Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 6: The Two Provinces’ Tiger Dominance, The Silk Road Reopens Chapter 204: Retreating to Lanchi

In the original history, Maiwu was the place Dong Zhuo chose for his retirement, a small city built next to Mei County, standing seven zhang high. However, now it is called a fortress only because—

Dong Zhuo, to prevent invasions from Liangzhou, reinforced Mei County’s defenses and increased the height of its walls. He also added several watchtowers within the county. From the west of the small city, it clearly resembled the structure of a fortress.

The inner watchtowers were equipped with archers for city defense, effectively creating two layers of wall defense.

This was the western barrier that Dong Zhuo had high hopes for!

Located more than two hundred li from Chang’an, it was conveniently close for the delivery of military provisions and provided enough time for Chang’an to prepare its defenses if Maiwu were to be breached.

If troops from Yizhou advanced through the Xiegu Valley to reach Guanzhong, they would arrive at Wuzhangyuan, twenty li from Mei County, separated by the Wei River.

To the north of the county, the Jiankuo Ridge features two peaks facing each other, hence the name Qishan.

After diverting the Wei River to form a moat, this place became even more of a stronghold, easy to defend but hard to attack.

But all this assumes that the defending forces within Maiwu and the attacking enemy forces outside do not have such a significant numerical disparity!

Li Ying and Fan Chou transferred five thousand soldiers from Maiwu.

To rescue Dong Zhuo from Li Jue’s control in Chang’an, Duan Wei also transferred over three thousand men from here.

Only three thousand remained.

Although the population in the Guanzhong region had gradually increased due to Duan Wei’s agricultural policies, there were still only about ten thousand county residents in Mei County.

Of these residents, at most a thousand could be mobilized for city defense. Any more would likely cause chaos in the defense.

However, their opponents today…

On this late summer afternoon, the scouts on the watchtower nearly dozed off.

After all, their twenty thousand troops had not left Mei County too long ago, and the Xiegu Valley was not an easy route for an army, making the likelihood of an enemy attack minimal.

With Chencang serving as the forward defense post, any unusual situations should have been reported.

But just then, he suddenly heard a sound.

He was abruptly awakened and listened intently. The sound, like summer thunder rolling closer, was intensifying, clearly the noise of a rapid march approaching.

Even though the enemy had not yet appeared in his sight, he had been chosen by Duan Wei to guard the watchtower precisely because of his keen hearing.

The moment he made this judgment, he immediately struck the gong on the city wall.

Whether friend or foe, sounding the alarm was the right thing to do.

As the sound echoed, he faintly saw dust rising in the far distance.

He looked at the soldiers guarding with him, and their grave expressions confirmed that they too had concluded an enemy attack was imminent.

Someone asked him, “Don’t you think… this seems larger than when Generals Li and Fan left?”

The person’s voice trembled as he spoke.

What did it mean for the scale to be larger than the forces led by Li Ying and Fan Chou?

These two had taken five thousand men from here, totaling twenty thousand. According to their marching plan, they couldn’t possibly be returning now, leaving only one possibility.

This was an enemy force larger than twenty thousand!

As the enemy drew closer, the numerical disparity became increasingly clear to the soldiers on the watchtower, completely dispelling any lingering hope.

The style of their armor and the number of cavalry were not what their departed troops had.

When the formidable force stopped about six to seven hundred paces away, the deputy general left by Duan Wei to defend the city couldn’t help but gasp.

At this distance, though not entirely clear, those with sharp eyes could vaguely see the large banner in the center of the opposing army, prominently displaying the character “Qiao.”

Now, only one person would use the Qiao banner and appear here.

“The Qiao banner… that’s the army of the Governor of Bingzhou!”

Realizing this, he immediately sent a message to Chang’an about the enemy attack.

Duan Wei and Dong Bai had left with Mei County’s defenders five days ago. Given their marching speed, they should have reached Chang’an two days ago.

If the two forces had successfully combined, they should have regained control of Chang’an by now.

With Maiwu’s defensive equipment, the city’s strong fortifications, and Duan Wei’s reputation here, holding out until reinforcements from Chang’an arrived shouldn’t be too difficult.

He was also immensely grateful that before General Duan’s departure, the autumn harvest near Mei County had been mostly completed.

The area was now in a state of fortified defense.

As the gong sounded from the city wall, the county residents still outside hurried back into the city.

The city gates on all sides were closed, and the drawbridge over the moat was lowered.

