Chapter 481: Blood and Fire: The Three Kingdoms Kill (Darkness Before Dawn)

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After Hu Guang and the others left the battlefield, they did not pause for a moment. They shed their armor, threw away their cavalry lances, and kept only their iron maces, hengdao sabers, and two horn bows, one long and one short.

For men who live by the blade, throwing away the most important armor and a cavalry lance worth ten thousand in gold could already be described as burning one's boats.

The reason for such a resolute decision was that Hu Guang had already sensed considerable danger.

One must know that before this, Hu Guang had decided to continue "lying low" in Xuzhou and the Wuning Army, preparing for Zhang Zhao's entry into the Central Plains.

Because at the time, Hu Guang believed that no matter how rotten the Jin state was, it could still fully hold off the Khitan.

But this time, Hu Guang suddenly discovered that throughout the army, aside from the pervasive mood of underestimating the enemy and complaining, many people could be said to have fallen greatly, no longer possessing the valor of former years.

His father Hu Cile and his clan brother Hu Tai were the best examples.

Fine fields, grand mansions, and beautiful concubines had eroded their will. Those fearless warriors of the past could no longer fight with single-minded focus.

But looking at the Khitan, they had been defeated twice in three years. Especially in the battle of Baituanwei Village at Yangcheng, the Khitan had suffered heavy losses in both manpower and supplies, yet they were able to recover quickly and obey orders to march south.

This showed that the Khitan Emperor Yelu Deguang's grip on the Khitan state was extremely firm.

If it had been the Jin state, a single defeat like that would have collapsed the entire country. Yet the Khitan not only did not collapse, they could march south again and again.

Comparing the two, the difference was already qualitative. Even if the Jin state could hold out once, it would certainly not escape the next time.

Moreover, the Jin army was issuing one chaotic order after another this time, and there was a great risk of total annihilation.

So Hu Guang felt that rather than continuing to lie low and seize a city or a district for Zhang Zhao, it was far better to hurry and bring Zhang Zhao the news that the Jin army was at great risk of defeat.

And just as Hu Guang was traveling west, and Hu Cile, having lost five or six hundred cavalry and fought desperately to escape the encirclement of Xiao Han and Yelu Wuzhi, the Jin army on the east bank of the Hutuo River fell completely into the encirclement.

It turned out that although the two armies faced off across the Hutuo River, the Hutuo River itself was not very wide.

The Khitan cavalry stretched ten li up and down the Hutuo River, their camps unbroken. Using their cavalry advantage, they constantly crossed the Hutuo River and basically swept clean everything around the Later Jin camp.

Du Chongwei was also full of regret, because if Hu Cile's three thousand cavalry had not left, the Khitan would never have dared so openly to clear out the area around the Jin army's main camp.

And now, Liang Hanzhang had lost two thousand cavalry, Fu Yanqing and Gao Xingzhou had taken away three thousand cavalry, and Hu Cile had taken away another three thousand.

Of the seventy thousand Jin troops, the cavalry that could be drawn out numbered less than six thousand, and that was even counting the personal cavalry of each Military Governor.

In the twelfth month, Hu Cile's defeated troops fled back to the Jin army's main camp. Only then did the Jin officers and soldiers, who had been sitting securely in camp, secretly fantasizing about another battle of Baituanwei Village at Yangcheng, begin to grow nervous.

Because the Khitan only encircled and did not attack. After clearing the surroundings, they simply trapped the Jin army and did not launch an assault, preventing the Jin army from exploiting its strengths in infantry combat and surprise attacks.

Now the relief of Luancheng had failed, and both the retreat route and the grain supply line had been cut off. The situation was already extremely critical.

Du Chongwei was terrified. In the entire army, the one he could trust most was none other than Li Shouzhen. These two often complained about the court together and had much in common.

But faced with this situation, although Li Shouzhen was known for bravery and also had some strategic sense, he too had no good solution.

The Khitan had learned their lesson this time. Encircling without attacking, they clearly intended to wear them down to death.

And the Jin army numbered seventy thousand. Although the Hutuo River was shallow, it was still not easy to cross, so even without considering the threat of the Khitan cavalry, the possibility of taking the initiative to break out was not great.

