Chapter 127: The Next Move

Although Lu Yang’s reinforcements suffered over four thousand casualties, more than five thousand soldiers remained, along with several hundred wounded. Once they recuperated for a time, they could bolster the ranks to roughly six thousand. Combined with the eight thousand garrison troops already stationed at Dingbian, the city’s defense force now totaled nearly fifteen thousand. While the local militia consisted mostly of raw recruits, they were still capable of assisting in the defense.

The arrival of Lu Yang’s troops eased Huang Wenlong’s mind. Reinforcements were better than none; even if the new recruits lacked combat prowess, the primary requirement for a siege defense was not tactical sophistication, but sufficient manpower.

The days of continuous siege warfare had also taken a heavy toll on the Hu forces. Their original army of forty thousand had dwindled to fewer than thirty thousand. With these diminished numbers, maintaining a full encirclement of Dingbian was becoming increasingly difficult.

Bala Tian frowned as he looked at the small county town. After days of attacking and suffering repeated losses of men and officers, he had failed to capture Dingbian. Every day of brutal, frontal assaults felt like a futile effort. *If only the military advisor were here,* Bala Tian caught himself thinking. The advisor, Mao Yanshun, was exceptionally clever; if he were present, he would surely devise a brilliant strategy for taking the city, sparing the army from these endless, grinding assaults. Unfortunately, Bala Tian felt he lacked the intellect to conceive of any superior method for breaking the city. Han Qianhu and the Yeli brothers were much like him—capable warriors on the field, but lacking in strategic guile. Unable to come up with a better plan, Bala Tian continued to command frontal assaults. He refused to abandon the four-sided siege despite his shrinking numbers, hoping that a relentless attack from all directions might eventually yield a breakthrough.

The addition of Lu Yang’s troops to Dingbian had significantly relieved the pressure on the defenders. They brought not only rations but also essential supplies, such as bows, arrows, uniforms, boots, and bedding. After so many days of bitter fighting, many of the original soldiers were dressed in rags; this infusion of supplies greatly boosted their morale.

Huang Wenlong remained anxious, daily praying for more reinforcements. He feared that if Dingbian fell, the consequences would be catastrophic. Not only would the city be devastated, but Yongzhou would be placed in peril, to say nothing of Pubian and Xinquan.

Zhao Laixi had joined the ranks of the defenders after entering Dingbian, though he dared not climb the walls to fight, instead helping to transport supplies. Fan Sanpang remained in his role as a cook, finding the work safe, easy, and well-fed. Zhao Hu had sustained a minor shoulder wound in the previous battle, and Ma Han had been speared in the thigh; both were currently recuperating within the camp. The others had followed Zhao Laixi’s lead in assisting the defense.

In contrast to Dingbian, the defense of Xinquan was considerably lighter. With the daily increase in the production of new-style crossbows, the defenders found it easier to repel the enemy. Given the sharp decline in his forces, Chibugou could no longer sustain an assault on all four sides. Although he was frantic, he remained at a loss for how to take the city. His army of thirty thousand had been reduced to just over ten thousand, while Xinquan’s losses over the past two days were merely in the hundreds. This disparity made Chibugou feel like a wolf trapped in a tiger’s den.

Previously, when he had more men, he could attack from all sides; now, he could barely maintain pressure on two. His remaining ten thousand troops could no longer fully encircle Xinquan, and they were restricted to blocking only the North and West gates. Consequently, Xinquan’s scouts were once again able to slip out to gather intelligence.

When Xiao Ding learned from the scouts about the events at Dingbian, he couldn't help but worry. He knew Zhao Laixi and Zhao Hu were with the militia transport, and he feared for their lives. While the scouts could not provide news on the safety of an individual soldier, they mentioned that the enemy commander had been captured by an unremarkable, short, fat cook. Xiao Ding guessed it was likely Fan Sanpang.

With fewer than four thousand defenders left in Xinquan, Magistrate Kou had begun recruiting able-bodied adults from the city. Fortunately, the townspeople were eager to participate, as they were defending their own homes. The two thousand newly recruited civilians were tasked with repairing walls and transporting supplies.

Xiao Ding, too, began to fervently hope for reinforcements. Commander Cao had mentioned that beyond the North Camp under Huang Wenlong, Yongzhou also possessed a South Camp. Its commander, Fei Wen, was the brother of the Yongzhou Prefect, Fei Wu. Because his brother held both the prefecture and the position of Military Commissioner for Yongzhou, Fei Wen easily controlled the military power of the South Camp. Xiao Ding hoped reinforcements would arrive soon to defeat the Hu and end the war. He deeply missed his family and wondered if the man in black had returned to cause trouble.

Without reinforcements, neither Xinquan nor Dingbian could easily navigate their next move. While Xiao Ding was anxious, the Hu forces were equally so. Li Daocheng was overseeing operations from Tuhe Town, having deployed nearly all his generals and troops. However, the reports from the front were grim. None of the three small towns had fallen despite days of fighting, and his force of one hundred and twenty thousand had been reduced to fewer than seventy thousand. The lack of results after such heavy losses infuriated him.

"Useless! All of them are useless! With so many men, we cannot even take a small town!" Li Daocheng threw the report down, snarling.

His advisor, Mao Yanshun, furrowed his brow, stroking his beard as he muttered, "This shouldn't be. The Great Song's three small towns have at most twenty thousand defenders, and Xinquan has only ten thousand. How can we fail to take them with our numbers?"

"The reports say Dingbian received thousands of reinforcements, and Xinquan is armed with crossbows of immense power," Li Daocheng replied.

"No wonder. But didn't we send men to monitor the reinforcements? Did they fail to intercept them?" Mao Yanshun asked doubtfully.

"They tried, but they failed. Kanle led the interception and was soundly defeated; he was even taken alive," Li Daocheng sighed.

"Truly useless," Mao Yanshun remarked, his voice filled with frustration.

"Advisor, what should our next move be? Should we continue the frontal assaults?" Li Daocheng asked.

"The cities must be taken. As for the method, let me think carefully," Mao Yanshun mused.

"Our losses are severe; we have fewer than seventy thousand men left!" Li Daocheng said urgently.

"Indeed. Attacking three cities at once has divided our strength just as it has the Song's. I propose we concentrate our forces to strike one city at a time. What does the First Prince think?" Mao Yanshun asked, looking up for approval.

"It seems we have no other choice. Advisor, which city do you suggest we concentrate our forces on?" Li Daocheng asked.