Chapter 340: Give Him a Division

"What? Qian County (present-day Long County) has fallen?"

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In the middle of the twelfth month, Wei Ao — the Grand Marshal and Grand General of the Western Han, who was still in the Shanglin Park area south of the Wei River, locked in a standoff with Wan Xiu on opposite sides of Chang'an — received no reinforcements or grain from his rear, but instead was stunned by this disastrous news.

The commanders under Wei Ao were all horrified. Qian County was the unavoidable route for withdrawing back to Longyou: a strategic stronghold on the Long Pass road, it was their great rear area — how could it have suddenly come under attack?

"The Wei troops numbered no more than seven hundred. Disguised as Han soldiers, they approached Qian County from the west. The Qian County Magistrate was caught off guard. By the time he realized something was wrong, they had already stormed the gates, and the county town was lost."

"The Wei soldiers now hold Qian and are defending it. The garrisons at Long Pass and Chencang only got word two days later and rushed over, but found the city gates firmly shut and could not retake it. The Wei commander has been proclaiming that the General has already been defeated by Diwu Lun. Many in Qian County believed it to be true and are actually helping defend the city..."

Qian County takes its name from the Qian River. Speaking of this river, the people of Longyou have deep memories of it. Back when the Qin state was expanding eastward from Tianshui, Duke Xiang of Qin advanced east with seven hundred men, crossed the Long Mountains, and entered the Qian River valley, finally reaching Chencang at the confluence of the Qian and Wei rivers. There he built a new capital and accomplished the grand strategy of breaking out to the east.

From this, one can see how vital the Qian River and Qian County are to any power based in Longyou. The Wei army's surprise raid seized a county seat. Though it does not completely sever the road, it still sticks in Longyou's throat like a bone. This strike truly hit them right in their vital point!

Yet Wei Ao racked his brains and still could not figure out where this batch of Wei troops had come from. Could they be Diwu Lun's old unit in Xin Qinzhong? Had they learned to fly?

"Flying is hardly necessary — but this commander's ability to cross mountains and ridges is truly formidable."

His fierce general Niu Han, however, spotted a clue. He pointed on the map to Chun'gu and the other counties in Beidi Commandery, which were currently under siege by two Longyou armies.

"The Wei General of Chariots and Cavalry, Geng Yan, is there. It is well known that this man is skilled in warfare and exceptionally bold. Could it be that, before our two armies could close the encirclement, he slipped out through the gap with a small force, then headed straight west along minor trails, ravines, and plateaus to strike our rear?"

If that were truly the case, then this young man was indeed terrifying. Longyou had defied all common sense by launching a campaign in the depths of winter precisely to seize Beidi Commandery and the Xiao Pass road, so as to make it far more difficult for Diwu Lun to attack westward uphill from the Guanzhong plain in the future.

But now, with the Xiao Pass road still untaken, the Long Pass road had been seized by the enemy in a backhand grip — leaving Wei Ao feeling as though he were sitting on a mat of needles.

"Geng Yan's move is like this: just as our army is facing off against Diwu Lun with long halberds at the front, someone suddenly circles around to the rear and presses a dagger against my back!"

Niu Han asked, "Grand General, as things stand, what should be done?"

Having dragged this out in Guanzhong for so long, Wei Ao had come to understand one thing: unless they were prepared to stake everything on a single throw like Liu Bosheng and gamble on a decisive battle with Diwu Lun, continuing to stall would only hurt the Longyou side. The grain from a single Chencang could not compare with the entire region north of the Wei. Once spring arrived and the Wei army launched its counteroffensive, the walled towns and lands they had gained through the allegiance of powerful local clans would still be lost to Diwu Lun.

"My uncle tried to lure the enemy out and failed. They have strengthened their defenses and stripped the countryside. And it's winter — I fear this campaign cannot be won."

Wei Ao had never been very willing to march east in the first place, and now the urge to withdraw grew even stronger. "Have the Chencang garrison keep Qian County surrounded and tied down for ten days. Ruqing, you take the Hu cavalry camp and cover the rear. Our main army must begin a gradual withdrawal."

"Pull back to Wugong, then pull back to Chencang. Removing the threat to our rear is the priority."

With that, Wei Ao glanced at the map once more, his eyes roaming over those ravines and great plateaus that seemed utterly impassable. He said, "Who could have imagined that this stalemate would be broken by a mere seven hundred soldiers?"

"Geng Bozhao — how divine he is!"

Wei Ao was not the only one dumbfounded by this surprise. Diwu Lun was dumbfounded too.

As the overall commander of this campaign, what Diwu Lun had pursued was nothing more than a single word: "stability."

The Wei clan's intent was obvious: besiege a point to strike the reinforcements. They besieged several counties in Beidi to lure the Wei army into sending support.

