Taiheiki

Chapter 266 Division of Troops
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Wancheng.

“As originally agreed, the three of us will each lead an army. Zhang will lead his troops out of Fangcheng towards Yexian, using his power to prevent the Henan forces from coming to Luoyang's aid; Feng will lead his troops out of Wuguan and advance into Guanzhong, preventing the Guanzhong forces from turning east; and I will lead my troops north, passing through Luyang, Linru, and Yique, heading straight for Luoyang.” Wei Cong paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Huan and Feng Kun's faces: “What do you two think?”

Faced with Wei Cong's question, Zhang Huan turned his head away without speaking, clearly agreeing. Ying Feng, however, shook his head: "Lord Wei, your strategy is flawed. Since we have raised an army, we should directly attack Luoyang. Why divide our forces? It only weakens our own momentum. In the end, this matter will either end in a great victory or complete ruin. If you lose the attack on Luoyang, what use is it even if you win on both the eastern and western fronts? At that time, Dou Wu only needs to issue an imperial edict, and even if Feng Chariot and Cavalry has 100,000 troops, what use will it be?"

"Mr. Ying! Luoyang is currently vulnerable. Most of the troops from the Three Rivers and Five Schools are under the command of General Feng and General Zhang. If Dou Wu wants to mobilize troops, he must either go from Yuzhou and Yanzhou or from Guanzhong. The troops from You and Bing will not have enough time to march south in a hurry. If we do not divide our forces to attack, they will definitely send troops to reinforce Luoyang and attack our flank and rear. Moreover, you currently have 60,000 troops, I have 25,000, and General Zhang has 19,000, totaling 100,000. If we only take one route, firstly, the transportation of provisions will be troublesome, and secondly, there are mountains separating Wan and Luo, so the court will definitely send troops to guard the passes. If we cannot capture the passes, it will delay our advance. However, if we divide our forces into three routes, the court will have to divide its forces to guard them, and we will not be able to support each other from both ends. Wouldn't it be much easier to win?"

Feng Kun was about to argue when Zhang Huan said, "Mr. Ying, today's events were orchestrated by Marquis Wei. We should just follow along and not argue further!"

"This—" Ying Feng glanced back at Feng Kun, only to see his eyes slightly closed, as if he were resting. He knew that his old friend shared Zhang Huan's attitude and had no desire to get involved in the campaign against Luoyang. Anxiety welled up within him. As the saying goes, those in the same trade are often rivals. Despite his past conflicts with Wei Cong, when it came to their views on the current state of the Han Empire, they were probably kindred spirits. Back when Feng Kun was ordered to leave the capital to quell the Wuling barbarians, Ying Feng had privately advised him to seize the opportunity to lead his troops back to purge the eunuchs, liberate the partisans, and establish unparalleled merit. Both of them wanted to use the military power of the outer garrisons as a backing to seize control of the central government, purge their political enemies, and realize their political ideals according to their own will.

If there's any difference between the two, it's that Wei Cong is more pessimistic about the future of the empire. He doesn't believe there's any hope for top-down reforms in Luoyang. After all, the various interest groups have been deeply entrenched for centuries, making it extremely difficult to accomplish anything. It would be better to start afresh, centered in Lingnan, and establish a new Han dynasty encompassing the Pearl River Delta, the Red River Delta, and the Mekong Delta. From a historical perspective, this would be more meaningful for both Wei Cong himself and the Chinese nation. As for Luoyang, he'd simply leave a proxy there, not expecting the proxy to accomplish anything, but merely to prevent others from doing so.

Ying Feng, of course, had no idea of ​​Wei Cong's true intentions. In his view, Wei Cong's reason for sending Zhang Huan and Feng Kun to Henan and Guanzhong respectively, while he himself marched directly on Luoyang, was simply to seize control of the emperor and reap the greatest rewards. As for Wei Cong's earlier statement that Zhang Huan and Feng Kun would be granted the titles of Three Dukes and marquises, while he himself would be content with just the position of Commandant of the Capital Region or Commander of the Imperial Guard, Ying Feng didn't believe a word of it. While the Commandant of the Capital Region and Commander of the Imperial Guard were important positions, they certainly couldn't compare to the Three Dukes. Was Wei Cong so eager to lead troops to Luoyang just to benefit someone else? No way!

"How about this?" Wei Cong guessed Ying Feng's thoughts: "Why don't you, General Feng, skip Wuguan Pass and enter Guanzhong, and instead follow me to Luyang, pass Linru, then Xincheng, take Yiyang, advance on Xin'an, surround Luoyang from the west, and cut off the Guanzhong troops' route to reinforcements? What do you think?"

