Chapter 684: Tian Wuxue

Though the weather was cold, snow had not yet fallen.

One could hardly grasp the poetic imagery of stars hanging low over a vast plain without personally visiting the frontier. Xu Fengnian accompanied Xu Weixiong as they left the Protectorate General's office, passed through Huaiyang Pass, and ventured several miles beyond, with only Chu Lushan accompanying them. The veteran general Yan Wenluan and the newly prominent Yu Luandao had already departed for Youzhou to oversee military affairs. Before leaving, Yu Luandao handed Xu Fengnian a memorial, specifically detailing the battle analysis of Guangling Road, with a particular focus on Kou Jianghuai's series of rapid, expanding campaigns. Large-scale cavalry battles in the open field were always a sight reserved for frontier battlefields. In the Central Plains, with numerous cities scattered like stars and rivers impeding movement, cavalry found it extremely difficult to operate effectively. More precisely, it was difficult to execute seamless campaigns. Fighting one or a few brilliant battles was not hard, but to carry a campaign through from start to finish, dispensing with infantry and maximizing the cavalry's combat power, truly tested the commanding general's ability. Along the way, Chu Lushan bent his head, carefully poring over the document by the faint starlight, unable to put it down, occasionally exclaiming in wonder. When Xu Fengnian and Xu Weixiong stopped on a small patch of desolate ground, Chu Lushan carefully put away the stack of invaluable Xuan paper, glanced at the sky, and softly sighed, "Lu Shengxiang's proudest achievement was the capture of Luzhou on a snowy night, which helped Gu Jiantang take all of Dongyue without shedding much blood. As for me, my thousand-cavalry march into Shu all those years ago was also successful; I fulfilled my duty. These two campaigns have been re-enacted and analyzed countless times by old scholars teaching military strategy at Shangyin Academy and the Imperial College over the past decade or so. However, in my opinion, Kou Jianghuai, this untamed figure in the new Western Chu court, is significantly stronger than both me and Minister Lu. It's no wonder Yu Luandao, a proud and influential young lord, doesn't hesitate to praise another peer from a prominent family."

Xu Weixiong reached out for the stack of Xuan paper from Chu Lushan, placed it on her lap, casually drew out a page, and calmly stated, "Kou Jianghuai was recognized as a polymath at Shangyin Academy, though in the eyes of some scholars, he was slightly criticized for being broad but not deep. I once played several games of chess with him…"

Xu Fengnian couldn't resist interjecting with a question, "Second Sister, could that fellow actually win against you in chess?"

Xu Weixiong looked straight at Xu Fengnian, who gave an awkward smile and quickly shut up. Chu Lushan, catching sight of this, couldn't help but inwardly chuckle, knowing that in the entire world, only a handful of people could make their young King of Northern Liang stumble. However, Xu Fengnian, who always picked on the weaker target, shot a fierce glare at the gloating Chu Lushan, who then had no choice but to sheepishly suppress his smile. After all, finding someone in either court who could make "Lu Qiu'er" stumble was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Xu Weixiong continued, "Most of my opponents are master players in the chess world. Among them, Kou Jianghuai undoubtedly has the weakest tactical skill. However, his ideas are the most unconstrained; his game has no fixed pattern. He can play terrifyingly strong moves as well as utterly nonsensical blunders, and he can even shamelessly make unreasonable moves all the way to the end. None of this is surprising. What truly makes Kou Jianghuai remarkable is his minimal desire to win or lose. Such an opponent would be very difficult to deal with on a battlefield where large armies face off. King Zhao Yi of Guangling has clearly suffered greatly. On Western Chu's eastern front, Kou Jianghuai, with inferior forces, captured six strategic cities and passes within two weeks, including Huangyan Pass and Dijinze. He took cities but did not hold them, abandoning contention for temporary gains in favor of achieving overwhelming numerical superiority against the enemy on individual battlefields, eroding reinforcements bit by bit, executing grand transfers, and extended raids. This seemingly 'unreasonable' method of warfare is indeed worth emulating for us in Northern Liang, given our disadvantage against Northern Mang."

