Chapter 794: North Liang Four Battles (II)

Even before Mr. Bai Lian revealed the heavenly secret, when that sword swept towards Taoshu Town from ten thousand miles away, a great war was already on the verge of erupting in Liuzhou.

Two civil officials and one military officer from Liuzhou walked along the city wall, near the parapet, which was slightly lower than the outer wall. Outside the city, small groups of Northern Mang cavalry, numbering anywhere from thirty to two hundred, constantly whizzed past. Periodically, they would unleash volleys of arrows from horseback. While these did not cause casualties among the defending soldiers, their actions were akin to sightseeing, heavily imbued with a sense of provocation.

The only elder among the three, dressed in the official purple robe of a third-rank civil servant with a peacock insignia embroidered on it, smiled as several sharp arrows whizzed past his head. "Unwelcome guests," he remarked. "They enjoy throwing shoes at other people's doorsteps, but if we ever get the chance…"

He paused, then turned with a smile to the young man in military robes and armor. "General Kou," he asked, "will this official ever get such a chance?"

Cai Junchen, who had declared himself the Dragon King of the Western Regions, was assigned by the King of Northern Liang to serve as the governor of Huangnan Commandery in Lingzhou, where he lived an idyllic life with his wife, Yu Rourou. Consequently, the Dragon King's Mansion in Azure City was converted into the Liuzhou Prefectural Residence.

The elder was Yang Guangdou, the Prefect and highest-ranking civil official in Liuzhou. Beside him was Chen Xiliang, a poor scholar from Jiangnan Province who had settled in Liuzhou and served as his civil advisor.

After Azure City detected Liu Gui's army's intention to besiege, a heated, overnight dispute broke out at the Prefectural Residence. Two sharply opposing factions emerged regarding whether to defend or retreat. Older Liuzhou officials advocated for the pragmatic approach of "where there's life, there's hope," suggesting they abandon Azure City and retreat to Linyiao Military Town under the escort of the Dragon Elephant Army. Their reasoning was that as long as people survived, the military and political operations of Liuzhou would continue unimpeded. In contrast, the younger generation of officials, whether from military families or scholars from the Central Plains who had come to Liang, strongly insisted on defending Azure City to the death, hoping to secure a decisive battle for the Dragon Elephant Army to determine the fate of Liuzhou. This argument would not have escalated so severely had just two individuals agreed, but the problem was that the usually cautious Prefect Yang Guangdou unexpectedly supported defending the city to the end, while Chen Xiliang, whose prestige among the Liuzhou refugees was almost higher than that of the young feudal prince, advocated the exact opposite—moving the Prefectural Residence to Linyiao. This created an impasse.

It was at this critical juncture that the newly appointed Liuzhou General entered Azure City.

Kou Jianghuai gently placed his hand on the rough parapet wall. He made no grand pronouncements and offered no chest-thumping assurances to the elderly Prefect.

This ancient military town, once used by the Great Feng Dynasty to control the vast Western Regions, was now Liuzhou's largest military stronghold and closest to Liangzhou. However, its city walls felt like a mere decoration to Kou Jianghuai, who was accustomed to the majestic cities of the Central Plains. Despite being urgently reinforced after its inclusion in Northern Liang's territory, the fortifications still seemed laughable. The young Liuzhou General, who had arrived with a few hundred cavalry, was temporarily carrying out his duties from a residence near the Prefectural Mansion. Yet, in a vast territory like Liuzhou, comparable in size to the entire old Northern Liang, the forces Kou Jianghuai could truly command were few and far between. For instance, the Dragon Elephant Army, Liuzhou's most formidable fighting force, consisting of thirty thousand soldiers, was directly under the command of the Protectorate General's office. Its commander, Xu Longxiang, and his two deputies, Li Mofan and Wang Lingbao, were beyond Kou Jianghuai's authority. If he dared to interfere with the Dragon Elephant Army's promotions or demotions, his career as Liuzhou General would likely be over. As for the officers and soldiers of the Linyiao and Fengxiang garrisons, Kou Jianghuai didn't know a single one. Currently, he only had the four thousand Azure Army soldiers within Azure City and the over ten thousand young, able-bodied refugees rallied by Chen Xiliang at his disposal. While their individual combat skills were decent and they could adequately defend the city, Kou Jianghuai wondered what they could achieve in a large-scale battlefield engagement other than providing military merits to Liu Gui.

Thus, this Liuzhou General, who was determined to achieve great things in the Western Regions, found himself in a worse predicament than a clever housewife without rice to cook; he didn't even have a proper stove to begin with.

