Chapter 102: The Decision to Divide the Forces, the Excitement of the People in East Jinyang City

"That wretch, skulking in the city day after day—it is truly no wonder others have always called him the 'Rat Lieutenant'!" Tang Zhenhao complained within the commander's tent.

Upon hearing this, the generals and many strategists gathered around the sand table fell into a heavy silence. Since the siege began, no one had anticipated that the small East City of Jinyang would be so difficult to take. Days had passed with relentless, non-stop assaults, yet there was not the slightest sign that the East City would fall.

"General, if we continue this attrition, it will not only severely damage the morale of our troops, but our grain supplies will also be unable to keep up!" It was Liang Xuansu of the Shuofang Liang clan who spoke.

Having learned that Wei Dao'er had dispatched the great general Zhen Jie'er with over one hundred thousand troops to attack Taiyuan, Liang Xuansu, unwilling to remain idle in Shuofang, had come with his eldest brother's son, Liang Dan, to join Zhen Jie'er. Because of their background in the Shuofang Liang clan, the two were highly regarded by Zhen Jie'er upon their arrival.

"It would be better to contain them without attacking. Once the grain in the city is exhausted, the hearts of the people will surely waver. When that time comes, taking the city will be as easy as turning over one's hand," Liang Xuansu suggested to Zhen Jie'er, opposing the continued direct assault on the East City.

In Liang's eyes, the morale of the defenders and civilians in the East City was currently solid. Zhen Jie'er's failure to take the city after a long siege was inevitably draining morale and wasting grain. Even if they were to take it regardless of the cost, it would only result in heavier casualties for the army—far inferior to laying siege without attacking and waiting for the enemy to collapse from within.

"I believe that our primary objective right now is to occupy the other fourteen cities in Taiyuan Commandery besides Jinyang. If the East City remains unbroken, we should move on to attack the Xihe Commandery! By doing so, we can secure grain, recruits, and strategic advantages. Only when our soldiers' morale is high can we deter the Sui army from moving north," Liang Xuansu analyzed.

Listening to him, generals like Tang Zhenhao, Yang Boyue, and Qin Guangzhi looked at the map and felt his logic held weight. Even strategists like Cai Ran and Dou Lichuan nodded in agreement. However, logic aside, the thought of abandoning the assault on the East City felt stifling to many. In particular, generals like Tang Zhenhao and Yang Boyue felt a knot in their chests at the thought of the Sui lieutenant, Fu Zihou—who had humiliated them—remaining safe and sound in the East City, perhaps even mocking their departure.

"Brother Liang!" Just as the silence stretched, Chu Bo, who had been rescued only last night, spoke up.

"Brother Liang, you may not know this, but when the General and Lord Wei first consulted, they also intended to wait for Pan Changwen to die, and then take the East City immediately while the defenders were leaderless. Then, they planned to encircle the West City and move on to other cities in Taiyuan." Chu Bo looked at everyone, then turned his gaze toward Liang Xuansu with a look of helplessness.

"But then, a 'Fenwu Lieutenant' suddenly appeared to defend the East City, causing our plans to change time and again! Back when I was in the East City, I sensed from the various measures taken by that lieutenant, Fu Zihou, that he was no ordinary officer. Having defended against him for many days, I can confirm this even more." Though still weak from his wounds, Chu Bo continued to look at the map.

"If we divide our forces rashly, our strength will be scattered. Unlike the West City of Jinyang, the East City is governed by that one man, Fu Zihou. To the people and guards there, his words are law. Given its location in the heart of Taiyuan, if we cannot take the East City, it will remain a grave threat to our army!" Chu Bo turned to Zhen Jie'er. "General, I believe we should continue the assault on the East City, but we should select three thousand elites to wait in secret, seeking the right moment to break the city once it is exhausted!"

Contrary to Liang Xuansu, Chu Bo not only advised against dividing the forces but also declared that the East City was the primary threat that must be eliminated before moving on to others. The generals and strategists remained silent. Chu Bo's proposal was clearly a desperate gamble, and his dread of the East City—and his determination to destroy it—was evident to all. Yet, many felt his assessment was overly dramatic. The Sui officer Fu Zihou was indeed capable, but to call him the "primary threat" to their southward march felt like an exaggeration. Truth be told, if that lieutenant dared to lead his men out for a sortie, he would never make it back. They had over a hundred thousand men; they could withstand harassment, but for the East City, a single failure meant certain death.

"Both of your suggestions have merit! I have decided: tomorrow, we shall select three thousand elites to lie in ambush outside the East City. We will leave twenty thousand men to encircle both the East and West cities, while the rest of the army moves to attack the other cities of Taiyuan!" Zhen Jie'er made his decision under the watchful eyes of his subordinates.

He had adopted both Liang Xuansu's strategy and Chu Bo's method: starting tomorrow, they would attack the other cities while not neglecting the East City.

"Liang Dan requests the command to stay behind!" Seeing the opportunity, Liang Dan immediately saluted and volunteered. Though Liang Dan was Liang Xuansu’s nephew, they were born in the same year and were both thirty-four. Among the Shuofang Liang clan, Liang Xuansu was the eighth son of Liang Pi, and Liang Dan was the eldest son of the first brother, Xuankan.

"Very well!" Zhen Jie'er nodded. Seeing Tang Zhenhao unusually silent, he understood his thoughts. "Pass on my order: tomorrow, Yang Boyue will serve as the primary commander, leading twenty thousand troops to garrison Jinyang and encircle both cities. Liang Dan will serve as the deputy commander, leading three thousand men to ambush outside the East City!"

Yang Boyue was surprised to be left behind, but seeing Zhen Jie'er's gaze, he quickly saluted. Liang Dan was filled with excitement.

