Chapter 679
Standoff and Omens
After the Battle of Chengde, Du Zeng divided two thousand cavalrymen from Su Wen to escort prisoners into Anfeng County, and then returned to Shouchun City with Liu Lang.
By this time, it had been eight days since they had besieged the city. With a mere eight or nine thousand troops, it was certainly not enough to encircle this important town. In fact, they were only there to monitor the city and prevent the Jin army inside from escaping. However, without the main force of the Han army following up, it would be impossible to truly capture this famous city in Huainan.
Shouchun was originally the capital of the Chu state after its westward relocation, a strategically important location. After Emperor Gaozu of Han quelled Ying Bu's rebellion, it became the capital of the Huainan Kingdom. Thanks to the effective management of successive Huainan kings, it became a major academic center in Guandong. Later, the kingdom was abolished due to the rebellion of Liu An, the king of Huainan, but its importance remained undiminished. During the late Han dynasty, Yuan Shu was the first among the warlords to declare himself emperor, establishing his capital in Shouchun and extensively fortifying the city. After Yuan Shu's defeat, Shouchun became the center of Wei's southward campaign to conquer Wu, thus becoming the most important military stronghold in Guandong. The decisive battles that determined the fate of the empire during the three Huainan rebellions also took place here, further demonstrating Shouchun's strategic importance.
Such an important town, naturally, possessed a complete set of outer defensive fortifications, just like Luoyang, Jiangling, Chengdu, and Yecheng. Twenty-five li northwest of Shouchun lies Xiashi Mountain, situated between the Huai River, hence the existence of two fortified towns, collectively known as Xiashi City. Five li northeast of Shouchun is Bagong Mountain, said to be the place where Liu An, the King of Huainan, ascended to heaven after his failed rebellion. The mountain is strategically important, with the Beishan Garrison established there. Behind Bagong Mountain lies Zijin Mountain, with the Zishan Garrison established there as well.
However, these mountain fortresses were mostly located north of Shouchun, primarily intended to prevent northern armies from crossing the Huai River and directly besieging Shouchun. They were ineffective against the Shu Han army that advanced diagonally into Huainan from Anfeng County. Similarly, Hefei was originally Shouchun's barrier against the southern army's northward advance, but due to the complete annihilation of Wang Kuang's forces, Hefei was undefended and thus ineffective against He Pan's main force advancing northward from the Yangtze River.
According to He Sui's intelligence, it is now known that Wang Yan has secretly sent envoys to the Qi-Han army for reinforcements. After discussing the matter, Fu Chang and Du Zeng decided to allocate some troops to take down these mountain fortresses along the Huai River one by one. This would also be a precaution, ensuring that even if the Qi people intended to march south and fight against them, they would not be able to directly threaten Shouchun.
Liu Lang then escorted over a hundred prisoners from the Battle of Chengde, along with Wang Kuang's head, northward to these mountain fortresses to persuade them to surrender. Only then did he have the leisure to appreciate the beauty of the Huainan region. Unlike the Jiangnan region, Huainan, though crisscrossed by waterways, was not turbulent. The river surface was remarkably calm, like amber, gleaming a solidified gold under the sunlight, to the point that Liu Lang wondered if it was even flowing.
The only drawback was that the calm river surface was surrounded by empty houses, with no people in sight, and many ruins, which gave the originally tranquil scenery a somber atmosphere. This saddened Liu Lang, because in this battle, in order to block Wang Yan, the pursuit of speed and ruthlessness had instead caused the people to be displaced and suffer considerable damage. This was not the behavior of a king's army.
"Since I'm leading troops, I must become a renowned general like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, who wins the hearts of the people!" Liu Lang stood on his horse, feeling triumphant after winning two consecutive battles.
