Chapter 150

Chapter 150

In the mountain forests of Western Shu, tumbling logs and crashing boulders destroyed the mountain paths and brought the rebel army's advance to a halt.

The southern part of Western Shu was never short of rain, and the early summer rains came down fast and hard. The imperial army's vanguard pushed to the river channel, like a blade slicing through the gap between the Western Shu rebels and Jiangling. This reinforcement didn't just ease Jiangling's predicament of being attacked from two sides—it also opened up the road connecting Jiangling to Western Shu.

On the far side of the rockfall, a covert courier from the Prince of Pingnan's estate reached the front lines with a scout. The rocks had cut off the road ahead, and the imperial army's rapid advance to break the deadlock was almost a defensive line for the Western Shu Army hell-bent on taking Jiangling.

The rebels stared up at the blocked mountain road, and one of the strategists with them said, "General, Jiangling is key to His Lordship's plans. If we don't take it, we can't shake Dayuan's foundations."

The imperial army's swift maneuver had indeed caught the Western Shu Army with their pants down, costing them men and officers while also blowing their best chance to strike from southern Western Shu toward Jiangling. With Western Shu's southern route cut off, they'd struggle to link up with Marquis Cen'an's forces to besiege Jiangling. Jiangling's remaining troops could surely hold the other front.

The officers on hand knew the southern situation well. They knew damn well the imperial army's move was to shield Jiangling. Once the imperial forces from both sides of the Western Shu River met up through Jiangling Pass, they could form a defensive line from northwest to southeast, shielding the whole southern heartland.

The lead general's face was a mess of knife scars, with a scar slashing across his left eye. He was the One-Eye General from the old Western Shu garrison, now a top commander under the Prince of Pingnan. Behind him came thirty thousand elite Western Shu troops—reinforcements the Young Prince had left there.

"Across from us is the Lu Family Army, masters of defense, and the old Liangzhou Army, who know these mountain forests. Together, they can attack and defend. If we fight them here, we'd be tying up our main force outside Jiangling Pass." One-Eye scanned the letter—all of it exactly as the Young Prince had predicted. "The imperial army pushing south is the worst case for us, but there's a way out."

The imperial army had gambled, which meant their rear was now wide open.

Opening the Jiangling floodgates had held back the Western Shu troops with water, but that same river also held the imperial army back.

Unless the Jiangling gates opened, the imperial force from Liangzhou couldn't link up with Jiangling anytime soon. In that window, the imperial army could only camp by the river, waiting for the right moment to cross.

Closing the net would take time.

"His Lordship's orders: change course, march north."

One-Eye's face went dark as he said, "They're blocking us from Jiangling, so we won't let them link up."

Word of the big win outside Jiangling spread back to the city. The imperial army's sudden appearance, like gods dropping from the sky, was a relief to the Jiangling garrison, wound tight for so long. Qi Hanzhou had taken the enemy general's head. Seeing the rebels pull back, he turned to look at Jiangling, safe across the river, then called for Qi's falcon.

The falcon flew across the river, carrying the most urgent dispatch.

Chen Shoude got the letter and saw what Qi Hanzhou was planning. As long as the Western Shu garrison couldn't get past Jiangling Pass, Marquis Cen'an would get no reinforcements in Xuzhou. Qi Hanzhou wanted to combine the forces south of the river into one fist and take out Marquis Cen'an first.

Jiangling had been stuck in the middle for too long. They had to watch both Marquis Cen'an and the Western Shu army at once. With the imperial army easing the Western Shu front, Jiangling could stop worrying about Western Shu and focus fully on the southern front.

"They're planning to bottle up the Western Shu rebels in Western Shu, keep them from crossing into Jiangling?" Shen Yunfei was green on the battlefield, but he got the balance of power—the Western Shu rebels had more men. Once Jiangling's troops were freed to turn back against Marquis Cen'an, it would pressure the situation at Ning River. "Using Jiangling as a shield to block off Western Shu's forces—wouldn't all that pressure fall on Junior General Qi and his men?"

Chen Shoude sensed a hint of unease from the urgent letter, but at times like this, they could only follow their arrangements: "For now, we can only trust them."

The Jiangling army received the message and pulled back, dispatching troops to intercept Marquis Cen'an's forces. Chen Shoude knew the two sides were roughly evenly matched, but with the garrison already stationed south of the river, once the enemy came under pressure, Qi Hanzhou and his men would bear even greater strain. They did this for one reason only: to relieve Jiangling while creating conditions for the imperial army south of the river to wipe out Marquis Cen'an.

Across the river from Jiangling, scouts saw the Jiangling army's movements and knew they had received the message and changed their strategy.

"As long as we hold this side of the river, Liangzhou can connect with Jiangling." General Lu saw the grave look on Qi Hanzhou's face. "Don't worry about provisions. Hold the river, and we can ferry grain from Jiangling."

Qi Hanzhou looked into the distance. After the rain, mist had begun to rise over the mountains, shrouding the area around Jiangling like an unshakable pall. Farther away, the rebels had retreated after failing to take Jiangling. Their scouts would inevitably discover that the Jiangling garrison had turned back to defend the south bank. By all logic, they should now be adopting a new strategy. "The enemy's movements are off."

