Chapter 177
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Wu Kai was infected with the plague.
It was like a muffled thunderclap, hitting everyone like a heavy blow. Xiang Hongyun’s palms were sweating, and he turned pale as he sat down on a chair.
Wu Kai’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t say a word.
He wasn’t afraid of death; he was afraid of not being able to hold the city, not being able to defend Xuzhou.
“This must not be leaked to the public,” after a long time, Xiang Hongyun regained his composure, grasped the armrests tightly, and took a deep breath. He looked at the medical experts with a serious expression, “If news of the commander being infected with the plague gets out, the entire city will panic, and the enemy will seize the opportunity to attack. We will be in danger, and the city could fall at any moment. This matter must be kept secret, by all means necessary.”
The medical experts were all in the city, and their lives were tied to Wu Kai’s. Naturally, they understood the severity of the situation and nodded without hesitation.
Xiang Hongyun raised some hope, “Since the outbreak of the plague until now, do you have any solutions?”
The medical experts exchanged glances, sighed bitterly, and a touch of despair appeared on their faces, “To be honest, there are not enough medical resources in the city, and there are too few medical experts. Up to now, we have no way to treat those infected with the disease. If this continues, even we will be infected with the plague and die.”
Wu Kai suddenly stood up and staggered towards the door. Xiang Hongyun immediately stopped him, “Where are you going?”
“I can’t stay in the same room as you all,” Wu Kai replied, walking to the door and looking back at Xiang Hongyun. Although he was a tough and iron-blooded man, tears welled up in his eyes at this moment. “Xiang Hongyun, you are smarter than me, and with you here, I believe you can defend the city. I’m not very bright, I promised the Lord to defend Xuzhou to the death, but I got infected first. I’m sorry to the Lord, to the people of the entire city, and to Xuzhou. The people of the whole city can now only rely on you, Xiang Hongyun. You must not have any accidents. If I die… please promise me to defend Xiapi.”
After speaking, he tried to suppress his tears and said in a low voice, “I have an elderly, blind mother at home. She is already 58 years old and in poor health. She may not live for long. After I die, please don’t tell her about my death and take care of her for these last few years. I also have a wife and a six-year-old child. Please tell the Lord and let him find a good family for my wife to remarry… My son is as foolish as I am, but he is obedient. Life will be tough for a widow with a child. If possible, please take care of my child and send him to the Liangliao Institution.”
Xiang Hongyun, who had always been composed, also became teary-eyed. He turned his head away and reprimanded Wu Kai, “Stop talking nonsense.” Then he asked the medical experts, “Is there really no other way?”
The medical experts were also anxious. They huddled together to discuss for a long time before turning back to Xiang Hongyun, saying, “There is not no way, but the medical experts around Duke Wen are more knowledgeable about preventing and treating epidemics than we are. Duke Wen always brings various medicinal materials and medical experts with him when he travels. As long as Duke Wen can return in time, we will have hope.”
Xiang Hongyun felt both happy and worried. He pondered for a moment before saying to Wu Kai, “Did you hear that? This epidemic can be treated. As long as the Lord returns in time, you will have a chance to survive.”
Wu Kai smiled bitterly, “We don’t know when the Lord will return. I may not be able to hold on until then… Xiang Hongyun, please grant my request, at least this way, I can die in peace.”
Xiang Hongyun took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes, “Rest assured, if anything happens to you, I will take care of your mother and your son. I will take care of them like how Yang Zhongfa and his wife took care of Han Yan. Neither I nor the Lord will let your son go to the Liangliao Institution.”
“Okay, okay…”
Wu Kai clasped his fists in a daze, then resolutely walked away.
Xiang Hongyun had the medical experts find a separate courtyard for Wu Kai to rest, keeping his infection a secret, and took charge of the overall situation by himself. He was extremely busy every day but never forgot to inquire about Wu Kai’s condition.
Wu Kai’s condition worsened rapidly.
He had a high fever for three days, and after that, he began to vomit and have diarrhea. He couldn’t eat anything and could only have some liquid food. His mouth and nose would occasionally start bleeding.
In the dimly lit room, the servant covering his mouth and nose nervously cleaned the filth and quickly left the room.
