Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 394: Chapter 379: Everything is ready, just waiting for the northwest wind!

In the Huade Prefecture city, within the Magistrate’s grand hall.

Prince Wu Tuo, clad in a deep blue long robe, sat at the seat of honor, sipping his tea with fine appreciation.

Prince Wu Tuo, in his thirties this year, did not have the rough and rugged features typically associated with the Hu Clan; his facial contours were three-dimensional, and his cheeks were as cold and sharp as if chiseled by a knife. Nor did he possess the barbaric temperament of his people; he was deeply interested in the Confucian culture of Da Rong, fond of its classics, and his behavior followed the etiquettes of Confucianism.

He admired the prosperity and brilliance of Da Rong, desiring everything it had to offer.

After finishing his tea, he lifted his head to look at Cui Liang, who stood in the center of the hall.

”Did you say Yang Zhenshan has already led a large force to occupy Guanshan Pass?” He asked calmly.

Guanshan Pass was the exit point of Nameless Valley; though the valley was unnamed, its exit bore the name ’Guanshan Pass.’

”Reporting to the Prince, I have dispatched men to confirm that the Chongshan Town army has indeed set up camp outside Guanshan Pass,” Cui Liang said with utmost respect.

”Oh!”

Prince Wu Tuo’s lips curled in a smile, his eyes glinting, ”If I remember correctly, Guanshan Pass should be quite spacious, right?”

”Yes, Your Highness, Guanshan Pass is two li wide, and the slopes on both sides are gentle enough for horses to charge without issue,” Cui Liang replied.

Prince Wu Tuo stood up, holding a folding fan and tapping it against his palm, remarking, ”Interesting. He wishes to have a grand battle with us at Guanshan Pass!”

”Does he think his forces can stand against my Wuliang’s eighty thousand brave warriors?”

Cui Liang hesitated for a moment but still spoke, ”Prince, Yang Zhenshan is full of cunning tactics and should not be underestimated!”

Prince Wu Tuo shook his fan, ”I do not underestimate him. I just think his choice of Guansan Pass is unwise!”

Prince Wu Tuo was not an arrogant fool and would not dismiss Yang Zhenshan lightly.

In his view, Guanshan Pass was not a location that favored Yang Zhenshan.

Although it was Nameless Valley’s exit, it lacked any natural defensive advantages.

”But Yang Zhenshan is a smart man,” said Cui Liang.

Prince Wu Tuo nodded in agreement, even casting an appreciative glance at Cui Liang, ”You’re right, he is smart, and he wouldn’t do anything unwise!”

”If he has chosen Guanshan Pass, then it means he is confident he can hold us off there!”

”But we can’t let him intimidate us!”

Prince Wu Tuo paused for a thought, then continued, ”Here’s what we’ll do: you go back first and lead troops into the valley. In ten days, my brave warriors will arrive at the valley in succession.”

He was no fool and understood that Yang Zhenshan wouldn’t engage in battle without confidence; to avoid any traps that Yang might have set in the valley, he decided to send Cui Liang ahead to scout the way.

Cui Liang was not ignorant either, quickly grasping his intention. Although somewhat reluctant, he knew the situation was beyond his control. Now he had to follow Wu Tuo’s path and rely on him in the future, so he had no choice but to obey Wu Tuo’s orders.

After returning to Daning City from Huade Prefecture, Cui Liang immediately sent five thousand soldiers towards the valley south of Guanshan Pass.

Meanwhile, as Cui Liang took action, the Secret Martial Guards’ Hidden Guards and shadows began to spread the news in various cities along Chongshan Town’s West Road.

With the capabilities of the Secret Martial Guards, disseminating such news was an effortless task. Within three to five days, the news from Gui Ning City had spread throughout all the major cities, garrisons, and military posts along the West Road of Chongshan Town.

Suddenly, the atmosphere on the entire West Road of Chongshan Town took on a peculiar air, with soldiers and officers abuzz with discussions about the situation in Gui Ning City.

In fact, both Ji Feiyu and Cui Liang were previously quite popular on the West Road of Chongshan Town.

