Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather-Chapter 395 - 380: All Armies Arrive

August 25th.

In the valley, Cui Liang’s 20,000-strong army and Prince Wu Tuo’s 40,000 Northern barbarians had gathered, with more Northern barbarians continuously arriving.

At the same time, the imperial guard relentlessly pursued them, entering the territory of Huade Prefecture.

Outside the city of Huade Prefecture, in the imperial guard’s camp.

Liang Chu stood in front of the map, studying it intently, surrounded by six commanders of the imperial guard.

Commander Zhou Lan of Fenwu Camp, Commander Xue Ou, Marquis Guangping of Yao Wu Camp, Commander Lv Shizhi, Marquis Jianliang of the Training Camp, Commander Lu Baishu, Marquis Nanyang of Xianwu Camp, Commander Cao Can, Marquis Wuxin of Brave Camp, and Commander Zhang Ao, Marquis Xuanping of Courageous Camp.

Six Marquises and one duke’s daughter—a truly luxurious lineup.

Liang Chu looked at the road traversing through the west of Chongshan Town with a grave expression.

"Has General Yang not replied yet?" Liang Chu turned to ask Zhou Lan.

Zhou Lan slightly shook her head, "No!"

They were all acquaintances of Yang Zhenshan, who had exchanged several messages with him since entering Liaoxi.

Liang Chu hoped Yang Zhenshan would collaborate with them to encircle the Wuliang Hu Clan, but Yang Zhenshan stayed at Guanshan Pass instead, suggesting not to advance too hastily.

Liang Chu found Yang Zhenshan’s request peculiar but ultimately chose to trust him, leisurely following behind the Wuliang army and occasionally engaging in battle with them.

Otherwise, with the amount of supplies the Wuliang army was carrying, they should have caught up by now.

Just as Liang Chu pondered over what Yang Zhenshan was planning, someone suddenly shouted outside the tent, "Reporting to the Marquis, a message from General Yang!"

"Bring it in!" commanded Liang Chu without a second thought.

A soldier from outside the tent immediately entered and handed a letter to Liang Chu.

After reading the letter, Liang Chu turned his gaze back to the map.

"The north side of Xiling City!"

He located Xiling City on the map.

Like Gui Ning City, Xiling City was a small city on the west road of Chongshan Town, located midway through the north-south channel, i.e., the south side of the Guanshan Pass valley.

"Marquis, what strategy does General Yang suggest?" Zhou Lan asked curiously.

Being quite familiar with Yang Zhenshan, Zhou Lan regarded him as both mentor and friend. Even though they hadn’t seen each other for years, their friendship had only strengthened.

Ah, strictly a mentor-student and friends relationship, nothing else.

Over the years, she had been in constant correspondence with Yang Zhenshan, who taught her a lot whenever she faced troubles or questions in the Capital City.

"General Yang will we reach the north of Xiling City in four days!" stated Liang Chu.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the location of Xiling City on the map.

"Could it be that General Yang wants us to join forces and pincer the Wuliang army?" guessed Zhang Ao, Marquis Xuanping.

Xiling City and Guanshan Pass were located at the north and south ends of the valley, respectively. If both sides attacked simultaneously, they could effectively form a pincer movement.

However, there was a significant issue: whether Yang Zhenshan could withstand the charge of the Northern barbarians at Guanshan Pass.

If he couldn’t hold them back, the pincer movement would be in vain, absolutely meaningless.

Once the Wuliang army broke through Guanshan Pass, intercepting them would be nearly impossible.

Beyond Guanshan Pass lies the endless plains, where attempting to stop the Wuliang Hu Clan’s charge would be as futile as a fool’s dream.

Liang Chu pondered for a moment, slightly shaking his head, "It can’t be that simple, General Yang must have another plan!"

"Should we cooperate with General Yang?" Marquis Wuxin, Cao Can looked at Liang Chu.

Technically, they didn’t need to cooperate with Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan was merely the General of Chongshan Town, while they were all high-ranking Marquises.

In terms of rank and status, they all surpassed Yang Zhenshan, which made cooperating with him quite unorthodox.

On the other hand, Yang Zhenshan wasn’t just the General of Chongshan Town but also a relative of Changping Marquis Mansion. Given this relationship, even if they had grievances against Yang Zhenshan, they couldn’t express them in front of Liang Chu.

Liang Chu looked up at Cao Can and said, "Of course, we should cooperate!"

Do not think that just because he is the head of the Imperial Guards, these Marquises would obediently follow his orders.

Everyone was a Marquis; no one was superior or more formidable than another.

Liang Chu’s only advantage was his position as the head of the Imperial Guards. Though their ranks were similar, his official position was higher than the other Marquises’, and he was also personally appointed by Emperor Chengping, which allowed him to control these Marquises.

What Cao Can thought, Liang Chu knew very well.

But now was not the time to worry about these matters. He directly ordered, "The army departs tomorrow, we must arrive north of Xiling City within four days!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.

...

Inside Nameless Valley, in the great camp of the Wuliang Hu Clan.

Wu Tuo looked at his commanders, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

These past few days, they had launched multiple attacks on Guanshan Pass, not only failing to take it but also suffering significant losses.

Again and again, they had been repelled three times in total, which greatly dissatisfied Wu Tuo.

Wu Tuo, a proud man, his pride rooted in his own abilities and the strength of his warriors.

Yet now, his warriors had repeatedly been defeated by the forces of Chongshan Town, causing him a loss of face.

"Are you all so incompetent that you can’t even take down a single mountain pass?"

He rebuked his commanders discontentedly.

Cui Liang stood behind the crowd of Wuliang commanders, his head bowed, his expression calm.

