Chapter 77 Heads
The Yuan family was a prominent family among prominent families, with three generations serving as high-ranking officials in the same court. During the reign of the late emperor, Yuan Qiuhe resigned from his post and returned to his hometown in anger due to political disagreements. Because of his great reputation, he needed to be appeased, so the late emperor appointed him as the governor of Yunzhou. In reality, he controlled three neighboring prefectures. For many years, he had been entrenched in one region, no longer obeying orders or commands, and had become a separatist regime.
With the imperial power lost, there were many who attempted to seize the throne, but only he was as powerful as the other.
He had reached the pinnacle of his position as a subject and was eager to advance. The influx of Yan people during the Battle of Yingzhou was a test for him, but he never expected Guan Zhiwei to emerge.
"What is she?"
"When the late emperor was alive, he allowed me to occupy a region; when Yuwen Huai was alive, he only dared to appease me; that scoundrel Gao Yang avoids me like the plague."
"I allowed the Yan people to enter the country to accomplish my great cause, so why did some nameless nobody jump out!"
Yuan Qiuhe wasn't angry; he was just slightly puzzled.
That kind of doubt is like asking if all of us in this generation are dead.
In times without heroes, even petty scoundrels can rise to fame.
“Since Yong’an City has sent a letter, all the noble families are willing to surrender to Father and await your arrival. We only ask that Father drive away this barbarian.” Yuan Chizhong stepped forward impatiently to volunteer for battle. “Your son is willing to share Father’s burdens and take Yong’an City into our hands.”
Yuan Qiuhe's ambition to become emperor was obvious. As the eldest son, he wanted to increase his own weight, and what could be more convincing than constantly conquering cities and seizing territories before the establishment of a dynasty?
"Young Master, don't be anxious. This matter is not so simple. I have already sent people to inquire. This woman is named Guan Zhiwei. She is exceptionally brave. Even when Gao Yang led an army of 30,000, she still managed to take his head from among ten thousand men." The speaker was Qi Xie, a strategist under Yuan Qiuhe.
This man had triangular eyes, a goatee, and was so thin that his cheekbones protruded. He wore a loose robe, and his small, focused eyes occasionally flashed with disdain. In reality, he was nearsighted and always squinted when looking at people, often unable to see them clearly.
“Gao Yang has seized a prefecture by virtue of his bravery, and Father has beaten him into a rout. Now it’s my turn. Am I not even capable of dealing with a mere woman?” Yuan Chizhong disliked this person because he had always been a supporter of his third brother.
Qi Xie cupped his hands and said, “Young Master, you are wise. This place is no ordinary place. Yong’an City has always refused to surrender. My lord has been reluctant to use force because of the influence of the aristocratic families. Now that they have finally taken the initiative to invite us, if we can successfully settle in Yong’an, we will have the lifeline of Shangjing in our hands. By joining forces with Yingzhou to strangle Shangjing, the young emperor will be trapped like a turtle in a jar. My lord’s ascension to the throne will be just around the corner.”
Yuan Qiuhe remained silent, seemingly weighing his options: should he use his capable military general or his eldest son?
Yuan Chizhong hardened his heart and knelt on one knee to plead: "Father, I am willing to sign a military pledge that if I fail to capture Yong'an City, I will die."
Yuan Qiuhe asked the other advisors, "At this point, who can say anything? The eldest son has already made such a solemn vow. If anyone tries to stop him, wouldn't that be going against him?"
"Then you shall lead your troops to Yong'an City. According to the aristocratic families, there are fewer than 20,000 soldiers in Yong'an City. I will give you 200,000. Be careful, you still need to be wary of this person."
"yes!"
Yuan Qiuhe was still somewhat uneasy. Although he looked down on this young woman who had appeared out of nowhere, he still understood Gaoyang. He had driven Gaoyang to abandon the city and flee, relying on his superior numbers. The enemy later returned with renewed force, and unable to withstand the back-and-forth struggle, he finally acquiesced to ceding Yingzhou to them. As for the great defeat of Zhifang, he had also taken advantage of being well-rested and ambushing the enemy.
This young woman killed Gao Yang and subdued Zhi Fang. There must have been some exaggeration involved, but there must also have been some unknown secrets.
He said, "I will then appoint Wei Fuzhi as your general."
"Yes, sir." Wei Fuzhi silently stepped forward. He was not from a noble family and was not highly regarded in Yuan Qiuhe's camp, but the fact that he was in this tent proved that he was indeed capable.
With soldiers and generals, and with my father's strong support, and the enemy being weak, this expedition will surely be a resounding success.
Yuan Chizhong was overjoyed to have secured this opportunity for himself.
However, his advisors held the opposite view: "Young Master, Qi Xie is clearly trying to provoke you today. Yong'an City may not be easy to capture, so you must not be too hasty."
Yuan Chi waved his hand: "Isn't he just thinking that aristocratic families are fickle and wants to see me fail? Does he think I'm a useless third brother who can only read books and write characters?"
The strategist bowed and said urgently, "Young Master, all I know is how to read and write."
Yuan Chizhong was getting annoyed by the strategist's advice. He was a man of his own making decisions, so he waved his hand and said, "Then you should think it over carefully and write a proclamation to attack her."
Seeing that he was stubborn and wouldn't listen to advice, the strategist could only sigh and complete the task.
Thus, a manifesto targeting Guan Zhiwei was born.
Inside the military tent, Guan Zhiwei leaned back in a chair, chewing on salted beans, and said, "Read it to me, let me see how they curse me."
Gao Huan held a rubbing of a piece of paper and slowly read aloud: "The false minister Guan is tyrannical and of humble origin, a blacksmith and medicine seller..."
Guan Zhiwei scratched her head: "That's the truth, it's not an insult."
"...At dawn, the hen crows, and the house is in ruins."
"Ha, I knew that line would be there."
"They held the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, and amassed troops to punish those who disobeyed."
Guan Zhiwei glared at him: "He's talking nonsense. I'm acting on behalf of the Emperor to punish the disobedient."
Gao Huan stopped reading, clasped his hands together, and said, "The Yuan clan has dispatched 200,000 troops to conquer the country. The commander is their eldest son, Yuan Chizhong, and the deputy general is Wei Fuzhi. In less than half a month, their army will be pressing on the border."
"I'll fight the war, you take care of the rest. Don't let me down."
"I will certainly live up to your expectations." Gao Huan bowed and withdrew. Outside the city, a large army was pressing in, and inside the city, spies were everywhere.
If powerful families waver, they will surely stab you in the back; we must guard against them at all costs.
Guan Zhiwei, Zhi Fang and his son, and others began to discuss strategies for dealing with the enemy.
Having fought in over a hundred battles, large and small, he immediately grasped the key to victory.
"It takes ten to besiege a city. It is indeed terrifying to have 200,000 troops pressing on a city, but the amount of food and fodder they consume is also enormous. As long as we conscript laborers, make sufficient defenses, and hold our ground, our city has enough food and fodder, and we can wear them down."
Guan Zhiwei pondered for a moment: "If that's the case, they'll definitely provoke me to leave the city."
"That's for sure."
"If I were to get provoked and go out, I would be a fool. But I am the commander-in-chief and the Grand Tutor. If someone could cut off my head, that would be a great achievement."
"..." Knowing better, he tentatively asked, "Grand Tutor, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get myself killed."
Guan Zhiwei touched her neck, "Such a fine head, let's see if he has the ability to take it!"
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