Volume Two, Chapter Twelve: Changing Strategies and Shaken by Worldly Achievements

Upon hearing that Li Shandao had arrived, Xu Shiji temporarily suspended his meeting with Luo Xiaode, Nie Heita, and the others, and went out to the hall entrance to welcome him personally.

While Li Shandao was still in the courtyard, he saw Xu Shiji standing at the doorway. He hurriedly quickened his pace, rushed to the bottom of the steps by the corridor, and offered a respectful bow with his hands clasped: "How could I dare trouble the Eldest Young Master to come out and greet me? I am truly overwhelmed with anxiety and flattered."

Xu Shiji descended the steps, raised him up by the arms, and said, "I have long known of your wisdom and valor, Second Brother, but I never expected it to reach such heights! With a force of just over three hundred men, you actually captured Puyang. Second Brother, when the news reached me, every single man in the army, starting from myself, turned pale with astonishment. I brought my main force to attack Lihu, yet you captured Puyang faster than I could take Lihu. If anyone should feel overwhelmed with anxiety, it is I who should feel ashamed." Imitating Li Shandao's tone, he laughed, "Ashamed indeed, ashamed indeed."

Li Shandao introduced Ji Bochang to Xu Shiji, saying, "Eldest Young Master, the reason Puyang was successfully captured is that I merely acted upon another's accomplishments; the greatest contributor is Brother Bochang. This is my virtuous Brother Bochang. Had it not been for Brother Bochang raising the banner of rebellion from within the city, I would certainly have found it difficult to take Puyang."

Xu Shiji and Ji Bochang were unacquainted, but Ji Bochang was considered a renowned knight-errant in Puyang, and they had heard of each other before.

Immediately, Xu Shiji saluted Ji Bochang and said, "I have long heard of your esteemed name, virtuous brother, though we regrettably missed each other until now. To finally meet today is a supreme honor, truly a supreme honor."

Ji Bochang also clasped his hands in return and said respectfully, "Who does not know the great name of Eldest Young Master Xu of Weinan? I have long thirsted to pay my respects, but suffering from a lack of an introduction, I never had the opportunity. Meeting you today proves your reputation is well-deserved; the Eldest Young Master truly possesses the bearing of a hero. This is my greatest fortune in three lifetimes."

In terms of age, among the three, Xu Shiji was the youngest, in his early twenties, while Ji Bochang was the eldest, around thirty. Yet in terms of fame, the opposite was true; among the three, Xu Shiji's renown was the greatest, which was why Ji Bochang's words and demeanor were exceedingly respectful.

However, Ji Bochang's words were not merely polite pleasantries.

Putting everything else aside, judging purely by appearance, Xu Shiji's face was covered in a thick, curly beard, and his demeanor was indeed extraordinary, exuding a powerful and martial air.

Xu Shiji introduced Luo Xiaode, Nie Heita, and the others who were standing behind him to Ji Bochang.

After the group exchanged pleasantries, with Xu Shiji leading and the others following, they all entered the hall.

Once they were seated according to seniority and status, Xu Shiji stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Second Brother, Brother Bochang, I have already learned the full story of how you two joined forces from within and without to take Puyang. Brother Bochang, you dared to storm the city walls with merely a hundred or so men; Second Brother, with fewer than four hundred men and no scaling ladders or siege towers, the moment you saw Brother Bochang raise the banner of rebellion, you dared to respond and attack the city. Truly, you are a pair of tigers and wolves, possessing the courage of generals! To be honest, I truly admire you both."

Li Shandao modestly replied, "The Eldest Young Master praises me too highly; I am unworthy of such praise. This was also a twist of fate, the result of a misunderstanding. When I gave the order to attack the city, I genuinely did not know that the ones rising in response inside the city were merely Brother Bochang and the hundred or so followers he had gathered. Had I known beforehand, even if you gave me three livers of courage, I would not have dared to launch the attack just like that." He smiled and glanced at Ji Bochang, giving him a thumbs-up as he praised, "Brother Bochang is the one with the courage of a tiger."

