Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Jiangling Counterattack—when these words were spoken, the officials at the Jiangling prefectural office thought they had misheard. What was the situation in Western Shu like now?

Deploying 20,000 troops here—could the situation in Western Shu be alleviated? Neither Wang Guanzhi nor Vice Prefect Xu knew. Yet upon hearing the messenger utter those words, they instinctively believed that His Highness the Crown Prince was capable of anything; if he said they would fight, then fight they would!

"When will they arrive?" Wang Guanzhi asked urgently.

The messenger replied, "Within one day!"

If they did not take the Tianqian Pass, they would have to come via southern Western Shu, which meant venturing deep into enemy territory.

That would take at least six or seven days to reach... For the army to march here that fast, His Highness must have made the decision days ago.

"Stockpile grain!" Wang Guanzhi’s mind raced. "At such speed, His Highness’s army surely has no heavy baggage!"

Vice Prefect Xu understood and immediately turned to mobilize all officials in Jiangling. The grief from the Jiangling Dam disaster transformed into boundless drive. Since the southern unrest began, they had endured too much—the bitter struggle with insufficient troops, the turmoil among refugees. They could no longer bear to see the people of the south wandering homeless. He wished he could run faster: "I’ll organize the grain transport."

"His Highness said the encirclement would come from Western Shu, so Western Shu’s troops can only come through Liangzhou," said Shen Yunfei. He knew that earlier the dam had been opened, and the great river had held back the Western Shu garrison forces. Now that Jiangling was attacked, the Secret Faction’s army had very few routes left. That meant Jiangling would become their target—but it also gave the arriving Western Shu reinforcements a rare chance to strike!

Chen Shoude looked at this young Imperial Guard officer. He had heard that the youth had followed the Crown Prince south, carrying messages all the way to Jiangling, but only now working with him did he realize the young man was different from green young officers. Wang Guanzhi had taken him on a route only once, yet he remembered it perfectly.

When he led the imperial army through the mountain forests, it was as if he were born for such complex terrain.

"Then we hold the line!" Chen Shoude stared at the young man. "Hold until His Highness arrives with reinforcements, and then we counterattack the Secret Faction!"

That night, the Jiangling garrison launched a full-scale offensive. The remaining craftsmen on the Jiangling Dam were ordered to withdraw to safety. Before leaving, they lingered with reluctance, fearing the dam would not survive the war. Yet when they saw the imperial army stationed outside the dam, only one thought remained in their minds.

They no longer wanted to live in fear.

News from Ningjiang and Jiangling in the Jiangnan region was sent northward with urgent reports.

The imperial court was stunned by the southern military action. In the midst of the Northern Barbarians’ invasion, when holding still and waiting to adjust troop deployments would have been the cautious move, the south did not choose to hold still. Instead, it directly attacked the Secret Faction. This was a decision that first thrust Dayuan into a situation of threats from both north and south!

Even the civil officials who had previously spoken for the Eastern Palace now sensed a subtle impropriety and submitted protests in court one after another. Meanwhile, the Emperor on the throne looked down at his loyal and capable ministers. Over the years, Dayuan’s purges had uprooted most of the hidden moles and corrupt elements lurking within. Starting from the military pay case to the discovery of the Second Prince and other Secret Faction members in the court, this path had taken eight years since the Northern Expedition.

When the Emperor received the news of the southern war, he did not share the ministers’ worries. "So what if the south goes to war? Dayuan fears no war."

"Dayuan was founded through martial force. Two emperors took the throne by conquest." As the Emperor spoke to his ministers, even though he was no longer in his prime, with white at his temples, the majesty that filled the court remained.

The Northern Barbarians and the Secret Faction had long feared Dayuan’s military power. He had given the Crown Prince military command not to defend, but to attack. What should be defended is an era of prosperity; if the rebels were not beaten back, Dayuan would never know peace, let alone a golden age ahead.

Below the throne, Meng Jinyuan, Hu Buyu, and others exclaimed, "Your Majesty is truly wise."

The Emperor had already prepared for the southern war when he allocated nearly 60,000 troops to the Crown Prince. Rather than holding fast and waiting for the right moment, it was better to break through and drive out the Secret Faction.

