Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 55 "Military Strategists" - A Gap in the Content

From the winter of the 28th year of the Tianli calendar to the beginning of the 29th year, just as Wu Fei was making his way in and out of the southern border, ulcers appeared on the northeastern border of Da Yao.

In October, Guotai's army of several thousand broke through the blockade of Dayao's fifteen armies and arrived in Lu County. Before Dayao could react, they stirred up a rebellion among the local rioters, who then hijacked the supply wagons that were supposed to be supplying the front lines.

The large army of Lu County Granary was forced to suppress the local rioters, but the Guotai army, which had infiltrated the area and was flying the Zhao banner, wiped out Lu County Granary.
Next, the royal army of Da Yao Lu County must solve two problems in a very short time: first, recapture important strategic nodes, hoping that the Guo Tai army will not burn the supplies; second, continue to quell the rebellion to open up the supply route. As for what to do at the front before the next batch of military supplies arrives, the only option is to let the army suffer while the people suffer.

Ultimately, the governor of Da Yao Lu County made a foolish decision that would make military strategists think they should be relegated to the museum.

In this situation, abandoning option 2 and choosing option 1 directly is already incredibly naive and foolish; I've never seen a granary taken away and then taken back. But experts will never know how bizarrely a novice can produce a zero-score paper.

Prefect Lu wanted to choose both. However, his subsequent actions resonated with Confucian scholars throughout the land.

Because Prefect Lu received a letter from one of his former subordinates. His eyes were clouded, perhaps due to the dim lighting in the military camp, and this letter became a crucial basis for his decision-making.

The letter stated that the purpose of capturing the garrison at Dacang was to transport the grain back to the north.

This led the governor to believe that the granary was only temporarily in enemy hands and that he could reclaim it. Although his soldiers tried to dissuade him, persuading them was as difficult as convincing an old man who had already fallen for a scam.

Little did people know that this "telegraphic fraud" letter was actually written by Zhao Cheng's former subordinates after he had grasped the prefect's psychology.

When Prefect Lu decided to muster his courage and try to resolve the dilemma in the few days before the grain supplies were exhausted, he failed to complete a single plan due to his high aspirations but low abilities.

On the strategic map of northern Da Yao, one by one "flags" marked the strategic confrontation zone, and the flag of the Guotai Army was inserted there.

On October 12, 28 years later, the army dispatched by the Prefect of Lu County to suppress the peasant army was defeated. The next day, the Guotai Army in Dacang successfully ambushed the Da Yao soldiers who were trying to retake Dacang.

The peasant army, in particular, seemed to be infused with a spirit, making them exceptionally difficult to deal with. After fighting the government troops who had been cut off from supplies by Da Yao for seven days, although they were defeated, they did not collapse.

Then, on the eighth day of the peasant army's resistance, General Haotian, surnamed Zhao, led his troops to completely annihilate the army from Da Yao Lu County.

Subsequently, the peasant army that had been battle-hardened quickly merged into the command of this general surnamed Zhao, and Haotian's original detachment that had broken through here suddenly grew to a size of 30,000.

The impenetrable defenses of Da Yao, which had besieged Bo County, were breached with a single kick. After their three armies clashed with Guo Tai's army and suffered defeats, they all retreated, and their three main camps began to relocate due to a lack of supplies.

The Battle of Lu County took place in mid-October of 28 AD and ended in January of 29 AD. News of the battle reached Lingnan in April of 29 AD.

While Wu Fei was calmly sitting on his fishing platform at Yongji Pass, calculating the surplus of this year's millet reserves, his first reaction upon hearing the news of the defeat from the north was: Impossible? Absolutely impossible. Where would those defeated dogs of Guotai find extra troops to launch a sneak attack on my great Yao royal army?

Wu Fei can now call himself a professional in the field of "military strategy." As a professional, it's hard to imagine that: with superior troop strength and battle lines, one's own side suddenly suffers a major defeat, loses a key supply town, and then allows the enemy to gain the upper hand and even coerce a rebel army of over ten thousand people into one's own territory.

However, with fluctuating grain prices, the southward migration of refugees from the north, and the court official Sima's strongly worded demand for this year's horse and livestock supply from the south, Wu Fei had no room for doubt.

