Chapter 39: Success?

  Gongsun Ce captured Huazhen that afternoon and led his army back to Jinghe County. The surviving civilians within the county seat were registered by the revived 3,000 Qin soldiers, who began constructing military camps by felling trees near the county seat.

  "I don't know why, but I feel like something big is going to happen. Hopefully it's not something too terrible!" Gong Sun Ce strolled through the empty county town, followed by a group of guards. He was already somewhat satisfied with his current achievements. Ten days ago, he and Liu Wei had set out from Xianyang together. Now he was the Left Shu Xiang of Great Qin, having entered the upper-middle class of the Great Qin military nobility.

  Strolling back to the military camp, looking at the two flags that were only slightly shorter than the Great Qin flag, he was even more spirited. One was the 'Gongsun' general flag, with a purple background, black border and white characters; one was his own unit's name flag, with a white background, black border, and in the center, the bold and powerful vertical characters "Hengye Xiaowei" fluttered with the night wind.

  "My lord!"

  Gongsun Zan gazed at the fluttering "Gongsun" banner, somewhat entranced. Upon hearing a voice, he turned his head to see Li Zicheng, the Xianbei general who had surrendered two days ago after being offered amnesty.

  "What's wrong?" Gong Sun Ce wiped the expression off his face, reminding himself at all times that as a leader, he must not lose his dignity. Losing dignity is detrimental to commanding the army and losing etiquette will cause the hearts of those under him to collapse.

  "Report to the lord, half an hour ago, the Chu army sent out General Li Jin with the lord's token arrow. General Li Jin was allowed to pass according to the law." Li Ziqi's actual combat ability is not high, and his military leadership skills are average, but he excels in being diligent. Gong Sun Ce sees this and naturally makes reasonable arrangements for Li Ziqi's abilities.

  "Very well, you can report everything to me in detail. If something urgent happens and I'm not around, look for Gao Shun. If Gao Shun is not around, gather all the generals in the camp to discuss it together." Gong Sun Zan currently trusts Gao Shun the most, followed by An Meng and Guo Liang, then Chu Mengmeng, Du Yuanzheng, Li Zixi, and another surrendered general Jiang Peng.

  "Your Excellency, why not rest early?" Gao Shun led the trapped heavenly soldiers to patrol inside the military camp. The symbol of the soldier rested early and understood the rules, with a rare peace of mind. The patrol of the military camp was mainly a habit, but also a deterrent. It can greatly increase the solemn atmosphere in the army, making people dare not slack off.

  "With a task on your mind, go out and clear your head. You should also get some rest early, tomorrow's mission is very heavy. At the critical moment, we will still rely on the heavenly soldiers of the Tiantai array, and soon I'll let Jiang Peng and Liu Wei come to replace you." Gong Sun Ce saw Gao Shun, and his worries were no longer hidden.

  For heart disease, one can only rely on oneself to cure it. Also seeing that the master of the house didn't say what kind of heart disease it was, Gao Shun naturally wouldn't ask further. After bidding farewell to Gong Sun Ce, he led the Trapping Array Heavenly Soldiers to continue patrolling.

  On the second day, at dawn, Li Jin returned to the military camp in a dusty and disheveled state. During breakfast, he reported on his reconnaissance results: "The city of Chongxin is also guarded by 3,000 Xia troops, with Ah Zhuo as the commander. Outside the city, there are 5,000 Liang troops setting up camp, felling trees and building siege engines! The Liang army has a banner with the character 'Song', but I don't know who the main general is."

  As he spoke, Li Jin pulled out a report from his pocket that recorded the garrison situation of the village.

  Gongsun Zan's ability to advance triumphantly was not only due to the fact that he had not encountered any powerful enemies, but also thanks to the intelligence gathered by Li Jin every night. However, today was unusual, as he usually returned unscathed and carefree, like a leisurely outing, whereas today he looked disheveled, as if he had been pursued.

  "In the Cool Army, there were two inheritors of military families. If it weren't for their rivalry, this ghost body might have turned to ashes by now. One of them had exceptional martial skills but was reckless, while the other was cautious and almost fell into his hands!" Li Jin explained the doubts in everyone's minds in the great hall, and he himself couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Once a Ghost General dies in battle, they completely disperse into the heavens and earth, making it extremely difficult to have any chance of revival."

  "A successor of a military family? It seems that this battle is going to be quite lively!" Gong Sun Ce stroked his chin, where a dense black beard grew. For him, he had already fought against various vengeful spirits from the northwest. So far, he had killed four generals, but he had never fought against another successor of a military family, and he felt somewhat regretful about it.

