Chapter 121: Monopolizing the Spoils

Jiang Wen looked at the general lying on the bed, then turned his gaze toward Taishi Ci and Lu Meng.

Taishi Ci’s expression remained unchanged, but Lu Meng sighed and said, "I know what you want to say. But even if you let him go, there is no guarantee he will defect to our side once he recovers."

Taishi Ci added, "Furthermore, General, the last time you secretly released Huang Zhong, the generals at court immediately used it as a pretext to attack you with their pens. The Prime Minister is currently in a position where he cannot afford to openly alienate those generals. If you release Wei Yan this time, I fear even the Prime Minister..."

"We are the ones fighting this war. If we live in fear of those who wield pens and ink, any campaign will inevitably face complications," Jiang Wen replied. "As it stands, there is no chance Wei Yan will return to the battlefield. Sending him back won't hurt, and this matter might actually help us take Changsha."

***

At Han Xuan’s mansion:

"Reporting to my lord, I heard it with my own ears, word for word. Old General Huang truly had that conversation with Jiang Wen on the city walls."

"The three armies are arrayed for battle, yet my own general is chatting with the enemy! Since he was already on the ramparts, why didn't he loose his arrows sooner!"

The soldier hesitated, then raised his head and said, "My lord, I am not sure if I should tell you this, but as far as I could see, General Huang intentionally missed his target."

"Intentionally missed?!" Han Xuan’s face darkened.

The soldier immediately continued, "My lord, General Huang’s skill with a bow is known throughout the camp. But this time, the enemy general was less than a hundred paces away, only about fifty. If the troops hadn't been worried about General Wei Yan, the enemy general would surely have been riddled with arrows by now."

"You may leave."

"Yes."

As the soldier slowly walked out of the mansion, a scholar emerged from a nearby alley. The soldier bowed and said, "I have said exactly as you instructed, sir. Can you really grant me wealth and honor?!"

"Certainly. There is a carriage ahead carrying my general. Go and meet him."

The soldier, overjoyed, hurried to the carriage, only to have his throat slit by a blade, collapsing to the ground, unable to speak. Two men dragged him into the carriage. The scholar said nonchalantly, "A dog that betrays its master—can it really serve another?"

"As expected of someone from the School of Records; swift and efficient," the scholar yawned as he walked toward the marketplace.

***

At Huang Zhong’s residence, near the city gate:

Huang Zhong polished his bowstring and sighed. "The older one gets, the more one understands honor and duty. At this age, things are becoming increasingly difficult. Xu-er, tell your father what I should do..."

As Huang Zhong rubbed the bow handle, muttering to himself, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"General, the enemy has sent a messenger. I am here to report it. Should we see him or kill him?"

"Bring him up," said Huang Zhong.

"Greetings, General," the messenger said, bowing to Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong set his bow aside. "Speak. Why have you come?"

"I come by order of my general. General Wei Yan is severely wounded. If he does not receive medical treatment immediately, I fear he will not last long."

"How much longer does Wen Chang have?"

"Our army physician says five days at most."

"Only five days left for Wen Chang..."

The messenger continued, "My general appreciates talent and recognizes General Wei Yan’s prowess. He wishes to save him and has sent me to relay that tomorrow at noon, he will send two soldiers to escort General Wei Yan back. It will then be up to General Huang whether or not to open the city gates."

"The message is delivered. Please excuse me," the messenger said, bowing before leaving the residence.

Huang Zhong stood up and headed straight for Han Xuan’s mansion.

Han Xuan was sipping fine wine when his personal guard approached: "My lord, General Huang requests an audience outside!"

"Ha, I was just about to see him. Let him in!"

"Your subordinate, Huang Hansheng, greets my lord."

"Speak. Why have you come?"

"I have just received an envoy from Jiang Wen. He sent word that at noon tomorrow, he will have his personal guards escort Wen Chang back."

Han Xuan’s eyes narrowed, a cold sneer on his lips. "Huang Hansheng, you are quite capable. I never imagined you were secretly communicating with Jiang Wen behind my back!"

"I do not know why my lord would say that, but what I just said was intended to let you know that Wen Chang can still be saved, provided that tomorrow..."

"Provided what!" Han Xuan roared, slamming his wine cup to the floor. "Why are you in contact with Jiang Wen without my knowledge? And why, when you could have taken the enemy general's head on the city walls, did you intentionally miss? And why, even though you were a prisoner in Jiang Wen's camp, did he let you go?!"

