C177. Duke Wen is Here!

Chaptet 177. Duke Wen is Here!

Wu Kai contracted the plague.

It was like a thunderclap that struck everyone hard. Sweat dripped from Xiang Hongyun's palms as he turned pale, sinking into a chair.

Wu Kai's trembling lips could not form a single word.

He wasn't afraid of death; he was afraid of failing to defend the city, to protect Xu Zhou.

"This must not be leaked to anyone," after a long pause, Xiang Hongyun finally regained his composure, gripping the armrests as he solemnly addressed the physicians, "If news of the commander contracting the plague spreads, panic will seize the entire city, and the enemy will take advantage, launching attacks. We will be in imminent danger, with the risk of the city being breached at any moment. This must be kept a secret at all costs."

The physicians, bound by life and death with Wu Kai, understood the gravity of the situation and nodded without hesitation.

Xiang Hongyun raised a glimmer of hope, "Since the outbreak of the plague, do you have a plan to address it?"

The physicians exchanged glances, sharing a sad smile and a look of despair, "To be honest, there are too few medical supplies and physicians in the city. Up to now, we have been unable to treat the infected patients. If this continues, even we will succumb to the plague."

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 with you," Wu Kai turned back to face Xiang Hongyun by the door, a tough man who surprisingly had tears welling up in his eyes, "Lord Xiang, you are wiser than me and can surely defend the city. I am not as smart; I had promised the Lord to defend Xu Zhou to my death, but now I've fallen ill. I am sorry to the Lord, to the people of the city, and to Xu Zhou. The entire city now depends on you. Lord Xiang, you must stay safe. If I die... please, promise me to defend Xia Pi City in my place."

With tears and quivering lips, Wu Kai went on, "I have an elderly blind mother at home, she is fifty-eight and in poor health, probably not long for this world. Please, do not tell my mother of my death after I pass, take care of her in her final years. I also have a wife, a six-year-old child, please inform the Lord and ask him to find a good family for my wife to remarry... My son may not be the brightest, but he is obedient and kind. A widow raising a child alone will struggle, if possible, ask the Lord to take him to the Grain Allocation Institute for care."

Even the usually calm Xiang Hongyun's eyes reddened. He turned his head, reprimanding Wu Kai with a "Stop talking nonsense," before turning to the physicians, "Is there really no other way?"

The physicians, equally anxious, deliberated for a long time before turning back to Xiang Hongyun, "There is a way. The physicians around Lord Wen know better how to prevent and treat epidemics. Lord Wen carries various medicinal herbs and physicians with him whenever he travels. If Lord Wen returns in time, we have a chance."

Xiang Hongyun felt a mix of relief and worry; after thinking for a moment, he addressed Wu Kai, "Did you hear that? The epidemic is not beyond help. When Lord Wen returns, you have a chance to survive."

Wu Kai smiled bitterly, "We don't know when Lord Wen will return. I may not make it until then... Lord Xiang, please grant my request, at least this way, I can depart in peace."

Xiang Hongyun took a deep breath, locking eyes with him, "Rest assured, if anything happens to you, I will take care of your mother and son. I will care for them as diligently as Yang Zhongfa and his wife cared for Han Yan, neither I nor the Lord will send your son to the Grain Allocation Institute."

"Very well..."

Wu Kai clenched his fist faintly and resolutely walked out.

Xiang Hongyun had a separate courtyard arranged for Wu Kai's recovery, concealing his illness from him and taking charge of the situation alone. He was tirelessly busy every day, checking on Wu Kai's condition amidst managing the crisis.

Wu Kai's condition rapidly deteriorated.

He ran a high fever for three days, then started experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, unable to eat solid foods, surviving on liquids and occasionally coughing up blood.

In the dimly lit room, servants covered their mouths and noses, nervously cleaning the room and hastily leaving.

The room was filled with a foul stench, and whenever Wu Kai briefly regained consciousness, he would stare blankly at the ceiling, feeling like he might not live to see the next time he opened his eyes, trapped in the foul, dark, narrow room.

