vstars Chapter 1144 The Strange Events in Jingzhou: Heading to Moling
Chapter 1144 The Strange Events in Jingzhou: Heading to Moling
As the third watchman's clapper sounded, the fog on the river thickened like ink that couldn't be dissolved. Ma Chao, dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit instead of his usual silver armor, stood alongside Taishi Ci and Pang De at the bow of Gan Ning's flagship. Four thousand Xiliang cavalry had already silently boarded the warships disguised as merchant ships. Their horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cloth, their armor was wrapped in cotton, and even their weapons were covered with cloth covers. The entire fleet, like a flock of waterbirds swimming at night, glided silently towards Moling with the help of the current.
Gan Ning stood at the bow of the ship, holding the navigation map illuminated by the luminous pearl in his hand, and whispered to Ma Chao, "General, rest assured, General Han Dang has prepared the signal. The guards at the ferry will only think it is their own fleet resupplying, and there will be no problem."
Ma Chao nodded, gazing at the direction of Shuxian County gradually receding into the distance, where the campfires still flickered like a sleeping giant—Zhou Yu would hold the fort for him, and this performance had to be flawless.
As dawn broke, the area around Shuxian County was in an uproar.
"Lu Meng, you coward! If you have the guts, come out of the city and fight!" Xu Huang, clad in heavy armor, cursed loudly from below the city walls, while his soldiers behind him brandished ladders and battering rams, poised for a full-scale assault.
On the city wall, Lü Meng was awakened by the sudden commotion. He put on his clothes and climbed the wall. He looked at the dark mass of siege equipment below the city, his brows furrowed—yesterday they were holding back, why did they suddenly become so serious today?
"General, shall we fire the arrows?" asked the personal guard beside him.
Lu Meng stared at the army formation behind Xu Huang, his gaze sweeping over the "Xiliang Iron Cavalry"—the formation was neat, the armor gleaming, they looked like the main force. He gritted his teeth: "Fire! Shoot them as many as you can! Don't let them get close to the city walls!"
At a command, arrows rained down from the city walls like a torrential downpour, so dense they almost blocked out the morning light. But strangely, the soldiers below seemed to have been prepared, raising their shields and retreating just outside the range of the arrows. The rain of arrows fell on the open ground, only stirring up a cloud of dust, and hardly anyone was injured.
"Useless! A bunch of cowardly cowards who only know how to shoot arrows from the shadows!" Xu Huang cursed, jumping up and down below the city walls, but he still wouldn't let his soldiers charge forward. After cursing for half an hour, he finally waved his hand in a huff, "Withdraw! All of you, withdraw!"
The attacking force retreated to their camp, cursing and swearing, leaving behind a mess of arrows and several pierced shields. They looked disheveled, but they had not lost a single soldier.
Lu Meng stood atop the city wall, his fingers unconsciously picking at the bricks and stones of the crenellations. Something was wrong. This siege was too perfunctory, like children playing house, especially with Xu Huang, who cursed fiercely but didn't even launch a single decent charge.
"General, should we take advantage of their retreat and send troops to harass them?" Chen Wu asked.
Lu Meng shook his head: "No need. Zhou Yu is cunning. Their perfunctory attack on the city might be a prelude to our departure." He looked towards Zhou's camp, where he could vaguely see a figure in silver armor patrolling the central command tent. The figure was tall and straight, just like Ma Chao.
“Ma Chao is still in the camp,” Lü Meng said in a low voice. “They’re making such a fuss probably to lure us into using up our arrows or to disrupt our schedule. Pass down the order to strengthen our defenses, conserve our arrows, and no one is allowed to go into battle without my permission.”
Little did he know that the person "patrolling the camp" was merely a stand-in Zhou Yu had found, while the real Ma Chao was already a hundred miles away on the river. He was even less aware that the seemingly lively siege was just a show put on by Zhou Yu for him—to make him believe that the main force of Zhou's camp was still in Shuxian County and had made no unusual moves.
The mist on the river gradually dissipated, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on the speeding sails. Ma Chao gazed at the faintly visible city walls of Moling in the distance, a cold, sharp smile curving his lips. "Lü Meng, Zhang Zhao, your act is almost over. Now it's our turn."
