Jinting Han people

Chapter 748 Good Fortune Shines Brightly

Now that the Han army's surprise force had entered Taicheng and joined forces with Zhou Qi's troops, the Han army's offensive against Shitoucheng and Baishipi also subsided.

After the soldiers returned to Caizhou by boat to rest and recount their numbers and supplies, it became clear that the Han army had suffered considerable losses in the day's attack.

On the Stone City front, Wang Dun's troops attacked the city with their golden-winged warships, while Huangfu Dan's troops landed on the east side of the city to block enemy reinforcements. This attack by the Han army was intended to draw the attention of Liu Lang's forces and also to test the fortifications of Stone City; therefore, it was not a mere formality but a real battle.

The Han army fought fiercely for a day, but Stone City was flanked by steep cliffs on two sides overlooking the river and facing mountains on the other, making the attack naturally difficult. However, at high tide, the Han army was pleasantly surprised to find that their warships were level with the city walls, allowing them to directly storm the city. Unexpectedly, this was a trap. When the tide receded, the warships sank with the water level, leaving the Han army without reinforcements and trapped in a siege. This resulted in the Jiangzhou army's major losses that day, with over a thousand dead or wounded.

At Baishibei, the intensity of the battle escalated. Du Tao and Tao Kan deployed 6,000 troops ashore at once to launch a surprise attack on Baishibei and Mufushan. Because Gao Liang's forces were hampered by the fire ships, the situation was somewhat better than before. However, while Su Jun was resisting Liu Lang, Wang Mi did not recall Gao Liang's troops to reinforce the area, but instead ordered him to continue fighting at Baishibei. Thus, under the pincer attack of Gao Liang and Liu Ba, the Han army's numerical disadvantage was still quite evident. This was anticipated. After losing over 600 men, Du Tao chose to withdraw his troops from Baishibei.

Before leaving, Tao Kan was cautious. He did not withdraw all his soldiers, but secretly left more than a hundred men to hide deep in Mufu Mountain. He also left a small boat loaded with supplies for them to lie in wait as a surprise force for the next attack.

The combined losses from the three battlefields brought the Han army's casualties to over two thousand men that day. For the Han army, which was already outnumbered, this number was not something they could easily bear, and the entire army showed signs of exhaustion.

However, the morale of the army remained considerable, as the initial plan had been successfully completed. The King of Longxi led his troops in a series of victories around Jianye City, and Zhou Qi's digging up of the Qi people's earthen mounds greatly damaged their morale. Strategically speaking, the Han army could be considered to have achieved a complete victory.

Now is the time to rest and recover our strength. As long as Cai Zhou and others receive a reply from Taicheng confirming the time for the two armies to jointly attack Shitou City, and launch a second offensive, the Han army will most likely gain the advantage in the Jianye area.

However, in the following days, some unusual things happened in the army, casting a shadow over the hearts of the Han soldiers.

Unbeknownst to them, the Han army had been at Jianye City for more than ten days, and winter had arrived in the blink of an eye. The north wind on the river had become increasingly fierce, and the army was now stationed on a damp and cold sandbar, which led to the gradual emergence of diarrhea, typhoid fever, and rheumatism among the Han soldiers. The scale of the infection quickly spread to thousands of people, and even the horses and donkeys carried with the army died of disease.

This resulted in a considerable number of non-combat casualties. Faced with this situation, Liu Xian had no choice but to transfer the wounded and sick troops to the Wujiang area for rest and recuperation. He also urgently summoned doctors from Huainan and Yangzhou, gathered medicines, and treated the sick. At the same time, following the advice of Lu Yun and others, he ordered all units to rebuild their camps, raise the barracks as much as possible, and add more reeds under the tents. He also ordered the soldiers not to drink raw water, but to boil it and drink the hot soup instead.

Unexpectedly, before this rectification was completed, Liu Xian himself fell ill again.

This wasn't surprising. Since contracting carbuncles during his previous trip to Shu, Liu Xian had survived, but his health hadn't fully recovered, and he suffered from noticeable aftereffects. Approaching forty, on rainy days, his old wounds and aches would flare up as if being stabbed or stabbed, making it difficult for him to ride a horse as he once did. Now, in Jianye, his tireless efforts for the war had further damaged his health. Even with Li Xiu's close care, he couldn't endure it for more than a few days before catching a cold.

No matter when or where, the emperor's health is of paramount importance. Therefore, the news of Liu Xian's illness caused quite a stir in the army. Generals from all departments came to visit the emperor and found him bedridden, his face ashen, and he had to stop to catch his breath and cough even when he spoke a single word, which inevitably made them even more worried.

