Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Clear Voice of the Young Phoenix Chapter 7: Mutual Calculations

Book: Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 007

Apart from these two matters, Liang Zhongning ended up with the task of engaging in a verbal spat.

Qiao Yan, on the other hand, led her skilled archers for training.

Her earlier observations of the arrow landing points around the fortress came in handy now.

The overall tactical quality of the Yellow Turban Army meant they couldn’t observe the battlefield like regular troops, relying instead on instinct and experience. Fortunately, these men, considered confidants by Liang Zhongning, knew she had temporarily taken command and would follow her orders.

Moreover, Qiao Yan’s instructions were simply to flank the fortress from the rear and shoot arrows through the gaps in the watchtower.

However, these arrows were special—fire arrows made with sulfur.

In ancient warfare, the use of fire arrows wasn’t widespread by the end of the Han Dynasty. The earliest recorded use of fire arrows to defeat enemies appears in the “Wei Lue,” where Hao Zhao, defending Chencang, ordered his troops to shoot fire arrows at the scaling ladders, repelling Zhuge Liang’s attack.

Are fire arrows hard to conceive? Perhaps not. The difficulty lies in maintaining the fuel for the flames on a large scale and ensuring sufficient supply during mass fire arrow attacks.

For example, wrapping arrowheads with cloth soaked in pine oil is one method of making fire arrows. However, pine oil was hard to come by at the time.

But now, being among the Yellow Turban Army, she had another method.

Sulfur was a common element in the tricks played by the Way of Great Peace during their proselytizing.

It’s hard to say what Liang Zhongning was thinking when Qiao Yan asked about sulfur, his face showing a subtle expression.

But his desire to obtain the stored grain in the Tian Family Fortress prevailed, and he eventually pulled out a packet of cinnabar and sulfur from his bag, handing it to Qiao Yan.

Of course, the amount of sulfur wasn’t enough to set the entire fortress ablaze.

Moreover, the compact layout of the fortress would naturally make its lord consider the risk of fire spreading.

When Liang Zhongning asked about this, Qiao Yan countered with a seemingly unrelated question: “Commander, what image do you think you have in the minds of the Tian family?”

“…An invader of Puyang?” Liang Zhongning almost replied with “a brute,” but felt it inappropriate to say so himself.

He couldn’t curse himself!

He always prided himself on being cultured, especially compared to Bu Ji and others.

But under the clear, insightful gaze of this young girl, he couldn’t help but feel that the answer he swallowed had already been spoken.

“Commander, you already know the answer,” Qiao Yan replied while testing the burning effect of sulfur on arrowheads. “Then, I’ll trouble you to reinforce that impression. Only a reckless commander would think such a level of fire attack could work, and that a feint to the east while attacking the west could breach the fortress walls. Don’t you think so?”

“…Yes.”

He actually thought that with more sulfur, the fire attack might indeed work.

Isn’t… isn’t that so?

The confused Commander Liang decided it was better to just follow orders.

Thus, he discarded his earlier thought of not following Qiao Yan’s instructions if they didn’t suit him.

While he might not excel at other things, he was certainly more skilled at hurling insults than his opponents.

This is why, after some went to dig pits as Qiao Yan instructed, and others followed her to learn the fire arrow shooting process, the rest followed him to the Tian Family Fortress.

Having suffered a defeat earlier didn’t make this Yellow Turban Commander feel ashamed to face the enemy; instead, it made him even more shamelessly indifferent.

With some soldiers following him and standing just outside the fortress’s shooting range, he felt even more secure.

Pointing at the man who had just挑衅ed him, he unleashed a torrent of vulgar, countryside insults.

“…”, Tian Yan, the eldest son of the Tian family, hiding in the fortress watchtower, wanted to jump up after hearing the beginning but was held down by his uncle.

In Tian Yan’s view, Liang Zhongning still bore the scars from the arrows that had grazed him during his earlier狼狈 escape. His mismatched armor, a crude distinction from ordinary soldiers during the Yellow Turban uprising, was half scavenged from Puyang’s spoils. Yet, his words were so嚣张, as if he had already won.

This man, somewhat literate, managed to rhythmically string together his嘲讽, making Tian Yan’s head spin.

“Ruffian!” he couldn’t help but shout.

He knew he shouldn’t be led by the nose by such foul language.

But in the past, who in Puyang wouldn’t give the Tian family some face? Who would dare point at his nose and骂, let alone do so with such impunity from a distance!

