hand without offering any explanation.
Then he prepared to take San Gou to inspect the construction of civilian tents within the city.
Because there were too many people, everywhere the eye could see, all areas were filled with common folk sitting on the ground.
So densely packed it was terrifying.
This anxiety was inevitable, but there was no solution.
To defend the city, they had to have manpower.
On the main street, someone was still beating a gong, striking it while shouting loudly: "By order of the laoye! Everyone in the city is forbidden from drinking raw water. All water must be boiled in large pots and left to settle before use. If you lack firewood, there's a woodshed at every street corner—collect it for free in groups of ten households."
"Laoye." San Gou was curious about this series of Song Shi'an's somewhat excessively 'meddlesome' laws, and muttered quietly, "You're the first laoye I've seen who cares so much about common folk."
"Nonsense—what if disease breaks out?"
Shuofeng was actually considered a medium-sized city.
But fitting forty-five thousand people—it was truly too small.
If a bomb called 'plague' exploded in this city, that would be disastrous.
Ji Yuan was different—he was in the field, with an activity range spanning hundreds of li in all directions. The same infectious disease would be far more devastating to Song Shi'an.
Defending the city indeed had lower casualties than the attacking side, but being trapped in the city exposed them to more risks.
Natural disasters included:
Plague, flooding from drainage systems unable to handle the rainy season, and drought.
Man-made disasters still included:
Artificially caused plague, poisoning water sources, and flooding the city.
Fortunately, no river flowed through Shuofeng city.
Water was mainly drawn from a nearby inner lake, wells in the city, and rainwater storage.
The reason for building the city this way was that during wartime, it was too easy for enemies to tamper with the Chishui River.
Just as Song Shi'an was patrolling everywhere in the city, Xinyue suddenly came galloping through the narrow city streets on horseback and said to him, "There's a matter—come to the city walls."
"Alright." Seeing this, Song Shi'an immediately agreed and ordered San Gou, "Bring my horse."
"It's urgent—get on directly."
Xinyue on the horse extended her hand.
Song Shi'an had no choice but to grab her hand, step on the stirrup, climb up, and sit behind her, tightly embracing her waist.
Xinyue's horse galloped away.
Leaving San Gou standing in place, watching this scene full of envy. He also wanted to know what it felt like to embrace a beautiful woman's waist.
.........
Song Shi'an and Xinyue climbed to the city walls together.
At this time, Wei Wusheng, who was on the walls, saw him arrive and immediately said seriously, "Shi'an, look."
Song Shi'an quickly walked over, then saw that about three hundred meters away, there was a person holding a ceremonial tally in his hand, surrounded by several Yu soldiers.
"He was discovered by scouts several li away. Claims to be Ji Yuan's envoy, carrying a large box in his hands, wanting to see me. So he was brought over blindfolded, but I haven't agreed to let him enter the city." Wei Wusheng said.
Eighty percent a psychological warfare tactic.
"Mm, see him briefly then send him back. Don't bother with him, and don't let him gather any intelligence." Song Shi'an said with extreme vigilance.
This battle had to be fought.
There was no possibility of compromise whatsoever.
Since it had to be fought, there was no need to negotiate.
At this time, to engage in war etiquette—forget about entering the city, even glancing at the defenses would be a crime. Let alone letting him speak carelessly and sow discord.
If that little mouth dared speak nonsense, he'd be boiled on the spot.
"Should I go see this person?" Wei Wusheng asked.
Song Shi'an nodded and said, "Your Highness, I'll accompany you."
"Good."
Just like that, the two descended from the city, rode horses, and under the gaze of all the civilian laborers and soldiers outside the city, slowly approached the surrounded envoy.
"What did Ji Yuan send you here to do?" Wei Wusheng interrogated.
Hearing this, the envoy who was blindfolded, holding the tally in one hand and cradling the box with the other, smiled and answered, "My sovereign sends General Wei a gift."
This address of 'General Wei' made everyone quite displeased, their faces fierce.
But it also conformed to the etiquette of enemy nation diplomacy.
How could a Qi person address a prince of Yu as "Your Highness"?
"This prince is the Commander of the Five Offices." Wei Wusheng said.
The envoy nodded slightly and said, "Please."
Then Wei Wusheng's attendant took the box.
"Open it." Wei Wusheng said.
One attendant held the box, another lifted the lid.
After opening it, there was a head covered in blood, its face deathly pale.
