Chapter 590: Urgent Request for Help

The light snow that first fell in Hebei had frozen over. Some of the melted snowwater seeped into the ground and refroze, making the roads extremely slippery. There were rumors that fleeing carriages had overturned, killing and injuring dozens of people, while others died of cold during their escape. Moreover, An Lushan’s army captured Yizhou as scheduled without any large-scale massacres. The difficulty of travel and longing for home quickly dampened the wave of refugees in Hebei. Even some people who had fled to the mountains returned home due to the unbearable cold, thwarting the efforts of Hebei’s officials.

At night, in Zhending County of Hengzhou, dozens of riders rushed in at full speed. Straw was tied to their horse hooves to reduce the risk of slipping on icy roads. Each of them wore thick coats, which became icy from sweat, making them look as if they were wearing armor. The group rushed to the city gate and dismounted. The leading official patted his stiff winter clothes and rubbed his frozen red hands, cursing under his breath, “Damn this shitty weather! It’s truly unbearable!”

The city gate was already closed. Someone from the tower asked, “Who’s down there?”
“We’re coming from Yizhou. I’m Jiang Xiaotong, the magistrate of Yizhou. Is Governor Yan inside the city?”
The city gate creaked open, and the drawbridge was lowered. A dozen people led their horses into the city. The soldiers guarding the city were Hengzhou’s local militia, similar to modern armed police, not part of the regular army. Their numbers were small—usually only a hundred or two hundred per county—primarily responsible for guarding the city gates. Yet Zhending County had a thousand such militia soldiers under the command of a determined colonel. Jiang Xiaotong and the others entered the city, and the guarding officer stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Governor Yan arrived this afternoon and is currently in the county office.”

After a pause, the officer asked in a low voice, “Magistrate Jiang, where has An Lushan’s army reached?”
“Sigh! His vanguard has already reached Wangdu County in Dingzhou—much faster than I expected. Time waits for no one!”
The officer nodded, feeling heavy-hearted. Jiang Xiaotong mounted his horse and led the group toward the county office…

Governor Yan Gaoqing was a cousin of Yan Zhenqing. He also heard the news of An Lushan’s rebellion and rushed to Zhending County with his chief secretary, Yuan Lüqian. He came to Zhending County because it had a thousand militia soldiers—left behind by Guo Ziyi after the massacre at Jingxing. These troops were mainly used for evacuating ordinary people, but for Yan Gaoqing and the local officials of Hengzhou, these soldiers were a source of comfort and strength.

The meeting hall of the county government was brightly lit. Governor Yan Gaoqing, Chief Clerk Yuan Lüqian, County Magistrate Jia Shen, Commander Zhang Jiliang of the militia, and over a dozen other officials were discussing strategies to deal with An Lushan’s rebellion. At that moment, all eyes were fixed on Commander Zhang Jiliang. He commanded a thousand soldiers, and if he lacked the will to resist, then their meeting that night would be meaningless.

The meeting had already lasted half an hour, and everyone had expressed their views. Only Commander Zhang Jiliang remained silent throughout. Dissatisfied with his silence, Yan Gaoqing pressed him, “What is General Zhang’s stance? Please speak plainly.”

Zhang Jiliang sighed and said, “What more can I say? These thousand men of mine aren’t even enough to fill gaps in others’ armies. Do you still expect me to fight against An Lushan’s half-million-strong army?”

“General Zhang, you can’t speak like that. Whether one can fight is one thing, but whether one wants to fight is another. If we can’t win, we can retreat. But if you don’t even have the courage to resist, then there’s nothing more to say. General Zhang, state your position—whether to fight or not.”

“Well… this is a serious matter. Let me go discuss it with my men first.”

Clearly, Zhang Jiliang didn’t want to make any promises. He knew that once he made a commitment and failed to keep it, those scholars would use him as an example of betrayal.

