Chapter 117: Besieged City

At dusk, the thunderous sound of drums suddenly erupted from the barbarian army stationed outside the city of Pingwu.

Sun Rubai, the commander defending Pingwu, heard the drumming and immediately ascended the city walls. Yet, after the drums ceased, he saw only clouds of dust swirling under the setting sun; no barbarian forces were charging forward.

"General, the barbarians beat their drums but never attack. What could be their intent?" a deputy officer asked, clearly puzzled.

Sun Rubai was not entirely certain himself, but he replied, "Perhaps it is a feint."

Though Sun had never heard the tale of the boy who cried wolf, he understood the underlying implication: "The barbarians have beaten their drums several times without attacking. I fear they intend to make our forces complacent. If we grow lax in our defenses, they will surely launch a single, decisive assault to take the city."

The deputy nodded, agreeing that this was the only logical explanation. Seeing the exhaustion etched onto General Sun’s face, he urged, "My General, you may rest easy with me here. Why not take a moment to sleep?"

Sun Rubai waved him off. "With the barbarians right beneath our walls, how could I possibly sleep?"

"But General, you haven't rested in days. How can you hold up if this continues?"

"The lives of all the soldiers and citizens in this city rest in my hands; how can I slacken?" Sun Rubai took a deep breath. "As long as I, Sun Rubai, have a breath left in me, I will never let the barbarians take Pingwu!"

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the drumming died down. Still, the barbarians did not attack. Sun Rubai finally turned to descend from the watchtower. No sooner had he reached the ground than another deputy officer approached him. "General, the barbarians have cut off our water supply. The city’s reserves are exhausted. If we do not find water soon, the men will not be able to hold out."

If they lacked food, they could survive five or six days, but without water, they would not last two. Long before the barbarians attacked, the soldiers would lose all strength to resist. Sun Rubai knew this all too well.

Looking at his soldiers, their lips cracked and parched, Sun felt the dryness in his own throat. He swallowed hard and commanded, "Dig into the earth for water!"

Ordinarily, the region of Shu was rich in water, with several great rivers flowing through it and frequent flooding on the plains. However, Pingwu was nestled in the mountains to the north of the basin. Not only was water naturally scarce, but what gave Sun Rubai the greatest headache was that Pingwu sat at a very high elevation.

Digging for water atop a high mountain was far more difficult than on the plains. He would not have resorted to such a desperate measure had he any other choice.

The deputy who had followed him down from the wall suggested, "General, why don't we charge out and fight these barbarian curs to the death? If we take a few of them down with us, it will be a worthy end—better than dying of thirst or hunger in this city!"

"Nonsense!" Sun Rubai roared. "Our lives are of little consequence, but there are countless civilians in this city. If we die in battle, what will become of them?"

"But with no water and little food, the soldiers are starving and parched. How can they resist when the barbarians eventually attack? It would be better to use our remaining strength to fight them now."

Sun Rubai shared the urge to charge out and fight like a hero. In truth, he hated hiding in the city like a turtle. He slammed his fist against the wall, but ultimately said, "No. Our only course of action is to hold firm and wait for reinforcements; otherwise, the lives of the people cannot be guaranteed."

"We sent riders to Chengdu for help before the barbarians arrived, but we have held out for days now without any sign of a relief army. Will they ever come?"

Sun Rubai had no answer for this, as he was not sure himself. But seeing the soldiers looking at him with desperate eyes, he knew that hope for reinforcements was the only thing keeping them going. He said firmly, "They will come. Reinforcements will surely arrive."

He said this more for the soldiers than for himself. Aside from letting them "quench their thirst by dreaming of plums," what other choice was there?

"Except for the soldiers on guard, everyone else must help the citizens dig for water! Reinforcements will come; we only need to hold out until they arrive, and victory will be ours!" Sun Rubai did not want to dwell on the question, lest his own resolve falter.

"Dig for water!" Everyone, their mouths dry and lips cracked, sought the one thing they needed most.

...

The barbarians continued to beat their drums at intervals, and cavalry would often charge toward the city only to pull back halfway. This went on in waves, and no one knew when the true assault would begin. The soldiers of Pingwu actually hoped for a real attack; at least then they could fight to their hearts' content. But being kept in a state of constant, agonizing tension for days on end—how could mere mortals endure it?

The barbarians had the numbers to rotate their troops and beat the drums in shifts, but the forces in Pingwu were limited. No one dared to relax; if even half the men left the ramparts and the barbarians truly launched a full-scale assault, Pingwu would surely fall.

Exhausted and parched, all they could hope for was to strike water soon. But digging in the high mountains was no easy task. The soldiers and townspeople dug through the night, yet by the next morning, having dug forty feet deep, they had not found a single drop.

Sun Rubai had not slept a wink, spending the night rushing to the walls whenever the drums sounded and directing the digging when they fell silent.

At dawn, the drums sounded again. Sun Rubai had been dozing against the wall, dreaming of the barbarians attacking. He bolted upright at the sound, rushing to the tower before he was even fully awake.

"General! It seems they are finally coming for real!" The deputy stood on the wall, pointing into the distance. In the faint morning light, they could see dust filling the horizon.

"All troops, prepare for battle!"

Not only the soldiers but the townspeople themselves surged toward the walls to do their part. The city’s main defense was archery, but there were not enough bows for all the civilians. Fortunately, before the siege began, Sun Rubai had ordered the rural folk to move into the city and had demolished outside dwellings, saving the stone and timber to reinforce the defenses. While they lacked many things, they had plenty of stone. The citizens carried these rocks to the walls, waiting to rain them down upon the enemy.

The barbarian cavalry surged forward like a tide. With the enemy army looming, those with weapons gripped them tightly; those with bows nocked their arrows. Those without weapons clutched stones to their chests.

Facing such an overwhelming force, it was impossible not to be afraid. Yet in every heart, the same thought echoed: "Come then! Let us fight like men. If we die, we die with honor—that is far better than dying of thirst and hunger!"