Volume Two: Grandfather and Grandson, Lords of the Domain Chapter 56: Above and Below the City

Wei Fufeng silently gazed at the carriage, watching as its door opened and three young ladies alighted. Two wore trousers and jackets—the figures of Fourteenth Lady and Mingyu—and beside them stood a girl clad in a ruqun, poised shoulder to shoulder with Fourteenth Lady. Though Wei Fufeng could not fully discern the ruqun-clad maiden’s features, he could tell she was beautiful, and given her attire and proximity to Fourteenth Lady, she must be her elder sister, Ninth Lady.

From afar, Wei Fufeng saw Fourteenth Lady raise her hand in greeting, soon followed by Mingyu. The ruqun girl hesitated, but then, too, lifted her hand and waved. Standing amidst the ranks, Wei Fufeng could only respond with a dignified nod, then raised his riding whip in a gesture of farewell.

In this tender exchange of glances, Wei Fufeng failed to notice the figures peering down from the city tower—Li Qie and his second son, Li Xian. Their eyes were not for youthful affection, but rather scrutinizing the military strength below.

“Two hundred elite armored soldiers, four hundred bowmen and swordsmen, two hundred spearmen—this Fufeng army possesses such formidable weaponry,” Li Qie remarked in surprise.

“My words were not exaggerated, Father. Our third brother’s son-in-law is adept at concealing his abilities. Zhang Jun, as the army’s chief commander, is shockingly ignorant of his own troops’ true capacity,” Li Xian mocked.

Li Qie nodded. “This is a strong force. With the Fufeng army joining the campaign, victory against the rebels may be more certain.”

Li Xian shook his head. “Don’t place your hopes there, Father. In my view, the Fufeng army will only make a token effort, perhaps not even submit to the chief commander’s orders.”

“Oh? You think they will merely go through the motions?” Li Qie frowned.

“In a situation where there’s risk but no reward, our third brother’s son-in-law will only feign compliance. His power lies in his troops—once depleted, even if the court prevails, he’ll receive at most a hollow title,” Li Xian explained.

Li Qie fell silent, and Li Xian continued, “In the letter he wrote to our third brother, he stated plainly that survival comes first. So his journey to Hedong will likewise prioritize self-preservation—he’ll never court disadvantage.”

Li Qie shook his head. “The harm of the regional lords is the nation’s misfortune.”

Li Xian shook his head as well. “Father, the campaign against Hedong is the emperor’s greatest blunder. Win or lose, it will push all the regional commanders into open enmity with the court. Even a fool knows the emperor cannot be trusted.”

“Mind your tongue!” Li Qie rebuked in a low voice.

Li Xian fell quiet. Li Qie watched the Fufeng army recede northward, his gaze tinged with helplessness, his right hand resting on the parapet as he turned to look toward the horizon.

Li Xian spoke again, “Father, I heard that when Zhang Jun bade farewell to His Majesty, he declared he would first eliminate external threats for the emperor, then return to deal with internal trouble. When the army set out, the Chief of Staff, Yang Fugong, offered a toast to send him off, but Zhang Jun refused to drink. Such arrogance—openly making an enemy of the Chief of Staff—is simply incomprehensible.”

“Prime Minister Zhang has always been at odds with the Chief of Staff,” Li Qie replied, displeased.

“Even so, he should not lack depth. The expeditionary force is dominated by Yang Fugong’s followers; such blatant hostility is no secret. How can the officers serve Zhang Jun? Besides, the Chief of Staff controls the army’s supplies—if relations are broken, Yang Fugong will surely sabotage him,” Li Xian said.

Li Qie frowned and was silent. Li Xian added, “Father, if our third brother can establish himself in southern Sichuan, and the Wei clan holds firm in Jinzhou, should the Hedong campaign falter, you may become one of the prime ministers.”

“Nonsense. If the Hedong campaign fails, the court’s operations will become even more difficult, which would harm us as well,” Li Qie scolded, then waved his hand and left the city tower.

...

The Fufeng army departed Chang’an. Wei Fufeng dismounted and ordered the horses sent to the rear for the spearmen. The two hundred spearmen doubled as logistics troops, guarding a convoy of supply wagons sufficient for eight hundred soldiers for two months.

Wei Fufeng and his subordinates estimated that the Hedong campaign would conclude within three months, including marching time; it would take over twenty days for Chang’an’s forces to reach Jinzhou.

The Fufeng army marched north for five days, arriving at Tongzhou on the northern bank of the Yellow River, preparing to cross at Fengling Ferry and enter the River Army’s territory.

A courier from Lantian County arrived, bearing information from Li Xian on behalf of the court.

Wei Fufeng was surprised by the three messages. First: the remnants of the Qin rebels occupying Fengdu County in Zhongzhou sent envoys to Chang’an, claiming ten thousand troops and offering to surrender to the court, requesting to be appointed as the military governor of Zhongzhou, Wanzhou, and Kuizhou.

In the end, Emperor Zhaozong agreed to appoint them as military governor, but changed the jurisdiction to Zhongzhou, Wanzhou, Kaizhou, and Shizhou, establishing the Wutai Commandery.

Kaizhou lies north of Wanzhou under the administration of Western Shannan, Shizhou south of Wanzhou under Qianzhong, now occupied by the Jingnan governor. Zhongzhou and Wanzhou are also under Jingnan, so four prefectures were carved out for the Wutai Commandery.

Second: the emperor separated Kuizhou and Guizhou to establish the Zhenjiang Commandery.

Kuizhou and Guizhou, downstream from Wanzhou, were both under Jingnan’s control, managed by the governor Cheng Rui. Emperor Zhaozong, however, appointed Li Shunjie as Zhenjiang governor.

