67. All or Nothing

“With Uncle’s help, I, Li Miao, now possess an army of a hundred thousand!” Li Miao spared no praise for his uncle.

“The master will surely restore the glory of the Li clan, and our lord’s spirit in heaven will finally rest in peace!” Li Yin likewise complimented Li Miao.

“No, no, it is only with talents like Uncle that such feats are possible.”

“Not at all, Master; you are gifted by nature.”

Just as the two were about to continue their mutual flattery, making others sick with their shameless praise, an urgent report abruptly interrupted them.

“Report! Bad news, bad news! Your Majesty, bandits! The bandits are here!”

“Bandits?” Li Miao’s expression changed, and the common folk below were visibly frightened. In these chaotic times, the two things people feared most were war and bandits.

If war broke out in your hometown, at worst you’d be forced to leave. But if bandits descended, one misstep meant ruin and death for your family. The people were clearly in turmoil.

Li Miao was anxious as well—bandits! He had never encountered them before. In the past, his father’s power was so great, not only did bandits not dare challenge him, even regular armies steered clear of his territory.

Now things were different. The Li family’s enterprise had collapsed, leaving only three hundred soldiers fit for battle, the rest being elderly, weak, or sick. Who were these bandits, how many troops did they have, what did they want—Li Miao knew none of this.

“Everyone, don’t panic, don’t panic. It’s nothing but a handful of petty thieves! Before the great army of Zhong, they are not worth mentioning. If they dare come, they shall not return!” As Li Miao trembled in fear, his uncle spoke up beside him.

That uncle was indeed useful; his calm demeanor reminded Li Miao: even if an army attacked, as the leader, he must not show any fear. Panic would infect those below—if the lord was afraid, what hope could the others have?

Li Miao forced himself to steady, though his body still shook. With resolve, he bit down on his tongue, the taste of blood and the fresh wound instantly clearing his mind.

Finally composed, Li Miao declared, “Everyone, these petty bandits dare to trespass upon Zhong? Zhang Xun, where are you?” His calm, authoritative tone brought reassurance to the people.

“At your service!” Zhang Xun knelt.

“These thieves are yours to deal with. It is already midday—I give you three, no, two hours to bring me the heads of the bandits. Fail, and I will hold you accountable!” Li Miao ordered.

“Understood!” Zhang Xun rose and departed, taking half of the three hundred soldiers with him. “Follow me!”

“Villagers, return to your homes. When the battle is won, come for your rations!” Li Miao waved, soothing the crowd.

“Disperse, go on!” Yang Hong called out as well.

Soon, over three thousand townsfolk gradually dispersed.

Li Miao, still enduring the pain, bowed to Li Yin. “Thank you, Uncle Li Yin. Had you not reminded me today, my panic would have undone all the stability we had just restored.”

“There’s no need for thanks, Master,” Li Yin replied, bowing. He sniffed the air—blood? Li Miao had changed clothes since killing his servant, so where was the scent coming from?

Looking closer, Li Miao’s lips were unusually red, a trace of blood clinging to the corner of his mouth.

“Your Majesty, you’re hurt!” Yang Hong noticed too, rushing forward in concern.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch.” Li Miao’s voice had changed; he was almost in tears. To calm himself, he had bitten too hard, splitting his tongue, the blood streaming to his throat.

It wasn’t serious, but the pain was excruciating.

---

“Chewing your tongue for composure?” Li Yin looked at his nephew, realizing he was no longer the spoiled wastrel of old. The tongue is living flesh, and pain here is stronger than anywhere else, yet his nephew bit down without hesitation. Li Yin felt, subconsciously, that staying in Jiang Pavilion wasn’t such a bad idea.

Li Miao, led by Qin Huai, made his way to the city wall.

To call it a “wall” was almost a joke. Jiang Pavilion was a small county town, barely known but for travelers passing through. Its walls were mere mounds of earth, many sections collapsed. Whether there were walls or not made little difference.

“Where are these bandits? Where are they, General Zhang? How many enemies are there? What do they want? Can we defeat them?” Li Miao bombarded Zhang Xun with questions, leaving the general at a loss.

After gathering his thoughts, Zhang Xun replied, “Your Majesty, I’ve sent scouts ahead. They haven’t returned yet. The bandits are still five li from Jiang Pavilion, half an hour away.”

Li Miao blushed deeply—there was no radio, no telegraph, no radar in ancient times. Scouts were sent out to encounter the enemy; if lucky, they’d return to report, otherwise, they might vanish without a trace.

The scout who’d reported earlier had met the enemy ten li away, rushing back to warn the city so they wouldn’t be caught off guard.

By the time the people scattered and Li Miao reached the wall, half an hour had passed. Zhang Xun had sent out new scouts, since the previous ones hadn’t even glimpsed the enemy’s numbers before returning.

As dusk fell, Zhang Xun’s scouts failed to return, making both Li Miao and Zhang Xun anxious.

“Send more!” Zhang Xun growled. One scout wasn’t enough—send two, then three, then four. They had to know what was happening.

Yet four scouts vanished like stones into the sea, with no word.

“Send another!” Zhang Xun was about to dispatch a fifth when Li Miao forced a bitter smile. “General Zhang Xun, there’s no need.”

Outside the wall, dense heads appeared amidst the thick shrubbery.

Figures crowded together—Li Miao gasped. How many bandits were there?

“General Zhang Xun, how many troops are outside?” Li Miao, inexperienced in warfare, couldn’t tell.

Zhang Xun answered gravely, “Your Majesty, you must prepare to abandon Jiang Pavilion. There are at least ten thousand outside.”

