Chapter 133: The Scheme of Jia and You!

Outside Shouchun City, inside the main command tent of the Cao army.

Watching Zhou Yu depart, Cao Cao’s expression darkened. He looked toward his civil and military officials and asked, "Gentlemen, you have all seen Sun Ce’s repeated attempts to take the city over these past days. His troops are valiant, and his commanders have personally led the charges, yet they have failed to breach the walls. Why is that, when Shouchun is defended by so few?"

Cao Cao’s gaze swept across the room.

"My Lord," Xun You stepped forward, cupping his hands solemnly, "as far as I know, Shouchun possesses a specialized repeating crossbow battalion. They clear the battlefield and retake the parapets at critical moments, causing heavy casualties. Furthermore, though there are only a few thousand troops in Shouchun, the number of defenders on the walls has visibly increased of late. I suspect this is due to the support of the local noble clans within the city."

"Chu Feng will be returning to provide reinforcements soon. Do you have any sound strategies to help me defeat the enemy?" Cao Cao asked, his tone grave. He had to win this battle. Only by pushing the front line to the river could he hope to face the looming threat of Yuan Shao. Otherwise, would Chu Feng not strike at his rear? One had to realize that once Sun Ce was routed, it would only be a matter of time before Chu Feng seized the six commanderies of Yangzhou, which would severely restrict him and could even lead to his downfall.

The generals looked at one another, hesitating, then lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Guo Jia pondered for a moment, then stepped out with a faint smile. "My Lord, Shouchun is holding firm, and with the summer heat upon us, a direct assault will only result in unnecessary casualties."

"Teach me, Fengxiao!" Cao Cao urged earnestly.

"My Lord, since Shouchun is difficult to break, why not 'besiege a point to strike the reinforcements'?" Guo Jia stroked a small tuft of his beard and chuckled. "Chu Feng’s army is small, and after half a year of continuous campaigning, he is now rushing back from thousands of miles away. They are an exhausted force; as the saying goes, the arrow at the end of its flight cannot even pierce silk. Our army, by contrast, has been resting and waiting. We outnumber him several times over and possess a force of elite veterans. How can we not prevail?"

"Besiege a point to strike the reinforcements?" Cao Cao raised an eyebrow.

"My Lord, Fengxiao’s plan is excellent," Xun You added with a smile, cupping his hands. "The reason Shouchun fights so desperately to hold out is simply because they are waiting for Chu Feng’s reinforcements. If you crush the enemy, the defenders in Shouchun will surely be struck with terror, and the noble clans within the city will no longer dare to oppose you. Shouchun will then fall into your hands without a fight!"

Cao Cao pondered this, his face brightening. It was true; if Shouchun was too tough to crack, he simply needed to crush Chu Feng, and he would win without further effort.

"However, My Lord, one should always have a backup plan," Xun You continued. "It is midsummer, and the heat is stifling; corpses will rot quickly. You might consider leaving a few battalions to guard the perimeter, throwing the putrid remains and waste into the city day and night. Furthermore, do everything possible to contaminate their water supply. In short, let there be no peace in Shouchun."

"This..." Cao Cao hesitated.

Xun You smiled and said, "My Lord, those who seek to accomplish great things do not sweat the small details. While this may harm the people of Shouchun, it is done to save millions more."

"Then let it be as you say!" Cao Cao nodded.

The method was indeed effective and had existed for a long time; it was essentially the earliest form of biological warfare in ancient times, though it usually required months of effort to take full effect.

"My Lord, before we execute the 'besiege and strike' plan, we must first eliminate Ji Ling’s legion," Guo Jia added. "Ji Ling has no more than five thousand men, and his camp is flimsy compared to Shouchun. We must take it before Chu Feng arrives. Otherwise, once he reaches this position, he could easily join forces with Ji Ling and establish a firm foothold."

Guo Jia had not forgotten that Ji Ling’s legion was stationed only dozens of miles away. Previously, Cao Cao had focused on Shouchun, but now that Chu Feng was returning, Ji Ling had to be dealt with. If Ji Ling remained, his camp could provide shelter for Chu Feng and form a pincer with Shouchun, which would be a grave danger.

"Cao Ren, you are to lead your battalions to hold the current position. All other units will break camp at the fifth watch tomorrow and follow me to crush Ji Ling. He must be eliminated!" Cao Cao scanned the room and commanded sternly.

"Understood!" the generals shouted in unison.

At the fifth watch the next day, the Cao army made their move. Together with Sun Ce’s force of over thirty thousand, they marched in a grand column toward Ji Ling’s camp, dozens of miles to the southwest.

***

A few days later.

As Ji Ling looked at the dense mass of the coalition army outside his camp, his scalp tingled. Though he had constantly insisted that Cao Cao would come to kill them, seeing the force arrive in reality was truly intimidating. He had only five thousand men in total. While his camp was sturdy, it was no match for the walls of Shouchun. How could they hope to hold it?

"General, what should we do now?" Le Jiu asked from the side, his expression grave. The Sun-Cao armies had already begun their assault.

"Hold at all costs!" Ji Ling frowned and said firmly. His camp stood on the only path leading to Shouchun. If it were breached, Chu Feng would have to take a long detour to reach the city, and even then, he would be in grave danger.

"But General, the enemy is powerful; I fear we cannot hold!" Le Jiu said, his brow furrowed. Defending a camp was far different from defending a city; the tactical advantages were much weaker.

"Whether we can or not, we must!" Ji Ling rebuked him. "This camp cannot be lost. If it is, where will our Lord go when he returns? What will become of the people south of the Jiujiang River?" Deep in Ji Ling’s eyes was an unwavering resolve. Chu Feng trusted him so deeply; how could he fail him?

With that, Ji Ling drew his sword and shouted to the soldiers on the palisades: "Men! The Cao army is ruthless and slaughters the innocent! Behind us lies Shouchun, where our wives and children reside. If we retreat, where will our Lord go when he returns? What will become of the people south of the Jiujiang? Who will save our wives and children?"

"You tell me, should we retreat?"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The wavering morale of the troops was steadied by Ji Ling’s words. They were all military families; their loved ones were all in Shouchun. They might be able to flee, but what of their families?

"Good! Today, let the Cao army know the bravery of the men of Jianghuai. Let them pay for their atrocities with their own blood!" Ji Ling roared, his voice reaching the heavens.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers in the camp bellowed in response.

"Follow me to repel the enemy! Kill!"

With Ji Ling’s command, the entire army was filled with a new, firm belief: they could not retreat. If they did, their loved ones would suffer a miserable death and be humiliated by the Cao army.

Outside the camp, the Cao and Sun forces were already attacking. Since the camp walls were not tall, they carried simple scaling ladders. The Cao troops were indeed elite, and their frontline charge was formidable. Sun Ce’s troops were even better at sieges, with shield-bearers and crossbowmen working in perfect coordination, and his commanders were all willing to lead the charge.

"Fire!" Ji Ling drew his bow, striking down an enemy soldier, while the archers on the parapets rained arrows down upon the approaching ranks.

*Thwack!*

Countless arrows pierced the chests of the attackers, but their deaths seemed trivial, causing no ripples in the momentum. It only drove the Cao army to charge forward in waves, more and more men scrambling up the ramparts.

Ji Ling swung his blade, cutting down countless enemies. He was drenched in blood, appearing like a demon of hell.

Watching the Cao army retreat once more, Ji Ling let out a long, ragged breath and collapsed against the palisade, his strength spent. The assault was too fierce; he was barely holding on!

However, this was only the beginning.