After Chen Jingzhou finalized many peace negotiation details with Wang Yong in the Shu capital and observed Shu’s situation becoming increasingly stable, he and Wang Zhe did not directly take the southern route back to Jinling. Instead, they traveled north into Liang Province to meet with Li Changfeng, Li Zhigao, Guo Rong, Wen Bo, Tan Yuliang, Guo Que and others.
Currently, besides the newly formed Right Divine Martial Army, Tan Yuliang’s Tianping Battalion, Han Donghu’s one thousand guard cavalry, and one battalion each led by Li Ji and Chai Xun, Li Zhigao had also led over ten thousand main force troops of the Left Dragon Sparrow Army into Liang Province. This increased Chu’s elite forces in Liang Province to over thirty thousand, while hundreds of ships traveled between Liang and Xiang provinces transporting grain provisions and supplies.
Currently, Xiangbei forces and Li Xiu’s Left Militant Cavalry Army mainly garrisoned regions north and west of Hanzhong City like Mianyang and Bao City, responsible for blockading the exits of Baoxie Road and Chencang Road.
Theoretically speaking, the western flank also faced the greatest military defensive pressure.
Though Li Zhigao had led forces into Liang Province at the fastest speed, taking over the dominant authority for Liang Province’s defensive deployments and military-civil affairs, even though Li Changfeng served as Supervising Military Commissioner and concurrently as Liang Province Governor, he still had to submit to Li Zhigao’s command.
However, with the main force of Li Zhigao’s Left Dragon Sparrow Army taking over the western flank region—geographically most dangerous, most difficult, with heavier defensive responsibilities—others had nothing to say.
As Ministry of War Vice Minister and a proper official envoy to Shu, Chen Jingzhou naturally had to first rush to Mianyang City to meet with Li Zhigao and Li Changfeng to report the specific results of this peace agreement. But after reporting the specific process of these peace negotiations at the welcoming banquet, he and Wang Zhe rushed back to Hanzhong City with Guo Rong and Wen Bo.
Wen Bo, Tan Yuliang, and Han Donghu led forces defending Hanzhong City and Tang City, mainly responsible for blockading Tangluo Road’s exit.
Luoyu, the northern Qinling exit of Tangluo Road, was located within Yishou County under Yong Province jurisdiction. Though Wang Xiaoxian had earlier led the Black Cloud Army through Tangluo Road to attack into Guanzhong, now with Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian occupying Qi and Feng provinces in Guanzhong, their forces had contracted back from west of Yong Province. Tangluo Road’s northern mouth had returned to Liang forces’ control—relatively much calmer.
Currently, major passes along the southern section of Tangluo Road following the Tang River—like Tiehe Stronghold and Tangkou Pass—were all under the newly formed Right Divine Martial Army’s control, facing minimal direct military defensive pressure.
Hanzhong City was also a powerful fortress Shu had focused on developing on the northern front these years. The city stretched over twelve hundred paces square with brick-faced walls on all sides, housing fifteen to sixteen thousand civilian households.
The Han River remained unobstructed. Combined with large quantities of grain provisions remaining in Liang Province territory when Shu forces launched the northern Guanzhong campaign, Liang Province had not experienced material shortages despite massive troop influx.
Wen Bo, Li Zhigao, Li Changfeng, Li Xiu and others all maintained extremely strict military discipline. Therefore, besides the streets and alleys being quite deserted, when Chen Jingzhou and Wang Zhe entered the city at dusk, they saw the city was quite calm without military chaos and disorder.
Wen Bo had also concentrated and detained the families and dependents of Liang Province Governor Zhao Mengji and his officers and officials, strictly prohibiting soldiers from harassment.
The disposition of these families, dependents and over four thousand prisoners—Chen Jingzhou had also reached agreement with Shu’s new sovereign Wang Yong. As part of the peace agreement, after memorializing the court they would be transferred to Cao Gan garrisoning Li Province. At that time Shu would pay a portion of ransom to offset the newly formed Right Divine Martial Army’s military expenditures and soldiers’ merit rewards.
Of course, Chen Jingzhou’s special detour through Liang Province returning home was not simply to represent the court inspecting Liang Province’s defensive deployments along the route or rewarding soldiers. Mainly, contacting Guanzhong Yong Province from Hanzhong was more convenient.
Not to mention Tangyi’s attitude—since the court had now abandoned the northern Guanzhong campaign and Yellow River-Huai conquest strategy, relations with Liang inevitably required completely new adjustment.
