Jinting Han people

At the end of the winter month of the first year of Qiming, 15,000 troops on the southern expedition had arrived in Chengdu.

However, this time, the composition of Liu Xian's army was very different from before. He did not bring his own battle-hardened Iron Cavalry, nor did he draw men from the Hedong Army or the Yongzhou Army. Instead, he chose to form this southern expeditionary army with 7,000 Changsheng Army soldiers as the main force, supplemented by 2,000 Yizhou Army soldiers, 1,000 Qinzhou Army soldiers, 4,000 Ningzhou Army soldiers who had been captured earlier, and 800 Yulin Army soldiers who guarded the palace.

In truth, this was a suggestion from Li Feng, the magistrate of Guangdu. After learning of the court's decision to launch a southern expedition, he submitted a memorial to Chengdu overnight, claiming that the great battle had just ended, the six armies were exhausted, and many soldiers had settled down and started families, making them unsuitable for a southern expedition. The fact that so many high-ranking officials opposed the expedition at the previous court assembly was clear evidence of this. Only the soldiers of Chengdu who had been captured earlier, suffering from the crushing defeat and the pain of losing their lord, possessed a strong desire to achieve merit and avenge their humiliation. If Liu Xian wished to launch a southern expedition, he could certainly utilize them.

After reading Li Feng's memorial, Liu Xian was quite moved. He then summoned Yang Nandi and asked if the Changsheng Army was usable. Yang Nandi was indeed impressed by these new subordinates. After careful consideration, he replied, "These men are indeed elite troops. They all have iron in their eyes, and their murderous aura is chilling. I'm just afraid they won't be easy to control!"

Given Yang Nandi's strong personality, it's true that he's difficult to control, but that also shows how brave these people are. But that's exactly the kind of spirit Liu Xian wanted. He laughed and said, "A thoroughbred horse is inherently a wild and untamed horse. Others may keep their distance, but how can a good horse enthusiast keep their distance?" So he finalized the strategy of mobilizing the Changsheng Army.

Then he pondered Li Feng's memorial for a moment. In the past few months, Li Feng had indeed made remarkable progress in recruiting refugees and repairing water conservancy projects in Guangdu. Finally, he said to Li Sheng, "In the conquest of Nanzhong, we need to use these Di people. We cannot be without a strategist who is familiar with the details. It seems that we should appoint this person!" He then ordered Li Sheng to draft a memorial to Guangdu, requesting that Li Feng come to court for an audience. Liu Xian wanted to take this opportunity to see how much real ability Li Feng really had.

Upon hearing the news, Li Feng was overjoyed. That very night, he wrote a list of all the affairs in Guangdu and placed it on his desk as a handover document. Then, before dawn the next day, he packed a few changes of clothes, grabbed a water bottle, and rode off to report for duty.

Their speed was so fast that even Liu Xian was startled. He exclaimed to Li Feng, "How quickly you arrived!"

Li Feng solemnly replied, "I am all alone. Heaven, earth, the emperor, and my family are all I have. How can I not act quickly?!" He then offered a suggestion, saying, "Your Highness's personal campaign should not be carried out with great fanfare, but should be conducted discreetly. Otherwise, given Your Highness's prestige, the barbarian chieftains in the south will surely be terrified upon learning of it. If they block the mountains and cut off the roads, it will be difficult for them to advance."

Liu Xian glanced at him and smiled, “That’s exactly what I wanted to do, so I’ve decided not to take the most conspicuous Bo Road, but the more secluded Yuexi Trail. This trail has been abandoned for many years and is overgrown with thorns and large trees, but it’s very short. Now that it’s winter, the vegetation is falling, so we can carve out a path through it for a surprise attack.”

Li Feng suddenly realized and slapped his forehead, saying, "Your Highness is referring to the Yak Trail, isn't he? That's certainly fitting."

The so-called Yak Trail refers to the road opened up by Zhang Yi, the governor of Yuexi during the Former Shu Han dynasty. When he served as governor of Yuexi, rebellions broke out one after another in the prefecture, and the roads were abandoned. However, Zhang Yi subdued the local Yak Yilang Road, won their trust, and the two swore a blood oath, which gradually brought peace to Yuexi Prefecture. Finally, this mountain road leading directly to Chengdu was opened up in Hanjia County, hence the name.

