Chapter 512: - The Generals Set the Stage, the Count Mounts Up

Eastern Jin.

The central command tent of the Yan army.

The princely banner of the Prince of Jingnan had been raised, lowered, then raised again in the Jin lands, but none of that had truly affected Tian Wujing’s actual position.

Whether he was a Marquis or a Prince changed nothing about the fact that he was the real master of all military forces across the Three Jin lands.

Besides, although the court had stripped Tian Wujing of his princely title after the massacre of prisoners at Yupan City, the army still addressed him as “Prince.” Yan soldiers, especially the grunts from those two great field armies, had long since grown wild enough to ignore such niceties.

One Chief Commander after another entered the princely command tent. Perhaps because the army gathered for this campaign was so enormous, making this military conference unusually large as well, the accommodations were a little better than usual. Several rows of bamboo mats had been laid on both sides below the commander’s seat.

Once everyone entered, they began taking their places.

Where a man sat was no small matter. Seniority and rank always had to be observed.

Count Pingye had no intention of deliberately taking the very last seat. This was not the imperial study in Yanjing, where the room was full of great court ministers, the Crown Prince, and Princes, leaving him, Count Pingye, with no choice but to sit at the bottom.

This was the army.

Trying too hard to keep a low profile would only create trouble. If Count Pingye sat at the very bottom and made himself comfortable, then where were everyone else supposed to sit?

Never mind what the Yan generals would mutter. What about the Jin commanders? Were they supposed to sit outside the princely tent and listen through the flap?

Li Fusheng was much more straightforward. He went directly to the second seat on the left.

As a Chief Commander who had come out of the Zhenbei Army, his standing needed no explanation.

Before the Three-State War three years ago, a saying had circulated throughout the military: Great Yan possessed four classes of Chief Commander.

First came Chief Commanders of the Zhenbei Army.

Second came Chief Commanders of the Jingnan Army.

Third came Chief Commanders of the Imperial Guards.

Last, and lowest, came Chief Commanders of the regional armies.

After Tian Wujing entered Jin, the Jingnan Army expanded rapidly. The original Chief Commanders under him gained more troops, more strength, and naturally more status as well.

But no matter how quickly they rose, it was difficult to rise past Li Fusheng.

His seniority stood there for everyone to see.

His position in the military world stood there too.

Everyone else had been advancing, but it was not as though Li Fusheng had spent the last three years lying around doing nothing.

During the Three-State War, he had driven deep into Qian alone, fought all the way to Shangjing, and personally “sent his regards” to the ruler of Qian.

He had also participated in both battles at the Wang River.

So once Li Fusheng sat down in the second seat on the left, who would dare take the first?

Yet the moment he sat, Li Fusheng waved toward Count Pingye.

“Little Brother Zheng, come, come, come! Here! Here!”

The place he pointed to was precisely the seat above his own.

Count Pingye hesitated for a moment.

Mm.

According to the ranking inside Count Pingye’s own heart, sitting at the head of the row was entirely reasonable.

In terms of military merit and imperial favor, was it really excessive for Count Pingye to take the first seat and sit closest to Tian Wujing?

But if he simply strode over and planted himself there without anyone saying anything, it would look a little too eager. His table manners would be ugly.

Fortunately, Li Fusheng had offered him the perfect support.

Count Pingye could only give an easy laugh, shake his head slightly, glance around, exchange looks with the surrounding commanders, then walk over and sit down.

Once, Count Pingye had remarked to the Savage King that the Yan army did not have much of that petty factional bullshit.

The Savage King, who as a dependent had generally obeyed Count Pingye in everything, had unexpectedly talked back that one time.

His meaning had been simple:

He did not believe it.

Later, after Count Pingye chewed over the matter, he realized Gou Moli had probably not dared say the phrase “darkness beneath the lamp” directly.

The reason Count Pingye had never encountered much of that petty factional bullshit was probably because he himself had become one of the grand masters of playing such games.

Once everyone was seated, the factions were obvious at a glance.

On the right sat Ren Juan, Luo Ling, Chen Yang, Ma Youliang, Xue Chugui, Zhao Ande, and Li Guangzong. All of them were among the earliest Chief Commanders of the Jingnan Army, and every one carried a noble title. Behind them sat the newer Chief Commanders promoted after the army’s expansion, most of whom had once served under those men.

On the left, Count Pingye occupied the first seat. Beneath him sat Li Fusheng, then Gongsun Zhi and the other Chief Commanders who carried the old Zhenbei Army stamp, followed by Gong Wang and the commanders of the Jin contingents.

The entire army campaigning against Chu was indeed held firmly in Tian Wujing’s hands, yet the distinctions among the men below him were still clear as water and oil.

Direct troops were direct troops.

Guest armies were guest armies.

As for the Jin contingents, they had not yet entirely escaped the level of “servant troops.”

Even after the old Zhenbei Army bloc was broken apart, its officers still formed their own circle. The Jin commanders clustered together for warmth. The old Jingnan Army commanders retained the pride of men who regarded themselves as their Prince’s true backbone.

