Since last year, the soldiers of Jingzhou have fought fiercely against Wei Jian, but they have failed to hold Changwu Pass despite their best efforts. They know that if they do not submit to Wei Jian, Jingzhou will only be bullied and annexed.
Fu Yuzhi's bravery was clearly evident to others in this battle to relieve the siege—his more than a thousand iron cavalry, galloping like tigers, charged back and forth, sweeping away tens of thousands of Wei family troops as if they were in an empty land. How could the generals not admire him?
Zhao Yanzhi was willing to submit, and the Fu family were not harsh people, so they naturally supported him.
After three days of rest, Fu Yu reorganized the troops and joined forces to seize Changwu Pass.
Although the pass was treacherous, Zhao Yanzhi had a clear understanding of its city walls, defenses, and the surrounding terrain. The original formidable defenses had been severely damaged during Wei Changgong's attack, and had not been fully repaired in just a few days. With Zhao Yanzhi present, he was more effective than any internal spies planted over the years in determining which parts of the pass were easy to attack and which were difficult.
Zhao Yanzhi was worried about the enemy's tens of thousands of troops, but this was not a problem for Fu Yu.
With their combined efforts and each having their own strengths, they recaptured Changwu Pass within four or five days, killing two generals, Zhou Wei and Li Sheng. Wei Changgong was left half-dead, but was rescued by a trusted confidant sent by Wei Jian to protect him.
In just half a month, news arrived at Wei Jian's desk like a shooting star.
The joy of capturing Changwu Pass had barely faded when news arrived that two valiant generals had been killed in battle and his carefully cultivated eldest son was seriously injured. Wei Jian was so enraged that he nearly overturned his desk. Despite expending countless troops and supplies and spending several months, Changwu Pass was lost again. By the time the remnants of the army returned, the original tens of thousands of soldiers had been either killed, wounded, or deserted, leaving less than two thousand men, destitute and like stray dogs.
If Wei Changgong hadn't been seriously injured, Wei Jian would have loved to beat him severely.
In the end, it was only through the tearful pleas of the Princess of Xiping that Wei Changgong was exonerated and spared punishment.
However, Wei Changgong fell out of favor as a result.
After this setback, the Wei family suffered heavy losses and gained nothing, while the Fu family seized Jingzhou with minimal effort and reaped the benefits. Wei Jian had put in a lot of effort, only to have it all go to someone else. He was furious and wanted nothing more than to kill Fu Yu and Zhao Yanzhi, but he also knew that this matter was extremely difficult and could not be taken lightly. So he had no choice but to temporarily abandon his desire for Jingzhou.
Of all the people in Suizhou, only Wei Tianze benefited from this incident.
The marriage between the Wei and Jiang families went extremely smoothly. When Jiang Daijun was married, Jiang Shao sent a large number of soldiers to protect her, and Jiang Boyan personally escorted her. Not long after the joyous wedding, Wei Conggong suffered a major setback and temporarily lost Wei Jian's favor. Among the remaining sons, although each had their own supporters, in terms of talent, merit, and the troops they commanded, no one could suppress Wei Tianze's arrogance.
A rising star was emerging in Suizhou, while in Chuzhou, war was already raging.
...
When Emperor Hui'an, Xu Chaozong, ascended the throne, the situation was even worse than that of his predecessor because of a palace coup.
In the first six months after ascending the throne, Xu Chaozong was busy reorganizing the inner palace and winning over the hearts of the people in the capital. Although he had the will to govern the area a hundred miles outside the capital, he lacked the power to do so. However, rumors about him were rampant outside the capital.
The imperial court is declining while the military governors are gaining power. The news that the rebel army almost attacked the capital has spread among the people.
The imperial authority was difficult to maintain, and outside the capital, there were many people who cursed the emperor for being incompetent and foolish.
After Xu Chaozong ascended the throne, rumors began to circulate, claiming that he had murdered his father and brothers, seized the throne through underhanded means, was jealous of the virtuous and capable, eliminated dissidents, and disregarded the affairs of the court and the common people. This was followed by numerous rumors about unusual phenomena, suggesting that the imperial dynasty's fate was sealed and someone would replace him.
The Fu family managed the Yongning area and Xuanzhou region, and the people there were relatively well-behaved.
Under Wei Jian's command, the people dared not speak out against him, and Jiang Shao of Jianchang was able to maintain a semblance of stability. However, in Chuzhou, Sun Tiancheng's rebellion had previously routed the government troops, and although they managed to salvage the situation, their forces were exhausted, their officials incompetent, and no one could deter the troublemakers. As rumors spread, unrest gradually spread, and peasant uprisings broke out one after another, becoming increasingly difficult for the government troops to suppress.
