Han Ji

The first siege ladder was placed over the battlements, and a Liangzhou soldier climbed up and cut down the guards behind it. A second ladder was then placed over the battlements.

Qian Meng swung his sword at the pass, felling a Liangzhou soldier; the blade chipped. He looked back to the west, where the defending troops were beginning to collapse. Zhang Xiu's men charged into the pass from the mountain ridge, pressing down along the streets.

Knowing he couldn't hold out any longer, Qian Meng threw down his dulled sword and surrendered. His personal guards tied white cloth to the shafts of their spears, raised them, and waved them, their shouts echoing from the pass to the area below.

Ma Chao entered Huguan and brought Qian Meng before him. The surrendered soldiers of Huguan were incorporated into the central army's supply battalion. Subsequently, the main army passed through Huguan and entered the Shangdang Basin.

With Huguan Pass breached, the gateway to Shangdang was wide open. Zhang Xiu, to the south, had already captured Tianjing Pass and was pressing northward. Ma Chao was pushing from east to west. Under this pincer attack, the counties of Shangdang surrendered without resistance.

The eldest son set up an incense table outside the city. The county magistrate of Tunliu himself escorted the official seal and traveled dozens of miles to surrender. The governor of Shangdang abandoned the city and fled, but was intercepted by Zhang Xiu's cavalry on the way. By mid-April, the entire territory of Shangdang had submitted.

After Shangdang submitted, Taiyuan was within reach. However, the territory of the Black Mountain Army still separated the Taihang Mountains from Taiyuan. On both sides of the main river valleys leading from Shangdang to Taiyuan, there were one or two earthen fortresses of the Black Mountain Army.

The Black Mountain Army's stronghold was located deep in the Taihang Mountains, in the Black Mountain area. Zhang Yan's main camp was set up on a terrace at the foot of the main peak of the Black Mountain, backed by a cliff and in front of layers of wooden fences and stone walls.

The mountain stronghold is home to over 100,000 people, with its own fields, mills, blacksmith shops, and salt wells. Zhang Yan has been operating here for over a decade, and he knows the terrain of the Taihang Mountains better than anyone else. He has sent people to keep watch at high points in every narrow valley and every pass.

Upon hearing of Liu Bei's army's arrival, Zhang Yan convened a meeting of the various leaders at the Black Mountain stronghold. The council hall of the stronghold was a semi-underground earthen cave dwelling that could seat dozens of people.

Torches hung on the wall, their light casting flickering shadows on people's faces. Zhang Yan sat in the main seat; he was in his forties, short and stocky, with a square face and an old knife scar on his cheek. He wore a coarse cloth robe, a short knife tucked into his waistband, and held a bowl of wine in his hand.

More than a dozen leaders sat on both sides. Some were older, like Zhang Yan, former members of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Others were younger, juniors who had grown up in the mountains.

Some advocated for war, arguing that although Liu Bei's army was large, the Black Mountain Army was familiar with the terrain of the Taihang Mountains, and Ma Chao's cavalry could not move freely in the mountains. The Black Mountain Army had the advantage in terms of both timing and terrain.

Some advocated surrender, arguing that Liu Bei had spared and exempted many of Yuan Shao's former subordinates from surrender in Ji and You provinces, and that the Black Mountain Army was no match for Liu Bei and would surrender sooner or later.

Zhang Yan laid out this issue for everyone to discuss. Several of his old brothers, such as Sun Qing and Wang Dang, had fought alongside Zhang Yan from the Yellow Turban camp.

Sun Qing's current attitude leans towards waiting to see Liu Bei's terms before making a decision. Wang Dang, who has the most soldiers, sat on the side with the brightest torchlight and remained silent. Several other minor leaders worried that if they surrendered, their organizations would be dismantled, and they would lose their autonomy in dividing up land and establishing strongholds in the mountains.

Zhang Yan did not make a decision on the spot. After the leaders dispersed, he sat alone in the empty council hall, staring blankly at the pine torches.

After reaching the edge of the Taihang Mountains, Liu Bei did not continue his advance. He established his central army camp in Xiangyuan, north of Shangdang, facing the majestic and continuous Taihang Mountains. This mountain range blocked his path, and within it lay hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

He summoned Jian Yong to the main tent. When Jian Yong entered, his robes were covered in dirt; he had just arrived at the front lines from Ye City. He opened the account book, his tongue as fluent as ever.