His body was covered in sweat and filth, the stench making Wu Kai uncomfortable. Wu Kai coughed and hoarsely shouted, "Someone come."

After a while, there was a knock on the door. The servant, covering his nose and mouth, cautiously opened a crack in the door, shivering as he said, "Sir, what are your orders?"

Wu Kai had intended to ask the servant to help him bathe and clean himself, but seeing the fear in the servant's eyes, he swallowed the words.

Forget it.

He sighed, feeling despondent.

Better not infect another person.

The sick cannot be exposed to drafts, and as Wu Kai listened to the door rattling in the wind at night, he thought of his family, of the flourishing landscape in spring, and unknowingly drifted into unconsciousness.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, his body growing weaker and weaker, on the verge of death.

Another person might have sought release long ago, but Wu Kai's heart was always worried about the situation outside, struggling to survive.

Xiang Hongyun also knew what Wu Kai cared about most. He would visit Wu Kai every two days, informing him of the situation in the city.

The outbreak of disease within the city could no longer be concealed. Those who had contracted the disease or had family members with it dared not be discovered by the officials, hiding their condition.

This behavior only exacerbated the spread of the disease, leading to small-scale outbreaks.

Xiang Hongyun's voice sounded through the door, somewhat hoarse, unable to hide his fatigue and burden, which deeply affected Wu Kai. "The people in the city know that those with the disease will be isolated in the estate. They fear death, choosing to decay rather than be discovered by the soldiers. The city is becoming restless, with not only the common people but also our soldiers fearing the disease."

After a pause, Xiang Hongyun took a breath before continuing, "It has been a long time since anyone in the army has seen you, and some are speculating that something has happened to you. I'm afraid it won't be long before a riot erupts in the city."

Hearing this deeply pained Wu Kai. He tried to get up, but only caused himself pain. Wu Kai coughed, "As long as I hold on until the lord arrives, there will be a turning point. Lord Xiang, any news from Prince Chen?"

Outside, Xiang Hongyun looked weary, dark circles under his eyes visible even in the darkness. He was tired of standing, so he sat on the ground, sighing, "Prince Chen hasn't made any unusual moves. He's probably waiting for the chaos in the city to erupt."

Wu Kai, filled with guilt, said in a hoarse voice, "Lord Xiang, we will rely on you."

Xiang Hongyun forced a smile, wanting to say something about possibly contracting the disease himself, but decided against it. After a moment of silence, he stood up, brushing the dried grass off his clothes, "Sir Wu, I must go back now."

Wu Kai, using the table and chair for support, limped to the door to see him off, "...Lord Xiang, take care."

*

Xiang Hongyun felt he had a bit of a talent for jinxing things.

Just last night, he had told Wu Kai that Prince Chen had not made any unusual moves, and the next day, Prince Chen launched a siege on the city. When Xiang Hongyun arrived at the city wall with a dark expression, he saw the enemy outside each carrying a bag of dirt and dumping them under the city wall.

In a short moment, a half-wall-high mound of dirt was created, with the intention of climbing it to enter the city.

Squinting his eyes, Xiang Hongyun observed.

Prince Chen had previously used strategic methods in his attacks, so this direct approach of piling up dirt mounds to siege the city was likely a probe.

A probe to see if the city was in chaos, to test if the soldiers of Youzhou still had the ability to resist.

Standing upright, Xiang Hongyun calmly gave a few orders.

Soon enough, the soldiers of Youzhou began to attack the enemy outside the city.

Boulders, boiling water, quicklime, and unexpected fire arrows rained down, with a fierceness and bravery in retaliation that surpassed Wu Kai's previous leadership.

As quicklime was scattered, the soldiers of Prince Chen were burnt in the eyes, each screaming in agony as they covered their eyes and fell off the dirt mound. They were then doused with boiling water and hit with boulders.

In just an hour, Prince Chen's besieging army retreated due to heavy casualties.

The commander-in-chief went to apologize to Prince Chen, feeling ashamed and red-faced, "I am incompetent, and have not yet taken down the Sui Ling City."

To this, Prince Chen responded with a smile.

