Chapter Twenty-One: Zhang Wenyuan

Inside the Yanmen Pass Commandant's office, Li Ming sat squarely in the seat of honor, exuding an air of authority. To his sides sat Fan Neng, Meng Wu, Meng Tian, and Li Xiang. Further down were the senior military commanders, including Xing Tian, Xiong Kuohai, Xue Rengui, and Gao Shun. As for Liu Yang and Lin Chong, their injuries from the battle were too severe; they would likely be confined to their beds for months. Any attempt to exert themselves further would risk causing permanent damage to their physical foundations.

Although Meng Tian had performed remarkably, serving as the acting commander of Yanmen Pass during the crisis, the arrival of reinforcements shifted the power dynamic. Since the original elite forces of Yanmen had been decimated and the reinforcements now held the upper hand, Meng Tian could no longer occupy the seat of honor. Since Meng Tian did not take the seat, Li Xiang certainly would not either. Although Li Yang had helped him secure a position of leadership within the army, Li Xiang was currently only a colonel. Furthermore, Li Ming was his elder; by consciously deferring to him, Li Xiang could win the favor of those present.

As expected, upon witnessing Li Xiang’s propriety, the system notification chimed in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for gaining 8 summoning points from Li Ming, 9 from Fan Neng, 9 from Meng Wu, 10 from Meng Tian, and 9 from Zhang Liao. Current total: 149 summoning points, plus two random summoning cards, one historical beauty summoning card, and one divine weapon card."

Li Xiang was still savoring the windfall. After the influx of points from the arrival of Xue Rengui and his men, followed by this latest bounty at Yanmen Pass, he had gone from being strapped for resources to suddenly wealthy again. However, he decided against summoning for the moment. Two more summons would trigger the system’s balancing mechanism, and if it resulted in another boost for the Xiongnu like the last time, he would have nowhere to weep.

Upon hearing the name Zhang Liao, Li Xiang felt a jolt of excitement. He cast a discreet glance around the hall and spotted a heroic and extraordinary youth, though still somewhat green. Since the system had awarded him 9 points for the man and he was stationed at Yanmen, this had to be the legendary Zhang Wenyuan, the man who would later shake the foundations of Xiaoyaojin.

"System, quickly scan Zhang Liao’s four attributes," Li Xiang commanded silently, suppressing his delight.

"Ding! Zhang Liao: Peak Command 97, Might 98, Intelligence 80, Politics 76. Currently not at his peak; current attributes are: Command 82, Might 85, Intelligence 75, Politics 63."

As expected of Zhang Liao—possessing both martial prowess and strategic brilliance. With such a general, defending this region would be a concern of the past.

Zhang Liao, courtesy name Wenyuan, was a native of Mayi, Yanmen. A famous general of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, he had once served under Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, and Lu Bu. After the Battle of Xiapi, he surrendered to Cao Cao and subsequently fought in numerous campaigns. He assisted Guan Yu in lifting the siege of Baima, forced Chang Xi to surrender in Donghai, attacked Yuan Shang at Ye City, and led the vanguard at Mount Bailang to slay the Wuhuan leader Tadun. He also suppressed rebellions led by Liu Yi in Liaodong and Mei Cheng and Chen Lan in Huainan.

After the Battle of Ruxu, Cao Cao appointed Zhang Liao, Li Dian, and Yue Jin to guard Hefei. Zhang Liao repeatedly repelled the attacks of Sun Quan’s Eastern Wu forces. In the Battle of Hefei in the 20th year of Jian'an, Zhang Liao led 800 soldiers to charge into Sun Quan's army of 100,000, fighting his way to Sun Quan’s command banner, striking terror into the heart of the Wu army. Later, with only 7,000 men, he decisively defeated the 100,000-strong force, nearly capturing Sun Quan himself. After this battle, Zhang Liao’s fame spread across the land; in Jiangdong, mothers would use his name to stop their children from crying—a testament to his prowess. It was this battle that gave rise to the later nicknames "Sun the Hundred-Thousand" and "Zhang the Eight-Hundred."

It made sense; the Yellow Turban Rebellion was still four years away, and the Chaos of Dong Zhuo was nearly nine years off. It was normal for Zhang Liao to be stationed at Yanmen rather than under Lu Bu’s banner. Li Xiang felt he had struck gold. There were few historical figures from Bingzhou, and having already secured Gao Shun and now Zhang Liao, he felt he had gathered the region's elite, unaware that Zhang Liao was merely serving in the Yanmen army and had not yet pledged his loyalty to him.

"System, scan the attributes of the others in the hall."

"Ding! Li Ming: Command 85, Might 84, Intelligence 80, Politics 86."

Impressive. Li Xiang had not expected his uncle to have such well-rounded stats. While an attribute above 80 was not inherently extraordinary, having all four above 80 was quite remarkable. Back in Taiyuan, most of the aristocratic clan members barely had one or two stats exceeding 80. Other than true luminaries like Xun Yu or Chen Qun, Li Ming’s abilities were top-tier among the nobility. It was no wonder his father had entrusted him with the crucial position of Governor of Yanmen.

"Ding! Meng Wu: Command 97, Might 99, Intelligence 82, Politics 78."

Li Xiang was not surprised by Meng Wu’s stats; he was a formidable warrior who had served as Wang Jian’s deputy in history, helping to defeat the Chu army, slay Xiang Yan, and capture the King of Chu. Many figures from the Warring States period were overshadowed simply because that era was so crowded with heroes—the "Four Great Generals" alone had suppressed an entire generation.

"Ding! Fan Neng: Command 84, Might 92, Intelligence 78, Politics 79."

Li Xiang was stunned and immediately regretted not checking Fan Neng’s stats sooner. He had assumed he was just an obscure historical figure, yet the man possessed top-tier martial strength. It was clear why his father relied on him as a trusted confidant. He resolved never to make such a mistake again; scanning others cost nothing, and discovering hidden gems was well worth the effort.

"Xiang'er," Li Ming spoke up suddenly. "I received a letter from your father, instructing me to follow your lead in all matters, claiming you possess the means to break the enemy. I wonder, what is your plan?" Li Ming was not so much asking Li Xiang as he was asking Wang Meng, who stood behind him. Li Yang had informed Li Ming about Wang Meng in his letter; otherwise, even for a nephew, Li Ming would never have entrusted military affairs to a twelve-year-old child.

Regarding the Xiongnu, Li Xiang and Wang Meng had already formulated a plan. Even though the balancing mechanism had brought the likes of the Jin Emperor Wanyan Wuqimai into the fold to bolster the Xiongnu, it would not force Li Xiang to change his strategy.

Li Xiang replied calmly, "Nothing more than to wear them down."

Attrition was a viable strategy. With nearly 100,000 troops at Yanmen, and the Xiongnu—despite being entirely cavalry—outnumbering them by only 20,000, the situation was favorable. In open field combat, 100,000 men might mean little to the Xiongnu, but this was a siege. As long as no strategic errors were made, the Xiongnu iron cavalry would pose no threat to the defense of Yanmen.

Li Ming was not entirely satisfied, as he knew that a major victory would pave the way for his brother to rise further, allowing the Li family to gain real control over Bingzhou. However, seeing Li Xiang’s nonchalant demeanor, he knew he would get no more out of him. He had no choice but to trust Li Xiang—or rather, trust that Wang Meng had a plan.