Young Prime Minister, a Hermit - Chapter 102
The soldiers, especially the unknown generals and ordinary soldiers, were overjoyed and shouted Qin Luo's name in unison.
September of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
After the reward and punishment meeting, Qin Luo ordered the army to continue repairs in Pucheng for two months and to distribute the remaining funds from the requisition to the impoverished people. Ling Chu's men, resentful of not having earned military merit, disobeyed orders and forcibly seized property from the people, even abusing several young girls. Qin Luo was furious upon learning this and, disregarding Ling Chu's threats and inducements, used both soft and hard tactics to have all the men beheaded in front of the entire populace. After this, no one dared to disobey Qin Luo's orders again. A month later, the people of Pucheng began to genuinely respect Qin Luo as their city's guardian.
Early October of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
News finally arrived from the right flank of Jin Yaojun that Yang Qian had breached the city. After nearly four months of fighting, the 150,000-strong army had lost 30,000 elite soldiers, 10,000 seriously wounded, and 50,000 lightly wounded before finally capturing Yangping City. After the fall of the city, Yang Qian's soldiers looted the homes of the people, committing rape, plunder, murder, arson, and all sorts of atrocities. The people fled to Zhuo County and Pucheng. Qin Luo ordered thatched huts to be built outside the city to house the refugees, then checked them one by one, allowing them to enter the city only after confirming they were harmless. The people of Fengyin were grateful to him.
If preparations are thorough, suspicion will be jeopardized; if things are commonplace, doubt will be absent. The yin is within the yang, not opposite to it. The sun, the moon. [Note 6]
November of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
With no worries about the rear, Qin Luo launched a full-scale attack on Jianye.
The garrison commander of Jianye, Wang Yun, was treacherous, suspicious, and ruthless. Although the people and soldiers disliked him, they also feared him greatly, and no one dared to rebel or disobey orders. In addition, the walls of Jianye were tough and smooth, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and everyone foresaw that Qin Luo was about to face a difficult and bitter battle.
Qin Luo crossed mountains and rivers to reach the walls of Jianye City, but did not immediately attack, instead resting for a day. Late that night, when all was quiet, a deafening drumbeat suddenly resounded from below the city. Wang Yun and his generals rushed to the city walls without even having time to dress. In the darkness, they could only see indistinct figures, and their torches could not illuminate the ground below. Wang Yun quickly ordered his men to fire arrows downwards, and half an hour later, the enemy retreated.
For several days in a row, Qin Luo attacked the city at midnight, but each time he only shouted orders or attacked briefly before retreating. Wang Yun and the generals in the city were exhausted, both physically and mentally, and their arrows were almost all used up. On the tenth day, the city's defenders were exhausted and rested, waiting for the night's surprise attack. This time, however, Qin Luo actually led his troops to attack. What angered Wang Yun even more was that he discovered the enemy was using the same arrows he had fired in the previous days.
The siege lasted for half a day, and this close-quarters combat thrilled the Jin Yao army, who were eager to make their mark. However, as evening approached, a sudden gale arose, and dark clouds covered the sky, signaling that the siege was about to end in failure.
However, just as Wang Yun breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck. Before he could figure out what had happened, a large amount of blood spurted from his neck, and he fell straight down from the city wall, crashing into a pile of mud.
A man in blue robes stood atop the city wall, a long blue sword in hand. Ignoring the horrified gazes of the crowd, he slowly descended and easily opened the city gate. With that, Jianye fell, and Qin Luo continued his repairs within the city.
In general, the best policy in warfare is to capture the enemy's entire state; to destroy it is next. The best policy is to capture the enemy's entire army; to destroy it is next. The best policy is to capture the entire brigade; to destroy it is next. The best policy is to capture the entire battalion; to destroy it is next. The best policy is to capture the entire squad; to destroy it is next. Therefore, to win a hundred battles is not the acme of skill; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. [Note 7]
November 24, 767 (Wanli year)
Yang Qian left 20,000 men to garrison Yangping, while he led the remaining 100,000 to join forces with Hu Yang, and together they captured Pyongyang. The plundering in Yangping gave Yang Qian a taste of the sweetness of taking from the enemy, so Jin Yao's army then wreaked havoc in Pyongyang.
