Chapter 870: The First Battle of the Xuanjia

The attack on Zhang He's forces began in the morning; Xu Shui and Quanzhou were attacked in the afternoon. The timing differed by no great length, for Yuan Shao's troops were simply too weak.

Moreover, these defending troops had long been stationed here and were overly familiar with the territory under Wang Da's command; many scouts had even chatted with Wang Yan's scouts, constantly hearing how much better things were on this side. After returning, these scouts would casually reveal this information in idle talk. After all, the distance was not far—if bold enough, one could simply go close and take a look.

Unlike Yuan Shao's side, Wang Yan's civilians lived right near the military camps. One could see the camps, and thus see the villages—the houses, the land, the daily bustle—all clearly visible.

This was intentional, ordered by Wang Yan, to let others see his strength and prosperity, and also because of his consistent principle: to keep war outside his own land, fighting on others' territory.

For this reason, over the past ten years, he had built no new city walls, expanded none, and even dismantled all city gates, retaining only necessary repairs to the walls themselves.

In fact, the walls of Ji County were open for people to stroll upon—though mostly only children, racing wildly along them. Adults came once and never returned; there was simply nothing remarkable about them.

This very decision fostered unity between soldiers and civilians, making them willing to fight to the death to defend their property and lives. With no city gates, officials could not flee into the city during war—everyone was on the same line, and thus hearts were balanced, morale was raised…

Thus, when Huang Zhong and Zhou Cang attacked, Yuan Shao's soldiers, realizing they could not win, surrendered without hesitation; few even fled. This was the power of propaganda.

Wang Yan did not know what had given Yuan Shao the courage to declare war, but with a rough thought, he guessed it must have been his control over Sanzhou, his millions of people, and the ability to conscript up to seven or eight hundred thousand soldiers—these had given Yuan Shao the illusion of strength, making him boldly say no to Wang Da.

But clearly, reality was cruel. To prepare for defense, Yuan Shao stationed fifty thousand troops in Xu Shui, Gaoyang, and Quanzhou. Gaoyang had the most: two generals, Zhang He and Gao Lan, commanding twenty thousand troops each.

Xu Shui and Quanzhou each had fifteen thousand troops. Originally, both had about ten thousand; after Huang Zhong shattered Qu Yi, no one dared underestimate Qu Yi—he was a capable general, and Yuan Shao's side knew it well. Thus, learning from the lesson, each place added five thousand more troops. Huang Zhong, who had gained fame in battle, received special attention.

Thus, the current situation was this: Wang Da had not yet used his full strength, had not deployed any tactics, strategy, or battle methods—and yet, with just twenty thousand troops from the Three Guards, he had directly struck and crushed Yuan Shao's fifty thousand.

Of course, surprise was a factor—Wang Yan had captured Zhang He outright, and Yuan Shao's army, lacking its commander and deputy, failed to form battle lines immediately. Then Zhang He persuaded Gao Lan to surrender, causing Gao Lan to abandon resistance. Without this, Zhang He and Gao Lan were no fools; defeating their twenty thousand would have been extremely difficult.

Earlier, Tai Shi Ci had fought Zhang Yang at Yanmen Pass for half a month, back and forth. At that time, Tai Shi Ci commanded one guard's force; Zhang Yang had twenty thousand—similar to the current situation, just different terrain. Even Zhang Yang's subordinates were not as strong as Zhang He or Gao Lan.

This time, over thirty thousand captured soldiers were not conscripted into labor, as the actual situation did not permit it. All regions were drawing militia; if these captives rebelled, they would be hard to handle, destabilizing the region and disrupting production.

So they were mixed together with the newly conscripted militia, broken into units, and forced to fight alongside them. This solved both the problem of settling the captives and the problem of manpower, while also allowing military re-education to reshape them into the desired form.

The only drawback was grain. The cost of provisions for war was terrifying; had Wang Yan not stabilized his domain for so many years and retained some reserves, he could not have sustained it.

Thus, to reduce grain consumption, Wang Yan only expanded the Wuwu, Xuanwu, and Guangwu Guards to ten thousand each, making them the main force at the front. The newly conscripted troops and captives served as second-line forces, tasked with—among other duties—killing local magnates, officials, and youxia; maintaining local production order; handling captives; transporting grain to the front; and supporting frontline operations.

