Volume Two: Grandfather and Grandson Lords, Chapter 95: The Empty Vessel General

With over fifty thousand troops, the coalition could only lay siege to Xingyuan Prefecture; none were willing to launch a full-scale assault. While it appeared to be a joint siege, the reality was a standoff defined by mutual caution and restraint.

The Tongguan army had achieved its objective, and the Fengxiang army had successfully seized Fengzhou and Xingzhou. Xingyuan Prefecture could now be ceded to the imperial court.

...

Within the Daming Palace, Emperor Zhaozong felt helpless in the face of the spiraling situation. He was already riding a tiger; to reject the petitions of the Fengxiang and Tongguan armies would risk a falling out, potentially endangering the thirty thousand imperial troops currently on campaign.

Zhaozong formally recognized the legitimacy of the military deployments by the Fengxiang and Tongguan armies and approved Han Jian's request to be appointed as the Jiedushi of Wuding.

Han Jian’s adopted son was appointed as the Wuding Jiedushi, while Wei Zhaodu’s appointment was rescinded and replaced with the title of Vice Jiedushi of Zhaoxin. Fengzhou and Xingzhou were placed under the jurisdiction of the Fengxiang Jiedushi. As a condition of this arrangement, the Fengxiang and Tongguan armies were required to assist the imperial forces in capturing Xingyuan Prefecture.

...

After ten days of the coalition siege, Wei Xiong, trapped in the mountains, was forced to lead his troops back out because their rations were exhausted.

As they neared the border between Jinzhou and Yangzhou, they were suddenly overtaken by two thousand Tongguan troops who had been garrisoned in Yangzhou. The deputy commander, Gao Yan, made an immediate decision, ordering his men to turn, form ranks, and engage the enemy with volleys of fire. To his shock, Wei Xiong shouted for a retreat and fled at the head of the pack.

The three thousand militia troops immediately fell into chaos. Most scattered and ran for their lives. Unable to stop them, a furious Gao Yan had no choice but to retreat as well. The two thousand Tongguan troops seized the momentum, cutting down over a hundred militia members and capturing three hundred more, pushing their pursuit across the border into Shiquan County.

Unexpectedly, a thousand Fufeng soldiers, acting under orders to provide support, arrived and immediately launched a counterattack against the Tongguan troops. Deputy Commander Gao Yan also promptly ordered a rally. With reinforcements present, the terrified militia found their footing, and many turned back to strike at the enemy.

The two thousand rallying militia, combined with the thousand better-equipped Fufeng soldiers, slammed into the overextended Tongguan forces. Outnumbered three to two, the tide turned. The Tongguan troops were met with a volley of arrows followed by a charge of armored infantry, suffering heavy casualties within moments of engagement.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the Tongguan commander ordered a retreat. They were pursued for over three miles by the three thousand Jinzhou troops. Only half managed to escape, as the exhaustion from their earlier pursuit left them unable to outrun the Fufeng forces.

After the battle, the Jinzhou troops cleared the field and guarded over six hundred prisoners. Gao Yan met with Zeng Hao, the commander of the Fufeng relief force. Gao Yan offered his sincere gratitude; without a horse and having been among the last to retreat, he had been at high risk of being killed.

Faced with Gao Yan’s courtesy, Zeng Hao laughed: "Brother Gao should thank the Prefect. I was merely following orders to provide support."

Gao Yan gave a bitter smile and nodded. Unexpectedly, Zeng Hao continued: "The man leading your troops is a coward. To think he acted so boastful and imposing when leaving the city, only to turn out to be a hollow shell. Working under such a man, Brother Gao, it is easy to suffer defeat and lose your life. It would be a bitter way to die."

Gao Yan’s face twitched. In his heart, he was equally resentful and deeply disappointed in the "Fourteenth Master." He had always appeared to be a martial man, imposing and bold, but he had trembled at the first sign of battle. He was useless in success and a liability in failure. It was one thing to run, but why order the retreat?

Suppressing his emotions, he replied sternly: "Brother Zeng, that is the Fourteenth Uncle of the Military Commissioner. Regardless of the circumstances, it is best to be discreet."

Zeng Hao didn't care: "I am a soldier of the Southern Sichuan Army. When the Military Commissioner left, he gave instructions that apart from the Prefect and the Magistrate, we owe no respect to anyone else. The Military Commissioner said that Southern Sichuan belongs to him forever; we need not fear offending anyone."