The room still smelled bad, and whenever Wu Kai regained consciousness, he would stare blankly at the beams, feeling that he might not live to see the next time he opened his eyes and would die in this smelly, dark, and narrow room.
His body was covered in sweat and filth, and the stench made Wu Kai uncomfortable. He coughed and hoarsely called out, “Someone.”
After a while, knocking was heard at the door. The servant, covering his mouth and nose, cautiously opened the door a crack and tremblingly asked, “Sir, what do you command?”
Wu Kai had wanted to ask the servant to come and help him wash and clean himself, but seeing the servant’s unconcealed fear, he swallowed the words.
Nevermind.
He sighed, feeling melancholic.
It would be better not to infect another person.
Those infected with the plague were not supposed to be exposed to wind. At night, he could hear the sound of the gate being blown open from the outside. Wu Kai thought about his family, the scene of prosperity in the spring, and unknowingly drifted back into unconsciousness.
He went in and out of consciousness, and his condition worsened. He was becoming weaker and could barely hold on to life.
Other people might have sought death for relief, but Wu Kai’s mind was still preoccupied with the situation outside. He struggled to stay alive.
Xiang Hongyun also knew what Wu Kai cared about the most. He visited Wu Kai every two days and informed him about the situation inside the city from outside the room.
The news of the plague in the city was impossible to hide. Those who were infected or had family members infected dared not be discovered by the officials, so they hid the truth. This behavior made the epidemic even more rampant, and now it has broken out on a small scale.
Xiang Hongyun’s voice came through the door, sounding hoarse, with evident exhaustion and heaviness that couldn’t be hidden. Wu Kai listened intently, “The people in the city have already learned that those infected with the plague are being isolated in a separate estate. They are afraid of death, so they would rather rot away in secret than let the soldiers find out. The people in the city have started to become anxious. It’s not just the civilians but also our soldiers who are afraid of getting sick.”
After a pause, Xiang Hongyun took a breath before continuing, “It’s been a long time since anyone has seen you in the army. Some people are starting to speculate whether something has happened to you. I don’t think we can hold on much longer. A riot may break out in the city.”
Wu Kai felt heartbroken, trying to get up from the bed but only managed to cause himself pain. He coughed and hoarsely said, “As long as we can hold on until the Lord returns, there will be a chance. Xiang Hongyun, is there any other movement from Chen Wang?”
Outside the room, Xiang Hongyun looked haggard, and even the dark circles under his eyes were visible in the dark. He stood for a while, feeling tired, so he lifted his robe and sat on the ground. He sighed, “Chen Wang hasn’t made any other moves. I suspect he’s just waiting for unrest to break out in the city.”
Wu Kai’s voice was hoarse, full of guilt, ” Lord Xiang, we are relying on you.”
Xiang Hongyun smiled bitterly. He had wanted to say that he might also get infected with the plague, but he decided against it. He sat quietly for a moment and waited until the moon rose high before getting up and brushing off the dry grass from his clothes. “Lord Wu, I will be leaving now.”
Wu Kai supported himself on the table and chair, struggling to walk to the door to see him off, “… Take care, Lord Xiang.”
***
Xiang Hongyun felt that he had a bit of a jinxing talent.
Just last night, he had just finished telling Wu Kai that Chen Wang had no other moves, and the next day, Chen Wang launched an attack on the city. When Xiang Hongyun arrived at the city wall with a grim expression, he saw the enemy outside piling up soil bags, each person carrying one and throwing it under the city wall. In just a moment, they had piled up a half-wall-high hill of earth, trying to climb the hill and enter the city.
Xiang Hongyun squinted his eyes.
Chen Wang had used various tactics in previous attacks, but this time, he directly piled up a hill of soil to attack the city, probably testing them.
Testing whether the city was in chaos, testing whether the Youzhou troops still had the ability to resist.
Xiang Hongyun stood upright, calmly giving a few instructions.
Soon, the Youzhou troops started attacking the enemy outside.
Large stones, hot water, quicklime, and unexpected rockets rained down, and they fought back more fiercely and bravely than when Wu Kai led the troops.
A shower of quicklime scattered outside the city wall, causing many of Chen Wang’s soldiers to be burnt and blinded. They screamed in agony, covering their eyes and falling off the soil hill. They were also drenched with hot water and hit by large stones. Within just one hour, Chen Wang’s attacking army suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat.
