Chapter 819: The Xu Family of Bygone Years and the Present Northern Liang

The sudden fall of Tiger Head City allowed the Northern Wilderness army to establish an extremely comfortable offensive stance at the southern end of the Dragon Eye Plain, putting the entire defensive line of Huaiyang Pass and the towns of Liu Ya and Fu Ling in imminent peril. In this critical moment, Gu Dazu, the deputy commander of the Northern Liang infantry, defied all objections and chose not to disperse his forces to reinforce the front lines. Instead, he concentrated his troops in the heavily fortified military town of Chongzhong, located behind Huaiyang Pass, and swiftly merged with the large border cavalry force assembled by the deputy cavalry commander, Zhou Kang.

Thus, Huaiyang Pass—the seat of the Northern Liang Protectorate—along with the towns of Liu Ya and Fu Ling, effectively became a second Tiger Head City. However, because Chu Lushan, the nominal supreme commander of the border army, insisted on personally defending Huaiyang Pass, Gu Dazu’s decision—which appeared to abandon the front lines—thrust the old general, originally from the fallen Southern Tang, into the eye of the storm. Not only did cavalry officers resent him, but even within the infantry ranks, many voiced grievances against Gu Dazu.

The situation worsened when Chen Yunhui, another deputy infantry commander, temporarily led reinforcements from Youzhou to Liangzhou. The two high-ranking Northern Liang infantry generals, now of equal rank, found themselves at odds. Adding fuel to the fire, Zhou Kang—nicknamed “Jin Zhegu” (Golden Pheasant)—was a notoriously aggressive commander in the Northern Liang army. In Chongzhong, Gu Dazu quickly found himself isolated, with even his own subordinates turning against him.

To make matters worse, He Zhonghu, the veteran cavalry general whose prestige and seniority surpassed Zhou Kang’s, suddenly fell gravely ill. Beyond Liangzhou’s borders, the situation was dire—besieged from without and torn by strife within, the entire Northern Liang teetered on the brink of collapse.

In the makeshift war council hall of Chongzhong, yet another explosive argument erupted, one that nearly shattered all pretense of civility. The lower-ranking officers, already numb to the constant infighting, could only watch as the situation deteriorated. By now, Chongzhong had completely lost contact with the defensive line behind Tiger Head City. Before the communications were severed, over a hundred elite scouts had died delivering battlefield reports. In truth, Huaiyang Pass and the towns of Liu Ya and Fu Ling were already isolated beyond the border, swallowed by the relentless tide of the Northern Wilderness cavalry.

The hall had originally held over a dozen chairs for the assembled commanders—Gu Dazu, Zhou Kang, Chen Yunhui (who had traveled far to attend), Qi Dangguo (commander of the six thousand Iron Pagoda cavalry), Yuan Nanjing (leader of the White Feather Guard), and others. But two days prior, Zhou Kang had kicked over his chair in fury and stormed out during an argument with Gu Dazu. Since then, the chairs had become mere ornaments, unused in subsequent meetings.

Today, Zhou Kang and Gu Dazu clashed again, this time over the strategic role of Chongzhong. Standing beside the sand table, Zhou Kang slammed his fist on the table and pointed accusingly at Gu Dazu.

“Defend, defend, defend! Is that all you know? Just cower behind walls like a turtle? Is that the extent of your ability, Gu Dazu? I truly wonder why the Prince even brought you from the Central Plains to our Northern Liang border army! If not for that book of yours, *The Ashen Collection*, and the fact that the Grand General and Master Li once praised your strategic theories, I’d suspect you were a damned Northern Wilderness spy!”

The words sent a chill through the room. Even the usually stoic Chen Yunhui flinched. Zhou Kang had gone too far. Chen Yunhui glanced at Gu Dazu, but the old general remained expressionless. Unfazed, Zhou Kang jabbed his finger at him again.

“If even Tiger Head City couldn’t hold, how can Huaiyang Pass? And Liu Ya and Fu Ling—their strength lies in cavalry mobility! How can they be expected to hold static positions? You’re the infantry commander, but I lead the Northern Liang cavalry! I refuse to let ten thousand of our horsemen dismount and die like trapped rats on those walls because of your stubbornness! And I won’t stand by while my tens of thousands of cavalrymen are crammed into Chongzhong, watching their brothers die at the front without a chance to fight!”

Zhou Kang’s eyes burned with fury. “If you’re afraid to die, fine! The infantry can play it safe—I don’t care. But don’t drag my cavalry down with you!”

Gu Dazu replied calmly, “Because without your cavalry’s support, Chongzhong cannot hold. Cities are static. Without cavalry to harass the enemy’s flanks, no fortress is impregnable. Likewise, without strongholds to anchor them, cavalry are like water without a source. Winning battles is easy, but winning the war? Impossible.”