Kou Jianghuai walked closer to the outer wall, watching the dust stirred up by the galloping Northern Mang cavalry. He said softly, "Prefect Yang wants to defend to the death because he believes that a retreat would turn Liuzhou from a state of equilibrium into a completely disadvantageous position, where it would lose all initiative. This would have ripple effects, tearing a large gap in the connection between Liuzhou and Liangzhou, allowing Northern Mang's Southern Dynasty garrisons and Dong Zhuo's central line to continuously transport troops here, thereby jeopardizing the entire Liangzhou strategy. Mr. Chen, on the other hand, wants to retreat because he fears the Dragon Elephant Army will fall into a trap and suffer heavy losses fighting Liu Gui's army outside Azure City. Once the Dragon Elephant Army loses its ability to contain Northern Mang's western forces…"

Chen Xiliang rudely interrupted Kou Jianghuai. "Although I wouldn't call myself well-versed in military affairs, I know that Liu Gui, having endured for so long, must be planning a decisive battle. Azure City is merely a lure. I'm even certain that when Liu Gui's army attacks Azure City, they won't be too swift initially. They will gradually entice and force the Dragon Elephant Army to commit more troops until all thirty thousand are mired in a quagmire. Furthermore, I am not advocating abandoning Azure City. Instead, I suggest all Prefectural Residence officials retreat to Linyiao Military Town, while I, along with those fourteen thousand people, will defend Azure City to the last man. This way, the Dragon Elephant Army can choose to attack or retreat, preventing them from getting stuck in an inescapable trap."

The Chen Xiliang of today was dark-skinned, bearing no trace of the elegant and refined scholar he had once been at Baoguo Temple. Simply put, the handsome, refined scholar who might have once caught the eye of a fox spirit in a desolate mountain temple would now, even if fox spirits truly existed, be ignored by them, given his calloused hands from constant labor.

Yang Guangdou, full of pent-up anger these past two days, snorted coldly, "Don't just talk about Northern Liang; almost all of Liyang knows that in the King of Northern Liang's heart, you, Chen Xiliang, are worth more than the entire Prefectural Residence!"

Chen Xiliang frowned. "Then tell the Dragon Elephant Army responsible for the escort that I, Chen Xiliang, will also retreat to Linyiao Military Town."

Yang Guangdou let out an angry laugh. "Do you think Li Mofan and Wang Lingbao, who rose to be generals, are fools? Every single one of them is shrewd! It's one thing if I, Yang Guangdou, die, but if you, Chen Xiliang, die in Azure City, under the very noses of the esteemed Dragon Elephant Army deputy generals Li Mofan and Wang Lingbao, do you think they'll still have any hope of rising in the Northern Liang border army?!"

Kou Jianghuai smiled and interrupted their argument. "A good strategist considers defeat before victory. Those are truly sage words from military treatises."

To be honest, Yang Guangdou was very curious about this young Western Chu remnant, who had almost made it onto the list of top generals. Based on the temperament Kou Jianghuai had displayed in a series of battles in Guangling Province, he was not a general who obsessed over momentary gains or losses in specific locations. On the contrary, despite his overall troop inferiority, Kou Jianghuai excelled at large-scale, long-distance raids, consistently ensuring he had superior forces in local engagements. This strategy had utterly demoralized the entire eastern front of the Guangling army, turning it into a sieve and putting Zhao Yi's elite units on tenterhooks. Ultimately, they lost the courage to even sally out for rescue, fearing they would walk directly into another trap. After Kou Jianghuai annihilated all of Zhao Yi's main field armies on the eastern front, city after city and pass after pass completely lost contact, becoming mere empty shells. Yang Guangdou had initially thought Kou Jianghuai, upon arriving in Azure City, would support Chen Xiliang and the Prefectural Residence's civil advisors who prioritized stability. Privately, Yang Guangdou also worried that Kou Jianghuai, being so young, was simply eager to establish his prestige in Liuzhou and intended to use the defense of Azure City to accumulate military merits.

Yang Guangdou hesitated, then decided to stop being evasive and asked straightforwardly, "General Kou, what is your level of confidence? Can you give me the bottom line?"

Kou Jianghuai looked towards the distant Northern Mang encampment. "If Azure City were simply Azure City, and all variables were confined to its immediate vicinity, without external interference, and the forces on both sides were only those openly visible, then I would have merely ten percent confidence in improving Liuzhou's situation."

Chen Xiliang smiled wryly, remaining silent.

