Chapter 384: All the People Are Soldiers

Lu Fang and the Xiongnu's encampment numbered several hundred felt tents, spread across several li, spaced well apart. An accidental fire could never have spread like today's, burning through dozens of tents without stopping.

"Your Majesty, someone set fires in the camp and proclaimed that the Wei army has arrived!"

Lu Fang did not believe it. "The Wei main force is still at Shenquan Outpost, a hundred li away. How could they have flown here!"

For this attack on Fuping, he and the Xiongnu had a clear division of labor: the Xiongnu chieftains rode out to plunder the scattered hamlets and fortified points across the plain, while also patrolling the perimeter to guard against the Wei army. Geng Bozhao's several thousand men — the Xiongnu had their eyes on his every move. Meanwhile, Lu Fang supervised his own Wuyuan and Shuofang troops in storming the city and fortresses.

When trouble broke out, Lu Fang was still overseeing the siege of the Zhang family stronghold. When he returned, all he saw was flame leaping skyward within the camp, shouts shaking the air, everything a tangled mess of chaos.

What terrified Lu Fang even more was that, according to those who escaped, the fire had started from the great central tent where he resided. At first, he even thought that those Shuofang and Wuyuan chieftains who looked down on him had decided to do him in!

His forces were a motley mix: there were Han soldiers who had surrendered to the Xiongnu along with the Protector General of the Western Regions in the Han dynasty, and frontier garrison troops of the Xin Dynasty. But the greater part were bandits and outlaws spawned by the collapse of border order under Wang Mang. When the Mang dynasty fell, these armed bands transformed overnight into "Generals" and "Commandants," then were won over by the Xiongnu Chanyu, who forced their heads down to bow to Lu Fang.

Thus, Lu Fang had virtually no personal loyalist troops; he merely leaned on the Xiongnu and gained the title of nominal overlord. The various factions had only with great difficulty reached a consensus to send troops this time — and that was purely to plunder their way through the famine.

But Lu Fang soon dismissed this suspicion, because the chieftains had also fled in utter disarray. They knew he was not in camp — why would they go burn empty tents? This had to be the work of outsiders.

By all reason, an investigation should have uncovered the truth, but regrettably, the Hu-Han regime was even more chaotic than Greenwood. Lu Fang did not even have a clear account of where his own subordinate units were positioned. The more foolish ones followed Lu Fang to gnaw on hard bones; the clever ones had all dispersed to plunder, with no set time for going or returning, entering and leaving camp by tally and token, merely sharing a cut of the spoils with Lu Fang afterward.

An awkward scene unfolded: Lu Fang spent a long time outside the encampment counting heads, yet failed to even catch the arsonists. Most likely, Wei soldiers had seized the tallies and plunder of those out raiding, brazenly blended in to set the fires, then withdrew to the perimeter in the confusion.

With no standardized banners or uniforms, and the enemy being a group of Bing Province men whose dialects differed little from their own, even an investigation could not proceed. Lu Fang grew paranoid, seeing every unfamiliar officer as a Wei spy.

A single small fire threw them into disarray for the better part of a watch. It was only thanks to the Xiongnu Right Guli King, who led his riders on the perimeter to hold off the Wei main force, that the larger body of troops failed to drive straight in and burst open Lu Fang's center.

At this point, Lu Fang knew the battle could not be continued.

"That old man Zhang Chun has built his clan stronghold like an iron barrel! Without several months, it simply cannot be taken."

The stubbornness of Fuping and the Zhang stronghold far exceeded Lu Fang's imagination. The greater the losses, the less willing his subordinates were to fight to the death. Lose a few hundred more men, and no one would heed Lu Fang's command — they would scatter in a single uproar.

The Xiongnu Grand Chanyu had only helped him take three counties below the Helan Mountains before taking over ten thousand riders to the Xiutu Marshes in Wuwei Commandery, Hexi, to organize another plundering campaign. The Right Guli King's division, plus Lu Fang's mixed Hu and foot soldiers, still numbered over twenty thousand, but they were unreliable. The best course now was to quit while he was ahead.

One rumor hardened Lu Fang's resolve to withdraw.

"It is said that the King of Wei, Diwu Lun, is personally leading the troops here!"

Though Lu Fang hated Diwu Lun to the marrow, deep in his heart he rather feared him. He immediately had orders issued to the various armed bands.

Though it was a retreat covered in dust and ashes, Lu Fang still plastered gold on his own face:

"Withdraw to below the Helan Mountains. Leeks must be cut one crop at a time. Let the people of New Qin plant the fields for us a few months more. When the millet ripens in autumn, it will not be too late to come reap the harvest!"

……

Meng Ze, defending Fuping city, was impulsive by nature. Seeing the Hu camp aflame and the Hu soldiers withdrawing, he assumed the King of Wei's relief force had arrived and immediately wanted to lead men out in pursuit. But the city gates were all blocked with bricks and stone. In his urgency, he took a dare-to-die squad down ropes from the battlements and hurried forward.

