Volume Two: The Grandfather and Grandson Lords Chapter 91: Li Ziqi

In the morning, Yan Huaiyu arrived at the county seat of Fangling accompanied by his family and under the protection of a hundred soldiers from the Fufeng army. Upon entering the city and reaching the prefectural government office, Wei Fufeng, clad in armor, stood outside the gate to await them.

Seeing Wei Fufeng personally greeting him at the gate moved Yan Huaiyu deeply, prompting him to step forward quickly and offer a respectful salute.

Wei Fufeng smiled warmly in response and walked together with Yan Huaiyu into the prefectural office.

Though young in years, Yan Huaiyu knew Wei Fufeng was the military governor and surmised that the transfer of control over Jinzhou, Junzhou, and Fangzhou was largely orchestrated by Wei Fufeng, who was especially favored and greatly indebted to him.

Inside the government office, Wei Fufeng introduced Yan Huaiyu to the military and civil officials of Fangzhou. Afterwards, they toured the city together, discussing the governance and defense of Fangzhou.

In the afternoon, Wei Fufeng departed from Fangling county.

Yan Huaiyu was somewhat surprised by Wei Fufeng’s sudden departure. Wei explained he had affairs to attend to in Junzhou. In truth, the situation in southern Sichuan had drastically changed, and he was eager to marry Lin Qingxue.

Wei Fufeng returned to Yancen City, and two days after his arrival, on an auspicious day, he held a fully prepared wedding ceremony to marry Lin Qingxue.

Lin Hu’s family home served as Lin Qingxue’s natal house, and her mother descended from the mountains to send her off.

The bridal chamber was at the prefectural office, with the eldest uncle presiding over the ceremony, attended by most of Junzhou’s civil and military officials.

They also invited prominent figures and wealthy families from Junzhou, as well as leaders from various trades. Gifts were limited to a single coin, as everything had been arranged by Han Rui and Lin Hu.

The day of passing the imperial examination and the wedding night were two great joys in life, and for Wei Fufeng, they were fittingly combined.

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By September, the upheaval in southern Sichuan intensified, with Chengdu falling to Wang Jian.

Military intelligence reported that only Pengzhou and Maozhou in western Sichuan remained stubbornly resistant, while the western Sichuan military governor Chen Jingxuan and supervising officer Tian Lingzi had been captured.

After seizing the military governor’s seal, Wang Jian declared himself the acting military governor of western Sichuan.

Wei Fufeng needed to return to southern Sichuan to oversee the overall situation. Although southern Sichuan had experienced a period of stabilization, its overall strength had not significantly increased; it had merely secured internal loyalty.

The fall of Chengdu signaled yet another looming crisis of ruin for southern Sichuan, with Wang Jian’s forces likely to target the region.

Wei Fufeng’s concerns extended beyond Wang Jian; he also worried about a potential alliance between the eastern Sichuan army and Wang Jian.

After Gu Yanhui succeeded as the eastern Sichuan military governor, relations with southern Sichuan remained merely non-aggressive, with a refusal to form an alliance—implying distrust or even hostility.

Given the friendship between the eastern Sichuan military governor and Wang Jian, and the fact that the territories under southern Sichuan’s control originally belonged to eastern and western Sichuan, the possibility of a joint eastern and western Sichuan invasion of southern Sichuan was high.

Three days after his wedding, Wei Fufeng had to set out alone with his guards for Jinzhou—to bid farewell to his grandfather and father and to arrange strategic plans.

Upon arriving in Jinzhou, Wei Fufeng first visited the county office to pay respects to his father. He did not disclose the dangers in southern Sichuan but exchanged brief pleasantries before going to the prison to see the captured soldiers of Yang Shouliang’s army.

Almost all four thousand of Yang Shouliang’s covert forces had surrendered to Jinzhou.

The main reasons for these covert forces not rebelling were fourfold: many leaders were captured; Jinzhou treated them very well, providing ample food; their forces were fragmented, resulting in diminished morale; and Jinzhou’s governance, focused on people’s livelihood, inspired the lower-ranking soldiers to resist harming their good officers and to passively await orders.