To put it plainly, if one looked only at the present scene, their factional divisions and distinctions of origin were even sharper than those among Great Qian’s Three Frontiers.

Calling it internal strife would be too extreme.

But standing aside to watch another faction burn, letting a fellow Daoist die so long as you yourself survived? That was perfectly ordinary.

Count Pingye himself would absolutely be the first to behave that way.

The only “greater situation” he cared about was whether the outcome benefited or harmed his own Snow Sea Pass. As for some grand strategy of Great Yan or noble feeling for state and country, those were not especially important to him.

Building his household up to its present state had not been easy. Calling him “Zheng the Flayer” would not even be unfair.

Unfortunately for everyone below, Tian Wujing stood above them.

He was the anchor.

He was the banner.

He was the true supreme commander.

One military order from Tian Wujing, and Count Pingye back in Shengle City had obediently handed over the grain he had painstakingly accumulated so Tian Wujing’s army could march onto the snowfields.

One military order from Tian Wujing, and beside the Wang River Count Pingye had taken ten thousand troops deep behind enemy lines despite the risk of being wrapped up and swallowed whole by the Savage army.

One military order from Tian Wujing, and even Count Pingye, who treasured his own life above almost everything else, had gone wandering through Chu.

If even Count Pingye obeyed like that, then the other commanders naturally had even less room for complaint.

Unless an expeditionary army was formed entirely from one homogeneous force, something extremely rare in itself, factions were inevitable. Even inside a single field army, once the forest grew large enough, different hills and different circles would appear.

An army without factions at all would be the truly strange thing.

And when several great armies gathered together, choosing the man who held supreme command became even more important.

Tian Wujing sat on the commander’s seat and pointed ahead.

Several personal guards stepped forward and pulled away a huge sheet of oiled cloth spread across the center of the ground.

Beneath it lay a terrain model.

Not one sitting on a table.

This one had been constructed directly on the floor.

Terrain models had existed since ancient times and were nothing unusual.

But Tian Wujing’s model genuinely startled Count Pingye. The terrain had been reproduced in such fine detail that he almost wanted to take out a ruler and measure the scale.

Zhennan Pass stood slightly south of center.

Two vast mountain ranges stretched away on either side.

Behind the pass, meaning farther south inside Chu territory, stood another military camp. Farther beyond that lay the commandery seat of Chu’s Shanggu Commandery.

In front of Zhennan Pass, on the Jin side, there was one large camp to the east and another to the west.

Farther north stood two military forts.

These were nothing like the little beacon forts Qian had scattered across the Three Frontiers. They had abandoned civilian use entirely and existed as pure military strongholds.

Flags marked both.

One was East Mountain Fort.

The other was West Mountain Fort.

Behind those two, directly in the center, stood another fortified camp marked with a deliberate red flag.

Central Mountain Camp.

What names the Chu themselves used did not matter.

The Yan only needed names that made the map easy to understand.

The two forward forts protruded like two hands reaching outward. Along the arc beneath them lay a whole chain of smaller military forts.

Count Pingye had not realized, until seeing the entire system laid out before him, just how much of an expert in civil engineering Great Chu’s General-in-Chief Nian Yao really was.

How long had it been?

Yet the bastard had already built this many forts and camps.

More importantly, the strongholds faintly connected with one another into a single mutually supporting system.

If the Prince of Jingnan had not marched out at the beginning of the year and slammed Nian Yao back once, then given the Chu general another few years, he might genuinely have used Zhennan Pass as the core and built an entire Great Wall around it.

The commanders stared at the terrain model in silence.

Even men sitting farther back stopped caring about etiquette and shifted forward to get a better look.

The Prince of Jingnan had long since distributed terrain maps to the various armies.

But most generals could only get a rough impression from a military map.

Nothing was as immediate or clear as the model in front of them.

Only after everyone had studied it for a long time did Tian Wujing finally speak.

“Zheng Fan. Tell us. How should this battle be fought?”

Every gaze in the tent turned toward Count Pingye.

They all acknowledged Count Pingye’s military achievements.

Besides, he had just distributed his *Essential Principles of Siege Warfare* outside the command tent.

Clearly, the man knew how to attack fortifications.

Sitting in the front row really did increase the odds of the teacher calling on you.

Fortunately, Count Pingye had rehearsed.

Outsiders viewed the Prince of Jingnan as mysterious and terrifying.

As one of the men closest to him, Count Pingye had at least begun to understand some of his habits.

He still did not dare pull the tiger’s whiskers.

But he dared count how many there were.

Count Pingye rose.

“Your Highness, this general believes we should first cut away the Chu positions surrounding Zhennan Pass, step by step compressing their outer defenses until the Chu have nothing left to rely on except Zhennan Pass itself. Our army has never excelled at siege warfare, so this would also give us an opportunity to train our forces in attacking fortifications. After that, we wait for an opportunity.”

Li Fusheng immediately played the supporting role.

“An opportunity? What opportunity?”

Count Pingye stepped forward and pointed at Zhennan Pass on the terrain model.

