119 Infiltrating the Raven's Nest

After two days and two nights of forced marching, Su Ming led his eight hundred elite soldiers of the Trap Formation to a forest thirty miles outside the city of Wuchao.

There was only one way for Su Ming and his men to enter Wuchao: by disguising themselves as a grain transport convoy. Since Xu You had defected to Cao Cao, he had already made the necessary arrangements. Xu You had organized members of his own clan to assist Su Ming’s forces, and he had already provided Su Ming with the agreed-upon time and location.

By the time Su Ming reached the spot thirty miles outside Wuchao, he had already dispatched Taishi Ci to meet with the people Xu You had arranged. Before long, Taishi Ci returned to Su Ming with a middle-aged man dressed in green robes.

"My lord, this is the man sent by Xu You," Taishi Ci introduced.

Upon seeing Su Ming, the Xu clansman bowed hurriedly and said, "General Su, I am Xu Qian. I have been ordered by my elder brother to wait for you here."

It was clear that Xu You attached great importance to this matter, as he had sent his own brother, Xu Qian, to receive them. Of course, this Xu Qian was not a biological brother, but a cousin from the same clan.

"Have the things we requested been prepared?" Su Ming asked Xu Qian.

Xu Qian nodded and replied, "I would not dare to delay the General's affairs; everything is ready." He paused, then added, "However, ever since Ju Yi discovered the grain smuggling, all the families have switched to transporting grain at night. General Su, you must wait until dusk to enter the city."

One had to admit that the aristocratic families of this era were truly a cancer. Even after being discovered by Ju Yi, they did not stop; they merely shifted from open, daylight smuggling to clandestine nocturnal operations. However, for Su Ming and his men, transporting grain at night was actually more convenient for their mission.

As it was still afternoon with an hour or so until dusk, Su Ming began questioning Xu Qian about the situation in Ye City. After gaining an initial understanding, Su Ming secretly began to formulate a plan in his mind.

By dusk, Su Ming and his men had disguised themselves as the Xu family's transport convoy. Driving over a hundred carriages, they headed toward Wuchao in a grand procession. Smuggling grain was no secret in Wuchao, and with the transport permits in hand, they passed through every checkpoint without obstruction.

The commander guarding Wuchao was Chunyu Qiong. Besides him, Yuan Shao had assigned two deputy commanders to assist: the brothers Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang. These two had no noble background, but they were particularly adept at reading the wind and currying favor. Previously, they had been mere gate guards in Ye City, but by brown-nosing their way into Chunyu Qiong’s favor, they had secured the lucrative post of deputy commanders in Wuchao. Since arriving here under Chunyu Qiong, the brothers had lined their pockets significantly.

Since the last visit from Ju Yi, Chunyu Qiong had ordered the brothers to guard the city gates of Wuchao. If anyone from Yuan Shao’s inner circle came, they had to be notified first. Lü Kuang took the day shift and Lü Xiang the night shift; the two brothers had effectively become the gatekeepers of Wuchao.

Lü Xiang, in his thirties, was of medium height and sturdy build, with eyes the size of mung beans. He was a slick operator, highly perceptive of people, and an expert at flattery. As Su Ming’s convoy reached the gates, Xu Qian whispered in his ear, "General Su, that man is Chunyu Qiong’s deputy, Lü Xiang."

"Oh?" Su Ming murmured, "With a deputy commander guarding the gate, could it be that he is on alert?" He braced himself for a potential frontal assault. They were already at the gates of Wuchao; if they were discovered, they would have no choice but to charge.

Xu Qian realized Su Ming had misunderstood and quickly explained, "He is not guarding against us, but against the likes of Ju Yi and Zhang He. I will lead the way, and we shall certainly enter without a hitch."

As they spoke, the convoy reached the gate.

"Second Master Xu, you've been making quite a fortune lately!" Lü Xiang bowed to Xu Qian, his face full of sycophancy. Although Lü Xiang held the rank of a general and Xu Qian was technically a commoner, his tone was clearly subservient. While Xu Qian was a commoner, he was a cousin to Xu You, and even Lü Xiang’s patron, Chunyu Qiong, dared not offend Xu You. Naturally, Lü Xiang dared not offend Xu Qian.

"You two brothers haven't done too poorly yourselves lately!" Xu Qian replied.

"Haha!" Lü Xiang flattered him, gesturing for them to enter. "Second Master Xu, please, enter the city!"

From Lü Xiang’s attitude, it was clear that Xu You and the entire Xu clan held significant status within Yuan Shao’s camp. After all, Xu You was one of Yuan Shao’s top strategists, and his childhood friendship with Yuan Shao was something others could not compare to. The only reason Xu You defected to Cao Cao was his realization that once the seeds of suspicion were sown, Yuan Shao would never trust him again.

With Xu Qian leading the way, they entered Wuchao smoothly. Once inside, Xu Qian moved with practiced ease, clearly having been here many times before. The city was filled with rows of grain storehouses. One had to admit that Yuan Shao had built the Wuchao granary quite well; each storehouse was separated by firebreaks, meaning a fire in one would not easily spread to the others. Furthermore, each unit was surrounded by water vats and wells to allow for immediate fire suppression. The structural quality was commendable—but Yuan Shao’s greatest mistake was choosing a buffoon like Chunyu Qiong to guard it.

Xu Qian led them to a storehouse and asked, "General Su, shall we begin loading the grain?"

Load the grain? Su Ming and his men were here to burn it, not to steal it. Su Ming glared at Xu Qian and ordered, "You stay at the door and keep watch. We will enter the storehouse to discuss our next move."

Inside, Su Ming pulled out the topographical map of the Wuchao granary. "Take a look, everyone. Because of the firebreaks, setting fire to just one spot will not be enough. To successfully burn down Wuchao, we must ignite fires everywhere. We only have eight hundred men; to succeed, we must first sow chaos among the enemy ranks." Su Ming pointed out the crux of their mission.

"My lord, just tell us what to do," Taishi Ci replied. "We are entirely at your command!"

The specific plan to burn Wuchao had, of course, already been meticulously rehearsed.