lovenovelstory Chapter 102 Pursuit
Chapter 102 Pursuit
Chen Yuan also frowned.
"General, although Siwu County is small, it has a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, we have just captured the city and need time to consolidate our position. I believe it would be better to stabilize Xiaxiang first, rest for ten days or half a month, and then plan our northward advance."
Li Sheng shook his head.
"Speed is of the essence in war."
He pointed to the map, his voice steady.
"Wu Hong escaped through the north gate; he'll definitely head north. If we let him flee into Siwu County and spread the word, by the time we've rested and regrouped, Siwu County will already be prepared, and the capital to the west might even get wind of it. If we attack then, many more brothers will die, and Xiapi might even be affected."
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
"and."
Li Sheng's gaze was deep.
"The territory we've conquered can't just be a single line. Xiapi is below, Xiaxiang is in the middle, and Siwu is above. These three counties are connected, with the Si River flowing through them, allowing us to advance or retreat as needed. If we stop after only conquering Xiaxiang, the government troops in Siwu can easily sail down the river and threaten our rear. Rather than passively defending, we should take the initiative."
The group exchanged glances, still harboring doubts, but Li Sheng's words did indeed make sense.
Liu Wu gritted his teeth.
"Since the general has made his decision, I dare not object. However, how many troops will the general take with him on his northward journey?"
Li Sheng thought about it.
"I'll take half of the main force, plus the scouts and cavalry, 1,500 men will be enough. The rest are for you to defend the city, and also keep an eye on the direction of Xiapi."
He patted Liu Wu on the shoulder.
"I'm at ease entrusting the task to you. Just go ahead and do it. If anything goes wrong, I'll come back and hold you accountable."
Liu Wu's eyes reddened slightly as he clasped his hands in a deep fist salute.
"General, rest assured! The city stands as long as we are alive!"
Li Sheng laughed and cursed.
"Don't say such discouraging things. The city must stand, and so must the people. You better live well."
He turned to look at his personal guards.
"Go and fetch Liu Lu. Tell him it's urgent."
A moment later, Liu Lu strode in, still wearing his tattered refugee clothes, his face beaming with excitement.
"Brother Sheng, you were looking for me?"
Li Sheng looked him up and down.
"Go back and pack your things, change your clothes, bring your people, and come with me."
"Where to?"
"Head north and attack Siwu County."
Liu Lu's eyes lit up, and he grinned.
"Alright! I knew you wouldn't be idle, Sheng-ge."
He turned to leave, then turned back.
"By the way, Brother Sheng, I still have a few spies I left in Xiaxiang City. Should I hand them over to Liu Wu?"
Li Sheng glanced at Liu Wu.
"Make sure you hand over the equipment to him clearly. Leave those concealed items in the city and don't expose them; he might need them."
"clear!"
Liu Lu dashed out in a flash.
Li Sheng returned to his desk, picked up his pen, wrote a letter, sealed it, and handed it to his personal guard.
"Send him back to Xiapi and hand him over to Li Feng. Tell him that Xiapi has been captured, our casualties were minimal, and we have captured a great deal. Head north to attack Siwu immediately. Tell him to guard Xiapi well and not to worry about it."
"promise!"
The guard took the letter and quickly left.
Li Sheng stood up, straightened his armor, and glanced at everyone in the hall.
"Go and prepare. We will head north in one hour."
"promise!"
The crowd acknowledged the order in unison and filed out.
Li Sheng stood alone in the hall, gazing calmly at the winding Sishui River on the map.
……
Just past noon, Li Sheng led 1,500 men out of the north gate of Xiaxiang.
The group marched swiftly north along the official road, with the scouts and cavalry leading the way.
"Brother Sheng, Wu Hong ran north. I had someone leave a mark along the way."
Liu Lu pointed ahead.
"Based on the distance, if they ride horses, we'll ride horses too, and we'll definitely catch up before dark."
