Jinting Han people

Among the prefects of Guanzhong, Zhang Fu, the prefect of Fengyi, was truly an extraordinary person.

On the surface, Zhang Fu appeared to be a quintessential scholar. He never wore official robes, but rather a light robe with a tattered bell, wooden clogs, and a feather fan, whether in the government office, the army, or at home. He was also an avid debater, always with wine in hand and never stopping talking. Once he started, he would speak eloquently, once debating with someone for a full four hours.

Anyone who has had even a brief encounter with Zhang Fu knows that he is completely different from ordinary scholars.

Although his attire and style resembled those of famous scholars, their essence was vastly different. For example, in debates, while ordinary scholars often discussed abstract and esoteric concepts like "emptiness," "talent," and "mystical principles," Zhang Fu was different. He preferred to discuss politics and history, and especially enjoyed making unconventional and unorthodox statements. He could articulate all sorts of strange and absurd arguments, such as Zhang Yi being inferior to Su Qin, Sun Wu being inferior to Wu Qi, and Xiao He being inferior to Fan Zeng, with unwavering conviction and logical reasoning.

Besides, Zhang Fu himself was far from weak. He was proficient in all military skills, such as horseback riding, hunting, and swordsmanship. In his spare time, he would wield an eighteen-foot-long spear in the army, his movements powerful and awe-inspiring. Even the fiercest soldiers in the army were filled with admiration upon seeing him. Many people privately discussed: "Truly rare indeed! How could there be such a remarkable person in the world! Could Lord Zhang be a deity descended to earth?"

Zhang Fu was certainly not a deity descended to earth; he simply adhered to this belief: ordinary people are those who follow the rules, but if one wants to become an extraordinary person, one must dare to break with convention and not be bound by common sense, only then can one reach a high realm where nothing can hinder one's progress. He possessed such perseverance, not just in words, but by putting this idea into practice in his daily life, thus forming this unique style.

This style indeed earned him extraordinary attention. Now all the people of Guanzhong knew that Fengyi County had an unconventional governor, whose steadfastness surpassed that of scholars and whose elegance surpassed that of warriors. Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, therefore valued Zhang Fu highly. After Li Han's assassination, whenever Guanzhong faced a major decision, he would frequently write to Zhang Fu for his opinion.

Therefore, when Sima Yong followed Yan Ding's advice and planned to eliminate Li Ju of Hedong, the first person he thought of as the commander-in-chief was Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu was an extremely arrogant man. After receiving the military order, he did not show any excitement. Instead, he patted the long sword at his waist as if it were his due and exclaimed, "My precious sword, my precious sword, you are finally no longer covered in dust."

Those unaware of the situation, upon hearing this, might assume that Zhang Fu was a renowned general who had been sidelined by the court for a long time. In reality, however, Zhang Fu had never fought any major battles before; he had only dealt with some bandits and horse thieves.

But he was indeed a talented man. After receiving the military order and lingering in his residence for a short while, Zhang Fu devised a strategy to defeat the enemy.

He immediately summoned his generals and sighed, “Although I have never met Li Shihui, I have heard of his reputation for loving the people like his own children. It just so happens that I am the same. If the war continues for a long time and innocent people suffer, how tragic that would be! How about this, let us challenge him to a duel at Fenglingdu and decide the victor. Whoever wins will take control of Hedong. Wouldn’t that be simple?”

These words left everyone looking at each other in disbelief. In their eyes, it was nothing short of a fantasy. After all, Feng Yi's army clearly outnumbered the Hedong army. Who would be foolish enough to set up a battle formation and challenge Zhang Fu to a duel? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
But Zhang Fu was the commander-in-chief, and his word was law. Once he made a decision, no one could question it; they could only follow it. Wang Pi, the military supervisor sent by Sima Yong, was puzzled and privately asked Zhang Fu for his reasoning. Only then did Zhang Fu reveal his thoughts:

"How could I not know? This is nothing more than a show of force on my part."

