Chapter 1713: Prince Zhao Takes Office

The north wind howled, and the white grass snapped easily. As winter set in, the northwest had quietly entered a world of ice and snow, the cold wave nearly solidifying into a tangible force as it swept across the entire northern region.

Guide Fort, situated deep in the Heng Mountains, was a key route from Yulin into the passes. The two circuits' governments had expended tremendous effort, conscripting over ten thousand laborers who, relying on axes and sheer force, had carved out a main road of more than sixty li. Even with the extensive use of gunpowder, over a thousand convicts still lay buried beneath the earth.

Guide Fort was built along this main road, with a permanent garrison of two hundred soldiers. The Heng Mountains stretched east to west, forming a transitional zone from the Yulin grasslands to the loess plateau within the passes, and also serving as the boundary between the two circuits.

In this season, the snowfall in Yulin was not heavy, but the cold wind was fierce, cutting into one's face like a knife. Amidst the thick, killing atmosphere, a cavalry force rode north along the Guide Road, halting only before the fort.

Tall horses, black armor, and red robes—everyone wore cotton-padded robes over silk undergarments, scarves wrapped around their necks, and windproof masks over their faces. Officers above the rank of captain were further outfitted with various furs and leather goods. Such was the treatment of the Great Han's regular frontier troops; in this winter, at least, there would be no shortage of cold-weather supplies.

This army numbered some five thousand cavalry, a combined force of diverse origins: the guard of Prince Zhao, Liu Fang; troops stationed within the passes; and most importantly, the "Liangzhou Great Horses" from Qinlong, including a thousand-strong Wermo cavalry unit.

The court's transformation of the Wermo people had been successful. Under the leadership of the Great Chieftain of the Six Valleys, Zhepu Sizhong, this force, blending Tibetan and Han remnants, had fully integrated into the Great Han, adding considerable luster to its civilization.

The Great Han had many peoples, but in the eyes of its officials, only a few were truly accepted and regarded as their own: the Miao and Yao in the southwest, and the Wermo in the northwest.

Just as the south had the Pingqian Army formed from the Miao and Yao peoples, so too did the Wermo iron cavalry of the northwest hold a place among the court's regular troops. Those who had accompanied Liu Fang north to Yulin were only a portion of them, led by a general named Pan Luozhi, a rising star of the Six Valleys tribe, known for his bravery and quick wit. When Liu Fang had been stationed in Hexi, he had taken a liking to this man, and for this campaign of pacification, he had specially summoned him to his command.

Because Guide Fort lay deep in the mountains, unlike the many forts scattered across the land, it had less of a market-town character and served more as a military checkpoint and relay station. Nevertheless, the fort commander's residence and official offices had been built quite completely.

When Prince Zhao arrived with his army, he was naturally received with great hospitality. The fort was too small to accommodate the large force, so the troops were temporarily stationed outside, while Liu Fang was welcomed inside.

Whenever on campaign, Liu Fang always shared the same rations and quarters as his soldiers, never separating himself from the army—that was his habit. However, this time he entered the fort because there were certain matters he needed to understand on the ground.

Nearly a month had passed since the rebellion in Yanzhou and the great upheaval in Yulin. After receiving the edict from the Eastern Capital, Liu Fang had established a field headquarters for suppressing the rebels in Chang'an and, within his granted authority, had begun dispatching troops and appointing generals.

Even now, the official army's pacification campaign had not truly begun, still in the preparatory stage. The field headquarters' main efforts were focused on the movement and equipping of troops, the procurement of military supplies, and maintaining stability along the Guannei circuit.

Of course, Liu Fang had slipped into this role quickly, for he had long been prepared. He himself understood why Emperor Liu had transferred him from Liangzhou to Chang'an—it was so he could head north at any time to take charge of the overall situation. He had long recognized this.

This time, he led his army north not to directly destroy the rebel forces—that was unrealistic, as the weather was the greatest obstacle. Rather, as the commander designated by Emperor Liu to suppress the rebellion, he could hardly remain idle in Chang'an forever.

Given that the situation in Yulin had deteriorated over the past month, even showing signs of collapse, he had no choice but to head north first, seeking to stabilize the situation and boost morale. This elite cavalry of his was merely an advance force, planting Prince Zhao's banner in Yulin.

Over this period, the rebellion in Yulin had indeed expanded as the court had anticipated. More and more Tangut, whether willingly or unwillingly, joined the uprising. From the flood of intelligence, it was known that from Lingzhou in the west to Xiazhou in the east, and south to Suizhou, members of the original Eight Tangut Tribes were once again gathering to plot rebellion against the Great Han's rule.

