Chapter 376: The Nineteenth Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World
Chapter 376: The Nineteenth Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World
Chapter 376: The Nineteenth Day of Being Thrown Into a Hegemony-Building Story
An Yi's call to arms spread in all directions through various channels.
The proclamation was primarily written by Dou Chuang, whose literary talent shone through, combining reason and emotion with equal eloquence.
It bitterly condemned the imperial court for allowing eunuchs and consort clans to meddle in politics, leading to endless natural disasters and man-made calamities, leaving the people destitute, while the central government only fought for power and profit, showing no concern for the people's suffering.
It stated that An Yi's raising of troops was not for personal ambition, but out of an inability to bear seeing the land sink into ruin and the people suffer, thus acting in accordance with the mandate of heaven and the will of the people, raising arms to purge the court of corrupt officials, end the national crisis, and punish the guilty to save the people.
Every word of the proclamation dripped with blood and tears, every sentence struck at the heart, and it was highly inflammatory.
After the oath-taking ceremony, An Yi and his core group of strategists acted according to the long-established plan: first, to secure the foundation and eliminate threats lurking at their doorstep.
The rear was entrusted to the steady and cautious Han Fu, who led a portion of the troops to guard key positions in Yangyi and Tongzhou, both defending against potential invaders and openly recruiting troops to further expand their strength.
Tongzhou was located in the southeast of the nation, with mountains and rivers on all sides, a relatively enclosed terrain that was easy to defend and hard to conquer—yet it was not without external threats.
To the north lay Puzhou, whose governor Zeng Lou was a typical fence-sitter—of mediocre ability, greedy and short-sighted, weak in strength yet often in conflict with Tongzhou.
To the west, Zhaozhou had been occupied by a fierce rebel force even before the realm fell into chaos. Their leader, Ke Quan, was brave and ferocious, leading tens of thousands of troops, frequently raiding surrounding prefectures and posing a serious threat to Tongzhou's western frontier—a mortal threat that had to be eliminated.
Further south and east, several local powers and warlords of varying sizes were watching which way the wind blew.
After comprehensive assessment, An Yi and his strategists decided: strike north first, then west, and do it with lightning speed—first take the relatively weak and easily conquered Puzhou to expand their territory and resources while intimidating Ke Quan in the west and the observers in the south, then concentrate forces to deal with the most troublesome Zhaozhou.
The northern campaign against Puzhou was almost a foregone conclusion—a complete rout.
An Yi ordered General Mao Hua and strategist Dou Chuang to lead five thousand elite troops as the vanguard force, with An Shu commanding two thousand in support, while he and Bai Ji led the main force of thirteen thousand as the central command.
The army set out, heading straight for Puzhou's border.
Puzhou's military was poorly prepared to begin with, and Governor Zeng Lou had no will to fight, only knowing how to exploit the people for his own gain.
The moment the vanguard made contact with Puzhou's forces, they collapsed almost instantly.
Mao Hua employed swift tactics without hesitation, pushing deep into enemy territory, breaking through several passes and camps in quick succession. Puzhou's troops fled at the sight of them, and countless numbers surrendered.
In just a few days, Tongzhou's army swept through like a splitting bamboo, arriving at the gates of Anji, Puzhou's capital.
The defenders of Anji had low morale.
An Yi did not rush to attack. He ordered the city to be surrounded, then sent eloquent envoys into the city to persuade the defenders to surrender: resistance meant certain death, while opening the gates would spare their lives, and any harm to the city's civilians would be met with severe punishment.
Seeing this, the defending general had Zeng Lou bound and brought him out to surrender that same night.
An Yi entered the city without harming the people.
He kept his word. For the surrendered Puzhou officers and soldiers, he followed the pre-arranged plan: first screening them, then dispersing them among various units.
He quickly appointed civil officials from his entourage to take over Puzhou's administration, reduced some of the burdensome taxes, posted notices to reassure the populace, and reaffirmed military discipline.
The entire process was efficient and peaceful, with no large-scale destruction or slaughter.
The people of Puzhou, recovering from their initial fear, found that life had not worsened—perhaps even improved—and their resistance quickly melted away.
Puzhou was brought under An Yi's control almost without bloodshed, becoming his first stepping stone after raising his banner.
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However, the truly formidable enemy lay in Zhaozhou to the west.
Ke Quan had been a military officer in Zhaozhou before the realm descended into chaos. After a conflict with his superior escalated, he killed the man outright and seized control of Zhaozhou.
