Chapter 184: Wang Jun's Not Easy Either

Although the overall battle situation across all fronts favored the Han army on the surface, Yang Ye could sense the risks even with a warrior's instincts. The Han army was practically dancing on a knife's edge—any unexpected development would inevitably plunge it into collapse.

After such prolonged fighting, the Han army had given its all. No accidents could be allowed, and a swift victory was essential—given the current state of Guanzhong, it simply could not sustain a large army in prolonged operations. In a war of attrition, the Han army absolutely could not outlast the Shu army. Wang Jun's risky strategy of marching south to force a decisive battle with the Shu army was, to some extent, born of necessity.

Of course, had Wang Jun not harbored the ambition of crushing the Shu army in one stroke to claim great merit, and instead chosen to hold steady at Baoji, the situation would not have been so tense.

Under Meng Chang's rule, the Shu state had enjoyed over a decade of peace, and its military preparedness was lacking. Though Shu soldiers were considerably weaker than the troops of the Central Plains and Yongqi, they were not all worthless. Among them was a contingent of "imperial army" troops from Chengdu, and additionally, the Qinfeng soldiers who had followed He Chongjian in defecting to the Later Shu—these fought with real ability, holding their ground tenaciously against the Han army and causing no small amount of trouble.

During the retreat, they passed through the battlefield, gathering the wounded and driving along captured enemy soldiers.

"Commander, these Shu troops can't fight worth a damn, but they sure know how to run. They're experts at scrambling over mountains and vanishing into the woods—gone in an instant. We simply couldn't catch them, didn't take many prisoners..." One of his subordinate commanders rode up beside Yang Ye, complaining.

Earlier, they had been too busy pursuing the fleeing enemy to pay attention to the flanks, which naturally gave the defeated Shu soldiers their chance to run for their lives. And the Shu troops were clever, scattering into the mountains and wilds.

Hearing this, Yang Ye set aside his concerns, raised his eyes to survey the surrounding wilderness, and showed little surprise on his face: "Let them run, then. More prisoners just means more of our grain wasted. This is desolate, dangerous terrain—whether many of them survive out there is itself a question."

After considerable time, the battle results were tallied. The Han army had lost over two hundred cavalry, while directly killing over a thousand Shu soldiers. As for those trampled to death, wounded, or missing—those could not be counted. In any case, of the more than six thousand troops who had followed Han Baozhen out of Sanguan Pass, roughly over forty percent had been lost, and those who managed to escape back to the pass were likely even fewer.

Even so, it was a great victory against superior numbers. While the other officers were elated, Yang Ye wore a grave expression: "So many of our brothers wounded and killed!"

However, there seemed to be a hint of "getting a bargain and still acting smug" in Yang Ye's solemn expression.

Prisoners were few—only about three hundred fools were captured. The lightly wounded received treatment, while the severely wounded needed no orders from Yang Ye—they were given the mercy stroke to end their suffering.

They did capture a good amount of grain and supplies. The Shu army had brought over two hundred mule carts out of the pass, using them both to transport provisions and to form "wagon formations" against Han cavalry. In the end, it all benefited the Han army—Han Baozhen had served as a most diligent "transport captain."

"Keep a portion for military use, and send the rest to the main camp!" Yang Ye made the decision directly regarding this batch of supplies.

Jifeng Mountain, West Peak.

Below the Shu army's central stockade, as the Qi troops who had climbed onto the palisades were gradually driven back down by the Shu soldiers, it signaled that the Han army's full day of fierce assault had once again ended in failure. The cries of battle gradually ceased. Looking back at the sun sinking in the west, Wang Jun, who had been supervising the battle at the front, wore an ashen face and nearly ground his teeth as he said: "Sound the retreat!"

As the gongs sounded, the routed Qi troops ran even faster, swarming back toward the Han camp in a chaotic mass, where they were restrained and organized by the imperial army guarding the camp. Beneath the Shu army's stockade lay a field of corpses. As the last slow-running attacker was shot dead by Shu arrows, the scene gradually fell silent.

With the central army ceasing battle, the Han forces responsible for pinning down the Shu army's flanks also withdrew to camp. This was already the third consecutive day of Han attacks on the Shu stockade. Aside from the first day, which had yielded the greatest gains and nearly broken through, the next two days saw even fiercer Han assaults—but the Shu defense held even more firmly.

