Volume Three: Heroes Silent, Heaven and Earth Old Chapter 35: The Turning Tide II

Deng She's proposal was passed without any surprise. Without strength as a backing, no matter how aggressive Zheng Sanbao acted, it was merely bluffing and could serve no substantial purpose.

The days that followed were both long and short.

Provisions and baggage trains from Pyongyang entered the city in waves; scouts sent out toward Gaizhou and Liaoyang departed city gates in batches. The Posa Inspectorate had completely transformed into a military city. Deng She issued strict orders imposing military control over the city's residents. No one was allowed to enter or exit without military orders to prevent the leakage of information.

The situation in Gaizhou remained largely unchanged, with minor skirmishes continuing constantly while large-scale warfare was absent. Inside the commander's hall, Deng She gazed intently at the map. "It seems Mao Jiujing has yet to make up his mind." He shifted his gaze toward the Liaoning and Shenyang region, where Nahachu had led out his entire army, boasting a million men, with banners dotting the fields and camps stretching for a hundred miles.

"A million-strong army, how much of that is mere bluff?"

"Excluding the defenders in Shenyang, the Tatar regular forces available to him do not exceed one hundred thousand; adding the tribesmen from the surrounding Mongol factions, having two hundred thousand at most is the absolute ceiling."

There were fewer than thirty thousand men inside Liaoyang city, yet two hundred thousand Yuan soldiers felt like Mount Tai pressing down from above. Faced with this menacingly aggressive enemy, Guan Duo recovered from his initial bewilderment and displayed the true mettle of an ambitious warlord. Remaining calm in crisis, he sent out messengers continuously to issue stern commands for reinforcements from various regions, while allowing Xian Da's Yuan vanguard to provoke them wantonly, simply closing the gates and refusing to fight.

For a time, the political and military climate surged across the Liaodong land once again.

Ten days later, Zhao Guo arrived at the Posa Inspectorate. Following an urgent military council, Deng She decided to immediately launch the operation to capture Jin and Fu Prefectures. While watching tigers fight from a safe distance was important, the prerequisite for watching tigers fight was securing a mountain seat for oneself.

As the commanding general, Deng She did not intend to lead the troops personally; he entrusted this vital mission to Chen Hu. The internal situation of Jin and Fu Prefectures had long been thoroughly investigated: the Japanese pirates had poured out their entire forces, leaving only a few thousand men to defend the cities. Deng She assigned ten thousand men to Chen Hu. With Chen Zhe acting as guide and the consolidated fire weapons of the entire army, it was more than enough.

During this period, an event occurred that had to be mentioned: just before Zhao Guo's army arrived, the Gaizhou faction roughly learned of the abnormal movements at the Posa Inspectorate. First, a messenger from Mao Jiujing broke through the encirclement to make an urgent plea for reinforcements, which Deng She suppressed and ignored; later, the Japanese pirates outside the city moved and retreated, appearing to have the intention of withdrawing back to Jin and Fu Prefectures. Deng She immediately dispatched a troop to put up a posture of intercepting them in the center, forcing them to shrink back into their shells.

"If the Japanese dare to retreat, we will ambush them halfway and beat those bastards to a pulp; if they do not retreat, we will march grandly and let them watch with their own eyes how we take Jin and Fu Prefectures."

With the strategy decided, early the next morning, Chen Hu mustered his forces and marched out of the city. Deng She escorted him outside the city gates, holding his hand earnestly, "This general awaits the general's triumphant news."

Chen Hu was concise and to the point: "Please return to the city, General."

The Japanese pirates were merely a mob of undisciplined rabble, whereas his own side possessed strong troops and horses, going forth fully prepared. Deng She was not worried. Having sent Chen Hu off, he continued to focus his attention on Liaoning, Shenyang, and Gaizhou.

Liaoxi and Guangning were far away, separated by raging fires of war that blocked the way, making it difficult to ascertain the exact circumstances. However, from the military reports sent three times a day by Guan Duo and Mao Jiujing, one could roughly infer that Sha Liu'er and Pan Cheng must be overwhelmed with their own troubles and powerless to assist Liaoyang.