The small groups of bandits were not a threat before, but at the beginning of this year, bandit leader Zheng Biao fought his way out and became another Sun Tiancheng.
The defenses of Chuzhou collapsed without a fight, and the government troops retreated while fighting. Many of them had long hated the corrupt government and even turned to join the rebels. In just two months, they swept through the entire Chuzhou and gathered a rebel army of 100,000.
This force of 100,000 men was overwhelming. When they charged westward, they were blocked by Jiang Shao and Wei Jian, and when they went east, they encountered Fu Yu's defenses in Xuanzhou, which they were no match for. Zheng Biao, a former bandit, had the passion and courage to conquer cities and fight desperately, but lacked the vision and breadth of mind to assess the overall situation. So he abandoned both sides and instead led his men to the capital, intending to kill the corrupt emperor Xu Chaozong, seize the capital with his brothers, and experience the life of an emperor.
Heading north from Chuzhou, wherever the rebel army went, the government troops were no match for them.
Urgent news concerning the war was blocked by secret agents and kept outside the palace walls.
Xu Chaozong only learned of the military situation when the rebel army was only two or three hundred miles away from the capital, and he was greatly alarmed.
Outside the capital, these reports had already reached the ears of Fu Yu and Wei Jian—but both sides remained inactive.
...
The capital city is a strategically important location and has always been heavily guarded by troops, while tens of thousands of imperial guards also protect the area outside the imperial city.
Although the garrison in the capital region was weak, and the Imperial Guards were mostly incompetent and lacked fighting power, the city's defenses remained very strong. With tens of thousands of troops defending the city, it would not be easy to breach it. Moreover, although Xu Chaozong was mediocre, he was not a tyrannical ruler. While he had a bad reputation outside the capital, opinions about him among the people around the city were mixed.
Fu Yu and Wei Jian had special identities, and neither of them wanted to bear the infamy of murdering the emperor and usurping the throne.
Zheng Biao was the knife sent by heaven.
Although the peasant uprising in Chuzhou was fueled by the Fu family's underhanded tactics, Wei Jian was not deaf or blind; how could he not see the underlying motives? After suffering a defeat at Zhao Yanzhi's hands, Wei Jian had personally experienced the Fu family's power. He temporarily suppressed his anger over the loss of veteran generals and troops, and instead sent people to frequently communicate with Jiang Shao. Subsequently, he mobilized troops to prepare for the need to come to the aid of the emperor in case the capital was in danger.
Fu Yu has also been extremely busy these past few months.
After the victory at Jingzhou, he personally arranged fortifications. To prevent Wei Jian from launching a counterattack, he personally oversaw the situation for half a month, using the opportunity to familiarize himself with the terrain and troop movements of Jingzhou. Seeing that the Wei family made no move, he left Zhu Xun to assist Zhao Yanzhi and, in mid-February, rushed off to another location without delay.
The rebels who stormed the capital are not a major concern; the real threat is Wei Jian. When the capital is in dire straits, Xu Chaozong will surely issue an order to come to the aid of the emperor. Whoever arrives in the capital first will gain a significant advantage. Naturally, we must plan ahead for this.
Yongning bears the heavy responsibility of guarding the border. Although the Tatars have lost a pillar of the army, they still have to be on guard. Border troops cannot be moved lightly, and the only troops that can be mobilized are those from other places.
To prevent trouble in his own backyard, Fu Yu personally inspected the border area to ensure its defenses were secure.
He then turned south to pacify Xuanzhou and other places, and secretly mobilized troops, dividing them into three routes. One route was entrusted to Fu Deqing's trusted deputy general and Zhu Xun to intercept Wei Jian, as the Wei family had many soldiers and generals, and Wei Tianze was also present. Fu Zhang was also transferred there. Another route was led by Xu Kui, preparing to encircle Zheng Biao. The third route was personally led by him, divided into small groups, heading towards the capital, waiting for the right time to send troops to rescue him.
Before he could even catch his breath, Zheng Biao's blade had already reached the capital.
Chapter 120 Seizing the Palace
In early May, the locust trees in Beijing were in full bloom, and the weather was already getting warm.
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, a time when the aroma of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) should fill the air and people should be drinking realgar wine and watching dragon boat races, no one has the leisure for such activities this year. News of Zheng Biao leading his rebel army rapidly northward and his imminent arrival at the capital has quietly spread, causing widespread anxiety among the people. Some individuals of high status have already secretly packed their bags, preparing to flee the capital and seek refuge elsewhere.
