Chapter 695
The Battle of Guanzhong
In mid-July of the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Qiming of the Han Dynasty, in Huangbai City, Chiyang County, Fufeng Commandery, a major battle was drawing to a close.
The city of Huangbai is named as such because, as the name suggests, the south of the city is covered in fertile loess soil, while the north is covered in alkaline land resembling snow, creating a clear distinction between the yellow and white areas. Although Guanzhong is known for its various strange and unusual landforms, the unique terrain of Huangbai is quite rare.
In fact, this place was not originally called Huangbai City. It was the Quliang Palace built by King Ying Zheng of Qin to command the Qin army in the war against the Xiongnu and to supervise the construction of the Zheng Guo Canal. It was one of the major cities in Guanzhong. However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu established his capital in Luoyang, which led to the neglect of water conservancy in Guanzhong. The Zheng Bai Canal dried up, and without irrigation water, the saline-alkali soil north of the Quliang Palace gradually became rampant, forming a unique geographical phenomenon, which led people to rename it Huangbai City.
This also led to Huangbai City's unique strategic geographical location. As a former palace of the Qin King, the city was naturally quite large and could house a considerable number of troops. However, because the area to the north was barren, obtaining water, firewood, and supplies for defense and daily life became extremely difficult. In contrast, Huangbai City could easily obtain supplies from the south. This allowed Huangbai City to easily defend against enemies from the north, but it was also easily controlled by Chang'an.
However, for hundreds of years, Huangbai City remained relatively unknown. The reason for this was that to its north lay the Beidi and Xinping commanderies, two strategically important locations relying on the Ziwu Ridge and Liupan Mountains, which formed a better defensive line against the northern barbarians. Since the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Han people had rarely encountered attacks from the Shuofang direction penetrating deep into the Guanzhong Plain, so this place had never received much attention.
However, after the Qi Wannian Rebellion, Sima Yong took control of Chang'an. Li Han then offered him advice, pointing out the importance of Huangbai City. However, Sima Yong was busy with the struggle for supremacy in Guandong and only made minor repairs. After Sima Yong's death, the powerful clans in Guanzhong, intending to defend themselves, became increasingly aware of the importance of this place and reorganized the city. As a result, it played a crucial role in the Zhao army's recent offensive in Guanzhong.
At the end of the third year of the Qiming era, after the defeat in the Battle of Luoyang, Liu Yuan reorganized his forces and dispatched 70,000 troops, including Liu Yao, the Prince of Shian, Liu Can, the Prince of Zhongqiu, and Liu Jing, the Prince of Dunqiu, to attack Chang'an. Jia Pi led his troops to abandon the Yellow River defense line in Fengyi and retreated to Huangbai City. Liu Yao, thinking that Jia Pi was afraid of his side, led his army straight in and besieged Chang'an.
Unexpectedly, during this period, Jia Pi rallied the Qiang and Hu tribes of Longyou, amassing an army of over 100,000, and launched a sudden and fierce attack on Liu Yao's flank. The Zhao army was unprepared, and its flank was utterly destroyed by the Western Army. Liu Can, who was covering the rear, was so frightened that he fled far away. Liu Yao, who was attacking the city, led his elite troops to break out of the encirclement, while Liu Jing, who was on the flank, was directly killed by the Western Army. The Zhao army suffered a loss of over 40,000 men, which can be described as the first major defeat since the founding of the Zhao Han state.
Zhao Hanjun only then realized the importance of Huangbai City. It protected Chang'an and supported the northern region. If Chang'an was to be conquered, Huangbai City had to be broken through first.
So in the fourth year of Qiming, after Liu Cong led the Han army on its second expedition to Guanzhong, he adopted a completely new strategy. Instead of directly attacking the heart of Guanzhong, he started from the border areas. He dispatched leaders of refugees to seize the two counties of Hongnong and Shangluo to block Guanzhong from the outside world, while he himself led the main force to garrison Shuofang and gradually eroded the northern border defenses of Guanzhong.
