Chapter 810: The Great Victory at Kuizhou

The river waters surged, and on the southern bank of the Yangtze, faint cries of battle drifted, disturbing the tranquility of the dense forests on the tall mountains to the south. Scattered roe deer and muntjac fled, while a flock of migratory birds perched atop a tall grove, watching a group of foolish humans slaughter one another among the riverside fortresses. An occasional cry from them seemed to carry a note of mockery.

To guard the floating bridge spanning the river, the Shu army, building upon the existing defenses according to the terrain of the southern bank, had constructed five fortresses of varying sizes. They were quite sturdy, housing a total of a thousand troops. However, they were like five bones that were hard on the surface but brittle within, and the main force of the Han imperial army gnawed them down one by one.

"Governor, four of the southern bank fortresses have already fallen! Only Kuimen Fortress remains, and it too is on the verge of collapse. If we do not send reinforcements, it will fall at any moment!" On the eastern wall of Fengjie, Wu Shouqian anxiously reported to Pang Fucheng, who sat calmly on his mat.

Finally unable to remain seated, Pang Fucheng rose and gazed toward the southeast. The distance was too great to see clearly. Through his dim old eyes, Kuimen Fortress before the floating bridge seemed to sway, as if on the verge of crumbling.

"How much time has passed? The Han army has already taken four of our garrison fortresses in succession! With such formidable offensive power, no wonder the strongholds at Wushan could not hold!" Pang Fucheng let out a heavy sigh.

In truth, rather than saying the Han army's offensive was powerful, it would be more accurate to say the Shu army's resistance was feeble. Kuizhou's defensive arrangements appeared thorough on the surface, but were riddled with errors and omissions. The garrison troops could hardly be called elite, their morale was low, and the troop deployment was flawed. Once the Han commanders seized upon a single weakness, they struck with fierce, relentless attacks.

"Governor, we must send reinforcements! Otherwise, if Kuimen Fortress falls and the floating bridge is seized, the Han army can reach the city walls directly!" Wu Shouqian said.

Hearing this, Pang Fucheng's aged face showed traces of urgency and regret. Only now did he realize that the floating bridge was not an iron wall against the Han army, but a thoroughfare for them to connect north and south. How had he been so bewitched back then, listening to others' advice and conceiving of this plan?

However, no matter how much he regretted it, the urgency of the situation could not be concealed.

"The Han army has come from afar, advancing all the way, fighting battle after battle without proper rest. They must be exhausted and seeking a quick victory! We should fortify our walls and hold fast!" Pang Fucheng hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said: "Better yet, let us cut the floating bridge and foil their plan of advancing by both water and land!"

Wu Shouqian suddenly suggested: "We expended so much effort to build it—how can we destroy it so easily! Moreover, with this floating bridge in place, the Han army's boats indeed dare not advance recklessly! I have observed that the Han troops on land number only three to four thousand. After breaking through several fortresses in succession, their edge must be dulled. I am willing to lead my thousand men across the floating bridge south to Kuimen Fortress. If we can repel them, we will; if not, we will strengthen the defenses!"

Hearing Wu Shouqian's words, Pang Fucheng's spirits lifted slightly, but he did not respond immediately. The furrows on his face twisted into an even more complex pattern as he hesitated. After all, he was old, his mind had grown dull, and judging matters had become somewhat difficult.

"The remaining troops in Fengjie are already insufficient. If we send more away, the city's defensive strength will be weakened..." Pang Fucheng said hesitantly.

As mentioned earlier, throughout Kuizhou, the Shu army's total strength was less than twenty thousand, scattered across various garrisons. Trying to defend everywhere at once, they ended up being annihilated piecemeal. In the fighting at Wushan, they had lost over ten thousand troops by land and water. By this point, Fengjie had fewer than eight thousand men left, including some hastily conscripted able-bodied youths, likewise divided among the city and various fortresses and stockades. Within Fengjie city itself, there were only a little over four thousand.

Seeing him waver, Wu Shouqian immediately raised his voice: "Time waits for no one! If the Han army breaks even Kuimen Fortress, the situation will be dire indeed!"

As if Wu Shouqian's sharp shout had taken effect, Pang Fucheng stiffly turned his neck, took a deep breath, and said: "Army Supervisor Wu, you must be careful! If things go poorly, retreat quickly to the northern bank, and I will personally lead men to receive you!"

"Governor, wait a moment—watch me break the enemy!" Wu Shouqian gave a solemn salute, carrying a hint of heroic valor.

"Take care, General!"

Wu Shouqian descended from the wall, swiftly mustered his troops, and opened the gates to sally forth. Pang Fucheng remained leaning against the wall, gazing out over the river. At the very limit of his vision, he could faintly make out large numbers of Han ships poised to strike, while closer by, a small mobile flotilla of over a dozen warships prowled the river waves, exchanging fire with the Shu fortresses on the shore.

