On the twelfth day of the fourth month in the seventeenth year of Qinghua, Great Liang issued an imperial edict proclaiming war against Wei.
On the fifteenth day of the same month, troops departed from Anfeng. The largest-scale battle between Wei and Liang since the southern crossing officially began.
This battle was particularly difficult for Wei to fight.
First, because the war came suddenly. The Xiao Liang dynasty had always been militarily weak, especially after the southern crossing damaged their strength, and they had consistently shown intentions of avoiding battle. Moreover, since Qi Jingchen took charge of the Bureau of Military Affairs, they had turned even more toward defense, so the Wei court could never have imagined that the south would suddenly initiate hostilities.
Second, because of scarce funds and provisions. The northern lands were originally less prosperous than Jiangzuo, and last year they encountered a great drought. Displaced people scattered everywhere, causing endless headaches for the court. Just disaster relief and compensation had consumed most of their silver, leaving them unable to make ends meet. Now with sudden warfare, even military provisions and supplies became problematic.
Third, because of domestic turmoil. The old Duke Yanguo was aged, and though his ambitions remained strong, returning to the battlefield had become extremely difficult. Military command had basically been delegated to the young General Gu Juhan, but he was currently tied down by uprisings throughout Northern Wei territory, unable to divide his attention. Even half a month after the war began, he hadn’t managed to reach the front lines to lead troops.
The court’s situation was so critical that even the Zou clan, who had always been at odds with the Gu family and had not hesitated to secretly communicate with Great Liang, was forced to temporarily set aside their feud with the Gu family. Ministers and generals joined hands to resist the southern offensive together.
Yet even so, it was still difficult to reverse Wei’s declining momentum in this war.
Great Liang’s Bureau of Military Affairs was like a slumbering giant beast that appeared to have been sleeping peacefully for years, but had actually silently extended its tentacles to every corner. Now it was holding nothing back in influencing the course of battle. They not only supported rebel forces within Wei territory, but even manipulated scholars’ writings, claiming that Great Liang was the legitimate dynasty under Heaven, while Wei was merely crude military men whose civil governance and ritual education all had to imitate Jiangzuo. Now that the timing was favorable, Xiao Liang would return to the Central Plains to restore legitimate rule, inciting the people who had remained in the northern lands during the southern crossing to rise up in rebellion.
This caused great chaos among the people, with uprisings in Wei territory becoming increasingly frequent.
A series of changes left the Wei court overwhelmed, and on the battlefield they suffered repeated defeats. In less than two months, the three Jiangzuo commanderies taken three years ago were lost, forcing them to retreat north of the Yangtze River. Yet the southern forces showed no intention of stopping, having already crossed the Yangtze to attack northward. They had now taken the Runan and Pengcheng commanderies, their momentum undiminished.
In the scorching heat of the sixth month, the hearts of Wei’s people felt as cold as flying snow in the twelfth month.
The situation was so urgent that even Gu Juhan had to temporarily set aside his rebel suppression efforts and rush to Xuchang first to plan and arrange defenses.
The general currently leading troops and defending Xuchang was an aide from the old Duke Yanguo’s staff, Tiger Wei General Guo Man.
This general had served in the military for over twenty years, was extremely brave and fond of battle, and had almost no defeats in half a lifetime of warfare. Recently, however, he had been forced to retreat step by step by Xiao Liang’s forces on the battlefield, ultimately having to retreat all the way to Xuchang. He felt both indignant and humiliated. This night, he finally waited for the young general’s arrival and was overjoyed, feeling that the day of counterattack had come. Full of ambition, he wanted to discuss military matters with the young general.
Gu Juhan, now twenty-six years old, was even more heroic and imposing than three years ago. If he had been like a martial star descended from heaven before, now he had the bearing of a great general.
