"The winds of war blow where they will; the question is whether you stand with your feet planted or get swept away." – Old saying among the rebels
The morning after the victory at Moquan, a faint trace of hope had crept into the hearts of the defenders. The sight of the Imperial army retreating had been a rare victory, and for the first time in weeks, there was a sense of relief, albeit fleeting. Huai Shan stood at the edge of the battlements once more, his eyes tracing the faint smoke trail that marked the Imperial retreat.
The others were already busy, clearing the bodies of fallen comrades, preparing what little food they had left, and fortifying the walls further, even though they knew their next fight would come soon. The relief had been momentary. Han Yu wouldn't give up so easily.
In the distance, the sound of war drums reverberated through the valley—a reminder that the siege was far from over. Even though the Imperial forces had withdrawn for now, Huai knew they would return with reinforcements, more determined than ever to crush the rebellion once and for all. He had no illusions about the difficulty ahead.
"General," Yi Fen said, approaching him quietly. His voice was low, but steady, filled with the resolve of a man who had seen too many battles. "What now? Are we ready for the next wave?"
Huai Shan glanced at the sky, the pale light of dawn painting the clouds with muted hues of gray and crimson. "We wait," he said, his voice gruff from lack of sleep. "We strengthen the walls, dig in. If Han Yu wants this fortress, he'll have to fight for it."
Yi Fen gave a grim nod. "You think he'll come back with more men?"
"Without a doubt," Huai replied. "But we've proven something to him. We're not as weak as he thought. We're not just peasants with pitchforks."
Yi Fen's lips twisted in a fleeting smile. "A wolf among sheep," he said. "But what if he brings something worse than soldiers? What if he brings a weapon, something to break us before we even get a chance to fight back?"
Huai's eyes darkened at the thought. The Imperial Army had always had a way of using more than just brute force to win. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we keep our heads down, and we wait for their next move."
Just then, Xu Liang appeared, his face bruised from a fall during the fight the previous night. He carried himself with a quiet strength, the weight of leadership heavy on his shoulders despite his injuries. "General," he said, his tone authoritative as always. "We need to talk strategy."
"Agreed," Huai replied. "Gather the officers. We need to plan."
Inside the crumbling dining hall, the war council gathered. Huai Shan, Yi Fen, Xu Liang, and several other trusted leaders of the rebellion stood around a rough-hewn table. A map of the fortress and surrounding terrain was spread out before them, marked with chalk to indicate the movements of both the rebels and the Imperial forces.
"We have to assume they'll come back in greater numbers," Xu Liang said, leaning over the map. His fingers traced the lines of the valley, the pathways leading to Moquan. "Their supply lines are intact. They'll be able to restock and return soon enough."
Yi Fen snorted. "We have no reinforcements coming. No food. And soon, no water."
Huai frowned but didn't let his expression betray his growing worry. "What we do have is time. Time to make them pay. We'll fight on our terms, not theirs."
"But how?" Yi Fen interjected. "We don't have enough men, and our walls aren't enough to hold them for long. Han Yu's army has siege weapons. We can't hope to hold out forever."
"We're not going to hold out forever," Huai Shan said, his voice firm. "We're going to make them think we're weaker than we are. We'll draw them in, make them think they can break us, and then we strike."
"Strike where?" Xu Liang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"At their supply lines," Huai said, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We need to take away their resources. Starve them. Force them into a corner where they have no choice but to fight at our terms."
The men around the table exchanged uncertain glances. It was a dangerous gamble. If they were caught before they could disrupt the Imperial supply lines, they would lose more than just the fortress. But Huai's resolve was unwavering. He had seen too much to turn back now.
"We leave tonight," Huai continued. "I want a small team of scouts to head out, find the supply lines, and bring back what they can. If we can hit their supply wagons, we'll cripple their ability to maintain the siege. The longer they're stuck here, the more morale will break down in their ranks."
Xu Liang nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It's a risk, but it could work. It's not just about holding out now. It's about making them question whether they're willing to throw everything into this fight."
"Exactly," Huai said, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "They'll have to choose — retreat and lose face, or risk everything for a fortress that's barely worth the trouble."
The council members looked at each other, some nodding in agreement, others still unsure of the plan's success. But one by one, they fell into line behind Huai Shan.
Night fell quickly over Moquan, and the rebels moved with silent urgency. A small group of scouts, led by Yi Fen and Xu Liang, crept into the darkness, leaving the fortress gates open enough to let them slip through unnoticed.
Huai stood on the parapet, watching them go. The snow had begun to fall again, heavier now, blanketing the ground in a shroud of white. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for the next move to come.
"We'll either succeed," Huai muttered to himself, "or we'll die trying."
He turned away from the wall and descended into the dimly lit courtyard, where the rest of the rebels prepared for the worst. There was no time to waste now. The countdown had begun. The storm was coming.
And this time, it would be them who would decide when it would break.