Zhang Chun, however, was far more cautious. He suspected it might be an enemy ruse and waited until Meng Ze's banner appeared before opening the stronghold to probe outward.

On the open plain, only felt tents left behind with no time to pack, camp ramparts still smoking, and a force of several hundred men remained. They had already shed their felt coats and raised the Wei banners once more. Zhang Chun went forward to pay his respects, only to see that the leader was a young junior officer, barely past twenty — as green as Diwu Lun had been when he first arrived on the frontier.

Zhang Chun only said to himself, "This young officer had the courage to cross through over ten thousand Hu bandits and penetrate deep into the enemy camp to set fires. With such great valor, his future prospects are surely limitless."

He also wondered whether the young man was betrothed; the Zhang family still had several nieces of marriageable age waiting in the inner quarters.

But when Meng Ze arrived and saw this young "junior officer," he was greatly startled. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate pays respects to General Geng!"

General Geng?

Only then did Zhang Chun realize: so this was Geng Bozhao, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, to whom the King of Wei had entrusted military authority over Bing Province!

Strictly speaking, General of Chariots and Cavalry ranked second among military officers, just below General of the Swift Cavalry Ma Yuan. When Zhang Chun had gone north of the Wei River to pay homage to Diwu Lun, Geng Yan had been away on campaign and they had not met. For a commander-in-chief of one front to risk his own life by entering the enemy camp — truly, one did not know whether to praise his daring or rebuke his recklessness.

"The young are to be held in awe — truly in awe!" As for marriage ties, even if Zhang Chun offered his own daughter, it would be reaching above his station. And though Geng Bozhao cut a fine figure, that notion of Zhang Chun's instantly evaporated.

His family, as surviving elders of the Former Han, would perform and demonstrate loyalty for the sake of their clan's standing, but must never grow too close to the new elite.

Zhang Chun, on behalf of the elders of New Qin, thanked Geng Yan for lifting the siege of the Hu troops. Geng Yan, however, was somewhat abashed and said sheepishly:

"That rat Lu Fang — his courage is too small. This general set one little fire, and he simply fled."

……

"Elder Brother, you nearly frightened me to death!"

When Geng Guo brought his troops to Fuping County and finally saw Geng Yan, the stone in his heart at last fell to the ground.

It turned out that upon reaching Shenquan Outpost, Geng Yan had captured Hu and Han soldiers, obtained their tallies and banners, and learned of the chaotic organization under Lu Fang's command. The stratagem had thus taken shape in his mind.

"Our army has too many stragglers. Those who have arrived now number no more than three thousand, and the horses are exhausted. To fight a field battle on the plain against several thousand Xiongnu riders would be to pit our weakness against their strength."

So Geng Yan devised a plan to burst open the enemy center: pose as Lu Fang's subordinates, penetrate deep into the enemy force, see if he could behead Lu Fang in one stroke, throw his camp into chaos, then have his younger brother strike the Xiongnu hard from outside, while the defenders and people of Fuping sallied forth — a coordinated strike from within and without…

He had not expected Lu Fang to be so timid and flee so fast, turning Geng Yan's plan to "annihilate the enemy" into merely driving them off. It was a slight regret.

By the time Geng Guo arrived, Meng Ze, who had volunteered to lead men in pursuit of the enemy, also returned crestfallen. They had been ambushed by the Xiongnu rearguard and lost over a hundred men. Fortunately, the enemy was also in no mood to press the fight. Laden with countless spoils, driving camels and horses loaded with grain, they headed north together with Lu Fang's Hu troops.

And the fertile lands between the Qin canals and Han canals, built up under the efforts of Diwu Lun, Xuan Biao, and others in days past, had been reduced to a wasteland of ruins. As the Hu departed, they also set fire to the cottages. The people emerging from Fuping County could only gaze at their burned hamlets and weep. Since the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the homeland that New Qin had spent seven or eight generations building, the wealth it had accumulated — nearly all destroyed within a mere ten days!

That night, as the highest-ranking general in Bing Province, Geng Yan held council with Zhang Chun, Meng Ze, and the others on what to do next.

"Need we even ask? Of course we do as the King of Wei once did — cross the river, strike the Hu, recover the three counties at the foot of the Beiyi Mountains! Kill Lu Fang!"

Meng Ze had learned no lesson from the failed pursuit. The hatred of his homeland fallen and his clan scattered filled his whole being with violent malice. The evil fire in his heart could only be quenched by slaughtering hundreds, even thousands of Hu bandits, dousing it in their blood.

"This is absolutely not the right moment for an offensive across the river." Zhang Chun was, after all, the Marquis of Fuping, the local lord, and also the "Governor of Shuofang" appointed by Diwu Lun — though the territory was in Hu and Han hands, he still had a voice.

He said, "Lu Fang has retreated in defeat, but their bones and sinews are unbroken. They still have Xiongnu aid. We have enough to defend, but not enough to attack."

"And while General Geng has frightened off Lu Fang, his men and horses are worn out from the long march and must rest and recover. A spent arrow at the end of its flight cannot pierce even thin Lu silk. What we must do now is build up our strength, so that next time, we can loose a fatal arrow at Lu Fang!"

