Chapter 202: When One Is in Trouble

Geng Yan, riding a white horse, led the chariots and cavalry out on another sortie, braving the wind and frost back to Leping County town, where he found his uncle Geng Chun already waiting for him atop the wall.

"Bozhao returns victorious again." Geng Chun eyed the many severed heads tied to the chariots and knew that yet another band of Five Towers bandits out foraging for grain had been caught by Geng Yan.

In the past, Diwu Lun had not sought heavy casualties when striking roving bandits, but the scourge of banditry in Hebei was so severe that, hoping to achieve the effect of "locusts shunning the borders," he hardened his heart and let his officers and men kill freely. He stripped the countryside of resources and set up many scouts and sentry posts, making it hard for bandit movements to stay hidden; whenever a small band was spotted, he would send men to strike, and every unit scored many kills.

In the first few sorties, Geng Yan had been quite eager, but now he found it rather dull. Even his uncle's praise could not cheer him up, and he shook his head. "They call it war, but in truth it is no different from chasing and killing common folk the whole way. Such fighting, even if utterly victorious, is no cause for celebration."

The fighting strength of the bandits' foraging parties was indeed far inferior to the Wuhuan and Xiongnu beyond the frontier, or the private retainers and clients of the Li clan of Wu'an — their clothes in tatters, their weapons a motley assortment, lacking even proper unit organization. When their numbers were small, the moment they met chariots and cavalry they could basically only flee. After doing this again and again, Geng Yan had grown weary of killing. After hesitating a moment, he said to Geng Chun, "Uncle, once this campaign is over, I shall be leaving."

Geng Chun was not surprised. His nephew was young, not yet twenty, and at that age a young man's enthusiasm often lasts only a few days. Knowing Geng Yan as he did, the fact that Bozhao had stayed in Weicheng for the better part of a year was already extremely rare.

But Geng Chun also knew that Diwu Lun was short of capable commanders, all the more so after his territory expanded, and he very much wanted to keep Geng Yan. Deliberately trying to help retain him, he asked pointedly, "Could it be that the Grand Governor has slighted you?"

Geng Yan shook his head. "Grand Governor Diwu did not reject me for my youth and pride; he honored me as an honored guest, and in food and clothing has never been the least bit negligent."

"Then you find your rank and authority too low?"

Geng Yan said, "When I was in Shuodiao (Shanggu), my father was impartial and, to avoid any suspicion of favoritism, would not let me hold office. As soon as I arrived in Weicheng, Grand Governor Diwu made me Commandery Adjutant. After we took Shouliang, he said he could appoint me as Head of the Arms Section — I had only to say the word and the seal and cord would be delivered to me."

This was already the best position Diwu Lun could offer at present; as for the commandery offices of Assistant and Bailiff, those were all directly appointed by the imperial court, and Diwu Lun had no say in them. Of course, Geng Yan found it troublesome to keep switching posts, and he continued to politely decline.

"Lord Diwu also concentrated the chariots and cavalry of both commanderies and gave them to me to train and command. Although these southern Ji chariots and cavalry, compared to the shock cavalry of Youzhou, are as different as heaven and earth, it was still the first time I commanded so many troops…"

As Geng Yan spoke, even he began to feel that Diwu Lun truly had treated him generously, and that to leave without a proper farewell would indeed be discourteous.

Geng Chun laughed. "Then it is strange. Since Bozhao is so highly valued and well-treated, why leave?"

"Uncle, do not think me too young to understand how the world works."

Geng Yan did not even bother to lower his voice and said outright, "I often hear you, Lord Diwu, Ma Wenyuan, and the others discussing the situation. I also know that since the great Red Eyebrow victory at Chengchang, the situation east of the passes has changed drastically. Banditry is breeding everywhere in Hebei, with a strong tendency to push north and threaten Youzhou. Beyond the frontier, the Xiongnu and Wuhuan grow bolder and more reckless by the day. With the times so unsettled, how dare I, as the eldest son of my house, indulge in idle diversion and linger long in a foreign commandery, instead of returning to Shuodiao to assist my father?"

