Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1251 The Art of War: Deception and Waiting Time

When Meng Hong and Ma Han were assigned to the South Gate, Ma Han could hardly hide his smugness. He had secretly bribed the general in charge of assigning the defenses to secure this relatively safe position. Seeing that Meng Hong was also benefiting from this, he leaned closer and murmured, "Brother Meng, you see, if I hadn't made the arrangements, how could we have been assigned to the South Gate? The fighting in the north is like a boiling pot, while here you can hardly see any arrows."

As he spoke, he smacked his lips, seemingly reluctant to part with the gold and silver, yet his words carried a hint of self-aggrandizement: "I've really gone to great lengths to ensure our peace of mind. Brother... shouldn't you do something in return?"

Meng Hong was plotting how to send the secret letter to Zhang Xiu outside the city. Annoyed by Zhang Xiu's persistent nagging, he could only patiently deal with him. The south gate was flat, and it led from Jiange to Chengdu. Pang De and Zhang Ren's troops were concentrated at the north gate, making this area relatively quiet. However, precisely because there was no fighting, he couldn't find a reason to fire an arrow. To fire an arrow out of nowhere would be blatantly telling everyone something was amiss.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Ma Han leaned even closer: "Brother Meng, look how much trouble I've gone through for you..."

Unable to resist the pestering, Meng Hong reached into his robes, pulled out a small gold nugget, and stuffed it into Ma Han's hand: "It's all thanks to Brother Ma's thoughtfulness, please accept this small token of my appreciation."

Ma Han pretended to decline a couple of times, but seeing Meng Hong's "sincere" attitude, he finally happily accepted it, stuffed it into his clothes, and patted it: "Brother, you know the rules! Don't worry, with me here, I'll make sure you're safe and sound at the South Gate."

He stopped for a moment, then started muttering again, giving Meng Hong a headache. As dusk approached, torches were lit on the city wall, and cooks pushed their food carts over. Jia Xu mingled among them, carrying a bowl of food to Meng Hong's side, his eyes questioning.

Meng Hong shook his head secretly.

Jia Xu understood immediately and handed him a bowl of coarse rice, saying, "Brothers, you've worked hard. Eat while it's hot!" As he handed the bowl, he subtly nudged Meng Hong with his arm.

Meng Hong understood and called out, "You guys eat first. There's been no movement at the south gate, I'll keep an eye on it for you."

No one suspected anything, and they all squatted down to eat. Jia Xu nudged him again, then suddenly pointed to a dark shadow under the city wall and shouted, "General, look! Isn't that a wild rabbit?"

Meng Hong whirled around, drew his bow, and with a "whoosh," released the arrow carrying the secret message. The arrowhead landed in the rubble below the city wall. He immediately glared at Jia Xu and cursed, "You old fool, are you blind? That's clearly a rock!"

Everyone looked up and saw the arrow stuck in the rocks. They burst into laughter: "General Meng's archery is excellent!" "That old man has bad eyesight, he's wasting the general's archery skills!"

Meng Hong chuckled dryly, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. The arrow, seemingly absurd, had actually landed precisely at the edge of the dense forest where Zhang Xiu was lying in ambush. He knew that Zhang Xiu's men had been watching the city walls from the shadows and would surely retrieve the arrow tonight.

As Jia Xu cleared away the dishes, a barely perceptible smile played on his lips. As the food cart was pushed away, he glanced back at Meng Hong, and seeing the man nod, he knew he had finally passed this hurdle.

The torches at the south gate flickered, illuminating the figures of people eating. Meng Hong gazed into the darkness below the city wall, as if he could see a pair of waiting eyes in the dense forest.

For three consecutive days, the battle raged fiercely at the north gate of Jiange, with shouts of battle and the sound of rolling stones never ceasing day and night, while the south gate remained quiet, with only the occasional sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps.

Outside the city, Zhang Ren paced anxiously beneath the North Gate, while Zhang Xiu stood with his hand on his sword in the dense forest at the South Gate. For the past three days, they had kept their eyes glued to the city walls every night, but had not received even the slightest light or signal. They could only wait impatiently, knowing that without news from within the pass, a hasty attack would only put Jia Xu and his men in grave danger.