After comparing information from multiple sources, Wu Fei confirmed the authenticity of the message: "Is someone over there cheating? I haven't even cheated, how could you do this?"

As more information came in, Wu Fei felt that the defeat in this battle was strange!

The army stationed in Lu County was led by a general highly regarded by the Grand Marshal of the current dynasty. He was just over thirty years old and, although not a veteran general, came from a military family.

Wu Fei was heartbroken by Zhu Tou San's actions: How could he suddenly send the entire army out?

Military texts clearly state that the central army should not move rashly before identifying the enemy's main force. This is like two wrestlers grappling; until you find a point of leverage to shift the opponent's center of gravity, your own center of gravity remains stable.

When there is an overwhelming advantage in troop strength and a secure supply of provisions, the central army blocks key transportation routes to curb the movement of large enemy groups, while the rear army holds strategic cities and acts as gatekeepers.

The Wu family army's strategy for pacifying Zhuzhou and Hezhou involved such a meticulous division of labor. Even if Wu Hengyu's vanguard failed to eliminate the bandits, Wu Fei could still trap them in place, making it difficult for them to find food. When the autumn winds bleak, the able-bodied men they had been holding back would disperse and return to their hometowns, leaving the bandit headquarters trapped like turtles in a jar.

Wu Fei felt as heartbroken as a football commentator in his previous life upon seeing an own goal: Why did the most important central force make such a rash move when the situation was so favorable?

To determine whether the enemy is a stationary bandit or a roving bandit, if they are roving bandits, you need to send elite cavalry to suppress the uprising; if they are stationary bandits, you need to seal off key passages to prevent their spread. If your central army moves erratically, the entire deployment here will be thrown into chaos. This will create fatal gaps in the deployment of your various armies.

Wu Fei quickly wrote several letters to further understand the situation of the battle through the Wu family's connections in the court, attempting to reconstruct the events.

Finally, after receiving various detailed reports, Wu Fei, with his professional and rigorous attitude, deduced the full picture of when the rear granary was captured by that General Guotai: On the day that the army from Lu County was attacked in the rear granary, the usual routine of reporting between the rear army and the central army every half day was interrupted.

Then, under the cover of night, the general of Guotai must have used Da Yao's armor to trick his way through the checkpoint and seize the large warehouse.

Wu Fei: Such a basic mistake should not be made by someone from a military family—what a strange thing.

However, as Wu Fei muttered about the "strange thing," he also became wary, wondering "what would happen if I were to take the test?" After all, you don't know until you take the test, and once you do, everyone keeps quiet.

…Reviewing my own level…

After 28 years of leaving the pass, I only just began to understand the deployment of multiple camps with a scale of tens of thousands or more in the military system. I only learned how to establish camps well and how to communicate and coordinate between different armies. As for overall frontal command, how to meticulously connect camps for dozens of miles to lock down the enemy and prevent them from making effective infiltrations. These are all things I still need to learn.

So, Wu Fei, holding the map of southern Xinjiang, was already preparing for the next round of tests he would need to take before leaving the pass.

The "experience points" needed for military strategists to arrange their troops have to be extracted from the weaklings in the southern border region.

The exam papers are being printed quickly; the five credit-point questions are ready...

In the northern camp, Zhao Cheng was studying the three-foot-wide silk map in front of him.

Even though he had it for three months, he was still quite interested in the map on the silk cloth. It was the first time he had seen such a vivid and lifelike map of the entire landscape.

Whenever Zhao Cheng had spare troops, he would send his cavalry to survey the surrounding mountains and rivers, and then he would add a few strokes to the original map. Now the silk map was much more detailed than before, showing wild boars and roe deer roaming the mountains and rivers, and dragons, fish, and turtles in the water.

After the Battle of Lu County, everyone in the Guotai Army bowed down to the newly appointed general.

When the generals asked him why he could accurately predict the fatal error in the deployment of the Lu County army, which left the granary defenses vulnerable, he was met with a question.

Zhao Cheng: "The outcome of a battle may be decided on the battlefield or in the court. You may be well aware of the battle's outcome, but you haven't considered the discord between the enemy's generals and ministers."

…When a war between a large country and a small country suddenly breaks out, it is often due to internal problems… Just as Zhao Cheng predicted, at this time, Da Yao Lu County suffered a great defeat, and the general who lost his army was stripped of his title, but the officials in the court would cover up the problem.

