Chapter 145: A New Round of Conspiracies

With only seven thousand men, it was of course impossible to hold a city as large as Hanzhong. Therefore, on the very next day after stabilizing the situation, the first thing Zhang Chi had to do was replenish his troops through conscription.

The greatest limitation of conscription was supply. If supplies failed to keep pace, recruiting more men would be entirely in vain. Without armor and weapons, soldiers going into battle were merely sent to their deaths; and without grain and fodder, a large army would instead become a catastrophe.

Because the city of Hanzhong had originally been garrisoned by a large barbarian army, all sorts of provisions and equipment were fully stocked, leaving no logistical worries for the recruitment.

The common people responded enthusiastically to the call to arms. After all, who would willingly suffer enslavement by foreign tribes? Especially now, when the Jin court was monopolized by noble clans who each harbored selfish motives, it was precisely the common folk who genuinely wished to save the country, slay the enemy, and harbor a bone-deep hatred for the barbarians.

The specific affairs of conscription were handled by Shi Ke'an, and in the span of just a single day, a substantial force was gathered.

Meanwhile, Du Ximing was already galloping back toward Shanyin.

His task was to integrate the surrendered troops from Shanyin into the main army's formations and then threaten the Jiange Pass.

Retreating south from Hanzhong across the Bashan Mountains, the only smooth thoroughfare to the Sichuan Plain ran right through Pingwu. Therefore, the Jiange Pass had to be captured; otherwise, should the barbarian army return, there would not even be a path of retreat.

Guarding Jiange to the south and defending the Qinling Mountains to the north—these were precisely the two indispensable links in Zhang Chi's overall strategy.

Fortunately, there was no need to worry about an immediate counterattack by the barbarians. Yao Shuode had previously been thoroughly defeated by Zhang Chi, losing an army of three hundred thousand and fleeing back to Qinzhou in utter rout, making it difficult for him to recover his vitality in the short term. Furthermore, across the entire Northern Liangzhou, Hanzhong possessed the largest garrison. Now that Hanzhong had fallen, while one could not say there were no concerns whatsoever, at least a considerable period was available to complete Zhang Chi's comprehensive strategic deployment.

What Du Ximing needed to do was not launch a frontal assault on Jiange. The Jiange Pass was as impregnable as iron; to storm it directly would result in catastrophic casualties, far outweighing any gains.

Unless driven to absolute desperation, one should never lightly engage in a siege. The lowest tactic is to attack walled cities; the highest tactic is to attack the enemy's strategy.

Because of their crucial strategic positions, Jiange and Hanzhong were heavily garrisoned, but the other commanderies, lacking perilous terrain, were guarded by very few troops.

By simply outflanking and occupying the commanderies south of Jiange, cutting off the supply lines to Jiange, one did not even need to wait for their provisions to exhaust; the psychological pressure alone would cause their forces to collapse from within.

Once an encirclement was formed, heading south led directly to Pingwu, while maintaining the northern pass without abandoning it would mean losing all paths of retreat.

Moreover, what terrified the garrison commanders at Jiange was their complete ignorance of the Jin army's true strength. Not a single whisper of the initial fall of Yinping had leaked out. In their eyes, these Jin forces seemed to have descended from the heavens to capture Hanzhong. Since Hanzhong had been guarded by a force of one hundred thousand, just how massive must the Jin army's numbers be to have successfully taken it?

Consequently, even before Du Ximing launched any major offensive, the garrison commander at Jiange decided to abandon the pass and flee north with his entire army.

By capturing Hanzhong directly and concurrently securing multiple commanderies, Zhang Chi's northern expedition could be considered a complete and utter success.

Before long, all the barbarian forces originally stationed in Northern Liangzhou had been driven back to Qinzhou by Du Ximing.

Speaking of Qinzhou, it lay within the borders of present-day Gansu, adjacent to Liangzhou. After his defeat by Zhang Chi, Yao Shuode had crossed the Bashan Mountains and was now stationed in Qinzhou.

Why was he in Qinzhou rather than Hanzhong? Because Qinzhou was his true base of operations. At that time, Yao Shuode held the post of Inspector of Qinzhou and Military Governor of Longyou. Hanzhong was merely a city he had subsequently conquered without deep roots, whereas Qinzhou was his old lair.