"A show of force?" Wang Pi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Doesn't Lord Zhang intend to engage in a direct confrontation?"

Zhang Fu analyzed, "Don't underestimate our army. If we cross the river to fight, and they attack us while we're halfway across, the outcome is uncertain. I've heard that Li Ju is a skilled military commander. If we cross the river in front of him, success is fine, but if we fail, we'll be pursued by enemy troops and the river will be behind us. We won't be able to escape."

Upon hearing this, Wang Pi felt that Zhang Fu's words made sense, and then asked, "Then what is the strategy of 'showing off military might'?"

"Of course, it's about subduing the enemy without fighting!" Zhang Fu said confidently, waving his feather fan. "Our army has won a great victory in Luoyang, and our military might has spread far and wide. The people of Hedong are already filled with fear and unease. We might as well make a big fuss about this and further disrupt the morale of the people of Hedong."

"When I said it was a challenge, I actually wanted Li Ju to avoid the fight. As long as he didn't dare to respond directly, I could spread the word that the advantage was in my hands, and then I could use that as a breakthrough to make a big fuss."

Wang Pi only half understood: "Disturbing people's hearts..."

Zhang Fu didn't offer much explanation, but his next actions were even more baffling.

After his 30,000 troops had assembled, Zhang Fu did not follow the usual route of heading east along the Luo River to Fenglingdu. Instead, he took a different path. He first advanced east to the west bank of Pubandu, then deliberately headed south along the river. The number of flags and drums in his army was more than three times that of the usual route. Upon hearing the marching drums, the people on the opposite bank of the river felt as if the sound was thunderous, as if the river was boiling and the earth was shaking. Seeing the banners like clouds and the armor gleaming in the sun, they were all terrified and discussed the matter amongst themselves.

On the march, Zhang Fu took out a map and assigned tasks to his generals, saying, "You must set up camp according to my plan, don't find it troublesome!"

The generals realized that Zhang Fu planned to set up camp along the river for over twenty li, stretching from Puban Ferry to Fengling Ferry, a force large enough to accommodate almost 100,000 men. Given the current size of Feng Yi's army, such a large camp was completely unnecessary.

Zhang Fu then laughed and said, "Our army is just the vanguard. This is prepared for Marshal Zhang's main army, who will soon be returning to Guanzhong. What? Aren't you going to repair it?"

Upon hearing that the camp was to be built for Zhang Fang, the generals dared not refuse and immediately agreed. At the same time, their morale soared. Now that even Zhang Fang was returning, what was there to worry about in a mere prefecture in Hedong?
At the same time, Zhang Fu sent people to search for a large number of ships. Using a combination of buying and selling and requisitioning, he almost emptied Fengyi and Hongnong's ships. Hundreds of them were moored on the west bank of Fenglingdu, like fallen leaves, forming a spectacular sight.

After all this commotion, almost everyone east and west of the Yellow River knew that Zhang Fang's army, which had marched to Luoyang, was about to return to reinforce the region and would join forces with Zhang Fu to attack Hedong. This immediately caused widespread panic in Hedong. By now, who didn't know Zhang Fang's formidable reputation? If he were to lead an attack on Hedong, what would become of them? There would likely be widespread devastation, and how could the Hedong army possibly defend itself?
Amidst the chaos, the Hedong army also set up camp on the east bank of Fengling Ferry, facing Fengyi's army across the river. Just by looking at the size of the camps on both sides, it was clear that the disparity in troop strength was enormous. Although Li Ju had managed to stabilize the morale of his troops somewhat, the low morale was irreversible.

Only then did Wang Pi understand Zhang Fu's intentions. He excitedly asked Zhang Fu, "Lord Zhang is imitating the story of Dong Zhuo, isn't he? But he has surpassed his master and is even more cunning than Dong Zhuo. Li Shihui is probably already losing sleep and thinking about how to surrender."

