“`html
“So, a strategist can’t ascend the throne?”
Chapter 7
Other than these two matters, Liang Zhongning ended up with the not-so-glamorous job of getting scolded.
Qiao Yan, on the other hand, took some of the sharpshooters under her command for training.
Her earlier observations on the landing points of arrows around the fortress came in handy at this moment.
The overall tactical quality of the Yellow Turban Army meant they couldn’t observe the battlefield like regular troops; they had to rely on instinct from past experiences. Luckily, these men were seen as Liang Zhongning’s trusted followers and understood she had taken command, so they would still follow her orders.
Moreover, the instructions Qiao Yan gave were simply to flank from the back of the fortress and shoot arrows through the gaps of the watchtower.
However, these arrows were a bit special—they were fire arrows made with sulfur.
In ancient battles, using flaming arrows for attacks wasn’t common yet during the late Han era, and recorded uses of fire arrows mainly appeared in “Records of Wei.”
At that time, Hao Zhao, who guarded Chencang, ordered his men to shoot back with fire arrows against the siege ladders, driving back Zhuge Liang’s attack.
Fire arrows might not seem too complex, but keeping the flame burning during mass use was tricky, especially when ensuring a steady supply during heavy shooting.
For example, wrapping the arrowheads in fabric soaked in pine oil was one method—but pine oil was something almost impossible to get ahold of at that moment.
But being among the Yellow Turban Army, there was another way to substitute.
In the weird tricks played by the Way of Great Peace sect, sulfur was undoubtedly a regular guest.
It’s hard to say what kind of thoughts Liang Zhongning had when Qiao Yan asked him about this substance, as a subtle expression flickered across his face.
Nevertheless, his desire to obtain the grain stored in the Tian Family Fortress took precedence, and he finally pulled out a bag of vermilion and sulfur from his pack and handed it to Qiao Yan.
Of course, the amount of sulfur wasn’t much—certainly not enough to set the whole fortress ablaze.
Also, the typical compact layout of the fortress would make its lord consider the possibility of fire spreading from one spot to another.
When Liang Zhongning asked about it, Qiao Yan countered with a seemingly unrelated question: “What kind of image do you think you hold in the hearts of the Tian clan?”
“…The invader of Puyang?” Liang Zhongning instinctively wanted to reply “brute,” but felt it sounded off coming from him.
How could he insult himself like that?
He always prided himself on being well-educated, especially compared to people like Bu Ji.
But looking into the clear eyes of this girl, he found it hard not to feel that the answer he swallowed had already slipped out.
“You already know the answer. So, it’s up to you to reinforce this impression. Only a reckless lord would think this level of a fire attack could be effective and believe he could use a feint to attack their weak point. Don’t you think?”
“…Sure.”
He really thought if only he had more sulfur, maybe the fire attack would actually be doable.
Wasn’t that so?
Feeling quite dizzy from all the confusion, Liang Zhongning decided it was better to just follow orders.
Thus, he tossed aside his earlier thought of not acting on Qiao Yan’s orders if they didn’t align with his will.
He might not excel in other areas, but when it came to scolding the opponent as Qiao Yan suggested, he was definitely more familiar than the enemy.
This was why, while some people followed Qiao Yan’s instructions to dig trenches, others learned how to light and shoot the arrows, the rest came with him to the outside of Tian Family Fortress.
Having eaten a defeat earlier, this Yellow Turban commander felt less shy about facing the enemy; instead, he felt a sort of thick-skinned indifference.
With some soldiers trailing behind him, standing out of the fortress’s shooting range gave him an extra sense of security.
He pointed to the guy who had just waved his hand provocatively and opened his mouth with the kind of countryside insults that would make anyone cringe.
“…” Tian Yan, the Tian family’s eldest son nestled in the watchtower, felt an urge to leap up as soon as he heard the beginning, only to be pushed back down by his second uncle beside him.
In Tian Yan’s eyes, Liang Zhongning had the same face as when he fled in embarrassment before, the wound from the arrows in the fortress evident, and his mismatched armor a pathetic effort to distinguish himself from the ordinary soldiers, yet here he was, making it sound like he had already won.
This guy even had some knack for words, managing to spew out a series of insults in a rather rhythmic fashion.
Tian Yan was really at a loss for words.
“You insolent fool!” he couldn’t help but yell.
How could he forget that he shouldn’t let the other party’s filthy words lead him around by the nose?
But in the past, the Tian family’s stronghold in Puyang had always commanded respect; who would dare insult him to his face like this, especially with the distance giving them a false sense of security?
“How could such a bum capture Puyang? If he really had the guts, why not come to the wall? I’d have my sturdy guards twist off his head!”