The thin mist on the river had not yet dissipated when a fleet of ships bearing the flag of Jingzhou was silently heading towards the Moling ferry. Liu Biao, standing at the bow of the ship, had a few more strands of white hair at his temples. Gazing at the surging river, his brows were furrowed—since the beginning of spring, his spirit had been worn down by the battles under the walls of Xiangyang.
Although Xiangyang's defenses were strong, the Cai brothers led their navy to hold the Han River, and the Kuai brothers managed the city's supplies, allowing them to withstand Liu Bei's siege for a time. However, Liu Bei had Pang Tong as his strategist, who relentlessly attacked the city day after day, employing a variety of ingenious schemes: sometimes sending troops to harass supply lines, sometimes setting up decoys outside the city, and at night having people clamor and hurl insults at the city walls, disturbing the sleep of the soldiers and civilians inside. When Liu Biao climbed the city walls and looked out, he saw the continuous lines of camps outside the city, and Liu Bei's "Han" banner fluttering in the wind, weighing heavily on his heart like a boulder.
What made him even more uneasy was the activity of the powerful families in the city. Those clans that had dominated Jingzhou for generations had long seen through his outward strength but inward weakness, and in private, they had lost their former respect. The stewards of several powerful families went out of the city late at night and had a secret meeting with Pang Tong's men in a tent—this was not defending the city, but clearly a sign that everyone was about to push him down when he was about to fall.
Liu Biao was unaware that the powerful families secretly contacting Pang Tong had ulterior motives. The Pang family of Jingzhou and Xiangyang were of the same clan as Pang Tong, and by using this relationship as a bridge, they were both showing goodwill to Liu Bei and securing a way out for their own families. During the banquet, a patriarch of a powerful family said to Pang Tong mysteriously, "Sir, although your brilliant plan can trap Xiangyang, it will be difficult to break Liu Biao's foundation. There is a genius outside the city; if we can get his help, Xiangyang will fall in no time."
"Oh?" Pang Tong raised an eyebrow. "May I ask who you are referring to?"
"That is the same Zhuge Liang, the Crouching Dragon, who is as famous as you, sir." The other man took a sip of wine and said slowly, "After Lord Xuande took Nanyang, Kongming, because of his relationship with the Huang family of Xiangyang—he was the son-in-law of Mr. Huang Chengyan—moved his whole family to live outside the city, only a few dozen miles away from here. This man is a man of great wisdom and strategy. If he can be used by Lord Xuande, why worry about the stability of Jingzhou?"
Upon hearing this, Pang Tong's heart stirred. He had long heard of Zhuge Liang's name, but had never met him. The next day, he told Liu Bei about it, and Liu Bei, who was always eager to find talented people, immediately perked up and decided to personally visit Longzhong.
Thanks to the secret efforts of powerful families in Jingzhou and the discreet arrangements made by Huang Chengyan, and with Zhuge Liang already persuaded, the deal was quickly reached. After a conversation with Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei discovered that Zhuge Liang was indeed a man of great talent and sincerely invited him to join his cause. With the addition of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, Liu Bei's strength greatly increased.
After Zhuge Liang emerged from seclusion, gazing at the shaky "Liu" banner atop Xiangyang's city walls, he offered Liu Bei a strategy: "Xiangyang's defenses are formidable. Although Liu Biao is weak, the Cai and Kuai families still exist. A direct assault would only increase casualties. It would be better to divide our forces: leave Guan Yu with a contingent to continue the siege and cut off their supplies; and send Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong south to capture the four commanderies of Lingling, Wuling, Guiyang, and Changsha. The generals guarding these four commanderies are mostly mediocre and disloyal to Liu Biao. With our army's momentum, we can surely take them in one fell swoop."
Liu Bei followed the plan. Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei, under orders, marched south, and as Zhuge Liang had predicted, the governor of Lingling, Liu Du, surrendered upon seeing the Han army pressing in; the governor of Wuling, Jin Xuan, resisted stubbornly but was killed by Zhang Fei with a single spear thrust; the governor of Guiyang, Zhao Fan, who had intended to establish a marriage alliance, surrendered after Zhao Yun's firm refusal, knowing he was no match for Liu Bei; and the governor of Changsha, Han Xuan, surrendered the city to Liu Bei after seeing the veteran general Huang Zhong engage in battle, knowing he was no match for him. Within three months, the four southern commanderies of Jingzhou were all under Liu Bei's control.
