Chapter 40: The Arrow is a Murderous Weapon

  Let me introduce the relationship between Xu Zhou's old Tao family and Shou Chun's Yuan II family. In fact, the old Tao family had a good relationship with Yuan Shu in the past, and was even an iron-clad ally, especially during the brothers' struggle between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. The old Tao family firmly stood on Yuan Shu's side, helping him to send troops to attack Yuan Shao, helping Yuan Shu to contend for Yan State. Although they suffered a disastrous defeat, both Yuan Shu and Tao Qian suffered greatly, but it can also be said that they forged an iron-and-blood friendship.

  Logically speaking, Tao Qian supported Yuan Shu so much that even if Yuan Shu didn't feel grateful to Tao Qian, he should have shown some respect. However, no one expected that after capturing Shouchun and taking the title of Yangzhou Mu, Yuan Shu would give himself another title, Xu State Duke, showing off his intention to annex Xu State's five counties. This was something even someone as gentle and weak-willed as Tao Qian couldn't tolerate, so he gritted his teeth and severed his alliance with Yuan Shu, becoming sworn enemies.

  Now that the face has been thoroughly torn apart, General Yuan II naturally no longer had any reservations. Sun Jian's former subordinate, Lü Fan, instigated Yuan Shu to take advantage of the fire and rob Guangling. Although Lü Fan's true intentions are still suspicious, General Yuan II still dispatched Sun Ce, who was about to become the little overlord of Jiangdong, ordering him to lead an army of 8,000 on an eastern expedition, preparing to take advantage of Tao Qian's southern campaign against Liu Yao and the inevitable mutual destruction, to seize the territory of his former ally.

  After a brief introduction to the background, let's get back on track. In order to slow down Sun Ce's army as much as possible and gain more tactical space, after leaving Guangling City, Junzi Army immediately deployed its signature long-distance sprinting technique, galloping at full speed with horses changed but not people, covering 110 miles in just five hours. With the initial horse relay sprint, Tao Jian, who was still energetic, wanted to run another 20-30 miles before resting, but Tao Ying firmly stopped him and ordered Junzi Army to stop and rest, preparing to set off again at dawn.

  "Second brother, our soldiers and war horses are all in good spirits. Why don't we march another twenty miles?" Tao Qian suggested: "Didn't you say, second brother, that the farther away from Guangling we engage Sun Ce's forces, the better? Wouldn't it be even better to hurry up and march another twenty miles?"

  "The terrain is unfamiliar, so it's better to be cautious." Tao Ying shook his head and said: "Third brother, neither you nor I have been to the northwest of Guangling. We are not familiar with the terrain in this area, and we can only rely on the sun, moon, stars, and silk thread (primitive compass) to determine the direction. Today is August 30th, and there is no moon in the sky. It's easy to get lost and have accidents if we venture too deep into the darkness."

  Taoyi looked around and nodded, "Alright, I'll go arrange the night watch and scouts. Second brother, you should get some rest, don't exhaust yourself."

  Tao Ying answered, and instructed: "Third brother, let our scouts pay attention to finding guides. When we encounter local farmers or mountain residents, we must treat them with kindness and courtesy, and not intimidate them. Then bring them here to me. To fight a guerrilla war, familiarity with the terrain is extremely important."

  Tao Qi died, but Tao Ying did not rest immediately. He hastily ate some dry rations and salted meat, lit a lantern that could withstand strong winds, unfolded a sheepskin map, and began to study it under the light of the lantern. From this rough and somewhat detailed map, it was clear that the western part of Guangling was indeed a good place for guerrilla warfare, with many hills and forests, but not lacking in open plains where the Junzi army could quickly move around. At the same time, the rivers and lakes that would later have large flows, such as the Xu River, Chi River, and Nüshan Lake, did not exist at this time, making it an ideal place for the Junzi army to exercise its speed and agility.

