novelSusiti Chapter 48 Eastward Advance! Eastward Advance! Haizhou? Haizhou!
Chapter 48 Eastward Advance! Eastward Advance! Haizhou? Haizhou!
Following the orders of Emperor Guo Rong, Zhou's 180,000 troops crossed the Huai River and split into three routes. The western route, led by Li Chongjin, consisted of about 10,000 cavalry who took advantage of the defeat of the main force of the Desheng Army to march south along the river from Bagong Mountain southwest of Shouzhou, sweeping through the Desheng Army's jurisdiction.
Li Chongjin's troops were to seek an opportunity west of Shouzhou to annihilate the Yu Kingdom's army, especially those that dared to reinforce Shouzhou. At the same time, they were to mobilize more than 10,000 imperial infantry to garrison key land and water routes southwest of Shouzhou to support Li Chongjin's operations.
Riding on the momentum of his great victory, Li Chongjin pursued Liu Yanzhen in the direction she had fled. He broke through all who stood in his way and surrendered all who were attacked. The iron cavalry of the north shattered the dreams of countless young women. Soon, his army would reach Luzhou. Luzhou was in danger, and Huaixi was greatly shaken!
The central route, temporarily led by Zhao Quanzhong, consisted of 50,000 cavalry and infantry, who besieged the main force of the Qinghuai Army in the cities near Shouzhou. The veteran general Liu Renzhan was firmly pinned down inside the city, prevented from having any contact with the outside world.
Liu Renzhan saw off the imperial envoy ahead of time and sent his last memorial to the court. He was at peace with the situation, as the main force of the Qinghuai Army was still intact and the defense system built up over the years remained complete. The situation had not yet reached the point of no return.
The old general, dressed in plain white, held a memorial service in Shouzhou for the fallen soldiers of the Desheng Army, vowing to fight the Zhou army to the bitter end. Liu Renzhan's prestige and courage in defending their homeland inspired the Qinghuai Army soldiers to fight bravely.
The siege was fraught with difficulties from the start, with unexpected battles erupting between the two armies every day. Zhao Quanzhong aimed to starve the city's inhabitants, while Liu Renzhan refused to allow Zhou's army to successfully complete the siege. Through wave after wave of clashes, the two renowned generals from the north and south quickly came to understand the formidable opponent they faced.
The Eastern Route Army consisted of 50,000 cavalry and infantry, led by Fu Zhongdao, the brother-in-law of Guo Rong and the second son of the Prince of Fu. They launched an eastern expedition from Shouzhou, with the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry as the vanguard, advancing eastward from the south bank of the Huai River, their forces aimed directly at the important towns of Chuzhou and Haizhou in Huaidong.
The main task along this route is to block the Yu Kingdom's reinforcements from Chuzhou and Guangling. If possible, annihilate or severely damage them, and then seize the opportunity to capture Chuzhou and Haizhou. However, given the strong defenses of these two important cities, no forceful demands are being made.
Guo Rong is still on his way with 70,000 troops. Once Guo Rong arrives in Shouzhou with his last main force, he may take further action.
(The battlefield geography and military operations are shown in the diagram below.)
The reason why the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry was specifically ordered to be the vanguard of the Eastern Route Army was naturally because this army consisted entirely of soldiers and officers from the Huai region. They were very familiar with the geography and people of Huaidong, and the Privy Council had very good reasons for using them.
The Black Spear Dragon Cavalry set off as the vanguard, with Li Xuan's Second Left Wing Army serving as its vanguard, leading the eastern route army.
On a hillside beside an official road, a large group of officers were holding a meeting. Below the hillside, along the road, were densely packed columns of the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry, all on foot, some leading mules and horses, others providing escorts. They came from the west and headed east, all dressed in red robes and black armor, flowing like molten lava along the road. Inspired by the victories of their allies, everyone was filled with excitement: Eastward! Eastward!
Commander Han Kun stood on the high ground, looking with satisfaction at his own soldiers whose morale was high. He turned to the officers participating in the open-air meeting and called out directly, "Ziyu, Huaidong is your old territory. Tell me your thoughts. How exactly should this eastern expedition be fought, especially how can our Black Spear Dragon Cavalry Army reap the greatest credit? Don't go off-topic."
Everyone burst into laughter, their eyes fixed on Li Xuan with eager, undisguised fervor. Compared to the other units of the Eastern Route Army, the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry had local comrades among their ranks. If they couldn't achieve great merit in this battle, where would they find a reason to complain?
