Fish Meat – Chapter 221

The First Year of Shunde

Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (17)

The Yao family withdrew their main forces but still left some troops hidden in ambush at Yanxing, hoping to reap one last harvest.

            

Wei Jing’an, Zhangsun Wu, and Zhen Wenjun attacked from front and rear, annihilating the Yao family infantry until not a single piece of armor remained, finally venting the bitter resentment in their hearts​¹.

“It’s a pity we didn’t capture that old scoundrel Cao Zimao!” Wei Jing’an ground his teeth at the mention of this person. “If the day comes that I​² capture him, I’ll definitely pull out his tendons and peel off his skin, to console the loyal souls of my Wei clan!”

The number of Wei family members who had died at Yanxing back then could fill a valley; this enmity was irreconcilable​³.

            

After capturing Yanxing, Zhen Wenjun and the other two immediately garrisoned the city, sending out scouts to investigate movements in Runing, ready to attack it at any time.

The scouts reported back that Runing city was heavily guarded. Traps and ambushes were set everywhere in the countryside outside the city. Every road leading to Runing was lined with defensive lines meticulously planned​⁴ by the Chongjin people. The defending general in the city was none other than Feng Erke​⁵, currently the foremost general of the Chongjin.

Feng Erke was a general cultivated after the Chongjin’s great defeat of Meng Liang. He was a rare genius, the kind the Chongjin might see only once in a century. It was said that the previous feigned defeat followed by a swift attack to conquer Runing was entirely planned and directed by him. This man understood the Da Yu script, had read Da Yu military texts and classics since childhood, and his familiarity with Yu culture likely surpassed that of many Da Yu generals. Feng Erke also had a Yu person as his military advisor, and the two complemented each other with great tacit understanding. This man had a rigorous work style, was not fond of wine or women, and seemed to be a person without any weaknesses.

            

Fighting such a person was the most difficult; he was like a bronze wall, an iron bastion​⁶ with no cracks, offering no entry point to pry him open.

One absolutely could not clash head-on​⁷ with such a person.

Climbing high and looking afar at the densely packed soldiers and various defensive weapons on Runing’s city walls, Zhen Wenjun had absolutely no intention of attacking.

            

“Since he wants to defend the city, let him defend to his heart’s content.”

Zhen Wenjun deployed no further plans for assaulting the city. For a long time, no troops emerged from Yanxing.

After a while, Feng Erke grew curious. Why had these Yu people gone silent​⁸ after occupying Yanxing? Could they be planning a surprise attack? Feng Erke also dispatched light cavalry scouts to Yanxing to probe the enemy’s situation, but the news they brought back greatly surprised the Chongjin officers and soldiers.

            

The scouts reported that the Yu people in Yanxing were indulging in pleasure, with singing and dancing day after day, appearing to be enjoying themselves. Where was even half a shred of awareness that they were supposed to be fighting a war?

Someone advised Feng Erke: why not take this opportunity to attack Yanxing, slaughter these Central Plains monkeys clean, and eliminate future trouble?

Feng Erke burst into laughter after hearing this. “I told you all before to learn more Yu script and read more Yu military texts, then you wouldn’t be so laughable. Those Yu people have already fought their way to Yanxing, how could they possibly stop there? What they want is to recapture Runing and allow their young emperor to return to the capital​⁹! Everything they are doing now is just to confuse us.”

            

The crowd exchanged glances but, unlike Yu people might have, did not lavishly praise the general’s divine strategy​¹⁰. They simply asked him, “Then what should we do?”

“Wait.” After uttering these two words, Feng Erke paid no further attention, pouring himself a drink.

He was certain the Yu people were putting on an act​¹¹, trying to lure the snake out of its hole, and he was determined not to come out. In any case, he held Runing, a city that was once the Yu capital and was very advantageous for defense. As long as he didn’t rashly sally forth, no one could do anything to him. He even proactively withdrew some of the defenses in the countryside, hoping to let the Yu army enter and catch them all in one net.

            

The Yu army did not enter the traps he had laid. Instead, they quietly moved north and, taking advantage of his steadfast defense of the city, cut off the Chongjin’s grain supply convoys, scoring a significant gain.

Only when Feng Erke heard the news that the grain convoy had been intercepted did he realize he had fallen into a trap. The Yu people had been diverting his attention; their actual aim was to raid the grain supplies.

With a large amount of grain cut off, the Chongjin soldiers—who had enormous appetites, needing six meals a day, each with meat and wine—began to panic. They urged Feng Erke to attack Yanxing and seize the grain back. Feng Erke remained calm and unruffled. He ordered an inventory of all granaries within Runing city; there was enough to feed all the soldiers in the city for two months. Afterward, he continued to inventory arable land, planning for self-reliance​¹².

            

Winter was about to pass, and it was the spring plowing season. Feng Erke ordered all soldiers to start learning farming, emphasizing the necessity of sowing seeds during the spring so they could be self-sufficient by the autumn harvest.