Chu Lushan, perhaps tired of standing, plunked himself down on the grass next to Xu Weixiong's wheelchair. His head was still roughly at the same height as hers, a testament to the immense size of this 'Lu Qiu'er,' the chief official of Northern Liang. The sparse, withered grass after winter's onset didn't seem to bother him. He chuckled and said, "Western Chu's situation after its restoration is quite similar to ours in Northern Liang; we're practically brothers in misfortune. Under the joint encirclement of two southward armies and several great vassal kings, Western Chu is truly performing a ritual in a snail shell—struggling under immense constraints. If Cao Changqing had personally taken command, forcing Yang Shenxing into impotence and leading to Yan Zhenchun's death in battle, it would be understandable. But now, Western Chu has only deployed two junior generals, yet they've already thrown the Zhao imperial court into disarray. Zhao Yi has even had to bring out the 'Lucky General of Spring Snow Tower.' It seems the war in Guangling won't be as short as the three to six months the Liyang Ministry of War gentlemen predicted, nor even the one and a half years we in Northern Liang initially expected. By the time the last wisp of smoke dissipates, it will probably have been two years."

Xu Fengnian sneered, "The Zhao Emperor adopted a new reign title, Xiangfu, intending a fresh start. A fresh start it is, but one utterly devoid of any joy. Suppressing Northern Liang and neglecting Guangling—these are all situations he created himself. I wonder if he'll feel any regret. Besides handing over the dragon robe and throne to Crown Prince Zhao Zhuan, he's leaving behind such a colossal mess."

Xu Weixiong shook her head and said gravely, "The Zhao clan has always been skilled at exploiting chaotic situations in the mid-game and delivering decisive blows at the end. Despite losing the initiative, the Zhao dynasty is far more established and powerful than the Liyang of old, which was confined to one corner, meaning they can afford to lose more. The only difference is that back then, our Xu family served as their vanguard, and the former emperor, regardless of his inner anxieties, outwardly trusted our father and the Xu family's iron cavalry. If it weren't for the current emperor's single-minded determination to pin the Xu family down in the Northwest frontier, who among Cao Changqing and the Western Chu remnants would dare to rebel and seek their own demise? As long as Northern Liang's frontier army deployed fifty thousand troops to quell the rebellion, how could Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun have failed to preserve their reputations in their later years?"

Chu Lushan said sinisterly, "There's no helping it. The Zhao Emperor is dead set on becoming an enemy of the world. The powerful vassal kings, the new gentry officials who are gradually forming factions, and the regional warlords – in his eyes, none of them are good. He wants to solve all these problems for his son before he dies, but the chessboard is too small; it can't accommodate so many major pieces. If he truly succeeds, Crown Prince Zhao Zhuan might actually become a pleasure-seeking emperor who doesn't prioritize military might but instead focuses on civil governance. Gu Jiantang would be constrained by Chen Zhibao, and the civil officials, without Zhang Julu, would be headless. At that point, they'd be too busy trying to fathom the emperor's will to even think about governing the nation or bringing peace to the world. Besides, if the world were truly peaceful then, military generals would all retire to their farms, and there'd be no glory for civil officials to claim. After Yonghui, during the Xiangfu era, what else would ministers do besides flatter the monarch? And let's not forget, that old man Yuan Benxi is quite the smooth operator with his calculations."

Xu Fengnian waved his hand and said, "Talking about this is useless now. Aside from the situation in Liuzhou, we still don't have detailed intelligence on Dong Zhuo's specific troop deployments. Lu Qiu'er, how long do you think Liuzhou can hold back Liu Gui's army, and how many Northern Mang frontier troops can be drawn into that pocket in Liuzhou?"

Chu Lushan said with a smile, "With His Royal Highness's thirty thousand Dragon-Elephant Army defending Liuzhou, Liu Gui's disorganized forces of over a hundred thousand wouldn't be able to take it in a hundred years. As for this unprecedented war between us and Northern Mang, from a future perspective, no matter how the early stages are fought, there's no single best or worst strategy. It all depends on who can accumulate advantages bit by bit across various separated battlefields. Currently, Dong Zhuo clearly isn't focusing too much on Liuzhou. He summoned Liu Gui, the most prestigious and youngest of the thirteen great generals, to that region because he doesn't want Liu Gui to rise to prominence during the future conquest of the Central Plains, or at the very least, he doesn't want Liu Gui to rise too quickly or too powerfully. My greatest concern is that Dong Zhuo might launch a concentrated assault on Youzhou, relentlessly battering its defenses regardless of casualties, while deploying his most elite forces—Tuoba Pusa and Hong Jingyan—to the northern front of Liangzhou to tie down our main cavalry force."

