Chapter 244: The Five Tigers of the Yang Clan
Handling the affairs of the Kolcha Tribe’s banner land did not mean that Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan were left with nothing to do.
As mentioned earlier, the Kolcha Tribe's settlements extended beyond the banner land, with multiple other settlements in the surrounding areas under their control.
Moreover, after the night raid, many of the Kolcha clansmen managed to escape from the banner land.
Thus, pursuing the fleeing Kolcha clansmen and eliminating their remaining settlements became Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan’s next tasks.
After gathering his military officers and briefly distributing tasks, Wang Bin had Yang Zhengshan lead the garrison battalion out of camp, heading west.
On the fifth day of the sixth month of Chengping Year 29, Yang Zhengshan led 700 cavalry from the garrison battalion to attack the Canggu settlement of the Kolcha Tribe.
On the sixth day, the garrison battalion struck again, this time at the Beilin settlement.
On the eighth, they targeted the Taha Mountain settlement.
On the ninth, they attacked the Gelan River settlement.
On the tenth, a fleeing force of three thousand Kolcha clansmen was ambushed on the snowy plains by the garrison battalion.
…
With their firepower fully unleashed, the garrison battalion once again raised their terrifying butcher’s blade.
This time, Yang Zhengshan's attacks were even more swift and effortless.
This was because he had Wang Bin covering his rear, handling all post-battle affairs while also providing him and the garrison battalion with extensive intelligence.
With Wang Bin’s active cooperation, Yang Zhengshan had no worries at all. All he needed to do was attack and slaughter continuously.
Meanwhile, as Yang Zhengshan led the garrison battalion in sweeping through the enemy, the war in the northern territories grew ever more intense.
By the end of the fifth month, Liang Chu led 30,000 troops from the Zhenbiao Battalion and 5,000 soldiers from the Yunlong Guard to the city of Fushan.
In early June, the four major clans in Fushan—Gorin, Emubu, Chahar, and others—attempted to launch a surprise attack on Liang Chu’s camp, only to fall into his trap, losing thousands of cavalry with nothing to show for it.
For the next half month, Liang Chu remained entrenched in his camp, located ten miles south of Fushan City, refusing to engage in battle no matter how the Hu clansmen outside provoked him. Instead, he ordered his troops to continue fortifying their defenses.
This strategy frustrated the Hu clansmen in Fushan City immensely.
If they launched another surprise attack, they risked falling into another trap.
If they directly provoked him, Liang Chu simply ignored them.
If they attempted a full-scale assault, they hesitated, watching as the defensive measures of Liang Chu’s camp grew stronger by the day, unable to bring themselves to commit.
Even though they outnumbered Liang Chu’s forces, they found themselves at a loss for how to proceed.
In terms of sheer numbers, the Hu clans around Fushan City had gathered over 80,000 troops.
Even if they deducted the soldiers guarding the city, they could still muster a force of 50,000 for an assault.
However, Liang Chu, like an unshakable turtle, remained inside his fortified camp, presenting a conundrum for the Daling court and its generals.
Yet, Liang Chu's purpose was straightforward—
Using the enemy’s own strategy against them.
Years ago, when the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe’s 100,000-strong army besieged Chongshan Pass, General Zhang Shouwang had been forced to hole up within the pass, watching helplessly as Hu cavalry raided the lands of the Dazhong Dynasty.
Now, with 30,000 troops from the Zhenbiao Battalion and 5,000 Yunlong Guard soldiers, Liang Chu was like a bone stuck in the throat of the Daling court, rendering the nearly 100,000-strong Hu army around Fushan City immobile. They had no choice but to remain entangled with him.
Meanwhile, the five other Zhenbiao Battalion commanders continued to scour the northern regions, striking at the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe’s settlements.
The current situation mirrored that of five years ago—only now, the roles were reversed.
This was Liang Chu’s complete battle plan.
Once reinforcements arrived, he would launch his final showdown with the Daling court.
…
Inside the command tent—
Liang Chu read the war reports from the past two days with a relaxed expression.
“Look, I’ve said it before—when it comes to sheer combat prowess, among the five battalion commanders and six deputy generals, Zhou Lan is the strongest!”