“Once the Chu have nothing left except this great pass, then the pass itself will no longer be enough to stop Great Yan’s iron cavalry. At that time, we can leave part of our main force below Zhennan Pass to watch the Chu, while several detached forces move around the pass and enter Shanggu Commandery directly. That will place pressure on the Chu court, and the Chu court will then place pressure on Zhennan Pass.”

Liang Cheng had once explained to Count Pingye that this was essentially how the Later Jin had handled Great Ming.

First, destroy the Ming fortress system beyond the Great Wall and compress the defensive space available to them outside the passes.

Then, every couple of years, find some way through the frontier, raid the countryside, attack a few cities, and perhaps take a stroll beneath the walls of the Ming capital.

That would force the Ming main forces to come out and fight in the open.

Relying on the combat strength of the Eight Banners of that era, the Later Jin could then devour whatever Ming forces dared leave their walls.

Eventually, Ming’s entire northern defensive system would be hollowed out.

War and politics had never been separable.

Count Pingye was quite pleased with his answer.

After all, Liang Cheng had supplied the reference solution.

It was not astonishing.

Ultimately, someone still had to put troops against walls. The army could not simply fly over them, so how astonishing could the answer really be?

But it was unquestionably mature and steady.

The gathered commanders nodded one after another.

Advance carefully.

Wear the Chu down.

Use the process to train their siege troops.

Everyone had a question mark beside the siege ability of his own army, so a period of gradual fighting would give them time to improve.

That method would certainly kill a great many men.

But as the attacking side, the Yan still possessed a large psychological advantage.

Yet Tian Wujing, seated above them, shook his head.

Count Pingye blinked.

Hm?

The reference answer was wrong?

That should not be possible.

Tian Wujing stepped down from the commander’s seat and looked at the terrain model beneath his feet.

“The Chu forts and camps can answer one another, reinforce one another, and support one another. Even if our army surrounds one position and attacks it, we cannot surround all of them at once. If we spread our forces enough to encircle everything, then in truth we will have encircled nothing. Fighting slowly and steadily is indeed mature advice from our perspective. From the Chu perspective, however, it is also precisely the situation they most wish to see.”

The proposal... had been rejected?

Count Pingye did not immediately follow Tian Wujing’s line of thought and consider what the better answer might be.

Instead, he became trapped on a different question.

How could Liang Cheng’s answer be wrong?

That made no sense.

By every reasonable standard, Liang Cheng’s ability to command armies should not be inferior to Old Tian’s.

Count Pingye had always possessed absolute confidence in the abilities of his Demon Kings.

Ren Juan spoke.

“Your Highness is right. The Chu do not dare decide victory against us in the open field. Their plan is precisely to rely on these forts and camps to wear down and entangle our army. In the end, they are still copying Qian’s old tricks.”

Strictly speaking, the Chu were not copying Qian.

When the weak resisted the strong, gradual attrition and layered defenses were simply the natural approach.

Especially in an age like this, a state lacking enough warhorses had no choice but to rely on walls to negate an enemy cavalry force’s advantage in mobility.

Li Fusheng also spoke.

“Exactly. Great Yan has certainly gathered an enormous army for this campaign, but the Chu have no fewer troops than we do. When I fought in the desert, I’ll say something everyone can laugh at: it wasn’t until I marched south into Qian that I finally understood how damned hard cities are to attack. Otherwise, back then I would’ve dragged that ruler of Qian back to Yanjing myself and had him drink tea with our Emperor.”

“Hahahahaha!”

“Hahahahaha!”

The commanders burst into laughter.

Count Pingye did not.

He was still drilling deeper into his own dead end.

Tian Wujing shifted one step.

The tent instantly fell silent again.

“The Chu forts and camps are like a pool of living water. Each can supply and replenish the others.”

People of this era did not use modern language about defense in depth.

But the principle absolutely existed.

Attack Fort A, and Forts B and C could send reinforcements.

Those reinforcements might attack you from outside.

Or they might rush directly into the fort and deliver supplies and fresh soldiers.

Surround the position completely and you would need to commit more troops and more attention.

And there was little point trying to encircle a position in order to destroy its reinforcements.

The Chu could simply decide not to reinforce it.

They could leave that isolated fort to bleed you by itself.

You could attack slowly.

Grind slowly.

Bleed slowly.

After what had happened to the Azure Luan Army below Yupan City, the Chu would certainly have stocked these positions with enormous quantities of grain.

The “living water” Tian Wujing described simply increased the price Great Yan would have to pay for every siege.

Tian Wujing reached down and pointed at the place surrounded by the Chu forts and camps.

Central Mountain Camp.

“This Prince intends to take Central Mountain Camp first and cut off their living water.”

...

“I knew it! Tian Wujing will attack my Central Mountain Camp first. He’ll try to sever the source of my living water!”

Inside the commander’s residence at Zhennan Pass, Nian Yao sat on the threshold.

His generals sat on the ground throughout the courtyard.

General-in-Chief Nian held half a watermelon in one hand and ate it with a spoon.

