Chapter 40: Mobilizing Troops On A Snowy Night
Pengze County and Chaisang County are very similar, with roughly the same population and area. It guards the east bank of Pengli Marsh, while Chaisang guards the west bank. The two county towns stand on either side of Pengli Marsh’s Lake Mouth like the two guardian warriors Hum and Ha in front of a temple gate.
After entering December, the New Year atmosphere in Pengze County gradually thickened, especially after a heavy snowfall. Every household closed their doors and stayed indoors, sitting at home by the fire for warmth, enjoying the leisure before the New Year.
The barracks were the same. It was a bit better when Yu Jin was there. After Yu Jin left to report for duty, Chen Lan and Lei Bo only cared about their own enjoyment, and training and management clearly became lax.
This morning, Wang Xiaoman led dozens of subordinates rowing into the city.
Wang Xiaoman is the younger brother of Wang Ping. He is only seventeen years old this year, very clever. After accumulating several experiences, he gradually became bold and meticulous, becoming the most qualified scout leader under Gan Ning’s command.
Wang Xiaoman was of course just testing. He wanted to see if bringing thirty subordinates into the city would encounter interrogation by the defending soldiers. He thought of many reasons: coming to purchase New Year goods for the New Year, wanting to work as dock laborers, and so on.
But the result was beyond his expectations. All his preparations were unnecessary. He encountered no interrogation at all. There were no guarding soldiers at the water gate, not even any tax collectors. They entered the city directly.
“General, it seems they really have become lax,” one subordinate said in a low voice.
Wang Xiaoman nodded lightly. “Let’s observe a bit more to see if it’s our good luck or if the defenses are truly lax!”
They found an inn near the North City Gate to stay. Wang Xiaoman rewarded the waiter with two guan qian and asked him, “I’m here to deliver goods. Half a month ago when I entered the city, the interrogation was very strict. Why didn’t I encounter any interrogation this time when entering the city?”
The waiter smiled and said, “Last time General Yu was still here! General Yu managed strictly. Take our small shop as an example! The list of guests staying every day had to be reported. I heard General Yu has returned to Xuchang. Now these two generals don’t care about anything. We haven’t submitted the guest list for seven consecutive days, and no one has come to ask. I heard the army is on holiday. It’s the New Year, after all! That’s understandable.”
Wang Xiaoman went out and came to the gate of a wealthy household. This wealthy family was surnamed Yao and was Pengze’s number one landlord. Previously, Wang Xiaoman had obtained some intelligence.
Lei Bo wanted to forcibly marry the Yao Family’s daughter as his wife.
Wang Xiaoman presented Gan Ning’s calling card and was soon invited into the inner hall.
Soon, a tall and fat middle-aged man walked in. He was Yao Jian’an, Pengze County’s number one landlord, with over ten thousand mu of good farmland at home.
Wang Xiaoman quickly stood up and saluted. “I am Wang Xiaoman, a general under General Gan’s command from Chaisang. I have disturbed Landlord Yao.”
Yao Jian’an was encountering an extremely troubling matter. Lei Bo actually wanted to forcibly marry his youngest daughter as his wife. Lei Bo was already forty years old, one year older than himself, while his youngest daughter was only thirteen. Not to mention the huge age gap, more importantly, Lei Bo was extremely brutal and crude. He had once turned bandit in Lujiang Commandery, killing without restraint. If he succeeded, both his and his daughter’s reputation would be ruined.
Moreover, Lei Bo did not like his daughter but coveted his family property, wanting to seize his family property through a marriage alliance.
Yao Jian’an was truly anxious at this moment. Just yesterday, Lei Bo sent someone to deliver betrothal gifts, left them at the door, and left, declaring that he would come in three days to welcome the bride.
At this moment, Gan Ning suddenly sent someone. Yao Jian’an was like a drowning man grasping a piece of wood.
“Young general, please sit!”
The two sat down as host and guest. Wang Xiaoman handed Gan Ning’s letter to Yao Jian’an. Yao Jian’an read the letter and was overjoyed. Gan Ning was coming to attack Pengze County.
He hurriedly asked, “I wonder when General Gan will send out troops?”
Wang Xiaoman said indifferently, “They will arrive tonight.”
Yao Jian’an breathed a slight sigh of relief. Lei Bo was coming in three days to forcibly marry his daughter. Now there was hope.