"I am loyal to you, my lord. Since ancient times, messages have been passed by envoys during standoffs. As for missing the shot, I did it to repay a favor. Furthermore, Wen Chang was severely wounded at the time; if the enemy had been provoked, Wen Chang would surely have died!"

"He is already so severely wounded, a crippled man! Why do you still want to save him?" Han Xuan stepped forward and kicked Huang Zhong. "Why do you insist on saving him, you traitor!"

Huang Zhong lay on the floor, silent. "Wen Chang can still be saved, my lord. We only need to wait until noon tomorrow..."

"Shut up!" Han Xuan shouted, his face twisted with rage. "What does tomorrow matter? How do you know Jiang Wen won't use the opening of the gates as a chance to seize Changsha in one stroke!"

"No one is to open the gates tomorrow! Wei Yan is useless now. A dying cripple—even if he returns, he cannot fight for me." Han Xuan exhaled slowly, turning toward his seat of authority. "It is not worth the risk. Let him die in Jiang Wen's camp."

Huang Zhong’s expression grew increasingly somber as he looked at Han Xuan. "My lord, Wen Chang is merely severely wounded and can still be saved! All that is required is to open the gates at noon tomorrow!"

"Get out!"

"My lord..."

"Get out!"

***

The next day, beneath the gates of Changsha, two guards placed Wei Yan on a stretcher at the gate. "By order of our general, we return the General!"

"It is the body of General Wei Yan. General Huang, shall we open the gates to receive him?"

"Nonsense! The lord has just ordered that whoever opens the gates is colluding with the enemy and will be executed!"

"But this is the body of General Wei Yan! Why can't we welcome back our own general?"

Jiang Wen sat on his horse, gazing at the ramparts. The gates remained closed. Lu Meng said from the side, "The general is crippled; it seems his master doesn't even want him anymore. Leaving him there like that—let alone four days, he won't last three hours."

"Just watch. We will take Changsha without shedding a drop of blood," Jiang Wen said with a faint smile. "By the way, how is Xingba?"

Lu Meng smiled bitterly. "You'd better not ask. He took his fifty personal guards and went into the mountains to hunt this morning."

Jiang Wen nodded. "As long as he isn't killing people, it's fine."

Huang Zhong looked at the general beneath the walls, then at the empty road ahead where no soldiers appeared. "Open the gates!"

"General, the lord has already given instructions..."

"I will answer to the lord myself. Open the gates now!"

"Yes, open the gates!"

Jiang Wen watched as the guards rescued Wei Yan. "All units, return to camp!"

***

In Wuling, Jin Yi felt his courage falter as he looked at the troops beneath the city walls. "General Gong, what should our army do?"

Gong Zhi bowed and said, "Given the current situation, I suggest my lord surrender to Sun Ce. That way, we can preserve the safety of the territory."

"Absolutely not!" Jin Yi snarled, his eyes wide with rage. "Sun Ce took my father's life. Surrender to him? Never!"

"In that case, I have another plan that can force the enemy to retreat, but it requires one thing from you, my lord!"

"What thing? Speak quickly, General! As long as it forces them to retreat, anything will do!"

"Your head."

A cold blade flashed from its sheath, and blood splattered on the floor. The lord clutched his neck, his face full of disbelief and resentment. Gong Zhi sheathed his blade, watching as Jin Yi’s life faded.

Jiang Qin sat on his horse, observing the scene on the city walls. His expression remained unchanged. Soon, the gates opened. Jiang Qin gave a light command, and the entire army entered Wuling.

Wuling was taken without shedding a drop of blood.

"General, a report from Wuling: General Jiang Qin has occupied the city. He asks how to deal with Gong Zhi!"

"Tell Jiang Qin to garrison Wuling. Also, when the army returns in triumph, have Gong Zhi come to Xiangyang to receive his reward!"

"Yes!"

***

Wild game often has a strong, gamey odor; if not prepared properly, the taste alone can make one unable to swallow. Salt alone cannot remove this. By soaking the meat in clean water to draw out the blood, the odor can be reduced.

The guards quickly skinned the roe deer, as the fur could be used for clothing. Jiang Wen picked up the venison, rubbed it with salt and pepper to season it, and stir-fried it in an iron wok. Once the aroma of the meat emerged, he poured in the sauce. After the colors mixed and the fragrance intensified, he set the wok aside. He then lined the bottom with ginger slices and scallions—which enhanced the color and added flavor—and added water to braise it.

The meat was succulent, the salt and pepper were aromatic and numbing, and the broth was clear yet rich. Though there were no chili peppers, the mixture of salt, pepper, and ginger made the broth delicious.