He hurried to Xuchang under cover of night, already familiar with the current situation along the way. In the council chamber, his brow was tightly furrowed as he said to Guo Man: “Tomorrow I will go into battle with the general to engage Liang forces. After a small victory, we’ll withdraw. After that, I must leave immediately. The general needs to defend the city and absolutely must not rashly open the gates to fight.”
Gu Juhan’s considerations were deeply thought through.
Several rebel forces near Shangjing had already gathered. To prevent His Majesty from being affected, he had to return quickly to continue suppressing rebels and could not linger in Xuchang. Xiao Liang’s fierce offensive this time meant they probably wouldn’t withdraw easily. Once they took Xuchang, the gateway to the Central Plains would be wide open, and suppressing them afterward would be difficult.
Tomorrow he would fight alongside Guo Man, making Liang forces mistakenly believe he was personally defending this city, achieving a deterrent effect. If Liang forces were wary, they would temporarily slow their offensive. Afterward, Guo Man would defend the city, dragging things out until he resolved the uprisings and rebellions around Shangjing, then he could return to relieve Xuchang’s siege.
This defensive strategy was identical to the decision Great Liang’s Qi Jingchen had made at Stone City three years ago. However, the current Wei was still different from Xiao Liang back then. Unlike them, who had abundant funds and provisions and could afford to drag things out, Wei forces were already running short on military supplies. After his return, he had to achieve quick victories, or they would still inevitably face defeat.
Qi Jingchen… his calculations were precise and his schemes ruthless.
The current method was the only way to resolve Xuchang’s crisis and also the only good strategy to save Great Wei. However, Guo Man and the other generals were quite dissatisfied.
They had served in the military for decades, precisely during Wei’s most powerful period, having almost never lost battles. This made them extremely dissatisfied with this seemingly humiliating strategy, and for a moment they were all indignantly aroused.
Gu Juhan had to appease them one by one, just as Qi Ying had once appeased the generals to hold Stone City—truly showing how karma comes full circle and fortune turns in cycles.
Gu Juhan spent half the night consoling them, also promising that when he returned with reinforcements, he would certainly let all the generals slaughter Liang forces completely, leaving none alive and venting today’s anger. Only then did he barely calm the generals’ hearts.
The next day, Gu Juhan led troops into battle.
The sudden appearance of the young General Gu, who should have been far away in Shangjing, at Xuchang threw Liang forces into chaos. Especially General Han, who was personally leading troops, was reminded of the Gu family’s unpredictable military tactics from three years ago. He immediately assumed he had fallen into another of Gu Juhan’s traps, suddenly feeling his neck grow cold. Halfway through the battle, he urgently sounded the retreat, and the entire army fell back twenty li to make camp.
Gu Wenruo was truly one who could hold a pass against ten thousand enemies.
After Han Shouye led his forces in a disorderly retreat back to the main camp, he frantically told Qi Ying, who was supervising the battle there, about Gu Juhan’s appearance at Xuchang. He said Gu had returned with his army and had probably already set traps waiting for them to fall into. The best plan now was to retreat to Jiangzuo first.
Upon hearing this, Qi Ying frowned slightly, then turned to the sand table to assess the situation.
He was the one arranging the overall strategy, so his vision had to be broad. He absolutely could not be confined to one time and place, deceived by the true and false on the battlefield.
Xu Zhengning was still in Shangjing, and the rebel threat was far from resolved. Unless the Wei Emperor intended to relocate the capital to avoid disaster, Gu Juhan absolutely could not abandon Shangjing—that place was far more important than Xuchang.
Therefore, Gu Juhan’s sudden appearance here today was merely a deception. He would still have to protect Shangjing first; this move was only to buy time for the local defending general.
Thus, not only should they not retreat now, they had to immediately seek battle and absolutely not give Gu Juhan time to catch his breath.
Once this thought was settled, Qi Ying immediately said: “Uncle, you cannot. After today, we must battle again.”
Young Master Qi had held high positions for many years, and his words and actions always carried an invisible aura of authority. Although he still respectfully addressed Han Shouye as “Uncle,” his words brooked no argument, and everyone knew his decisions would not change.