Chen Jingzhou coming to Hanzhong to meet with envoys dispatched by Liang Emperor Zhu Yu, forming preliminary intentions before memorializing the court, was more proper and legitimate than Tangyi hiding behind the scenes promoting everything.
This was also the main reason Wang Zhe—who over the past year had mainly been responsible for intelligence gathering in the Central Plains and Heshuo regions—accompanied Chen Jingzhou on this Shu mission.
By this time, Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian had not launched fierce counterattacks against Liang Province, and their situation with Guanzhong Liang forces occupying Yong and Hua provinces had also thoroughly eased.
Taiyuan Prefecture falling so easily resulted in Heshuo and Hedong regions comprehensively falling into Mongol hands within just over a year. Even in Great Chu’s court, many court officials began considering that if they allowed the Central Plains situation to continue in chaos, quite possibly the Mongols would ultimately profit as fishermen—let alone Guanzhong Liang forces and Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian’s Shu forces deep in the vortex.
Since they saw no hope of easily seizing Liang Province, Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian keeping troops inactive in Qi and Feng provinces was not difficult to imagine.
Wen Bo and Tan Yuliang garrisoning Hanzhong City and Tang City, responsible for blockading Tangluo Road, still preserved the possibility of sending troops through Tangluo Road to reinforce Guanzhong in emergencies.
Of course, what to do subsequently still required first communicating with Liang Emperor Zhu Yu’s people.
Chen Jingzhou entered Hanzhong City with Guo Rong and Wen Bo. That night, over ten people disguised as woodcutters and herb gatherers entered through the northern gate under night’s cover. Wang Zhe personally met them at the city gate, leading them all the way to the Right Divine Martial Army headquarters at the provincial office to meet with Guo Rong, Chen Jingzhou, Wen Bo and others for an appointment made half a month earlier.
The leaders were Shen Peng and Zhao Ci—the two who had left Donghu after successfully assisting in abducting Wen clan members.
Shen Peng and Zhao Ci had infiltrated Yong Province before the new year. In just four to five months they had become haggard and worn.
Wen Bo and Shen Peng were old acquaintances, but now each served their own sovereign. This meeting could not appear too warm, creating some awkwardness.
As Ministry of War Vice Minister and representing the court as envoy, Chen Jingzhou naturally sat behind the central long table. Guo Rong, Wen Bo, Tan Yuliang, Han Donghu and Shen Peng and others sat divided left and right behind long tables. Guards all withdrew from the hall, strictly preventing even half a word of the confidential discussions here from leaking out.
Over ten new Xu Province-manufactured glass oil lamps in the hall illuminated it bright as day, yet discussing Yong Province’s current predicament, the atmosphere inevitably became quite oppressive.
Though the Hejin battle achieved brilliant results, with Liang forces fighting this battle under three-sided encirclement, casualties were also substantial. With strategic locations north of Yong Province completely in enemy hands and shortages of medicines and other supplies, the困境 they faced had not fundamentally improved.
Shen Peng also spoke without evasion: “Shi Jizu’s defeat and death was not a bad thing for the Mongols. In fact, with Shi Jizu leading troops into Hejin, positioned too far forward, our Emperor suspected Wusu Dashi intended to use a borrowed blade to kill, deciding to lead forces to strike into Hejin first and severely damage Shi Jizu’s forces. Subsequent battle developments also verified the Mongols intended to use Shi Jizu’s forces as bait. They just didn’t expect our Liang forces to move so swiftly and decisively—their encircling troops couldn’t cut off our retreat route…”
Guo Rong and Chen Jingzhou exchanged glances. They naturally understood that Shi Jizu’s defeat and death actually meant Jin royal clan forces were thoroughly crushed—it could be said the greatest obstacle to Mongols digesting Hedong, Heshuo, Taiyuan, Shangdang and other regions was thus eliminated.
Otherwise, while the Mongols on one hand had to use Shi Jizu, Wang Yuankui, Tian Weiye and other surrendered forces as shock troops, on the other hand they would inevitably worry about the possibility of these three former Jin commander forces twisting into one strand. They could not ignore Shi Jizu’s prestige as Jin Crown Prince among Jin’s conquered subjects and people.
Shi Jizu’s submission to the Mongols and leading forces to attack Taiyuan Prefecture might even be viewed by Jin’s conquered subjects as an unavoidable measure.
