Jinting Han people

Chapter 758 Urgent as a Spark

Du had secretly informed Wang Mi beforehand that the Han army on Cai Island numbered only a few hundred, which was incorrect. After the Han army redeployed its forces for the battle, the actual number of personnel on Cai Island still exceeded one thousand. This included three hundred fire brigade personnel, over two hundred officials from the imperial court, over three hundred temporarily recruited laborers from Yangzhou, and over a thousand wounded and sick soldiers—these numbers alone approached two thousand. However, in addition, there were only about four hundred imperial guards specifically assigned to Liu Xian.

While the main forces of the Han and Qi armies were locked in fierce combat on Stone Mountain, the rest of the people on Cai Island, aside from the wounded and sick, were still busy. After all, regardless of the outcome of the battle, people still need food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. The fire camp was preparing food, the laborers were tidying up the barracks, the shipwrights were repairing the boats, and dozens of homeless old women were helping with washing clothes in the camp. The rhythmic sound of peach wood being used to pound clothes was reminiscent of a hopping white rabbit.

Of course, there were always some idle people in the camp, such as the servants of the officers and generals, and the second prince Liu Wei who had just been recognized as a member of the imperial family.

After meeting Liu Wei, Liu Xian considered whether to send him directly back to Yi'an. However, considering that Liu Wei had no relatives or friends in Yi'an and that they had only recently reunited, he decided to keep him by his side, just like he had done with Liu Lang a few years ago, so that the father and son could strengthen their bond. This way, he could teach Liu Wei by example and also give him time to familiarize himself with his surroundings.

However, Liu Xian hadn't anticipated that he would contract typhoid fever just a few days after their meeting. Although it wasn't a serious illness, it was still dangerous to infect his child. Left with no other option, he entrusted Liu Wei to Huan Yi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, for his care. Huan Yi, of course, didn't impose too many restrictions on the prince. Liu Wei was precocious and sensible; given a few books, he could sit at his desk all day, only occasionally asking questions, which reassured Huan Yi. Therefore, aside from three meals a day, Liu Wei was free to move about in the military camp.

After the initial excitement and satisfaction of meeting his father, Liu Wei's first reaction among the Han army was naturally curiosity. After all, he was only nine years old, and in a completely unfamiliar environment, he possessed the greatest advantage—the freedom to roam freely without restraint. This was the first time Liu Wei had experienced such a feeling. Having previously lived a life akin to semi-house arrest, he was naturally eager to explore his newfound freedom. So, every evening after dinner, he would ride a horse about half his height, circling around the edge of Caizhou.

This bright yellow pony was a gift from Liu Lang. Since learning he had gained a brother, Liu Lang hadn't felt any conflict; he was extremely proud of his status as the eldest brother. Hearing that Liu Wei's mother had passed away, he felt a pang of pity. So he gave Liu Wei a pony, and in the days before the battle, he even held the reins and personally taught Liu Wei how to ride it. Liu Wei was exceptionally quick to learn, mastering the skill in just a few days. This was the first gift he had ever received, and he cherished it dearly.

That night, the rocky mountain was ablaze with lights and the sound of drums echoed. With nothing else to do, Liu Wei rode his horse, took a torch, and gazed into the distance from the sandbar. Although he couldn't see clearly at night, Liu Wei knew that this was the day the two armies would decide their fate, and his brother was fighting bravely on the battlefield. This inevitably stirred his imagination and filled him with excitement.

After a while, Huan Yi saw that Liu Wei had not returned, so he rode his horse and came looking for him with a torch. He happened to find Liu Wei standing on the sandbar, lost in thought, and greeted him with a smile: "Your Highness, it is cold at night, you should go back and rest early."

Liu Wei hummed in agreement, but did not move. Instead, he pointed to Jianye in the distance and asked Huan Yi, "Minister, at this point, do you think our army can win today?"

Huan Yi casually said, "Your Highness, although the outcome is yet to be decided, His Majesty has never been defeated in any battle he has led. I suppose it will be the same today."

"Is that so?" Liu Wei seemed to understand, but not quite. Although he had seen his father's scarred body, Liu Xian's current thin and frail appearance made it difficult for him to imagine his father's former glory on the battlefield. However, he naturally sensed confidence in Huan Yi's words. Not only Huan Yi, but everyone he had met since joining the Han army seemed to hold an inexplicable belief in his father, which he both admired and found perplexing. Therefore, he asked, "What is it that makes Father Emperor lead the army?"

Huan Yi was taken aback upon hearing this, thinking that this was a question that could not be answered casually, so he carefully replied, "Your Majesty's ability to win every battle is of course due to your good knowledge."

"Good hearing?" Liu Wei thought it would be an answer like Ji Shao's, something about willpower, but he didn't expect it to be a different answer.

