Chapter Twelve Preparing for the Unexpected

  "Are you okay?" Pang Rou noticed that I was a bit down and came over to ask in a low voice, "Did you catch a chill last night?"

  I shook my head, indicating that it wasn't a physical problem. I then slightly pulled myself together and forced some spirit to ask: "Is there anything else?"

  "Of course!" Old Dad replied, "Now that we have occupied Chang'an City, of course, we must deliberate again and make the next plan."

  "Didn't we say we'd work with Yuan Shao's allied forces and attack Luoyang together?" Ma Dai asked in doubt.

  "Foolish child," Ma Teng laughed, "We have so few men and horses. How can we go attack Luoyang?"

  Ma Dai was dissatisfied: "Our 25,000 cavalrymen marched east, attacking Dong Zhuo unexpectedly, just like the surprise attack on Han Sui, can't we do it?"

  "Dai Gongzi has a good spirit," Pang Rou suddenly pulled out a map of the Imperial Governor, marked extremely simple, except for cities, only a few important rivers and mountains had names, he stretched his hand on top of Chang'an City, slowly moving east along the Wei River, stopping at Zheng County, "In Zheng County, there is still Zhang Ji's troops, thinking of attacking Luoyang, must pass through this place, how can it be possible to launch a surprise attack on Dong Zhuo without being detected by gods and ghosts?"

  Ma Dai scratched his head and stared at the map.

  "What's more, Luoyang is not a place where we can easily gain an advantage, and Dong Zhuo is not Han Sui," the old man said in a deep voice. "Luoyang is heavily guarded on all four sides, and Dong Zhuo has a vast array of military generals at his command. Whether it's soldiers or generals, we won't have any advantage whatsoever. Moreover, we're attacking while they're defending, and Luoyang city is strong and deep, with an abundance of stored grain. How can we possibly take it down in just three to five days? By the time our food runs out, who will be able to supply us with more? We won't even be able to hold onto Chang'an city, let alone make any further gains."

  Ma Dai was stunned and didn't utter another word.

  Instead, the elder sister said strangely: "How can there be fewer soldiers? Aren't there still Yuan Shao and his tens of thousands of united troops? At least there should be over a million, shouldn't that be enough to attack Luoyang?"

  This time, not only did I sigh secretly, but also Old Man, Pang De and Li Su all shook their heads together.

  "Miss is too naive - a coalition of over a dozen armies? It's just a mob. " Li Su finally spoke up, "The scholars are light, although Yuan Shao claims to be the fourth generation of three public officials, and his disciples are all over the world, but he can't even handle the problem of his own family's heir, let alone others? The coalition army is strong in numbers, but they must be fighting each other, no one wants to really make sacrifices. Even if someone is willing, except for Sun Jian and Cao Cao who have led troops before, who else has been on the battlefield? Dong Zhuo's subordinates are all border generals, and there is also Lu Bu, who is known for his bravery and martial arts skills, they won't take this coalition of over a million people seriously."

  My heart skipped a beat: So soon he's changed his tone and is now directly addressing Dong Zhuo by name, Li Su's change of mind is too successful... Could it be that he's here to infiltrate?

  The older sister was just like Xiao Dai, directly spacing out and sitting in a daze. Although she's older than me, she's obviously much more innocent and naive.

  "The news of our occupation of Chang'an will reach Zhang Ji's camp in a day or two, and Dong Zhuo will definitely not sit idly by, so I estimate that he may take action immediately." The old man stroked his short beard, which was only a few inches long, and furrowed his brow in thought.

  "Many scouts are exploring the movements of Zhang Ji's army near Zheng County." Pang De suggested immediately.

  His elder brother nodded in agreement.

  But I, with a deeper strategic vision and broader perspective, pointed out further: "It is far from enough to just deploy personnel in Zheng County; we must also deploy them in Hongnong Prefecture and the vicinity of Luoyang. Let soldiers disguise themselves as ordinary civilians to pay attention to military deployments and movements. As soon as Dong Zhuo shows any signs of deploying troops westward, immediately report back by horse."

  Pang Rou and Pang De immediately expressed their admiration from the bottom of their hearts: "Young Master's consideration is indeed meticulous."

  The old man immediately ordered, more than 100 scouts left their barracks separately from the east gate and went straight to the east.

  The remaining soldiers were divided into batches to guard the four gates, and the original garrison of Chang'an had to be merged with Ma's army, taking turns on night duty, with Pang De, I, and Xiao Dai in charge.