But Li Feng immediately followed up, saying, "But that's still not enough, Your Highness. Didn't you say before that you would appoint General Huangfu as the Governor of the Bodao region to manage the southern regions? Now we can spread the word that it is Governor Huangfu who is leading the army south this time, and never mention Your Highness's name. Then we can write letters everywhere to let the Yi people and their powerful clans know about this, using soft words to make them lower their guard."

Hearing this, Liu Xian couldn't help but feel a greater appreciation for Li Feng. This Di person was indeed worthy of the name "Phoenix of the Li Clan," and even knew how to use feints.

This is indeed a good plan. Although Huangfu Zhong is somewhat famous in Liangzhou, he is certainly not well-known in Bashu. His reputation is not as good as that of Li Ju and Yang Nandi. If he is made the nominal commander, the leaders of the various tribes will inevitably lower their guard, and the success rate of the sneak attack will be greatly increased.

Liu Xian then appointed Li Feng as Military Advisor General, ordering him to accompany the army in military affairs. He also admonished Li Feng, saying, "In summarizing my life's battles, I've learned that to defeat the enemy, strategy alone is not enough. The most important thing is the people. No matter how good the strategy, if there is no internal unity and a shared purpose, I will not use it. And no matter how intelligent a scholar is, if his mind is not on the right path, I will not hesitate to punish him."

Li Feng, holding his new official seal, hadn't even had time to feel happy when he heard these words. He was startled and looked up to see Liu Xian's sharp gaze. He quickly bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, we are not capable, but we will definitely put the overall situation first!"

So Liu Xian mobilized three thousand Qinzhou troops, with Huangfu Zhong as the nominal commander, and ordered Guo Mo, the Imperial Guard General, to accompany him, along with Fan Ben, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, and Liu Lang, the Duke of Longxi. This is how the southern expeditionary army came to be.

Although called a large army, this was actually the smallest military operation Liu Xian had undertaken in recent years. However, the sheer number of tens of thousands gathered still created a formidable spectacle. Liu Xian focused his inspection on a newly formed unit of the Changsheng Army, which was divided into seven battalions, led by Wen Shuo, Luo Yang, Zhang Jingou, Hong Qi, Fei Hei, Zhang Bao, and Zhao Pan respectively.

These men were indeed a battle-hardened army. Despite the cold weather and their faces reddened by the north wind, the seven thousand of them gathered together were remarkably silent; not even one was stamping their feet to warm themselves. Their eyes were defiant, and as they looked at Liu Xian approaching, it was as if they wanted to prove something. Liu Xian scrutinized them one by one. Many of them had scars and wounds on their faces, and even without making any expression, they exuded a murderous aura.

Liu Xian walked up to Wen Shuo and was somewhat surprised to see that this big man was about the same size as Guo Mo. He had also heard that he was known as the Ghost Commander, so he couldn't help but ask, "Old Taoist, who have you killed?"

Guo Mo had fought Wen Shuo during the Battle of Yinping. The two were evenly matched, and both left several scars on each other. Guo Mo didn't mind, but his brother-in-law, Lu Jia, had his arm severed by Wen Shuo, and later died from a diseased wound. Guo Mo deeply hated Wen Shuo because of this, and at this moment he couldn't help but interject, "A nameless thief, just a defeated opponent of mine."

Wen Shuo glanced at Guo Mo beside him, suppressed his anger, untied his waistband, and showed it to Liu Xian, saying, "Your Highness, I killed a tiger when I was in Brazil. This is the tiger skin I skinned."

Upon hearing that Wen Shuo had killed a tiger, Liu Xian was greatly impressed and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Excellent! Then it seems you are truly a formidable force. I await your prowess on the southern expedition."

He turned to Guo Mo and comforted him, saying, "Yuanxiong, I've heard that there are not only tigers in the South, but also elephants. With your abilities, you should kill an elephant to see for yourself."

After inspecting the soldiers, Liu Xian's confidence in the southern expedition increased greatly, and he had no more doubts. Finally, he officially set off on the first day of the twelfth lunar month.

As planned by Li Feng, Liu Xian dispatched envoys to various prefectures in the south, each carrying a proclamation. These proclamations, written in the style of Huangfu Zhong, announced his impending southward campaign to pacify the various tribes. The proclamations were eloquent and impressive, clearly written by a well-read scholar. To ensure the envoys could understand them, Liu Xian also assigned a foreign translator to each envoy, who would explain his policies in detail.

