Late Han Zhao Tang

Nanjun, Jiangling.

Prefect Hui Qu stood on the city wall, looking at Liu Bei's army of more than 10,000 men outside the city. The dark mass of men looked at him with fear.

"The army of the Governor of Jingzhou has arrived. Why don't you surrender at once!"

Zhang Fei, alone, led his troops to approach the city and loudly threatened, "Your lord Yuan Shu has been captured by Zhang Yu, and Yuan Huan of Changsha has been beheaded by Liu Jingzhou. Wancheng is in imminent danger, and no troops are coming to its aid. If the people in the city surrender in time, Liu Jingzhou will not kill them when he breaks through the city."

"kill!"

"kill!"

Thousands of soldiers lined up, weapons raised, and shouted in unison, constantly putting pressure on the soldiers and civilians of Jiangling.

Upon hearing the resounding shouts, Prefect Huiqu was so frightened that his face turned pale, and even in the dead of November, sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Their military might is awe-inspiring!!"

Hui Qu wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and said to his attendants, "Now that His Majesty has been captured by Zhang Yu, the officials of Wancheng are too busy to take care of themselves. Liu Bei has come with a large army, and there are only two thousand old and weak soldiers in the city. It would be better to surrender the city and bring peace."

"We shall do as the governor says!"

The chief clerk said, "Yuan Huan is no match for Liu Bei, let alone you and me. The city is currently short of troops and not strong enough to defend. Surrendering to Liu Bei will ensure your safety."

"No!"

Gongcao Wang Gan shook his head repeatedly and said, "My lord, the Tang King has captured His Majesty, and now the people of Wancheng are eager to surrender. In my opinion, Wancheng will fall to the Tang King sooner or later. Once Wancheng falls, the Tang King will surely attack Liu Bei, and Jiangling is the key to the southern campaign. How could the Tang King not send troops to its aid? Moreover, surrendering to the Tang King will bring wealth and honor, while surrendering to Liu Bei, and if defeated by the Tang King, we may face the danger of losing our lives."

Hui Qu, his face full of worry, said, "When the Tang King first takes Wancheng, he will surely prioritize appeasing the people, and I fear he will not be able to attend to you and me. The key issue is that we currently only have a little over two thousand soldiers in the city, while Liu Bei's army has nearly twenty thousand men. The enemy outnumbers us ten to one. How can we hold out for long?"

"This~"

Wang Gan didn't know how to answer, so he looked at the scholar who had an ordinary appearance but an outstanding temperament and asked, "Does Shiyuan have any insightful opinion?"

"Shiyuan has always been resourceful and wise. Now that we are in such a critical situation, do you have any ideas on how to protect us?" Huiqu also looked at Pang Tong and asked with concern.

Pang Tong stroked his beard and pondered, then smiled and said, "In my opinion, the current situation is not critical at all; on the contrary, it is a great fortune bestowed upon you by Heaven."

"Oh!"

Hui Qu couldn't understand and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Pang Tong pointed to Liu Bei's army, which had been shouting and clamoring, and said, "Liu Bei has just captured Changsha and hastily launched this attack, which shows that he is in a hurry to deploy his troops. Jiangling is a city with high walls and deep moats. If we defend it with all our might, even if Liu Bei launches an attack, he will not be able to break through the city. Moreover, although our army is small, Huo Du is brave and resourceful, and Gao Xiang is courageous. If you, my lord, can give Huo and Gao important positions and order the people to hold their ground and defend against the enemy, it will be enough to make Liu Bei sigh in despair when he sees the city."

"As Wang Gongcao said, the Tang Emperor's ambition is to rule the world. How could he possibly ignore Jiangling?"

With that, Pang Tong smiled and said, "In my opinion, the Tang King's army will arrive within half a month, and the siege of Jiangling will be lifted. As for you, my lord, you will be able to defend against a powerful enemy with a small force, and you will surely gain the Tang King's favor. Your future wealth and honor will be unpredictable!"

“Shiyuan’s words are not without reason. I hope you will act with caution, Your Excellency,” Wang Gan advised.

"it is good!"

Hui Qu gritted his teeth and said, "Send orders to the soldiers and officers in the city, saying that the Tang King has arrived in Wancheng and that reinforcements will arrive soon. If we can hold Jiangling, everyone will be rewarded."

"As ordered!"

"Wang Gongcao opened the city's treasury and distributed money and provisions to the soldiers to encourage them to fight bravely against the enemy!"