"Report! Another military report from Liaoyang."

Since the preparations for war began, Deng She had kept his armor on constantly. With a raise of his hand, the iron scales on his sleeves rattled: "Bring it here."

Unfolding and reading it, he recognized Guan Duo's personal handwriting. It read: "Recalling the past, when the General heard of the upheaval, you immediately mobilized the Pyongyang troops and horses. This was truly a decisive action that could not have been done without foresight. It is very good, commendable, and laudable. Now the Tatar three armies are fully assembled, arrayed beneath the city walls, attacking day and night without rest. Yesterday, from noon till night, there were over a dozen major and minor assaults on the city. Though Liaoyang is strong, what can be done against the sharpness of the enemy? I ask the General, when can you arrive?"

This was already the third military report from Liaoyang, and also the first written in Guan Duo's own hand. Savoring the words within the report, Deng She obtained the answer to his earlier probing move. Clearly, Guan Duo had been driven to no other choice and had recognized Deng She's unauthorized withdrawal from the Taizi River and the mobilization of troops into the Posa Inspectorate, granting it official and formal recognition.

Circumstances were stronger than men. Deng She smiled faintly, turned over the desk to find the plea for reinforcements sent yesterday by Mao Jiujing of Gaizhou. Its meaning was similar to Guan Duo's, differing only in the final request.

Mao Jiujing did not ask Deng She to actually participate in the offensive; he only hoped that Deng She could dispatch troops swiftly, ideally routing the flank of a portion of the Japanese pirates. This would create pressure on Gao Jianu of Gaizhou, ensuring he had no worries in the rear when breaking out. He promised: "If this general succeeds in breaking out, I will definitely report it to the Pingzhang Lord. The primary credit will belong to you, and I shall never break my word."

Deng She stared blankly at these two military reports for a while before Bi Qianniu asked, "What should we do?"

"What are Nahachu's movements?"

"The Tatars are focusing all their efforts on attacking Liaoyang city and show no intention of dividing their troops to come to our Posa Inspectorate. Judging by their objective, they intend to concentrate their forces and destroy us one by one. First, they will swiftly crush Liaoyang, and then strike our Posa Inspectorate."

The sunlight outside the hall was dazzling, and Deng She closed his eyes slightly. "Hold position and do not move."

"Nahachu has been attacking the city for days, yet Liaoyang still stands firm. I heard that Pingzhang Guan even won a small skirmish. General, the Red Turbans possess considerable combat strength, and now both sides are deadlocked. Once Mao Jiujing fights to the death and resolves to break out, there is a high possibility of success. By then, Nahachu will face attacks from both inside and outside, fighting a two-front war..."

Bi Qianniu's meaning was entirely clear to Deng She. If things truly came to that, Liaoyang might very well save itself. He smiled. "Are you afraid that I will fail to steal the chicken and instead lose the rice, only to have Pingzhang Guan settle accounts with me after the autumn harvest?"

Bi Qianniu's face was full of worry as he nodded in agreement.

Deng She laughed heartily. At a critical juncture of decision, whoever could keep their composure was the victor. Of course, everything had two sides; blindly keeping one's composure without flexibility was bad, turning into stubbornness, obstinacy, and an inability to adapt to changing circumstances. Why did the benevolent find joy in mountains and the wise in water? The wise are active while the benevolent are still. A true wise person is like water—meeting height they rise, meeting depth they lower, crossing forests and traversing abysses, flowing according to the circumstances. Though yielding and soft, they are unbreakable.

Having experienced setbacks time and again—failures and successes, facing life-and-death moments countless times—from a minor centurion to now commanding a hundred thousand elite troops and holding hundreds of miles of territory, Deng She's growth had happened inadvertently. To command a hundred thousand men was to roam across the realm. Although he still lacked the grand ambition to contend for deer across the realm at this moment, he was certainly no longer the submissive pawn who willingly cowered in subordination of the past.

Recalling the past and present lives, he said meaningfully, "Life is simply like this."

"Like what?"

"What you want is precisely what it never gives you."

