Jinting Han people

Chapter 221 Zhang Guang in Malan Mountain (4k)

The reason why Zhang Guang survived was, of course, because he did not participate in the Battle of Panlong Mountain.

When Huangfu Zhong and Zhang Sun were ordered to reunite and march south, they considered the lengthy logistical route for a 20,000-man army. Furthermore, a large number of Qiang people were active in the Malan Mountains northwest of Niyang. If they weren't careful, supplies could be lost, and food supplies could be cut off at the front lines. Therefore, after consultation, they decided to deploy 800 men to camp and defend Malan Mountain to protect the supply route from the Malan Qiang. Zhang Guang, then the Northern Commander, was in charge of this task.

After this arrangement was made, Zhang Guang's subordinates complained constantly about it, and the captain of the army felt that he had suffered a great loss:

"Oh, what bad luck! Going to Malan Mountain to guard against the Qiang people is a waste of time and effort every day, and there is no reward. If you do a good job, you will be rewarded, but if you do a bad job, you will be punished. It's all in vain!"

"Yes, although there are risks in going south, soldiers are supposed to risk their lives for wealth and honor. Fighting hard on the battlefield and striving for success and fame is what we truly want!"

Facing the soldiers' complaints, Zhang Guang comforted them:
"No matter what, these things have to be done by people."

Compared with soldiers, Zhang Guang is a more pure soldier who knows the importance of the overall situation.

Although his lack of background often meant he was assigned arduous tasks by his superiors, and even lost opportunities to make contributions on the front lines, Zhang Guang rarely complained and instead completed his tasks meticulously. Because every battle was like a long labor, success would not be easy without these tedious and time-consuming preparations.

Therefore, he carefully surveyed the terrain in Malan Mountain. After three days, he finally set up camp on a mountain plateau.

This plateau is rumored to be the hometown of Qi Liang's wife, Meng Jiangnu. Although now deserted, its name, Liangyuan, has been preserved. Like many other plateaus in Guanzhong, it boasts a commanding height and narrow terrain, with its narrowest point measuring less than 80 zhang (approximately 150 meters). Once established, a camp could be defended by just over a hundred men.

Such plateaus abounded in the north. Zhang Guang's primary reason for setting up camp here was that beneath Liangyuan lay a mountain pass, only a few hundred feet wide, the only way from Malan Mountain to Niyang. If the Qiang attempted to disrupt the Niyang grain route from Malan Mountain, they would be immediately spotted by the Jin troops on the plateau. A hail of arrows could cover the pass, making it a strategically important location.

When setting up camp, the soldiers complained to Zhang Guang about the need to carry supplies up and down the mountain, believing that camping there was unnecessary. Unexpectedly, a few days later, news arrived of the Jin army's crushing defeat at Panlong Bay. Immediately afterwards, the Tiele people arrived in Niyang, and the Malan Qiang responded with a swarm of attacks, laying siege to Zhang Guang's troops on the Liangyuan Plateau.

Since then, Zhang Guang has been cut off from all news from the outside world and has been holding out in Liangyuan for almost two months.

At the beginning, there were a lot of Hu people attacking Liangyuan. The foreign Tiele people plus the local Malan Qiang totaled almost 8,000 people, almost ten times the number of Jin people on the plateau.

If it were an ordinary battle, with such a difference in numbers, Yan would be able to drown Zhang Guang. However, Zhang Guang's advance preparations were too sufficient, and the complacent Hu people hit an iron wall.

Setting up camp was essentially a chore, involving hauling sandbags, building fences, piling up earth, and stockpiling food and bows and arrows. But Zhang Guang diligently carried out his tasks, not only setting an example himself but also inspecting progress and quality daily to ensure perfection in every task. Even after setting up camp, Zhang Guang had some free time, which he used to chop down every tree on the plateau. Some were used as logs, and some as supplies, and they were piled like a small mountain in the center of the plateau.

Although all these preparations were very hard, they were immediately put to good use when the Qiang attacked.

When the Qiang arrived at Liangyuan, they were stunned by the towering plateau. There were only two routes up the plateau, both blocked by a hail of arrows from Liangyuan. Lacking the sturdy armor of the Jin, the Qiang could only fashion wooden shields, hoisted overhead, and bravely pressed forward. After sacrificing dozens of lives, they finally reached the Liangyuan platform and were stunned once again by the sight of the Jin's heavily fortified fortifications.
The fortress before him was no ordinary one. Three layers of sturdy fences surrounded the perimeter. Soldiers, armed with spears capable of piercing through the fences, had no way of getting close. Inside the fence stood two watchtowers, from which arrows could be fired down from high above. The pressure was so great that it was practically impossible to raise one's head. And in the middle of the fence, a small fortress constructed of sandbags and earth mounds appeared incredibly sturdy.

In this preset battlefield, there was only enough space on the plateau for two or three hundred people to fight against the Jin army at the same time, and the situation was overwhelmingly favorable to the Jin army.

