bullyxtreme Chapter 97 The Yellow River Changes its Course
Chapter 97 The Yellow River Changes its Course
The day after the military review, at the military tent outside the city.
Li Sheng sat upright at his desk, a map spread out in front of him.
Liu Wu stood on the left, while a dusty young soldier stood in the hall; he was one of Liu Lu's men who had been sent back.
"Liu Wu, you go first."
Liu Wu stepped forward and traced his finger on the map.
"General, the road to Xiaxiang County has been scouted. Going upstream along the Si River is the longest and shortest route for merchants, with many houses along the way, making resupply convenient. However, there are a few narrow sections that are easy to ambush."
He paused, then continued.
"In my humble opinion, we should send scouts to control the high ground on both sides in advance, so that the army can pass through quickly and the danger of an ambush can be eliminated. In addition, there is a grove of trees outside the south gate of Xiaxiang County, which can be used as a source of materials for siege weapons. I have already sent people to mark the location."
Li Sheng nodded and looked at the soldier in the hall.
"How's Liu Lu doing?"
The soldier quickly took out a silk scroll from his pocket, presented it with both hands, and then carefully took out a folded piece of hemp paper and handed it over as well.
"Reporting to the General, Battalion Commander Liu has already infiltrated Xiaxiang County. He sent me with a message that everything is going smoothly and that we can coordinate an attack from within and without. This is a letter from the Battalion Commander himself, along with a map."
Li Sheng took the silk scroll, unfolded it, read a few lines, and a smile appeared on his face. He placed the silk scroll on the table and then picked up the hemp paper and unfolded it.
The drawing on the paper is a city defense map of Xiaxiang County.
The location, height, and thickness of the city wall, the positions of the four city gates, and the locations of the county government office, granaries, and barracks inside the city are all outlined with rough lines. Although the drawing is crude, all the key information is included.
The map also has several markings made in ink, one of which has a line of small characters next to it: "The northwest corner of the city wall has cracks due to the Yellow River changing its course and eroding it over the years, so it can be dug."
Li Sheng couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw the words.
Mother Yellow River, will Xiangxian County also suffer the pain of your changed course?
"Liu Lu did a good job."
He carefully folded the blueprints, put them in his sleeve, and then said to the soldier.
"Go back and tell Liu Lu to be extremely careful and not to expose himself. When the army is at the city gates, he'll know what to do."
"promise!"
After the soldier left, Li Sheng smiled at everyone in the camp.
"Liu Lu is a master at gathering intelligence, but his drawing skills are terrible. When he gets back, I'm going to make him relearn how to draw properly. His handwriting looks like a dog's scribbles."
The people in the tent all laughed.
Seeing that the serious atmosphere had eased slightly, Li Sheng's smile gradually faded, and he turned his gaze to Liu Wu.
"How is the army's training going?"
Liu Wu clasped his hands in a fist salute and answered decisively.
"General, we are ready for battle! The soldiers of the five battalions have undergone repeated drills in formation. Their coordination is excellent, and our siege ladders, battering rams, and trench bridges are all prepared. At your command, General, I guarantee we will scale the walls of Xiaxiang City!"
Li Sheng stared at him for a moment, making sure he wasn't exaggerating, before slowly nodding.
"Alright. In that case, the army will set off first thing tomorrow morning. You will do two things now."
"Please give your orders, General."
"First, deploy all the engineering battalions and elite scouts to clear obstacles for the army's advance. Repair or fill in any roads along the way that need repairing. Scouts should lead the way ahead of the main force. If they spot any government troops or scouts, capture them if possible, and kill them if not. We must not let Xiaxiang County get the news in advance."
"promise!"
"Secondly, tell the battalion commanders to pack their belongings tonight. Those who need to leave letters home should contact the believers in their respective villages. Meals should be prepared at 5:00 AM tomorrow, and departure should be at 7:00 AM. No delays!"
"promise!"
Liu Wu turned and strode away.
Li Sheng leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples, and then summoned his personal guards.
"Go and invite Li Feng."
A moment later, Li Feng walked in from outside. He had been so busy these past few days that he had lost weight, but he was in good spirits.
"General, you were looking for me?"
"sit."
Li Sheng gestured for him to sit down, his tone solemn.
"The army is going to war, so the rear is in your hands."
Li Feng was taken aback, but then he understood what Li Sheng meant.
Although the local tyrants outwardly submitted, they were not necessarily resigned to their fate. Li Sheng took many of their sons and brothers into the army as hostages and also stationed troops outside the city to intimidate them, but there was no guarantee that some wouldn't cause trouble while the army was away.
"Don't worry, General, I will definitely defend the city for you."
Li Sheng nodded.
"If the rear is unstable, the morale of the soldiers at the front will waver. Most of our soldiers are from Xiapi. If something happens in the rear, how can they concentrate on fighting? Therefore, the burden on your shoulders is no less than that of the brothers at the front."
Li Feng stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.
"General, rest assured, the city stands as long as we are alive!"
Li Sheng patted him on the shoulder.
"There's no need to be too nervous. Those powerful families' sons are in our hands, so they won't dare to act rashly. But we still need to be on guard. In addition, we can make use of the displaced people in the county. We can organize them to help defend the city and give them some food in return, as a form of work relief."
"promise!"
The next morning, at the military camp outside the city.
As dawn broke, the drill ground was already filled with people, with soldiers from the five battalions standing in formation. A morning breeze blew from the direction of the Si River, stirring up the smoke from the camp's cooking fires, which rose in wisps in the morning light.
The crowd wasn't completely silent; people were talking in hushed tones, much like students lining up for the morning flag-raising ceremony at school.
It wasn't until Li Sheng stepped onto the command platform that everyone's attention turned to him.
On the table was a small table with incense, candles, and three kinds of sacrificial animals.
According to the rules of the Taiping Army, a ceremony was to be offered to Heaven and Earth before going to war. This was a ritual that Li Sheng borrowed from the Taiping Dao (the Way of Peace) in order to unite the army's morale.
But he didn't rush to offer sacrifices to the heavens today.
He took a large megaphone made of rolled-up sheet metal from the soldier beside him and held it to his mouth.
This thing was made by the craftsmen he had rushed to make. The sheet metal was thinned, rolled into a tube, and wrapped with a layer of cloth. Although it was simple, it could carry the sound far away.
"Brothers!"
His voice came through the loudspeaker, particularly loud in the early morning air.
"I've gathered you all here today because, as you all know, our Taiping Army is about to set out on a campaign!"
The whispers on the drill ground seemed to be gently suppressed by a hand, gradually fading away. In just a few breaths, only the flags fluttering in the wind and the sound of the Sishui River flowing in the distance remained on the vast drill ground.
The soldiers below the stage looked at Li Sheng with burning eyes.
"But before we talk about war, I want to tell you what we've done and what we've gained to get to where we are today."
Li Sheng's voice was steady and powerful, neither hurried nor slow.
"Brothers, do you remember what it was like when we set off from Siyang Township a little over a month ago?"
No one in the audience spoke.
"Back then, most of us were still working as tenants or servants for those powerful families. We toiled all year round, and after paying rent, we barely had a few bushels of grain left. When winter came, the whole family would squeeze into a dilapidated house, without even a decent cotton-padded coat. Your parents, your wives and children suffered with you."
He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels.
"And then? We fought our way all the way to Xiapi and captured that county town!"
Some people in the audience clenched their fists.
"After we captured the county town, did I, Li Sheng, fulfill the promise I made to you?"
After a moment of silence on the drill ground, a bold soldier shouted.
"We did it!"