Chapter 60: The Great Army Sets Out
In the 23rd year of the Chengping Era, on the third day of the sixth month, the 100,000-strong great army of Heavy Mountain Fortress departed, with General Zhang Shouwang as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expedition and Vice Commander-in-Chief Ji Feiyi as the Righteous General of Yang Wei. The army was divided into two routes to attack the Hu Tribe in the east sea.
On the sixth day of the sixth month, General Zhang Shouwang led the Five Camps of the Prefectural Banner, with a total of 60,000 troops, and marched straight to the foot of Black Cloud Mountain. Black Cloud Mountain was the site of a legendary battle twenty years ago, where the Heavy Mountain Fortress army had fought against the Hu Tribe.
Yang Zhengshan, who was following the Left Vanguard of the Prefectural Banner, had three thousand troops, a logistics team with four hundred soldiers, two hundred night scouts, and a total of around 4,300 people. In addition, there were also a thousand temporary laborers responsible for transporting supplies.
Yang Zhengshan was the deputy commander of the logistics team, and he was currently leading a hundred soldiers and three hundred laborers to transport supplies to the front lines. The task was arduous, as the road outside Heavy Mountain Fortress was rugged and winding, with no roads to speak of. The only path was the one trodden by the vanguard, which was treacherous and difficult to navigate.
The military order was strict, and they had to complete their task within the allotted time. If they failed, everyone would be punished. Even Yang Zhengshan, with his backing from Zhou Lan, dared not slack off.
Fortunately, it had not rained for several days, and they managed to catch up with the main force. Standing at the foot of Black Cloud Mountain, Yang Zhengshan gazed up at the mountain, remembering the scenes of slaughter from twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago, Yang Zhengshan’s previous life was just a small soldier, unaware of the overall situation of the war. He only knew that he was fighting desperately on the chaotic battlefield. The bloody battlefield was etched in Yang Zhengshan’s mind, making him shudder.
Although it was just a dream-like experience, he still felt an overwhelming sense of brutality. The real battlefield was something that could not be accurately described, with rivers of blood and corpses scattered everywhere. Yang Zhengshan’s previous life was lucky to have survived that battle.
Now, Yang Zhengshan had arrived at this place, wondering if he would have to experience another brutal battle.
…
The Hu Tribe was a nomadic people who lived in the two-thousand-li hill and grasslands of the northeast. Most of their tribes lived a nomadic life, with only a few living in the mountain city of Fushan. If the Hu Tribe was a kingdom, Fushan City would be their capital.
Fushan City was located five hundred li northeast of Black Cloud Mountain. Twenty years ago, the battle of Black Cloud Mountain was fought because the Heavy Mountain Fortress army threatened the safety of Fushan City, forcing the Hu Tribe to launch a full-scale attack.
Unfortunately, that battle was a heavy loss for the Heavy Mountain Fortress army, which lacked the strength to continue attacking Fushan City. Furthermore, there were disagreements within the imperial court, which prevented the Hu Tribe from becoming history.
This time, the Heavy Mountain Fortress army was using the same strategy as twenty years ago, with the aim of forcing the Hu Tribe to engage in battle again. If they failed to do so, the army would have to spend countless time and resources searching for the nomadic tribes in the vast wilderness.
However, the Hu Tribe was not foolish and had learned from their past mistakes. They would not fall into the same trap again.
At the foot of Black Cloud Mountain, the camp stretched for miles, with a solemn and murderous atmosphere that pierced the sky. The army had been stationed here for over ten days, but the main force of the Hu Tribe had yet to appear, only sending out scouts and cavalry to harass them.
In the main camp, General Zhang Shouwang was frowning as he examined the map on the screen.
Next to him sat a eunuch with a white face and wrinkled eyes, who was none other than the Garrison Supervisor Zhang Yude.
There were also over ten iron-clad generals and lieutenant generals gathered around General Zhang Shouwang, staring intently at the map. Zhou Lan was among them.
“It seems they won’t take the bait,” General Zhang Shouwang said with some frustration.
To be honest, he was in favor of attacking the Hu Tribe this time, as he was well aware of the current situation of the Heavy Mountain Fortress. The entire Heavy Mountain Fortress army had twenty thousand soldiers, but only the Five Camps of the Prefectural Banner were truly elite, with the rest just making up the numbers.
Perhaps the Hu Tribe was not as strong as they were twenty years ago, but the Heavy Mountain Fortress had declined too much in the past twenty years.
If the Hu Tribe was willing to engage in battle, he still had some confidence, but now that they were avoiding battle, he had no bottom line.
“General, why not attack Fushan City directly?” General Liu Nianbo of the Northern Route couldn’t help but suggest.
“Fushan City is too strong, and we need at least ten times the enemy’s strength to besiege it. If we try to besiege it, we don’t have the time,” General Wang Bin of the Eastern Route shook his head.
It was already June, and they had missed the best time to attack. If they besieged Fushan City, they would have to retreat after two months, or else the winter would kill them all without a fight.
“What should we do now? Should we attack or retreat?”
“Let’s attack! It’s better than staying here doing nothing!”
“Attacking would be suicidal! Let’s retreat and regroup!”
…
The generals began to murmur among themselves, discussing the options in hushed tones.
General Zhang Shouwang heard their whispers and his expression grew darker. “Enough! If you have something to say, say it out loud!”
The generals immediately fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
General Zhang Shouwang’s gaze swept across the crowd, making them lower their heads in shame.
Finally, his gaze fell on Zhang Yude, “Does the Garrison Supervisor have any wise words?”
Zhang Yude was cleaning his fingernails and didn’t even look up, “Your humble servant is just a monitor, and does not dare to meddle in military affairs. However, there is one thing that needs to be reminded, General.”
“What is it?”
“His Majesty is waiting for your victorious report in the capital. This war cannot drag on too long!”
Zhang Yude’s first sentence was a polite refusal to get involved, but the second sentence was a veiled threat to General Zhang Shouwang, urging him to speed up the attack.
General Zhang Shouwang took a deep breath, knowing exactly what the eunuch was thinking. The eunuch didn’t care about their victory or defeat, nor did he care about the lives of the soldiers. He only cared about lining his own pockets with gold and silver.
Every time the army marched, the eunuch would profit from the military supplies. Every time a soldier died, the eunuch would profit from the spoils of war.
As for the rest, weren’t there generals like them who would take the fall anyway?
“Let’s attack the city then,” General Zhang Shouwang said reluctantly.
He hated Zhang Yude, but the eunuch’s words were not entirely wrong. His Majesty was indeed waiting for their victorious report in the capital.
Thinking of the Emperor’s impatient nature, General Zhang Shouwang knew he couldn’t drag his feet anymore.
“Let’s prepare to attack Fushan City in three days!”
(End of Chapter)
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