Volume Two: The Feudal Lord and His Grandson Chapter 85: The Capture of Fangzhou

Wei Xun arrived at Yun County and received the homage of the assembled generals.

Following the advice of the Commander of Troops, Tian Wen, he presented the imperial edict to the captive soldiers—setting it upon a fragrant altar for them to view at their leisure. The captives, who had never seen an imperial edict before, examined it with curiosity. This tactic proved effective, highlighting the legitimacy of the new governor and subtly instilling in the captives a willingness to accept him.

Tian Wen then proposed a second strategy: land distribution. The previous governor, Feng Xingxi, along with his trusted associates, had seized vast tracts of land. Tian Wen suggested that these lands be redistributed among the captive soldiers and the troops from Jin Prefecture. Amber’s father concurred, but recommended that the departing troops from Jin City also receive a share, a suggestion Wei Xun adopted.

After the land was divided, only then did they dare to issue weapons to the captives. The Jin Prefecture troops were reorganized, with fire chiefs as the basic unit, and mixed with the captives. Each camp consisted of five hundred soldiers, totaling fourteen camps and seven thousand men. From then on, there were no longer Jin Prefecture or Fang Prefecture forces—just unified troops.

The governor’s order for land redistribution and mixed units was also sent to Wudang County, but was refused, revealing the true nature of their feigned surrender. Tian Wen advised Wei Xun to disregard their disobedience for now, stabilize the forces he could control, and wait for the outcome of the Jin Prefecture conflict before eliminating them.

Wei Xun wanted to dispatch troops to aid Jin Prefecture, but Tian Wen and Amber’s father dissuaded him. Tian Wen explained that the Jin City commander already had plans in place; Jun Prefecture’s actions should follow the Jin City commander’s orders rather than acting independently and disrupting the overall strategy. Wei Xun acquiesced.

By the time land redistribution and troop mixing in Jun Prefecture were completed, Jin Prefecture had been under siege for a month. Fortunately, after the Jun Prefecture troops withdrew, Yang Shouliang’s army resorted only to daily harassment and feigned assaults, no longer risking lives in desperate attacks, thus allowing the defenders much-needed respite.

During this period, Wei Fufeng used deceptive tactics, employing gentle persuasion to organize a reserve force of five thousand. The primary purpose of these reserves was not to defend the city, but to instill confidence in the real defenders and maintain morale among the populace. As long as the defenders on the walls knew there was a sufficient reserve force, their hope to hold out strengthened.

Whenever Yang Shouliang’s army attacked, Wei Fufeng would assemble the reserve troops in the main streets near each city gate, so the defenders could see their support behind them. Likewise, seeing the city secure reassured the reserves themselves; in truth, it was mutual encouragement.

Yang Shouliang’s siege focused mainly on blocking the gates, while the middle sections of the walls were only patrolled and loosely surrounded, never forming a perfect encirclement. If they had surrounded the city completely, the forces outside the gates would have been too thin, and any competent defender would know to organize an elite sortie.

Thus, all developments concerning Jin City and Jun Prefecture were swiftly relayed into the city by Jin City’s fast horse messengers.

Wei Fufeng had proclamations posted inside the city, encouraging soldiers and civilians not to worry. One purpose of these notices was to undermine the morale of Yang Shouliang’s hidden forces within the city.

Continuous heavy rains caused great trouble both inside and outside the city. Waterlogged areas covered forty percent of the city; the poor, dwelling in the lowest districts, suffered frequent flooding of their homes.

County Magistrate Wei Xuan personally braved the rain to rescue the populace. In the urgency, he even summoned over three thousand laborers from elsewhere to assist. Wei Xuan was completely unaware that over six hundred enemy agents were nearby, obviously gathering and communicating.

Yet, for reasons unknown, these enemy agents did not incite a riot. Instead, they obeyed Wei Xuan’s rescue orders, then quietly dispersed to their various worksites afterwards.

Upon learning this, his grandfather summoned Wei Xuan and berated him harshly; his second uncle, whose “illness” had recovered, also scolded him for overstepping his authority and acting imprudently.

