Chapter 230: All Contingencies Fail
In June, Zhao Cheng had already used every possible means against the Zhen State force.
Zhao Cheng’s frequent use of these ineffective off-the-books tactics was like a fish caught in a large net. Its violent struggles seemed to threaten to capsize the small boat laying the net, but in reality, the boat was steadily held down by Xuan Chong.
When Xuan Chong fully mobilized and prepared for action, with multiple corps advancing toward assembly points, and Zhao Cheng arrayed his troops and horses ready for decisive battle. Rumors began spreading in various places including Xiang Prefecture.
These rumors were plausible: the Chong Army was on the verge of collapse in Yongzhou, thousands of miles away. And Zhao Cheng had clearly raised his banner and appeared in that direction (fake news).
However, just as the ambitious people in Xiang Prefecture heard these messages and were calculating when Duke Zhen would appear in the North to face off against Zhao Cheng in a king-versus-king showdown.
Xuan Chong did not rush to the front, but quietly in Zhenzhou and Xiang Prefecture, began inspecting grain and other links, carrying out a series of personnel adjustments.
In Lelang City, the current central city of Zhenzhou, Wu Xiao Que “threw a fit” multiple times during inspections.
This was because inspections revealed details like “old grain stockpiled, new grain consumed first.”
Xuan Chong stated: This was clearly local noble families infiltrating the military grain links and exerting effort; they must be strictly and harshly dealt with.
Amid the intimidation, the Security Bureau began precise door-to-door operations, further purging internals; this really flushed out some “spies,” though these “spies” were quite innocent, as they hadn’t done anything yet, merely reselling a bit of grain. As a result, they were directly caught for violations.
Previously, Zhen State’s money and grain were stored in the treasury and transported via commercial channels; but now with war, it flowed out in streams, massively deployed along marching stations, and with the operations expanded, it attracted flies.
Zhao Cheng was quite willing to invest heavily in “spies.” He used large sums to place some people into Xuan Chong’s military supplies links.
However, Xuan Chong was well aware that the “spies” sent by Zhao Cheng were not people with ideals or beliefs. Once these people infiltrated certain links, facing the goods passing through their hands, they couldn’t resist seeking personal gain.
Xuan Chong’s grain stores were dispersed across various stations, not giving these spies a chance to claim major merits.
Spies could destroy a small granary, but it wouldn’t significantly affect the war situation—no earth-shattering achievement; but doing so would cost their own lives.
Sure enough, originally sent to scout food and grass, once in position, they couldn’t resist passing off inferior goods as superior; once in the transport stations scouting intelligence, they deliberately overreported losses.
Now, the “spies” willing to work for Zhao Cheng were all “risking danger for profit” types. So on their posts, they often deviated for profit.
Just like in Xuan Chong’s previous life, those brought in by the West to cause sabotage—didn’t they all engage in some private profit-making projects?
That said, if people with ideals and beliefs infiltrated, Xuan Chong really had no way to deal with them. For example, in the Xu Port decisive battle, the most efficient transport team turned out to be the “communist spies'” automobile team. Such “spies” risking danger for righteousness couldn’t be detected by Xuan Chong.
…Weeding out traitors…
So in late June, Xuan Chong instructed Wu Lu’s side to mobilize the Security Bureau and Commerce Bureau to close the nets respectively.
The Commerce Bureau grabbed a wave first, then the Security Bureau went into the Commerce Bureau internals and took some people away for tea, then produced a second list to continue grabbing.
Because the Commerce Bureau side had too much external contact and too many interests involved, it passively implicated a group of people. These people didn’t even know they were in trouble until they arrived at the Security Bureau, where they learned their wives and children had accepted gifts from noble families dragged down by the spies.
If not for the Security Bureau inviting them for tea, the next step would have been those arrested noble families immediately following the connections to find them. —Regarding their own people in the Commerce Bureau, the Security Bureau wouldn’t get rough. Just control them.
Only some guys who “actively sold out Zhen State for profit” felt the end was near and voluntarily shouted loudly: “I want to see XX, I have merit for the Wu Family Army, I’m one of us.”
However, after seeing it was Wu Lu, the eldest young master, this group wilted one by one, confessing their situations.
Wu Lu guaranteed them: “As long as you confess everything, it’ll be fine, just a matter of ‘mercy for crimes’; individuals go to the southern border to garrison, merit won’t decrease. Wives and children still guaranteed. But if you don’t cooperate, it’ll be fully treated as ‘treason.'”