"promise!"

"Guards, summon the brothers Huo Du and Gao Xiang to the city wall. I will appoint them as acting generals."

"promise!"

With a steadfast resolve, Hui Qu decisively deployed city defenses. After all, the fact that Hui Qu was appreciated by Yuan Shu during the chaotic times and appointed as the governor of Nanjun, an important town in Jingzhou, demonstrates his considerable talent.

"My lord, Liu Bei has sent an envoy to the city walls to persuade you to surrender," a soldier reported.

Hui Qu's expression changed drastically, and he said sternly, "Tell the messenger that although our dynasty has fallen, it is not something Liu Bei can bully. Moreover, Chen is dead, how can the Liu family survive for long? Sooner or later, they will be destroyed by the King of Tang."

"promise!"

Seeing Hui Qu's swift change of attitude, his subordinates couldn't help but marvel at his fickleness. Just moments ago he was hesitant about surrendering, but now he was so resolute; it was truly unexpected.

Not to mention that Huiqu was focused on arranging the city's defenses, the messenger has now reported the situation back to Liu Bei.

"My lord," the messenger said, "the governor of Nan Commandery, Hui Qu, refuses to surrender. He says that after the fall of Chen, the Tang people will rule the world. Rather than surrendering to you, my lord, it would be better to surrender to the Tang." Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's expression changed slightly. He had not expected Hui Qu to be so resolute, refusing to surrender even when the country was on the verge of destruction.

"Zhengfang, what insightful opinion do you have today?" Liu Bei asked.

Li Yan gazed at the sturdy walls of Jiangling, pondered for a long time, and said, "News has just arrived that Cao Cao has raised an army to conquer Yuzhang and is currently besieging Huang Zu in Jiangxia. Therefore, judging from the situation, it is a foregone conclusion that the State of Chen has surrendered to Zhang Yu. Our army is besieging Jiangling, and Cao Cao is attacking Huang Zu. Thus, if Zhang Yu hears this news, he will surely send troops to rescue Huiqu and Huang Zu."

"Since the Tang people will send troops to relieve the siege, let's see if our lord can capture Jiangling!"

Liu Bei frowned and said, "Jiangling City is fortified and high, with the river as its moat, and it is bordered by the river to the south and surrounded by land on three sides. It is a city that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we want to break through Jiangling City, a direct assault is the worst strategy."

Li Yan said, "Building an earthen mound to attack Jiangling could be a strategy to break through the city. However, building an earthen mound is a time-consuming strategy, and it would take at least one or two months to complete. In addition to building the earthen mound, the construction of siege equipment also takes time. I fear that before the earthen mound is built, Tang reinforcements will arrive."

"If that's the case, then we can't break through Jiangling City, can we?" Liu Bei asked.

Li Yan shook his head and said, "My lord, you can first besiege Jiangling and build siege equipment. If the equipment is completed before the enemy arrives, you will be able to break through the city!"

"What if the enemy arrives and the weapons are not yet ready?" Liu Bei asked in return.

"The Tang army is strong and has come from afar. Your army is tied down by them, and I fear you have no hope of breaking through the city. Therefore, in my opinion, Your Majesty should first besiege Jiangling and relocate the people of Nanjun to Jiangnan, so as to avoid the situation of not gaining the city and not gaining the people," Li Yan said.

"Relocation?"

Liu Bei hesitated and said, "The people are attached to their homeland; why would they follow me south without a reason?"

“Chen Bing often plunders the villagers, and the people hate him. The people of Nanjun do not know the strength of Zhang Yu’s army. If you spread rumors, my lord, you can cause panic and make the people flee south. Nanjun has a large population. If you can get it, even if you do not get the city, you will have strong people and henchmen. If the Tang people get it, it will be the vanguard for the attack on Chu,” Li Yan said.

"That's the only way!"

Liu Bei nodded sadly, and had no choice but to adopt Li Yan's suggestion.

From Li Yan's perspective, there's no major problem. Population equals manpower, and the Jiangnan region has a small population. If Liu Bei wants to strengthen himself, he must have a larger population. If he can't capture Jiangling, he can't afford to have made a wasted trip; he'll definitely have to relocate the people of Nanjun to the south.

While Liu Bei besieged Jiangling, Cao Cao was riding high on his success.

