The Sorceress' Revolt -
Ko Eiji's Story
Author: Toriumi Jinzō
Translator: Ainikki the Archivist
Part Six: The Jurchens
After Beizhou was attacked by the sorcerers, the city’s judge, Don Genshun, barely escaped with his life. Upon arriving in Bianliang, he immediately reported the rebellion to the Imperial Court. At the time, the rebel forces were still small in number, but peasant rebellions were common everywhere and grew worse the longer they were left unchecked. Beizhou was unique in that sorcerers were involved in the rebellion as well.
Emperor Renzong was kept deaf and blind to many important affairs by Xia Song, the governor of Zhengzhou. Unfortunately, Emperor Renzong trusted everything Xia Song said. At the time, an emperor who had no political achievements was called a wise ruler. Emperor Renzong lived peacefully and safely without making any mistakes—or earning any accolades. Emperor Renzong was brave enough to carry out the new government reforms proposed by Fan Zhongyan, but he was deceived by the cunning Xia Song into doing nothing.
Emperor Renzong summoned Xia Song and ordered an investigation into the rebellion in Beizhou.
Xia Song used his authority as an imperial councilor (and specifically his military rank) to intimidate wiser and better ministers, slandering them and driving them out. He took bribes from secret sources and lobbied for their interests. He operated as the spider at the center of a web of greed and corruption.
After a few days, Xia Song gave his report to the emperor: “It is not an exaggeration to call it a rebellion. The governor of the province, Zhang Deyi, delayed paying the soldiers’ salaries for personal reasons. The soldiers made a bit of a commotion. Do not let the situation in Beizhou concern you, Emperor Renzong.”
On the recommendation of Xia Song, the governor of Jizhou Province, Ryū En’i, was ordered to pacify Beizhou.
Ryū En’i was a military commander who excelled in both literary pursuits and martial arts. He was well versed in military tactics and was said to have shocked enemy troops to stillness with a single swing of his large naginata. He was also a popular figure in the Imperial Court. He was likely targeted by Xia Song because Xia Song was jealous of him.
Emperor Renzong listened to Xia Song’s wishes. He would reward those who performed their duties well after the rebellion was quelled.
***
After receiving the imperial edict from the emperor, Ryū En’i consulted with the emperor’s chief of staff, Ru Tsuyoshi.
“We must march out immediately, so please give us your opinions.”
“I’ve heard that Ou Soku is accompanied by many sorcerers who use supernatural powers. I think we should be cautious and use a large force to subdue the enemy.”
Ryū En’i laughed heartily. “It has been said since ancient times that evil cannot defeat righteousness. We will defeat the rebels according to heaven’s will. What is there to fear? I will lead you all to victory,” he boasted.
Ryū En’i gave command of a thousand soldiers to Ru Tsuyoshi as the vanguard of his force. He assigned a thousand more soldiers to Dan Rai as the rear guard. He himself led a force of three thousand men. Together, Ryū En’i and his co-generals marched on Beizhou.
At the end of spring, Ou Soku received word from a scout that Ryū En’i was dispatching forces to the city. This was the first advance of the Imperial Army since the rebellion had started. Tensions were high in Beizhou Castle and the residents of the city were in disarray.
Ou Soku knew he had to keep people’s spirits up. Morale could work for or against him now. He put his energy into protecting the neighboring territories and gathering news. He also continued shoring up the defenses inside the city.
This was a war of resistance against the treacherous minister Xia Song and the lazy Emperor Renzong. After the defenses of the outer city were strengthened, Lieutenant Rou, the deputy commanders of the East and West Barracks, and the rest of the military commanders in the inner city gathered for Ou Soku’s war council. Ou Soku also summoned Jin Sen and Chō Ki.
Lieutenant Rou—now second-in-command Rou—opened the discussion. “Strategists Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku have expressed their wish to repay the kindness shown to them by sharing their plans.” Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku were the commanders of the East and West Barracks, respectively.
“And what are these plans?” Ou Soku asked.
“I have heard that Ryū En’i has an army of five thousand men, but he is underestimating our forces. Give us your soldiers. We will crush them,” Chō Sei said.
“I’ve heard his main force numbers three thousand and that Ryū En’i is a fierce general,” Dōbun Gyoku said.
“We should attack before the enemy has a chance to establish their camp. We will surprise them.”
“We’ll show them the strength of Beizhou and make sure they think twice before deploying more soldiers here again.”
Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku were determined and ready to fight.
Ou Soku pondered the situation. The two sorcerers were reluctant to speak. He wanted some help from them as a precaution. “What do you think?” he asked Chō Ki and Jin Sen.
Jin Sen shrugged. “Why not try their plan and see if it works?”
“I don’t want to get in the way of their success,” Chō Ki added.