For example, the newly appointed Grand Marshal believed there were highlights in this battle, namely, that His Highness the Prince of Zhou, who was supervising the battle at the front, remained calm under pressure and quickly reorganized the troops of Da Yao, acting as a stabilizing force for the overall situation. However, this "stabilizing force" was subsequently recalled to Yaojing.

This Prince Zhou is the third son of Emperor Xu. Since the rebellion of Prince Bo, he has been the only candidate for crown prince. He is also the one that many ministers in the court are willing to assist.

Although King Zhou was intelligent and well-versed in the classics, he was somewhat frail. Therefore, in the twenty-eighth year of the Tianli reign, ten court officials jointly recommended King Zhou to go to the northern frontier to oversee the war. — This oversight resulted in the remarkable achievement of being the "pillar of stability in the great defeat."

This is why, in the later stages of a dynasty, the ruling class was so inclined to keep the people ignorant. Because only by keeping the people ignorant could they maintain their advantage through information asymmetry. Anyone from a humble background who had even a little education and could deduce the nature of this information asymmetry would think that some people in power were incompetent!
Zhao Cheng was like that; before the battle, he had a clear understanding of the abilities of the people in important positions on both sides.

In the camp, Zhao Cheng faced the doubts of his generals, and they couldn't resist their insistence that a "military treatise" could provide an explanation.

Zhao Cheng could only reply with classical Chinese phrases: "The Art of War says, 'To advance when one does not know when the army should advance, and to retreat when one does not know when the army should retreat, is called 'tying the army.' If one does not understand the affairs of the three armies but meddles in their administration, the soldiers will be confused. If one does not understand the authority of the three armies but meddles in their responsibilities, the soldiers will be suspicious!"

Zhao Cheng used this sentence to explain his victory, without the slightest self-praise, but rather solemnly recounted: "Some people have read military books, but in the end they still knowingly commit wrongdoings."

It was as if it were oneself, well, one's own mentor, a familiar enemy, who had committed such a mistake, so deeply etched in one's memory.

…Zhiyong is a person with a story, now back in the clear classroom…

In Yongji Pass, Wu Fei hadn't slept for seven consecutive days, and every day when he woke up to review the situation, he felt there were completely new developments.

What worries Wu Fei (Xuan Chong) about Lu Jun's crushing defeat is that the military families of Lu Jun seem to have lost their discipline overnight, as if they have reverted to the level of elementary school students.

Xuan Chong's years of experience in solving problems have taught him that when he feels he can solve a problem that others cannot, it must be because he has overlooked some conditions in the problem.

Xuan Chong, displaying his tenacity, finally found the key condition a month after the war ended: the political element of the major hexagram, namely, the current major hexagram, Prince Zhou.

Wu Fei finally caught up after falling behind for a week.

Wu Fei found clues in a large pile of imperial gazettes. Several years ago, when Wu Hanluan was still in the mountains exterminating the snake people, there was a struggle for the crown prince in the Da Yao court. That is, the struggle for succession between the Prince of Bo and the Prince of Zhou.

This struggle for the throne was unrelated to the surrounding regions; it was a contest between the Legalist and Confucian factions in the central court regarding their respective philosophies of governing the country.

The King of Bo was chosen by the Legalist faction, while the King of Zhou was chosen by the Confucian faction, which advocated for virtuous rule. As for the military strategists? In times of peace, the military strategists only needed to guard the four directions; they didn't need to get involved and intensify the power struggles among factions.

Then came the "Dried-up River Case," in which the King of Bo fled, and the original Grand Marshal committed suicide. Thus, the struggle for the crown prince ended, and the King of Zhou immediately became the heir apparent.
But here's the problem: King Zhou was a wise ruler who, in order to promote benevolent and filial governance, did not command troops. The reign title "Shu Di" (戍帝) indicates that the current emperor is a martial ruler. Under such a ruler, a son who is too active in military affairs is likely to arouse suspicion!
Xuan Chong consulted historical records and found that those who most feared the Xuanwu Gate succession law were precisely those who had risen to power through this law. When such an arrogant monarch, upon ascending to the throne, nags his second son, "You are like me," it is not a boast, but rather a sign that he is beginning to take precautions.