Every Chu general below him likewise held half a watermelon and ate it with a spoon.

The commander’s residence had an ice cellar.

The watermelons had all been chilled.

Among the gathered generals were rough men who would rather have torn straight into the fruit without bothering with a spoon.

There were also noble-born officers who disliked eating watermelon in such an undignified way.

But all of them feared the authority of General-in-Chief Nian enough to copy him obediently.

“I know. You lot have spent all this time thinking I’ve chained you up and refused to let you fight, whipped you into burying your heads and building forts, made you feel wronged and tormented. Let me put it this way. Qu Tiannan, Pillar of State, had ability. The Azure Luan Army was elite. Nobody here refuses to admit that, right? And even he had to rely on Yupan City and defend it. So the rest of us should stop demanding face so badly that we end up suffering for it.”

Ptui.

Nian Yao spat out a watermelon seed.

“Of course, if any of you think I, Old Nian, am selling away the state’s honor, humiliating Great Chu, fearing the enemy, or refusing to fight, then there is no need to secretly write confidential letters to His Majesty. Really. There isn’t. Against Tian Wujing, I, Old Nian, am genuinely afraid. I admit it! But if any of you aren’t afraid, if any of you have the guts, then say it to my face. Don’t worry. I won’t punish you. I’ll respect you. I’ll put down my watermelon right now and kowtow to you. Why? Because you’ve got more balls than I do! I admire men with balls. Then you can lead your own troops out as the central army. Don’t worry, I won’t send you off to die. I’ll arrange forces on your left and right wings, and I’ll personally hold the rear for you. We’ll go out openly and fight the Yan head-on. Beat them back and save me from having to stare at them blocking our front door every day!”

The generals simply listened.

Not one stood up and declared himself fearless enough to receive General-in-Chief Nian’s kowtow.

They knew exactly how formidable Yan was in field battle.

Great Chu possessed cavalry too.

A state this vast could always raise horses if it truly wished.

But cavalry was an auxiliary arm in Chu.

For Yan, cavalry was the main force.

The once-arrogant cavalrymen of the Three Jin lands had been smashed by Yan.

The Savage army that had entered the passes looking ready to rise again had been smashed by Yan too.

Achievements like those had extinguished most desire among the Chu commanders to contend with Yan in the open field.

Nian Yao scooped up another huge bite of watermelon and spoke while chewing.

“So. Back to the matter at hand. Originally, I wanted to turn Central Mountain Camp into a proper military fort. First, the work involved was too great. Second, Tian Wujing never gave me the chance. But it doesn’t matter. Central Mountain Camp itself is a piece of bait I placed among all these forts and camps. I’m waiting for Tian Wujing to take the hook.”

The instant he said “take the hook,” Nian Yao frowned.

He hurriedly waved one hand.

“No, no. We can’t say take the hook. Can’t say that. Sinful, sinful. What’s the phrase? Right. Invite the gentleman into the urn. Invite the Marquis of Jingnan in as our guest.”

Everyone had certain taboos.

Some men did not revere ghosts or gods.

But there were always people or things in this world that even they respected.

Instinctively, Nian Yao felt there was something wrong with describing Tian Wujing as a fish swallowing bait.

“General-in-Chief, will Tian Wujing really take the bait?”

One commander asked.

Nian Yao threw his spoon directly at him.

“Call it inviting the gentleman into the urn!”

“Yes, yes. This general knows his error. General-in-Chief, will the Yan really enter the urn? Yan excels in field battle. We all admit that. But if they attack Central Mountain Camp first, all our outer forts and camps can close around them and shut the gate to beat the dog. Aren’t the Yan afraid we’ll surround them in the middle and lock them in completely?”

Nian Yao shook his head.

“Who is he? He’s Tian Wujing!”

“...” The Chu commanders.

Whatever else might be true, they were enemies now.

The Yan army stood outside preparing to invade Chu.

For their own supreme commander to praise the enemy commander like this really was a little... excessive.

General-in-Chief Nian showed no awareness of that problem.

Instead, he continued:

“What other men don’t dare do, Tian Wujing dares. Roads other men don’t dare take, Tian Wujing takes. Over the last two years, I’ve built so many forts and camps outside Zhennan Pass that they already form one whole. No matter which position the Yan attack, our troops can reinforce it and support it. Tian Wujing cannot possibly fail to see that. Central Mountain Camp sits in the middle, with roads opening in every direction. It is the source of the living water. If the Yan don’t want to slowly suffer through every one of our positions, then the best method is to swallow Central Mountain Camp in one bite and break the source through brute force. Once that happens, we’ll have no choice but to compress back toward Zhennan Pass and watch the Yan pull out our nails one by one.”

“General-in-Chief, this general requests that we reinforce Central Mountain Camp.”

“Reinforce it? How? Central Mountain Camp is only that large. Putting ten thousand troops inside would already make it bloated beyond reason. Add more and where do you pile the men? That isn’t how wars are fought. Besides, if I put my own central command banner inside...”