Zhang Jiliang wasn’t originally a general under Guo Ziyi. He had been a commander in Hengzhou’s military unit. After that unit disbanded due to mass desertions, he was reassigned as a military officer in Dingzhou through connections in the court. After five or six years in officialdom, he had transformed from a soldier into a bureaucratic official. Avoiding the front lines and always keeping a backdoor open had become his motto in government work.

This time, Guo Ziyi appointed him as the commander of the militia because of his familiarity with the local situation. Zhang Jiliang wasn’t happy about it. Leading troops at such a time would undoubtedly put him at the center of attention.

Zhang Jiliang’s refusal to state his position disappointed everyone. Yan Gaoqing persistently asked, “Then when will General Zhang give his reply? Can it be tonight?”

“Tonight…?”

“Yes! The situation is urgent. You must give him a clear answer as soon as possible.”

“Alright, I’ll go discuss it right away.”

Zhang Jiliang bowed to everyone and quickly left the hall. Watching him go, Yuan Lüqian shook his head and sighed, “This man will likely surrender to An Lushan.”

Jia Shen frowned and said, “It’s possible, but his troops are all Guo Ziyi’s soldiers. Would they also turn traitor?”

“Never mind him for now,” Yan Gaoqing said to everyone. “Let’s discuss how to protect the people. This is the emperor’s wish—to safeguard the populace from being slaughtered as much as possible.”
Suddenly, someone outside reported, “Governor Yan, Jiang Xiaotong and others from Yizhou have come to see you.”
“Ah!”
Yan Gaoqing exclaimed in surprise and quickly said, “Hurry! Invite them in right away.”
A moment later, three people entered. The leader was Jiang Xiaotong, the military governor of Yizhou, followed by Ma Jun, who had fled from Youzhou, and a young man with a childlike face.
“I humblest bow to Governor Yan!” Jiang Xiaotong stepped forward and bowed deeply to Yan Gaoqing.
“No need for such formalities. Please sit down!”
With the situation so urgent, Yan Gaoqing couldn’t afford to follow court etiquette. He recognized Ma Jun and nodded at him, but he didn’t know the other young man with the innocent face, who seemed very honest. Yan Gaoqing didn’t mind; perhaps he was one of Jiang Xiaotong’s nephews.
Weren’t his eldest son Quanming and youngest son Jiming also present?
“Military Governor Jiang, first tell us about the situation in Yizhou.”
Jiang Xiaotong sighed and said, “An Lushan has sent his general Shi Siming to attack Hedong in the west. His vanguard, Li Qinchou, has already reached Wangdu County in Dingzhou. I heard there are twenty thousand rebel soldiers, and the county magistrate, Qi Rong, has surrendered.”
“Was there any slaughter?” Yuan Lüqian asked from the side.
Jiang Xiaotong nodded then shook his head. “Not in the county town, but I heard three entire towns were massacred. The women were taken to the military camps, while the men and children were all killed.”
“That’s strange. How come Shi Siming didn’t massacre the city?”
Everyone was surprised. Shi Siming was known as the Butcher. Just a few months earlier, he had slaughtered more than twenty thousand refugees who fled to Hedong. How could he suddenly show mercy?
Ma Jun explained to everyone, “This vanguard, Li Qinchou, is An Lushan’s adopted son. His twenty thousand troops are not under Shi Siming’s command.”
Though he said that, both An Lushan and Shi Siming were the same kind of people. It had been An Lushan who ordered the massacre of the refugees in Jingxing. There was no difference between them, so everyone still didn’t understand.
“You’re wrong. It’s not that Shi Siming doesn’t want to kill; he wants to do it behind closed doors. If he attacked in Dingzhou, the people of Hebei would have all fled. So he wants to confuse everyone first, occupy Jingxing, and then carry out the plundering. Otherwise, his Hu troops wouldn’t be willing to stop.”
It was the young man with the childlike face sitting behind Jiang Xiaotong who spoke. He had remained silent until then, but after saying those words, he immediately became the focus of everyone’s attention.

