La vida de la gente del campo en la ciudad durante la dinastía Song - Capítulo 101
This is a document that no one will remember for a hundred years. It is a daring and reckless plan that risks the entire nation. So no one will believe that it is this plan that has opened a new chapter for the continent of Ishu, which has been silent for hundreds of years.
Your subject Luo Yan:
Today, the world is divided into four parts, with various kings ruling their own territories. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, our Jin Yao has enjoyed national prosperity and peace, with clear and efficient governance, unity among the people, and care for the widowed, orphaned, and lonely. The people all admire Your Majesty's sagacity, and this is truly an opportunity to establish a world-shaking legacy.
There can be no two rulers under heaven, and the state cannot be content with partial rule. This was the principle by which the previous ruler, Ye, ruled. A life of ease and peace, benefiting only one person at the expense of the entire nation, is why Mu Jia is increasingly exhausted. Now, Your Majesty possesses great strategic vision, your ministers are loyal and capable, and the people are of one mind with you. You have truly seized the opportune moment and the support of the people. However, Jin Yao resides in the Central Plains, threatened by the wolfish presence of Huo Ling to the west and surrounded by the lurking Feng Yin to the east, lacking only the advantage of terrain. Huo Ling and Feng Yin are now powerful and cannot be easily captured. If Feng Yin is captured, Huo Ling will attack; if Huo Ling is captured, you will be attacked from both sides.
I have a plan. We can use the strategically important cities of Liyang and Ganmo in Jinyao as bait to lure Huoling into an attack. After several months of this, Huoling's economy will be exhausted, and its people will be weary of war. I can then launch a decisive attack, rendering Huoling incapable of launching an eastward offensive for years. Looking across the land, the current ruler of Fengyin is incompetent, and his ministers are indulging in comfort and lack any ambition. If Huoling is thus prevented from launching an attack, Fengyin will truly be within our grasp. If Jinyao controls Fengyin, we can then launch a western campaign against Huoling without any worries about our rear.
I am but a poor scholar, of mediocre talent, yet Your Majesty has come to favor me, entrusting me with your confidant and entrusting me with the affairs of this world. How could I not devote myself wholeheartedly to your service? Now that the country is prosperous and the army well-equipped, I should lead the three armies to quell the rebellion in the east and quell the flames in the west, striving with all my might to unify the land and establish an imperial dynasty. This is how I repay Your Majesty's duty. I beseech Your Majesty to consider my plight; I will certainly devote myself to the utmost, even unto death!
In general, the art of war dictates that with a thousand chariots, a thousand armored wagons, and a hundred thousand armored soldiers, and provisions to be supplied from a thousand li away, the daily expenses for internal and external affairs, entertaining guests, the cost of glue and lacquer, and maintaining the chariots and armor would amount to a thousand gold pieces. Only then can an army of one hundred thousand be mobilized. The key to war is victory; prolonged battles dull the soldiers' spirit and weaken their morale, sieges exhaust their strength, and prolonged military campaigns deplete the nation's resources. [Note 2]
October of the 766th year of the Wanli reign
Marshal Qian Cheng of the Fire Feather Kingdom led his troops in a surprise attack on Liyang City on the border of Jinyao. Yang Yi hastily ordered Lü Shaojun to lead troops to meet them. However, because Qian Cheng attacked them unprepared and unexpectedly, Lü Shaojun, who had rushed from Xiangxi City, was caught off guard and Liyang was easily captured. Lü Shaojun led 30,000 troops to retreat to Ganmo City.
November of the 766th year of the Wanli reign
Seeing the perilous situation on the Jin-Yao border, Yang Yi had no choice but to appoint Qin Luo as General Dingtian and lead an army of 50,000 to Ganmo to defend the city. Qian Cheng harbored a deep hatred for Qin Luo, having previously murdered his brother and suffered the humiliation of his defeat. He wished he could drink Qin Luo's blood and devour his flesh. Hearing that Qin Luo was coming to defend the city, and seizing the opportunity of victory, the entire army's morale soared, vowing to avenge their past grievances.
December of the 766th year of the Wanli reign
Qian Cheng fell for Qin Luo's feint, allowing him to pour water all over the city walls. In the freezing cold, the water froze instantly upon contact with the air, making the walls incredibly slippery and impossible to climb. Later, Qian Cheng, heeding the words of Jin Yao's spy Qin Wu, launched a night attack on the city using heated horse legs as stepping stones, only to be ambushed and counterattacked by Qin Luo. Not only did he lose several fine warhorses, but his soldiers also suffered heavy casualties in the siege.
