Chapter 1 Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun

Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun had been feeling restless in Jiang Xujing’s Zhenbei General’s residence. With Jiang Xujing’s series of extremely drastic decisions, they were first dumbfounded, then filled with renewed and immense confidence in him. Originally, they had been somewhat dispersed, and if Jiang Xujing had really divided his troops to garrison various locations, neither of them would have been confident relying on their own strength. But uniting their forces and mobilizing almost all of the Zhenbei Army to fight a decisive battle against the Yunzhou army was the kind of situation they preferred. More than two hundred thousand troops against a little over one hundred thousand? This nearly twofold difference gave them a certain degree of assurance. By the time Ye Tao’s army reached Guiyuan and could see Guiyi City, they expected Ye Tao would have already spent a great deal of his forces along the way.

Although the Zhenbei Army had been retreating all the way, abandoning towns and cities they couldn’t hold didn’t mean they were letting the Yunzhou army off easily. They couldn't manage a scorched-earth policy, since the Yunzhou armies were advancing too quickly, and because their advance was often a rolling movement by several battalions with hardly any stops. Under this kind of crushing attack, the Zhenbei Army simply didn’t have the time or energy to implement a scorched-earth policy. However, they did empty the main granaries, burn what they couldn’t move, pollute water sources, send spies to spread rumors, and even dispatch the Dao Ming Sect’s Snake Eyes to assassinate key figures, creating an atmosphere of gloom over the entire Zhenbei Army.

Jiang Xujing frequently summoned his generals to discuss preparations for the decisive battle. Crucially, Jiang Xujing had truly persuaded the Guardian Army to defend Guiyi City to the death. He would lead the main force out of the city to seek an opportunity for a decisive battle. From the very beginning, Jiang Xujing had made it clear to everyone that this wasn’t a conspiracy. Anyone who had spent even a few days on the battlefield would understand the situation: he was forcing Ye Tao to fight a decisive battle with a limited force. The outcome would be determined in this one battle. If they won, although Jiang Xujing and everyone else doubted whether they would have the ability to launch a counterattack against Yunzhou, at least the Zhenbei Army would be preserved, and Yunzhou would be unable to launch external attacks for at least five to ten years. Naturally, having achieved such great merit, he, Jiang Xujing, would no longer be just a general but would have his own headquarters established in the north… In reality, it wasn’t that different from his current authority, just with a title. Of course, he also wanted to expand his army and prepare for war, controlling the largest and most powerful military group in all of Xiling.

And if they lost, the outcome would be simple: those who could escape would try to, and those who couldn’t would just have to wait to die. Although Yunzhou treated prisoners of war quite well, it seemed to depend on whether they were willing to take prisoners. There had already been instances of the Iron Cloud Riders, out of consideration for Suo Zheng’s difficult logistics, annihilating an entire force of over two thousand men after they had surrendered. The degree to which they enjoyed fighting was astonishing.

Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun came to see Jiang Xujing to ask how many troops they could contribute to the decisive battle. According to Jiang Xujing’s plan, their two units combined would need to provide thirty thousand elite cavalry and roughly the same number of “cannon fodder.” Jiang Xujing would contribute forty thousand elite cavalry, twenty thousand mixed cavalry, and over thirty thousand other various troops, along with the original Zhao Li unit now led by Jiang Xujing’s nephew, Jiang Chong, and ten thousand cavalry provided by the Northern Kalka and other tribes in support of Jiang Xujing. Jiang Chong had no cannon fodder, which seriously affected Jiang Xujing’s strategy of using cannon fodder to wear down the Yunzhou army’s stamina, energy, and morale before relying on elite troops for a decisive victory. Therefore, Jiang Xujing handed over all other available military forces, including those incorporated by the Zhenbei Army or temporarily recruited bandits and assembled private soldiers from wealthy families, totaling less than twenty thousand, to Jiang Chong as well. In Guiyi City, the Guardian Army had surprisingly expanded its forces to nearly sixty thousand by gathering followers and using rudimentary weapons to participate in the defense of Guiyi City. Now, the Zhenbei Army had actually mustered three hundred thousand troops. Although only about half of them were listed in Xiling’s register of a million troops, it was indeed an impressive lineup. Although hastily organized, their morale was surprisingly high, just waiting for a great battle.

