Outside Lujia City.
There was at least one piece of information Gan Wei had not been wrong about: though the Ge siblings had nominally divided the family, they remained united as one. Now leading those bandits was the head of the Ge family, Ge Pu. At first glance, she even resembled someone from an established noble family – in the beginning, the elders of the Ge family had hoped to raise their children according to mainstream values so that when Ge Pu reached adulthood, she could secure an official post in the court.
As the head of the family, if Ge Pu had stayed behind in the estate, outsiders might not have found it so easy to breach Lujia City. Unfortunately, to maintain the army’s formation, she had marched out with the troops that day, overseeing the rear guard and guarding against large-scale desertions.
Ge Yu said, “The Gan family still insist they never betrayed us, yet they refuse to open the doors of the fortress manor for us.”
Among the “bandits” now stationed with them outside the city, there were also many from the Gan family, along with several of their clan’s younger members. Upon learning of the Gan family’s betrayal and the fall of Lujia City, Ge Yu had them seized and confined immediately, but he was still uncertain whether to execute them or not.
Just as the Gan family dared not let them enter the fortress manor, they too could not entrust their backs to the other side.
Ge Yu said, “If we attack the city now, we must guard against the Gan family suddenly scheming against us. It would be better to first capture their manor…”
Before he could finish, Ge Pu raised her whip and struck him down from his horse.
Ge Pu stared at him and scoffed, “With a plan like this, no matter how clever that General Shi in Lujia City might be, I doubt he could have anticipated it.”
Ge Yu bowed his head in fear. Even he could tell that these words from the family head were not meant to praise his cleverness but to mock his foolishness.
Ge Pu continued slowly, “If we attack the Gan family’s manor now, all we’ll do is exhaust our own strength – and we might not even succeed in capturing it. Whether others would be pleased, I cannot say for sure, but I’m certain General Shi would be overjoyed.” She glanced at her clansman and said coldly, “When your uncle sent you to study under the Zhang family, you certainly devoted yourself to your studies.”
To give their younger generation a suitable background, the elders of the Ge family had long relied on various connections to send their children to study under the tutelage of scholars. Ge Yu was fortunate enough to study under the Northern Zhang family and had even received guidance from Zhang Bingshan – a strategist highly valued by Wen Hong.
Of course, Ge Pu didn’t know that Zhang Bingshan was often jokingly called “the foreseer” by readers. He was known for devising unconventional, high-effort, low-impact plans – the kind that left people wondering about the minimal returns. The fact that Ge Yu showed such “talent” today clearly reflected how diligently he had studied under Zhang Bingshan back then.
After hesitating for a while, Ge Yu still offered his counsel. “If we lead troops to attack the Gan family’s manor now, General Shi will likely hear of it and might take the chance to ambush our rear. As long as his forces dare to leave the city, we can surround and crush them.” He looked up at the clan leader, his tone earnest, “At this point, could the situation possibly get any worse? Why not take a risk, feign an attack, and lure the enemy out?”
Ge Pu lowered her gaze to look at Ge Yu on the ground.
Normally, Ge Pu would never entertain such a foolish strategy. However, the fact that it caught her off guard likely meant it would also be unexpected by the enemy. As an ordinary local magnate, she found it difficult to attract truly capable individuals to serve under her. In comparison, Ge Yu was already somewhat of a standout among the less talented. So she decided to act on his advice, personally leading troops to assault the Gan family’s fortress manor.
After learning that Lujia City had changed hands, the Gan family had remained on guard. Even though Ge Pu and her forces launched a surprise attack at night, the Gans didn’t panic excessively. They refused to respond to shouts from outside the walls, stationed archers firmly on the ramparts, and poured scalding oil down the walls bucket by bucket to prevent the enemy from climbing up.
The number of private soldiers within the manor was limited, but as long as the gates remained unopened, the high walls and deep trenches could hold out for some time.
The defending soldiers in Lujia City saw flames flickering outside the walls. When a large army moved at night, torches were necessary for illumination, and from above, they truly resembled a golden dragon winding its way across the ground.