Inside the palace, Xu Chaozong looked at the snow-like pile of battle reports on his desk, his expression haggard.
The throne, which he had painstakingly obtained, was now firmly in his hands, yet he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Inside and outside the palace, in and out of the court, countless matters arose. Xu Chaozong was no idle man; at the beginning of his reign, he harbored lofty ambitions to revitalize the court. After settling things in the palace, he devoted himself day and night to handling state affairs, intending to control the capital and then use imperial tactics to incite conflict between the two powerful forces, until the latter was weakened, at which point the court would reclaim its power. To this end, Xu Chaozong also devoted considerable effort to training the imperial guards and the garrison troops in the capital region.
However, the problems have been deeply entrenched, like a heavy millstone that has been idle for too long. How easy is it to get it up again?
This year was only enough for him to restore order among the officials in the capital with Fu Deming's assistance; he was still powerless to deal with the military and political affairs outside the capital. On the contrary, Fu Deming, under the banner raised by the emperor, extensively formed cliques, placed his own people in positions of power, and so on. As a result, when Zheng Biao stirred up trouble in Chuzhou, Xu Chaozong, who was deep in the palace, did not receive any news at all.
They were caught off guard when the rebel army reached the vicinity of the capital.
Even though Xu Chaozong lacked the skills to manage people and govern, he could still see the situation clearly.
Both Fu and Wei, those two fierce tigers, had dealings with him, but each harbored their own ulterior motives. They both suppressed news of the war, keeping him in the dark and allowing the flames of war to spread to the capital. Don't you understand what they were plotting behind the scenes?
But things have come to this point, and the garrison in the capital region is exhausted and may not be able to withstand the rebels' blades.
After struggling for a long time, Xu Chaozong finally ordered someone to draft an edict and issued a warrant to support the emperor.
...
Outside the capital, news of the war was delivered to Fu Yu daily by express courier, along with updates on the emperor's movements. Before Xu Chaozong issued his order to come to the aid of the emperor, Fu Yu, assessing the situation, sent a secret letter to Yue Ju, the veteran general guarding Jingzhou.
On the day the secret letter arrived, Zhao Yanzhi, under the pretext of revenge, led his army to attack Wei Jian.
This battle has been planned for a long time.
Yue Ju was Fu Deqing's lieutenant general, a man who had fought alongside him on the battlefield for thirty years, a man who had crawled out of piles of corpses, both brave and resourceful. He had previously taught Fu Yu horsemanship, archery, and military strategy, and his skills were second only to the veteran general Xu Kui under Yongning's command. Beside him were Zhu Xun, who was familiar with the Wei family's situation, the young and valiant Fu Zhang, and Zhao Yanzhi, who was a capable and courageous general guarding a region.
This force, comprised entirely of the Fu family and the combined strength of Jingzhou, was at its most formidable.
Although Wei Jian had many veteran generals under his command, Zhou Wei and Li Sheng had already been lost. Now, in order to seize the fat meat of the capital, half of his fierce generals and Wei Tianze had followed Wei Jian eastward. The rest were still to guard the western border, so the defense of the north was not very strong. If it were only Zhao Yanzhi, he could still resist, but with the arrival of all the generals of the Fu family, they would be no match for him.
The attacking army charged southwest. Although it numbered only seven or eight thousand, under the leadership of several fierce generals, it displayed the momentum of ten times the strength of the enemy.
Taking advantage of the enemy's weakened position, they advanced with unstoppable momentum.
Wei Jian kept a close eye on the capital. Before he could even get excited after receiving the order to defend the emperor, military reports came one after another—three secret reports in just half a day, in which Yue Ju and Zhao Yanzhi's troops captured two cities.
That evening, when Wei Jian's army was less than two hundred li from the capital, news arrived that another city had fallen. The report stated that the Fu and Zhao families had joined forces, deploying an army of 80,000. Leading the troops were Yue Ju, Fu Deqing's deputy, and Fu Yu, the man who had swept across the north with his iron cavalry.
Upon hearing this, Wei Jian was greatly alarmed.
With his rear undefended, Zhao Yanzhi alone would pose little threat. However, now that Zhao Yanzhi has joined the Fu family, if they were to launch a surprise attack on him and march on Suizhou, things would be dire!
The situation was urgent, and fearing trouble at home, Wei Jian hurriedly summoned Wei Tianze and the generals to discuss the matter.
If there's no time to set up camp during a march, a simple meeting place can be set up by hanging up a map in an open space and having soldiers stand guard around it.