After all, Shi Jizu had previously been the legitimate Crown Prince who had his position seized by Prince of Lu Shi Chengyuan. Between him and Prince of Lu Shi Chengyuan was a life-and-death struggle.
This point still differed somewhat from Wang Yuankui and Tian Weiye’s surrender.
Such sentiments festering among Jin’s conquered subjects were naturally quite disadvantageous for Mongols digesting Jin territory and conquering the Central Plains.
With Shi Jizu dead, though the Mongols’ offensive against Yong and Hua provinces from the north temporarily slowed, the overall situation became more favorable to the Mongols.
Of course, seeing an opportunity to severely damage one enemy force, Liang Emperor Zhu Yu could not possibly fail to seize it.
Even knowing this was drinking poison to quench thirst, Guanzhong Liang forces too desperately needed a thoroughly satisfying great victory to slightly revive low morale and people’s hearts.
Shen Peng also frankly admitted that with Guanzhong Liang forces currently facing perilous situations, they had no choice but to send people to negotiate peace with Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian—who similarly faced dire circumstances—even secretly encouraging Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian to attack Qin Province occupied by Pingxia people.
Qin Province was located west of Feng and Qi provinces. The northern section of Yinping Road was within southeastern Qin Province territory.
If Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian seized Qin Province, on one hand they could expand western living space and scrape together more grain provisions to barely maintain seventy thousand troops’ consumption. On the other hand, they would control Yinping Road—the route bypassing Liang Province to return to Shu heartland.
If they could have all of Guanzhong region at their backs, Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian would certainly attack into Liang Province while Chu forces’ foothold was unstable. But under current circumstances, if Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian counterattacked Liang Province without achieving outstanding results within two to three months, they would inevitably fall into a dilemma unable to advance or retreat. They absolutely dared not easily conduct military operations against Liang Province.
After hearing Shen Peng describe Guanzhong’s extremely complex situation, Chen Jingzhou asked hesitantly:
“Is it possible for you to directly recruit Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian, having them defend Yong Province while Liang’s main forces return east through Tong Pass?”
“This matter was mentioned in Yong Province, but His Majesty hesitated without agreeing, mainly fearing Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian might immediately collude back together with the Mongols.” Shen Peng said.
Hearing Shen Peng say this, everyone could not help sighing.
Currently Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian in Qi and Feng provinces faced grain shortages, their return route cut by Chu forces, military morale unstable, people’s hearts alarmed. If given a choice, they would mostly choose to submit to the Mongols, but between them and the Mongols lay Yong Province occupied by Liang forces.
Reality forced them to first make peace with Liang forces.
However, if Liang Emperor Zhu Yu truly recruited Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian to defend Yong Province, after Liang forces exited Tong Pass to kill back into the Central Plains, Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian—having no foundation in the Guanzhong region—truly might immediately surrender to the Mongols.
Even if not necessarily so, the probability was fifty-fifty.
This risk truly was not one anyone dared easily attempt.
“Does the Right Divine Martial Army need to garrison Luoyu?” Guo Rong asked.
Luoyu was the exit of Luogu in Tangluo Road’s northern section, located in southern Yishou County under Yong Province jurisdiction—once the seat of old Ji Province.
Han Qian’s current worst-case planning was having Wen Bo and Tan Yuliang lead forces north through Tangluo Road to join the Guanzhong battle.
However, Tangluo Road was long unrepaired and narrow. Supplies that could be transported into Guanzhong were extremely limited.
Shen Peng shook his head, saying: “Even without directly recruiting Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian, we will forge an alliance with them. If the Right Divine Martial Army garrisoned northern Luoyu without us blocking them, we cannot guarantee Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian wouldn’t become more sensitive—currently Liang Province military affairs are dominated by Li Zhigao and Li Changfeng. You probably decided early on to hand Liang Province over to Li Zhigao, right?”
Guo Rong nodded, indicating Tangyi had this intention from early on.
“Zhao Mengji and Wang Xiaoxian dare not attack Liang Province. The Right Divine Martial Army withdrawing from Liang Province soon should be natural. Can you secretly help us send five thousand troops into Cai Province?” Shen Peng asked.
Guo Rong exchanged glances with Chen Jingzhou and Wen Bo. They had not expected that Shen Peng, dispatched by Liang Emperor Zhu Yu, would make such a request. For a moment they did not know how to respond.