Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1142 Zhou Yu's Hometown, Lü Meng's Scheme

The wind on the city wall grew colder. Lu Meng watched as Taishi Ci was carried back to the formation by his personal guards. The tense anger in his chest had not yet dissipated when he saw a sudden movement in the army formation below the city. Zhou Yu actually waved his hand, signaling the army to retreat. Even the camp was moved back half a mile, as if the tense standoff just now was just an illusion.

"They withdrew?" Chen Wu rubbed his eyes, looking puzzled. "General Taishi was hit by an arrow, why didn't they take the opportunity to attack the city, but instead retreated?"

Lu Meng frowned, his fingers unconsciously tracing the cold crenellations. This was illogical. Zhou Yu was known for his decisive military tactics; Taishi Ci's arrow wound should have been a disruptive factor that could demoralize his troops, yet he chose to temporarily avoid the attack. What scheme lay behind this? Was it a trap? Or was there another plan? He couldn't figure it out, and a heavy weight pressed on his heart.

As dusk settled, the area outside the city remained eerily quiet; even the sound of patrolling horses' hooves was so soft it seemed as if they were afraid to disturb the night dew. Lights flickered sparsely throughout Lujiang City, and the soldiers guarding the city, gripping their weapons, their eyelids drooping, dared not relax their vigilance in the slightest—this eerie tranquility was more unsettling than the daytime shouts of battle.

As night fell, Xu Sheng and Chen Wu, shivering with cold, hurried into Lü Meng's makeshift military tent. Only an oil lamp burned inside, its dim light illuminating the three men's solemn faces.

"Ziming, what's Zhou Yu up to?" Xu Sheng sat down at the table, grabbed a hard, dry pancake, and took a couple of bites. "He made a big fuss during the day, but when it came to a real fight, he backed down. I think he's up to some trick; he might be planning a raid on the camp tonight."

Chen Wu nodded in agreement: "I think so too. We need to increase patrols and tighten the city's defenses so they can't find any loopholes."

Lu Meng remained silent, his fingers tracing patterns on the map on the table, finally pausing on the official road between "Shuxian" and "Moling". The flickering light of the oil lamp made the hesitation in his eyes all the more apparent.

“A raid on the camp is not necessarily the case.” He spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse. “Zhou Yu led Ma Chao’s Xiliang Iron Cavalry, which is good at raids on plains, but may not be suitable for night sieges. His retreat may be a wait.”

Chen Wu pressed further, "Waiting for what?"

Lu Meng frowned, his fingertips tracing shallow marks on the city bricks: "I can't say for sure. Zhou Yu's military tactics are always unpredictable. Perhaps he's waiting for us to run out of supplies, perhaps he's waiting for chaos to break out in the city, or perhaps... he's waiting for the movements in Moling."

Xu Sheng couldn't contain himself and took a step forward: "Who cares what we're waiting for! Let's just wear them down! Thicken the city walls by three feet, and triple the amount of rolling logs and stones. I don't believe they can take over Shuxian!"

"We must wear them down, but we can't just wait idly." Lü Meng's voice deepened as he glanced at the dark mass of troops below the city. "While reinforcing the city's defenses, continue to draw troops from the surrounding areas. We've committed all 30,000 elite troops we've accumulated to Shuxian this time; this is our lifeline, and we can't afford to lose it all. Issue my order for the garrison troops of the six counties to rush to our aid immediately. Even temporarily conscripted local militia must be used to make up the numbers, and they must arrive within three days."

He paused, then tapped his fingertips heavily on the crenellations: "We must turn Shucheng into an impregnable fortress! Let Zhou Yu see that if he wants to gnaw on this bone, he'll have to break a few of his teeth!"

Chen Wu nodded and replied, "Alright! I'll arrange the troop deployment right away. But... can things really be settled in Moling so quickly?"

Lu Meng looked southeast, towards Moling, where only a few scattered stars twinkled in the night: "I can only hope that Mr. Zhang Zhao and Mr. Zhang Hong can persuade the old lady to establish the third prince, Sun Xu, as the new ruler as soon as possible. At that time, when the lord issues an order, it will be perfectly legitimate to mobilize troops. If those old subordinates who are still observing dare to hesitate, it will be considered disobeying orders!"

