Chapter 20: Establishing Imperial Authority and Personally Campaigning Against the Eastern Barbarians

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  "The Dongyi bandits have already destroyed several border towns and small countries, abducting countless women and wealth. The land of East Lu under the rule of Duke Dong has also suffered a large-scale attack, and they are unable to defend themselves, so I request that Your Majesty send troops to provide support."

  "Self-satisfied? Hmph!" Zhang Zixing sneered: "I think he wants to conserve his strength and doesn't want to waste his troops in a real battle with the Eastern Yi! No wonder every time they urgently report needing reinforcements, and after the Eastern Yi retreats, they enthusiastically help those small vassal states recover their countries. On one hand, it's to gain a reputation for benevolence, on the other hand, it's to avoid having their territory bordering with the Eastern Yi, so as to avoid direct conflict of interests. So every time there's an Eastern Yi disaster, it's those small vassal states that suffer! What a wonderful Eastern Duke!"

  "Your Majesty is right, the Duke of Eastern Bo has indeed been suspected of being ineffective in suppressing the bandits. However, I have led troops to fight against the Eastern Yi twice under the orders of the late Emperor, and I also know that the Eastern Yi are not easy to deal with. The people of Eastern Yi are descendants of the demon god Chi You, they are skilled in archery and proficient in smelting, their knives and swords are excellent, and they also have the magical beasts that Hou Yi subdued back then, which makes them extremely formidable. Even I do not have a guaranteed victory."

  Zhang Zixing thought of the Xiongnu people who frequently harassed the borders during the Western Han Dynasty and were difficult to eradicate, and nodded involuntarily. If these Di and Dongyi are not pacified, the borders of Dachang will never be stable.

  "The old minister is not talented, willing to lead the army to conquer the east, to calm the danger of the eastern barbarians!" Upon hearing that the Grand Tutor was a standard loyal minister who "eats the king's salary and bears the king's worries", he immediately volunteered to take command and go on an expedition.

  "Old Master, you have worked hard for me, laboring day and night, your contributions are immense. I can no longer bear to let you toil. This time, please stay in Chang'an and hold down the fort, I will personally lead the expedition, swearing to pacify the Eastern Barbarians!" Zi Xing suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

  When Wen Zhong heard that the Emperor was going to personally lead an expedition into dangerous territory, he hastily dissuaded him: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven and should prioritize the country and its people. How can you lightly speak of leading an expedition in person? Although this old minister is advanced in years, I still have confidence in my ability to alleviate Your Majesty's worries. Is it not that Your Majesty thinks this old minister has become useless with age?"

  "The old master misunderstood me, the old master is a trusted minister, a pillar of the country, I have always regarded him as an arm. How could I look down on him?" Zhang Zixing said while comforting the somewhat agitated Wen Taishi, "Not to deceive you, Master, since Wu Ding's time, our great nation has been declining day by day, and we no longer have the majestic power of Cheng Tang's ancestors in all directions. Now, internally there are 800 vassals with their own interests, externally there are the Quan Rong and Dong Yi watching us covetously, and we are already at a critical juncture! After I ascended to the throne, although I have worked hard to develop the economy and strengthen national power, it is not an easy task to reverse the trend. As a ruler, one should cultivate virtue internally and prepare military strength externally. I issued three great books, which were praised by all under heaven, as a demonstration of my virtue; now, I personally lead the expedition against Dong Yi to establish my authority. Only when authority and virtue are combined can we subdue the vassals and unfold our grand plan for future reforms."

  "The old minister is dull and doesn't know the emperor's ambitions, please forgive me. The old minister will certainly do his best to help you achieve your great plan and establish a foundation for generations to come." Wen Zhong was very impressed by this theory of his, and no longer tried to dissuade him. "The old minister has always known that Your Majesty has countless strategies in mind, but after all, it is the first time you have experienced battle, so you must be careful and cautious. Moreover, the significance of this war is not trivial, please allow the old minister to accompany you."