  But everything has its pros and cons, the terrain with many hills requires the Junzi Army to be very familiar with the terrain and roads, especially in the southwest where there are more mountains and forests, compared to the relatively open terrain of Guangling, this area is surrounded by mountains, with numerous small roads, streams, forests and hills scattered all over, extremely complex, for the Junzi Army to fight a guerrilla war on such terrain, effectively containing and harassing Sun Ce's army, they will have to face many severe tests.

  With a worried and furrowed brow, Tao turned his gaze to the border area between Guangling Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture. In this location, there was a small county called Dongcheng. By reputation, this small county of Dongcheng belonged to Xuzhou, but it was over 400 li away from Guangling and only over 300 li away from Yuan Shu's main camp in Shouchun. After the rebellion of Qiao Rong, this county had long since lost contact with the governor's office of Xuzhou, and it was now unknown whether it had fallen into Yuan Shu's hands or been seized by some mountain bandit as a lair, just like Gucheng. However, this small city happened to be situated right in the path of Sun Ce's advancing army, making it an unavoidable route for his eastward march.

  "Why not go to Dongcheng for a trip?" Tao Ying suddenly had an idea and thought to himself: "Dongcheng is Sun Ce's must-pass route, as well as the throat of his grain road. If we hurry up and make a trip to Dongcheng, we can understand the local terrain and various situations in advance. Moreover, since Dongcheng is a county town, no matter how broken it is, there are definitely still some civilians and families there. We should be able to find guides who are familiar with the local terrain, which is better than searching for needles in the mountains and forests."

  Thinking of this, Tao Ying considered another important issue, that is, where Sun Ce was now, whether he had arrived at Dongcheng or crossed Dongcheng. In the case of unclear terrain, rushing four hundred miles, what if you accidentally encountered Sun Ce's main force in a narrow area?

  But then he thought again, Tao Ying was somewhat speechless and laughed, knowing that he had been too cautious. Sun Ce was indeed a first-rate general in the world, but it was certain that his 8,000 troops could not all be cavalry. How could Yuan Shu give so many cavalry to Sun Ce, who was not his trusted subordinate? A mixed infantry and cavalry army, how far could they march in three days? Besides, Yuan Shu had made it clear that he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to attack Liu Bei while he was away fighting against Yuan Shao, hoping that both sides would be defeated and then he could reap the benefits. Therefore, it was unlikely that Sun Ce's army had already reached Dongcheng or even crossed Dongcheng.

  He made this judgment, and Tao Ying, who was more suspicious than Liu Xuan and Cao Cao, did not hastily make up his mind. Instead, he first gathered the five generals of the Junzi Army, including Tao Ji and Nian Bin, and gave them a whispered order, arranging for Nian Bin to lead a team of light cavalry bearing the flag of the rebellious army to advance first, in case they suddenly encountered Sun Ce's main force. Only then did he announce the plan to attack Dongcheng directly. Tao Ji and Nian Bin agreed together, carefully remembering Tao Ying's instructions.

  "Hold on." Just as he was about to let the generals go and rest, Tao Ying suddenly remembered something and hastily added: "Generals, taking this opportunity, I'd like to announce a new military discipline. From now on, before we engage in battle with the enemy, all arrowheads must be stirred into horse dung and coated with it before shooting at the enemy."

  The five generals of Junzi's army looked at each other, and Tao Ji asked curiously: "Second brother, why apply smelly horse dung to the arrowheads?"

  "The arrow is a cruel weapon." Tao Ying's expression didn't change, his heart didn't skip a beat as he said: "Our Junzi Army is an army of benevolence and righteousness, an army of morality. We only kill the enemy on the battlefield out of necessity. Therefore, we use bows and arrows the most, it's best to apply some dirty things to the arrowheads, wash away some of the murderous aura, so that others won't say our Junzi Army is not living up to its name, holding cruel weapons without disguise, losing the elegance of a gentleman."

  "Second Brother, you're being book-smart again," Tao Ji complained. "What's the use of having a fierce and formidable aura if an army doesn't kill its enemies?"

  "Yes." Nian Bin added, "If you apply a foul-smelling horse dung to the arrowhead, it's said that iron arrowheads are prone to rust and can't be reused after just a few times."