The Qiang people certainly understood this, so in the following month, they used various methods to break through Liangyuan.

At the beginning, they found an axe and used the most conventional method - cutting down the fence and breaking through the defense head-on.

But when the Qiang people were hacking at the fence, the Jin people hid behind it and stabbed with their spears unscrupulously. Although it was difficult to hit the vital points, it was not difficult to cause wounds, and the enemy's legs and hands were covered in blood. Many Qiang people withdrew from the battlefield because they fell down due to excessive bleeding.

After suffering some casualties, the Qiang people changed their strategy. They thought that the Jin people had no external support and had limited spears. If they endured the pain and took away some of the Jin people's spears, they might be able to win.

Zhang Guang's quick reaction, however, came to the front lines. Even after the Jin army had captured over a dozen spears, he noticed something was wrong and ordered his soldiers to heat the spear tips over a fire. Once they were white, they would thrust them at the fence. Unaware of the situation, the Qiang soldiers tried to grab the spear tips, only to be scalded and wail in agony. The skin peeled off and nearly rotted away at the contact points.

These changes forced the Qiang to suspend their attack, recuperate for a while, and regain morale. When they reappeared on Liangyuan, they were shocked to find that during their rest period, the Jin army had used consumables to repair the fences, forcing them to restart their offensive.

After four or five attempts at a frontal assault, the Qiang quickly realized the futility of this approach. They began attempting other attacks, such as climbing up the plateau using wooden ladders. However, the Jin people then rolled logs wrapped in dry grass, set them ablaze, and hurled them down on the climbing Qiang, startling them and causing screams. Looking down, they could only vaguely see a few charred corpses beneath the blazing logs.

After several rounds of fighting, the Qiang suffered nearly a thousand casualties and were extremely frustrated. However, they still refused to give up. They simply used their advantage in numbers and, regardless of casualties, launched a fierce attack from the front and the cliffs at the same time, trying to use this method to overwhelm the Jin defenses.

But what was unexpected was that Zhang Guang actually found an opportunity for battle.

The Qiang were attacking from all sides, meaning they were understrength on each front. He unexpectedly withdrew his forces, moved the fences, and launched a reckless assault on the Qiang on the northern plateau. The Qiang were caught off guard, and the Jin army, with its superior position, drove the northern Qiang off the plateau in one fell swoop. Many Qiang pushed and shoved off the mountain path, leaving hundreds dead or maimed.

The rest of the Qiang people thought that the Jin army was trying to break out, so they quickly gave up their attack on Liangyuan and came to support. However, as soon as they arrived, the Jin army retreated calmly, once again resolving the Qiang offensive.

After such a fierce battle, the Qiang people finally gave up the idea of capturing Liangyuan and instead launched a long-term siege.

They no longer had any hope of breaking into the camp head-on, so they informed the Jin people of the bad news about the Jin army in Guanzhong to undermine their morale, and waited for the Jin people to eat up all their food and become too hungry to have any strength left, and then they would take over the plateau like picking fruit.

This tactic proved effective. Zhang Guang hadn't anticipated the Jin army's disastrous defeat. He had stored two months' worth of fodder in his camp, figuring it would be more than enough. If he saved some food, it could last him three months. Couldn't he quell the rebellion in Guanzhong in three months? He hadn't expected the situation to turn out like this. The soldiers had already suffered heavy casualties, and food was running low.

Fortunately, most of the Malan Qiang had already followed Qi Wannian on his westward expedition to Qinzhou. The remaining 4,000 or so Qiang continued to wait at the foot of the plateau. They didn't know how long Zhang Guang's food would last. But they also knew that as long as they waited, they would surely reap victory one day.

Zhang Guang led the Jin army to wait on Liangyuan, also waiting for the day when the Jin reinforcements would arrive, although he was not sure how long the wait would last. What encouraged him was that at least they had won a few battles and the morale of the army was good.

One day, Zhang Guang emerged from his tent upon waking to find it had begun to rain that morning. Looking down from Liangyuan, he saw the murky, red Lacquer River, flowing from the east, making a sharp bend at the valley's mouth, sending up waves that drowned out the voices of the Qiang people below. The autumn rain drizzled, and the gloom between heaven and earth seemed to bring a chill.

But when he took a quick look, he keenly noticed something was wrong. He called the captain Liu Yi who was cooking and pointed at the Qiang people who were also cooking at the bottom of the plateau and said:

"Zhao Bo, take a look. Are there more Qiang people on the plateau?"

Liu Yi was from Pengcheng, Xuzhou, and had just turned thirty this year. He was skilled in archery and had good eyesight. He looked in the direction Zhang Guang pointed, studied it for a moment, and replied:

"Captain, it seems there are a few hundred more people. Um, no, almost a thousand, right?"

"A thousand men..." Zhang Guang nodded slightly. "Strange! If they wanted to surround us, the Qiang bandits should have enough by now. Why would they add more people?"