  "I, this time, go to war against the Eastern Barbarians. The dragons of Chao Ge have no leader, and it is necessary for the old Taishi to guard the country with his dual whips, in order to prevent the rear from being empty and taken advantage of by petty people." Zhang Zixing's face was sincere as he said to Wen Zhong: "I also know that this war is important, I am willing to listen to the teachings of the Taishi."

  "Wu Cheng Wang Huang Feihu's martial arts are strong, and he is well-versed in strategy, making him suitable for great use. General Jiang Wenhuan is young and accomplished, and as the son of Duke Dongbo, he should also be sent out together. Your Majesty should often seek their counsel on military matters." After a moment of contemplation, Wen continued, "With these two assisting, if we were to face ordinary enemies, it would already be more than sufficient. However, the Eastern Barbarians have not only strange beasts to aid them but also unusual warriors, so Your Majesty should consider other options."

  Zhang Zixing suddenly thought of Deng Ciyu, whom he had met by chance today, and his heart was filled with a burning passion. He said: "I've heard that Deng Jiugong, the commander-in-chief of Sanshan Pass, has been through many battles and is a rare good general. Should we summon him to join us in this expedition?"

  "Deng Jiugong is indeed a capable and talented individual, but he is not a master of the Taoist arts. I recommend one person - Zhang Guilang, the General of Qinglong Pass. This man is from my own sect, not only is he exceptional in strategy, but also well-versed in the Taoist arts. His subordinates are also extraordinary and can follow Your Majesty into battle."

  Zhang Zixing also knew that now was not the time to think about Deng Ciyu, let alone that she was still an immature little beauty, and solely based on Deng Jiugong's current responsibilities, he couldn't afford to make any rash moves. The three mountain passes were adjacent to Nan Bohou's territory, just like You Hun and Xi Shui passes, with extremely important strategic geographical locations, especially since Nan Bohou appeared rough on the outside but was actually deep and profound inside, and therefore could not be taken lightly.

  He proposed to summon Deng Jiugong to battle, mostly for personal reasons. After speaking out, he also felt that it was not appropriate and hurriedly changed his words: "Taishi's words are reasonable, I have heard that the four generals of Mojia at Jiamenguan all have different skills... Right, there is also Li Jing of Chentanguan, who also knows the five elements. It should be possible to go together."

  "In the past, Mo Laiqing, the first of the four demon generals, once followed me on a campaign to the Eastern Yi. He has considerable experience. I was just about to recommend the four generals to Your Majesty, but unexpectedly Your Majesty has already mentioned it... Your Majesty is indeed wise in knowing people and assigning tasks, this is the great good fortune of our Da Shang. With many capable generals assisting, you will surely be able to subdue the Eastern Yi and awe the world," Wen Zhong's expression turned relieved. "This time in the Eastern Yi, everything must be done with caution and careful consideration, all matters must be thought through three times, do not rush forward hastily. Especially that ancient demon beast is extremely formidable, do not underestimate it lightly. I have a magical symbol, if Your Highness encounters obstacles in the Eastern Yi, you can burn this symbol, and I will immediately lead troops to assist."

  "Thanks a lot, Master!" Zhang Zixing knew that Wen Zhong's move was for his own good and did not refuse, stretching out his hand to accept the Ling symbol.

  Zhang Zixing immediately issued an order, urgently summoning Qinglongguan Zhang Guifang, Fenglin, Jiamengguan Mojia four generals and Chentangguan Li Jing to enter the capital. At the same time, he ordered Huang Feihu and Jiang Wenhuan to deploy troops and prepare for the eastern expedition. The three concubines in the harem heard that Zixing was going on an eastern expedition and couldn't bear the worry, Yellow Fly Swallow even proposed to follow the army on the expedition. Zhang Zixing knew that this war was of great importance and not trivial, so he naturally did not agree. In the end, it was Jiang Wenhuan who explained the great righteousness with her identity as the elder sister and empress, persuading Yang Jiu and Huang Feiyan.

