Volume 3 Chapter 49: Wolf Smoke Rises

  At noon, Tongshan.

  The water of the Kui River flowed quietly, calm and peaceful. Not far away, the Tongshan Castle was in a state of turmoil, with arrows flying everywhere, creating a stark contrast between movement and stillness. On the castle wall, Chen Liao's face was pale, looking at the many breaches in the rammed earth walls, one by one, the wounded soldiers were carried down from the city head, his mood was particularly heavy.

  For two consecutive days, the Wu army launched a fierce attack on Tongshan. For two whole days, the Wu army came in batches one after another, day and night without stopping, making the defenders of Pengcheng not dare to relax at all. The continuous crossbow arrows and the simple catapults that Yin Xu ordered to be made overnight caused serious damage to the already weak earth wall of Tongshan, which had collapsed many times, but fortunately, the repairs were timely, and the city was not breached.

  What made the Pengcheng army most headache was Yin Xu's all-out attack method, and the large army launched attacks from different directions in succession. This made it impossible for the Pengcheng defenders to determine where the main direction of the Wu army's attack was. The defender Chen Liao on the city wall was under great pressure and could hardly speak. Twelve hours of continuous attack made his soldiers always on high alert, and they couldn't get a good rest at all. After two days of high tension, they were already showing signs of fatigue.

  "Doesn't the Huai army seem to have more than eight thousand men?" A lieutenant on the city wall was the first to raise a question, and unexpectedly triggered a chorus of agreement.

  "Right! The military report must be wrong. The troops of Kuaiji are obviously more numerous. How could they have fought on all four sides for several rounds with only 8,000 men?"

  "The city wall is severely damaged, and if this continues, the city will be breached sooner or later. If we are surrounded by enemies, it would be disastrous."

  "In two days, we've already lost over a thousand men, if this continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on."

  There were many who doubted him, and the strong offensive of Wei's army had already put a lot of psychological pressure on them. Their eyes all fell on the commander-in-chief Chen Liang at the same time.

  "General, shall we ask for reinforcements from Pengcheng?"

  Chen Liao knew the current situation, and had no choice but to say: "Pengcheng originally had limited military strength. Apart from Tongshan, several passes in the south also need to be held on to. Pengcheng is the capital, so it's natural that more troops should be stationed there."

  "General, Pengcheng is hopeless, at least let Yong Chi come and support us!"

  "Yes! Didn't the Grand Marshal say that if Tongshan is in a tight spot, let Yong Chi reinforce it?"

  "It would be best if the vanguard could attack and harass the Imperial Army from the outside, or even surround them, so that we can attack from both inside and out. If possible, annihilating the Wu army in one fell swoop would be ideal; at the very least, we must kill some of their men to dampen their morale."

  Many ideas emerged, and the thoughts of Chen Liu were influenced by the opinions of his generals. At this moment, a young general walked over, who was Su An, the deputy commander of the Tongshan army, second only to Chen Liu. He had been favored by Qin Jia at the meeting in Pengcheng Palace because he knew Yin Xu and Ying Bu. However, due to his young age and lack of experience, everyone didn't take him seriously. What's so great about being noticed by the Grand Marshal? Isn't it just that you coincidentally know a few people's names?

  Su An walked over and bowed to Chen Liu, saying: "General, it seems somewhat improper!"

  What's wrong? What's not right? Everyone perked up their ears, some with raised nostrils, to see if Su An was referring to the crowd's suggestions or if there were any military secrets that had been leaked.

  "Bozhou, what's your view?" Chen Liao asked politely.

  Su An, courtesy name Bo Zhou!

  As a newcomer, a suddenly promoted newcomer, Su An was very low-key and humbly said: "I think the number of troops in the Mohe army should be around 8,000, at most it will not exceed 10,000, what I saw during the day may be an illusion."

  Everyone showed a disdainful expression, you little boy think you're someone? Really treating yourself as the deputy general? Just arrived on the battlefield for a few days, dare to speak so loudly without shame. Little rabbit, can you compare with your grandfather in military strategy and battle? Not even knowing how old you are, isn't this slapping our faces?

  Chen Liao, as the commander-in-chief, had a certain demeanor and, considering Qin Jia's face, politely asked: "What makes you say that, Bo Zhou?"