Seeing this scene, he silently pondered, recalling Liu Xian's actions. If his father had led the troops, he would most likely have made preparations beforehand, having Anfeng Prefect Sun Hui stockpile various disaster relief supplies along the riverbank. Once the troops were dispatched, envoys would have been sent to various parts of Huainan to issue proclamations, recruiting refugees and arranging food and lodging. This would have achieved both the objective and appeased the people. Liu Lang, however, lacked experience and forgot to do these things. Now, he could only try to mend the situation and learn from this experience.
By the afternoon of that day, the sky gradually darkened, and a light rain began to fall after 11 PM. Liu Lang and his entourage arrived at the walls of Xiashi City. They wrote surrender pleas on white silk, had several copies made, tied to arrow shafts, and ordered their trusted guards, including Lai Guang, to shoot them into the city. The surrender pleas were divided into two categories: one addressed to officials and the other to ordinary soldiers. Liu Lang informed them of the battle situation to the south, exaggerated the number of troops besieging Shouchun, and, in the name of the son of the King of Han, demanded their swift surrender.
He waited in the rain until nightfall, when finally someone in the city spoke up. Their demands were simple: they wanted Liu Lang to provide proof that he was the son of the King of Han before they would surrender. Liu Lang then handed over his sword, Zhangwu Sword, a coming-of-age gift from Liu Xian when he came of age.
After seeing the sword, the city's garrison finally surrendered and informed Liu Lang of some bad news: Du Zeng's prediction was correct; just three days ago, the Emperor of Daxing had sent an envoy across the Huai River to report back to Shouchun from the north, claiming that Daxing would definitely send reinforcements within ten days.
Seeing the signs, Liu Lang realized that although Qi and Han hadn't yet mobilized their main forces, the fact that they had sent envoys meant that the troops around Huaibei had certainly been mobilized as well. Liu Lang dared not delay and immediately dispatched Ju Tan on horseback to inform Fu Chang of this, and to have him relay the message to Commander-in-Chief He Pan. At the same time, he led his troops across the Fei River and went to Mount Bagong on the east bank to persuade them to surrender. Now was a race against time; the Qi people on the other side might also be trying to cross the Huai River, and he had to eliminate this threat.
As expected, when Liu Lang arrived at Bagong Mountain, before even seeing the Beishan garrison, he spotted a small group of cavalry crossing the Huai River by boat. They wore yellow turbans, carried blue banners, and were all armored. Upon seeing Liu Lang's army, they were taken aback. Liu Lang pretended to lead his troops to engage them in battle, but the Qi soldiers did not respond. Instead, they hurriedly boarded their boats and retreated, allowing Liu Lang to successfully take control of the Beishan garrison.
However, correspondingly, the Qi people had already taken over Zishan Garrison, which was located northeast of Beishan Garrison, ahead of Liu Lang, which meant that the Qi-Han army still had a safe passage across the Huai River.
By this time, it was the eleventh day of the Han army's surprise attack on Shouchun. The overall battle situation was very clear: the Jin army had no more usable troops, with only a few soldiers remaining in the city to barely hold out. Without external support, it was a hopeless situation. The reason Wang Yan was still holding out was that he was hoping for reinforcements sent by Qi and Han. As long as these Qi and Han reinforcements could not cross the Huai River, Shouchun would inevitably surrender.
Therefore, Liu Lang's first reaction was to seize Zishan Garrison and completely cut off the Qi army's key passage across the Huai River.
However, after leading his troops to observe, he unexpectedly discovered that the terrain of this place was very tricky. The passage was a small path leading up the mountain, and inside was not just an earthen fort, but four small mountain strongholds connected by a passageway, extending from the mountainside to the top of the mountain, and overlooking the situation in all directions below. With Liu Lang's current troops, it would be difficult to take it back unless he paid a heavy price.
Under these circumstances, Liu Lang eventually withdrew, stationing his troops at Beishan Garrison to await the arrival of the main army.
