Jinting Han people

Chapter 229: The Hu People on the Breast Peak

In January of the seventh year of Yuankang, after New Year's Day, the Jin army, which had been preparing in Chang'an for more than a month, finally set out again and headed straight towards Liumo according to the pre-arranged plan.

Although the Jin army's strength had decreased compared to before the Battle of Meiyang, with only 80,000 soldiers deployed after leaving behind 20,000 to guard Chang'an and the grain route, the people of Chang'an were full of confidence in this expedition and even spontaneously came outside the city to see it off.

Just as they were discussing the situation when the army was entering Chang'an, they were also discussing the situation when the army was leaving Chang'an, but the content of their discussions was completely different:

"—What a magnificent military presence! When was the last time you saw such a well-organized formation?"

"——It should be the fifth year of Xianning, when Duke Ma Long led his troops to attack Liangzhou!"

"--Yes, even though it happened eighteen years ago, seeing you again today feels like it happened yesterday!"

"—Do you think this army can achieve victory?"

"—Why not? Look at these waving flags, the countless armors, and the aura of divine presence. Of course they can win!"

To most people in Chang'an, this army was undoubtedly the emperor's army. Its discipline, equipment, morale, and appearance were all vastly different from those during Sun Xiu's previous reign, and it seemed to symbolize order and justice. In the simple and beautiful wishes of the people, such an army was almost synonymous with victory.

However, a small number of people questioned:
"—I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Liang and Duke Zhou Chu are not on good terms. I wonder if this will have any impact."

"—The rebels are so cunning, and there are so many Hu people in Guanzhong. Can they really be pacified so easily?"

"——If we can't win again, I'm afraid Guanzhong will no longer belong to the imperial court."

However, such words were quickly drowned out by the sea of cheers. At least from a historical perspective, every dynasty would experience border conflicts and civil unrest of one kind or another. Although the current war had a wide impact, it still did not go beyond this concept.

Based on past experience, the life of an empire is like a growing tree; it will certainly face wind and rain. But if the wind and rain cannot destroy it, its branches will grow stronger and its roots will grow deeper. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, after breaking through the difficulties, it will move towards a new glory. At least that's what most people hope for.

However, judging from the lineup, the generals of the 80,000 Jin troops are at least more reliable than before. The specific candidates are:

Prince Taibao, General of the Western Expedition, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Yong and Liang Provinces, and concurrently Commandant of the Western Rong Guards, Sima Rong, King of Liang, commanded the entire army;

General Anxi and Guannei Marquis Xiahou Jun assisted in decision-making;

The Left Chief Secretary of the King of Liang, the General Zhenwei, and the Marquis of Guannei, Lu Bo, commanded two armies (one with 5,000 men);
The Right Chief Secretary of the King of Liang, General Jianwei, and Marquis of Guannei, Zhou Chu, led an army;
The Governor of Yongzhou, General Yanglie, Commandant of the Western Rong, Acting General, and Marquis of Liangzou County, Jie Xi, commanded two armies;

The Governor of Qinzhou, General Yangwu, Commandant Protector of the Di People, Acting General, and Marquis of Yinmi County, Hu Yuan, commanded two armies;

The commander of the Anxi Army, the Minister of the Interior, and the Duke of Lingzhou, Fu Zhi, commanded two armies and also managed military supplies;

Suo Jing, the Left Sima of King Liang and the Bandit-Suppressing General, led an army;
Wang Quan, the Right Sima of the Prince of Liang and the Military Officer of Anxi, led an army;
The Protector of the Western Expedition, Jia Kan, Marquis of Shouxiang, led an army;
The governor of Xinping, Huangfu Zhong, the Marquis of Guannei, led an army;
The Western Expeditionary Army, Guannei Hou Huangfu Shang, led an army;
Qin's internal historian, defeated the rebellious guard general Li Han and led an army;
Zhang Hong, the governor of Anding and the protector of the Yi army, led an army.

These individuals were either renowned for their integrity and ability within the court, or brave generals stationed on the frontiers, or a combination of these. While some had participated in previous defeats, this was inevitably impacted by the negative impacts of last-minute changes in leadership and internal power struggles. However, these issues had now been largely resolved. While the Jin army was smaller in numbers than before the Battle of Meiyang, from every perspective, it was undoubtedly several times stronger.

Even the soldiers within the Jin army believed that this was probably the most powerful time the Western Expedition Army had been in the past ten years.

After they set out, Liu Xian, the governor of Beidi and the protector of the army, also led the Beidi army south to join the main force of the Jin army.