The proclamation began by discussing the previous rule of Shu Han over Nanzhong, emphasizing that the two provinces were originally one, and that it was only right for Liu Xian, the Duke of Anle, to restore Shu Han's rule over Nanzhong. However, Shuzhong was currently in turmoil, and the King of Han had ambitions for unification, so he had no intention of waging war against the southwest. He only hoped that the various tribes in Nanzhong could understand the bigger picture, recognize Chengdu as their master, and restore peace.

Starting in the second year of the Qiming era, Huangfu Zhong would lead his army to Jianning Commandery, hoping that the various tribes would open the roads, acknowledge the new governor's banner, and that Liu Xian would forgive their past rebellions and recognize their rule over the region. If they refused to submit, Huangfu Zhong's ten thousand elite troops would lead an expedition to suppress the rebellion. The proclamation emphasized that although Huangfu Zhong's own forces were small, he had strong backing, and the tribes should not harbor any illusions or attempt to resist stubbornly.

As Li Feng had predicted, the Yi people of the south had never heard of Huangfu Zhong, only knowing that the Huangfu family was a prominent clan in Guanzhong. Based on their stereotypical impression of scholars, they assumed he was merely a weak and powerless scholar. While the proclamation seemed to demand submission from the various tribes, it actually revealed a hint of weakness, as if they were afraid of a Yi rebellion. When the Yi leaders heard that after the chaos in Shu, they could only send about ten thousand troops south, they laughed heartily. They all claimed to acknowledge Chengdu's authority, but in reality, they had no intention of surrendering.

This was exactly what Liu Xian wanted. He led his troops south from Linqiong, first arriving at Hanjia, where he stayed for two days until a Taoist priest named Wang Cen came to join him, and then they set off again.

This Wang Cen was a Daoist priest of the Celestial Masters sect, specially recruited by Fan Ben. According to Fan Ben, due to their missionary work, the Celestial Masters sect had reached every remote corner of the land; there was no place they hadn't been. Therefore, while Liu Xian stated that Li Xiu would be the main guide, given the vastness of Ningzhou, it was impossible for Li Xiu to be familiar with everything. Thus, he also utilized the resources of the Celestial Masters sect to ensure the success of this southern expedition.

Wang Cen was an old man, around sixty years old, with white hair and beard, a dark and thin face, leaning on a bamboo cane, and carrying two pairs of straw sandals at his waist. Beside him was a yellow dog that reached his legs. He said to Liu Xian, "There are many Yi people in Han Jia County. Your Highness is heading south. Please restrain your soldiers and allow me to communicate with them first. Otherwise, the customs of the Yi people are different from those of the Chinese, which may cause many troubles."

This Taoist priest was indeed incredibly powerful. He led Liu Xian's group from Han Jia to Yan Dao, encountering many mountain barbarians along the way. Whenever Wang Cen first approached and persuaded them, they all bowed and knelt, offering gifts to Liu Xian's army. These included musk, barbarian sheep, crowing roosters, felt cloaks, and gold and silver ornaments. Liu Xian reciprocated, bestowing upon them newly made ring-pommel swords, as well as silk, jade ornaments, salt, and wine. This ensured a smooth journey through Han Jia.

But after passing Yandao, the number of Liao people in the mountains visibly decreased. The mountain path was narrow, and layers of rock were exposed on the surface, yet trees stubbornly grew from the cracks in the rocks. Even in the dead of winter, most of the forests were lush and green, obscuring the view and making it difficult to see the path. The army was forced to form a winding line, and the front and rear ranks would easily become separated if they were not careful. People had to cut down trees and make some conspicuous markings with red lacquer, both to make it easier for the soldiers in the rear to keep up and to facilitate the supply of troops to Chengdu.

However, this doesn't mean that winters here aren't cold. Being in the high mountains, a sleet shower, while not as blanketing the mountains in white as in the north, is still a magnificent sight. It's as if a white veil has been draped over the world, obscuring the trees up close and the landscape in the distance. Further west, the colossal mountain ranges are half-hidden in the sky, like silent gods watching over them.

