Chapter 50, Chapter Seventeen: Tangchi Iron City

Upon seeing Cui again, Liu Jun could hardly believe it, and instantly understood why Liu Kun's eyes had been darting around when he asked him to pay his respects; his long illness was not an exaggeration.

This frail woman, bedridden and emaciated, was a completely different person from the elegant, refined, and aloof noblewoman of Qinghe in my memory.

"Mother!" Liu Jun rushed to the bedside, only to find that Cui Shi's eyes were still closed and she did not respond.

Liu Jun was shocked and looked at the maid beside him, "How long has the lady been like this?"

"After Jinyang was lost, my wife caught a chill on the way to escape and developed asthma. Later, when she heard the bad news about our two masters, she could no longer get out of bed. Now, it's good if she can stay awake for half a day."

Liu Jun gently grasped Cui's hand, only to find that her hand was covered with blue veins and joints, with no flesh or blood left.

He sat quietly beside her for a long time, hoping that she would open her eyes and see the unfilial son she had carried for ten months.

Unfortunately, she couldn't wake up from her nightmare until dawn broke, until Lu Jing arrived breathlessly with the news, and until the endless war threatened to take her child away again.

Shi Le sent troops.

Liu Jun stood up, letting the servants put armor on him while he quietly looked at Cui Shi.

Having lived two lives, his inspiration is more profound than that of ordinary people, and he often wins by virtue of his keen intuition.

Now, he has a sad premonition that this may be the last time he sees his mother, and that every glance may be the last.

"My lord, it's time to go." Although Lu Jing was reluctant, he still carefully reminded him.

Liu Jun glanced at Cui Shi one last time, picked up the horse spear beside him, and turned to leave.

The artemisia grows tall and luxuriantly, but it is not artemisia, it is wormwood. Alas, my parents, who bore me with such toil.

Emperor Liu Cong of Han dispatched Liu Yao and Liu Can to advance on Pingyang, while Shi Le also sent 50,000 troops to attack Jinyang.

At this time, Chang'an was quite hungry, but Jia Pi and Qu Yun still managed to force Liu Yao to retreat several times. The other reinforcements were too afraid to fight to advance, and even Sima Bao's army, although it defeated Liu Yao, withdrew because it did not want Emperor Sima Ye to become too powerful.

Meanwhile, Liu Jun, the governor of Liangzhou, led 5,000 light cavalrymen and quietly headed north, reaching within five miles of Ye City.

There was an unexpected bonus: when Tuoba Yilu sent troops to relieve the siege of Jinyang, two of his generals, having heard of his virtuous reputation, came to join him with several thousand troops.

One of them was Wei Xiong, the nephew of the famous general Wei Cao. Wei Cao had served as a Yamen General under Wei Guan. After Wei Guan's entire family was killed by Jia Nanfeng, he was disheartened and, along with his fellow villager Ji Dan and more than a dozen others, defected to the Tuoba Xianbei.

In this way, Liu Jun now has more than 10,000 men under his command, so he doesn't need to be too alarmed if he encounters the main force of the Han army.

Over the past few days, Liu Jun has spoken with the two men and discovered that they are both brave and resourceful, and he often consults with them before battles.

While resting under the cover of night, Liu Jun asked, "Have you all fought against Shi Hu?"

Wei Xiong shook his head, "Although I have never fought him directly, his ability to seize Ye City from Marquis Dingxiang (Liu Yan) shows his bravery."

Liu Jun nodded, "When he was mentioned at the farewell banquet, I observed that although the lord greatly admired his military prowess, he was quite disdainful of his personal conduct..."

He has been in Hanzhong for over a year, and news from him is not as readily available as before.

"He was fond of hunting, and his wandering ways were cruel and tyrannical. I heard that Shi Le once wanted to kill him, but his mother stopped him. Later, for the sake of a beautiful concubine, he actually killed his first wife, Guo," Ji Dan explained when he saw Liu Jun frown. "Indeed, she and the old lady came from the Guo family of Taiyuan, and even from the same branch of the Guo family of Yingchuan..."

