Jinting Han people

After the rather lackluster poetry gathering, Liu Tun, the Prefect of Taiyuan, arrived in Ye City the following day.

As the last 30,000 Bingzhou soldiers appeared west of Ye City, the festive atmosphere in Ye City reached its climax. When Sima Ying went out of the city again to welcome them, almost the entire city turned out, crowding the official road so tightly that it felt suffocating.

When they saw Liu Tun and Sima Ying meet, the crowd cheered wildly, their shouts rising and falling like waves, one higher than the next, seemingly shaking the heavens and earth, deafening everyone. Even after the cheers had subsided and the crowd had dispersed, the echoes seemed to linger in the air, unwilling to dissipate.

By this time, all the rebel leaders who had been agreed upon beforehand had successfully arrived in Ye City. After a brief reorganization, the military council for the campaign against Zhao was finally convened.

The military council was held in the Wenchang Hall of the Ye Palace, and all local officials of the sixth rank and above were present. The meeting was still chaired by Lu Zhi, who hung a huge map of Sizhou and held a feather fan as he gave an opening speech to the attendees.

First, he introduced the current situation, saying to everyone: "To this day, the King of Zhao has been usurping power for three months, and the King of Qi has been issuing proclamations to the world for more than a month. Thanks to the King of Zhao's tyranny, the country has righteous men. Whether in Henan or Hebei, the uprising is in full swing and the situation is very promising. In the north and south of my city of Ye alone, 260,000 righteous soldiers have gathered, and their strength is almost comparable to the army that destroyed Wu."

"On the other hand, although Zhao Ni has 100,000 elite imperial guards under his command, His Highness the Prince of Huainan has already proven that he is ultimately unpopular. The reason why his soldiers have not yet defected is only because they have been bribed and have been misled by greed. It is foreseeable that those who raise troops for profit will also turn against their own side when faced with a life-or-death situation, and it is difficult for them to truly fight to the death."

"Therefore, I believe that the people are on our side."

Having discussed human factors, let's now talk about the geographical situation.

Lu Zhi paused slightly, then pointed around Luoyang with his feather fan and said, "Luoyang has eight strategic passes, which have been fortified since the reign of Emperor Ling of Han. They are all easy to defend and difficult to attack. Among them, Hangu Pass is in the west, and Guangcheng Pass, Huanyuan Pass, Xuanmen Pass, Dagu Pass, and Yique Pass are in the southeast. These are not the ones we need to consider."

"Our main targets are Mengjin Pass and Pingjin Pass, which are north of Luoyang."

After placing the feather fan on the river, Lu Zhi laughed and said, "Fortunately, Du Wuku built a bridge across the river at Mengjin Pass to connect the north and south banks of the Yellow River, which was an unprecedented feat in history. It also turned the natural barrier of the Yellow River into a thoroughfare, allowing people to travel freely. If we want to defend the capital, we must burn down the pontoon bridge."

“We have learned that Zhao, the rebel, is reluctant to burn down the river bridge and has sent troops to Hebei, attempting to confront us in Ji County.”

"Since Ji County has no natural defenses, his decision to fight us here is to abandon the advantage of terrain, which increases our chances of winning by three points."

Upon hearing this, most of the attendees showed delight. They had already believed that the rebel army was powerful and that King Zhao had no chance of winning. Since the enemy had even taken the initiative to fight, victory would be a piece of cake.

Immediately, some people couldn't contain themselves. Protector-General Zhao Xiang was the first to stand up and shout to the crowd, "Things have come to this point, what is there left to discuss?! The enemy not only has to guard against our army, but also has to consider the King of Qi to the south. As the saying goes, 'one must be able to attend to one thing while neglecting another.' Do you really think they have 50,000 men who have come to Hebei to stubbornly resist?"

"Our army now numbers 260,000. Outnumbering the enemy by five to one, how can we not win?" He clasped his hands in a fist and said to Sima Ying, "Your Highness, I am willing to be your vanguard, to be the first to charge into the rebel army and capture that bandit leader alive for you!"

