Volume Two: The Ancestral Lord and Grandson Chapter 99: Kuizhou

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Li Shunjie nodded and said, "Such a colossal city is no small feat to build."

"Indeed, it was no easy task, exhausting the financial resources of Jinzhou. Fortunately, the fiscal support from Junzhou allowed the people of Jinzhou to endure the harsh winter," replied Wei Kang.

Li Shunjie nodded again, a greedy thought stirring within him. He pondered that since Jinzhou was not far from Chang'an, if they could seize Jinzhou along with Junzhou and Fangzhou, then the headquarters of the military governor could be established in Jinzhou.

Wei Kang was unaware of the ravenous greed lurking in Li Shunjie's heart and accompanied him with a slightly respectful demeanor.

Inside the city, a broad, straight avenue stretched ahead, flanked by neatly arranged fields where men, women, and children toiled, painting a serene picture of pastoral peace.

After walking a mile, they came upon a winding river spanned by a large bridge, with clear signs of human engineering along the banks. Wei Kang invited Li Shunjie to board a boat to travel upstream toward the inner city.

As the boat sailed, docks appeared on both shores, lined with numerous taverns and warehouses. Hundreds of people busily moved goods about. Li Shunjie kept nodding silently, thinking, "What a promising place."

Li Ziqi, following behind on the boat, observed the scenery with a heavy heart. Compared to Xingyuan Prefecture, Jinzhou was undoubtedly a less prosperous land.

Jinzhou produced tea and had gold mines, but its mountainous terrain often caused devastating floods, making agricultural abundance difficult.

Since the Wei family took control of Jinzhou, they had spared no effort in managing the people's livelihood and constructing this grand city. They built canals and rivers within the city to ensure sufficient irrigation during droughts and floods, creating a fertile land beneficial to both farming and commerce. It was said they were even constructing dams to control the flooding of the Han River.

By contrast, after Yang Shouliang took over Xingyuan Prefecture, he showed no concern for public welfare or water management, resulting in corrupt officials who only sought to extort the people and neglected agricultural affairs.

Without government enforcement, wealthy landowners looked out only for their own interests, preventing any cohesive governance.

The boat docked not far outside the southern city gate of the inner city. The Jinzhou governor led a group to welcome Li Shunjie and invited him inside to rest at the prefectural office. The inner city was still under renovation and appeared chaotic compared to the orderly outer city.

After hosting Li Shunjie at the prefectural office, the Jinzhou governor went to the western garden to meet secretly with Li Ziqi, who was still serving as the adjudicator under the military governor of Zhenjiang. The Tianwei Army was part of the military governor’s forces.

Li Shunjie was unwilling to establish two separate military systems internally. The Tianwei Army was part of the Zhenjiang military, with official positions rotated regularly. When Li Ziqi left Kuizhou, his adjudicator duties would be taken over by Kuizhou’s chief secretary.

If Li Ziqi returned to Kuizhou, he would become the chief secretary, and a trusted subordinate would replace him as adjudicator, thus integrating civil and military authority with scheduled rotations.

Li Shunjie took residence in the prefectural office with only two hundred guards; the rest of the military forces were dispersed throughout the inner city.

Li Ziqi, having been informed, found it easy to move about alone. After waiting briefly in the western garden, he met the Jinzhou governor.

They exchanged respectful greetings, and the governor kindly invited him to sit by the garden pond where they conversed.

Li Ziqi advised that they should seize Badong as soon as possible since delays might cause rebellion. Since he was absent from Kuizhou, he could not guarantee whether his subordinates might defect.

The Jinzhou governor reassured him that the Chuannan Army had already begun capturing Kuizhou.

...

Three days after Li Shunjie left Kuizhou, five thousand Chuannan troops escorted tribute rice downriver.

The boat carried no visible provisions but concealed three thousand elite Chuannan soldiers armed to the teeth; the declared strength was only two thousand militia.

The fleet passed Zhongzhou, where Wang Jianchao had already pledged allegiance to the Zhenjiang military governor. Li Shunjie had agreed with the Chuannan Army on deployment terms. The Zhongzhou governor, Wang Jianchao, could no longer intercept and withhold passing grain as before, allowing the fleet to pass unimpeded.