This tactic proved remarkably effective. After years of military setbacks, the powerful clans of Guanzhong suffered significant losses, forcing them to gradually rely on the military strength of the Qiang and Di tribes of Guanzhong and Longxi in order to rebuild their armies. For instance, Jia Pi, the governor of Qinzhou, had to form a sworn brotherhood with Peng Dangzhong of the Peng clan of Anding to win over the local Lushui Hu tribes in order to resist the Zhao army. General Chen An also established extensive connections with Lu Songduo of the Tu Ge Hu tribe, and there were many other Qiang and Di tribes that supported the Western Army.
Initially, the Western Army fought against the Zhao Army in the two commanderies of Beidi and Xinping, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats, and even more victories than defeats. However, Liu Cong had already established Shuofang as his new base, rebuilding the old Han city of Fushi and undertaking large-scale development. On the one hand, he integrated the Tiefu Xiongnu and the western Xianbei, and on the other hand, he relocated artisans and reopened farmland, thus greatly reducing the logistical pressure. He was determined to fight there for a long time.
The Qiang and Di people recruited by the Western Army clearly lacked the perseverance to fight such a protracted war, which would disrupt agricultural production. They withdrew en masse. With the Western Army's frontline forces weakened and the powerful clans of Guanzhong prioritizing their own survival, the war in Guanzhong gradually shifted back in favor of the Zhao army.
After a year of fierce fighting, the Zhao army, with more defeats than victories, gradually occupied the three commanderies of Xinxing, Beidi, and Anding, as well as parts of Fengyi Commandery. The strategic locations in the north of the Guanzhong Plain were basically occupied by the Zhao Han army.
So in the winter of the fourth year of Qiming, King Liu Cong of Chu led his army to besiege Huangbai City, officially launching the Battle of Huangbai City, which lasted for a full eight months.
Even after receiving news that Liu Xian had declared himself emperor in the south, King Liu Cong of Chu remained in a relatively relaxed mood. He even had the leisure to go hunting with his subordinates on Mount Yuxue in the north of the city.
This is considered one of Liu Cong's more well-known flaws. After his experience in Luoyang, while King Liu Cong of Chu was undoubtedly exceptionally intelligent and charismatic, he also picked up some of the vices of the Central Plains scholars, namely, his aversion to mundane affairs.
Although Liu Cong possessed a unique perspective and many insightful observations, capable of devising solutions to any predicament, he simply couldn't settle down and focus. He was accustomed to unrestrained thinking and play, and even in the midst of a life-or-death battle, he couldn't help but slip away from the army to fully utilize his talents.
Fortunately, he had his brother Liu Yao. Although Liu Yao wasn't as clear-headed and as astute as Liu Cong, often failing due to his inability to accurately assess situations, he was a capable and efficient man. Given a feasible plan, he could execute it flawlessly, making him arguably Liu Cong's best assistant. Therefore, Liu Cong was happy to manage personnel and general strategies, leaving the specifics to Liu Yao while he himself remained outside the army, contemplating the overall situation.
One day, he and several trusted men were hunting in the forest when suddenly two rabbits, one white and one gray, darted out of the bushes. They quickly slipped between Liu Cong's legs and ran off into the distance, one after the other.
At this moment, Liu Cong's trusted lieutenant Zhao Gu was right beside him. Without Liu Cong saying a word, he immediately pulled a bow from the quiver beside his saddle, spurred his horse, and chased after the rabbit. As he approached the rabbit, he drew two long, slender, pointed armor-piercing arrows from his quiver, held one in his hand, and quickly drew the bowstring taut with the other, shooting it at the white rabbit ahead.
Strangely enough, perhaps fearing being overtaken, the gray rabbit in the back sped up, catching up to the white rabbit's side and running almost side-by-side. Just then, an arrow shot by Zhao Gu flew through the air, piercing the gray rabbit and then piercing the white rabbit's body. Both rabbits fell to the ground, thrashing and struggling. Zhao Gu rode up at full speed, just in time to grab them by the ears, holding one in each hand above his head, gesturing to Liu Cong, who was standing still on his horse.
