Qishan
Around that time, at Liu Bei's main force, which had advanced as far as Qishan.
Thanks to Zhao Yun playing the role of bait, Liu Bei's northern expeditionary army had been able to push all the way to Qishan without any significant resistance.
Still, advancing the troops was only the beginning. The real work started now.
Inside the largest and most splendid tent among the countless pavilions of the camp at Qishan, Liu Bei and his generals had gathered.
"…And so, our first objective — the entry into Qishan — has proceeded smoothly."
The man leading the military council before Liu Bei and the assembled generals — Ma Chao, Pang De, Ma Dai, Wei Yan, Wu Yi, Guo Jun, and others — was Pang Tong.
"The problem begins from this point forward. Though General Zhao Yun has crossed Jigu and is pinning down Cao Zhen's main force at Mei City, additional enemy reinforcements will arrive from Guanzhong. We must cut them off in advance so that those reinforcements cannot join the Wei forces already in Yongyang."
"Does Military Advisor Pang have a sound plan?"
At Liu Bei's question, Pang Tong smiled faintly and pointed to a spot on the map.
"There is one place where we can block the enemy reinforcements moving out of Guanzhong in a single stroke. Right here."
"Jieting."
"Yes, exactly. Without passing through Jieting, they would be forced to take a long, roundabout route — so the enemy will certainly come this way. I therefore request that Your Majesty select a capable general and appoint him commander of the Jieting garrison."
"Mm. Indeed."
Liu Bei nodded briefly, studied the map, and issued his order at once.
"Guo Jun. I appoint you commander of the Jieting garrison. Take Wang Wei, Zheng Qi, and Fu Rong with you as your deputy generals."
"As you command. I will secure Jieting without fail!"
Guo Jun, who had followed Liu Bei since the Jingzhou days, had long since become a seasoned veteran of Shu, fully capable of commanding an entire army on his own.
"Once you arrive at Jieting, secure Jieting Castle first. And under no circumstances are you to think of crushing the enemy and winning a decisive victory. Your mission is to keep the enemy from setting foot in Yong Province."
"Yes, Military Advisor! Have no concerns!"
Before Guo Jun departed, Pang Tong gave him several further points of caution. Then Guo Jun set out for Jieting at the head of fifteen thousand troops.
Even after that, the council continued under Pang Tong's direction.
"Securing Jieting alone may not be enough. We must also take Lieliu Castle, which sits at the entrance to the road leading to Jieting."
"Lieliu Castle."
"Yes. Besides the enemy coming from Guanzhong, Yong and Liang Provinces still hold considerable Wei forces under Inspector Guo Huai of Yong Province. Even if we hold Jieting, should Lieliu Castle fall, communication between our main army and Guo Jun's force could be severed."
"But would the enemy seize Lieliu Castle so easily?"
"Though our army has advanced here, this is still enemy territory. Naturally, they know the geography and the key points as well as we do. And Guo Huai is a man of quick wits. The possibility that he will exploit an opening and occupy Lieliu Castle is more than sufficient. Of course, if we are prepared, we can just as well turn that against him."
"Hmm. Your preparations are far more thorough than I expected, Military Advisor Pang — from Jieting all the way to Lieliu Castle."
When Liu Bei expressed his admiration, Pang Tong smiled.
"In truth, these are the pieces of advice General Seyoung gave me back in Jingzhou — everything from Jieting to Lieliu Castle. Following her counsel, I intend to survey the terrain even more carefully and refine the plan."
"Ah. So that child has been thinking of this place even from far-off Jingzhou."
"Yes. Remarkable, isn't it? At any rate, as for the more detailed operations…"
And so Liu Bei's main force steadily laid out its plans for the conquest of the north.
Once the strategy was set, the disposition of Liu Bei's army was as follows:
The vanguard for the assault on Tianshui — Ma Chao.
Commander of the force dispatched to Jieting — Guo Jun.
In addition, Wei Yan and several other generals departed in secret for destinations of their own, according to Pang Tong's designs.
Liu Bei, Pang Tong, Jin Do, Wu Yi, and the rest remained at Qishan, charged with grasping the overall situation and providing rear support.
Meanwhile, Zhang He — who by Cao Pi's order was leading an army of forty thousand toward Jieting — found himself beset by a tangle of conflicting emotions.
How long has it been since I last held a commander's baton like this?
Originally he had served under Yuan Shao, then defected to Cao Cao after the Battle of Guandu. The stain of being a surrendered general was a mark on his record that would never fully wash away — yet on the strength of his outstanding ability he had steadily accumulated military merit, and the reward for that had been Cao Cao's trust and a smooth path of advancement.
That, however, had only been true up until the defeat at Tangqu.
The humiliating loss at Tangqu. Then captivity.
Afterward, Cao Cao had paid Shu a ransom and recovered Zhang He along with the soldiers who had been taken prisoner with him. He had managed to return to Wei somehow, but public opinion around him was poor, and he had been assigned to rear-area duty.