He turned to his strategist, Lu Zhong, as he spoke.
Chongshan Pass was divided into five battalions, but there were six deputy generals, with two in the central battalion. Zhou Lan was the deputy general of the Central Jianing Guard.
Just three days prior, Zhou Lan had led the Jianing Guard’s reinforcement battalion in a devastating victory over the Qijia Tribe—one of the seven major tribes of the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe.
The Qijia Tribe was even stronger than the Kolcha Tribe, yet Zhou Lan had led 8,000 soldiers to rout them in a direct confrontation.
Yes, a direct confrontation.
With 8,000 soldiers, he had defeated 20,000 Qijia warriors head-on.
This battle was even more intense than the one against the Kolcha Tribe, yet the results were even greater.
“Lord Marquis, I believe the strongest is still Lord Yang Zhengshan. I know for a fact that General Zhou’s training methods were all learned from Lord Yang!” Lu Zhong praised Yang Zhengshan without reservation.
After all, the Yang Clan was to be the future in-laws of the Marquis’ household.
When someone is truly exceptional, there is no need to be modest about it.
Besides, Lu Zhong wasn’t wrong—Zhou Lan had indeed inherited his military training methods from Yang Zhengshan.
Not only that, but Zhou Lan also had many Yang Clan members serving as his aides.
Yang Zhengshan had spent three years forging the elite Anyuan Prefecture Garrison, while Zhou Lan had taken over four years to train his 8,000-strong reinforcement battalion.
Although his soldiers' individual combat skills were not on par with the Anyuan Prefecture Garrison, Zhou Lan had far more resources at his disposal.
Yang Zhengshan’s greatest asset was Spirit Spring Water.
But Zhou Lan’s advantage lay in his background.
In Chongshan Pass, Zhou Lan had access to anything he needed.
Not enough supplies? Request them from the Governor’s Office.
Not enough warhorses? Request them from the Governor’s Office.
Weapons and armor in short supply? Request them from the Governor’s Office!
The Governor’s Office might not always provide, but that was no concern for Zhou Lan—she could directly request supplies from the Central Military Command or even her own father.
As a fellow deputy general, Wang Bin had struggled to assemble a cavalry force of merely three thousand, whereas Zhou Lan commanded eight thousand cavalry, among which three thousand were heavily armored cavalry.
That was the difference in resources.
Of course, numbers alone weren’t enough—the real key lay in talent and martial experts.
Zhou Lan herself was relatively weak in martial cultivation, only at the sixth level of the Postnatal Realm. However, she had elite fighters from the Duke of Ning’s household, as well as a group of Yang Clan disciples under her command.
Among them were Yang Mingzhi, Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, and Yang Qinwu.
These five Yang Clan disciples were beginning to make names for themselves.
The strongest among them, Yang Mingwu, had already reached the fifth level of the Postnatal Realm, while the weakest, Yang Qinwu, was at the fourth level.
Together, these five had earned a moniker under Zhou Lan’s command—
The Five Tigers of the Yang Clan.
They had already become the backbone of Zhou Lan’s forces.
With connections, resources, and elite warriors, it was only natural that Zhou Lan’s forces were thriving and formidable.
…
“Hahaha~~” Liang Chu laughed heartily, his satisfaction with his future alliance with the Yang Clan growing even stronger.
Yang Yunxue's martial talent alone had already impressed him greatly. But now, seeing Yang Zhengshan’s strength at the eighth level of the Postnatal Realm and his outstanding military achievements on the battlefield, he was even more pleased.
Once this war ended, Yang Zhengshan would surely be promoted, and the difference in status between their two families would no longer be an issue.
Initially, he had merely thought of the Yang Clan as a decent choice for marriage. Now, he was beginning to feel fortunate to have chosen them.
The Marquis of Changping’s household might avoid political struggles in the imperial court, but having a few strong allies was never a bad thing.
The Yang Clan’s future was boundless—who knew? Perhaps even the Marquis of Changping’s household would rely on them someday.
…
“But it looks like General Zhou is about to steal some of the credit,” Lu Zhong chuckled, shifting the conversation back to Zhou Lan.