The so-called "Dong Zhuo's old tricks" refers to the story of Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power at the end of the Han Dynasty. At that time, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu led their followers to kill the Ten Attendants, enjoying unparalleled power, and the Yuan family practically controlled the government. Unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo suddenly appeared. He used a clever plan, leading his army into the camp during the day and out at night, repeating this cycle repeatedly. This frightened the two Yuans into believing that he had a million-strong army of reinforcements, so they hurriedly fled Luoyang, handing over their positions of power. The scheme that Zhang Fu is now using is even more complicated, deceiving even many of his own people, let alone the Hedong army. Wang Pi believes that it won't be long before Li Ju will take the initiative to surrender.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Fu shook his head and denied it, saying, "Alas, you are mistaken. How can this fool Li Shihui? He has been on guard for so long. Feng Yi is probably a spy. How could he not know the strength of our army? There is absolutely no way he will surrender."

"Then..." Wang Pi was bewildered again, not expecting that he had misjudged Zhang Fu's intentions once more.

Zhang Fu stopped being mysterious and pointed northeast with his feather fan, explaining with a smile, "I'm not afraid of Li Ju, but of these gentry from Hedong!"

"I have already sent envoys to cross the river at night from Pubandu to contact those prominent families in Hedong. If they are willing to switch sides and cause trouble in Hedong's backyard, I will spare their lives. No matter how talented Li Ju is, how can he win the hearts of the people?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Pi rubbed his forehead in sudden realization, exclaiming "Wonderful!" and praising Zhang Fu with heartfelt admiration, "Lord Zhang's wisdom is truly no less than that of Chief Secretary Li!"

As Zhang Fu had predicted, he and his men remained steadfast at Fenglingdu. However, within just five or six days, prominent families from Hedong, including the Deng, Pei, Wei, and Du clans, all sent secret letters to pledge their allegiance to Zhang Fu. By the seventh day after he entered Fenglingdu, even Yang Xin, the magistrate of Puban County, could not withstand the pressure and sent an envoy to Zhang Fu to express his loyalty.

Zhang Fu immediately made a pact with these men, saying, "Three days later, I will lead my army across the river, and we will all launch an uprising at Puban. Defeating Li Ju will be a piece of cake! You must occupy the key roads and cut off Li Ju's retreat. Whoever can present Li Ju's head will be credited with the greatest merit in this battle!"

After completing the arrangements, Zhang Fu felt quite pleased with himself. He believed that his series of actions were as masterful as a skilled butcher dissecting an ox. Although he had taken advantage of Zhang Fang's reputation after his victory in Luoyang, what did it matter? Victory was the most important thing. After all, the last time someone had so effortlessly cut off an opponent was back when Lü Meng attacked Jiangling. Wasn't Lü Meng also taking advantage of betraying his ally?

Next, Zhang Fu only needed to wait quietly for victory, like standing under a persimmon tree, patiently waiting for the fruit to ripen and fall. Unexpectedly, the day before he was to cross the river, news arrived from the rear that he had not anticipated.

"How is that possible? You're saying Linjin has been captured by Li Ju?" Zhang Fu glanced at the letter, finding its contents unbelievable.

Linjin, as the seat of Fengyi Commandery, was strategically located, with a full treasury and strong fortifications, making it a famous city in Guanzhong. It is worth noting that during the rebellion of Qi Wannian, Qi Wannian captured Linjin, seized the commandery's provisions and weapons, and then his advance became unstoppable.

Even if Zhang Fu were to do it ten times over, he still couldn't have predicted that Li Ju would dare to cross the river with inferior forces and attack his main base, Linjin. Was he out of his mind? Linjin was not a small city, and it was more than eighty miles away from Fenglingdu. If they couldn't take it, they would be in a dilemma. Who could bear the consequences?