  Su'an looked at the generals with their noses upturned and arrogant eyes, knowing in his heart but ignoring them, calmly saying: "The Wu army seems to be fiercely attacking, advancing on all fronts, but there is no order. If it's just about breaking the city, we only need to concentrate our forces to attack one or two places, and if we want to open a gap, it won't be difficult either. Why disperse our forces?"

  Most people looked at Su An with suspicion and disdain, with skepticism and distrust being the overwhelming majority.

  Su'an's entire work is invisible, and he continues: "Subordinates had previously heard people mention Yin Xu. In Jiangdong, he was able to lead over a hundred men to make the five thousand imperial troops turn around in circles, and still suffer losses one after another. It can be seen that this person is full of wisdom and strategy. Subordinates have always felt that the reason why the Wuqi army is doing this is to deliberately put pressure on us and force us to mobilize reinforcements."

  "You mean to say that the Kuaiji County is surrounded and waiting for reinforcements, with the intention of luring the relief troops to come and rescue them, and then setting an ambush along the way?" Someone immediately retorted back, the scornful smile on his face making people feel a bit nauseous.

  Su An's heart surged with anger, but his face remained extremely calm as he said, "It's possible, so we must be prepared!"

  "Haha!" Several generals laughed: "Tongshan is blocking here, and behind it is the Kui River. How can the Wu army bypass from behind? Deputy General Su, you are indeed careless." The arrogant disdain made Su An feel nauseous, he suppressed his anger and said: "Maybe!" He had another idea in his mind, but swallowed it back when it reached his lips.

  "After a moment of silence, another thought occurred to him and he hesitated: 'However, there is one thing, have you all noticed that the water level of the Kuishui River seems to have dropped?'"

  Everyone unintentionally went to the distant Kui Water, looking at it, the water was sparkling and flowing slowly. Upon closer inspection, the river water seemed to have decreased by a few points compared to before, but not very noticeably.

  "Some people said: 'Recently there has been little rain, the weather is hot, spring drought is severe, and the river water is low and shallow, which is normal.'"

  Due to the bias in their hearts, it seems that most people are ignoring him. Su An felt a chill in his heart, he originally wanted to remind everyone that the other side might flood the city, but everyone had such an attitude. He couldn't help but look at Chen Liao, waiting to see how he would make a decision.

  Chen Liao also felt that Su An was a bit too sensitive, even if the city was really flooded, they couldn't be rescued. Even if the opponent had only 8,000 people, now he himself had only 6,000, to be exact, it should be 5,000, with low morale and exhaustion, how could they be the opponents of the Wu army? It's better to let Yong Chi come, the reinforcements arrive, and the strength is increased, which can also boost some morale.

  At this time, the Wu army launched a new round of attacks, which further solidified Chen Liang's determination. He was heard saying: "Send a letter to Yong Yi asking for help!"

  Su'an suddenly felt a great sense of loss, and Chen Liao still didn't believe in himself. The scornful gazes from the various schools shot over, making him extremely embarrassed. With his blood boiling with youthful vigor, Su'an's self-esteem was extremely strong. He turned around and left, thinking to himself: "I originally thought I had a good strategy against our enemy, but since you look down on me and don't believe in me, then forget it! Don't regret it when the time comes!"

  Before long, a rolling black smoke rose from the top of Tongshan City and soared into the sky. Yin Xu stood in the distance, looking at it with his eyes, muttering: "Is this the wolf smoke?" The river wind blew, the war armor moved slightly, the broken water hung on his waist, and the majestic general stood proudly. Especially the confident smile at the corner of his mouth, indicating that victory was in sight.

  Somewhere north of Tongshan, at the edge of a forest, Liu Bang and a refined middle-aged man stood shoulder to shoulder. Gazing southward as wolf smoke rose into the sky, they exchanged a smile, their hearts understanding each other without words.

  PS: These days, the line has been under maintenance, and there have been frequent power outages. As a result, I've had very little time to write and go online every day. The updates have been too few, and I'm really sorry! Next week will return to normal, and I'll work hard to write more and update frequently. Sanwen apologizes to everyone and thanks you all for your support!