The fleet smoothly traversed Wanzhou territory and reached Kuizhou's jurisdiction by dusk. They docked at the riverbank, with the declared forces preparing meals to feed the five thousand troops.

At the first watch of the night, the five thousand Chuannan soldiers arrived outside Kuizhou’s west city gate under cover of darkness.

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Wei Fufeng, clad in fine scale armor, mingled within the troops. The capture of Kuizhou required meticulous follow-up arrangements and close contact with defecting officers.

Late November’s chill enveloped day and night; moonlight cast shimmering reflections on weapons and armor.

With only five thousand troops, stealth was impossible, so they openly and swiftly approached the west city gate.

Wei Fufeng gazed up at the city tower from the rear ranks. If the inside conspirators failed to open the west gate, their mission would end in failure. Even if the gate opened, Wei Fufeng would not personally enter, as the insiders might merely be a lure.

As the Chuannan forces neared the gate, the drawbridge suddenly lowered, creaking loudly in the night. The city tower remained silent except for the swaying of numerous spears—a signal of success.

The drawbridge dropped, the gates opened, and three thousand elite Chuannan soldiers poured in like wolves crossing the bridge and entered the gate safely, passing through the barbican. Five hundred Chuannan soldiers ascended the city tower to join the inside forces.

Seeing Chuannan troops on the gate tower, Wei Fufeng ordered another thousand soldiers to enter the city, while leaving a thousand outside awaiting news. Moments later, he sent six hundred more troops to encircle Kuizhou, blocking any escapees.

Wei Fufeng understood that Kuizhou was garrisoned by fifteen thousand troops, divided between two main factions—one led by the governor and the other by the deputy military governor. The chief secretary managed military supplies, and the judicial officer oversaw military law.

Moreover, many military commanders were from the Tianwei Army, with deputy generals mostly defected officers.

Among the surrendered troops, the majority belonged to the Zhenjiang army, some from Yang Shouliang’s forces, others from the over ten thousand soldiers of the Wutai Army.

In contrast, Li Shunjie trusted the forces that Li Ziqi had brought over, distrusting most of the Wutai defectors, who were sent to defend Guizhou.

Originally, the Tianwei Army had five thousand soldiers but suffered one thousand casualties during the attack on Xingyuan Prefecture.

After taking Badong, one thousand were stationed in Guizhou, five hundred in Wanzhou, five hundred at the salt wells in Yun’an, and Li Shunjie took five hundred with him when he left.

Therefore, only fifteen hundred Tianwei soldiers remained to defend Kuizhou, making up just ten percent of the total forces.

Additionally, for self-protection, one thousand Tianwei soldiers were stationed at the prefectural office and the military governor’s residence. Only one hundred guarded each city gate, while nine hundred were surrendered troops.

With nine hundred against one hundred, plus a surprise attack, the city gate guards quietly changed sides.

Thus, even if Li Shunjie hadn’t left Kuizhou, Wei Fufeng would have launched an assault to capture the city. Missing this opportunity would make it very difficult to try again.

Inside the city, the Chuannan forces split into two groups—one attacking the prefectural office, the other the military governor’s residence.

Each key location was guarded not only by five hundred Tianwei soldiers but also by two thousand five hundred surrendered troops in the outer defenses.

Notably, the surrendered troops guarding these places were led by officers under Li Ziqi.

Because Li Ziqi had left Kuizhou, his surrendered troops were trusted by the Tianwei commanders.

The two thousand five hundred outer troops formed a blockade line and turned against their former masters, aiding the Chuannan Army’s entry.

The Tianwei soldiers suffered several hundred casualties. Governor Yao Kun and Kuizhou’s chief secretary were killed; Deputy Military Governor Zhao Tong was captured. They mistakenly believed it was an independent rebellion by the surrendered forces.

Wei Fufeng received the report and led a protective force into Kuizhou’s Fengjie county town.

Upon arriving at the military governor’s residence, he began the post-conflict arrangements, promoting all the insider officers involved to military commanders and ordering them to seize other city gates.