Gao Yan listened with a wry smile as Zeng Hao continued: "I know you are one of the Military Commissioner’s veteran officers and a hero in the capture of Jinzhou. The Military Commissioner is clever and battle-hardened; he has never suffered a loss and never mistreats his men. Since you have served under him, he will certainly not forget your contributions."

Gao Yan nodded with deep emotion. He was truly in awe of Wei Fufeng—the strategic planning behind the capture of Jinzhou, the calculated steps taken, and his subsequent desperate defense of the city. It was only during the siege that he realized the Military Commissioner was also a formidable warrior.

"Brother Gao, let me give you a piece of advice: once you return, it is best to report the events involving your lead commander truthfully. If you fear offending people, then if that commander dies later, the Prefect will surely resent you for it, and the consequences of such poor leadership could lead to the destruction of the entire army," Zeng Hao added.

Gao Yan hesitated. It was clear the Prefect intended to groom his fourteenth son for command. If he reported the truth, would it displease the Prefect? If the Fourteenth Master found out, he would be even more resentful.

As he hesitated, Zeng Hao added: "If you sing his praises, the Prefect will surely entrust him with even more troops for future campaigns, and you will inevitably remain his deputy. You were lucky this time, but it is hard to say if you will be next time."

Gao Yan felt as if he had been doused with cold water. Next time? Damn it, there must not be a next time. It wasn't that the Fourteenth Master was a fool that he feared; it was that he wouldn't listen to advice. When he had insisted on returning, Wei Xiong had retorted that it was Gao Yan who had suggested retreating into the mountains when the crisis first began.

Gao Yan nodded, having made his decision. Zeng Hao added: "Brother, do not worry too much. You are a veteran of merit; the Prefect will not blame you. My only reason for speaking up is my concern that the Prefect might let that coward cause trouble on the ramparts or assign me to serve under him."

Gao Yan nodded. Zeng Hao concluded: "I will report this to the Military Commissioner. If you suffer for this later, you can always come to Southern Sichuan and serve as a commanding officer."

Gao Yan felt a weight lift from his heart and bowed in gratitude: "Thank you."

Zeng Hao laughed: "No need. Helping you is helping myself."

After finishing their discussion, they began dividing the spoils. The Fufeng army only took a hundred sets of armor; the rest of the battle merits were attributed to the militia, allowing them to receive rewards upon their return. However, the Fufeng soldiers only recorded their merits to be rewarded by the Southern Sichuan administration, strictly separating themselves from the Jinzhou official hierarchy; they accepted no rewards from Jinzhou, save for food.

Ten miles away, Gao Yan led his troops to meet Wei Xiong and his group of dozens. He went forward and respectfully reported the results of the battle. Wei Xiong replied sheepishly: "The Jinzhou soldiers guarding the gates are indeed well-equipped."

Gao Yan could only agree, not bothering to mention that those guarding the gate were actually Fufeng soldiers. In truth, few knew the gate guards were Fufeng troops; because it involved military secrets, those who knew kept quiet, referring to them only as the "Gate Guard Army."

Upon returning to Jinzhou, it appeared on the surface that Wei Xiong had returned victorious. Gao Yan requested a private audience with the Prefect and recounted Wei Xiong’s performance, explaining that while he did not wish to offend the Fourteenth Master, he feared it would lead to greater disaster or cost the man his life.

The Prefect of Jinzhou praised Gao Yan for his honesty. Thanks to his report, the Prefect abandoned his plan to place the fourteenth son in a position of high command. He had originally hoped to build an elite force outside of the Jinzhou Army, but given his son's lack of ability, he had to let the idea go.

...

The skirmish on the Yangzhou border was merely a side note. The coalition of over fifty thousand troops besieging Xingyuan Prefecture, having received the Emperor's imperial decree of recognition, agreed to launch a formal assault, attacking the city once every day—a nuisance that caused little real harm.

Meanwhile, Yang Shouliang’s army gained the upper hand in their campaign against the East Sichuan region, defeating the East Sichuan forces led by Gu Yanhui.