However, General Han had already been frightened senseless by Gu Juhan and stubbornly refused to comply. Since his official rank was higher than Qi Ying’s, he immediately wanted to forcibly order a retreat.
The assembled generals in the command tent had no time to react before they heard Young Master Qi’s stern voice: “Who dares!”
Young Master Qi’s accumulated authority was profound. Not only did he hold the rank of Second Grade, he also had the Qi family as backing. When he dropped these words at this moment, they were deeply intimidating, causing all the generals to momentarily dare not make any move.
Han Shouye flew into a rage, pointing directly at Qi Ying and cursing loudly: “Young upstart! A mere Second Grade civil official—where do you get the audacity to speak in my command tent! This general orders retreat! Retreat!”
He had been so frightened by Gu Juhan that he had lost his reason. In his complete panic, he only thought to act fierce and aggressive. Qi Ying remained unmoved, his voice far less loud than Han Shouye’s, but each word rang with authority.
He said: “Retreating today would be tantamount to giving Wei a chance to catch their breath. If you don’t kill the tiger, you’re bound to leave future trouble. Once Gu Juhan quells the internal rebellions in Shangjing and returns with reinforcements, not only will all our previous victories be destroyed, but we might invite even greater retaliation—does Uncle wish to lure the tiger into our Jiangzuo lands?”
Three years ago, everyone had requested battle, but he alone had forbidden it. Now everyone was afraid to fight, but he alone advocated battle—like an unsheathed sword, no longer concealing his cutting edge, ready to decide fate single-handedly.
Han Shouye was momentarily speechless. Just as he was at a loss for words, he heard Qi Ying add another sentence: “If this battle is won, I will claim no credit; if we lose, I alone will bear all responsibility. What does Uncle think?”
He was composed and calm, his words light but seeming to carry the weight of thousands. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Han Shouye could say nothing more. However, he was truly afraid of battle and dared not risk his life fighting Gu Juhan, so he flung his sleeves and turned to leave, only saying that since military affairs were now coordinated by the Bureau of Military Affairs, and since they wouldn’t listen to him, he simply wouldn’t care anymore.
Pretending anger while actually fleeing in panic.
None of the assembled generals could fail to see this point, yet none dared speak.
Although they could see the general’s cowardice and felt contempt in their hearts, in all honesty, none of them wanted to face Gu Juhan either. At this moment, they were even more afraid that Young Master Qi would order them to lead troops into battle.
However, their superior seemed to have no such intention. While turning to examine the sand table carefully, he asked: “Where is General Pei?”
General Pei—Pei Jian.
The young captain from Stone City three years ago.
As soon as the superior’s words fell, they saw a general step forward from a corner of the command tent. Tall as a pine tree with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he no longer looked like the young man of old. His entire being radiated the refined quality of one tempered by a hundred battles as he declared loudly: “This subordinate is here!”
The superior didn’t even lift his head, only saying lightly: “Tomorrow you will lead troops. Take Xuchang within five days.”
The assembled generals were in uproar, feeling this was pure fantasy. Yet that young General Pei showed no hesitation whatsoever and immediately accepted the order.
The summer wind grew ever more scorching.
After one battle, Gu Juhan indeed immediately departed in haste. Before leaving, he instructed Guo Man that before his return with reinforcements, he must hold fast and not sally forth. Though Guo Man was dissatisfied in his heart, under pressure from Gu Juhan’s authority, he could only accept the order.
However, those Xiao Liang bastards were truly infuriating! The next day they came seeking battle, and when he endured it and kept the city gates closed, they actually hurled abuse from their battle formations!
It was heard that Liang forces were now led by a young general who had once defended Stone City and had coincidentally been cursed at by Wei forces three years ago in exactly this manner. Now the cursed had become the cursers—calling them shrinking turtles, cowardly bears, plus various other crude street curses too vulgar to repeat or bear hearing. They poured all this abuse on Wei forces’ heads, more unbearable than executioner’s blades and sword points.