Inside the county prison, dozens of captured officers were held. Lower-ranking prisoners were accepted, but higher-ranking officers, even if they surrendered, were generally not accepted unless they brought troops with them.

Wei Fufeng’s main purpose was to see Li Ziqi, Yang Shouliang’s marching commander, who had refused to surrender after capture.

Following the integration of the covert forces, Li Ziqi lost his bargaining power for preferential treatment and was normally expected to be executed.

Entering the dark, damp, and foul-smelling prison, Wei Fufeng was respectfully led by a jailer to Li Ziqi’s cell.

Li Ziqi, dressed in coarse linen, with disheveled hair and beard, lay on a tattered mat. Hearing footsteps, he sat up and looked outside.

Other cells also stirred. Approaching Li Ziqi’s cell, Wei Fufeng asked, “General Li, do you regret not surrendering?”

“I have no regrets,” Li Ziqi replied coldly, his voice hoarse.

“I don’t know whether you speak truthfully, but if it were me, I would deeply regret it for placing my trust wrongly and losing the gamble,” Wei Fufeng said calmly.

“Are you here to mock me, Lord Wei?” Li Ziqi retorted coldly.

“I have no such leisure. The war is over, and many matters must be settled. I came today to inform you all that you are to be released,” Wei Fufeng stated calmly.

“Oh? Lord Wei intends to release us?” Li Ziqi said in surprise.

“Jinzhou is also a semi-autonomous region, and conflicts between such regions are common. There are no absolute allies or enemies. Since the war has ended, I see no need to kill you. However, I won’t persuade you to surrender again because you have lost your military leverage and are not worth the risk,” Wei Fufeng explained frankly.

Li Ziqi silently regarded Wei Fufeng. Wei then turned and ordered, “Release them from their cells, treat them well for a day, and send them out of the city gates by tomorrow morning.”

The jailer responded respectfully. Wei Fufeng then left to speak with his grandfather.

At the prefectural office, he reported to his grandfather on the situations in Junzhou and Fangzhou, the governance strategies, and taxation, reaching a consensus.

They then discussed the crisis in southern Sichuan and external threats to Jinzhou, together drafting a letter to Yang Shouliang, seeking to ensure his peace and urging him not to ally with Wang Jian.

The letter read: “The court shows little mercy, offering no aid in times of crisis; greedy and unprincipled, even bandits can gain positions of command. Loyal ministers are scorned and envied. I am fortunate to have Jinzhou as my domain, though holding it is difficult. To the north lies the court’s suspicion; to the northeast, the powerful semi-autonomous Han Jian eyes us greedily; to the east, the loyalist army watches with hostility; and to the south, Cheng Rui in Jingnan has risen, commanding fifty thousand troops, coveting Fangzhou.

“As neighbors on the western border, I seek not alliance for power but mutual dependence to maintain our respective domains and jointly resist the court’s schemes, leaving no opportunity for the strong semi-autonomous lords.”

The next day, the letter was sent, and the prison captives were released from the city.

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At Xingyuan Prefecture, Yang Shouliang received the letter from Jinzhou’s governor. After reading it, he summoned his trusted advisors for discussion.

Opinions were divided: some warned against trusting it lightly, while others argued that since Jinzhou sought peace proactively and faced enemies on all sides, its position was indeed precarious and could be trusted.

The news of Wang Jian’s capture of Chengdu troubled not only Wei Fufeng but also Yang Shouliang deeply.

Wang Jian was a formidable and skilled warrior, yet the southern Sichuan military governor also posed a concern and a source of vexation for Yang Shouliang.

Meanwhile, the military governor of Longjian had received a plea for aid from the western Sichuan Pengzhou military governor, expressing willingness to submit.

Upon returning to Xingyuan Prefecture, Yang Shouliang faced many difficulties, chiefly insufficient grain supplies for the winter.

His subordinates suggested launching an offensive into eastern Sichuan before Wang Jian completely seized western Sichuan, but Jinzhou and the imperial court threatened Xingyuan Prefecture.

