Chapter 771: War Begins

Fengxin City was the largest city in eastern Jin. It was no exaggeration to call it the political, economic, cultural, and administrative center of the entire region.

Countless things happened there every day.

But recently, two events had genuinely affected the lives of ordinary people throughout the city.

The first... was Marquis Zheng's order to build a Buddhist temple west of Fengxin City.

That was unprecedented.

Over the years, as Marquis Pingxi rose to prominence, all sorts of wandering cultivators, monks, Daoists, and other people from outside the worldly order had come seeking patronage.

In the early days... they were sent away.

Later... they were bundled up and sent away.

Sent to preach on the snowfields.

Now the Marquis had actually ordered a temple built. To some extent, that satisfied a spiritual need among Fengxin City's people.

There were not many genuine Buddhists.

But there were certainly plenty willing to visit during festivals, burn incense, and bow a few times.

That was the small matter.

The second matter... was enormous.

Its aftershocks began in Fengxin City and spread outward, stirring all of eastern Jin.

Marquis Pingxi Residence issued an order:

Begin counting the Standard households.

The New Year had already passed.

Why conduct a census now?

Everyone could more or less guess the purpose.

The Blind Man had once said that whether it was Shengle City before, Snow Sea Pass afterward, or Fengxin City today, the territory changed and Master's title changed, but the thing beneath all those different skins never did.

A military-civil bloc whose essence remained one and the same.

Marquis Pingxi Residence looked like a regional military commandery under the institutions of all Xia.

In reality... it was a war tribe.

The shops, workshops, schools, clinics, and every other kind of enterprise beneath the Residence were all controlled by it.

Once the Residence grasped everything... it meant the people themselves were gathered into the same system.

And the bond ran both ways.

People who had lived through chaos could judge the lives before them with their own eyes.

Then vote with their feet.

For a young, vigorous military bloc, expanding outward and seizing wealth had not yet ceased to be instinct.

A full year of plain, uneventful peace had already passed.

Everyone had been waiting.

Thinking.

Growing faintly anxious with anticipation.

Now... at last... it was here.

Mobilization had already begun.

After one hard year followed by another year of accumulation, Marquis Pingxi Residence was not remotely prepared for another full national war.

But for a limited campaign of controlled scale?

The granaries and arsenals held more than enough.

Marquis Pingxi Residence was either fighting a war... or preparing for the next one.

Somewhere in between, it happened to let the people under its rule enjoy the sort of stable lives others could only envy.

But the foundation of war... was still men.

Families that were not registered as Standard households began asking around about labor levies.

Men volunteered themselves, hoping to scrape together enough military merit to bring their wives and children into the Standard-household system.

Families already registered as Standard households had their adult men asking File Leaders and Squad Leaders for news.

Question after question went upward... until even the Garrison Commanders were being disturbed.

This wind smelled like war, didn't it?

Which army would move?

Which direction?

You couldn't let somebody else eat the meat while you didn't even get a mouthful of soup.

That enthusiasm rising from below forced the generals beneath Marquis Pingxi Residence to move as well.

Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi even used the excuse of making belated New Year calls to request leave from their garrisons and come personally to Fengxin City.

Everyone wanted war.

Everyone hoped for war.

Everyone expected to divide the merit and practical rewards that came from war.

They understood perfectly well that people died in battle.

But compared with the expected gains... many believed it worth staking their lives.

As for the possibility of defeat... heh.

Almost no one seriously thought about it.

At least, the men who would actually go onto the battlefield, and the families waiting behind them, did not believe that possibility worth considering.

Tian Wujing had once taught Zheng Fan that the foundation upon which a commander stood was not loving soldiers like sons, eating beside them, or sleeping in the same tents.

It was possessing the qualification, ability, and confidence to lead them to victory.

That was why, even after Prince Jingnan exterminated his own entire clan and acquired a dreadful reputation throughout court and country, his prestige inside the army remained terrifyingly high.

Bestowing favors downward and ruling through intimidation were games courtiers and marketplace merchants enjoyed.

The rough men inside barracks recognized only one thing.

Victory.

And so... because of this single matter...

Fengxin City became lively enough to feel as though it were celebrating a second New Year.

Even Marquis Pingxi himself, who normally ignored the outside world the moment he returned home, had no choice but to personally receive several groups of officers and calm their restlessness.

