Encountering a Snake - Chapter 30

v2c30

In the winter of the fourteenth year of Jianyuan, the Xiongnu army pressed upon the city. Grand General Ji Jiu led 80,000 troops out to meet the enemy. After three days of fierce battle, the Xiongnu retreated ten miles and set up camp at Xie Ma Slope.

Early winter had arrived, yet the weather was unusually cold. This year, the celestial phenomena were peculiar. After the Xiongnu retreated, it snowed for three days. The first snow came more than a month earlier than usual, hinting at unknown omens.

Shen Jue brought someone to see Ji Jiu—it was Shen Hai.

Shen Hai greeted him with the salute of a subordinate. Ji Jiu froze momentarily before hesitantly saying, “You’re my provisions officer?”

Shen Hai replied, “A new official takes up his post. Please bear with me, General.”

Ji Jiu hadn’t expected the emperor to appoint Shen Hai as his provisions officer. On one hand, he thought it was a waste of talent, but on the other hand, he felt reassured. With Shen Hai present, even if the war lasted ten years, he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of provisions.

Naturally, he also realized that Shen Hai’s presence was likely meant to monitor him on the emperor’s behalf.

But at this moment, Ji Jiu didn’t want to dwell on such matters. Over the years, no matter how many ruthless decisions the emperor had made, he had never mistreated Ji Jiu. The trust and reliance placed upon him were undeniable.

After the snow stopped, Ji Jiu took Shen Hai to the city wall. They climbed up to survey the land, which was a vast expanse of white.

Ji Jiu remained silent for a long time, gazing into the distance, lost in thought. Shen Hai stood behind him, watching for a while before saying, “General, you don’t need to worry about provisions.”

Ji Jiu turned at the sound and asked, “Truly?”

Shen Hai immediately replied, “Truly!”

“What if I plan to fight for ten years?” Ji Jiu asked, smiling faintly, making it unclear if the question was serious or in jest.

Shen Hai froze, unable to respond decisively this time. Ten years of war—how many civilians would die, how much silver would be spent? He couldn’t provide a straightforward answer.

Seeing Shen Hai’s hesitation, Ji Jiu patted his shoulder and said, “Just a joke, no need to take it seriously. We could sustain ten years, but how could the Xiongnu afford it? They’ll withdraw—they won’t play along with us.”

Shen Hai let out a sigh of relief and steadied himself before asking, “How does the General plan to fight?”

Ji Jiu replied, “What would you do?”

“Our army is filled with elite soldiers. Since pacifying the south, we’ve spent years training, waiting for this battle,” Shen Hai said. “As long as the General leads the troops out, we can defeat them within a month.”

Ji Jiu listened but said nothing.

Sensing something was off, Shen Hai asked, “How does the Grand General intend to fight?”

“Not fight.” Ji Jiu’s two-word response was delivered with unusual decisiveness, clearly a conclusion he had reached after careful consideration.

Shen Hai, brimming with zeal, felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, leaving him chilled to the core. He stood there on the city wall, dumbfounded, unable to grasp the meaning behind Ji Jiu’s “not fight.” He didn’t know whether this answer should be reported to the emperor.

What did it mean? Shen Hai wanted to ask Ji Jiu but looked up to find Ji Jiu already descending the city wall.

That night, Ji Jiu sent messengers to the imperial city, requesting certain personnel from the emperor.

A month later, the requested individuals arrived. Ji Jiu, accompanied by Shen Jue, personally went to greet them. Upon meeting, both sides couldn’t help but laugh aloud, clapping each other on the shoulders and exchanging greetings.

Thirty-seven riders—part of the team that had ventured into the desert that year. Out of the fifty who had entered, only thirty-seven had returned.

Ji Jiu had long wanted to transfer these individuals from the emperor’s side to his command but had never found a good excuse. Even now, he had none; he simply requested them and got his way.

After all, with Shen Hai serving as his provisions officer, it seemed unlikely the emperor would begrudge sending over a mere thirty men.

Of course, the emperor had no objections. This war was for his empire, so he was generous indeed.

However, Ji Jiu’s actions aroused suspicion among the troops. Many wondered what he was planning.

Since the Xiongnu army had arrived at the city, Grand General Ji Jiu had only led troops into battle once, personally commanding soldiers in a three-day skirmish before returning. Afterward, the Xiongnu retreated ten miles.

The Xiongnu retreat was partly due to their initial defeat but also a test. Both sides had gleaned valuable information about each other’s strength, morale, and troop composition from the encounter.

After returning to the city, Ji Jiu ordered the gates to remain tightly shut, focusing solely on defense.

Following the heavy snowfall a month ago, the Xiongnu forces regrouped and launched another assault on the city. After a day and night of fighting, the city walls held firm. The Xiongnu retreated once more to Xie Ma Slope.

Ji Jiu didn’t bother to pursue them. The city gates remained closed, and not a single soldier was dispatched.

Over the past month, the Xiongnu had launched more than ten attacks on the city, all of which were met with strict defensive measures. The troops, once brimming with morale and ready for battle, now found themselves unsure of their purpose. Why weren’t they fighting?

Thus, when word spread that Ji Jiu was summoning his generals for a meeting, hot-tempered officers hurried to the council hall, fearing the unpredictable general might change his mind and cancel the meeting.

