Chapter 1318 – Defeating Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (Sixty)
“Jing also has that intention,” Cheng Jing said, “My Lord, please look here—”
Cheng Jing understood Huang Song’s plan; holding onto Zhanghe County stubbornly was not a wise choice. The true value of this place lay in its grain. Now, having harvested fifty percent of the crops, it was enough to feed the army for the next few months. This battle likely wouldn’t last long, and continuing to harvest the remaining autumn grain was pointless.
Huang Song planned to withdraw his troops from Zhanghe County, and coincidentally, Cheng Jing had a promising place in mind.
“Where?” Huang Song turned to the direction Cheng Jing was pointing, “What is this place?”
Cheng Jing replied, “This place is called Changye.”
“Changye?” Huang Song exclaimed, “That sounds somewhat familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve heard it before.”
Cheng Jing explained, “During the Great Xia Dynasty, Changye was part of Hujun. Later, strange occurrences happened here, causing the common people to evacuate. Over time, it became deserted. When Dongqing was established and counties were redefined, it was separated from Hujun.”
According to Cheng Jing, it was a remote area that everyone avoided like the plague.
Huang Song thought hard but couldn’t recall where he had heard of this place.
Cheng Jing added, “My Lord, have you forgotten? Changye was once the burial site of someone significant.”
With this reminder, Huang Song suddenly recalled an article he read; the first Prime Minister of the Great Xia Dynasty was buried there.
“What strange occurrences happened in Changye?” Huang Song inquired.
Cheng Jing explained, “In the late years of the Great Xia Dynasty, there was a severe flood in Changye, with torrential rains lasting a whole month and thunder roiling in the sky. When the flood receded, the common people discovered that graves near Changye had been dug up. After investigation, they learned it was local thieves who had heard that a Prime Minister was buried here. They suspected the graves held valuable items and took advantage of the floods to raid the site.”
Huang Song naturally knew who that Prime Minister was; it was the notoriously controversial Prime Minister Huangfu.
Cheng Jing continued, “The thieves ransacked the Prime Minister’s tomb but found no treasures. The coffin at the center was washed out by the rains. After the thieves left, a woodcutter found the coffin. He chopped it up for firewood and took it home, leaving a decapitated corpse exposed in the wild. After that, Changye often experienced thunderstorms, and the common people were afraid to go out at night. More than one commoner claimed that during storms, they could see an army encamped outside the town, complete with ghostly soldiers and flaming ghost fires.”
Terrified of the ghost soldiers, the common people fled Changye one after another.
Eventually, Changye became a ghost town.
Huang Song awkwardly noted, “Isn’t that a ghost story?”
He… was a little scared of ghosts…
Cheng Jing replied, “It is indeed a story.”
Who asked Huang Song what Changye was like? That was how Cheng Jing brought up the story.
Huang Song: “…”
Scaring people in broad daylight!
Huang Song took a close look at the terrain of Changye and had to admit that Cheng Jing’s choice was indeed correct.
However—
Huang Song teased, “What if I face off against Lan Ting and the ghost soldiers jump in to intervene?”
Cheng Jing glanced at his Lord, seemingly observing a helpless figure—was this really the pressing concern right now?
As it turned out, ghost stories were still just that—stories. Changye became deserted because a plague once broke out there.
The source of the plague was that the floods had washed in numerous floating corpses from elsewhere, contaminating the water supply and causing illness among the common people.
Most of the common people died, and the few who remained moved away.
Huang Song and Cheng Jing reached a consensus but faced strong opposition from others in the camp.
Yuan Xin’s eldest son, Yuan Kuang, was one of the most vocal opponents.
“My Lord, why retreat from Zhanghe County to some Changye? That place is too open and unfavorable for our troops!”
Yuan Kuang truly did not understand; what was wrong with staying in Zhanghe County? At least there was ample grain. What was there in Changye? No advantageous terrain; how could they fight? Since Huang Song had punished Yuan Kuang, his standing had fallen considerably, and he wasn’t subtle, merely a scapegoat to take Huang Song’s ire and test the waters.
Huang Song glanced at Yuan Kuang without speaking, while Cheng Jing patiently explained, unsure if it was for Yuan Kuang or the others.
Cheng Jing stated, “Zhanghe County isn’t a place that’s easy to defend. Liu Xi has sufficient manpower; if they employ a siege tactic, cutting off our water and food supplies, how would we respond? That’s point one. Point two, Liu Xi’s forces are divided into two fronts, flanking us. If we engage them from both sides for too long, we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage. Rather than sinking deeper into this dilemma, it’s better to break free early and fight another day.”
If Huang Song was going to linger in Zhanghe County, it would be easier to hide out in Haozhou instead.
Huang Song aimed for a decisive confrontation between the two armies, and Changye was a perfect place for it.
His side lacked many advantages, but neither did the enemy.
Looking closer, at a battle in Changye, it would actually be Jiang Pengji who would be at a disadvantage.
Huang Song had already taken the autumn grains of Zhanghe County, so he wasn’t burdened by supply lines, while Jiang Pengji would need to allocate extra resources to protect hers.
Yuan Kuang resembled his late father, Yuan Xin, but he didn’t have his father’s experience and couldn’t just rely on age to impose authority.
Once Huang Song made a decision, as long as the main principles were sound, he wouldn’t change it due to opposition.
Yuan Kuang felt discontented inside, but he couldn’t go against his superiors, so he had to bottle up his frustration.
Everyone else could see Huang Song’s determination and had no choice but to agree.
At that moment, someone asked, “The autumn harvest isn’t over yet; what should we do with the grain left in the fields?”
Leave it for the enemy?
Huang Song’s expression was indifferent as he said, “Set it ablaze. Burn it.”
If we can’t have it, neither can they.
That night, flames roared to life within Zhanghe County, the blaze fierce and terrifying.
Jiang Pengji was awakened by someone; she was in her nightclothes and had thrown a large robe over herself.
“Did Zhanghe County flood? What happened?”
She glanced toward Zhanghe County; the sky was ablaze, painted red against the dark night, a hue between red and orange.
Everyone else was puzzled too.
Jiang Pengji chuckled, “Could it be that Luo Yue and the others finally found the chance to burn down Lord Boge’s precious autumn grain?”
To which, Luo Yue appeared quite confused.
This fire was strikingly similar to the one in San Shan Canyon, flames seeming to consume everything in sight.
“Who started this fire?”
Luo Yue insisted it wasn’t him.
Taking advantage of the chaos of the fire to divert the enemy’s attention, Huang Song’s army made a safe retreat.
However, they didn’t rest for long; within half a day, Jiang Pengji reacted.
Jiang Pengji exclaimed, “Did Lord Boge withdraw his troops? But this direction doesn’t seem like retreating back to Haozhou or Hejian County—”
Wei Ci said, “This direction… is Changye!”
Jiang Pengji followed Wei Ci’s pointed finger, and it was clear on the sand table.
She instantly grasped Huang Song’s intention.
“Then, if that’s the case, let it be as he wishes.”
