Chapter 592: Superiority

The Wei army's attack on Pengcheng resembled a "pincer offensive." Diwu Lun led a hundred thousand troops scraped together from across the Central Plain, marching east from Liang, while Geng Yan's thirty to forty thousand men from You and Qing commanderies advanced south from Qi territory.

In late October, after the King of Qi, Zhang Bu, finally chose to surrender, the Wei army passed unhindered through Chengyang, sailed down the Yi River, and formally entered Liu Xiu's territory — yet met none of the anticipated resistance. Everywhere they passed, the Han troops had withdrawn early, leaving behind only empty county towns.

In November, the Tiger-Fang General, Gai Yan, led the vanguard to Tan City, the seat of Donghai Commandery. From a distance, he saw smoke columns rising from the city, its gates wide open. The local elders and prominent families knelt outside the city to welcome them, saying that the Governor of Donghai appointed by Liu Xiu and his Han troops had fled three days earlier, and that they had long been suffering as they awaited the great Wei royal army.

"It's the Wu army!"

Gai Yan corrected them thus. Liu Xiu's own dynastic title was "Han," and though Diwu Lun derisively called it "Eastern Han," for political reasons official documents often misnamed it "Wu," so the Wei civil and military officials simply called it "Wu Han."

But while others could use that alias, as a subordinate and sworn brother of the Rear General Wu Han, Gai Yan had to avoid it.

With a wave of his hand, he ordered his men to swiftly enter and take control of the city: "If any Wu officials have not yet fled, arrest them at once and confiscate their property!"

Gai Yan did not stand on ceremony either. Riding up to the city gate, he accepted the wine offered by a white-haired elder and drained it in one gulp, downing three large bowls in succession. Still not satisfied, he smacked his lips and said, "The wine is too weak — is there anything stronger? Find more of it. This general wants to reward his soldiers and welcome General Geng's arrival."

This overbearing manner stunned the Donghai elders and powerful family representatives into silence. They watched the Yuyang shock cavalry behind Gai Yan with terror — hanging from their horses were not only grain sacks and arrow quivers, but also plenty of silk and cloth, perhaps looted from the counties and towns along the way, a perk of being the vanguard. When Liu Xiu's men withdrew from Donghai, they had just carried out a "scorched-earth" policy, destroying a great deal. If these ferocious shock cavalrymen swept through with drawn blades, Donghai would suffer a terrible calamity.

Fortunately, the Imperial Household Grandee Fu Long, traveling with Gai Yan, quickly took over the work of pacifying the populace. He hailed from the Fu clan of Langya, a family of classical learning ranked alongside the Kong clan, and his prestige was considerable. He soon mingled easily with the welcoming nobles and scholars, and explained:

"Gentlemen, although General Gai and the Yuyang shock cavalry are rough in temperament, the Wei army abides by the sacred Son of Heaven's military orders and will absolutely not wantonly slaughter the people of Donghai."

Fu Long was also helpless. The Yuyang shock cavalry had fought their way from Linzi to Donghai, invincible under the trample of their hooves, conquering every obstacle. From soldiers to commanders, every one of them was brimming with arrogance and hard to control. The Yuyang shock cavalry's discipline had never been good. Even Fu Long, who carried the Imperial Secretary's horse-beheading sword, could only guarantee "no massacre of the city." Minor offenses and petty violations were unavoidable.

For example, Diwu Lun had repeatedly and emphatically forbidden soldiers from violating women. Yet every time this shock cavalry entered a city in Qi, their first question was always, "Are there any prostitutes in this city?" How much of this was voluntary trade and how much was outrageous atrocity was nearly impossible to tally.

"When His Majesty campaigns in person, he can still manage to forbid the slightest offense against civilians, but when the other generals march independently, it is absolutely impossible to achieve the same," Fu Long could only lament.

After pacifying the elders and nobles, Fu Long immediately led his men straight to the Donghai Commandery arsenal. This was the main reason he had taken the trouble to travel with the vanguard.

"The Donghai Commandery arsenal is not like those of other commanderies."

Fu Long had long ago explained the reason to the dismissive Gai Yan: "In the third year of Yongshi under Emperor Cheng of the Former Han, the iron-office slaves of Yan Province revolted. Their traces spread across nineteen commanderies and kingdoms east of the passes; they even killed the Governor of Dong Commandery and the Commandant of Runan who came to suppress them. They were only wiped out several years later."

"This affair shook the realm. Though the iron-office slaves were destroyed, during the reigns of Cheng and Ai, the common people faced seven perils and seven deaths. The Hai-Dai region of Yan Province had already grown quite restless, with frequent uprisings. The Han court therefore established a grand arsenal in Donghai Commandery, stockpiling weapons in case of emergencies."

"By Wang Mang's time, Hai-Dai saw first Mother Lü and then Fan Chong rise against the Xin. Donghai became the front line of suppression campaigns, and the local arsenal's reserves only grew, never shrank."

What was even more tantalizing was that although the Red Eyebrow Army had risen from Donghai, Fan Chong had spared his homeland and failed to capture it. This meant that the arsenal reserves built up over decades of Han and Xin rule were still intact!

As a man from a neighboring commandery, Fu Long had long heard of the Donghai Arsenal's great name, but exactly how many weapons were stored inside? He could not say either. In marching and warfare, weapons — especially arrows — were consumed in enormous quantities. Although the Wei army had seized vast amounts in Qing Province, the more of such things, the better.