After saying this, he felt a bit relieved but turned to see that his second uncle wasn’t as furious as he was; instead, he looked thoughtful.
Before Tian Yan could ask, his uncle pulled him to another watchtower, looking towards a moving group of Moth Bandits.
Not long after, that contemplative expression was replaced with a hint of joy.
Tian Yan was confused, “Uncle?”
“I fear we may have found an opportunity to break the enemy. This loudmouth is brash and wild, but he wouldn’t believe he could win over the sturdy guards with mere insults; he’s probably trying for a daytime verbal showdown before a nighttime sneak attack.” His second uncle, known for being the intellect of the Tian family, was no exception this time.
In his view, the fading figures of the Yellow Turban Moth Bandits hinted at some form of movement.
This raised his alertness immediately, but moments later, his expression turned to one of confidence.
He peered out at Liang Zhongning yelling insults one last time before making a decision, turning to Tian Yan and saying:
“Zibo, there’s something I need you to do.”
Outside the Tian Family Fortress, Liang Zhongning continued his incessant taunting until dusk.
Not that he was about to run dry on insults, but even the listeners were starting to lose patience.
Fortunately, after the sunset, the night slowly descended, and the nearly ear-splitting noise from earlier vanished, replaced by the gentle rustle of the spring night breeze, finally giving everyone a moment to breathe.
Though, that might not count as a breather.
Since the news of Puyang being breached arrived, the main gate of the Tian Family Fortress closed and the strong men inside took turns keeping watch against a potential raid.
Now that Yellow Turban bandits lurked outside, ready to spring an attack at any moment, the young fighters even skipped rotating shifts.
They hadn’t been idle before dusk either.
The northern fortress had ample water sources, the same applied here; before the outer wall of the Tian Family Fortress was completed, three wells had been dug inside.
Tian Yan didn’t know why his uncle made such a plan but obeyed his orders and, while Liang Zhongning was busy provoking, led people to fetch water from the wells, filling the water vats placed every ten paces along the fortress’s outer wall, then specifically assigned a group to guard the back of the fortress with him.
According to his uncle, the Yellow Turban bandits were bound to exhibit some clever tactics and might come up with unexpected methods for attack.
But they knew that as long as they occupied the fortress, relying on their “fortified city,” which was five times their numbers, they were essentially in a position of invincibility.
“`
“So, Tian Yan got the order from his second uncle. All he had to do was deal with any disturbances on this side as quickly as possible whenever enemies attacked. Beyond that, nothing else was his concern.”
This wasn’t a tough task to accomplish.
Sure, the hundred men under his command were a bit worn out, but they were in good fighting shape. The crossbows set up on the watchtower had a longer range than their enemies, and even if the moth bandit leader thought his daytime shouting could lull them into a false sense of security for a nighttime ambush, Tian Yan had been holding in his anger this whole time, ready to retaliate.
But instead of unleashing his pent-up fury, what came first was a shower of incoming arrows!
With the bow and arrow aimed at those outside the fortress, they spotted figures moving beyond the walls. Suddenly, fire flared up from the ground outside, tracing a burning arc across the night sky, crashing right through the fortress walls.
The bandits had been briefed beforehand and fired their shots without any panic. However, the yellow turban bandits shooting fire arrows showed no intention of following up with a second volley. They quickly fell back instead.
This volley from above only managed to hit the slowest runner in the group.
In the next moment, a second wave of fire arrows came flying in from the other side.
The bandits moved with a strategy, despite their erratic actions.
“Don’t panic! Return fire!” Tian Yan shouted.
Most of the fire arrows that landed inside the fortress hit the rammed earth walls, doing practically no damage. Still, some ignorant folks within the stronghold thought the yellow turban moth bandits were using some devilish trick from their Taishi Path, resulting in a few startled screams that echoed outside the fortress.
Several lucky arrows managed to strike the wooden barricades, igniting the hanging drapes.
The fire immediately caught on.
The blue flames blazed through the night, carrying a whiff of sulfur. Thankfully, that smell was brief, overshadowed quickly by the bright yellow flames of the wooden boards burning below.
Almost simultaneously, sounds of conflict erupted from the main entrance of the fortress.
Tian Yan couldn’t help but admire his second uncle’s judgment.
If his uncle hadn’t told him previously not to get distracted, no matter what noise he heard, and to just take care of this side, his impatient nature might have led him to fret about everything, causing confusion.
But now, all he had to do was wave his hand for one team to keep shooting outside while the other fetched water to extinguish the flames.
“What a classic feint to the east, attack to the west!” Tian Yan sneered. “But that’s all there is to it.”
Thinking back on how he had endured Liang Zhongning’s insults during the day, he felt satisfied knowing that the other party’s schemes wouldn’t succeed and were instead firmly under his uncle’s control.
