Inside the grand hall, apart from Xu Fengnian and Xu Weixiong, the four highest-ranking and most influential officials were: Chu Lushan, the Northern Liang Protector; Yuan Zuozong, the Commander of the Cavalry; Zhou Kang, the Deputy Commander; and Gu Dazu, the Deputy Commander of the Infantry. When Xu Fengnian proposed that they must do everything possible to defend Hutou City, neither Chu Lushan nor Yuan Zuozong immediately voiced their opinions. Instead, it was Zhou Kang and Gu Dazu who first clashed.
Gu Dazu was famous for having proposed the theory of the overall military situation during the Spring and Autumn Wars and for advocating the strategy of fighting outside the nation’s borders to protect the Southern Tang. Yet surprisingly, this general, who appeared to favor aggressive strategies, voiced objections. He disagreed with the idea of the Northern Liang border forces committing all their strength to assist Liu Jinu’s defense of Hutou City. On the other hand, Zhou Kang, who hailed from the Zhugudu unit, supported Xu Fengnian’s view. Ignoring Xu Fengnian’s presence, Gu Dazu bluntly declared, “Such a hasty strategic change will be far more damaging to the Northern Liang border forces than replacing a general on the battlefield! Matters of state and military affairs are no trivial matters!”
Zhou Kang immediately retorted, “Water has no fixed shape, and armies have no fixed formation. Why is it inappropriate to act according to circumstances?”
In addition to this, Zhou Kang added some words laden with deeper meaning: “Back in the day when the Northern Liang formulated its military strategy for Youliang Prefecture, the Great General and Li Yishan were still alive. At that time, the original intention was merely to assume that the Northern Man would advance southward through the two routes of Northern Liang and Jizhou. The Northern Man considered Northern Liang an impregnable fortress. Even if they could not bypass the city directly, they would merely station fifty or sixty thousand troops to tie down our Northern Liang border forces, rather than the current dire situation where the entire nation is attacking the three prefectures of Youliang. Strategies and rules are rigid, but our Northern Liang soldiers are alive! The more than one hundred thousand cavalry on the border of Liangzhou are certainly not pushovers!”
Zhou Kang repeatedly emphasized “our Northern Liang” and mentioned the early military and political affairs of Northern Liang and its border cavalry. The old general’s meaning was clear: Gu Dazu, a latecomer from outside, had merely become the second-in-command of the infantry. Since the Northern Liang military valued cavalry above all, especially in Liangzhou, Gu Dazu should act more “appropriately” in this place and time. In truth, both the military and the court were similar in that they adhered strictly to seniority and emphasized one’s background. In Northern Liang, officers and generals who transitioned from the infantry system to the cavalry ranks often faced disdain and prolonged periods of adjustment. Naturally, there were murmurs of dissent among the Northern Liang border forces regarding Xu Fengnian’s direct promotion of Gu Dazu.
Xu Fengnian furrowed his brows but did not speak. Gu Dazu did not immediately lose his temper, but his expression was far from pleasant. He coldly said, “I am merely speaking objectively. No one denies the combat effectiveness of the Northern Liang border cavalry. However, possessing strong combat power does not mean that those leading the troops can recklessly squander it. Battlefield affairs are like a chess match. A national master who only plays forceful moves, even if they temporarily succeed in isolating or even defeating an opponent, will ultimately find the overall situation disadvantageous. I do not wish for the Northern Liang army to be a player with the strength of a tenth-dan master but the vision of a sixth-dan player. Northern Liang now holds four prefectures, each with hundreds of cities, military garrisons, strategic passes, and formidable strongholds. To decide the fate of over a hundred pieces based on a single piece like Hutou City—shouldn’t we weigh this more carefully?”
Zhou Kang scoffed, “This tone of yours sounds suspiciously like Chen Zhibao’s.”
Finally, Gu Dazu’s face darkened with anger and he said, “You Zhou Zhugudu! Today, I, Gu Dazu, will say this in front of General Zhou and Prince Beiliang: the Northern Liang army should not completely reject Chen Zhibao. Even Prince Beiliang has explicitly stated that the military should not ban the ‘Compilation of Martial Preparations.’ Why then, in your Liangzhou cavalry under your command, is not a single volume or scroll of it allowed to appear? Are you Zhou Kang trying to become a regionalist like Zhong Hongwu, who refuses all outside influences? You’ve been looking at me with disdain for so long, and I’ve been looking at you with disdain for just as long!”