"Very well!" Ying Feng answered readily this time. In his view, Wei Cong's proposed marching route for Feng Kun was much more advantageous. Instead of going through Wuguan to Guanzhong, they would head west of Luoyang, first cutting off the Hangu Pass route—the closest point between Guanzhong and Luoyang—and then attacking Luoyang to the east. As long as Feng Kun acted quickly enough, he could easily capture Luoyang and control the court before Wei Cong.

“No need for such trouble!” Feng Kun stood up: “Let’s do as Lord Wei said before, I’ll go through Wuguan Pass to Guanzhong!”

"Huh?" Ying Feng stared at Feng Kun in astonishment, almost unable to believe his ears.

"The troops will be dispatched tomorrow, it's settled!" As if afraid someone would back out, Feng Kun walked out of the tent, and Zhang Huan also stood up and followed him out. Only Wei Cong and Ying Feng were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

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Although Yuan Tian spent a lot of time on the map, once he set off on the road to Luoyang, he immediately realized that what was on the map was one thing, and the actual road was another.

As a rare northerner in Wei Cong's army (Yuan Tian was a member of the Yuan clan of the Chen state), Yuan Tian led a vanguard of about two thousand infantry and cavalry on the very day Wei Cong's army arrived in Wancheng. Compared to the Fangcheng Road taken by Zhang Huan, the Sanya Road chosen by Wei Cong was the shortest route between Wancheng and Luoyang in ancient times, but also the most treacherous. The Sanya Road runs north from the present-day urban area of ​​Nanyang City, following the valley of the Kouzi River (now the Yahe River in Nanzhao County), a tributary of the Baihe River, crossing the watershed of the Funiu Mountains, then following the Ranghe River valley to the present-day Lushan County, and then north through Liang County, Zhucheng, Yangrenju, and across the Yique Pass to Luoyang. The route is mostly mountainous and rugged, making it a "surprise attack route" in ancient times.

As the road headed north, the weather grew colder and the surroundings became increasingly quiet.

The official road, once a wide avenue wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages to pass side-by-side, has been reduced to a narrow path barely wide enough for one oxcart. Rugged, towering mountains rise on either side, with continuous rows of rock fortifications and fortified villages visible from the mountaintops. Most of these fortifications were built during the Warring States period, with some even dating back to the more distant Spring and Autumn and Western Zhou periods. During the Spring and Autumn period, after the State of Chu conquered Shen and Deng and gained control of the Nanyang Basin, it constructed numerous fortifications to defend against attacks from the northern states of the Central Plains. During the Warring States period, these fortifications were connected to defend against attacks from the State of Qin in the west.

Two days after leaving Wancheng, the farmland along the roadside had vanished, replaced by rocky mountains and dense forests, and the road was rarely traveled. The mountains became increasingly steep, and a day later, they had become a complete mountain range. Although it was only October, the bare rocks and snow on the mountaintops were already visible. When the north wind blew, glistening frost could be seen on the branches and leaves of the roadside trees.

"What's that ahead?" Yuan Tian asked, pointing to the distant mountain range.

"Funiu Mountain!" the guide replied. "Follow the river valley for eighty li and you'll reach Lushan!"

"Funiu Mountain!" Yuan Tian exhaled a long breath. If he were to be the commander of the enemy army, there would be two places where he would deploy the most troops for defense: Yique Pass and Lushan. Yique Pass was chosen because it was only a stone's throw from Luoyang, while Lushan Pass was the last pass from the Nanyang Basin into the Luoyang Basin. It was the watershed between the Ya River and the Sha River. Once it fell into the hands of the Wei army, it would be impossible to stop the Wei army from entering the Luoyang Basin.

"Pass down the order to speed up the march and camp at Queen Valley before nightfall!"

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Queen Valley.

"Meng Zhuo, is this the vanguard of the Wei bandits?" Yuan Shu asked, pointing to the soldiers building fortifications below the mountain.

“That’s right, it’s them! Look at their banners!” The one who answered was a red-faced young man. He was Zhang Miao, courtesy name Mengzhuo, an old friend of Yuan Shao, and a famous chivalrous man among the partisans.

"Excellent!" Yuan Shu sneered. "Wei Cong is nothing but a lackey of the Yuan family, yet he dared to kill my family. Today, we must teach him a lesson!" "Gonglu, you are mistaken!" said a wiry young man. "Wei Cong is a traitor to the country. We are eliminating this scourge for the nation, not for personal grudges!"