Though Wei Xuan felt stifled by the reprimands, his spirits were high—he found his role as county magistrate fulfilling.

Wei Fufeng, unaware of his father’s blunder, devoted his entire attention to inspecting the city walls, rallying the troops, and organizing the defense.

Lin Qingxue, aside from occasionally dealing with women’s private matters, stayed constantly at Wei Fufeng’s side.

Outside the city, Yang Shouliang’s troops also suffered from the relentless rain—dampness, mud, and cold. The soldiers were miserable, and the rising waters of the Han River threatened the army with potential flooding disasters.

Yang Shouliang was caught in a dilemma: the losses from the siege were too great, yet retreat would seem cowardly. He hoped the hidden forces inside the city would stir trouble and often ordered sentries and scouts not to neglect monitoring the city’s movements.

One month and four days into the siege, Jin City’s fast horse messenger once again arrived with news.

Wei Fufeng read the message and learned that 1,300 troops from southern Sichuan had reached Yanqin City. The letter explained the reasons for their delay: 300 were from the Flying Feather Battalion, while 1,000 militia had not yet arrived.

This time, Wei Fufeng considered carefully and sent the messenger to his fifth uncle, reporting that the defense was stabilizing and there was no urgent need to force Yang Shouliang’s withdrawal. He asked his fifth uncle to lead ten thousand troops to strike Fang Prefecture, hoping to intimidate the Fang Prefecture governor into surrender.

Wei Fufeng advised his fifth uncle to carry the appointment edict from their eldest uncle, claiming to be acting under imperial orders from the Divine Strategy Army, and attempt to seize the weakly defended Fang Prefecture.

If Fang Prefecture could be secured, Jun Prefecture’s strategic defense would no longer be isolated; with both Jun and Fang Prefectures in hand, they could petition the court for the appointment of a military governor, thus advancing their grandfather’s rank.

...

The fifth uncle concealed his forces in the Han Yin region of Jin Prefecture, an area situated between Xixiang County in Yang Prefecture and Xicheng County in Jin Prefecture. Within this territory lay Shiquan County, under Jin Prefecture’s jurisdiction; the emperor had granted the fifth uncle the title Baron of Shiquan precisely because of this county.

The army hid in Han Yin, waiting for the right moment. The fifth uncle dispatched trusted scouts on missions, strictly forbidding any soldier from leaving the designated area without orders, with violators facing severe punishment.

The scouts returned, reporting that 5,000 troops were escorting grain supplies from Xingyuan Prefecture.

The fifth uncle prepared to strike, consulting with his trusted aides to decide where to ambush, adapting his strategies to the terrain—either dividing forces for a pincer attack or concentrating for a full-scale battle.

At this moment, the messenger arrived with Wei Fufeng’s letter.

Upon reading it, the fifth uncle immediately abandoned the plan to seize the grain, instead leading the Jin City troops back to Jun Prefecture’s Fengli County, to rendezvous with the 5,000 troops sent from Yun County.

Yun County was still under Amber’s father’s command, though the garrison had been replaced by 1,300 soldiers from southern Sichuan.

After the rendezvous, the fifth uncle, to calm the troops and prevent mutiny or desertion, announced the strategic move to capture Fang Prefecture, assuring the soldiers there would be no siege, and declaring that they acted under imperial edict.

Ten thousand strong, the army departed Fengli County, heading south into Zhushan County, under Fang Prefecture’s jurisdiction, then turned southeast across the Du River within Fang Prefecture, marching grandly toward the prefectural seat—Fangling County.

En route, the fifth uncle dispatched fast horse messengers ahead to Fangling County, delivering a letter urging the Fang Prefecture governor, Wang Deming, to surrender.

In the letter, he identified himself as a scion of the Wei family from Jingzhao Prefecture, expressing reluctance to commit ruthless acts—if Wang Deming voluntarily resigned, he would permit him to leave Fang Prefecture with his wealth.

When the army was twenty li from Fangling County, the messenger returned, carrying the governor’s official seal.