After a bout of hard thinking, the two had not worked out any military plan. Instead, their resentment toward the Later Jin court was stirred up.

Du Chongwei held a cup of wine, looking at Li Shouzhen with drunken, bleary eyes. The timidity he had felt when setting out on campaign surfaced in his heart again.

"This campaign was originally for the two prefectures of Ying and Mo. The Son of Heaven insisted on being greedy for Yan-Yun. If it had only been for the two prefectures of Ying and Mo, and things had gone badly, we would have long since retreated to Bei, Xiang, and the other prefectures to hold firm. How could we have been surrounded here?"

To say it was without reason would not be right. There really was a little bit of truth to it.

Without Shi Chonggui's earnest expectations, Du Chongwei might indeed have run off to the area of Bei Prefecture and Xiang Prefecture, and Yelu Deguang might not necessarily have been able to surround him.

And when it came to berating Shi Chonggui, Li Shouzhen's spirits immediately rose. Although he had always pretended before Shi Chonggui to be loyal and brave for the country, in his heart he actually harbored enormous resentment.

Because the Hedong Military Governor post that Shi Chonggui had promised had not been arranged.

For Li Shouzhen, this was a devastating blow, because behind Li Shouzhen there was not just himself, but a group of yabing officers and yabing guards who followed him for their livelihood.

Without securing a Military Governor post, Li Shouzhen simply could not afford to support so many officers and soldiers. Already they had scattered until only three-tenths remained, and that was only because he had spent all his own wealth to keep them.

Shi Chonggui had cut off his future and cut off his income. One can imagine the resentment in his heart. So when Li Shouzhen berated him, he was not the least bit subtle.

"The Son of Heaven favors actors far more than the late sovereign of the Zhuang Temple did. Even with the late sovereign's ability, he still could not control his subordinates and died at the Xingjiao Gate. Now His Majesty's talent and virtue do not amount to one ten-thousandth of the late sovereign's. This is truly a path to death."

Hearing this, Du Chongwei grew even angrier, because just as Li Shouzhen had not received the Hedong Military Governor post, Du Chongwei had not received the post of Defender of Yedu either. Moreover, he had been forced by Wang Qinzuo, the Director of the Palace Domestic Service sent by Shi Chonggui, to sell one hundred thousand shi of grain at a low price.

"I have always known that man to be incompetent. In the old days he was merely a halberd-bearer before the late emperor. Who ever took him for a person of consequence? If not for that villain Wang the Twenty-Third killing the late emperor's sons, how could he have succeeded to the throne?"

Saying this, Du Chongwei gave a long sigh. "That lot are not the late emperor's own sons after all, nor are they my own nephews. They do not hold us men of Daibei close!"

With the conversation having reached this point, Li Shouzhen's heart began to pound wildly. Borrowing the cover of drunkenness, he said to Du Chongwei with feigned casualness.

"The late sovereign of the Ming Temple of the Former Tang and the late emperor of our Great Jin both rose from Military Governors. Therefore they understood the hardships of us military men, and so they could keep flatterers and actors at a distance and entrust the state to us.

Even the Last Emperor, although he pressed the late emperor and you, sir, very hard, did not mistreat the rest.

How unlike the present Son of Heaven in the Daning Palace, who does not know who the pillars of the state are. In my view, it must be a man of your background, Lord Du, who is fit to be Son of Heaven."

Du Chongwei's eyelid twitched, and his heart jumped as well. In his heart, he had actually considered whether it might be possible to use Khitan power to ascend to the imperial throne.

Otherwise, in the last battle at Baituanwei Village, he should have led the main army in relentless pursuit, rather than stopping at the Ru River.

But I, Du the Plague Lord, still had a fair sense of my own limits. He knew that with his ability, those who submitted to him and were willing to listen to him were truly too few, and if he were to rise up, he would not have many capable warriors to help him.

Moreover, when he plundered various places, most of it went into his own pocket, and he did not have many battle-worthy yabing guards around him. If he truly forced a rebellion, he might not even do as well as An Zhongrong and An Congjin.

But the Li Shouzhen before his eyes was an excellent partner. Fierce, brave, and skilled in battle, he also had two hundred armored soldiers under him, and among the military officers he was fairly well liked and could make private connections.