  The remaining three gentlemen and the hundred officials all opposed it, none of them willing to carry out Tao Ying's strange military order. Tao Ying was at a loss, and could only angrily say: "You fools, do you want me to spell it out for you? Feces contain many tetanus bacteria, arrowheads smeared with horse dung, as long as the enemy is injured, even if they don't die on the spot, they will easily contract tetanus, which is difficult to cure, and die from worsening wounds! This is the Huns' ultimate trick for conquering the Western Qin (Roman Empire), its effectiveness is only slightly inferior to applying aconitine poison to arrowheads, we can't find that much aconitine to make poisonous arrows, so we have no choice but to use horse dung as a substitute!"

  "It turns out that's how it is." Tao Ji slapped his thigh and suddenly realized, "This is a great idea! Second brother, why didn't you tell us before?"

  "When I was going to tell you, but considering that most of the rebels are from Xuzhou, I changed my mind. But as for Sun Ce's little kid, humph!" Vice Director Tao coldly snorted and scolded: "You few fools, can't you even read some books in your free time? We are a noble army, an army of righteousness, an army of morality. There are things that we can do, but the words must be spoken elegantly. What's with all this talk about emotions, love, righteousness and morality? They should always be on the tip of our tongues, only then can we be considered moral gentlemen, and only then can we live up to the identity of a noble army."

  In the blink of an eye, a peaceful night passed, and at dawn the next day, Junzi's army set off again. Yan Bin led a team of light cavalry disguised as defeated soldiers to scout ahead, while Tao Ying led the main force three miles behind. They galloped swiftly towards Dongcheng. After half a day's journey, by around noon on September 2nd, Junzi's army had entered the territory of Dongcheng County, less than twenty miles from the county seat. Just as Tao Ying was about to let his troops rest and send a fast horse to reconnoiter the situation in Dongcheng, an unusual report came from the front lines.

  "Report!" The messenger of Yan Bin's troops rushed to Tao Ying's face, loudly reporting: "I report to the young master, my scout found an enemy scout team five miles ahead, with Yuan Shu's military flag. General Yan asks the young master to instruct whether to engage in battle?"

  "Damn it, we're a step too late." Tao Ying's heart sank, and he hastily ordered: "Tell Nian Bin to continue to pretend to be defeated soldiers and make contact with the enemy scouts, seize the opportunity to capture two of their men, and then retreat back to meet up with me."

  The messenger received the order and left, while Tao Ying led the main force of the Junzi Army to transfer to the rear of the hills, using the mountains and forests to cover their tracks, while making preparations for battle, in case the vanguard was discovered by Sun Ce's army. Fortunately, after a while, Yan Bin's vanguard withdrew smoothly, without attracting a large number of pursuing troops, and also brought back two prisoners from Sun Ce's army. It turned out that Yan Bin had sent someone to pretend to be a defeated soldier of the Zhurong Army to deceive Sun Ce's scouting team, who believed it to be true and were eager to understand the current situation in Guangling County. They even volunteered to lead the way for Yan Bin, leading this group of "Zhurong defeated soldiers" to meet with Sun Ce's military leaders. Yan Bin took advantage of the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, killing three and capturing two, while the remaining Sun Ce scouting team escaped back to report the news.

  Since the scouts of Sun Ce's army had escaped, it was certain that a large force would arrive soon. Time was pressing, and Tao Ying did not hesitate to interrogate the two captured scouts on the spot. However, these two prisoners showed a strong resemblance to Sun Ce's domineering style, refusing to confess honestly and instead threatening Tao Ying: "You dog thief! If you know what's good for you, release us immediately. Otherwise, when our General Sun arrives with his army, we'll wipe out your small force completely!"

  Tao Ying didn't get angry, but instead drew out his knife and chopped off the right arm of the most ferocious scout who was shouting. Then he asked him: "Will you say it or not? How many troops does Yuan Shu have in Dong City? Who is the commander? When did they arrive at Dong City?"