Zhang Yan, Meng Hong, and Jia Xu inside the pass were equally anxious. Although the reinforcements had asked them to assist in defending the city, they had not given them any opportunity to take advantage of the situation. In particular, the brothers Wu Lan and Wu Yi were strict in managing their troops, sending trusted men to keep an eye on the movements of the "grain soldiers" every day. Even when changing shifts, someone would follow them, making it extremely difficult to find a gap to act alone.

That night, Zhang Yan slipped into the kitchen during a shift change and saw Jia Xu looking at a map by the light of the firewood being added. She said urgently, "Sir, waiting any longer is not a solution! Why don't we gather our men tonight, seize the north gate, and hold it to the death until the army outside the city breaks in!"

Jia Xu put down his charcoal pencil and shook his head, saying, "No. Our elite troops who have infiltrated the pass are only two thousand. If we force our way through, it will cause too much of a commotion. She Yuan and Wu Yi will definitely send troops to surround and annihilate us. We will be wiped out before dawn."

"What should we do then?" Zhang Yan clenched her fists. "If this drags on any longer, the brothers outside the city might not be able to hold back any longer."

Jia Xu gazed at the flickering flames in the stove and pondered for a moment: "If there is still no opportunity tomorrow, send out another secret letter, instructing Zhang Ren and Zhang Xiu to change their strategy, to cease hostilities during the day and only attack the city at night, and to launch several attacks in succession, giving the defenders no chance to catch their breath."

He pointed to the city gate on the map: "They're used to attacking and defending during the day, so they'll definitely be lax at night. If we take advantage of them being exhausted by the repeated night raids, it will be much easier to seize the gate. Then, we can launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside, which will definitely catch them off guard."

Zhang Yan's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! The night is chaotic, perfect for taking advantage of the confusion!"

"But remember, do not act rashly unless absolutely necessary," Jia Xu cautioned. "Our men are hidden among the defenders; once exposed, they will face certain death."

Zhang Yan nodded in agreement and quietly slipped back to the north gate tower. At that moment, Wu Yi was patrolling the city wall with his personal guards. Seeing Zhang Yan standing by the crenellations, he asked sternly, "It's windy at night, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Yan quickly bowed and said, "General, I was worried that the enemy soldiers outside the city had been attacking the city for days, so I kept an eye on them at night."

Wu Yi glanced at him, asked no further questions, and turned to leave. Zhang Yan watched his retreating figure, gritting her teeth inwardly. If she still didn't have a chance after waiting another day, she would have no choice but to resort to Jia Xu's method.

Meng Hong, at the South Gate, was also feeling like each day was an eternity. Ma Han had become increasingly clingy to him these past few days, constantly nagging him to "repay" him during the day and pulling him aside for idle chatter at night. He would even ask questions about anything Meng Hong did when Meng Hong glanced down at the city walls. Meng Hong could only patiently deal with him, but in his heart, he placed all his hopes on Jia Xu's strategy.

On the morning of the fourth day, the sounds of the attack on the north gate rang out as expected, but they were even fiercer than usual. Zhang Ren seemed to be putting all his strength into it, with ladders being erected one after another against the city wall, and the shouts of battle shook the walls. She Yuan and Wu Yi were focused on the north gate, and even the patrols sent to the south gate were reduced by half.

Seeing an opportunity, Zhang Yan took advantage of the chaos to shoot an arrow down towards the city walls.

It was that unlucky Zhang Qiang again, who, after being shot by an arrow, ran towards Zhang Ren: "General! There's news from the city wall!"

Zhang Ren unfolded the document and looked up at the city wall. His eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Send down the order: during the day, we will only launch a feint attack; after nightfall, we will launch a full-scale assault on the city!"

As the sun set, the sounds of attacking the north gate gradually subsided. She Yuan and Wu Yi, thinking the Xiliang army was exhausted, breathed a sigh of relief and arranged nighttime defenses, unaware that a surprise attack targeting the night was already quietly brewing outside the city.

The night was as dark as ink, and the sounds of the siege below Jianmen Pass grew louder and louder. The wooden battering pounded against the gate, and arrows rained down like locusts over the city walls. The shouts of battle almost lifted the city walls.

She Yuan, who had already rested in his tent, was disturbed by the intense commotion and couldn't sit still any longer. He put on his robe and climbed the north city tower. Seeing Wu Yi and Wu Lan directing the soldiers to throw rolling stones and fire arrows, he hurriedly asked, "What's gotten into Pang De and Zhang Ren now? Why are they attacking so urgently in the middle of the night?"

