Jinting Han people

For the Imperial Guards, the Battle of Mangshan was a glorious victory; for the Northern Expeditionary Army, it was a devastating defeat.

Since the 220,000-strong army marched south from Ye City, it had lost over 80,000 men in a single battle, a loss almost equivalent to Yuan Shao's at the Battle of Guandu. Although Lu Ji later rallied the routed troops and gathered nearly 20,000 more, the Northern Army still numbered around 150,000, a formidable force in the eyes of the world. However, those who experienced it firsthand understood that the morale of the entire army had plummeted to an extremely dangerous level, and if not addressed, large-scale desertions would occur.

Xi Jian's night raid on the day of Jiawu in October best illustrates this situation. A mere two thousand men launched a night attack, yet tens of thousands fled the camp. Lu Ji and his men, unaware of the situation that night, saw chaos in the camp and could only order their troops to hold their positions firmly. He himself occupied the Xingyang River bridge to guard against an attack by the Imperial Guards. Amidst the uproar, the generals held out fearfully until the next morning, only to discover it was a false alarm. But by then, Chenggao Pass had already fallen into the hands of the Imperial Guards.

When Lu Ji learned the details, he was furious. He personally went to investigate the various departments and said to Sun Zheng on the way: "These sons of high-ranking families usually boast about how they are both learned and skilled in martial arts, and how their talents are unparalleled throughout history. But after losing a battle, they are so flustered. What kind of behavior is this? The General treated them with the respect due to national heroes and let them enjoy wealth and honor. This is the kind of useless people he has raised!"

Fortunately, the situation was not yet beyond saving. Although Xi Jian had captured Hulao Pass, his troops were few and dared not launch a rash attack. The Imperial Guards at Mangshan were still resting and had no opportunity to go out and fight. Meanwhile, Lu Ji had requisitioned all the surrounding boats to build a bridge over the river at Aocang. These defeated soldiers had run all night before realizing that they were in a foreign land, unfamiliar with the people and people, homeless and with nowhere to go. In the end, they obediently returned to their camp.

This meant that although the Northern army suffered a night raid, the losses were not significant; only about three thousand men went missing, and most of the soldiers were recovered. The supplies and provisions in the camp were also intact, and as long as the morale issue was resolved, they could continue fighting.

However, their current encampment was too close to Chenggao Pass. If the Northern Army continued to encamp here, it would be tantamount to actively exposing their weakness. Considering this, Lu Ji took the initiative to dismantle the Xingyang River Bridge, retreated forty li, and re-encamped on both sides of the Bian River at Aocang.

But before resolving the morale issue, Lu Ji's first task was to figure out how to explain things to Sima Ying.

As the commander-in-chief, Lu Ji spared no effort and racked his brains for the Battle of Mangshan. His strategies even put Sima Yi in a perilous situation, almost bringing him to victory. But defeat is defeat. In this battle, the Imperial Guards' cavalry broke through the enemy lines and retreated with unprecedented speed, exceeding Lu Ji's expectations. It can be said that the Imperial Guards' generals reacted far better than the Northern Army generals, resulting in a heavy blow despite their superior strategic calculations.

However, Lu Ji could not openly discuss this with Sima Ying, nor would it be conducive to the unity among the generals in the army. But he could not take the blame either. According to his correspondence with Jiang Tong and others, Lu Ji had already learned that Lu Zhi had launched a fierce attack against him. If he were to take responsibility for this defeat, he would probably be imprisoned immediately on Sima Ying's behalf.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Lu Ji adopted a two-pronged strategy. First, he utilized his literary talent to embellish the battle report. In the text, he described the generals as "fighting with valor, swords drawn, united in purpose," and "wielding spears across the mountains, displaying heroic bearing," striving to depict the battle as a close call of victory and defeat. When Qiao Zhiming nearly reached the imperial carriage, he wrote, "A white rainbow pierced the sun, a hawk struck the palace," ultimately leading to a heartbreaking failure. He attributed the final defeat not to the generals' fault, but to unfavorable weather, exhausted soldiers, and subpar horses.

But ultimately, someone has to take responsibility.

Lu Ji's second tactic was to attach another private letter to Sima Ying, stating that based on the outcome of this battle, victory should have been easily achieved if the previous strategy had been followed, and that Sima Ying had agreed to this before Lu Ji led his troops out. Why the sudden change of heart? Lu Ji explained that he knew Sima Ying was inherently kind, but there must be treacherous officials around him who flattered him and uttered some unkind words. He urged Sima Ying not to believe him, but to give him three more months, and he would surely find a way to capture Luoyang.

This was essentially a veiled attack on Lu Zhi. Lu Ji actually admired this leader of the Lu clan, but at this point in the political struggle, there was no longer any distinction between right and wrong. After finishing writing the military report and private letter, Lu Ji read them again. The obsequious language in the letter, devoid of any scholarly integrity, made even him feel nauseous. He looked at his fingers. Back then, he had been so confident in his talent when he went north to Luoyang. How could he have imagined that one day he would be repeatedly humiliated like this?