“How did such a ruffian take Puyang! If he really had the guts, why not come before the fortress? I’d have the strongman Dian twist his head off!”

After saying this, he felt somewhat relieved, but turning around, he saw his uncle, not angry like him, but with a thoughtful expression.

Before he could ask, his uncle pulled him to another watchtower, looking towards the moving Moth Bandits.

Not long after, the thoughtful expression turned into a faint smile.

Tian Yan was puzzled, “Uncle?”

“Our chance to defeat the enemy may have come. This man’s言行 are狂悖, but he wouldn’t think he could win by challenging after losing to the strongman Dian. He must be planning a骂战 by day and a sneak attack by night.” The Tian family patriarch’s younger brother, always the智囊 in the fortress, was no exception now.

In his view, the faintly visible movements of the Yellow Turban Moth Bandits suggested some repositioning.

This immediately heightened his警戒, but moments later, it turned into a confident smile.

After glancing towards Liang Zhongning’s骂战 direction, he made a decision, saying to Tian Yan:

“Zibo, I need you to do something.”

Outside the Tian Family Fortress, Liang Zhongning骂战 from before noon until dusk before retreating.

Not only was he hoarse from骂战, but even the listeners were worn out.

Fortunately, after sunset, the night gradually enveloped them, and the白天’s almost ear-plugging noise was completely gone, replaced only by the spring night’s wind whistling through the buildings, finally giving some respite.

But perhaps it wasn’t much of a respite.

Since the news of Puyang’s fall was urgently delivered and the Tian Family Fortress’s main gate closed, the fortress’s壮丁 had been交替巡夜, guarding against bandit attacks.

Now, with the Yellow Turban Bandits nearby,随时可能发动进攻, these青壮干脆连换班都免了.

Even before sunset, they weren’t idle.

Northern fortresses often had water sources, and this place was no exception. Before the Tian Family Fortress’s outer walls were completed, three wells had been dug inside.

Tian Yan didn’t know why his uncle made this arrangement, but he followed his指令, leading people to draw water from the wells while Liang Zhongning was busy挑衅, filling the water vats placed every ten steps along the fortress’s outer walls, and then专门分拨出了一列人与他一并守着坞堡的后方.

According to his uncle, the Yellow Turban Bandits might have some急智, possibly launching unexpected attacks.

But as long as they held the fortress, with its “坚城” that required five times their manpower to breach, they were practically invincible.








So Tian Yan received the order from his second uncle. All he needed to do was to quickly resolve any disturbances on this side when enemies attacked. Other than that, nothing else concerned him.

This wasn’t a difficult task.

The hundred men under his command, though somewhat tired, were still strong and capable. The crossbows mounted on the watchtower had a longer range than the enemy’s. Even if the Moth Bandit leader thought his daytime taunts could numb them and launched a night sneak attack, Tian Yan had been holding back his anger and was ready to give them a head-on blow.

But what came first wasn’t his long-suppressed rage, but a streak of light from the enemy!

The men controlling the crossbows aimed outside the watchtower. Just as they saw figures appearing outside the fortress, clusters of firelight lit up on the flat ground outside, drawing a burning arc in the night sky, soaring over the fortress walls and crashing inside.

These men had been warned and didn’t panic. They fired their shots, but the Yellow Turban Bandits who shot the fire arrows didn’t follow up with a second shot. Instead, they quickly retreated.

The volley of crossbow bolts from above only hit the heel of the slowest runner.

The next moment, a second volley of fire arrows came from the other side.

The enemy’s shifting formation was quite methodical.

“Don’t panic! Return fire!” Tian Yan shouted.

Most of the fire arrows that entered the fortress hit the earthen walls, causing little damage. However, some ignorant villagers thought this was the Yellow Turban Bandits’ supernatural trick, and their panicked screams could be heard outside the fortress.

A few lucky arrows hit wooden barriers and curtains, setting them on fire.

The blue flames in the night carried a sulfurous smell, but it quickly dissipated, and the flames were soon extinguished by the burning wood.

At the same time, sounds of battle came from the main gate of the fortress.

Tian Yan had to admire his second uncle’s judgment.

If his second uncle hadn’t told him to ignore any commotion and focus on this side, his usual impatience might have caused him to falter.

Now, all he had to do was wave his hand, ordering one team to keep firing outside and another to fetch water to put out the fire.

“What a classic ‘Feint to the East, Attack to the West’ tactic!” Tian Yan sneered. “But that’s all they’ve got.”