After sitting in the main hall for a while, Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun, Jiang Xujing’s two arms, were finally invited in. In just two days, Jiang Xujing’s condition had worsened. For officers commanding hundreds or thousands of men, their concerns might be limited to training, morale, supplies, and making the most of their limited forces on a tactical level. But for Ni Sigui, Jia Qingyun, and especially Jiang Xujing, the focus needed to be on the overall situation. In particular for Jiang Xujing, the military dispatches sent to the imperial court would take at least two to three days to receive a response, but in less than half a month, almost half of the Zhenbei Army had fallen to the Yunzhou army, into Ye Tao’s hands. This speed far exceeded everyone’s expectations. And now, concentrating his forces in Guiyuan, the most prosperous, wealthy, and heavily guarded land in the entire Zhenbei military region, while leaving large swaths of land open for the Yunzhou army to occupy, was indeed aimed at achieving a strategic goal: dispersing the Yunzhou forces, lengthening their supply lines, and tiring them out. However, Jiang Xujing was no longer confident that what he was doing was correct. And if the battle of Guiyuan failed, and he managed to survive and return to the imperial court, all that awaited him would be dismissal, stripping of rank, and accusations of wrongdoing.

“You’ve come; I’ve kept you waiting,” Jiang Xujing greeted Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun as they entered his study. A servant immediately brought in steaming tea. Jiang Xujing didn’t have a taste for fine tea, so he usually drank the brick tea used by the army. But since they were at Jiang Xujing’s place, no one would dare say anything bad, even if he were brewing grass leaves. “I just ordered four teams of elite cavalry to set out to harass the enemy’s supply lines. What… brings you here?”

Ni Sigui stood up, clasped his fist and said, “General, this humble officer and General Jia have come together to discuss the matters of the decisive battle you mentioned. General, Guiyuan is where the essence of our Zhenbei Army lies, and Guiyi City is a major town that our Zhenbei Army has been developing for who knows how many years. General, we both fully support the decisive battle, but if we’re going to fight, we should fight sooner rather than later. Otherwise, if the Yunzhou army rampages, even if we ultimately win, Guiyuan’s prosperity will not be restored in a matter of years or even decades.”

Jiang Xujing waved his hand and said, “Please, sit down… I know a little about your opinions on my division of elite and ordinary troops. Everyone wants to be assigned to the elite side and doesn’t want to rush ahead, using their lives to pave the way for a victory for our Zhenbei Army. But… how could I not know how dangerous it is to let the Yunzhou army in, and Guiyuan… is also where my heart lies. Relying on lives to tire out the Yunzhou army is hardly something I want to do either. These forces, these sons, have been with me, with us, for so many years. There are many seasoned veterans and also many new recruits. They may not be very brave in battle, but they are somewhat capable in ordinary times. I can't bear to do it either. But fighting the Yunzhou army, this feeling… Although we are all people who have fought for decades, when facing those young officers in the Yunzhou army, it feels like we are the ones who don’t understand warfare. Armaments, training, morale… In every aspect, we are far behind them. If we didn’t have such a great advantage in numbers, I definitely wouldn’t choose to fight. Actually, even though we have the advantage in numbers, we really don’t know what will happen in the decisive battle. Being able to fight the Yunzhou army in close combat can indeed avoid those terrifying fire oil bombs and such, but the Yunzhou army’s armor is bright, and their weapons are sharp, far superior to ours. What I’m hoping for is that because of these heavy armor and weapons, the enemy will tire out faster. And since the Yunzhou army has never fought a manual battle after being led by Ye Tao, I also hope that after suffering considerable losses, those young people in the Yunzhou army will become impatient, lose their composure, and feel discouraged, and the morale of the Yunzhou army will plummet. Of course, this is just my wishful thinking, and it depends on whether such things will happen during the actual battle. But managing an army in this chaotic situation is what we old guys excel at, isn’t it?”

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Xujing’s face, making his gaunt and weary face come alive. “I only ask you a few things: one, have you finished dividing your troops? Two, can those ordinary soldiers and dare they fight to the death? Three, are you determined to throw in the entire army to fight for a pyrrhic victory… If we can win, my Zhenbei Army can at least guarantee ten, fifteen, or even longer years of peace in the Dongping direction. We will have plenty of time to reorganize our army and deal with future events. Of course, maybe none of us will be old enough to do such things. But at least we will be returning home after a great victory. If the imperial court has indeed made an effort, they should know that the Yunzhou army is truly strong. In the future, my Xiling army will gradually become like that. As long as we can get through this year… Now, the South is under attack by Chunnan and is struggling to cope. They won’t have the strength to support us in the short term. We can only rely on ourselves to win this battle at all costs.”

Jiang Xujing’s words touched Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun deeply. Jiang Xujing was indeed a very genuine person. It was true that he was very ambitious, but who wasn’t? But at this time, Jiang Xujing’s candor towards them meant that he truly regarded them as his arms and confidants.

Jia Qingyun felt a surge of warmth and stood up to say, “General, rest assured, after I reorganize my army, there will be no problems with the vanguard. I will definitely send capable subordinates to command the troops. As long as the General needs it, even if the entire army dies, we will never take a step back.”

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ps: Sorry everyone for updating at the very last moment yesterday.