Mid-December of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
Yang Qian and Hu Yang led an army of 150,000 to attack Xinyang. The people of Xinyang, having witnessed the cruelty of Jin Yao's army, were determined not to let them succeed. Soldiers and civilians united to defend their homeland. A bloody battle, unprecedented in history, began.
February of the 768th year of the Wanli reign
The two-month-long siege of Xinyang finally came to an end. Outside the city, rivers of blood flowed, and cries of agony filled the air. The Xinyang defenders fought to the last man, with not a single soldier surrendering. This battle was one of the most brutal in the history of warfare on the Ishu Continent. Of the 150,000-strong Jinyao Army, only 80,000 remained, while the entire 60,000-strong Xinyang defenders were wiped out. Enraged, Yang Qian ordered a massacre of the city, and this time, no one could stop him.
February 8th, 768th year of the Wanli reign
The five cities of Pucheng, Jianye, Yangping, Pyongyang, and Xinyang all fell to the ground. King Fengyin, Zhuo Shengchao, fell ill in a fit of rage, and the imperial physician diagnosed him with a death sentence of no more than three days. Chaos erupted in the Fengyin court, with ministers and palace maids filled with fear. Three days later, King Fengyin indeed died. Crown Prince Zhuo Qing ascended the throne amidst internal and external troubles.
February 20, 768 (Wanli year)
Yang Qian led the remaining 80,000 exhausted troops to attack Zhuo County. Zhuo County was rich in resources and its people were wealthy, but it was not a fortified city. After repeatedly pleading for help from Zidu to no avail, Zhuo County Prefect Meng Qi, seeing that the Shura army was about to attack, had no choice but to send an envoy to Qin Luo's army to sue for peace and make them promise to protect the people in the city.
Qin Luo smiled and agreed, treating Meng Qi with great courtesy. He quickly dispatched troops to occupy various passes in Zhuo County, ordering the Fengyin banners to be lowered and replaced with the Jin Yao Dragon and Tiger banners. Yang Qian was furious upon seeing this and cursed Qin Luo from below the city walls, calling him ungrateful and a traitor.
Qin Luo merely smiled and replied, "Young Marquis, you are mistaken. Firstly, I have never received any favors from you, so how could I be ungrateful? Secondly, we both received the Emperor's favor and were entrusted with the important task of attacking Fengyin. I believe I have been diligent and conscientious throughout, and have not done anything to harm the dignity of Jin Yao. I dare not bear the charge of rebellion. On the contrary, it is you, Young Marquis, who have allowed your soldiers to burn, kill, and plunder, indiscriminately slaughtering innocent people. Our current Emperor of Jin Yao is known for his benevolence and humility. I wonder what he thinks of what you have done, Young Marquis?"
Qin Luo's words were so scathing that the soldiers and civilians on the city wall applauded and cheered. Yang Qian's face turned pale, and he left angrily. He secretly sent someone to report to Yang Yi that Qin Luo was deliberately letting him deplete his troops while he watched from the sidelines and reaped the benefits, and that he was probably planning to amass power.
Yang Yi believed it to be true. A few days later, Jin Yaoguo's 50,000 reinforcements arrived, and there was an imperial edict ordering Qin Luo to send 30,000 troops to support Yang Qian, with the aim of capturing the important town of Woyang.
March of the 768th year of the Wanli reign
Qin Luo, following Emperor Yang Yi's imperial decree, transferred Ling Chu and his 30,000 soldiers to Yang Qian, while he himself turned to attack Shangyong. The city fell within days, but Qin Luo remained calm and recuperated in Shangyong for nearly a month. Having gained Qin Luo's 30,000 troops, Yang Qian regained his arrogance and led a massive army of 160,000 to attack Woyang City, which was very close to Zidu.
April of the 768th year of the Wanli reign
Yang Qian began his attack on Woyang City. At this very moment, the newly enthroned Emperor Zhuo Qing of Xia issued a decree that stunned and sparked heated debate among all his ministers. Zhuo Qing appointed his fiancée, Mu Shuangshuang, daughter of Prime Minister Mu Chengying, as Marshal Jinghong, leading an army of 20,000 to support General Mo Li, who was defending Woyang.