"Xu Ziyuan (Xu You), stop your nonsense!" said Zhang Chao, Zhang Miao's younger brother. "I'm here today to avenge Benchu ​​and settle a personal score. Dou Wu is petty! I'm not willing to risk my life for him!"

"Alright, stop arguing!" Yuan Shu shouted. "Regardless of our purpose, we've all come here to kill Wei Cong, is that alright? Since that's the case, then we must obey orders, otherwise how can we kill the traitor?"

The young men exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. For these self-important young scholars, although they did not believe that Yuan Shu could replace their brother after losing Yuan Shao, a leader who had won the hearts of the people, they at least shared a common will to avenge Yuan Shao.

"Good!" Yuan Shu was secretly delighted: "Then let's divide into three teams. I will lead one team, Meng Zhuo will lead one team, and Zi Yuan will lead one team. After dark, we will set fires as a signal and launch a three-pronged night attack on the enemy camp! What do you think?"

"Here!"

"Here!"

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Wei army camp.

The sky was dark, and the cold air was filled with the scent of pine resin and moss. A cold mist drifted from the valley floor on the mountain wind. The soldiers laboriously dug trenches, drove sharp wooden stakes into the soil, and erected fences. The iron pot over the campfire emitted the aroma of millet porridge mixed with fishmeal, which further whetted Liu Sheng's appetite. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the campfire behind him.

Six or seven riders on Yunnan horses galloped along the ridge towards the valley. These were scouts on patrol. While these short-legged horses couldn't match the speed and impact of horses from the Central Plains and North, they were excellent for mountain roads and had great stamina. Liu Sheng quickly ordered his soldiers to move the barricades and clear the way. The horses' hooves kicked up gravel, sending stones tumbling into the river and splashing water. A startled hunting dog barked and howled on the riverbank. Liu Sheng frowned and shouted, "Whose dog is that? Control it! Don't you know there's no noise in the army?"

The dog's owner walked over, cursing and yelling, and the hunting dog's barking subsided. Liu Sheng shifted his attention back to the trenches and fences. To be honest, sometimes he felt like he was dreaming. Just a few months ago, he was fighting against the Moth Rebels, and now he was marching towards Luoyang—ordered by imperial decree to punish the Dou family and support the emperor's personal rule.

However, most of the soldiers in this army didn't quite understand the meaning of the new flags fluttering above their heads—not to mention the dark-skinned, tattooed barbarians of Jiaozhou, even the Han soldiers had almost all received titles from Wei Cong, along with corresponding land and wealth. To them, the emperor and the general in Luoyang were distant and vague figures, having little to do with their lives. The only one who could protect them, bring them wealth, security, and power, was the man who led them from one victory to another; that was what mattered most.

A squadron of spearmen approached, their spears longer than those of ordinary soldiers. They also carried slings and deerskin pouches full of stones at their waists. Aside from linen armor, they wore no other protection, making them appear exceptionally agile. Two hunting dogs ran in front, their tails held high like two flags. Liu Sheng knew these barbarians were particularly adept at using their long poles to overcome obstacles and launch projectiles, making them incredibly nimble in the mountains.

"Move the barricades!" the lead infantryman shouted to Liu Sheng. "We're on patrol as ordered!"

"Move aside!" Liu Sheng waved his hand, signaling his men to move the barricades aside. "In the end, I'm no different from them. We're all following Wei Cong!" Liu Sheng thought to himself as he looked at these barbarians with tattoos on their faces, whose appearances were so different from his own.

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The first to be discovered were Zhang Chao's two hundred-plus guests. These desperate men he had recruited had hidden themselves in a thicket of mixed trees, preparing to launch a surprise attack after dark. However, the patrol's hunting dogs smelled the unfamiliar scent from a dozen paces outside the woods and immediately barked fiercely, warning their master. The mountain people sent out on patrol were almost all excellent hunters; they immediately realized there was something dangerous in the thicket. They quickly spread out, directing their dogs to search the woods while blowing horns to warn the camp in the valley.

"Damn it, we've been discovered!"

"These damn dogs! Their noses are too sensitive!"

"What do we do now? Run?"

"Why run? We're all going to avenge Lord Benchu ​​anyway, let's just charge in and kill our way through!"

"Yes, a true man would rather die in battle than flee! Kill! Kill!"

"Yes, follow the young master and charge out, cut down these thieves!"

The guests hidden in the woods quickly made their decision. They charged out of the woods and pounced on the patrol team outside. With their numerical advantage, they were absolutely confident of victory.

(End of this chapter)