Chapter 811: Two Months to Conquer Shu?

The Eastern Capital, the Han Palace, Chongzheng Hall.

Still the same familiar faces. The Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou, sat at ease among the civil and military officials, each wearing a composed expression, the atmosphere relaxed—after all, another report of victory had arrived from the front. Li Chuyun stood before a map of the Two Rivers region, reporting the battle situation to the Son of Heaven and the assembled lords.

"On the 23rd, the northern army repaired the Jinniu Plank Road to Jinshan Stockade; on the 24th, Wang Quanbin, Chief General of the Fengguo Army, took it. On the 25th, Commander-in-Chief Xiang's forces arrived at Xiaomantian Stockade, made camp, and made preparations to attack.

At the same time, Army Supervisor Gao led troops along the Micang narrow path, successfully bypassing the peril of Mantian Ridge, circling around to the southeast of Xiaomantian Stockade, and established contact with Commander-in-Chief Xiang.

On the morning of the 27th, Commander-in-Chief Xiang dispatched the Huaide Army and the various southwestern forces to launch fierce assaults on the Shu stockade in rotation. After more than two hours of bloody fighting, at the most intense moment of battle, Army Supervisor Gao led his troops in a surprise attack on the weakly defended southeastern flank of Xiaomantian, and the enemy stockade fell.

After breaching Xiaomantian Ridge, Commander-in-Chief Xiang had the three generals Gao, Wang Quanbin, and Wang Renshan lead the Huaide, Fengguo, and Hanzhong camp troops, doubling their pace southward along the ridge. They encountered the Shu army at Shendu, defeated them in battle, and seized their floating bridge at Shendu in the process.

Afterwards, Army Supervisor Gao and the two Wangs briefly reorganized their troops at Shendu, then split into three columns and drove straight for the great Shu stockade south of Mantian Ridge. Wang Quanbin used a small elite force disguised as defeated troops from Shendu to trick open the gates of Daman Tian Stockade and burst in at once. With attacks from three sides, after half an hour of fierce fighting they utterly broke it. Wang Zhaoyuan, the Shu Commissioner of Military Affairs, led his remnant forces in a retreat southward.

While the fierce fighting raged at the Great and Small Mantian Ridges, Formation Commander Guo Jin also seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Mianggu, the seat of Lizhou. The city was defended by only three thousand troops under Yi Shenzheng, the Shu administrator of the Bureau of Military Affairs. A man of meager talent and scant preparation, faced with Guo Jin's troops descending like gods from heaven, he offered no resistance and fled south with a portion of his men, allowing our army to take all of Mianggu.

Yi Shenzheng fled southwest of Mianggu to Jubaijin Ferry, crossed the Jialing River southward, and burned the floating bridge. Wang Zhaoyuan and the Shu general Zhao Chongtao also sought to take that route, but their escape south was cut off, and that night they were completely annihilated by Guo Jin and Wang Quanbin.

According to preliminary tallies, in the battle of Lizhou, our army destroyed more than twenty thousand Shu troops in total, killed or wounded over six thousand, and captured over twelve thousand. From Wang Zhaoyuan and Zhao Chongtao on down, several dozen officers were all taken prisoner. Countless armor, weapons, carts, horses, and grain were seized. The Shu army had stockpiled three hundred thousand hu of grain in Mianggu city, all of which fell into our hands, greatly relieving the burden of rear-area grain transport!"

Li Chuyun's summary of the campaign drew cheers from the assembled senior ministers, their brows creased with smiles. Regarding the conquest of Shu, both inside and outside the court, before and behind the army, confidence ran high—but only solid victories actually reported could let people relax their nerves a little.

"This battle was fought very well—knowing both ourselves and the enemy, thorough preparation, decisive judgment, excellent coordination between the frontal engagement and the outflanking force, and perfect timing in seizing the opportunity!" Guo Rong evaluated calmly. "The results can be called a complete victory. With Lizhou fallen, the Shu army has lost all its capable northern commanders; their generals and marshals, save for the ignominiously fleeing Yi Shenzheng, are all in bonds. From here on, only Jiange remains to block our army!"

"Barring unexpected developments, Xiang Xun has already led his troops to attack Jiange. Though Jiange is called a natural fortress—one man holding the pass, ten thousand cannot break through—with the war developing to this point, it absolutely cannot withstand our army's edge!" Guo Rong said confidently.