Even Shen Hai, the provisions officer, arrived discreetly and found an inconspicuous spot to wait.

Once everyone had assembled, Ji Jiu arrived punctually, taking his seat at the head of the table and unrolling the city’s defense map.

“The south gate, the north gate, and the east and west gates have all seen recent skirmishes,” Ji Jiu began, sweeping his gaze across the group. “I’ve calculated—since the first battle, the enemy has suffered significantly more casualties in every attack. Why?”

“Because they aren’t skilled at siege warfare.” Ji Jiu answered his own question and continued, “The Xiongnu are horse riders and hunters—short, stocky, and best suited to cavalry battles. Meanwhile, we’ve spent years training archers who can hit their mark from a hundred paces. More of their soldiers die to arrows than to rolling stones during their sieges.”

“In siege warfare, we hold the advantage,” Ji Jiu concluded. “Their morale is nearly depleted.”

He then leaned back in his chair, raising his hand slightly. “Now, tell me—how should we fight next?”

Deputy General Cheng Yu stepped forward and said, “Since they’ve been worn down, we should send out a large force and crush them in one swift strike.”

Someone refuted, “The Grand General mentioned that the Xiongnu excel at mounted archery. Even if we send out a large army, we might not gain the upper hand.”

Another said, “You’re overestimating the enemy.”

Yet another countered, “It’s the truth.”

The room quickly descended into chaos.

Ji Jiu leaned over the table, resting his fists on it idly, gnawing on his knuckles. Occasionally, he chimed in, pointing to the left and saying, “You’re right.” Then, moments later, he would turn to the right and say, “Hmm, you’ve got a point too.” His remarks only added fuel to the fire, escalating the argument into a heated quarrel.

Seeing that the two sides were on the verge of coming to blows, Ji Jiu finally stood up, placed his hands on the table, and said in an even tone, “You’re all correct.”

The room instantly fell silent as everyone turned to look at their general.

Ji Jiu tilted his head, squinting with a smile, and said, “How about this—where’s Shen Jue?”

Shen Jue gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped forward with a bow. “General.”

“You and General Cheng Yu will take 3,000 troops tonight to pay a visit to the Xiongnu army,” Ji Jiu said.

Shen Jue responded, “Yes, sir.”

Cheng Yu froze for a moment before exclaiming, “Three thousand? Even gathering firewood would require more than that!”

Ji Jiu replied, “It’s just like gathering firewood and rabbits.” He continued, “The Xiongnu army has traveled thousands of miles expecting a hard battle. But instead, we’ve held back, and they can’t breach the city. Their morale is already low. You’re going there to provoke them so they’ll continue attacking tomorrow.”

Sitting back down, Ji Jiu chuckled, his tone suddenly turning vicious. “I want them to be unable to fight effectively, yet unwilling to retreat.”

The sheer malice in his words left everyone speechless.

In the corner, Shen Hai could no longer stay silent. He squeezed forward and asked, “Then what exactly does the Grand General plan to do?”

“I want to exhaust all the resources and morale they’ve built up over the years,” Ji Jiu said calmly. “Deplete their provisions and spirit, then feast on their remains.”

He aimed to preserve his own strength to the greatest extent possible, ensuring as many of his soldiers survived the war. Then, with that conserved power, he would utterly annihilate the enemy.

Ji Jiu had long planned his strategy, fearing only that the Xiongnu might grow too cautious and refuse to expend their forces on more attacks.

He turned to Shen Jue and Cheng Yu. “Wrap your horses’ hooves, wear light armor, and set out in an hour. I’ll bring reinforcements to cover your retreat. Regardless of how many enemies you kill or how many losses we suffer, you only have one hour.”

The two acknowledged the order and withdrew to make preparations.

Looking at the defense map before him, Ji Jiu ran his fingers slowly along its lines and said, “One year. A year from now, they’ll retreat, and that’s when we’ll strike.”

The start of war was different for every general.

For Ji Jiu, it was only the beginning.

That night at midnight, 3,000 soldiers quietly left the city, advancing ten miles to storm the Xiongnu camp. Amid the bitter cold, their sudden appearance felt like a dream. The enemy general, Wula’er, frantically organized his troops to respond, but just as he began to stabilize the situation, the 3,000 retreated.

Wula’er led his forces in pursuit, but midway, troops ambushed from both flanks. Torches flared in the dead of night, and chaos engulfed the battlefield.

The small raiding force vanished into the larger unit, leaving Wula’er no choice but to retreat. By dawn, scouts reported that the Xiongnu army had fallen back another twenty miles.

Half a month later, the war horns blared once more. The Xiongnu army, now seething with frustration, launched another assault on the city.

Ji Jiu climbed the city wall and looked down at the densely packed troops below. At last, he smiled.

In the midst of the enemy forces, the Xiongnu commander, Right Wise King Yelü De’e, sat astride his horse. From afar, he saw the figure of the general standing atop the city walls.

Ji Jiu saw him too.

The Xiongnu royalty. Ji Jiu silently observed, reminding himself to wait. He couldn’t gamble his soldiers’ lives recklessly.

One year. One more year. Once they retreated, it would be his turn to strike.