Volume 3: Southern Expedition and Territorial Expansion Chapter 139: Subduing the Rebels

Hejiang County was originally the territory of the noble Luo clan, which was overthrown by Wei Fufeng with the assistance of the Dongchuan garrison. The establishment of the Jingnan Military Prefecture amounted to a disguised replacement of the Luo clan by a new ruling power.

When the Bozhou grand army passed through Qinzhou, three thousand southern Sichuan troops arrived from the west at Hejiang County city, claiming to hail from the Southern Sichuan Military Prefecture and acting under the military orders of the Governor-General's Office to reinforce the Jingnan Military Prefecture.

The commander of the southern city gate verified that the military orders were correct and opened the city gates to let them in, only to discover that the entering forces included hundreds of armored saber-and-shield soldiers and hundreds of crossbowmen, accompanied by an unusually large amount of sharp and defensive weaponry.

"Are these from the Southern Sichuan Military Prefecture? They look like the Three Iron Camps garrisoning Bacheng," the gate commander wondered in surprise.

The so-called Iron Camp forces were the collective term for the Fengli Battalion, the Baotao Battalion, and the Langfeng Battalion stationed abroad. The Iron Camp soldiers were all composed of veteran squad leaders promoted from various military prefectures, making their personnel elite compared to ordinary soldiers.

Although surprised, the gate commander sensed nothing amiss. Over the past few days, the Jingnan Military Prefecture had entered a state of troop mobilization, with the Commander-in-Chief strengthening defenses and drawing five thousand troops from the military prefecture to station them along the banks of the Chishui River.

Inside the Jingnan Commander's Mansion within the city, Commander-in-Chief Li Chenggang anxiously awaited news from the Bozhou army. He had made his preparations, massing five thousand troops along the Chishui River, waiting for the Bozhou army to capture Yuzhou so that he could gain complete control over seven thousand troops for his command.

To be honest, Li Chenggang had originally possessed great confidence in launching a rebellion, but a major and unexpected blunder occurred: a military order from the Military Governor transferred ten thousand troops away from the Jingnan Military Prefecture.

This turn of events greatly diminished Li Chenggang's capital for rebellion.

Left with only a capital of seven thousand troops, Li Chenggang was clearly at a disadvantage compared to the Bozhou army.

Only a combination of strong forces could ensure mutual peace. If Li Chenggang held over twenty thousand troops, not only could he secure peaceful coexistence with the Bozhou army, but he could also attract more southern Sichuan forces to defect to his side.

That was precisely what Li Chenggang had thought. He believed himself to be a veteran commander of the southern Sichuan army with the prestige to rally followers with a single cry; as long as the Governor-General's Office in Bacheng was destroyed, he could seize the opportunity to take control of the situation.

Li Chenggang paced slowly back and forth in the main hall. His courage to rebel stemmed from his confidence in holding twenty thousand troops and Wei Fufeng's absence from southern Sichuan.

Once southern Sichuan fell into chaos, Wei Fufeng would simply not have time to return, and once the overall situation was settled, Wei Fufeng would never be able to reclaim southern Sichuan.

Amidst his anxiety, a sudden flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed. Li Chenggang paused, startled, and looked outward.

The six personal guards in the hall hurriedly walked over to investigate, only to see a large contingent of armored saber-and-shield troops flood through the mansion gates and head straight for the main hall. The hundred guards stationed outside had shockingly failed to intercept them or sound the alarm.

Li Shunjie’s expression changed drastically. Seeing the saber-and-shield soldiers rush in, he shouted angrily, "Are you trying to rebel?"

The saber-and-shield soldiers ignored him, pressing their long sabers against the necks of Li Chenggang and his subordinates. Li Chenggang and his men dared not fight back; too many elite troops had broken in.

Wei Fufeng walked in wearing fine-scale armor. Li Chenggang's expression instantly turned to one of terror, and he stammered with difficulty, "Military Governor, my lord, what is the meaning of this?"

Wei Fufeng looked calmly at Li Chenggang. Having not seen him for a long time, Li Chenggang had changed significantly; his originally lean face had filled out, making him look like a wealthy estate owner imbued with an air of nobility.

"You've put on weight. Life must have been treating you well; why be so insatiable and invite wolves into the house?" Wei Fufeng said blandly.

"What is my lord talking about? I don't understand," Li Chenggang said with an innocent expression.