One commander rushed to flatter him.

“Then the Yan won’t dare take the bait.”

“Bullshit. Then I’d be afraid Tian Wujing would ignore everything else and charge straight at my damned banner!”

“...” The Chu commanders.

“I know. Some of you probably think I’m raising the enemy’s prestige and crushing our own. Fine. That’s exactly what I’m doing. What about it? I am telling you plainly that this battle must be fought with our heads tucked in. Plenty of you are noble-born, but on a battlefield the Yan don’t give a damn whether you’re nobility or not. They dare cut down a Pillar of State! Either have His Majesty remove me from the position of General-in-Chief, or listen to me. And all of you can relax. Yan has already staked everything. Every extra day we keep them stuck here is one day closer to Yan commoners being unable to live and rising in revolt! Victory in this war will not be decided by losing or gaining one city or one patch of ground. We are comparing national strength. I am telling you that openly. If the Yan dare take Central Mountain Camp, I dare close the gate around them. If they don’t take it, I’ll slowly grind against them. But I still believe they will attack. Yan cannot afford to delay. Even after mobilizing the entire strength of the state, they cannot support this army forever. Based on my worsh... based on my study of Tian Wujing’s previous campaigns, there is more than an eighty percent chance he strikes Central Mountain Camp first.”

“Then General-in-Chief, if we already know that, why close the gate and beat the dog? Why don’t we...”

“Fool. Central Mountain Camp has to be held. Otherwise the Yan will have it far too easy. That won’t do. And earlier I said our strategy is primarily defensive. Defensive does not mean we cannot shut the gate and beat the dog. Even if this battle happens, it will be fought so that we can defend better. None of you should lose heart. When the enemy is strong, avoid his edge. Once his spirit falters, we will always have a chance to recover the face we lost earlier. I, Old Nian, came from a household slave’s background. Everyone here knows I never read many books. But I understand one principle: whoever laughs last laughs best. Pass my orders!”

The generals who had been sitting on the ground eating watermelon immediately put the fruit down and rose with a thunderous response.

“Dugu Nian! I give you fifty thousand Imperial Clan Guards from the left route. Circle around and wait near West Mountain!”

“This general obeys!”

“Xiao Lou! I give you fifty thousand Imperial Clan Guards. Circle around and wait near East Mountain!”

“This general obeys!”

“All other camps, forts, armies, and garrisons are to begin moving as well. First, we spread the sack. Then we sit and wait.”

The Imperial Clan Guards of Chu were the mobile force Nian Yao could truly use at will.

They controlled Zhennan Pass and the rear camp.

The troops stationed in the outer camps and forts were mostly private armies belonging to the great noble houses, commanded by officers from those families.

This was not a deliberate attempt to grind away noble power.

Faced with Yan’s aggressive invasion, and after the Regent’s earlier warning blows, the great nobles of Chu were still capable of understanding the greater situation.

At most, the Xiong imperial clan wanted to trim their wings.

The Yan wanted to wipe out their entire families.

Besides, placing those private armies in the outer forts and camps made surrender far less likely.

Any noble house that defected or fought poorly could simply have its family dealt with in the rear.

That hardened everyone’s resolve and forced them to fight Yan to the death.

Although Nian Yao had just called himself a household slave, no one in the army dared despise or slight him.

First, his record of military achievements was brilliant.

An army respected ability above almost everything else.

Second, he had once been the Regent’s household slave.

In other words, a slave of the imperial house.

That kind of household slave was rather different from an ordinary one.

Most importantly, the Regent had stabilized the rear and then placed almost unlimited trust in Nian Yao.

And although only one hundred thousand Imperial Clan Guards appeared to be moving now, Nian Yao himself still sat inside Zhennan Pass with the central army.

Those one hundred thousand Guards were like a new current of living water poured into an already dense network of channels.

Their movement would stir every Chu force in every fort and camp across the entire forward defensive line.

The scale was enormous.

“General-in-Chief, from what this general has seen, the Yan have spent these days building camp after camp and spreading out their positions. It does not look as though they intend to take such a dangerous gamble.”

The commander who spoke was named Zheng Chi.

He was one of Nian Yao’s trusted subordinates, personally promoted by the General-in-Chief. That gave him enough confidence to voice his own judgment even after orders had already been issued.

As Count Pingye rose to fame, Zheng Chi’s own surname had become the subject of jokes.

Many people asked whether he might be some distant relative of Great Yan’s Count Pingye.

Chu’s nobility paid enormous attention to surnames and ancestral lineages.

You were surnamed Zheng.

Count Pingye was also surnamed Zheng.

Perhaps somewhere far back the two families were connected?

Whenever the subject came up, Zheng Chi could only feel helpless.

Count Pingye came from Great Yan’s Beifeng Commandery.

He himself was a man of Chu.

The entire State of Jin plus most of Yan lay between them.

How could there possibly be any meaningful family connection?

Facing Zheng Chi’s question, Nian Yao merely smiled.

“Do you understand Tian Wujing better, or do I?”

“...” Zheng Chi.