Li Sheng nodded.
"Don't rush to attack once you catch up; wait for my command."
"clear."
Horse hooves flew, dust billowed.
On both sides of the official road were vast wheat fields, the stubble gleaming golden in the sunlight. Occasionally, a farmer working in the fields would see this troop of brightly armored cavalry and, in fright, drop his hoe and run away.
Li Sheng paid no attention to any of this and focused solely on urging his horse forward.
Whether Wu Hong is captured or not is irrelevant; the most important thing is to use this opportunity to swiftly capture Siwu County.
The information about Siwu County flashed through his mind.
……
The sun was setting in the west, at the third quarter of the Shen hour.
The official road bends at a river bend, and a low hill appears ahead.
Liu Lu reined in his horse and pointed ahead, shouting.
"Brother Sheng, there's dust ahead! Someone's running!"
Li Sheng squinted and looked ahead. Sure enough, he saw a cloud of yellow dust rising up two or three miles away, which was particularly conspicuous in the setting sun.
"Chase!"
He spurred his horse, and the warhorse neighed loudly, accelerating forward.
Behind them, 150 riders followed closely, their hooves thundering and shaking the ground slightly.
The distance is getting closer and closer.
The figures of the group ahead gradually became clearer, numbering seventy or eighty, some on horseback and some on foot, stretching for half a mile.
There were also several oxcarts in the procession, piled with boxes and bundles, obviously valuables brought from the Xiaxiang County government office.
Li Sheng immediately recognized the figure at the front of the group, wearing a blue official robe.
Wu Hong.
He was riding a magnificent horse, desperately whipping its rump, trying to speed up and escape. But the horse had been running all day and was so exhausted it was foaming at the mouth; it couldn't possibly run anymore.
"Magistrate Wu!"
Li Sheng shouted loudly from his horse.
"Why are you running? Stop and let's talk!"
A commotion broke out in the line ahead.
Wu Hong looked back and almost fell off his horse.
Taiping bandits!
The relentless, haunting bandits of Taiping!
He shuddered and lashed the horse's rump with the whip.
The horse, in pain, struggled forward a few steps, but its speed noticeably slowed down.
Li Sheng spurred his horse to catch up, and the distance between the two riders was less than a hundred paces.
"Magistrate Wu, if you run again, I'll shoot arrows!"
Wu Hong turned around and saw that several cavalrymen behind Li Sheng had already taken out their bows, arrows were nocked, and the gleaming arrowheads were pointed at his back.
His courage shattered completely at that moment.
"Stop...stop!"
He shouted hoarsely and pulled on the reins.
The horse snorted, staggered a few steps, and finally came to a stop.
The group behind them also stopped, everyone looking ashen-faced.
Li Sheng rode his horse slowly closer, looking down at Wu Hong from his elevated position.
Wu Hong was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a fair complexion, a light beard, and a slightly plump figure, clearly someone who had been pampered and spoiled.
At this moment, his official robes were askew, his hat was missing, his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in sweat and dust, making him look utterly wretched.
"Magistrate Wu, you're quite fast."
Li Sheng's tone was neither warm nor cold.
Wu Hong's lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"What...what do you want?"
Li Sheng did not answer, but turned to look at Liu Lu.
Liu Lu understood and led a few men to gather Wu Hong's followers.
Those people were not soldiers to begin with; most of them were staff members, clerks, and servants of the county government, plus a few dozen county soldiers who were escorting them. When they saw that their superiors had been intercepted, how could they dare to resist?
In no time, seventy or eighty people were disarmed and squatted by the roadside, heads in their hands, silent.
Li Sheng dismounted and walked up to Wu Hong.
"Magistrate Wu, the city of Xiaxiang has fallen. Instead of defending it to the death, you abandoned it and fled. According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, what is your punishment?"
Wu Hong's face turned deathly pale.
"You...you thief, what right do you have to talk to me about the laws of the Han Dynasty?"