  Chu Mengmeng, however, was solemn: "The successors of the military family are quick-witted and not like those resurrected generals whose brains are still mush. So this battle must be taken seriously!"

  "Haha, what's with the cautious talk? The Liang army is attacking the Xia army, both armies are engaged in battle and defending against each other, they don't even have time to think about us. We'll make it there smoothly, by tomorrow afternoon we can arrive at Chongxin County City. I reckon the two armies are already in their final stage of fighting, who knows, maybe we can just happen to be fishermen!"

  "I agree with Big Brother's idea. In order to prevent the Leng army from occupying the county city, we must revive the military spirit within Chongxin County City. We must speed up our march and arrive at Chongxin County City as soon as possible, so that we have ample time to choose our tactics and not be too passive!" Guo Liang's sword-like eyebrows were lowered, his pair of black eyes gleaming with a cold intent.

  "What Guo Liang said makes sense, it's better to be early than late!" Du Yuanzheng has an army in his hands, so he naturally has the right to speak.

  Liu Wei and others were deeply impressed by Gong Sun Ce's performance on this road, and they all agreed with Gong Sun Ce's idea. They rushed to the city of Chongxin County in one breath. As long as the two armies of Liang Xia were not in an alliance state, whatever they said would be in a favorable position.

  Outside the city of Chongxin, the Front Liang army also started cooking. In front of the main tent, three large flags hung limply on the flagpole, one naturally being a Liang character flag, another being a Song character flag, and the other with four large characters that were extremely eye-catching: Vanguard Commander-in-Chief.

  The drum sounded, and the officers above the rank of lieutenant hurried to the central army tent for discussion, not daring to delay. Ma Cheng casually wiped his face, holding a freshly steamed bun in his hand, with pickled vegetables stuffed inside, eating while walking, completely ignoring the contemptuous glances of those revived officers.

  Even Yang Yang, who was also a descendant of the military family, couldn't stand Ma Cheng's arbitrariness. Since Ma Cheng joined the Liang army camp and was assigned to Song Pei's team, Yang Yang has always felt uncomfortable. Everywhere he went, he would deliberately target Ma Cheng, and since Ma Cheng didn't bother to build relationships with the original generals, he still remained a mere Qujiang general, unlike Yang Yang, who had already become a Fangjiang general, with fifty elite personal soldiers under his command, all of whom were formed by the fusion of the Liang army camp's war spirit.

  Gongsun Zan is inferior to Yangyang in some aspects. At least Yangyang has his own personal bodyguards, the Heavenly Army, while Gongsun Zan does not. However, when it comes to freedom, ten Yangyangs standing together cannot compare to Gongsun Zan's carefree and unrestrained nature. In terms of military strength, even with only 2,500 soldiers, Gongsun Zan can still fight against Song Xian's army of 5,000 to the death. As for Yangyang, in terms of military strength, he is no match for Du Yufeng's 200-strong Du clan Heavenly Army.

  "The governor is holding back the city's garrison here, and Yang Yang, the commander of the vanguard, holds my token arrow, advancing eastward along the main road to attack the city. The revived soldiers of the Great Liang army temporarily return to your command, you must capture the Jinghe County City before nightfall! At that time, we will launch a three-pronged attack on Pingliang Prefecture!" Song Pei wore ordinary fish-scale armor and had a cloak hanging from his back. His appearance was not showy at all, and his looks were not particularly impressive either.

  Zhang Gui was a Jin minister, serving as a散骑常侍 in Western Jin. Later, he took the opportunity to become the Governor of Liangzhou. At that time, within the borders of Liangzhou, "bandits and thieves ran amok, and the Xianbei were causing trouble". After Zhang Gui arrived in Liangzhou, he did not rush to lead troops to quell the unrest, but instead focused on reorganizing the local government first.

  To rectify the official system, Zhang Quan realized the importance of talents. In selecting talents, he tended to favor the famous families and big surnames of Liangzhou. Because he deeply knew that the stability of Hexi in Liangzhou depended on the aristocratic families. Therefore, he did not hesitate to use high-ranking officials, generous salaries, and respectful words to recruit representatives from these aristocratic families, such as Song Pei, Yin Chong, Wei Yu, and Yin Dan.

  These four were Zhang Gui's main assistants, with Song Pei being the first. Song Pei, courtesy name Zhongye, was from Dunhuang. In his youth, Song Pei was "generous and ambitious, pure and simple, not fond of showy competition."

  Song Fu lived in an era where appearance was the main criterion for selecting talent, and his skin disease, which covered his body with scales, was a major disadvantage. Moreover, he was not tall. However, Song Fu was both literary and martially talented, and his reputation spread far and wide. After Zhang Quan took office as the governor of Liangzhou, he was appointed as the military advisor to assist in state affairs.

