"South of the Yangtze River in Shu, there is only one Changning Army."
Fang Yankai’s finger traced across the map, following the Yangtze River eastward.
"The closest military stronghold is Luzhou City in Shenbi Mountain."
Li Xia narrowed his eyes, holding the candlelight closer. "That's also north of the Yangtze River."
"Indeed," Fang Yankai sighed. "Whenever Shu strategy is discussed, Marshal Yu cannot be avoided. Since he 'used the mountains as ramparts and the terrain as defense for Shu,' the defenses north of the Shu River are as solid as cast iron, making it difficult for the Mongol army to attack. It's a pity Yu Hui is incompetent; Shu South's strategic layout is at least three years behind the Mongol army."
"I understand," Li Xia said, pointing to Shenbi City, then to Xuzhou and Jiading. "This forms a complete defensive line west of Chongqing, connecting points to form a line, blocking the Mongol army's possibility of attacking Chongqing from the north."
"Correct. If the Mongol army attacks from the north, the cities along the Yangtze River will support each other, and the Changning Army in Jiangnan can respond at their leisure."
"But Wu Lianghatai is attacking from the south, and the Changning Army's forces will be stretched thin."
Fang Yankai sighed, appearing somewhat tired. "Shu South is such a vast area, the Changning Army cannot defend it all, and they still need to send troops to coordinate with Shenbi City. They won't have much troop support for us."
"Mmm."
"Fei Yu, withdraw the river patrolmen into the county town. We must at least hold the county town."
Li Xia shook his head and switched to a map of Qingfu County.
Fang Yankai added, "This needs to be done quickly… we should seal the city gates. There's no time to move the remaining civilians and supplies into the city."
"No, continue the relocation," Li Xia said.
"The Mongol army is arriving soon."
"I will engage the Mongol army along the river and delay them."
"You! The river patrolmen are not well-trained. How can they fight the Mongol army?"
"We have no choice but to fight," Li Xia said. "Qingfu County's rammed earth walls are less than twenty feet high. They can be defended by mountain bandits, but not by the Mongol army. Moreover, the terrain outside the county town is open, which is not conducive to fighting cavalry; we'll be too passive."
Fang Yankai said, "You're being utterly reckless…"
Li Xia interrupted him with considerable firmness. "I will be in charge of the battle. I will hold off the enemy. Chief Clerk Fang, you hurry and move the civilians into the city."
"Have you considered that if we attack proactively, our provisions and arrows will not be supplied? If the new recruits are trapped by the Mongol army in the mountains or valleys, there will be no reinforcements from the county to support them, and they will be routed in an instant. Remember Commander Zhang's precedent…"
"Chief Clerk Fang, there's no need to waste more words. Hurry up."
Li Xia had already folded the map and put it into his embrace, walking towards the city gate.
Fang Yankai watched his retreating back, shook his head, and sighed. He felt deeply worried, thinking of Li Xia’s actions mirroring Zhang Shi's…
Li Xia reached the city wall and saw a cluster of firelight in the distance, frowning.
"Don't be alarmed, County Lieutenant," Wu Ang stepped forward, his hand on his saber. "There was a conflict when the civilians were being relocated. Someone from Tianjing Village set fire to their own houses. The fire suppression soldiers have already rushed over."
Li Xia let out a long breath and murmured, "War."
The flames of war spread, and setting aside the few who fought to the death and earned merit, it completely destroyed the peaceful lives of the vast majority… this was the true face of war.
~~
Nige rode his horse along the small path west of the Fu River. In front of his formation were captured haulers.
Three boats were moving upstream against the current.
"Once we seize the grain, we'll load it onto the boats and head downstream, so we won't need these haulers," Centurion Xiri approached and said. "We're almost at Qingfu County. Should we kill all these haulers first when we get there?"
"Break the city first, then plunder," Nige said.
The Mongol army's regulations could be summarized in eight simple characters: "Disobey and be beheaded; plunder after attack." The word "plunder" elicited laughter from the Mongol soldiers around him.
"Shu South is not like Shu North. The cities are built on mountains, and the city walls are low and easy to attack."
Nige's expression was stern. "Have you noticed? Both villages along the way are empty."
Xiri said, "It seems Qingfu County has already received the news. How fast…"
The Fu River meandered south, and about ten miles north of Qingfu County town, the river suddenly narrowed.
Nige looked up and saw that high mountains on both the riverbanks squeezed the Fu River, causing the water to become turbulent.
The road along the river also became a narrow path.
This terrain made Nige frown incessantly. He beckoned a captured hauler and asked, "What are these two mountains called?"
"The mountain to the west is called 'Bailou Mountain,' and the one to the east is 'Zai Zhu Ding'…"
~~
On the summit of Bailou Mountain, Li Xia was observing the Mongol army's formation.
"Why have they stopped?" Xiong Shan asked.
