Taiheiki

Chapter 269 Under Yique Pass
"You're really thinking ahead!" Lu Ping laughed. "We haven't even taken Yique Pass yet, and you're already planning how you'll arrange things after you return to Panyu. Don't you think about what would happen if we failed to capture Luoyang City? We'd be heinous traitors!"

"At most, we'll just have to go back to Jiaozhou and defend the Five Ridges!" Wei Cong smiled. "Besides, our chances of winning are still quite high. The usable troops around Luoyang and in the four prefectures of Yan, Qing, Xu, and Yu have basically been transferred by Dou Wu to Zhang Huan and Feng Kun. What's left are either old and weak or a hastily recruited rabble, completely incapable of fighting. And Feng Kun has already entered Guanzhong from Wuguan. The two prefectures of Yong and Liang will definitely not be able to send troops to reinforce Luoyang in the short term."

Zhang Huan marched out of Fangcheng, passed through Ye County, and headed straight for Xu County. Dou Wu not only couldn't get support from Yuzhou and Yanzhou, but he also had to divide his troops to guard against Zhang Huan's advance from Huanyuan Pass. Therefore, his only hope lay with the troops from Hebei and Bingzhou. The problem was that the Xianbei general Tan Shihuai had just launched a major southward invasion last year, leaving the prefectures and counties devastated. It was already October, the time when autumn was in full bloom and horses were fat. How many troops could Hebei and Bingzhou possibly send to defend the emperor?

"Although Yique Pass is strategically important, we only have about two thousand soldiers capable of fighting; the rest are merely filler. On the other hand, we have over twenty thousand men, mostly veterans who have served me since Jiaozhou, and the rest are strong men recruited from the local militia of Jingzhou. They have fought against the Moth Rebels; how can his hastily assembled commoners compare? With such a vast disparity in troop strength, even if Sun Quan were to be resurrected, Zhang Wen would find it difficult to hold out until the reinforcements from Hebei and Bingzhou arrive!"

"Your analysis is quite insightful!" Lu Ping laughed, "But you didn't explain how to defeat the enemy. I've seen the terrain of Yique Pass. To reach the pass, you have to walk four or five miles through a valley that's no more than fifty paces wide. Even if you had 100,000 men, only about 200 could actually fight at the front. The rest could only stand behind and watch helplessly."

"I'm not stupid!" Wei Cong laughed. "Why would I send soldiers to their deaths in such a place? Even the most strategically important passes need to be defended. Look, Yique Pass can only defend land, not the river, right? I'll prepare more boats, carry troops downstream overnight, rush past Yique Pass, land behind it, and attack the pass from the rear. What will Zhang Wen do then? He can divide his forces to cross the mountain paths, either directly attacking Luoyang and striking at the enemy's lair, or launching a surprise attack from the rear; or he can send Zhang Qi and his troops westward, feigning an advance on Xin'an, cutting off the route from Guanzhong to reinforce Luoyang. If Zhang Wen doesn't move, then attack Xin'an and turn east to attack Luoyang; if he does come to Xin'an's aid, then divide his forces to return and attack Yique—"

In this way, Wei Cong proposed four or five strategies, all of which could achieve victory without a direct attack on Yique Pass. Lu Ping was overjoyed as she listened: "No need to say more, let's use the plan of taking the mountain path to directly attack Luoyang!"

"I've already sent people to offer a reward for finding mountain people familiar with the area, but that will probably take a few more days. It would be better to prepare more boats first!"

“No need to know the local mountain people!” Lu Ping laughed. “When it comes to knowing the mountain roads, who can compare to Ali?”

"Ah Li? It shouldn't be from the mountains near Yique, right?" Wei Cong asked with some skepticism.

“Even in the most treacherous places, there are animal trails. The mountain paths those mountain people talk about are nothing more than animal trails traversed by wild beasts. How could Ah Li not find animal trails? Just have your soldiers prepare more ropes!”

"Good, good!" Wei Cong was both surprised and delighted. He hadn't expected the problem to be solved so easily. "Then I'll have Ah Sheng select two thousand men to cross the mountains tonight and head straight for Luoyang!"

Yique Pass, a fortified pass.

