Chapter Sixty-One: The Easy Capture of Fei City

Han Zhan gazed up at the towering walls of Fei City and drew in a sharp breath. Good heavens, these walls were even taller than those of Qufu, the capital of Lu.

“To be precise, they are thirty feet high,” Ji Ran remarked at his side. “According to the Rites of Zhou, the walls of a city must not exceed eighteen feet. Anything higher is beyond regulation.”

The city walls were built of brick and stone, worn by age and covered with slick moss. According to Gongshan Buniu’s orders, the gates were long since shut. As the Han army approached, the mournful sound of horns echoed from the ramparts, and guards armed with bows and arrows rushed to defend the walls, ready for battle.

“Master Ji,” Han Zhan said with a troubled face, “my lord has ordered me to take the city, but these walls are at least three men high, and there’s nowhere to get a foothold. How are we supposed to attack?”

“That, I’m afraid, is your problem,” Ji Ran replied, standing with his hands behind his back, his tone unhurried. In truth, he was perplexed as well; a city like Fei could not be taken by brute force. When Yang Hu had feigned an interest in seizing Fei, Ji Ran had seen through him immediately.

Later, when Meng Yi decided to attack, it came as a surprise. Ji Ran had urged him to ally with Yang Hu, to crush Gongshan Buniu first and then storm the city, which would be much simpler.

Meng Yi merely smiled and said, “No need to worry, sir. I have my own stratagem for taking the city.”

With no other option, Han Zhan surrounded Fei City.

When Meng Yi arrived, he found one man vexed by the impossible task, and another feigning composure but inwardly uneasy.

“Gentlemen, take a look at this.” Behind them, soldiers pulled away the heavy covering from a war chariot, revealing several great crossbows gleaming coldly.

“Ballistae!” Both men were astonished.

“These are called siege ballistae. They’ve just arrived from Han territory. Unfortunately, they are not very accurate, and after a few shots, they break down,” Meng Yi said with some regret.

There was nothing to be done. With the skills and materials available in Han, it had taken constant labor to piece together even a few half-finished ballistae. Too much could not be expected.

“Then what good are they?” Han Zhan complained.

Meng Yi smiled faintly, then ordered the soldiers to set up the ballistae. It took several men to load and fire one. With a howling sound, the massive bolts, thick as a child’s arm, flew toward the city walls.

Some overshot the ramparts and disappeared. Others fell to the ground. But most embedded themselves deep in the sturdy walls.

When all the ballistae were spent, dozens of giant bolts remained stuck in the masonry.

“My lord!” Han Zhan fumed, “Even if they aren’t accurate, this is such a waste!”

Meng Yi waved for the soldiers to retrieve what remained of the ballistae. Even damaged, they could be reused back in Han.

“Well then, you have one hour to take Fei City,” Meng Yi said, and strolled away.

Beside him, Ji Ran’s eyes grew thoughtful, and then he exclaimed, “Our lord is truly a man of genius!”

Seeing Han Zhan still bewildered, he grew exasperated. “Isn’t Fei City difficult to attack because the walls are too high?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, now you have ready-made steps, don’t you?”

Of course! Han Zhan’s eyes lit up. Most of the Han soldiers came from the mountains and were adept at climbing. With these giant bolts embedded in the wall, they might not walk up as if on level ground, but they could certainly use them to scale the ramparts with ease.

“Our lord only gave us an hour. What are you waiting for?”

“No problem! An hour is more than enough,” Han Zhan replied joyfully.

The Han army’s arrows, all iron-tipped, soon forced the defenders to keep their heads down. Seizing the opportunity, Han Zhan ordered his bravest men to climb.

Zilu volunteered to lead the way. Once on the walls, his bronze cudgel swung fiercely, keeping the defenders at bay.

The Han troops climbed after him, gradually expanding their hold. At this point, victory was assured.

Han Zhan longed to join the fight, but Meng Yi had strictly ordered that no general was to lead the charge.

“What a warrior!” Meng Yi watched from afar and nodded approvingly.