“...” The Chu commanders.

There it was.

Again.

General-in-Chief Nian was doing it again.

Nian Yao sat back down on the threshold and pressed both palms downward.

The commanders immediately sat cross-legged again.

Nian Yao picked up his unfinished watermelon.

Everyone below obediently picked up theirs as well.

The severity of Nian Yao’s military discipline was obvious in that alone.

He looked free and rough, almost like a man of the grasslands and rivers, but beneath that roughness hid a needle.

Years earlier, on the pleasure boat, Jing Renli had fallen silent the instant he learned that the man before him was Nian Yao.

Even among the noble-born commanders in the army, many admired Nian Yao and had been thoroughly brought to heel by him.

How could a household slave have risen this high without real ability?

To put it plainly, what Great Qian lacked most right now was precisely a commander like Nian Yao: a man in the prime of life with both military achievements and the skill to control men.

Qian could only prop up its military prestige with old generals and aging commanders.

If the ruler of Qian had a Nian Yao in his hands, he might wake from dreams laughing hard enough to blow a bubble from his nose.

“Tian Wujing loves using misdirection. Three years ago, the Yan borrowed a road through Qian and opened the campaign into Jin. That was one example. When driving out the Savages, he exchanged the armor of the Zhenbei and Jingnan Armies with the armor of the regional and Jin troops, luring the main Savage army into decisive battle. That was another. Yes. The Yan are building camps everywhere and presenting the appearance of an army that intends to advance steadily. But Tian Wujing is still Tian Wujing. He will not be satisfied fighting a stupid, rigid war like this. He also has to consider the pressure building behind Yan. I have placed the move at Central Mountain Camp. If the Yan do not come, then let the boys use the opportunity to move around a little instead of rotting inside their forts and camps. But I still believe Tian Wujing will come. I am waiting for him right here.”

...

“This Prince believes the Chu commander opposite us should be waiting for me at Central Mountain Camp.”

Tian Wujing stood before the terrain model with both hands behind his back, his expression calm.

Luo Ling spoke.

“Your Highness believes Central Mountain Camp is a trap the Chu deliberately laid for us?”

Tian Wujing shook his head.

“This is a move that must be played regardless. The position lies at the center of all the Chu forts and camps. Its role in connecting every direction makes it inherently a point both armies must contest. Calling it a trap would be inaccurate.”

It was simply strategic ground both sides had to fight over.

Li Fusheng said, “Your Highness, taking Central Mountain Camp first would certainly bring enormous advantages. It would be like punching straight through the Chu army’s sea of qi so blood could no longer circulate to the limbs. But this general believes the Chu cannot possibly fail to understand that. Besides, East Mountain Fort and West Mountain Fort are both proper military forts. Why is Central Mountain Camp, the most important position of all, still only a camp?”

The gap in defensive strength between a military camp and a military fort was enormous.

Of course, building a fort could not be done in a day or two.

The cost was completely different as well.

Even a state like Qian, with terrifying reserves of money, grain, and manpower, only maintained truly formidable fortifications across the Three Frontiers and a handful of other major strategic centers.

Most ordinary county towns and lesser cities elsewhere had little genuine military value.

They possessed walls.

But often only enough to look impressive.

Nian Yao had already built so many forts here.

For him to leave the most important point of all as nothing more than a fortified camp was deeply strange.

Tian Wujing nodded.

“He wanted to build one here. This Prince did not let him finish. Apart from the strike at the beginning of this year, last year, every time he attempted to construct a military fort at Central Mountain Camp, this Prince sent a Battalion over to disrupt the work.”

Li Fusheng cupped his fists.

“This subordinate understands.”

The war between states had only just formally begun.

But the true fighting and the true contest had started much earlier.

More precisely, it had begun after the Savages were driven out and Tian Wujing moved his command banner from Yingdu to Fengxin City.

Over the past two years, Great Yan had still been pacifying the Three Jin lands and had not yet prepared for a decisive war with Chu.

Tian Wujing had not assembled a massive army either.

So he could only tolerate the Chu constructing defensive works around Zhennan Pass.

But everything they did remained beneath Tian Wujing’s gaze.

He used whatever strength was available to ensure Chu never moved beyond the limit he was willing to accept.

Central Mountain Camp was one example.

The Chu tried several times to turn it into a fort.

Every time, their effort was interrupted.

At the beginning of the year, the Chu tried to expand the entire outer defensive zone.

Tian Wujing marched out and compressed them back again.

You may build forts.

You may strengthen works.

You may improve your defenses.

But only within the limit I permit.

Otherwise, when I attack you later, you will make my life difficult.

Li Fusheng’s “I understand” was not empty politeness.

He genuinely had nothing left to say except admiration.

In his early years, he had followed the Marquis of Zhenbei in war.

But the Marquis of Zhenbei Residence had managed the frontier for a century.

During that century, the Zhenbei Army had grown steadily stronger while the Barbarian Royal Court had grown steadily weaker.

The balance of strength was obvious.

Fighting in Beifeng Commandery had felt entirely different from following Tian Wujing here.