Ah, a calm face, but internally, he sneered repeatedly.

Hmm, those crude Northern barbarians who once looked down on me, now it’s your turn. Go on and take down Guanshan Pass!

Before the Wuliang army arrived, he had tried attacking Guanshan Pass, but needless to say, he suffered a terrible defeat.

After the arrival of the Wuliang army, the generals of Wuliang ridiculed Cui Liang mercilessly, calling him incapable, cowardly, useless—a barrage of insults that are hard to fully convey.

Even more so, these men ridiculed him to his face, with undisguised contempt and disdain.

Facing these nobles from the Wuliang Hu Clan, Cui Liang, who had just pledged allegiance to Prince Wu Tuo, naturally did not dare to offend them, so he could only swallow his anger.

Now seeing Wu Tuo reprimand these men, his heart rejoiced in their misfortune.

However, Wu Tuo only reprimanded them briefly before letting it go, as they were his trusted subordinates after all. Verbal admonishment was enough; there was no need to actually punish them.

After the admonishment, Wu Tuo then said, "Da Rong’s imperial guard is about to reach Xiling City. We must break through Guanshan Pass as quickly as possible!"

Yang Zhenshan led the army from Chongshan Town at the front, while Liang Chu led tens of thousands of imperial guards at the rear, currently in a situation akin to wolves in front and tigers behind.

However, Wu Tuo did not view this as a dire situation, thus he only felt the pressure and was not anxious.

In his view, once they break through Guanshan Pass, everything else would cease to be a problem.

Indeed, once Guanshan Pass is passed, it would be their territory, and fighting on the vast plains, they naturally hold the advantage.

As for the plundered supplies, taking away one-third would mean this expedition was not a loss.

"Send the order, attack in two days, we must win this battle!"

Wu Tuo had decided on a general attack, and two days later it would be the first of September.

...

North of Xiling City.

"Report, seeking permission to see the Marquis, Tenglong Guard Commander Yang Mingzhi!"

Just as Liang Chu had led the imperial guard to the north of Xiling City, Yang Mingzhi came looking for him.

The camp was still not set up, and while Liang Chu was sending people to find a suitable location for the camp, he received the scout’s report.

"Quick, let him in!" Liang Chu said immediately upon hearing it was Yang Mingzhi.

Moments later, Yang Mingzhi arrived with dozens of personal followers in front of Liang Chu.

"Your subordinate pays respect to the Marquis!"

"Haha, Mingzhi, please dispense with the formalities!" Liang Chu dismounted to help Yang Mingzhi up.

The two families were indeed in-laws, and Liang Chu was very pleased to see Yang Mingzhi.

Yang Mingzhi stood up straight and laughed, "The Marquis is my elder, it is proper for your junior to pay respects."

By generation, Yang Mingzhi should call Liang Chu grandfather, as Yang Yunxue is Liang Chu’s granddaughter-in-law.

Well, Liang Chu ranks even higher than Yang Zhenshan.

"Haha, let’s talk as we walk!" Liang Chu did not bother with formality, inviting Yang Mingzhi to inspect the area with him.

"Does your father have any plans?" he asked.

Yang Mingzhi nodded, saying, "My father indeed has a plan, but I am not clear on the specifics!"

"Oh! Even you don’t know?" Liang Chu was surprised.

Yang Mingzhi laughed, "I have been here waiting for the Marquis since three days ago."

He indeed was not clear on what Yang Zhenshan was scheming!

Not just him, currently, everyone was unclear about what Yang Zhenshan was up to.

Yang Zhenshan did not explain to anyone, mainly because it involved matters that were unexplainable.

For example, when will the northwest wind come?

How could Yang Zhenshan explain when the exact time and moment arrived?

He surely couldn’t claim to be able to sense the opportune moment!

Probably even if he explained, no one would believe him.

So he simply chose not to explain.

"So what do we need to do?" Liang Chu asked.

Yang Mingzhi handed a written document to Liang Chu, who opened it and glanced over.

There was only a simple line of text.

On the first of September, at 1:15 a.m., launch the attack.

It also had Yang Zhenshan’s signature and official seal.

It represented an official document, not a private letter from Yang Zhenshan.

It also meant that if Liang Chu acted according to this document and something went wrong, Yang Zhenshan would be fully responsible.

As for why it had to be so formal.

The reason was simple, Chongshan Town and the imperial guard were not under each other’s command; neither had the duty nor the right to coordinate with the other.

If their opinions aligned, they would cooperate.

If not, it was possible they could sabotage each other.

Giving Liang Chu such an official document was also to facilitate explanations to his superiors and subordinates to avoid difficulties.

Liang Chu put away the document and nodded, saying, "The Marquis understands and will attack on time!"

"Thank you, Marquis!" Yang Mingzhi bowed with a smile.

Liang Chu waved casually, smiling, "The Marquis trusts your father’s capabilities!"

Afterward, the two continued to walk and talk, moving from official matters to personal ones.

Mainly, Liang Chu talked about his great-grandson, Liang Qingping.

Liang Qingping was Yang Yunxue’s first son and was over four years old.

Perhaps because of his fondness for everything connected, Liang Chu was very pleased with his granddaughter-in-law, Yang Yunxue, and, naturally, very fond of his great-grandson, Liang Qingping.

And Liang Qingping was indeed very bright and clever, knowing how to charm his elders from a young age. Whenever he saw Liang Chu and Marchioness Lin, his sweet little words often left the elderly couple beaming with joy.

Now, within the Changping Marquis Mansion, Liang Qingping was undoubtedly the most doted-on junior.

Yang Mingzhi had also met Liang Qingping several times and quite liked this little nephew, so the two had some common topics when it came to this little one.