Of course, the time was not yet right. Although the two were relatively close, they were not yet close enough to discuss such matters directly, and the situation had not yet become urgent enough that they had to throw in with the Khitan.

Du Chongwei then let out a hollow laugh and, borrowing drunkenness, glossed the matter over. But the stirring in his heart was seen clearly by Li Shouzhen.

In mid-twelfth month, after Hu Cile returned to camp, the Jin army commanders began gathering cavalry and launched a combined attack on the Khitan cavalry around the main camp, winning several small victories. At last the Khitan cavalry no longer dared to press close to the main camp. But Luancheng was still held fast, and the army's grain was already nearly exhausted.

At the end of the twelfth month, the Jin army had only enough grain for twenty days. Moreover, the surrounding trees had all been cut down, making firewood ever harder to gather. The soldiers, camped outside in winter, suffered greatly from wind and snow, and morale began to waver.

Du Chongwei summoned the commanders to discuss. Huangfu Yu suggested retreating south, using elite troops to open the way, retaking Luancheng, and then withdrawing to Bei Prefecture, or even to the Yedu and Chanzhou area, to face off against the Khitan along the banks of the Yellow River, just as in the previous Battle of Qicheng.

In this way, the Jin army's weakness of having its logistics easily cut off would be eliminated, and instead the Khitan would be forced to stretch their battle lines, which might drive the enemy back.

It could be said that Huangfu Yu's suggestion was the Jin army's only way out at this moment. Although they would inevitably be pursued by the Khitan and would probably lose at least tens of thousands of men, it could avoid total annihilation.

But the commanders all disagreed with this proposal, because they felt things had not yet reached that point. Even if it did come to that, the commanders all had personal cavalry sufficient to break through and escape, so there was no rush now.

Du Chongwei was even more opposed to it. He had already set his heart on defecting to the Khitan, and naturally believed that surrendering with seventy thousand troops would win him greater favor in Yelu Deguang's eyes — who could say he might not even become Son of Heaven himself?

If they fled south to the Yedu and Beizhou area, his disastrous performance in battle meant Shi Chonggui could strip him of his post with a single edict and replace him with An Shenqi or Fu Yanqing — that would be the end of him.

And if he was unwilling to withdraw south, there was only one road left: lead the army west, break through the Khitan blockade on the Hutuo River. He did not expect to smash the Khitan main camp — just to leap out of the encirclement would be enough.

Because Hengzhou, behind the Khitan lines, was still in Jin hands. Once they broke the blockade, they could continue defending in the Hengzhou and Zhaozhou area.

Once this plan was proposed, many approved of it. Wang Qing, Prefect of Xizhou, stepped forward and said, "We are now five li from Changshan, sitting here like a man waiting by a stump. Our camp is isolated and our provisions are running out — what will you do when they are gone?

Let me take two thousand infantry as the vanguard, seize the bridge, and open the road. You, my lord, can follow with the main army. If we can reach Changshan, we will surely be saved."

At that time, on the Hutuo River, although the Khitan had burned the Zhongdu Bridge, the two crossing bridges to the south and north were only partially destroyed. If elite troops could cross the river, there was still a chance of repairing them.

What Wang Qing requested was this: with two thousand armored soldiers, swim across the river before dawn, seize the opposite bank, then hurriedly repair one of the two crossing bridges. After that, the whole army would cross, smash the Khitan forces, and enter Hengzhou city.

Du Chongwei nodded with deep approval and ordered Wang Qing to gather two thousand brave men. He also ordered Song Yanjun, Military Governor of the Weisheng Army of Dengzhou, to lead three thousand men alongside them. Once the bridge was retaken, the entire army would attack the Khitan.

Just as the Jin army was moving north, Zhang Zhao's deployments had essentially all fallen into place.

At the end of the eighth month, Zhang Zhao personally led the Left and Right Yulin Guards, together with Murong Xinzhang, Li Cunhui, She Deyuan, Murong Yanzhao, Fan Shun, Ma Shacai, and other commanders, from Liangzhou to Yuanzhou. The brothers Zhao Kuangyin and Wang Shenqi also accompanied Zhang Zhao.

