The Double Ninth Festival, originally a good day for people to climb high and pray for blessings, had the people of the capital living in fear. Everyone was on high alert, and hardly anyone dared to celebrate the festival at this time. All they could think about was when the rebel army would arrive.
However, before that, they received some good news.
The ten thousand defending troops from the imperial mausoleum had entered the capital, and the troops from nearby prefectures also sent word that they would arrive within a day. Although the combined strength of these forces was less than a hundred thousand, they would not allow Shang Mozheng to easily breach the city.
Moreover, a few days ago, Shang Luoze had received a message from Shang Luoshu that reinforcements from all sides were on their way. So he had to withstand the attacks of the rebel army before their arrival.
Unfortunately, this good news didn't last long.
On the thirteenth day of September, scouts reported that Shang Mozheng, leading two hundred thousand rebel troops, had set up camp ten li south of the capital.
This day had finally come!
"Your Highness, just now the scouts reported that all four city gates of the capital are heavily guarded. May I ask Your Highness for instructions on what to do next?"
In the camp outside the capital, Shang Mozheng had already put on a suit of armor. His black hair was neatly tied up, and he wore a cloak on his shoulders, looking quite like a marshal. Yang Li beside him had also changed his clothes and no longer resembled the former guard of the prince's mansion.
If they could capture the capital this time, he would become a close minister to the future emperor and the object of flattery for many.
Shang Mozheng didn't answer his question immediately. He just tapped his fingernail on the table. After a long while, Yang Li heard his voice, "Yang Li, if you were the young emperor, which gate do you think I would attack first?"
Yang Li didn't understand what his master meant. After thinking for a moment, he carefully gave his answer, "The south gate."
Currently, their army was stationed ten li outside the south city gate. Attacking the south gate first would be the most convenient for troop deployment. Hearing this, Shang Mozheng gave an inexplicable smile and then continued to ask, "Then which city gate do you think is the least likely to be attacked?"
This time Yang Li answered quickly, "The north gate!"
The army was in the south. To attack the north gate, they would have to take the time to make a detour. As the saying goes, "Speed is precious in war." The situation on the battlefield was ever - changing. Wasting a little time might lead to the failure of this war.
Shang Mozheng neither approved nor disapproved of Yang Li's answer. Instead, he began to give orders, "Pass on my order. Let General Tan lead thirty thousand men to attack the south gate. I hope to hear good news before nightfall."
"Yes!"
The messenger left after receiving the order. Yang Li was just about to ask what he should do when he heard Shang Mozheng say again, "Yang Li, I have an important task for you."
Yang Li immediately knelt down to show his loyalty, "Your subordinate will surely not disgrace the mission. Please give your instructions, Your Highness!"
"I want you to lead eighty thousand men to make a detour to the north gate and capture it before dawn!"
Just as Yang Li had said before, attacking the south gate was indeed the best choice for Shang Mozheng at the moment. But wouldn't the people in the capital think of this?
They would surely deploy most of their troops to defend the south gate. Compared with the east and west gates, the north gate, which was the farthest from the south city gate, might have the weakest defensive force. After all, they also understood the principle of "speed is precious in war."
That was exactly why Shang Mozheng wanted to do the opposite.
He was very clear about the strength of the capital's troops. Two hundred thousand against the miscellaneous troops in the city that were mobilized from unknown sources, the outcome was obvious. But he also knew that this was only temporary.
Shang Luoshu hadn't returned yet. There were also reserve troops in the prefectures outside the capital, as well as those taken by Feng Zheng to the Southern Chu. If Shang Luoshu gathered all these troops and brought them to the capital, they could form a pincer attack on his two hundred thousand troops with the tens of thousands of men in the capital. By then, his army would be like turtles in a jar.
So Shang Mozheng only had one way out now: to capture the capital as soon as possible!
Feign an attack on the south city gate to give the young emperor a false impression, and then let Yang Li lead his men to appear at the north city gate and catch them off guard! As long as one city gate was captured, the entire capital would be his!
"No, Shang Mozheng's target is not the south gate. It's the north gate!"
To defend the capital, Shang Luoze had announced yesterday that the city was in a state of war. All the common people were not allowed to go out at will. At the same time, he appointed Zhou Kou as the marshal to defend the capital, and all the troops in the city were to be commanded by him!
At this moment, Zhou Kou, Chen Guang, Lu Wenhan and several other trusted ministers were gathered in a civilian house near the south city gate to discuss how to deal with Shang Mozheng's attack.
"What do you mean by that, Marshal Zhou?"
Chen Guang asked sincerely. Although Zhou Kou had rejected his guess, he was not an unreasonable person. He still thought it was reasonable for Shang Mozheng's rebel army, which was stationed in the south, to attack the south gate first.
"Brother Chen, you may not know. I've had dealings with Shang Mozheng a few times. Although I don't know how accomplished he is in military strategy, this man will never do something so obvious."
Just as Zhou Kou finished speaking, a young soldier came in to report the situation in the front, "Your Excellency, the rebel army is attacking the city with thirty thousand men. It's the south city gate."
Everyone in the room was stunned for a moment, and then they heard Marshal Zhou's voice again, "This is a feint attack!"
"If it's a feint attack, there's no need to use thirty thousand men, right?" Prime Minister Zhang said vaguely.
Originally, he had no place here. But the young emperor, considering his years of service as the prime minister, his being Lin Zihan's teacher, and the current need for talents, was willing to forgive Prime Minister Zhang's past mistakes and give him his trust.
Moreover, what he said made sense. Compared with their own meager eighty thousand men, the enemy using thirty thousand men for a feint attack could be considered a large number.
Because of his words, the few people in the room who hadn't spoken yet immediately started whispering. Zhou Kou wanted to explain, but he didn't dare to be completely sure that his judgment was correct. Helplessly, he could only look at Lu Wenhan for help.
Lu Wenhan received his look, coughed lightly, and the room immediately fell silent. Only his steady voice remained, "In my opinion, Marshal Zhou is right."
With this decisive statement, even if the people below had more doubts, they could only hold them back silently. They could "bully" Marshal Zhou, the newly - appointed marshal, but they didn't dare to offend Prime Minister Lu.
"Marshal Zhou, we are all scholars and know nothing about military affairs. In the future, you can discuss military decisions with the generals. There's no need to inform us."
Lu Wenhan's words were gentle, but they were clearly a slap in the face of those civil officials who didn't know anything but wanted to give blind instructions.
"Your subordinate understands!"
With Prime Minister Lu's support, Zhou Kou had no more scruples. He immediately deployed forty thousand men to the north gate.
...
The setting sun was sinking in the west, and its afterglow shone on the city gate, making the dark - red blood glisten with golden light. The wind on the city tower flapped Chen Guang's cloak loudly. His face was covered in blood, and his eyes were filled with undisguised exhaustion.
It had been three days. He had led twenty thousand men and defended the south gate for a full three days!
People around him kept coming up, falling, coming up again and falling. The blood that flowed out could almost dye the city wall red. But he couldn't give up. Behind him were the emperor and the common people. If he fell, the city might fall too!