Zhang Wen sat at his desk, furiously writing a letter to Luoyang. This letter contained his views on the situation at the front and suggestions for countermeasures. In it, Zhang Wen calmly analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the rebels and the imperial court. The rebels had the advantage of excellent generals and skilled soldiers, but as rebels, they were numerous but short of supplies, mostly infantry with few cavalry. The imperial court, on the other hand, had the advantage of a just cause, strong fortifications, ample treasury, and time on its side. However, its soldiers were mostly a hastily recruited rabble, only capable of defending cities, not open battle. Therefore, the rebels benefited from a swift victory, while the imperial court benefited from a protracted war. The imperial court should avoid engaging the rebels as much as possible, lest they gain morale through open battle victories. Instead, it should use negotiations to buy time, sow discord among enemy generals, and await reinforcements from Bingzhou and Hebei.

In Zhang Wen's view, the true mastermind behind this rebellion was only Wei Cong. Feng Kun and Zhang Huan were merely opportunists, misled by the emperor's edict, and simply echoed his sentiments. Therefore, different strategies should be employed to deal with these three. For example, regarding Feng Kun and Zhang Huan, their close friends should be sent to win them over with titles and official positions, persuading them to turn against the emperor. At the very least, their actions should be slowed down, reducing the pressure on the court in Guanzhong and Yuzhou, allowing it to allocate sufficient troops to deal with Wei Cong.

As for Wei Cong, while resolutely resisting him, envoys should be sent to try to win him over. It is even possible to reveal that Feng and Zhang have already accepted the court's offer of amnesty, so that Wei Cong will be suspicious and hesitant, and unable to launch a full-scale attack on Luoyang.

"Although Wei Cong is a traitor, in my opinion, his soldiers are well-trained, armed with armor, weapons, bows, and crossbows. Their ranks and camps are all in accordance with the strategies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi, making them truly formidable! To defeat this bandit, we cannot achieve victory in haste. In my view, we must build high walls and deep fortifications to avoid direct combat, clear the surrounding fields to ensure they gain nothing, and then send light cavalry to harass their rear, cut off their supply lines, and wait for them to retreat..."

Just then, a mournful cry of a monkey came from Yique Mountain, which is right next to the pass. The cry echoed between the mountain walls on both sides, as if it were mourning something.

Zhang Wen stopped writing, raised his head from the desk, and looked out the window. He felt his right hand holding the brush trembling slightly. The cry of the ape seemed to contain a mysterious and unpredictable power, telling him that something was about to happen.

As another ape's cry rang out, Zhang Wen stood up, massaged his stiff, sore arms and shoulders, and walked to the door. The night watchman at the door hurriedly got up to greet him: "General Zhang, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Didn't you hear that monkey's cry?" Zhang Wen's expression was grim. "This is no auspicious sign! Go out and patrol!"

"Yes, sir!" the night watch officer responded. Zhang Wen took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, put on his outer robe, and, with several guards, began patrolling the city's outposts. The ape's cry rang out twice more, then abruptly ceased, as if the ape had been choked. Zhang Wen stopped and looked towards the dark mountains to the west: "It suddenly stopped crying out. That ape is probably in grave danger. Do you think it was killed by the Wei traitors who crossed the mountains?"

"How is that possible?" The officer on night duty laughed. "The monkeys in the mountains are so clever that they're hard to catch even during the day, let alone at night. If the Wei bandits' soldiers had that kind of skill, Yique Pass would have been captured long ago!"

Zhang Wen was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed: "That's right, that's right! That's exactly it!"

Seeing that Zhang Wen was in a good mood, the officer on night duty cautiously said, "In my humble opinion, rather than worrying about the bandits sneaking over the mountains, it would be better to guard against them taking the waterway. After all, the fortress can only defend the land route, not the waterway!"

"Waterway?" Zhang Wen laughed, "I already thought of that!" He pointed to the river surface, glistening in the moonlight, "There are iron-headed stakes all underneath. If the pirate ships want to leave, they'll have a good beating!"

Yique Mountain, a mountain path.

The group rested briefly under the poplar trees that lined the mountain path. Nie Sheng sat cross-legged under a tree, the fire in front of him almost burned out, leaving only a few dark red embers. He could hear the sound of warhorses drinking from a mountain spring. Lu Ping leaned against a rock, eyes slightly closed, resting.

"We've already taken stock!" Gu Gu walked over silently and whispered to Nie Sheng, "Sixty-seven people are missing, and there are more than one hundred and twenty injured, mainly with sprained ankles and broken ankles. We've also lost a third of our horses and mules!"