They had only launched three volleys of fire arrows before being pushed back by their crossbow bolts.
The resultant fire was hardly more than a way to warm up for them. Although flames flickered and danced to the outside, it hardly counted as serious damage.
As he continued to conduct his defensive duties, he imagined his uncle must have things going even smoother on his end.
Liang Zhongning could only flaunt his success until tonight!
As Tian Yan had surmised, when the fire started at the back, Second Master Tian displayed no signs of surprise.
Though the arrival of the fire arrows was slightly beyond his expectations, the opponent’s intent to create chaos was all too predictable—just the usual elemental trickery!
He had encountered the yellow turban’s tactics before and knew their ways well. Applying those tactics here was hardly astonishing.
He remained composed.
The words he previously shared with Tian Yan about being invincible weren’t just empty talk; they were genuinely reflected in his thoughts.
Even as chaos erupted from the flames within the fortress, he kept staring straight into the dimly lit night, wholly focused.
Wealthy families weren’t just about brute power; dealing with various factions in Puyang required a bit of wits. Over the years, he’d sharpened himself into a crafty old fox.
It was perhaps beyond his imagination that within this group made up of ruffians, there happened to be a “strategist,” someone whose cunning matched his own!
What he saw was—to his surprise—Liang Zhongning truly showing up to launch a sneak attack just as he had suspected!
As the yellow turban bandits approached under the cover of night, they barely got close to the fortress walls when the first row took a hit from the arrows released under his command.
The sound of those first fallen bandits shattered their plans completely.
But clearly, neither side could fully discern the other’s situation. The yellow turban bandits couldn’t tell how many were handling the fire chaos inside the fortress, nor how many remained stationed outside.
They could only advance amidst the warnings echoing from the fortress.
Second Master Tian’s face turned serious as he fixed his keen gaze on the most noticeable figure among the bandits—none other than Liang Zhongning, armor mismatched and all—and he couldn’t help but show a determined expression.
“Dian Wei, may I ask, if I were to take out half of the bandits, when the yellow turban retreats, will you be able to capture this person?”
Dian Wei had already been invited to this watchtower before nightfall.
This towering, imposing man grinned at the mention of the fortress outside. “If it weren’t for this kid having a good horse last time, I’d have dealt with him already. This time, I’m definitely breaking his steed’s legs first.”
“Good, then prepare for battle!”
Second Master Tian knew if they merely chased off Liang Zhongning, it wouldn’t provide a lasting solution.
If the yellow turban forces from other areas gathered here, they could overwhelm the fortress, and rather than putting down a minor character, it was better to cut Liang Zhongning down to ensure the Tian clan’s peace.
Others might doubt his promises about breaking a horse’s leg, but coming from Dian Wei, those words definitely held weight!
As “prepare for battle” left his lips, the second volley of crossbow arrows shot out, taking down another wave of bandits.
This was the natural advantage of having a fortified position!
As the moth bandits displayed chaos in their ranks, Second Master Tian’s focus remained locked on Liang Zhongning.
As the saying goes, “capture the leader first,” and this principle held true even amongst the less disciplined yellow turban army.
Thus, it was no surprise he didn’t notice that amongst those fallen were indeed some who had been struck dead by the crossbow bolts. If not, there wouldn’t have been sounds of arrows finding their mark. The majority, however—
Which clearly aimed just within the effective range of the crossbows, lay dead merely forty steps from the fortress.
Some even pulled arrows out of the ground nearby and pretended to be mortally wounded.
[…] The system had much better “vision” than Qiao Yan’s, easily spotting these overdramatic performances.
It paused for a moment before asking, “Why do you think this fire attack will inevitably fail, leading instead to a ‘play dead’ tactic on the front battlefield, and then lure the enemy with the retreating soldiers?”
“I never said that,” Qiao Yan replied.
“If I truly believed the fire attack would fail, then I’d follow the plan. But if I’m overestimating Tian’s clan, that’s easy to work with.”
Qiao Yan’s gaze shifted towards Liang Zhongning, who, in a mere short time, had executed an attack that cost him troops and now was forced to hastily retreat.
Seeing him not stray from the path but head towards the pits he had dug in broad daylight made her smile.
“If I’ve overestimated the enemy, they should have been thrown into chaos at the onset of the fire arrows. In that case, let’s commit to the act.”
“Now, it’s just a matter of adding a few extra steps to the process and watching these pursuers fall into the trap.”
The system fell silent for quite a while.
As Qiao Yan pondered whether she should explain further, she suddenly heard the system burst into her mind with greater volume than before—
“Let’s go, let’s go! We need to get a look at that ancient villain! Only now do I think you have the potential to become a top-tier strategist!”
“God, I might actually complete this mission!”