Inside Zhou Yu's central command tent, the lights shone brightly, illuminating the solemn faces of everyone inside. Taishi Ci was helped to sit down by his personal guards. The armor on his left shoulder had been removed, and his clothes at the wound site were soaked in blood, which had congealed into a dark red lump. The army doctor, carrying a medicine box, quickly stepped forward and was about to remove the arrow when Taishi Ci grabbed his wrist.

"Do it right here." Taishi Ci's voice was a little tense, and cold sweat trickled down his jawline, but he didn't utter a sound. "I need to hear what's going on in the tent."

The army doctor dared not disobey, and could only take out a dagger sterilized with strong liquor, carefully pressing it against the arrow shaft. "General, bear with it." Before the words were finished, with a sudden force, the arrowhead, along with flesh and blood, was pulled out, and the splattered blood fell onto the map on the table, spreading a small red stain. Taishi Ci clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, and only his heavy breathing could be heard in the tent.

A chilly wind swept in from outside the tent, and Jiang Qin, unable to contain himself any longer, slammed his hand on the table: "Grand Commander! This is not to be swallowed! That brat Lü Meng attacked us with a sneak attack, why don't we take advantage of the situation to attack the city, raze Shuxian to the ground, capture that bastard alive, and avenge ourselves?"

Zhou Tai nodded in agreement, his hand resting on the scabbard at his waist, his eyes blazing with fury: "This humble general is willing to lead a suicide squad as the vanguard, and we will scale the city tonight!"

The generals brought by Ma Chao were even more indignant. Xu Huang stepped forward, the clanging of their armor echoing: "Grand Commander, when have our Xiliang cavalry ever suffered such humiliation? General Taishi Ci, as the vanguard, was hit by a cold arrow. If we do not retaliate, wouldn't it diminish the prestige of our army?" Pang De, Zhang Xiu, and others echoed his sentiments, and the atmosphere in the tent instantly became heated, as if it could ignite at any moment.

After bandaging his wound, Taishi Ci wiped the sweat from his brow with a cloth and looked at Zhou Yu: "Grand Commander, I am also puzzled. Just now on the battlefield, they were clearly wavering, so why..."

Zhou Yu raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. His gaze swept over the indignant faces in the tent, finally settling on the blood-stained map on the table. "Gentlemen," he began slowly, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable power, "during the day, I had Ziyi (Taishi Ci's courtesy name) address the enemy in front of the lines, intending to replicate the tactics of Wu Commandery—to reason with them, to appeal to their emotions, to make the soldiers defending the city see through the schemes of the powerful families, and to subdue them without a fight."

He paused, pointing his finger at the location of Shuxian: "But Lü Meng is much more clear-headed than Quan Cong and Xue Zong. He saw through our intentions and simply turned the tables on us, using that cold arrow to force us to take action."

"Forcing us to take action?" Jiang Qin asked, puzzled. "Would fighting benefit them?"

"The benefits are immense." Zhou Yu sneered. "Most of the garrison on Shucheng are old subordinates who were brought out by Bo Fu back then. They already have old feelings for us, but they were deceived by Lü Meng, Zhang Zhao and others with the claims that 'our lord is Sun Quan' and 'Zhou Yu is a traitor.' If a real battle breaks out, arrows and swords will rain down without mercy, and their comrades will die at our hands. Those who were originally watching will only think, 'Zhou Yu really came to slaughter the old subordinates of Jiangdong,' and they will unite as one against the common enemy."

He looked at Taishi Ci, his tone tinged with guilt: "Ziyi's arrow, though painful, made me see Lü Meng's intentions clearly. He wants to force us to attack the city and force those soldiers to completely side with him."

The tent fell silent for a moment. Xu Huang scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "This humble general was rash and didn't see the intricacies involved."

