gnovel Chapter 23 Liang Shi's Divine Might
Chapter 23 Liang Shi's Divine Might
Who thinks of Meiyong
We gathered turnips, and went east of the foam.
Whose thoughts are these? The beauty of Meng Gong is indeed mediocre.
They await my arrival in the mulberry grove, and they ask me to go to the upper palace.
They saw me off on the banks of the Qi River. -- *The Book of Songs*, "Yong Feng, Sang Zhong"
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The twelfth year since Hanzhong was completed, twelve years have passed since Zhang Quzhuo implemented the prefecture-county system.
Flowers bloom, flowers bloom.
The young disciple has grown old in the martial world, and even the beautiful young woman has finally seen white hair at her temples.
Zhang Quzhuo was adept at governing the Liang Kingdom. Based on the revelation of his ancestor Zhang Zhao in a dream, he advocated "equal emphasis on agriculture and warfare" and "unified trade in markets" within Liang. He also implemented "taxation based on land availability," "maximizing land productivity," and "equalization of grain purchase prices." Furthermore, he commissioned Zhao Fengchun to compile a legal code suitable for the Liang Kingdom's national conditions—the "Liang Code."
With light taxes and levies, encouragement of agriculture and sericulture, and the construction of water conservancy projects, the Liang Kingdom grew stronger and stronger under Zhang Quzhuo's governance.
He himself was a military genius, and the soldiers of Liang became one of the most powerful forces of the time under his command.
However, this put immense pressure on all the feudal lords, especially Emperor Lin. He had hoped to use Zhang Quzhuo to regain his imperial authority, but now he realized that Zhang Quzhuo had never taken him seriously from the beginning, and everything he had done before was for the benefit of the Liang Kingdom!
Thinking of this, Tian Zilin was so angry that he cursed loudly: "You, a descendant of Shang Chen, have greatly insulted me! Liang will surely perish in a hundred years!"
The Shu Kingdom was originally content with its isolated corner of the country, did not submit to the king's rule, and rarely fought with other vassal states. Now that the Liang Kingdom was powerful and held Hanzhong, the King of Shu was afraid that the Liang army would march south. After discussing with his close advisors, he decided to strike first!
The King of Shu first ordered his Grand Minister to contact the Ba people of Bazhong, the Di and Qiang people of Qiangyuan, and the Yong people of Fangling to hold an alliance meeting in Guanghui. They swore an oath: The Liang people are tyrannical and have been eyeing the southwest. Shu, Ba, Di and Qiang, and Yong are of one blood and are closely allied. From this day forward, we swear that if one side is in trouble, the three will come to its aid. If anyone breaks this oath, may the gods punish them!
The four kingdoms jointly agreed to send troops to attack the Liang Kingdom.
The Shu army marched north from Zitong (Zitong) to attack the northern commandery of Shu.
The Di and Qiang tribes marched eastward from Yuwa and Qiangdao City to attack Wudu Commandery.
The Ba army marched north from the Congfang and Wanyuan, joining forces with the Yong army in Xicheng to attack Hanzhong County. This meant that the Liang Kingdom would face a three-front war.
When the messenger from Liang Kingdom sent word, the four kingdoms had already mobilized their armies.
In Zhang Quzhuo's view, the Shu Kingdom and the Di and Qiang were not worth mentioning; what he really needed to guard against were the Yong and Ba armies.
The Shangzhu, written by Sizu, records that "When King Wu attacked Zhou, Yong was the first to meet there." The Yong state established its capital in Shangyong, and its territory was vast, extending north to the Han River and west to the Wu River.
The commentary on the Shang dynasty states: "Looking at all the armies in the world, the most valiant are the ordinary men."
The Yong Kingdom had always coveted Hanzhong, and when the Bao Kingdom still existed, it launched several campaigns against it, but failed to conquer it.
Later, the State of Bao was destroyed by the State of Liang. The State of Yong also made several attempts to test the waters, but for various reasons, nothing came of it.
The Ba people, who had lived in the mountains for generations, were fierce and warlike. When the two groups joined forces to attack Hanzhong, it became the core area for the Liang Kingdom's defense!
Zhang Quzhuo took this matter very seriously. He personally went to Hanzhong to defend against the Ba and Yong armies.
After arriving in Hanzhong, Zhang Quzhuo climbed the city wall and looked around. He saw the Han River flowing mightily and the Bashan Mountains appearing and disappearing in the distance.
He summoned the Commandant of Hanzhong and inquired about the movements of the states of Ba and Yong.
At this moment, a scout reported that more than 10,000 troops from Ba had set out from Congfang and were marching north along Qianshui; 5,000 troops from Yong had set out from the west city and were responding to the Ba army from afar.
Zhang Shidong of Pingguan and Zhao Han of Wudu also sent messengers to report that the Shu army and the Di-Qiang troops had not yet left their borders and seemed to be observing the situation.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Quzhuo stroked his beard and laughed: "The King of Shu is cowardly. Since he agreed to a joint attack by the four kingdoms, he let Shu and the Di and Qiang take the lead, while he himself stayed behind as reinforcements. These people are not worth worrying about."
So he summoned the Commandant of Hanzhong and said, "You shall remain in Nanzheng to oversee the transport of provisions and manage the army in accordance with the new military law. No one shall be spared for any violation."
The Commandant of Hanzhong asked, "Your Majesty, the states of Ba and Yong have launched a joint attack. How do you plan to defend against them?"
Zhang Quzhuo smiled and pointed at the map, saying, "The common people are good at fighting, but they have few troops. The Ba people are brave and fierce, but their equipment is crude! They are strong when they are together, and they can be defeated one by one when they are separated. I want to cut off their communication first."