Only then did Yan Gaoqing notice him. Suddenly, he felt that this young man seemed to be older than sixteen or seventeen, so he quickly asked Jiang Xiaotong, “Jiang Sima, who is this…”
Jiang Xiaotong gave a wry smile and turned to the young man, saying, “General Ji, please introduce yourself!”
The young man stood up, bowed to everyone, and said with a smile, “I am Ji Sheng, a lieutenant general in the First Falcon Camp of the Anxi Army. I have been sent by our general to lead dozens of men to Hebei to assist you all.”
Hearing that he was a lieutenant general sent by Li Qing’an, everyone was overjoyed and stood up to greet him. Yan Gaoqing frowned deeply, as if trying hard to recall something.
“The First Falcon Camp…”
He murmured those words twice before suddenly realizing it—the First Falcon Camp of the Anxi Army was none other than the scout unit responsible for the explosion in Youzhou. He blurted out, “General Ji, how many people have you brought?”
Ji Sheng replied with an apologetic smile, “I’m afraid I’ll disappoint Lord Yan. This time, the general sent only a small number of people. Including me, there are twenty-one of us. Our main task is to help evacuate the civilians. An Lushan’s army of five hundred thousand is simply too strong to confront.”
Hearing that even those sent by Li Qing’an admitted An Lushan’s army was formidable, everyone’s spirits sank a bit. But Yan Gaoqing wasn’t overly disappointed. The imperial intention was to evacuate civilians as much as possible to preserve Hebei’s strength and minimize the damage from war. Ji Sheng seemed practical, and he began to have some hope in him.
“General Ji, even evacuating civilians isn’t easy! The key issue is that the people are reluctant to leave their homes. As you said, An Lushan is very strategic—he first confuses the people. I’m worried that by the time everyone realizes the situation, it will be too late.”
Ji Sheng nodded and said to everyone, “I’ve already considered that. If the people really refuse to leave, there’s nothing we can do. But for us, it’s not just about evacuating civilians; we also need to buy time for General Guo’s plans. I just received news that General Guo has already set out from Taiyuan and is heading toward Jingxing. Our task is to delay An Lushan’s army as long as possible to give General Guo time to reach Hengzhou. What do you all think?”
Ji Sheng was indeed extraordinary. As soon as he spoke, he took control of the conversation, becoming the focus of the meeting, while Yan Gaoqing became a supporting figure. But Yan Gaoqing didn’t mind. As long as Ji Sheng was willing to lead everyone in fighting against An Lushan, it didn’t matter if he was in the background.
“Does General Ji mean we should defend Zhending County against An Lushan?”

Ji Sheng nodded again. “Actually, Dingzhou City would be the best choice, but I guess it’s already occupied now. So we have to settle for the next best option—using Zhending County to resist…”
At that point, he slowly glanced around at everyone. Seeing their solemn and resolute expressions, he smiled slightly and said, “What I mean isn’t fighting with brute force, but winning through wisdom!”
…
The training camp for the militia was located near the east gate of the county town, consisting of a drill ground and dozens of rows of buildings. It had originally been the camp of the Hengzhou military headquarters. After the headquarters fell into disrepair, the area lay abandoned until it was renovated just a few months ago, becoming the residence for a thousand militia soldiers.
At that time, the camp was in chaos. Dozens of officers were arguing fiercely. Some wanted to surrender to An Lushan to seek wealth and honor; some insisted on fighting to the death and refusing to surrender; others wanted to withdraw from Hengzhou and return to Hedong.
Everyone held their own opinions and wouldn’t budge. The leader, Zhang Jiliang, strongly advocated surrendering to An Lushan. His reasoning was simple: An Lushan was bringing half a million troops, and under such overwhelming force, resistance was pointless. Moreover, if they retreated to Hedong, it would be considered an unauthorized withdrawal, and Guo Ziyi would not spare them either. So he insisted on surrendering.
Normally, once a commander decided to surrender, his subordinates wouldn’t dare defy him. But Zhang Jiliang had only been in charge of this militia for a short time and hadn’t yet established authority. Additionally, since they were part of the local military rather than the border forces, many in this militia didn’t trust him.
Zhang Jiliang talked himself hoarse, but the officers continued to argue. Then, a soldier rushed into the room and whispered something in his ear. Zhang Jiliang was stunned and said to everyone, “I’ll be back in a moment—let’s continue this discussion later!”
He stood up and left the room in a hurry, taking five bodyguards with him toward the outside of the camp. Yan Gaoqing needed to discuss something urgent with him. His first thought was that An Lushan’s vanguard was about to arrive in Zhending County—likely because Jiang Xiaotong had brought the latest news.
It was already late at night. The streets were empty, with no pedestrians in sight. Only a carriage was parked about a hundred steps away, diagonally across from the camp. Zhang Jiliang recognized it as Yan Gaoqing’s carriage. He hurried over. As he got closer, he saw Yan Gaoqing standing beside the carriage. When Yan Gaoqing saw Zhang Jiliang coming, he quickly bowed and said, “General Zhang, I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
“Lord Yan, what is it?”

