Chapter 681: The Warlord

Ignoring the fatigue of the journey, upon arriving at Leiyang, he immediately summoned civil and military officers to discuss military affairs. The Leiyang county office was old and crude, its cramped space packed full with over a dozen Chu army officers.

The twilight was somewhat dim, much like the mood of many present, though the two rows of candles burned brightly, illuminating everyone's faces clearly. These Chu army officers were mostly unknown figures, but to Zhou Xingfeng, they were the backbone and cornerstone of his command.

Seated behind the hall table, Zhou Xingfeng cast a glance around and wasted no words, asking directly: "How goes the preparation for the advance? What of the situation in Guiyang? Has Zhang Wenbiao taken precautions?"

"Reporting to the Marshal, all weapons and equipment have been replenished, ten days' worth of rations prepared, and the march route surveyed. Guiyang is no more than a hundred and twenty li from here—we can set out at dawn and arrive by dusk! I guarantee that within ten days, I will breach Guiyang and take Zhang Wenbiao's head!" The general who rose to answer was named Zhang Chongfu, a man who looked lean and capable, a veteran who had followed Zhou Xingfeng for years and had been appointed Prefect of Hengzhou.

"As for Zhang Wenbiao, according to what our spies have learned, someone from the court has contacted him. Guiyang has already been put on alert, but Zhang Wenbiao still remains in his residence, drinking and carousing all day long!" Zhang Chongfu's words were dripping with contempt.

Hearing this, Zhou Xingfeng did not show excessive joy, but instead said gravely: "Did you all hear that? The Northern Han's desire to destroy us runs deep! Zhang Wenbiao is not worth worrying about—the great enemy lies in the Central Plains. Now the Northern Han's troop movements are no longer concealed; their army marching south to invade is right before our eyes!

The rulers and ministers of the Northern Han think our Hunan is easy to bully—they want to take our cities, seize our offices, and plunder our property. From this Marshal on down, we absolutely cannot tolerate it!

Back then, we drove out the Tang army, and now we can resolutely resist the Northern Han! Starting with that wretch Zhang Wenbiao, we take Guiyang, pacify the south, then turn back to deal with the Han army!"

"Yes!" Spurred on by Zhou Xingfeng's rousing words, the officers' morale finally lifted somewhat as they answered in unison. Setting other matters aside for now, they still had some confidence in dealing with Zhang Wenbiao.

During this period, Zhou Xingfeng had secretly increased his forces at Hengzhou to six thousand—no small military strength for the region of Hunan.

After thinking it over briefly, Zhou Xingfeng fixed his gaze on Zhang Chongfu and said: "The three thousand yabing guards I brought from Changsha this time, I'm placing them all under your command. Rest for one night, and tomorrow set out for Guiyang. Can you take Guiyang within three days?"

There was a ruthless glint in Zhou Xingfeng's eyes, and Zhang Chongfu felt it. He hesitated slightly, but still gritted his teeth and answered: "Within three days, I will surely breach Guiyang!"

"Good! Now that's a true son of the Three Xiang!" Zhou Xingfeng finally showed a hint of satisfaction, then turned his head toward a general standing in attendance: "Wang Duan!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Tomorrow at dawn, lead the yabing guards south with Zhang Chongfu to attack Guiyang!"

"Yes!"

"Return to your camps, each of you, and make ready to march. When the hour comes tomorrow morning, move out immediately. Anyone who delays will be dealt with by military law—there will be no mercy!" Finally, Zhou Xingfeng added a murderous warning.

The officers were naturally overawed. Zhou Xingfeng's ruthlessness was well known—since his rise to power, there was no one among civil or military ranks who dared to cross his laws. Those who didn't believe it had long grass growing over their graves.

After the Chu army officers withdrew, Zhou Xingfeng remained seated behind the table, tilting his head back and taking a deep breath. Beside him, a civil scholar stood waiting respectfully. Seeing his state, the scholar asked softly: "Marshal, are you still harboring doubts about the surprise attack on Guiyang?"

This civil scholar was named Li Guanxiang, deeply trusted by Zhou Xingfeng and appointed as Secretary. For the past two years, all military government affairs had been entrusted to his decision. Many of Zhou Xingfeng's policies in governing Hunan had been carried out with this man's assistance.

However, though this man had some small talent, his magnanimity was lacking. Jealous of others' abilities and relying on his master's favor, he had pushed aside many Hunan scholars, with the result that under the Wuping Military Governorship, there were few usable talents. Coupled with Zhou Xingfeng's cruelty and love of killing, his reputation was poor, and few scholars were willing to serve him—leading to the situation where, to this day, the prefectures under his jurisdiction remained in a state of military government.

At this moment, hearing Li Guanxiang's question, Zhou Xingfeng immediately said contemptuously: "That insignificant Zhang Wenbiao—why worry about him! If it were two years ago, I might have feared him somewhat, but now, this man is finished!"

Having said this, Zhou Xingfeng knitted his brows tightly and spoke in a low voice: "The only thing worth worrying about is the mighty Han to the north!"

As a trusted confidant, Li Guanxiang understood Zhou Xingfeng's state of mind better than others. Though the man had all sorts of warlike habits, he was definitely a clever man with vision as well.

Knowing the comparison of strength between the two sides, Li Guanxiang from the bottom of his heart also did not wish to surrender directly. Now that he served under Zhou Xingfeng, wielding authority over military government affairs, surrendering to the Great Han would absolutely not grant him such power.

Therefore, back then he had chosen to support Zhou Xingfeng's decision, and the result proved him right. Because he wasn't sure—if he too had advised submission, whether Zhou Xingfeng might have killed him along with the others...