The Jiangling Pass occupied a strategic position, controlling the downstream dams of Jiangnan and connecting most of the rivers and mountain paths of southern Western Shu. After the safety of the Tianqian Pass in northern Western Shu was secured, this place had become the most dangerous frontline in the southern hinterland against the rebel Secret Faction forces.

They knew better than anyone that now was the best moment to attack.

In early summer of the twenty-fourth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty, the Northern Barbarians launched a massive invasion of the northern border. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor decreed that General of the Northern Garrison Qi Shen mobilize the northern army to counterattack the Northern Barbarians, while the Lu family military officers of the imperial court led 30,000 imperial troops north to reinforce.

At the same time, in the south of Dayuan, the Crown Prince of Dayuan, Ying Fusheng, at the front line, held military authority over the south. He specially ordered 30,000 imperial troops from Liangzhou, Western Shu, to march south to suppress the rebellious Secret Faction and reclaim lost territory in the south.

Dayuan had fully entered civil war. The first battle of the southern counterattack took place at Jiangling. A massive force assembled from Western Shu advanced south toward the Jiangling Pass. The route that once blocked the enemy now blocked their own advance, but none of the generals feared it. Recent scout reports were enough for them to gauge the enemy’s strength. At this moment, what they needed was speed.

"Signs of the enemy found outside Jiangling—they are crossing the river in the south!"

"Someone is also invading from the east. It’s probably a detachment sent by Marquis Cen’an. Ningjiang is holding out with all its might!"

Everyone believed the Southern Frontier should be defended, but they could not hold it!

The Northern Barbarians striking at this time were undoubtedly allied with the Secret Faction, either to give the Secret Faction a chance to catch their breath or to let them attack Jiangnan.

When the imperial army from Liangzhou arrived, they found Jiangling under attack from two sides. They didn't dare imagine what would have happened if they had waited for reinforcements—Jiangling would have fallen!

Messages poured into the command tent. Ying Fusheng presided over the main tent as countless reports came from all directions. He looked up and saw Qi Hanzhou and the other generals already clad in armor, everything ready—only awaiting his order to attack. "All generals, hear my command: three days—we must take the Jiangling defense line!"

"Yes!"

The war horns sounded in the mountains of Western Shu. The imperial army and the Liangzhou Army combined forces of thirty thousand troops invaded along the river. The old Liangzhou general,

supported by the imperial army, launched a surprise attack on the rebels who were assaulting Jiangling. The Secret Faction rebels had not expected the imperial army to directly commit thirty thousand troops to attack the south; they had left only ten thousand to defend the vital Liangzhou region.

Ying Fusheng walked out of the command tent. The main force had already advanced southward to attack.

Before leaving the capital, the Emperor had given him sixty thousand troops. Now, the troops numbered more than sixty thousand.

The thirty thousand troops on the expedition included imperial soldiers, Liangzhou troops, and volunteers from Western Shu. While the Emperor was on guard against the Northern Barbarians, he had placed the entire Southern Frontier in his hands. Once the Northern Barbarians invaded, the remaining imperial forces would deal with the foreign tribes, and the battlefield of the Southern Frontier would be entirely his.

From the moment they captured Liangzhou, they could only move forward.

He was a prince, the Crown Prince of Dayuan. This empire was the destiny of their generation.

Weng Yanqing looked at the Crown Prince of Dayuan before him. Since he had begun following him, more and more people had rallied behind the Crown Prince—the trust of Jiangling Prefecture, the admiration of the Jiangnan officialdom, and now the obedience of the military commanders. "Your Highness, in this game of chess in Jiangnan, you are one of just two players."

The Southern Frontier was no longer the same as a few years ago. This was a hopeless situation that had been turned around.

"It's raining."

The rainy season of the Southern Frontier had arrived.

A fierce storm descended upon this battlefield.

Outside Jiangling City, Wang Guanzhi led his men running along the Jiangling Dam in the rain. The sounds of slaughter echoed around them. He walked forward without looking back. The other craftsmen had retreated, but he could not.