Huan Yi nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness, a king must be good at listening to the voices of others, know people first, then win people over, and only then can he govern them. Ordinary princes do not know people's hearts, and they govern people as if they were objects. Naturally, there will be disunity between superiors and subordinates, and rebellion will arise. When they go to the battlefield, they will end up in complete chaos."

Liu Wei then asked, "So, does that mean the king is omniscient?"

“That’s not quite true,” Huan Yi said patiently. “Your Highness, the ways of Heaven are unpredictable and beyond human comprehension. Moreover, people have their strengths and weaknesses, which even a king cannot control. The only thing that can be accomplished is to uphold the middle way and righteousness, and to illuminate the Great Way.”

At this point, Huan Yi chuckled slightly, thinking to himself that he had been taking things too seriously. This prince was only nine years old; how could he possibly understand? Unexpectedly, Liu Wei nodded and concluded, "In that case, being able to understand what most people are thinking is what makes a king."

Huan Yi was surprised by Liu Wei's intelligence. He stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your Highness is absolutely right." Then he thought to himself, "What a clever boy! If my son were half as clever as him, I would have no regrets."

Since joining Liu Xian's staff, Huan Yi had been busy with official duties for many years and had not married. It was only after the Battle of Yi'an, when he was wounded by Zhou Qi and narrowly escaped death, that he felt a sense of crisis and finally settled down and started a family last year. Because his ancestors were Huan Fan, the strategist of Cao Shuang, who was ordered to be executed by Sima Yi, and thus the family had fallen into the lowly ranks of the criminal family, Huan Yi was determined to use marriage to cleanse his family's name and specifically married a woman from the Confucian school.

Just before setting off, Kong was already pregnant, and judging by the time, the child would likely be born early next year. Huan Yi hoped this would be a good son who would bring glory to the family, so even before choosing a formal name, he had already thought of a courtesy name: Yuanzi, meaning that the Huan family would henceforth flourish. As for the given name, Huan Yi wanted to use the surname of a court official to absorb some of the nobility and good fortune, but it was not yet decided.

However, that's all for later. In the present, we still need to wait for this war to end. Huan Yi also hopes to return as soon as possible, at least in time for the birth of his eldest son.

Their conversation ended there, and just as they were preparing to return to camp, Liu Wei mounted his horse, suddenly frowned, paused for a moment, and asked Huan Yi, "Did you hear anything?"

Huan Yi was somewhat puzzled, but after listening intently for a moment, he did indeed notice something amiss. Unlike during the day, the wind had subsided considerably. Apart from the faint sounds of fighting in the distance, there was a strange noise in the air, a sound both familiar and unfamiliar, like the sound of a stone skipping across the water, yet it seemed to be happening far too frequently. He squinted toward the source of the sound, but the night was pitch black, as if it held some great secret, yet also as if there was nothing at all.

Compared to Huan Yi, who was busy with paperwork all day, Liu Wei's eyes were naturally brighter. He stared into the distance for a moment and finally said, "It looks like someone is rowing over, but why aren't they carrying torches?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huan Yi's expression changed drastically. What kind of ship wouldn't carry torches? The answer was obvious. In fact, just as Liu Wei realized something was wrong, the first Qi ship, the "Motu," was only about twenty zhang away from the sandbar. Although they were going upstream, the high tide made Cao Yi's ship incredibly fast. Before the two could react, the Qi had already spotted them. A strong Qi man stood at the bow of the Motu, reaching for his bow quiver with his left hand and grabbing two arrows with his right. He aimed at the two men in the torchlight and drew his bow. A whistle blew through the air; one arrow missed, while the other struck Huan Yi squarely in the left arm.

Huan Yi was completely undefended at that moment, and the arrow pierced right through his arm, causing him to bleed profusely. The excruciating pain was indescribable, but Huan Yi endured it. Knowing the urgency of the situation, he dared not delay and immediately threw down the torch in his hand, urging Liu Wei, "Thieves are coming! Come with me quickly!"

Liu Wei hadn't quite recovered from his daze, but instinctively spurred his horse to catch up. However, he was riding a small horse, which wasn't fast, and his riding skills were lacking, so he quickly fell behind. Seeing this, Huan Yi quickly slowed down, helped Liu Wei onto his own mount, and then continued on their way. At this moment, a commotion arose from the Qi people behind them, but they didn't pursue them any further.

As Huan Yi rode his horse, clutching his wound, he pondered: The Qi army is attacking. Although I don't know how many there are, they are not to be underestimated. And their target is self-evident—the Emperor! The first ship is about to land, but they still need to wait for reinforcements and assemble their ranks. It should take another two or three quarters of an hour. In this critical moment, he gritted his teeth and galloped towards the main tent, urging his horse forward while Liu Wei shouted, "The bandits are here! The bandits are here!"

