Chapter 687
Stalemate
On Lion Mountain, Cao Yi was incredulous to see Guo Song lead his troops in a breakout.
He believed he had planned the best possible strategy for this battle. From the initial preparations and troop deployments to the on-the-spot responses, he had executed everything flawlessly. The military strategy described in the Art of War could be perfectly captured by the phrase "its momentum is like a broad crossbow, its force like a surging river carrying away stones, its timing like the release of a trigger, destroying and snapping birds of prey." It was a masterpiece of his military career, and even if Cao Yi had another chance, he probably could not have achieved such perfection.
To his disappointment, the war did not end well.
Cao Yi quickly summoned Liu Ba, the governor of Donglai, and rebuked him, saying, "Before the war, I repeatedly ordered you to cut off the Shu bandits' rear and prevent them from returning west. You spoke confidently, saying that success was certain! But this is the result. What do you have to say for yourself!"
Liu Ba immediately begged for mercy, saying, "Marshal, please understand, it wasn't that I was being cunning on the battlefield. You should have seen that the Shu bandits are almost as difficult to deal with as the Duan tribe. It's not that I didn't want to stop them, it's that I simply couldn't!"
Mentioning the Xianbei only fueled Cao Yi's anger. He cursed, "You spineless cowards! So what if the Duan tribe and the Shu bandits are troublesome? Would we stop fighting if it weren't for the Xianbei? Have you all forgotten how Duan Mobo humiliated me last time?"
It turned out that during the second siege of Xuchang by the Qi army, Duan Mobo had led the Xianbei to breach the city walls several times, coming within a hair's breadth of victory. Once they retreated from the walls and sent Qi troops in rotation, they were quickly repelled by the Jin army within the city. Therefore, the Xianbei privately criticized the Qi army several times, saying their reputation was undeserved. At the victory banquet afterward, Duan Mobo, drunk, bluntly mocked Cao Yi, saying, "Can fishermen and salt merchants really govern the world?"
Cao Yi was furious and nearly came to blows with Duan Mobo. In the end, Shi Sheng intervened and smoothed things over. However, from then on, the relationship between the Duan Xianbei and Qi Han clearly became strained. After their return to their camp, it was uncertain whether Qi Han would be able to mobilize the Xianbei again.
For this reason, Qi Han attached great importance to this battle with the Southerners, hoping to prove his strength and regain dominance over the Duan tribe.
Cao Yi seized such a good opportunity and naturally hoped to annihilate Guo Song's troops. However, he did not expect that the Han army could escape despite suffering huge casualties, which greatly reduced the results of the battle and made him very angry.
Regardless, it was still a victory, and the soldiers were in high spirits, so Cao Yi couldn't keep a sullen expression for too long. He then softened his expression and said slowly to Liu Ba, "If you had stopped the Shu bandits, I would have given you the greatest credit, but now you can only be ranked fifth. Do your best!"
Having said this, he ordered his generals to clean up the battlefield and take stock of the spoils. They had killed or captured approximately five thousand men, along with a large number of horses and armor. This was arguably the most devastating loss the Han army had ever suffered since its founding. However, the Qi forces also paid a considerable price in this ambush. Their feigned defeat during the night raid to lure the enemy, coupled with their failed attempt to intercept the Han army, resulted in the loss of nearly three thousand men. For Cao Yi, it was a victory, but it was nothing more than a victory that did not change anything.
While the generals were resting, Cao Yi unexpectedly received news from Su Jun's troops that the Han army, which had been previously released, had directly seized Zishan Garrison. Although Su Jun had managed to stop the Han army from coming to their aid, he was unable to defeat them. Therefore, Su Jun came to Cao Yi to ask for instructions on the next steps.
This was another unexpected situation. Cao Yi's previous plan was that after Su Jun's troops feigned defeat, the Han army would pursue and capture some prisoners. They would then have to spend a lot of time cleaning up the battlefield and escorting them back to camp. This should have been enough time for Su Jun's troops to regroup and join forces with Cao Yi's troops to annihilate both Han armies.
Unexpectedly, this part of the Han army acted contrary to the usual Han army behavior, displaying an unusually eagerness for quick success. They abandoned a large number of prisoners and went directly to capture Zishan Garrison, causing Su Jun to surrender the garrison before he could even reorganize his troops. Although the Han army reinforcements had been defeated and retreated, this detachment of Han troops had occupied Zishan Garrison, making it difficult to capture in the short term.
Zishan Garrison is the Qi army's foothold in Huainan. If it cannot be recaptured, how can the siege of Shouchun be lifted? After understanding the reasons, Cao Yi became even more furious. What should have been a resounding victory had turned into such a mess, which was unacceptable.
However, Su Jun was a favorite general of the Emperor of Daxing and was quite capable. He had made great contributions in this night raid to lure the enemy, so Cao Yi could not get angry with him. Instead, he asked in a consultative tone, "Zishan Garrison is a strategic location that must not be lost. When does the general plan to recapture it?"