When the realm completely collapsed, he openly raised the banner of rebellion, proclaiming himself "King of Zhaozhou."
He was exceptionally fierce in combat, and his subordinates were mostly bloodthirsty desperadoes who had seen battle—no pushovers.
Moreover, Zhaozhou was mountainous with complex and treacherous terrain. Ke Quan held the advantage of geography, stationing his main forces at strategic points, giving him a formidable "one man holding the pass against ten thousand" advantage.
If An Yi wanted to secure his rear and expand westward to connect with the broader Central Plains, he had to remove Ke Quan like a thorn in his side.
Especially during Tongzhou's campaign against Puzhou, scouts reported that Zhaozhou was not idle—Ke Quan had been restless, considering taking advantage of the chaos to raid, but was deterred by the lightning speed with which the An Family Army had taken Puzhou, so he temporarily held his position.
Until this threat was removed, the rear could not be secure.
Now, inside the central command tent.
A sand table stood in the middle, clearly depicting Zhaozhou's terrain—especially the mountains, rivers, and roads around Shanwei Stream in the northeast.
The sand table was meticulously crafted, with detailed markings of terrain undulations, passes, towns, and even the general distribution of forests.
This was one of An Yi's long-term achievements—since the age of twelve, he had deliberately cultivated and dispatched personnel skilled in reconnaissance and surveying, sending them out under the guise of merchants, scholars, or visiting friends to secretly measure and map various regions.
Some of these people were still traveling, while others had returned and become key intelligence and logistics talents under An Yi, and he had begun promoting this method into the education system.
On the sand table, small flags representing the deployment of both friendly and enemy forces were placed.
An Yi had already changed out of his heavy armor, wearing a practical combat outfit with a matching cape, standing with hands clasped behind his back before the sand table.
The lamplight stretched his silhouette, casting it upon the tent wall, drawing attention.
Bai Ji stood slightly behind and to his side, equally focused on the sand table.
His face remained pale, but his spirits seemed good. His deep brown eyes reflected the mountains and rivers of the sand table in the candlelight, appearing especially profound.
Generals Mao Hua and An Shu, along with several core strategists like Dou Chuang, all gathered around.
"According to multiple scout reports, Ke Quan has stationed his main force—about one hundred thirty thousand men—in the Shanwei Stream area in northeastern Zhaozhou." Mao Hua pointed to a treacherous position on the sand table where two tall mountains flanked a narrow gorge with a stream running through, speaking in a deep voice.
A general questioned: "One hundred thirty thousand?"
An Shu curled the corner of her mouth: "In reality, it's probably only about twenty thousand or so."
Mao Hua nodded: "Correct."
He pointed at the sand table: "The terrain here is steep, with tall mountains and dense forests on both sides that are difficult to climb. The passage in the middle is narrow, and the stream is swift. Ke Quan relies on this geographical advantage, setting up a continuous chain of camps along the high ground on both sides of the stream, holding the throat of the road leading into Zhaozhou's heartland."
He paused, then continued: "This man fights with bold, direct tactics. Once he gains something, he plunders the people to reward his subordinates, so his desperadoes' morale is not low."
"If we launch a frontal assault on Shanwei Stream, even if we ultimately win through superior numbers and equipment, our casualties would be severe. Moreover, Ke Quan's men are mostly locals and mountain-savvy desperadoes—once they scatter into the surrounding forests as bandits, they would be extremely troublesome to root out, becoming a persistent problem."
A young general frowned at the treacherous terrain on the sand table: "Holding such a dangerous position is indeed difficult. Can we find another route to go around? Zhaozhou is mountainous—perhaps there are small paths to reach their rear."
An Shu shook her head, pointing at several winding thin lines on the sand table: "We've scouted them. The paths that can accommodate large troop movements with supplies all have Ke Quan's sentries posted, and the roads themselves are rugged, extremely prone to ambushes."
"Detouring would not only take time, stretching our supply lines and increasing risk, but if Ke Quan detects it and sends troops to cut off our retreat, the consequences would be disastrous." She had become increasingly composed, analyzing problems with greater thoroughness.
Dou Chuang stroked his beard and said: "More importantly, if we get bogged down here, unable to take the position quickly, we'd appear weak to the enemy. The surrounding powers that were intimidated by our taking of Puzhou and are still watching might develop other ideas—they might even unite to take advantage of our predicament."
The tent fell silent for a moment.