Jinting Han people

Chapter 459 The Western Army's One-Night Fortification
After retreating from Luoyang, Zhang Fang temporarily stationed his troops at Xiyang Pavilion, located in the southwest of the city.

On the day of the retreat, a series of bad news arrived. Not only was Luoyang lost and Heyin attacked, but most importantly, Zhang Fang's brutality had alienated not only the local populace but also many soldiers within the army. This led to several incidents after the army entered Xiyang Pavilion: first, civilians set fire to the camp; then, soldiers rioted; and some generals, already dissatisfied with Zhang Fang's autocratic command style, declared their intention to impeach him to the Prince of Hejian.

But Zhang Fang remained unperturbed. He dispatched his elite troops, and any civilians or soldiers who caused trouble in the camp were killed without mercy. Even those officers who claimed to oppose him were treated as comrades, their soldiers ignored, and they were directly arrested by storming into the commander's tent. Their mouths were then gagged with burlap, tied to saddles with ropes, and dragged around the camp on horseback.

By the time they were dragged to Zhang Fang's tent, their backs were already raw and bleeding. But the Tiger Army soldiers did not stop. Of the officers they captured, from colonels to platoon leaders, they were all hung from flagpoles, left to stiffen in the cold wind. Between the cold and the pain, within just half a day, five officers had died beneath Zhang Fang's banner.

Such decisive and ruthless methods were unprecedented, which instilled fear in the army and caused all dissent to vanish.

Zhang Fang, however, did not show himself. At this critical moment, he chose to sleep in the camp. It wasn't until evening that he stretched and emerged from his tent. Looking at his colleagues on the flagpole, he laughed and said, "Hey, why do these friends look so pale today?" After saying that, he went around patrolling the camp as if nothing was wrong.

People then realized that Zhang Fang's brutality was not directed at civilians and enemies; he was inflicting terror on everyone equally.

But this did little to secure victory. Everyone was eager to know Zhang Fang's next move. However, Zhang Fang seemed intent on keeping everyone in suspense, refraining from issuing a general announcement. He merely surveyed the camp like a tiger patrolling its territory, and seeing that the chaos had been quelled, he leisurely returned to his tent as if nothing had happened.

Just when the other generals thought nothing had happened that day, at midnight he suddenly sent messengers to each unit to order officers of all ranks to come to the commander’s tent for a military meeting.

At this time, the generals of the Western Army were exhausted and fearful. They had no intention of opposing Zhang Fang. After entering the command tent, they remained silent and waited for Zhang Fang to give orders.

Zhang Fang remained unhurried. After all the generals had arrived, he did not hold a meeting. Instead, he selected a dozen or so maids he had forcibly taken from his side and offered them wine to the officers one by one. He stroked his chin and raised his cup as if he had won a battle, saying, "Come, gentlemen, don't look so gloomy! Let's drink together!"

The soldiers looked at each other, completely bewildered. General Fenwu Diao Mo mustered his courage and asked, "Marshal, what is there to celebrate today?"

"Oh? Isn't today something to celebrate?" Zhang Fang downed his cup of wine in one gulp, leaned back, and laughed heartily. "You must understand, the Emperor and the court's return to Luoyang is a tremendous stroke of good news! If the King of Changsha hadn't led his army back, the gains would have been far too small. We've been out of the pass for months, have we only done this for such a small city as Luoyang?"

Is Luoyang a small city? Upon hearing this, the generals exchanged bewildered glances, completely unable to fathom Zhang Fang's intentions.

Diao Mo then asked, "Since the King of Changsha has led his army back, why doesn't the Marshal lead us to a decisive battle with them?"

"You're such an idiot!" Zhang Fang cursed angrily. "In a real open battle, can we defeat those fierce Imperial Guards? In the face of unpredictable changes, can we outmaneuver Liu Huaichong, that fox? Knowing we can't win, yet still insisting on fighting, isn't that just courting death?"

These words were truly earth-shattering, leaving everyone speechless. For a commander-in-chief to so openly boost the enemy's morale while diminishing his own was beyond the comprehension of the generals. The commanders they had previously encountered, such as Zhang Gui and Meng Guan, had all advocated boosting morale and defeating the enemy through courage. But Zhang Fang had done the opposite, seemingly without shame, even taking pride in it.

Lu Lang could no longer contain himself and asked, "So what exactly are the Marshal's plans?"

"Haha, of course we just wait," Zhang Fang laughed. "I've already devised a brilliant plan; all we need to do is wait and we'll succeed. That's why I called you all here to wait with me for this good news!"

"You all have too little patience! What makes humans different from ordinary animals is that we can use our superior wisdom to devise all sorts of strategies that wild beasts cannot even imagine, and then outmaneuver them. Just because we can't win in a direct battle doesn't mean we can't win."