In fact, by now, Wang Yan's army was already extremely powerful. His conscription age was twenty to thirty-two; those who did not reach a certain rank were discharged.

To date, he had been building his power for ten years; most soldiers in his army had already been discharged. Even the earliest batch were now no older than forty-two, all serving as Wang Jingwei—still under combat requirements. Though over forty, their combat effectiveness remained adequate; these were real veterans. Deployed as a force, they were still a pack of tigers and wolves.

On the other hand, the militia system had also been in place for ten years, and many had never served as regular soldiers; they were all over thirty-two. These men too had undergone continuous training, though with less intensity than before thirty-two—they still possessed combat capability.

But this time, Wang Yan had only conscripted young men who already had children; the older veterans had not yet been called up.

Regarding governance of newly conquered lands, though talent reserves remained insufficient, the situation was far better than when he first seized Liu Youzhou.

Education had not yet been universalized, but after eight years, a large number of literate, numerate people had been trained. Moreover, in grassroots xiang and ting, many clerks possessed solid administrative skills, sufficient to handle their duties. These were usable grassroots talents, capable of stabilizing and governing newly acquired land and population.

Coupled with years of stability and accumulated grain reserves sufficient to support large-scale campaigns, this was the true foundation of Wang Yan's pressure on Yuan Shao. Without war, how could soldiers rise? How could grassroots officials be promoted? How could talent pipelines be maintained?

But if Yuan Shao had granted land and people to his subjects, this war would not have continued; Wang Yan would have spent two years consolidating population and territory before continuing to press southward—there was no end to it.

Now that Yuan Shao thought himself capable, Wang Da could only reluctantly seize the population and land he desired—and even more, if possible…

"Zhang He and Gao Lan must die!"

Yuan Shao overturned the table again, intending to order the execution of their families; but upon reflection, fearing the torment he might face if he lost, he decided to leave a thread of mercy.

Yet this thought did not soothe him—he could only sulk alone.

He ordered: "Yan Liang and Wen Chou as main commanders; Gao Gan, Gao Rou, Dong Zhao, and Han Meng as deputies, each leading seventy thousand troops to invade Wang the Rebel. Guo Tu, Feng Ji, Xin Ping, and Shen Pei as military secretaries, accompanying the campaign. Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and others shall prepare grain, weapons, and conscript soldiers, mobilizing the entire forces of Ji, Qing, and Yan provinces—must crush Wang the Rebel and vent my fury."

"All of you, do not undermine morale. From today, anyone who speaks of surrendering to Wang the Rebel shall be executed!"

In the past, Yuan Shao had not been idle—he had been reorganizing his army. But now Wang Yan, lacking martial virtue, had launched a direct assault; he had no choice but to respond. His troops had indeed been mobilized, but had not yet reached their destinations. Previously, he feared merchant caravans betraying his movements, so he had been cautious; now that Wang the Rebel struck first, his response was naturally swift.

Many among the lower ranks who favored surrender still wished to plead again; the news received was that Gaoyang and Xu Shui had offered no resistance and collapsed instantly—presumably Quanzhou was the same. Fifty thousand troops had been shattered so easily—could they not think more deeply?

They understood Yuan Shao well—his current state was clearly inflamed. But they dared not speak, for the blade was in Yuan Shao's hands; being beheaded as a sacrifice would serve no purpose. Moreover, many generals were staunch war advocates; speaking now would be useless.

Helpless, they began working. They had to study strategy, to figure out how to fight Wang Yan.

The battlefield was the vast North China Plain, where, outside of siege warfare, only direct, head-on field battles occurred. Battlefield conditions changed constantly, so much of the strategy studied from behind was of little use. The key lay in Yuan Shao's appointed generals and the military secretaries like Guo Tu, who must keenly seize opportunities on the battlefield, maneuver troops, and strike Wang the Rebel.

Yet this did not mean those left behind were useless—they were intelligent men. Though they inevitably made foolish mistakes, they possessed vision.

While each department performed its duty, pouring the strength of all three provinces into the campaign against Wang the Rebel, Xu You, among a group of others, devised a plan.

