Chapter 561: Wu'an

In early February of the third year of Wude (AD 27), Cen Peng's southern expedition army had already reached a point several dozen li north of Deng County, separated only by the dense barrier of the Deng Forest. The three armies did not rush through the woods but encamped there, receiving the last shipment of grain sent from Wancheng. Any further advance would mean they could rely on waterway supply only after fighting their way to the banks of the Han River.

Inside Cen Peng's command tent, the General Who Guards the South was reading a letter from Xiangyang together with Embroidered Uniform Commandant Zhang Yu, who had accompanied the campaign. The handwriting on the letter was very elegant; the writer must have been brimming with pride as he set brush to paper.

"This Feng Jingtong…"

After reading it, Zhang Yu could not help but vent: "Originally, having the Embroidered Uniform Guard assist the General would have been enough, but his Grand Messenger insisted on establishing a 'Jing-Xiang Army Gate.' Feng Yan even obtained an edict from His Majesty and rushed here to take part in this campaign."

To put it bluntly, he was here to steal credit.

The Grand Messenger oversaw foreign affairs and had set up several Army Gates. After achieving results in Shu, Feng Yan had developed a taste for it. Hearing that his old rival Fang Wang was rushing about the various states organizing a "Vertical Alliance," he grew even more zealous in his travels, weaving a "Horizontal Alliance."

As the intelligence chief, Zhang Yu cooperated most of the time, but he still felt Feng Yan was far too greedy, wanting to stick a hand into every side's business.

In the south especially, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had begun organizing spies to infiltrate as early as a year ago, after the Red Eyebrows were pacified, and had done a great deal of preliminary work: bribing the trusted aides of the King of Chuli, contacting local strongmen who wished to serve a great state, using small favors to get Jingzhou people to help with tasks, and drawing maps of the local terrain.

Following Diwu Lun's line of thinking, for places that military strategists must contest, winning them over without fighting was acceptable; if that was not possible, then laying the groundwork for armed conquest was also fine.

However, before the Embroidered Uniform Guard could achieve results, Feng Yan stuck an oar in. He was bold and chose his moment well, extending a hand right when Han and Cheng had sent out their troops and the King of Chuli was at his most desperate. How could the other party do anything but grasp it?

"Now, Feng Yan has once again used his glib tongue to persuade the King of Chu to submit. The chief merit of the southern campaign will likely be his!"

Zhang Yu was disgruntled with Feng Yan and did not mince words, all the while observing Cen Peng's expression.

General Cen, however, did not take it to heart and said with a laugh: "The moment the Grand Messenger stepped out, he persuaded Qin Feng to submit — a great achievement indeed. If Jing-Xiang can be taken without a fight, we can continue advancing south to seize Xiangyang directly, and then wait at ease to deal with Feng Yi and the Han army. Wouldn't that be better?"

The southern expedition army did not halt its steps because of diplomatic progress. Cen Peng fully exploited the opportunity Feng Yan had created, and in the following days led his troops straight through the Deng Forest in one push.

The so-called Deng Forest, legend has it, was formed from the staff of Kuafu after he fell dead chasing the sun. It is a vast forest spanning three hundred li, already bursting with life in early spring. Only one main road cuts through the forest heading south. In these chaotic times, with little maintenance and fewer traveling merchants, nature had begun a fierce reclamation. After a spring rain, the once hard road surface was covered in grass, and the three armies had to split into several columns, stretching into a long snake formation just to pass through.

After entering the heart of the Deng Forest, the forward cavalry scouts even discovered enormous footprints crossing the main road, along with piles of fresh dung as high as one's knees…

The soldiers from the north were quite astonished. When Cen Peng and the others arrived and heard them speak of this, great roars of wild beasts rang out again and again in the forest, turning the faces of the officers pale.

"Elephants." Cen Peng sighed with emotion. "I have long heard that a thousand years ago, the Duke of Zhou drove the tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses, and elephants far away, and all under Heaven rejoiced. From then on, there were no more elephant herds in the Central Plains. Yet some say that within the Deng Forest, their traces still remain. Giant elephants hide in the woods, emerging occasionally to eat the people's crops. So it is true."

The Deng Forest happened to straddle the dividing line between north and south — not just in climate, but in population as well. From here southward, even the wealthy Nan Commandery was far inferior to Nanyang, a giant commandery of over two million people.

Relying on the peace agreement, the thirty thousand southern expedition soldiers passed through the Deng Forest without incident. The land along the river was much more open, dotted with many hamlets and villages. The surging roar of the Han River could be heard in the distance. Raising the "far-seeing lens" sent by Diwu Lun, Cen Peng could even make out the outline of Deng County several dozen li away.

