novelAbuy Chapter 77 Building a City to Stabilize the Border and Plan for Xia Prefecture
Chapter 77 Building a City to Stabilize the Border and Plan for Xia Prefecture
Fu Yanqing pointed out the key point: the next step is to attack the stronghold of the Dingnan Army, and even to achieve great things in the Northwest. The position of Zhang Xichong, the military governor of Lingwu who inherited the name of the Shuofang Army, is very important.
Gao Xingzhou didn't hold back with his allies: "Zhang Xichong replied that he had long disliked the Dangxiang people and told us to hurry up. If the imperial decree to go to the capital is issued, he won't wait any longer."
The crowd was overjoyed: Zhang Xichong's meaning was clear; as long as he was in office, they would do their best to help.
More importantly, this person had no ambition; he only wanted to subdue the Dingnan Army so he could retire to the Central Plains.
When he leaves office, we can take over the Lingwu Army while he is in a vacancy. Wouldn't that be a natural and easy thing to do?
Yang Hongxin laughed heartily: "Haha, what are we waiting for? Let's rush over and wipe out the Dingnan Army's stronghold in one fell swoop!"
"Last year, the imperial court dispatched 50,000 troops, yet they still couldn't capture Xiazhou City. Even with Zhang Xichong's Shuofang Army added, do you think we could take it?"
Zhe Congyuan poured cold water on him.
Yang Hongxin retorted, "Times have changed. The Dingnan Army has suffered heavy losses and morale is low. How can they possibly defend the city?"
"Both of you have your reasons, but in my opinion, there are three reasons why the imperial court's strategy failed last year."
Fu Yanqing raised a finger and sharply commented on the gains and losses of the military campaign: "The timing was not right. It was only because the late emperor was seriously ill that Li Yichao was able to continue fighting. Otherwise, if the war had continued, Li Yichao would most likely not have been able to hold out."
"Secondly, the terrain is not advantageous, the roads are treacherous and difficult to traverse, and the daily expenses for feeding and sustenance the 50,000 soldiers and horses are enormous, all of which are transported from within the Great Wall, making the supply of military provisions difficult."
"With these three men all in disarray, and An Congjin and Yao Yanchou both being mediocre generals, how could we not be defeated?"
Zhe Congyuan and Yang Hongxin secretly admired him, thinking that their own families were located on the border, and compared to the sons of military families, their vision and level were still inferior.
Gao Xingzhou asked, "What good plan does Lord Guan have to prevent us from repeating the same mistakes?"
Since Fu Yanqing pointed out the drawbacks, he must have given it careful consideration.
"Brother Gao, first, please draft a memorial to appeal the Dingnan Army's invasion of our territory."
Fu Yanqing turned his gaze to Gao Xingzhou: "Only Brother Gao can step forward on this matter; I can serve as a witness."
Zhe Congyuan and Yang Hongxin only listened to the surface meaning and thought that the invasion of Dingnan Army was due to Yanzhou.
Gao Xingzhou knew that Fu Yanqing was aware of his relationship with Li Congke. This was an established fact, and if he submitted it to the court, it would subtly influence the court's perception and opinion.
He nodded slightly; this was precisely why he had gone to the capital to pay homage several months earlier.
Li Congke tacitly approved the use of force against the Dingnan Army, attached the charge that Li Yichao had attacked without authorization, then accused him of colluding with the Khitan, and finally added the news of a great victory. The court would most likely choose to kick the Dingnan Army while it was down.
"Secondly, Zhe and Yang can take Yinzhou along the way on their return journey."
Li Renyan of Yinzhou had fewer than a thousand soldiers and no reinforcements. The Zheyang allied forces numbered four thousand, plus Gao Junli's troops from Suizhou, making them several times larger than the enemy. Moreover, they had the Zhangwu army from Yanzhou as backup. The disparity in strength between the two sides was enormous.
"If the defending general stubbornly resists, defeat and death are the only outcome. If he is wise, Yinzhou can be captured without a fight."