"Your own people betrayed you, saying that you colluded with the Bozhou army to attack Yuzhou. I was skeptical and deliberately transferred away a large number of troops to test you. As it turned out, the Bozhou army really came, and you had also mobilized your troops for action several days ago without reporting to the Governor-General's Office," Wei Fufeng said.

"I mobilized troops to strengthen defenses; that is my duty," Li Chenggang defended himself.

"Your sophistry is meaningless. I will not kill you. After all, you have rendered great service. The Luzhou and Deputy Military Governor titles promised to you by Yang Duan can only ever be like the moon's reflection in water. The Deputy Military Governor title you desire—I will give it to you. Rest easy and wait, and I will send you to Chang'an to be a high-ranking official," Wei Fufeng said.

"My lord is sparing my life?" Li Chenggang hesitated, doubting his words.

"I have always kept my word and will not kill you. In fact, I have a mind to promote you to Grand Defense Commander, in charge of military affairs in Yanzhou and Langzhou," Wei Fufeng said.

"I don't believe you. You have always suspected me and sidelined me; I should have been the Deputy Military Governor long ago," Li Chenggang refuted indignantly.

"I do not appoint a Deputy Military Governor precisely so that I can share wealth and honor with my brothers. In this world, how many regional feudal domains are there? No matter how good the brothers are, once each acquires their own military force, the strong fear the weak growing too powerful to rebel, while the weak worry about the strong harming them. The result is endless infighting and bloodshed among the feudal domains."

"You wanted your own territory and military force, harboring the extravagant hope of acting like generals of other feudal domains, possessing the authority to embezzle your subordinates' military pay to cultivate your own favorites," Wei Fufeng said coldly.

"I never thought that way. If the southern Sichuan army achieved its success, I deserve the primary credit and should hold a position second only to the Military Governor, yet you have constantly suppressed me," Li Chenggang retorted, his tone carefully avoiding excessive provocation while arguing for his merits.

"Li Chenggang, I admit that you made great contributions to the success of the southern Sichuan army, but your abilities are ultimately mediocre. The southern Sichuan army is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and in employing people, I have always promoted those with genuine ability. Wang Dahu is your fellow townsman, yet his martial prowess is ten times yours, and I have always kept him in Yuzhou to command the elites."

"The other commanders are all great military talents who stood out through the fires of war. Initially, I intended to have you participate in the Fufeng army's northern expedition, but considering the extreme dangers of the Hedong campaign, I left you behind. I feel I have not treated you unfairly and have always allowed you to peacefully anchor the Jingnan Military Prefecture."

"Ever since the southern Sichuan army established its foothold, the Fengxiang and Dongchuan armies have been eyeing us like tigers eyeing their prey. Even if you acquired the territory of Luzhou, how could you possibly defend it? Could surrendering to the Fengxiang army possibly compare to your current wealth and honor?" Wei Fufeng rebuked angrily.

Li Chenggang fell silent, listening coldly as Wei Fufeng continued, "Wait in peace. After this battle, I will send you to the city of Chang'an to become a vital minister to His Majesty the Emperor, and your stipend in southern Sichuan will not be lacking."

Having said this, Wei Fufeng turned and walked away. He had originally intended to kill Li Chenggang, but out of concern for alienating many veteran subordinates, he was forced to adopt a conciliatory stance. What he had just said was nothing more than pointing out that greed brings no good end; it was meant for the soldiers present to hear.

Walking out of the Jingnan Commander's Mansion, Wei Fufeng left behind eight hundred soldiers to garrison Hejiang County city. The original garrison troops of Hejiang County city were all transferred away, including the six guards from Li Chenggang's main hall.

Although Li Chenggang's life was spared, all his subordinates were stripped away from him. He would be escorted to Chang'an to 'serve as an official' in utter solitude, while his women and wealth would be confiscated with none allowed to be taken along—Wei Fufeng harbored deep resentment toward him.

While Wei Fufeng was subduing Li Chenggang, nearly forty thousand southern Sichuan troops marched from Xingwen County into Xuyong County, continuing their advance to cross the Chishui River, pass through Xishui, and pounce directly on Tongzi County.

Wei Fufeng led the escort troops to catch up with the main army. This time, he would personally lead the campaign against Bozhou. As long as they captured the natural barrier of Heishen Pass (Loushan Pass) between Tongzi County and Zunyi County, the retreat of the forty thousand Bozhou troops would be cut off, trapping them like turtles in a jar.