Little did he know that Liu Jun was deeply shocked. He only knew that his grandmother came from the Guo family of Taiyuan, but he did not expect that upon closer examination, she was from the Yangdi branch of Yingchuan. Wouldn't that mean that she and Guo Fengxiao were from the same clan?

“He originally wanted to elevate his favorite concubine to the position of official wife, but Shi Le firmly refused and rebuked him, so he had no choice but to marry a woman from the Cui family of Qinghe.” Seeing Liu Jun’s subtle expression, Ji Dan added, “She is from the family of the Marquis’s wife.”

Liu Jun sneered, "If that favored concubine is still unhappy, will she also kill my mother's relatives? What does she take these respectable young men from noble families for?"

After saying that, his expression became even more solemn. "Such behavior is something that even Shi Le had to rely on, which shows that he is good at using troops. We must not be careless."

By nightfall, the scouts had fully ascertained the enemy's situation, and Liu Yan and his five thousand troops were already ten miles away, awaiting orders to reinforce them at any time.

Seeing that candles were still lit in Liu Jun's tent, Ji Dan announced that he would go inside. He saw Liu Jun sitting on the ground, deep in thought, facing a copy of "Mozi".

"To be honest, General," Liu Jun nodded and said with a bitter expression, "I have always been most afraid of attacking cities. After all, we are short of food and supplies. If we cannot capture the city after a long siege, we may end up being controlled by the enemy."

He pointed to the "Yi Zhou Shu" and "Xiong Pin Cheng Pian" on the side, "I would appreciate it if the generals could teach me. Otherwise, I have not conquered many cities and can only follow the map blindly, becoming a Zhao Kuo who only talks about war on paper."

Ji Dan sat down in front of him and said slowly, "Attacks are not my specialty, but with food supplies scarce, besieging the city without attacking and letting the enemy be trapped in a siege is definitely not feasible. So the only options are water attacks and fire attacks."

"After all, it is the former capital of Cao Wei. In terms of grandeur and magnificence, few cities in the entire land can compare with it. The palaces and pavilions cost a great deal of manpower and resources. It would be a pity to burn them down. Fire attack is not advisable." Liu Jun rejected the idea without even thinking.

"Then let's use water to attack."

Liu Jun pondered for a moment, "It is indeed a good method. Cao Cao diverted the waters of the Zhang River into Ye City and dug the Changming Ditch. However, flooding is ultimately a bad practice. What have the people in the city done to deserve this? Nowadays, all the prefectures and counties are short of manpower. How can we take their lives?"

“Your Excellency is benevolent and virtuous, but in this age of great strife, who will have the last laugh depends on strength, not benevolence and virtue.” Ji Dan observed his expression and knew that he was not a person of petty benevolence and righteousness, so he advised him again.

Liu Jun laughed, “General, do you know the story of Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han leading the people across the river? Emperor Zhaolie said, ‘To accomplish great things, one must put people first. Now that the people have come to me, how can I bear to abandon them!’ The people of Ye City will be my people day and night, how can I bear to see them perish in the belly of fish?”

Ji Dan hesitated, "What if Shi Hu goes out of the city for a decisive battle?"

Liu Jun sneered, "I'm not afraid he won't come out. We are Han men, and with the help of the Xianbei, how could we be afraid of mere barbarians?"

People at the time mostly referred to the people of Jin and the Huaxia people. Because of Liu Yuan's state name, few people still considered themselves Han people. Ji Dan was taken aback, and then he remembered that Liu Yuan was a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan and had occupied Hanzhong. He couldn't help but feel a little moved and looked at him with more curiosity.

Liu Jun naturally paid attention, but continued to peruse the bamboo slips without much concern.

The grudges between Xun Lingjun and Taizu are still fresh in his mind. Now he is wearing the skin of loyalty to the Great Jin, but one day he will no longer be allowed to pretend. On that day, how many people will still be left to follow him?

Seeing that Ji Dan seemed oblivious, and even became more attentive, Liu Jun smiled with satisfaction, "Shi Ya, have you ever heard of attacking a city by digging a tunnel?"

Conquering cities is inferior to conquering hearts and minds.