Chapter 59 Arriving at Bozhou City

After Hong Xianhe finished speaking, Zhang Linhan, Zhou Dahu, and the others beneath him withdrew one after another to begin making preparations for the retreat.

In the cavernous military headquarters, only Hong Xianhe and Huang Han remained at this moment. To be frank, Hong Xianhe’s heart was still deeply torn. As he had put it himself, on the one hand, he still felt bound by Zheng Zeliang’s past patronage and favor; on the other hand, he consistently felt that rebelling against the Zheng faction at such a juncture was an act of disloyalty and injustice.

"Commander, you simply cannot afford to be indecisive at a time like this," Huang Han said, perceiving Hong Xianhe's hesitation, and could not help but urge him on. "I know what is in your heart, Eldest Brother—you are still mindful of the Commander's past kindness toward us. But the political skies of the Zheng faction have changed now. If we linger here any longer, I fear we shall not even find a burial place."

How could Hong Xianhe not know the truth in Huang Han's words? After a brief moment, however, all trace of hesitation vanished from his face.

"Victors are rulers and losers are outcasts; we certainly will not play the fish on the chopping block. What you say is right. The times have changed. To stay any longer would be nothing short of seeking our own destruction. Order the brothers to hasten their preparations and get ready to evacuate Luzhou City."

***

Over on Zhou Yuan's side, Qian Jiushan’s Fifth Corps, after several days of relentless marching, finally arrived outside the walls of Bozhou City.

As far as the eye could see, there was only utter desolation. Pockmarks from artillery shells were visible everywhere along the city walls of Bozhou, and in some places, the masonry had even crumbled away, making it plain that Zheng Li’s forces in Bozhou were already heavily engaged with the enemy.

Seeing this sight, Qian Jiushan, who led the vanguard, was shaken. "It appears that Corps Commander Zheng Li has indeed had a very difficult time of it these past few days."

"Indeed. Let us make haste and enter the city," said Xu Kemu, the military chief of staff standing beside him. "Judging by this posture, the Ma-Sha allied forces will likely launch another attack on Bozhou City before long."

"Brothers, hurry into the city and assist the brothers of the Fifteenth Corps with joint defense!" With a grand wave of his hand, Qian Jiushan directly ordered the Fifth Corps troops to march into Bozhou City.

Upon entering Bozhou City, after leaving several divisions behind to deploy defenses on the spot, Qian Jiushan and Xu Kemu headed straight to the Fifteenth Corps headquarters in the city, where Fifteenth Corps Commander Zheng Li was currently stationed.

"Reporting to the Corps Commander! Qian Jiushan, Commander of the Fifth Corps under Senior Official Hong, along with Chief of Staff Xu Kemu, have come to report to you." As soon as he stepped into the Fifteenth Corps headquarters, Qian Jiushan felt the atmosphere was intensely heavy, with every face grave and solemn. Therefore, dispensing with pleasantries, he reported directly to Zheng Li.

Zheng Li, who was meticulously studying a campaign map, raised his head to look at Qian Jiushan across from him.

Qian Jiushan could plainly sense how utterly exhausted Zheng Li was at the moment. "Commander Zheng, just how long has it been since you last rested? How have things come to this?"

Zheng Li could not help but rub his eyes. "I do not know. It has been a long time since I last slept. It is good that you have arrived. You have seen what Bozhou City is like now—it is beset by dangers on all sides."

"Before your arrival, the Ma-Sha allied forces had already launched three attacks against Bozhou City, all of which we managed to beat back. But my Fifteenth Corps has already suffered heavy casualties; they simply possess far too much heavy weaponry."

Speaking of this, Zheng Li felt profound helplessness. Although their fortifications were stout, they still fell far short of the Ma-Sha allied forces' heavy armament. Under the enemy's relentless assaults, Bozhou City had already become as precarious as a pile of eggs stacked high.