"How could I be left out of such an important task?" Shi Chao also stood up and volunteered, "Your Highness, just give me five thousand armored soldiers, and I dare to take Ji County! If I fail, I am willing to offer my head in return!"

With these two leading the way, the rest of the group naturally became enthusiastic and eagerly volunteered for battle, clearly disregarding the Imperial Guards. Seeing that the people's hearts were at ease, Sima Ying couldn't help but show a satisfied expression and secretly nodded at the head of the table.

Just as he was about to speak, an old man coughed, and everyone present immediately fell silent. It turned out that Liu Hong had stepped forward.

As the most senior and oldest frontier general among all those present, Liu Hong held immense prestige. Whenever he expressed a desire to speak, Sima Ying had no choice but to humbly ask, "Does the Duke of Xuancheng have anything to say?"

Liu Hong glanced down at the young men around him and said unhurriedly, "I understand your eagerness to make a name for yourselves. But war is a matter of national importance, and since it is a battle, we must be cautious. I dare ask those of you who have volunteered for the battle, does anyone know who the enemy's commander is?"

Zhao Xiang said impatiently, "Duke of Xuancheng, what's the big deal? Is the enemy general some kind of different, so we're not going to fight?"

"If Zhao Ni sends the Duke of Shanggu, what does General Zhao intend to do?"

"This..." Zhao Xiang was stunned, and everyone present fell silent, as if they had fallen from the clouds back to reality. After all, Meng Guan's record was truly terrifying. The rebellion of Qi Wannian, which the Western Expeditionary Army had been unable to quell for three years, was quelled in a single battle by Meng Guan, who had used three thousand iron cavalry to break through an army of one hundred thousand. Could a five-fold numerical advantage really guarantee victory against such a person?
No one present dared to make that guarantee.

Li Yi, the governor of Jizhou, said, "Lord Xuancheng is overthinking it. Didn't Zhao Ni send Meng Guan to garrison Wancheng? He should be the one to worry about him. That's His Highness the Prince of Qi. Do you think Meng Guan can lead his army to Hebei and fight us?"

At this point, everyone suddenly realized what was happening, and the atmosphere on the field relaxed again, though it was no longer as optimistic as before.

Liu Hong persisted, saying, "What Lord Li said is true. The Duke of Shanggu can't come, but don't forget that the Zhengxi Military Command in Guanzhong and the Ningshuo Military Command in Youzhou are still supporting Zhao the rebel."

"If two armies were to come to Hebei to aid the rebel Zhao, what would you all do?"

After Liu Hong finished speaking, he plunged everyone present into panic once again. These two armies combined numbered over 100,000, one in the west and the other in the north, which could launch a pincer attack on the Northern Expeditionary Army. It seemed that the situation was not as optimistic as they had imagined.

Lu Zhi then said, "Most of the Ning Shuo Military Command are your old subordinates, Duke Xuancheng. They shouldn't defect in the face of battle! As for the Zhengxi Military Command..."

Seeing Lu Zhi turn his gaze to him, Liu Xian also stood up and replied, "I am familiar with most of the soldiers of the Western Expeditionary Army. After the Hao San Rebellion, they loathed Sun Xiu and Zhao Ni to the extreme. Even if the Prince of Hejian wanted to surrender to Zhao Ni, his soldiers would not agree."

Seeing this, Liu Hong nodded and said, "It seems I was overthinking things. However, I still have some doubts. What if the enemy sees our army's strength and fortified positions and chooses not to engage in battle, but instead uses this to buy time?"

At this point, everyone had already begun to understand: although Liu Hong seemed to be opposing the deployment of troops, he actually wanted to use this question-and-answer format to help his generals view the battle situation more objectively, rather than blindly fighting based on so-called pride and passion. His demeanor was so humble that people didn't feel awkward being guided.