He was a man of the Jiangnan officialdom, the builder of the Jiangling Dam. He would stand here, guarding the dam to the end, giving no opportunity for any Secret Faction member to open the sluice gates, nor allowing the dam to endanger the other prefectures.

"The Jiangling Dam is meant to see a prosperous age. It must see it."

The rain washed everything outside Jiangling. Chen Shoude and Shen Yunfei each led their troops guarding two key points of Jiangling Pass. Slaughter and blood descended upon the battlefield. The rain was filled with the stench of mud and blood. The wind and rain blinded them, the mud made the horses slip, and the impact of blades on armor numbed their hands.

Outside Jiangling City, siege engines drew closer from afar. Vice Prefect Xu, standing on the heights, his legs trembled. Yet even so, he stood together with the defending generals. "Hold on! Let them see that Jiangling can hold its own!"

The clash erupted.

"Is the imperial army mad? They left no troops despite the Northern Barbarian invasion!" In the rebel rear, when they received the urgent news, the imperial army had already reached southern Western Shu. At this moment, they could no longer divide their forces. "The route was given by those Liangzhou soldiers. They are familiar with the routes in southern Western Shu and know how to avoid our scouts!"

"We must take Jiangling. If we don't take Jiangling, the road will be cut off!" the rebels yelled.

Horses galloped through the mountains. The imperial army crossed the forests and directly reached the Jiangling region. The fighting along the river moved upstream.

Qi Hanzhou charged at the forefront, alone on his horse. The Pei Family Spear in his hands was unstoppable. As he leaped into the enemy ranks, it was as if he had returned to the vast battlefield of the northern deserts. But this was not the northern deserts. He did not look back. From the moment they marched south, they could only move forward. Thirty thousand troops advanced south, leaving Liangzhou and the northern Western Shu with insufficient forces. The Southern Frontier had no turning back.

The Crown Prince said he didn't know chess, but he was a general under his command.

"The rain is too heavy!"

Qi Hanzhou turned his head. The sudden sound of the Qi family whistle signal reached the ears of every Light Garment Guard. The arc of blood flung by the spear disappeared into the rainy day. The Light Garment Guards scattered across the battle circle. The most agile became the keenest soldiers in the rain. Although they had never fought in the Southern Frontier's rainy season, when they were in it, it felt as if they had returned to the time when they first came to Jiangnan and blocked the traitors who were setting fire to the mountains.

Jiangling is also a familiar place for them. It feels great, after two years, they have returned to Jiangling again.

"The vanguard's engaged the rear flank!"

"The rebel forces are about fifty thousand troops attacking Jiangling Pass!"

Ying Fusheng stood before the sand table, listening to the urgent reports as the rain pattered down.

His fingers were cold as he gripped the sand marker and placed it on a strategic point. The rain came at an inopportune time, but they knew no one could retreat. "Their main force comes from the south, this mountain!" He pointed to one spot. Calculating further, the narrow gap between the two spots was exactly the opening that Qi Hanzhou and the others had created. "Can our catapults reach that spot?"

"Yes!" a general stepped forward and said, "General Lu has prepared them!" "Cut off, cut off here." Ying Fusheng made an immediate decision.

Ye Xuanqi suddenly understood and said, "I know the terrain around Jiangling. I will lead the troops over there!"

The rain came down hard and fast. After half a day of bitter fighting, the sounds outside Jiangling never ceased.

The people were anxious and uneasy, but when they saw the defenders of Jiangling holding their positions time and again, their worry gave way to trust in the garrison. They could hold Jiangling, they absolutely could hold it.

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!"

When the defenders on the Jiangling city walls saw the volley of arrows, they also saw the imperial army like a thunderclap cutting through the rain, on the mountains across the river, like a long blade slicing into the rear flank of the Western Shu rebels.

In the Western Shu mountains, logs and boulders rolled down the mountain in the rain curtain, smashing into the rebel rear flank. The falling rocks blocked the advance of the rear army, thoroughly supporting the advancing imperial forces.

This cascade of rocks directly struck the rebel flank forces, stranding nearly twenty thousand troops on the spot. The invading Western Shu rebels, at this moment, were caught between the Jiangling defenders and the imperial army, completely trapped, like turtles in a jar.

