Jinting Han people

Yan Ding's plan was simple: to use a minor defeat to consolidate power, suppress the remaining supporters, and then ensure the smooth implementation of his strategy. However, in this critical situation, the impact of a minor defeat was far greater than he had imagined.

Even before the formal commencement of the war, there were already clear signs of division within the Western Army. After the Zhao army's initial victory, the various divisions within the Western Army became increasingly pessimistic about the future. Those led by Peng Dangzhong, who had come to assist in the battle, privately discussed that the Western Army was likely in dire straits, and why should they risk fighting the Zhao army for the sake of the Westerners? Moreover, the Western Army had always looked down on them, these non-Han people; in fact, the Zhao army was closer to them!

So, on the third night after their initial defeat, Peng Dangzhong and his men packed their belongings and, without saying goodbye to the Western Army, abandoned their camp under cover of darkness. They then crossed the dried-up Jing River, and the 20,000 men headed towards Longyou. Yan Ding, upon hearing this, was furious and exclaimed, "These barbarians are the most treacherous! After this battle, we will surely march to Longyou and annihilate these rebellious traitors!"

That being said, he currently couldn't spare any extra troops to quell the rebellion in Longyou. He could only send messages to the various counties and prefectures in Longyou, instructing them to defend their cities and prevent the Qiang and Hu tribes from invading.

However, the departure of Peng Dangzhong and others had a ripple effect. The Western Army was already at a disadvantage in terms of troop strength, and with Peng Dangzhong gone, the disadvantage became even more pronounced, which in turn brought the plan to launch a surprise attack on Pingyang to a standstill.

After all, if too many troops were to be transferred at this time, the main force of the Western Army would be weakened, while if too few were transferred, it would be difficult to achieve the effect of a surprise attack on Pingyang. This made everyone hesitate. However, a day later, Jia Pi, the governor of Qin Prefecture, believed that this matter could not be delayed any longer, so he volunteered in front of everyone: "Lord Yan, give me five thousand cavalry, and I will go to attack Pingyang."

This statement surprised everyone. Yan Ding asked, "Yan Du, are you really confident?"

Jia Pi declared loudly, “Lord Yan, how can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s den? Hedong is, after all, the place where the emperor rose to power. There must be loyal ministers there. I will raise the emperor’s banner and use the righteous to attack the unrighteous. Why worry about not having a response? Five thousand cavalry is already too many! Although our army has traveled a thousand miles, we have penetrated deep into enemy territory. By taking them by surprise, the enemy will be caught off guard and will surely be cowardly. Our army will be even more courageous. We will use our bravery to attack their fear. How can we return empty-handed? I will definitely capture Liu Cong’s wife and children and return!”

Jia Pi's bold words invigorated everyone, and Yan Ding was naturally delighted. Frankly, his ability to maintain his position as leader of the alliance for so many years was inseparable from Jia Pi's strong support. Now that Jia Pi was willing to risk his life, it once again alleviated the anxiety within the army, and Yan Ding readily agreed. He then privately confided in Jia Pi, "Yandu, if the battle doesn't go smoothly, there's no need to worry. I've already requested reinforcements from Yi'an, and they should arrive in about a month. Our army will undoubtedly win this battle."

When Jia Pi heard the news, he was somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood the current situation and then reminded Yan Ding, "Lord Yan, you must not be careless. After I leave, you must also appease the morale of the army. I think the army is really negative in this major event, especially Zhao Ran, Zhu Shuang and a few others. Their will is not firm enough. You must also find a way to encourage morale."

“Of course,” Yan Ding said with a smile. “Even if Yan Du didn’t say anything, I would have taken care of it.”

After saying this, the two parted ways. That night, Jia Pi led five thousand cavalrymen out of the camp and headed straight for Tongguan from Weinan. He planned to first enter Hongnong County, then cross Dianlingban to enter Hedong County, and finally head north to launch a surprise attack on Pingyang.

After Jia Pi left, Yan Ding followed his advice and began to try to boost morale in the army. Although the Zhao army repeatedly provoked them in front of the camp, he refused to fight. At the same time, he recruited brave soldiers and held archery competitions in the camp. Those who performed outstandingly were rewarded with gold, silver, and food. The food was nothing more than bland rice wine, and the meat was a batch of salted fish that Yan Ding had managed to pickle the previous year. But at the moment, it was considered a precious delicacy.

Surprisingly, the Zhao army did not show any signs of panic in the face of this situation. Logically, they should have been severely short of food, especially since fighting across borders consumed at least tens of thousands of bushels of provisions daily. Under such circumstances, the Zhao army should have only one option: to urgently seek battle. Therefore, Yan Ding ordered all his troops to be on high alert daily to guard against possible attacks from the Zhao army. However, the result was that, apart from sending some men to provoke the camp each day, the Zhao army did not exhibit any further aggressive behavior.