Even the most loyal minister to Chang'an, seeing the court so feeble, could hardly avoid thoughts of self-preservation, unwilling to be dragged down with the Xin. The Geng clan of Maoling had to consider their own future as well.

Geng Yan bowed to Geng Chun. "Uncle, how do you see the future course of the realm?"

Geng Chun gave a bitter smile. "I wish I knew."

He recalled the crimson flood he had seen at Chengchang. "We are all caught within the game. All we know is that in the heavens flash blinding bolts of lightning, granting no peace and no order; all around us torrents surge, a hundred rivers seethe and boil, and the mountain peaks crumble."

"Have you ever seen a drowning man?"

Geng Chun stretched out his hand as if grasping. "When struggling in the water for life, whatever he seizes, he clings to with all his might."

Yet the human heart is never satisfied: clutching a small plank, the eyes still gaze with envy at skiffs and great ships.

What people in chaotic times yearn for is ever more security. The Geng clan of Maoling's base in Shuodiao, Youzhou, is a small but sturdy skiff. Though remote, its folkways are fierce, and Geng Kuang commands several thousand mounted archers — enough to protect themselves in the chaos. This Geng Chun rather envied.

Though of the same clan, the main branch, the Geng of Songzi, were in a sorrier state. The once-rich Jiping had become a playground for the Red Eyebrow roving bandits. It was said that the Red Eyebrow leader Dong Xian of Mount Liang had already stormed towns and seized cities and was pressing toward Dingtao. A fine ship, riddled with a thousand holes, was about to sink, and they could only seek another way out.

With his father barely able to save himself, Geng Chun had only two choices: return to his old home, reunite with his younger brothers, and manage the clan. His family was a prominent name in the commandery and could muster over two thousand retainers and private followers — enough for self-defense, but the scope would inevitably be small and more passive.

The other path was to stay in Weicheng and help Diwu Lun build a great ship!

"From Wei, it is just over four hundred li north to Songzi, close enough to look after the clan in my homeland. Crossing the river south, it is six hundred li to Dingtao — should the worst happen, there is still a chance to bring my father out. Weicheng is already my best choice."

This was also why, these past two months, he had actively helped Diwu Lun govern the commandery, train troops, and drive out bandits. Diwu Lun's methods of official administration, military organization, and law were unlike others', and he had ambition. Should the realm fall into chaos, Geng Chun did not know how far he could ultimately go, but at the very least he would be a regional lord. The Geng clan's present goal was survival, so they sought to attach themselves to him.

Yet what one desires for oneself, one should not force upon others — the Geng of Maoling still had room to choose. Seeing his nephew's eagerness to return to his father, Geng Chun did not press him to stay, only employing a stalling tactic so that Diwu Lun could find his own solution. "I only hope that Bozhao can stay a few more months. Once spring comes and the ice melts, and the Red Eyebrows cannot cross the river for a time, it will not be too late to leave!"

"That goes without saying." Geng Yan smiled. "I am no ingrate. Whether against the Five Towers bandits or the Red Eyebrow bandits, I must fight a few splendid battles, as repayment for Lord Diwu's generous treatment."

As the two were speaking, a soldier hurried over from the wall to report.

"Sirs Geng, beacon smoke is rising from Wei Family Fort, thirty li to the northwest!"

…

Transplanting the beacon-smoke system of New Qinzhong to the interior was Diwu Lun's idea. Though there were no systematic chains of beacon towers or long walls here, there were powerful clans' forts scattered like stars across the land.

As banditry worsened day by day, the forts of Hebei had already completed their transformation from courtyards into bastions; every household reinforced its walls and built towering watchtowers.

Forts, much like the castles of later ages in the West, were generally built on high ground and stood within distant sight of other powerful forts in the same district. Thus, relay by relay, strands of signal smoke could travel uninterrupted for over a hundred li.

Diwu Lun's operational slogan was: "When one is in trouble, all sides come to help." He took the lead in organizing the powerful families of Shouliang for joint defense.