The rebel forces had swollen like a balloon. Their exact numbers were unknown, but from a month of skirmishes between officials and rebels, it was clear the rebels were divided into several groups, the largest exceeding ten thousand, the smallest numbering several thousand.

These rebels attacked towns, killed officials and civilians, and grew strong through plunder and forced conscription. Some even tested attacks on major cities, and though none succeeded, they had thoroughly made their presence known.

Over twenty years of pent-up resentment had been released in a single burst. All of Yulin was boiling over, becoming like a night of Tangut revelry. Chaos and slaughter had become the main theme of the Yulin circuit. The official army naturally would not sit idly by in the face of the rebels. Clear directives from the court gave them direction; whether bureaucrats or soldiers, in this time of great upheaval, they had suddenly awakened and begun to unite tightly under the court's command, devoting their utmost efforts to dealing with the rebels.

In peaceful times, one might not feel it deeply, one's head inevitably growing muddled. Only in times of crisis like this did those vested interests in the Great Han's ruling order realize the importance of the Great Han's banner.

Just think of those Tangut barbarians who had risen up, surging forth like a tide—and of course, the Han civilians who had joined the rebellion were no different.

Faced with the spreading rebellion, the official army had not been unresponsive. Both the Xia-Sui and Ling-Yan regions, after brief periods of chaos, had organized suppression efforts and achieved some results. But these could not affect the overall situation. The rebels grew ever more numerous, while the official army's strength in Yulin had not been expanded in a short time, and there were more places needing attention.

By the end of the tenth month, the official army in Yulin could only maintain the defense of major cities and important passes and forts. They had even been forced to contract, abandoning some strongholds, and only thus had they stabilized the situation. Of course, this was also due to directives from the suppression field headquarters.

Before Liu Fang had headed north, Wang Shen was still managing the overall situation in Xiazhou. His fate had long been decided. Perhaps sensing that he had botched things, whether out of urgency or belated realization—

Without waiting for further instructions from the court, he released Meng Xuanzhe, offered apologies, and gave him troops to lead in suppressing the rebellion, hoping to make one more effort to lessen his guilt before Liu Fang arrived in the north.

However, the situation in Yulin had completely changed from a month ago. The rebellion in Yanzhou was like a blazing fire that had thoroughly ignited the dry tinder of revolt—one pull of a hair and the whole body moves.

The situation in Xiazhou had also plummeted compared to before. Li Jiqian had finally joined forces with the Yeli tribe, formally receiving their full support. His prestige soared, and his military strength multiplied severalfold. Huangyangping, the former forward outpost for suppression, had fallen as well; its town commander, Zhang Yan, faced with the threat of death, had chosen to join the rebellion and was appointed General by Li Jiqian.

This obviously became another stain on Wang Shen's record, for Zhang Yan had considerable ties to him. Of course, people like Zhang Yan were not few. They often faced a choice: either remain loyal to the court and be killed outright by the rebels, or join in.

For many, the choice was not difficult. Even if merely clinging to a wretched existence, at least joining in meant not dying immediately. And in the borderlands, where one struggled year-round against harsh conditions, survival had become everyone's instinct. As for morality and loyalty, they held little binding power over the powerful and the lawless.

With the support of the Yeli tribe, Li Jiqian's strength had grown immensely, as if reborn. Tangut who flocked to him surged like a breached levee. Li Jiqian had finally set aside some of his wariness—after all, at the start of the rebellion, the momentum in Yanzhou had been far greater than his small-scale stirrings in Xiazhou.

Li Jiqian began to style himself the leader of resistance against the Han. He dispatched envoys in all directions, widely inviting heroes, lavishly granting offices and titles, and even sent an order to Yuan Ke in Yanzhou, attempting to bring the rebels there under his command.

How could Yuan Ke accept this? He was the one who had stirred up the storm in Yulin; how could he let Li Jiqian snatch the ripe fruit? Though they had not yet turned hostile, even at this early stage of rebellion, the various rebel factions in Yulin had already begun to clash over the question of leadership.

Meng Xuanzhe's attack on Li Jiqian naturally had little effect. Though he had some gains, killing over a thousand rebels, the weather and the sheer number of rebels ultimately forced him to retreat back to Xiazhou. Wang Shen's calculations had come to nothing—previously careless, now he had the will but not the strength.

And compelled by the changing situation in Yulin, Liu Fang had finally stirred from Chang'an.