Jinting Han people

The morning after Sima Yue and Liu Xian discussed the matter, Sima Yi posted a proclamation in Luoyang, announcing to all the people of the city that he would engage in a decisive battle with the Western Army.

The King of Changsha knew that this was a battle concerning the life and death of the nation, so he did not simply state his decrees in the proclamation, but instead, unusually, reviewed history in the official document to mobilize the people.

The proclamation stated that since the end of the Han Dynasty, the land had been in turmoil, with widespread suffering and death. It was only through the arduous efforts of three generations of the Sima clan—managing barren lands, winning over the hearts of the people, restoring order, and finally unifying the land—that a hard-won unified state was achieved. Now, only twenty-odd years of peace had passed, the people had not yet fully recovered, and the population on the household register barely exceeded half of that of the Han Dynasty, yet now they were suffering such a calamity. And the root cause of all this was the infighting and fratricide within the imperial family.

In his proclamation, Sima Yi stated that as the son of Emperor Wu and the current regent, he should bear responsibility for everything that was happening. However, faced with Zhang Fang's horrific atrocities, he could not back down; otherwise, the imperial regalia would fall into the hands of such a villain, the nation would be lost, and the world would once again descend into the fragmentation of the late Han dynasty. Therefore, Sima Yi resolved to fight Zhang Fang to the death and mobilized the entire city's population to unite and overcome this difficult time together.

Over the next few days, Sima Yi summoned all the carpenters and blacksmiths in Luoyang and ordered them to manufacture siege equipment at Xuanwu Field. The materials used were all collected from nearby areas within Luoyang, and the methods were almost identical to those used by Zhang Fang. Lacking large timbers, they requisitioned beams from the homes of nobles; lacking copper and iron, they melted down bronze statues and bells from the imperial palace, as well as hoes, plows, and farming tools from the common people. With these, they created over thirty trebuchets, over twenty siege ladders, and five battering rams.

At the same time, Sima Yi forcibly conscripted tens of thousands of people from the city as laborers, ordering them to rush to make arrows, weave rope bags, and build boats. On the one hand, he was making overall preparations for the decisive battle, and on the other hand, he planned to take advantage of the time before the river froze and use the canal to contact Xingyang to transport some grain and fodder from Yuzhou. For a time, Luoyang was bustling with activity, and the grand scale of its war preparations was unprecedented in decades.

Faced with Sima Yi's tough stance, Zhang Fang naturally couldn't remain silent.

During this time, he continued to fortify the western fortifications. Due to the cold weather, the Westerners ordered the captured laborers to continuously dig trenches in front of the fortifications, then watered the excavated soil and applied it to the existing walls. The cold wind would soon freeze the soil solid. Once the earthen ramparts reached a height and width of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), they built wooden shelters about one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) high on top, providing cover for soldiers to shoot arrows. Thus, they quickly constructed a complete defensive system, no less formidable than that of an ordinary city.

This was just Zhang Fang's basic strategy. After seeing Sima Yi's proclamation of his intention to fight a decisive battle, he clicked his tongue in admiration and said, "Our General of the Cavalry is truly courageous! Haha, then I'll give him a taste of some sweetness!" With that, Zhang Fang immediately ordered Lou Bao to lead more than a thousand knights northward to breach the Qianjin Dike upstream of the Gu River.

Qianjin Dam is located 30 li northwest of Luoyang and 15 li east of Henan County. It was a dam built during the reign of Emperor Cao Rui of Wei, supervised by Chen Xie, the Water Conservancy Commissioner.

The purpose of this embankment was to raise the water level of the upper reaches of the Gu River and store water. Later, Chen Xie further excavated a canal, increasing the flow rate of the lower reaches of the Gu River. As it flowed north of Luoyang, the court installed over twenty water-powered mills along the canal specifically for threshing wheat and rice. These mills saved the court a significant amount of manpower and resources, and irrigated dozens of miles of farmland on both banks, generating annual revenues amounting to thousands of gold pieces. Therefore, it was called the Qianjin Embankment (Thousand Gold Embankment), and the canal between the Qianjin Embankment and Luoyang was also known as the Qianjin Canal (Thousand Gold Canal).

Under Zhang Fang's orders, Lou Bao did not hesitate to breach the Qianjin Dike. In just one hour, the dam could not withstand the pressure and collapsed under the impact of the raging torrent. A torrent of floodwater poured out, the muddy water surging in all directions, unstoppable, and within a day, it submerged hundreds of households and nearly a thousand acres of land in the surrounding areas of Henan.