He thought of his patience during Liang Zhongning’s daytime taunts and felt even more satisfied that the enemy’s cunning plan had failed, all under his second uncle’s control.

The fire arrows only lasted three volleys before being driven back by their crossbows.

As for the fire, it was just enough to warm them up. The flickering flames inside the fortress didn’t cause any serious damage.

While he was steadily managing the defense, he believed his second uncle’s side must be going even more smoothly.

Liang Zhongning’s得意 would only last until tonight!

As Tian Yan expected, when the fire broke out in the rear, Second Master Tian showed no surprise.

The fire arrows were slightly unexpected, but the enemy’s tactics to create chaos were limited to water, fire, wind, and thunder.

Having seen the Yellow Turbans’ methods before, he wasn’t too shocked by their攻城 tactics.

He remained calm.

His earlier words to Tian Yan about their invincibility weren’t empty boasts; they were his true thoughts.

Amid the inevitable chaos when the fortress caught fire, he kept his gaze fixed on the dark night ahead, not distracted at all.

A powerful family isn’t just about strength; dealing with the various factions in Puyang required brains. Years of experience had honed his sharp instincts.

But even he wouldn’t have expected that among this supposedly ragtag group, there was a “strategist” with a mind as sharp as his.

What he saw was—just as the fire broke out in the fortress, Liang Zhongning indeed launched a sneak attack as he had predicted!

The Yellow Turban Bandits approached in the night, but before they could get close to the fortress walls, the first row was already struck down by the arrows he ordered.

The fall of this row undoubtedly shattered the enemy’s潜伏 plan.

But in the darkness, neither side could clearly see the other. The Yellow Turban soldiers couldn’t determine how many were dealing with the fire inside the fortress and how many were still guarding outside.

They could only advance under the fortress’s alarm.

Second Master Tian’s expression was stern, his gaze fixed on the most conspicuous figure among the bandits—Liang Zhongning, wearing mismatched armor. He then showed a determined look.

He asked, “Warrior Dian, if I take down half of the bandits, can you capture this man when they retreat?”

Before nightfall, Dian Wei had been invited to the watchtower by Second Master Tian.

The burly, imposing man grinned and looked outside the fortress. “Last time, if it weren’t for his good horse, I would’ve finished him. This time, I’ll break his escape horse’s legs first.”

“Good, then prepare for battle!”

Second Master Tian knew that merely driving Liang Zhongning away wouldn’t solve the problem permanently.

If the Yellow Turbans from other parts of Yanzhou gathered here in large numbers, even the fortress wouldn’t hold. It was better to kill Liang Zhongning to ensure the Tian family’s safety.

He might not believe others’ claims about breaking horse legs, but coming from Dian Wei, it was credible!

As soon as he said “prepare for battle,” the second volley of crossbow bolts shot out, taking down another row.

This was the natural advantage of the defending side!

As the Moth Bandits showed signs of chaos, Second Master Tian kept his eyes on Liang Zhongning.

The principle of “capture the leader first” applied even to the loosely disciplined Yellow Turban Army.

Thus, he naturally didn’t notice that among the fallen, while some were indeed killed by the crossbow bolts (hence the sound of arrows hitting flesh), most—

They had fallen to the ground at the forty-step mark from the fortress, just within the crossbow’s range.

Some even pulled out the arrows stuck in the ground and pressed them against their bodies, pretending to be dying.

[…] The system, with better “vision” than Qiao Yan, clearly saw these extra performances.

It paused before asking, [Why did you think the fire attack’s disturbance wouldn’t work, and instead planned this feigned death and诱敌 tactic on the front lines?]

“I didn’t say that,” Qiao Yan replied.

“If the fire attack failed as I thought, we’d follow the plan. But if I overestimated the Tian family, it’s easy.”

Qiao Yan’s gaze turned to Liang Zhongning, who, in a short time, had completed the attack, suffered losses, and had his sneak attack plan foiled, forcing a hasty retreat.

Seeing him retreat in the dark towards the pit his men had dug during the day, with a group from the fortress chasing after him, she smiled.

“If I overestimated them and they panicked at the fire arrows, we’d just go with the flow.”

“Now it’s just an extra step. Let’s see the pursuers fall into the trap.”

The system was silent for a long time.

Just as Qiao Yan thought she should explain more, she suddenly heard it in her mind, louder than before—

[Let’s go, let’s go see that ancient恶来! Now I think you have the potential to be a top strategist!]

[Oh my, I might actually complete the mission!]