Diwu Lun had over ten thousand troops tied down at Tong Pass and Yao Pass by the Green Han. Wan Xiu still had over ten thousand men under his command, locked in a standoff with Wei Ao on either side of Chang'an. The forces actually deployed in the Five Tombs region were not many — enough for defense, but not for attack.

So Diwu Lun was perfectly content to drag things out. The bitter cold of the twelfth month disadvantaged the attacker. The Wei clan could not take Beidi Commandery in a short time anyway. Better to trade space for time. Once spring arrived and the flowers bloomed, the new recruits conscripted from Chang'an and the Five Tombs would be trained, and he would have enough troops to launch a counteroffensive.

But what he had never expected was that a few days ago, Geng Yan sent him a memorial of self-accusation, impeaching himself for forging an edict — which shocked Diwu Lun so much he could not stay seated.

"Geng Bozhao — what does he intend to do?"

He had given the young man a good rap on the knuckles during the last decisive battle with Liu Bosheng, and thought that young Geng had learned his lesson. This winter, he had simply let him fight a defensive campaign in those few counties in Beidi, to temper his temperament a bit more, while leaving opportunities for merit to others.

But Diwu Lun had not expected that Geng Yan would disobey his order to "hold firm."

Angry as he was, Diwu Lun still carefully read the military report, and his mood began to shift to worry.

Although it is never a pleasant experience for a chess player to discover that a piece is moving on its own, he had to admit — this was indeed a brilliant move. And only someone as audaciously bold as Geng Yan would dare to make it. Probably even the enemy had not anticipated it.

"This is a deep penetration behind enemy lines, a thrust into eastern Longyou. But planning and actual execution are, after all, different things."

Plans are made to be broken. The enemy, and even one's allies, often do not act as you envision. Diwu Lun was used to it. Geng Yan's strategy seemed tightly interlocked, but if a single link went wrong, it would be a catastrophic defeat — the army destroyed, the general dead!

"If this goes badly, not only will it ruin my military strategy, but he'll throw his own life away too!"

Diwu Lun began to waver. Should he ignore it and let the boy sink or swim on his own, or...

Though he disliked subordinates disrupting his plans, Diwu Lun paced with his hands behind his back and pondered for a long time. In the end, he began to think about how he could help Geng Yan. He summoned Jing Dan, the Imperial Counselor in charge of operations north of the Wei River.

"Your Majesty, our forces deployed in the Five Tombs amount to half a division. The vanguard is at Liquan Township, guarding against a deep thrust by the Longyou troops. Veterans and new recruits combined, it is only half a division. We do have a fair number of civilian laborers — about two divisions' worth. They have all been issued weapons, and roughly one in ten have armor, but they have not trained for very long."

Before this great battle, Diwu Lun had just carried out a minor reform of the military system, modeled on ancient institutions. The highest unit was the army, followed by the division — ten thousand men made one division. Below that were regiments, battalions, companies, platoons, squads, and five-man teams. To command a division, one already had to be a general.

"As long as the new recruits can stand in formation, that's enough. Which of my old units didn't start out this way?" Diwu Lun said with self-deprecating humor, then gave the order: "Have the Seventh Biao Battalion at Liquan Township break camp and lead their troops westward to retake Haozhi County!"

"And you, sir, will take the Five Tombs troops and the militia and follow close behind!"

Jing Dan did not understand why Diwu Lun was suddenly breaking his own plan. "Is Your Majesty sending support to the north?"

Diwu Lun said, "No. Advance westward — keep going until you reach the foot of Mount Qi. Make it look as though you are cutting off the retreat route of Wei Cui's army."

Jing Dan was somewhat worried. "They have mostly cavalry, while we are mainly infantry. Unless the enemy chooses to engage on their own, I fear we won't be able to cut them off."

Diwu Lun laughed. "It doesn't matter if you can't cut them off. This is a strategy to frighten the enemy."

For both sides, Geng Yan's action was an accident. Whether his surprise attack succeeded or failed, it would give the Wei clan a great fright.

Although Diwu Lun himself had broken out in a cold sweat, to outsiders, he had to say: "Geng Bozhao is acting on my plan."

It was especially important to make the enemy believe this as well. After all, they could not fathom Diwu Lun's mind. If he could coordinate appropriately here, he could package an accident as a grand flanking envelopment personally devised by the King of Wei — a posture of total annihilation against the Wei clan's army — and make the Wei uncle and nephew even more terrified.

Diwu Lun said, "The disasters that befall an army arise from doubt and hesitation. Once they are frightened, in their hasty withdrawal, opportunities for our Wei army to strike may well present themselves."

Jing Dan understood, and could not help silently marveling: "His Majesty truly holds Bozhao in the deepest affection."