Guo Man was absolutely furious, having never in his life suffered such extraordinary humiliation. The second day he couldn’t help wanting to open the city gates for battle, but fortunately his deputy officers dissuaded him, and he barely restrained himself. However, later Great Liang’s people cursed even more harshly, making the veins on Guo Man’s forehead throb with each insult. Not one part of his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys felt comfortable, and he became even less able to suppress his anger.
Just at this time, he also heard scouts report that Great Liang’s General Han was at odds with that Qi Jingchen from the Bureau of Military Affairs. In his anger, Han no longer wished to interfere in Xuchang military affairs, so now leading troops were entirely young generals of the younger generation. Guo Man suddenly felt invigorated!
Damn it all! They’re just a bunch of milk-drinking babies—why should he fear them!
Author’s Notes:
Seeing everyone’s comments and lovely long reviews has been so moving and I’m so grateful. I’m very fortunate to have everyone’s company, otherwise I might have lost motivation to persist long ago (I confess, I’m far inferior to Young Master Qi—if I had even half his qualities, I would have finished long ago [ashamed]).
Speaking of Young Master Qi, there are still some things I want to share with everyone~
Everyone should have already felt this—this character has been portrayed quite ambiguously, with unclear categorization. He’s neither a gentle male mother (?) nor a cold, handsome, cool guy (?), feeling somewhat like he’s treading on boundaries. When describing him, I rarely involve his clothing, writing most often about him wearing court dress, which makes the character feel more distant. The reason for this, besides my own insufficient writing ability, is that this character himself is rather obscure and complex—he might be the most complex character I’ve ever created.
Generally speaking, authors can freely control characters under their pen, but Young Master Qi gives me a feeling that I can’t control him. After I gave him his original setting, the path afterward became one he walks himself, and I can only follow the character’s choices to record them. That’s roughly the feeling… (Is this even reasonable?)
One manifestation of this character’s complexity might be the multiplicity of his evaluation systems. For instance, we could use yesterday’s long-review angel’s “Confucian” and “Daoist” value systems for evaluation—he might have a heart of withdrawal from the world similar to Master Baopu, but in terms of will, he also very clearly has the urgency and sense of responsibility for engaging with the world. This is one reason the character feels pain. Beyond this, this character also has Buddhist nature. The source of his heart for engaging with the world might not be a desire for achievement, but rather a kind of compassion, seemingly always feeling that every grass, tree, life, and breath is related to him and his responsibility (an inexplicable mystical sense of responsibility, touching Great Liang’s annual responsibility king [thick fog]).
But the matter of divine nature… how to put it, that’s a rather complex issue. We can easily judge the divine nature in a god, but it’s hard to evaluate the divine nature in a person, because this involves a question of authority—you’re just a person, what right do you have to make choices that only a god should make? “Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs”—this too is divine nature. When gods do this, they won’t be criticized, but when humans do it, it’s not acceptable. So I’ve always felt that possessing divine nature isn’t a good thing for the person involved, because the voices they face become chaotic, and they must transcend many ethical value constraints of human society. This kind of transcendence generally has no utilitarian meaning for them personally. (BTW, this content will mainly be developed in the fourth volume of the story. To avoid affecting everyone’s reading experience, I won’t spoil it here~)
I’ve rambled on about all sorts of random things, but the main point is: Wind and Lotus Raised focuses more on Wenwen’s growth, of course, but that doesn’t mean Young Master Qi isn’t growing. Unlike Wenwen, his growth might be more controversial, and this controversy might be why I as an author cannot and dare not get too close to this character.
Important final PS: Everything above is my personal speculation about Young Master Qi!! It has no authority whatsoever!! Because I don’t really understand this person either!! If everyone’s thoughts differ from mine, that doesn’t mean you’re wrong!! After all, except for his own and his wife’s opinions, everyone else is just wildly guessing!!