His subordinates looked at each other, afraid that Prince Chen was angered, "Lord?"

With a smile, Prince Chen said, "Has the resistance in Sui Ling City truly intensified?"

The commander-in-chief, feeling uncertain, replied, "Yes. I feel that the previous noise and tactics of disease have not been effective. Judging by the situation inside the city, it will be difficult to take it down through force alone."

Being helped up and sipping some warm tea, Prince Chen seemed not disappointed or angry but rather pleased, with a healthy complexion and even a touch of color in his face.

After leisurely finishing his tea, he looked at the commander-in-chief, "Their resistance has intensified, and that is a good thing."

Confused, the commander-in-chief quickly bowed, "Please enlighten me, Lord."

"There is a saying, 'bluffing and intimidating,' " Prince Chen calmly explained, "Previously, every time you attacked the city, the people inside did not resist so fiercely. That showed true confidence, being calm and composed. But today, as you attacked the city, their fierce resistance was deliberate to intimidate you, to make you feel fearful, to believe that your previous tactics had failed and to make you hesitated."

Slowly patting the armrest with his aged hand, Prince Chen continued, "In my view, the situation inside the city is chaotic. When you led the attack today, did you see their commander?"

After pondering for a moment, the commander-in-chief replied, "Indeed, I did not see Wu Kai. Every time we attacked the city in the past, he would be standing on top of the city wall."

"Exactly," Prince Chen laughed heartily, "Their commander must have had an incident, perhaps even contracting the disease. The one leading the resistance against you today may very well be someone else."

The commander pondered for a moment, murmuring, "No wonder..."

Prince Chen squinted his eyes, "Previously, it was all minor skirmishes. Now, it's time for you to show your true strength and take down Sui Ling City in one swift move."

The commander's eyes brightened, eagerly agreeing.

*

Wu Kai hadn't seen Xiang Hongyun for five or six days.

Feeling a sense of unease for unknown reasons, his right eyelid had been twitching incessantly. However, his body was extremely weak, and even if he wanted to see what was happening outside, he was powerless to do so.

One day, while struggling in agony on his bed, Wu Kai heard urgent and frantic shouts from outside.

"Hurry, all soldiers here follow me to the city wall to fend off the enemy!"

"Quick, the enemy is attacking the city!!!"

Wu Kai's eyes widened in shock, and as he struggled to turn his head, he caught a glimpse of hurried legs passing under the door crack.

Outside, there was a chaos of crashing and banging, as tables and chairs were overturned, and voices filled with panic.

"Hurry, grab your weapons and go!"

"Report! The servant has fled!"

"Forget about the servant!"

Dizzy, Wu Kai propped himself up on the bed, trying to get off it, but he fell to the ground with a loud "clank."

The door swung open, and Wu Kai's personal guard, with a white cloth covering his face, entered anxiously, "Sir!"

Wu Kai spat out some blood, "What's happening outside?!"

The guard shakily helped him up onto his back, "Sir, Prince Chen has sent all his forces to launch a full-scale assault on Sui Ling. Lord Xiang, has already gathered the remaining troops and gone to the city wall. It's not safe here, so I am taking you to a secure place."

He carried Wu Kai on his back and hurriedly ran out. Wu Kai lay on his back, looking around in confusion. Everywhere was chaotic and frantic, with servants carrying bags crying out as they fled and soldiers running out the doors.

Clothes and bowls lay scattered on the ground, trampled into 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, in a daze, not sure where to take Wu Kai, subconsciously ran towards the city wall upon hearing the command.

When he reached the city wall with Wu Kai on his back, Wu Kai saw the countless enemy forces outside.

A sea of people stood in black, with massive catapults at the forefront, archers, shield bearers, and cavalry standing in perfect formation. At a glance, Wu Kai's heart turned cold.

We can't win, truly can't win.

If the city fell, the rear would be Xiapi.

"Why are you here?"

Xiang Hongyun walked over with a furrowed brow. Just a few days without seeing him, Wu Kai felt that Xiang Hongyun had become gaunt, as if he had been through torture.