After the Marquis of Yangping was attacked, who would dare refuse? When small bands of grain-raiding bandits appeared, the powerful families were to aid one another, with Geng Yan and Ma Yuan, positioned in the center, providing flexible rapid support, while Geng Chun, leading two thousand low-morale Gengshi defeated troops, served as the rear reserve.

Although Diwu Lun gave strict personal instructions and even dispatched subordinate clerks to every powerful clan's fort to supervise, the prominent families of Shouliang were not very enthusiastic about putting out their neighbors' fires. Usually, Geng Yan would arrive first, and only then would they dawdle their way to the scene — but they still won many small engagements.

Diwu Lun sought to accumulate small victories into a great one, but the Five Towers bandits were the first to lose patience.

By the time Geng Yan rushed there with several hundred chariots and cavalry, he saw that today's raiding party was also several hundred strong, besieging Wei Family Fort — which could hold only a hundred or so people — so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through, scaling the walls with crude wooden ladders.

It looked no different from any other day; a charge by the chariots and cavalry would break them.

His men were eager to try, but Geng Yan held them back. He was very sensitive to the battlefield situation and had an indescribable intuition. He only ordered his riders to spread out and search the area within a dozen or so li.

"Especially that patch of woods to the north. I see crows circling for a long time without landing — I fear there is a trap."

After two ke, riders returned one after another to report. "The Adjutant's judgment was correct; there is indeed a large force of bandits lying in ambush in the woods."

Geng Yan clapped his hands and laughed. "A petty ruse. The Five Towers main force probably used the heavy morning fog to make a wide detour, avoiding the forts and scouts' eyes to get here, then slipped into the woods under cover of night. Freezing for half the night, they must be thoroughly chilled by now."

This was the countermeasure the Five Towers bandits had devised: concentrate their forces and ambush the reinforcing forts and small detachments of government troops. The idea was not bad, but unfortunately, though Geng Yan fought fiercely, he was no hotheaded youth who skipped reconnaissance.

And heaven itself did not cooperate; after the sun rose, the fog dispersed, and the beacon smoke was once again clearly visible.

The mounted scouts drew close, and seeing they had been exposed, the bandits stopped hiding and simply marched out of the woods. It took a full quarter-hour for them to straggle out in disorder. Geng Yan made a rough count: at least three to five thousand men, covering the hills and plains everywhere, openly attacking Wei Family Fort. It seemed that even if the nearby forts came to help, they could do nothing against them, and it would take half a day for the infantry from the county town to arrive.

"Can Wei Family Fort hold out?"

Looking at that small, tottering fort, it probably could not withstand a desperate assault by bandits mad with hunger.

The men following Geng Yan had fought many easy battles these past days and had all grown somewhat arrogant. Seeing that the enemy outnumbered them only twenty to one and were spread very thin, they all wanted to show off their skill and sweep the field.

Though chariots and cavalry moved fast, the riders of Wei were no match for the shock cavalry of Youzhou; even with ten more years of training, they could not charge and break enemy lines. Moreover, with no friendly troops nearby, it was unwise to send an isolated force deep into the enemy. So Geng Yan did not attack directly as he had at the Battle of Wu'an, but instead cruised at a distance. Watching the beacon smoke rise high from Wei Family Fort, Geng Yan was not anxious; instead, an idea formed in his mind — to make a feint to the east while striking in the west, turning the enemy's own trick against them.

"Since the Five Towers main force is here, doesn't that leave Liaocheng, half a day's journey to the east, empty?"

The bandits used Liaocheng as their lair. If it could be taken, they would have no place to rely on in the winter plains and could only be driven out, and the whole way north, anywhere could become a battlefield for the Wei troops to pursue them!

Geng Yan felt that he already grasped the moment of decisive victory.

"Send a man back at once to inform Lord Diwu: half the Five Towers bandits' strength has marched out. This is the perfect moment to strike and seize Liaocheng. He must dispatch troops at once — let there be no hesitation!"

…

PS: Chapter 3 at 18:00.