Zhou Kang sneered. “Then let your infantry stay put in Chongzhong. Just support our cavalry—watch us kill the enemy. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Right now, Dong Zhuo’s army hasn’t fully consolidated, but our cavalry knows this terrain like the back of our hands. We could strike hard and fast, even in night battles. Our familiarity with the land can offset their numbers. You keep saying we should wait for news from Liucang City in Liuzhou and Xiaguang City in Youzhou, even delay until that new city on Liangzhou’s border is built. But you’re a veteran—you know opportunities in war are fleeting. Or are you just waiting for Protector Chu to die in Huaiyang Pass so you can take his place in that new city?”

Gu Dazu’s expression remained unchanged as he stared at the reckless cavalry commander. “Zhou Kang, words in the military carry weight. Some things I can tolerate, but others are not so easily dismissed.”

Zhou Kang smirked. “Finally showing your teeth? Outside these walls, I have thirty thousand Northern Liang Right Army cavalry. Do you dare kill me here in Chongzhong?”

He theatrically glanced around. “In those operas, they always have that dramatic moment—toss a cup, and hundreds of assassins leap out to chop someone to mincemeat. But you don’t have a cup, Gu Dazu. And these officers here? I doubt they’d obey your orders.”

Gu Dazu chuckled. “We both know the truth. In Chongzhong, you’re the one who could have me under house arrest. Every officer here dislikes me to some degree.”

Chen Yunhui, who had stayed silent to avoid escalating tensions, sighed deeply. How had things come to this? If only Chu Lushan were present—or even Yan Wenluan or Yuan Zuozong. Without a clear leader, chaos reigned.

If not for the gravity of the situation—one that could shape Northern Liang’s fate and even the world’s balance—men like Gu Dazu, Zhou Kang, Qi Dangguo, and Ning Emei, all capable of deciding the outcome of a regional war, would never be at such an impasse.

Chen Yunhui suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for his younger days, when legendary generals and strategists like Li Yishan, Zhao Changling, Yan Wenluan, Wu Yong, Xu Pu, Wei Tieshan, Liu Yuanji, Zhong Hongwu, Chen Zhibao, Yuan Zuozong, and Chu Lushan gathered under one banner. Back then, someone always had the final say—never this near-mutinous discord.

But the Prince had rushed to Liuzhou to quell the crisis.

And Chu Lushan, stubbornly holding Huaiyang Pass, had made no strategic decisions regarding the volatile situation in Chongzhong.

Knowing he had to mediate before violence erupted, Chen Yunhui stepped forward. Though he privately agreed with Zhou Kang’s aggressive stance, Gu Dazu was still the infantry’s leading figure in Liangzhou. Zhou Kang’s blatant disrespect unsettled him.

This wasn’t just a clash between Zhou and Gu—it was the age-old divide between Northern Liang’s cavalry and infantry, a rift even Yan Wenluan couldn’t bridge. The infantry might outnumber the cavalry, but in wars against the Northern Wilderness, the cavalry always decided the outcome.

Chen Yunhui placed his hands on the table. “The situation in Liangzhou is dire. Liuzhou is no better—even the Prince had to go there personally to face Liu Gui’s army, possibly even Tuoba Pusa. Let’s not add to his burdens. Speak calmly, leave the anger aside…”

He glanced at Zhou Kang and Gu Dazu. “Gentlemen, let me remind you—this is the Northern Liang Protectorate’s war council, second only to the capital’s command. We’re not court officials who debate while others bleed. We lead armies. Tomorrow, any of us could be on the battlefield. Today might be the last time I see some of you.”

“I trust General Gu’s caution, and I trust General Zhou’s boldness. Whether Chongzhong’s cavalry fights or holds has pros and cons. Since we can’t reach Huaiyang Pass, and Commander Yuan isn’t in Liangzhou, and the Prince is in Liuzhou, perhaps we can compromise—a strategy that balances offense and defense?”

Gu Dazu hesitated, then spoke firmly. “Chongzhong must hold. More importantly, we must preserve the Northern Liang cavalry’s strength. This isn’t about boldness or caution—it’s about avoiding this battle entirely. Even if we kill a hundred thousand enemies, losing thirty thousand of our own would cripple the Left Army for a year. That would mean Northern Liang’s defeat.”

He traced a circle on the sand table. “Why hasn’t He Zhonghu’s forty-thousand-strong Right Army moved? Because that new city—built at half of Northern Liang’s treasury—must stand. Huaiyang Pass can fall. Chongzhong can fall. But we must delay the Northern Wilderness’ advance north of that city for as long as possible. Casualties don’t matter. Whether Protector Chu dies, whether I die, whether Chen Yunhui dies, whether Zhou Kang dies—none of it matters!”