  "There are a million troops in the Eastern City! Bandit!" The one-armed scout was extremely fierce and continued to scold loudly.

  With three swift slashes, Tao Ying cut off the remaining limbs of the crippled guard, then turned to another and licked the blood on his blade, grinning menacingly as he asked: "Your turn, kid. Are you going to talk or not?"

  "I said! I said!" Seeing Tao's ferocity, another scout was so frightened that he almost wet his pants and hastily said: "General, we arrived at the east city more than an hour ago. The vanguard is General Huang Gai, and the deputy commander is Zhou Yu. There are over 2,000 men in the vanguard. Currently, General Huang and Lord Zhou are posting notices to pacify the people inside the east city."

  "Zhou Yu?!" Tao Ying was shocked, then Tao Ying asked in a hurry: "And what about Sun Ce's little boy? Where did he go? When can he arrive at Dongcheng?"

  "General Sun is thirty miles behind us, personally escorting the grain and fodder. The scout replied with a tremble: "It's likely that we'll arrive at Dongcheng by dusk today."

  "Is Sun Ce personally escorting the grain and fodder? How much grain and fodder did you bring, that it requires Sun Ce to personally escort it?" Tao asked in pursuit.

  "I don't know the exact amount of grain and fodder." Shi Hou shook his head, seeing Tao Ying's face sink, Shi Hou quickly added: "A lot, a lot, I don't know the specifics, but I heard several generals say that this time we need to prepare for a protracted war. The road from Shouchun to Guangling is not easy to walk, and grain transportation is not easy, so we brought a lot of grain and fodder."

  "It seems that there is at least a month's worth of grain and fodder." Tao Ying calculated in his mind, and with a swift swing of his sword, he beheaded the scout who had surrendered. He quickly ordered: "Strip these two captives of their helmets and weapons, take all the valuables from their bodies, make it look like bandits killed them for their wealth, then retreat southward!"

  The gentleman general and soldiers followed the order, Tao Ying again dipped his finger in blood and wrote on the two unlucky scouts' naked bodies: "Sun Ce's children, we sent you to Guangling, don't chase after us, or you will only find trouble for yourself!" After writing these bloody words, Tao Ying immediately mounted his horse and led the army southward. When Tao Ji asked him what this meant, Tao Ying replied: "I wrote it in the tone of the defeated remnants of the Liangzhou army. Just now, Yan Bin used the name of the defeated remnants to contact the enemy, so I left a message in the tone of the defeated remnants, which is to strengthen this impression on the enemy."

  "Oh, I see." Tao Ji applauded and smiled: "Second Brother deliberately let the enemy think that we are just a remnant of the defeated army, so the enemy will think we're insignificant and won't send troops to pursue us again."

  "Idiot!" Tao Yingxiao cursed with a smile, "You said the opposite, I deliberately left the book, actually wanting to let the enemy divide their troops to kill me! Think about it, more than 100 names of cavalrymen, weak and vulnerable, and more than 100 war horses can be robbed. Sun Ce's subordinates are not eager to chase after them with red eyes? However, the pursuing soldiers they sent must not be many, isn't it just an opportunity for us to gnaw at their bones?"

  Taoki was taken aback, but after thinking carefully, he suddenly came to his senses and praised: "Second brother, you are really too cunning! If it were me, I would definitely rob them too if I encountered over a hundred defeated cavalrymen from the battlefield!"

  "It's still not enough, we need to create some fake appearances." Tao thought for a moment and then turned to Nian Bin, instructing him: "General Nian, take the hundred or so war horses and remove their saddle cloths. Let them drag them on the ground at will. As for the other war horses, collect their dung carefully and bury it deeply, we can't let the enemy guess our true military strength." Nian Bin responded and quickly ordered his subordinates to carry out the instructions, setting up a fake appearance of only over a hundred cavalrymen in the Junzi Army.