Suddenly, several bolts were loosed from the lead ship—their force was tremendous, the sound of their piercing through the air nearly drowning out the wind, flying straight toward Fengjie city. They were clearly fired from heavy crossbows. Of course, given the great distance, they could not reach the city, merely embedding themselves in a patch of wilderness on the northern bank. To Pang Fucheng, it seemed both a provocation and a display of might...

"Chief General, the Shu army is making a move!" On the Han flagship, a sharp-eyed officer reported to Zhang Yanqing.

Having received treatment, Zhang Yanqing's wounds had improved, and he could barely command from the ship. He had specifically requested this assignment from Zhao Kuangyin. Gazing out, he saw Shu troops rapidly crossing south over the floating bridge, then looked toward Kuimen Fortress where the fierce assault was underway to the south. Zhang Yanqing immediately saw through their intentions: "This Shu army has quite the nerve, actually daring to take the initiative to sally forth. Pass my order—close in, all archers and crossbowmen loose at once, give them a send-off and make them run faster!"

"Yes!"

Soon, the Han ships on the river ceased their entanglement with the shore fortresses, drove within crossbow range, and loosed arrows at the floating bridge. Since the Shu army had erected three layers of wooden palisades, the casualties inflicted on the crossing Shu troops were not great, but the impact on morale was severe.

At Kuimen Fortress, Zhang Yongde, commanding the assault, was the first to notice the commotion on the floating bridge. After a brief moment of thought, he said to the valiant Han general Liu Guangyi beside him: "General Liu, take a battalion immediately, circle around this fortress, and intercept them. Do not let that Shu force successfully reinforce Kuimen Fortress!"

"As ordered!" Liu Guangyi responded without the slightest delay and departed on his mission.

Turning back, he watched the Han soldiers still swarming up the walls like ants. The Shu defenses looked on the verge of collapse, yet the breakthrough always seemed one breath away. Partly it was because Kuimen Fortress was sturdy, and partly because after continuous assaults, the troops were exhausted. No matter how well-trained the imperial army was, they were not made of iron—they too grew tired.

Seeing this, Zhang Yongde waved his hand, committing his final reserve battalion, and drew his war blade. Ignoring attempts to dissuade him, his handsome face set with determination, he personally took up a shield and led his men forward, issuing a stern order: "Within a quarter of an hour, take this fortress with me!"

Zhang Yongde had always been groomed as a commanding general, but men ultimately have emotions, and even Zhang Yongde had his moments of hot-bloodedness. Yet when facing a difficult impasse, such actions did wonders for boosting morale.

Behind Kuimen Fortress, under the cover of the Northern Han navy's arrows, Wu Shouqian managed to cross south successfully, but in the chaos, his troops' formation had become disordered. He immediately reorganized his men at the southern landing, forming ranks with their backs to the river.

On Liu Guangyi's side, he led his men over the slopes, circling around Kuimen Fortress. Seeing the Shu army's condition, he did not hesitate in the slightest, and crisply shouted a single word: "Kill!"

Liu Guangyi had five hundred men; Wu Shouqian had roughly a thousand. Though the enemy outnumbered them twofold, he showed not a trace of fear. Along this march, they had already learned well what the Shu army's combat capability was like. Moreover, in such a situation, whether it was a thousand men across from them or five thousand, Liu Guangyi would still dare to lead his men in a charge.

On this western campaign, the officers and men accompanying the army had earned many merits, and as a rising star in the imperial army, Liu Guangyi was hardly willing to fall behind others. On Wu Shouqian's side, before his formation was even properly set, the Han army came charging in like wolves and tigers, maintaining a razor-sharp attacking formation. Faced with Liu Guangyi's utterly unorthodox tactics, they were completely dumbfounded.

The frontal engagement could not hold for even a quarter of an hour before they were scattered and thrown into a rout. As for Wu Shouqian, he had long since swallowed back his "heroic words" spoken upon leaving the city, and fled at the head of his men. Their southward crossing, under the Han army's "encouragement," had been swift; their northward return, under the Han army's pursuit, was even swifter.

Crushing this Shu force was merely a warm-up for Liu Guangyi. He looked back at Kuimen Fortress—upon the sheer cliffs, the fierce cries of battle had grown chaotic, and Han banners were already raised atop it. It seemed Zhang Yongde had broken through.

With no worries behind him, Liu Guangyi even more decisively led his men onto the floating bridge, pursuing and slaughtering. At the very least, his objective was to seize the northern landing as well, lest the floating bridge be destroyed.

Pursuing and cutting down the fleeing enemy all the way, it was only when he set foot on the northern bank that Liu Guangyi began to understand why Commander Zhao would burst out laughing whenever he mentioned the sturdy floating bridge the Shu army had built. This northern crossing had been far too easy.