The two sides met in Chiyang, their momentum so great that they stretched for dozens of miles, like a blazing sun. Seeing this, the Hu people of Chiyang quickly abandoned the city and fled, reporting the news to Qi Wanqian.

As mentioned earlier, the Liumo area where Qi Wannian was stationed is a group of high plateaus with extremely complex terrain. It is located at the intersection of the Qiaoshan Mountains and the Longshan Mountains, with two rivers flowing on the left and right.

To the east lies the Jing River, the largest tributary of the Wei River, originating from the Liupan Mountains. To the west lies the Qiju River, another major tributary of the Wei River, originating from a branch of the Long Mountains. The valleys created by these two rivers meander through the high plateau, further complicating the local topography.

Among these layers of mountain plateaus, there are three round melon-like peaks. One in the south and the other in the north is tall and outstanding, facing each other, like the beams of a house or the jade breasts of a beauty. Therefore, it is called Liangshan and also called Breast Peak.

This is the base camp of Qi Wannian’s army.

The rebels here numbered as many as seventy thousand, and their territory was certainly impressive. They occupied a vast area, encompassing a thirty-li radius, centered on Liangshan, stretching north to Shenpoyuan, west to the Qishui River, and east to Haozhi County.

Although it was spring, the snow in the mountains had not yet completely melted, and the temperature was still cold. The Hu people were still wearing winter clothes and busy moving back and forth on the plateau.

It was clear that this once uninhabited area had undergone extensive transformation by the Hu people. Wherever the Hu people camped, the surrounding forests had been virtually cleared, and fences and watchtowers had been erected in circles along the plateau. The uneven roads had been smoothed, and excavated stones were piled along the plateau, ready to be used as throwing weapons. Furthermore, there were hidden fortifications such as tunnels and earthen ramparts.

When the messenger informed Qi Wannian of the Jin army's attack, Qi Wannian, who had already proclaimed himself emperor, took his men to inspect the fortifications.

"Where has the Jin army gone?"

Qi Wannian was wearing a bearskin cloak and a foxskin hood at this time. While inspecting the hardness of the fence, he asked the visitor.

"Your Majesty, when we arrived, the Jin people had already occupied Chiyang and were heading towards Huangqiu."

"Chiyang, Huangqiu..." Juquzha analyzed the situation, "From this direction, the next step is to attack Haozu and attack our army head-on."

The atmosphere in the room grew tense as these words were spoken. Even though the past six months had been a succession of victories, the ten counties the Hu people had conquered were still too small for the Jin army, not to mention the precarious rule of most of those territories. While the Jin army might suffer repeated setbacks, the rebels only needed one or two defeats to wipe out all their past glory.

Qi Wannian, however, was unfazed. He casually asked someone with a smile, "Li Xiang, is there any news from Chencang?" This person was none other than Li Xiang, the leader of the Lueyang Di tribe. He bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, everything is fine in Chencang. There's nothing unusual."

"I told you to reinforce the fortifications. How are you doing?"

"I have already dug another outer wall in Chencang, dismissed all the personnel, and demolished all the houses in the city to build a fortress. If the Jin army arrives, they will definitely suffer a lot."

"Good! That puts my mind at ease!" Qi Wannian's smile grew even more resolute as he said to everyone, "Chencang is now the lifeline of our army. All our supplies depend on it, but as long as this place isn't lost, our army can rest easy."

Pointing to the mountain fortress before him, which had been built over months, he spoke excitedly, "Look at these defenses, layer upon layer, nested within each other. They're like sheets of absorbent paper. No matter what kind of storm the Jin people prepare, what can they do? They will be easily defeated by our army. Once we defeat this one, it will be our turn again."

The Hu people were all confident in the fortifications they built with their own hands, but they also had doubts in their hearts: the Jin army was not stupid. Faced with such defense, would they really take the initiative to launch an attack?

Pu Guang, a Di person, directly expressed his doubts. He said:

"Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance. I don't understand. While Rufeng is strategically located and easy to defend but difficult to attack, it's not necessarily a battleground. It's not on any major transportation routes, nor does it have any fortified cities or a large population. Why would our army deploy here? And why are you so certain that the Jin people will attack this place?"

Hearing this, Qi Wannian raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled faintly: "Can't you figure it out?"

"Yes."

Qi Wannian turned around and asked the others, "What about you?"

This question was indeed a question in the minds of most people present. They all echoed, "Your Majesty's wisdom is profound and far-reaching, beyond our comprehension."

This made Qi Wannian feel both complacent and disappointed, and he couldn't help but think: Although there are many brave and selfless people among his Hu people, there are not many who are truly wise and resourceful. However, to truly achieve something, one cannot do without the support of wise men.