Su Jun quickly sent another messenger to reply: "The enemy troops here are no ordinary people. They are the troops of Du Zeng, who challenged our army in the past. According to what he said, Liu Xian's eldest son, Liu Lang, is also there. He personally leads the troops and fights the enemy, which makes their morale very high. I'm afraid it will be difficult to recover them quickly."
Upon hearing this, Cao Yi was first taken aback, then overjoyed. He immediately led his troops back to Zishan Garrison to inspect the camp. At the same time, he interrogated the existing Han prisoners to confirm that Liu Lang, the Duke of Longxi, was indeed inside the camp. He then smiled and said to Su Jun, "There is such a great gift. I can now report to the Emperor."
After saying this, he ordered all Qi troops to prepare for a general attack on Zishan Garrison.
The Qi troops, having toiled all night with feigned defeats, marches, and fierce battles, were utterly exhausted. According to the original plan, they should have been resting and eating at Zishan Garrison by now, but instead, they were forced to attack the fortress on empty stomachs – how could they possibly succeed? In contrast, Liu Lang, Du Zeng, and others seized the opportunity to enjoy a delicious meal of mutton they had prepared beforehand. Their energy was still high, and although their forces were smaller, they could rely on the terrain to hold their ground and rotate their troops. This contrast made the disparity between the two sides extremely obvious. After several rounds of fighting, the Han army was unable to break through, and the Qi troops were equally unable to recapture their camp. If, at this point, the Han army had managed to attack the Qi troops from the flank, they would likely have achieved a great victory. However, after Guo Song and his men retreated, He Pan was reorganizing the defenses and was unaware of the situation. Furthermore, with Shouchun under siege, he dared not advance hastily, thus missing another golden opportunity.
Faced with this situation, Cao Yi took the first step. Realizing that he could not recapture Zishan Garrison in a short time, he urgently transferred the troops of Li Yun, the governor of Xuzhou in Huaibei, to the south. He built another ring of fortifications around Zishan Garrison, intending to trap Liu Lang inside. At the same time, he realized that given Liu Lang's important status, the Han army would surely come to his aid. So he set up a series of mountain formations, intending to besiege the point and attack any reinforcements.
Liu Lang, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and wait for his doom. Taking advantage of the fact that the Qi people below the mountain were building their camp and hadn't yet fully encircled the enemy, he found a rope, lowered a bamboo basket down from the cliff, and then sent a messenger to secretly slip through the forest and return to Shouchun to deliver the message. He Pan then learned the details of the Zishan garrison. After Guo Song's ambush, his mood had been extremely low, and he had thought that Liu Lang had also been ambushed and there was still no news of him, so his chances of survival were slim. Now, knowing that Liu Lang and Du Zeng's forces were still intact and that they had occupied Zishan garrison, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least this way, he could still report back to the King of Han.
However, by this point, a new situation had emerged. Although the Qi army had lost Zishan Garrison, the encirclement was nearly complete, and having just won a battle, their morale was high. A direct frontal assault would clearly play right into the enemy's hands. After careful consideration, He Pan ordered Du Hong to lead the navy to attack the Qi army's pontoon bridge, attempting to cut off their retreat and force them to lift the siege.
Du Hong's naval offensive was indeed extremely fierce. He led over a hundred warships, modified by Zhang Yi, down the river in a mighty force, launching a major attack on the Qi people. He ordered his navy to split into three groups, one heading towards the north bank and the other towards the south bank, firing dense barrages at the Qi soldiers coming to their aid. He himself led the warships equipped with batons, firing wildly at the pontoon bridge.
The Qi army had soldiers guarding the pontoon bridge, but they had never seen such a weapon before. They saw a warship approaching, propelled by a long pole laden with huge stones. The Han soldiers on board used winches to pull up the pole, then suddenly released it upon approaching, causing the huge stones to fall and smash the fragile pontoon bridge to pieces. The poor Qi soldiers tried to retaliate with crossbows, but the power of the two forces was no match; many were swept away by the current and disappeared without a trace. The Qi soldiers on the shore could only watch helplessly as the Han army arrived unexpectedly and then drove away, unable to stop it.
The Han army's surprise attack was very successful, inflicting nearly a thousand casualties on the Qi army while suffering negligible losses themselves. However, the ultimate strategic objective was not achieved. The Huai River is not like the Yangtze River; its width varies from over two hundred zhang to just over one hundred zhang, and its current is relatively slow. With the Qi army's current manpower and resources, rebuilding would only take one night.
After the defeat, Cao Yi discussed with his subordinates and devised a way to resist the Han navy. It was already winter, and although the Huai River, unlike the Yellow River, wouldn't freeze in winter, the water level would inevitably drop during the dry season. He briefly tested the waters and found the river to be no more than ten feet deep. He then thought that perhaps they could change the crossing point and, while rebuilding the pontoon bridge, drive dense piles upstream. If the Han army tried to attack the pontoon bridge again, it would inevitably run aground, rendering their navy, no matter how powerful, useless.