In Lu, Zilu’s reputation was second only to Kong Qiu’s, but as he had always served his master, he’d never had the chance to prove himself. Now, it was clear he was accomplished in both civil and martial arts.

In less than an hour, Han Zhan had seized control of Fei City.

Standing atop the ramparts, Ji Ran felt deeply moved. Fei City, which the former Duke of Lu, Ji Chou, had besieged for half a year without success, had been taken so simply.

He turned and respectfully saluted Meng Yi. “Congratulations, my lord. You have gained a city of ten thousand households and your position in Lu is now secure.”

“There’s no need for such courtesy, sir. It’s only one city. There will be much to trouble you with in the days to come,” Meng Yi replied with a smile.

They exchanged a glance, mutual understanding passing between them without words.

Soon, scouts came with news: Gongshan Buniu had been defeated and was leading his remnants straight for Fei City.

Zilu, still unsated from battle, requested permission to go out and confront him.

“No need,” Meng Yi replied. “With Gongshan Buniu’s defeat, there is nowhere left in Lu for him to go. We need only wait here.”

After fleeing the battlefield, Gongshan Buniu gathered his scattered men, managing to assemble over a thousand. His confidence began to return.

This defeat, he reasoned, was due to Yang Hu’s collusion with the Three Huan, which had thrown his plans into disarray. Otherwise, by sheer force, such a rout would have been impossible.

Now, he truly faced the prospect of standing alone against all of Lu. While cursing Yang Hu’s treachery, he also began to reflect on whether his own refusal to cooperate with others had been unwise.

In any case, he would first return to Fei City and hold out, waiting for a chance to find allies. If all else failed, he could always surrender to the Ji clan, but he would never let Yang Hu reap the benefit!

He pondered all this as he traveled, only to sense something was wrong when he reached Fei City.

The giant bolts had been cleared from the walls, which looked undisturbed. Yet the ramparts were eerily quiet, with not a guard in sight.

His men, anxious, shouted, “Open the gate! The city lord has returned!”

At the clang of a gong, countless banners sprang up along the walls. A young man, surrounded by guards, appeared and called down with a laugh, “So it’s Lord Zixie. What brings you to Fei City?”

Gongshan Buniu saw Ji Ran standing nearby and instantly realized this was Meng Yi. With a shout, blood spurted from his mouth and he collapsed from his chariot.

His men rushed to help him. When he finally woke, he gazed at the smiling figures on the wall and sighed, “I underestimated the heroes of this world.”

“My lord, Fei City is lost. Let’s flee!”

“Flee? Where could we go?” Gongshan Buniu looked at his battered, demoralized followers and gave a bitter laugh. “Lu is vast, but where is there a place for me?”

“Perhaps we could seek refuge in Qi, or go to Wu for aid.”

“Fools! Victory or defeat, this is an internal affair of Lu. How could we draw in outsiders?”

Catching his breath, he had his men help him stand, then faced the wall and called out, “Master Meng, I, Gongshan Buniu, admit defeat.”

“Lord Gongshan was simply unlucky; I have no wish to belittle you,” Meng Yi replied sincerely. Gongshan Buniu was indeed a formidable figure. Had it not been for Yang Hu’s scheming and his own siege weapons, Meng Yi might not have seized Fei City so easily.

“Very well. Answer me this: Are you allied with Yang Hu?”

“No.” Meng Yi paused, then answered solemnly.

“Good. Then I can rest easy. I trust you won’t deceive a dying man.” Gongshan Buniu caught his breath and went on, “My followers all have families in Fei City. Would you take them in?”

“What do you mean by this?” Meng Yi frowned.

His trusted followers looked up in alarm, but Gongshan Buniu suddenly summoned the last of his strength, pushed them aside, and cried, “Yang Hu! Even in death, I will not forgive you!”

With that, he drew his sword and slashed his own throat, blood spurting as he collapsed.

“My lord!” his men wailed, falling to their knees.

A hush fell over the ramparts. At length, Meng Yi nodded. “A hero indeed. Give him a worthy burial.”