Therefore, Wang Dun suggested that the emperor first go to Shicheng County in Xuancheng Commandery to seek medical treatment, and that he take over the Han army's war in Yangzhou. In any case, the plan had already been determined, so it should be carried out step by step.

But Liu Xian immediately refused, saying to everyone, "Please rest assured, this is just a minor illness. I will recover with a little rest. Being tossed around in the river will only make a minor illness worse."

This is certainly not the truth. A cold can be a minor or major illness. Young people might be able to tough it out, but for most people, a cold can be fatal. It should be noted that there were several major epidemics during the Jian'an period, and more than half of the deaths were due to typhoid fever. It was precisely because typhoid fever caused so many deaths that famous doctors like Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing, who have been passed down through the ages, emerged during the late Han Dynasty.

Li Xiu had also studied relevant medical skills, so she could naturally see that although Liu Xian's condition was not fatal, he would need a long period of rest to recover. Therefore, she privately advised him, "Your Majesty, the current environment is not good for your health. Treating illness is like going into battle; medicine is only an aid. Ultimately, it is up to the body to overcome the disease itself. If you continue to stay here, it will be difficult for you to recover."

Liu Xian understood this principle, but he insisted on not leaving. However, when facing Li Xiu, he couldn't speak official jargon; he had to tell the truth:

“Shuniang, given the current situation, I have no way to leave. The battle is urgent, and as long as I am here, everyone will know that I am still in good health and can fight without any doubts. If I leave, the soldiers will not see me and will become suspicious. If the Qi people find out, they will exaggerate my illness everywhere, and it is not impossible for the army to fall into chaos. At that time, how can they have the mind to continue fighting? The only result will be a retreat.”

“To put it bluntly, I am now the commander-in-chief of the army. If I leave, it will be like changing commanders on the eve of battle, which is extremely disadvantageous. The reason why Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was unwilling to withdraw from the Northern Expedition even when he was seriously ill is the same reason.” Li Xiu remained silent for a long time after hearing this. She had to admit that Liu Xian’s words made sense, but at the same time she was worried. So she asked softly again, “Your Majesty, but now the soldiers in the army are constantly suffering from disease, and our side is outnumbered. Given the situation, if we continue to fight, can our army really win?”

Liu Xian, however, took it all in stride. Despite his illness, his words still radiated confidence as he resolutely told Li Xiu, "Rest assured, while we are indeed suffering from acclimatization issues, so are the Qi people. Our army, comprised mostly of southerners, is already experiencing this. The Qi army is not Wu; how can they be unaffected? I fear their maladjustment will be even more severe than ours!"

At this point, Liu Xian changed the subject, clutching his chest and jokingly said, "Besides, Shuniang, I have a lucky star protecting me here, so good things are bound to happen. How could I possibly lose?"

"Lucky Star? Where is the Lucky Star?" As soon as Li Xiu uttered the words, she immediately realized that the Emperor was teasing her. She couldn't help but blush and gently pinched Liu Xian, which made Liu Xian chuckle.

Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, for in the following two days, the Han army received three pieces of good news in succession.

The first piece of good news came from Yi'an with a report of victory. The report was written by Fu Chang, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, who informed the Emperor that General Li Ju, after leading his army north to Nanyang, had successfully captured Wancheng, a key town in the Qi-Han region, in just over ten days!

Li Ju employed a classic tactic of besieging a point to lure reinforcements. Although his initial objective was Wancheng, he deliberately abandoned it, instead detouring to attack Duyang County, northwest of Wancheng. Duyang, situated between the Funiu and Tongbai Mountains, was a crucial link between Nanyang and Xiangcheng prefectures. Capturing it and garrisoning it would effectively isolate Wancheng. In other words, this was a vital point for the Qi army to defend.

Upon learning the news, Liu Ling, the King of Qi-Han-Cai, was indeed extremely anxious. He naturally could not stand idly by and watch Duyang fall, but he dared not engage in a direct battle with the Han army. So he came up with a compromise: if the Han army crossed Wancheng to attack Duyang, it would be equivalent to exposing his own supply lines. He could then force Li Ju to withdraw his troops by attacking the supply lines.

In mid-October, Liu Ling learned that a convoy of Han troops laden with provisions had departed from Xinye, and immediately led several thousand cavalry to launch a surprise attack. The two armies met at the turn of the day, about forty li from Wancheng. Upon seeing the Qi army's attack, the Han troops transporting the provisions scattered and abandoned their wagons and horses. Liu Ling quickly counted the supplies and found that there were a full fifty thousand bushels of provisions, enough for Wancheng for two months. Overjoyed, he decided to transport the provisions back to Wancheng.