Nie Sheng didn't speak, only nodded silently. This was already the third day of their trek across the mountains, and it wasn't surprising that so many people were injured or missing: the female Taoist had assigned her ghostly leopard as their guide. Often, the paths they traversed were less like roads and more like trails crossed by wild animals. This evening, they had even entered the territory of a group of monkeys and encountered a surprise attack—when they painstakingly drove the mules carrying supplies across a narrow ridge, these wretched beasts climbed the treetops on all sides and threw stones and pine cones at the mules walking along the ridge. The others howled and screamed, and the frightened mules scattered in all directions, most sliding down into the valleys on either side of the ridge, also dragging many grooms and soldiers into the mess. Nie Sheng had no choice but to order a halt to see if they could salvage as much of the supplies as possible.

The branches swayed gently, making a soft sound. Nie Sheng and Gu Gu instinctively gripped the hilts of their knives. A massive beast silently leaped down from the right cliff, tossing a mountain ape with its neck broken beside the fire. Then it lay down beside Lu Ping, its golden-green eyes looking at Nie Sheng and Gu Gu with a hint of mockery.

"This thing is so silent!" Gu Gu felt a chill run down his spine. He knew, of course, that if this beast had been stealthy and fast, and if it had been targeting him, he would be just like that mountain ape on the ground.

“You don’t need to worry about how many people you’ve lost!” Lu Ping opened her eyes: “As long as we can successfully cross this mountain, even if we lose half of our people, the rest will be enough! With Ali here, we will definitely be able to get you across this mountain!”

No one in the army doubted this. The soldiers selected to cross the mountains were almost all mountain people from the south. In their eyes, Ah Li was less a wild beast and more an incarnation of a mountain god. This was why these two thousand men could maintain their morale while trekking through the desolate mountains where there was no path in sight.

"Why do you follow your godfather!" Nie Sheng suddenly asked. "I know you know a lot of magic and witchcraft, and you can even tame wild beasts like this! You can live well without him!"

"Ah Li isn't a wild beast!" Lu Ping immediately refuted Nie Sheng's words: "It was given to me by the mountain god, grew up with me, and is of one mind with me. It won't hurt people randomly, you should know that very well. As for why I follow Wei Lang? I've said before, he's very strong, worthy of my following! Besides, he's the man I love, it's that simple!"

"What if one day a man stronger than him appears?"

"Hehe!" Lu Ping laughed. "Asheng, you're really too conventional! You know your biological father died at my hands, and you want revenge, but I'm also your godfather's woman, so you can't do anything about it. You can only hope that one day I betray your godfather, then you can have a legitimate reason to act, right? Actually, revenge doesn't need so many reasons. You could kill me first, then either escape or tell Wei Lang everything and let him decide. Or are you just too cowardly, thinking you can't beat me, and you don't dare to make a move?"

Nie Sheng felt a surge of fire erupt from his chest. He instinctively drew his dagger and glared fiercely at Lu Ping. Ah Li seemed to sense something as well, stood up and stood in front of Lu Ping, letting out a low growl.

"Captain!" Gu Gu hurriedly grabbed Nie Sheng: "Military orders! Military orders!"

Nie Sheng was relieved to have survived. He sheathed his sword and said, "Don't worry, even if I were to kill you, I would wait until after I have completed my military orders!"

"Really?" Lu Ping laughed. "That really disappoints me. I was planning to take this opportunity to get rid of you. You know, even without using its teeth and claws, Ali's paw strikes can break your neck."

Nie Sheng snorted coldly and didn't say anything. He knew that Lu Ping wasn't lying. That leopard was almost twice the size of an ordinary mountain leopard. He had seen it hunt a male wild boar on the mountain alone. This was a huge creature that even ordinary tigers would avoid.

"Since you don't want to take revenge, then rest early! Save your energy for tomorrow's mountain road. According to Ali, if you're lucky, you can cross this mountain tomorrow!" Lu Ping yawned, leaned against the rocks, and closed her eyes to sleep. Ali lay down, leaning against her master, her golden-green eyes still fixed on Nie Sheng.

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Luoyang, the palace city.

Through the narrow windows of Deyang Hall, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the ground, casting dark red stripes on the walls. The great Emperor Guangwu and Emperor Ming once sat here, discussing classics and state affairs with their ministers. Their wise and majestic voices once echoed between the pillars and walls, just like this great empire. Now, only the shadow of those great bodies remains.

Zhang Rang hurried through the corridor, his body slightly leaning forward, his steps quick and light, like a duck. This was considered a sign of respect for his superior. He arrived at a side hall, pushed open the door, and knelt before the young man sitting on the couch, saying, "Your Majesty, Marquis Wei, Marquis Wei's troops have arrived!"

(End of this chapter)