This group of internal Commerce Bureau involved personnel saw this glimmer of hope, their eyes flashing with light.
Wu Lu then threw out a deadly line: “I have quotas, the first ten percent to confess, and those providing important information, will have merit outweighing faults.”
After Wu Lu left for the time it takes one incense stick to burn, someone immediately shouted: “I want to claim merit, I want to report!”
…Outside the prison…
The major noble families felt the storm coming.
Of course, some were very lucky, because they had already connected to the old subordinates of Wu Hanluan from the old Donghua Commandery camp.
Wu Xiao Que was always very merciful when it involved his own people, not punishing small mistakes harshly. However, just as the noble families thought they could pull strings, they felt the sky falling.
The Security Bureau was not led by Wu Fei, but by Wu Fei’s successor Wu Lu.
“Young people don’t know how to hold back.”
This time Wu Lu stirred up a major case, strictly investigating multiple issues to the bottom. Immediately after, over a hundred related personnel in Donghua Commandery were all demoted and transferred to the south.
After “Li Zhao” (chapter 177, who was the first to pledge loyalty after Xuan Chong resolved the plague) was transferred from his post in Donghua Commandery, everyone guessed to what extent Wu Lu would go?
Xuan Chong then issued an official appointment, naming Su Dahe as Prefect of Donghua Commandery. Who was Su Dahe? Su Ming’s father, that is, Su Ming who had been rumored these past couple days to have “suffered a major loss in the North.”
This decision surprised everyone, and Su Dahe didn’t hesitate, immediately abandoning the family’s other businesses, bringing his people to the city to accept the appointment.
From when Su Ming took office, Wu Fei treated him not as a confidant but better than one.
Besides supporting Su Ming in building prestige among Yongzhou soldiers, he also guided the Su family business development in Yongzhou, handing over exclusive distribution rights for tea, iron, silk, and more to the Su family, letting them cultivate quite a few personnel here. Thus, after removing these local Yongzhou noble families’ people, the Su family quickly filled the positions. It was the most successful transformation in the Wu Family Army northern route faction.
And all this, all sides saw in their eyes and anticipated what it meant. Especially Liu Ran, the old general of Wu Hanluan in the original Donghua Commandery camp.
…Panic…
The Liu family, which had formed marriage ties with Li Zhao, was in turmoil.
Family head Liu Ran even heard someone advising him to rebel anyway and defect to Zhao Cheng; frankly, he was a bit tempted, but after seeing Su Dahe rise, he immediately knew what to do and promptly reported the one advising him to defect to Hao State to the Security Bureau. (Su Dahe was a local; with this local in place, conspiring was impossible to succeed.)
Then he personally went to the Security Bureau to confess, and to his surprise, Xuan Chong had been waiting for him. —Others shout “XX” when in trouble. But after he stepped into the prison cell, he really saw Xuan Chong and panicked.
Xuan Chong: “You are a family elder; back when Uncle was around, he trusted you greatly. Now I trust you greatly too.”
The man immediately wept bitterly, declaring: “My lord is righteous; I would die a thousand deaths without regret!” (Seeing Xuan Chong waiting for him, how could he not know he had been watched all along. One side shared golden cups, the other spared no blade; one step later and it would be eternal damnation.)
Xuan Chong appointing Su Dahe as Prefect of Donghua Commandery was a set of political rhetoric, meaning that in this strict investigation process, overall, old ties were still considered.
Su Dahe, originally from the Wu Family Army northern route faction, could be promoted by Wu Xiao Que considering his “past loyalty to Wu Hanluan”; you who originally leaned toward the Wu Family Army southern route forces, why not consider “old ties” now and come honestly confess?
Xuan Chong had Wu Lu wield the knife internally for rectification, shouting “new emperor, new officials!” while letting everyone come to him begging for mercy. This tactic was far superior to when Wu Hanluan made him curb drinking in camp back then.
Wu Lu’s bold investigation of internal traitors, those who might cause mutiny, were all firmly suppressed by Xuan Chong.
Liu Ran looked at Xuan Chong and felt his depths were immeasurable!
Xuan Chong was well aware that he was now relying on a “near-modern party faction” organization to fight this war; theoretically, for a “near-modern party faction” to perform at its strongest, after internal members screened their own composition, they must control all posts in politics, law, military, and economy.