There was no time for pleasantries now. Enduring intense pain, Wu Kai asked, "Can we hold on for a few more days?"

Xiang Hongyun's expression was unusually calm as he looked at the enemy forces outside the city and said quietly, "There are only three thousand soldiers left inside the city."

Wu Kai clenched his fists.

"The rest are either infected with the plague or have been slaughtered by Prince Chen's men in the past few days," Xiang Hongyun spoke calmly, "Brother Zousheng, I regret to inform you that I can no longer take care of your wife and children. We will all die here today."

Wu Kai forced a bitter smile, "I only hope that our death will delay their advance."

"We will," Xiang Hongyun affirmed, "Even if Sui Ling falls, it will take them some time to breach Xiapi City. And even under duress, the Lord should return, and we will have defended Xuzhou."

Wu Kai nodded in silence.

Outside the city wall, the enemy continued to provoke, "We advise you to surrender and save unnecessary sacrifices."

"Sui Ling City is already lost. If you surrender now, we may spare your lives!" the enemy leader sneered.

Suddenly, Xiang Hongyun stepped forward and shouted, "How will you treat the people if you enter the city?"

The enemy leader chuckled, "Sui Ling is already showing signs of the plague, so we will raze the city to the ground after massacring everyone!"

Enraged, Wu Kai struggled to breathe, tasting blood in his mouth, "It's despicable! They started the plague, and they plan to massacre the city!"

Xiang Hongyun remained calm, "No need to be surprised. When they hurled rotting corpses into the city, I knew they intended to massacre it."

In the next moment, Xiang Hongyun sternly questioned, "Prince Chen has always been revered for his benevolence, as a wise and kind ruler. Now, is this how he cruelly treats the people of Sui Ling?"

The enemy leader coldly retorted, "It is precisely out of benevolence that we cannot allow the plague to spread from the city! Enough talk. Since you refuse to surrender, we will launch a fierce attack. We will slaughter everyone in this city!"

"Soldiers, heed my command!" the enemy leader shouted, "Cover your nose and mouth, forcefully attack Sui Ling, leave no survivors!"

The order was relayed loudly by the commanders to the captains, and then to the soldiers, echoing with murderous intent that almost shook the walls.

Wu Kai closed his eyes, feeling as though his heart had turned to ash.

As the ground shook more violently, Wu Kai's despair grew. Even his personal guard, carrying him, was struggling to stand steady, bracing against the city wall, exclaiming, "Sir!"

Something was amiss with this commotion. Opening his eyes, Wu Kai wondered if Prince Chen's army had begun to breach the walls.

But as he looked, he was stunned.

In the rear of Prince Chen's army, in the distant horizon obscured by swirling yellow sand, tens of thousands of people were charging towards them, their crimson flags waving in the wind.

Wu Kai's heart suddenly raced, and he staggered down from his guard's back, standing upright and peering into the distance from the city wall.

Xiang Hongyun and the Yuzhou troops on the wall also gazed, dumbfounded, at the approaching yellow sand. Even the Prince Chen's troops below turned to look back, their expressions confused and puzzled.

All eyes were fixed intently upon the approaching banners. The thunderous hoofbeats of thousands of charging horses echoed like a surging tide, sending tremors through the ground and causing the steeds outside the city walls to uneasily paw the earth and turn their heads.

Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun stared with unwavering gazes, their bodies half leaning out from behind their protective guards as if eager to catch a glimpse of the approaching forces.

Closer, ever closer, the banners unfurled, revealing the domineering emblem of the character "Wen" emblazoned upon them.

A collective gasp swept through the crowd as Wu Kai felt his breath catch in his throat. He gazed at the banners, his mind momentarily blank.

What seemed like an eternity, yet only a fleeting moment, was shattered by the hoarse cry of a soldier, his voice choked with emotion, "Lord Wen has arrived! Reinforcements are here!"

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements!"

The soldiers, their spirits rekindled, erupted in a chorus of jubilant shouts, their voices echoing through the air. With trembling hands, they raised their weapons high, their cries of "Lord Wen has arrived!" hoarse with exertion.