...

"A'Cheng. Go ahead."

Marquis Zheng had only just finished receiving another group of officers when he entered the Residence's military office.

A large sand table occupied the room.

Xue San had not built this one.

Third Master had already awakened, but had not fully recovered.

Still, over the years he had trained quite a few skilled craftsmen. Give them accurate survey data and they were perfectly capable of constructing a usable model.

There were not many people in the room.

Marquis Zheng entered and took the chief seat.

Liang Cheng stood beside the sand table with a pointer in hand.

The Blind Man and Gou Moli stood to either side.

Chen Daole and He Chunlai acted as recording clerks nearby, listening in.

Few people.

But deciding the broad strategy for a campaign did not require a crowd.

Too many people only created trouble.

Besides... one Liang Cheng and one Savage King were already enough to make the room overflow with happiness.

"Master, this subordinate believes the primary purpose of this campaign should be training the troops."

That sentence established the entire tone.

Marquis Zheng nodded.

As the leader, he added a useless sentence:

"But we still need to prepare thoroughly."

"Master is wise."

"Enough. Get to the point."

"Yes. Master personally inspected Shanggu Commandery. The land there is flat and open. Once our cavalry leaves Zhennan Pass, it can ride south without obstruction until it reaches the Wei River. But the Wei River stretches for an enormous distance. In a large-scale war, especially a national war, Chu's river defense could play an important role in dividing and constraining our armies. Against a smaller, concentrated breakthrough, however, one river is not a true natural barrier. Even a great river would not be. Wangjiang proved that. The Wei River is the same."

Gou Moli interjected:

"I heard that after Master visited the Wei River recently and frightened the Chu, the local yamen along their side of the river began mobilizing commoners to smash apart the winter ice."

Everyone laughed.

It was true.

Counties along the Wei River south bank had created an entirely new corvée obligation.

Commoners were sent to break the frozen surface so Yan cavalry could not simply ride south across the river during winter.

Marquis Zheng drank some tea.

"That really is Nian Yao's style."

Corvée labor was one of the people's obligations to the government.

It was also one of their burdens.

Digging canals.

Building roads.

Constructing palaces.

Fighting wars.

At least those things left something tangible behind.

But smashing river ice?

What did it leave?

There was military value in it, certainly.

But the criticism required to enforce such an order would be immense.

These days, storytelling houses favored two kinds of tales above all others.

The jianghu.

And sweeping stories of armies, iron, and war.

Because Old Tian had repeatedly shoved Zheng Fan onto the stage against his will and made him perform long-distance raids again and again, Marquis Zheng had acquired the reputation of being the foremost master of surprise operations in the age.

Grand General Nian, meanwhile... had earned the nickname "Old Turtle Nian."

Liang Cheng continued:

"This subordinate's plan is to send one force rapidly across the Wei River and into Chu territory, driving as far south as possible. It will not seek victories. It will not seek heads. It will not seek cities or territory. Its only goal is to approach Chu's new Ying Capital as closely as possible and stir the grass to startle the snake. A second force will cross the Wei from another direction and move west along the river. Again, it will not seek victories, heads, cities, or territory. Its goal is to make contact with Qu Peiluo's forces, then the Fan Clan, and open that entire line. Finally, a third force..."

Gou Moli suddenly interrupted:

"Three forces?"

This was a strategy conference.

If there was a question, you asked it directly.

No need to hide it.

"Yes. Three forces. I will personally command the first, twenty thousand cavalry."

That was the most dangerous route.

Once they drove south into the Chu heartland, one mistake could leave them surrounded and swallowed by forces several times or even more than ten times their size.

"The second force, moving west, will also number twenty thousand cavalry. I recommend Jin Shuke command it."

"That's forty thousand cavalry already." Gou Moli counted on his fingers.

"Yes. But those two columns will draw away most of Chu's cavalry."

"And then?" Gou Moli asked. "How many troops do you plan to leave before Zhennan Pass? Nian Yao may be called a turtle, but I don't believe he'll willingly tuck his head in and let us beat the shell once he knows this isn't a national war and Great Yan hasn't mobilized for one either. A turtle still has a temper. And when it bites, it hurts."

Marquis Zheng looked at him.