After capturing the city of Puyang, the moment Li Shandao and Ji Bochang met and spoke with one another, they realized that they had both actually misunderstood the other party. Li Shandao had mistakenly thought that the ones rising in rebellion within the city were Fan and the other friends of Xu Shiji, while Ji Bochang had mistaken the force coming to "attack" Puyang for the main strength of Wagang. At that time, both of them had lingering fears. To say that capturing Puyang was the result of a misunderstanding is no exaggeration.

Ji Bochang withdrew his gaze from secretly appraising Luo Xiaode, Nie Heita, and the others, and replied with modest thanks.

Xu Shiji brought the conversation back to the main topic. Pondering for a moment, he said, "Originally, my plan was to take Lihu and then turn back to attack Puyang. Now, thanks to the efforts of you two, Second Brother and Brother Bochang, Puyang is already taken, so there is no longer any need to attack it. Second Brother, Brother Bochang, you have arrived at just the right time. I am currently discussing our next military moves with Brother Luo, Heita, and the others; you two may also put forward your opinions."

Li Shandao, upon hearing these words from Xu Shiji, posed the question he had been pondering along the entire journey to Lihu: "Eldest Young Master, I heard from Brother Zheng that Zhang Xutuo is already assembling his troops and may soon move south. I wonder how the Eldest Young Master plans to respond?"

"What Brother Luo, Heita, and I are discussing is precisely this matter. Second Brother, do you have any brilliant insights on this?"

Li Shandao said, "Eldest Young Master, according to our initial plan, we were to first capture Lihu and Puyang, establish our first line of defense in these two places, and then successively conquer the various counties of Dong Commandery, thereby blocking the old dog Zhang across the entire commandery. We never anticipated that Zhang Xutuo's reaction and movements would be so swift. At most a month, or perhaps as short as ten days to half a month, he is actually able to lead his main force south right now. As things stand, the current situation has already changed from when we first set out from the mountains. If we still wish to act according to the original plan, I am afraid time will not be quite sufficient."

"Indeed. Zhang Xutuo's speed of reaction has truly exceeded our expectations. Calculating that he could move south in ten days to half a month, the time left for us to conquer Dong Commandery and deploy our defense is indeed inadequate. So, what should we do now to block Zhang Xutuo in Dong Commandery? Or rather, to block him in Dong Commandery at least until Duke Zhai captures Jinti Pass and other strategic locations?"

Hearing this, his words carried a hint of testing.

Following Xu Shiji's question, Luo Xiaode, Nie Heita, and the others also cast their gazes upon Li Shandao.

Li Shandao stroked his short mustache and said, "If we still use Lihu and Puyang as our first line of defense, it is clearly no longer feasible. Eldest Young Master, in my humble opinion, why not 'retreat thirty miles'?"

"How do you mean by 'retreat thirty miles'?"

Li Shandao said, "We no longer use Lihu and Puyang as our first line of defense, but instead fall back southward and select another location as our defensive battleground."

"Which place would be suitable for relocation?"

Li Shandao said, "In my humble opinion, Fengqiu seems the most appropriate."

Luo Xiaode let out an "ah" and interjected, "Why is Fengqiu the most suitable choice?"

"Firstly, Fengqiu borders the Ji River to the south, making it relatively easy to defend. Secondly, Fengqiu is situated at the southernmost tip of Dong Commandery, bordering Xingyang Commandery; should an emergency arise, it can form a pincer movement in coordination with Duke Zhai's forces. Thirdly, Fengqiu also borders Jiyin Commandery to the east, blocking the route leading from Jiyin Commandery to Xingyang Commandery. Thus, even if Zhang Xutuo does not take the Dong Commandery route and instead shifts to Jiyin Commandery to reinforce Xingyang from the south, we can still intercept him by guarding Fengqiu."

From Qi Commandery to Xingyang Commandery, one could choose the route passing through Dongping Commandery and Dong Commandery—this was the most direct path; alternatively, one could choose not to pass through Dong Commandery, but instead take Jiyin Commandery to the east of Dong Commandery, and finally enter Xingyang via Fengqiu or Liang Commandery southeast of Fengqiu—this route was slightly longer.

Luo Xiaode smiled and said to Xu Shiji, "Eldest Young Master, no wonder you hold the Second Brother in such high regard; the two of you have actually thought of the exact same thing!"