But Li Ju did exactly that. He pretended to camp on the east bank of Fenglingdu, but in reality, the camp was only filled with a few hundred civilians to help cover it up, creating the illusion that the army was still stationed at Fenglingdu. He then led his army on a large detour, secretly crossing the river at Longmen Ferry in Xiayang, and then heading south along the Liangshan Trail. With two thousand cavalry as the vanguard, he instantly captured the county seat, a large city with a garrison of less than two hundred men.

Li Ju's thinking was clear: when the disparity in troop strength was insurmountable and the enemy adopted a strategy of relentless pressure, it was better to take the initiative and shift the battlefield beyond Hedong than to sit and wait for death, thus disrupting the Western Army's rhythm. In this way, the main force of the Western Army would be weakened, while the peace of Hedong would be preserved.

However, this strategy was extremely risky. The army was fighting on the front lines without logistics or supplies; a defeat would lead to utter collapse, leaving little room for further fighting. But precisely because of this, Zhang Fuquan hadn't anticipated his intentions, catching Li Ju completely off guard.

"Li Shihui is incredibly bold!" Upon realizing what had happened, Zhang Fu didn't hold back his praise, exclaiming, "To dare to take on such a formidable opponent like this, does he have the guts of a leopard? Even Zhang Liao wouldn't be this bold!"

When Sun Quan led an army of 100,000 to besiege Hefei, Zhang Liao led 800 elite troops to fight on the front lines, routing the Wu army and earning him the nickname "Tiger's Courage." In contrast, Li Ju, without any hope of reinforcements, dared to use ingenious tactics to deceive his opponent, abandoning the east bank and launching a lone attack on the west bank. Though lacking in courage, his wisdom was superior, which impressed Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu quickly came up with a solution, stroking his chin and muttering to himself, "Even if he is Zhang Liao, I am not Sun Quan!"

Zhang Fu had already realized that Li Ju intended to use the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" to force him to withdraw his troops. After all, most of the troops were in Zhang Fu's hands, and not only was the defense of Linjin City weak, but if Li Ju was allowed to continue his attack, half of Fengyi County might fall into Li Ju's hands.

If it were any of the other generals of the Western Expeditionary Army, they would absolutely not want to see this happen, and they would probably have indeed returned to battle. But who is Zhang Fu? He never follows the rules and regulations, and he insists on doing the opposite.

Losing the prefecture capital is no big deal; it just looks bad. In the short term, Li Ju cannot establish rule in Fengyi, seize cities, or expand his army. On the other hand, Hedong is Li Ju's base of operations. If Hedong is conquered, Li Ju will be like water without roots, stranded far from home, his family threatened. How long can these Hedong soldiers hold out?

After weighing these factors, Zhang Fu quickly issued a new military order to his troops: he and Protector General Yang Teng would each lead 10,000 troops to cross the river at Fenglingdu. After crossing, the troops would split into two routes: Yang Teng's route would head north to attack the counties of Puban and Fenying, while Zhang Fu's route would advance eastward towards the counties of Yishi and Anyi. The troops remaining west of the river would be led by Commander-in-Chief Wang Pi to return to Linjin to monitor Li Ju and prevent him from leaving at will.

Zhang Fu didn't know the exact number of troops Li Ju had crossed the river with, but upon careful consideration, he figured that since Li Ju dared to cross, he must have mobilized his entire force. There shouldn't have been many garrison troops in Hedong Commandery, especially considering he had previously recruited many internal allies. Under these circumstances, it was less a Western army attack and more a situation of takeover.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Fu was confident of victory. While crossing the river by boat, he was still dressed in Confucian robes, with a tall hat and wide belt, and a feather fan waving lightly. He even boasted to his subordinates:

"Alas, it's a pity. Li Ju is a formidable opponent, but still far inferior to me. Only someone like Liu Xian, the Duke of Songzi, can truly be my match. Alas, since we parted at the Eastern Palace, I wonder when we will meet again!" (End of Chapter)