The Shu army seemed to have found the trick to countering the Han: if they couldn't beat you in open field battle, they could just hunker down behind their stockade and drag you to death. Zhang Qianzhao seemed to have grasped this principle as well, personally taking command at the central stockade to rally his troops. The Han army's impatience for battle seemed to have alerted him to something. The more anxious they grew, the calmer he became. Throughout the Shu camps, grain supplies were abundant. Even if transporting provisions along the Shu road was difficult, after accounting for initial losses, the Shu army still did not lack food...

On the Han side, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Wounded soldiers returned to camp, groaning incessantly, and resentment began to fester. The Han army was, after all, a mix of imperial troops and regional garrison forces. With the campaign stalling and dragging on, contradictions naturally emerged.

In the commander's tent, Wang Jun lost his temper at the assembled generals for the first time: "The Shu army is not elite, their stockade is not strong, their camp is not defensible—yet after three days of assault, we have gained no ground. You all call yourselves elite troops!"

When he erupted, the imperial army officers showed him some face—though dissatisfied, they did not openly retort. But the regional garrison officers present could not stomach this abuse, their faces turning ugly one by one, especially the Qi troops who had failed in today's assault.

"The campaign goes poorly, and the Commander-in-Chief, as supreme commander, does not reflect on his own faults but instead blames the soldiers—what kind of reasoning is that!" The tent fell silent for only a moment before a somewhat irate voice roared out.

It immediately drew everyone's attention. Wang Jun looked toward the sound, his expression darkening. At the side of the commander's table sat a rather handsome young general, sitting upright and proper, clad in gleaming armor with an outstanding bearing. He was Zhao Kuangzan, son of Zhao Yanshou, Military Governor of Jinchang Army and Prince of Yan, still present in the army. In this tent, he ranked first in title and nobility, though his position was temporarily subordinate to Wang Jun's.

Of course, the one who had spoken in rebuttal was not Zhao Kuangzan, but a fierce-faced burly man standing behind him. This man was named Zhao Siwan, Zhao Kuangzan's yabing officer. He was called "fierce-faced" because several hideous scars were carved across his face.

Wang Jun stared at him coldly: "Are you questioning this commander?"

Zhao Siwan had clearly long been fed up with Wang Jun, and he shot back directly: "The soldiers charged the stockade with nothing but hot blood and courage, and over two thousand have already fallen beneath the Shu camp—how tragic and heroic! The Commander-in-Chief does not reflect on his own flawed decisions and command errors—what kind of reasoning is that?"

When Zhao Siwan finished speaking, Zhao Kuangzan's face changed, and Wang Jun's face changed too—growing even darker as he roared: "A mere yabing officer dares to bellow in the commander's tent and talk back to his commanding general! Do you not know the severity of military law? Guards, seize this wretch!"

The guards before the tent immediately entered, preparing to seize Zhao Siwan. Seeing this, Zhao Siwan's face turned savage, and he instinctively reached for his blade—but was restrained from behind by Zhao Kuangzan.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Zhao Kuangzan looked at Wang Jun calmly.

He had barely spoken when Wang Jun issued the order in a stern voice: "Seize him!"

This time, Zhao Siwan had no time to react before he was subdued. Seeing this, Zhao Kuangzan's face twitched. He took a breath and said: "Governor Wang, forgive Zhao for failing to discipline my men. Zhao Siwan is a crude man with an unguarded mouth—please do not take offense."

Wang Jun looked back at Zhao Kuangzan, then glanced at the defiant Zhao Siwan, and said coldly: "A mere yabing officer, acting so arrogant and overbearing. Military Governor Zhao, you really should discipline him properly..."

Before Wang Jun could finish, Zhao Siwan was at it again, stirring the pot: "These past two days, those charging the front lines have all been us Qi troops and Yong troops. I hear the imperial army has formidable combat power—so why are they cowering in camp—"

"Shut up!" This time, it was Zhao Kuangzan who turned and glared fiercely at Zhao Siwan, preventing him from saying anything even more "blunt."

Naturally, contradictions existed between the imperial army and the regional garrison troops. The imperial army considering itself a cut above was perfectly normal. But these issues could not be spoken aloud, especially under such circumstances. Zhao Siwan saying such things in front of all the generals had a very bad effect.