Bi Qianniu was lost in thought. Deng She pressed his hand on his sword and gazed into the distance. Under the brilliant sunshine and the shadows of lush green trees, the distant mountains looked like painted eyebrows. One could almost hear the surging waters of the Yalu River dozens of miles away. He said, "With mountains and rivers like this, even if life goes awry through twists of fate, if one does not strive, how can one ever know what it is that life actually wants to give you?"

Among the many people in the hall, Yang Wanhu did not quite understand, while He Guangxiu wore a look of adoration, his two thin mustaches twitching. "So cultured, so very cultured."

Four days later, Chen Hu sent triumphant news: the Japanese pirates of Jin and Fu Prefectures were vulnerable and defeated in a single battle; everything south of Gaizhou was now in their hands. The Japanese pirates on the Gaizhou side made two more movements, both of which were scared off by Zhao Guo's strictly arrayed forces.

Early this morning, Fang Buzhen and Zheng Sanbao arrived together.

Deng She had intercepted the letters from Guan Duo and Mao Jiujing, keeping them to himself without showing them, so the two men were unaware. Fang Buzhen said, "Wei has been besieged; may I ask the General when Zhao will be rescued?"

"We must at least wait for General Chen's main army to return. Within three days, we will definitely dispatch troops to Gaizhou."

Fang Buzhen was quite satisfied with Deng She's clear answer. "How does the General plan to rescue them?"

Following Mao Jiujing's proposal, Deng She said, "Once Jin and Fu Prefectures are taken, the Japanese pirates in Gaizhou will be like duckweed without roots, unworthy of fear. My suggestion is to first strike the flank of the Japanese pirates, approach the side of Gaizhou, and pin down Gao Jianu, creating breathing room for Commander Mao to make his move. In other words, our army will be responsible for Gaizhou, while Commander Mao concentrates on dealing with the rebels."

"And after routing the rebels?" Fang Buzhen asked. "Our army will be responsible for Gaizhou"? No matter how he listened to it, it sounded like Deng She was seizing the opportunity to pluck the peaches.

Deng She assumed a look of righteous awe. "Once Commander Mao routs the rebels, our army will use a portion of our forces to continue pinning down Gao Jianu, while the remaining forces join Commander Mao to march and rescue Liaoyang."

Zheng Sanbao and Fang Buzhen exchanged glances, both wearing suspicious expressions. Strange, why had Deng She suddenly become so cooperative?

Deng She had two reasons for cooperating. First, he had already secured his mountain seat. Privately speaking, his first goal had been achieved; publicly speaking, if he didn't dispatch troops now, he would have no excuse. Second, after nearly ten days of warfare, the situation in Liaoning and Shenyang was becoming increasingly critical, and Liaoyang was nearing its limit. Under the severe pressure and urging of Guan Duo's strict orders, Mao Jiujing would sooner or later lose his patience. It could be deduced that the day he made a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble was in the near future.

He could not let Bi Qianniu's worries truly become reality; the water had to be stirred.

However, having said that, how the water should be stirred was open to discussion. He glanced at Fang Buzhen and Zheng Sanbao, leaving his subsequent words unsaid. He needed to steady the two of them first to prevent any changes from occurring. Once they defeated the Japanese pirates and approached Gaizhou, he would simply find an opportunity to send them off to lead Xu Ren and Li Jing's units to reinforce Mao Jiujing.

As long as Gaizhou was captured and Liaozuo was in his hands, Guan Duo and Nahachu would no longer be formidable enemies, but merely rivals.

However, just as Deng She had said: life was always like this; what you wanted was never what was given to you. Just after seeing Fang Buzhen and Zheng Sanbao off, an urgent 800-li express military report arrived from Dechuan, sent by Zhang Da'er.

After reading the military report, Deng She's expression changed drastically, and he almost failed to stand steady. With great effort, he managed to control himself and sat down, supporting himself on the couch. It felt as though his skull had been split in eight directions and half a bucket of ice and snow poured down upon him. His hands and feet turned cold. Since leading troops, he had never encountered such a perilous situation.

"What is it, General?"

