At the stretch adjoining the Yellow River the earth split open, turbid water surged back, submerging good fields and villages.
On the ninth day of the second month, in Xingzhou State and Mingzhou, torrential rain fell for days on end, mountain torrents broke forth, the Zhang River and the Fuyang River overflowed together, bursting through the dikes for dozens of li, drowning dwellings and crops beyond count; more than two thousand people were drowned or went missing, and tens of thousands became refugees.
In March, the Jingji Road region, which ought to have been warming again, was suddenly struck by a rare "reverse spring cold": heavy snow mixed with hail piled up over a foot deep, many roof tiles in the city were damaged, and outside the city most wheat shoots and mulberry trees were killed by frost; the chill pushed south, affecting the Two Huai regions as well.
On the fifteenth day of the third month, along the coast of Jingdong Road, in Qing Province and Mizhou, a great hurricane arose, seawater poured back in, smashing salt pans, docks, and dwellings, drowning over a thousand salt workers and fishermen, destroying several hundred sea-going vessels, and gravely damaging the salt tax.
In April, throughout the Two Huai basins on the Jiangzhe Road, as spring turned into summer, not a single drop of rain fell, river levels plunged, rice paddies cracked like tortoise shells, seedlings withered, and around Lake Tai as well as in Suzhou, Huzhou, Xiuzhou and other prefectures, the drought was particularly severe; the old saying "When Su and Hu ripen, the realm is full" has now become empty words.
On the fifth day of the fifth month, in the Jiangling prefecture on the Jianghu North Road, river water flooded into low-lying counties along the banks, submerging fields and houses, and disaster victims crowded the river as they drifted downstream.
At the beginning of the eighth month, a great plague broke out in Shouchun, Luzhou and other places.
Perhaps because drought and flood alternated, and disaster victims clustered together, the miasma of disease ran rampant; the dead lay pillow to pillow along the roads, the local offices could not administer medicine in time, and the epidemic showed signs of spreading toward the surrounding areas.
—The situation suddenly mutated!
This was a catastrophe that nearly spanned all Kyushu, that almost completely shattered the existing systems of the Great Song.
One must know, disaster relief is an extremely troublesome affair.
Especially now, when information travels slowly, to truly manage relief properly requires not only talent in those sent to relieve disaster, but also coordination on all sides.
In former years even a figure like Gu Xi would lie awake through the nights when engaged in relief.
If not for the Longevity Card.
Gu Xi would likely already have spent his life’s blood on these matters.
All the more so now.
Though Gu Qing is a son of the Gu Clan, and especially after receiving Gu Yan’s message he can be said to have done his utmost with all his heart.
Unfortunately his ability falls far, far short.
Moreover he himself has little reputation, and this naturally stirred up an even greater storm.
"The Grand Tutor has none of the Gu Clan’s spirit—"
Such rumors spread almost without anyone noticing.
You must understand, in the past, when Gu Clan youths lacked sufficient talent, they would not choose to come forth into the world, nor undertake weighty charges.
And this became a pressure of a kind never seen before.
What is more, the key point is that Gu Qing’s lack of ability showed not only in his overall coordination of relief, but also in his discernment of men.
All manner of blunders erupted in the meantime.
Even Gu Yan was forced to divert energy to help Gu Qing arrange everything.
But the situation still kept worsening.
It even began to affect the front line.
...
It is worth mentioning that during this period Gu Yan had again forced Temujin back by several dozen li.
In the course of this he had nearly broken through Temujin’s main camp.
Almost trapping them to death in a perilous place.
Only pity that Temujin still managed to escape in the end.
Yes, Temujin was still holding on.
One may say that this time he has brought out the entire heritage of the steppe, just to stake his life against Gu Yan.
—He seems to have realized something.
Across all Kyushu, the only person who can block him appears to be Gu Yan.
And as the natural disasters continue, that crushing advantage in deep reserves between Kyushu and the steppe is being steadily consumed.
Field headquarters at Dingzhou State, eighth year of Shao Guang, winter, night.
Candlelight cast wavering shadows across Gu Yan’s tightly knitted brow.
Now, the documents piled upon the commander’s desk were no longer entirely dispatches and military reports; more and more were emergency copies from the court and from various provincial governments, as well as several family letters delivered directly via the Gu Clan’s secret channels.
The contents of these letters weighed on his heart even more than the perils of slaughter at the front.
—The situation grows ever worse!
So bad that even he now feels the urgency.
"The court is unsettled, the rear is rotten, transport of grain and fodder is already showing breaks and gaps, the supply of winter clothing and charcoal is delayed... The soldiers may have loyal and valiant hearts, yet, worn down by long war, and now hearing that their home villages have suffered disaster, their morale cannot but drift."