After success, Wei Fufeng sent messengers overnight to the Fangzhou border, summoning prepared civil and military officials from Jinzhou to come take control of Kuizhou.

Wei Fufeng did not intend for Badong to fall under Chuannan rule but to return it to his grandfather’s control—for internal harmony and easier imperial acceptance.

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Before dawn, a thousand Jinzhou soldiers arrived to enter Kuizhou city, accompanied by the chief secretary, deputy commanders, county magistrates, deputies, military officers, and clerks—all to fully replace Li Shunjie’s appointees.

More civil and military officials from other prefectures would follow. Local military and political affairs would be administered by Jinzhou appointees. Most of the troops guarding Badong would be under Chuannan command, but the title of Zhenjiang military governor was temporarily retained.

Due to Li Shunjie’s failure, Wei Fufeng completely absorbed the surrendered forces of Badong, relocating them to Chuannan and Qianzhong, and dispatched Chuannan troops to Kuizhou disguised as Zhenjiang soldiers to garrison Badong.

Upon the officials’ arrival, Wei Fufeng issued joint military orders from the governor and deputy military governor, summoning county officials in Kuizhou to Fengjie county town for a council.

Newly appointed county officials barely had time to settle before being reassigned. Though resentful, they dared not disobey imperial orders.

Thus, the officials returning to Fengjie county town became prisoners, while the Jinzhou officials set out to assume their posts.

Upon the new officials’ arrival, county clerks and servants respectfully accepted them, none daring to question the change.

With Kuizhou firmly under control, Wei Fufeng turned his attention to other prefectures, focusing first on Guizhou. Claiming administrative transfer of Shizhou, he ordered the Guizhou commanders to lead ten thousand troops to Fengjie county town.

When the ten thousand Guizhou troops arrived, their commanders were imprisoned, and ten military commanders issued orders from the deputy military governor and governor to take command of the Guizhou forces, dividing them into ten units.

Most Guizhou troops were former Wutai soldiers, with a minority from Yang Shouliang’s forces.

Li Ziqi’s subordinates took charge of these troops. Of the ten thousand Guizhou soldiers, only a few Tianwei soldiers might harbor doubts, but with clear military orders, none dared to disobey.

After securing Guizhou’s forces, Wei Fufeng’s fake orders reached Wanzhou and Zhongzhou, commanding each prefecture’s governor to lead three thousand troops to campaign on Shizhou.

Governor Wang Jianchao of Zhongzhou complied without suspicion.

Kuizhou dispatched twenty thousand troops southward to Shizhou, half of them Guizhou forces.

Shizhou historically belonged to Qianzhong Circuit but was occupied by Cheng Rui, the military governor of Jingnan.

Later, the emperor approved the establishment of the Wutai military governorship, placing Shizhou under its jurisdiction. However, Wutai’s Wang Jianchao dared not provoke Cheng Rui, so Shizhou remained a nominal subordinate.

Wei Fufeng’s campaign on Shizhou was not a true conquest; he wished to avoid direct conflict with Cheng Rui’s forces. The expedition aimed to absorb Badong’s surrendered soldiers and annihilate Wang Jianchao’s military presence.

On the march, Wang Jianchao’s forces joined with over twenty thousand “Zhenjiang troops,” only to be ambushed by the latter.

Wang Jianchao was routed and fled, pursued to Qianzhou, where he encountered twenty thousand Chuannan troops blocking his path.

With just a thousand survivors, Wang Jianchao sought to surrender to the Chuannan forces. However, the Chuannan troops charged forward, overwhelming him and his men.

Wang Jianchao was killed. Zhongzhou soon fell under siege by ten thousand Chuannan soldiers; its commander opened the city gates and surrendered.

After eliminating Wang Jianchao’s forces, the pursuit continued into Qianzhou. The twenty thousand Chuannan troops then returned to Kuizhou. The governor of Wanzhou had already been killed.

More than twenty thousand surrendered soldiers and prisoners arrived at Pengshui County in Qianzhou, where they were assimilated. The officers were assigned under the White Tiger Hall, while the soldiers dispersed to various military garrisons and were granted land for settlement.