Fortunately, at this moment, a young man spoke up and said, "Your Majesty, I have some understanding of what you are thinking."

"Oh?" Qi Wannian looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was Yao Yizhong, a Qiang man he had known as a hostage in Chang'an. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "So it's Yizhong. Tell me about it."

Yao Yizhong picked up a branch, drew two lines on the ground, and then pointed out two points, one for Chencang and the other for Rufeng, and said slowly:
"From a military perspective, Chencang is located between the Qinling Mountains and the Longban Mountains. The city is fortified and the terrain is dangerous. Defending Chencang is certainly better than defending Rufeng. However, in the long run, this is not a wise move."

"Although we now occupy ten counties, most of them are not prosperous, with little annual production and a small population. If we hold on to Chencang, we may gain a temporary advantage, but we will actually give up the entire Guanzhong area. It will be difficult for the Jin army to enter, and it will be difficult for our army to leave. This will turn into a national war between the two armies, a fierce competition of manpower and food."

"The Jin Dynasty is a great power, and our army is a small one. If we continue fighting like this, we may win or lose temporarily, but it won't affect the overall situation. This will turn into the same situation as Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition. Even with countless talents and wisdom, we won't be able to display them, and in the end we will be worn down by the Jin army."

"Your Majesty, stationing your army at Rufeng, while risking exposing your food supply route, affords a commanding view of all of Guanzhong. The Jin people of Guanzhong will undoubtedly feel like a thorn in their side, soldiers afraid to lay down their bows and armor, farmers afraid to plough the fields. Over the years, Guanzhong will be reduced to a wasteland, refugees scattered across the provinces, and taxes in Guandong will increase. Unrest will inevitably erupt, overwhelming the Jin Dynasty, forcing them to either sever their limbs or bleed to death."

"Thus, even though the Jin army knew Your Majesty had set a trap at Rufeng, they were forced to lead their troops into it. This is where Your Majesty's strategy far surpassed that of the Luoyang court!"

After a long speech, everyone suddenly understood and was convinced. They had never expected that there was such a perspective. While ordinary people were still looking at the problem from a purely military perspective, Qi Wannian was already observing the problem from the perspective of the entire Jiuzhou situation.

Qi Wannian was delighted to see someone so insightfully express his thoughts. But seeing Yao Yizhong's impressive appearance, youth, and dignified tone, coupled with his wisdom, he felt a surge of caution amidst his admiration. He thought: I can't let this Qiang kid have all the glory. I need to call out another person to dampen his arrogance.

So he said, "That's all a long time in the future. The most urgent thing is to figure out how to win this battle."

He glanced at the generals again, and suddenly pointed at one of them and said:

"Nandi, tell me, if the Jin army attacks the camp, how should we respond?"

The person he was referring to was also a young man, none other than Yang Nandi, the son of Yang Maosou, the current leader of the Baima Di tribe.

Yang Nandi was absent-minded and doing nothing in the crowd. He was caught off guard when Qi Wannian pointed at him. He pointed at himself and said:
"Is your Majesty calling me?"

This immediately caused a burst of laughter in the crowd. Qi Wannian couldn't help laughing and said, "Of course, Nandi, you are the son of the general who assists the country. Why don't you tell us your opinion on this battle?"

Yang Maosou had now captured Qiuchi Mountain, using it as a base to control Yinping, the most highly governed of the ten counties occupied by Qi Wannian. Over the past two months, he had begun paying taxes to Qi Wannian, who, in response, specially conferred upon Yang Maosou the titles of Right Wise King and Auxiliary General. This in turn earned Yang Nandi considerable respect.

Yang Nandi knew that Qi Wannian was testing him. If he answered poorly, it would not only bring shame upon himself, but also ruin his father's prestige among the Hu people. He thought for a moment and replied:
"If the Jin army attacks, our army should first show weakness."

"Showing weakness?"

"If we defend desperately from the start, we might inflict some casualties, but the Jin army will also retreat and attack elsewhere. It's better to give the Jin army one or two dangerous areas first, let them have a taste of the sweetness, while our army is ready to attack. Once they penetrate deep into our territory, we will strike them hard."

"Isn't this just empty talk?" Yao Yizhong laughed. "The reason a strategic location is strategic is that it can't be easily abandoned. You said we'd give the Jin army one or two strategic locations. But how are we going to inflict any damage on them?"

"Of course there is a way!"

Yang Nandi remained calm, pointing to the sky and saying, "We can rely on the fog!"

Everyone looked up at the sky blankly. It was already afternoon, and the spring sun was faintly visible through the clouds. There was also a layer of gauze-like fog between the sky and the earth, flowing faintly between the breasts.

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(End of this chapter)