That day, Yuan Shao was drinking while studying a map—Wang the Rebel's forces had advanced too swiftly. After defeating Xu Shui and Gaoyang, they ignored the cities in between and plunged straight into Julu and Anping, the heart of Ji Province, where they had already clashed with Yan Liang and others; the main battlefield was now these two regions. Meanwhile, in Quanzhou, they were swiftly clearing Bohai Commandery. Other armies seemed paper-thin, offering no resistance.

Still, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and others had so far contained the situation, halting Wang the Rebel's southward advance, while more troops were converging on the front. The proclamation denouncing Wang the Rebel had been issued to all under heaven, and Cao Cao had been informed. Cao Cao, true to his reputation, did not take advantage—he instead continued targeting Yuan Shu and Liu Biao, even intensifying his attacks beyond previous levels.

Old Cao was a sensible man.

Liu Bei had also allied with Cao Cao, crossing the river to attack Yuan Shu, and had begun fighting Sun Ce, who had just started his own venture. Clearly, Liu Bei was also a sensible man. In fact, since leaving Liaodong, he had always been sensible…

Xu You stepped forward and said: "My lord, in this northern campaign against Wang the Rebel, his main force must be in Liu Youzhou. We may send troops to attack Taiyuan, seize Yanmen, or strike Guangchang (Laiyuan) directly toward Ji County—winning in one decisive battle. Even if we fail, we can tie down Wang the Rebel's forces and drain his grain. We are close to Taiyuan; the enemy is far from it—we must gain advantage."

Yuan Shao stared at the map for a while, nodded, and replied, "Good." He immediately ordered Chunyu Qiong, who was advancing northward, to lead thirty thousand troops straight into Taiyuan. He also ordered Zhang Yang to move troops out of Huguan. He sent a letter to Zhang Yan, hoping to ally with Heishan forces to attack Taiyuan and seize Yanmen Pass to break out.

Chunyu Qiong had originally been stationed in Yanzhou, guarding against Cao Cao. Now that Cao Cao, valuing his reputation, dared not move, the main force was naturally redirected north to confront Wang the Rebel. He had just left Yanzhou and could immediately act. Zhang Yan was the leader of the Heishan forces, the largest faction—other Heishan groups merely borrowed their name.

The Heishan forces' lives were miserable. For years, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Zhang Yang had hunted them like training dummies—both to train their armies and to gain population and resources.

A few years ago, Wang Yan seized Yanmen Pass and opened a route from Ji County through Mount Taixing. Zhao Yun began clearing Taiyuan, suppressing illegal armed groups. Many small bandit bands fled the mountains to join Wang Yan, making life extremely difficult for Zhang Yan and others. They could not defeat Zhao Yun, yet could not surrender—surrender meant death. They were stuck in limbo, and their men were beginning to lose loyalty; their ranks were hard to hold together.

As for the invasion routes, Mount Taixing had eight passes—eight easily defensible chokepoints: Jundu Pass, Puyin Pass, Feihu Pass, Jingxing Pass, Fugou Pass, Bai Pass, Taixing Pass, and Zhi Pass. These eight passes were strategic strongholds, contested by every dynasty since ancient times. Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, they had been critically important.

In terms of distribution, Wang Yan controlled three of them—starting from Jingxing Pass, all were under Yuan Shao's control. Jingxing Pass itself had a famous stronghold: Niangzi Pass. But this name did not exist yet—it would only appear in the Tang Dynasty, when Princess Pingyang stationed troops there and gave it the name; now it was called Weize Pass, west of Shijiazhuang. The passes south of here were all under Yuan Shao's control.

Previously, when Wang Yan took Yanmen, Yuan Shao had lacked the courage to cross the mountains to aid Zhang Yang, fearing Wang Yan's southward advance. Now the roles were reversed—he wanted to send troops to Taiyuan and strike Wang Yan's homeland.

Xu You's suggestion and Yuan Shao's decision were both excellent and highly feasible.

Thus, when Zhang Yang moved, he was met with a crushing defeat by Zhang Wu's forces. Zhang Wu's combat ability was poor, so Wang Yan assigned him a Captain—Zhang Liao. With over six thousand troops, aided by local militia and under Guo Jia's command in Taiyuan, Zhang Wu carried out his mission excellently.