Li Xuan understood everyone's expectations, and he also hoped to make great contributions and gain greater influence in the army.
Li Xuan first took out a package from behind his back. Inside the package were several scrolls. With the help of several of Han Kun's personal guards, Li Xuan used them as human supports to carefully unroll the scrolls one by one. The first scroll was a map of the entire Lianghuai region. It marked as many prefectures, counties, cities, official roads, and waterways as possible.
Han Kun shouted, "Good, Li Ziyu, you are truly remarkable. With the map, I finally feel more confident."
Maps are actually quite rare these days. Even in the Bianliang court, the only map of the Jianghuai region is a collection from the Great Yu Dynasty's Privy Council, dating back a hundred years. Perhaps the Great Yu Dynasty officials collected many maps of the entire country back then. But the Great Zhou Dynasty could only find that one copy, and since it's with Guo Rong now, it's impossible to give it to Han Kun.
Han Kun was pleasantly surprised, and the others had almost never seen a map before. The two commanders of the garrison and the other three military commanders gathered in front of several maps to examine them carefully, and they were all impressed but confused—they couldn't understand them.
First of all, they couldn't read. The cities, waterways, roads, and mountains marked on the map looked familiar, but they really didn't recognize them. Without these features, how could they determine their location or know which way to go?
In the past, when we went to fight in unfamiliar areas, we would directly ask the local guide to lead the team. As long as we captured the guide's whole family as hostages, we almost never led the wrong team.
So after the initial surprise, everyone knew that Li Xuan had to take on the vanguard mission, since he was a walking map.
Han Kun is educated. He used to be a monk and learned some characters in the temple. Although he didn't know many, he could barely understand Buddhist scriptures.
So he stepped forward and looked carefully, then gently pointed to Shouzhou and said, "This is Shouzhou. This road is the official road we are on. If we follow this road eastward, this is Chuzhou, where the Huai River and the Han Canal meet."
If the reinforcements from Guangling want to reach Shouzhou, they must either advance west across the Yangtze River to Luzhou and then north from Luzhou, or they must advance north along the Han Canal to Chuzhou and then west across the Huai River. Luzhou is the responsibility of the Western Route Army. Our mission is to cut off all communication between Chuzhou and the outside world. No matter how many troops from Guangling come, we must annihilate them within Chuzhou's borders. Ziyu, tell us what we should do.”
Li Xuan nodded, instructing his personal guards to put away the map of the Huai River region he had drawn. Pointing to another map of Huai East, he said, "Your subordinate obeys. Please take a look. The Chuzhou mentioned by the commander-in-chief is right here. This is the Hangou Canal, also known as the Jianghuai Canal. It flows into the Huai River at Chuzhou in the north and into the Yangtze River at Guangling in the south."
The Yu state's main deployment along the Huai River was the Qinghuai Army in Shouzhou and the Huaian Army in Chuzhou. However, when assessing the troop strength in Chuzhou, one cannot focus solely on Chuzhou and the Grand Canal. Northeast of Chuzhou lies a relatively large city, Haizhou, Yu's only city north of the Huai River. Yu had long cultivated its presence there, establishing a dedicated Haizhou Army. However, its troop strength was far inferior to that of Chuzhou and Shouzhou.
To besiege and blockade Chuzhou, we must defend against the Yu army of Guangling to the south and the Yu army of Haizhou to the east. Due to the ingenious geographical division of Chuzhou, we must be prepared to fight on two separate battlefields, with little support between them. I believe this is risky, but we must win on both battlefields.
Just now, the Commander-in-Chief ordered me to pick out a piece of fatty meat to eat. After thinking it over, I'll leave the battlefield south of Chuzhou to others. Our Black Spear Dragon Cavalry will bypass Chuzhou and advance into Haizhou, operating between Haizhou and Chuzhou, intercepting and annihilating the Yu army coming from Chuzhou. They'll surely be quite formidable."
The Right Wing Commander asked doubtfully, "According to the information reported by the Privy Council, the three towns along the Huai River in Yu State have around 30,000 troops in Shouzhou and about 25,000 in Chuzhou. This Haizhou only has about 10,000 troops. Do they have the courage to send troops to relieve Chuzhou? Ziyu, Haizhou has few troops, poor land, and a very strong city. This is hardly a piece of fat meat; it's probably not even a rib."