The chief general went to apologize to Chen Wang, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. “I am incompetent and have not taken down Suiling City.”
Chen Wang smiled upon hearing this.
His subordinates looked at each other, afraid that Chen Wang was angry. “My lord?”
Chen Wang replied with a smile, “Has the resistance inside Suiling City become stronger?”
The chief general nervously said, “Yes. I feel that the previous tactics and the plague scare have not worked. From the look of the city, it’s hard to conquer it by brute force.”
Chen Wang was helped up a bit and took a sip of warm tea. He didn’t seem disappointed or angry; instead, he looked pleased and even had a little bit of color on his face.
After finishing his tea leisurely, he turned to the chief general, “Their resistance has become fierce. This is actually a good thing.”
The chief general was puzzled and quickly bowed, “Please enlighten me, my lord.”
Chen Wang said calmly, “There’s a saying about bluffing and pretending to be strong on the outside but being weak on the inside. In your previous attacks, the people inside the city did not resist so violently. That was when they truly had confidence, being calm and unhurried. But today, when you attacked the city, their resistance became so intense. It’s precisely to intentionally intimidate you, to make you fearful and think that the previous strategies had no effect, thus not daring to act rashly.”
He tapped the armrest slowly with his aged hand. “In my opinion, the city is already in chaos. Have you seen their commander when you attacked today?”
The chief general pondered for a moment and suddenly realized, “Indeed, I didn’t see Wu Kai today. He used to stand on the city wall during every attack.”
“Exactly,” Chen Wang chuckled, “Their commander must have had an accident, maybe even contracted the plague. Now the person leading the resistance against you might have changed.”
The chief general seemed to understand, mumbling to himself, “No wonder…”
Chen Wang squinted his eyes, “Previously, it was all just minor skirmishes. Now you should show your true strength and seize Suiling City in one fell swoop.”
The chief general’s eyes brightened, immediately showing eagerness.
***
It had been five or six days since Wu Kai last saw Xiang Hongyun.
He felt somewhat uneasy, and his right eyelid had been twitching continuously. However, his body was so weak that he couldn’t even move to see what was happening outside.
One day, while Wu Kai was struggling in pain on the bed, he heard panicked and urgent shouts coming from outside.
“Quick, all soldiers here, follow me to the city wall to defend against the enemy!”
“Hurry, the enemy is attacking the city!!!”
Wu Kai’s eyes widened suddenly, and with great effort, he turned his head to see pairs of hurried legs passing under the gap of the door.
Outside, there were crashing and banging sounds. Tables and chairs were knocked over, and voices were filled with panic.
“Quick, take up your weapons and leave!”
“Report! The servants have escaped!”
“Leave the servants, don’t worry about them!”
Wu Kai’s head began to spin. He tried to prop himself up on the bed to get up but suddenly fell to the ground with a loud crash.
The door was pushed open, and Wu Kai’s personal guard, his face covered with a white cloth, rushed in, looking anxious. “My lord!”
Wu Kai spat out a mouthful of blood, “What’s happening outside?!”
The soldier shakily lifted him up and carried him on his back, “My lord, Chen Wang has sent all his troops to forcefully attack Suiling City. Lord Xiang has already gathered the remaining forces to defend the city wall. It’s not safe here; I’ll take you to a secure place.”
He hurriedly ran out with Wu Kai on his back. Wu Kai, lying on his back, looked around blankly. Chaos and panic filled everywhere. Servants were crying and fleeing with their belongings, while soldiers rushed out of the gates.
Clothes and utensils were scattered on the ground, trampled in the mud by the fleeing crowd.
Gritting his teeth, Wu Kai said, “Cover my mouth and nose, take me to the city wall!”
The guard’s mind was blank, not knowing where to take Wu Kai. Instinctively, he ran towards the city wall.
When he climbed up the city wall with Wu Kai on his back, Wu Kai saw an army of ten thousand outside the city.
The vast sea of soldiers stood before them, giant catapults in front of them. Archers, shield-bearers, and cavalry lined up in perfect order. Just one look, and Wu Kai’s heart sank.
They couldn’t win, truly couldn’t win.
Once the city was breached, the city behind them would be Xiapi.