Li Xian’s message gave detailed information about Li Shunjie, originally Yang Shouli, commander of the Divine Strategy Army and one of Yang Fugong’s adopted sons. In fact, Yang Fugong had many adopted sons throughout the court.

After Emperor Zhaozong’s ascension, Yang Shouli was repeatedly praised and promoted, even honored with the imperial surname “Li Shunjie.” After gaining imperial favor and rising in rank, Li Shunjie gradually fell out with Yang Fugong.

Li Xian bluntly told Wei Fufeng that Li Shunjie was the emperor’s pawn against Yang Fugong.

By appointing Li Shunjie as Zhenjiang governor and promising he could lead troops to Kuizhou in the future, the emperor signaled his intention to move against Yang Fugong.

Wei Fufeng understood Li Xian’s implication: Yang Fugong’s downfall was imminent. If they could hold out until the emperor acted, Yang Fugong’s regional power would become rebellion.

Third: the conflict between Hedong’s chief commander Zhang Jun and Chief of Staff Yang Fugong had become overt, and Yang Fugong would certainly undermine Zhang Jun.

Li Xian’s letter also advised Jinzhou to prepare on two fronts: defending against attacks from Hanzhong and garrisoning several hundred troops in Chang’an, or at the border between Jinzhou and the capital, ready to respond to shifting court affairs.

Wei Fufeng was pleased with Li Xian’s counsel; timely information was essential to making accurate plans and responses. Li Xian’s character might be poor, but his survival instincts suited troubled times.

Wei Fufeng sent a letter to southern Sichuan, informing them of the rift between the emperor and Yang Fugong, that the governor of Western Shannan, Yang Shouliang, would not last, advising Sichuan officials to focus on defense and send envoys to Zhongzhou to secure peace, forming an alliance to resist incursions from Western Shannan.

After the messenger departed, the Fufeng army crossed the Yellow River, entering Hedong territory, marching north along its eastern bank.

Their route was carefully planned: from Tongzhou, they entered the River Army’s domain in Puzhou, then moved north through Jiangzhou, Cizhou, and launched an attack on Xizhou.

Wei Fufeng would not join the main army at Jinzhou, but advanced north along the Yellow River independently.

Xizhou belonged to the River Governor, but had been occupied by Li Keyong. The Fufeng army’s attack on Xizhou demonstrated participation in the campaign; whether they could seize it mattered little.

Wei Fufeng’s plan: if he could capture Xizhou, he would continue north to strike Shizhou. If he succeeded, the Fufeng army could turn east from Shizhou to raid Taiyuan Prefecture.

Of course, this would only be a surprise raid to startle Taiyuan; Wei Fufeng would never attempt a reckless siege of its city. En route, he would also seek advantageous terrain in case of cavalry attacks from the Hedong army.

The Fufeng army advanced north into Jiangzhou at a pace of forty li per day.

Wei Fufeng was in no hurry; he wanted to wait until the main army engaged the Hedong forces, then strike the western regions by an indirect route.

Yet he overestimated the court army’s progress: the eighty thousand-strong force from Chang’an took over a month to reach Jinzhou.

In July, they finally joined five thousand troops of Han Jian, governor of Huashang, and five thousand of Li Maozhen, governor of Fengxiang.

Once in Jinzhou, they reorganized and sent envoys to coordinate with the southern expeditionary force—twenty thousand troops of Zhu Quanzhong’s Xuanwu Army, and five thousand from the governor of Heyang (Luoyang).

After the southern army set out, Hedong’s local commander An Zhijian defected to the Xuanwu Army, granting Zhu Quanzhong control of Cizhou (Handan), Mingzhou, and Xingzhou.

In July, Wei Fufeng reached the area between Cizhou and Xizhou, sending envoys to Jinzhou to learn the main army’s movements and simultaneously launched the attack on Xizhou.

Wei Fufeng expected the court army to advance from Jinzhou into Fenzhou, and that taking Fenzhou would bring them close to Taiyuan Prefecture.

Xizhou lies east of the Yellow River, encompassing Xixian, Yonghe, Daining, Puxian, and Shilou. Its seat, Xixian, is centrally located, and to reach it, Wei Fufeng would pass through Daining.

After consulting his officers, he decided to march directly for Xixian, first sending scouts to investigate Xizhou’s conditions.

Two days later, the scouts reported that Xixian was defended by only three hundred soldiers, with no other forces present. Xizhou had originally boasted a thousand troops.

Wei Fufeng was puzzled—the garrison seemed too weak. His officers analyzed the situation and concluded that the main army’s campaign had drawn Hedong’s attention, and Xizhou’s troops had been redeployed to the primary battlefield.

Participation in the campaign required some gesture, so Wei Fufeng ordered a march; eight hundred soldiers set out at dawn, advancing cautiously, with scouts in five pairs probing ahead.

There was little choice—the Fufeng army had only thirteen fine horses. Wei Fufeng walked, but kept the best for himself.

Passing through Daining, he saw its ruined town—earthen walls barely two meters high, inferior even to Jinzhou’s Yinghu Town Fort.

Wei Fufeng felt tempted to seize Daining first, but restrained himself and pressed on toward Xixian.

Since entering Hedong, Wei Fufeng observed that the climate was drier than the south, and most buildings were simple—thatch roofs and mud walls were the norm. The people’s livelihoods were bleak and barren, revealing Li Keyong’s rule, which seemed indifferent to civil administration.

By noon, Wei Fufeng caught sight of Xixian, whose scale far surpassed that of Daining.