The defender of Deng County, Deng Feng, had already received word that the King of Chuli had submitted to Great Wei. He cooperatively sent an envoy to meet Cen Peng, his attitude neither servile nor overbearing: "Deng Feng previously had the duty to defend his territory and offended the General's envoy — a capital offense! But at that time, I had to serve my lord with loyalty. Now that Wei and Chu have become one family, Feng will naturally do his utmost to assist the General."

Deng Feng had long since sent men to the docks near Deng County to arrange and transport a full ten thousand shi of grain, and had also prepared a good number of boats and oars to facilitate Cen Peng's crossing of the river.

Yet he adamantly refused to open the gates of Deng County, making the excuse that he feared the common people inside the city would be alarmed and riot.

This reason naturally left Zhang Yu quite dissatisfied. He secretly said to Cen Peng: "General Who Guards the South, Deng Feng has already changed masters three times. First he abandoned Liu Bosheng, then Liu Xuan. Now, although he is Qin Feng's son-in-law, he is effectively independent. The men under his command are mostly remnants of the private troops of Nan Commandery's powerful families. They bitterly detest His Majesty's land distribution and enfiefment policies in Nanyang and are stubborn and hard to tame. Qin Feng may be a genuine surrender, but this Deng Feng cannot be trusted! His refusal to open the city now is most likely a feigned surrender."

"According to inside reports, Deng Feng has six to seven thousand troops in Deng County, and another two to three thousand led by his deputy Zhao Xi in Shandu County to the northwest. The two form a pincer position, and their strength and morale are not poor. If Deng Feng launches a sudden pincer attack while our army is mid-crossing, I fear it would be a great disaster."

Cen Peng praised Zhang Yu's judgment, but then laughed again: "So what if it is a feigned surrender? I have my own plans."

The two conferred at length. When they emerged from the command tent, Zhang Yu played the villain, strutting arrogantly and bossing around the envoy sent by Deng Feng.

"Deng Feng cut off one ear of the General's envoy — that is the first crime. A general of the superior state has arrived, yet Deng Feng does not come out of the city to welcome him — that is the second crime."

"Two crimes warrant death. However, considering that Deng Feng can still mend his ways and that the military situation is urgent, they shall be noted down for now. But the boats and oars are insufficient. Deng County shall dispatch five thousand men to assist the great army in building a pontoon bridge."

"The grain is also insufficient. Deng County must provide another twenty thousand shi! Ten thousand shi to be delivered every half-month!"

…

"Hand over another twenty thousand shi? Send five thousand men as civilian laborers? Cen Peng might as well just come and attack the city!"

Cen Peng's demands indeed stirred up a huge uproar in Deng Feng's general's residence. Several of Deng Feng's die-hard confidants felt this was absolutely impossible. This was tantamount to sending out all the city's grain reserves and able-bodied labor — how could that be done?

Deng Feng, however, pondered in silence, and finally sighed: "The situation being what it is, we can only give it to him."

"The inchworm bends to seek extension; the dragon and serpent hibernate to preserve their bodies. This is the only way to make Cen Peng feel at ease heading south."

Yet some also worried that during the process of sending out grain and manpower, the city's defenses would be virtually nonexistent, and Cen Peng might very well launch a sudden attack to seize Deng County, rendering all of Deng Feng's plans futile.

"The grain and the men will not come from inside the city. Not only that, without my order, all entry and exit from Deng County will be strictly forbidden." Deng Feng's words sent a chill down everyone's spines.

"Send out five hundred men to lead the Wei army to the hamlets on the north bank of the Han River to plunder grain and seize conscripts! Then have the conscripts carry the grain on their backs to the docks and assist the Wei army in building the pontoon bridge."

Deng Feng swept his gaze over the crowd: "This action will be enough to make the locals of Deng County bitterly hate us. Remember this: you may leave the soldiers unrestrained, but all evil deeds must be carried out under the banner of the Wei army!"

…

Zhang Yu observed Deng Feng's response and once reminded Cen Peng, but General Cen merely replied flatly, "Noted."

He then focused on poring over maps, meticulously refining the topography of the mountains and rivers on both banks of the Han River. He pointed to a spot on the map and said: "Send five thousand men, carrying a portion of the grain, to occupy Fanxiang."

Fanxiang lay between Deng County and Xiangyang, right next to the Han River. Its city walls were often destroyed by floods and the locals regarded it as marshland. It was not until King Xuan of Zhou enfeoffed this place to his minister Zhong Shanfu that things changed. Zhong Shanfu built a long dike on the south bank of the Han River, naming it the Old Dragon Dike. Protected by this dike, a city was built on the north bank of the river and named Fancheng — Fancheng's history is older than that of Xiangyang, which only originated in the Spring and Autumn period.

The present-day Fancheng, however, had fallen into decline and was merely a township subordinate to Deng County. Its walls were long neglected and dilapidated. A few hundred men could easily take it; it existed only as a ferry crossing linking the two places.