The other officers nodded in agreement. Han Kun said with interest, "Ziyu, tell me your reasons. After all, we are outsiders. Relying on information from the Privy Council to fight is bound to make us blind."
Li Xuan smiled and said, "If the Privy Council can give us the information, it can also give it to Commander Fu (Fu Zhongdao, the commander of the Eastern Route Army). The entire Eastern Route Army thinks of Haizhou as a piece of pork rib, or even less appealing. So we can take the initiative to request to seize this piece of pork rib. I guarantee that as soon as we get our hands on this piece of pork rib, we will immediately find that it is actually a piece of fat meat. The only worry is that the meat is too big, and we don't have enough troops. It might even overwhelm us."
Han Kun and the others showed expressions of surprise and delight. Han Kun laughed heartily and said, "Stop fooling around. What treasures does Haizhou have? Where are they located?"
Li Xuan began to introduce the situation of Haizhou: "Haizhou is the best seaport north of the Yangtze River. During the Dayu Dynasty, it was the place where the imperial court set off to confer titles on envoys from Silla and other countries. It was also the place where envoys from Silla and Japan landed. Maritime trade was very prosperous. Unfortunately, there have been many wars in recent years, and Haizhou Port has declined. Nevertheless, its foundation remains."
To facilitate transportation in Haizhou, the Dayu Dynasty constructed a canal that ran from Haizhou Port in the east to Chuzhou in the west, where it entered the Huai River. Therefore, goods unloaded at Haizhou Port could be directly loaded onto riverboats, transported via the canal to Chuzhou, entered the Huai River, and then traveled north to Luoyang via the Tongji Canal.
"Now, the State of Yu possesses the most powerful navy in the land, including its maritime fleet. Haizhou's annual supplies come either from the canals of Chuzhou or from the navy departing from Jinling and sailing directly to Haizhou Port. And now, with our main force of the Eastern Route Army approaching Chuzhou, the best plan for the State of Yu to support Chuzhou is..."
Han Kun suddenly realized and said, "The best way is to send troops from Guangling northward along the Jianghuai Canal. At the same time, send troops to Haizhou, and from Haizhou send troops westward along the canal to relieve Chuzhou. We should advance on two fronts, by both land and water. As long as one of our forces enters Chuzhou, the Chuzhou army, once reinforced, will have the ability to compete with us for control of the land and water routes. They could even launch a pincer attack, a decisive battle, and annihilate our army."
"I ask you, given the capabilities of the Yu Kingdom's navy, how many troops do you think the Yu Kingdom's court would send to reinforce Haizhou? Our Longxiang Army is currently not at full strength; not counting each general's personal guard, we only have a little over six thousand men. Including all the officers' personal guards, that's only eight thousand. Wouldn't that be too many people? Did you mean something like 'the meat is too big' earlier?"
Li Xuan clasped his hands and said, "General, you are wise. This is exactly what I am worried about. With the capabilities of the Yu Kingdom's navy, they can transport 10,000 to 20,000 men to Haizhou Port at a time. After joining forces with the Haizhou army, the reinforcements in this direction could reach 20,000. The Huai'an army in Chuzhou has more than 20,000 men, and it seems that there are 100,000 troops stationed in Guangling. Once the entire Guangling army heads north, and the Haizhou troops arrive, our eastern army may have to face an attack by 130,000 to 140,000 troops with only 50,000 men."
Han Kun shook his head: "You don't need to think so complicatedly. Since ancient times, there have been ways to fight with a large army and ways to fight with a small army. Besides, we have His Majesty's army as our backing. Once the Yu Kingdom decides to fight a decisive battle in Chuzhou, as long as we hold out until His Majesty arrives with his army, the hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers will just be a few more tables of food."
I'd love for the entire Yu army from Guangling to come and wipe them out in one fell swoop, so we can easily conquer the area north of the Yangtze River. Haizhou might send 20,000 troops. Hmm, if we can devour them in the wild, that would be a great achievement; they're definitely a piece of meat. Eight thousand against twenty thousand, what do you think?"
Judging from Han Kun's tone, he didn't seem afraid at all. He was only asking the officers present to reach a consensus and solicit plans. In other words, he wasn't talking about whether to fight or not, but rather, "Give me a plan for how to fight."
