Chapter 579: The Flying General

"If one wishes to frame a man, need one worry about finding a pretext?"

In the third year of Wude (AD 27), in the fifth month, at Duke Huan's Terrace in Linzi City, when Zhang Bu learned the Wei army's stated pretext for war, he felt both aggrieved and indignant. It was actually the fault of that batch of tribute sea cucumbers and abalone? Zhang Bu truly had not expected that.

He had initially thought it was a Wei general recklessly provoking a border clash to seek military merit. Hadn't Fang Wang said that Diwu Lun was already mired in difficulties in the south? How could he still have the leisure to fight another battle in the east?

But now it seemed this war had been long premeditated by Diwu Lun.

Zhang Bu was deeply worried, but Fang Wang was overjoyed, and actually offered congratulations to the King of Qi.

Zhang Bu grew frantic: "I am under attack by a great power, my situation more precarious than a stack of eggs — why, sir, do you congratulate me?"

Fang Wang laughed: "I congratulate Your Majesty on seeing Diwu Lun's true faithless and treacherous face clearly — it is not too late to mend the pen after the sheep are lost. I also celebrate that Wei the Fifth, vaunting his state's size, exhausts his troops in war. The ancients said: the bellicose perish. As mighty as the Qin First Emperor was, he could not escape it — how much less that whelp Diwu?"

He spoke with eloquence: "Just as I, your foreign minister, have said: the Wei army's provisions and main forces are all in Jing-Xiang and Nanyang. The troops they can dispatch to Qing Province are likely few, still fewer than Your Majesty's own host. If you can hold out for a few months, until Wei is defeated in the south and word of it arrives, the Wei soldiers' morale will be shattered, and they will retreat in disarray. Defeated in both south and east, turmoil will surely erupt within Wei — this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

Fang Wang desperately lobbied Zhang Bu to join the alliance. Zhang Bu, having been attacked first by Diwu Lun, now had no choice and urgently needed allies. Fang Wang further threw out a promise: "In days to come, I shall certainly request the two emperors of Cheng and Han to swear a pact with Your Majesty. If Wei is attacked and destroyed, the State of Qi may divide the lands of Hebei's You and Ji provinces. Your Majesty might then stand alongside Gongsun Ziyang and Liu Wenshu as emperors, dividing the realm in three!"

Zhang Bu, however, knew his own measure — or rather, he still concealed his ambitions, and only sighed: "Zhang Bu has no extravagant hopes, but seeks only to preserve his clan in Qing Province. Today I am forced to counterattack Wei solely to reclaim the lands I was swindled out of, to push the border back to the great river and Kangfu Pass, and restore the three Qis and four strongholds — nothing more."

Though he harbored no hegemonic ambitions, Zhang Bu was unwilling to be a state-toppling ruler like King Jian of Qi. Having resolved to resist, he began eagerly seeking Fang Wang's counsel: "Master Fang, you are a wise man of this age. The natural barrier of the Ji River has been breached — how should Qi defend against the Wei army?"

Fang Wang said: "As early as this spring, when I, your foreign minister, was in Jiangdu City, I discussed the strategic passes of the realm with the Han Chancellor Deng Yu. At that time, upon hearing that Wei and Qi had sworn an alliance and shared the Ji River barrier, Grand Chancellor Deng also lamented that Qi had lost all its strategic strongholds and was in danger."

Deng Yu was young yet capable; not only did he possess a photographic memory, he also had the ability to enumerate every strategic pass in the realm as if counting family heirlooms, without even surveying them personally — even Fang Wang could not match him. Fang Wang thus quoted Deng Yu's words: "But Chancellor Deng also said that the three Qis have many people. If the King of Qi does not wish to 'turn all his eastern acres,' there is still a chance."

Zhang Bu rose from his seat and asked: "How is it to be done?"

Fang Wang extended four fingers: "Four words: the key lies in Lixia!"

What was called Lixia was the later Jinan; at this time it was also called Jinan Commandery.

"Jinan Commandery is blocked by Mount Tai to the south and embraces the Bohai Sea to the north. It enjoys the profits of fish and salt, and sits astride the central crossroads. It is truly a vital area at the elbow and flank between Wei and Qi."

Fang Wang said: "In the Spring and Autumn period, when the feudal lords contended for Qi, it was mostly at Lixia. From the Warring States down through the Qin-Chu interregnum, whenever Lixia saw much action, the borders of Qi were invariably imperiled. When Qin troops entered Lixia, King Jian became a captive. When the three Qis abandoned the combat readiness of Lixia, Han Xin was able to seize Qing Province. Lixia is important because it is Qi's western border, accessible by water and land in all directions, and most convenient for the transport of provisions for central-plains armies. Therefore, if Your Majesty wishes to defend the three Qis, you must defend Lixia!"

Zhang Bu, hearing this, clapped his hands and laughed: "I will not hide it from you, sir. Though I made a pact with Diwu Lun, I never abandoned military preparations. To guard against a Wei attack, I specially set up four lines of defense."

