Late at night, bonfires rose from the Xiping Pass city wall, illuminating the entire wall. From a distance, it looked as if a bright band of light was swaying on the city wall.
Wei Jingzhuo and Meng Kuan patrolled the city wall as usual, with several deputy generals following behind them.
More than a thousand soldiers stood guard on the city wall to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack under cover of night. The winter night was bitterly cold, and the soldiers sat around the campfire eating. Some used long iron tongs to pok at the glowing embers, while others distributed golden-brown, crispy flatbreads to their comrades.
A large iron pot hanging over the fire was bubbling away, containing mutton soup with chili peppers, which could dispel the cold from the body.
These large iron pots could not only be used to cook meat soup, but also to defend against enemies. The fifth prince, Wei Shao, once tried to attack the city at night. He sent five thousand men to sneak up on the city wall under the cover of darkness. Each group of fifty men carried a ladder, and almost all one hundred ladders were erected and placed on the city wall at the same time. The enemy soldiers rushed to climb the ladders.
The soldiers guarding the city wall remained calm in the face of danger. While shouting for help, they threw burning charcoal down and poured boiling broth on the enemy, giving them a baptism of scalding hot mutton soup.
It is said that the enemy soldiers who returned alive were covered in the smell of mutton, which they could not wash off.
Since then, the enemy has never attacked the city at night again. However, Wei Jingzhuo ordered everyone not to let their guard down and to remain vigilant.
While everyone was eating, they saw Wei Jingzhuo and Meng Kuan walking over and stood up to greet their commander. Many soldiers looked at Wei Jingzhuo with admiration.
If it weren't for the strict prohibition against making noise at night, everyone would have greeted him with cheers.
His silver armor was covered in soot, and his cloak had several large holes burned through it. His face was ashen, but his eyes still shone like morning stars, radiating a chill that even a winter night would avoid.
During the fiercest battles, when everyone was exhausted, only he remained upright, his expression unwavering, calmly issuing commands. The sight of him kept the generals from panicking. The sight of him filled the soldiers with hope.
Even if the enemy forces breached the city walls, they were confident they could drive them back.
In the eyes of the soldiers defending the city, he was the backbone of Xiping Pass, the anchor, a reef protruding from the sea, which remained unmoved no matter how many times the enemy's towering waves swept and washed over it.
He was the source of the confidence that the garrison of Xiping Pass dared to confront an army of 100,000. No one could imagine what it would be like if he were not at Xiping Pass.
Wei Jingzhuo waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to sit down and eat. He then walked to the crenellations of the city wall and looked at the enemy camp to the east.
“Your Highness, after the New Year, the number of times the enemy attacked the city suddenly decreased a lot, as if they were just going through the motions,” Meng Kuan stood beside him, looking at the enemy camp filled with lights. “Do they feel hopeless and their morale has plummeted?”
In his view, the enemy had been attacking for more than a month without any results, so they should have lost all will to fight long ago.
Wei Jingzhuo stared at the enemy camp for a moment and then said, "Although the enemy has lost more than 40,000 men, our army has also suffered considerable losses. Wei Shao has no reason to stop. Perhaps he is preparing for a large-scale attack. Another possibility is that Consort Li asked the Emperor to send reinforcements to help him, and he is waiting for reinforcements."
Meng Kuan said, "The scouts in the capital should send back news in the next couple of days, and then we'll know."
Wei Jingzhuo had already sent scouts to infiltrate the capital at the start of the war. However, the palace was heavily guarded, and the scouts were unable to enter. The scouts regularly sent back news to the capital, and would promptly notify Wei Jingzhuo if there was any large-scale troop movement by the enemy.
Wei Jingzhuo asked, "Is there any movement at the southern border?"
Meng Kuan smiled and said, "Is Your Highness worried about Southern Chu?"
Wei Jingzhuo nodded: "The emperors of Southern Chu throughout history have never been content with a precarious existence. It is only because their strength is insufficient to contend with the Great Jin that they have remained dormant until now. Now that our two armies are at war, I fear that Southern Chu will take advantage of this opportunity. Once they outflank our rear, Xiping Pass will be in dire straits."
Although Xiping Pass had sufficient grain supplies, the consumables needed for defense, such as arrows, rolling logs, thunderstones, and medicine, all had to be transported from Youzhou. This task was overseen by General Zhao Xian. Cutting off the supply route would be fatal for the defenders of Xiping Pass.
Meng Kuan said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Even if Southern Chu wants to attack us, they must first cross the southern border. If the border is attacked, the commander-in-chief will immediately send an urgent report to the court, and will also send a copy to the Grand General. Since the Grand General has not received an urgent report, then everything is fine."
Wei Jingzhuo did not show any relief after hearing this, but remained silent in thought.
Meng Kuan added, "Even if the Southern Chu army manages to capture the border, they can only travel along the main road east of Xiping Pass. The area south of Youzhou is all mountains; even if the army can cross, the supply trains cannot."
Meng Kuan was not speaking with arrogance or complacency. The journey from the southern border to Youzhou in the northwest was extremely remote. Near the southern border of Youzhou, several large mountains blocked the road, making the mountain paths rugged and difficult to traverse. Grain carts could not pass through at all, and the grain had to be carried on people's backs and shoulders.
“If the Southern Chu army really wants to cross the mountains, they will probably lose a third of their troops just to get across,” Meng Kuan continued to explain. “They don’t have many troops to begin with, and they would only come to Youzhou if they were deliberately trying to die. Besides, the sentries send messages to the General every week. With so many safeguards, what does Your Highness have to be afraid of?”
For safety reasons, Meng Kuan established outposts in southern Youzhou after the war began, and would promptly report any enemy movements to General Zhao Xian.
“General Meng did a good job, but it’s always best to be careful,” Wei Jingzhuo turned around. “Let’s go downstairs. I want to go see Awan.”
Meng Kuan said, "Your Highness, please go ahead. I'll have a braised pork knuckle first, and then I'll immediately send people to inspect the outposts in the southern part of Youzhou."
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