novelAbuy Chapter 114 The Rebellion of the Armies Before the Battle Even Begins
Chapter 114 The Rebellion of the Armies Before the Battle Even Begins
The 16th day of the fifth month of the third year of the Qingtai era (1268), the day of Renyin.
Four days after receiving news of Shi Jingtang's rebellion, an imperial edict was issued: Shi Jingtang's official titles and ranks were stripped, and Zhang Jingda was ordered to lead an army to attack and suppress him.
The huge weight that had been hanging over people's hearts finally came to a halt; the few words spoken were nothing short of a thunderclap.
May 19th, Yi Si day.
The lineup of the expeditionary force has been revealed.
Zhang Jingda, the military governor of Jianning Army in Jinzhou and deputy commander of the Han and non-Han troops in the northern expeditionary force, was appointed as the commander of the troops in all four directions around Taiyuan.
Zhang Yanqi, the military governor of Mengzhou and Heyang and commander of the imperial guards, was appointed commander of the cavalry and infantry.
An Shenqi, the military governor of Xingzhou Anguo Army, was appointed as the commander of the cavalry.
Xiangli Jin, the military governor of Baoyi Army in Shanzhou, was appointed as the commander of the infantry.
General Wu Tinghan, the Right Supervisor of the Gate, was appointed as the commander of the moat and fortification, in charge of construction, dredging, and the construction of the secondary fortifications.
May 20th, Bingwu day.
Yang Guangyuan, the military governor of Dingzhou Yiwu Army, was appointed as deputy commander and concurrently served as commander of the cavalry and infantry.
Gao Xingzhou, the former military governor of Zhangwu, was appointed as the commander of the pacification and troop deployment in all directions of Taiyuan.
That evening, Gao Xingzhou spoke calmly to his family about the upcoming campaign against Taiyuan.
"You should all remain in the capital and await news."
Military campaigns were commonplace for military families. Madam Gao suppressed her worries and urged her husband to be extremely careful on the battlefield, as swords and spears are ruthless.
Gao Huaide asked his father why he didn't take him along, since he had participated in several battles against the Dingnan Army in Yanzhou.
"This battle is unlike any before."
Gao Xingzhou did not elaborate on the reasons.
Shi Jingtang's memorial directly accused the emperor of illegitimate accession to the throne, leaving no room for negotiation between them.
He could understand that Li Congke had to respond quickly, but from a military perspective, the internal purge was not yet complete, and starting a war at this time was too hasty and not the most advantageous time.
This is a battle that Gao Xingzhou cannot control. Hopefully, the overwhelming advantage possessed by the imperial court can offset the lack of strategic preparation.
The next day, before dawn, Gao Xingzhou left home and led his army to Taiyuan.
May 22nd, Wushen day.
Zhang Jingda reported that his 30,000 troops had arrived at the city of Taiyuan and set up camp in Jin'an Township.
Jin'an Township is separated from Taiyuan only by the Fen River, less than thirty li away. From the day he was appointed, Zhang Jingda traveled from Daizhou, three hundred li away, to Taiyuan in just three days, doubling his journey and acting with great decisiveness.
The capital is nearly 900 li away from Taiyuan. The imperial guards led by Gao Xingzhou, Zhang Yanqi and others are still on their way, and have not yet completed half of their journey.
Zhang Jinda was able to quickly mobilize troops for the campaign without waiting for the imperial army to arrive, thanks to the establishment of the northern campaign camp.
The military campaign system originated in the early Tang Dynasty and aimed to quickly form superior forces to create large-scale field armies to fight against foreign enemies or quell rebellions.
At the same time, drawing troops from various states to form military camps could also weaken the power of regional military governors to some extent.
The dynasty established regional military governorships as the core of the state, while also continuing the policy of decentralizing control among these regional military governors. Li Siyuan inherited the military command system and devoted considerable effort to building up the defenses of the northern border.