On the night of the third day, Wang Cen said to Liu Xian, "Your Highness, we should only be twenty li away from the Yak Tribe, and we will arrive tomorrow. However, the Yak Tribe's leader, Lang Yue, is unruly and my preaching has not been successful. If we arrive here, I'm afraid you will have no choice but to fight."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian first nodded to Wang Cen and said, "That's enough. Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency."

He then summoned the generals of the army for a discussion. Li Feng analyzed, "Your Highness, we have been traveling for eight or nine days, and now we are finally about to fight our first battle. We must do it cleanly and decisively. The weather is cold and the sky is overcast. Our army has come from the deep mountains and has traveled a long way, so the enemy will not be on guard. I think we can use a night attack."

Liu Xian agreed, saying, "I plan to select over a thousand brave men and send a capable general to raid the enemy camp at night. Who among you dares to take on this challenge?"

All the generals volunteered, but Liu Xian wanted to see how the Changsheng Army performed first, so he selected Wen Shuo and Zhang Bao and said, "Each of you will choose five hundred men, make a fire and cook a meal at midnight. After the meal, you will set off first, and the rest of us will follow in an hour. The one who makes the greatest contribution will be the Prefect of Yuexi!"

Encouraged by the generous reward, Wen Shuo and Zhang Bao's courage surged, and under Wang Cen's guidance, they set off through the night. The soldiers strode quickly up the thorny hillside, their clothes covered in burrs, making them extremely uncomfortable. The damp, chilly winter weather also caused their feet to go cold. Fortunately, they were covered with large felt cloaks given to them by the Liao people—thick woolen garments that were extremely waterproof and warm. Although they couldn't protect their feet, at least their bodies remained warm.

They trudged along the mountain path, their armor strapped to their packs, making everything quiet; the sound of their footsteps was like the rustling of falling leaves, as if thousands of leaves were fluttering down. They made their way through the yak trail until they reached the yak tribe's camp.

Like most of the mountain tribes, the Yak tribe built their base camp on a small mountain about four zhang high. Even without fire, one could see rows of wooden houses on the mountain, and it was completely silent. Clearly, most of the Yi people were asleep.

Wen Shuo asked Wang Cen where the path up the mountain was. Wang Cen pointed to a steep slope where scattered black rocks formed natural climbing points, but were covered with wet, cold sleet. Wen Shuo understood immediately; they were to climb directly up from there.

Four zhang high isn't particularly high, but it's still a fatal fall, especially in this season when the rocks are covered with ice and snow, making them extremely slippery. One wrong step and you're dead. But Wen Shuo pondered for a moment and discussed with Zhang Bao, "We've faced countless dangers without ever showing fear. How can we let a small cliff block our way? Going up to fight the enemy is better than going back and being scolded by our lord!"

Having made up their minds, they took off their felt cloaks, piled them together to form a cushion at the foot of the cliff, and then, shivering, put on their armor. Wen Shuo was at the front; he wasn't wearing armor, but had a rope tied around his waist and only a ring-pommel sword at his side, ready to clear the way for the soldiers.

The crowd watched as he slowly rose from the cliff edge, climbing one rock at a time. At first, it went smoothly, but after he was about ten feet off the ground, everyone held their breath. The burly man carefully discerned the path, enduring the numbness in his hands, and began to climb. Even so, he nearly slipped. When he reached a height of about thirty feet, his left hand slipped, and he almost fell, hanging precariously in mid-air only by his right hand. Those below, witnessing this perilous situation, felt dizzy and broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Wen Shuo recovered and was the first to reach the top of the mountain. Seeing this, the others grabbed the rope he had tied and began to climb one by one, but the pace was slow. It was almost midnight when only about two hundred people had made it to the top. The people were huddled together, and they were getting too cold to bear it any longer, so they said, "What are we waiting for? Let's kill them!"

In an instant, those in front shouted and charged into the Yak Yi people's dwelling, brandishing their knives. Those still at the foot of the mountain and on the cliffs heard shouts of battle overhead and knew that a fight had broken out, but they could only calm themselves down and climb up the ropes one by one.

By the time Zhang Bao reached the mountain, the sounds of fighting had gradually subsided. Wen Shuo brought him several bloody, still-steaming heads, saying they belonged to the Yi chieftain Lang Yue and his brothers and sons. These men had been awakened from their dreams, and before they could even put on their clothes, they had become victims of his blade. (End of Chapter)