Taiheiki

Chapter 229 North Wind
"You all continue discussing the construction of the city wall, I'll go up to the city wall and take a look!" Zhang Wen stood up.

Zhang Wen strode quickly toward the city wall, or rather, ran. He could hear shouts coming from the river, wave after wave, each one higher than the last, echoing across the river and the land, through the streets and houses, resounding in every corner of Fancheng. He lifted his cloak and, taking three steps at a time, climbed the city wall.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the river red, but the banners and turbans of the Moth Bandits stained the water yellow. Countless boats sailed upstream, their decks filled with warriors wearing yellow turbans. Every person, every mouth, every soul shouted in unison. The overwhelming roar made Zhang Wen gasp for breath. A thought flashed through his mind: "The Great Teacher's most powerful magic isn't summoning wind and rain or drawing talismans to exorcise ghosts, but rather the ability to give these hundreds of thousands of people a single thought, a single idea. Even the most fortified city couldn't withstand such power! Fancheng is finished!"

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Xiangyang City.

On the opposite bank of the Han River, almost simultaneously, Feng Kun and his men witnessed the arrival of the enemy commander. The magnificent sight of the Moth Rebel army advancing upstream against the Han River terrified the Han army's high command. Although Feng Kun and his men had been fighting the Moth Rebels for two years, this was their first direct confrontation with this legendary Great Teacher. Clearly, this important figure had not come to sightsee; the Moth Rebels had come with their entire force, determined to fight the Han army to the death and capture Xiangyang and Fancheng, the twin cities situated on opposite banks of the Han River.

"We must find a way to support Zhang Wen!" Ying Feng's face was no longer calm as usual: "Otherwise, once Fancheng falls, the E'zhai will be able to go upstream along the Dan River, advance by land and water, and rush straight to Wancheng, and the overall situation will be in danger!"

"Excellent! Fancheng must not be lost!"

"But the Han River is full of ships belonging to the Moth Pirates. We are on the south bank, and Fancheng is on the north bank. How can we support Fancheng?"

"We can leave the city and attack the Moth Bandit warships on the river to distract the Moth Bandits!"

"The enemy outnumbers us, and leaving the city would likely lead to peril!"

"There's no other way at this point!"

The Han army officers were arguing fiercely. For modern people, it's difficult to understand the national significance of Wancheng, located in the Nanyang Basin, during the Eastern Han Dynasty. First, Nanyang Commandery was not only the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty but also its largest commandery, with a population of 240 million. Second, Wancheng had been a renowned iron-producing area since the Warring States period, ranking among the top in the country in metallurgy. Third, the Nanyang Basin was surrounded by mountains on its east, west, and north sides, with a flat southern side and well-developed waterways connecting it to the Jianghan Plain. It was separated from the Luoyang Basin only by the Xiong'er Mountains. In other words, once the Nanyang Basin fell into the hands of the Ezhou rebels, it would be very difficult for the Han army to retake it; the best outcome would be to move the capital to Henan or Guanzhong. Naturally, they had to fight the Ezhou rebels to the bitter end here.

"The only option now is to fight the Moth Bandits to the death here!" someone lamented. "It's just a pity we can't wait any longer for the newly trained army from the imperial court to arrive before we can fight!"

“Yes!” another person sighed. “If we had known this earlier, we should have built a pontoon bridge across the Han River to connect the north and the south. This would have allowed us to deploy large armies between the two banks and also prevented the enemy’s navy from heading north into the Dan River.”

“That’s right!” Tian Yan said, “General Wei Cong, the strong crossbowman, has already led his troops to Jiangling. Why not order him to send troops to join us in attacking the Emei bandits?” He was from Hebei and had been leading troops in the northwest to fight against the Qiang people for many years. Later, he was transferred to the capital to serve in the Northern Army and went south with the army to reinforce Feng Kun.

"Yes!"

"Chancellor Feng can write a letter ordering them to send troops to attack the Moth bandits from both sides!"

Like drowning men grasping at a straw, the officers and soldiers pleaded with Feng Kun. To them, it was perfectly reasonable; Feng Kun was a General of Chariots and Cavalry, while Wei Cong was merely a minor general. How could Wei Cong refuse an order from Feng Kun? But Feng Kun and Ying Feng knew Wei Cong's true nature. They exchanged bitter smiles. If this man were willing to send troops to attack the bandits, he would have done so long ago. Why had he waited until now? Clearly, he wanted to sit back and watch the outcome unfold.