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While hesitating, Li Ziqi and several dozen officers returned.

Yang Shouliang was astonished but feigned joy to welcome them, learning that Li Ziqi and the officers refused to surrender to Jinzhou and were released.

Despite some doubts, Yang Shouliang saw this as a sign of Jinzhou’s desire for peace and sought Li Ziqi’s counsel.

Li Ziqi said, “Jinzhou is troubled and needs rest after the war. I once suggested first seizing eastern Sichuan, then southern Sichuan. The Longjian military governor holds Jianzhou, advantageous for military action. Given the current situation, it would be better for the supreme commander to ally with southern Sichuan to divide eastern Sichuan, then advance towards western Sichuan. I believe Wang Jian is the greatest threat.”

Yang Shouliang agreed and sent envoys to Jinzhou for negotiation.

Jinzhou’s governor agreed to cooperate, promising not to take advantage and attack Xingyuan Prefecture. The condition was to only send troops to capture Rongzhou and Lingzhou northwest of Changzhou and to allow Jinzhou passage along the Jialing River waterway to Yuzhou.

Yang Shouliang was pleased. The fruitless campaign by Jinzhou made him seek another battle to secure winter supplies, so he prepared for war again, directing his forces southwest towards eastern Sichuan.

Yang Shouliang’s initiative in forming this alliance delighted Wei Fufeng, exceeding his expectations.

As the saying goes, all’s fair in war; Jinzhou’s defenses must remain vigilant.

Wei Fufeng advised his grandfather that the city gates’ defense should remain solely under the Fufeng army’s command; no one else could give orders unless the grandfather himself was present.

His grandfather agreed, and Wei Fufeng assigned two thousand Fufeng soldiers to guard the gates, promoting four military officers.

Other Fufeng forces were partially concealed in their original garrisons, with some stationed in Yun County of Junzhou.

Fifty guards escorted a sedan chair capable of being carried by four men, traveling westward from Jinzhou to Yangzhou, carrying Lin Qingxue and a young girl named Xiaoxue.

Wei Fufeng discreetly accompanied as a guard, twenty meters behind the sedan, concealed within the convoy.

Wei Fufeng did not head south to Kuizhou but returned to southern Sichuan by the Yangtze River route, as the river route posed dangers of sudden attacks by Cheng Rui’s forces and upstream travel was slow.

The fifty guards, under the pretense of escorting official family members, departed Jinzhou from Shiquan County and entered Yangzhou territory within Hanzhong.

The journey passed smoothly through Huangjin Gorge, Xingyuan Prefecture, Yangping Pass, crossing the Hanzhong region to Shunzheng County of Xingzhou, where they boarded a boat to travel downstream.

The boat docked at Guangyuan County in Lizhou. Wei Fufeng sent men ashore to gather information, but no new intelligence was obtained. The boat continued downstream from Guangyuan.

Six days later, they safely arrived at Yuzhou, bypassed Yuzhong Peninsula, and docked directly at Ba City on the southern bank.

Entering the city quietly through the Shu City gate, Wei Fufeng went straight to the prefectural office—the Fufeng Marquis’s residence, the military governor’s headquarters, and the seat of the commander-in-chief. The Yuzhou governor’s office had been relocated back to Yuzhong Peninsula.

Returning to the prefectural office, Wei Fufeng changed into his purple robe, jade belt, official Liang crown, and boots, then convened a meeting with all civil and military officials at the commander’s headquarters.

The attendees included four captains of the elite Tiger Guards, commanders of various camps, military officers, and lieutenants. Only the old Feng, who led the White Tiger Hall and commanded the Qianhe Camp, was absent outside the city.

Gathered together, Wei Fufeng briefly reported the achievements in Jinzhou and inquired about military and civil affairs in southern Sichuan.

This was largely a formality to meet subordinates and assert his authority, as many military and political matters could not be openly discussed.

After half an hour, most subordinates dispersed, leaving only the commanders and the long-serving officials of the command headquarters—the chief clerk, judges, and magistrates—to deliberate. Old Feng also returned and paid respects while joining the discussion.