The soldiers urgently reported the news to the county office. Ren Feihong was puzzled. “General, aside from refraining from attacking the Gan family directly, did you also send spies to stir up discord between them?”
Otherwise, it was hard to explain why the two families had suddenly resorted to fighting each other with real swords and spears.
In Ren Feihong’s view, although the Gan family’s stance seemed somewhat suspicious, from the perspective of the Ge rebels, they weren’t an immediate or primary conflict that needed to be eliminated. If she were serving as an advisor now, she would likely advise the commanding general to launch a strong attack right away.
Shi Zhuhe shook his head, equally puzzled. “I am from Jianzhou and later served in the northern territories. My time in office has been brief, and all I can rely on are the capable troops assigned by Her Majesty. How could I possibly have the means to plant agents here in Lankang?”
For officials of Great Zhou, building a network or establishing roots of their own often required serving at least one term as a local magistrate.
Chen Ming analyzed, “Could it be that someone among those ‘bandits’ wanted to turn over a new leaf, and deliberately provoked their commander to make decisions that would work in our favor?”
The group debated back and forth, but their conclusion was consistent – regardless of the enemy’s intentions, they would hold their positions and not engage.
Shi Zhuhe’s troops were indeed limited, and with Lujia City freshly captured, the populace was still unsettled. If he sent out too few cavalry, it wouldn’t achieve the element of surprise. If he sent out too many, they could easily be cut off from retreat.
Shi Zhuhe remarked, “However, if there are outstanding talents among the enemy ranks, this situation alone would reveal how thinly stretched our forces are.”
Ren Feihong added, “Even without exceptional talents, they can still tell we’re short on troops.” She chuckled, “It’s a shame neither of us possesses the strategic brilliance of the Emperor. If we did, a simple deception tactic would be enough to make them tremble with fear.”
The sky outside gradually brightened.
After a full night of failed attempts to capture the manor, Ge Pu, who had been forced to retreat, tightened her grip on the horsewhip again. Her expression was cold and stern. She raised her arm, lowered it, then raised it once more, momentarily unsure whom to vent her frustration on.
She clearly knew Ge Yu was unreliable, so why had she mistakenly trusted his nonsense earlier?
Unlike in modern society, information transmission in this era was highly chaotic and complex. As a military commander, being misled by those around you into making wrong decisions was actually quite common, especially since Ge Pu’s advisors often held conflicting opinions. At first glance, each of them seemed to make some sense, but when it came to execution, all sorts of unreliable surprises were prone to occur.
Ge Yu knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a word.
Ge Pu said, “The morale of our troops is already wavering, and we have lost the best opportunity to attack the city…”
As she spoke, she glared fiercely at her clansman kneeling before her.
Ge Pu had also realized she should not have attacked the Gan family manor but should have focused on storming Lujia City instead. Even if she had to guard against a sneak attack from the city, it was unnecessary to prioritize the stronghold and confuse the main objective.
The situation for the Ge family was already critical, and to make matters worse, the eastern forces had dispatched light cavalry to deliver a message, sternly reprimanding the Ge clan.
Ge Pu froze for a moment before suddenly realizing what had happened. She gnashed her teeth and cursed in fury, “How dare they!”
Shi Zhuhe and his forces, though few in number, had managed to seize Lujia City – a stronghold defended by more than ten times their own troops. Anyone in such a situation would suspect the Ge family of betraying the cause and deliberately surrendering the city to the enemy.
Just as the Ge family could no longer trust the Gan family’s stance, those in the eastern heartland had also begun to doubt their loyalty.
Ge Pu felt a bitter pang in her heart. If she were an advisor beside Dian Wue and saw that Lujia City – vast and heavily fortified – had fallen so easily to the enemy in just a few days, she too would suspect that someone had deliberately opened the gates to let the government troops in.
“Under these circumstances, there is only one way to prove our loyalty.”
Ge Pu declared decisively, “Lead the troops westward immediately and ambush the reinforcements from Jianping.”
