Fortunately, the Fu family seemed to have a collective reincarnation of military stars. Fu Shen lived up to his family’s reputation and proved to be a military genius.
The garrisons in Tanzhou and Xuanzhou were ineffective. When Fu Shen was pushed out, he did not expect help from his own people. He abandoned the Han troops and, under the conditions of opening trade routes and preparing for surrender, borrowed the Wild Wolf cavalry from the Western Tartars.
Fu Shen gathered the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry and met the main Zhe tribe forces at the three passes of Yanzhou, while the Wild Wolf cavalry flanked the Tartar-Zhe allied forces from the northwest, resolving the crisis in the Northern Frontier.
After the war, the Wild Wolf troops surrendered, and their cavalry was integrated into the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry. Using the excuse of extended battle lines and difficult mobilization, Fu Shen returned the border defense authority of Ganning and Erzhou to the central government, focusing on managing the border regions of Yuanzhou, Xuanhuai, and Yanzhou. After the Battle of Three Passes, Fu Shen officially became the commander of the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry.
With his achievements of turning the tide, he could have been legitimately granted the title of Duke, but at this time, the old and conservative ministers objected, saying Fu Shen was too young and might not command respect—and the Emperor actually listened to them.
Anyone with eyes could see that the Emperor was afraid of the Fu family, worried they might produce another “eternally glorious” Marquis of Ying.
But some people are destined to rise against the current.
In just a few years, Marquis of Jingning Fu Shen, holding the Yan Pass Iron Cavalry, became the backbone of Great Zhou, firmly establishing himself as a thorn in the side of the Tartar and Zhe tribes. The peace in the Northern Frontier in recent years, with people living and working in peace, was largely due to his efforts. As long as Fu Shen was in the military, even just sitting still as a mascot, he was the greatest deterrent to the northern foreign tribes.