Even so, Cao Cao had treated him with due courtesy, and Zhang He had devoted himself wholeheartedly to his rear-area post.
The problem came after Cao Cao's death, when Cao Pi ascended the throne.
Defeat or no defeat — how could he do such a thing to the Marquis of Yanling and to Yu Jin?
Zhang He had heard of the outrage Cao Pi had committed at Cao Cao's tomb. Despite that, Cao Zhang had quietly continued to do his duty, rebuilding the trust of those around him, and was now far away in the northern frontier campaigning against the Wuhuan.
Yu Jin, however, had been so deeply shaken that he had resigned his office and withdrawn from public life. Later, at the remonstrance of the ministers, the painting had been erased — but an incident like that could never simply be made as though it had never happened.
If I fail in this war as well, I may one day end up just like Yu Jin.
Even Yu Jin, who had served Cao Cao for so long and won so many distinctions, had been subjected to that absurd humiliation. In a way, Zhang He could count himself fortunate that no painting depicting his own defeat and disgrace had ever been made.
Suddenly the face of Jin Cheong, who had captured him at Tangqu, rose unbidden in his mind.
Still… she did treat me and my men well during our captivity.
She was the one who had taken him prisoner with her own hands — and yet, paradoxically, she was also the one who had treated him with proper courtesy. She had even stepped in several times to stop Zhang Fei when he tried to hurl insults. A far cry from Cao Pi, who had publicly and openly humiliated him.
Zhang He shook his head hard, chasing the thoughts away.
No. What am I thinking…? All I need to do is win merit in this war. Then my standing will be solid again.
Right now, forty thousand troops were in his hands. That was more than enough force to earn glory on the field.
"Increase the pace of the march! We must seize Jieting before the enemy arrives!"
But the strategy of seizing Jieting first and then crushing the Shu army began to crack the moment he arrived.
"General Zhang He! The Shu army has already advanced into Jieting!"
"What?!"
The first sight that greeted him upon reaching Jieting was the banners of Shu already snapping in the wind. A wave of dizziness washed over him. He had hurried — and yet the enemy had already occupied the key ground ahead of him.
"Send out scouts and have them examine the enemy's disposition thoroughly. There must be a gap somewhere."
Zhang He refused to give up and sent scouts first. But as the enemy's formation was analyzed, the sense of hopelessness only deepened.
According to the scouts' reports, the enemy commander holding Jieting was Guo Jun. Guo Jun and Wang Wei were blocking the road that led into Yong Province, while Zheng Qi held Jieting Castle a short distance off the road. On the mountain overlooking the road, a small detached force under Fu Rong had taken position.
If he tried to force a frontal breakthrough along the road, he would be caught in a pincer between the castle and the troops on the mountain. It was a formation in which three separate forces — the troops on the mountain, the troops in the castle, and the troops on the road — were linked in exquisite coordination.
To go around would take far too long, and turning his back here risked a stab from behind.
"Keep sending out scouts. There must be a gap somewhere."
Zhang He continued to dispatch scouts. But the more thoroughly he grasped the enemy's battle array, the deeper his unease grew. Their supply lines were secure, and there was no good way to strike their flank or rear by a circuitous route. To force the front meant facing Guo Jun, who had densely planted abatis across the road and raised watchtowers at every point — an ironclad defensive posture that made plain his intention to dig in and hold without ever coming out to fight.
Guo Jun's force numbered roughly fifteen thousand. Zhang He's army was nearly three times that, but breaking an army that was determined only to endure was no simple matter.
Damn it. I don't have the luxury of wasting time here.
While his force was pinned at this pass, the Shu army would move to annex Yong and Liang Provinces. Word had already come that a force under Ma Chao was attacking them. And yet he could not simply sit still and do nothing.
"Send a vanguard to provoke them. The moment they come out, we will surround and annihilate them!"
Zhang He's vanguard advanced before Guo Jun's main force and Jieting Castle and poured out abuse.
"Cowards! Stop crouching there and come out and fight!"
"What did you come all this long way for? Come out and settle it in one bout! Come out!"
But Guo Jun and Zheng Qi did not so much as flinch. Their soldiers, far from growing angry, either sneered or yawned repeatedly.
The Wei troops, still pouring out mockery, suddenly turned their heads at the sound of drums rising from behind them.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
From the mountain summit, Fu Rong's detached force was beating drums and raising war cries. The vanguard, their attention stolen by the enemy taunting them from that distant height, found themselves helpless. The Shu troops nearby would not come out, while the ones making noise were in a place too difficult to reach — so Zhang He had no choice but to order the vanguard to withdraw.
Even so, he had not abandoned the attempt to break through Jieting. After rearranging his formation, he boldly ordered an assault.
"Frontal breakthrough! Better to accept some losses than to drag this out and lose Yong and Liang Provinces!"
Zhang He drew his sword.