Rou glared at them. He knew that the sorcerers probably wouldn’t cooperate with the main army, but Chō Ki’s way of speaking annoyed him.
“We are enough,” Chō Sei said.
Ou Soku nodded, then made his decision. “We’ll set out tomorrow morning.”
Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku bowed to Ou Soku and left.
Jin Sen and Chō Ki smiled mockingly.
“Let’s wait for good news,” Jin Sen said.
“Let’s have a drink to celebrate,” Chō Ki said back.
They left as well.
Ou Soku’s face clouded over. He was a strategist with a problem: sorcerers and ordinary soldiers mixed together like oil and water. This was likely inevitable. Sorcerers wanted different things and had far different abilities from ordinary people.
The sorcerers had their own specialized unit, which Ou Soku had thought would help. The sorcerers were skilled and proud, so they would undoubtedly be a great fighting force… but they refused to cooperate with the wider army. That made them at least as much a liability as they were an asset.
The vanguard of Ryū En’i, led by Ru Tsuyoshi, encountered a force led by Chō Sei about twelve miles (20 kilometers) from Beizhou. Dōbun Gyoku showed up to reinforce Chō Sei’s unit and had his men charge full force at Ru Tsuyoshi’s forces, who were exhausted from marching without rest.
Ru Tsuyoshi’s vanguard was defeated and retreated. Chō Sei’s army prepared to pursue, but noticed that Ryū En’i’s main force was marching behind the vanguard and returned to Beizhou to report the news to Ou Soku.
Ou Soku praised Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku’s achievements and had a temporary fortress built along the road to Beizhou to block Ryū En’i’s passage.
Rou turned to Ou Soku with a happy and relieved expression. “We’ve done well. This is a good start.”
It was, though the sorcerers hadn’t helped with anything. That seemed to please Rou, too. He was just as happy about the news of the victory as he was about the fact that the sorcerers had proven themselves unreliable.
***
When Ryū En’i received the news of Ru Tsuyoshi’s retreat, he was furious. “You were careless, moving your troops without gathering information. I’m going to behead you, but not now. There are serious matters to attend to before we engage the enemy again.”
Ru Tsuyoshi was given a hundred lashes and ordered to be in charge of the food supply for Ryū En’i’s elite force. Ryū En’i called out Dan Rai to replace Ru Tsuyoshi as the commander of the vanguard.
“Tomorrow night, raise the flag and go to the enemy’s stronghold to challenge them to battle. You must not win. Pretend to flee and lure them out of the city. I have a plan for what to do after that.”
The next morning, Dan Rai’s vanguard marched to the temporary fortress outside of Beizhou to incite Ou Soku’s troops. Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku thought that the flag raised was that of the enemy general Ryū En’i, so they pursued the enemy army into the forest. Their victory the previous day had made them complacent.
By the time Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku realized the trap, it was already too late. They were ambushed by the main enemy force, who had been hiding along the forest path. Both Chō Sei and Dōbun Gyoku met their end by way of Ryū En’i’s large naginata.
Rou was stunned. They had lost two generals and nearly three thousand soldiers to the ambush. Ryū En’i’s entire army advanced and took up positions in front of Beizhou.
Chō Ki sneered at the news. “Serves them right. I’ll handle things next time. Please give me permission.”
Ou Soku gave his permission. Getting the sorcerers to work for him had been his aim from the beginning. “I want you to lead soldiers as well,” he said.
“Five hundred would be good,” Chō Ki said.
“Five hundred is too few.”
“More would be too many. Leave it all to me.”
***
Ryū En’i stood outside Beizhou’s stout city walls and shouted loudly: “Is there anyone in Beizhou who can hear me? Tie up Ou Soku and deliver him to us. We will take him the the Imperial Court, and the rest of the city will be spared!”
This was an assumption by the Imperial Court, but people thought that Ou Soku was the instigator and that the sorcerers had served as a corrupting force. Ou Soku’s name was now known throughout the nation as the ringleader of the rebellion. If Ryū En’i could deal with Ou Soku now, the rest of the situation in Beizhou could be handled later.
The suspension bridge in front of the temporary fortress was lowered. Chō Ki advanced on horseback, leading five hundred soldiers and a horde of flying sorcerers in the guise of monsters. The soldiers let out a war cry as they marched toward Ryū En’i’s army.
Chō Ki breathed fire upon Ryū En’i’s soldiers, causing immediate panic. Ryū En’i looked on in amazement.
Chō Ki shook off his crimson hood. Suddenly, a fierce wind blew, casting fireballs from his cloak’s hood in all directions. The fireballs moved like living creatures, hopping from enemy to enemy like demonic rabbits.
“Sorcerers!” Ryū En’i called out. He narrowly avoided a fireball by whipping his warhorse and galloping behind his men.