"General Wei's army has marched a long way and is already exhausted. They also have to deal with the Wuling barbarians of Jingnan. Holding Jiangling is already a difficult task; they probably won't be able to send troops north for the time being!" Ying Feng defended Wei Cong. In any case, it was best not to break ties with Wei Cong before eliminating the Moth Bandits. After all, even if he did nothing, just remaining a general would force the Moth Bandits to keep an eye on him, which would be of some help.

"Yes!" Feng Kun understood immediately and coughed. "The imperial reinforcements have all been sent here. General Wei's forces are meager; they're lucky if they can even defend themselves. To deal with the Moth Bandits, we still have to rely on ourselves!"

The generals exchanged bewildered glances. The rebels already had a large army, and after controlling the lower reaches of the Han River and the Yangtze River, their navy was far stronger than the local Han army in Xiangyang. Given the unique geographical situation of Xiangyang and Fancheng, located on opposite banks of the Han River, whoever had the stronger navy could maneuver their forces more flexibly, gaining the upper hand in open battle. Under these circumstances, the Han army might not even be able to win in defending the city, let alone in open battle.

"In my opinion, the only chance of victory right now is a night raid!" Tian Yan said.

"Night attack?"

"Yes, the bandits outnumber us, so it's hard to win during the day, but we have a chance at night. Tonight, we'll launch a simultaneous night attack from both the water and the land. On the water, we'll use fire ships to attack the bandits' navy, and on the land, we'll gather daredevils to raid their camp. If either the water or land attack succeeds, we still have a fighting chance. If both fail, then we'll have no choice but to abandon Fancheng for now!"

"Give up Fancheng? Wouldn't that just let the bandits rush straight to Wancheng?" someone asked.

"That's not quite right!" Tian Yan said. "If the bandits enter the Dan River from the Han River and then advance by land and water to take Wancheng, we can lead our troops to pursue them from behind, attack their rear guard, and cut off their supply lines. If the bandits turn back to attack us, we will fortify our defenses and refuse to fight. In time, the bandits will surely find a weakness!"

Those present were all discerning, and upon hearing Tian Yan's suggestion, their gazes immediately turned to Feng Kun. To put it bluntly, compared to the government army, the Moth Rebels were significantly inferior in both troop quality and officer capabilities. However, their sheer numbers compensated for this, especially with the influx of miners from the Jiangxia iron mines and the large quantity of weapons previously provided by Wei Cong in Yuzhang County. The Moth Rebels were no longer fighting with bamboo spears and sickles, wearing only simple cloth clothing; they were now equipped with spears, swords, shields, bows, and crossbows, and their armor coverage was three to four tenths. Coupled with the morale boost from religion, the government army's repeated defeats were not surprising. However, troop numbers are a double-edged sword. A person has not only two hands but also a mouth, and the Moth Rebels' large numbers also placed a heavy logistical burden. As Tian Yan said, since Fancheng could not be held, it was better to abandon it, allowing the Moth Rebels to attack Wancheng directly, with the Han army following behind, attacking their supply lines, and seeking a more favorable opportunity for a decisive battle. This was undoubtedly a more advantageous military strategy. However, this would completely expose the Nanyang Basin to the enemy's military might, and the numerous manors and fortresses belonging to the founding nobles and gentry would become targets for the enemy's plunder. It's not hard to imagine the immense political pressure this would place on Feng Kun in the imperial court.

Feng Kun's aged face was like a stone sculpture, the firelight casting a sinister orange hue upon it. His sunken eyes were shrouded in shadow, and no one could fathom what he was thinking. A few minutes later, he stood up: "Prepare the fire ships! Tonight, we'll launch a fire attack on the Moth Bandits' fleet! If that fails—" He paused, "then abandon Fancheng!"

"Yes, sir!" the officers responded in unison, then filed out of the house. Ying Feng walked to Feng Kun's side and whispered, "Brother Hongqing, this is absolutely unacceptable! To abandon Fancheng without a fight and let the enemy march straight into Nanyang? Either one of these actions is enough to warrant a death sentence!"

“Uncle!” Feng Kun’s voice was low but firm: “What if we lose? Apart from those new troops, Luoyang will have no soldiers left to fight. The bandits can directly besiege Wancheng and send troops to attack Luoyang. Then everything will be over!”

"Isn't there still Hebei and Guanzhong?" Ying Feng said anxiously, "If you do this, even if you eventually quell the Moth Rebellion, you won't have a good outcome. Those whose homes and villages have been destroyed will not let you go! At that time, Dou Youping will not protect you!"

“I’m not doing this for Dou Youping!” Feng Kun said. “I’m doing this for the 100,000 soldiers under my command, and for the Han Dynasty. The current situation in the world is extremely precarious. If we lose here to the Moth Rebels, what do you think Wei Cong will do? If things go wrong, everything south of the Han River will no longer be Han territory!”