Could it be that the Zhao army also had reinforcements? With this in mind, Yan Ding specifically ordered Qu Yun to capture several Zhao army scouts. After interrogating them, he learned that the Zhao army had indeed received aid. The one who provided the aid was none other than Shi Le, the King of Zhongshan.

It turned out that after Shi Le conquered the five counties of Hebei, he witnessed a locust plague in Guanzhong and knew that the Zhao Han dynasty was in dire straits. Following Zhang Bin's strategic advice to use neighboring regions as a buffer and first defeat Liu Xian, he surprisingly and generously allocated 500,000 bushels of millet from Jinyang to the south to solidify the alliance with Liu Cong. In other words, thanks to Shi Le's intervention, the Zhao army was able to safely survive the winter, and its logistical situation was even better than that of the Western Army.

Yan Ding was shocked upon hearing the news. He was astonished by Shi Le's boldness and the extent of his resources. He had never imagined that the situation could escalate further, and that the war in Guanzhong was no longer just a struggle between the Western Army and the Zhao Army, but had become an arena for the power struggle of multiple forces.

But after the initial shock, Yan Ding realized from a different perspective that this wasn't necessarily bad news. At least from this angle, Zhao Jun wasn't in a hurry for a decisive battle; he was probably planning to wait until their own supplies ran out before launching a general offensive. That would give them enough time to buy time and wait for Yang Nandi's reinforcements.

With this in mind, Yan Ding felt somewhat relieved and continued to inspect the various armies, patiently awaiting the arrival of winter.

Time flew by and it was mid-October. After the drought, sleet and snow suddenly began to fall in Guanzhong, but it stopped quickly, as if a layer of salt had been sprinkled on the land of Huangbai City.

Based on the scale of previous years, this sleet was negligible and insufficient to hinder the war. However, the biting north wind did not lessen in the slightest, creating new difficulties. The locust plague had not only destroyed this year's autumn harvest, but the fleeing population also made it difficult for the government to collect cloth. This resulted in a severe shortage of winter clothing; neither the Western Army nor the Zhao Army had more than half their troops equipped with winter gear. Soldiers resorted to cutting down dead trees for warmth. Fires burned day and night, with plumes of black smoke reaching the sky. The prolonged stalemate also eased the tense atmosphere between the two armies. During this period, although the two armies provoked each other several times, the scale of the battles remained below a hundred men, consisting either of small scouts spying on each other or small squads of soldiers exchanging fire and looting. This continued for about twenty days, and the total number of dead and wounded had reached over a thousand, yet the decisive battle remained unclear, and it was uncertain when it would begin.

That day, Zhao Ran suddenly sent a messenger to Yan Ding, saying that there was urgent military information to report. Yan Ding was a little surprised. What urgent military information could there be at this time? He did not go rashly, but first asked for details. The messenger replied, "Lord Yan, it seems that the general has captured a messenger from the rebel army, saying that some people in the rebel army want to defect."

Upon hearing this news, Yan Ding's spirits lifted, and he immediately led a group of guards to Zhao Ran's residence for a detailed discussion. It turned out that the messenger was Huyan Hao, the General Who Pacifies the West of the Zhao army. He was originally a confidant of the former deposed crown prince Liu He. After Liu Cong ascended the throne, he carried out a large-scale purge of Liu He's faction. Although Huyan Hao had not yet been implicated, he was worried that he would be affected sooner or later, so he wanted to find a way to switch sides.

Huyan Hao promised that if Yan Ding and others could make him the governor of a prefecture, he would send his son Huyan Pi as a hostage and tell Liu Cong the exact location of their main camp.

All of this was perfectly reasonable, so how could Yan Ding refuse? He laughed and promised, "If we can really behead Liu Cong, he's just a mere governor of a prefecture. What does that matter to our army?" He immediately wrote down an oath, bit his finger to press his fingerprint, and because he was worried that Zhao Ran might not handle things properly, he also arranged the signal and method of meeting again the next day, asking the other party to come and contact him directly.

The following night, Huyan Pi arrived alone at the Western Army camp for the appointed meeting. Huyan Pi was only in his early twenties, dressed like a Han Chinese scholar, capable of composing poetry and prose, and speaking eloquently about the internal conflicts within the Zhao army. He was clearly an important figure, and Yan Ding was even more delighted. That very night, he hosted a banquet for him in the commander's camp. This greatly surprised everyone around him. In a time of such food shortages, what joyous occasion could warrant such a lavish feast from Lord Yan?
During the banquet, the two men drank and chatted, praising each other's local customs and traditions. After three rounds, Yan Ding felt he had treated them graciously enough, so he asked Huyan Pi, "Did you bring what your father promised beforehand, young master?"

Huyan Pi pulled out a pre-bound scroll from his robes, the only thing he had left after searching his back. He looked at Yan Ding's guards in the camp and said, "Lord Yan, this matter is of utmost secrecy; please do not let anyone else know."