“Ten thousand?” Li Miao almost wanted to cry. Was this some kind of joke? Jiang Pavilion had barely any soldiers—three hundred fit for battle, including the old and weak barely three thousand. The enemy brought ten thousand! No wonder Zhang Xun urged retreat; even a sturdy city couldn’t withstand such an assault. These weren’t mere bandits—only a proper army could field ten thousand at once.

“People on the wall, you are surrounded by our army. Open the gates, lay down your weapons, surrender your food!” A voice called out from the mass of bandits, torch in hand, shouting up to the defenders.

“They’re here for the grain!” Li Miao spat.

“Qin Huai, take His Majesty out through the north gate. I’ll cover the rear!” Zhang Xun said.

“Retreat?” Li Miao’s mouth tasted bitter. He had barely begun to stabilize the situation, win over Li Yin, calm the people, and now, before he could realize his ambitions, he was to flee like a stray dog.

“I won’t go!” Li Miao snapped at Zhang Xun. This was too much.

“Your Majesty, the enemy is overwhelming. We cannot stand against them,” Zhang Xun urged. Yang Hong and Li Yin were equally terrified—ten thousand troops! Though they’d seen such battles before, even commanded armies of that size, now they were the weaker side.

“If we leave, what about the people in the city?” Li Miao asked Yang Hong and the others.

They said nothing. Their retreat would leave the people to their fate.

Li Miao’s conscience pricked him—if he fled, the entire city would be doomed. Yet between the death of the masses and his own life, self-preservation prevailed. Still, if they ran, what about the grain? They hadn’t prepared at all—shouldn’t they at least pack some food and money? Which gate should they escape from, and where should they go? These questions needed careful thought.

---

While Li Miao pondered his escape route, his opportunistic brother-in-law, Huang Yi, mistook his hesitation for concern over the townsfolk. Huang Yi became anxious and shouted, “Your Majesty, as long as the green hills remain, there will be firewood to burn! We must leave to survive; staying here is certain death! The bandits don’t care about your rank!”

Huang Yi, fearful for his life, hoped to persuade Li Miao to flee by invoking mortal danger. He knew Li Miao feared death. He explained if captured by someone like Cao Cao, he might be kept alive for amusement, perhaps even granted a mock title to humiliate him, but if the bandits caught him, he’d be done for.

Huang Yi’s words terrified Li Miao—not because of the bandits’ cruelty, but because of his brother-in-law’s foolishness.

They were commanders, the core of the army. Even planning a retreat or discussing survival, they had to speak quietly, never letting the soldiers know. Otherwise, someone would be chosen to stay behind as a sacrifice, and no one wanted that role. Besides, the battle hadn’t started yet—talking of retreat now would devastate morale.

“Idiot!” Li Miao was tempted to strangle Huang Yi.

Huang Yi’s outburst caused murmurs among Li Miao’s soldiers, unrest spreading.

Many warriors looked to Li Miao—some had family in the city, their hopes pinned on him. If the army retreated, the people left behind would surely perish.

“Old Li, your child is in the city! If His Majesty retreats, what will you do?” someone whispered among the soldiers.

Old Li forced a bitter smile. “What can I do? We’ll die together!” He’d die on the wall, his child would perish when the bandits broke in.

“My mother!”

“My wife and children.” Many soldiers grew uneasy, morale plunging. Their faces showed not a hint of hope.

“Can’t hold? Even if we can’t, we must defend. We cannot abandon the people!” Li Miao raised his voice, righteous and resolute.

“But—” Huang Yi tried to speak, but Li Miao cut him off, fearing his brother-in-law would ruin everything; if he continued, their own side would collapse before a fight.

“No buts! Anyone who mentions retreat again will be executed!” Li Miao feigned fearlessness.

Li Miao was bitter—he was neither fearless nor truly caring for the people; his concern was entirely selfish. If the people couldn’t escape, neither could Li Miao’s grain stores.

Where could Li Miao flee now? He wasn’t like Cao Cao’s officials or other lords, with multiple cities to retreat to. Losing a city meant moving to another, gathering troops, and taking it back. Li Miao had no such fallback—just this ruin of a city, with all the grain in the warehouse. If he ran now, starvation awaited them all. That was why he refused to leave.

“They’re roving bandits, right? Then let’s fight!” Li Miao shouted to his men. “We have three hundred soldiers—each of you are elite. If need be, we’ll fight to the death. Zhang Xun, tell them: there are only fallen warriors here, never surrendering ones!”

“Yang Hong, gather the townsfolk. Tell them our survival hangs by a thread; let all who can help, help. It’s dark now; the enemy can’t gauge our numbers. Have everyone man the walls. If we can hold for one night, we gain one night!”

“Yes!” Yang Hong accepted the order and left. Huang Yi followed him, intent on escaping as well.

“Brother-in-law, where are you going?” Li Miao called after the fleeing Huang Yi.

Huang Yi was a general. Yes, this opportunistic brother-in-law had been granted the title of Tiger General by Li Miao’s father. Yang Hong and Li Yin were scholars and could be stationed in the rear during battle, but Huang Yi, as a military officer, was expected on the city wall.

“I—I’m going to help Yang Hong mobilize the townsfolk!” Huang Yi stammered, trying to bluff his way out. Li Miao feared death, but so did Huang Yi, and fighting on the wall meant risking his life. He wanted nothing more than to desert.

“Brother-in-law, do you know the punishment for a general who deserts the battlefield?” Li Miao smiled slyly at Huang Yi.