When the King of Dingzhou rebelled, Li Siyuan appointed Wang Yanqiu as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expeditionary Force, An Shentong as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry of Various Circuits, and Zhang Qianzhao as the Supervisor. He then dispatched troops from various circuits to jointly suppress the rebellion, and the Northern Expeditionary Force was thus established.
After the rebellion was quelled, the military camp was not disbanded on the spot. Instead, Zhao Dejun, the military governor of Youzhou, was appointed as the commander-in-chief and a northern border defense force was established, making it a powerful force to defend against the Khitan.
At the operational level, in addition to the troops drawn from various towns in Hebei, the Imperial Guards were also deployed. At that time, the Longwu Left and Right Armies under the command of Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing belonged to the Northern Expeditionary Army. This part of the force was directly under the central government, and Zhao Dejun had no authority to mobilize it.
Now, Fu Yanqing has been transferred to the position of Prefect of Yizhou, leading the Northern Cavalry; Liu Zaiming, the Prefect of Zhaozhou, is concurrently the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expeditionary Cavalry. This main force of cavalry is now under the command of these two men.
It was precisely because of the establishment of the northern headquarters that the defenses of Youzhou were strengthened. The Khitan could not gain any advantage and had to shift their focus of invasion to the west, which gradually increased the pressure on the border defenses in Hedong.
Therefore, several years ago, the imperial court appointed Shi Jingtang to govern Taiyuan, and concurrently as the commander-in-chief of the military forces of Datong, Zhangguo, Zhenwu, and Weise, integrating the forces of various garrisons to confront him.
The northern expeditionary force was thus divided into two directions, northeast and northwest, with Zhao Dejun, the commander-in-chief, and Shi Jingtang, the general manager, each in charge of one side, supporting the northern defense line of the dynasty.
This was the strategic plan that Li Siyuan conceived and implemented: a relative by marriage and a beloved son-in-law, both trustworthy individuals—unfortunately, this was only during his lifetime.
Li Congke had previously appointed Zhang Jingda as the deputy commander of the northern expeditionary force and the commander of the cavalry and infantry of the northwest front, which was a force that had been separated from Shi Jingtang.
Zhang Jingda also reported bad news: An Shenxin, the commander of the vanguard in the northwest, led 227 cavalrymen of the Second Command of Xiongyi Left Army, along with 500 men, to defect to Taiyuan.
The Xiong Yi Capital has six hundred men, and its commander is An Yuanxin, a native of Mayi in Shuozhou. He served under the late emperor and repeatedly distinguished himself in campaigns, eventually being promoted to Commander of the Pengsheng Army and concurrently serving as Acting Minister of War. This year, he was ordered to take command of the Xiong Yi Capital and garrison Daizhou. The governor, Zhang Lang, treated him very well, and An Yuanxin also treated him as an elder brother.
Shi Jingtang refused to obey orders and rumors of his intention to collude with the Khitan reached Daizhou. If the enemy army arrived in force, how could they defend themselves with less than a thousand men? An Yuanxin then went to persuade Zhang Lang.
"Although Zhang Jingda has besieged Taiyuan, his troops have not yet joined forces. Dai County is located at the pass of Yanmen Pass. How can we defend against the enemy when they arrive? I have observed that Lord Shi is a virtuous man who always succeeds in his endeavors. If we send someone to convey our intentions and wait for both sides to agree, it would be the best strategy to seek a peaceful outcome."
Zhang Lang refused to listen, and An Yuanxin regretted speaking frankly. Instead, they became suspicious of each other and raised an army to assassinate Zhang Lang, but failed. So he led his troops to join An Shenxin, who persuaded him to plunder a hundred wells and sweep through Taiyuan City.
Daizhou, the northern gateway defending against the Khitan, lost its valuable garrison forces after this upheaval.
An Yuanxin shares the same name as the recently deceased military governor of Luzhou, but they are completely unrelated. However, An Yuanxin, whom he colluded with, is the cousin of An Shenqi, who is in charge of the cavalry in the expeditionary army.
