flstandardbreds Chapter 315 General He Qi, you are surrounded.
Chapter 315 General He Qi, you are surrounded.
After receiving Xie Chong's order yesterday, the retired Han soldiers from Shanyin and Qiantang counties rushed to Quanjiazhuang and, under the guidance of Yu Gang and Wang Fei, assembled in the woods ten miles northeast of Quanjiazhuang.
Currently, there are over eight hundred Han soldiers gathered in the forest. The highest-ranking officers are the three commanders. Seeing that it was almost time, Yu Gang approached the three commanders and said with a smile, "Commanders, it's almost midnight now. We need to move out immediately and choose a leader. Who among you will take the position?"
The three immediately rubbed their hands together, looking at each other with hostility. This was an operation to capture He Qi, the head of the He family of Shanyin, the General of Andong of Eastern Wu, and the Marquis of Shanyin. This series of titles was enough to prove He Qi's status. Whoever was in charge of leading the operation would have the greatest credit.
Therefore, none of the three commanders would yield to the others. After arriving here and learning of Xie Chong's orders, they began to compete, comparing their age, seniority, and military achievements, all wanting to become the person in charge of this operation.
As for Xie Chong's suggestion to play rock-paper-scissors to determine the winner, the three of them didn't consider it for the time being, mainly because they were afraid of losing. After all, rock-paper-scissors involves too much luck, and the loss would be too great. No one wanted to let the wealth and glory slip through their fingers. So the three of them argued for several hours without reaching a winner.
Upon hearing Yu Gang's reminder, the eldest member of the Qu family, Shen Chong, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brothers, please give me face and let me take the lead this time. I'll treat you two to drinks later."
Qu Chang Zhang Ling, whose face was scarred, shook his head and said, "That won't do. This isn't a birthday banquet. We can't let whoever is the oldest decide. If that's the case, we can just lie in bed and wait out our age. What's the point of competing? If you ask me, let's have a fistfight. The three of us should fight, and whoever wins gets to decide."
He was the most skilled fighter among the three, and therefore the one who most advocated deciding the outcome with fists.
The other two, knowing their fighting skills were inferior to Zhang Ling's, refused to agree. The last one, a handsome man named Niu Su, immediately refused, saying, "Absolutely not. Capturing is not like fighting a war. It relies on deployment and encirclement, not brute force. Therefore, we need someone with high learning to command. I wrote down the lyrics of 'Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty' in just seven days. Which of you two can do that?"
"I have already obtained the lyrics to five songs from General Guan and have memorized them all. Can you two now memorize the entire 'Loyalty to the Country'?"
The other two said in unison, "This is a war, not an essay. No matter how many words you write, will you kill He Qi?"
Seeing that the three were about to fall into a vicious cycle of arguing with each other, Yu Gang said urgently, "Stop arguing, or He Qi will run away. I think we should do as Prefect Xie says. Let's play rock-paper-scissors. Raise your hand if you agree."
With a whoosh, hundreds of people in the forest raised their right hands. They had had enough of the three men's endless arguing. Was it really that hard to choose a leader?
Seeing that they had aroused public anger, the three dared not argue any further and agreed to play rock-paper-scissors, with Yu Gang calling out "one, two, three" while they all extended their hands.
The game of rock-paper-scissors ended under the collective gaze of hundreds of Han soldiers. Shen Chong and Niu Su played the back of their hands, while Zhang Ling with the scarred face played the palm, making Zhang Ling the first to be eliminated.
Then Shen Chong and Niu Su played rock-paper-scissors in the final round. Shen Chong chose scissors and Niu Su chose rock, and Niu Su won.
Yu Gang spread his hands and laughed, "See? How efficient is this?"
Indeed, a problem that three people couldn't solve by arguing for hours was settled in a few breaths by playing rock-paper-scissors.
Niu Su clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "You two are too kind. I will definitely treat you to drinks after I capture He Qi."
We're counting on them to help capture He Qi, so they can't get too cocky.
Shen Chong and Zhang Ling returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "Greetings, Chief Niu. Brother Niu, if you become rich and powerful, please don't forget me."
Their laughter revealed a willingness to accept defeat, since they had both agreed to play rock-paper-scissors, and if they lost, they had to accept it.
Time was of the essence, and Niu Su dared not delay. He quickly took over command and said, "Let's discuss the plan. Yu Gang, have the weapon inventory been completed? Are the siege ladders ready?"
Yu Gang nodded and said, "The statistics are in. We currently have 823 people, 300 shovels, 208 hoes, 140 short knives, 35 long knives, 60 bows and arrows, and 270 arrows. Almost everyone has a weapon."
"In addition, fifteen three-meter-long cloud ladders were made, which were enough to climb the walls of the manor. Seventy-six bamboo shields were also made by piecing together bamboo strips, which could block ordinary arrow attacks."