  In the sixth month of Yongxing 2 (305), the Xianbei chieftain Yilou Bahan led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Liangzhou, and Zhang Gui sent Song Hui to lead an army to counterattack. As Zhang Gui's first battle against the Xianbei after arriving in Liangzhou, Song Hui demonstrated his military prowess, leading his soldiers to kill Yilou Bahan and capture over 100,000 Xianbei soldiers and civilians. This victory made Song Hui famous throughout Hexi, and also allowed Zhang Gui, who had just arrived in Liangzhou, to establish a foothold on this land of dreams and passion, earning him great prestige.

  Song Pei was revived in this turmoil, and although the king of Liang had not yet been revived, the Song family's power in Liang was extremely great. Therefore, he could unify the scattered Liang army and lost military spirit, holding the position of commander-in-chief who controlled various generals.

  "General Yang, take the order!" Yang Yang stepped forward, received the military order and the command arrow. Song Pei just smiled at him, and when Yang Yang returned to his position, he heard Song Pei continue to announce the military order: "Commander Qu will be Yang Yang's deputy, I hope you two can work together and not tarnish the great reputation of Da Leng!"

  Ma Cheng was just a minor general, but he had the qualifications to line up in the big account. He came out of the list with no energy and saluted Song Pei with his fists, received the military order without saying a word, and wanted to return to the team again. He still planned to hide in the crowd and continue to doze off. After fighting with Yang Yang and an unidentified general last night, there was always something in his heart that made him unable to sleep all night.

  "You have inherited the legacy of Master Ma, you must not lose his reputation. Otherwise, I will have to take care of it with my military stick!" Song's tone seemed to be in high esteem for Master Ma. Ma Cheng nodded repeatedly and said: "I dare not tarnish the great name of our ancestors either, General Song can rest assured."

  Gongsun Zan rushed south from Jinghe County along the highway, racing towards the city of Chongxin, fearing that the Western Liang army would get there first. If they did, it wouldn't be something he could handle alone. At that time, he would have to invite the Great Qin army for reinforcements. That way, he wouldn't be able to monopolize the military merit of capturing Pingliang Prefecture, and his promotion would be slowed down significantly. It's truly a case of "one step early, every step early". If this advantage of being one step ahead is lost, it won't be easy to catch up afterwards.

  In the other direction, Yang Yang and Ma Cheng, two men who didn't get along with each other, led seven hundred troops of Lianjun along the highway to the northeast, their target being Jinghe County.

  This made things difficult for other forces camping on both sides of the highway, being killed from both ends and having nowhere to run.

  Gongsun Zan led his troops in pursuit, with the Yu Lin army clearing the way. The 2,000-strong Yu Lin army was divided into two teams, advancing alternately and replenishing their strength immediately after each battle. As a result, their marching speed was extremely swift, far beyond what Yang Chou's forces could match.

  Yang Yang and Ma Cheng even quarreled over whose troops would charge first in every battle. Yang Yang was the commander-in-chief, but he couldn't compete with Ma Cheng, who had the support of General Song Pei. Moreover, as the commander-in-chief, the greatest credit for victory would still be his, and he had more soldiers under his command. If he didn't make a big effort, who would?

  At around two o'clock in the afternoon, Gong Sun Ce's troops marched for twenty kilometers and were about to attack the next town when they unexpectedly saw the Liang army flag already raised above the town!

  "Report!" The scout in front discovered it first, dismounting his horse in front of Gong Sun Ce's horse, and hastily reported: "The small town ahead has been occupied by the Liang army, with a force of no less than 2,000! Flags can be seen in the town, respectively bearing the names 'Simay Yangyang' and 'Junhou Maching'!"

  "It's really him!" Gong Sun Ce exclaimed on horseback, the scout nodded in certainty and said: "We saw it with our own eyes, we saw it clearly, it is indeed the four characters 'Jun Hou Ma Cheng'!"

  "There are many people in the world with the same name and surname, it's not necessarily him." Gong Sun Ce said in a low voice, his tone despondent. He waved off the scout and gazed up at the vast sky, sighing repeatedly.

  Ma Cheng was one of his three best friends, and how he wished Ma Cheng hadn't left that day, to have accompanied him through that crazy night. No matter what, it would have guaranteed Ma Cheng's life, unlike now, where his fate is unknown.

  "I hope it's him, even if he's hostile, at least he's still alive. Being alive is more important than anything!" Gong Sun Ce once again composed his fallen face and maintained his dignity.

  Advance the army, whether it is a victory or defeat, will be known naturally during the battle.