Fu Yanqing gave a confident and eloquent speech.
"As for Fu, build another fort at Toudaochuan to facilitate the transport of grain and fodder."
Toudaochuan is located about 20 miles northwest of Wuqi Town, at the junction of several prefectures. To the east, it belongs to Ningshuo County of Youzhou, to the south to Hua County of Qingzhou, and most of the remaining area belongs to Wuyuan County of Yanzhou. It is more than 200 miles from the western border of Xiazhou.
Fu Yanqing chose this place to set up camp and garrison troops, connecting with Zhang Xichong's Shuofang Army, with the aim of using it as a bridgehead for conquering Xiazhou.
Gao Xingzhou's former post in the Anbei Protectorate had the Huluo Salt Lake, which yielded 14,000 hu of salt annually, which was distributed to the Zhenwu and Tiande armies.
The Tang Dynasty had eighteen salt lakes, four of which were located in Wuyuan County of Yanzhou, and as many as seven in Lingzhou. The profits from salt production supported the army and livestock, which is why Shuofang was a powerful region and ranked among the strongest towns in the northwest.
If Zhang Xichong were willing to act as a support force, providing food supplies and building supply depots to ensure the safety of the supply routes, the pressure on supplies would be reduced by at least half.
Fu Yanqing, from a family of two generations of generals, was deeply influenced by his father Fu Cunshen's military strategies. He possessed a broad vision and profound thinking, and his few words were always to the point. The tasks assigned to each party were clearly defined, without a single superfluous word.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Zhe Congyuan laughed and said, "The name Toudaochuan is not grand enough. Since Lord Fu is building a city here, why not give it a more impressive name?"
Wuqi Town is crisscrossed by ravines and is known as having eight rivers, two streams, and two mountains. In addition to Toudaochuan, there are also Erdaochuan, Sandaochuan, Luanshitouchuan, etc., which are indeed difficult to distinguish.
"We agree to a pact, and from now on, we will secure the borders. Neither the Tanguts nor the Khitans will dare to invade. How about we name the new city 'Dingbian' (meaning 'Secure the Border')?" (Note 1)
Gao Xingzhou made a suggestion, which everyone praised as brilliant. They then asked Fu Yanqing how to solve the problem of human factors once the right timing and location were met, as mentioned earlier.
Fu Yanqing smiled arrogantly: "An Congjin and Yao Yanchou are no match for us. When Zhang Xichong's Shuofang army arrives, Xia Prefecture will surely be captured!"
……
A banquet was held to discuss future strategies, and each party went their separate ways.
Although reluctant to part with his father, Yang Chonggui bid farewell to Yang Hongxin and returned to Yanzhou with the Gao family.
On his way back, Gao Huaide reflected on the events of the past six months and had many feelings.
He took office in January, built the city in April, and fought the decisive battle in September. My father's actions were swift, but they also took a long time and came at the cost of the fall and massacre of Simon, Tumen, and Jinming Town.
Subjugating the territory, placing trusted confidants, forging alliances, strengthening city defenses, and preparing provisions—which of these actions doesn't take time? The plan to attack Dingnan Army's headquarters requires even more preparation, which will take several more months.
Launching a military operation and achieving nothing is one thing, but for someone like Li Yichao, a single defeat wiped out the wealth accumulated over three generations, leaving him with no way to express his bitterness.
Stories often gloss over the fact that sending an army is all it takes to seize a prefecture or county, revealing how incredibly difficult it is to expand one's power in reality. No wonder the old man Chen Tuan in the tower said that the Gao family would need to hold Yanzhou for at least three years to secure their position as rulers of the Northwest.
Now Gao Huaide is starting to doubt whether three years is really enough. Could something else have changed by then?
He returned to Yanzhou with questions in his mind.
Based on the results of the discussion, Gao Xingzhou submitted a memorial impeaching the Dingnan Army for its unauthorized invasion of the border and its subsequent defeat by the Zhangwu Army, and earnestly requested the court to punish them.