After mopping up the remaining barbarian troops across the various commanderies, Du Ximing led his forces back to Hanzhong. Miraculously, Zhang Chi's northern expedition had suffered virtually zero losses in troop strength. Instead, by recruiting the common people of Hanzhong and reorganizing numerous surrendered soldiers, his army had actually expanded significantly.

At the onset of the northern expedition, his forces had numbered merely over thirty thousand. When Sun Rubai later led ten thousand men to join Zhang Chi at Pingwu, the total barely exceeded forty thousand. Yet now, following the capture of Hanzhong, Zhang Chi's troop strength had doubled.

By this time, the various generals under Zhang Chi's command had all arrived in Hanzhong alongside Du Ximing. This northern expedition had been fought with breathtaking brilliance, and now that everyone was reunited in Hanzhong, their joy was exceptionally profound.

"Young Master," Du Ximing said, "the harvest this time is truly immense. The grain and heavy equipment amassed in Hanzhong and the surrounding commanderies are more than enough to meet the needs of our new recruits. In my view, we can entirely expand the scope of our conscription—not just within Hanzhong, but among the many refugees in the neighboring commanderies as well. With our increased forces and reliance on the natural defense of the Qinling Mountains, holding our ground will be without a doubt."

Zhang Chi nodded, though what he was pondering in his heart went far beyond mere defense.

Yao Shuode's entire army had just suffered a crushing defeat; why not seize this very opportunity to directly capture Qinzhou? However, this was merely a thought in Zhang Chi's mind; specific actions would require properly settling the newly acquired territories first before deliberating further, as biting off more than one could chew was unwise.

"Brother Zhang, although this northern expedition was fought brilliantly, it is a pity my cavalry saw no action. Everyone else had the thrill of battle while I did nothing at all. It is truly tedious." The speaker was none other than San Tong.

Zhang Chi smiled and comforted him, saying, "A fine blade must be used on the edge. Your cavalry will have immense utility; the time for them to shine simply hasn't arrived yet."

San Tong gave a hearty chuckle. "I do have an idea, though. Since we've captured such vast territories from the barbarians—with countless warhorses left behind even within the city of Hanzhong itself—why don't we repurpose these mounts and train a cavalry force? That way, when we clash with the barbarians in the Central Plains in the future, my cavalry contingent will continue to grow."

"Mm, that is indeed a viable method." Zhang Chi nodded and promptly entrusted this task to San Tong.

However, this was merely treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. To completely resolve the issue, the most critical element was a steady source of warhorses. Only by forming large-scale cavalry units could they secure an advantage in future engagements against the barbarians in the Central Plains.

Everyone relaxed and chatted idly for a long while, until only Shi Ke'an wore a puzzled expression. "Sir, now that the situation in Hanzhong is pacified, how is it that the Military Governor himself still hasn't arrived?"

He was unaware that Zhang Chi was actually the Governor of the Northern Expedition; he called Zhang Chi "Sir" simply out of admiration for his boundless strategic acumen and sharp eloquence.

Moreover, when everyone had come to speak with Zhang Chi today, not a single person had addressed him as "Governor," which naturally made Shi Ke'an wonder.

Du Ximing always addressed Zhang Chi as "Young Master" because they had known each other long before. Back then, Zhang Chi had joined Miss Wang's caravan and befriended her, and since Miss Wang always called Zhang Chi "Young Master," Du Ximing had followed suit, eventually growing accustomed to it over time.

Qin Bo and Du Ximing were both generals of the Wang clan and had been on good terms previously, so naturally they adopted Du Ximing's form of address.

San Tong had called him "Brother Zhang" ever since they met, while Daoxuan addressed him as "Elder Brother Zhang." Zhang Chi found this affectionate and saw no need for them to change how they spoke.

Hence Shi Ke'an's confusion.

Why was the Governor nowhere to be seen, yet everyone obeyed the words of this scholar who had persuaded him to surrender? What sort of official rank did he actually hold within the army?

When Shi Ke'an voiced his question, everyone burst into hearty laughter. Zhang Chi smiled and said, "I am Zhang Chi."

"You are the Grand Military Governor of the Northern Expeditionary forces?" Shi Ke'an was genuinely startled.

In his impression, the commander-in-chief of three armies should have been a fierce warrior; he never expected him to be dressed as a scholar.

"Previously, because the situation was unclear, I did not dare reveal my true identity. I trust Master Shi will not take offense."