But rationally analyzing the situation, with the current strength of the Wuping army, even if multiplied several times over, it would still be difficult to resist the court. The only thing they could rely on was that the Gao clan stood between them—until the Han court resolved Jingnan, it could not pose too great a threat to Hunan.

But the problem lay precisely here. From surface intelligence, the court intended to bypass the Gao clan and deal with Hunan directly. Any discerning person could see this was essentially a strategy of borrowing passage to destroy a neighbor, but the Gao clan was too slow-witted and vacillated between two sides.

"Hunan has few people and a poor state. What we rely on is nothing more than Jingzhu to the north—the two sides are like lips and teeth. If we could set aside our differences and unite to defend against the north, it wouldn't be impossible to resist the court's southward ambitions. But the Gao clan is stubborn and cowardly. From intelligence out of the north, getting them to directly resist the court by force is nearly impossible. As for opening their city gates and joining forces with our army to face the enemy—that would be even more difficult!" Li Guanxiang said.

Hearing this, Zhou Xingfeng couldn't help but sneer: "Perhaps those mediocre fools at Jiangling are even suspecting we want to seize their prefectures and counties! Perhaps they've already sold out our intention of joint northern defense to the court. The Lady Gao—each generation truly is worse than the last!"

"If the Meng Shu and the Southern Tang could send troops from the east and west, they might be able to tie down the court and dampen its appetite for war!" The two fell silent for a while, then Li Guanxiang spoke.

"The Meng Shu suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Northern Han last year, losing Qinfeng and Hanzhong. Now they cower in Shu, and if the Northern Han doesn't attack them, they're already content with their precarious peace—how would they dare venture north again? As for the Southern Tang, they can't even sort out their own internal affairs. After the great Huainan campaign a few years ago, they fear the Han like tigers. What could they possibly accomplish? That Li Jing would even sell us some grain already counts as bold on his part!" Zhou Xingfeng shook his head and said: "The only one who can tie down the Northern Han is Liao beyond the frontier—but now, Han and Liao have been at peace for several years..."

In the end, they had to thank the "Sleeping King" for creating a perfect strategic environment for the Great Han.

"Alas!" Saying this, Zhou Xingfeng sighed deeply: "Since Emperor Liu ascended the throne, he has harbored ambitions to conquer the realm. His policies for strengthening the state and the army far surpass those of previous generations, grand in scope and far-reaching in design. By now, he is already difficult to restrain. What a pity that we rose in Jing and Xiang at the wrong time!"

Hearing Zhou Xingfeng say this, Li Guanxiang very much wanted to ask—since he saw things so clearly, why still insist on resisting by force? Would that not be courting disaster? But he was still frightened by Zhou Xingfeng's cruelty and love of killing, and dared not pose that probing question.

"Marshal, from scattered intelligence out of the north, the court has firmly resolved on military action. Once their northern army marches south, they will first take Jiangling, sweep up its prefectures and counties, and then cross the river southward!" After thinking it over, Li Guanxiang said: "How long the Gao clan can hold out is hard to estimate. The time left for us to prepare is not much!"

"We still need to maintain contact with Jingnan—keep sending people to inform them. I refuse to believe that this young whelp truly wants to squander his grandfather's legacy!" After considering for a moment, Zhou Xingfeng said: "Contact Fu Yantong again as well. We must lure him out of Xuzhou. If we can get the barbarian troops to assist us, fighting in Hunan will carry a few more points of winning odds!"

"Yes!"

"Also, continue sending people to the Southern Tang and the Southern Han to purchase grain! Without sufficient provisions, we cannot fight a war!" Zhou Xingfeng instructed, then suddenly slammed the table and cursed: "Damn the Northern Han! Can't they give me more time!"

Startled by Zhou Xingfeng's sudden outburst of temper, Li Guanxiang nonetheless suppressed his alarm and reminded him: "Marshal, there isn't much money or silk left in the Changsha treasury."

Hearing this, Zhou Xingfeng's face darkened. He gnashed his teeth for a moment, then said: "Guizhou has many silver mines, and Zhang Wenbiao has accumulated quite a bit over these two years—seizing it will ease things somewhat. Also, transmit my military orders: have the garrison troops in each prefecture and county requisition money and grain from those clans and merchants!"

Hearing this, Li Guanxiang hurriedly advised: "Doing so may well provoke unrest!"

"I can't worry about that anymore! Without money and grain, why would the soldiers be willing to fight? If thirty thousand troops fall into chaos, that would be the real disaster!" A hint of ferocity surged across Zhou Xingfeng's face: "Besides, with national calamity approaching, every scholar and commoner of Hunan should contribute to defending Jing and Xiang! If we don't take it, are we supposed to leave it for the Han army?"

Hearing Zhou Xingfeng's words, the corners of Li Guanxiang's mouth couldn't help but twitch. At this moment, looking at that face full of harsh ruthlessness, he once again clearly recognized that this man was an out-and-out warlord—the benevolent policies of the past two years had merely been a means of governance.

"Handle this matter personally!" Zhou Xingfeng stared coldly at Li Guanxiang: "Return to Changsha tomorrow. Before the Han army crosses the river southward, I want you to raise enough money and grain for three months of campaigning!"

Meeting his gaze, Li Guanxiang couldn't help but shiver. Though somewhat reluctant, he still gritted his teeth and answered: "I will do my utmost!"

Yet in his heart, he was lamenting—even if Jing and Xiang united, whether they could hold out for three months against the Northern Han's great army was itself a question...

Seeing Zhou Xingfeng somewhat crazed, recklessly preparing for war and staking everything on one throw, Li Guanxiang's outlook for Hunan's prospects grew dimmer still.