Gu Yan muttered softly to himself, his voice sounding especially clear and cold in the empty headquarters tent.
He could wait no longer.
Gu Yan suddenly rose, walked to the great map of Hebei, and fixed his gaze on the general area currently occupied by Temujin’s main force.
This spot lay roughly one hundred and fifty li to the northwest of Dingzhou State, a bitterly cold land backed by rolling hills and fronted by several frozen riverbeds as a buffer.
It was a place ill-suited for large-scale deployment by the Song Army, and worse yet for logistical supply.
But precisely for that reason Temujin judged it relatively safe, a place where he could continue the stalemate.
"You must come out." Gu Yan spoke to that virtual point on the map as though conversing with Temujin a thousand li away. "Or I will drive you completely back to the steppe, to a place where, come next spring, you can no longer pose any threat."
A decision had already formed in his heart.
The equilibrium of stalemate had to be broken by his own initiative; his aim was no longer merely to rout or drive off the enemy, but to seek a battle of decision that could severely wound or even seize their main force, to resolve the Northern Border campaign in one stroke, and at least win several years of breathing space.
Only thus could he immediately haste back to the court and steady the situation.
"Pass the order, beat the drum and convene council!" Gu Yan turned, and barked in a low voice to the Personal Guard outside the tent.
The great drum of the central camp rumbled, its sound piercing the cold night sky.
Yue Lei, Zhang Jue, Liu Qi and other commanders hurried in through wind and snow, only to see Gu Yan already in full armor, standing behind the commander’s desk, his expression grim and killing; it was a far cry from his usual calm, scheming demeanor.
"Gentlemen," Gu Yan began straightaway, his voice not loud, yet overriding the wind outside the tent, "our gains from this confrontation have reached their limit."
"The barbarians have not given up on wearing down our will, while natural disaster rampages, the rear is uneasy, the state lies in hardship, and the court urgently needs Anding."
"This battle can no longer be delayed."
He rapped his finger hard on the map in the direction of Temujin’s camp. "Within ten days, I will have a proper contest with Temujin."
"No more skirmishing in small detachments, no more mere assaults and defenses of camps—I want his main force fully committed, to fight a battle of decision in the open against our army!"
He did not hesitate in the least, but went straight to the point.
His deep eyes remained fixed on those present, at last coming to rest on Liu Qi.
"Liu Qi, your troops and the militia under your coordination are, from this moment, to cease clearing out the enemy infiltrators in our rear; gather them all, and secretly shift toward Swallow Valley and Hei Fengkou to the north of Dingzhou, raising many banners and widely deploying feinting forces, to present the posture that our main army intends to advance north via these two routes, to cut off Temujin’s retreat or strike his camp on the flank."
Liu Qi answered with a respectful "Yes."
Then Gu Yan turned again to Yue Lei. "Yue Lei, from this moment, take all elite cavalry and those skilled at leaping and raiding, secretly prepare ten days’ dry rations, remove unnecessary heavy armor, and carry only bows and crossbows, short weapons, and fire-starting gear."
"Once Liu Qi’s maneuvers draw the enemy’s attention, your troops are to lower banners and silence drums, and, via the hunters’ bypaths along the Western Mountains, make a rapid light march, swinging around to the northwest rear of the enemy camp and lie in ambush at Yingchou Creek."
"Your task is not to storm fortifications—it is to wait."
"Wait?" Yue Lei’s eyes tightened.
"Wait until Temujin is stirred by my main army from the front—either he sallies to meet Liu Qi’s feinting army in battle, or chaos arises within his camp." Gu Yan’s gaze was icy. "Once his camp exposes a flaw, you are to attack at once."
The atmosphere inside the tent grew ever more solemn.
"Commander," Liu Qi could not help speaking up, "with such an arrangement, the front-facing feinting force will likely bear enormous pressure; if Temujin sees through the ruse and sends his main force straight against our feinting army..."
—This was a reasonable conjecture.
After so long a period of combat, these commanders now understood Temujin’s capabilities; none dared underestimate him any longer.
"Then they will fight!" Gu Yan declared without the slightest wavering. "The feinting force must also be prepared for a blood battle."
"What I want is that he move—no matter where he strikes, as long as he leaves the camp he has long prepared, Yue Lei’s opportunity will come, and my main force’s chance to fight a battle of decision will come as well!"
"For this battle there shall be advance but no retreat, victory but no defeat!"
Gu Yan’s tone was ironclad.
On hearing this, all the officers immediately grew stern, then rose in turn and cupped their hands toward Gu Yan.
"As you command!"...
...
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