Nodding slightly, Liu Chengyou smiled and instructed Zhao Pu: "Draft an edict commending Xiang Xun and the meritorious officers and men of the northern route, encouraging them to press on and build further merit—break Chengdu!"

"Yes!"

"So Wang Zhaoyuan was captured alive?" Liu Chengyou asked.

Guo Rong replied: "He was taken at Jubaijin Ferry!"

Liu Chengyou immediately said in a teasing tone: "This famous marvel of Shu—I would like to meet him!"

Hearing this, the assembled ministers all laughed. Li Gu shook his head lightly and said: "Wang Zhaoyuan is a man of fair exterior but foul interior—skilled with his tongue but deficient in action. The Shu sovereign entrusted him with commanding the great army to defend the borders—how could he not be defeated, how could the state not perish?"

"Now that Wang Zhaoyuan is captured, without him leading the army, wouldn't that increase the difficulty of our southward advance?" Liu Chengyou continued his teasing. "The Shu army still holds Jiange, after all. If suddenly a rising star, a fine general of real talent, were to emerge, tidy things up a bit, and exploit that perilous terrain..."

Guo Rong shook his head, rejecting this speculation: "Among the northern Shu army now, the highest in rank and position is only Yi Shenzheng—how could that man hold Jianmen?"

Hearing this, Fan Zhi could not help speaking up: "Yi Shenzheng is so contemptible—can the Shu sovereign still use him as commander?"

"The Shu sovereign's benightedness likely exceeds even the Chancellor's imagination!" Zhao Pu said with a light laugh. "Moreover, with the defeat at Lizhou and the imperial army's blade at their doorstep, there is no time for the Shu sovereign to select a general of real capability!"

"Enough!" Waving his hand, Liu Chengyou looked at Li Chuyun and said: "Have some tea to moisten your throat, then tell us about the fighting at Kuizhou!"

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Chuyun clasped his hands.

Due to the distances involved, the victory report from Kuizhou had actually arrived slightly before the one from Lizhou, though not by much—Zhao Kuangyin's report was just a bit slower.

"After successively taking the Shu stockades of Songmu, Sanhui, and Wushan, Commander-in-Chief Zhao crossed the peril of Wu Gorge and on the 26th led his forces westward, driving straight for Fengjie. At Shimen he dispatched generals Zhang Yongde and Liu Guangyi to abandon their ships and come ashore, advancing by both water and land.

Generals Zhang and Liu successively took the Shu forts on the south bank, successfully seized the floating bridge across the river, and crossed to the north bank. The Shu army fell into confusion, responding without order. Liu Guangyi, with only a few hundred men, repeatedly won against superior numbers, and seized the opportunity to take the city gate of Fengjie. Together with Zhang Yongde, they captured Fengjie in one stroke, and Kuizhou fell.

On the 27th, Commander-in-Chief Zhao also sent the Jiangling naval forces ahead westward, just as Han Baozhen, the Shu Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, was leading reinforcements eastward and anchored at Yun'an. Naval Chief General Zhang Yanqing immediately led his forces to attack, utterly defeating them and capturing Han Baozhen alive, with the remainder all surrendering."

In comparison, the fighting at Kuizhou looked easy and smooth—no complex schemes, just a straight push forward, seemingly without much drama. But in terms of results, it was equally brilliant, and in fact appeared even more fruitful with less cost.

Li Chuyun continued: "In the Kuizhou campaign, up to Han Baozhen's defeat and capture at Yun'an, our eastern army took ten days and destroyed over twenty-five thousand Shu troops on land and water in total, captured over twenty thousand prisoners, seized 245 warships and boats of various sizes, and two hundred thousand hu of grain and rice!

With Kuizhou fallen, the eastern gate into Shu is thrown wide open, and in the eastern Sichuan region there is no longer any heavy Shu garrison. The vast territories west of Kuizhou—Wan, Zhong, Yu, Lu, Sui, and others—will all fall into our hands with ease, to be marched through and received, pacified by proclamation!"

Hearing this, the assembled lords could not help nodding. Victories on both routes, great triumphs on both fronts—the situation for conquering Shu could be said to be excellent.