“Why are you here?” Xiang Hongyun walked over with a furrowed brow. Although they hadn’t seen each other for a few days, Wu Kai felt that Xiang Hongyun looked thinner, as if he had been tortured.
There was no time for reminiscing at this moment. Wu Kai endured the pain in his body and asked, “Can we hold on a few more days?”
Xiang Hongyun’s expression was unusually calm as he looked towards the enemy army outside the city. He said calmly, “There are only three thousand soldiers left in the city.”
Wu Kai clenched his fists.
“The rest have either been infected with the plague or were slaughtered by Chen Wang’s men in the past few days,” Xiang Hongyun said in a calm tone, “Brother Wu, I’m sorry, but I can’t take care of your wife and children for you. I’m afraid we will die here today.”
Wu Kai forced a bitter smile, “I only hope that our deaths can delay their advance.”
“We will,” Xiang Hongyun affirmed, “Even if they break Suiling, it will take them some time to capture Xiapi. If we hold on, our lord should be back, and we will have defended Xuzhou.”
Wu Kai nodded silently.
Outside the city wall, the enemy army continued to taunt, “I advise you to open the city gates and surrender. You can save unnecessary sacrifices.”
“Suiling City is already doomed. If you voluntarily open the city gates, we will leave you an intact corpse!”
Xiang Hongyun suddenly stepped forward, loudly asking, “How will you treat the civilians in the city?”
The enemy general sneered, shouting back, “Suiling City has already shown signs of a plague outbreak. Naturally, after we take the city, it will be engulfed in flames!”
Wu Kai was infuriated and his breath became rapid, “It’s despicable! They caused the plague and now they want to slaughter the city!”
Xiang Hongyun remained unusually calm, “No need to be surprised. I knew they would slaughter the city as soon as they threw the rotten corpses into the city.”
In the next moment, Xiang Hongyun sternly questioned, “Chen Wang has always been praised by the people for his benevolence and compassion, and you, as a wise and virtuous general, are treating the people of Suiling with such cruelty?”
The enemy general sneered, “It is because my lord is compassionate that we cannot allow the plague to spread from the city! Since you are unwilling to open the city gates and surrender, we will forcefully attack and leave no one alive!”
Hearing these words, the commanders repeated the order loudly. The orders were passed from the commanders to the captains, then to the sergeants, and finally to each soldier. The resounding sound and murderous intent almost shook the heavens and the earth, making the city walls tremble.
Wu Kai closed his eyes and felt his heart turn cold.
The trembling under his feet became stronger and stronger, and Wu Kai’s despair deepened. The guard carrying him couldn’t stand steadily anymore. He stumbled and leaned on the city wall, exclaiming in shock, “My lord!”
Something was amiss with this commotion. Wu Kai opened his eyes and froze. Have Chen Wang’s army already started to attack the city walls?
But as he opened his eyes, he was stunned.
In the rear of Chen Wang’s army, as far as his eyes could see, the yellow sand was flying, covering the sky. Tens of thousands of people were sprinting through the billowing yellow sand, and their bright red flags were rolling in the wind.
Wu Kai’s heart suddenly pounded rapidly. He staggered down from his attendant and stood upright, leaning against the city wall to look into the distance.
Xiang Hongyun and the soldiers from Youzhou on the city wall also stared in astonishment at the approaching yellow sand, while Chen Wang’s army below turned their heads, looking back with bewilderment.
Everyone fixed their gaze on that spot.
The approaching flags drew closer and closer, and the galloping hooves sounded like the roaring waves, magnificent and grand. The shaking ground caused the horses of the enemy army outside to become restless and turn their heads. Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun stared with unblinking eyes. If not for the guards holding them back, they would have leaned over the wall with half of their bodies outside.
Closer, getting closer.
The word ‘Wen’ on the flags imposingly entered everyone’s eyes.
For an instant, everyone held their breath. Wu Kai felt as though his breathing had stopped; his mind went blank.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet also like only a moment. A soldier excitedly shouted, his voice cracking with sobs, “Duke Wen is here! Reinforcements have arrived!”
“It’s reinforcements, reinforcements!”
All the soldiers snapped out of their stupor, shouting loudly one after another, running back and forth with excitement. They raised their weapons high with trembling hands, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Duke Wen is here!”
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