The vanguard generals at this moment locked onto the rebel commander.

Qi Hanzhou leaped into the enemy ranks, swapping his spear for a sword, with the clear intention of taking the rebel commander's head.

The Western Shu rebel general had not yet reacted when the blade was already before him.

The imperial army surged swiftly toward Jiangling, shattering the Western Shu rebels' plan to attack Jiangling by taking advantage of the northern chaos.

Caught off guard outside Jiangling, the Western Shu rebels lost nearly half their forces to a surprise encirclement; their commander was captured, and the remaining troops had to retreat southward. Instead of backing down, the imperial army pressed their advantage, advancing south with relentless momentum!

In southern Western Shu, an urgent dispatch arrived at the Prince of Pingnan's residence. The Secret Faction within the residence turned pale upon hearing the news of the imperial army's ambush on the rear flank—the rockfall had directly cut off their twenty thousand troops. With fifty thousand men attacking Jiangling, the imperial army's surprise ambush cost them over ten thousand losses and forced them to retreat to the southern border of Western Shu.

"Where are the scouts from Liangzhou? Why didn't this news come through?"

"The imperial army moved in secrecy this time, marching through the mountain paths. We've lost too many eyes in Liangzhou."

They all knew that the imperial army's decision to attack the southern border was likely made days ago.

Almost at the same time, upon deciding to strike Jiangling, the imperial army had already anticipated this move and blocked them in Western Shu. This defeat at Jiangling not only dealt a blow to morale but also disrupted their subsequent plans. Originally, they intended to move on the Jiangling Dam—securing Jiangling would have offset the impact of the loss in Liangzhou.

But now, the people's support in the southern territory that they had hoped to exploit would likely be unsustainable after this defeat. The advisors frowned. In turbulent times, popular support was crucial for conscription and grain levies. "If we lose the people's will..."

"It's merely the people's will. In chaotic times, many warlords rise in rebellion without popular support." The Prince of Pingnan's Heir, standing before the map of the southern border, turned around. "With war on both the north and south, Dayuan is no longer the realm that could afford the emperor's personal campaign a decade ago. Years of our maneuvering have worn down Western Shu and drained the court's vitality. Dayuan is indeed skilled in warfare, but war also requires provisions."

Two generations of emperors' campaigns, years of treasury depletion, and the consumption of supplies... Dayuan's national strength was no longer what it used to be. Even with the recent improvements from their maneuvering, it was still not enough to sustain the cost of multi-front warfare.

"Where is the Crown Prince of Dayuan?" the Prince of Pingnan's Heir suddenly asked.

Instantly, silence fell over the residence. The scout who had delivered the report paused for a moment, then said: "The vanguard is blocked at the front. Our hidden agents in Liangzhou have been killed by Qi Hanzhou's Light Garment Guard—we can no longer send messages... But a few days ago, a medicinal merchant in Liangzhou made a large shipment of medicine."

Ying Fusheng was in poor health and had not stopped his medication for years. To eradicate the Suihongzi poison, he required a special ingredient that was indispensable.

It was precisely because of this that their hidden agents could easily determine his whereabouts. The sudden shipment of medicine from the Liangzhou merchant could only mean one thing: the Crown Prince of Dayuan, seemingly still in Liangzhou, was in fact no longer there.

The Prince of Pingnan's Heir showed no regret over the defeat. Victory and defeat were two different things—Ying Fusheng, having rooted out so many of his moles, was far more clever than anticipated. That Ying Fusheng chose not to defend the north but to take the south could only mean he intended to stabilize the entire southern region, even to keep them from getting any closer.

Because Ying Fusheng knew what they wanted.

The south was prosperous. With the Jiangling Dam completed, the harvest season was imminent.

As long as the south was secured, the north could wage war.

The Crown Prince had come to the front lines, and thirty thousand troops were his protection. Beyond Jiangling lay the heart of the southern lands, the safest place.

But southern Western Shu was his domain.

"Then let the Crown Prince of Dayuan never leave Western Shu."