Ying Feng trembled slightly; Feng Kun's words struck a chord deep within him. According to his intelligence network, after Wei Cong arrived in Jiangling, he focused on cultivating relationships with local powerful figures and training his troops, without launching any military action against the Moth Bandits or the Wuling Barbarians. Of course, there were plausible explanations for this: Wei Cong's soldiers came from Jiaozhou and needed time to rest and acclimatize to the local climate. To wage war, they needed to recruit soldiers and supplies from the local area, which naturally required maintaining good relations with the local powerful families of Jingzhou to secure their contributions.

The problem is that Wei Cong has a dark past. He seized Jiaozhou during the Mohe rebels' uprising, cooperating seamlessly with them. This time, his northward campaign didn't take the old route through Yuzhang, but instead followed the Li River, Ling Canal, and Xiang River, a roundabout route. Wei Cong explained that it avoided crossing the Five Ridges, using only waterways, allowing him to directly enter the Yangtze River with his fleet and transport more supplies. However, Ying Feng believed these were merely excuses. Wei Cong's real reason for choosing this route was that it avoided the Mohe rebels' controlled territory, thus preserving his cooperation. Furthermore, by controlling Jiangling, he could watch the court and the Mohe rebels fight to the death. If the court won, he could sail downriver from Jiangling to punish the Mohe rebels, becoming a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty; if the Mohe rebels won, he could seize Nanjun and the four southern commanderies of Jingnan, establishing himself as king—a win-win situation!
"You're right!" Ying Feng nodded. "Wei Cong is holding back in Jiangling, clearly watching the tigers fight from the sidelines. If we fight the Moth Bandits to the death, it will only benefit him!"

"I can only hope that a southerly wind will blow tonight, and the fire, aided by the wind, will be able to burn down part of the Moth Pirates' navy!" Feng Kun sighed. "As long as we are still here, Wei Cong shouldn't dare to turn against us openly!"

No sooner had they finished speaking than a sound came from outside the courtyard. The two men went to the window and saw that the fierce north wind had blown the large flag in the courtyard taut, making it look like an iron plate. Feng and Ying looked at each other, their faces grim.

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Below the altar.

"Master!" Qi Tie respectfully accepted the magic sword from Liu Xin's hand: "With your magic, the north wind has been blowing these past few days, so we don't have to worry about the government troops playing any tricks!"

"Hmm!" Liu Xin nodded, took a towel from the waiter beside him, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You should also be careful. Even if the wind is favorable, we can't say we have a sure thing!"

"Master's words are wise!" Qi Tie laughed. "However, the government army's fleet is all in Jiangling. Xiangyang and Fancheng don't have many warships in total. A naval battle would be suicide. The only way to turn the tide is through fire. A southerly wind would indeed be troublesome, since we have far too many ships, and most of our supplies and provisions are on board. But now, with your plan, if they set fire to our ships, they'll only burn themselves! However—"

"But what? Speak your mind!"

"That's exactly what's going on!" Qi Tie said, "As I just mentioned, the government army's fleet is all in Jiangling, numbering two or three hundred ships of various sizes, along with shipyards, storage yards, and plenty of sailors. But now our navy has already entered the Han River. If the government troops in Jiangling sail downstream, our rear will be in danger. In my opinion, why not divide our forces to attack Jiangling? Once we take it, the entire river will be ours!"

"No need!"

"Huh?" Qi Tie was stunned for a moment, not expecting Liu Xin to refuse so decisively. He gritted his teeth and insisted, "Master, our army is currently out in the open, and our heartland is exposed to the threat of the government's naval forces. It's extremely dangerous. If we occupy Jiangling and control the navy there, not only will the entire Jingzhou be ours, but we can even go upstream and seize the lands of Bashu—"

“I already said, there’s no need!” Liu Xin said. “Jiangling is now in Wei Cong’s hands, and he won’t take the initiative to attack our territory. What you should do now is command the navy to ensure that the main force enters the Dan River and captures Wancheng, do you understand?”

"Understood!" Qi Tie nodded subconsciously. Seeing Liu Xin turn to leave, he reached out to pull him back, but then withdrew his hand halfway: "What's wrong with Master? Why does he trust that Wei Cong so much? Doesn't he know that only what you hold in your own hands truly belongs to you?"

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The night in Fancheng is like a ghost town.

The north wind swept across the city walls, stretching the smoke and fire into all sorts of strange shapes, which looked terrifying and sinister to the soldiers. Inside the city walls, thousands of people were working hard to dig and build the walls. Everyone knew that the fate of this city would depend on this inner wall.

(End of this chapter)