As soon as Zhang Zhao arrived in Yuanzhou, Gao Yunquan, Military Governor of the Zhangwu Army of Yanzhou in the state of Jin, and Wu Ying'er, Prefect of Weizhou, hurried to Yuanzhou in person to pay court.

In recent years, Gao Yunquan had drawn ever closer to Zhang Zhao. He could see with his own eyes the strength of the state of Liang.

Moreover, his position as Military Governor of the Zhangwu Army of Yanzhou was one he could only hold securely because of Zhang Zhao's prestige.

For although the Gao family had produced military merit for generations, by Gao Yunquan's generation the main branch had been moved to the Eastern Capital, and his branch had sunk to the level of petty clerks.

Without the support of the garrison troops of Datong and Feng'an garrisons in the Xiasui Circuit, which Zhang Zhao commanded, how could Gao Yunquan command anyone's obedience?

As for Wu Ying'er, Prefect of Weizhou, there was even less need to say — he was simply a nail Zhang Zhao had left in Weizhou. His younger brother Wu Guo'er served as a Commander in the state of Liang, and he had always regarded himself as a subject of Liang.

At this stage, the obstacles to Zhang Zhao's entry into Guanzhong had been reduced to these few: Li Decong, Military Governor of the Zhangyi Army of Jingyuan; Liu Jingyan, Military Governor of the Jingnan Army of Binning; Guo Jin, Military Governor of the Baoda Army of Fuzhou; An Yanwei, Military Governor of the Jinchang Army of Jingzhao Prefecture; and Zhao Ying, Military Governor of the Zhenguo Army of Huazhou.

Zhang Zhao reached out and marked these Military Governors one by one on the map. Just then, Zhao Kuangyin came in.

"Heavenly King, Liu Jingyan, Military Governor of the Jingnan Army of Binning, has sent his son."

Zhang Zhao nodded, not at all surprised, because the territory under the Military Governor of the Jingnan Army of Binzhou was, to Zhang Zhao, completely undefended.

In those years, when Binzhou and Ningzhou were slaughtered by rebel troops, it was he who had gathered up the corpses of the dead of these two prefectures.

The people who came down from the mountains to occupy the rich lands of Bin and Ning had received their land deeds and house deeds from Zhang Zhao.

Later, he had even ordered the Brocade Robe Emissaries to build powerful fortified-manor militia forces in these two prefectures, relying on these very people.

So in reality, what Liu Jingyan, as Military Governor of the Jingnan Army of Binning, could control was only about half of the territory.

And since he could not deal with Zhang Zhao, he had simply hardened his heart and, together with his own yabing guards, seized the remaining rich lands.

This had created two sharply contrasting forces in Bin and Ning. Liu Jingyan's yabing guards were stronger than the militia built by the Brocade Robe Emissaries, but far inferior to the Liang army.

Never mind the Liang army — he could not even handle Gao Yunquan's Zhangwu Army of Yanzhou. All this time, he had lived in great frustration.

Zhao Kuangyin and Wang Shenqi stood guard at Zhang Zhao's sides. Zhang Zhao gave Liu Jingyan's son no pleasant expression. "In past years I summoned your father many times, and he treated it as if he had not heard. Now that you come, why so swift?"

At that time, Liu Jingyan still had hopes for the Later Jin court, so naturally he would not heed Zhang Zhao's summons. But this time — if Liu Jingyan had not been too ill to travel, he would certainly have come himself.

"Great King, in former days you were far away on the western frontier — how distant it was! Now you have come to Yuanzhou — how magnificent it is! How dare we petty men not come?" Liu Jingyan's son knelt prostrate on the ground, his whole body trembling as he answered.

"He answers rather cleverly — quite a talent for adapting to circumstances." Zhang Zhao had originally intended to put him in his place, but since the man had already lowered his head this far, it was hard to strike.

"My father has prepared eighty thousand shi of grain and fodder to present to the Heavenly King, to supply the army's needs. If the Heavenly King wishes to march on Yaozhou, my Jingnan Army is willing to serve as the vanguard."

Eighty thousand shi of grain and fodder — that was acceptable. Even the Liu family would have had to save for many years to amass that. In any case, Liu Jingyan had few evil deeds to his name; he had merely grown a bit greedy in old age. He was the sort who could be let off.