"They retreated too quickly," Qi Hanzhou said.

"There's no way they'd retreat. If they want to attack the south, Jiangling Pass is their fastest route after losing northern Western Shu." General Lu couldn't think of any reason the Western Shu rebels would give up on Jiangling—unless they didn't want the southern hinterland. "Then they should be trying to stop us now..."

This time, the imperial army had marched at speed, needing to open the road before the rear guard could catch up. Now that the crisis outside Jiangling Pass had been resolved, the only remaining task was to link up with the rear guard. The closest point to Jiangling was Jiangcheng in Western Shu—the nearest route down from Liangzhou. The imperial army needed to connect Liangzhou, Jiangcheng, and Jiangling to form a complete defensive perimeter.

Qi Hanzhou suddenly looked behind him, that uneasy feeling growing heavier. "After leaving a force here, we need to hurry back to defend Jiangcheng."

Just then, Ye Xuanjiu, who had gone ahead to scout, rushed back with urgent news: "The mountain outside Jiangcheng has collapsed, cutting off our route back!"

The moment the words fell, the faces of the assembled officers changed. The road back to Jiangcheng had been severed.

The rear guard and the Crown Prince were currently in Jiangcheng.

A dull roar filled Qi Hanzhou's mind. Based on their calculations, the Secret Faction's marching speed couldn't possibly be this fast. If they could cut off their return route, it meant that while they were attacking Jiangling, the mastermind had left a hidden hand in the rear. That concealed force might have been lurking deep in the rain-soaked mountains all along. While they turned back to defend Jiangling, the enemy had already been moving in the opposite direction.

"Our estimate of their numbers was wrong—the intelligence from Liangzhou was flawed!"

Qi Hanzhou forced himself to stay calm and said, "The rebel forces remaining in Western Shu far exceed forty thousand!"

"Damn it! How did they hide that many!" one officer cursed.

What did exceeding forty thousand mean? The Western Shu rebels might have several tens of thousands more in reserve. They had to prepare for the possibility of even greater numbers.

Qi Hanzhou couldn't afford to think about anything else. Realizing this possibility, he whistled. The falcon high above and the warhorse in the distance both responded simultaneously. He swung onto his horse. "Vanguard Battalion, with me! Light Garment Guard, clear the way!"

The officers immediately grasped the problem. By their return speed, they were far faster than the Western Shu rebels—but if the road back was cut, the rebels' pace would quicken! The rebels would reach Jiangcheng before them.

The Crown Prince was in danger!

Other officers instinctively moved to follow, but General Lu calmly stopped them: "Return to the original plan. We can't lose one to save the other."

"The Crown Prince's original intent was exactly that. Now the pressure falls entirely on us—the imperial forces on the Western Shu front." General Lu hadn't faced such a dire situation in a long time. "Harvest season is coming. His Highness ordered us to hold Jiangling. The summer and autumn harvests of the southern hinterland must support the northern front. The south must hold."

So Marquis Cen'an—this hidden threat—had to be dealt with before the Northern Barbarians, only then could the south be secured.

They had to strangle the conspiracy between the Secret Faction and the Northern Barbarians completely within Western Shu.

The Vanguard Battalion broke camp. General Lu watched Qi Hanzhou's figure vanish into the rain, his face more grim than ever before.

The Vanguard Battalion moved fastest. The Light Garment Guard had to find another mountain route back to Jiangcheng while on the move. A thousand thoughts raced through Qi Hanzhou's mind. He had been careless. The masterminds behind the Secret Faction had lurked in the court for years, and the Prince of Pingnan's household had hidden this deep. A man like that wouldn't prepare just a few contingencies.

Jiangcheng must not fall!

The rain in Jiangcheng grew heavier. Water leaked into the tents, and the personal guards in the command tent surrounded the Crown Prince. Ying Fusheng watched the water slowly seeping in, then turned to look at the misty rain outside the window.

"The rainy season is a blessing. Liangzhou has been waiting for this rain for a long time," Ying Fusheng said.

After a long drought, sweet rain had come—an auspicious sign for Western Shu.

But Weng Yanqing could see that the furrow between His Highness's brows had never smoothed.

"The victory dispatch from Jiangling has arrived. Once we join forces and eliminate Marquis Cen'an, at least the south of the river will be secure." Weng Yanqing spoke softly. "The grain protection routes from Yingtian Prefecture and the Ministry of War can deliver supplies north immediately. With the treasury and military provisions full, the hundred-thousand-strong northern army can hold back the Northern Barbarians."

Ying Fusheng lowered his gaze to the sand table. He disliked speaking while thinking.

Weng Yanqing had served His Highness for years. He could gauge his intentions, yet sometimes struggled to predict his next move. But as a strategist, all he could do was stay by His Highness's side, helping resolve difficulties: "If so, the main battlefield will fall on Western Shu. I still feel the enemy's numbers remain unclear."

They were not generals, but they understood the chessboard.