As Chō Ki’s fire spread, the area in front of Beizhou’s temporary fortress became a complete death trap. The five hundred soldiers led by Chō Ki slashed the enemy to pieces. Ryū En’i’s forces were decimated; the survivors of the the attack fled in terror.
In the end, Ryū En’i escaped with his life, but he’d lost more than a third of his army. He regrouped in the wilderness and found the survivors. He planned to attack again in three days.
Go Saburō came to see Ou Soku on the third day after Chō Ki’s victory.
“It seems the enemy is still lurking around. I’ll go and deal with them, if I may.”
It was unclear how much power the weak sorcerer had, but Ou Soku gave his permission. The situation was favorable to his side at the moment. Go Saburō led five hundred soldiers out of Beizhou.
That night, Go Saburō gave orders to his soldiers.
“When I give the signal, you have to pretend to be monsters. Try to act as scary as possible.”
Ryū En’i’s army was exhausted and mostly asleep. Go Saburō approached them alone, made hand gestures, chanted a spell, and morphed into a wild beast.
“It’s a monster!” a soldier on watch called out.
More soldiers abandoned their horses and weapons and fled for their lives.
Go Saburō’s forces did little but pose as scary monsters, but in the middle of the night after a long and demoralizing battle, that was enough to rattle Ryū En’i’s men. Even some of the ordinary soldiers looked like monsters to them.
Ryū En’i finally gave up the campaign as lost and retreated to Jizhou with his surviving men.
Go Saburō and his men returned home in triumph, taking the enemy’s horses, weapons, and food as their reward. They had succeeded by exploiting the enemy’s psychology. Go Saburō had achieved such a feat! It was no wonder the sorcerers were strutting around in pride.
Even Ryū En’i, who was known far and wide as a brave man, had been no match for Go Saburō’s ingenuity.
***
“We cannot win against such sorcery,” Ryū En’i said to his commanders. “We have no choice but to report our defeat to the Imperial Court and accept our punishment.”
While he was in deep despair, Ru Tsuyoshi hadn’t given up yet. “There is no need to lament our failure so soon. Rather than prematurely incur a disgrace, let us attack once more.”
“But what can we do? Any attack will be useless.”
“I have gathered two thousand men and three hundred horses. I will send out scouts to investigate and take advantage of the enemy’s carelessness to launch a surprise attack.”
“Oh? Well done. Who should be the commander of this force?” Ryū En’i asked.
“Why don’t you ask Touhitsu Ken to give orders?”
“Yes, he is a brave man. All right, send out the scouts.”
Ru Tsuyoshi immediately sent out scouts.
***
One day, Sei Koko invited Ou Soku to her chambers in Beizhou Castle.
“Your strategies worked brilliantly against the Imperial Army’s initial assault,” she said.
“The sorcerers are responsible for our victories, not I,” Ou Soku said.
“No. Using the sorcerers to exploit an enemy’s weakness is also a part of military strategy. We have proven our strength to our enemies. I think the Imperial Army is going to attack us again soon. I would like to hear your opinion of our defenses, tactician.”
“We must pacify the thirty-six prefectures of Hebei Province before the next attack.”
“I agree. Let’s leave Beizhou to the sorcerers; they can defend the city while the rest of the army conquers territory.”
The pacification of the thirty-six prefectures of Hebei Province was important if Ou Soku and Sei Koko wanted to consolidate their power. If they were successful, they would be able to field an army as large as a hundred thousand men. Ou Soku thought that a strong military force was necessary to keep the Imperial Army in check and to capture Bianliang. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had also wanted to conquer the ancient Chengyang Kingdom of Qin; Ou Soku would like to control that region as well. Wang Xiaobo’s brother-in-law and successor took over Chengdu in Sichuan Province; that might be another good target in the future.
But to rule the world, Ou Soku and Sei Koko needed to occupy Bianliang—the nation’s capital. There was no way around that.
Ou Soku led three thousand soldiers and horses to attack the surrounding countryside. As a precaution, he left Rou in command of three thousand additional soldiers who were to defend Beizhou Castle.
Sei Koko desired control of Hebei Province so that she could spread her message in all directions. Soldiers in the prefectures were likely displeased by the tyranny of their governors, just like in Beizhou. If Ou Soku, who was now famous, were to send out a call for support, it was likely that those soldiers would respond. But they would not respond to a call from a sorceress. She still needed Ou Soku to implement her plans.
The army under the command of Ou Soku swept over Hebei Province and encountered little resistance. Many soldiers rebelled and defected to Ou Soku’s army.
Half of Hebei was soon under Ou Soku’s control.
Ou Soku placed trusted subordinates in each prefecture to appease and manage the local people. The local people had been liberated from cruel high taxes and were given money and food by Ou Soku’s soldiers. They came to regard Ou Soku as their savior.
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