Chapter 39: A Two-Pronged Assault on Zang Ba

He laid out his long-conceived plan.

"Father, the perils facing Xuzhou lie in Guangling and Pengcheng, but those are merely superficial afflictions—like an itch or a scab. The true, deep-seated threat to our survival is Langya Commandery. If we do not quell it soon, there will be no place left for us to stand."

Liu Feng unfolded a third silk scroll. "Father, the situation in Langya was not built in a day. Fortunately, we still have time to remove this threat for you."

"Please, Father, take a look."

Pointing to a simplified map of the Langya military region, Liu Feng explained, "The terrain of Langya Commandery is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Three major mountain ranges—Yishan, Mengshan, and Nishan—stretch from northwest to southeast, controlling the flow of the upper Yi and Shu rivers and their tributaries. With these rivers as the center, the region is ringed by mountains to the west, north, and east, opening into a fan-shaped plain to the south. With its unique mix of waters, mountains, plains, and hills, it is the most critical northern gateway within Xuzhou."

Liu Bei listened to the description, his brow furrowed. The terrain was indeed troublesome for military operations.

As if confirming his thoughts, Liu Feng continued, "Zang Ba is a native of Hua County, Taishan Commandery in Yanzhou. His father, Zang Jie, was a county prison official who angered the Administrator by refusing an order to execute prisoners, which led to his own imprisonment. Zang Ba then gathered over a dozen retainers and managed to rescue his father from more than a hundred guards. Zang Ba’s own martial prowess was one reason for this, but the loyalty his father commanded was also a factor. Afterward, the two could no longer remain in Taishan, so they fled to Donghai. Yet, in that short time, Zang Ba’s reputation for filial piety and valor spread across several commanderies."

Liu Feng provided this background information—details that would be a simple search in later ages, but which were difficult, classified intelligence for Liu Bei to obtain at the time.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei could not help but exclaim, "To dare to rescue his father, risking his life against overwhelming odds—he is truly a filial son." The Han dynasty placed immense value on filial piety, and as a man of deep filial devotion himself, Liu Bei held Zang Ba's actions in high regard.

Liu Feng went on, "When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, Zang Ba seized the opportunity to gather fierce bandits and local power-holders. He followed Governor Tao Qian to defeat the rebels and was appointed as a Cavalry Commandant. He then consolidated his power by rallying men like Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li. He gathered an army and made himself their leader, stationing them in the Kaiyang area. They have become like a vassal state, no longer under Governor Tao’s control."

"However, while Zang Ba is powerful, he is not the Administrator of Langya; his official rank is merely Cavalry Commandant. The Administrator, Xiao Jian, was appointed by the Imperial Court and resides in Ju County. The opportunity to reclaim Langya lies with him."

Liu Bei’s interest piqued. "Now that is a subject I can get behind."

"Zang Ba and Xiao Jian have always been at odds. The latter looks down on the former, while the former is quite ambitious and has long wanted to replace him. Their conflict will only intensify, never resolve."

Liu Feng turned to Liu Bei and asked, "Father, in Langya, neither Zang Ba nor Xiao Jian will easily submit to us. More importantly, we lack the leverage to make them support us. Therefore, for Langya Commandery, there is only one path: military force."

Liu Bei nodded, then smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Feng'er, you are right, but the terrain in Langya is treacherous and mountainous. If a local warlord like Zang Ba practices 'scorched earth' tactics and holds his fortified cities, we will be in great trouble. I have only six thousand veteran troops; even with Cao Jianwei’s four thousand, that is only ten thousand men. We must leave a garrison in Tan County, so we likely have fewer than six or seven thousand available for the field. I do not know the exact strength of Zang Ba’s forces, but it is certainly no less than several thousand. We might have a chance in an open field battle, but to lay siege—we have no chance at all, let alone the goal of eliminating them within two years."

"Father speaks the truth. From my observations, the Taishan forces are divided into five divisions, each numbering between one thousand and three thousand men. If they unite, they likely command at least ten thousand troops." Liu Feng nodded in agreement. "If they hole up in their cities, they will be very difficult to dislodge."

In this era, defending a city was a highly effective strategy. If the attacker faced a well-fortified city, they usually had to rely on a surprise attack or a long siege to succeed. Historically, Xiapi was a famous stronghold; Cao Cao led tens of thousands of troops to surround it, and yet, even with only a few thousand defenders, Lü Bu remained unyielding. The Cao army grew exhausted and once considered a retreat. It was only when Cheng Yu and Guo Jia intervened with the strategy of flooding the city—diverting the Si River—that they finally broke it. Even then, the city stood for over a month, only falling when internal betrayal opened the gates.

Kaiyang was Zang Ba’s base. Even if it were not as formidable as Xiapi, it would still possess significant defenses. Liu Bei naturally lacked the confidence to take it by force.

However, Liu Feng remained confident. "Father is correct, but I have devised two strategies. If we employ them in tandem, they will surely have a miraculous effect."

Without waiting for Liu Bei to ask, Liu Feng took the final two scrolls from the tray.

"Father, the first strategy is to 'borrow a path to destroy the Guo.' We shall feign an expedition against Xiao Jian, but in reality, we will strike at Zang Ba first!"

"Please look, Father!" Liu Feng pointed to the map. "Kaiyang, where Zang Ba is entrenched, sits near the border of Donghai and Langya. He acts as a central hub, controlling Chang Xi to the south and connecting to Sun Guan to the north. Unless we eliminate him, we cannot reach Ju County, where Xiao Jian resides."

Liu Bei was puzzled. "If we could truly eliminate Zang Ba, that would be ideal. But as you said, he holds his ground, and the area around Kaiyang is easy to defend and hard to attack. Furthermore, we would have to pass through Chang Xi’s territory. I fear that the moment we mobilize, Zang Ba will receive word."

The situation was exactly as Liu Bei feared; Zang Ba’s faction would never be careless regarding Liu Bei’s base in Tan County. Although Liu Bei was wary of Zang Ba, Zang Ba was also in a precarious position. His territory of Kaiyang was wedged between Liu Bei’s Tan County and Xiao Jian’s Ju County. Consequently, Zang Ba was undoubtedly monitoring Tan County closely; any movement would be hard to hide. Under such circumstances, a surprise attack on Zang Ba seemed like a fool's dream.

"Do not worry, Father. You are right—we cannot launch a surprise attack on Zang Ba. But I have left him a different strategy, one called 'extracting the firewood from beneath the cauldron'!"

"Father, look." Liu Feng handed the final scroll to Liu Bei, which contained a series of figures.

"What does this mean?"

"This is the data I have collected on grain production around Kaiyang. My strategy is to cooperate with the families of the Assistant Officers, using snow-white salt and refined sugar as bait to purchase grain near Kaiyang before the autumn harvest. If we adopt this plan, the sooner we start, the better. It will not only support our own agricultural development and increase our reserves, but it will also allow us to buy up the surplus in Langya, ultimately serving to lull Zang Ba and his bandits into a false sense of security."

Liu Feng laid out the entire plan without holding back. After all, this was reality, not a novel. In matters of state and war, a single coordination error could lead to unpredictable and dire consequences; there was no room for melodrama or withholding information.