When the news reached Xiangyang, the city was thrown into turmoil. Those powerful families who had already been secretly allied with Liu Bei, seeing that he had gained control of four commanderies and was riding high on his power, became even more restless. At this time, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang personally led their army back, besieging the city. The powerful families in the city immediately responded, secretly opening the west gate that night.
Chaos reigned in Xiangyang. Under the protection of Cai Mao and his brothers, Liu Biao, along with Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, and their families, fled hastily through the east gate, heading south towards Jiangxia. However, Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, had already heard the news of the fall of the four southern commanderies of Jingzhou, and seeing Liu Biao's group in such a sorry state, he was terrified.
"General Huang, we cannot linger in Jiangxia!" Kuai Yue grabbed the still-shaken Huang Zu. "After Liu Bei takes Xiangyang, his next step will surely be Jiangxia. Rather than sit and wait for our deaths, we should head east to Jiangdong!"
Huang Zu hesitated and asked, "Would Sun Quan of Jiangdong tolerate us?"
Kuai Liang sneered: "Sun Quan has something on us, how dare we not tolerate it? Back then, in order to seize Jiangdong, he secretly conspired with us to murder Sun Ce. If this matter were to get out, it would be enough to ruin his reputation. With this leverage, it would be easy to ask him to give up a prefecture to recuperate."
Huang Zu was at a loss for his own opinion at this point, so he could only nod and say, "I will leave it to you two to arrange."
So Huang Zu led his navy to escort Liu Biao and his family, the Cai brothers, and the Kuai brothers down the river towards Moling in Jiangdong. The fleet sailed on the river under the cover of night. Kuai Yue stood at the bow, gazing at the faint lights in the distance, a calculating glint in his eyes—Jiangdong was now also a place of turmoil, with Zhou Yu, Ma Chao, and Zhang Zhao locked in a stalemate. The arrival of this group of "defeated soldiers" might be the key to shifting the balance of power.
Little did they know that Ma Chao's surprise attack force had already quietly landed outside Moling City, and an even greater storm was about to engulf them.
The river wind, carrying moisture, slapped against the wooden piles of Moling Wharf, producing a dull thud. Han Dang stood on the wharf pier, watching the fleet of ships approaching in the distance. Although the large "horse" flag on the bow of the ship, hidden in the morning mist, was not fully unfurled, he recognized its familiar outline at a glance.
"General!" As the fleet docked, Han Dang strode forward, clasped his hands in salute to Ma Chao, who had jumped onto the pier, and the clanging of armor was particularly clear in the empty pier. "This subordinate has cleared the western ferry crossing as agreed, and there is no sign of it in the city yet."
Ma Chao nodded, the hem of his dark-colored outfit still damp with the river mist. He gripped his tiger-headed golden spear and said in a concise and clear voice, "General Han, guard the dock. No one is allowed to enter or leave, especially those who are going to report to the noble families' residences."
"Understood, Your Excellency!" Han Dang nodded emphatically, then turned to the navy behind him and shouted, "Hold all the crossroads, nock your arrows, and execute anyone who dares to move rashly!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ma Chao mounted his horse and shouted to the four thousand Xiliang cavalry behind him, "Follow me straight to Moling!"
"Yes, sir!" the cavalrymen responded in unison, their hooves thundering on the bluestone road like a black torrent, carrying murderous intent as they rushed towards Moling City.
The morning mist, like a thin veil, enveloped the chill of Moling City. Cheng Pu's hands, which were red from the cold, were gripping the crenellations. His gaze swept over the hidden path below the city walls—several dark figures had slipped out from there last night, carrying bulging bags. It was obvious which powerful family was moving their family members and valuables.
Huang Gai walked up from behind, clutching half a frozen piece of dry rations in his hand, and said in a gruff voice, "Two more groups have left, both from the Zhang and Li families in the south of the city."
Cheng Pu didn't turn around, but just stared at the dense forest shrouded in mist: "Before we get concrete evidence, there's no need to stop them. It's good that these people ran away, so they won't get in the way in the city. If things really get out of hand, it will give those hiding in the shadows an opening."
Before the two could say anything more, they heard the thunderous sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar...