The attack on the Guanzhong region came far faster and earlier than anyone had imagined.

At the end of the first lunar month, the Yu River north of Tongguan, the North Luo River, and the Wei River to the west had not yet begun to thaw. The ice layer remained thick enough to support horses crossing it. At this time, Jing Zhen, the Commander-in-Chief of the Huatong and Hejin Campaign Headquarters, ordered Han Bao to lead his forces from Pubàn at the northern foot of Xiangshan Mountain, directly crossing westward over the Yu River to attack Pujin Pass on the western bank.

The slave boy who years ago possessed nothing but brute strength had now grown into a strapping young man with an imposing physique.

Still in the bitter cold season when water froze upon contact, Han Bao sat astride his beloved date-red horse, gripping the reins and stroking the satin-smooth neck of his mount as he gazed at the two vanguard battalions advancing westward like a tide on both flanks.

Pujin Pass, which had been constructed many years ago—with its last renovation taking place heaven knows how many years past—was not large, resembling a dark bluish-black beast crouching in the wilderness on the western bank of the Yu River.

Pujin Pass was built upon the alluvial plain formed on the western bank of the Yu River. The surrounding area was completely flat, offering no natural defensive advantages in terms of terrain, yet it controlled the western mouth of Pujin Bridge, making its strategic position extremely important.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, in addition to Pubàn east of Pujin Bridge serving as the economic, political, and military center of the Hejin region, fortified passes were also regularly constructed on the western side of Pujin Bridge and garrisoned with elite troops to strengthen control over this strategic chokepoint at Pujin Crossing.

After the great victory at Zhiguan Ridge, the Great Liang had effectively formed a strategic advantage of encircling Guanzhong from three sides along four routes:

Kong Xirong deployed forces from Lantian Pass, with his military might directed at southern Yongzhou; Li Zhigao deployed forces from Qishan, with his military might potentially directed at Qinzhou in Longyou; Chai Jian and Deng Tai deployed forces from Hanzhong, with their military might potentially directed at Fengxiang; the most crucial route was Jing Zhen commanding the forces of Huatong and Hejin, with military might directed at the eastern gateway of Guanzhong.

Of course, making the attack on Pujin Pass the first battle in recovering Guanzhong was primarily motivated by the fact that after capturing Pujin Pass and reconstructing the Pujin floating bridge that the Luoyang navy had previously destroyed, they could connect the post road along the northern bank of the Wei River with the post roads leading from the northern foot of Xiangshan Mountain to cities along the southern bank of the Fen River such as Pubàn, Anyi, and Jiang County.

To save on transportation costs, garrison troops needed to procure grain and fodder as locally as possible; the repair of the post road from Anyi to Pubàn, as well as the construction of the Pujin floating bridge, all required Hejin Prefecture to organize manpower for implementation.

Han Duan, who had served first as Judicial Commissioner in Huazhou after crossing north and then spent three years as Magistrate of Huayin County, arrived in Pubàn in early November to assume his post as the first Prefect of Hejin.

Before the New Year festival, the military campaign to recover Guanzhong entered its preparation phase. As the area adjacent to the eastern gateway of Guanzhong, even though Hejin faced limited military pressure, Han Duan still could not afford a moment’s rest.

At this moment, surrounded by more than ten officials and clerks, he stood on the river embankment on the eastern bank of the Yu River, gazing at the vast Guanzhong land covered in remnant snow, his heart filled with countless emotions.

Thirty years had passed in the blink of an eye. Who could have imagined that the violent, ignorant young boy of thirty years ago would one day become a generation’s great sovereign?

Occasionally recalling events from many years past, Han Duan could only think to himself that all of this was a sign of a hidden dragon dwelling in the depths.

“My lord, mobilizing troops from Hejin to attack Guanzhong now—if the Mongols counterattack from Taiyuan and southern Jin, Pingyang and Jiangzhou have only forty to fifty thousand troops in total, which may not be enough to hold them off!” a clerk standing beside Han Duan said with considerable worry as he watched the army march westward in high spirits.

Over the past three or four years, the Mongols had migrated over five hundred thousand tribesmen to Hedong, Heshuo, and other regions. Among them, able-bodied men skilled in archery and valiant in battle totaled over one hundred thousand. Even though the Mongols lost over thirty thousand elite tribal warriors in the battle at Zhiguan Ridge, they could still mobilize forty to fifty thousand troops from these regions for their armies.

With seven to eight million people in Hedong (the Taiyuan Basin and Shangdang Basin) and Heshuo, as well as Yanyun, with able-bodied men numbering two to three million, this enabled the Mongol army to replenish troops in Taiyuan, Ze, and other areas extremely quickly after suffering defeat at Zhiguan Ridge.

Just after the New Year festival had passed, the Mongol forces in Taiyuan and southern Jin (Zezhou and Luzhou) quickly recovered to over one hundred thousand troops.

After the great victory at Zhiguan Ridge, although the central government had newly established the Taiyue Campaign Army and Pingyang Campaign Army to handle offensive and defensive operations against Taiyuan and southern Jin (Zezhou and Luzhou), these two defensive lines—comprising five main infantry combat brigades plus six reserve brigades fully staffed with prisoners of war, totaling only about fifty-five thousand soldiers—still worried many people who questioned whether these two flanking defense lines were too weak.

“In the battle at Zhiguan Ridge, the Mongol army lost one hundred thirty thousand elite troops. The damage to their vitality is absolutely not something that can be simply recovered by newly recruiting seventy to eighty thousand soldiers,” Han Duan said with a hearty laugh to his subordinate who tended to worry unnecessarily about everything. “The Mongol tribe has migrated about one hundred thousand able-bodied men of their own people south in recent years, and they lost thirty percent in one stroke. Anyone in that position would feel heartbroken. If they want to attack the defensive lines at Hongdong and Qinshui, they’ll have to ask Wusu Dashi how many more lives of Mongol tribal warriors he’s willing to sacrifice!”

After growing up, he had mainly been responsible for managing clan affairs. After Emperor Yanyou ascended the throne in Jinling, he entered government service in the capital. After crossing north, he gained experience at the prefecture and county levels. Now, without relying on his special status as a member of the Han clan, he was confident that among the many mid and high-level military officials of the Great Liang, his vision and abilities would not fall behind others.

Perhaps the low and mid-level clerks did not yet deeply recognize how the great victory at Zhiguan Ridge had changed the entire situation in the north, but the confidence this great victory had awakened deep in the hearts of the Great Liang’s mid and high-level officials was beyond words.

The Mongol army’s losses included not only hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers but also nearly two thousand officers and military officials at the rank of centurion and above who were either killed or captured—mature, valiant officers and commanders were the backbone and soul of an army, accumulated through countless bloody battlefield engagements. These could never be replaced by newly recruited soldiers.

Losing the most prosperous Fen River valley of Hedong, along with the large quantities of grain prepared before the war, nearly one hundred thousand large livestock including excellent warhorses, countless weapons and armor, plus large numbers of wounded soldiers requiring treatment—these were not things that could be recovered in three to five years.

Beyond all this, the morale of Mongol officers and soldiers, their ability to intimidate the military and civilian population who had submitted in the Jin region, and even the level of risk the Mongol army could bear in conducting equivalent battles—all had been greatly weakened.

This also meant that the Mongol army could temporarily only adopt a defensive posture in Taiyuan and Zelu. Even though the Liang army’s defense lines in Pingyang and eastern Jiangzhou had only about fifty thousand garrison troops in total, the Mongol army lacked the strength to launch a new offensive to recapture the middle and lower Fen River valley.

Although Wang Xiaoxian and Wang Yuankui had promptly withdrawn their forces from Lantian Pass and Huatong back to Qizhou and Yongzhou, and their direct forces had not suffered direct losses, before the battle at Zhiguan Ridge, Wusu Dashi and Xiao Yiqing had transferred nearly twenty thousand garrison troops from the four prefectures of Tong, Bin, Yan, and Lin north of the Wei River, assembling them in Jiang County, Quwo, and other places to participate in the battle. By the end of last November, they had been almost completely annihilated.

The Mongol army still had new recruits they could forcibly conscript into the ranks in Taiyuan and southern Jin, but their situation in northern Guanzhong—that is, in the prefectures of Tong, Yan, Lin, and Bin north of the Wei River—was even more dire.

To conduct the battle at Jiang County, before August of last year, Wusu Dashi had transferred over twenty thousand reinforcements from the prefectures north of the Wei River into the Fen River valley. The complete loss of these twenty-thousand-plus northern Wei reinforcements meant that the Mongol garrison forces in the four prefectures north of the Wei River now totaled only about twenty thousand men.

Although Wusu Dashi repeatedly ordered Wang Yuankui and Wang Xiaoxian to divide their forces to jointly defend the four prefectures north of the Wei River, how could Wang Yuankui and Wang Xiaoxian dare to divide their forces from the southern bank of the Wei River at this time?

Han Duan was not only unconcerned about the Mongol army attacking from Taiyuan and southern Jin, but even less worried that Han Bao leading forces to capture Pujin Pass on the opposite shore would present any difficulties.

Han Duan was about to show off more of his insights to his subordinate when he heard Han Bao, who was sitting on his horse ahead holding a brass telescope to observe enemy positions on the opposite shore, curse.

“What happened?” Han Duan walked over to ask, thinking some accident had occurred on the opposite shore.

Currently within Great Liang territory, brass telescopes were not particularly rare items, and the Hejin Prefecture Patrol Office had several. However, as Han Duan belonged to the civil official ranks, he felt embarrassed to hold a brass telescope in front of commanders like Han Bao and put on airs.

Han Qian did not restrict Han and Zhu clan descendants from serving in local posts, but he held them to stricter standards and earnestly advised them to maintain a modest attitude when serving locally.

“The enemy troops at Pujin Pass have fled!” Han Bao said regretfully. “Commander Jing has strictly ordered us to cross the river and capture Pujin Pass, then stop—we’re not allowed to continue extending military operations westward or northward. Damn it, we couldn’t properly celebrate the entire New Year festival, but now that we’ve crossed the river, we can’t even get a chance to make the Mongol army bleed. How frustrating!”

“Pujin Pass has only about four hundred garrison troops, and the garrisons at Dali, Yanghe, and other places are also extremely limited. They wouldn’t dare come to reinforce at this time. If they don’t flee now, when would they?” Han Duan said with a smile. “Now we can take the strategic stronghold of Pujin Pass west of the Yu River without bloodshed. What’s there to be unhappy about?”

After a short while, a forward general came galloping back to report: “The garrison fled westward. Only ninety-some men, because they have families in or near Pujin Pass, chose to surrender.”

Han Bao ordered that general to lead his forces to garrison Pujin Pass and remain alert to surrounding enemy movements. He also dispatched messenger cavalry to gallop swiftly to Tongguan and Luoyang to report. He himself then rode toward Pubàn city with listless interest, surrounded by his escort cavalry, along with Han Duan and others…

Even though the Mongol army had limited forces garrisoning the prefectures of Tong, Bin, Yan, and Lin north of the Wei River, and had mostly withdrawn to defend several major cities, making the defenses of some county towns and affiliated fortresses virtually nominal, the Huatong Campaign Army on the eastern front had to capture battle opportunities as late as possible. Even if opportunities arose, they were not to rush to recover cities north of the Wei River. This was the directive Han Qian had directly given to Jing Zhen, Commander-in-Chief of the Huatong Campaign Army.

When subordinate generals asked, Jing Zhen would only say that at Zhiguan Ridge, the Great Liang had suffered tremendous casualties, and every battle must be conducted with utmost caution, avoiding excessive dispersal of forces.

Besides the garrison forces of Huatong Prefecture and Shangluo Prefecture, Han Qian’s requirements for the Hejin Prefecture garrison in the early stages were primarily to race against time to repair the Pujin crossing bridge and quickly open up the passage for the main army to rapidly attack the northern Wei region. They were not to rush to block the northward escape route of the Yongqi garrison forces.

Of course, mid and high-level military officials like Han Duan and Han Bao understood quite clearly in their hearts that His Majesty and the Staff Office’s military deployment for the battle to recover Guanzhong focused on the west rather than the east in the early stages.

In early February, the Yu River, Wei River, and Jing River north and west of Huatong successively thawed. At this time, the Luoyang navy mainly assembled in Huayin County west of Tongguan, accepting Jing Zhen’s command. They proceeded to break apart and remove the iron chains Wang Yuankui’s forces had stretched across the Wei River, the hidden stakes they had driven in, and even large numbers of boats they had scuttled after filling them with sand and stones, clearing the waterway passage westward along the Wei River.

The true focus of the early campaign to recover Guanzhong was concentrated on the western flank.

To this end, Chai Jian succeeded Li Zhigao as Military Commissioner of Hanzhong Prefecture, leading three infantry combat brigades under Chai Xun, Hao Zixia, and Zhou Tong. They departed from Baocheng in Hanzhong, passing through Lianyun Road and Baoxie, approaching Feng County in southern Fengxiang and Meiwu in the southeast.

Feng Xuan, serving as Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Longyou, led three cavalry brigades under Cao Ba, Lu Ze, and Zhao Ci. They advanced westward through the Niuji Road in Hanzhong, arriving at Chengzhou to rendezvous with Li Zhigao and Feng Yi before the end of the first lunar month of Taihe’s seventh year.

In mid-February, the mountain valleys of Longyou were still covered in white snow. The early spring cold wind cut faces like blades. After brief rest and reorganization, over twenty thousand infantry and cavalry under the command of generals like Li Zhigao and Feng Xuan departed from the passes north of the Datan River and west of Long Mountain, like a cold and merciless storm sweeping toward Qinzhou, the former Tianshui Commandery.

At this time in Qinzhou, aside from Jiequan County in Qinzhou—the site of the historic Shu-Wei Battle of Jieting—which was garrisoned by generals sent by Wang Xiaoxian, all other regions were under the rule of the Pingxia cavalry led by Li Yuanshou.

The Pingxia cavalry, under the leadership of their chieftain Li Yuanshou, were valiant and skilled in battle. After moving south into Qinzhou, they had blocked the northward advance of the Longyou army at the western foot of Long Mountain.

Li Zhigao, leading over fifteen thousand infantry and cavalry, had been blocked for a full two years, unable to advance north. He could only settle for the next best option, concentrating forces on constructing fortified encampments at the western foot of Long Mountain.

However, in Han Qian’s view, the valor and combat prowess of the Pingxia Qiang cavalry depended on circumstances.

Previously, the Mongols had been extremely powerful, occupying Heshuo, Hedong, Guanlong, and other regions. The Pingxia Qiang cavalry had attached themselves to the Mongols. When the Mongols ordered them to contain the Liang army’s northward advance along the western foot of Long Mountain from the western flank, the Pingxia Qiang cavalry dared not easily disobey.

For the Pingxia Qiang cavalry, their previous deployment to the western foot of Long Mountain not only gave them access to land with abundant water and grass to sustain their people but also allowed them to integrate various Qiang tribes north of Qishan to strengthen their numbers. This was truly killing two birds with one stone, so their fighting was naturally fierce and valiant.

Only two or three months had passed since the battle at Zhiguan Ridge, but news had long since spread to Longyou, Hexi, and other regions. Even the situation in Guanzhong had become precarious.

At this time, the Pingxia Qiang cavalry had to consider whether, under current circumstances, merely defending the western flank of Guanzhong was worth sacrificing their elite tribal warriors in bloody combat, or whether they should temporarily avoid the Liang army’s advance and withdraw their forces to Yinzhou and Xiazhou in the north to rest and recuperate.

“Although deploying forces from Huatong and Shangluo to attack Yongzhou would be much easier, His Majesty believed that Wang Xiaoxian is a person of solitary temperament, and feared that if our Great Liang forces attacked Yongzhou first, Wang Xiaoxian would take the military and civilian population of Fengxiang over Long Mountain to join forces with Li Yuanshou. Therefore, no matter how difficult the early stages, His Majesty ultimately decided that the battle to recover Guanzhong should start from the western flank—which means troubling Supervisor Li!” Feng Xuan sat astride his wide saddle, gripping the reins as he gazed at the distant mountains covered in white snow and spoke.

In the nearby slopes, snow had been trampled by horse hooves, exposing the dead grass that had been covered all winter. The warhorses, not yet spoiled by being fed bean fodder, lowered their heads to nibble at grass stems beneath the snow.

Longyou was vast and sparsely populated, with Cheng and Wu prefectures having only about ninety thousand Han people in total.

Over the past two years, Li Zhigao had built fortifications and established military farms at the western foot of Long Mountain, and had also used commercial surplus to stockpile grain. This was only enough to supply over twenty-five thousand infantry and cavalry for about three months of consumption.

Transporting grain to the grain-deficient Hanzhong and then through the treacherous Niuji Road to Cheng and Wu prefectures would be prohibitively expensive.

Precisely because of this, Han Qian was even more determined that in the Guanzhong campaign, they should begin by recovering Qinzhou from the western flank, fearing that Wang Xiaoxian would take the military and civilian population of Fengxiang into Longyou to join forces with Li Yuanshou.

In that case, Li Yuanshou would not only possess elite cavalry but would also gain infantry skilled at defending cities and constructing fortifications, plus large numbers of Han people who could be forcibly relocated to the Hetao Plain for farming and craftsmanship.

His power would very likely grow rapidly in the Hetao Plain and Hexi regions, just as the Mongols had developed Yanyun. At that point, even expending several times the cost might not be enough to resolve this hidden threat.

“…His Majesty is handing the battle achievements to Zhigao to claim. How could Zhigao complain about hardship?” Li Zhigao reined in his horse. Half a lifetime of military campaigns had added many chisel-sharp wrinkles to his gaunt, sallow face in his forties, yet they revealed an unyielding fortitude that feared no wind or cold. He laughed heartily with Feng Xuan, displaying endless calm composure.

“Father Commander, for the first battle attacking Daqiu Stronghold, your son wishes to go with General Houmo!” Li Zhi, the youth who had fled Jinling in panic with Su Hongyu years ago, had now grown into a broad-shouldered young officer. Sitting in his saddle with a saber at his hip, he requested permission to fight from Li Zhigao.

Li Zhigao looked toward Houmo, the Qiang tribal chieftain of Wuzhou, and said: “General Houmo, for this first battle, I must trouble you to look after Li Zhi and not let him cause you any trouble.”

“Houmo still needs the young commander’s guidance. How would I dare put on airs?” Houmo said.

“Li Zhi and the others spent over two years in Luoyang and learned some things, but the war situation in Longyou is complex. Unfamiliar with conditions and relying purely on book learning, they can hardly achieve great things,” Li Zhigao said solemnly. “For the vanguard forces, you are the commanding general. You may accept their suggestions, but all decisions must be made by you. If Li Zhi does not follow orders, you may deal with him according to military law without giving me any face. If problems arise with the vanguard forces, I will hold you accountable.”

“Yes, Houmo obeys the order!”