Had it been anyone else, Jing Dan would certainly have advised Diwu Lun that a general who disobeys orders like this must not be indulged or spoiled, and that the grand strategy must never be altered for his sake. But Geng Yan was different. Jing Dan had served as an official under Geng Yan's father for many years. Before he returned to pledge his service to Diwu Lun, he had been, in effect, a "disciple and former subordinate" of the Geng family, and his relationship with young Geng was extremely close...

Wait. Jing Dan suddenly grew alert. Precisely because of that, there were some things he absolutely had to say!

Jing Dan therefore made a deep, formal bow and said with solemnity, "But Your Majesty has strictly ordered Geng Bozhao and Yuan She to hold firm in Beidi. If his reckless, headstrong gamble leads to the fall of several counties, the loss will outweigh the gain. A thousand-li dike collapses from an ant hole. The General of Chariots and Cavalry has this time forged an edict to raise troops on his own authority. Even if he succeeds by luck, this precedent must not be allowed to spread."

"You speak reason."

Diwu Lun, however, continued, "But when a general is in the field, there are cities he need not attack, and ground he need not contest, and there are sovereign orders he need not accept. Generals at the front have a far truer grasp of battlefield opportunities than I do, sitting in the rear, pointing at maps and lecturing on strategy. We cannot expect them to fight every battle strictly according to a few words from me and the battle diagrams I send out, can we? How can they win if they are timid and constrained?"

"In the Han dynasty, Huo Qubing raced a thousand li to raid Hexi, and Chen Tang forged an edict to behead Zhizhi. Such magnificent feats were all achieved by adapting to circumstances and resorting to expediency in emergencies. We must tolerate such things — but the prerequisite is..."

"The man who does such a thing is permitted only victory, never defeat!"

Diwu Lun said, "What is more, I cannot bear to see Bozhao die young on the battlefield. A fine commander, perishing in the yellow-earth ravines at just twenty-one years of age. Altering the strategy is a small matter; losing one of my great generals is a far greater one!"

"In short, once the battle is over, we can sort out rewards and punishments, merits and faults — that comes later! The most urgent thing right now is to make sure Bo Zhao and the soldiers come back alive!"

Through this exchange between ruler and minister, Jing Dan had made his stance clear to Diwu Lun. From now on, Geng was Geng, and Jing was Jing — he was the Imperial Counselor to the King of Wei, no longer a former retainer or private aide of the Geng clan. His loyalty was pledged; he had cut himself cleanly from the past.

And these heartfelt words of Diwu Lun were not easy to speak directly to the person involved. Jing Dan was clever and would surely pass his words on to Geng Yan, so that the young man would know his limits: Diwu Lun did not want his subordinate officers turning into reckless gamblers like Liu Bosheng.

After issuing these orders, Diwu Lun still had to wait anxiously for news from the front. Geng Yan had thrust too deep this time, piercing all the way to the Wei clan's far rear in one breath — even the scouts could not reach him. They could only judge the situation by the enemy's advances and withdrawals.

After the Seventh Regiment had already sent its vanguard out, Zhu Di also hurried back from the south to report: "Great King, Wei Ao is retreating! He has three thousand cavalry covering the rear, while the main army is slowly pulling back from Zhouzhi to Wugong. According to scouts observing from across the river, it looks like they intend to withdraw all the way to Chencang in one go!"

"General Wan requests orders — he asks whether to pursue!"

Wan Xiu's style was the complete opposite of young Geng's. If Diwu Lun did not say attack, he would not make the slightest move.

Diwu Lun did not answer for the moment. He only asked, "What of Wei Cui?"

"Wei Cui was besieging Qi County. He is now also withdrawing his forces to the southwest."

"Good!"

Diwu Lun clapped his hands together. "So it seems Geng Bo Zhao has truly succeeded!"

After days of agonized waiting, this result was both a delightful surprise and a chilling after-fear. Now, the Wei army and the Long army were truly "you within me, and I within you."

Diwu Lun said to Jing Dan with a laugh, "This Geng Bo Zhao — give him a division, and he'd dare to fight all the way to Chengji in Tianshui!"

Zhu Di came in again to request instructions: "Great King, the military situation is urgent. General Wan asks: pursue or not?"

Diwu Lun swept his hand out. "Pursue!"

"The Wei River and the canals are frozen — no water transport is possible. The three armies will carry dry rations, pursue relentlessly and strike hard, and make a show of driving straight for Chencang to trap and annihilate the Wei clan east of Long!"

Diwu Lun meant to coordinate with Geng Yan and play out this drama — impossible to tell truth from falsehood — to the very end. He thought to himself, "When it comes to fighting on the battlefield, I am a mediocre general. But when it comes to bluff and bluster…"

He was a fine actor too.