No matter how complicated the situation became, Tian Wujing always seemed able to anticipate the enemy first.

For Li Fusheng, that was excellent.

He did not need to think.

He only needed to wait for a chance to go forward and kill to his heart’s content.

At that moment, Count Pingye finally understood why Liang Cheng’s reference answer had not matched Tian Wujing’s.

Liang Cheng had been looking only from the perspective of Snow Sea Pass.

Snow Sea Pass had recently taken in so many Savage slave soldiers. If they were not expended, keeping them fed would simply waste grain.

Naturally, the most profitable approach for Snow Sea Pass was to advance steadily and grind the enemy down.

As for Great Yan’s logistical strain or the pressure bearing down on the state, Liang Cheng did not care in the slightest.

Those matters were not within the scope of what he needed to consider.

Different starting points created different needs.

Different needs produced different answers.

Chen Yang spoke.

“Your Highness, if we take Central Mountain Camp first and the Chu close around us using the surrounding fort-and-camp system, our army could easily be trapped inside a dragon-locking formation.”

If that happened, the Yan army’s greatest advantage, cavalry mobility, would be neutralized.

Imagine the Yan main force trapped inside the system of Chu forts and camps arranged in advance.

The Yan could only be divided, enveloped, and cut apart.

Under those circumstances, Chu infantry formations would gain a much larger advantage.

Tian Wujing pointed at the model.

“This Prince refused to let them build a fort here precisely because I wanted to leave them a chance to lock us in. When two armies first face one another, both sides begin with morale at its peak. Great Yan has committed the strength of the whole state to this campaign. Armies and laborers from every route have gathered, and our momentum has formed. Chu faces an army pressing directly against its borders. They still carry the humiliation suffered below Yupan City, and now they suffer the insult of Great Yan blocking their own front gate. They too have anger bottled inside. Since both sides are angry, we need an opportunity to collide. They want to lock a dragon. A dragon is easiest to lock when its body is too large. This Prince has decided to send one army alone deep into the center and seize Central Mountain Camp directly. The remaining forces will be divided into thirteen routes, spread around the outside, one route watching each fort and one route watching each camp. Whichever Chu force dares come out to close the gate, that is the force we strike. This Prince will personally lead the Jingnan central army and face the northern gate of Zhennan Pass. If the Chu troops inside Zhennan Pass dare come out, this Prince will charge their city directly. The Chu commander wants to invite this Prince into his urn? Then this Prince will return the favor and turn the guest into the host. This Prince intends to bully him. Without walls and camps to rely on, in a battle in the open, the Chu are no match for Great Yan’s iron cavalry and the horsemen of the Three Jin lands. This will be the first battle of the campaign against Chu. This Prince and every commander here will hold the stage for the single army that drives deep into the center. Victory in this battle will depend on whether that force can bite through Central Mountain Camp. Once the camp falls, more than half of the defensive system the Chu have spent two years constructing north of Zhennan Pass will collapse. We may seize only one camp, but Chu morale will suffer a severe blow. Once the remaining forts and camps lose their links with one another, they will become rootless duckweed. We can then deal with them slowly, one by one.”

Tian Wujing’s gaze swept across the tent.

“In this battle, this Prince intends to make the Chu commander opposite us, the Chu army opposite us, and that Regent of Chu understand one thing. Since this Prince has come, then he, Nian Yao, the Regent, and the entire State of Chu have only one role left: stand there and take the beating.”

Tian Wujing pointed toward the northern side of the terrain model, where the Yan army camps stood with the banners of their various forces.

“Who is willing to plant his army’s banner over Central Mountain Camp for this Prince and seize the first merit of the campaign against Chu?”

The command tent exploded.

One commander after another thumped his chest and volunteered.

What kind of glory was this?

The entire army invading Chu would build the stage for one force alone.

If that force won, then among all the armies present, its fighting ability would be acknowledged as first.

And this was not merely about reputation.

When later losses needed replenishment and new troop quotas were distributed, the army recognized as most capable would naturally receive the most.

For the commander and for his men, this would be a genuine battle that could transform their position overnight.

“Your Highness, this general volunteers! If I do not break that camp, I swear I will not turn back!”

“Your Highness, this general is willing to serve as your vanguard and seize Central Mountain Camp!”

“This general volunteers! I beg Your Highness to grant me the chance!”

“This general will exhaust every ounce of strength and never disappoint Your Highness’s expectations!”

“This general...”

This was the advantage of having Tian Wujing as supreme commander.

His personal prestige made these military chiefs willing to ignore the losses they might suffer now.

Everyone knew that if they earned merit, their gains after the war would be greater.

On questions of reward and punishment, the Prince of Jingnan had always been clear.

If a supreme commander lacked enough authority to convince the armies beneath him, then a battle like this became extremely difficult.

Every subordinate commander would worry that the order was merely intended to consume his own strength.

Count Pingye watched the passionate scene before him and felt deeply gratified.

He looked at Li Fusheng, loudly asking to fight.