Seeing Zhao Gu kill two rabbits with a single arrow, Liu Cong was overjoyed. When Zhao Gu approached, he pointed at him and said to the generals beside him, "The gray rabbit is like Chen An, and the white rabbit is like Jia Pi. Having captured Chen An, we can then defeat Jia Pi, and in one battle, we can conquer Guanzhong. Zhao Gu, we share the same surname, but your archery skills are far superior to Zhao Ran's!"
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.
In the past few months, the Zhao army and the Western army had clashed nearly a hundred times, and both sides knew each other quite well. Within the Western army, Yan Ding oversaw operations from the rear, while Chen An was the most valiant, Jia Pi the most cunning, and Zhao Ran the most stubborn on the front lines. Yan Ding assigned Zhao Ran to defend Huangbai City, Jia Pi to oversee operations in Shiping, responsible for supplying Huangbai City, and Chen An to harass the Zhao army's supply lines in the Gaolu and Wannian areas, while also attempting to recapture cities captured by the Zhao army.
The three of them worked together to repel several attacks by the Zhao army, making them the most formidable enemy of the Zhao and Han dynasties. However, Zhao Gu solemnly said, "Please rest assured, Great Chanyu, Chen An and Jia Pi are nothing to worry about. If you want to shoot, I will shoot the other two for you." "Oh?" Liu Cong laughed, "Which two do you want to shoot?"
"Yan Ding, Zu Ti".
If they could kill these two, Zhao Han's army could conquer the two capitals of Luoyang and Chang'an. Liu Cong laughed loudly upon hearing this, and everyone else laughed along with him.
After laughing, Liu Cong nodded to Zhao Gu and said, "I appreciate your kind words, but nothing is absolute."
So everyone set up a grill on the spot and began cooking their prey, while Liu Cong chatted with his newly sworn brother Liu Hu about the best way to roast venison in Luoyang. What impressed Liu Cong the most was the five-flavor preserved venison. People in Luoyang like to cut venison into palm-sized thin slices, then soak them in a broth with spices such as lamb bones, fermented black beans, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and orange peel. After cooking, they brush it with honey and air-dry it, resulting in an extremely tempting flavor.
However, Liu Hu, who was listening, was somewhat distracted. After all, as the current leader of the Tiefu Xiongnu, he was leading his army to join forces with Liu Cong to march south, not to go on a picnic. Liu Cong could naturally see that he was distracted, so he laughed and said, "What's wrong, Wulugu? You shot the fewest prey today. You're not in a very good mood!"
Wulugu was Liu Hu's Xianbei name. Liu Cong calling him that was a sign of closeness. Upon hearing this, Liu Hu immediately realized what was happening and apologized, saying, "Please forgive me, Great Chanyu. Wulugu was just thinking about the war."
"War? Wulugu is very considerate of the overall situation!" Liu Cong smiled upon hearing this, and continued, "However, given my current siege of Huangbai City, it will fall in a month at most. What is Wulugu worried about?"
At this point, the Zhao army had indeed gained the upper hand in the battle. Although Liu Cong was besieging Huangbai City, he was not merely besieging it. Instead, he patiently conquered the surrounding small strongholds, such as Huangqiu and Chiyang, which were all located around Huangbai City. At the same time, he implemented a policy of relocation, forcibly moving the surrounding people to the Beidi and Xinxing counties that had already been captured. This completely emptied the area around Huangbai City, making it extremely easy for Jia Pi's grain transport to be discovered. He had already been forced back to Shiping County by the Zhao army three times in a row. If this continued, Huangbai City would be trapped like a turtle in a jar, and its fall would only be a matter of time.
Liu Hu naturally admired Liu Cong's methods greatly, but he was thinking about something else entirely. He said, "Great Chanyu, I was thinking about Liu Xian's claim to the throne in the south. I heard from the prisoners that Yan Ding and Zhang Gui have both submitted to him. Do you think he will send reinforcements?"
"So Wulu Gu was worried about this matter. I thought it was nothing serious." Liu Cong chuckled. "The distance is too great for Liu Xian to handle! If he were stationed in Hanzhong now, I might be a little afraid of him, but he is currently far away in Gong'an. It is Yang Nandi and Liu Kun who are in charge of Bashu. Liu Kun is not good at military affairs, and Yang Nandi is just a doorman. They can defend Bashu, but they dare not risk a decisive battle with our army in Guanzhong."