The Chongjin people had always primarily hunted and gathered; they had never even touched a hoe. Suddenly asking them to farm was indeed asking a lot.

Feng Erke didn’t care whether it was difficult or not. He issued a military order: those who farmed could receive one jin​¹³ of gold; those who refused would be executed.

            

Feng Erke never forgot the charge his leader had given him before the expedition.

For the sake of future generations being able to leave this frigid land, this all-out mobilization​¹⁴ must succeed.

Feng Erke bore not only the hopes of all current Chongjin people but also the future hope of the Chongjin. There could be absolutely no mistakes. If the Chongjin people wanted to take root in the south, they had to learn farming. Now was the opportune moment to take the first step.

            

As for where the grain would come from before the autumn harvest, Feng Erke couldn’t possibly allow the Yu people to continue raiding their supply convoys. Whether it was the grain routes or the mountain hunting grounds, he would not yield any of them.

Zhen Wenjun had anticipated that attacking Runing would be a laborious task, with possibilities of both victory and defeat. What she hadn’t expected was that this siege battle, with its back-and-forth tug-of-war​¹⁵, would last a full nine months. It dragged on from the end of winter in the first year of Shunde all the way to the early winter at the year’s end, and they still hadn’t managed to completely capture Runing.

This was merely the prelude to the long contest between Yu and Chongjin.

            

The fifth year of Zhaowu was the final year of the Zhaowu reign title, drawing to a close with the passing of the generation’s female emperor​¹⁶.

The late Emperor Li Yanyi had inherited a broken Da Yu from Emperor Huai. During her five-year reign, the nation suffered from internal troubles and external threats, and the country’s progress was fraught with difficulty. Later, the Hu bandits breached the capital, and the Son of Heaven died fighting in the Forbidden Garden. Her posthumous title was “Min”​¹⁷.

The new emperor had not yet returned to the capital, and the war was still brutal, but a temporary mobile central administration had rapidly formed around Li Feng. With the Son of Heaven ascending the throne in childhood, ambitious figures across the realm were watching intently​¹⁸, making the selection of regents​¹⁹ an urgent matter​²⁰.

            

Zhangsun Yao, Censor-in-Chief​²¹ and concurrently Minister of Works​²², had served through the reigns of Emperor Ming, Emperor Huai, and Emperor Min. Now continuing to assist the new emperor, he was the prime candidate for national regent. However, Zhangsun Yao was already nearing the age of seventy​²³, his health was failing, and his energy was insufficient. He needed more helpers to assist the new emperor, expel the Hu bandits, and revive the Yu imperial house.

After Zhaowu, the reign title was changed to Shunde. As early as the first day of the first month of the first year of Shunde, Li Feng had abolished the Imperial Secretariat​²⁴ and established the Advisory Council​²⁵. The Advisory Council was specifically created to assist him; all memorials submitted to the Son of Heaven, as well as his decisions and edicts, had to pass through it. Zhangsun Yao was appointed as its head. Four assistant officials were temporarily designated: the first was the former Commandant of Justice​²⁶, currently Prefect of Hua County in Huaiyang, Guan Xun, enfeoffed as Dingguo General​²⁷ and Military Governor of Huaiyang, holding the fourth rank; the second was Wei Jing’an, the Palace Attendant​²⁸ and Zhenyuan General​²⁹, second son of the former Grand Marshal Wei Lun, recalled from mourning​³⁰, holding the third rank; the third was Zhangsun Yao’s legitimate son, Zhangsun Wu, rumored to be the one who found the current Son of Heaven and rescued the Empress Dowager, achieving unparalleled merit​³¹, specially enfeoffed as Marquis of Helan​³² and Huguo General​³³, holding the fourth rank.

The remaining person was temporarily unannounced, seemingly to keep people guessing​³⁴. However, any discerning person​³⁵ could see at a glance that this Advisory Council was clearly a show orchestrated by the allied Zhangsun and Wei factions. Who else could the fourth choice be but the First Female Official, Wei Tingxu? All the council’s assistant members belonged to the spheres of influence of these two families. Once it was truly established, what room would there be for anyone else?

            

Li Feng’s edicts were dispatched throughout the realm, and surely all the regional lords received the news. Some lords intending to align with the Zhangsun and Wei clans quickly expressed their full support for the new central council. Other powers remained silent, observing secretly.

The power dynamics within Da Yu became increasingly clear after the sudden reshuffling caused by the struggle for succession in the fifth year of Zhaowu.

The Hu tribe, Chongjin, occupied the capital and large swathes of northern territory, becoming the common target that the various powers of the Central Plains wished to crusade against. However, the Wei and Zhangsun clans, along with Zhen Wenjun who held the tiger tally, were currently exerting all their effort attacking Runing, wanting to recapture the capital. Other powers were sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, waiting to see them both suffer heavy losses. Some even launched sneak attacks from behind while they were preoccupied; Zhen Wenjun had already been ambushed six times, suffering considerable losses each time.