"Have you all been illiterate? Though I come from a poor background, I have read the story of Sun Bin. How could the elite Qi soldiers possibly defeat the Wei infantry? Yet Sun Bin repeatedly defeated Pang Juan. This is the difference between generals! The strength of combat power is only a minor factor. For a general, the ability to use troops like water, to turn defeat into victory, and to turn death into life, is what makes a true strongman."

"I invited you all here so that you could all wait for my good news." Zhang Fang winked slyly, then said to the generals, "I know you are all afraid of Liu Xian, thinking he is the best in the world, but I want to tell you all that he is not qualified to compete with me in wisdom!"

This statement was utterly arrogant, and the generals dismissed it. Firstly, Zhang Fang's boasting was excessive; secondly, the scene was rather comical. Zhang Fang, a renowned, burly general, was discussing Sun Bin and wisdom—what wisdom? The wisdom of cannibalism? Even tigers don't eat their cubs; does superhuman wisdom mean being more capable of raping and plundering than beasts?

But the experiences of these past few days had truly chilled the generals. Although they exchanged glances, none dared to openly disagree. In their view, Zhang Fang's words at this moment were nothing more than a rhetoric to save face, and that it wouldn't be long before he would retreat after a period of stalemate, just like Cao Cao had done in the Battle of Hanzhong.

But they miscalculated, or rather, they simply refused to believe that this person who dared to trample all rules and morals actually possessed wisdom. Faced with his subordinates' distrust, Zhang Fang remained calm and composed, keeping them sitting idly in his tent. He knew that humans were incredibly fragile; extreme admiration and extreme disbelief were separated by only a single thought. And now, the opportunity to subdue these people in one fell swoop had arrived.

Indeed, when news of the fire at Heqiao arrived, the generals were initially shocked, then restless and anxious, feeling as if each day was an eternity. When news of the capture of Hulao Pass arrived the following noon, they were even more incredulous. Their expressions shifted several times before they finally snapped out of their daze and inevitably began to idolize Zhang Fang.

Everyone knew that after cutting off the court's two escape routes, the court was in a completely unfavorable situation. From now on, whether it was war or peace, the initiative had fallen into the hands of the Western Army.

Amidst the chorus of compliments, Zhang Fang remained seated as still as a mountain, a faint smile playing on his lips. He drank another cup of wine and slowly asked the crowd:

"What do you all think our army should do next?"

Lou Bao, the military advisor for the western expedition, said, "Since the court has lost Hulao Pass and is in dire straits, the morale of the army will surely be in chaos. Our army can fight for Luoyang again, and we have at least a 70% chance of winning!"

Upon hearing this, the generals all agreed. Having been away from the pass for several months, these Westerners were exhausted. They wanted to gain merit in a major battle and also wanted to end the war quickly, so they all volunteered to fight. Unexpectedly, Zhang Fang rejected them again, saying, “Why are you all confused again? Didn’t I say that we cannot defeat the Imperial Guards in a direct confrontation? Lu Ji has already proven that even with several times the advantage, we cannot defeat the Imperial Guards. Why should we harbor such wishful thinking!”

He imparted his wisdom to his generals, saying, "Alas, sometimes winning too quickly is not a good thing. It's like wild animals. If they catch prey, they think about having a full meal, but if they don't find prey tomorrow, won't they go hungry? What distinguishes humans from beasts is that we know how to be content, how to take things slowly, and how to win patiently."

At this point, a sly smile returned to his rugged face as he said, "Since we can wear them down, why risk defeat?"

"We have now blocked the retreat routes to the north and east of Luoyang. If we also block the retreat route to the south, and if we can hold out for two or three months, we will surely make these people wish they were dead."

Upon hearing this, the generals all agreed that it made sense. Lou Bao then asked, "Does the Marshal mean that we should head south to seize the passes of Eban and Huanyuan?"

"Haha, no need to go to such great lengths." Zhang Fang made a decisive decision: "To block the southern route, instead of seizing some passes dozens of miles apart, why not build fortifications directly south of Luoyang? If we block the Imperial Guards at the city gates, would they dare to go out?"

Building fortifications in front of the city? This suggestion once again puzzled the generals. The Imperial Guards weren't puppets; why would they simply watch them build fortifications in front of the city? They might not even have a chance to establish a foothold before the Imperial Guards came out to fight them. Wouldn't that contradict Zhang Fang's true intention of avoiding a decisive battle?

When Xi Wei, the military advisor for the Western Expedition, raised this question to Zhang Fang, Zhang Fang burst into laughter again, banging on the table and saying, "Why are you all so pedantic? Use your wisdom! Building fortifications in front of the city is hardly a difficult task!"

"In the suburbs of Luoyang, there are so many houses and manors; aren't there materials for building fortifications everywhere?"

"Gentlemen, if we can build this fortress tonight, we will have accomplished half the task!"

“But if it doesn’t work…” Zhang Fang paused slightly, glanced around briefly, then grinned, revealing a chillingly white smile: “Alas, military law is merciless, so don’t blame Zhang Fang for using harsh methods!”