Sunlight and shade, the hall and the chill. Deng She waved his hand and gave a swift order: "Summon Zhao Guo, Yang Wanhu, and He Guangxiu." Bi Qianniu did not dare to delay and bolted toward the door. Before he reached the threshold, Deng She changed his mind and pulled him back. "Wait, wait... Allow me to think further."

He opened the military report, read it ten lines at a time, and looked it over once more. Zhang Da'er wrote: "The Jurchens are in rebellion, and rumors say Tong Doulan is their leader; Mr. Hong has ordered our army to return to Shuangcheng immediately... Shuangcheng is the General's lifeblood and the foundation of our army; this subordinate cannot not go. This subordinate is the General's subordinate, not a subordinate under Mr. Hong, and I dare not fail to report this. By the day the General reads this letter, I reckon I have already arrived in Shuangcheng. With our elite and fierce generals, and Mr. Hong commanding from the center, the Jurchen troublemakers are merely clownish pests who can hardly become a major disaster. Please do not worry, General."

Deng She suddenly recalled a matter and asked, "Is there a letter from Mr. Hong?"

"No, there has been no communication from Shuangcheng for many days."

Deng She flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the desk and springing to his feet. Shuangcheng had undergone a drastic upheaval, yet Hong继勋 (Hong Jixun) actually dared not report it? To mobilize troops without authorization—how great was his audacity! Just as he was about to vent his anger, he immediately realized the truth. Hong Jixun did not report it precisely because he feared it would affect the Gaizhou front line and cause restlessness among the troops; whereas Zhang Da'er had come to report it out of cautiousness, fearing Deng She would find out afterward and doubt his loyalty.

Thinking of this, Deng She acutely realized another problem: "Are there military reports from any of the other cities?"

Zhang Da'er's forces in Dechuan numbered no more than several thousand, and some had to be left behind to garrison the city; it was insufficient to handle a rebellion. Hong Jixun must have mobilized troops from the other cities as well. Bi Qianniu had no idea what had happened and dared not speak carelessly. He personally went to rummage through the documents and replied, "No."

Needless to say, the garrison commanders of the various cities knew that Hong Jixun was Deng She's trusted confidant, whom Deng She had always treated with utmost respect and courtesy. During the days when Deng She was away from Shuangcheng, he had specifically instructed that all military and political matters be decided by Hong Jixun. Therefore, upon hearing the order, they had all obeyed Hong Jixun's mobilization without sending letters to Deng She.

Deng She stepped down from the hall and paced back and forth rapidly.

After the initial shock passed and he pondered carefully, what Zhang Da'er said was correct. The number of Jurchens in Shuangcheng was small; they might gain the upper hand temporarily, but as long as the deployments were proper and they were not allowed to connect with the ancestral Jurchen lands around Haiyang, combined with the support of battle-hardened elite troops from various places, the chances of suppressing the rebellion were at least sixty percent.

Deng She felt slightly relieved, but no sooner had the worry left his brow than it returned to his heart. It was true that he had given Hong Jixun the authority to decide military and political matters, but mobilizing troops was a matter of utmost importance. How could not a single garrison commander from the other cities, besides Zhang Da'er, report this to him?

"A pack of reckless brutes!"

Before his voice faded, the sound of rapid hooves echoed outside the commander's mansion, delivering two more military reports. One came from Wen Huaiguo in Pyongyang, and the other from Luo Guoqi. This slightly eased Deng She's anxiety. Opening them, as expected, both discussed the Jurchen rebellion.

However, the tones of the two military reports differed. Wen Huaiguo was rough around the edges, simply mentioning in a brief line that Hong Jixun had mobilized him to lead his troops out of the city and head south to echo Dingzhou, thereby guarding against the Koreans taking advantage of the emptiness; the main point throughout the whole text was to comfort Deng She's mind.

Luo Guoqi's military report was different, perfectly adhering to format and maintaining the pure, respectful tone of a subordinate. Not only did it recount the causes of the Jurchen rebellion—allegedly, the instigators were named Zhao Xiaosheng and Zhuo Duqing, both earlier appointed by the Mongol-Yuan as officials of Shuangcheng, who somehow got entangled with the Tong Doulan family and persuaded them to incite over ten thousand Jurchens near Shuangcheng—

It then detailed Hong Jixun's countermeasures step by step. Not all Jurchens had rebelled; a few small tribes that had migrated from Jiashan had previously received favors from Zhao Guo, so they feigned agreement with the rebellion while secretly reporting it to Hong Jixun.