  Three days later, Huang Feihu and Jiang Wenhuan's army was deployed, Zhang Guifang, Feng Lin, Mo Jia Si Jiang and Li Jing also arrived in Chaoge. Zhang Zixing bid farewell to the tearful three queens, entrusted the major affairs of the court to Wen Zhong and Shang Rong, and led the 100,000-strong army to the eastern border.

  After several days, the army arrived at Dongbo Hou Jiang Huan Chu's territory of Donglu. Upon receiving the news that the Emperor was coming to conquer, Jiang Huan Chu hastily led his troops to welcome him. As soon as they met, Jiang Huan Chu apologized to the Emperor. Although Zhang Zixing was dissatisfied with him in her heart, Jiang Huan Chu was after all her father-in-law and a powerful man in his own right, so she couldn't let him lose face too much. She lightly glossed over the "ineffectiveness of the expedition" and comforted him with kind words, focusing on asking about the situation on the Eastern Yi side.

  The Dongyi people are skilled in archery and horsemanship, with a strong long-range attack. They prefer to use guerrilla warfare tactics, often causing significant damage to the Shang army from a distance. When the Shang army finally closes in after great losses, the enemy quickly retreats at high speed. The Shang army is like a powerful fist that can't land a hit on the enemy's body, gradually being worn down and defeated. Every time they repel or defeat the Dongyi, the Shang army pays a price several times higher than the enemy's.

  After learning about the situation, Zhang Zixing knew that Jiang Huan Chu had a mind to save his strength, but Dong Yi was indeed difficult to deal with. However, since he decided to take personal command, he wanted to make a shocking move, letting all the vassals know the majesty of the Son of Heaven, and see if Ji Chang and others still had the courage and strength to harbor treasonous intentions again.

  He deeply understood the principle of buying people's hearts. Without waiting for Jiang Huan Chu's temporary palace arrangements, he immediately went to the front line to visit those vassals whose territories were attacked, while dispatching medical teams to rescue injured soldiers and civilians, and issuing relief materials.

  This move immediately had a remarkable effect. Those small vassals were nothing much, but the neglected soldiers and civilians did not expect that the Son of Heaven would care about them so much, and they all felt grateful and tearfully praised the emperor's kindness.

  The next morning, the scout reported that the eastern barbarian Mu clan led by Yu and Hu clans had invaded the border, and their army had already reached the Dongyuan area. Zhang Zixing urgently summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. Jiang Hanchu believed that the eastern barbarians were good at movement but not good at defense, good at attacking but not good at defending. To avoid engaging in a plain battle, which was their strongest suit, it would be better to abandon the Dongyuan battlefield and defend the nearby Kaocheng city, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. Jiang Wenhuan believed that his father's strategy was too conservative, which would boost the enemy's morale, cause suffering to the people in the Dongyuan area, and make it impossible to pursue the enemy after a defensive victory. It would be better to launch a surprise attack and win with an unexpected tactic.

  Jiang Huan Chu did not expect that his son, who had gone to Chao Ge for only two years, would become so arrogant. He strongly opposed it, but Jiang Wen Huan, as the commander of the Shang Jun Hou army, was not afraid of his father's authority and instead argued with reason, making Jiang Huan Chu so angry that he was about to explode, but he restrained himself due to the emperor's presence and did not dare to lose his temper.

  What was even more unexpected for Jiang Huan Chu was that the seemingly calm and composed Emperor actually agreed to his son's extremely adventurous proposal, and planned to lead a large army to confront the enemy in Dongyuan. Although Jiang Huan Chu had the intention of preserving his strength, he also didn't want the Emperor's daughter's husband, who represented the highest authority of the great merchants, to suffer a crushing defeat on his own territory, losing all face. Therefore, he urged Zhang Zixing to be cautious and steady, and to plan carefully.

  Unfortunately, the young emperor did not listen to his good advice and insisted on personally leading the three armies into battle, leaving Jiang Huan and Chu Tong at a loss for what to do, almost to the point of blurting out Cao Mengde's famous phrase "A vertical son is not worth discussing with".

  Helpless, Duke Dongbo accompanied the emperor on his expedition with a hard heart, secretly ordering the elite of Donglu to be ready for rescue and response at any time.