Shi Ke'an hurriedly bowed and said, "Not at all, not at all. I never imagined that the 'Sir' I kept referring to was actually Governor the Lord Governor himself. With such formidable strategy and brilliant planning for Hanzhong, the entire realm is already within your grasp, and your peerless talent rivals Zhuge Kongming of old. For me, Shi Ke'an, to follow the Governor, I would have no regrets even in death."

"Master Shi flatters me too much." Having said this, Zhang Chi turned to introduce him to the others, saying, "This is Master Shi Ke'an, a man of profound righteousness who offered Hanzhong to us. He possesses exceptional administrative governance. From this day forward, military affairs will rely on you brothers, while state administration shall be entirely entrusted to Master Shi."

Shi Ke'an repeatedly declined the praise with cries of "I dare not."

"Now that Hanzhong has been secured, what are Big Brother's plans for our next step?" Ding Yizhi asked.

Zhang Chi pondered for a moment, turned to the others, and asked, "Does anyone have any thoughts?"

"The barbarians have suffered a fresh and crushing defeat; they should be unable to assemble a large-scale army in the short term. This provides us with a window of opportunity to deploy our defenses," Qin Bo said.

Zhang Chi nodded and said, "Indeed that is the case. But as the saying goes, offense is the best defense. Why don't we press our advantage, strike directly into Qinzhou, and drive straight to the enemy's heartland?"

"Right, I also think we should attack! For so many years it has always been the barbarians attacking us; this time, we Jin people must hold our heads high as well!"

San Tong shouted enthusiastically, then immediately asked, "By the way, what does 'driving straight to the enemy's heartland' actually mean?"

Though San Tong possessed the build and personality of a burly northerner, he was always eager to learn and never hesitated to ask when ignorant. His question actually stumped Zhang Chi.

The phrase "driving straight to the Yellow Dragon" was originally an allusion from the Southern Song dynasty regarding Yue Fei's resistance against the Jurchens; people of this era naturally could not understand it. Unable to provide a proper explanation, Zhang Chi awkwardly equivocated, "It simply means marching straight into the barbarians' homeland."

Du Ximing said with lingering anxiety, "It's just that our current forces are more than sufficient for defense, but appear somewhat lacking for an offensive. Although the barbarians have suffered successive defeats, a centipede dies but never truly falls stiff; their roots in Qinzhou run deep, and I fear it will not be as easy as Hanzhong."

Zhang Chi shared some of these concerns.

Ding Yizhi agreed with Du Ximing, saying, "In my opinion, the timing is not yet ripe to capture Qinzhou. It would be better to prioritize stabilizing Hanzhong first, simultaneously recruiting and drilling troops while awaiting an opportune moment to act."

What the two men said was entirely sensible. Many of the newly enlisted soldiers were still raw recruits with limited combat effectiveness. After pondering for a moment, Zhang Chi said, "Then perhaps General Du and General Qin should remain in Hanzhong to deploy and consolidate our defenses, while I ought to make a trip back to Chengdu."

"What are you going back to Chengdu for?" San Tong asked.

"As the Grand Governor of the Northern Expedition, I received my commission from the Prince of Chengdu after all. Now that the northern expedition has achieved victory, I must return to report on the outcome," Zhang Chi smiled and said. "Furthermore, while this northern expedition was a resounding success, if we wish to wage future wars against the barbarians, there are still some thorny issues that must be resolved in advance, lest they leave endless future troubles."

Unable to fathom what hidden troubles might exist, San Tong pressed, "What on earth could cause endless future troubles?"

Zhang Chi smiled gently and said, "What we have captured now is Northern Liangzhou. Have you forgotten the Inspector of Liangzhou?"

At the mention of the Inspector of Liangzhou, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Back when the barbarian forces had first entered Sichuan, everyone had suspected that the Inspector of Liangzhou might well be a barbarian insider. If that truly proved to be the case, this individual represented a potential ticking time bomb.

Moreover, now that Northern Liangzhou had been conquered, how should the provincial and commandery jurisdictions be demarcated? Whether the territories Zhang Chi had secured through arduous effort should be incorporated under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou was a very direct and pressing question.

The clashes on the battlefield had ended, but upon this return to Chengdu, a brand-new round of political maneuvering and scheming was about to unfold within the official circles of Sichuan—one whose cruelty would be in no way inferior to the bloodshed of the battlefield.