Kou Jianghuai continued, "The situation in Liuzhou is different from the eastern front of Guangling Province where I was before. There, while there seemed to be many cities and heavily fortified passes, they were all static, like chess pieces rooted in place once played. The Guangling military generals of the Liyang court had reached a dead end, as if they lost their very soul without a city to defend. Here in Liuzhou, it's very different. This is a battlefield where cavalry is destined to determine victory or defeat. The forces from Linyiao and Fengxiang garrisons will be a small variable, and Liu Gui's hidden reserves will be a major variable. It's a case of 'distant water cannot quench a nearby fire,' and the key will be to see whose reinforcements arrive on the battlefield at a more opportune moment."

Kou Jianghuai pointed to the east, even further east than Liu Gui's army camp. "The true variable, in fact, lies in our hands, in Northern Liang. If just ten thousand cavalry from Liangzhou ride to Liuzhou—they don't even need to be the Great Snow Dragon Riders, nor Qi Dangguo's six thousand Iron Buddha cavalry—the most ordinary Liangzhou border cavalry would be enough."

Yang Guangdou shook his head. "While I advocate for defending Azure City to the death, I also understand that Azure City's survival cannot wait for Liangzhou's cavalry to arrive after hearing the news. We can only rely on the fourteen thousand people in Azure City and the thirty thousand Dragon Elephant Army outside the city, at most supplemented by seven to eight thousand cavalry temporarily drawn from Linyiao and Fengxiang garrisons."

Kou Jianghuai burst out laughing. "Since we're already committed to defending Azure City to the death, it doesn't hurt to have a bit more hope."

Kou Jianghuai turned and smiled at a worried Chen Xiliang. "To calm people's hearts and prevent a rout after the first engagement, I will trouble you, sir, and those young refugees to 'falsify military intelligence.' Tell them that the Northern Liang border cavalry is on its way, and as long as Azure City holds for five days without falling, there will be no place left for even a single Northern Mang barbarian in Liuzhou."

Chen Xiliang's face showed a hint of anger.

Kou Jianghuai deliberately ignored it and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, sir? Can't you bear to do it? Does it go against your conscience? Actually, if you look at it from another angle, it's quite simple. Since we have to defend the city to the death regardless of whether Liangzhou reinforcements arrive, high morale will always lead to far fewer deaths than low morale. Surely, sir, you don't wish for Azure City to fall within a day or two, and for fourteen thousand scattered individuals to endure multiple slaughters by a bloodthirsty Northern Mang army? You are a proper scholar, perhaps not deeply familiar with military matters, but the battlefields where the most and fastest deaths occur are often not during sieges, not in cavalry clashes or when cavalry break infantry formations, but rather during the massacres after a city falls, or during the pursuit of routing soldiers in the wilderness."

Chen Xiliang asked two questions: "Is General Kou willing to fight to the death with Azure City? Are you truly willing to die in this Western Regions military town?"

Kou Jianghuai seemed to be downplaying the matter, replying in a calm tone, "I, Kou Jianghuai, came to Liuzhou as its general to win battles. I am not afraid of death, but I also cherish my life."

Chen Xiliang bid them farewell and left.

Kou Jianghuai smiled, unconcerned.

Yang Guangdou did not follow Chen Xiliang down the city wall. He sighed, "General Kou, you must see that Chen Xiliang already considers Liuzhou and Azure City his home. Why rub salt in his wound? And given Chen Xiliang's temperament, once he forms a bad impression of someone, it will be very difficult to change it for life. General Kou is not here in Liuzhou for a one-time deal; you are here to achieve great accomplishments and establish your career. If that's the case, why intentionally antagonize Chen Xiliang?"

Kou Jianghuai countered, "Is Chen Xiliang merely a gentleman who prefers straightforwardness?"

Yang Guangdou shook his head. "That would be underestimating him far too much. Chen Xiliang could very well be the next Li Yishan. Compared to Xu Beizhi, who is having a smooth official career in Lingzhou, I am more optimistic about Chen Xiliang."

Kou Jianghuai ran his hand over the slightly warm crenel on the wall and said softly, "The intelligence reports sent from Liuzhou to Liangzhou are merely us doing our best and leaving the rest to fate. I am gambling that Liangzhou has someone with such foresight… In short, this time Liuzhou will either lose everything or make a huge fortune."

Yang Guangdou sighed with emotion, "If only I had another six months to build a rudimentary beacon tower system along Liuzhou's southern line, we wouldn't be so passive. Alas, time waits for no one!"

Kou Jianghuai's gaze was complex. No one knew what this Liuzhou General, who had taken on such a hot potato immediately upon his appointment, was truly planning.