Wu Yi wiped the sweat from his face and laughed, "Perhaps they can't break through during the day and are trying to sneak into the camp at night? Don't worry, the brothers are all keeping an eye on things."

She Yuan nodded, looking at the dark mass of people below the city, and said in a deep voice, "With these two generals here, Jian Ge is as solid as a rock." Despite saying this, he did not dare to leave, but stood on a corner of the city wall to supervise the battle.

That night, the Xiliang army's offensive was almost relentless. One wave retreated, and another immediately followed, the torchlight illuminating half the sky. The defenders fought with all their might, and it wasn't until dawn that the shouts of battle below the city gradually subsided, and the Xiliang army finally retreated.

The soldiers on the city wall collapsed from exhaustion, some leaning against the battlements, others sitting directly in pools of blood, too weak even to lift a hand to wipe their sweat. Wu Yi frowned as he looked at his men's weary state: "Send the order down, half of them will take turns resting in the morning, and the rest will be taken over in the afternoon. Those soldiers escorting the grain didn't move much last night, so we'll rely on them this morning."

Meng Hong and Zhang Yan, who were listening intently, were secretly delighted, thinking that they finally had a chance.

At breakfast time, Jia Xu and the cooks pushed a porridge cart over, handing bowls of hot porridge to the soldiers. Some soldiers couldn't hold on any longer and leaned against the wall with their bowls of porridge, closing their eyes without even noticing the porridge spilling all over them. Wu Yi and Wu Lan saw this and felt both distressed and helpless, urging the soldiers on rotation to go and rest.

The grain escort soldiers took the opportunity to take over the defense. Meng Hong guarded the south gate, and Zhang Yan guarded the north gate. The two exchanged a glance and saw expectation in each other's eyes.

Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, the camp suddenly erupted in chaos. Many generals and soldiers clutched their stomachs and cried out, suffering from diarrhea of ​​varying degrees. Even Wu Yi's two personal guards were not spared.

Wu Yi was awakened by the noise and was both anxious and angry. He ordered his men to thoroughly check the food and water, but no matter how they checked, they found neither poison nor the source. They only saw that the soldiers were all pale and unsteady on their feet.

Unbeknownst to him, in the corner of the kitchen at that moment, Jia Xu was tidying up an empty paper packet, his face expressionless, but a cold glint in his eyes. That morning, while cooking porridge, he had secretly added a considerable amount of ground croton powder to the large pot under the cover of adding firewood. The quantity wasn't large, but it was enough to keep the weary garrison occupied for several days.

"Strategist, it's done." Meng Hong quietly slipped in and whispered, "Wu Yi is in a terrible predicament. He said he wants to pick some men from our grain escort soldiers to fill the positions on the city wall."

Jia Xu nodded, threw the paper packet into the stove to burn, and said in a deep voice, "Don't rush, stay calm, it's not ready yet."

The night was as dark as ink. In the dense forest south of Jian Ge, Zhang Xiu stood with his hand on his sword, the sounds of battle cries and the clang of metal echoing from the north, rustling the leaves. His personal guards behind him held their breath, their hands on their sword hilts, their eyes fixed on Jian Ge, anxiety written all over their faces.

"General, it's already this late, why is there still no signal?" the lieutenant couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his voice filled with anxiety.

Zhang Xiu frowned, gazing at the flickering firelight atop the distant Jian Ge city walls. The firelight reflected in his eyes, but it couldn't warm his somber mood. "Wait a little longer," he uttered, his fingertips already gripping the hilt of his sword until it turned white. Since they had already made the agreement, they could only wait!

The sounds of fighting from the north grew louder and louder, with cries of "The city has fallen!" faintly audible, only to be quickly drowned out by the fiercer battle. The guards whispered among themselves, some already taking a few steps forward, eager to rush out immediately.

Zhang Xiu abruptly raised his hand, silencing the crowd. "No signal means the time isn't right." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. "Master Jia Xu's plans are never wrong. Any more noise, and you'll be dealt with according to military law!"

The dense forest fell silent again, save for the whistling of the wind through the leaves, mingling with the distant sounds of battle. Zhang Xiu looked towards Jian Ge again; in the firelight, he could see dark figures rising and falling on the city walls, but he couldn't tell if they were friend or foe. He knew that chaos was most likely brewing within the city at this moment, but without a signal, a rash advance would only send his brothers to their deaths.