The generals were all awed, and then bowed their heads in obeisance, but their mindset was completely different from before.

That night, the army of the Western Expeditionary Army broke camp and marched towards Luoyang again.

This time, Zhang Fang no longer used his Tiger Army as the vanguard, but instead chose to oversee the battle from the rear. He reassigned his subordinates, Ya Bo, Xi Wei, and Zhou Bi, to the front to directly supervise the construction of the camp. The 20,000 cavalrymen arrived like a whirlwind, sweeping in and, upon reaching the outskirts of Luoyang, spreading outwards without hesitation, blowing equally into every house in the suburbs.

The people of Luoyang, still half-asleep, were awakened by the sound of horses' hooves outside their doors. In their groggy state, they assumed another major battle was about to break out in the city. They thought that by locking their doors, they could avoid being affected by the fighting. Unexpectedly, a chorus of shouts and curses erupted from outside. Westerners threatened to requisition their houses and burn them to the ground if they refused.

The people of Luoyang were immediately alarmed. They had already witnessed the actions of these Westerners and dared not confront them. They pondered the Westerners' intentions, assuming they probably wanted lodging and might rob them of some money. They figured it was better to pay up than face further trouble, so they agreed to open the door. However, once inside, the Westerners immediately drew their swords and conscripted them as slaves. They then dismantled the doors, beams, and tools from their homes and began repairing the streets of Luoyang on the spot.

As Zhang Fang said, when Westerners changed their thinking, they discovered that Luoyang was full of building materials. With proper utilization, the vast and prosperous residential area on the outskirts of Luoyang could be transformed into a sturdy fortress with only minor modifications, and even the laborers were readily available.

So the Westerners, leading the people, enclosed a two-mile-wide area of ​​land in the southwest suburbs of Luoyang. Within this designated area, they demolished the walls of houses and, using plundered materials, built earthen ramparts along the outer streets, erecting several spiked fences to connect the entire area. Simultaneously, they reinforced the walls with wet mud, constructing stairs and platforms on them, and then building watchtowers atop them. In just one or two hours, the camp began to take shape.

Upon hearing of the commotion, those within Luoyang were initially unaware of the situation and dared not act rashly. The main reason for this was that after learning of the fall of Hulao Pass, Sima Yi had hastily ordered Gou Xi's elite troops to lead east to retake it, weakening the city's defenses and thus leading to a somewhat conservative decision.

However, speed is of the essence in war, and opportunities are fleeting, which meant that the most crucial time had been lost. By the time he learned the specific details and ordered Zu Ti to mobilize troops from Xuanwu Field to intercept them, what appeared before Zu Ti was a very impressive camp.

Zu Ti had only four thousand men under his command at this time. Even he and his men were completely unprepared for the Western Army's unconventional approach of building fortifications on the outskirts of Luoyang. Firstly, the Western Army had just suffered two defeats and then launched a surprise attack; didn't they need rest? Secondly, by dismantling civilian houses to build fortifications, were they trying to turn Luoyang into a wasteland? What was the point of acquiring Luoyang if it lacked prosperity and population?

But the facts were stark: Zu Ti and his men only managed one attack on the Western Army's camp before retreating. During their attack, the Western Army set fire to surrounding civilian houses, making it difficult for the Imperial Guards to move an inch in the scorching heat and smoke, let alone withstand the barrage of arrows from the Western Army. After suffering hundreds of casualties, the attack made virtually no progress and they were ultimately forced to retreat.

Meanwhile, the construction by the Western Army continued, the sounds of axes and hammers filling the air above and below the camp, never ceasing for a moment. And when dawn broke, on the morning of the Jiazi day in November, a massive and incongruous camp appeared in the southwest of Luoyang, and it continued to grow in all directions like duckweed and lotus leaves in summer.

Zhang Fang led his men to inspect the area, and the soldiers on both sides gave him a wide berth, showing him both fear and respect. Zhang Fang laughed heartily, knowing that he had completely subdued the Western Expeditionary Army Command, and from now on, no one would question his authority.

In high spirits, he stopped in front of a large courtyard. Seeing that it had everything—artificial hills, ponds, pavilions, and plum blossoms—he was very satisfied and asked those around him, "Whose courtyard is this?"

Upon learning that it was the courtyard of Zuo Si, the former Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, and that Zuo Si had already left, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "This place is quite pleasant! I've heard that Zuo Si's literary talent is no less than Lu Ji's, so I'd like to experience some elegance here as well." After saying this, he ordered his soldiers to select a young lady from a noble family.

He then climbed the tower, looked out at the city walls of the capital not far away, and boasted to his men: "Now that the camp is complete, Luoyang will no longer be Luoyang, but my Zhang Fang's cauldron. Watch me slowly cook it up and bring all these court officials into my bowl."

(End of this chapter)