Yan Ding laughed and said, "These are all my trusted confidants, so there's no need to worry." However, he also knew that this matter was of great importance. In order to keep it secret and show his trust, he still sent all his close followers out of the camp to discuss the matter in detail.

It was late at night, and only Huyan Pi and Yan Ding remained in the camp. Huyan Pi moved the table between them, took a candle, and slowly unrolled the scroll by its light. Yan Ding was engrossed in reading when suddenly, a gleaming short knife appeared at the end of the scroll. He was startled, and four words flashed through his mind: "The dagger is revealed when the map is unrolled!"

Yan Ding instinctively tried to retreat, but Hu Yanpi was faster. He had been planning this for a long time. He grabbed a short knife with one hand and grabbed Yan Ding's sleeve with the other. Although Yan Ding had some martial arts training, he was drunk and unarmed, so he couldn't fight back. He fell to the ground instantly, allowing Hu Yanpi to stab him six times. By the time the guards outside noticed something was wrong and rushed into the camp to check, the leader of the Guanzhong scholars had lost consciousness. Blood was gushing from his wounds, and his clothes were covered in crimson. It was clear that he was beyond saving.

Facing the numerous soldiers who had come, Hu Yanpi showed no fear. Instead, he stepped on Yan Ding's corpse and shouted, word by word, "Your General Zhao Ran has already surrendered to our Emperor. His Majesty has ordered that all those who surrender now will not be killed and will retain their original positions! If you want to resist stubbornly, then don't blame us for being merciless with our blades!"

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers present were astonished. In their stunned silence, Huyan Pi lit the scrolls in the tent with candles, and the flames instantly engulfed the area, forcing everyone to retreat. Zhao Ran, who had prepared over a hundred men to provide support nearby, saw the signal for success and immediately led his troops in a thunderous rush. The soldiers, caught off guard, watched helplessly as Zhao Ran joined them. Seeing that Yan Ding was indeed dead, Zhao Ran was overjoyed. He beheaded Yan Ding and then addressed the crowd:

"Gentlemen, I know that Yan Ding has always advocated surrendering to the South, but Liu Xian is now powerful and treats meritorious officials with contempt. What wealth and honor could we possibly gain by going there? Why not come with me to surrender to Pingyang? We are willing to offer help in times of need, and that is where our future lies!"

Unexpectedly, someone angrily said, "Zhao Ran, you treacherous beast, who would want to serve the Hu dogs! No matter how many faults Yan Gong has, it is not an excuse for your two-faced behavior!"

Zhao Ran was furious upon hearing this. Looking closely, he realized the speaker was Jia Kan. As a veteran who had remained in the Western Army since the Qi Wannian Rebellion, he held immense prestige, and his voice roused the other soldiers. Seeing this, Zhao Ran knew that persuading the Western Army to surrender was impossible. He immediately hung Yan Ding's head on his saddle, drew his sword, and coldly sneered, "Without Yan Ding in charge, do you have any other way out? Fine, if you don't surrender today, it'll only be a few days later. Go! Follow me and fight your way out!"

Having said that, he and Huyan Pi led over a hundred of their followers and rushed out of the camp. At this time, there were only a few dozen guards at the commander's camp, and after a brief melee, they were unable to stop them. The Westerners who had come from behind, seeing the fire gathering, were also unaware of what was happening and had no time to stop Zhao Ran. They could only watch as the hundred or so of them rushed out of the camp and headed directly west.

That night, news of Yan Ding's assassination spread throughout the camp, throwing the army into chaos. Jia Kan initially tried to persuade everyone to unite and continue the standoff with the Zhao army. However, the Western Army had largely lost confidence in the Zhao army's victory, and so the prefects and commanders of various counties led their troops away, some going directly to Liu Cong like Lü Lang and Su Zhong, others heading to Longyou like Chen An and Liang Fen. Only a small number remained in Huangbai City. Indeed, by the next morning, the Western Army, which had originally numbered nearly 100,000, had dwindled to less than 30,000.

Lacking food and clothing, and with morale shattered, continuing to fight the Zhao army under such circumstances was tantamount to suicide. Jia Kan, unwilling to surrender, had no choice but to abandon Huangbai City and retreat towards Chencang for several days. Upon learning of this, Liu Cong immediately divided his forces into three routes. He ordered Liu Can to lead the southern route with 20,000 troops to follow Jia Kan and seize Chencang when the opportunity arose. At the same time, he ordered Liu Yao to lead 50,000 troops westward into Longyou, aiming to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop while Chen An and his forces were still establishing their foothold. Finally, he personally led 60,000 troops to Chang'an, where he rewarded his soldiers and offered sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain.

Jia Kan's messenger quickly entered Wudu County, where he encountered Yang Nandi en route, learning of Zhao Ran's northward flight and the collapse of Guanzhong. At this time, Yang Nandi had just arrived at Liangquan Garrison, still three days' journey from Chencang. (End of Chapter)