After writing the letters, Lu Ji gave both letters to his younger brother, Lu Dan, instructing him to personally meet with Sima Ying to discuss the details. However, Lu Ji remained uncertain about the outcome; he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

To ensure he doesn't lose Sima Ying's trust and to boost his own morale, Lu Ji must achieve some results as soon as possible.

Therefore, he set his sights on Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang, and the General of the Eastern Expeditionary Army in Xuchang.

Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang, was a remnant of Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, and had a close relationship with him. His ability to remain in Xuchang after Sima Jiong assumed power is a testament to this. After Sima Jiong's death, his stance towards Sima Yi remained ambiguous. Although he obeyed the court's orders and appointed Liu Qiao, the governor of Yuzhou, his relationship with Liu Qiao was not harmonious. He frequently sent messages to Sima Ying, offering gifts and greetings, demonstrating his lack of loyalty to the court.

Therefore, as early as when he marched south, Lu Ji sent a letter to Xuchang, informing Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang, that he should go north to Hulao Pass to jointly attack Sima Yi. Lu Ji's original plan was to wait for Sima Xiao to lead his army to join him, and then use overwhelming military superiority to wear down the Imperial Guards. It was only under Sima Ying's urging that he had no choice but to advance the decisive battle ahead of schedule.

Now that we have failed, the best way to boost morale is to replenish our forces. If we can gain control of the troops in Yuzhou, then the defeat at Mangshan will be forgotten.

But how to persuade Sima Xiao? The two armies are currently facing off, and the whole world is watching. It's impossible that Xu Chang doesn't know the news. They've already suffered a defeat. Will Sima Xiao side with the losers?

Lu Ji and Sun Hui discussed the matter briefly, and Sun Hui suggested, "All things in the world boil down to coercion and enticement. The Commander-in-Chief can put on a show, first promising the Prince of Fanyang official positions, then we can say we'll send him several cartloads of treasure, and at the same time spread the news throughout the capital region..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ji's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "What a brilliant plan! With just a little treasure, we can send tens of thousands of troops!"

Xingyang and Xuchang are two hundred li apart, but the route is all plains, and a fast horse can deliver a message in half a day. On the very night that Lu Ji devised the plan, the Northern Army's envoy had already arrived in Xuchang, requesting an audience with Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang.

Just as Lu Ji had predicted, Sima Xiao had already learned of the Northern Army's defeat. When he heard that an envoy had been sent from the North, his first reaction was that he did not want to get involved.

However, the envoy sent by Lu Ji was Wang Cheng, the third younger brother of Wang Yan, who was highly respected among the younger generation of scholars. Sima Xiao did not want to strain his relationship with the Wang family too much, and at the same time, he really wanted to know the details of the battle. After some consideration, Sima Xiao still personally received Wang Cheng.

The two sides conversed inside the Xuchang Palace. Wang Cheng, born into a prestigious family, possessed an elegant and refined demeanor, and was also exceptionally tall and strong. In comparison, Sima Xiao appeared rather ordinary. The dignified Prince of Fanyang, upon meeting him, couldn't help but feel somewhat ashamed of himself. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Cheng stated his purpose: "Your Highness, I have come here on the orders of the Grand Commander, requesting that you dispatch reinforcements to join my king in suppressing the rebellion."

Sima Xiao was naturally unwilling to send troops, and declined, saying, "The King of Changsha has the Emperor in his hands. If we raise troops, wouldn't that be insubordination? This is absolutely unacceptable."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng sighed deeply and then advised, "Your Highness, why deceive yourself? Is there still any distinction between superiors and inferiors in this world? Have you forgotten how the Prince of Qi died?"

"The King of Changsha is a treacherous villain who will stop at nothing to do his bidding. He even dared to kill Prince Qi, who trusted him greatly. How could he possibly care about the fate of the nation? Think about it, how did the King of Xinye die? Isn't it suspicious? When the rebel army first rose up, their strength was not great. If it had been dealt with in time, the Southern Expeditionary Army could have easily wiped them out. But what happened? The King of Changsha repeatedly ordered them not to go into battle, and watched as the rebel army grew stronger. That's how the King of Xinye was killed."

"You and the Prince of Xinye are both part of the Prince of Qi's faction. If the Prince of Changsha dared to treat the Prince of Xinye that way, he will treat you the same way in the future!"

These words revealed Sima Xiao's deepest concern. Although Sima Yi hadn't openly confronted him, he had always felt it was merely a delaying tactic. Otherwise, why would the King of Changsha have appointed Liu Qiao as the governor of Yu Province? It was probably a ploy to gradually erode their strength. However, with the Northern army's crushing defeat, his fear of the Imperial Guards had intensified, so he still wanted to refuse, saying, "My men are all incompetent; sending them would be useless! Why does Grand Commander Lu need to summon me?"

Wang Cheng continued, “Your Highness, what are you saying? To be honest, in the last battle at Mangshan, our army was indeed defeated, and defeated badly, but we were not seriously injured. Although the Prince of Changsha won, it was not an easy victory. Moreover, the Prince of Hejian is also lurking in the west. Even if he had three heads and six arms, how could he deal with it? He is now on his last breath. He only needs a little help from you to completely crush his last breath.”