As expected, the Zhe and Yang families easily captured Yinzhou, and the Dingnan Army lost another prefecture.
Following the recommendation of Gao Junli as the Prefect of Suizhou, Gao Xingzhou recommended Liu Jingyan as the Prefect of Yinzhou.
Liu Jingyan, a native of Yanzhou, came from a wealthy family and used his wealth to associate with influential figures. He once served as a subordinate of Gao Wanjin and was later appointed as the prefect of Danzhou. His granddaughter married Gao Yunquan.
By the time the memorials to the emperor arrived in Luoyang after the autumn battles, winter had already fallen.
October 10th, Wuyin day.
The chancellors Li Yu and Liu Xu were dismissed from their posts and each retained their original positions as left and right assistant ministers. When the officials of the Three Departments heard that Liu Xu had been dismissed, they all rejoiced and none of them went back to their residences with him.
On that day, due to the Khitan raids on Yun and Yingzhou, an imperial edict was issued ordering Shi Jingtang, the military governor of Hedong, to lead troops to garrison Daizhou.
Shi Jingtang had previously reported that he would personally lead troops to garrison Baijing to prepare for the Khitan.
Baijing is only about sixty li from Taiyuan, located inside Yanmen Pass, and could not serve any defensive purpose. Daizhou, on the other hand, is three hundred li north of Taiyuan and also three hundred li from Yunzhou, and is located within Yanmen Pass.
Li Congke did not believe that Shi Jingtang, with his military prowess, would be unable to discern where to station troops to effectively defend against enemy invaders.
Ultimately, it was nothing more than a matter of lingering doubts, a fear that a major battle with the Khitan would weaken their strength, and the possibility of being held responsible for a defeat. Hence, this edict was issued, ordering him to proceed with this plan.
However, the military situation was urgent, and the order came a step too late.
October 19th, Dinghai day.
When Yelü Deguang conquered Lingqiu, the elders offered cattle and wine to reward his troops.
By the time Shi Jingtang received the imperial edict and led his army forward, the Khitan army had already vanished into the distance.
The third day of the eleventh month, the year of Xin Chou.
The Khitan army retreated four hundred li north and besieged Yangcheng in Wuzhou.
Yangcheng surrendered in just one day.
As was customary, the Khitan army plundered a large number of people and valuables before withdrawing. (Note 2)
November 9th, Dingwei day.
Li Congke issued an edict: Zhenwu, Xinzhou, and the areas east and west of the Yellow River, all those ravaged by the Khitan, shall be exempted from summer and autumn taxes for three years.
November 15th, Gui Chou day.
Wang Wanrong, the former military governor of Huazhou, retired with the rank of General of the Left Valiant Guard.
Wang Wanrong, a pancake vendor from Binzhou, was appointed as a military commander of a town because he had a wonderful daughter, who is now the Empress Dowager.
November 16th, Jia Yin day.
Yang Tan, the military governor of Zhenwu, was appointed as the chief military commander of Datong, Zhangguo, Zhenwu, and Weise.
Yang Tan was promoted to the third position, below the chief and deputy chief, for his meritorious service in repelling the enemy. Besides rewarding his achievements, it is hard to say that this was not also intended to check and balance Shi Jingtang and to punish his hesitation and inaction.
The Secretariat reported that, on the first anniversary of the death, unlike any other year, the official would not attend court for one day before and one day after the anniversary.
This memorial understood the emperor's feelings, and Li Congke complied with it.
In just a few days, it will be a full year since Li Siyuan passed away.
-----------------
Place Name Comparison
Dingbian: present-day Tiebian Town, Wuqi Town, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province
Daizhou: present-day Daixian County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province
Baijing: present-day Baijing Village, northeast of Yangqu County, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province
Lingqiu: present-day Lingqiu County, Datong City, Shanxi Province
Wuzhou: present-day Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province