Liu Bei sent him to Black Mountain to meet Zhang Yan in person with an imperial edict. The edict stated that if Zhang Yan led his people down the mountain to surrender, all the leaders of the Black Mountain army, regardless of rank, would be spared. Those who were able-bodied and willing to serve would be incorporated into the regular army, while those who did not would be given land and resettled. The elderly, weak, women, and children would all be registered in the household register and given land and exempt from taxes for two years. The blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, and other skilled craftsmen in the mountain stronghold would be relocated to workshops in various counties and counties and resettled in the same way.

Jian Yong said that Zhang Yan was a suspicious man, and that words alone might not be enough. Liu Bei thought for a moment and then ordered Ma Chao to lead a troop of Liangzhou cavalry to accompany Jian Yong into the mountains. They were to stop five li away from the Black Mountain stronghold and not engage in combat, but simply stand there for a while.

Let the mountain people see our military formation, let them know that we can fight, but we won't. Jia Xu added a step further: have Qian Zhao find a few former Yellow Turban followers who have already been settled in Ji Province to go with Jian Yong. Their personal accounts are more effective than any words.

Jian Yong set off from Xiangyuan, riding a donkey into the Taihang Mountains. The mountain path was rugged, and the donkey's hooves clattered on the loose stones. Ma Chao followed with a thousand Liangzhou cavalrymen, and they stopped about five li from the Black Mountain stronghold, where they set up camp.

The cavalry stood in a straight line in the open valley, their armor and spear tips gleaming in the mountain mist. The Black Mountain Army scouts spotted them from the trees and began whistling to each other, sending a message back to the camp. Then Jian Yong, with only a few men, continued into the mountains.

Zhang Yan greeted Jian Yong at the entrance of Heishan Village. The gate was made of a single piece of pine wood, and cow skulls hung on the gateposts. Zhang Yan stood at the gate and was stunned when she saw the few former Yellow Turban followers accompanying her.

These were familiar faces he had seen in the Yellow Turban camp years ago, who had later gone to Ji Province, and he had assumed they were long dead. Now, not only were they alive, but they were also wearing clean robes and looked healthy.

Several former subordinates told Zhang Yan, as instructed beforehand, that the general kept his word. The surrendered soldiers from Jizhou were organized into battalions, given land, and exempted from taxes. Craftsmen were also allowed to start work in workshops in the county town.

Jian Yong handed over the imperial edict. The edict bore the imperial seal and its wording was simple and clear: Zhang Yan led his people to surrender, and was appointed as a General of the Household and granted the title of Marquis.

All subordinates, both high and low-ranking, were granted official positions; able-bodied men were recruited into the army; the elderly and weak were allocated land and resettled; and they were exempted from taxes for two years. The edict contained no vague or ambiguous words; every point was written in detail.

After reading the imperial edict, Zhang Yan invited Jian Yong into the council hall. The leaders sat together, and Zhang Yan read the edict aloud. No one objected immediately, nor did anyone agree. Some murmured about whether Jian Yong's position as a general was secure, while others questioned whether the land redistribution and tax exemption would truly be implemented.

The torches crackled and popped. Jian Yong stood up and did some calculations with the other leaders: Now they lived deep in the mountains, and salt and cloth had to be smuggled down the mountain; after surrendering, these things would be distributed according to military pay and resettlement rations, and the quantities would be fixed.

Those who are strong and fit can't be incorporated into the regular army. He pointed to several of Zhang Yan's personal guards and said that those with the build could be directly added to Ma Chao's Liangzhou cavalry.

Ma Chao's thousand cavalry stood five miles away for a whole day, their hooves paving the ground with potholes. The Black Mountain Army watched the gleaming cavalry from their high vantage points; some slid down from the treetops, squatted at the tree roots, and ate a few bites of dry biscuits.

Zhang Yan's doubts weren't completely dispelled, but a stalemate had been broken. He stood up and told Jian Yong to stay the night, and they could discuss the details the next day. That night, he had several extra torches lit, illuminating the earthen walls of the council hall until they glowed white.