January of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
Qian Cheng retreated in disarray, but Qin Luo did not pursue his victory. The war dragged on for over a month, the weather remained bitterly cold, and supplies were cut off. Qian Cheng was forced to retreat, but Qin Luo then ordered the city gates to be opened and an attack launched, annihilating Qian Cheng's 200,000-strong army. Qian Cheng was rescued by a mysterious figure. Within a few years, the Fire Feather forces indeed lost the ability to launch an eastward invasion.
Doubt within doubt. Comparing it from within, you don’t lose yourself. 【Note 3】
March of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
A cargo ship belonging to the Kamupite family, the royal family of Izumo Island, was attacked by bandits off the coast of Fengyin Island, resulting in the loss of both people and goods. The Kamupite family patriarch, Debi, demanded compensation from Fengyin, but Qin Gui, a powerful minister of Fengyin, resolutely refused. Many of Fengyin's ministers also gloated, believing this was the consequence of their arrogant refusal to worship the goddess Ishel. Relations between the two countries began to deteriorate.
April of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
Emperor Yang Yi of Jin Yao sincerely invited Crown Prince Zhuo Qing of Feng Yin and Soku, the son of the patriarch of the Kamupite family, to attend his birthday banquet in Luonan. Upon their arrival in Jin Yao, Qin Luo was responsible for receiving them.
Qin Luo treated Soku with great courtesy and hospitality, saying, "What I admire most about the people of Izumo Island is their freedom. Who says everyone must revere the goddess Ishuel? Faith is free; it is not bound by force. If you believe, it exists; if you don't, it doesn't. You must not attack each other because of different beliefs. I believe that even the goddess herself would wish for this." Soku was overjoyed upon hearing this, wishing he could make Qin Luo his confidant.
On the other hand, Zhuo Qing was left aside and ignored. She ate simple meals, slept on hard wood, and was covered with a thin quilt. How could Zhuo Qing, who had been pampered and spoiled since childhood, get used to this?
Qin Luo's wife, Chu Yunyan, rushed over, apologizing as she said with great difficulty, "The Crown Prince knows that my husband very much wants to befriend Young Master Suoku. Suoku has said several times to my husband that he doesn't like the Crown Prince. My husband had no choice but to ignore the Crown Prince." Zhuo Qing was furious and returned to the country before the birthday banquet even arrived.
Soku found it strange that Zhuo Qing left alone and asked Qin Luo several times before Qin Luo pretended to be troubled and said, "Sokku, you don't know, the Crown Prince has always harbored resentment towards Luo for favoring you. Yesterday, he insisted on changing your lodgings, but Luo refused, which may have angered him." Soku was surprised and said angrily, "My Chuyun and Fengyin only have a cooperative relationship, but does he treat us as a vassal state? This is outrageous!"
Soku left in anger after Zhuo Qing, and both of them embellished each other's "misdeeds" to their fathers. Zhuo Shengchao and Debi were indeed furious and vowed to sever all ties between their countries. Prime Minister Mu Chengying of Fengyin tried to stop them, but was rejected by the enraged Zhuo Shengchao, and Fengyin and Chuyun officially severed diplomatic relations.
Only the wise and sagacious can employ spies; only the benevolent and righteous can use spies; only the subtle and profound can grasp the true nature of spies. How subtle! How profound! There is no place where spies are not employed. [Note 4]
July of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
Qin Luo finally persuaded Yang Yi to lead an army of 300,000 men in a two-pronged attack on Fengyin Kingdom. The left wing, with 100,000 troops led by General Qin Luo and Ling Chu as his deputy, attacked Pucheng on the left border of Fengyin. The right wing, with 200,000 troops led by Young Marquis Yang Qian of Ningbei, split into two forces to attack Yangping and Pyongyang. Yang Qian personally led 150,000 troops to attack the strategic border pass of Yangping, while his trusted subordinate Hu Yang led 50,000 elite troops to contain the defenders of Pyongyang.
The allocation of the army clearly shows that Yang Yi was limiting Qin Luo's military power and did not want him to play a significant role in this battle. Regardless, this war of national destruction, later hailed as a "miracle," had begun in earnest.
July 17, 767 (Wanli year)
Qin Luo led a vanguard of 30,000 light cavalry to the walls of Pucheng, while the main force concealed itself in the hills and valleys north of the city. Upon receiving the news, Meng Jue, the garrison commander of Pucheng, hastily organized his troops and refused to engage in battle.
At this moment, a soldier from Jin Yao's army who had committed a capital crime escaped to Feng Yin's army and told Meng Jue, "Jin Yao's vanguard rushed too fast. Their food supplies are exhausted, their baggage train is behind them, and their infantry has not yet arrived. In fact, they are already a tired army. We should take advantage of the fact that the main force has not yet arrived and quickly attack and defeat them."
Meng Jue did not believe this at first, so he sent a spy to the enemy camp to investigate. Sure enough, he found that the soldiers on night watch outside were all pale, thin and exhausted.