Atop Fengjie's city wall, watching Wu Shouqian leave in haste and return in haste, Pang Fucheng's expression darkened until it seemed ready to drip water. In the urgency of the moment, he could not spare much thought and hurriedly ordered the gates opened, personally leading troops out to receive him.

On Liu Guangyi's side, from several hundred paces away, seeing the Shu army's reaction, his eyes immediately lit up. Originally, taking the floating bridge had already satisfied him, but at this moment, a thought surged in his mind—he wanted more!

He immediately reorganized his troops, shifted into an attack formation, raised his war blade high, and shouted: "Brothers! We are famed as the finest troops under heaven, each of us worth five Shu soldiers. That fight just now was not satisfying—do you dare join me in another battle?"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Spurred on by Liu Guangyi, the Han soldiers, who had suffered only a little over twenty casualties in the previous engagement, howled with fervor, shouting three times in succession, their cries shaking the Shu troops before Fengjie city.

Pointing his war blade into the distance, Liu Guangyi roared: "Hear my order! Target: the eastern drawbridge of Fengjie. Follow me—kill!"

On Pang Fucheng's side, he had just received Wu Shouqian, not even having time to scorn the man's panicked disarray, when he saw Liu Guangyi leading his men in a swift attack. Though only a few hundred strong, their ferocious momentum was like a sharp steel blade, making him feel a chill at the back of his neck.

He looked back at Fengjie city, then noticed the Shu troops tangled together in confusion. Pang Fucheng's aged face instantly drained of color. At this moment, he finally realized what a foolish thing he had done—how could he have thought to personally lead men out to receive them?

Not daring to think further, Pang Fucheng swiftly issued orders to prepare to meet the enemy. He did not dare order a retreat back into the city, for that would very likely allow this Han force to follow them through the gates. Even though they were small in number, he sensed great danger.

And so, right beneath the walls of Fengjie, Liu Guangyi led his men and, like cutting through tofu, utterly defeated the Shu relief force. Though Pang Fucheng desperately shouted and urged his soldiers to resist, there was no stopping it. In such circumstances, rout was inevitable; holding firm would have been the miracle.

The old general had his head taken by Han soldiers. Wu Shouqian fled quickly and managed to return to the city, but Liu Guangyi, hot on his heels, seized the drawbridge and city gate. On the other side, after taking Kuimen Fortress, Zhang Yongde did not bother mopping up the remaining enemy. After a brief reorganization, he too crossed the river via the floating bridge. Reaching the northern landing, he discovered the situation before Fengjie city and was overjoyed. While marveling at Liu Guangyi's boldness, he moved swiftly as well, immediately leading his men up in support.

Fengjie, this major city of Kuizhou, was declared fallen.

Behind them, when Zhao Kuangyin learned that Zhang Yongde and Liu Guangyi had not only cleared the Shu fortresses to the south but had also seized the opportunity to cross north and captured Fengjie in one stroke, he could not help but be stunned. He quickly inquired into the specific details of the battle, and upon learning them, could not help but remark: "Do the Shu officers and generals perhaps think their cities are not falling fast enough?"

To be fair, the fall of Fengjie carried a certain dramatic quality—the Shu army made blunder after blunder, while the Han generals seized every opportunity!

On the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, the second day after Fengjie's fall, at Yun'an County, eighty li upstream, a Shu fleet of over eighty ships arrived and docked at the landing to rest. This was the relief force led by Han Baozhen, Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs of Shu. Ordered eastward, he had hurried as fast as he could, gathering over five thousand troops from prefectures and counties along the way, loading them onto ships to rush to the rescue.

Then, learning of Fengjie's fall, he was struck as if by a heavy blow.

"What were the defenders of Kuizhou doing? The Han army has only been on the move for how long, and even Fengjie has fallen?" Han Baozhen was somewhat frantic with rage.

He had departed from Chengdu even a few days earlier than Zhao Kuangyin's westward advance—one could say he had shown considerable foresight. Ordered east to oversee the campaign, but now the army was lost, the city was lost, and the gateway was open. What was he here to oversee?

Oversee nothing!

Before long, soldiers urgently reported that a naval force flying Han banners was sailing upriver, less than ten li from Yun'an. Han Baozhen's face changed drastically—the Han army's speed was far too fast, leaving one utterly at a loss.

Then came terror. His five thousand-plus men were not naval troops. If they were trapped at Yun'an, the air of danger was almost suffocating.

While Han Baozhen fell into a fluster, the vanguard naval force dispatched by Zhao Kuangyin also learned the general situation of the Shu army at Yun'an County. Zhang Yanqing immediately ordered full speed ahead, like a shark that had caught the scent of blood, eagerly lunging toward its prey...