“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 204: Retreat to Lan Pool…
In the original history, Maiwu was the cozy retirement spot chosen by Dong Zhuo himself. He built a small city, seven zhang tall, right next to Maixian. However, nowadays, it’s only called a “fortress” because—
Dong Zhuo reinforced the defenses and walls of Maixian to prevent invasions from Liangzhou and even added several watchtowers in the county, giving the small city a fortress-like structure from the west side.
The inner watchtowers were manned by archers, effectively creating two layers of defense.
This was Dong Zhuo’s highly regarded shield to the west!
Being just over two hundred li from Chang’an made it conveniently accessible for military supplies, ensuring enough time to fortify against potential attacks if Maiwu fell.
If troops headed from Yizhou via the Xie Valley reached Guanzhong, they’d be just twenty li from Mai County, separated only by the Weishui River.
The dual peaks stood opposing each other on the northern arrow brace ridge, nicknamed Qishan due to the division of the mountain.
With the Weishui River protecting the city, this place could truly be considered easy to defend and hard to attack.
But all of this hinged on the fact that there was no significant difference in numbers between the defenders inside Maiwu and the attacking enemies outside!
Li Ying, Fan Chou, and others had relocated five thousand soldiers from Maiwu.
To rescue Dong Zhuo from Li Jue’s grasp in Chang’an, Duan Wei had also moved over three thousand men from here.
That left only three thousand troops.
Although the population around Guanzhong had gradually gathered due to Duan Wei’s agricultural management, there were still over ten thousand county civilians within Mai County.
However, only about a thousand of these civilians could be brought into the defense; any more would likely disrupt the city’s security.
But the opponent today…
On this afternoon, at the turn of summer and autumn, the scouts atop the watchtower nearly dozed off.
After all, it hadn’t been long since their twenty thousand strong army left Mai County, and the Xie Valley wasn’t exactly an easy march; the chance of enemy forces appearing was slim to none.
And with Chencang serving as a front-line outpost, any unusual developments would surely be reported.
Just then, he suddenly heard a sound.
He jolted awake, focusing to listen—this sound rolled in like summer cannon fire, clearly growing louder, indicating a swift army approaching.
Even though the enemy hadn’t come into view yet, he had been picked for guard duty at the watchtower due to his keen hearing.
Making a snap decision, he sounded the copper gong atop the fortress without hesitation.
No need to worry about whether they were friend or foe; better safe than sorry!
As the sound echoed, he caught a glimpse of dust rising in the distance.
Looking at the serious expressions of the soldiers around him, it was clear they had also deduced an enemy was near.
One of them asked, “Don’t you think… this commotion seems larger than when Generals Li and Fan left?”
When he asked, his voice even wavered a bit.
What could be bigger than the troops commanded by Li Ying and Fan Chou?
Those two had taken five thousand men, and altogether they numbered twenty thousand. There was no way they could have returned at this moment, leaving only one possibility.
This was an enemy army larger than twenty thousand!
As the opposing force got closer, the numbers discrepancy became glaringly obvious to the watchtower soldiers, completely dismantling their wishful thinking.
The enemies’ armor and the quantity of cavalry didn’t resemble the troop they’d just dispatched at all.
When that powerful troop stopped about six or seven hundred paces away, even Duan Wei’s subordinate, left to guard the city, couldn’t help but gasp.
At this distance, while they couldn’t see everything clearly, those with sharp eyesight could make out a large flag emblazoned with the character “Qiao” waving among the coming forces.
Currently, only one person would dare to appear here using the Qiao flag.
“The Qiao flag… that’s the army of the Bingzhou governor!”
As soon as he realized this, he quickly sent word of the enemy’s advance toward Chang’an.
Duan Wei and Dong Bai had set out with the defenses of Mai County five days ago, and based on their marching speed, they should have reached Chang’an two days ago.
If the two forces successfully joined up, they should have already regained control of Chang’an at this point.
With Maiwu’s defensive equipment, the strength of the city, and Duan Wei’s reputation in this area, it shouldn’t be too hard to hold out until reinforcements from Chang’an arrived.
He was even more grateful that before Duan Wei’s departure, the autumn harvest around Mai County had practically finished.
At this moment, it was effectively a fortification against starvation.
With the sound of the gong from the watchtower, civilians outside the city quickly scurried back inside.
The city gates from all sides closed tight, and the drawbridge over the moat was lowered.
“General Duan really is quite the talent,” Qiao Yan remarked as she gazed over.