"General Han!" A military officer recognized it.
The next moment, everyone drew their swords and glared at the blindfolded envoy with murderous intent, all enraged.
"The Ji thief insults us—kill him!"
"Boil him!"
"How dare he desecrate General Han's remains!"
Even blindfolded, this hostility and danger could be felt by anyone.
Yet he remained quite calm, steadily holding the ceremonial tally with one hand, saying, "When two armies clash, envoys are not killed. Does General Wei intend to kill me?"
Song Shi'an, staring at the head, looked toward Wei Wusheng.
The Sixth Prince was indeed startled when he first saw it. But he quickly regained his composure.
Then he dismounted.
Song Shi'an also dismounted.
Taking the wooden box containing the head with both hands, Wei Wusheng said to the envoy, "Tell your sovereign—thank him for returning General Han's head."
Everyone was surprised by Wei Wusheng's reaction.
"I will." The envoy still answered with a smile.
"Send him to the opposite shore."
Wei Wusheng turned around holding the box.
Song Shi'an and Xinyue followed on his left and right.
Behind them came the attendant officers.
Walking slowly toward the city walls, when they reached outside the moat, Ran Jin, Zhu Qing, Zheng Tong and others also stood in place, looking this way.
Learning it was Han Yuan's head, Zhao Xiang, who had originally been lying down in resignation, immediately stood up, his expression somewhat stiff as he looked that way, at a loss.
Wei Wusheng set down Han Yuan's head.
Then, slowly knelt down before it.
Everyone behind him also knelt down.
Wei Wusheng prostrated himself and solemnly kowtowed to Han Yuan.
Everyone followed in bowing.
Among them, Zhao Xiang clenched his fists, bit his lips, and didn't raise his head for a long time...
"Make a wooden body for General Han, wrap the corpse in horse hide, bury it in the city, and erect a grand monument." After Wei Wusheng rose, he ordered.
"Yes!"
Someone immediately went to carry it out.
After Wei Wusheng finished handling it, he walked into the city with Song Shi'an, both quite somber.
"Your Highness was very composed—that was the right thing to do." Song Shi'an praised.
"Mm." Wei Wusheng's mood was still somewhat low, but it hadn't affected his judgment. "News of Ji Yuan massacring the soldiers but sparing civilians has arrived. Although Shuofeng is sealed off, some soldiers still learned of it. What should we do?"
"Spread the word that both the military and civilians of Wuwei were massacred."
Song Shi'an understood clearly that this was Ji Yuan's conquest tactic, having nothing to do with his 'people-centered' approach.
The goal was to ensure Little Wei couldn't win the people's hearts.
"Won't this cause problems?" Wei Wusheng asked.
"Those who can know the truth are only the soldiers and scouts who went out." Song Shi'an said to him with certainty, "Soldiers, generals, wealthy clans, civil officials—everyone's fate is now bound together."
Because there was no longer any chance of escape, even the wealthy clans would do their utmost to protect popular sentiment.
"Good." Wei Wusheng nodded, then asked, "When do you estimate Ji Yuan will arrive?"
Looking at him, Song Shi'an said with certainty, "Very soon."
.........
After Wuwei fell, the Prime Minister of Qi also moved over thirty thousand troops along with one hundred thousand civilians, and dispatched a large batch of civil officials.
Because of the policy of killing soldiers but sparing civilians, the remaining four counties in Hebei didn't fire a single arrow in resistance—everyone surrendered.
Leaving the work of pacifying the people to the transferred civil officials.
Ji Yuan didn't rest for a moment, replenishing his army back to one hundred thousand men.
Together with the eighty thousand civilian laborers conscripted from Beishuo Commandery and forty thousand from Qi, totaling two hundred and twenty thousand people, they crossed the Chishui River.
The great army arrived at the gates of Shuofeng city.
And the moment they arrived, the Great Qi army was collectively stunned.
Even counting the half month when Zhao Xiang had only ten thousand men working, it had been barely two months, yet outside Shuofeng city a complete circle of deep and wide spectacular moats had been dug.
Like a giant brand seared into the earth.
The excavated soil had also been used to build nearly a hundred enclosed cylindrical towers around the city, compacted from earth and faced with cut bricks.
Ji Yuan on horseback gazed across the distance at Wei Wusheng atop the city walls.
Then simultaneously, they slowly drew their paired swords from their waists, issuing clear dragon cries.