Li Zhi, along with Chai Jian’s eldest son Chai Xun and others, had been selected two years ago to attend the Luoyang Military Academy for advanced studies. However, to strengthen integration with the various Qiang tribes in Wucheng and other areas, Houmo and a group of large and small chieftains of various Qiang tribes had been summoned to Luoyang to receive an audience with Han Qian long before the battle at Zhiguan Ridge.

At that time, Houmo had thought that going to Luoyang as a hostage meant he might never return to Longyou for the rest of his life. Unexpectedly, after arriving in Luoyang, he was assigned along with a group of military academy students like Li Zhi to serve under Wen Bo in the Vanguard Army and participate in the Vanguard Army Staff Office’s formulation and arrangement of operational plans for the mid and late-stage campaigns. The experience had profoundly moved him.

The battle at Zhiguan Ridge lasted eleven months in total. Whether in terms of material preparation, the mobilization and assembly of soldiers, or the precise and detailed terrain reconnaissance and intelligence gathering throughout the campaign, the Great Liang forces could be said to have achieved the utmost excellence in the contemporary world.

To the extent that in the early phase of the Zhiguan Ridge battle when Yuanqu City was captured, they annihilated over thirty thousand elite forces of Tian Weiye’s unit and enemy reinforcements combined, while Great Liang casualties totaled only seven to eight thousand, nearly half of whom were surrendered prisoners of war.

Throughout this process, Wen Bo could be said to be a faithful and meticulous executor of the Staff Office’s intentions, leaving renowned and veteran generals like Tian Shouye without the slightest room to struggle from beginning to end.

The studies at Luoyang Military Academy and personal participation in the battle at Zhiguan Ridge had given Li Zhi, who came from a standard military family background, an entirely new understanding of warfare.

Previously, his heart had been filled with thoughts of leading an elite cavalry force to trample across the Helan Mountains and rivers. Now he more urgently desired to lead a well-equipped force of cavalry and infantry armed with excellent crossbows and armor to maneuver against the Pingxia cavalry—considered elite troops of Hexi—across the iron-horsed, golden-speared Gobi Desert.

Houmo was about the same age as Li Zhigao. Along with other chieftains of various Qiang tribes from Cheng and Wu prefectures, after arriving in Luoyang and experiencing what they saw and heard there, particularly the final surprise attack on the Mongol army in heavy fog that completely established the great victory at Zhiguan Ridge, the shock they received in their hearts had still not completely subsided.

After returning this time, they resumed command of the Chengwu Qiang Cavalry Brigade with a force of three thousand men. The last trace of wavering thoughts in their hearts had been swept completely away.

At this moment, several cavalry came galloping swiftly from behind. Seeing they were messenger cavalry from the direction of Datan City, guards brought them before Li Zhigao.

“A dispatch from Luoyang. Please review it, Supervisor.” The messenger cavalry presented a sealed letter.

Li Zhigao received it and scanned it once, then sighed softly and passed it to Feng Xuan, Feng Yi, and others to read.

Feng Yi had remained in Longyou for the past two or three years, his face also taking on a somewhat weathered appearance. Reading in the sealed letter that Zhao Mengji had decided to submit to Luoyang and had recently placed Zhou Yuan, Lu Qingxia, Yao Xishui, and others under house arrest, just waiting for the Longyou army to defeat the Pingxia Qiang cavalry and drive them out of Qinzhou, thus blocking Wang Xiaoxian’s westward escape route before formally changing allegiance.

The forces stationed at Huatong, Shangluo, and Hejin would temporarily remain inactive. Even Zhao Mengji’s formal declaration of allegiance would be delayed as long as possible. Everything was aimed at blocking Wang Xiaoxian’s westward escape route.

However, the news that Zhao Mengji had placed Zhou Yuan, Lu Qingxia, Yao Xishui, and others under house arrest could not be concealed for long. Wusu Dashi and Xiao Yiqing would soon discover the fact that Zhao Mengji was disobeying orders. In truth, the time remaining for the Longyou army was not much.