Chapter 1179: The Cang Mountains and Erhai Lake

While Wang Renshan was stalled at Nongdong, racking his brains to prepare for a breakthrough, Wang Quanbin's army on the western route also achieved a breakthrough. After more than a month of arduous marching, they finally crossed those high mountains and perilous passes, penetrating deep into Dali territory.

Of course, it couldn't really be called "deep" penetration, because there was still a considerable distance to Yangxiemie City. In fact, in terms of distance, the eastern route at Nongdong Prefecture was much closer to the Dali capital.

However, precisely because the eastern army had drawn a large number of Dali troops to defend against it, the northern cities and towns, which had never been given much attention, became even more vulnerable. Though the distance was greater, if a surprise attack succeeded, the effect would naturally be significant.

The Jinsha River, as the most important waterway in Dali, surged with fierce currents and vast waters, especially in its upper reaches, where it was even more treacherous. After crossing the mountains and heading south, Wang Quanbin led his army without rest, driving straight for the river. Though the going was still rough, it was much faster than those desolate mountain trails.

By the twentieth day of the eighth month, the main force of the Han army had brought their horses to drink at the Jinsha River. And the moment they arrived at the Jinsha, the Han army did only one thing—boil water, bathe, change clothes and shoes, and feast the entire army.

This was far more thorough than the two or three days of rest they'd had in the mountains. Wang Quanbin gave the entire army only one day and two nights. After that, they would cross the Jinsha westward, then turn south, and drive straight for Yangxiemie City.

As commander-in-chief of the southern expedition, Wang Quanbin finally enjoyed a privilege—a private bath, and a hot one at that, with personal guards specially adding water and scrubbing his back...

After all the hardship of this journey, Wang Quanbin had visibly thinned out, his frame losing much of its imposing bearing, the flab around his belly hanging loose. It was hard to imagine how this aging body had endured such grueling conditions.

After the bath, he changed into clean military attire and looked far more spirited. Nearby, his personal guards gathered up the old clothes and shoes Wang Quanbin had taken off—not only tattered and torn, but reeking horribly. When this western army had set out, every man had brought an extra set of uniform, and two extra pairs of shoes besides, yet even two pairs weren't enough—many had worn their feet raw.

"Wait!" Seeing the guards about to throw them away, Wang Quanbin called out.

"Commander, your orders?" The guard stopped, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Wang Quanbin stepped forward, rummaged through the pile of rags, a complex look passing through his aged eyes. He sighed: "Don't throw them away. Find a bag, put them in, and keep them safe!"

"Yes!"

Clearly, this journey of the western army had moved the old general deeply, and he wished to keep them as a memento. However, this southern campaign was only half done—the hardest days were behind them, and now they had to carefully plan how to conquer Dali.

"Go, summon Shangguan Zheng, and come with this old man to look at the Jinsha River!" Wang Quanbin ordered.

The army's encampment was roughly within the territory of what later generations would call Ninglang Yi Autonomous County—in present-day Dali, it was a remote and impoverished area, with almost no towns or settlements nearby, only a few tribal mountain folk.

At the banks of the Jinsha, many soldiers were still splashing in the water, cheering and letting off steam. Some who were good swimmers and bold of heart even went into the deeper waters to play. After enduring so much hardship, everyone wanted to cut loose, and Wang Quanbin, for once, did not call them to order.

Gazing at the surging waters flowing south, feeling their might, Wang Quanbin couldn't help but ask: "This river is called the Jinsha River—could it be that the riverbed truly runs with golden sand?"

"If it truly were a river of gold, then such a treasure land would be even less fit for the Duan clan of Dali to usurp!" Shangguan Zheng replied, clearly joking.

"We must cross this river as quickly as possible!" Wang Quanbin said seriously: "Since our traces have been revealed, we must press straight for Yangxiemie City before Dali can fully react!"

Hearing this, Shangguan Zheng pointed at the sheer cliffs on the opposite bank: "Though the eastern bank here is gentle, the western bank is steep and perilous, unsuitable for fording. To cross the river, we'll need to find another spot—I've already sent men to scout. Additionally, we've tested it: the leather bladders we carry, once fully inflated, are sufficient to support a crossing!"