The kind of general you have will determine the kind of soldiers you train. The commanders of the garrison and the army commanders present all began to ponder this. Li Xuan's superior, the Left Garrison Commander Lao Hu, asked, "Ziyu, do you think the troops from Haizhou number between ten thousand and twenty thousand?"
Li Xuan replied, "I believe that the Jinling Navy of Yu State can transport more than 10,000 troops at a time. If merchant ships are also mobilized, 20,000 should be possible, but any more would be meaningless. This is because unloading cargo from ocean-going ships is much more complicated, time-consuming, and labor-intensive than unloading cargo from grain transport ships."
Simply increasing ship capacity could lead to over a month of delays just for unloading cargo. Furthermore, if unfavorable weather or tides occur, ships often end up adrift at sea with cargo unloaded. Therefore, in the past, the Yu Kingdom would only send around ten thousand troops to Haizhou by sea. Now, with the war so urgent, and considering the enemy's strength, twenty thousand is the maximum we can manage.
Old Hu asked, "Of the 20,000 men, how many were infantry and how many were cavalry?"
Li Xuan laughed heartily: "This is also one of the reasons why I chose Haizhou. There will be no cavalry, only infantry."
Those present were immediately intrigued, and several people breathed a sigh of relief. Old Hu quickly asked, "Why are you so sure?"
Li Xuan laughed and said, "Transporting horses by sea is extremely difficult. It takes about eleven or twelve days to travel from Jinling to Haizhou by water. The horses will be tossed about on the ship every day, and even if they can be transported to Haizhou Port, they won't be ready for battle for at least ten days. It would be better to transport more infantry. After all, the Jianghuai region has a dense network of waterways, and the terrain is divided by rivers, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver. On the contrary, if the infantry is deployed in formation and relies on various terrains and waterways, it will be enough to repel the northern cavalry."
After listening, Old Hu nodded and smiled, "The terrain is divided by a river? Good, good, a good division indeed. Commander, what do you think?"
Han Kun carefully examined the map and said, "Excellent, excellent. The terrain divided and restricted by the river not only limits cavalry but also infantry. Even if they have 20,000 troops, as long as we don't give them the opportunity to choose their battlefield, our 8,000 soldiers can launch a preemptive strike at the right time, in the right place, and on the right battlefield to cut them off and prevent them from coordinating their attacks."
"What's the use of having many soldiers? The terrain is fragmented; how can they even move? We're going to Haizhou, Ziyu. You need to find suitable terrain along the canal from Haizhou to Chuzhou—terrain that conceals our 8,000 troops while ensuring the battlefield can't accommodate more than 10,000 enemy soldiers. Then, we only need to strike their core 10,000 troops, and we'll surely defeat them in one blow. Ziyu, can you find such terrain?"
Li Xuan said confidently, "Please rest assured, General. I have traveled that canal twenty times. There are many old friends along the way. They are all local strongmen who are just unlucky because they lack official status. As long as you can get some blank official documents, it will not be a problem to find ten or eight of them in such a place. It will also not be a problem for our army to hide."
Han Kun laughed heartily, "That's easy! I'd tear down Commander Fu's tent to get you blank official documents. As many as you want, as long as your friends can help our army succeed, I, Han Kun, am not a stingy person!"
After making his promise, Han Kun addressed everyone: "Gentlemen, our Black Spear Dragon Cavalry is a newly formed force. We were tested in the Battle of Hebei, but it's not enough, far from enough. All those officers in the Palace Guard have distinguished themselves in battle."
This time, we are the vanguard of the Eastern Route Army. The Tiger-Swift Army, Dragon-Might Army, Mighty-Far Army, Subdued-Bo Army, and Auspicious-Crane Army following behind are green with envy. What I want to say to you is: let them be glorious, let them be glorious forever! Since we, the Black Spear Dragon-Soaring Army, have been the vanguard once, we will be the vanguard in every future expedition. This vanguard role belongs to me alone. Gentlemen, let's do our best!
Li Xuanfu, seized by a sudden inspiration, shouted cleverly, "Dragon Cavalry, take the lead!"
The other generals were startled, but they quickly recovered and immediately followed suit: "Dragon Soaring Army, vanguard! Dragon Soaring Army, vanguard!"
With the generals' declaration, when it came time for dinner that evening, each of the eight thousand soldiers had to shout, "Dragon Spear Army, be the vanguard!" before they could get their food. Of course, everyone was happy to shout it. This immediately distinguished the Black Spear Dragon Spear Army from the other large armies, making them appear very imposing and impressive, and everyone felt particularly excited.