Several generals crowded together, staring at each other. None dared to take the first bite, yet all were eager to.

Jiang Wen cooked a pot for himself. In later generations, the roe deer was a protected animal—he might as well enjoy it while he could.

"One should enjoy life while it's at its peak." Is that not the truth?

With the victory in Wuling already reported, Changsha would not be long behind. Zhao Fan and Liu Du would be even easier to deal with than Han Xuan. This campaign could be considered a foregone conclusion.

"How much grain do we have left?"

"Reporting to the General, we have enough for three months!"

Sun Fu entered. Although he had delivered Sun Ce's letter, he remained to monitor Jiang Wen. Seeing the delicacies on the table, he shamelessly ordered a soldier to bring him a bowl and chopsticks. He sat down opposite Jiang Wen, dug through the pot with his chopsticks, and picked up a piece of meat.

"General, you are truly at leisure. Instead of rushing to take the city, you send your generals into the mountains to hunt. Like general, like soldiers. Now that you are so derelict in your duties, how can you maintain strict discipline? If this were reported, wouldn't you be held accountable?"

Sun Fu ate a piece of meat and nodded. Jiang Wen left his bowl and chopsticks untouched and said, "To me, war is urgent, but eating is also a fundamental necessity. One must not be overly impatient. Now that the plans are in place, we are simply waiting for the results. Everything will fall into place naturally."

"Hahaha, it seems I have much to learn from you," Sun Fu laughed, picking up a wine bowl. "Bring the wine!"

The soldiers looked at Jiang Wen, who nodded. Soon, a jar of cloudy wine was brought over. Sun Fu drank a cup and frowned, "The taste is not as good as Dukang."

He looked around and saw Lu Meng and the others watching expectantly. Sun Fu laughed, "I forgot you generals are at war and cannot drink. But what does that have to do with me?"

He drank cup after cup, making Gan Ning and the others feel uncomfortable. After three cups, Sun Fu smiled, "Would the General like a cup?"

Jiang Wen shook his head. This man was always trying to trip him up to find an excuse. Sun Fu narrowed his eyes. "I just remembered—the General said that eating is a fundamental necessity. That is a phrase only someone from a humble background would use. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten that you were from such a humble family. Now that you are a Censor-in-Chief, you have brought glory to your ancestors, haven't you?"

"What is there for you to be dissatisfied with in such a life?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Special Envoy Sun." Jiang Wen poured a cup of tea, blew on it, and took a sip.

"Living as you do now, in your golden house in Xiangyang with two beautiful wives, cooking delicacies, planting fruit trees, managing government affairs, raising children—does the General not crave such a life?"

Jiang Wen smiled. "That life is naturally what I dream of. If it were truly so, I would have no regrets in life."

"Then why do you interfere in military affairs and even write the 'Nine-Rank System' to oppose us? Do you really want a peaceful life?" Sun Fu narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in his pupils. He tapped his chopsticks against Jiang Wen's bowl. "General, why don't you join me in eating?"

Jiang Wen glanced at Sun Fu, listening to the light tapping of the chopsticks. His face remained calm as he sipped his tea. "I have been feeling unwell lately and must avoid greasy foods."

Sun Fu withdrew his chopsticks. "When I came in, you had already prepared your own bowl and chopsticks. With such a delicious pot, you must have intended to enjoy it alone. It can't be that you are unwell."

"It seems I arrived at the wrong time and became an uninvited guest, ruining the General's mood. But such delicious food—it makes one want to devour it like a glutton!"

"I never intended to keep it to myself. I am truly feeling unwell today and cannot share this meal with you, Envoy Sun. Please forgive me!"

Sun Fu stood up and bowed. "If I stay in such an atmosphere, it would be self-defeating. Farewell. Since you didn't intend to eat alone, then I am clearly not your guest. It seems your true guests are in Xiangyang."

After Sun Fu left, Jiang Wen looked at the meat, ready to pick up his chopsticks, only to see a pair of arms lift the pot away.

"Hey, I haven't eaten yet!"

"Huh?" Lu Meng looked at Jiang Wen. "Didn't you say you were unwell? We are still hungry here, so we'll eat it for you. Don't be polite."

"Then what am I supposed to eat!"

"There is still some porridge in the pot. I had the servants cook it yesterday because I was hungry. Porridge is good for the stomach and has no oil or meat. It's perfect for your ailment." After Lu Meng finished, he immediately picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and the three of them began to feast.

Jiang Wen went to the kitchen and looked at the empty, clean pot. "Forget it. I'll cook a small meal for myself later."