Because they had anticipated the need to cross rivers, and building rafts on the spot would be inconvenient, Wang Quanbin's army had prepared leather air bladders in advance, for swimming across. Hearing this, Wang Quanbin asked: "How many bladders remain in the army?"

Shangguan Zheng replied: "Excluding those damaged or discarded, we still have over seven thousand—enough to cross the river!"

"How many soldiers remain?" Wang Quanbin asked another heavy question.

Shangguan Zheng remained calm: "According to the tally, the entire army still numbers 21,384 men!"

"We've lost nearly two-tenths of our soldiers!" Wang Quanbin let out a long sigh.

"How much rations remain?"

"Enough for half a month—and if we count the livestock accompanying the army, we can double that!" Shangguan Zheng said.

"Though it's a bit tight, since we're already in their territory, why worry about finding food?" Wang Quanbin was confident.

Shangguan Zheng said: "With Deputy Commander Wang making a great show on the eastern route, Dali's rear must be unprepared—and even if prepared, their strength would certainly be insufficient. They would never expect us to take the impossible northern route and strike straight at their heart!"

"Next, we must race against time!"

As the two conferred, Kang Baoyi, Commander of the vanguard, came seeking them. Kang Baoyi was a second-generation general of the Great Han—brave and skilled in battle, the son of Kang Zaiyu, a great frontier general. Though not old in years, he had nearly twenty years of military service, a man who had been rolling around in army camps since his youth, and had participated in many of the Great Han's wars.

Accompanying Kang Baoyi were several others—natives dressed in local attire. Kang Baoyi stepped forward to report: "Commander, while patrolling the area with my men, I discovered these Mosuo people. This is Hecheng, the chieftain of the local Mosuo tribe. Hearing of the great army's arrival, he wishes to surrender. I've brought him specially to pay respects to the Commander!"

Hearing this, Wang Quanbin immediately grew interested. The several Mosuo tribesmen, led by their chieftain, knelt directly and kowtowed repeatedly.

Through an interpreter, they achieved relatively smooth communication. From their mouths, Wang Quanbin learned that this stretch of land along the upper Jinsha River was surrounded by Mosuo people, who rarely came under Dali's administration—it was a poor region within Dali. The Mosuo people were also known as the Naxi.

As for asking about the surrounding military situation, or how far it was to Yangxiemie City, they could not answer. However, they were familiar with the local geography, and expressed willingness to lead the way, even providing a suitable crossing point.

After careful questioning to confirm there was no deception, Wang Quanbin naturally accepted their surrender, then had them select several tribesmen familiar with the roads to serve as guides for the army.

Thanks to thorough preparation, the river crossing took only half a day. The so-called natural barrier of the Jinsha River was declared breached, posing no obstacle to the Han army whatsoever—the Dali forces didn't even notice.

After crossing, urged on by Wang Quanbin, the remaining twenty-thousand-odd western Han troops entered a mode of frantic rapid advance, driving south. The further south they went, the more towns and settlements appeared. Dali finally began to react, but the sparse defenses offered no real resistance.

From Sanzan to Hechuan, the Dali officials and garrison commanders along the way, facing the Han army, made the same choice as those tribes—they surrendered. Wang Quanbin accepted them all. Aside from gathering some rations and livestock and requesting guides, he did not halt the army's advance, but continued driving deep.

As long as there was no stiff resistance, he ignored it. And so, by the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month, Wang Quanbin's army arrived at Longshou Pass with almost no obstruction—this was the northern gateway to Yangxiemie City.

And this gateway, caught unprepared, could not withstand the sudden onslaught of the fierce Han army. One surprise assault, and it fell in half a day. With Longshou Pass taken, the gates of Yangxiemie City lay open to the Han army.

The Cang Mountains and Erhai Lake became the most beautiful backdrop for the Han army's horses trampling into Yangxiemie City.