Unaware of any danger, Zhang Jiliang strode across the street. When he was still about a dozen steps away from the carriage, Yan Gaoqing suddenly coughed loudly. Immediately, the sound of drawn bows filled the air as dozens of powerful short arrows were shot from the trees and the carriage. Zhang Jiliang and his five soldiers, caught off guard, were pierced in the head and throat by the poisoned arrows. With muffled cries, they died on the spot.

Ji Sheng jumped down from the tree and beheaded Zhang Jiliang with one slash. He then said to Yan Gaoqing, “Lord, let’s go!”

Yan Gaoqing took a deep breath and hurried toward the military camp. Zhang Jiliang’s death, occurring far from the camp, went unnoticed by the sentries. It wasn’t until Yan Gaoqing approached that the two drowsy sentries woke up and quickly asked, “Governor Yan, what brings you here?”

Ji Sheng stepped forward from behind Yan Gaoqing, raising a silver plaque and saying, “This is General Guo’s token, ordering all officers to come out and heed his orders.”

The silver plaque in Ji Sheng’s hand was genuine—it was one that General Guo Ziyi had given them specifically to assist them during their previous mission involving an explosion at the gunpowder factory. With this plaque, they could command an army of up to three thousand men. Although the mission was complete, they hadn’t had time to return it to Guo Ziyi, and now it came in handy.

The guards recognized the plaque and, frightened, rushed back to report. Moments later, over a dozen officers in the room came out one after another. Yan Gaoqing introduced Ji Sheng to them, saying, “This is General Ji, the secret military supervisor under General Guo. He has important matters to convey to us.”

Although they didn’t know Ji Sheng, they trusted the upright Governor Yan Gaoqing. Moreover, Ji Sheng carried General Guo Ziyi’s official silver plaque, so his identity couldn’t be doubted. They all bowed without hesitation and said, “We pay our respects to Military Supervisor Ji!”

At that moment, Ji Sheng raised Zhang Jiliang’s head, causing chaos among the officers. They were shocked—just moments ago, Zhang Jiliang had been talking with them, and now his head was on the ground?

Ji Sheng held up Zhang Jiliang’s head and declared harshly, “Zhang Jiliang attempted to surrender to An Lushan, which is punishable by military law. As the military supervisor, I have the authority to execute without prior approval. Zhang Jiliang has been executed. Anyone who dares to speak of surrendering will face the same fate—execution!”

Everyone’s expression changed, and they bowed together, saying, “We dare not even think of surrendering.”

“Good. Now that Zhang Jiliang is dead, I will temporarily take over as the commander of the militia. Do you have any objections?”

A colonel stepped forward, trembling, and asked, “General Ji, shall we fight or retreat?”

“General Guo said we must resist to the best of our ability. If we truly cannot hold out, we may withdraw to Tumen Pass.”