"The Grand Commander's intention is that if you are willing to send troops to aid him, he will cede Yanzhou to you. Once the King of Changsha is eliminated and my king takes control of Luoyang, you can succeed my king and be transferred to govern Hebei. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Xiao was immediately intrigued. Although he was currently stationed in Xuchang and held the title of General Who Conquers the East, his power was nowhere near that of Sima Jiong in his prime. Liu Qiao, the governor of Yuzhou, was a man sent by the King of Changsha, and Wang Yan, the governor of Yanzhou, had defected to the Northern Expeditionary Army. This left Sima Xiao constrained at every turn and with little freedom.

At this moment, Wang Cheng made many promises, which suited his wishes perfectly. However, in this age of untrustworthiness, he hesitated about these words. After all, empty words are not enough. Although Sima Ying had a certain degree of credibility, according to the Sima family tradition, credibility was meant to be broken. It was common for the other party to turn their backs on him after he helped Sima Ying.

In fact, reality was even worse than he had imagined. Lu Ji hadn't consulted Sima Ying about what Wang Cheng had just said; it was all a lie. Moreover, Lu Ji had already planned that once he defeated the Luoyang Imperial Guards, he would immediately take Sima Xiao hostage and seize the opportunity to annex the Eastern Expeditionary Army, killing two birds with one stone.

However, Lu Ji also knew that to make the performance convincing, he needed to offer Sima Xiao some tangible benefits in order to persuade him to send troops. Therefore, when Sima Xiao showed any interest, Wang Cheng seized the opportunity and said:

“Your Highness, the Grand Commander is sincere. I have heard that Your Highness has been training troops and is short of military supplies. He has specially prepared 40,000 gold coins in the camp. Tomorrow, you can send an envoy to accompany me to the Xingyang camp. He can also take a look at the military appearance of my army and bring back this batch of treasure.”

Among the princes, Sima Xiao wasn't considered greedy, but who wouldn't be happy to receive a large amount of treasure for free? Sima Xiao was even more tempted, yet somewhat hesitant, he said, "Isn't this inappropriate..."

In reality, he was weighing whether it was worthwhile to send troops to provide aid for the sake of money.

Wang Cheng patted his knee and said calmly, "Your Highness is overthinking it. Your Highness is a pillar of the nation. Whether Your Highness sends troops or not, this is a gift for Your Highness, and we do not ask for anything in return."

"How could I possibly accept this?" Sima Xiao reluctantly declined, then said, "Well then... I'll have to accept it."

So the next morning, he sent his chief secretary Feng Song to Xingyang. His real plan was to let Lu Ji and the Imperial Guards fight another battle. If the Northern Army could hold out in this battle, it would mean that the Imperial Guards were indeed at their limit, and then it wouldn't be too late to send reinforcements.

As a result, when the Prince of Fanyang was happily waiting for the jewels to be transported from Xingyang, bad news came on the third day: the treasure worth 40,000 gold coins had disappeared!
Feng Song did indeed arrive at the Xingyang camp and take over the shipment of goods sent by Lu Ji. It filled five large carts, each requiring four horses to pull, and even so, the journey was slow. However, Feng Song didn't care about that. He feasted with Lu Ji and the others, and after they were full, he raised the banners of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Eastern Expeditionary Army, and with about thirty guards, he swaggered through the streets.

He thought that no one in the world would dare to take his carriage. Unexpectedly, when they reached Jing County, they passed through a pine forest, and suddenly hundreds of knights emerged from it, swiftly and decisively seizing the five carts of goods.

It turned out that as soon as Feng Song arrived in Xingyang, Lu Ji made a big fuss about it, openly declaring to the soldiers that the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command had joined forces with the Northern Expeditionary Army Command. To express their gratitude, they went to Xuchang to send gifts, specifying the date and route in detail.

Upon learning of this, the imperial guards scouts immediately returned to Hulao Pass and informed Xi Jian. Xi Jian was shocked to learn of the alliance between the Northern and Eastern armies. He believed the situation was beyond repair, and under these circumstances, the gifts from the Northern army were like windfall gains; Xi Jian had no reason not to seize them. Therefore, he immediately dispatched troops to ambush them on the way, catching them red-handed.

Such a large target was not easy to hide after it was obtained. After Xi Jian dragged the treasure back to Hulao Pass, it took no more than two days for everyone to know that the Luoyang Imperial Guards were responsible.

When Sima Xiao learned the details, he was furious. Though not skilled in martial arts, he was enraged and drew his sword wildly in the palace, breaking two precious swords before finally calming down. Afterwards, he convened a military council and addressed the generals of Xuchang, saying, "Sima Yi treated me as nothing—a great disgrace! A great disgrace! If I were to surrender and suffer this in silence, I would be unworthy of being a man!"

He immediately ordered all 70,000 troops stationed in Xuchang to march north and join forces with Lu Ji, intending to prepare for the upcoming battle together. (End of Chapter)