Qianjin Canal was thirty li away from Luoyang, so the floodwaters naturally did not reach the city. However, the water-powered mills and stone mills installed by the court on the Qianjin Canal were rendered useless due to the drying up of the water. Sima Yi, upon learning of this, was helpless. To maintain logistics, he had to conscript over ten thousand princes and slaves to pound rice and collect grain within the city. The people of the capital, affected by this, became increasingly panicked, leading to the looting of all grain in the market. The price of rice soared to ten thousand coins, yet there was still no market for it.

However, none of this was enough to shake Sima Yi's resolve. After more than ten days of preparation, he finally gave the formal order to move his troops to Xilei and start the great battle.

In this great battle, Sima Yi gave it his all. He deployed his main force to the east of the western fortress, with his former troops from Changshan, including Shangguan Si, Song Hong, Liu You, Miao Yuan, and Wang Hu, all by his side; the imperial guards, including Gou Xi, Zu Ti, Linghu Sheng, He Pan, and Ji Shao, were deployed to the north of the western fortress; and members of the imperial clan, such as Sima Yue, Sima Rui, and Sima Yang, were deployed to the south of the western fortress.

Although Sima Yi still commanded over 70,000 troops, theoretically, the two sides were of equal strength and should not have been able to completely besiege the western fortress. However, this time, Sima Yi also conscripted all males over the age of thirteen in Luoyang, mobilizing nearly 140,000 laborers as auxiliary troops for the court. Thanks to this, the Imperial Guard's strength was unprecedentedly expanded, allowing them to form a continuous line stretching for tens of miles, surrounding the enemy on three sides.

Liu Xian was currently stationed south of the western fortress, in camp with Sima Yue. He saw a vast, bustling crowd around him. Under the gloomy sky, the faces—young, old, familiar, and unfamiliar—formed a boundless, dark sea. This sight filled him with emotion, and he couldn't help but say to Zhuge Yan, "I've been cooperating with the King of Changsha for four years, and this is the first time I've seen such a scene. It seems he has truly placed all his hopes on this battle."

Zhuge Yan also praised, "Putting everything else aside, just in terms of this courage alone, this prince has every reason to be proud."

Li Sheng remained calm as always. He asked, "My lord, in your opinion, what are the chances of the Generalissimo's victory?"

Liu Xian replied, "It's hard to say. I originally thought that Zhang Fang was extremely cunning, and even if he suffered a temporary setback, he could probably preserve his strength, and the General of the Cavalry shouldn't gain much advantage. But now it seems that the General of the Cavalry has made a great decision and is determined to fight Zhang Fang to the death. If we can strike a decisive blow and terrify the Western Army, Zhang Fang might know when to back down. The odds of winning are probably around 40% or 60%."

"The cavalry has six points?"

"Of course, Zhang Fang gets six points. After all, the terrain advantage is not just for show. It's already quite remarkable that the General of the Cavalry gets four points."

As they were talking, a commotion arose from the distance, and Liu Xian and the others immediately fell silent. Looking in the direction of the sound, they could see a high platform being erected in the eastern military formation. The platform was two zhang high, and more than fifty large drums had already been erected on it, making it the most conspicuous spot in the Imperial Guards' ranks. At this moment, a crowd could be seen parting to make way for an extremely ornate seven-colored banner that slowly passed through the crowd, reaching the foot of the platform.

Ascending the steps of the canopy, one could finally see the crowd below. Although the distance was too great to discern the details, Liu Xian quickly recognized it as the Emperor and Empress's procession, led by none other than General Sima Yi. Once they stood on the platform, the clamor below subsided slightly, but after the Emperor and Sima Yi waved to the crowd, the laborers and soldiers erupted in cheers again, shouting, "Victory! Victory!"

This sentiment quickly spread to Liu Xian's side, and even the Western Army soldiers who had been betrayed were infected by it and joined in the shouts. After all, fighting alongside the Emperor was the highest honor, something that no amount of wealth could buy.

After the cheers subsided, Sima Yi seemed to be giving a passionate speech again from the high platform. As he spoke, soldiers relayed his message to the various ranks. He was reiterating the proclamation previously posted in Luoyang, emphasizing to the soldiers and civilians that if the battle were won, he would grant a general amnesty, exempt the capital and surrounding areas from rent for three years, reward all soldiers with land, and bestow titles upon all officers. This announcement sparked another thunderous roar of cheers; the morale of the masses had reached its peak. Liu Xian looked around, thinking: The great battle is about to begin.