Two days later, Fu Chang sent a messenger to inform Liu Lang that Commander-in-Chief He Pan's main force had arrived at the north bank of Shaopi. Upon receiving the report, Liu Lang immediately led several dozen light cavalry to the commander-in-chief's camp to report. He could see that Han troops were arriving in droves along the way, having moored numerous boats and supplies in Shaopi Lake and set up camp on the north bank. This location was only about twenty li from Shouchun City, and the soldiers were clearing out the houses and trees surrounding the city, preparing for the next phase of the siege. The tens of thousands of troops were impressive in their numbers, and the soldiers were in high spirits. This atmosphere also inspired Liu Lang, allowing him to recover from his failure to prevent the Qi-Han crossing of the Huai River.
That night, he led his personal guards to He Pan's camp and requested an audience with Grand Commandant He Pan. He Pan, upon hearing that Liu Lang had arrived, hurriedly came out of his tent to greet him. He Pan was already sixty years old this year, and compared to when he followed Liu Xian, his temples were now completely white. Although he was not wearing armor, years of victories had made him energetic and vigorous, exuding the demeanor of an elder.
He Pan was very fond of Liu Lang. To be honest, Liu Lang and He Pan didn't usually have much interaction, but Liu Lang's ability to lead the army independently was due to He Pan's recommendation. Although Liu Lang didn't know the specific reason, he reciprocated with great respect, always showing the courtesy due to a junior when they met. He Pan didn't use formal titles to address Liu Lang, but instead addressed him as "Jingming," the courtesy name given to him by Li Ju after Liu Lang's coming-of-age ceremony. This gesture made He Pan seem even closer. Liu Lang had been with his father for a long time and naturally knew He Pan's position in the court. Although he wasn't as close as his uncle Li Ju, in terms of seniority and ability to command troops, he was truly the third most capable person in the court. His father had consulted with He Pan on all major military and national affairs before making decisions. For this eastern expedition, many capable and experienced generals were in the court, yet He Pan was chosen as the commander-in-chief, and later placed in charge of the southeast, demonstrating his crucial importance.
Liu Lang was leading troops for the first time and had many questions and thoughts in his mind. He needed an elder to guide him. Since this was an opportunity to have a deep conversation, Liu Lang naturally wanted to take the opportunity to learn from him. He Pan did not hesitate to spend time with him and immediately started a long talk with him. The two talked until late at night.
He Pan highly praised Liu Lang's merit in launching the surprise attack, especially his use of bandit suppression to deceive the Qi and Jin people before suddenly launching a surprise attack on Shouchun, which prevented Wang Yan from making any rash moves and achieved the initial objective. Liu Lang did not hide Du Zeng's modifications to his plan and truthfully recounted the causes and consequences of the Battle of Chengde. He also mentioned Du Zeng's wrongful killing of He Sui and expressed his intention to severely punish him.
He Pan laughed and said, "This time, the mission was just a formality, with Jingming nominally in charge and Du Zeng in charge. It's already good enough that Jingming can offer advice, let alone actually fight and make contributions. I'm sure His Highness will be pleased to hear about it!"
Then he earnestly instructed me: "As for Du Zeng's unauthorized killing of He Sui, he has already told me. Since you did not stop it at the time and did not pursue the matter afterward, let's not talk about it anymore. The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. Not only are the enemy's movements unpredictable, but so are the internal ones. Therefore, the most important thing for a good commander is to be decisive and not give people the impression of being hesitant."
Seeing Liu Lang nod, He Pan added, "However, we can't completely ignore it and let him do whatever he wants. After this battle, I will secretly withhold some of Du Zeng's rewards as a minor punishment."
Then Liu Lang brought up the possibility that the Qi army might cross the Huai River from Zishan Garrison. He took the initiative to apologize to He Pan and scratched his head in frustration, saying, "Alas, Lord He, forgive my mistake! I was a step too slow and failed to stop the Qi people in the north of the Huai River!"