This tactic truly struck at the heart of the problem. Although the Han navy dominated the river, the Huai River was so long that it was impossible for ships to patrol hundreds of miles of the river at all times. They also needed to return to camp for supplies, and the troops could only be concentrated in one place. The Qi army did not understand this at first. They rebuilt the pontoon bridge twice, but it was destroyed by the Han army before it was completed. However, on the third attempt, the Qi army simply built two pontoon bridges at the same time. When fighting the Han army upstream, the pontoon bridge was destroyed again, but the pontoon bridge and wooden piles downstream were already completed. The Han army was indeed helpless, and the Qi people finally restored their connection with Huaibei.
However, by the time they rebuilt the pontoon bridge, a month had already passed since the Han army besieged Shouchun. The Han army did not stop its water attacks because of the war; on the contrary, because the Qi army was busy besieging Zishan Garrison, it did not harass Shouchun anymore, which allowed the dikes downstream of the Fei River to be completed ahead of schedule.
After the weir was officially sealed, the water level around Shouchun gradually rose, and within two days, nearly half of the city gates were submerged. The Jin army inside Shouchun had to use stones and beams to prop up the city gates to prevent them from being washed away by the flood. Even so, the river water continued to seep into the city, submerging streets, houses, and official residences. The residents had to climb the city walls to live. Looking down, they saw that the surrounding area was a vast expanse of water, and Shouchun resembled an isolated island in the water. They watched the Han army ships swimming back and forth on the water like sharks. The Jin army was terrified and could only take turns resting, keeping bonfires burning at night.
If the Han army were to launch a general offensive against Shouchun at this time, it would likely capture it completely within two or three days. However, He Pan's naval attack was not intended to breach the city, but rather to prevent Wang Yan and his forces from being wiped out. Furthermore, the battle of Shouchun was no longer relevant to the overall war effort; rescuing Liu Lang's besieged troops had become the top priority. Therefore, during this period, he only left a small number of naval troops to monitor Shouchun, while the majority of his forces were deployed to the garrison at Beishan to devise a plan to relieve Liu Lang's siege.
Warfare is a strange thing. When the Qi army launched its offensive, it was to relieve the Han army's siege. But a little over a month later, the situation reversed, and now it was the Han army that was relieving the Qi army's siege.
Given the terrain of Mount Bagong, the Han army could easily guess the Qi army's plan to besiege and ambush reinforcements, and therefore was unwilling to launch a direct attack, otherwise they would inevitably suffer heavy losses. So they discussed a plan, believing that since they could not destroy the pontoon bridge, they should take advantage of their navy to raid the Qi army's rear in Huaibei. The Qi army's grain and fodder supplies at Zishan Garrison had been occupied by Liu Lang and others, so the supplies they could replenish from the rear would certainly be limited. Moreover, Huaibei was Qi's own territory, and if chaos broke out, it might force Cao Yi to retreat.
He Pan then ordered Meng Tao's troops to cross the Huai River, lead the navy northward along the Ru River, and directly attack Ruyin.
The Han army's sudden advance into Huaibei to wage war had far exceeded the initial battle plan, but given the circumstances, it had no choice but to proceed. Ruyin was caught completely off guard and was quickly captured by Meng Tao. However, this action greatly angered the Emperor of Daxing. Not only did he not order Cao Yi to retreat, but he also dispatched Liu Zhongdao with 30,000 troops from Yanzhou to join the battle, attempting to recapture Ruyin. Meng Tao's force numbered only a few thousand, and unwilling to fight the Qi army alone deep in enemy territory, he abandoned Ruyin and withdrew.
But things had come to this point, and the Qi army's reinforcements would not be withdrawn. The Han army was now at a disadvantage in terms of manpower. He Pan had no other choice but to write to Jiang An, requesting the King of Han to send further reinforcements. From this moment on, a stalemate had formed between the two sides, with the situation constantly escalating. The longer the stalemate lasted, the greater the cost to the losing side would be, and it might even lead to a decisive battle between the two countries, something neither side wanted to see.
Overall, the Qi army, situated in the Central Plains, had greater ease of access to supplies and troop movement. In a prolonged war, the balance of power would lean more towards the Qi army. In contrast, the Han army's supply lines were much longer, and the longer the conflict dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be. This forced He Pan to consider the possibility of a direct confrontation with the Qi army.
As they grappled with this dilemma, it was already late November. It was approximately the fifth day since Liu Zhongdao led his army south to Ruyin. A chilly wind was blowing, and frost had already appeared. Meanwhile, the first batch of Han reinforcements, numbering over 40,000, had arrived in Shouchun ahead of schedule. Leading them was Zhou Qi, the former Jin army's Eastern Garrison Advisor and now the Han army's Southern Central General. (End of Chapter)