Normally, Yuan Zuozong, the cavalry commander, would act as a mediator and might even slightly support Gu Dazu, an outsider, with the general idea being that for the sake of family harmony, he, like a mother-in-law, would support the daughter-in-law when her husband and son quarreled. But today, since Xu Fengnian was present, Yuan Zuozong simply practiced his silence, relaxing and conserving his energy. As for Chu Lushan, he was full of mischief, smiling as he watched the two deputy commanders argue and turn red-faced, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Xu Fengnian spoke calmly, “Those qualified to deliberate here already hold ranks of third or second grade. It is right that we should speak openly. However, regarding the matter of Hutou City, we can make improvements, but the decision to hold it for a year will not change.”
This was directed at Gu Dazu. Then Xu Fengnian turned to Zhou Kang and said, “Do not ban Chen Zhibao’s ‘Compilation of Martial Preparations.’ When you return, Zhou General, take the lead in copying a volume. This includes the Commanders; all officers and generals must participate. After copying, send it to the Northern Liang Protectorate for my personal review. If anyone hires someone else to copy it for them or refuses to do it themselves, I will personally come to your unit for a serious talk. If that still doesn’t resolve it, I’ll have them transferred to Youzhou to serve as infantry.”
Zhou Kang wore a bitter expression and cautiously tried to haggle, “Your Highness, that book is over a hundred thousand characters long. Even a single volume is nearly ten thousand characters. With the war in full swing, couldn’t we wait until things calm down a bit?”
Xu Fengnian smiled without warmth, “Then let’s have a nice chat first? Should we have a little wine and have my second sister prepare some snacks? After we’ve eaten and drunk our fill, General Zhou can set off to Youzhou.”
Zhou Kang quickly waved his hands and laughed, “No, no need. I’ll get right on it tonight, staying up late to copy the book. As for my officers and commanders, I guarantee they’ll all finish copying it word for word within ten days.”
After the two deputy commanders, one from the infantry and one from the cavalry, left the Protectorate to return to their respective headquarters, Yuan Zuozong smiled and said, “It seems you gave each of them fifty lashes.”
Xu Fengnian, looking worried, replied, “Zhou Kang got his fifty lashes, but Gu Dazu might feel like he got five hundred.”
Yuan Zuozong asked, “Should I call him back and talk to him privately? General Gu is not the kind of person who is stubborn and unyielding. If the reasoning is sound, the old general will listen.”
Xu Fengnian looked helpless, “The problem is that I’m not confident I can convince him. If I try, I might end up pouring oil on the fire, making Gu Dazu even more stubborn. It’s better to leave it as it is, letting him wonder what I’m up to. He won’t know if I’m selling him elixirs or just some cheap remedies, but he’ll follow orders anyway.”
Looking around the hall, now containing only his second sister, Yuan Er’ge, and Chu Lushan, Xu Fengnian sighed, “Now that we’re all family, I can finally stop pretending to be a lofty figure.”
Chu Lushan, aside from enjoying the spectacle of the two old generals, focused more on the sand table. In fact, this Northern Liang Protector had always been overshadowed by his fearsome reputation in both governance and martial prowess, consistently underestimated and disregarded by the entire Central Plains court. Especially after the older generation of Central Plains figures had passed away, Chu Lushan was only occasionally mentioned due to his feat of leading a thousand cavalry to conquer Shu, far less celebrated than Yan Wenluan or Chen Zhibao. Even compared to Yuan Zuozong, who had shone brightly in the Battle of Princess’s Grave, Chu Lushan was considered less impressive, particularly when he was appointed as the Northern Liang Protector with only a fourth-grade rank, which shocked many. However, neither the Northern Liang army nor their enemies, the Northern Man, were surprised, revealing how indifferent the Liyang court was to Northern Liang, as if out of sight, out of mind.
There was a well-known saying among the high-ranking officers of the Northern Liang border forces: from the moment this fat man first saw the sand table, he became utterly engrossed. In earlier years, whether there was a war or not, he enjoyed staring at sand tables of various countries and regions, lost in thought. No one knew what was so fascinating about them until one time when Princess Wu Su asked him, and Chu Lushan gave the true reason: “It’s the same as reading a book; read it a hundred times, and the meaning will naturally become clear.” Later, when the Central Plains were unified, and the Xu and Zhao families “parted ways,” Chu Lushan had no fewer than a hundred sand tables of various sizes in his home in Northern Liang. The largest one was said to occupy an entire floor, with no space to stand on the first floor. To see the sand table, one had to go directly up the stairs to the second floor to look down.
Chu Lushan looked at the sand table, focusing on Hutou City at the northernmost point of Liangzhou, then glanced at Xiaguang City at the southernmost point of the Hulu Pass in Youzhou. He spoke softly, “Hutou City can be defended for a year. I have a reason that might convince Gu Dazu.”