But this played right into Li Ju's plan. He used the grain as bait to lure the defenders of Wancheng out, and after capturing the grain, the Qi army's speed was greatly slowed, leaving them no time to guard against the Han army's attack. Under these circumstances, Li Ju ordered Guo Mo to lead 3,000 elite cavalry to intercept them. The result was a resounding success. Guo Mo not only inflicted a major defeat on Liu Ling's forces but also pursued them for over 30 li in the chaos, chasing them all the way from Bowangpo to the walls of Wancheng.

Seeing their own defeated soldiers scattered all around the city and not knowing the whereabouts of their commander Liu Ling, the defenders of Wancheng were terrified and formally surrendered to the Han army. Thus, Li Ju recaptured Wancheng without bloodshed, opening the northern gateway for the Han army into the Central Plains.

The second piece of good news came from Yangzhou itself. Since the Qi people crossed the river, Gu Rong's cousin, Gu Zhong, had been trying to repel them and recover lost territory while cut off from communication. However, due to insufficient strength, he failed twice in his attempts to attack Shouchang and had to retreat to the Xin'an area to rest and regroup.

Here, Gu Zhong finally learned of the Emperor's personal expedition. Overjoyed, he infiltrated Wuxing County again, this time as a relative of the Emperor, to rally the various tribes in support. This time, he succeeded, gathering nearly seven thousand troops. Gu Zhong then traveled through Xuancheng County, rushing to join the Emperor. According to messengers, he would arrive within ten days. Given the current shortage of manpower in Yangzhou's Han army, these seven thousand troops, while perhaps not as battle-hardened as the main Han force, were familiar with the terrain, skilled in boat handling, and knowledgeable in water—a valuable and much-needed force to alleviate the immediate crisis.

It was through Gu Zhong's messenger that Liu Xian learned that Sima Chi, Gan Zhuo, and others were fleeing to the Zhoushan Islands, and that they had left behind several thousand troops.

The third piece of good news came from Jianye City. After Liu Lang, Dai Yuan, and Zhou Qi met, Zhou Qi agreed with the emperor's strategy and expressed his willingness to cooperate in the battle outside the city. However, instead of using the pre-arranged signal of fire to communicate, Zhou Qi, to show his sincerity, ordered his son Zhou Xie to swim across the Qingxi River to make contact. Zhou Xie was truly remarkable; he not only swam across the Qingxi River but also crossed the Yangtze River several miles from Xinting, swimming up to Caizhou in the icy, turbulent waters. He then reported to the emperor the situation in the city and the true strength of the Qi forces.

The situation in Taicheng was fine. Although Zhou Qi's troops had dwindled to just over six thousand men after the loss of Stone City, Jianye City had ample supplies of provisions and provisions, enough for a year, so the Qi people were helpless. Their ability to hold out until now, in terms of both combat strength and loyalty, made them among the best of the Wu people, and they were all worthy of the emperor's command.

However, the most important thing was the situation of the Qi people. Just as Liu Xian had predicted, not only had an epidemic broken out in the Han army, but the Qi army had also shown symptoms of acclimatization problems. In addition, they did not know how to protect themselves from mosquitoes near the water, nor did they know how to use nearby herbs for treatment. After a major battle, most of the wounded soldiers developed infected wounds, and then the epidemic began to spread. Looking out from the watchtower in Taicheng, one could see many small mounds at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain. These were the remains of several thousand Qi people who had died from their illnesses and were buried nearby.

Therefore, Zhou Qi advised the emperor to be on guard. Since the Qi people were in such a disadvantageous situation, they might take measures such as night attacks to turn the tide of the war. He asked the emperor to first prepare for defenses on the sandbar before launching a second offensive.

This was indeed a very timely warning. The very next night, seeing that the westerly winds had weakened, the Qi people dispatched more than twenty fire ships from the Zhuque River to attempt to attack the Han fleet on Bailuzhou Island. However, before the Qi people could even get close enough to light the fires, they were discovered in time by the Han army's night patrol fleet. The Qi people had no choice but to hastily set fire to their ships and leave, ultimately failing to burn any of the Han ships.

This night raid confirmed Zhou Qi's intelligence: the Qi army had realized the situation was deteriorating and had lost the patience and confidence to continue the stalemate with the Han army, forcing them to make risky decisions. Therefore, it seems that the next confrontation, while nominally still about vying for Stone City and White Stone Slope, and unrelated to the final outcome, will likely escalate into a desperate, all-or-nothing battle, given the current atmosphere. (End of Chapter)