Chapter 61: 60 chapters of the army set out on a campaign Chapter 61: 60 chapters of the army set out on a campaign In the twenty-third year of the Chengping era, on the third day of the sixth month.
A hundred thousand troops from Chongshan Town marched out of Chongshan Pass, claiming to have an army of two hundred thousand.
General Zhang Shouwang was appointed as the Great General of the Northern Expedition, with Vice General Ji Feiyu serving as the Great General Yang Wei, dividing the forces into two routes to campaign against the East Sea Hu Clan.
The garrison eunuch Zhang Yude accompanied the troops on the campaign, while governor Sun Xincheng was specially assigned to supervise military affairs in Chongshan Town, and Wu Mingzhen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, oversaw the management of provisions and salaries for all routes.
In the twenty-third year of the Chengping era, on the sixth day of the sixth month.
Zhang Shouwang led the Five Camps, supported by four other camps, and seven guerrilla camps, totaling an army of sixty thousand, marching straight ahead to the foot of Black Cloud Mountain.
Black Cloud Mountain, the battle that took place there twenty years ago, was Chongshan Town’s most glorious battle.
With just this one battle, peace prevailed on the northeastern border of Da Rong for twenty years.
Now, the army of Chongshan Town has come to Black Cloud Mountain again, and it is uncertain whether they can recreate the glory of twenty years ago.
Yang Zhenshan followed the Left Camp into the campaign, with the Left Camp having the strength of three thousand commanders, in addition to a Bazong in charge of the Supply Team, four hundred encampment guards, and two hundred elite cavalry who rode day and night, totaling about four thousand three hundred men.
In addition to this, the Left Camp also temporally conscripted a thousand civilians to help the Supply Team transport grains, forage, and other materials.
Yang Zhenshan served as the deputy Bazong of the Supply Team and was currently leading a hundred soldiers from Linguan Castle and three hundred civilians, escorting more than a hundred carts pulled by mules, horses, and oxen, following behind the Left Camp’s great army.
Escorting provisions was a grueling task, especially since the terrain outside Chongshan Pass was nothing but endless hills and grasslands with no proper roads at all.
The only path to follow was the one trampled by the preceding army, full of uneven ground, making it extremely difficult to travel.
The crucial matter was that military orders were as inflexible as mountains; they had to deliver the provisions to the designated location within the specified time. Any failure would lead to severe punishment for everyone involved.
Even though Yang Zhenshan had the support of Zhou Lan, he didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest.
Fortunately, it didn’t rain in the past few days, and despite the hardship, they managed to keep up with the main force.
Standing at the foot of Black Cloud Mountain, Yang Zhenshan looked up at the not-so-tall summit, scenes of vicious battles from the original owner of the body surfacing in his mind.
In that battle twenty years ago, the original owner was just a common soldier, unaware of the overall situation, only fighting desperately on the chaotic battlefield.
The gruesome images of the battlefield appeared in Yang Zhenshan’s mind, causing him to shudder.
Although it was just a memory as if one were watching a movie, he still felt its brutal reality.
It was a genuine battlefield, where expressions like ‘rivers of blood’ and ‘bodies strewn everywhere’ could not adequately describe the carnage.
The fact that the original owner survived that battle was an incredible stroke of luck.
Now Yang Zhenshan himself was here, uncertain if he was also about to experience such a horrific battle.
…
The East Sea Hu Clan was a nomadic tribe that lived off herding and hunting, occupying two thousand li of hills and grasslands on the northeast side of Da Rong. Most of their clans led a nomadic life, with only a few residing in Fushan City.
If the East Sea Hu Clan were a kingdom, then Fushan City would be its royal capital.
And Fushan City lay five hundred li northeast of Black Cloud Mountain. It was the threat posed to Fushan City by the Chongshan Town army twenty years ago during the battle at Black Cloud Mountain that compelled the entire East Sea Hu Clan to come forward and engage in battle.
Unfortunately, Chongshan Town also suffered heavy losses in that battle and had no strength to continue the attack on Fushan City. Add to this the division in the Da Rong Court, and otherwise, the East Sea Hu Clan would have been history.
The strategy used by Chongshan Town in this campaign against the East Sea Hu Clan was the same as twenty years ago, still splitting forces in two directions and facing Black Cloud Mountain, aiming to force the East Sea Hu Clan into a decisive battle again.
If the East Sea Hu Clan couldn’t be forced into active battle, Chongshan Town’s army would need to spend tens of times more time and resources to locate those migrating clans in the vast northern territories.
However, the East Sea Hu Clan was not foolish. Having learned from their failure, they had already suffered a significant loss at Black Cloud Mountain twenty years ago; why would they make the same mistake again?