"Which classics have you studied? What accomplishments do you have?"

Zhang Zhao's question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Liu Jingyan's son knew exactly what Zhang Zhao meant.

Zhang Zhao would spare the Liu family, but it seemed he was unwilling to let the Liu family continue to hold the post of Military Governor of the Jingnan Army of Binning.

But since they had come to submit, for Zhang Zhao to do that would seem too harsh — which was why he asked this.

The Heavenly King Zhang wanted to find someone from the Liu family to serve in the state of Liang, thereby showing that the Liu family had not been mistreated.

"Your servant Liu Tongyuan has a rough understanding of the Mao Odes and the Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial, and has also dabbled in mathematics."

The Mao Odes were not Li Desheng's poetry collection, but rather the Odes compiled and annotated by Mao Chang of Zhao and Mao Heng of Lu at the end of the Warring States period. The later Book of Odes was only able to be called the Book of Odes after being compiled and annotated by these two Maos.

In the Tang dynasty, the Book of Rites and the Spring and Autumn Annals were called the Greater Classics; the Mao Odes, the Rites of Zhou, and the Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial were called the Middle Classics; the Book of Changes, the Book of Documents, the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Guliang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals were called the Lesser Classics.

By the Tang standard of the Classics Examination, one who had mastered two of the Middle Classics could be called one who had mastered three classics. Such a person, in the Tang dynasty, would already have been more than qualified to pass the Classics Examination.

Although the Classics Examination was not very difficult in the Tang dynasty, in this Five Dynasties period, for someone still to have studied this was already quite learned. And this man had also dabbled in mathematics — exactly what Zhang Zhao valued. It seemed rather like he was playing to Zhang Zhao's preferences.

"Have you also trained in the martial arts?" Zhang Zhao's mind was racing. This might be a good opportunity to gain complete control of the Liu family.

Liu Tongyuan's eyes lit up. He stretched out his hands — the webbing between thumb and forefinger showed hardly any calluses from holding spear or saber, and his fingers bore few marks of a thumb ring.

"Your servant was born loving letters and could not endure the hardship of martial training, so I have always attended at my father's side."

This was also said rather obliquely. He meant that he had always done clerical work at his father Liu Jingyan's side — which, for a military family like the Liu, naturally meant he was not favored.

And his lack of martial skill made him all the more suitable for Zhang Zhao, who currently did not wish to leave the army in the hands of those who had held it.

"Has your father already passed the age of seventy? Would he be willing to return home and enjoy the pleasures of family?"

"When your servant returns home, I will certainly urge my father with all my strength. I trust the old man will understand the Heavenly King's protective intent."

Zhang Zhao nodded with satisfaction. "Since you have mastered the three classics and are versed in mathematics, you may enter the Jade Forest Academy as a Scholar.

After your father returns home, he may be granted the title of Grand Commandant. I will order Governor Gao to have a mansion built for him in Yanzhou by imperial decree. Among his sons and brothers, those with talent shall all be employed."

Hearing this, Liu Tongyuan prostrated himself in overjoyed gratitude. It was true that he had not been much valued by his father Liu Jingyan, and he knew even better that Zhang Zhao treated civil officials generously.

That was why he had sought this opportunity to come to Yuanzhou — to sell the whole family at a good price, so he could return home with his head held high.

He had long since found out exactly what status a Jade Forest Academy Scholar held in the state of Liang.

In Liangzhou, apart from a small number of original followers from Anxi and a few of Zhang Zhao's close relatives, among the civil and military officials of Liang — especially the civil officials — after passing the imperial examinations or being presented to Zhang Zhao, those with talent were usually first appointed as Jade Forest Academy Scholars.

Then, after being trained, assessed, and tempered by Zhang Zhao, those who stayed in the central government became directors of the various ministries, while those sent out began at the rank of Prefect. This was treatment reserved for the future great ministers of Liang.

This was in fact something Zhang Zhao had modeled on the Hanlin Academy probationary scholars of the later Ming dynasty.

Only, in the Ming dynasty the purpose was to make future chief ministers more familiar with central government work, whereas Zhang Zhao's purpose was to ensure that the mid- and high-ranking officials of both the central government and the regions all came from his own side.

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