Guys like Liu Ran still standing unmoving in old positions—the old monarch might feel resentment at their distance from power circles, and suddenly explode in national war, catching one off guard (Mi Fang against Liu Bei).
Because the old monarch’s core circle had limited manpower, unable to constantly confirm everyone’s loyalty.
But under the new party faction system, it was no longer a situation of Liu Ran biding time to explode.
Instead, with the new party faction scheduling national resources, it had long viewed old faction people stuck in positions as a thorn in the throat.
The new party faction’s organizational discipline involved fixed meetings and reports per rules; internal responsibility discipline was extremely strict. And in the Donghua Commandery old camp side, every scheduling delay issue stemmed from Liu Ran’s system.
Liu Ran himself was unaware, feeling excluded from the power game. Little did he know, during Wu Juwang’s meetings, every time problems were pointed out, they related to him; his issues were numerous enough for a dedicated filing cabinet.
And in the Security Bureau, his filing cabinet had a dedicated team sorting it. While sorting, they sent people to watch him, monitoring his every move constantly.
How could Xuan Chong give Liu Ran a chance to test humanity! If he didn’t show final loyalty now, he had to die.
While drinking tea with Liu Ran, Xuan Chong pointed out all his family industries, as well as the interest chains built with members and local noble families, even the situations of those he promoted now in various posts.
Liu Ran finally returned from Xuan Chong pale-faced, body drenched in sweat, and once home, honestly announced support for the new laws, then the next day at his post, fully withdrew his own people and replaced them with new party faction personnel as Xuan Chong required.
From then on, all the “spies” deployed by Zhao Cheng attempting the greatest sabotage went bankrupt!
Xuan Chong not only defended against it but also conveniently further optimized internals.
…Perspective to the east, Zhen-Hao great war, third-party observers…
In May, after Wu Hengyu took Yu Prefecture, everything was in chaos. Though supplies were complete, the various armies were clearly distracted; behind the main army, merchants, after the army entered Yu Prefecture, had various entangled interests.
That said, if directly massacring the city, there wouldn’t be so much choice difficulty; but the entire Bo Army had also undergone a round of “modernization” reform by Xuan Chong. After tasting the benefits of modernization reform, they absolutely wouldn’t go back.
Even if Bo Kingdom lacked Zhen State’s industrial capacity to absorb labor, even plantation economy could absorb large populations. Yan Land north had so many places awaiting development, not something self-farming peasants could handle. —Capitalism’s efficiency in devouring people on lower lines was much higher than feudalism.
Now the fundamental contradiction in the army was not enough seats at the table; those hogging more at the table might be collectively disliked; but whoever flips the table would lead to drawing knives on each other, then disbanding.
So even if Wu Hengyu ordered city massacre, no one would execute it.
And facing the disputes stirred by various powerful merchants internally, Wu Hengyu caught and released, released and caught, because arresting people would paralyze part of supplies.
Now, Wu Hengyu desperately needed Wu Fei-style talents to help solve complex interest allocation problems. —Only after leaving his younger brother did he realize how good he was.
However, with Zhao Cheng now at war with Zhen State, Wu Hengyu thought it over and didn’t rush to rescue, instead dispatching personnel to understand war situations in various areas.
Wu Hengyu, now a regional lord, was no longer the type from back then who “didn’t ask how many enemies, only where they were.”
Now, with Zhen State facing Hao State’s army pressing in, logically he should immediately help in the campaign; but for various considerations, he decided to wait. —Waiting for a more advantageous time, or rather, waiting for that clan younger cousin to request.
Over these years, when under heaven’s heroes didn’t dare look him in the eye, he had discovered under a certain person’s (Xian Daoren) prompt: Wu Fei had long harbored intentions to establish his own faction from the start.
Map of Mountains and Rivers, this map once trampled under Emperor Shu of Da Yao’s feet, now lay under Wu Hengyu’s feet. He looked at the western under heaven, the two entangled blocks one south one north in combat, and nodded. Then he eyed the northwest direction, separated from his territory by Tai Long Mountains: Jing, Xian, Wei three prefectures. This was the barrier Zhao Cheng had conquered to guard Yuhuazhou.
The intricate merchant-army collusion relations in Yu Prefecture, he couldn’t untangle.
He prepared to open a new battlefield. However, Wu Hengyu overlooked that while his main combat troops could quickly mobilize from south to north via the great grotto-heaven, the logistical system’s strategic transfer couldn’t withstand such drastic changes.