  He again ordered Pang Tong and Li Su to recruit people nearby to cut down trees, make bows and arrows, and various defensive equipment necessary for defending the city - although three to five days was not enough time to produce any sophisticated equipment.

  The entire city of Chang'an was slightly shaken.

  Aren't we being too tense?

  But no one else thinks so except me.

  －

  Only two days later, news arrived that Zhang Ji had begun his march.

  Dozens of scouts were running back and forth between Zheng County and Chang'an City, with the latest news entering the camp every half hour.

  Ma Teng hastily convened the final pre-battle conference.

  "Zheng County is only two or three hundred miles away from Chang'an, and Zhang Ji's troops will arrive under the city walls within three to five days. Our army may attack or defend, please consider carefully, General." The speaker was Li Su.

  "According to the scouts' estimates, Zhang Ji's troops are about 20,000, with around 4,000 to 5,000 horses. Our current troop strength is over 30,000. If we defend the city firmly, it should be no problem for two or three months." Pang Rou carefully calculated the grain stored in the city and figured out how long our army could hold on.

  "The enemy and our forces are roughly equal, and we mainly rely on cavalry. Why must we insist on defending the city?" Pang De was very dissatisfied with his elder brother's habit of liking to defend cities. "One battle will decide it all, that is the best strategy!"

  "De Ge is right, defending the city is good but it's not a feasible method. Pang Da Ge, you're not going to fight anyway, so just stay in the city and guard it." The elder sister also isn't one to keep quiet, immediately responding to her fiancé's opinion.

  Pang Rou smiled and shrugged, after many years of getting along with each other, they were already very familiar with each other, how could he care about the words of his younger brother and future sister-in-law who was also the eldest daughter of the host family.

  "After defending the city, we can find a place to ambush and launch a surprise attack on Zhang Ji." Ambushes are always a good idea, I like it.

  The old man nodded and asked while pressing on the map: "Li Xian Di, where do you think is the best place to ambush?"

  Li Su had been here for some time, and the dangerous terrain near Chang'an was of course etched in his mind. He pointed with one hand: "The area around Xi Ting where the mountains and rivers meet is a good place to ambush, but it's too far from Chang'an and we can't make it in time. Besides, Zhang Ji should also know about this place. So let's find the nearest one." His hand swept towards the foot of the city wall of Chang'an, where there was a small stream: "Right between Ci Dao Ting and Chang Men Ting, with mountains to the south and a river in the middle, it's also a good spot."

  A few of us huddled together, staring at this rough and simple map for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. In fact, I think the ambush location is not that important, as long as the cavalry charges out from the side, Zhang Ji's more than 10,000 infantry will inevitably become flustered and disorganized, and the cavalry formation will be in disarray.

  The old man finally made up his mind: "Alright, let's ambush from here at Jidao Pavilion!"

  "Alright, Xiao Dai, let's go up first!" I reached out and pulled Mao Dai.

  "Wait," Pongde reached out and pulled me back, I involuntarily followed him as he fell back, "This time it should be my turn to take the lead, shouldn't it?!"

  "Your turn?" I was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that he still had some reservations about the last time I took the lead? No, no, no, it's not that he's still holding onto it, it's just a joke.

  Pang De took a step forward, pulling my arm and causing it to ache dully. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "You seem to be somewhat fatigued; can you still fight?"

  I fell silent for a moment, then let go of Ma Dai's hand: "Alright, alright. Little Dai, you can follow Pang Er Ge together."

  Ma Dai did not understand and for a moment he could not comprehend, standing still on the spot.

  Pang De made a fist at Old Man and then dragged Ma Dai out of the camp hastily.

  "Dad, what about me?" asked the elder sister reluctantly.

  Ma Teng smiled slightly.

  Big sister naturally became the one to stay behind again, as for Li Su, he never thought that he could lead troops out of the city, and they all obediently chatted with Pang Rou together.

  The old man patted me lightly on the shoulder and didn't say a word. He had no questions, nor did he offer any comfort, he just walked out like that.

  The sound of neighing horses rose outside the camp, and tens of thousands of warhorses formed a procession out of the city.

  The whole house was shaking slightly, and the several cups of tea on the table were also swaying. One cup of untouched tea spilled a little water.

  I sat blankly on the ground and lay down with my head thrown back.

  I listened as the other three people in the house left one after another, with my elder sister seeming to hesitate slightly, wanting to say something, but being pushed out by Pang Rou.

  They're going to prepare for battle in the city, aren't they?

  I clenched my fists involuntarily, and a sharp pain shot through my wrists.

  I closed my eyes, and the numbness spreading from my limbs grew stronger.