The battlefield had unfolded in Western Shu as they wished, but victory or defeat rested entirely on the frontline soldiers. They were not commanders; the ever-shifting battlefield situation lay beyond their control. Victory and defeat were decided on the field—those pulling strings behind the scenes could only do their part.

"If the Western Shu rebels' numbers far exceed our estimates, this move to save the south could easily put the imperial forces in Western Shu in grave danger," Weng Yanqing raised the key point.

Ying Fusheng turned slightly at his words. In rainy weather, messenger falcons flew slowly; they would learn of news half a day or several hours later than the front lines. "Yanqing, do you know the fastest way to secure the south?"

Weng Yanqing said, "Your Highness's current approach is already the fastest way to stabilize the south with the forces we have."

This war was too difficult. With Dayuan's military strength alone, wiping out the Secret Faction would be no problem—but they had allied with the Northern Barbarians as a hidden pact. Dayuan had to hold both the northern and southern fronts simultaneously to spare the people from disaster, which made long-distance troop movements a formidable challenge. The Secret Faction had long feared Dayuan's military power, and on this front, they had prepared far more thoroughly than other hidden agents.

"Of all things, it had to be the two garrisons in the southern territories that ran into trouble," Weng Yanqing said. If those garrisons were still there, Dayuan could hold. So the Prince of Pingnan's household was the perfect piece—a move the Secret Faction had held in reserve for years, and now the hardest move to counter in defending Dayuan.

"When forces are concentrated, they're hard to break; when scattered, it all comes down to the generals' skill on the front lines."

Ying Fusheng gave a slight wave, and the plump falcon inside the tent shuffled closer. He took out a letter he'd already written and tucked it into the message tube, then suddenly said, "Go send the message."

He passed the falcon to Weng Yanqing.

"When you send it," Ying Fusheng began, then paused abruptly. "Tell Qi Hanzhou to take his time on the march."

"Forget it—he's going to rush no matter what."

Weng Yanqing looked a little taken aback. His Highness hadn't told Junior General Qi about this.

The reason Jiangnan and Xishu could split their forces was that Jiangling served as bait—if the rebels didn't take it, they couldn't take the southern heartland. But if Xishu wanted to split its forces... there was only one bait dangled in front of the Xishu rebels—one they knew was a trap but couldn't resist.

The Crown Prince.

In front of the command tent, Weng Yanqing let the falcon go. The next moment, the horn within the camp blared—the signal that Jiangcheng's scouts had spotted the enemy approaching! The garrison troops remaining in Jiangcheng moved into action at once, and the commanders left behind rushed to the command tent. Nearly five thousand elite garrison troops lined up along the walls. "Your Highness! Enemy forces are heading for Jiangcheng—looks like nearly thirty thousand!"

"So Xishu alone has nearly eighty thousand troops," Ying Fusheng murmured.

The commanders paused, catching the Crown Prince's meaning—this was the real force hidden in Xishu, on top of Marquis Cen'an's troops.

"If they're bringing thirty thousand, how long can Jiangcheng hold?" Ying Fusheng asked.

The defending commanders—some from the Liangzhou Army, some from the imperial forces—exchanged glances and quickly gave their answer: "Jiangcheng has natural advantages. Junior General Qi planned for this when he set up the defenses—if attacked, the city can lean on its mountain position and hold for several days. But against thirty thousand... if their commander knows what he's doing, it's hard to say."

"How long before they get here?" Ying Fusheng pressed.

The commander replied: "They'll be at the city gates within half a day."

The encirclement by Jiangling and the Xishu imperial forces would take time, and so would the Liangzhou garrison and Qi Hanzhou's return. The fastest way to stabilize the south wasn't just building a defensive line from Xishu to Jiangnan—it was also wearing down the enemy while getting what they wanted.

That meant luring the enemy deep into their territory.

Ying Fusheng wanted the enemy to walk into his trap even knowing it was bait.

Most towns in Xishu's prefectures were nestled against the mountains, and Jiangcheng was one of those mountain-backed cities, sitting between Liangzhou and Jiangling. Its hidden position had originally been picked so the imperial forces could launch a surprise attack on the Jiangling rebels, but its superior geography made it one of the rare, tough fortresses among Xishu's mountain cities. The watchtower at the top could spot troop movements from far off.

This was the stronghold Qi Hanzhou had once told him about, and the city he'd deliberately picked for defense.

Unfortunately, this rain came at the wrong time—the misty drizzle blocked the watchtower's view, as if signaling a hard fight ahead.

The commanders looked to the Crown Prince. They all knew an attack on Jiangcheng right now meant the enemy had found out His Highness was here. For the enemy, that was an irresistible lure—capturing the Dayuan Crown Prince would be like grabbing another lifeline of the south, beyond Jiangling.

Yet oddly, with the Crown Prince here, they felt no fear of the enemy.

Ying Fusheng lowered his eyes. Frail as he was, standing among the burly commanders, he'd become their anchor.

He raised a hand slightly, and a map of Jiangcheng he'd prepared earlier unfurled in front of the commanders. Since the enemy had walked into his game, he'd make Jiangcheng the most unbreakable fortress in the Xishu encirclement.