"Gou Moli. If you were Nian Yao, what would you do?"

"Master, if I were Nian Yao, I'd detach some troops to put on a show. Chase them. Block them. If I couldn't catch or stop them, I wouldn't care very much. Grand General Nian doesn't truly care about nonsense like panic in the capital or the Regent's dignity. After all, that's happened once already. The important part is this: the last time Ying Capital was broken and burned, the main body of Chu's Imperial Clan Guards was stationed at Zhennan Pass. Prince Jingnan personally led one hundred thousand iron cavalry south. And the Chu had never imagined such a thing could happen, much less experienced it before. But if it happens again? I'm not saying Chu will have a perfect response. But you can't possibly steal their capital a second time. So I would take advantage of the opportunity, cross the river, and push straight into the heart of Shanggu Commandery, to the site of the old commandery capital. I wouldn't attack Zhennan Pass. I'd continue doing what I do best instead. Build walls. Raise stockades. Construct my own turtle shell. Since Marquis Pingxi Residence would be the side that broke the treaty and started the fighting, Nian Yao would face no real political pressure. Afterward he could even claim merit for recovering lost territory. Back during the national war, hundreds of thousands of cavalry marched south and still failed to destroy Chu. What could a mere forty thousand cavalry accomplish? But if Nian Yao can retake the old capital of Shanggu Commandery and push Chu's defensive line against the Residence north from the Wei River to here, the entire situation changes. The Wei is an excellent barrier against cavalry, yes. But the river is too long. Defending its whole length requires too many troops. And as General Liang said, the effect still isn't ideal. It can't stop anything large. It can't prevent anything small. But if the defensive line moves forward, the Chu no longer need to mobilize peasants to smash winter ice. They can abandon the burden of guarding that endless river and cut Shanggu Commandery in half at its waist instead. Build walls. Establish forts. The width of the front shrinks drastically. The strength of the defense rises drastically. And if we compare the strength of Chu as an entire state with the eastern Jin lands under Marquis Pingxi Residence that have only just begun recovering, then the situation changes again. Instead of our Residence using Zhennan Pass to press down upon all Chu, Chu can begin using the strength of an entire state to press north against us. The Regent of Chu is not short-sighted. Quite the opposite. He once dared borrow Great Yan's blade to cut away the flesh of Chu's own noble clans. Today, he would absolutely dare exchange something as trivial as face for a reversal of offense and defense. At minimum, he'd trade for parity."

Liang Cheng looked at Gou Moli.

"Don't forget. It isn't only Yan that has not mobilized for a national war. Chu hasn't either. The forces both sides can deploy are limited. We will not see another confrontation involving a million soldiers the way we did before. So if Nian Yao dares cross the river and march north into Shanggu Commandery, Marquis Pingxi Residence's cavalry will dare meet him on those plains in a head-on battle of blood!"

Gou Moli pointed toward the center of Shanggu Commandery on the sand table.

"Marquis Pingxi Residence may claim one hundred thousand cavalry, but the truly elite core consists of your thirty thousand, plus Jin Shuke's Command at Zhennan Pass. You're telling me you've already scattered forty thousand elite cavalry deep into Chu. So what exactly are you planning to use in Shanggu Commandery to smash head-on into Chu's battle formations?"

Liang Cheng asked in return:

"Who said I planned to send elite troops deep behind enemy lines?"

"..." Gou Moli.

Gou Moli immediately jabbed a finger at the Chu territory south of the Wei.

"You're going deep behind enemy lines without elites?"

Liang Cheng smiled.

"You just said Nian Yao won't care too much. He'll make a show of chasing and blocking us. If that's true, why should I waste elite troops there? We don't lack horses. We don't lack riders. Take auxiliary troops, Savage soldiers, throw armor and banners on them to improve appearances, and bulk up the numbers. That's enough."

"Didn't you say the point was training troops? What kind of troops are you training like that?"

"Forty thousand labor auxiliaries and servant troops can take a ride through Chu territory. Even if they begin as forty thousand pigs, after surviving the trip they won't be the same pigs they were before."

"Heh... heh-heh... hahahahaha!"

Gou Moli burst out laughing.

Then he simply jumped onto the sand table itself.

His palm slapped down hard over Shanggu Commandery.