Wang Deming, governor of Fang Prefecture, resigned and retired to his homeland—a form of surrender and self-preservation that would typically spare him from prosecution for any wrongdoing during his tenure.

The army entered Fangling County, and the fifth uncle gazed up at the imposing city walls—a fortress no less formidable than Yanqin City, with an upper parapet of blue bricks, making it exceptionally difficult to assault.

Fangling County had only 2,000 troops left; 7,000 had gone to attack Jin Prefecture. Facing the imminent arrival of ten thousand soldiers, the governor’s resignation was likely due to a loss of confidence in his troops.

The army entered the city and took over its defenses; the fifth uncle busied himself with integrating the garrison.

The following day, he ordered the newly mixed 2,000 troops to garrison Jun Prefecture’s Yun County.

The Sichuan troops in Yun County were transferred to guard Yanqin City, and with over 3,000 defending Yanqin, there was now confidence to resist any possible attack from the Loyalist Army.

The fifth uncle could not linger in Fangling County. Half a day after the 2,000 troops departed, he also led 2,000 elite Jin City soldiers and 6,000 mixed troops away, leaving 2,000 mixed troops to guard Fangling.

On the return march to Jin Prefecture, the fifth uncle dispatched two fast horse messengers—one to Jin Prefecture, reporting the capture of Fang Prefecture, and another to Shang Prefecture’s Luonan County, where his eighth brother, Wei Kang, worked as a clerk, instructing him to come quickly to Fang Prefecture to assume the governorship.

However, during the fifth uncle’s campaign in Fang Prefecture, Yang Shouliang’s besieging army withdrew from Jin Prefecture.

The scouts’ report surprised the fifth uncle, who had still hoped to seize grain, leaving him somewhat disappointed and regretful.

Why did Yang Shouliang retreat? Because a disloyal member of the Jin City army escaped during the fifth uncle’s campaign and divulged vital military secrets.

There were many dissenters within the Jin City army, but after the capture of Yanqin City in Jun Prefecture and the defeat of the enemy by the Han River, most began to waver, realizing Jin Prefecture was not necessarily doomed.

After taking Jun Prefecture, returning to Jin Prefecture to hide in Han Yin made it clear that Jin Prefecture’s side was actually strategizing effectively.

Soon after, news spread that everyone would receive a share of the land rewards in Jun Prefecture, further strengthening morale and loyalty to the fifth uncle.

Nonetheless, there remained stubborn dissenters. The informant was a household soldier from the County Duke’s mansion, intent on avenging his former master, but as a low-ranking member, he struggled to access military intelligence in time.

After the ambush in Han Yin, the informant, realizing the significance of the military information, slipped away during the confusion of the troop merger in Fengli County.

...

Yang Shouliang, upon learning that the real Jin City army was outside—and had even ambushed in Han Yin—was alarmed. Consulting with his trusted aides, some suggested dividing forces to seize Jun and Fang Prefectures.

Yang Shouliang rejected this. Attacking Jin Prefecture from Hanzhong was feasible due to proximity, but splitting forces for a distant expedition to Jun Prefecture would make timely return to Hanzhong difficult.

Moreover, Jun Prefecture was under Loyalist Army control, with Han Jian in Shang Prefecture to the north, watching like a tiger. If the army divided and marched far, the front lines would stretch, making them vulnerable to sudden attacks by large forces.

Additionally, an expedition to Jun Prefecture would still entail a siege, and the informant explained the change of leadership there—Yang Shouliang’s army had no opportunity to exploit any weakness.

Some proposed sending 20,000 troops to pursue the Jin City army, but others countered that the Jin City troops could retreat nimbly back to Jingzhao Prefecture. If the pursuers invaded Jingzhao, the consequences would be dire.

Finally, one officer suggested withdrawal, arguing that they could not continue—so much continuous rain had caused many soldiers to fall ill, and morale was plummeting.

Yang Shouliang found his excuse, ordered a withdrawal, and returned to Hanzhong to regroup.

Although the campaign ended abruptly and fruitlessly, Yang Shouliang was not disheartened—he merely regretted the loss of his 4,000 hidden troops and Li Ziqi, his army commissar.