Since their march into Chencang into the Guanzhong plain, a rare sight of openness from Liangzhou appeared before them.
The flat and fertile land still bore the remnants of a recently completed autumn harvest, with stalks strewn about.
While it wasn’t as methodical as the farming in Bingzhou or Liangzhou that she oversaw, there was evidently a sense of order.
Due to the earlier incursion from Liangzhou three years ago, very few had desired to cultivate this area, and Dong Zhuo’s forces lacked the manpower to expand their reach here. Duan Wei thus set up the farmland between Qishan and Wuzhangyuan.
This orderly farmland made it easy for Qiao Yan to deduce that, under Duan Wei’s governance, the common folk within Mai County might subconsciously view them as this year’s Liangzhou invaders, aiding the city’s defense.
Duan Wei indeed proved to be a remarkable general!
Qiao Yan immediately instructed, “Send word to the watchtower saying that someone from Wuwei Commandery has come with an old acquaintance of General Duan’s who wishes to meet him.”
Although she knew that due to Duan Wei’s temperament, he likely wouldn’t be swayed with just a few words, it was still an initial gesture of goodwill from Qiao Yan to the city.
However, when Yan Jun went to relay this and returned, he said, “Duan Zhongming isn’t on the watchtower. He says… if there’s a fight, let’s fight—what’s the point in talking about old friendships? Even inviting his elders from the Duan family wouldn’t change anything.”
“He also stated that guarding the city means guarding the city; no need to mention the past ties.”
Qiao Yan exchanged a knowing glance with Guo Jia and Xun You, chuckling, “Seems Duan Zhongming isn’t in the city.”
If Duan Wei were still in Maiwu, it would’ve served to boost morale if he personally stood on the watchtower to deliver such a message instead of having it passed through others.
No need to give up merely out of concern for reuniting with hometown friends.
“It seems the information received from Li Ying’s troops was indeed correct,” Xun You remarked while gazing towards the direction of the city tower. “The power struggle between Li Jue and Dong Zhuo within Chang’an is real, and…
Then Duan Wei ended up leading the troops back for support, leaving Maiwu without its original commander.
This was undoubtedly great news for them.
Although Maiwu lacked a moat city, it had internal watchtowers, making casualties during an attack nearly unavoidable. With a cunning general like Duan Wei in charge, even if they had the upper hand in siege equipment, they still had the advantage in numbers—
It would still be a painful loss for Qiao Yan.
“So, what does Gongda think about the siege?”
Xun You replied, “Quickly form a formation, and take it slow on the siege. Of course, when I say slow, it’s just in relative terms. As for the rest, I believe General Gongming has already made preparations.”
Don’t forget, Qiao Yan’s current offensive in Guanzhong included Xu Huang as the main general who was also leading the vanguard troops.
After dealing with the four clans of Hanyang, facing off against Li Ying and Fan Chou in the river valley, and capturing Chencang, he hadn’t been given a chance to show his skills at all.
He had been itching for action.
Now was the time to validate the term “vanguard.”
The defending troops on the city walls of Mai County saw a force that maintained its distance from the walls quickly spreading into three battle lines.
This display of readiness was enough to make one shout in admiration for their military discipline and command.
But they didn’t rush to attack; rather, they seemed to have no concern about anyone coming to their aid. They proceeded to set up camp leisurely.
During an afternoon that remained favorable for a siege, it was indeed strange to prioritize camp setup over an attack.
After all, there’s a saying in military strategy: “Speed can make up for clumsiness.” If you can wrap things up quickly, the strategy might not matter—it’s a clever twist, to say the least.
With external support still in play in Mai County, they should certainly keep this in mind.
The defending general fell into thought as he watched the scene below the walls.
However, this delay in the siege appeared to be more than just your usual careful encirclement.
During the setup, they were also assembling catapults for the siege.
From atop the walls, they saw that the army of thirty thousand had split into two distinct groups.
One group formed a defensive line six hundred paces away from the walls to guard against potential sneak attacks from the defenders of Mai County while also shielding themselves from crossbow bolts raining down. Meanwhile, those weary from the march took a moment to rest on the spot.
The other group was lugging standard stones used for the catapults from the northern hills.
Each stone weighed a good dozen pounds and quickly made its way to the front lines with the help of wheelbarrows.
This signal to prepare for a well-planned siege and strike hard, combined with the dense crowd below, made the defenders on the walls feel an indescribable chill.