"We have been campaigning against Shu for barely over a month now. At this rate, we need only two months to march into Chengdu!" Liu Chengyou said. Such a pace of progress was surprising even with prior preparation.

"In your servant's view, perhaps it won't even take two months before the Great Han's war banners stand atop the walls of Chengdu!" Murong Yanzhao suddenly spoke, uttering startling words.

Looking at him, Liu Chengyou asked curiously: "Why does my minister say this?"

Murong Yanzhao said with a light smile: "Your Majesty, when I was in the Palace Command, I worked alongside Zhao Yuanlang for several years and know well his courage and strategic depth. On the eastern route into Shu, he took Kuizhou in ten days—that shows his talent. West of Kuizhou, two thousand li of prefectures and counties, none can stand against him. In my view, he won't fuss over the gain or loss of one city or one piece of ground, fighting through prefecture by prefecture, county by county.

For this western campaign, a great number of ships were assembled, and more were seized along the way. I believe Zhao Yuanlang will pick his elite troops, board the ships, use the naval force to open the way, leap past the eastern Sichuan prefectures and counties in a jumping campaign, fully exploiting the convenience of river transport, and drive straight for Chengdu.

Shu may still have some troops remaining, but their fighting strength is doubtful—they absolutely cannot resist. As long as Chengdu is taken, the Two Rivers can be settled. From Kuizhou to Chengdu, even at just eighty li per day, they can arrive in about twenty days!"

After Murong Yanzhao finished, Guo Rong thought for a moment and added: "Zhao Yuanlang is a rare commander of the first order. Back in Huaidong, he frequently made surprising moves and repeatedly defeated the enemy. He is capable of this. Perhaps his memorial outlining his advance strategy is already on the road. Today is already the tenth of the eighth month—perhaps he is not far from Chengdu!"

Hearing the two commissioners of military affairs heap such praise on Zhao Kuangyin, Liu Chengyou's eyes rolled slightly, and he said airily: "I have entrusted him as commander of the eastern route, and he has full authority to make decisions on the spot. I and all of you need only sit back and watch his performance, quietly awaiting the report of victory!"

Hearing the Son of Heaven's words, Zhao Pu could not help flattering: "Your Majesty's breadth of mind is enough to encompass the four seas!"

Completely immune to the flattery, Liu Chengyou's expression turned slightly solemn. He looked around the room and said: "Looking at the overall situation now, wherever our iron hooves turn, conquering Shu is easy. But if we wish to govern Shu, we must not be careless. The Two Rivers lie remote in the southwest, with high mountains and long roads. They have been divided and autonomous for decades, forming their own system. How to bring them completely and fully under the court's rule—that is the foremost problem facing the court next!"

"Your Majesty thinks deeply and far ahead, not letting military victory breed arrogance—your servant admires this to the utmost!" Fan Zhi rose and replied: "Your servant believes that after the Meng Shu is destroyed, we should implement good governance to secure peace. First, pacify the people—we must order all armies in the Shu campaign to strictly observe military discipline and commit no acts of aggression. Additionally, before the campaign, the Two Rivers were in popular turmoil: Chengdu faced grain shortages, and the localities suffered from bandit disturbances—all of these need to be settled;

Second, pacify the army—up to now in the Shu campaign, over twenty thousand Shu troops have been captured. Before the campaign began, Shu had over a hundred thousand troops; when the conquest is complete, the captives will be even more numerous. The surrendered Shu soldiers must be properly resettled, or Shu unrest will be hard to end;

Third, treat the Shu sovereign and his ministers well—after entering Chengdu, the palaces and government offices must not be disturbed, and the sovereign and his ministers must not be humiliated. The prefectural and county officials of Shu may remain in their posts temporarily, to reassure their hearts."

Hearing Fan Zhi's remonstrance, Liu Chengyou's expression was calm to an unusual degree, as if he held a different opinion. Still, in his mouth he praised him: "Minister Fan's considerations are the mature counsel of one who schemes for the state. The Hall of State Affairs and the Bureau of Military Affairs may draft detailed proposals for post-war settlement along these three points, for consultation and implementation!"

"Yes!"

"Also, the court should prepare in advance the civil officials to be dispatched into Shu!" Pausing, Liu Chengyou added another instruction.