Chapter 23: A Mere Mediocrity

Three days after the Great Qi Empress led her forces on a campaign, the night fell. Wang Ze, the garrison commander, received a secret order from the Empress. That very night, he mustered his troops, prepared to break out through the South Gate, and abandoned the city.

Before departing, he summoned his trusted lieutenant, Li Mo, to give him personal instructions.

"General Li, my abandonment of this city is part of the Emperor's strategy. Once I break through the siege at the South Gate, the Kang army will certainly move to occupy the city as soon as they hear the news tomorrow."

"At that time, you are to personally open the gates and surrender, which will spare this city from the ravages of war."

"But..."

Hearing his commander order him to become a man who surrenders, Li Mo was struck with disbelief. After a moment of hesitation, he replied with a solemn expression: "General Zhang, ever since our Great Qi Empire was founded, there have only been generals who died on the battlefield; when has there ever been a general who surrendered a city? I am afraid I cannot obey this order!"

"Haha, this is merely the Emperor's strategy; it is not a true surrender to the Kang army!" Wang Ze patted Li Mo on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Although I have not yet fully grasped the Emperor's true intention, Hui City is the throat of western Great Qi and vital to the survival of our capital. How could the Emperor ever let the Kang army occupy it so easily?"

"Tomorrow, you shall welcome the enemy into the city. In a few days, you will naturally understand the Emperor's true purpose!"

...

That night, Wang Ze coordinated with the army outside the walls and successfully broke out through the South Gate.

Early the next morning, Li Mo followed Wang Ze's instructions, personally opened the West Gate of Hui City, and welcomed the Great Kang army into the city. Although they had lost some soldiers at the South Gate the previous night, Guo Mingyu was exceptionally pleased to have taken the throat of Great Qi so easily.

As he rode his tall steed triumphantly through the West Gate, he did not forget to cast a look of disdain at Li Mo as he passed.

"Hmph, absurd! Truly absurd! In the days of the late Emperor, the Qi soldiers all possessed the spirit of martyrs. I had assumed it would take a month or two to break this city, yet the commander of Hui City, Wang Ze, turns out to be a mediocrity!"

"Men! Order the rear guard to immediately head toward the territory of Wei to receive our grain and supplies. Furthermore, have the surrendered general, Li Mo, come to the Governor's Mansion to serve me personally!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mo ground his teeth in hatred. However, for the sake of the people of Great Qi, he had to swallow his pride and obediently go to the Governor's Mansion to prepare a grand banquet, "welcoming" General Guo Mingyu into the city.

At that moment, in a nearby camp, a scout reported the news of the Kang army's entry into the city to Tian Yueying. Putting down what she was holding, Tian Yueying went outside the tent to look into the distance, murmuring to herself in a low voice.

"Yang Chuan, I have carried out everything according to your arrangements. I only hope that this time, our Great Qi army can completely crush the Kang forces and return a peaceful and stable life to the people."

...

Three days later, the Great Kang grain transport convoy arrived outside the walls of Anding City.

Armed with the bribe of one thousand taels of silver from the Empress, the Governor of Anding personally walked to the checkpoint. Using the pretext of inspecting the Kang army's transport vehicles, he detained them ten miles outside the city.

The Kang grain transport officer was filled with resentment and erupted at the Governor of Anding on the spot: "You dare to intentionally detain my grain carts? Do you intend to become an enemy of Great Kang?"

"A few days ago, when our main force entered the territory, you did not stop us. Why must you find excuses to inspect the grain carts now that our supplies are arriving?"

Seeing the other's rage, the Governor of Anding let out a sinister laugh.

"General, inspecting passing vehicles has always been the rule in Anding. If you truly cannot stay, you may hand over 100,000 shi of grain to Anding City, and I will naturally let you pass."

100,000 shi of grain!

Hearing this number, the transport officer gasped. He had gone to great lengths to transport this grain from Ping Tian City. After all, a grain shortage had recently struck Great Kang, and to gather the supplies needed for the army, he had begged officials in every province, finally managing to scrape together one million shi. If 100,000 were to be seized by the Governor of Anding, he would have no way to answer to Guo Mingyu.

Yet, the Kang army had already taken Hui City. To ensure the stability of the army's morale, he had to deliver the grain to the city within three days; any delay would be a capital offense. Since they were on the territory of Wei, the transport officer pondered for a moment before lowering his status to flatter the governor.

"General, my forward army is short on supplies. If you allow us to pass today, I will certainly report this to General Guo, and there will surely be a generous gift in return!"

Although the Governor of Anding was a greedy man, he knew that if he broke his promise to both sides, it would only lead Great Kang and Great Qi to unite against him, ultimately bringing the flames of war to Wei. Thus, he had to suppress his greed and reject the officer's request. Simultaneously, he dispatched a messenger to inform the Qi army stationed outside the city that the Kang grain had been seized.

...

Three days later, the news reached Tian Yueying.

At the same time, Li Mo, lying in wait within Hui City, also received word. It was said that Guo Mingyu, upon learning that the grain had been seized, was burning with anxiety and had decided to lead his troops personally toward Anding City to confront the Wei forces.

"Generals, listen to my command!"

Knowing the time had come, Tian Yueying immediately ordered the three armies to prepare for an all-out assault on the Kang forces. Looking at the former Governor of Hui City, Wang Ze, Tian Yueying prepared to entrust him with a grave responsibility.

"General Wang."

Knowing this was the best opportunity to serve his country, Wang Ze knelt and awaited Tian Yueying's orders.

"General Wang, take your troops, pass through the South Gate of Hui City, and head directly toward Anding City. The purpose of this movement is to let the Kang army know that you are going there to intercept their grain."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this subordinate will not fail the mission!"

After Wang Ze's army departed, Tian Yueying arranged for her own generals to lie in ambush at every gate of Hui City. Having been stifled for days, the soldiers' passion to serve their country had reached a boiling point. The commanders, upon receiving their orders, did not delay for a moment and immediately led their troops to their designated positions.

As for Tian Yueying, she led her own Imperial Guards directly toward the West Gate of Hui City.

At that time, seeing that the grain transport had still not arrived, Guo Mingyu was thoroughly panicked. After squandering their reserves for a few days, he had only learned the previous evening that the grain stores in Hui City were completely empty. There was not a single grain of rice to be found in the city!

The Kang soldiers, who had never known hardship, were suddenly starving. Commanders from various divisions flocked to Guo Mingyu to argue, declaring that if the grain did not arrive today, they would open the gates and surrender to Great Qi.

Just then, intelligence arrived from the South Gate, stating that an army had been seen passing through, seemingly heading toward Anding City.

"No! The Qi army must have learned that our grain was seized and intends to intercept it!"

"General Guo, if you do not issue an order now, our entire army will become the prey of the Qi forces!"

At this point, Guo Mingyu was completely at a loss. He immediately mustered his troops and ordered the commanders of each division to lead their men out through the four gates and march toward Anding City to protect the grain convoy.