Liu Xian thought that Liu Hong had already made up his mind, but he still humbly made everyone believe that this was a conclusion reached through collective discussion and deliberation. This was truly a superb way of managing subordinates. In comparison, he himself only knew how to waste his breath trying to explain the rights and wrongs of the matter, which was a inferior approach. Lu Zhi thought the same way. He simply stepped forward, bowed to Liu Hong, and respectfully asked, "Duke Xuancheng, what brilliant plan do you have to defeat the enemy? Please tell us directly. We are all ears."

Liu Hong then took the feather fan from Lu Zhi, strode to the map, and pointed out, "The saying goes, 'To assess the enemy is to be lenient.' In my opinion, while your morale is good, you still lack experience in direct combat. If we march straight to Ji County, and the enemy occupies Qingshui, fighting against the water or holding their fortified camp, there will likely be heavy casualties and even demoralization, which is something I do not want to see."

"Therefore, I have devised a method that can subdue the enemy without fighting."

Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attention and listened attentively. He said, "The current situation is that the Righteous Army has many soldiers, but they are not good at fighting, while Zhao's rebel army is short of troops, but well-equipped. If we want to win, we must make use of the Righteous Army's strengths, so we should divide our forces."

At this point, he moved his feather fan to the south of Ji County and tapped it, saying, "We can divide our forces into three routes. The main force will naturally head straight for Ji County, but we don't need to rush into an attack. Instead, we will send a naval force. We don't need many, just eight thousand men, to sail upstream along the Yellow River, detour to the rear of Ji County, and seize Tongguan. In this way, the enemy will be attacked from both sides and will not dare to make any rash moves. Our army will then be able to easily cross the Qingshui River."

Then, he pointed his feather fan to the north of Hanoi County and said, "The most important thing is this surprise attack from the north. Our army can send a detachment of elite troops to bypass Shangdang County, pass through Tianjing Pass, and head south to seize the river bridge by surprise. As long as the river bridge is in our hands, the enemy will be completely cut off from the capital region and become an isolated force."

"At that time, we only need to besiege the city for a few days and loudly persuade them to surrender. The enemy army will surely be demoralized. They will either have no choice but to come out of the city and fight the righteous army, or they will collapse without a fight and be at our mercy."

(Liu Hong's battle plan did not include the original course of the Yellow River)
"What a brilliant plan!" Liu Xian exclaimed, almost clapping his hands in admiration.

Lu Zhi said, "Xuancheng Gong's military tactics have reached a state of perfection."

Liu Tun, the Prefect of Taiyuan, agreed, saying, "If this is the method of attack, it will be foolproof!"

This is indeed an extremely rare and brilliant strategy. Generally speaking, in battles between two armies, it's a matter of generals deceiving each other. Those who fall for the trick lose, and those who don't win. But Liu Hong's strategy can be described as an open strategy, simply playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses, not engaging in a direct confrontation, but instead using a flanking maneuver to gain the greatest benefit. Even if the enemy clearly knows how the battle is going to unfold, they have no way to break through it. That's the charm of an open strategy.

But when Liu Xian glanced at the generals present, he quickly realized something was wrong: most of the generals looked too somber, and they did not appreciate Liu Hong's suggestion.

Is this strategy not good enough? Liu Xian immediately guessed the reason: Of course not, but if we fight like this, and the enemy collapses without a fight, who among the generals will be able to make a contribution? It will probably all be thanks to Liu Hong's strategy! The generals joined the righteous army to make a name for themselves, not to be someone else's pawns!
Therefore, just as Sima Ying was tempted by Liu Hong's proposal, the Prefect of Yangping, He Yan, said, "The Duke of Xuancheng's proposal is not bad, but I'm afraid it is not appropriate at the time."

"Oh? What insightful opinion do you have, Lord Prefect?" Liu Hong was always very tolerant of dissenting opinions.