“General Duan is indeed a talent,” Qiao Yan remarked as she looked towards the city.

Since entering the Guanzhong plain from Chencang, the open landscapes rarely seen in Liangzhou had appeared before them.

The fertile flatlands still bore traces of the recent autumn harvest, with stubble remaining.

Though not as meticulously cultivated as in Bingzhou and Liangzhou under her command, there was a clear sense of order here.

Near Chencang, few had wanted to set up fields due to the invasions from Liangzhou several years ago, and Dong Zhuo’s generals didn’t have enough troops to expand into this area. Thus, Duan Wei had set up the agricultural area between Qishan and Wuzhangyuan.

The orderly fields made it easy for Qiao Yan to judge that under Duan Wei’s governance, the ordinary people within Mei County might instinctively see them as the usual Liangzhou invaders and assist in the city’s defense.

Duan Wei was indeed an excellent general!

Qiao Yan immediately ordered, “Send a message to the city wall, saying that someone from Wuwei Commandery in Liangzhou, an old acquaintance of General Duan, wishes to meet him.”

Although she knew that given Duan Wei’s temperament, he was unlikely to be swayed by a few words, this was Qiao Yan’s way of showing courtesy before force, and it couldn’t hurt to try.

However, when Yan Jun, seeking to atone for his crimes, volunteered to go and returned, he reported, “Duan Zhongming didn’t appear on the city wall. He said… if we want to fight, then fight. Why bother talking about old ties? Even if his elders from the Duan family of Wuwei came, his answer would be the same.”

“He also said, defending the city is defending the city, don’t talk about old acquaintances.”

Qiao Yan exchanged a glance with Guo Jia and Xun You, smiling, “It seems Duan Zhongming isn’t in the city.”

If Duan Wei were still in Maiwu, saying this personally from the city wall would have a much greater effect on boosting morale than having it relayed.

Why give up such an opportunity due to concerns about meeting hometown friends?

“It seems the information we got from Li Ying’s personal soldiers was indeed correct,” Xun You said, looking towards the city wall. “The power struggle between Li Jue and Dong Zhuo in Chang’an is real, and—”








Further caused Duan Wei to lead his troops back for reinforcement, leaving Maiwu without its original commander.

This was indeed the best news for them.

Although Maiwu had no moat city, it had internal watchtowers, and casualties during the attack were hard to avoid. With Duan Wei, a seasoned commander, even with the advantage of siege equipment and numerical superiority—

This would still be a loss that Qiao Yan would find heartbreaking.

“So, what does Gongda think about the siege?”

Xun You replied, “Quickly form the formation, slowly attack the city. Of course, the slowness I mentioned is relative to the former. As for the rest, I believe General Gongming is already prepared.”

Let’s not forget, Qiao Yan’s attack on Guanzhong included the vanguard camp organized by Xu Huang.

In capturing the four surnames of Hanyang, confronting Li Ying and Fan Chou in the river valley, and seizing Chencang, he had no chance to shine.

He had been waiting eagerly.

Now was the time to test the vanguard camp’s reputation.

The defenders on the city walls of Mei County saw this team maintaining a distance from the walls, quickly spreading out on three fronts.

This poised formation was so impressive that one couldn’t help but admire their strict discipline and excellent command.

But they did not quickly launch an attack, instead leisurely setting up camp as if they were not worried about reinforcements.

It was strange to think about setting up camp in the afternoon, a favorable time for siege, rather than attacking.

After all, there is a saying in military strategy: “Hearing of clumsiness, speed up,” meaning that if a battle can be fought quickly, it doesn’t matter if the tactics are clumsy, which can also be a kind of cleverness.

With external reinforcements for Mei County, this should be considered.

The defending general couldn’t help but ponder the situation below the city.

However, this slow siege didn’t seem like a typical leisurely encirclement.

During the camp setup, siege catapults were also being assembled.

From the city walls, the 30,000-strong army was clearly divided into two groups.

One group formed a defensive line 600 paces from the city walls, preventing sneak attacks from Mei County and crossbow bolts from the walls. Those tired from the march rested on the spot.

The other group transported standard stones for the catapults from the northern mountains.

Each stone, weighing over ten pounds, was quickly brought to the front with the help of wheelbarrows.

This signal of preparing thoroughly before attacking to ensure a decisive victory, along with the overwhelming number of troops below, made the defenders on the walls feel an indescribable sense of dread.