Although the lives of the local populace there were not affluent, they had generally lived in peace over the years, and there had been no significant losses in the previous wars, so the people and military households felt a great deal of gratitude towards Ji Feiyu and Cui Liang.

But the evil deeds sown by Cui Liang in Gui Ning City were chilling to the core.

Tens of thousands of commoners and military households were sacrificed in vain, leaving others on the West Road of Chongshan Town to wonder.

They feared that one day Cui Liang might also sacrifice them without any meaning.

The commoners were afraid, the military households were afraid, and the soldiers were also afraid.

The news spread wider and wider, and soon the West Road of Chongshan Town was in a state of panic.

And when Cui Liang learned of these events, he felt angry and yet utterly helpless.

Because this matter was indeed his doing, and he couldn’t shirk the responsibility even if he wanted to.

At this point, he wasn’t thinking about winning over the hearts of the people, rather he wanted to leave Chongshan Town with Wu Tuo as quickly as possible.

To leave Chongshan Town quickly, Cui Liang no longer dwelled upon Wu Tuo making him a sacrificial pawn, instead, he actively mobilized troops and dispatched generals towards Guanshan Pass.

Simultaneously, the great army of Wuliang was rapidly gathering the plundered goods and starting to move towards Guanshan Pass.

Meanwhile, the six camps of the imperial guards in Jizhou had also launched a counterattack against Wuliang’s great army under Liang Chu’s command.

August 18th.

The vanguard of the imperial guards clashed with the rearguard of Wuliang’s great army in the north of Linqing Prefecture, where eight thousand cavalry of the imperial guard paid a grievous price to rout ten thousand Northern barbarian cavalry.

August 20th.

Prince Wu Tuo withdrew from Huade Prefecture, and tens of thousands of Hu Clan cavalry also moved, along with a great amount of supplies, towards the West Road of Chongshan Town.

During the subsequent days, the imperial guard engaged with the rearguard of Wuliang’s great army multiple times, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats, as well as casualties.

The situation at Guanshan Pass was becoming extremely grave.

After confirming that there were no traps in the valley, Cui Liang dispatched all of his soldiers to the valley, and thereafter launched several tentative attacks on Guanshan Pass.

Although each attack was repelled by Yang Zhenshan, as the Northern barbarian cavalry continued to arrive, the soldiers of Daning City’s army felt immense pressure.

The enemy was strong, and we were weak; the enemy was many, and we were few.

Facing such a battle, it was impossible for the soldiers not to worry.

However, Yang Zhenshan appeared very calm in the face of this.

Inside the grand military tent.

Yang Zhenshan sat upright behind his desk, looking at Xie Yuan with a relaxed expression.

”How much fire oil has been transported here?”

”Thirty thousand jin have already been brought!” Xie Yuan reported solemnly.

Thirty thousand jin of fire oil was not a small amount, considering that this fire oil was made of vegetable and animal fats and was typically used for lamp oil or making candles.

Collecting thirty thousand jin of fire oil in less than a month had been a difficult task for Pang Tang.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, ”And the straw cages?”

”According to the General’s requests, the engineering team has already made one hundred thousand straw cages of various sizes!” Xie Yuan replied.

The so-called straw cages were actually round cages made from branches and grass, simple, crude, and casually made.

”Almost ready, now everything is in place, just waiting for the east wind! No, waiting for the northwest wind!” Yang Zhenshan smiled faintly.

”Northwest wind!” Xie Yuan was taken aback, as until now they were unaware of Yang Zhenshan’s plans, their actions were solely based on blind trust in Yang Zhenshan.

”That’s right, the northwest wind!”

Yang Zhenshan stood up and walked outside the tent, looking up at the somewhat gloomy sky.

”In ten days, there will be the strongest northwest wind!”

In Chongshan Town, the summertime to autumn was dominated by the southeast sea breezes from the ocean, and as winter approached, the northwest winds from the snowy plains would start to blow.

Yang Zhenshan was waiting for the northwest wind from the snowy plains.

”However, before that, we have a very difficult task, which is to hold off the enemy’s assault, we absolutely must not let the enemy take Guanshan Pass!”