“But with Liu Xian around, Yan Ding and the others will not compromise.” Liu Hu said with a frown, “They were also forced into a corner by the Great Chanyu. Seeing that the war was going against them, they actually submitted to Liu Xian and urged him to take the throne.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t compromise either.” This time, a man to Liu Cong’s right spoke up. He had fair skin, a high nose, and deep-set eyes with light brown pupils. He was clearly a Hu person with Western Region blood. He was Lu Zhuyan, the leader of the Bai tribe Xianbei.
Lu Zhuyan continued, "A few years ago, the situation might not have been so clear, but today it is much clearer. There are already three emperors. Our dynasty has the smallest territory and the fewest troops, so our chances of winning are the smallest. Yan Ding and the others are not fools. Why would they abandon the greater for the lesser?
The atmosphere froze for a moment after these words, as they were quite unpleasant. However, Liu Cong's displeasure was fleeting, and he quickly laughed and praised, "Lord Lu Zhuyan is quite impolite! But he's right, I don't need any treacherous ministers by my side!"
He patted his knee and said, “But given the current state of the world, it is not a matter of who has more troops or more territory to win. The great state of Cao Wei, which controlled two-thirds of the world, was the first of the three kingdoms to perish due to its poor internal governance. The Jin dynasty is in a similar situation now, which shows that the imperial power is weak, there are too many internal troubles, and there is no way to cure them. Therefore, no one can unify the country suddenly.”
"To bring peace to the land, we must first eliminate internal troubles," Liu Cong said eloquently. "Now that all three of us have secured our positions, it's difficult to suddenly eliminate the others. Therefore, it's time to compete in internal affairs. Whoever can revitalize imperial power first will be the future victor. From this perspective, our country isn't actually at a disadvantage; at least comparatively, the Qi people are definitely the worst..."
Liu Cong's words were actually quite rambling, and many around him couldn't keep up with his pace. However, seeing the King of Chu so animated and spirited, a certain persuasiveness naturally arose within them, and they were infected by his enthusiasm, believing it to be true. Although they didn't quite understand the underlying principles, Zhao Han's future remained very bright. At least for now, if Zhao Han continued its advance, the probability of taking Guanzhong was very high.
Just as the group had put aside their worries and were roasting their prey around the campfire and eating together, a close attendant suddenly came galloping from the foot of the mountain, saying that a messenger had come to see the King of Chu, saying that it was of utmost urgency. However, the attendant did not recognize the man and questioned him about his identity, but the man would not answer. Instead, he gave the attendant a token, saying that the King of Chu would recognize it at a glance.
Upon hearing this, Liu Cong gave an "oh," and had his attendant hand him the token. Looking closely, he saw it was a bright moon earring. Liu Cong immediately stood up, then became alert: Wasn't this the ornament he had given to his stepmother? Was this a messenger sent by Shan Mingyue? What message did she want to deliver?
Without delay, Liu Cong immediately sent men to invite the envoy up the mountain. The envoy was being helped up by Liu Cong's personal attendants. Upon seeing the King of Chu, he attempted to bow, but before he could even kneel properly, he fell to the ground. Liu Cong quickly sent men to help him up and personally fed the envoy water.
He waited until the messenger had caught his breath, then stared at him and asked, "What happened in Pingyang? What is your relationship to Mingyue? Why did she send you?"
The messenger, having regained some strength, struggled to speak: "Reporting to the Great Chanyu, I am Shanmi, the Empress's cousin. The Empress sent me to inform the Great Chanyu that His Majesty passed away three days ago! The Crown Prince has ascended the throne and claims to be in league with the Imperial Clan Court and the Imperial Guard to summon the Great Chanyu back to the capital. They intend to assassinate him upon your return! The imperial edict should arrive in three or four days. The Empress urges you not to fall into their trap and not to return to Pingyang!"
Although they were somewhat prepared, hearing this news was like a thunderbolt from the sky; everyone present exchanged bewildered glances, utterly shocked. (End of Chapter)