As for Chunyu Qiong and Zhang Yan, they faced opposition from Zhao Yun, Liao Hua, and Dian Wei.

Wang Yan was utterly cunning. Though often seeming careless, he was building an empire—every decision affected the lives of soldiers and civilians, so he had thoroughly considered everything. Whatever Yuan Shao could conceive, Wang Yan had already accounted for.

In truth, his troop deployment favored defense, emphasizing steady, methodical progress—responding to all changes with constancy. Like the battle at Julu: Huang Zhong and Tai Shi Ci held the front, behind them vast militia and supplies; losses were replenished, encircled units were rescued by reinforcements.

Without incident, Huang Zhong, Tai Shi Ci, and Zhou Cang would spearhead the advance, with the main force following, pushing forward, and governing.

But the Julu battlefield was not going smoothly—Yan Liang and Wen Chou had superior numbers. Their reinforcements were closer, and they had prepared in advance. Though Wang Yan had also prepared, his territory was too vast—mobilizing troops from the steppes and Liaodong took long. Yet for now, the situation was manageable, handled with ease.

In Taiyuan, Wang Yan had stationed heavy forces: the most combat-capable units—the Xianqi Camp and the Xuanjia Camp…

Chunyu Qiong and the Heishan forces split into three columns, advancing through multiple passes; Chunyu Qiong himself took the Weize Pass of Jingxing. This route was not easy—steep, narrow, and slow for large armies burdened with grain and horses.

Beyond the pass lies Yu County; south of Yu County lies Jinyang (Taiyuan City).

Taiyuan Commandery had only been under Wang Yan's rule for a short time—just one year. But even in that year, the people here had learned what a good life meant: ten percent tax on grain, the ability to buy on credit for new, higher-yield seeds, salt at fair price, cloth at fair price, oil slightly more expensive, no corvée labor, all work paid in cash, and cash that could be used to buy grain at the granaries—never had there been such good days.

Thus, they held deep reverence for officials in blue robes and soldiers in armor who did not harass them, and they were fanatical toward the Heavenly Martial General, whom they had never seen; every household had erected a longevity tablet.

Wang Yan knew this well—virtually every household worshipped him.

The people here had lived hard lives; previously, Heishan bandits and Southern Xiongnu had ravaged them, looting everything, and the population had dwindled, as many had fled into the mountains to become bandits themselves.

But now it was different: they wore armor, wielded various weapons, formed battle formations, and followed behind a group of knights whose entire bodies—even their steeds—were covered in iron plate.

This was a valley, the shortest route from Yu County toward Jinyang.

Dian Wei held his twin halberds, standing atop the slope, watching the valley's movements from afar. Dian Wei greatly enjoyed his current position—daily training a band of fierce men brought him great joy, and he didn't need to think at all. Like now: Guo Jia had told him to wait here; if no one came, just charge to the other side—simple and direct.

Time passed slowly, and soon he saw several enemy scout units approaching from the hills. Seeing them, Dian Wei turned and left, for they were his own men.

He strolled down to the foot of the hill, where his men clad him in heavy armor, and he leapt onto his horse, one iron halberd in each hand.

"Give the order!"

As his words fell, the knights beside him swung their banner-tipped spears.

Then Dian Wei lowered his demon mask, squeezed his thighs against the horse's flanks, roared aloud, and the massive steed snorted, beginning to trot.

As it moved, the armor plates clattered, rattling loudly, and the horse's pace quickened.

The mounted knights said nothing, clamping their spears tightly under their armpits, silent. A thousand iron-clad warhorses moved in unison, rumbling and shaking the earth. The knights' silence was deafening.

In the valley, Yuan Shao's troops were in panic, frantically wheeling their horses around—their commander was Chunyu Qiong.

Heavy cavalry moved slowly, weighed down by their armor. But each heavy, powerful hoofbeat echoed like the Ghost King beating a drum, striking straight to the heart.

Dian Wei charged ahead, swinging one halberd to cleave through a still-stunned enemy rider, then charging straight toward the distant general, whose armor gleamed as he desperately turned his horse.

Nothing could stop the iron hooves of his warhorse; only a puddle of flesh remained after the army passed—a pure massacre, a scene from hell.

This was war…