Over forty thousand southern Sichuan troops arrived in Tongzi County, along the way ordering the five thousand troops along the Chishui River to submit to his command.

It could be said that the military system established by Wei Fufeng in southern Sichuan greatly reduced the opportunity for commanders to develop private, loyal factions within the military.

Ever since the establishment of the southern Sichuan army, the troops had grown accustomed to operating under a military system where subordinates did not need to overly ingratiate themselves with commanding officers. Coupled with the military supervisors directly under the Governor-General's Office keeping a watchful eye, the ranks both high and low dared not blatantly form cliques for personal gain.

Most importantly, military pay and provisions were distributed independently, and commanders had no authority to allocate them at will.

Although officers held different ranks, they were all working and earning money for the Military Governor. Even if your rank was high and I couldn't afford to offend you, I could just endure it for a while; after all, I wasn't always suffering under your command.

Therefore, although Li Chenggang had long commanded the Jingnan Military Prefecture, because his subordinate battalion commanders and teeth-generals were frequently rotated, the subordinate officers respected him out of formality but found it difficult to offer him wholehearted, devoted loyalty.

Consequently, the five thousand troops garrisoned along the Chishui River only needed a military order from the Military Governor or the Governor-General's Office to unconditionally submit to command.

Li Chenggang had stationed five thousand troops by the Chishui River precisely to prevent those forces from receiving mobilization orders from the Governor-General's Office.

The orders of the Governor-General's Office superseded Li Chenggang's commands; battalion commanders and teeth-generals could independently choose to follow the orders of the Governor-General's Office, and even the lowest-ranking squad leaders could decide that the Governor-General's orders took ultimate precedence.

When the southern Sichuan main army entered the region of Heishen Pass, the Bozhou troops guarding the pass were greatly alarmed.

Upon receiving the report, garrison commander Lou Dianbang appeared atop the pass city and gazed into the distance, seeing an endless, winding sea of troops approaching. With a heavy expression, he knew trouble was afoot.

An envoy advanced ahead of the pass and shouted aloud, "Listen up, brothers above! Fifty thousand southern Sichuan troops are advancing to conquer Bozhou. The Military Governor has said that those willing to surrender will have everything kept as it is."

"Commander Lou Dianbang, the Military Governor has stated that upon allegiance, you will be heavily rewarded. Please consider this carefully, Commander."

"Get lost!" With a loud roar, Lou Dianbang personally hurled a stone down, frightening the envoy into turning tail and fleeing.

Lou Dianbang frowned as he watched. The subordinates left behind to hold the pass numbered only three thousand; if fifty thousand southern Sichuan troops truly arrived, it would be extremely difficult to hold the pass without losing it. He could only hope that the Marquis would hurry back.

As the grand army advanced, Wei Fufeng surveyed the mountain scenery from within the ranks, marveling at the precipitous terrain of Heishen Pass. When he caught sight of the towering, screen-like barrier of the pass, he felt another wave of shock, realizing it truly deserved the description: "A single man guards the pass, and ten thousand cannot break through."

Yet that was merely a figure of speech. No matter how treacherous a pass was, it could not withstand the onslaught of a human sea and lethal weaponry.

Wei Fufeng issued the order to attack the pass. All crossbowmen and archers were ordered to assemble, and soldiers holding shields and carrying three scaling ladders charged toward the pass.

At the word of command, a rain of arrows flew across the pass like a sky-darkening swarm of locusts.

Seeing this, Lou Dianbang knew things were perilous, but he nevertheless hardened his resolve and ordered a desperate defense.

His subordinates raised large shields to fend off the arrow rain, and seeing the scaling ladders being hoisted up, they immediately began hurling stones down to smash them. Yet the arrow rain was so dense that *bang, bang, bang* sounded like hail striking armor, while the screams of men echoed endlessly both above and below the pass.

Wei Fufeng watched with a cold and stern expression. He had to capture Heishen Pass as quickly as possible, swiftly seize Zunyi County with the speed of a thunderbolt, and annihilate the rule of the Yang clan.

Once the Yang clan was destroyed, most of the Bozhou Liao tribes who had submitted to them would fall into hesitation and hesitation.

Yang Duan’s invasion of Yuzhou was also born of this heart-ripping strategy, believing that as long as the rule of the southern Sichuan army's Governor-General's Office was destroyed, coupled with Li Chenggang's rebellion, the southern Sichuan forces would be plunged into chaos.