At that time, probably no one could have imagined that Jin Yao's mighty 160,000 elite troops would be completely annihilated by the 80,000 defenders of Woyang, or more precisely, by the schemes of Marshal Jing Hong and Mu Shuangshuang. At that time, probably even fewer people could have imagined that this battle would cement Mu Shuangshuang's reputation as a heroine who was no less capable than any man, and that this battle would truly make the Fengyin Kingdom a thing of the past.
Of course, these are all stories for later, taking place when Qin Luo and Mu Shuangshuang, two peerless beauties and renowned generals, truly faced off.
At this very moment, Qin Luo, who was in Zhuo County, looked towards Woyang City where the emerald green banners were fluttering, but he simply gazed at the clear sky and said softly, "This day has finally come, Zi Mo, can you see it?"
[Note 1] This comes from "The Art of War: The Planning Chapter" by Sun Tzu. It means that war is a major event of the state, a crucial area and fundamental issue concerning the life and death of the people and the survival of the nation, and cannot be neglected.
[Note 2] This is from *The Art of War*, Chapter 1, "Waging War," which means: Generally speaking, the general rule for waging war is to deploy a thousand chariots, a thousand supply wagons, ten thousand fine horses, and an army of one hundred thousand, while also transporting provisions over a thousand miles. The expenses for the front and rear, the costs of entertaining envoys and guests, the maintenance and replenishment of war equipment, and the upkeep and replenishment of vehicles and armor require enormous sums of money every day before an army of one hundred thousand can be mobilized. Using such a large army in battle necessitates striving for a swift victory. A protracted war will exhaust the army and dampen its morale; attacking cities will deplete its fighting strength; and prolonged campaigning abroad will strain the nation's finances.
[Note 3] This comes from "The Thirty-Six Stratagems: The Counter-Espionage Stratagem," which means: by creating another layer of deception within the enemy's ranks, causing internal contradictions to arise, our side can be completely safe.
[Note 4] This comes from "The Art of War: The Use of Spies," meaning: Only the wise and intelligent can use spies; only the benevolent and generous can command spies; only the meticulous and calculating can obtain true intelligence from spies. Subtle indeed! There is no place where spies cannot be used.
[Note 5] This comes from "The Art of War, Chapter 1: Planning," and means that war requires careful comparative analysis from five aspects to explore and understand the true situation of both sides. These five aspects are: politics, timing, terrain, generals, and law.
[Note 6] This comes from "The Thirty-Six Stratagems: Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea," meaning: When precautions are thorough, one's will weakens; what is commonly seen is no longer suspected. Secrets are hidden within what is public, not in opposition to it. Extremely public matters often conceal extremely secret schemes.
[Note 7] This comes from *The Art of War*, Chapter 1, "Planning an Attack." It means that the best strategy in war is to subdue the enemy without any casualties, while crippling them is slightly inferior. Similarly, the best strategy is to subdue an entire enemy army without any casualties, while defeating an entire army by force is slightly inferior. The best strategy is to subdue an entire enemy brigade without any casualties, while defeating an entire brigade by force is slightly inferior. The best strategy is to subdue an entire enemy soldier, while defeating an entire soldier is less effective. Therefore, while winning every battle is skillful, it is not the most skillful strategy; subduing the enemy without resorting to force is the most skillful strategy.
Xiao Yi
2008.1.1 21:27
The prologue concludes the historical trajectory.
Volume Three is a blend of war and emotion, schemes and love and hate. It can be said to be the true beginning of the young prime minister, and also the true Lin Yu, the true Lan Lan, the ancient Lan Lan, the beginning of her performance...
Next update: January 2nd, tomorrow night.
Don't worry, the following chapters won't be written in this classical Chinese style, haha! I was exhausted writing this chapter myself. I'll be providing update previews from now on...
Oops, the timeline is definitely messed up... I wrote it a year too early. Luckily, Ya pointed it out, otherwise it would have been submitted to the publisher and I wouldn't have been able to revise it. Thank you!