This provided Hong Jixun with the opportunity to prepare in advance. He had intended to lure the tribal chiefs into the city and capture them all in one net, but the news leaked within the city and reached Tong Doulan. The rebellion broke out prematurely, but fortunately, there were plenty of troops and horses in the city, aided by several hundred cavalrymen under Yao Haoguo and Qian Shide, which barely managed to block the first wave of the Jurchens' offensive.

The city had not fallen yet, which could be considered fortunate.

Subsequently, Hong Jixun issued circulars to all the cities. His judgment coincided with Deng She's: he believed that suppressing the Jurchen rebellion was not difficult; the difficulty lay in how to guard against a sudden surprise attack by the Koreans. Therefore, the mobilized troops were mainly concentrated in the southern region, and only the subordinates of Zhang Da'er, Li Heshang, and a few others were dispatched to Shuangcheng to reinforce the suppression.

Just as things took twists and turns, the heart Deng She had just put down was lifted again. He sensitively grasped the most crucial part of the letter and muttered, "News leaked within the city?" Hong Jixun was not a careless or negligent person; the strategy he formulated must have been extremely meticulous. How could the news have leaked?

He read it carefully several times, but found no mention by Luo Guoqi of whether the person who leaked the news had been caught. He turned around in circles a few times, hearing Bi Qianniu ask from the side, "General, shall we still summon Zhao Guo and the others?"

Deng She was hesitant and indecisive.

To be honest, facing such a major upheaval, he desperately wanted someone to help him sort out his thoughts and relieve the pressure. However, what if things turned out contrary to his expectations and instead caused restlessness among the troops? He waved his hand and said, "No... Allow me to think further, think further."

The most urgent task before him presented two choices. Either lead the troops back immediately, or ignore it and dispatch troops to Gaizhou. Which path to take? It was a dilemma of a choice.

When one's subjective mind cannot make a firm decision, it is better to step outside oneself and let objective reality decide. Deng She turned back to his desk and sat down. "Paper, brush."

Bi Qianniu laid out the paper and ground the ink, while Deng She held the brush in deep thought.

Marching back to Shuangcheng meant crossing mountains and rivers, requiring ten days to half a month. The journey was too far; returning now would probably be too late. — He raised his brush and drew a cross on the left side of the paper.

Having built up momentum for Gaizhou all this time, once he withdrew his troops hastily, not only would the golden opportunity be lost, but Jin and Fu Prefectures, which he had just acquired, would likely have to be ceded away for nothing once again. — He raised his brush and drew another cross on the left side.

If Shuangcheng remained safe, fine; but if it could not be held, what consequences would ensue? It would amount to nothing more than abandoning Northern Pass and retreating west of Dechuan. Comparing Northern Pass to Liaozuo, the difference between the two was like heaven and earth. Northern Pass was barren while Liaozuo was fertile; strategically speaking, Northern Pass was a land for self-preservation, whereas Liaozuo allowed for both offense and defense. — He drew another cross on the left side.

Abandoning Northern Pass, should the Koreans take advantage of the situation to invade, the defense line of Wen Huaiguo and Dingzhou had been prepared for a long time, and the Koreans would definitely fail to achieve success in a short period, plus there was the major stronghold of Pyongyang. His army could strike while the iron was hot, capture Gaizhou first, and then return. There would be sufficient time to defeat the invading enemy. — He drew yet another cross on the left side.

Retreating to rescue the city meant victory would only preserve Shuangcheng; not retreating and attacking Gaizhou meant victory would insert a wedge into Liaodong.

Deng She suddenly stood up; he had made his decision. "Bi Qianniu."

"This subordinate is here."

"Today's military reports must not be disclosed to the various troops; order the three armies to step up preparations. The day General Chen's main army returns will be the moment I lead my troops out for Gaizhou."