Cen Peng had precisely taken a fancy to this place. He sent men to Xiangyang to communicate with Qin Feng, expressing that he respected the King of Chuli and could refrain from entering Deng County or Xiangyang, but he could not let the great army sleep in the open, could he? Fancheng must be yielded for stationing troops. Otherwise, there was no need to discuss this peace agreement any further!

Qin Feng was indeed somewhat reluctant to part with his kingship and hesitated to surrender to Diwu Lun, abandon his power and territory, and become a mere Marquis. He wanted to keep his army and cities until the war ended so he could continue to watch and wait. But currently pressured by the Han-Cheng alliance, he could only bow his head. A mere Fancheng was something he could still part with. Coupled with Feng Yan explaining the stakes, he quickly offered up the city.

As it happened, the ten thousand shi of grain from Deng County had been fully delivered. Cen Peng did not stand on ceremony, loading the grain onto carts and boats and transporting it into Fancheng along with the five thousand conscripts seized from the nearby villages.

From that day on, Cen Peng often stood atop Fancheng, which overlooked the great river, using his far-seeing lens to observe the situation on the south bank. Aside from spying on Xiangyang's defenses, he mainly kept his eyes fixed on the range of undulating hills twenty li west of Xiangyang.

Several more days passed. The pontoon bridge was basically completed, yet Cen Peng ordered the conscripts to continue repairing the walls of Fancheng, putting on the air of a long-term stay. He showed no intention whatsoever of the "rapid advance south to strike Han" that Qin Feng and Deng Feng had been hoping for.

Even Feng Yan found it strange. He had already paved the road south for Cen Peng — why was there still no movement? He sent someone to inquire.

Cen Peng, however, did not reveal a shred of his true intentions, merely fobbing them off with: "Soon. Once the soldiers have finished resting, I will lead the three armies south in a matter of days."

He delayed until a small skiff came down the Han River. After landing at Fancheng, the messenger reported to Cen Peng: "General, the detached force of ten thousand from Wancheng has crossed the Han River, besieged Shandu, and cut off Shandu's links with Deng County and Xiangyang!"

"Excellent." Only then did Cen Peng stroke his beard and smile. The moment had finally ripened.

He immediately instructed his trusted aides: "Go quickly to Xiangyang and invite Sir Feng to Fancheng. Tell him there are matters concerning the southward advance to discuss. Be sure to get him out before anything happens!"

Having said this, Cen Peng added meaningfully: "I am no Han Xin."

"And there is no need for Sir Feng to be a Li Yiji!"

Cen Peng was referring to a historical case from the Chu-Han Contention. Liu Bang's civil official Li Yiji was sent as an envoy to Tian Qi — the very state of Diwu Lun's ancestors, Tian Heng and the others — and successfully persuaded Tian Heng to submit to Han and attack Chu.

However, Han Xin had already massed a great army in Hebei, preparing to attack Qi. Persuaded by his advisor Kuai Che, Han Xin launched an undeclared war and fiercely struck the Qi territories. This led the furious Tian Heng to believe Li Yiji had deceived him, and he had Li Yiji boiled alive!

At these words, Zhang Yu, who had very much wanted to play the role of "Kuai Che" and had been secretly urging Cen Peng to act while incidentally screwing Feng Yan over, lowered his head in shame. Yet his heart was panicked, afraid that Cen Peng would report his petty schemes to Diwu Lun.

But Cen Peng had already begun discussing serious matters, addressing the assembled Colonels under his command: "Gentlemen."

"Since ancient times, the Jing-Chu region has used the Ying and Ru rivers as its moats, the Yangtze and Han rivers as its pools, the Deng Forest as its rampart, and then wove the Fangcheng wall through it — only thus could it withstand a strong enemy from the north."

"But now, the Ying and Ru are garrisoned by the General Who Sweeps the Wilds, so the rear is secure; the Fangcheng line is the Wancheng area, where Governor Yin holds command — there is no great trouble there either."

"The natural barrier of the Deng Forest, thanks to Feng Jingtong's brilliant talent, we passed through without a battle."

This was Cen Peng's breadth of vision — do not keep brooding that others are stealing your glory, but instead flexibly and nimbly use every favorable factor to achieve your own operational intent.

Cen Peng pointed south. "And now, the last barrier — the Yangtze and Han — already has its pontoon bridge laid!"

"This vast Jing-Chu land has no more defensible terrain."

Cen Peng produced a charge he had long ago agreed upon with Zhang Yu: "Verified by the Embroidered Uniform Commandant's investigation, Qin Feng and Deng Feng offered false surrender, intending to collude with the Han army and strike our rear. I, your General, had no choice but to strike and destroy them first."

He began to rally everyone's spirits: "In former days, when Bai Qi attacked Chu, he too marched this path — in the first battle he slaughtered Deng, in the second he raised Yan and Ying, in the third he burned Yiling!"

"Bai Qi's brutality is not to be emulated, but his achievement of pacifying the realm as Lord Wu'an — that, I can accomplish!"