But when Fu Long reached the Donghai Commandery arsenal, he cursed under his breath at the bad news. The sprawling site had already been burned to a field of ash. In some areas, the flames had not yet died out, and the Wei army had to organize the people of Donghai to douse them.

"This old man has lived seventy years and never seen such a great fire. At its highest, the flames surpassed the city walls. Though it was deep winter, the entire outer city felt scorching hot. It burned for three days and three nights; at night it was as bright as day."

The Donghai elders vividly described that once-in-a-lifetime blaze, while simultaneously expressing fierce condemnation of the Han troops who had set it. The arsenal's location was remote, but the fire still spread to many wards, markets, and shops. They did not care whether Han or Wei won the realm, but if the fighting destroyed their own clothing, food, and homes, that made them utter, mortal enemies.

And the Han army, even at the cost of pushing the people of Donghai to the Wei side, had insisted on destroying the arsenal — precisely because the stores were too vast; even after two months of moving them in advance, they still had not emptied it.

Fu Long only had time to find, amid the ashes, an inventory list from the Dihuang years of the Xin dynasty. A few days later, when Geng Yan arrived with the main force, Fu Long placed this thin booklet before him.

"The Dihuang second year register of military chariots and equipment?"

Geng Yan had just dismounted. He frowned at the thick bamboo-slip booklet on the table, but Fu Long would not let him off. Solemnly and methodically, he opened the booklet and began to read its contents aloud.

"Saddle pads, two thousand and eighty sets. Mounting stirrups, eight hundred and twenty-five sets. Warhorse armor, over nine hundred."

"Long arms: dagger-axes, six thousand three hundred and twenty. Spears, fifty-two thousand five hundred and fifty-five shafts. Halberds, six thousand six hundred and thirty-four shafts. Other weapons such as lances and sword-staffs, also in the thousands."

"Short arms: swords, over nine thousand hilts. Jinglu daggers, over two thousand. Serrated sabers and ring-pommel sabers, each exceeding ten thousand. Iron battle-axes, over a thousand."

"Also armor and ranged weapons."

Geng Yan had already ordered food brought in, but Fu Long, emphasizing his tone, continued reading: "Ranged weapons: crossbows, fifty-three thousand seven hundred and seventy. Bows, seven thousand seven hundred and fifty-two. Subtotal, over sixty thousand. Also crossbow bolts, one million pieces. Bow arrows, over two hundred thousand."

"Furthermore, leather armor, over forty-two thousand suits. Iron armor, over six thousand suits! Other items such as leather helmets, iron face-guards, and iron thigh-guards also number in the thousands."

"Grandee Fu!" Geng Yan, utterly exasperated, said, "You and I both lived a decade or two under the former dynasty — how can we not know that the Xin's registers and tallies are not to be taken at face value? Think back to when Wang Mang handed His Majesty 'one hundred thousand' Boar-Rush Braves; when actually counted, there were only forty thousand. Local forces embezzling pay and fabricating registers is commonplace. My father, in Shanggu Commandery, often over-reported arsenal weapons as well; in reality, he maintained only half that number."

But Fu Long would not relent. Tapping the arsenal booklet, he said gravely, "Even if it is only half, the Donghai Commandery arsenal in the Dihuang years of the former dynasty still held nearly a million military chariots and equipment items. All told, enough to arm over a hundred thousand troops."

Geng Yan said, "So what? Didn't Gai Juqing say the Donghai Commandery arsenal was burned? What use is looking at these now?"

"It was burned," Fu Long said. "But not entirely."

He spoke with earnest gravity: "I have inquired. Before winter set in, the Wu army was already conscripting laborers to relocate the Donghai Commandery arsenal, determined not to divide their forces here to contest us. Even if Liu Xiu only ordered half of it moved to Pengcheng and Xiapi, the local Wu troops number in the tens of thousands. Nearly every man has leather armor, the elite wear iron armor, and arrows and such supplies are beyond counting!"

The inventory of the Donghai Commandery arsenal included virtually every type of weapon and equipment except naval vessels: bows, crossbows, arrows and bolts, sabers, swords, spears and halberds, armor and shields, gongs, drums, and banners, war chariots and crossbow carriages — everything one could want. And now, apart from the portion that had been burned, all of this equipment had fallen into Liu Xiu's hands for free.

This meant that the enemy they faced, the Han troops defending Pengcheng, were absolutely not the poorly equipped Red Eyebrow Army, but warriors armed to the teeth, just like the Wei army!

This was indeed crucial intelligence. Fu Long had thought Geng Yan would take it seriously, but to his surprise, the young General Geng merely burst out laughing.

In the end, he even said to Fu Long, "Grandee Fu truly does not understand warfare. The strength or weakness of an army lies not in armor and weapons, not in gold and grain, but in the sovereign, the general, the soldiers, and the hearts of men."

"His Majesty surpasses Liu Xiu — that is sovereignly superiority. I, Geng, can at the very least thrash Lai Junshu — that is general's superiority. The Great Wei's hundred thousand-plus soldiers are excellently trained, surpassing Liu Xiu's scraped-together host by who knows how much — that is soldiers' superiority. Finally, now His Majesty leads a freshly victorious army against Liu Xiu's troops, who have lost territory and seen their forces routed — in the hearts of men, we also hold an edge. All of these factors absolutely cannot be overturned by a mere few tens of thousands of leather armor sets or a million arrows. What's more, our army's equipment is, if anything, better than those old weapons."

"Grandee, you worry too much. No matter how this battle is fought, the momentum of victory lies with Wei!"