The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1218 - 1196: Leading the Troops

Chapter 1218: Chapter 1196: Leading the Troops

The Prince of Yizhou made a wretched escape all the way back to Jiannan, but he did not continue southward to Yizhou, instead, he changed course to Maozhou.

He didn’t even enter Maozhou City; the Prince of Yizhou went straight into the mountains with his men.

The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, and it wasn’t until nightfall that they found the mountain pass where the troops were stationed. Before going into the mountains, he had already dispatched two other guards to enter Maozhou City.

Yin Li sat in the central tent, receiving the scouts’ return message. After glancing at the deepening night outside, he said, "Lord Yang, you may depart now."

At this moment, their relationship was merely that of superior and subordinate.

Yang Heshu rose to salute and then withdrew, taking Captain Song with him.

They were also stationed in the mountains. The mountain roads were difficult enough by day; at night, they became even more treacherous.

Yang Heshu rode on horseback, and with Captain Song leading the men, they quietly left the mountain towards Maozhou City.

He looked back at the troops who couldn’t even light a torch, pressing his lips together before saying, "Your general is quite at ease, aren’t you afraid the Prince of Yizhou might have left people along the way?"

With confidence, Captain Song responded, "What if he did? Rest assured, Lord Yang, if the Prince of Yizhou really sends troops to chase after us, the general will stop them."

All these men were old troops under Yin Li; since he has gone back to deploy the troops, he has become a general.

"If that’s the case, then let’s light the torches," Yang Heshu reined in his horse and crisply ordered, "Have someone light the torches, and let’s move faster."

Captain Song hesitated, "...Lord Yang, is that really a good idea?"

"What’s wrong with it? If we really travel in the dark, by the time we reach Maozhou City, it will be daylight."

The point was exactly to reach the destination at dawn, to create a strategic time difference.

But seeing that Yang Heshu was adamant, Captain Song had no choice but to relay the orders. He couldn’t help it; the general had said before leaving that he must follow Yang Heshu’s instructions.

The torches gradually illuminated the troops, and the soldiers, who had been anxious, felt a surge of courage with the fire in hand, and began to jog forward.

Their pace quickened significantly, and by the time they exited the mountains, it was deep into the night. After running for over half an hour, they arrived in open fields, where Yang Heshu allowed them to rest.

Yang Heshu summoned Captain Song, "There is a task I need them to perform, they won’t offend the villagers, will they?"

With a grave look, Captain Song asserted, "Rest assured, my lord. Our western army never harms a hair on a civilian’s head."

Yang Heshu just listened, his belief a mere thirty percent. In his view, soldiers in times of war were no different from bandits, sometimes even worse.

Nevertheless, Yang Heshu nodded solemnly in agreement, and said, "Then call up ninety men for me, I have instructions for them."

Once the men were assembled, Yang Heshu took out a map he had drawn in haste that afternoon. Naturally it wasn’t very precise, but it should not be too far off either.

Ever since receiving the message from Bai Shan that the remaining private soldiers may be hiding in Maozhou, he and Tang Zhihe had begun investigating Maozhou in secret.

Of course, they also informed Yin Li.

In the end, it was Yin Li that found where the troops were encamped.

But he and Tang Zhihe had not come away empty-handed either.

The two went through all the counties within Maozhou and their villages, not just consulting the records, but also sending people to survey the areas again. Initially, this was to locate the troops’ encampment; later, it was in consideration of how to move civilians into the city in the event they couldn’t stop the ravages of war.

Unlike Yin Li, whose sole concern was conducting warfare as a general, County Magistrate Yang and County Magistrate Tang had to consider not only winning battles but also how to protect the civilians and their properties amidst the devastations of war.

After all, after Yin Li finishes the battle, he leaves, but they have to govern the local area.

If the Prince of Yizhou decides to dispatch troops, his primary move would certainly not be to head north but to first seize Maozhou nearby and then move south to take Mianzhou and Yizhou.

Especially Yizhou City, which is his fief, his territory is there. Before he breaches the capital, he will definitely use Yizhou as his stronghold.

Therefore, unfortunately, the jurisdictions governed by County Magistrate Tang and County Magistrate Yang are both within the Prince of Yizhou’s primary targets for attack.

So they conveniently used Maozhou as a hypothetical scenario.

Yang Heshu did not expect that he would need to use these things so soon. He marked out the villages that would be affected after the Prince of Yizhou begins his campaign on the map, saying, "The three of you will form a team, go to each village to find the village head or Land Officer, and tell them to seek refuge in the city immediately."

Captain Song said, "Even those far away should enter the city? I’m afraid they’ll encounter marauding troops on the way, and they might not be willing to leave."

Yang Heshu said, "These villages are all on the paths where the marauding troops might attack or scatter, and they are not very far from Maozhou City."

He continued, "Your general currently only has twenty-nine thousand men, facing twenty-seven thousand. I do not believe he can capture all the enemy at once. Should the marauding troops retreat or scatter, these villagers will face the chaos directly."

Captain Song glanced at the route marked on the map and realized it was indeed the case.

So he nodded his head, gave the orders, and with three men and three horses, they respectively took charge of the villages before departing.

He said, "After notifying them, return to the city and rejoin the troops immediately. Regardless of whether they listen or not, do not delay."

The ninety soldiers understood at once; if any village did not listen and they were delayed, encountering marauding troops would mean their death.

The soldiers received the orders and dispersed on horseback in all directions.

Yang Heshu did not object to the order either and instead folded up the map, saying "Let’s go, set off, we must take control of Maozhou City before dawn."

Captain Song’s gaze flashed; although this decision by the nobleman’s son was unexpected, he still obeyed.

The small army of nine hundred and ten continued to advance, running for just under half an hour, and they arrived near Maozhou. Yang Heshu reined in his horse and asked Captain Song, "What way can we have Maozhou’s city gates opened at night?"

Captain Song hesitated and said, "Forge military intelligence, claiming that Tubo has made incursions at our border?"

Yang Heshu: "...This is the eastern gate; if Tubo made incursions, wouldn’t it be the western or northern gate that should be alerted?"

Captain Song’s face showed a slight embarrassment, indeed, he chuckled and said, "Quite right, and even if Tubo did make incursions, this military intelligence wouldn’t reach Maozhou first; our western army is stationed at the border and can send urgent intelligence directly to the capital."

Yang Heshu pondered for a moment and then said, "Just say it’s an urgent report from the Prince of Yizhou, and tell them to open the gates."

Captain Song was startled, "Will that work? The ones guarding the gate are the local garrison; if the watchmen aren’t of the Prince of Yizhou’s faction, wouldn’t that expose us?"

Yang Heshu said, "They will report to the Prefect of Maozhou; just go and call at the gate. If all else fails, we will think of a way to force it open. But we must enter the city before dawn no matter what."

Otherwise, if we cannot control the city gates in advance, we won’t be able to accommodate the civilians fleeing for refuge.

Captain Song acknowledged the order, selecting about twenty men to accompany him to call at the gate.

Yang Heshu led the remaining troops, staying back.

The army slowly approached, and a drowsy soldier on the city wall gradually came to his senses. He rubbed his eyes, and seeing the continuous line of torches below, immediately nudged his companion, signaling him to take a look, "What’s happening? Which merchant caravan is that long?"

The companion woke up, "That doesn’t look like a merchant caravan. Which merchant caravan would have so many people?"