Meng Ze could not accept this. "Are we to simply watch with open eyes as our homeland becomes a Hu pasture, steeped in the stench of mutton? Is the blood debt of Xuan Bohu's cruel death not to be avenged?"

He looked to Geng Yan, hoping for support. Given General Geng's usual manner, he would surely not hesitate to send forth the troops, would he?

But Geng Yan only gazed at the map, pondering in silence for a long while, before finally speaking slowly:

"I burn to emulate General Meng Tian — to recover the lands south of the bend and ensure the Hu dare not come south to pasture their horses."

"But the realm is in chaos, and the King of Wei does not have three hundred thousand troops."

Geng Yan rose to his feet. He was as full of fury as Meng Ze, yet he strove to suppress it with all his might. "I likewise burn to emulate Swift Cavalry General Huo — to strike with light cavalry, sweep across the southern desert, slaughter every last Hu bandit, and raise the altar at Langjuxu!"

"But of the horses under my command, more than half have died or been injured in this dash to relieve New Qin. I cannot even muster a single proper cavalry unit."

Unlike when facing other foes, Geng Yan had been steeped in this since childhood in Shanggu, listening to the Youzhou shock cavalry recount the techniques of fighting the steppe peoples. He knew deeply that they were troublesome opponents. In contending with the Xiongnu, impatience was the greatest taboo. The moment you try to settle everything in one decisive battle is the moment your army is destroyed and your generals slain!

Emperor Wu's counteroffensive against the Xiongnu was the fruit of seventy years of patient accumulation under Empress Dowager Gao, Emperor Wen, and Emperor Jing. The decisive northern campaign into the desert was likewise the result of a whole series of battles, great and small, fought over twenty years, slowly nibbling away and pushing forward.

The King of Wei had entrusted him with Bing Province and the task of holding back the Xiongnu and the Hu Han. Now Geng Yan understood — this war was destined to be a very long one!

He looked at Meng Ze, who was weeping with grief and fury. "Lord Zhang was right. No matter how unwilling we are, we must swallow shame and endure humiliation! Train and prepare for war. When the Hu invaders come again after autumn, that will be the time for the decisive battle!"

Meng Ze had fought alongside Geng Yan in the raid on Qian County and held him in great respect. He could only swallow his hatred and assent.

After the two had left, Geng Guo stared at his audacious elder brother with a strange look.

"Endure for a time, store up strength and wait to strike — those don't sound like words my elder brother would say."

"Is that so?" Geng Yan merely laughed. "Perhaps I learned it from the King of Wei."

It had been a year since they raised troops at Hongmen. He had been through over ten battles, large and small — surely he had changed a little by now. Besides, when three walk together, there is always one who can be my teacher. To choose what is good in them and follow it — is that not a fine thing?

Geng Guo lowered his voice. "Didn't Elder Brother once say that the King of Wei, in commanding troops, is a middling steed?"

Geng Yan glared at him. He dared bring that up again? He then lectured him:

"But I also cannot deny that in commanding commanders and the strategies of statecraft, His Majesty is truly a dragon colt, a heavenly horse!"

……

As if to confirm Geng Yan's words, a few days later, Diwu Lun's edict traveled from Chang'an through Beidi Commandery, arriving under the stars at the ruined Fuping County. To the people of New Qinzhong, sitting amidst the rubble with lost eyes or gazing toward their homeland with no knowledge of what the future held, it brought a thread of hope.

The edict had been issued over ten days earlier. The King of Wei did not know the details of the battle, only predicting the latest situation in New Qinzhong. His opinion aligned with Geng Yan and Zhang Chun: make repelling the enemy the objective, and do not rush to retake the three counties west of the Yellow River. Those places pressed close to the Xiongnu, could be raided again at any time, and were even harder to reinforce. Better to use the Yellow River as a boundary, concentrate strength, contract Bing Province's overall defensive line to the line of King Zhao of Qin's long wall, and press forward with drilling the troops. Forging the Bing Province cavalry that young Geng had promised was the essential task.

Diwu Lun did not want Geng Yan pinned down here indefinitely, unable to move. A sharp blade meant for attack cannot long be used as a shield. He would dispatch the Commander of the Jianzhang Guard, Zang Nu, who was skilled in defense, to hurry to Fuping and assist in defending New Qinzhong.

The King of Wei ordered Geng Yan to reorganize the troops and prepare for war in New Qinzhong. All local men of military age were to be conscripted as military colonists. He was also to borrow grain from the Zhang clan, hoping Zhang Chun would open his granaries fully — to be repaid by the state with Guanzhong grain in the future.

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Diwu Lun made a promise: "The refugees of the three counties — I shall provide for them all. Women and children may be moved to the inner commanderies for sustenance. Thirty thousand able-bodied men shall be organized into squads and companies. In peacetime, they shall open up the fields, build fortifications, and drill with spear and halberd. All the people shall be soldiers. This is using the men of Qin to defend the soil of Qin!"