  Dongcheng is located at a sharp angle on the map of Guangling Prefecture. The Junzi Army marched south for three to five miles, and in fact, they had already entered the territory of Yijiang Prefecture, the old nest of Yuan Shu. The terrain in this area was even more complex, with one mountain peak after another, and the open areas at the foot of the mountains were small, which was not conducive to the Junzi Army's combat. At the same time, the sound of pursuing troops could be heard faintly from a distance behind them. Therefore, Tao Ying had no choice but to continue marching south with a hard heart, first to find an open area and second to find local guides.

  After turning over several mountains, they had walked more than ten miles, and a relatively open area finally appeared before the Junzi Army. To their surprise, this open area was filled with rice fields that had already been harvested and replanted with winter rape, and in the distance, there were wisps of smoke rising from houses and villages nestled against the mountains and water. Even an arrow tower could be seen, clearly a civilian stronghold common in troubled times.

  "We can finally find a guide." Overjoyed, Tao Ying hastily ordered: "Quickly, go and pay respects to the master, but be careful on the road, absolutely do not trample the villagers' vegetable fields, and do not randomly harm or intimidate the villagers. Also, take care of the war horses, do not let them enter the fields to eat vegetables." The generals received their orders, and Tao Ying led the Junzi Army along the straight road, hastening towards the folk fortress, while the Junzi Army soldiers carefully restrained the war horses, not letting them trample the farmland.

  All the way to the front of Dewu Fort, the people in the fort had already gone up to the city wall and arrow tower to defend themselves, holding various weapons and hiding behind the trenches, vigilantly watching the Junzi Army. The arrow tower also set up strong crossbows, aiming at the Junzi Army's troops. After carefully observing this fort, Tao Ying's first impression was that the owner of this fort absolutely understood military affairs. This fort was not only built very solidly, with high walls and deep trenches, but the configuration of the arrow towers was also very reasonable, complementing each other's shooting blind spots. Moreover, there were even sharp stakes buried in the trenches, and the bridge leading into the fort was a specially made drawbridge that could be tilted instantly by a mechanism, causing enemies on the bridge to fall into the trench.

  Unexpectedly, above the gate of the fortress, a young man of only twenty-one or two years old stood out, dressed as a scholar like Tao Ying, with a white face and a slight mustache, tall and strong, with a precious sword at his waist. He bowed to Tao Ying and others with great courtesy and said in a loud voice: "Generals, I am the master of this fortress, please ask what you have come to this humble abode for?"

  "It turned out to be the owner of the fort, and I apologize for the disturbance." Surprised by the youthfulness of the fort owner, Tao Ying also dismounted his horse, first waving his hand to let the Junzi army officers retreat, then bowing to the fort owner and saying: "Please don't worry, sir. We didn't come to borrow grain or supplies. I led my troops out on a campaign, but not knowing the road, we mistakenly arrived at this place. For any offense caused, please forgive us."

  "Is he the general leading the troops?" The village chief was also surprised by Tao Ying's youth and scholar attire, and hurriedly returned the courtesy: "General, you're too kind. I've already seen it earlier, General, you restrained your troops and didn't let them trample on our neighbors' land. I'm deeply grateful. May I ask what is your honorable surname and name, and which army are you from?"

  "In the lower reaches of Tao, I am Yingzi Mingwu, the military governor of Xuzhou." Tao Ying then hastily said: "Master, I have a small request that is not in line with propriety, and I hope Master will fulfill it. As I have just arrived at your esteemed place, I am unfamiliar with the local customs and geography, so I don't know if Master can dispatch one or two local villagers who are familiar with the roads to guide our army."

  He said, Tao Ying took out two gold bars from his bosom and said very politely: "Of course, I won't let the villagers here work in vain. Two gold bars, one to thank the village owner, and one to thank the villagers who guided us. Moreover, the villagers who guided us don't need to bring their own food, their meals will be taken care of by our army."

  "Is this army led by Gongzi the Xuzhou army?" The lord of Na Wu's face showed a look of surprise.

  "That's right." Tao Ying nodded in agreement, frankly admitting it.