An Shenxin's wife and two sons were in the capital. Upon hearing of his defection, Li Congke issued an edict ordering the execution of An Shenxin along with the wives and sons of the Xiong Yidu soldiers. Their property was confiscated by the government, with only his elderly mother being granted a loan.
Before the army even engaged in battle, hundreds and thousands of people were executed. Even the people of Luoyang, who were used to the changing of dynasties, couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Gao Huaide went to watch an execution, and blood flowed like a river in the marketplace.
Watching the executioner raise and lower his sword, and seeing the heads of women, children, and even kids his own age fall to the ground one by one, he felt a pang of bitterness.
"Is it really necessary to go this far?"
"Young master, the great battle has just begun. If we don't use swift and decisive measures to deter them, anyone could easily betray us."
Okay, Gao Huaide nodded, barely convincing himself to accept Lu Qian's explanation.
May 23rd, Ji-You day.
An Shuqian, the military governor of Zhenwu, reported that An Chongrong, the inspector of the northwest border, had driven 500 cavalrymen to rebel and enter Taiyuan.
Shi Jingtang had been in the army for a long time and had many confidants and followers, which made it impossible to clean them all up. It was to be expected that some generals would lead their troops to rebel.
Fortunately, although this move could boost morale in Taiyuan, the defection of more than a thousand mutineers could not change the overall situation. As long as the prefectures and counties were not lost, the defection of mid-level officers and colonels would not affect the overall deployment.
However, things are unpredictable, and Gao Xingzhou's previous worries still had a bad outcome.
May 25th, Renzi day.
Liu Yanhao, the garrison commander of Yedu, plundered people's property, seized their gardens and mansions, and indulged in long nights of drinking with singing boys and servants, while the army was in dire need of supplies. Zhang Lingzhao, the commander of the second army of the right wing of Zhangsheng, due to the resentment of the people, raised an army to rebel and responded to Hedong with Weibo.
May 26th, Gui Chou day.
Before dawn, seven commanders led about two thousand cavalry in a sudden attack, capturing Ya City in one fell swoop. Liu Yanhao fled Yedu in panic, heading for Xiangzhou, where his mutinous troops looted the city.
The following day, Zhang Lingzhao forced officials, including the deputy military governor Bian Rensi, to jointly submit a memorial recommending him as the military governor of Yedu.
The memorial stated: "Yan Hao failed in his command, leading to military unrest. I have pacified the soldiers and temporarily taken command of the military headquarters; I request that you grant me a banner and insignia!"
Liu Yanhao was the Empress's younger brother and one of the few people Li Congke could absolutely trust. Unexpectedly, he mismanaged the army and lost a key town at a crucial moment when he was about to launch a military campaign against Hedong, which disrupted the court's plans.
This cavalry force, along with troops from various towns in Hebei, was originally planned as reinforcements for the punitive expedition. Liu Yanhao failed to quell the situation, leading to the fall of Yedu to the mutinous troops and causing extremely serious consequences.
Not only could the troops scheduled to be deployed to the Jinyang front not arrive in time, but troops from other places also had to be mobilized to quell the rebellion.
As a result, Zhang Jingda's forces suffered an unexpected shortfall. Even after joining forces with the 20,000 men led by Gao Xingzhou, his forces alone were insufficient to launch a strong attack. He had no choice but to build long siege works to besiege the city while waiting for troops from all sides to gradually assemble.
Unexpectedly, the weather turned against them, and the joke Fu Yanqing had made with Gao Xingzhou at the beginning of the year became a reality. Every construction project was thwarted by wind and rain; the long wall was destroyed by floods in the summer and could not be closed. (Note 1)
Shi Jingtang gained a valuable opportunity to deploy defenses and request reinforcements.
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Place Name Comparison
Jin'an Township: now Jianjunzhuang Village, southeast of Jinci Town, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province
Baijing: now Baijing Village, ten miles northeast of Yangqu County, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province