"The first was the Ji River. But the Ji River stretches a thousand li, and gaps are hard to avoid — hence this second line of defense, which is precisely Lixia! The city of Lixia is stoutly fortified, and guarded by a great general with heavy troops. Add the garrisons of several nearby mutually supporting cities, and our troop strength is no less than the Wei army's. Though I hear Geng Yan is skilled in battle, breaking my western border will not be easy."

"Your Majesty is indeed a wise and astute ruler; your future achievements shall be no less than those of King Wei of Qi."

Fang Wang was effusive in his praise, then offered a venomous scheme: "The Red Eyebrow remnants occupy Mount Tai and Lu Commandery. Though they are at odds with Your Majesty, they bear an even deeper blood feud with Wei. Since the Red Eyebrows' new leader Xu Xuan entered Qufu, he has begun to abandon his former lawless ways, paying homage to the sage, establishing institutions, promulgating official posts, and styling himself Duke of Lu — he is no longer the roving bandit of old. But he suffers from lack of recognition. If the King of Qi takes the initiative to acknowledge Xu Xuan, he will surely be grateful."

He also took on a task: "Your Majesty, hold Wei's army at bay in Jinan. I, your foreign minister, am willing to go to Qufu and persuade Xu Xuan to send the Red Eyebrows out south of Lixia as guerrilla troops, raiding and harassing the Wei army's flanks and rear. Delay them until word of a great defeat in Jing-Xiang arrives, and when the Wei army wavers, then launch a counteroffensive in one stroke — the lands between the rivers and Ji can be settled!"

Although Zhang Bu still harbored prejudice against the Red Eyebrow remnants and coveted Mount Tai and Qufu, the situation was urgent. Using Fang Wang to broker a temporary alliance, then tearing it up later, would not be too late — so he gladly agreed.

When Fang Wang left Linzi, summer had only just begun. He mused to himself: however feeble the Qi troops may be, at least they are numerous — they should at least be able to hold out until autumn...

Yet no sooner had Fang Wang departed than Zhang Bu, busily mobilizing troops and assigning generals in Linzi, heard shocking news:

"A Wei flanking force has crossed the Ji River south from Di County — all cavalry — and is already closing in north of Linzi!"

The commander of the Wei flanking force was Gai Yan. Diwu Lun had not overly pursued his series of "minor blunders" in the He-Ji campaign, and still assessed merit by results.

After the campaign, Gai Yan was enfeoffed as "Tiger Teeth General," ranked among the miscellaneous titles, and thereafter led the Yuyang shock cavalry to graze and garrison in the saline-alkaline lands of the Yellow River flood zone, now overgrown with weeds again. He was also placed under Geng Yan's overall command.

This was a move foreshadowed when Wei and Qi earlier demarcated their border. Using Di County on the north bank of the Ji River as a base, after Geng Yan took the lead in attacking Lixia and drew off a large portion of Qi's forces, Gai Yan led the Yuyang shock cavalry in a forced crossing of the Ji River. The straight-line distance from there to Linzi was a mere two hundred li! For cavalry moving fast, it could be reached in two days.

But once he had thrust into this area, Gai Yan began his litany of curses.

"A mere two hundred li, and taking Linzi is as easy as pulling something from a sack? If it were truly that easy, why didn't Geng Bozhao send his own Shanggu shock cavalry to go, instead of handing this task to the Yuyang shock cavalry? Because this is a mire, a place where horses' hooves easily get stuck."

The hooves of Gai Yan's warhorse were caked in mud. Behind him, his riders struggled to ford the water; the river was not deep, but the silt was plentiful, and horses often became mired and unable to get out.

It turned out that near the great plain at its estuary, the Ji River branched and spread into a diffuse flow, so that for over a hundred li, watercourses crisscrossed and could not be circumvented. The Yuyang shock cavalry's speed slowed; two days passed and they had not even covered a hundred li.

Gai Yan had long since sent scouts to ascertain these conditions while garrisoned in Di County, but who was he to argue when Geng Yan was the commanding general? Though Gai Yan was unruly and defiant, having learned his lesson in the He-Ji campaign, he reluctantly followed orders and took the difficult route, guessing that his role was probably a diversionary and pinning action.

But in his heart, Gai Yan still felt that young Geng was deliberately letting the "Shanggu faction" win glory while making their "Yuyang faction" eat mud!

See — factions are infinitely divisible; even within the "Youzhou bloc" one can split off three to five cliques!

Several thousand men and horses, dragging their exhausted bodies into dry, level ground, had to rest and reorganize for a day. Linzi had already gained precious time. On the third day, a small but stout fortress, and behind it over ten encampments, stretched across the horizon, blocking the Yuyang shock cavalry and dashing any hope of a surprise raid on Linzi.

This fortress was the "third line of defense" Zhang Bu had long since laid out, named...

"Xi'an County."

Xi'an County was so named because it lay west of Linzi. At this very moment, Zhang Bu personally arrived in the city, and arrayed over ten camps near Xi'an, all with deep moats and high ramparts, to prevent the Yuyang shock cavalry from breaking through.

Seeing that the Yuyang shock cavalry's advance had been barely checked, Zhang Bu could not help feeling pleased with himself and boasted: "After all, I too rose from the ranks of military campaigning. The Youzhou troops are famed throughout the realm as elite cavalry, repeatedly winning great merit for the Wei Emperor — how could I be unprepared?"