The shouts instantly shattered the tranquility of Cai Zhou. The laborers and servants, upon hearing them, were somewhat bewildered, for they did not yet understand their true meaning. The soldiers, however, had already become alert. Following the shouts, they quickly gathered their weapons, still somewhat uncertain. After all, they knew neither where the enemy had come from nor how many there were, and they were also beginning to doubt the situation at the front, which slightly dampened their morale.

The officials in the camp also received the news. They were very close to the emperor's tent. Huan Yi had barely dismounted when a group of people swarmed up like sparrows, asking what had happened. But Huan Yi didn't even look at them. He simply showed his injured left arm and rushed into the emperor's tent.

Liu Xian had already been awakened. With Li Xiu's help, he managed to change his clothes, hastily tied his hair, and then sat up straight to meet Huan Yi. The matter was urgent, so Liu Xian didn't waste any words. He now fully understood Wang Mi's scheme and asked directly, "How many people came? Did you see them clearly?"

Huan Yi said, "The thieves came under cover of night, without lighting any fires, so we didn't see them clearly."

Liu Xian nodded and said to himself, "They came stealthily, so there can't be many ships, maybe two or three thousand people at most."

Huan Yi then asked, "Your Majesty, should we immediately send a warning to Wang Jiangzhou and request them to lead their troops back to reinforce him?"

Liu Xian quickly denied it, saying, "It's unnecessary. The traitors will definitely set fire to Caizhou to disrupt the morale of our main force."

"Then you should take a boat to safety and wait for news on the north shore."

"That won't work either," Liu Xian said again. "If I leave, the traitors can easily make a show of force, spread rumors that I am dead, and then attack the flanks of our navy."

He paused here, clutching his chest, and emphasized, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay on Caizhou Island and hold our ground so that our army doesn't suffer a defeat!"

This was not a discussion, but a decision that had already been made. After saying this, Liu Xian immediately got up with Li Xiu's help and walked to the outside of the tent as quickly as possible. What came into view were familiar yet nervous faces. These faces were looking at him, hoping that he would bring them victory as always.

Liu Xian quickly surveyed the group. Of the generals and officers still around him who were capable of fighting, there were only a handful, including Meng He, Zhou Xie, Wu Hu, Lai Ping, and Shangguan You. Among them, only Meng He could be considered a veteran general. Zhou Xie was Zhou Qi's eldest son, and Liu Xian was unsure of his abilities. The rest were descendants of former Shu Han officials. Liu Xian had brought them along with the intention of training them properly, and had no intention of sending them to the battlefield.

But now that things had come to this, there was no time to hesitate any longer. Liu Xian ordered in a weak but firm tone, "Take up your armor and weapons, and we'll go to the west and form a battle formation with our backs to the river."

This was a slightly risky decision, after all, there were existing fortifications to hold, and abandoning the camp to defend it would certainly be more difficult. But Liu Xian understood that once the Qi people set fire to the camp, the fire would spread and the Qi people could win without losing a single soldier, and he could not take that risk.

Fortunately, although the Qi army's attack was unexpected, Liu Xian's army was extremely disciplined, and these guards were always on standby, patrolling everywhere fully armed on horseback. They didn't need to spend too much time organizing their supplies. In just a few words, the group left the camp and headed north, quickly arriving at the riverbank west of Caizhou.

The bright moon had risen into the night sky, and the shimmering waves illuminated the sand and gravel on the sandbar. The mighty river split in two behind them, making a rushing sound, quiet and solemn. No one dared to make a sound. Liu Xian sat on a small stool, wrapped in a warm robe, squinting as he looked back at the camp they had come from. Almost simultaneously, the group had left the camp, and fires had already been lit at the gate, accompanied by the anxious cries of the servants.

But Liu Xian was already used to this atmosphere. The situation was a thousand times more critical during the bloody battle at Mangkou back then, except that most of his comrades-in-arms were no longer by his side. So he first said to Meng He, "Ahe, do you remember what I said at Mangkou eight years ago?"

Meng He would never forget that he drew his sword and said to Liu Xian, word by word, "I would throw myself into the country's peril, regarding death as returning home!"

Liu Xian chuckled softly, then turned his head and saw Liu Wei clutching his clothes, his young face showing a hint of nervousness, and his hands and feet trembling slightly. Liu Xian reached out and took his second son's hand, whispering to him, "Bai Zhou, don't be afraid. You'll know after you've experienced it that there's nothing to be afraid of. Even a thousand troops and horses are nothing in the end."

His father's words seemed to possess a magical power, conveyed through his cool yet warm hands, gradually calming Liu Wei. But this silence didn't last long; after about fifteen minutes, accompanied by thunderous footsteps and torches like fiery dragons, the Qi people had already formed a long line before Liu Xian. They crowded together in the narrow strip of sand, their iron armor frozen solid in the moonlight. (End of Chapter)