Gu Yanhui retreated to defend the county seat of Santai. The twenty thousand West Sichuan troops led by Hua Hong arrived a step too late and remained in Xuanwu County, Zizhou, waiting and watching.

In West Sichuan, Wang Jian mobilized fifty thousand troops to attack Pengzhou (the area around Mount Qingcheng) southwest of Chengdu, intending to completely annihilate the remaining resistance forces in the region. He had intentionally delayed his support for East Sichuan.

As Yang Shouliang’s army besieged Santai, Li Maozhen, having captured Fengzhou and Xingzhou and gained the Emperor’s recognition as Deputy Commissioner of Recruitment, mobilized another thirty thousand troops to move south and seize Lizhou and Longzhou.

The full-scale mobilization of the Fengxiang Jiedushi, Li Maozhen, was two-fold: first, to kick a man when he was down and seize the territory of the Shannan West Circuit; and second, at the invitation of Yang Sheng, the Weirong Jiedushi in Pengzhou.

Yang Sheng was a staunch supporter of the West Sichuan Jiedushi, Chen Jingxuan. After the fall of Chengdu, unwilling to surrender to Wang Jian, he had sent envoys to seek alliance with Yang Shouliang and Li Maozhen. He would rather invite wolves into his house than see Wang Jian survive.

Li Maozhen’s southward movement was driven by his greed for the "Land of Abundance" in West Sichuan. His original plan had been to seize Hanzhong, but the Huashang Jiedushi, Han Jian, had also deployed troops to compete for the spoils, seizing Yangzhou in the Hanzhong basin first.

Li Maozhen was unwilling to engage in a bloody conflict with Han Jian, another powerful regional warlord. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the chaotic West Sichuan, with its thousand miles of fertile plains—the legendary granary of the ages.

This convergence of factors fueled Li Maozhen’s ambition to conquer the Shu region. He left only five thousand troops to guard his home base of Fengxiang, ten thousand weaker troops to maintain the siege at Xingyuan Prefecture, and sent his thirty thousand strongest troops on a long-distance southern expedition.

Wang Jian’s vision and strategy were those of a true overlord. In his quest to dominate West Sichuan, he flexibly used a combination of diplomatic maneuvering and intimidation, gradually eroding the forces of the West Sichuan region right under the nose of Wei Zhaodu.

Wang Jian had anticipated Yang Shouliang’s invasion of East Sichuan, but Li Maozhen’s massive southward deployment took him by surprise. Fengxiang was far from the Shu region, and sending such a heavy force meant that the Fengxiang base was left empty.

Li Maozhen’s army descended along the Jialing River, arriving menacingly at Lizhou. With the help of two thousand of Yang Sheng’s troops, they breached the Jianmen Pass and surged into East Sichuan.

Upon hearing of Li Maozhen’s invasion, Yang Shouliang, who was besieging Zizhou, was shocked. Soon after, he met with Li Maozhen’s envoys. Li Maozhen’s terms were simple: he would take Lizhou, Longzhou, and Mianzhou, while granting Zizhou in West Sichuan to Yang Shouliang; afterward, each would hold their own ground.

After consulting with his subordinates, Yang Shouliang had no choice but to cooperate with Li Maozhen to first eliminate Wang Jian, who was their greatest common enemy. Once Wang Jian was destroyed, Yang Shouliang did not fear Li Maozhen; the alternative, should Li Maozhen ally with Wang Jian, would be far more catastrophic.

Yang Shouliang deployed twenty thousand troops to join Li Maozhen’s forces in an attack on West Sichuan. With half of the thirty thousand Fengxiang troops armored, and combined with Yang Shouliang’s twenty thousand men, they captured Hanzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of West Sichuan.

With the fall of Hanzhou, Chengdu Prefecture lost its northeastern shield. Hanzhou bordered Pengzhou to the northwest of Chengdu. The arrival of the Fengxiang army thwarted Wang Jian’s plan to eliminate Yang Sheng. After taking Hanzhou, the Fengxiang army marched toward Pengzhou, making their collusion with Yang Sheng clear.

Wang Jian had no path of retreat. West Sichuan had endured years of civil war and had lost the capacity for a prolonged siege; to retreat into the cities would be to starve to death.

Wang Jian assembled his eighty thousand troops, determined to burn his bridges and engage the Fengxiang army in a decisive battle at Pengzhou.