Moreover, the area around Xi'an was land formed after the sea receded; streams and marshes crisscrossed, saltwater ponds were everywhere, bearing some resemblance to Huainan and Jiangdong, but with even worse mire — highly disadvantageous for cavalry.

"If the Wei army advanced with infantry and cavalry together, I would still have some fear. But now, with only cavalry penetrating deep in isolation, they are naturally bogged down in the mire, unable to attack swiftly, and not worth fearing."

Though his lips said "not worth fearing," the troops Zhang Bu brought had already betrayed his timidity: thirty thousand men were all stationed at Xi'an, while the capital Linzi was left to his younger brother with just over ten thousand motley troops to hold.

Zhang Bu's plan was this: first annihilate the Yuyang shock cavalry amid the mires and streams, then lead his thirty thousand troops west in pursuit of victory to reinforce Lixia in Jinan Commandery — that was the main battlefield...

But before Zhang Bu could lead his forces in executing his strategy of pressing step by step and driving Gai Yan and the Yuyang shock cavalry into the mire, drastic news came from the west!

"Your Majesty, the Wei army has broken through Lixia!"

Zhang Bu could not accept this fact. Lixia City, which he had thought could hold out until autumn, had fallen in just half a month. He must know that Dongpingling and Lixia, the several counties of Jinan Commandery, had a full thirty thousand troops between them. Geng Yan had roughly the same number, didn't he? With a tall and imposing city between them, he could not even meet the condition of "attack when you double the enemy's strength" — how could he have won so swiftly?

"I venture to report to Your Majesty: earlier, after crossing the Ji River, Geng Yan first struck Zhu'e. He attacked the city from daybreak and took it before noon, then deliberately left one side of the encirclement open, allowing Zhu'e's remnant troops to flee to Zhongcheng. When the people of Zhongcheng heard Zhu'e had collapsed, they were terrified and abandoned their walls, fleeing."

The messenger then haltingly recounted the course of the Jinan campaign. In simple terms, Geng Yan first spent half a day breaching the most weakly defended city, Zhu'e, then used Zhu'e's routed troops, who fled to the next city, to sow panic throughout its walls. In the end, that city was abandoned without a fight, allowing young Geng to gain a firm foothold in Jinan and establish a base of operations.

After that, Geng Yan feigned abandoning Lixia, thrusting his forces eastward straight toward Jinan's capital, Dongpingling, which served as Lixia's mutual support. This forced the Lixia garrison to dispatch half its troops to relieve Dongpingling. Unexpectedly, Geng Yan was besieging a point to strike the reinforcements, ambushing them halfway — the Qi troops were all wiped out.

"Geng Yan personally led his elite troops up the ridge, joined battle from the high ground, and routed our army."

From these brief, fragmentary words, Zhang Bu could almost see the gallant and battle-hardened general's prowess. Afterward, young Geng had his men don Qi armor and return to Lixia, tricking the city gates open and thus seizing Lixia — his wisdom was in no way inferior to his courage.

These several events had all occurred within five days, yet the several waves of returning messengers had been intercepted and killed by Wei cavalry, cutting off all news, so that Zhang Bu had known nothing at all. Only today did he hear this thunderbolt. He stood rooted to the spot, and only after a long moment did he stamp his foot violently, heart aching for his troops at Lixia. Qing Province had many people, but it could not withstand being wiped out and captured in batches of twenty thousand like this.

Now that things had come to this, he could only think of remedies. Zhang Bu began his precise calculations: "Though Lixia is lost, between the Wei main force and Linzi still lie the strong cities of Dongpingling, Changguo, and others — they should at least hold for half a month. Once I have finished off the Yuyang shock cavalry mired in the mud, it will not be too late to go west and meet the enemy..."

But it was not over yet. A few hours later, Zhang Bu received an urgent report from his younger brother: "Wei cavalry scouts are appearing in the southwestern outskirts of Linzi!"

Zhang Bu did not react at first, assuming only that some of Gai Yan's Yuyang shock cavalry had slipped through the net and sent a few scouts on a roundabout route.

But a plea for help that arrived the following day showed that the cavalry landing in waves were considerable in number — as many as three to five thousand! And beside the five-colored banner, the flag of their commanding general read…

"Geng!"

"Geng Bozhao!?" Zhang Bu had already suffered too many shocks today and was thoroughly allergic to that name; for a moment his face drained of color in horror.

"Even if Geng Yan smashed Lixia, his troops have been fighting hard for ten days — do they not need a few days' rest? Even if they immediately struck camp and pushed east, there are still three hundred li between Lixia and Linzi. A host of tens of thousands on the march would need at least ten days to cover that, not to mention strongholds like Dongpingling and Changguo blocking the way, which would delay them another ten days or a month…"

Zhang Bu, utterly unable to fathom it, his face ashen, muttered to himself:

"Now Geng Yan has already leaped to Linzi. Has that whelp and the Shanggu shock cavalry under his command sprouted wings — can they fly?"