  He hesitated for a moment, then bowed his hands and said: "Young master, according to reason, even if you pay the reward, or even if you directly ask for help, we should also lend our strength. But now it's different, I'm sure you're also very clear that General Yuan Shu has already sent troops to attack Guangling County, and the vanguard has arrived at Dongcheng. The armies of Jiujiang and Xuzhou have actually started fighting. And most people in this village are from Jiujiang, if we help you, when Yuan Gonglu sees it, he won't be afraid, but our fellow villagers will suffer. So, please forgive me for not being able to help."

  "We're not robbing you of your money and food, so why..."

  Taoyi was enraged when he heard this, and immediately wanted to argue with the Weng host. However, Taoying waved his hand to stop his hot-tempered brother, and bowed to the Weng host, saying: "What the Weng host said is absolutely right. Indeed, this is within the jurisdiction of Jiujiang County. If the Weng host helps me, Yuan Shu will surely blame him and implicate all the villagers."

  "Thank you, sir, for understanding my difficulties. I am deeply grateful." The host bowed his hands in thanks.

  "No need to be polite, I'm intruding, disturbing you, goodbye." Tao Ying was very casual, nodded his hand to bid farewell to the owner of the hut, then turned around and ordered: "Let's go, go to the next village to find a guide, pay attention to the horse hooves, absolutely not allowed to trample on the local people's farmland."

  After that, Tao Ying led the Junzi Army to continue south along the rural road. Although Tao Ji and Nian Bin were anxious in their hearts, they did not dare to disobey Tao Ying's military order, so they had no choice but to lead the Junzi Army around the valley and head south. The owner of the valley looked at the retreating back of the Junzi Army and exclaimed: "Such a righteous army, such elegant gentlemen, are rarely seen in the world."

  At the same time, in the ranks of the Junzi army, Tao Ji caught up with Tao Ying and asked anxiously and angrily: "Second brother, why are you so stubborn? We are strangers here, and it's not easy to find a local village. It's just right that we can find a guide, but how could you be dismissed by that dog of a landlord with just a few words? We're not robbing them of their money, grain or women, and we're even offering gold for a guide. How can we justify ourselves to them?"

  "Idiot!" Tao Ying scolded in a low voice, "How many times have I taught you? We are teachers of benevolence and righteousness, teachers of morality. What's with all this talk about emotions and love, benevolence and morality? Some things can be done, but absolutely cannot be spoken of!"

  "What about our guide?" Tao Ji asked irritably.

  "Idiot! How can I have a brother as stupid as you? Don't you even use your brain at all?" Tao Ying cursed in a low voice: "Did you notice earlier? This stronghold is very rich, the two large grain warehouses are higher than the fortress wall. One warehouse alone has at least 3,000 dan of rice, and those stronghold soldiers, they're holding strong crossbows and hard bows, good knives and guns, and their clothes aren't even a bit tattered. It proves that this stronghold is extremely wealthy! Tell me, what do you think will happen here soon?"

  "What's going to happen?" Taok asked inexplicably.

  "You're not stupid to this extent, are you?" Tao Ying finally got angry and said in a low voice: "The pursuing soldiers who killed us, encountered such a rich village, didn't they rush to grab it? Do you think the military discipline of Yuan Shu's army is as good as our Junzi Army? When Yuan Shu's army robbed them, we would turn back and kill them again. What would the people in this stronghold think?"

  "It's definitely a great opportunity for us, and we'll even get a free guide! Who knows, they might even treat us to a big meal!" Tao Ji suddenly realized and laughed: "Indeed, second brother is the most clever. We deliberately left horse dung for the enemy to chase, and the chasing soldiers will definitely arrive at the gate of this fortress just now. At that time, as long as those chasing soldiers are greedy together, we can win over the hearts of the people here!"

  "Shut up! Keep your voice down! How many times have I said it, we are a noble army, an army of benevolence and righteousness, an army of morality. What's with all this talk about emotions, love, benevolence, and morality? These nice-sounding words must be kept on the tip of our tongues at all times! Some things can be thought, some things can be done, but absolutely cannot be spoken!"