A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, ZaberZ, Jose Sierra, Salim, Archer, Acedia, kurtis newman, Nithin Samuel, Little Sand, Angel Rodriguez, Dradin Hebrhal, Andrew Bryant.
You can read 50 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
————————————————————
The timeline shifts back two days. Below Xiangling City, Han Xian and Li Le stared at the city walls, feeling utterly helpless.
This county town of Xiangling was like a stone stuck right in the middle, completely blocking their path...
Why couldn't one bypass a city in ancient times?
Why are there "island-hopping" tactics in modern warfare?
This is entirely determined by the conditions of production and the level of science and technology.
In modern warfare, airdropping a force of several thousand troops isn't particularly difficult. Similarly, supplying those several thousand troops can be done via airdrops. Of course, if the enemy lacks anti-aircraft capabilities, one might even consider dropping a few magazines to provide some entertainment for the troops.
But in ancient times, none of this was feasible.
During the Han Dynasty, the nomadic tribes had it slightly better as they brought their cattle, sheep, and horses. But Han people couldn't bypass cities at all.
Cities were communication nodes.
The network of post stations was the only means for ancient people to transmit information. Even with the small-scale use of carrier pigeons, point-to-point communication was required. In times of war, much information was reported to the central city. Choosing to bypass a city not only meant one might not receive information from their own side smoothly, but it also made it impossible to judge the enemy's current state...
Cities were logistics nodes.
Han Dynasty soldiers had little fat in their diet, so their demand for coarse grains was significant. In the Han era, without sealing or canning technology, once these grains left dry storage and were transported into the field, even if not all was consumed, they would soon begin to sprout, mold, or rot. If troops didn't carry provisions, infantry could march sixty to eighty li in a day. This meant the area within roughly thirty li of a city was within direct, rapid strike range. Bypassing a city was essentially presenting one's own soft underbelly to the enemy...
Cities were population nodes.
For bandits like the White Wave or Yellow Turbans, who lived day by day with no thought for the morrow, it was different. But for anyone else capturing a city, the first thing was inevitably to issue proclamations, informing the people inside and outside the city which faction now controlled it. The merchants and landowners within the city would then naturally come forward to pay certain "protection" fees. Simultaneously, this process allowed for the conscription of laborers, repair of equipment, and gathering of supplies...
Living off the land through warfare wasn't impossible, but it was only viable for forces of around three thousand men. Any fewer couldn't overcome the various village stockades and forts; any more meant the spoils of victory wouldn't be enough to feed everyone. If the vanguard ate their fill, and the rear guard, coming up behind, found nothing but scorched earth, who would volunteer to guard the rear next time? Moreover, living off the land easily provoked a "people's war," leading to constant ambushes, misdirection, and poisoning. The common folk didn't care about grand principles of righteousness; being able to eat their fill and live with human dignity was the greatest justice!
Originally, the White Wave Army's deployment had no major flaws.
Xiangling County town was wedged between the Lüliang Mountains and the Fen River, so the area for troop deployment was narrow, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Therefore, Han Xian and Li Le were to lead the majority of the coerced commoners along this route, slowly attacking the northern side of Xiangling City. Because of the natural barriers of mountains and water, these commoners couldn't flee as easily as they could on open ground.
Then, Yang Feng and Hu Cai would lead troops and a small number of commoners along the western bank of the Fen River. Since the White Wave Army was a roving rebel force carrying most of its provisions, they could completely bypass Xiangling. If the northern offensive stalled, they could cross the Fen River southward and attack Xiangling from the south. Caught between two fronts, Xiangling County town, being no impregnable fortress, would inevitably fall into chaos within days...
But because of Yang Feng's personal agenda, Han Xian and Li Le on the eastern bank of the Fen River became stuck at Xiangling City. Hu Cai on the western bank was defeated by Fei Qian's forces and later died at Yang Feng's hands. And Yang Feng himself had absolutely no intention of rescuing Han Xian or Li Le, focusing solely on his own plans.
The entire strategy originally agreed upon by the White Wave Army became empty words. The current situation was that Han Xian and Li Le wanted to bypass the city but were blocked solidly by Xiangling and Yong'an, with no way around. Meanwhile, Yang Feng, who could bypass cities, was stubbornly fixated on Pingyang due to his personal goals...
Han Xian stared fixedly at the young man wielding the axe on Xiangling's walls. He felt a faintly sweet, metallic taste rising in his chest and stomach, nearly making him retch. His vision also darkened intermittently.
During the first assault that morning, combat soldiers had already scaled the walls. Over a dozen had even crossed the scaling ladders and stood on the battlements. But this young man had, with a group of troops wielding long axes, forcefully cut them down like chopping wood...
The second wave was the same. Under those long axes—especially that young man's—practically nothing could withstand them. He wielded his long axe with effortless grace, but for the White Wave combat troops, it was a tragedy.
By the third wave, the combat soldiers' morale had visibly plummeted. Not a single man managed to reach the battlements...
According to convention, this was the time for some brave warriors or fierce generals to lead from the front, spearheading the charge with their troops. Even if they might not take the city, it would have an inspiring effect on their own soldiers.
But Han Xian and Li Le understood in their hearts that if they personally faced that young man on the walls, the outcome was likely grim. Therefore, they were unwilling to step forward and lead the charge themselves.
The two of them absolutely refused to go themselves, and they had no fierce generals under their command to use instead...
"Withdraw the troops! Withdraw..." Li Le let out a mournful sigh, his cheeks trembling. These combat soldiers were the ones he had painstakingly gathered over the years. Now they were being lost below Xiangling's walls. How could it not pain him?
But Han Xian knew clearly: whoever lost their resolve first was the one who lost. This was a situation of struggling for survival amidst death. Who had the luxury to care about losing soldiers? Weren't they both losing men? The losses were split evenly between them. He hadn't said anything about withdrawing, so what right did this idiot have to speak up?
Han Xian couldn't hold back any longer. He spat out, "Withdraw your mother's troops! If you hadn't failed to guard the rear camp properly and let our provisions get burned, would we be in this state today?!"
Li Le immediately glared back and shouted angrily, "Your mother! You dare blame me? If you hadn't later sent men out to mess around, and they got tricked and the remaining provisions were burned, would we be without food now?!"
Han Xian retorted, "Your mother! You were in charge of the rear camp! You let people in without even checking who they were, and you have the nerve to talk?!"
Li Le shot back, "You idiot! When have your damn brats ever let my men check them? Check your mother!"
The two grew angrier with every word. If not for some remaining shred of reason, they would have started brawling then and there. But under these circumstances, continuing the assault was impossible. They called off the attack haphazardly...
Han Xian spat out a mouthful of slightly foul-tasting saliva. Watching the dejected combat troops retreating, an idea struck him. He raised his voice and shouted, "Cheer up! Reinforcements are coming tomorrow! Then we'll take Xiangling City and eat whatever we want! Beef! Mutton! Chickens and ducks! Flatbreads! Eat your fill!"
"Ohhh~~~ Reinforcements are coming!"
"I want flatbread! I want duck legs! And duck butts! The fattest duck butts!"
Whether Han Xian's or Li Le's soldiers, they all grew excited at this good news. They swallowed their saliva, cheering and discussing loudly, imagining the good life arriving tomorrow.
Li Le was momentarily stunned. Were reinforcements really coming tomorrow?
But Han Xian seemed to speak with such certainty. Could there really be reinforcements?