Sure enough, everyone in the tent, regardless of rank, wore strange expressions on their faces.

Seeing this, Wang Jun's face could no longer be described merely as ashen. His gaze turned icy as he immediately ordered: "Drag this mad villain out and behead him!"

"Governor Wang!" Zhao Kuangzan was alarmed.

"Military Governor Zhao!" Wang Jun suppressed Zhao Kuangzan with an even louder voice, then swept his gaze around the tent and said coldly: "This villain defied his commanding general, spread seditious words, and sowed discord among the troops—truly a mutinous wretch. If I do not kill him, how can military law be upheld? How can military authority be maintained?"

"Drag him out!"

"I protest!" Seeing that Wang Jun wanted to kill him to establish his authority, Zhao Siwan could no longer contain himself. He struggled and shouted in defiance. The man was immensely strong—under the grip of two strongmen, he nearly broke free.

The guards paid him no mind, dragging him out to carry out military justice.

"Hold!" Zhao Kuangzan could not help but roar, nearly tearing his throat.

Regardless of whether Zhao Siwan deserved death, killing his yabing officer before his very eyes was a direct slap to his face. Staring hard at Wang Jun, Zhao Kuangzan said: "Governor Wang, executing a general before the battle is hardly good for morale!"

"If I let this wretch run rampant, that would damage morale even more!" Wang Jun said coldly.

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan clenched his fists and stared back: "Governor truly means to kill Zhao Siwan?"

"He must die!" Wang Jun replied firmly. If Zhao Kuangzan thought he could intimidate him, he was still too green.

The two stared at each other, the tension in the tent visibly mounting. After a long moment, Zhao Kuangzan took a deep breath, pointed at Zhao Siwan, and said: "Zhao Siwan fights with great ferocity. Even if he has committed a crime, killing him would be a waste. Better to send him charging the stockade to atone for his crimes through merit. Tomorrow, I will send him to lead the Yong troops in assaulting the stockade—we will surely break the Shu army!"

Zhao Kuangzan was clearly letting his pride get the better of him.

Wang Jun's face remained dark: "And if the stockade is not broken?"

"As long as Zhao Siwan is not killed in battle, I will personally cut off his head and give Governor Wang an accounting!" Zhao Kuangzan coldly threw down the words.

Hearing this, Wang Jun seemed to consider for a moment, then cast a contemptuous glance at Zhao Siwan: "This commander will spare his life for now!"

A fierce dispute was temporarily suppressed. Wang Jun took a brief survey of the generals in the tent—their expressions varied.

Pacing a few steps within the tent, Wang Jun's heart was heavy. Gritting his teeth, he spoke solemnly:

"Tomorrow, I will personally lead the imperial army as the main force in the assault, with all other troops supporting! Until the Shu army is broken, we will not cease battle!"

Wang Jun was going all in. He declared in a loud voice: "Tomorrow, when we attack the stockade, if I am found standing beyond the range of the enemy's bows, every soldier in this army has the right to execute me under military law!"

At these words, all present were stunned. But seeing Wang Jun's stern face, the lingering resentment was immediately suppressed.

After the generals withdrew, Wang Jun sat down behind the commander's table and could not help but raise a hand to rub his eyes. His decision was clearly a gamble, but from the moment he had led the army south, with no results to show, he had no choice but to keep gambling.

Thinking of the various regional armies under his command, including the Qi troops temporarily placed under his unified direction, he was deeply troubled. Wang Jun was, at heart, a proud and self-important man. With his temperament, these undisciplined rabble deserved the harshest measures. But thinking it was one thing—he dared not actually do it.

"Send men to keep an eye on Zhao Kuangzan!" Wang Jun instructed his subordinate senior officers.

"You suspect they might make a move?"

"Just being prepared for the worst!" Wang Jun sighed.

A bit later, news of Yang Ye's great victory arrived, along with a large haul of captured supplies.

Upon learning the situation, Wang Jun was overjoyed, repeatedly praising Yang Ye as a young hero and saying that His Majesty the Emperor had not misjudged him. He immediately ordered the news to be widely spread throughout the army to boost morale, and at the same time, took meat from the supply camp to reward the three armies and strengthen the soldiers' fighting spirit.