Even though it seemed the final attack would only come tomorrow, they couldn’t possibly sleep well tonight.

Moreover, with their quick formation, who could be sure they wouldn’t suddenly change their minds!

The defending general immediately conscripted an additional city defense force from the civilians, alternating with the local patrol soldiers to prevent fatigue from prolonged vigilance.

This stalemate between the city and the besiegers quickly turned day into night.

As the night’s Wei River flowed slowly beneath the fortified city, only sporadic torches burned in the enemy camp, the rest was pitch black.

The 30,000-strong camp was eerily silent, as if there wasn’t a massive army outside.

But standing on the walls of Mei County, one felt as if countless eyes were watching, sending chills down the spine.

By the next morning, the enemy’s stone transportation, which started at dawn, had accumulated even more stones.

Looking at their own side, many were visibly listless.

Seeing this, the deputy general in the city couldn’t help but lament, “General, if you don’t return quickly, we won’t hold out much longer!”

But perhaps before the plea for help even reached Duan Wei, they would already be in crisis.

That very afternoon, the Bingzhou Governor’s army surrounding Mei County on three sides suddenly launched an attack!

And Duan Wei probably wouldn’t hear his cry for help.

Two days earlier, before he could reach the outskirts of Chang’an, he saw a group of defeated soldiers coming from the south.

At a glance, it was Zhang Ji, who was supposed to meet them.

Dong Bai, in Duan Wei’s ranks, had just parted ways with Zhang Ji in Lantian Valley a few days ago. Seeing Zhang Ji again, she felt as if she was looking at a different person.

On his neck was a blunt force mark, possibly from a club or spear, making one wonder if he would have survived if the blow had been any heavier.

According to Zhang Ji, the one who dealt this blow was none other than Yan Xing.

Yan Xing ambushed Zhang Ji at Bashui, catching him off guard, and Zhang Ji couldn’t help but admire Yan Xing as a rising star among Liangzhou’s fierce generals. In the end, Zhang Ji fled with only a hundred cavalry.

But now was not the time for praise.

The news of Zhang Ji’s attack and heavy losses had already been urgently reported to Chang’an by Yan Xing, almost as quickly as Zhang Ji fled to Duan Wei.

Before Duan Wei could retreat, Li Jue had already mobilized Chang’an’s troops to attack Duan Wei.

Duan Wei’s unauthorized attack from Maiwu could be seen as a rebellious act, and Li Jue’s mobilization was justified, with the advantage in numbers certainly on Li Jue’s side.

In the hasty preparation for battle, Duan Wei couldn’t cross the Wei River bridge and was forced to stay on the north bank.

Seeing the battle in the open fields increasingly unfavorable with Li Jue’s reinforcements from Chang’an, Duan Wei decisively chose to retreat to Lanchi.

Or rather, Chiyang County.

In the past, Qin Shi Huang built Lanchi Palace here, and during the Han Dynasty, the palace was also built south of Lanchi Pond, with a county established north of Lanchi.

This was also the fief chosen by Dong Zhuo for his mother.

Dong Bai had once followed her great-grandmother here and was somewhat familiar with the place.

But both she and Duan Wei knew that retreating to the city gates was not a long-term solution.

If they couldn’t find a way to reverse public opinion and counterattack Li Jue, even holding the city would eventually lead to being besieged by Li Jue.

After all, Chiyang wasn’t like Maiwu, where Duan Wei had previously stationed, with enough supplies to last for years.

In comparison, Li Jue, on the offensive, was in a much better mood.

“I should thank the advisor. If it weren’t for Advisor Wenhe suggesting to arrange Yan Yanming to monitor Zhang Ji’s troops southward, how would we have discovered that this guy would team up with Duan Wei to suddenly attack Chang’an. Surviving a great disaster, so what! I will make sure he and Duan Wei die in Chiyang!”

Li Jue asked his subordinates, “Have you seen Advisor Wenhe? Please bring him to me quickly.”

Such a reliable Jia Xu would surely propose a quick method to break Chiyang.

However, after an incense stick’s time, he saw a subordinate rushing over in a cold sweat, reporting, “Advisor Jia is not at his usual workplace.”

If that was all, it wouldn’t matter.

Chang’an was so big, wanting to walk around should be considered normal.

But then he heard the subordinate say, “We heard that the advisor went to see Dong Zhuo’s relatives today, worried that something might change, we hurried over and found—”

“Lady Weiyang and Lady Chiyang are also missing!”