Therefore, he ordered Zhao Fengchun to lead three thousand archers to ambush in the dense forest outside Xun Pass, and to launch a surprise attack when the vanguard of the Ba army arrived.
He then ordered Prince Yu to lead a hundred cavalrymen into the mountains and forests to circle around to the rear of the western city and burn down the Yong army's grain depot.
These 100 cavalrymen were practically the cavalry's entire fortune in Liang. Zhang Quzhuo used treasures to exchange for 300 horses from Qin, and then invited a horse breeder from Qin to train them for a year before producing 100 warhorses that could be used in battle. They were incredibly precious!
Zhang Quzhuo himself led 10,000 troops to set up a battle formation outside Hanyin City to meet the main force of Yong's army.
It was August, autumn, when the vanguard of the Pakistani army arrived at Xunguan from Wanyuan.
The Ba soldiers, barefoot and clad in armor, carrying short knives and wooden shields, shouted that they would kill all the Liang people.
As soon as they reached the border, they suddenly heard drums and horns sounding from both sides, and crossbow bolts fired simultaneously from the ambushing enemy, the arrows flying like locusts.
Caught off guard, the Pakistani army suffered heavy casualties and retreated for miles.
The Ba army general angrily reorganized his troops and launched another attack, but the Liang army's crossbows and arrows rained down relentlessly, preventing the Ba army from breaking through. They suffered more than half their losses and had no choice but to retreat south.
In the western part of the city, Prince Yu led his light cavalry to burn down the grain storage area of the Yong army under cover of night, and the firelight illuminated the valley.
The mediocre army was caught in a dilemma. Fearing that their retreat would be cut off, the commander led his troops to retreat eastward.
Upon receiving the scout's report, Zhang Quzhuo smiled and said, "Although the Yong army has retreated, they will not be satisfied. Knowing that my main force is here, they will definitely retreat to Miyi and wait for reinforcements from Shangyong before attempting to capture Xunguan again."
So he left 3,000 men to defend Hanyin, and led 7,000 men to Xunguan overnight.
As expected, after the Yong army retreated to Fangling, they received two thousand reinforcements sent by Yong Bo, bringing their total strength to seven thousand, and they advanced westward along the Han River.
On the first day of the ninth month, the two armies met on the outskirts of Xunguan.
The mediocre army was arranged in a square formation, their armor gleaming, their long spears like a forest, truly deserving of their reputation as a world-renowned elite force.
Zhang Quzhuo climbed to a high vantage point to observe the situation and said to Zhao Fengchun beside him, "Although the Yong army's formation is well-organized, their food supplies are running out, their reinforcements are cut off, and their soldiers are homesick. They can be easily defeated in one battle."
He then ordered the drummers to beat the war drums, personally led five hundred chariot soldiers to charge the enemy's flank, and ordered the spearmen to launch a frontal assault.
The battle continued until the sun began to set, at which point the Yong army's formation began to falter.
Just then, a part of Liang's army feigned a retreat, and the mediocre army pursued them relentlessly, causing their formation to fall into disarray.
Zhang Quzhuo waved his command flag, and his ambush troops emerged from all sides, attacking from both flanks. The Yong army suffered a crushing defeat, with over three thousand men beheaded, and their commander escaping alone.
After the Ba army was defeated, the King of Shu heard that both armies had been defeated, and that the Shu army's attack on Qiyi was unsuccessful. Instead, Zhang Shidong led the Liang army to attack and kill them at the gates of Zitong. He repeatedly ordered the Shu army to defend Zitong to the death.
In the direction of Wudu County, Zhao Han lived up to his reputation as the son of Zhao Fengchun. Like his father, he was extremely skilled in warfare. As soon as the Di and Qiang people approached Wudu, he led his army to repel them. He then launched a counterattack against the Di and Qiang, conquered Qiangyuan, and went straight to the Qiang capital, Diebu.
The Di and Qiang kings, fearing his power, submitted and became his subjects.
Zhang Quzhuo, unwilling to wage war again, wrote a letter and sent it to the Shu Kingdom, the gist of which is as follows:
"Liang and Shu have no enmity to begin with. Now, you have listened to slander and raised an army without a just cause, resulting in the defeat of your army and the suffering of the people. If we can cease hostilities and make peace, Liang is willing to meet with Shu at Jiangyuan to establish trade and jointly secure the southwest. Otherwise, although Liang does not wish to launch a western expedition, I fear that beyond Jianmen Pass, the land will no longer be ours."
Upon reading the letter, the King of Shu was filled with remorse and fear. He then executed the Grand Chancellor and sent his son, Crown Prince Ling, to Liang to plead guilty.
The states of Ba and Yong also withdrew their troops. The four states' plan to attack Liang thus vanished without a trace.
In this battle, Zhang Quzhuo achieved a victory with fewer troops, dividing and defeating the enemy without harming the Liang Kingdom's vitality.
The people of Hanzhong vied to offer wine to reward the army, but Zhang Quzhuo refused them all. He only ordered his soldiers to repair the city defenses, provide relief to the wounded and the injured, and exempt the Liang Kingdom from taxes for a year.
Luoyi, the royal palace.
When news of Liang's great victory and the submission of the four states came one after another, Emperor Ji Lin of Zhou seemed to have aged ten years.
He summoned the young messenger and ordered him to go to the Liang Kingdom to spread the imperial edict:
"...Liang Bo has cleansed the corrupt and corrupt, successfully carrying on the family tradition, possessing both literary and military talents. He cultivates virtuous governance internally and defends against the barbarian tribes externally. Now, he has pacified the southwest, and the four barbarian tribes submit to his rule. He is truly a pillar of the state. He should be appointed as the Duke of the West, overseeing the feudal lords of the western lands!"