“Young people just love perfection!” He Pan stroked his beard and sighed. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, “This isn’t Jingming’s fault. The Huai River is so long; if they wanted to cross it, we couldn’t stop them. Even if they didn’t cross at Zijin Mountain, they could have crossed further downstream. You’ve already done enough by stopping Wang Yan, not to mention you’ve captured two mountain forts. The initiative is now in our hands.”
"How does Lord He plan to meet the enemy?"
He Pan shook his head slightly and said, "Our army has not had any contact with the Qi army before, and we do not know the strength or weakness of the Qi bandits. We do not know what kind of enemy generals they will send, what tactics they will use, or what their style will be. All we can do is stabilize our defenses and wait for them to make the first move."
"Won't this cause us to miss the initiative?" Liu Lang was somewhat puzzled; he still preferred to take the initiative.
“Our army has already surrounded Shouchun and knows that the Qi people will definitely come to relieve the siege. This is the advantage we have.” He Pan patiently instructed, “Our army does not know the strength or weakness of the Qi army, and the Qi army does not know the strength or weakness of our army either. They are also fighting on foreign soil, so they certainly do not dare to gamble everything. Moreover, they have just finished a major battle, and their soldiers are exhausted. They cannot fight to the death with our army. Our army is well-rested and ready to resist.”
After listening, Liu Lang benefited greatly. He found that although He Gong spoke little, his words were concise and to the point, and his thinking was insightful and far-sighted, a style completely different from that of Yang Nandi and Li Ju in terms of strategy. Perhaps because he was a knowledgeable elder, he valued open strategies and prudence, preferring to grasp the general direction while delegating specific execution to his subordinates, thus stimulating the initiative of his generals and displaying great magnanimity.
Liu Lang greatly admired He Pan, which also inspired him to make further contributions. He told He Pan, "If the Qi people really cross the river to the south, please send me to intercept them again. I have a three-foot-long sword and I will make sure that not a single one of them returns!"
He Pan laughed heartily upon hearing this, and exclaimed, "Excellent, excellent! Like father, like son! Jingming truly has some of His Highness's youthful charm."
The two talked for about two hours straight. He Pan was a little tired, so he said to Liu Lang, "Jingming, I am old and probably won't live for many more years. His Highness has just unified the South, and I am already satisfied to have witnessed him achieve his imperial ambitions. But I probably won't be able to see the Mandate of Heaven return to the North and unify the world. The future belongs to you young people, so I'm going to tell you some unpleasant things now."
Upon hearing this, Liu Lang was taken aback, wondering why Lord He was suddenly speaking so earnestly and frankly. He patiently listened as the other continued, "You are His Highness's eldest son, much older than the other princes. As the saying goes, a country relies on an elder ruler. In the past ten years since the founding of the dynasty, if any unexpected events had occurred, the person who could have stabilized the country would not have been the crown prince, but rather you. My recommendation of you this time is actually for the sake of the country, hoping to have another member of the royal family who can stabilize the overall situation."
"But such things as the sacred vessels of the state cannot be forced. You must also be mindful of your position. If you can be King Daohui of Qi, then you must never be King Li of Huainan."
Liu Lang, well-versed in history, gasped, as if struck by a blow to the head, his vision blurring. He finally understood He Pan's reason for recommending him. The King of Qi Daohui he spoke of was Liu Fei, the eldest son of Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang), a powerful regional vassal whose descendants prevented the Lü clan from seizing power and restored the Han dynasty. The King of Huainan, on the other hand, referred to Liu Chang, Emperor Gaozu's younger son, who plotted a rebellion during Emperor Wen's reign but was ultimately killed after the plot was exposed.
He Pan was warning Liu Lang that he had no intention of helping him seize the throne. However, given that Liu Xian's sons were all young, he hoped that Liu Lang could step forward and temporarily become the pillar of stability within the imperial clan.
Emerging from He Pan's tent in the morning, the sleet continued to fall under the overcast sky. Liu Lang, braving the rain, returned to his own camp, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly still absorbed in the conversation within the tent, oblivious to the changes happening outside. (End of Chapter)