They didn't bring any weapons when they were discharged from the army, so now they can only use farm tools such as shovels and hoes as weapons.
Besides, while the three chieftains were vying for leadership, the others weren't idle. They were all cutting bamboo and felling trees to make ladders. If given two more days, they could even build a catapult.
Niu Su continued, "Has the situation in Quanjiazhuang been investigated? How many people and how many weapons are inside? Is there a secret passage leading directly out of the village?"
Shen Chong and Zhang Ling nodded repeatedly at these questions, indicating that Niu Suzhen was more suitable to be a leader than the two of them.
Yu Gang pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and said, "This is a drawing of the interior of the manor that I made based on Wang Fei and his wife's descriptions. He Qi lives in the detached courtyard in the middle of the manor."
"According to Wang Fei's wife, there are currently thirty maids and sixteen servants in the manor, as well as He Qi and his twenty-two personal guards. He Qi and his personal guards all have short swords but no bows and arrows. We don't know if Quan Shang has any hidden crossbows in the manor, let alone the tunnels. Who would let their servants know about their tunnels?"
Niu Su pondered, "Given the nature of the gentry, there's probably a tunnel inside the manor. But this is the whole family's manor, so even if there is a tunnel, they might not tell He Qi. Besides, Quan Shangyuan, who knows the secret of the tunnel, is far away in Shanyin. Even if he wanted to tell He Qi, he wouldn't have the chance."
“But the manor is too big. Our 800 men may not be enough to fill it. If something goes wrong and He Qi escapes, it will be bad. So we have to send people to guard the perimeter. To the east of the manor is Shanyin City, to the south are mountains, and to the west is Huangwu Mountain, where General Wu Yue is stationed. If He Qi escapes, he can only return north along the same route. Yu Gang, you take the garrison soldiers to guard the north. If you see anyone escaping from the manor, intercept them immediately. If it is He Qi, you can kill him directly without asking for permission.”
Yu Gang nodded and said, "Yes..."
Niu Su continued, “There’s no need to worry about Yu Gang guarding the north. We’ll launch an attack from the southeast and west. I’ll be in charge of the east, Shen Chong the south, and Zhang Ling the west. You two will each lead a troop of soldiers to the gate and lie in ambush for me. At dawn, I will launch the attack from the east gate first. You can charge when you hear the battle shouts.”
“Look…” Shen Chong and Zhang Ling turned around and waved, leading the soldiers to quietly sneak towards the designated location carrying ladders.
Niu Su is in charge of the nearest route to the east, which doesn't require a detour, so there's no need to rush. He has to wait for the other routes to reach their designated locations before he can act.
The agonizing wait finally brought the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) into the night. Niu Su led the remaining four or five hundred men forward in the dark, and soon arrived at the east gate of the manor. Seeing that the manor was completely dark, Niu Su decisively raised his arm, and then hundreds of men rose at the same time and rushed towards the manor at top speed.
The private armies of the aristocratic families were confiscated, and there were no guards in the manor at the moment. The vanguard easily climbed up the ladder into the courtyard and opened the door from the inside. Niu Su led his men through the door and rushed towards He Qi's bedroom according to Yu Gang's previous sketch.
Before they had gone far, they heard a woman shout, "General, I am Wang Fei's wife. Wang Fei asked me to take you there."
After saying that, he took the lead and ran forward. Niu Su and his men quickly followed and soon arrived at the courtyard where He Qi was.
It was already late at night, and He Qi had long since gone to bed. However, He Qi knew the importance of being careful when traveling, so he had been sleeping fully clothed these days, and he was a very light sleeper, waking up at the slightest noise.
The hurried footsteps of the Han army startled He Qi, who sat bolt upright. After listening intently, his expression changed drastically. He grabbed the sword from beside his pillow and ran outside, shouting as he ran, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Wake up, everyone!"
The guards living next door didn't have his awareness; they were all young and strong, sleeping like logs. He Qi knew that shouting was useless and prepared to go and wake them himself. But as soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw the courtyard gate a few meters away being violently smashed open, and a group of young men dressed in cloth and carrying farm tools rushed in.
Turning my head again, I saw young people carrying farm tools on all four walls and even on the roof. Some of them were even carrying bows and arrows. The small courtyard was so tightly surrounded that it would be difficult for even a fly to get out, let alone them.
He Qi's heart sank. He closed his eyes for a moment to process it, and when he opened them again, he had regained his composure. Looking at the courtyard gate, he calmly asked, "I am He Qi. Who is the leader of you? Can you come out and answer me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd parted automatically, and Niu Su stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Niu Su, the commander of General Guan Xing's troops, greets General He Qi."