Cao Cao led his troops to Jiangxia, first reaching Shaxian, where Huang Zu had stationed his troops. Fearing Cao Cao, Huang Zu, along with Yuan Si and Huang Yi, abandoned the south bank and fled to Queyue City on the north bank, intending to use Queyue City to defend against Cao Cao.

Huang Zu abandoned Shaxian and fled to Queyue City, effectively ceding the southern counties of Jiangxia to Cao Cao. Cao Cao, meanwhile, advanced deeper into the region, becoming virtually unstoppable.

Queyue City was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It had a circumference of 180 steps and a height of 6 feet. It was built on the Lushan Pass, directly facing the mouth of the Han River, making it a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Xiakou is the mouth of the Xia River, but the Xia River is also known as the Han River, and Xiakou and Hankou are the same place. Therefore, Xiakou is more accurately a location, hence Queyue City can be called Xiakou City.

Cao Cao camped at Snake Hill on the south bank, pondering a strategy to break through the city. Meanwhile, Huang Zu, inside Crescent Moon City, was suffering greatly, discussing important matters with Yuan Si and Huang Yi.

“Cao Cao’s army has penetrated deep into Jiangxia and is almost unstoppable. Our Jiangxia troops are no match for Cao’s forces. If the Tang King does not send troops to rescue us, I fear Yuecheng will be unable to be defended,” Huang Zu said, pacing back and forth in frustration.

Fearing that Huang Zu would abandon the city and flee again, Huang Yi hurriedly said, "Queyue City blocks the entrance and exit of Xiakou. If Cao Cao gets it, his power will invade Jingzhou and his army can reach Xiangyang. General, you are highly valued by the King of Tang and have been appointed as the General of the Warships. You should defend the city and not let Cao Cao take it."

"Not only that, Liu Bei has already captured Changsha. If Cao Cao were to take Jiangxia, he could then ally with Liu Bei to the west. The current situation is against the Tang King, and I fear that you, General, will not be able to gain the Tang King's favor."

Huang Zu paced back and forth, saying, "How could I not know the importance of Queyue City? It's just that the city is short of food, the morale of the troops is low, and our ships are not as magnificent as Cao Cao's. If we hold out, I don't know how long it will take for the Tang King's reinforcements to arrive?"

Huang Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Judging by the distance, the Tang King has already reached Wancheng. If he has reached Wancheng and knows that Cao Cao's troops are attacking, he will surely send reinforcements. Although the Tang people are not good at swimming, our troops are on the north bank of the Yangtze River, while Cao Cao's troops are on the south bank. If we receive reinforcements, the siege of Xiakou will be lifted on its own!"

Yuan Si nodded slightly and said, "Although Cao Cao's military tactics are like those of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi, it is not easy to break through a well-defended city. If General Huang can hold Xiakou, the Tang King will surely reward him handsomely. Moreover, there are not many people in the country who know about the navy, and we cannot defeat Cao Cao without your help."

"Yes!"

Huang Yi flattered him, saying, "General, you defended Jiangling and shot Sun Jian, which made you famous throughout Ba and Shu. Now you are going to Xiakou to fight. If you can prevent Cao Cao from advancing further, your name will be known throughout Wu and Chu. If the King of Tang wants to pacify the world, he will definitely use you to manage the navy."

"We should receive news of reinforcements within half a month. Please bear with us for now, General!"

Under the persuasion of the two, Huang Zu gradually calmed down and said, "Cao Cao is far from Jiangdong, and his army is coming to attack. His daily expenses for food and supplies are enormous. Now that the Tang King's army has arrived, if we hold the city for a month, we can defeat Cao Cao. After defeating Cao Cao's army, if the Tang King can build up a large navy and take advantage of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to go straight down the river, we can pacify Jiangdong."

"Report!"

During Huang Zu's conversation, an attendant hurried over and reported, "General, according to the scouts outside the city, he is a scout under Qu Yi. His troops have just left Sui County, and I fear that you are unaware of the reinforcements' situation, so he is the one who will deliver the order first."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zu was overjoyed and said to his men, “Qu Yi is a famous general from Hebei. I have heard a lot about him. Now that he has come to rescue me, Xiakou is temporarily safe.”

Then, Huang Zu instructed his subordinates, saying, "Quickly inform everyone of the reinforcements to boost the morale of the troops. Also, have Su Fei reinforce the city walls, allow the enemy to burn their ships, and do not engage in battle without my order."

"Yes, sir!" (End of Chapter)