Beneath Black Cloud Mountain, tents stretched for miles, with an atmosphere of solemnity reaching the overcast horizon.
The army had encamped here for more than ten days, but the main force of the East Sea Hu Clan still had not appeared, with only some scouts and elite cavalry constantly harassing the surroundings.
In the main camp of the commanding officers.
Chongshan Town’s General Zhang Shouwang, also the Great General tasked with conquest in the north, frowned intently as he looked at the map hanging on the screen.
By his side sat a eunuch with a pale, beardless face and eyes wrinkled with crow’s feet—none other than the garrison eunuch Zhang Yude.
Additionally, over a dozen Assistant Generals and Guerrilla Generals clad in iron armor gathered behind Zhang Shouwang, concentrating on the map. Zhou Lan was naturally among them.
“It seems they will not take the initiative to engage us in battle!” Zhang Shouwang said with some difficulty.
To tell the truth, he did support the campaign against the East Sea Hu Clan, as he was very clear about the current state of Chongshan Town. The Chongshan Town of today was no longer that of twenty years ago.
Chongshan Town boasted of a standing army of two hundred thousand men, but only the elite could be found in the Five Camps. As for combat-ready troops, the count was estimated to be around fifty thousand; the remainder were merely filling the ranks.
Perhaps the current East Sea Hu Clan was also not as strong as it had once been, but in the past twenty years, Chongshan Town had declined severely.
If the East Sea Hu Clan chose to engage them proactively, he would have some confidence. But now that the East Sea Hu Clan avoided conflict, he felt utterly uncertain.
“Great General, why don’t we just attack Fushan City directly!” Assistant General Liu Nanbo from the northern route of Chongshan Town couldn’t help but speak out.
“Fushan City’s walls are three zhang high, not much less fortified than Chongshan Pass. If we forcefully attack, our forces must be ten times that of the enemy’s, and if we were to besiege, we do not have such time!” Assistant General Wang Bin from the eastern route of Songzhou Guard in Chongshan Town shook his head slightly.
They set out for war in June, missing the right seasonal timing. If they tried besieging Fushan City at this time, just a two-month delay by the enemy would force them to retreat. Otherwise, when winter comes, without the need for battle, the soldiers would simply freeze to death.
“What should be done about this? Neither advancing nor retreating is the right choice!”
“I say, a forceful attack might be better, better than just staying put right here!”
“Isn’t a forceful attack equivalent to sending lives away for nothing? Better to retreat first and devise plans at length!”
…
For a time, low murmurs and discussions among the people inside the tent were incessant.
Hearing their conversations, Zhang Shouwang’s expression turned increasingly grim, “Alright, if you have something to say, speak up, don’t mutter among yourselves in secret!”
However, with his speaking up, everyone immediately fell silent, and not another sound was heard.
Zhang Shouwang saw this and could hardly conceal the disappointment in his eyes.
These useless wretches, usually so overbearing and arrogant, as if they feared neither heaven nor earth, yet on the battlefield they are all like quails, necks tight in fear.
His gaze swept over everyone, causing them all to lower their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Finally, his gaze landed on Zhang Yude, “Mr. Zhang, do you have any brilliant thoughts?”
Zhang Yude, who was engrossed in cleaning his fingernails, was suddenly asked by Zhang Shouwang. Without raising his head, he said, “I am merely a supervisor of the army, and I dare not make rash statements about national military affairs. However, there is something I must remind the Great General!”
“Mr. Zhang, please speak!”
“The Emperor awaits your triumphant news back in the Capital City! This military operation should not be delayed for too long!”
The first sentence claimed no daring to make rash discussion on national military affairs, but the next sentence pressured Zhang Shouwang to hasten into battle.
Zhang Shouwang took a deep breath, fully aware of this damn eunuch’s thoughts.
The damn eunuch didn’t care about their victory or defeat, nor did he care for the lives or deaths of the soldiers.
What he cared about was seizing the opportunity to rake in more money.
Money could be skimmed each time the army provisions were moved, and the eunuch could profit from the soldiers’ living and dying.
As for the rest, weren’t there they, the military generals, standing in the forefront?
“Then we shall proceed with the siege!” Zhang Shouwang said, also very helplessly.
He very much disliked the damn eunuch Zhang Yude, but Zhang Yude had not spoken wrongly about one thing—the Emperor was waiting for their triumphant news back in the Capital City.
Thinking of the Emperor, known for his impatient temperament, Zhang Shouwang also knew he could not delay.
“Three days from now, we march on Fushan City!”