According to the reports, Zhou Lan was now planning to lead her troops westward and southward to reinforce those fronts.
Unlike Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan, who were cleaning up the remnants of the Kolcha Tribe, Zhou Lan had defeated the Qijia Tribe head-on.
Before forcing them into a decisive battle, she had first swept through their settlements, forcing them to come out of their stronghold and engage her in open combat.
Now, with just a few days of rest, she was ready to march westward.
Even though the six deputy generals had no strict territorial divisions in this campaign, an unspoken understanding had formed among them, and each was operating within a particular region.
For example, Wang Bin was responsible for the area from Heiyun Mountain to the coast—a large territory, though the coastal region had few Eastern Sea Hu settlements, meaning his real operational area was between Heiyun Mountain and Fushan City.
Now that Zhou Lan was advancing west, she was effectively encroaching on another deputy general’s territory.
But Liang Chu simply chuckled, “If they’re not strong enough to claim credit, they shouldn’t complain when someone else takes it.”
Among the six deputy generals, Zhou Lan was undoubtedly the strongest.
Aside from her, the deputy commander of Chongshan Town, Ji Feiyu, was also formidable.
Ji Feiyu wasn’t just a deputy commander—he also led the Western Route of Chongshan Town’s forces, commanding a Zhenbiao Battalion and two reinforcement battalions, with over ten thousand troops under his command.
The other deputy generals, Wang Bin included, commanded only two reinforcement battalions, each with around two to three thousand cavalry.
Of course, Wang Bin had Yang Zhengshan under his command—something the others lacked.
Liang Chu didn’t care whether Zhou Lan took more credit. For him, the priority was to eliminate the majority of the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe as quickly as possible.
Although Fushan City couldn’t deal with him right now, the longer the situation dragged on, the more potential complications could arise.
He was still waiting for reinforcements from the other commanders.
“By the way, send someone to ask Wang Bin what his next move is. If they’re not planning to advance west, they should come over here first,” Liang Chu instructed, thinking about Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan.
Zhou Lan still had room to advance westward, but Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan did not.
The distance was simply too great.
By the time they traveled thousands of miles west, they’d likely arrive too late to claim any victories. Instead, it would be better for them to regroup with Liang Chu.
“Yes, my lord. I’ll arrange for someone to deliver the message immediately!”
…
Thirty Miles West of the Kolcha Tribe’s Banner Land – Military Camp
Yang Zhengshan led seven hundred cavalry from the garrison battalion back to camp.
This campaign had seen them raiding Hu settlements and hunting down the remnants of the Kolcha Tribe.
In just over a dozen battles, they had achieved a major phase of success.
There might still be some hidden Hu forces in the area, but they were no longer a serious threat.
As Yang Zhengshan returned, Wang Bin personally came out to greet him.
“You’ve worked hard!”
Looking at the battle-hardened warriors of the garrison battalion, Wang Bin couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.
His own cavalry had also been involved in this campaign, but their results were completely different.
The seven hundred soldiers of the garrison battalion had achieved victory after victory.
Meanwhile, his own two thousand reinforcement cavalry had nearly suffered a catastrophic defeat when attacking a single mid-sized settlement.
Had Wang Bin not personally led them, at least half of them would have been lost.
Yang Zhengshan dismounted, wearing a calm and confident smile.
“You flatter me, General. It was nothing.”
“Haha, nothing at all, huh?” Wang Bin laughed as he walked alongside Yang Zhengshan into the camp.
Inside the camp, soldiers were busy at work.
As Yang Zhengshan’s forces had been fighting on the front lines, Wang Sheng and Zhang Yuanwu had been responsible for transporting the spoils of war.
At the same time, Yuan Wanli, an official from the Governor’s Office, was meticulously counting severed heads.
Headcounts determined military merit.
Though Yang Zhengshan’s own merit was beyond doubt, with his tally of kills already in the tens of thousands, this process was still crucial for the rewards of his soldiers.
The soldiers needed these headcounts to receive their due promotions and rewards, making the collection and verification of battle trophies a necessary step.
Meanwhile, the amount of spoils they had confiscated was staggering, keeping the transport teams constantly occupied.