He looked at Luo Ling.

Chen Yang.

Gong Wang.

Good.

Very good.

Great Yan possessed loyal and devoted generals like these.

The future was bright!

Count Pingye silently lowered his head and stared at the terrain model with an exceptionally grave expression, as though the little mountains and forts held some irresistible magical force pulling his entire soul into them.

What a joke.

Had building his own foundation been easy?

The Blind Man held meeting after meeting to shape people’s hearts.

The Fourth Lady stayed busy until deep into the night over armor, provisions, and silver.

Liang Cheng endured wind and rain training the troops.

And now they wanted him to take those men deep into the enemy system and slam them directly against a fortified camp?

That was nothing like charging in an encounter battle.

Count Pingye had attacked plenty of military camps while in Qian.

Even those trash Qian troops, whose combat ability barely reached five points out of a hundred, had caused the Zhenbei Army plenty of trouble and casualties once they had a fortified camp to rely on.

Not going.

Absolutely not going.

He had dragged tens of thousands of Savage slaves down here specifically to use as cannon fodder.

Why the hell would he volunteer to grind away his own core troops?

Besides.

Reputation?

Did he lack it?

Military merit?

Did he lack that?

He was not planning to rebel tomorrow.

Why rush?

And if he wanted to maintain healthy relations with his colleagues, he had to leave them some opportunities to perform too.

Spread the rain and dew around.

He could not hog every meal for himself.

That would look bad.

Count Pingye kept thinking all this while his eyes remained fixed on the terrain model.

Every so often, he even nodded slightly, as though slowly savoring the Prince of Jingnan’s earlier words.

He did not so much as glance toward Tian Wujing.

He did not dare.

Could not.

Absolutely should not.

Then, facing the commanders clamoring for the assignment, Tian Wujing spoke.

“Unfortunately, all of you are too late.”

Count Pingye’s eyes widened.

A terrible premonition rose in his heart.

“Early this month, Count Pingye Zheng Fan submitted a memorial to this Prince concerning today’s military conference. He offered two recommendations. One was the plan he just described. The other was the plan this Prince has now laid out.”

“...” Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan finally dragged his eyes away from the terrain model and turned toward Tian Wujing.

No.

Brother.

You cannot do this.

No.

You really cannot.

“At the time, Count Pingye believed the second proposal might strike this Prince as excessively aggressive. This Prince, however, found that it suited my intentions perfectly. Great Yan’s soldiers must never lose the boldness to ask, ‘Who beneath Heaven dares contend with us?’ That spirit is the foundation of Great Yan’s state and the soul of its armies. In his memorial, Count Pingye wrote that the soldiers beneath him are among the strongest troops of this age, known as the Snow Sea Iron Cavalry. He volunteered to serve as this Prince’s vanguard and establish the name of his Snow Sea Iron Cavalry before all beneath Heaven. He further wrote that once he seized Central Mountain Camp, the rest of you could take the *Essential Principles of Siege Warfare* he wrote and slowly learn how to capture the remaining forts and camps.”

Every commander turned toward Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan kept staring at the Prince of Jingnan.

The scene Count Pingye had imagined, where everyone glared at him in fury because his nonexistent “memorial” had effectively reduced them to students trailing behind their teacher, did not happen.

They could not even work up the anger.

Because Count Pingye really was arrogant.

Incredibly arrogant.

But the bastard truly possessed the capital to be arrogant.

Still, every commander’s gaze looked wounded.

They knew he could fight.

They knew he was formidable.

They knew the Prince of Jingnan valued him.

They knew he was even the Prince’s final disciple.

But...

Count Pingye, could you at least leave the rest of us a little face?

Then everyone noticed that the grievance in Count Pingye’s own eyes somehow looked even deeper than theirs.

At once, Count Pingye decided to go all the way.

He dropped to his knees.

“Your Highness, this general believes General Gongsun Zhi and General Gong Wang are both...”

“Granted. The eastern sector contains only your three forces anyway. In the fighting to come, this Prince places both their armies under your coordination.”

“...” Zheng Fan.

“This general accepts the order!”

“This general accepts the order!”

Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang immediately knelt to receive the command.

“Your Highness, this general believes that I myself...”

The Prince of Jingnan’s gaze sharpened.

He spoke loudly.

“Good. This Prince knows you have always possessed immense confidence. A commander should have precisely that kind of domineering spirit, the conviction that if not you, then who?”

“...” Zheng Fan.

“Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass, Grand General of Cheng State, Count Pingye Zheng Fan, receive your order!”

Count Pingye opened his mouth.

Here it came.

Again.

That familiar feeling had returned.

Every time.

Every damned time!

Count Pingye gritted his teeth and cupped his fists.

“This general is here!”

“This Prince orders your force to seize Central Mountain Camp directly. Win, and this Prince records for you the first merit of the campaign against Chu. Lose, and there is no need to come back. You can go ask the Chu yourself whether they are still willing to take in the lawfully recognized Imperial Son-in-Law of Great Chu.”

“This general... obeys.”

[End of Chapter 512]