Chapter 1298 – Defeating Huang Song, Unification of Dongqing (Part 40)
Luo Yue’s brow twitched, his expression grave as he said, “Military Adviser, please elaborate.”
He was truly blind.
He initially thought Meng Heng was a gentle and cultured scholar, but it turned out he was also madly resolute at heart.
No wonder he was Meng Zhan’s own son, inheriting that ruthless streak.
“Inflict a thousand casualties upon the enemy and suffer eight hundred ourselves—a mutual destruction strategy!” Meng Heng sneered. Luo Yue shivered at the thought, “Huang Song’s attack on Hujun is precisely for the grain after two months’ harvest, right? We can just burn it! If we can’t have it, then neither should Huang Song!”
Luo Yue’s eyelids twitched, and he exclaimed sharply, “Burn it?”
Burn our own food?
Is he insane?
Meng Heng clarified, “Not all of it, just the prime farmland within a hundred miles near the San Mountain Gorge.”
If all the grain is burned, what’s the point of Huang Song’s attack?
They might as well go cry in Zhonghe County!
Luo Yue looked at Meng Heng in horror, his breath rapid and heavy, his eyes red and bloodshot.
Burning the grain of hundreds of miles of farmland—
How could he possibly do this?
In an era where common people would risk their lives for a meal, how could he bring himself to do it?
“Act decisively or suffer an even worse fate,” Meng Heng said with an indifferent expression. “General Luo, decide quickly.”
Luo Yue tightened his grip on the sword hilt, his knuckles turning white from the pressure, his joints almost bursting through his skin—it was clear how torn he was inside. The choice Meng Heng presented him was unthinkably difficult; whichever he chose, he couldn’t bear it.
Beside him, Cheng Yuan held his breath, his expression complex as he glanced between the two.
“Is there truly no other way?” Cheng Yuan spoke the thoughts of Luo Yue.
Meng Heng replied, “Huang Song is launching an all-out assault on the San Mountain Gorge. We can only hold out for five days at most, and that’s only by risking the lives of all our soldiers. The Lord can restrain Huang Song’s forces, but if Huang Song avoids direct confrontation and uses the advantageous terrain to drag this out, a delay of ten to fifteen days is not out of the question. By that time, the entire Hujun will have fallen into Huang Song’s hands—do you want that?”
Both men fell silent, and Luo Yue hung his head in agony.
Meng Heng continued, “Sacrificing a hundred miles of farmland to save tens of thousands of soldiers and most of Hujun—isn’t that worth it?”
Luo Yue murmured, “Military Adviser… Autumn harvest is in two months…”
Meng Heng countered, “But we’d be exhausted within five days—how could we possibly last until the harvest?”
From ancient times until now, wars were fought over seizing territory and grains, where would you find the practice of burning one’s own food?
After a moment, Cheng Yuan spoke, “Burning the year’s hard work of the common people, if that gets out…”
Meng Heng replied, “Isn’t there already someone ready to take the blame?”
Both Luo Yue and Cheng Yuan were taken aback, unsure of whom Meng Heng meant.
“Some can collude with Huang Song for wealth and position; why can’t anyone burn the grain and turn themselves in to Huang Song?” Meng Heng pointed out. “After all, they’re all about to die anyway; adding another crime wouldn’t be excessive—let them die with a little more worth.”
Both men fell silent.
What’s the justification for the arson?
Everyone could see that Huang Song was attacking Hujun for the grain—who would be foolish enough to use burning grain as a banner to surrender?
As if sensing their doubts, Meng Heng said, “Just burn the farmland near the San Mountain Gorge. We can claim that the burning fields were meant to disrupt our morale and mislead our troops into sending forces to extinguish the flames, thereby weakening the defense at the San Mountain Gorge—just make it convincing.”
This world is never short of twisted logic and people who can be brainwashed by it.
As long as the majority believe, a minority will naturally choose to remain silent.
“General Luo, have you made a decision?”
Luo Yue looked defeated, his voice hoarse as he said, “If after this battle there’s still a chance to save my life, I’ll personally plead for mercy from the Lord—”
Having failed to protect the territory entrusted by the Lord, he was now relying on burning his own land to escape.
What an utterly incompetent and disgraceful performance; Luo Yue wished he could find a crack in the earth to hide in and never come out.
The army of Huang Song advanced fiercely, their forces menacing, giving no time for a breather.
The two armies fought from day to night across the San Mountain Gorge boundary. The gates of the pass were smashed by large logs, and without dozens of chariots to block them in time, they likely wouldn’t withstand a day. Everyone was on edge, afraid to close their eyes at night, worrying about a surprise attack by the enemy.
Luo Yue gathered thousands of soldiers to disguise as house servants to guard the courtyard, stealthily making their way out of the San Mountain Gorge at night.
Because of the war, the common people nearby had already packed their belongings and fled north to escape calamity, leaving the farmland unattended, making it easier for them to act.
Huang Song’s troops chose not to conduct a night raid, instead allowing their army to rest and recover. The day-time battles had put the enemy on high alert; they spent the night without sleep. If they stayed awake all night, their physical condition would naturally deteriorate, giving the second day’s battle an edge to them.
With this ebb and flow, they would be able to capture the San Mountain Gorge in three or four days.
No matter how strong the enemy was, they were still mere mortals; it was impossible to go days without sleep.
At around three in the morning, an orange glow suddenly appeared behind the San Mountain Gorge.
At first, it wasn’t distinct, and Huang Song’s men didn’t pay it much attention.
As time passed, the flicker of orange gradually spread, tinting the dark sky with an orange hue.
After a couple of hours, Huang Song was finally stirred.
“What’s happening?”
Huang Song, who had just managed to fall asleep, was rudely awakened by the chaotic sounds outside.
He pulled his sleeping gown tighter and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
“Lord, bad news! The fire!”
A fire?
What fire?
A jolt shot through Huang Song’s mind, mistakenly thinking the enemy had launched a night raid to set fires, fully waking him from his drowsiness.
He grabbed Yuan Chong’s hand and pressed, “Where’s the fire?”
Yuan Chong could hardly explain, dragging Huang Song to the watchtower, where the horizon towards the San Mountain Gorge blazed with a dazzling line of fire!
“W-What is that?”
Huang Song felt like he was dreaming; how could the enemy’s rear be on fire?
Yuan Chong said, “The enemy’s rear is ablaze; we don’t know who did it.”
The two exchanged incredulous glances.
At this moment—
The enemy’s rear is on fire?
Huang Song felt an inexplicable sense of being the chosen one.
He gazed at the distant blaze, vaguely sensing something was amiss.
Huang Song asked, “Where exactly is the fire?”
Yuan Chong couldn’t provide specifics, only giving a rough location.
A spark ignited in Huang Song’s mind; his heart raced. He quickly scuttled down from the watchtower.
Just then, Cheng Jing and others hurried over, their faces pale with horror.
They compared notes on the maps and were stunned to realize that the burning area was all prime farmland!
“With this kind of blaze, it might take three to five days to extinguish—”
They didn’t know how many crops were about to be harvested that were being burned, but they knew it was a number they never wanted to see.
“They’ve gone mad!!!”
Huang Song suddenly erupted, sweeping his hand across the table, sending everything crashing to the ground.
The table, filled with bamboo slips and documents, scattered across the floor with a dull thud.
At the San Mountain Gorge, Luo Yue wiped tears while staring at the direction of the fire.
To stabilize the troops’ morale, he still had to pull himself together and send someone to calm the soldiers, lest this blaze dampen their spirits.