The Dragon Elephant Army's main camp, stationed south of Azure City, was different from Liu Gui's army, which was rife with resentment and simmering undercurrents, and also different from the indecisive Azure City.

From top to bottom, the entire Dragon Elephant Army was focused and unwavering. Last year, they had swept deep into Northern Mang territory, conquering most of Guse Province and leaving the four military towns of Wazhu Junziguan and Ligumao in dire straits. Ultimately, even Dong Zhuo himself had to take to the field, still losing around five thousand elite private troops. Then, in the spring of this year, they single-handedly annihilated over eight thousand Qiang cavalry, known as the "Desert Ghosts." The Dragon Elephant Army's morale had been built up through one hard-fought victory after another. Even before Xu Longxiang took command of the Dragon Elephant cavalry, Deputy Generals Li Mofan and Scarface Wang Lingbao were already independent border commanders. For over a decade, there wasn't a single year they hadn't fought several battles against the Northern Mang barbarians.

The black-clad youth sat on a small hillock, with an astonishingly large black tiger sprawled beside him. The tiger lazily dozed, occasionally shaking its massive body, sending up clouds of dust and yellow sand.

Li Mofan and Scarface Wang Lingbao, whose appearance was fierce, stood a short distance away, each leading his horse. Scarface Wang Lingbao quietly asked, "From the looks of it, the Northern Mang barbarians will make their move tomorrow. We definitely have to fight this battle, but what's our strategy, Old Li? Do you have a plan?"

Li Mofan's warhorse was like a mobile armory, carrying not only an iron spear but also a riding bow, two light crossbows, and a quiver full of short halberds. Li Mofan himself also carried a saber and sword. Upon hearing Wang Lingbao's question, the Dragon Elephant Army deputy general, who had always had a mixed reputation, retorted impatiently, "Strategy? Thirty thousand Dragon Elephant troops are all cavalry. What else can we do but cavalry against cavalry and cavalry against infantry? What other tricks are there? Old Man Liu Gui clearly intends to use Azure City as bait to catch our Dragon Elephant Army, the big fish. Well, we'll take the bait, but we'll drag that fisherman into the water too. We'll show them that pulling chestnuts from the fire isn't so easy; they might just end up playing with fire and burning themselves."

Wang Lingbao chuckled. "So, our Deputy General Li gets nervous sometimes, huh? In the past, when you talked about deploying troops, you were always so articulate, eager to use every single cavalry unit to its absolute limit. If I didn't interrupt, you could talk for an hour without taking a breath."

Li Mofan's expression turned gloomy, and he offered no retort.

Wang Lingbao leaned closer and quietly asked, "Are you worried we can't stop Tuoba Pusa?"

Li Mofan shook his head. "Both sides combined have nearly one hundred and fifty thousand troops. In such a massive battlefield, a grandmaster of martial arts isn't that important. Tuoba Pusa, who has no authority over this Northern Mang western army, even if he participates, can only influence the battle to a certain extent, but he cannot truly determine its outcome."

Wang Lingbao rolled his eyes. "Then what are you worried about? You know how useless the cavalry from Guse Province's four towns are. Unless old man Liu Gui uses heavy armored infantry as his central army, sets up chevaux de frise to the death, and then places all his cavalry on the flanks, using that most rigid, 'turtle-in-a-shell' tactic against the Dragon Elephant Army, we'll have plenty of opportunities."

Li Mofan still shook his head. "If he uses such a strategy, one that any mediocre Northern Mang general could mechanically apply, then he wouldn't be Liu Gui."

Wang Lingbao also grew a bit annoyed. Suddenly remembering something, he asked curiously, "That General Kou from Liuzhou said he wants us to reserve five thousand elite troops for him, not to be used under any circumstances. What's the purpose of that? Did we actually agree to it?"

Li Mofan replied helplessly, "The General has already agreed, so just do as instructed."

A long silence followed.

Wang Lingbao suddenly laughed. "Old Li, I never expected that not a single one of those civil officials from Azure City would end up going to Linyiao. Don't you think Northern Liang is the only place in the world where you'd see something like this? It's not that I, Wang Lingbao, am heartless, but the thought of those scholarly officials potentially appearing on the city wall and trying to draw bows and shoot arrows like us just makes me want to laugh."

A hint of a smile also appeared on Li Mofan's face.

Wang Lingbao subconsciously touched the scar on his face and asked again, "Old Li, how many years have we been fighting side by side?"

Li Mofan paused for a moment, then simply replied, "I've forgotten."

Wang Lingbao laughed heartily. "Me too."

In short, it had been many years.