The Prince of Bo clearly did not understand this principle and was constantly developing in the manner of his father. He even believed that associating with officials such as the Sima who held military power in the court was a symbol of his being favored.

Little did he know that the ever-shrinking safe distance between him and his monarch father would make him vulnerable to even the slightest "father-son suspicion" storm.

Xuan Chong: So even without any external interference, the Zhou king would inevitably be the one to succeed in seizing the throne.

But here's the problem: if Emperor Xu demonstrated that he could hold the reins of the entire land, then would King Zhou be able to succeed him as a peaceful emperor?

However, the world is now in chaos, and due to a major strategic blunder by Emperor Shu, a corner of Bozhou has collapsed. Consequently, the people of the world have begun to place certain demands on Emperor Shu's successor in military affairs.

After all, your father did not do a good job, and the son who came up is even more clueless. Wouldn't the feudal lords all around become suspicious?

Therefore, the Zhou king had to demonstrate his knowledge of military affairs, at least to have a certain degree of authority and prestige over the various military strategists participating in the northern campaign.

In short, the relationship between King Zhou and the commanders of the various armies should now be like that of a homeroom teacher to students: "I have led you all," establishing a substantive superior-subordinate relationship with the many military strategists and generals.

However, the more you pursue this hierarchical relationship, the easier it is to mess up actual tasks.

The real reason is as follows:

In October of the 28th year of the Tianli era, King Zhou, having just arrived at the camp and taken command of the army, was eager to achieve quick results in order to curry favor with the officials in the court. Therefore, he arranged the originally stable army in a top-heavy manner!
After reviewing his actions in October, Wu Fei cursed, "According to military professionals, the more soldiers you know how to lead, the better. But if you don't have that ability and force yourself to lead, the more soldiers you have, the more chaotic things will become."

The distance between the main camp, the vanguard, and the rear guard of the army must be carefully considered, and the personnel responsible for communication between them must be arranged in shifts.

King Zhou didn't understand these things, so he immediately mobilized a large army to solve the problem.

In October, what he saw first was that the unruly people who displeased him had rebelled as soon as he arrived, which damaged his virtue as a wise king. He decided to establish his authority first.

As a result, King Zhou's actions directly created a flaw in the army's formation, and this flaw was precisely what Zhao Cheng and others had created.

…A gap in academic performance can only deter students who want to improve…

In Yongji Pass, Wu Fei paced back and forth solemnly. After spending several times the amount of time following the battle, he barely managed to analyze Zhuge Liang's pre-battle strategy, and a chill ran through him.

Guotai's military strategy is formidable. If Wu Fei's side used military tactics to plug all possible loopholes, this guy has seized upon every weakness of the opponent (Da Yao's camp).

That said, even if the "discord between the general and the minister" were right in front of Wu Fei, he wouldn't dare to take the risk.

When the Black Tide first attacked, Wu Fei could have arranged a raid on the camp, but he skipped that possibility. However, that person (Zhao Cheng) was bold and meticulous, taking advantage of the enemy's mistakes and seizing the fatal gap in the Great Yao formation to break in.

In Yongji Pass, Wu Fei began chewing sugarcane and muttered to himself: I should just stay in the south and honestly fight the barbarians. I'll leave those gods in the north to Da Yao.

What Wu Fei didn't know was that in his obsession with the details, he finally "came to the forefront" and saw the generational gap. However, those to the north of Da Yao hadn't even seen a generational gap. There was a gap in the level of "military strategists."

…Birds on the roof beams carefully preened their feathers in the morning sun, while the few clouds on the horizon remained tangled and indistinct…

In the Nine Palaces of the Divine Capital, the Emperor sternly reprimanded those below, while the fifteen armies at the front were all shifting blame for the battle. The officials' memorials were nothing more than accusations of "the enemy's cunning," "our army's negligence," and "our allies' idiocy." Stripped of their flowery language, it was essentially like elementary school students losing a mobile game and blaming each other for being bad teammates—of course, no one dared to criticize the Emperor, their benefactor.

As for the tactics and strategies employed by Guotai in this battle, the generals who took turns returning to the central palace in the capital to kneel and report unanimously agreed that this was merely an accident and there would be no next time.

(End of this chapter)