"Commander Zheng, my Fifth Corps journeyed all the way here having experienced almost no major battles. Why not have the brothers of the Twelfth Corps withdraw temporarily and let our Fifth Corps move up to hold the line for a while?"

Qian Jiushan practically patted his chest as he spoke. He knew that Zheng Li was in a tight spot right now. Since his Fifth Corps had arrived, though their numbers fell short of the Twelfth Corps, they could still hold the line for a period.

"Very well. If you move up to take our place, I will assign the remaining soldiers of the Seventy-Seventh Corps to reinforce the troops of Li Liang and Gu Hairun. That way, acting as horns to support one another, we can stabilize the situation for a time," Zheng Li said, pointing to a location on the map.

Qian Jiushan furrowed his brows. "The Seventy-Seventh Corps? Then they..."

"Ah, Corps Commander Qian, before your arrival, the commander of the Seventy-Seventh Corps, Commander Xu Cheng, fell on the battlefield," Fifteenth Corps Chief of Staff Sun Liren explained. "The Seventy-Seventh Corps is presently under the interim administration of our corps headquarters. Now that you have arrived, we once again possess the strength of nearly five full-strength corps. Holding Bozhou City will naturally be a matter of course."

Qian Jiushan was momentarily stunned. He was well acquainted with Xu Cheng, having gone onto the battlefield together with him in years past. To hear now that the man had fallen in battle—how could one not feel a sense of sorrow?

"Very well, let us speak no more of that. Corps Commander Qian, make haste and prepare. Your Fifth Corps is to hold the West Gate to the death. The enemy forces at the West Gate belong to the Seventh Brigade, and cooperating with you in battle will be Xue Yi’s Thirty-Seventh Corps," Zheng Li said, directly cutting short the conversation between Qian Jiushan and Sun Liren.

The military situation in Bozhou City was tense at the moment, allowing for not a single moment of carelessness, so Zheng Li wished to waste no more time.

Knowing full well how critical the military situation was, Qian Jiushan withdrew to make his arrangements.

Upon arriving at the sector of the West Gate, Qian Jiushan first paid a visit to Xue Yi of the Thirty-Seventh Corps. In order to hold the West Gate, the Thirty-Seventh Corps had also suffered catastrophic casualties among its soldiers, leaving very few men capable of raising a rifle.

"Corps Commander Xue, we have come here to provide reinforcements. From here on, our Fifth Corps will take primary responsibility for the defense, while the brothers of your Thirty-Seventh Corps assist. You have truly endured great hardships these past few days," Qian Jiushan said, unable to hold back his comforting words upon seeing the heavy casualties of the Thirty-Seventh Corps.

Xue Yi, however, wore no particular expression. Although his eyes were weary, they remained sharp and bright.

"Corps Commander Qian, hardship is hardly worth mentioning. We are all troops of the Zheng faction. To hold this territory is to protect our homes. If we men die defending our homes, what is there to regret? That is a glorious honor worthy of being recorded in the ancestral genealogies."

Hearing Xue Yi’s words, Qian Jiushan was temporarily at a loss for what to say, and simply reached out to pat Xue Yi firmly on the shoulder.

After parting ways, Qian Jiushan instructed Military Chief of Staff Xu Kemu to begin organizing the deployment of the Fifth Corps for the defense of the West Gate. The defense was to be spearheaded by the 339th Division, with the 101st Division and the 165th Division assisting on the flanks respectively, as the 339th Division was, after all, the ace division of the Fifth Corps.

Ma Yuan served as the deputy intelligence staff officer for the 339th Division, and naturally received the news immediately that their 339th Division was required to shoulder the heavy burden of defending the West Gate.

"It appears that the military situation in Bozhou City has become extremely critical. Otherwise, the moment we arrived here, we would not have been ordered to take up city defense duties," Cheng Qian observed quite perceptively. Upon hearing the news, he knew immediately that the situation in Bozhou City was perilous.

Ma Yuan naturally understood that Bozhou City was currently a place that no one wished to approach; once the city fell, all of them would inevitably become cannon fodder.