As it turned out, just moments before, before Li Shandao arrived, Xu Shiji had just proposed an opinion identical to Li Shandao's words and proposal. He too believed that the current enemy situation had changed and that Lihu and Puyang could no longer serve as the first line of defense; another place had to be selected as a defensive battleground. And for this relocated battleground, he likewise believed Fengqiu was the most appropriate.

An officer in the assembly chimed in playfully, "As the ancients say, 'Heroes think alike.' Such are the Eldest Young Master and the Second Brother."

Li Shandao said solemnly, "Brother, please do not joke. How could I ever dare to be mentioned alongside the Eldest Young Master as a hero!"

Frowning slightly, he said to Xu Shiji, "Does the Eldest Young Master also feel that it would be best to abandon Lihu and Puyang and choose Fengqiu as our battleground to resist Zhang Xutuo? I venture to ask the Eldest Young Master, though I feel selecting Fengqiu seems right for some reason, I still feel somewhat uncertain in my heart."

The hall was warm. Xu Shiji picked up the crane-feather fan on the desk, waved it, and said, "Second Brother, do not speak of being uncertain in your heart. When I first thought that we should now relocate our battleground against Zhang Xutuo to Fengqiu, I also felt uncertain. However, afterwards, I thought of two other points, and only then did my heart gain a measure of confidence."

"Oh? What are the two points the Eldest Young Master thought of? I dare ask to hear the details."

Before Li Shandao arrived, Xu Shiji had just told the others that they could relocate the defense to Fengqiu, but he had not yet spoken of these "two other points." Therefore, not only was Li Shandao entirely engrossed, but Luo Xiaode, Nie Heita, and the others also pricked up their ears in quiet anticipation, waiting for Xu Shiji to state his two points.

Xu Shiji said, "This first point is that relying solely on the county seat of Fengqiu is a single tree that cannot support a falling beam. Zhang Xutuo could throw his entire strength into attacking it, which is unfavorable for our steadfast defense. Therefore, besides Fengqiu, we must select another county seat to serve as a defensive stronghold as well, so as to disperse Zhang Xutuo's forces and prevent him from concentrating his all-out attack on a single point of ours."

Li Shandao nodded repeatedly and said, "True, true." He asked, "May I ask the Eldest Young Master, which place do you intend to choose as this other county seat?"

"There is no need to look any further; Baima will do."

Li Shandao was suddenly enlightened, patted his forehead, and said, "Precisely! Baima is the seat of Dong Commandery, with solid city walls. It is already under our control and is not far from Fengqiu. The two county seats are only a little over a hundred miles apart, making it the exact choice for another defensive stronghold!"

"This is the first point. As for the second point, in order to prevent the various counties of Dong Commandery from sending troops and grain to assist Zhang Xutuo, we must make our utmost effort to devastate these counties before Zhang Xutuo leads his forces south."

Li Shandao asked, "Eldest Young Master, how do we devastate the various counties?"

Xu Shiji waved his crane-feather fan, swept his gaze across the assembly, and said, "First, county seats that we are confident of capturing swiftly, such as Lihu and Puyang, we shall capture them all. Second, regardless of whether a county seat has been captured or not, we shall heavily plunder the able-bodied men, grain, and wealth from all these counties. Third, for the county officials and local strongmen in the various counties who are unwilling to surrender and submit to us, those who can be killed shall be killed, and those who cannot be killed shall be dragged along with our army."

As these three points were spoken, Luo Xiaode, Nie Heita, and the others, as well as Ji Bochang, all clapped in agreement, speaking with one voice to praise them as a "brilliant strategy"!

Of Xu Shiji's three points for "devastating the various counties," the first point was ordinary enough, but the second and third were truly ruthless. The second point plundered the manpower, grain, and financial resources of the various counties; the third point destroyed the administrative and governing capacity of those counties. Li Shandao felt a silent shock in his heart, yet his facial expression remained unchanged. Seeing that no one among the group raised any objections, he too clapped his hands and joined in the praise.

A man rose from his seat, walked into the center of the hall, and resolutely requested battle: "If we relocate our defensive battleground to Fengqiu, we must first capture Fengqiu. There is no time to lose; I am willing to serve as the Eldest Young Master's vanguard, take Fengqiu immediately, and secure it for the Eldest Young Master!"