            

The Chongjin people were difficult to fight, but compatriots were even harder to deal with.

Zhen Wenjun, Wei Jing’an, and Zhangsun Wu had long been prepared, specifically keeping a troop hidden in the rear. This unit was the “Devil Army”, personally selected by them, composed of elite soldiers and skilled generals—an extremely sharp iron cavalry. Their combat prowess was outstanding, and their movement speed was incredibly fast. If anyone launched a sneak attack from the flanks or rear, this army would descend as if from heaven and wreak havoc​³⁶.

Runing was the epicenter of the great war, but conflict in the south was also gradually escalating.

            

The struggle between the Yao family of Nanya and Guan Xun of Huaiyang over the Path of Ten Thousand Directions had never ceased, with both sides suffering losses. However, the main road from Huaiyang’s Hua County to Path of Ten Thousand Directions had been repaired, while the Yao family’s access route was blown to smithereens​³⁷ with fire oil bombs. It was rumored that the person who bombed the Yao family’s road was the adopted daughter of Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu—a Hu person.

When this matter spread, no one believed it; most felt it was just these two women bluffing again​³⁸. This wife-pair—one the mastermind behind the Wei family, the other holding a tiger tally of dubious origin, controlling an even more dubious young emperor—wasn’t that enough? Now they had to conjure up a young hero, a genius who, at the tender age of hair-pinning​³⁹, could bomb someone’s road to wealth and cut down their armored soldiers? It seemed like boasting blown sky-high​⁴⁰; they’d just have to see how they managed to come back down.

There were many doubters, but some believed.

            

Well-informed people knew that Zhen and Wei’s daughter was an adopted girl brought back from Path of Ten Thousand Directions. Some even said this girl had an extraordinary background, being the last descendant of the Changge Kingdom from the Gulun Grasslands.

“What is the Changge Kingdom?”

If someone asked this question, the conversation was basically over. If, however, hearing the words “Changge Kingdom” caused them to turn pale with astonishment​⁴¹, immediately understanding the implications, then no more words were needed.

            

Never mind how many male warriors this ancient and mysterious nation produced; just consider the female general Ruan family’s Ah Qiong during Emperor Ming’s era, known to everyone in Da Yu for her extraordinary military achievements—she was a descendant of that Changge Kingdom. This people was warlike and skilled in warfare; marching and fighting were things they seemed born to do. It wasn’t strange for a young girl to know how to fight.

This news reached the ears of the Yao family at Nanya.

After Cao Fei finished explaining the background of Xiao Xiao, Yao Zhaoyi happened to release an arrow. The arrow accurately struck the tiny red bullseye, the size of a little fingernail, on a straw target fifty paces away.

            

“The Zhen-Wei faction’s strength is unfathomable. Capable people and skilled artisans keep emerging, and they have the troublesome Zhangsun clan’s support. Zhangsun Wu’s use of troops is unpredictable, and Zhangsun Ran’s movements are even more mysterious; whenever she appears, she brings some strange contraptions​⁴² that greatly impact the battle situation. It’s said that while Zhen Wenjun and others fight at the front lines for Runing, Wei Tingxu is secretly recruiting talent in the rear. This person is quite eloquent, skilled at observation, and adept at winning people over​⁴³. Several famous scholars I know have already been recruited into her service.”

As Yao Zhaoyi spoke, she released another arrow, striking the tail of the previous one. The two arrows were joined end-to-end without the slightest deviation.

Yao Zhaoyi wanted to shoot again. The bow was fully drawn, but she hesitated to release the arrow. Finally, she lowered it.

            

“Milady?”

“It’s said that Wei Tingxu and Zhen Wenjun were estranged for a time. Has Lord Cao heard of this?”

“Not only heard, but witnessed it firsthand.”

            

“Oh? How so?” Yao Zhaoyi raised her arm and shot another arrow, hitting the tail of the second arrow. Three arrows were strung together, appearing as one strangely long shaft from afar.

“Back then, these two women separately sent people to persuade this old man, both wanting my allegiance. It was obvious they weren’t on the same path.”

Yao Zhaoyi’s brow twitched.

            

“Their marriage back then was also very hasty, likely to solidify the position of female officials and forcibly implement the law allowing same-sex marriage.”

“There’s another possibility.” Yao Zhaoyi nocked an arrow on the string. “Wei Tingxu wanted to use Zhen Wenjun.”

“Oh? Does Milady know some inside information?”

            

Yao Zhaoyi gave a cold laugh. “Does Lord Cao know who this Zhen Wenjun is?”

Cao Fei looked puzzled. “Isn’t this Zhen Wenjun a house slave raised by Wei Tingxu? A female general cultivated single-handedly to pave her own way?”

“The matter between those two is not so simple.” Yao Zhaoyi’s final arrow shot straight through the previous three, embedding itself firmly in the straw target with a thwack.

            

Yao Zhaoyi turned back to Cao Fei and said, “This Zhen Wenjun was once part of the Xie family. Her name was Alai.”

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