Chu Lushan continued, “From the moment the Northern Man chose Dong Zhuo as the Southern King and mobilized a million troops to advance southward along three fronts into the Northern Liang region, it meant the Northern Man had completely abandoned the idea of advancing southward from Jizhou and the two Liaos. This also means that our strategy from back then must have had flaws. What we need to do is not just patch things up, but in some places, we need to completely start over. We in Northern Liang had predicted this worst-case scenario at the beginning, but back then, it was like facing an enemy, hmm… to use an analogy, it was like facing the old sword saint Li Chungan. We guessed the old master might start with a direct move like the Green Dragon from Both Sleeves or the Sword Opening the Heavenly Gate.”
Xu Weixiong softly added, “Back then, we only thought it was one of the two strongest hands, but we didn’t expect two moves to come out at once.”
Chu Lushan continued, “That’s good too. The more brutal the battle at Hutou City, the more precarious the Liangzhou defense line appears, the greater our chance to win through unexpected means. Back then…”
Yuan Zuozong suddenly took over with a smile, saying, “Back then, Chu Lushan had quite a few objections to the strategy set by Li Yishan, thinking it was too ‘orthodox,’ only thinking about not losing rather than how to win.”
Chu Lushan smiled, “Looking back now, that was the right thing to do. Without twenty years of ‘filling in the blanks’ to cover up, there would be no ‘leeway’ today.”
Chu Lushan slowly raised his head, looking at Xu Fengnian, then broke into a dazzlingly obsequious smile, grinning, “That’s also thanks to the inspiration from the young master. Otherwise, with my humble mind, I wouldn’t have been able to think of it even if I broke my head.”
Perhaps only at such moments could people remember the old days when he competed with Li Degong for the title of the best sycophant in Northern Liang.
Xu Fengnian smiled and scolded, “Talk about the serious stuff.”
Chu Lushan continued in his usual unserious manner, “The young master had already thought of it, but the risk was too great, and he knew Gu Dazu wouldn’t agree.”
Xu Fengnian nodded.
Xu Weixiong looked at the area around the Hulu Pass in Youzhou on the sand table, saying, “Hard to attack.”
Xu Fengnian said gravely, “And even after capturing it, it will be hard to defend. We’ve given the Northern Man opportunities.”
Yuan Zuozong narrowed his eyes, “Therefore, all the fortresses centered around Wogong City and Luanhe City, which seemed to be waiting passively for death, made the Northern Man give up on this opportunity themselves.”
Fortunately, Qi Dangguo, who was also one of Xu Xiao’s adopted sons like Yuan Zuozong and Chu Lushan, was not present, or else he would have been frustrated again at why he was so stupid.
Xu Fengnian muttered to himself, “The Northern Man started off aiming to flatten Northern Liang and then head straight for the Central Plains. The civil officials and bureaucrats under Taiping Ling were meant for Jizhou, Hezhou, and the subsequent Huainan region, not intended to be wasted in Northern Liang. In this situation, the fierce resistance and refusal to surrender at the Hulu Pass in Youzhou and the Northern Man’s own unwillingness to accept surrender meant that after Yang Yuanzan’s forces paid a great price to break through the fortresses around Wogong and Luanhe cities, they were nearly completely destroyed. Of course, currently, the pros and cons are mixed. The advantage is that it makes movement easier for the Northern Man’s cavalry within the Hulu Pass. However, if we place our strongest counterattack in Youzhou, then Yang Yuanzan’s newly reinforced thirty-five thousand troops will have a hard time.”
Chu Lushan added, “To reverse the battle situation at the Hulu Pass in Youzhou and force Yang Yuanzan to retreat, we need to commit at least fifty thousand of our most elite cavalry, and we must achieve victory in one decisive battle! We must destroy Yang Yuanzan’s elite cavalry at the critical moment! Therefore, Hutou City absolutely cannot be lost. Losing Hutou City would mean losing both Liuya and Fuling cities, and then Huaiyang Pass would also be lost. Once the front line is pulled back to the Qingyuan Chongzhong area, allowing Dong Zhuo’s forces to comfortably advance southward and spread out their formation, then at that time, even if we had five thousand cavalry at our disposal, it would be difficult. Therefore, for the sake of Hutou City, we might have to endure the loss of forty to fifty thousand lives in the year Xiangfu Second Year. But at the Hulu Pass, they will suffer many, many more!”
Chu Lushan sneered sinisterly, staring at the Hulu Pass on the sand table, “Three hundred and fifty thousand lives, all dying here, and we will build a grand pyramid of skulls!”
Yuan Zuozong coldly remarked, “It won’t be inferior to the Western Lebi Wall.”
Xu Fengnian took a deep breath, “Yuan Er’ge, but if we do this…”
Before Xu Fengnian could finish, Yuan Bai Xiong, who usually gave the impression of being serious and unsmiling, surprisingly spoke gently, “We are family; we don’t need to speak like outsiders.”