“What does General Gan hope I will do?”
“I heard your son is a military advisor in the barracks. We want a detailed map of the barracks’ defenses. We also need Landlord Yao’s help to seize Pengze County’s North City Gate. General Gan promises that afterward, your son will be appointed as Pengze County’s chief clerk.”
Yao Jian’an nodded and immediately said to Wang Xiaoman, “Young general, please wait a moment. I will send someone to fetch my son right away.”
Yao Jian’an’s son was Yao En, a military advisor under Yu Jin’s command. To win over the local gentry, Yu Jin recruited a group of gentry disciples into the barracks for clerical positions. Yao En was one of them.
Soon, Yao En hurried over. Hearing that Gan Ning wanted the Yao Family’s help, Yao En quickly pulled his father aside and said in a low voice, “General Yu has treated me well. How can I betray him?”
“Fool!”
Yao Jian’an scolded, “Are you just going to watch your younger sister be taken by Lei Bo? In two more days, Lei Bo will come to the door. Yu Jin won’t return until after spring begins. By then, the deed will be done, and our family property might even be seized by Lei Bo. Will Lei Bo let you go? Don’t be naive. General Gan is our only chance. Moreover, General Gan promised to appoint you as Pengze County’s chief clerk.”
“Really?” Yao En’s eyes lit up.
Yao Jian’an took out the letter and pointed to the end. “Look here. After success, your son may be Pengze County’s chief clerk. He will absolutely not go back on his word. It’s written in black and white. If he breaks his word, how can he stand in Yuzhang Commandery afterward?”
Yao En was overjoyed and immediately cast aside Yu Jin’s kindness to him. He promptly drew a detailed barracks map for Wang Xiaoman and explained the current situation in detail.
The city defenses and barracks were now very lax. The fundamental reason was that Cao Cao had not fulfilled his previous promise to appoint Chen Lan and Lei Bo as marquises within the passes, leaving the two very dissatisfied and slacking off together to protest Cao Cao’s breach of faith.
Wang Xiaoman’s heart settled. The opportunity was right in front of him.
………..
Like Chaisang, Pengze County’s barracks were also located outside the city, covering several thousand mu. At this time, the barracks were also covered in thick white snow. But this differed from the Chaisang Army barracks, where not a trace of snow could be seen.
Chaisang was actually very close to Pengze, separated by a twenty-li-wide Lake Mouth plus a bit of land. The two counties were about forty li apart.
At night, an army of eight thousand landed on the east bank of Lake Mouth and marched quickly, gradually approaching Pengze County’s barracks. The scout battalion commander said in a low voice to Gan Ning, “The enemy’s armory is in the southeast corner, guarded by soldiers. It’s less than a hundred paces from the camp wall, but five hundred paces from the nearest barracks.”
Pengze County’s barracks had stopped training for a full ten days. Army winter training is a very grueling task. Every day, they had to rise before maoshi, no matter how cold the weather, and the officers and soldiers all suffered greatly.
At quarter past maoshi, there would be roll call, then drills and running. After that, they would return for breakfast, followed by the day’s normal training.
Roll call had to be presided over by the commander. When Yu Jin was in Pengze, he conducted roll call every day without fail, rain or shine. After Yu Jin left, Chen Lan and Lei Bo should have handled roll call.
But Chen Lan and Lei Bo each took a concubine in Pengze County and stayed with them every night, only coming to the barracks after dawn, making roll call impossible.
But if it were merely for women, Chen Lan and Lei Bo could simply arrange for the concubines to live in the barracks, which would not affect roll call. So women were never the issue.
The real reason was that Cao Cao had promised to appoint the two as marquises within the passes, but after they surrendered, Cao Cao selectively forgot.
Cao Cao’s breach of faith left the two extremely dissatisfied, so they responded with passive neglect.
The Cao Cao army had regulations that training could be suspended during holidays or major weather disasters.
Major weather disasters referred to storms or heavy winter snow, but training had to resume after the rain or snow stopped.
Chen Lan and Lei Bo exploited this loophole of heavy winter snow, entering the training break period twenty days early. The biggest feature of the training break period was that sabers and spears were stored in the armory. Since there was no training, the soldiers naturally did not need to sleep holding their weapons.
But for Gan Ning, with the enemy army in the training break period, his opportunity had come. Once the armory was captured, the twelve thousand soldiers would be like fish on a chopping board.