General Wei Jian explained the situation clearly, and all the generals were astonished. They then turned their gazes to Wei Tianze.
Wei Tianze's experiences in Qizhou over the years are an open secret among the generals. Now that the military situation is urgent, Wei Tianze is the most suitable person in the entire Dingjun camp who is familiar with Fu Yu's actions and can know both himself and his enemy to stop them.
Wei Tianze frowned upon seeing this.
Before Wei Jian's army secretly set out, he had advised Wei Jian to be wary of a joint attack by the Fu family and Zhao Yanzhi, and to leave an old general to guard the area. That old general was a supporter of Wei Changgong, and fearing that Wei Tianze was using this as an opportunity to sideline him, he joined forces with two other familiar generals to advise Wei Jian, saying that the Fu family's frequent actions in Chuzhou indicated they were eyeing the capital. Even if they might invade the rear, they would at most send Zhao Yanzhi to cause trouble; why would they send a large force?
If we leave him here, it will only be a waste of military resources. When the capital is vying for control, the Wei family will likely suffer losses.
Wei Jian considered it for two days and felt that this made sense. He did not heed Wei Tianze's advice and only left a mediocre general to guard the area.
Although Wei Tianze was frustrated, he had no choice but to give up because there was no affection between father and son and his suggestions were rejected several times.
Who would have thought that something would actually happen today?
He frowned deeply, looked around at the generals, and said, "The Fu family's invasion is to force Father to send troops back to rescue them, and their ultimate goal is still the capital. Fu Yu is the military commander and pillar of Yongning, and he will definitely go to the capital in person. The information we have received is probably a bit wrong—at least at this critical juncture, the Fu family cannot send out tens of thousands of troops."
Wei Jian wasn't entirely sure whether the news was true or false.
He merely raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you so sure Fu Yu will go to the capital?"
“It was definitely him leading the troops!” Wei Tianze raised his sword and pointed at the map. “You all know the Fu family’s scheme. If they let the rebels break through and enter the city, and Fu Yu enters the city before us, what originally belonged to Emperor Huian will belong to him. Such an important matter cannot be entrusted to a subordinate general.”
"Nonsense!" The veteran who had almost been left behind by Wei Tianze sneered.
Wei Jian had known these veteran generals for many years and understood their personalities. He glanced at the expression on that person's face and knew what he meant.
He chuckled and patted Wei Tianze on the shoulder. "The military commander of Yongning is Fu Yu, but the military governor is Fu Deqing. He deserves all the credit, while Fu Deqing is left to starve? The father is in his prime, and the son is—" He finished speaking, his meaning clear, and gave Wei Tianze a meaningful look.
When Wei Tianze met those fierce yet warning and suspicious eyes, his heart skipped a beat.
Having spent over a decade in Qizhou, he knew the temperament of the Fu family father and son. Based on the military reports he had gathered over the past six months, he could glean a general idea from the subtle clues. For example, the dealings with Xu Chaozong, the arrangements in the capital, the annexation of Xuanzhou, and the subjugation of Zhao Yanzhi—all these important matters were entrusted to Fu Yu. As for Fu Deqing, all he did was stay in Yongning, relieving his son of any worries.
Therefore, Fu Yu will definitely handle this matter in the capital personally.
But all of these are just his speculations.
Wei Jian, by nature greedy, thoroughly enjoyed wielding power and being in a high position. Over the years, he clung tightly to power, never daring to relax his grip even slightly. Even with his most favored eldest son, Wei Changgong, he both valued and cultivated him while secretly guarding against him. Judging others by his own standards, he naturally assumed that the Fu family's power would remain firmly in Fu Deqing's hands.
If he insists on explaining the Fu family's situation, Wei Jian will not only not believe him, but may even become suspicious.
After more than a decade of separation, how much weight does Wei Jian hold in his heart for his son, who was abandoned in childhood, used as a pawn, and whom he never developed any affection for? How many times can he withstand suspicion?
Wei Tianze was speechless for a moment.
The veteran general chimed in, "It must be Fu Deqing personally who is making a move in the capital. Fu Yu lingered in Jingzhou for the past two months, presumably to gather information about this matter. Now, the father and son have split their forces into two groups, intending to relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao, forcing the general to lose his composure and thus diverting troops to rescue the rear. If the general does not come to the rescue, Fu Yu will seize Suizhou, cutting off our retreat, and then our situation will become very difficult."
Wei Jian nodded, agreeing with the assessment.
Therefore, someone suggested, "To deal with Fu Yu, the young general is the most suitable."