Chu Lushan suddenly wore a fawning expression and tried to put his arm around Yuan Zuozong’s shoulder, but Yuan Zuozong unceremoniously swatted his hand away, saying, “We’re not that close.”
Chu Lushan retorted, “Is it just because I’m a bit fat? And the young master is just a bit handsome? So you judge by appearances?”
Xu Fengnian laughed, “Enough, enough. You’re not just a little fat, and I’m not just a little handsome.”
Xu Weixiong looked at the Grievance and murmuring Protector, at the smiling and gentle Northern Liang King, and at the heroic Yuan Bai Xiong, and she smiled too.
※※※
Unexpectedly, Gu Dazu and Zhou Kang did not immediately leave Huaiyang Pass but instead went to a quiet tavern within the pass to have a drink.
Zhou Kang sat with a stern face, waiting for the dishes to arrive, “What? Do you think we didn’t argue enough in the Protectorate and want to continue here? Old Gu, if the young master has free time to drink and chat with me, I, Zhou Kang, would be more than happy. But with you, Gu Dazu, I wouldn’t even share a pot to urinate in, let alone drink from the same one.”
Gu Dazu smiled, “It’s different now. If you, Zhou Zhugudu, were a Southern Tang general back then and spoke like this, I would have knocked you down with one punch. After knocking you down and leaving you speechless, even if there were no arguments left, I would be the only one talking.”
Hearing this rough language, Zhou Kang didn’t get angry but instead laughed, “Argue all you want. I might not like you, but I have to admit you were a real man when you served in the Southern Tang. Otherwise, if you had become the deputy commander of the infantry, even if I couldn’t stop it, I would have led the charge to the young master to cause trouble, making sure you didn’t have an easy time. But honestly, you were just lucky. It was Gu Jiantang who attacked the Southern Tang. If it had been my Northern Liang, even if you had fought at the border to defend the country, it still wouldn’t have worked!”
Gu Dazu poured himself a cup of wine and softly said, “Whether you believe it or not, serving as deputy commander in Northern Liang, no matter how unwelcome you and the other old generals and old factions are, it’s still much more comfortable than resisting the enemy in the Southern Tang back then. Because I know that outside the battlefield, you cavalry might look down on me, but when it comes to real combat, if one ten thousand must die for me, the deputy commander of the infantry, you cavalry will definitely not let only nine thousand die. For a general, there’s nothing more comforting than this. So the more you curse me, the more I want to invite you for a drink, to save time for the future when one of us might visit the other’s grave on Qingming Festival.”
Zhou Kang couldn’t help but laugh, “So in the end, you’re just doing this for your own happiness?”
Gu Dazu laughed heartily, “If it wasn’t for my own happiness, why would I bother to warm my face against your cold butt when you curse me? You Zhou Zhugudu is a deputy commander, but does that make you any bigger than me, Gu Dazu?”
Zhou Kang was taken aback for a moment and sighed, “Today, let’s just drink and not talk about military affairs. We’ll never agree anyway. Even if we don’t urinate into the same pot, after what you’ve said, I think sharing a pot of wine isn’t a problem.”
The two old men drank until they were both thoroughly drunk. During this time, Zhou Kang and Gu Dazu exchanged insults for a long while. This made the tavern owner, who knew their prominent identities, extremely anxious. He was afraid that the two great figures might suddenly come to blows, leading their respective guards outside to rush in and easily tear down his small tavern. However, while sweating coldly, the tavern owner, who was still a military household, also felt a sense of pride. These were two deputy commanders of the Northern Liang army! Who didn’t know that any deputy commander in Northern Liang could easily serve as a great general in the Liyang court?
※※※
In a small courtyard temporarily inhabited by Xu Weixiong within the Protectorate, Xu Fengnian took out the two chess boxes from his luggage, but Xu Weixiong did not take them, saying she had no use for them. Xu Fengnian could only reluctantly put them away.
After a moment of silence, Xu Fengnian squatted beside Xu Weixiong’s wheelchair and softly sighed, “After traveling through the Jianghu three times, I finally understand the bitterness of your reluctance for me to wander in the Jianghu back then.”
Xu Weixiong asked, “What do you mean?”
Xu Fengnian smiled, “The people of the Jianghu want to live interesting lives. As the son of Xu Xiao, I probably need to live a meaningful life.”
Xu Weixiong shook her head, “Don’t flatter me, nor should you praise yourself too much. From beginning to end, I only hope you live well, that’s all. Our mother, father, and even your master, and even Yuan Zuozong and Chu Lushan, none of them wanted you to die meaningfully. They would rather you live a dull life.”
Xu Fengnian sighed, “Is that so.”
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