Gu Dazu smiled bitterly. “Dong Zhuo would love nothing more than for our cavalry to engage him head-on. The Northern Wilderness court only cares how many Northern Liang soldiers he kills, not how many of his own men die. Look at the eastern Hulu Pass—how many Northern Wilderness infantry did that young general Zhong Tan sacrifice to take Wolong and Luanhe Cities? Yet he was rewarded with a promotion. If the Left Army fights now, even with ten thousand losses, Dong Zhuo’s shaky position as Southern Court King would stabilize for another half-year.”

He stared at the sand table, voice hoarse. “I know everyone here thinks Chongzhong’s inaction dishonors the dead of Hulu Pass and Tiger Head City, even Liu Jinu…”

Just then, a cold voice cut through the hall.

“Enough.”

Every head turned toward the tall figure at the entrance.

The newcomer was travel-worn yet radiated an aura of unshakable authority.

It was Xu Fengnian, who had ridden alone from Tianjing Pasture to Chongzhong. To reach Huaiyang Pass swiftly and free up more troops for Shi Fu’s campaign in Liuzhou, he hadn’t even brought his White Horse Guards. The relentless journey had aggravated the sword qi wounds left by Qi Jiejie, leaving the normally composed grandmaster pale and strained.

But what truly angered him was the infighting in the war council.

Tiger Head City had fallen. Liu Jinu was dead. The Longxiang Army in Liuzhou faced annihilation. The Hulu Pass’s encirclement of Yang Yuanzan’s army was uncertain. The new city on Liangzhou’s border remained unfinished. With no strongholds left, Liangzhou’s open plains now faced Dong Zhuo’s advancing center army. And He Zhonghu, one of Liangzhou’s cavalry pillars, lay critically ill.

Xu Fengnian himself couldn’t join the fight yet.

No wonder his mood was foul.

Yet as he strode into the hall, the young Prince of Northern Liang suppressed his fury. Though he made no accusations, even the fearless Zhou Kang shrank under his gaze.

Xu Fengnian exhaled slowly. “I’d love to be in Liuzhou right now, beating Tuoba Pusa to death—maybe even take out Liu Gui while I’m at it. But I can’t. Liangzhou is more critical, so I came here instead. And I stood outside listening to your… debate for a quarter-hour. Pity I missed the part where Generals Gu and Zhou came to blows.”

Zhou Kang coughed awkwardly. Some junior officers stifled laughter.

Xu Fengnian didn’t press further. He walked to the table’s northern side, facing south. The officers on both sides instinctively straightened, holding their breath.

“‘Subduing the enemy without fighting’ is a bureaucrat’s trick. That’s not our way in Northern Liang. If the Northern Wilderness wants to invade, we’ll fight—and win so thoroughly they’ll never make it home.”

“Winning battles has always been our confidence—not arrogance. But even Xu Xiao never took easy victories for granted. Do you know which battle cemented Northern Liang’s reputation as the premier army of the Spring and Autumn Era? The Battle of Xilebi—the bloodiest, most desperate fight of Xu Xiao’s life, where he nearly lost hope more than once. Now, Northern Liang faces its second Xilebi. Xu Xiao is gone. So are Li Yishan, Zhao Changling, Chen Zhibao, Wu Qi, Xu Pu, Zhong Hongwu… But!”

He swept his gaze across the room. “But here with me now are Chen Yunhui, Zhou Kang, Yuan Nanjing, Qi Dangguo, Ning Emei—and Gu Dazu, newly joined to Northern Liang. To the north, Chu Lushan holds Huaiyang Pass. To the east, Yan Wenluan’s infantry and Yu Luandao’s cavalry stand in Youzhou, alongside Hu Kui and Huangfu Ping. In Hulu Pass, Yuan Zuozong personally leads two heavy cavalry divisions. To the west, Xu Longxiang, Li Mofan, and Wang Lingbao command the Longxiang Army, supported by Yang Guangdou and Chen Xiliang’s Liuzhou administration. And to the south? Countless more—not just Northern Liang’s own officials, but thousands of scholars from across the land!”

“Even retired veterans like Wei Tieshan and Liu Yuanji—including the old soldier Lin Doufang—have pledged to return to the border army.”

Xu Fengnian smiled faintly. “Whether history remembers Northern Liang’s stand against an empire isn’t our concern. Let the court scribes write what they will. But I hope all of you live to tell your grandchildren war stories someday.”

“Just like Xu Xiao used to tell me.”

“But if any of you fall in battle…” He looked at Zhou Kang. “Say, if Zhou Kang dies, I’m sure some old man named Gu might sit down with a young Zhou someday, share a drink, and say, ‘Your ancestor Zhou Kang? Harsh words, but… a hero who died for Northern Liang.’”

For a moment, Xu Fengnian’s expression grew distant. Then he grinned. “If I die, and any of you live, tell your children this: Northern Liang fell fighting—not surrendering.”