He Yan bowed to the King of Chengdu and then said, "Your Highness, please forgive my frankness, but these are extraordinary times, not a war between two countries. The righteous army is divided into north and south, but which side is truly the greatest contributor to suppressing the rebellion?"

He said decisively, "The answer is self-evident. Whoever enters the capital first will be the greatest contributor to this campaign against the rebels and will win the hearts of the people."

"Duke Xuancheng's plan is indeed foolproof, but it was proposed too late and has taken too much time. How long will it take for our army to gather ships? How long will it take to send elite troops to bypass Ludang? How long will it take to persuade the rebel army to surrender? I'm afraid it will take at least a month."

"How can we be afraid of casualties in war? What's important now is to seize the time and win a quick victory. We must not let it become a slow war."

"Otherwise, by then, His Highness Prince Qi will have already ridden his horse to Luoyang, enjoying the fragrance of the heavens, while Your Highness will still not have reached the river bridge! Is Your Highness truly content with that?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Ying was filled with surging emotions and immediately raised his fist, saying, "How can we let the King of Qi have all the credit for such an important matter?" He then made up his mind to launch a direct and fierce attack.

But he quickly realized that this would make him seem too opportunistic. At the same time, in order to save face for Liu Hong and Liu Tun, he pretended to hesitate for a while and said, "Alas, no, I should make a decision based on the people's hearts. How about this, those who support the Duke of Xuancheng stand on the left, and those who support Lord He stand on the right."

With such a demeanor, how could the generals of the Northern Expeditionary Army not understand his intentions? Apart from Sima Yi's faction, most naturally stood on the right, and even Lu Zhi remained silent. Thus, the strategy of marching the army south to Ji County two days later was decided.

The vanguard consisted of Zhao Xiang, Shi Chao, and Li Yi, while Lu Zhi remained in Ye City to oversee logistics. Sima Yi and Liu Tun's troops were left in Ye City as reinforcements, awaiting his orders. This arrangement clearly indicated an attempt to monopolize the credit for defeating the enemy.

Sima Yi was quite displeased with this and almost lost his temper, lashing out at Sima Ying in public. However, Liu Xian quietly tugged at his sleeve, immediately silencing Sima Yi.

After the meeting, Sima Yi complained to Liu Xian, "The affairs of the world are ruined by these short-sighted and opportunistic people. Why didn't you let me speak, Lord Liu?"

Liu Xian calmly said, "Your Highness, some things cannot be resolved by words alone. It is difficult to go against the will of the people. If you cannot persuade the Prince of Chengdu, it will only damage the harmony between the brothers. I think the Duke of Xuancheng shares this view."

Liu Hong had indeed anticipated this situation. He showed no annoyance at being rejected, but instead said with a smile, "Your Highness, some things really cannot be forced. Since we have done our best, there is no need to dwell on it anymore."

Sima Yi also came to his senses and said with annoyance, "But my sixteenth brother is so impatient. I'm afraid he won't give us the opportunity to fight in the south, even if it means suffering a loss."

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Liu Xian had already thought about this and said, “If the commander-in-chief doesn’t care about the lives of his soldiers and isn’t afraid of suffering losses, then he will inevitably suffer endless losses. They can’t win in one battle.”

"Decisiveness is needed on the battlefield, but so is patience. Now is the time to wait for an opportunity. With them scouting ahead, we can observe the situation first. Your Highness, we can adapt to the circumstances and perhaps gain some unexpected benefits!"

Sima Yi was somewhat skeptical upon hearing this. But since things had come to this point, there was no room for change.

On the day of Renwu in the third month of the second year of Yuankang, the massive Hebei righteous army officially rose up and began to march towards Ji County. Meanwhile, Sima Yi and Liu Xian returned to Zhao and led the Changshan Army as the main force of the righteous army to follow up.

Six days later, the Changshan army arrived in Ye City, and the main force of the rebel army occupied Chaoge, with its camps stretching for a hundred miles. Zhao Xiang's vanguard troops could already see the reeds along the Qingshui River. (End of this chapter)