Chapter 522: Withdrawal Work

The Great King does not intend to merely pass through Shangdang this time; mobilizing troops is no easy feat, and in order to obtain the full topographic map for better control, the Great King plans to take wherever he passes, not wanting to redo the work later.

A mighty host of one hundred thousand men, the moment they exited Luoshui Pass, countless scouts scattered in all directions.

The Great King stood beneath the city of Gu Yuan, whose defenses were nominal, pondered, then summoned Liang He. Hearing Liang Bin say that his elder brother left him far behind in studies, the Great King intended to first use Liang He as a clerk.

This fellow dares to think and act: 'Send a letter to the Prince of Shangdang, inviting him to swiftly bring the entire princely household to Youzhou to avoid the ravages of war. For the safety of Shangdang's populace, I will station troops to garrison Shangdang Commandery.'

Liang He started, instinctively glancing at his father, the Marquis of the Eastern Capital, standing nearby.

This isn't… a withdrawal of the fief?

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital nodded calmly; although somewhat nonchalant, the situation has come to this, and it's only proper for the Great King to secure his rear—surely he doesn't mean to advance deep into enemy territory with an isolated army?

The Great King added: 'I am doing this for the prince's own good; soon the Second and Fourth Lords, as well as the rebel army, will come attacking. How long can Shangdang hold out? I will directly intervene to protect Shangdang, sparing the people from labor and expense, and also preventing harm to the princely household's guard battalion—a win‑win. Liang He, once you've finished writing, have Changli personally deliver it with the Snow Cavalry, including the Prince of Clear River—all together. After they depart, you station troops there.'

"I, the subordinate, obey your orders."

The Great King waved his hand: "Attack the city!"

The procedure still must be followed; although the Prince of Shangdang's forces have already abandoned Deep Valley, the Great King is happy to pick up the territory.

The cavalry took over Deep Valley without expending much effort or even lifting a hand, yet no one felt that marching south would be easy—this is merely a prelude; to the south lie Nannei and Luoyang, where imperial troops are stationed, and further south, Yingchuan and Nanyang are under Bai Li Jun's control—that's where the real fight will be. The Prince of Shangdang sits right under the nose of the Northern Border; everyone knows just how strong that old man is in the Northern Border.

Outside Luoshui Pass lies the small city of Deep Valley; the Great King didn't even bother to station troops there. He arrested the incumbent officials, rounded up those who hadn't fled, and told them that from this moment on the place falls under Northern Border jurisdiction. He then produced Xie Yuan's version of the proclamation for them to study, after which they would do whatever they were supposed to do. The Northern Border King loves his people like his own children and possesses great military might; henceforth life in Deep Valley will be a hundred times better than before—Deep Valley's first blessing, big and round.

Whether they believe it or not, the Great King is nevertheless proud.

"Securing Deep Valley went smoothly; I hope the next city will be just as easy!"

However, upon receiving the Great King's letter, the Prince of Shangdang himself felt relatively calm; he had already anticipated this situation. The heir apparent, on the other hand, was extremely unwilling.

"Father, isn't this just a withdrawal of the fief? The Northern Border King, with a mere word, sends us off to Youzhou, and we simply abandon our fief?"

"Can you withstand a hundred thousand iron cavalry?"

"But… but, Shangdang we have cultivated for four generations! Father, the best case scenario for our move to Youzhou is to become like the previous branches that depended on the princely household, with no fief at all anymore. Although nothing was said about the future, … Bai Li Jing doesn't mention a single word now, and it seems he won't return our fief later. Father, quickly think of a solution!"

The Prince of Shangdang is no longer young; after this blow his face turned ashen. "The fief lost in my hands—do you think I feel good about it?"

"If the court withdraws the fief we could still maneuver a bit, but look who sent the letter—it's the Northern Border Silver Armor Cavalry. You know their fierce tactics at Pengcheng and Fanyang; what could I possibly oppose? We're all princely lords, so blame my earlier half‑life of excessive honesty… …We number less than ten thousand, unable to contend with Bai Li Jing."

"…Go settle things; when we head north we'll take only the one thousand palace guards granted by the court."

"Father!"

"The Northern Border King only recently slaughtered the Shaodang Qiang; to him we are merely a distant royal branch. Do you think the Northern Border King will treat us with leniency? Better to stay alive for now—today, play it safe, seeing how sensible you are, perhaps later he might even leave you a princely title. Hurry up and go."

"…Let the son first go inform his mother."

The Prince of Shangdang's residence is shrouded in sorrowful gloom; the Prince of Clear River's household is much the same. They are not honestly maintaining just a thousand‑strong guard battalion; over the years they've each accumulated a few life‑saving trump cards.

But compared to the Northern Border King's hundred thousand iron cavalry, they amount to nothing in an instant.

The Northern Border King's Black Armor Cavalry could overturn the Xiongnu cavalry; even the famed Left Worthy King was strung up by Bai Li Jing before the former emperor's tomb. Now the Xiongnu still pay tribute to the Northern Border just to avoid being beaten—what else could they possibly use to resist?!

Moreover, the Northern Border King's forces far exceed a mere hundred thousand troops.

Resistance with zero chance of victory is suicide; no matter how you think about it, it's better to slink down the slope, each saving face for the other.

Changli's withdrawal work went smoothly; the Great King's men quickly took over Qinghe and Shangdang commanderies, and the cavalry suffered no delay in continuing southward.

The Great King plotted a route, deciding to ignore Qingzhou and Gunzhou to the east for now, first advance west to Chang'an to unseat Bai Li Jun; thus, on this route the next biggest challenge will be Luoyang.

【The first major battle will come tomorrow daytime; still need to make revisions.】