Upon hearing the report, Meng Jue was overjoyed and personally led 50,000 infantry and cavalry out of the city to meet the enemy. As expected, the Jin Yao army was thrown into panic and fled in disarray. Seeing the enemy's flags askew, their formations in disarray, and the dust billowing in the air as they retreated, Meng Jue became even more convinced that they were merely at their last gasp, so he went out of the city to pursue them.
After chasing for more than ten miles, Meng Jue suddenly heard thunderous drumming and cheers behind him, only to discover that Pucheng had been occupied by a large force hidden in the hills. The soldiers who had been fleeing in disarray in front of him had dispersed, revealing light cavalry in uniform black and gold armor behind them, each one looking spirited and as steady as a mountain.
A young man dressed in light blue brocade robes rode forward slowly and said, "I have always respected General Meng's righteousness and would never do anything as humiliating as trying to persuade you to surrender. However, in battle, for every ten thousand enemy soldiers killed, three thousand of our own will be lost. I do not wish to increase the bloodshed, nor do I want to see a situation where one general's success is achieved at the expense of countless others. I believe you, General, would not want your soldiers to die in vain. Is that right?"
Meng Jue looked at the 100,000 elite troops surrounding him and knew that the situation was hopeless. Looking at the young man who was smiling faintly in front of him, he was shocked: "The Prime Minister is so young, yet he has such strategic thinking and magnanimity. I can die without regrets if I can be defeated by the Prime Minister."
He raised his long sword and held it to his neck, then looked up to the sky and sang: "The Great Way is not followed, rites and music have collapsed, the people are suffering and there is chaos and strife..."
His already rough voice gradually grew hoarse, and the soldiers behind him all wept. When the song ended, everyone cried out in unison, "General, don't abandon us!" Meng Jue let out a long howl, drew his sword, and committed suicide.
Subsequently, some of the 50,000 Fengyin soldiers committed suicide, some attempted to break out, and others surrendered on the spot, creating chaos. Qin Luo calmly commanded the troops and finally subdued nearly 40,000 surrendered soldiers with minimal losses.
From Jin Yao's departure to the capture of the city, it took only half a month. Qin Luo conquered Pu City with almost no casualties, and accepted the surrender of more than 40,000 soldiers, creating the fastest and most perfect siege miracle in the history of the Yixiu Continent.
July 26, 767 (Wanli year)
The Fengyin Dynasty finally confirmed the shocking news of the Jin Yao army's attack. Zhuo Shengchao was both surprised and furious, and sought help from the Izumo Island Kingdom, hoping to raid their supplies by sea, but Debi flatly refused. Helpless, Zhuo Shengchao had no choice but to follow the advice of Prime Minister Mu Chengying and send troops to support the defense of various cities, and appointed Mo Li and Qin Gui as generals to garrison Woyang and Fangling, the closest cities to Zidu.
Military strategy is based on five factors, assessed through planning, and its true nature sought: first, the Way; second, Heaven; third, Earth; fourth, the General; and fifth, the Law. [Note 5]
August of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
After capturing Pucheng, everyone thought Qin Luo would continue his advance, but Qin Luo instead arranged for his troops to garrison within the city and settle down temporarily. On the one hand, he comforted the frightened people, and on the other hand, he strictly forbade his soldiers from burning, killing, and looting.
The expeditionary force was short of supplies, so Qin Luo issued a requisition order, commanding soldiers to collect provisions and weapons from the powerful and wealthy in Pucheng. Any resistance was to be forcibly suppressed. However, the common people were strictly forbidden from being touched. Although the powerful and wealthy in Pucheng were few in number, they were all extremely wealthy and habitually arrogant and domineering, extorting money from the people, which had already aroused public resentment. Qin Luo's actions increased the goodwill of the people who had previously feared the invading army like tigers and wolves.
Mid-August of the 767th year of the Wanli reign
The conscription order finally ended peacefully. Qin Luo, however, still did not set off. He ordered a "reward and punishment meeting" to be held for all the soldiers. Those who had performed well in the battle of Pucheng, those who had made outstanding military achievements, those who had led the charge, and those who had contributed to the capture of the city—all the generals and soldiers were named. Some of their merits, which they themselves were unaware of, were clearly and publicly praised.
Qin Luo said, "The Mingjian Division has categorized your merits. Those who receive third-class merit will be promoted one rank and awarded five taels of silver and one zhong of rice. Those who receive second-class merit will be promoted one rank and awarded ten taels of silver, one zhong of rice, and a new set of equipment. Those who receive first-class merit will be promoted two ranks and awarded fifteen taels of silver and one zhong of rice, and will also be allowed to have a letter sent home by an envoy from the Mingjian Division every month. All those who receive awards will wear a medal, which includes your name and rank. The medal is an ornament that records and represents your achievements and is valid for three months."