…Perspective back to June 18…
Over in Xiang Prefecture, decisive battle had begun; but for overall campaign coherence, continue narrating the Yongzhou campaign.
When Cai Baijing held out to the tenth day, that is, the 18th, subsequent continuous reinforcements arrived from southern roads, breaking the encirclement.
Cai Baijing received supplements of blazing sun crossbows and began exchanging shots with the Hao Army. Steam engines pumped coal flames, heating hot steel balls to one thousand degrees, sending them into asbestos-wrapped ceramic “external magazine,” then mounting this external heavy magazine on the arbalest shaft’s mounting point. Like 21st-century airplane conformal fuel tanks.
The blazing sun ballistae used hanging shots to lob break-formation cannon arrows to 150 meters away, 100 meters high.
The flying cannon arrows then deployed “X”-state glide wings; these glide wings were made of paper, the wing materials rustling loudly during dive, charging into Hao Army positions.
The pottery figurine ghost soldiers hiding 300 paces away raised their heads. Watching these crossbow bolts descending from the sky.
The hot projectiles, the instant the cannon arrow hit the ground, the wooden rod’s probe structure struck the primer. The 50 grams of gunpowder filled inside the arbalest shaft ignited; this gunpowder, just before ignition, had been pushed to the center of the conformal fuel tank-like mounting point, then burst open centrally, pushing out the burning steel balls, instantly becoming ground-bloom shells.
Several ghost soldiers within three zhang, struck by the one-thousand-degree metal projectiles, developed massive cracks, beginning combat losses from then. The crisp golden chime of ceramic shattering resounded in this field of slaughter.
Ballista exchanges continued for six days. The Hao Army was unrelenting, still carrying out strong assaults. Unbeknownst to them, pillars of steam smoke began flanking from both sides.
A total of eighteen war kui and eight thousand troops reinforcements began in pincer posture, respectively flanking 40 kilometers around the enemy vanguard’s stalled war zone, setting up major camps at King Hao’s northwest and southeast corners, preparing to encircle.
Such a stance, against troops stalled before a small city for a full ten days, was a death sentence.
During the Hao Army’s stagnation, logistics and military supplies were fully exposed at rest; in Xuan Chong’s military academy, facing such “intelligence” fully revealed military situations, there were already numerous mature deduction plans.
Su Ming, in a new military uniform, stared at the sand table. By now he had received news of his father being transferred south as Xiang Prefecture Prefect.
Su Ming knew his father’s prefect position was temporary; first, his father was old and couldn’t hold it long, but he was still deeply grateful to his lord—this showed trust without doubt.
Because in war, the biggest headache for generals on the frontline was the monarch, deceived by sycophants good at “writing essays” around him, harshly criticizing frontline officers and soldiers. This fatigued the bleeding warriors. Sure enough, later someone began doubting his loyalty.
That said, Xuan Chong coming to the frontline for ideological work was already sufficient sincerity, and now going this far told Su Ming and all northern frontline officers and soldiers: Fight with peace of mind, don’t be distracted.
So here at Su Ming’s, all were united top to bottom, all members unconcerned with matters outside the battlefield, merits and rewards/punishments unchanged by third-party interference. Thus, under the independent high-speed operation of the military system, such large combat weapons as war kui, with coordination from over 500 related soldiers in the army, successfully maneuvered to the predetermined combat positions. (Whereas twenty years ago, when Yao Army deployed iron lions, Da Yao needed a thousand laborers per iron lion.)
Su Ming looked at the map, pointed at King Hao’s position, and issued the order: “Encircling annihilation of enemy Xingzhou main force, capture alive the false Hao State Lord! To repay the lord’s grace!”
Surrounding officers and soldiers immediately swore in unison: “Capture alive the false Hao State Lord, to repay the lord’s grace!”
June 28, Su Ming’s troops collided with the Hao Army pottery figurine corps. South of Ao Guang City, both sides first clashed.
Just before both elite corps intermingled, like champion duels, war kui encountered giant pottery figurines.
When war kui numbered 012 crossed with the pottery figurine giant soldier, facing the charging pottery braves, at 20 paces distance, the war kui emitted thunderous roars, spraying metal torrents in a surprise attack, shattering the pottery figurine giant soldier, then mercilessly crushing over with its tracks.