Even if it looked like the final attack wouldn’t commence until tomorrow, they were guaranteed a sleepless night.
And with their troops moving so swiftly, who knew if they might change their minds at any moment!
The defending general quickly rallied an extra defense team from the civilians in the city, alternating with the local guards to keep an eye out and prevent fatigue from setting in.
This standoff between the defenders and attackers soon transitioned from day to night.
As the Weishui River trickled beneath the fortified city at night, only a few scattered torches burned in the enemy camp, while other parts were pitch black.
The thirty-thousand-strong encampment was eerily silent, as if there was no massive force outside.
But standing on the walls of Mai County, one felt as though countless eyes were staring in their direction, sending chills down their spine.
When morning came, the stone transport began at Zhengzi and the pile of stones only grew.
Back on their side, quite a few looked utterly exhausted.
Seeing this, the deputy general in the city couldn’t help but lament, “General, if you don’t hurry back for support, we might not hold out much longer!”
But perhaps that distress signal hadn’t even reached Duan Wei yet, and they were already in dire straits.
On that very afternoon, the Bingzhou troops surrounding Mai County suddenly launched their assault!
And Duan Wei probably wasn’t hearing that desperate plea.
Two days earlier, before his forces even reached the foot of Chang’an, a ragtag group of defeated soldiers had come charging from the south.
With a quick glance, it turned out to be none other than Zhang Ji, who was supposed to meet up with them.
Dong Bai, who was among Duan Wei’s ranks, had just parted ways with Zhang Ji in the Lantian Valley days before and now, seeing him again, felt as if he was looking at a different person.
There was a mark on his neck from what looked to be a blunt blow from either a stick or a spear, making one wonder if that attack had been any harsher, would he have made it here at all.
According to Zhang Ji, the one who caused that injury was none other than Yan Xing.
Yan Xing had ambushed Zhang Ji near Bashui, catching him off guard, and Zhang Ji was left lamenting how this guy was truly an up-and-comer among the fierce warriors of Liangzhou. Thus, he fled with a mere hundred cavalry in a hurry.
But this was hardly the time to commend the opponent.
The news of Zhang Ji taking heavy losses while leading his troops had already reached Chang’an faster than he could escape to Duan Wei.
Before Duan Wei had a chance to retreat, Li Jue had already deployed the soldiers from Chang’an towards Duan Wei.
Duan Wei’s unauthorized advance from what should have been his post at Maiwu could easily be seen as treason, and Li Jue’s troop movements came off as quite legitimate. In terms of numbers, Duan Wei was clearly at a disadvantage.
In a rush to regroup and counterattack, Duan Wei found himself unable to cross the Weishui Bridge, forcing him to remain on the north bank.
Seeing the battles erupting in the vast wilderness, under the conditions where Li Jue could reinforce from Chang’an, things were looking grim for him. He made a snap decision to retreat and defend Lanchi.
Or rather, Liyang County.
In ancient times, the First Emperor of Qin built a palace here at Lanchi, and during the Han era similar constructions were also made south of Lanchi Pond, with a county established north of it.
This was also the domain selected by Dong Zhuo for his mother.
Dong Bai had accompanied her great-grandmother here before and was somewhat familiar with the area.
But both she and Duan Wei knew that retreating to the city walls was hardly a long-term solution.
Unless they could find an opportunity to reverse public sentiment and gather forces to counterattack Li Jue, they would eventually be starved out, even if they held the city.
After all, Liyang wasn’t like Maiwu, where there’d be enough supplies to last several years.
Considering that, it was much cheerier for Li Jue as the attacking side.
“I ought to thank you, Sir. If it weren’t for Wenhui’s suggestion to send Yan Yanming south to keep an eye on Zhang Ji’s troops, how else would we have discovered that he was teaming up with Duan Wei for a sudden assault on Chang’an? If he survived this disaster, I swear he and Duan Wei will perish together in Liyang!”
Li Jue asked around, “Have you seen Wenhui? Tell him to come see me quickly.”
Such a reliable Jia Xu would surely have a swift way to crush Liyang.
However, after a stick of incense, he saw one of his subordinates rushing over drenched in cold sweat, saying, “Jia Xu isn’t at his usual spot.”
If that were it, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Chang’an was so large; it was only natural for someone to take a stroll around.
But then he heard his subordinate say, “We heard that he went to meet some relatives of Dong Zhuo today. We rushed over just in case, and found—”
“The Lords of Weiyang and Liyang have also gone missing!”