Xu Weixiong nodded and said, "As for attacking Youzhou, in the short term, it would be Northern Mang's most foolish and unrewarding strategy. However, in the long run, it's the best way to preserve Northern Mang's national strength. After all, Northern Liang doesn't have the strategic depth of the Central Plains. Even if Youzhou has Yixing Pool for defense and clusters of fortresses and military towns south of Hulu Pass, the claim that Hulu Pass alone could consume 160,000 Northern Mang troops, while not exaggerated, means that if Northern Mang has the audacity, by sacrificing just another 100,000 troops, Youzhou would be rendered useless. After that, Liangzhou's main forces would have to rush to reinforce Youzhou. Once such a situation develops, whether Liuzhou holds or not becomes irrelevant to the overall picture. This is also the reason Yan Wenluan insisted on Yu Luandao leading thirty thousand light cavalry to Jizhou. He is determined to use Youzhou to buy more time and space for all of Northern Liang. But this is ultimately a desperate measure; the final outcome will only be a matter of losing more or less. The Liyang court would be delighted, but Northern Liang cannot afford it."

Xu Weixiong clasped her hands on the Xuan paper on her lap and gazed into the distance, "Protector Chu's insistence on making Liuzhou a stalemate, drawing the full attention of both Northern Mang's northern and southern courts, hoping that Northern Mang's frontier army would divert forces to Liuzhou, is also due to his concern that Dong Zhuo is single-mindedly intent on attacking Youzhou. For over a decade, Father poured countless efforts and military funds into Youzhou. Even seven years ago, during the raid led by the Dragon Waist State Commissioner, he deliberately kept Liangzhou's frontier army from rescuing Youzhou, watching helplessly as thirty thousand Youzhou defenders lost one city and stronghold after another, exchanging lives with the Northern barbarians. All of this was to instill fear in Northern Mang regarding Youzhou's defenses, hoping that one day, Youzhou would not become a fatal weakness."

Chu Lushan whispered, "Mercy has no place in commanding an army."

Chu Lushan suddenly exhaled a heavy breath. "That old woman has been consolidating Northern Mang's martial arts factions for years, and now it's finally proving useful. Along the border, those masters are keeping a tight watch on all major passes and crossroads. Anyone found secretly crossing, regardless of their identity, is immediately executed on the spot. Many of our deep-cover agents and spies, who have been embedded for years, are now finding it very difficult to transmit important military intelligence. This time, major sects like the Chess Sword Music Pavilion and Princess's Tomb have all been deployed, to blockade border news and cooperate with Dong Zhuo's frontier troop movements. This move is truly ruthless. Our Whispering Waters Bureau has been thoroughly investigated and rooted out in Northern Mang, suffering heavy losses. Years of operations in many provinces have been completely uprooted."

Squatting on the ground, Chu Lushan reached up and rubbed his cheek. "That's not even the worst of it. Not long ago, a spy was deliberately released by Northern Mang, carrying sixteen heads of his Whispering Waters Bureau colleagues in his satchel. When that spy saw me, he wept, saying he would rather die than return to Northern Liang if it weren't for his hope that the Whispering Waters Bureau could retrieve those heads. After he put down his satchel, he borrowed a Liangdao saber that very night and took his own life. He left no last words, no suicide note, nothing."

Chu Lushan said dully, "Our new Liangdao sabers haven't even had the chance to kill Northern barbarians yet, and damn it, they've already been used by our own men to take their lives. If I keep bottling up this anger, my lungs will explode."

Xu Fengnian remained silent, his hands clasped within the large sleeves of his purple-gold python robe.

After winter's onset, the protracted warfare in Guangling Road temporarily ceased, and it was Northern Liang's turn for the smoke of war to rise.

This winter, snow had not yet fallen.

And no one knew when it would finally snow.

However, the drawing of the Liangdao sabers from the waists of the three hundred thousand frontier soldiers was something that could happen at any moment.