"So if Nian Yao takes the opportunity to march north, then here in Shanggu Commandery he'll face..."

Liang Cheng nodded.

"He'll face Master in person, commanding the finest iron cavalry under Marquis Pingxi Residence."

Gou Moli exhaled slowly.

"There is risk. Jin Shuke's western route will have Qu Peiluo's people and the Fan Clan to receive them. They only need to keep their heads down and run, so the danger shouldn't be too severe. But the route you lead could encounter serious trouble."

"The ones who die will only be Savage servant troops and assorted labor auxiliaries. We can requisition one group from the snowfields and another from your own Command. Even if every one of them dies, the loss means little. We could even use the opportunity to reduce the Savage population on the snowfields."

Gou Moli licked his lips.

He was not offended.

If anything... he deeply agreed.

"Tsk, tsk. Heh. I imagine Nian Yao could never dream that Prince Jingnan is gone, yet here in eastern Jin there is more than one Prince Jingnan."

He obviously did not mean Marquis Pingxi.

Only after the sigh left his mouth did Gou Moli realize he might have said something inappropriate.

Marquis Zheng showed no displeasure whatsoever.

"What do we need to requisition?" Zheng Fan asked.

"The two forces operating outside our territory will live off the enemy. The remaining provisions and equipment are already being transported toward Zhennan Pass. We don't expect the campaign to last long, so logistics should not be a problem," the Blind Man said.

Zheng Fan nodded.

"Anything can happen on a battlefield. Blind Man, send a memorial to court afterward. Attach the Residence's urgent seal and submit it secretly to Little Sixth. Let him know what we're planning so he can prepare himself mentally. Also notify Li Fusheng and the other armies stationed throughout Jin and tell them to make some preparations. Xu Wenzu in Yingdu must be informed as well. Our plan is to fight a short war, gain quick results, and keep the scale under control. But we also need to prepare for the possibility that we play too hard and end up forced onto the stage anyway. If it truly gets out of control... then we'll simply start another national war. Whether the State of Yan can bear that burden can be discussed later. At minimum... we will not admit defeat."

The Blind Man smiled.

"Little Sixth will probably stamp his feet when he sees the secret memorial. Didn't everyone agree on two or three years of recuperation?"

"Heh-heh-heh. That isn't entirely up to him. Besides, we're merely inheriting the fine traditions of the previous generation. Where in the world is there a perfectly prepared war where you get every last thing ready before fighting? The tradition beneath the Black Dragon Banner is simple. If I think it's worth fighting... we fight."

Marquis Zheng set his teacup heavily onto the table.

"Fuck it. We didn't even get a real battle out on the snowfields last time. Lately it's all been wives, children, and warm beds. It's about time we genuinely took the horses out for a run."

...

Marquis Zheng, who had just expressed such disdain for "wives, children, and warm beds" in the military office... left the room... and promptly lay down on the Princess's bed.

After the heated floor had been installed, the room remained wonderfully warm.

The Princess lay on her side, watching Marquis Zheng rest one hand over her lower abdomen.

"Husband looks very energetic today."

"Mm."

"Husband, my family sent a letter. Mother prepared some things for me. Imperial Brother really is different now that he's become Emperor, but Mother still cares about this daughter of hers."

"Mm."

In that respect, the Chu imperial house had never been stingy.

Of course... that generosity was built partly on Marquis Pingxi Residence's willingness to continue selling horses to Chu.

Marquis Zheng lightly tapped the Princess's belly.

"Be good. Did you hear that? Your grandmother and your uncle prepared plenty of delicious things for you. Come. Let's thank Grandmother. Thank Uncle."

"Husband, the child hasn't even been born yet. How could it speak?"

"Oh. True. Doesn't matter. The adults are here."

"Mm. I'll write back later and thank them."

"No need. I'll do it."

The Princess smiled curiously at him.

"Husband intends to write Imperial Brother personally?"

Marquis Zheng shook his head.

"Writing a letter is too troublesome. It would also show far too little respect for my brother-in-law. Think about it. My brother-in-law handles ten thousand matters every day. Where would he find the leisure to sit quietly and read one of my letters?"

"Then how do you plan to..."

"In a little while... I'll invade Chu directly."

"..." The Princess.

[End of Chapter 771]