"General, I was captured by the Sui officer. I request your permission to follow the army south!" Chu Bo asked before Zhen Jie'er could speak. The General thought for a moment and nodded.

***

Under the night sky, the others left the tent, but Chu Bo was kept behind by Zhen Jie'er.

"Huaiyan! Are you worried that if you stay, you might be suspected if something goes wrong? In truth, no one in the army suspects you!" Zhen Jie'er said.

Looking at Chu Bo, even without knowing how he escaped, Zhen Jie'er would not have doubted him. It was not just their long acquaintance, but the way Chu Bo had described the East City, and the fact that he had risked his life to block arrows for Xiang Yifeng in the dark of night. If not for Chu Bo's warnings, the East City would have been even harder to take.

"General, I have a premonition. If you insist on dividing your forces, I fear the Sui officer in the East City will find an opportunity!" Chu Bo did not hide his concern, looking at Zhen Jie'er with earnest seriousness, trying to persuade him once more to eliminate the East City first. This was his sincere advice—he had made a pact with Fu Zihou that after escaping, he would continue to assist Zhen Jie'er with all his might to help take the city.

"But outside the East City, there are not only ten thousand defenders but also three thousand elite ambushers!" Zhen Jie'er waited for a reply. In his eyes, with the current numbers, the East City had no hope of breaking through the siege. Seeing Chu Bo sigh in silence, he knew that even Chu Bo could not imagine a way to break the deadlock.

Zhen Jie'er comforted him, saying, "Liang Xuansu is right; our army is suffering not only from a shortage of grain but from wavering morale due to the failed siege. Furthermore..." He signaled for Chu Bo to follow him to a large map.

"The arrival of the Liang clan is a test. Once we occupy Taiyuan and Xihe, the Liang family will surely respond from Shuofang! Lord Wei occupies Shanggu; once he gains these two commanderies, he can unite with the Turks to swallow Mayi, Yanmen, and Loufan. The Liang clan will then submit to Lord Wei in exchange for the title of Duke. Thus, the northern territories will be in Lord Wei's hands, and our great undertaking will be complete!"

Zhen Jie'er laid out the situation and his reasoning for dividing the forces. "That Sui officer is indeed troublesome, and taking the city will take time. I wanted to eliminate him, but the arrival of the Liang clan shows me that every noble family and clan in the north is watching to see if I can take Taiyuan. I cannot let a single city in Jinyang stop our progress."

Chu Bo finally understood why Zhen Jie'er, who had previously issued a massacre order, had abandoned the idea of a total assault. Compared to a grand vision of hegemony, a small city was insignificant. He no longer insisted on prioritizing the East City, but he still desired to leave with Zhen Jie'er.

***

The next day, at dawn, the people of Jinyang East City climbed to the battlements. The wall broken by boulders the previous day had been repaired overnight, and the fallen scaffolding had been propped up again. The walkways were stained with black blood; though the bodies were gone, the signs of the carnage were everywhere.

Fu Zihou, as the garrison commander, was also on the walls early. Unlike before, he now carried a blade at his waist in addition to his sword. In his youth, the constant movement and fighting had increased his appetite and hardened his physique. More importantly, there was a girl in the residence who acted as if she were fattening a pig, forcing him to eat every day.

"Lieutenant! Everyone is in position!" Yin Tianzong reported.

"Tell the men: the bandits are exhausted. They are on their last legs, and it comes down to who is more ruthless! Tell the people: if the city falls, the bandits will slaughter everyone. There is no path to survival for their families or themselves. But the bandits are different—they have no families here, so their morale cannot match ours. We will prevail!" Fu Zihou instructed.

Inspiring the troops and the people was a daily routine. Constant slaughter brought fatigue, and fear could easily take root without such encouragement. Words held immense power—enough to change battles and nations.

"Understood!" Yin Tianzong left to carry out the order.

In the misty morning, the people and soldiers looked toward the east, toward the dark plains where the massive bandit army lay in wait. Yet, to everyone's surprise, the usual drumbeats of the siege did not come. The plains remained quiet, with only a few scattered patrols visible.

"What is happening?"
"I don't know! They aren't attacking!"
"Have they given up?"

The people whispered in confusion, while the soldiers, though wary, felt a shared sense of relief.

"Lieutenant!" Yin Tianzong and Xiong Ruixiang approached, their faces etched with confusion.

"Strange! Have the bandits changed their ways?"
"Something is wrong. They shouldn't be giving up!"

"Send scouts to investigate!" Fu Zihou ordered, his brow furrowed.

Before the scouts could even leave, they saw the massive bandit army in the distance, carrying their weapons and supplies, marching south away from the city.

"Lieutenant! They seem to have abandoned the siege!"
"They are dividing their forces and moving south! Could reinforcements have arrived?" Xiong Ruixiang and Yin Tianzong exclaimed, unable to believe their luck.

"Great! They're leaving!"
"The Sui reinforcements must have arrived!"

Cheers erupted across the walls. Fu Zihou, however, remained cautious. He had expected to hold out until the rainy season, but this was happening far sooner than anticipated.

"It makes no sense..." Fu Zihou touched his sword hilt, deep in thought. Zhen Jie'er wouldn't easily give up on such a strategic location. There were only two possibilities: a cunning trap, or an event so urgent that he was forced to divert his forces.

Listening to the soldiers and civilians, he realized it wasn't Sui reinforcements—otherwise, the bandits would be in a chaotic retreat, not marching in such an orderly fashion with their supply trains.

"We will know tonight," Fu Zihou decided. He would lead a party out after dark to scout. If the bandits had truly divided their forces, it would be an opportunity to pick them off one by one.

However... the cities to the south were likely in grave danger. Fu Zihou looked south, hoping the cities of Taiyuan could hold out, and praying that no other Sui reinforcements would run headlong into this massive bandit force.