Whether Jianping suspected internal issues in Lujia City or believed Shi Zhuhe had rebelled with his troops, they would inevitably send forces afterward to suppress the rebellion. However, Ge Pu and her allies believed they held an informational advantage: the reinforcements from Jianping were unaware of the true situation in Lujia City. They could easily pose as local militia organized by prominent families to resist the rebels. Once they gained the trust of the newcomers, they would seize the opportunity to deliver a stab in the back, thereby proving their loyalty.
Ge Yu cautiously asked, “What about the Gan family…”
Ge Pu closed her eyes for a moment, her thoughts now clearer. “There’s no need to worry too much about them for now. Even if they intend to pledge allegiance to the rebel Shi, they likely won’t risk their lives for his cause. Before we leave, send someone to sow confusion with words.”
Sure enough, upon receiving the message, the Gan family had no intention of continuing their standoff with the Ge clan. Someone stood on the manor walls and shouted out loudly, “We never wished to take up arms against you. But given your deep suspicion and your decision to launch the first attack, we truly dared not open our gates to welcome you. We only hope you achieve swift success on your campaign.”
Ge Pu also rode out alone on horseback and replied, “As long as Elder Gan refrains from taking action, we can surely resume our former camaraderie the next time we meet.”
To reassure the Gan family, Ge Pu deliberately left behind those Gan clansmen who had been mixed among her private soldiers before departing. Only after the manor confirmed the identities of the people outside and watched the Ge family’s troops withdraw into the distance did they lower a rope basket to hoist them up to the top of the wall.
A weary-looking young man, who had not yet stepped out of the basket, urgently said, “Quickly inform the family head – I must meet with him!”
Someone nearby recognized the young man. He was a direct descendant of the Gan family, named Gan Qu. Without delay, they immediately went to notify the Gan family’s patriarch.
Unaware of what the other party had to say, the Gan family’s patriarch had no choice but to grant an audience. Upon entering, Gan Qu bowed forward and got straight to the point. “Given the circumstances, it is no longer possible for us to continue aligning with the Ge family. Please consider this carefully – if the Ge family ultimately succeeds, the credit will naturally be theirs, but as for the blame for losing Lujia City, would it not fall entirely on our Gan family?”
His reasoning was straightforward: as local magnates, their current alliance was based solely on power and interests, with no bonds of loyalty or righteousness between them. At this point, a fundamental divergence had emerged between the two sides. If the Ge family succeeded, the Gan family would likely suffer. On the other hand, if the Ge family failed, they would be powerless to take any action against the Gan family.
The Gan family’s patriarch fell into deep thought.
Many people, when analyzing the mistakes of others afterward, often find them laughable. Yet when they themselves are caught in the situation, clarity often eludes them. On one hand, the Gan family’s patriarch found Gan Qu’s reasoning sound. On the other, he felt that trusting Ge Pu’s words and refraining from action might also be acceptable.
Gan Qu continued, “Please consider this, my lord. If we remain passive, the initiative lies entirely with the Ge family. If we wish to control our own fate, we must take action ourselves.”
The Gan family’s patriarch finally spoke, “In your opinion, then, should we bring our troops and pledge allegiance to General Shi?”
Gan Qu shook his head, “Even if we wished to surrender, General Shi would not accept us. The reason they hold the advantage is that only their own troops remain in the city. If they accepted our forces, Lujia City would no longer be under their sole control!” He bowed deeply again. “Please entrust the family’s affairs to me. If successful, the Gan family can attach ourselves to General Shi’s cause. If we fail, the responsibility will rest solely on me. You, my lord, were deceived by me and had no choice but to comply.”
The Gan family’s patriarch asked, “Then how do you plan to proceed?”
Gan Qu replied, “I intend to burn their grain supplies. The Ge family’s ability to hold their position relies on the provisions stored in their mountain stronghold. Once their grain is destroyed, they will likely have to lead their troops eastward to join others. The siege on Lujia City would naturally lift, and we could demonstrate our loyalty to the imperial court.”
Each of the three factions had their own schemes, but the most at ease were undoubtedly Shi Zhuhe and his allies.