With morale boosted and the troops in good hands, Han Kun laughed heartily and went to Commander Fu's place early the next morning to cause trouble and demand policy changes.
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When the Yu Kingdom's eastern army marched into Chuzhou in a grand and imposing manner, the entire territory of Chuzhou had already been lifted from martial law.
Chuzhou Military Governor's Office
The one guarding Chuzhou is Lin Xiao, the second-generation ruler of a military family that also rose to power with the founding emperor of the Yu Kingdom.
Lin Xiao was thirty-four years old at the time. He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dongping and appointed as the Military Governor of Chuzhou, concurrently serving as the Chancellor. Having joined the army at fifteen, he rose through the ranks from a low-ranking officer, fighting repeatedly against the Northern Army to reach his current position. He was an outstanding general with both a distinguished background and military achievements, truly deserving of his name: Xiao (meaning valiant and valiant).
Although Lin Xiao was shocked by the Desheng Army's crushing defeat, he had full confidence in Liu Renzhan. While the northerners were brave, their country was poor, and their bravery was only temporary. If they could hold out long enough, reinforcements would arrive from all directions. Lin Xiao would naturally lead his army to relieve the siege of Shouzhou. Lin Xiao's confidence stemmed from his elite 3,000-strong salt workers' army.
The so-called salt workers' army consisted entirely of former salt-making workers from the Chuzhou Salt Bureau. Salt production was an extremely arduous and very unhealthy job. People had to be exposed naked on the beach to the scorching sun and the sea wind. Their feet were treading on corrosive salt, and year-round, not a single patch of their skin was intact. Every time they returned, it felt like they had just escaped death.
The harsh working conditions were already terrible, but the salt they painstakingly produced was bought cheaply by the government. They were starving and poorly clothed, living a very miserable life. Lin Xiao knew that the harder life was for someone, the more they could endure hardship and the more they cherished the days without suffering.
Therefore, besides selecting simple and honest farm boys, his favorite recruits for the Chuzhou army were salt workers. The grueling military training that would be despairing and painful for ordinary people was nothing to salt workers. While other soldiers feared combat missions, the salt workers were eager for battle. As long as their rations and pay were paid on time and their rewards for merit were sufficient, the salt workers were very happy and satisfied, their morale was high, and they dared to fight any enemy they encountered.
Previously, when facing the Northern army's southward advance, Lin Xiao didn't even defend Chuzhou. Instead, he led the salt workers' army across the Huai River multiple times to launch proactive attacks on the invading enemy. The salt workers' tradition of close cooperation and their fearless, daring fighting spirit, which they had developed in their work, proved extremely effective. Both the Northern army's cavalry and infantry were defeated by this force, which then calmly retreated across the Huai River by boat.
It can be said that the salt workers' army played an indispensable role in Lin Xiao's ability to take the position of commander-in-chief of the Huai'an Army at the age of thirty-four.
Lin Xiao, who had just returned from inspecting the salt workers' army, stood in the governor's mansion and asked those around him, "Has the reinforcements from Guangling set off yet?"
The officer replied, "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the King of Qi has dispatched 40,000 troops northward, saying that the remaining troops are to protect the eastern capital and safeguard the south of the Yangtze River, and no more can be drawn upon."
Lin Xiao snorted coldly: "If the Huai River is gone, what's the point of keeping him in Luoyang to have children? What about Haizhou? Have the imperial reinforcements arrived yet?"
Ten days ago, Lin Xiao received a letter from Emperor Li Jing, informing him that he had dispatched a fleet to escort a group of approximately 18,000 reinforcements by sea to Haizhou. Lin Xiao calculated the timeline and figured they would arrive in the next couple of days, so he inquired about it whenever he remembered.
The officer replied, "The vanguard of the navy has arrived, and the first batch of reinforcements is entering Haizhou. It is estimated that it will take another six to ten days to complete all reinforcement preparations."
Lin Xiao did the math and breathed a sigh of relief: "Once the reinforcements from Haizhou arrive, I'll have nearly 50,000 troops at my disposal. Combined with the 40,000 troops from Guangling, defeating the approaching Zhou army won't be a problem. Hmph, they want my Chuzhou? They'll have to see if they can break their teeth!"