"The Mongol army values reconnaissance. In this terrain, they will definitely send scouts up the mountain first," Li Xia said.
He watched for a while and saw a detachment of Mongol soldiers circling to the foot of the mountain to the north and beginning to climb.
Li Xia's original plan was well-laid: he intended to wait until the Mongol army reached the narrow path between Bailou Mountain and the Fu River, then trigger falling rocks to smash their vanguard and rear, crushing them severely.
Later, he realized that setting up an ambush was not that simple.
In this terrain, anyone would suspect an ambush and conduct reconnaissance beforehand.
Therefore, to set up an ambush, one needed to lure the enemy, to feign a retreat and draw the Mongol army in.
But Li Xia's soldiers couldn't feign a retreat.
There were many reasons for this. The new recruits simply couldn't feign a retreat; under the Mongol army's arrow volleys, a retreat could easily turn into a genuine rout. Their horsemanship was also too poor; they would be overtaken by the Mongol army in no time, making luring the enemy impossible.
Clever stratagems couldn't be used simply because one desired it; they required sufficient strength.
This was also why Fang Yankai opposed Li Xia leaving the city to intercept the Mongol army.
It was similar to Zhang Shi's battle at Mahu River…
~~
Zana was climbing Bailou Mountain step by step.
A few days prior, Zana had led a group to seize grain and lost eight men. Therefore, his detachment consisted of only three Mongol soldiers and a dozen Dali auxiliary troops.
As he climbed to the mountainside, he looked back and saw the Mongol army halted before Bailou Mountain, not daring to enter the narrow riverside path lightly.
He climbed further up and reached a mountain ridge, from which he could see Qingfu County town to the south.
The small county town between the Fu River and the Erjia River, with its low city walls and open gates, was bustling with people pouring into the city.
From a distance, though only black dots were visible, Zana seemed to see the women, provisions, and wealth within the crowds…
"The city gate is still open! They are still moving people! Hurry and tell the general."
"Squad leader, we need to climb to that mountain peak to see if there's an ambush."
Zana stood on the mountain ridge, looked east, and saw the lush green mountain peak. He spat and said, "Let's go, get your bows and arrows ready."
The group continued to climb. As they neared the summit, Zana raised his hand and pushed the Dali auxiliary troops forward.
He and the three Mongol soldiers lagged behind.
Peering through the trees, he vaguely seemed to see a wooden frame.
"Is that a trebuchet?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the treetops.
"Look here."
Zana didn't understand, but he instinctively looked up.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow shot straight down, piercing through Zana's eye!
"Ah!"
A scream arose. Xiong Shan leaped from the treetops and plunged his saber into Zana's neck.
"Kill!"
~~
As the sounds of fighting erupted, Li Xia glanced at the mountain forest below and decisively ordered, "Launch stones!"
It was a slight regret that the Mongol army had not entered the narrow riverside path.
"Launch stones!"
On the trebuchets, the stones were already loaded. Over a hundred river patrolmen shouted in unison, pulled the trebuchet ropes, and the massive stones sprang up, hurtling towards the Mongol army formation to the north…
~~
Xiri looked up, watching the black dot flying from the mountain peak cut through the sky, growing larger and larger.
"Falling rocks… there's an ambush!"
"Quick! Scatter!"
The neighing of horses arose as the Mongol army formation quickly dispersed.
"Bang!"
"Hui liuli…"
The massive stones crashed down, and a Mongol soldier and his horse were smashed into a bloody pulp.
Nige roared in anger, "Xiri, take your hundred-man detachment and two hundred auxiliary troops to attack the mountain."
"Charge up!"
The situation was not too bad for the Mongol army. Although the terrain was not in their favor, they had not entered the narrow path and could spread out north of Bailou Mountain.
Soon, Xiri led his men to attack Bailou Mountain…
~~
"Smash them!" Li Xia ordered.
Over a hundred river patrolmen began loading smaller stones and pulling the trebuchets to smash down the mountain.
For a time, flying stones rained down like locusts, hitting the Mongol troops attacking the mountain.
~~
Nige rode his horse, watching the offensive on the mountain, then turned to observe the terrain.
Bailou Mountain was not an isolated peak but a section of mountains running east-west.
He immediately ordered, "Gardie, take your hundred-man detachment and cross over from the west to attack this Song army from the flank."
"Yes."
"Tumen Baoyin, take your hundred-man detachment and cross over with Gardie, and seize the Qingfu city gate."
"Yes…"
~~
On the Qingfu city wall, Fang Yankai gazed at the mountains to the north, his worry deepening.
His greatest fear was that Li Xia would be too arrogant, attempting to use the terrain to ambush the Mongol army, but underestimating the Mongol army's experience and their marching capabilities.
According to Fang Yankai's strategy, they should have stopped the civilian relocation and closed the city gates earlier.
But at this moment, there were still families with their belongings at the city gate below. If Li Xia could not stop the Mongol army, the consequences would be dire…