"It's likely we can't keep the siege going. Let's prepare for a strong attack!"

If it were two months ago, Liu Yi would still be a little afraid, but now, he has taken it for granted and teased these Qiang people to Zhang Guang:
"But what does it matter? Thanks to the captain's choice of location, I have no fear no matter when or where they attack."

"No matter how many people and horses there are, you are not afraid?"

"Don't even mention that they have 5,000 men now. Even if they had 7,000 or 8,000 men, I wouldn't be afraid. I'd still defeat them just as hard."

"What if Qi Wannian comes in person?"

"Hahaha..." Liu Yi laughed loudly, his laughter inspiring the surrounding soldiers. He then said, "Qi Wannian is here in person with the main force of the rebels. Only then will this battle be worth fighting."

Although Liu Yi's words were exaggerated, the soldiers around him all showed expressions of agreement, because in the past two months, they had no idea how many times they had repelled the rebels' attacks, and this was the confidence brought by facts.

Zhang Guang was very pleased about this, but it didn't dispel the doubts in his heart: "Something is still wrong. These rebellious Qiang have learned their lesson, so they should understand that if we only increase our troops by 1,000, we won't be able to capture Liangyuan."

"Really?" Liu Yi was also a little confused by this, but he was not Zhang Guang after all, and he did not need to be responsible for the decision-making. Therefore, he did not force it if he could not figure it out. He smiled and said, "But since it has no impact on our army, there is no need for the captain to worry about it."

But Zhang Guang was still thinking. His previous defeat in Hedong had made him dare not let his guard down. He speculated in his mind about some possible scenarios:
If the enemy was not reinforcements, then they could be Qiang people who came to surrender. According to their previous propaganda, the imperial court had suffered another major defeat, so it was normal for the Qiang and Hu people to come and surrender in response.

No, if they were coming to seek refuge, why didn't they go to Niyang? Niyang should have been occupied by the Qiang and Hu as well. Does this mean that there has been a change in the direction of Niyang?
Could it be that the Hu people were splitting up and starting to fight among themselves? Or perhaps the Qiang people below the plateau had been besieging the area for a long time without success, and the rebels had decided to replace them?
Zhang Guang pondered for a long time, his mind racing with various possibilities, but ultimately, he couldn't come to a conclusion. As for the possibility of someone retaking Niyang, he hadn't even considered it. After all, having served as a Jin Dynasty official for over a decade, even if Zhang Guang was slow-witted, he understood the court's speed of reaction. Given the current situation, the court was likely still arguing over who to send the troops. Ideally, he might see reinforcements around November of this year.

To confirm that this wasn't some Qiang trick, Zhang Guang waited until the rain subsided and sent someone to the camp to shoot a few arrows at the plateau. This only elicited a flurry of shouts and curses from the Qiang people below, but after a few arrows were fired back, the commotion died down.

All these things seemed to indicate that I was worrying too much.

In the evening, Zhang Guang went to the soldiers' quarters for a meal. A servant handed him a roasted field mouse, saying it was a soldier's accidental discovery and was offering it to the captain as a nourishing treat. But Zhang Guang couldn't help but understand. It was clear that the soldiers, sensing a shortage of food, were beginning to conserve it.

This cast a shadow over Zhang Guang's originally relaxed mood. He turned to think about the serious questions he had been pondering for some time:

If the camp ran out of food, how would he continue to hold out? Should he follow Zang Hong's example and use the flesh of the dead as food?
After the army was defeated, he held on to this place, which showed unprecedented effort, but where was the rescue from the court?
By this time, Zhang Guang felt a little ridiculous. He knew he was fighting for a corrupt court, but in his heart, he felt that this was not the case.

Zhang Guang was a pure soldier. Being a soldier didn't mean rejecting thought; it simply meant trusting intuition and instinct. Zhang Guang had felt the voice of the gods in battle, subconsciously believing that beneath the surface of reality lay a higher being. Perhaps if he continued to fight until death approached, it would burst through his shell and surface.

However, at this time, a figure gradually emerged in his mind, and he thought: If it was Liu Huaichong, he might know the answer.

Fighting side by side in Hedong, Liu Xian's inexplicable struggle had left a deep impression on him. Unfortunately, they were unable to formally part ways after the battle, which filled him with regret.

In the middle of the night, Zhang Guang was patrolling the camp on the plateau again. This kind of thing had happened countless times. When passing by a cliff on the west side, he accidentally found an arrow lying on the mound. This was a very common thing, but he found something unusual: a small piece of blue silk attached to the tail of the arrow.

When did the arrow book come?

Zhang Guang took down the blue silk, unfolded it beside the torch, and read:

"Brother Jingwu, please hold out for a few more days. I, following the imperial court's orders, have already rushed to Niyang. I am now reorganizing the county soldiers and preparing my troops. I will lead the troops to break the siege soon. Your humble brother, Liu Xian, the temporary governor of Beidi, respectfully presents this."

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(End of this chapter)