“It’s not your fault,” Zhou Yu shook his head. “Anyone would be furious to see Ziyi wounded by an arrow. But we can’t act on impulse.” He stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and looked at the dark night outside. “Most of the soldiers guarding the city are men from the fields who fought alongside Bo Fu and all they want is a peaceful life. Now they’re being coerced by the powerful families to defend the city, and they may not be willing to do so. If a fight breaks out, it will be the sons of Jiangdong who die, and it will be Jiangdong’s strength that suffers. In the end, who will benefit? It will be those powerful families hiding in Moling City.”

Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci's brows relaxed slightly, and he endured the pain, saying, "The Grand Commander is right. This arrow I took was not in vain."

Zhou Yu turned around, his gaze sharpening again: "Therefore, we cannot rush. If they want to wear us down, we will wear them down. Send down the order to strengthen the defenses in the camp and forbid anyone from going into battle without authorization. Also, have someone make a hundred copies of the documents on distributing land in Wu County and reassuring the people, and shoot them up to Shucheng with arrows. I want the soldiers defending the city to see whether we have come to 'invade' or to serve the people of Jiangdong."

The people inside the tent exchanged glances, their earlier resentment gradually subsiding, replaced by a sense of understanding. The lamplight flickered gently in the wind, illuminating Zhou Yu's calm face—what he wanted was never a battle for a city, but to tear apart the lies woven by the powerful families and let the hearts of the people of Jiangdong truly return to where they belonged.

The candlelight inside the tent flickered, casting a dim, cold light on Ma Chao's silver armor. He suddenly spoke, his voice deep and resonant, characteristic of the people of Xiliang, like a stone thrown into still water:

"You all seem to have forgotten that Shu County is Gongjin's hometown."

A single sentence silenced the tent instantly, and the expressions of Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and other former subordinates from Jiangdong changed slightly—they had been in the army for so long that they hadn't thought of this detail for a moment.

Ma Chao walked up to the map and emphasized the words "Shuxian" with his fingertip: "Lu Meng has cornered us here. He's got a lot on his mind. They want to force us into a major battle in Shuxian. They've got a very clever plan."

He turned to the crowd, his gaze sweeping over each face: "If they win, needless to say, they can stabilize the situation in Jiangdong with this battle, and the power of the aristocratic families will be as solid as a rock. But even if they lose, as long as Shuxian is stained with blood and suffers heavy casualties, in the remaining territory, Bo Fu's former subordinates will see their comrades dying under our swords and will only regard us as traitors who slaughtered their hometown. At that time, they will be united in hatred against the enemy, and even if we occupy the city, we will not be able to stand firm."

Taishi Ci clutched his injured shoulder, his brows furrowed: "General Ma Chao is right... If we really go on a killing spree here, it will be difficult for our old subordinates in Jiangdong to return in the future."

“What’s even more sinister,” Ma Chao changed the subject, looking at Zhou Yu with a more serious expression, “is that this is Gongjin’s hometown. Lü Meng might have already planned this all along, and when it comes to attacking the city, he might dare to use the people of Shu County as shields. At that time, will Gongjin attack or not?”

Zhou Yu's fingertips trembled slightly as he looked at the familiar place names on the map. His Adam's apple bobbed. If it really came to that, with swords and spears pointed at his own people, how could he bring himself to do it?

“He wants to make Gongjin cower here,” Ma Chao’s voice turned colder. “Even if we eventually break through the city, as long as the people suffer heavy casualties, they can spread rumors everywhere that Zhou Yu was willing to risk everything to seize power, even destroying his own hometown. At that time, even if Gongjin wins the war, he will lose the hearts of the people and will have to carry the infamy for the rest of his life.”

The tent was deathly silent; even the crackling of the candlelight was clearly audible. Everyone then realized that Lü Meng's arrow wasn't just a provocation, but an attempt to drag them into a carefully woven quagmire—to fight was wrong; not to fight was also wrong.

“This Lü Meng…” Jiang Qin gritted his teeth and cursed, but couldn’t think of a more vicious word. He only felt a chill run down his spine. “So young, yet his mind is so venomous.”