Sure enough, not long after, Sima Yue, who had received the order from the high platform, rode back. He went directly to Liu Xian and said, "Grand Commandant, the General of Chariots and Cavalry has given the order to launch the attack in a quarter of an hour."

What is our mission?

"The General said he would personally command the main attack, while the attacks from the north and south would be feints to distract the enemy and prevent them from leaving their fortifications. Once the General has breached the main gate, we will launch a joint attack from the north and south, and we will surely defeat the enemy!"

"What if Zhang Fang intends to withdraw from the west?"

"This is also the task assigned by the General of Chariots and Cavalry. In this siege, once Zhang Fang withdraws his troops from the west, my unit will be responsible for pursuing them. We must relentlessly pursue them and terrify the enemy!" At this point, Sima Yue's expression changed, and he whispered to Liu Xian, "At that time, I will have to trouble the Grand Commandant with his efforts!"

Liu Xian smiled and then put forward his conditions: "That's not difficult, Minister, but if that's the case, I'm afraid my cavalry can't attack the city. Otherwise, too many casualties will be suffered on the city walls, making it difficult to pursue them after the battle..."

Liu Xian meant that he wanted Sima Yue to be in charge of the main attack here. Sima Yue understood immediately and said with a smile, "Please rest assured, Grand Commandant, this is a small matter. Why do you need to worry about it? I will let the recruited laborers fill the gaps. You will not need to lift a finger."

This statement made it sound as if he deliberately sent these laborers to their deaths. Upon hearing this, Liu Xian's expression changed slightly, and he instructed Sima Yue, "Even if you use soldiers like mud, you should still love them like your own children. How can you use such a phrase as 'sending them to their deaths'? Minister Sima, be careful what you say!"

Sima Yue readily agreed, but Liu Xian knew perfectly well that the Prince of Donghai wouldn't take his words seriously. He sighed inwardly; with someone like that around, his earlier assessment that Sima Yi had a 40% chance of winning was actually an overstatement. He should focus on making plans to cover the rear; if the siege failed and the Western army broke through the fortifications and launched a counterattack, he would likely have to clean up the mess himself.

Thinking this, Liu Xian led his troops slightly westward and instructed the local laborers to build a watchtower at the southwest corner of Zhang Fanglei so that he could observe the movements of the Western Army within the city.

The appointed time arrived, and the drums from the east roared deafeningly. Sima Yi had already ordered hundreds of drummers to take turns resting, while the drumming would continue throughout the night. The sound of the giant drums invigorated the attackers and alarmed the defenders. As soon as the drumming subsided, even the crows on Mount Mang, more than ten miles away, were startled awake. They flew up and circled in the air, only then belatedly realizing that so many humans had gathered at the foot of Mount Mang—a truly ominous sign.

The Imperial Guards' strategy was no different from any other siege tactic: first, to level the moat outside the western ramparts, then to erect earthen mounds and siege ladders, before finally storming the city. As soon as the drums sounded, the laborers sprang into action. They loaded the excavated earth onto carts or sacks and carried it on horseback. The men and horses took turns rushing down to the western ramparts, dumping the earth into the moat like a tidal wave. In no time, the deep ditch was filled.

Then the laborers began to fill the city walls with earth, piling up mounds. Arrows rained down from the Westerners atop the ramparts, so the Imperial Guards sent men with shields to escort them as they continued piling earth without pause. Meanwhile, the pre-built siege weapons began to move slowly. These ladders, trebuchets, and battering rams were often topped with a layer of wooden planks to block arrows, allowing the laborers and soldiers to take cover underneath and push the carts. Once these massive implements finally reached the foot of the city walls, they unleashed their power like ancient behemoths.

The siege ladders were folding ladder carts, each about three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high. The lower end was pushed to the front or back of the city, while the upper, folded ladder was wound with a winch to hook directly onto the city wall. The top of the ladder had an iron hook, making it difficult to remove once hooked. This allowed attacking soldiers to scale the walls in a very short time. The trebuchets were incredibly powerful; once close, dozens of men would manually launch stones, creating a thunderous roar. Wherever the stones passed, nothing was spared; city walls and enemy soldiers were reduced to dust. Most terrifying of all was the battering ram, made of massive timber, with one end sharpened and reinforced with copper and iron. Dozens of men would pull it with a winch and ram it against the gate between the camps. With each strike, the entire camp would feel a terrifying tremor.

In order to break through the outer defenses in the shortest possible time, Sima Yi placed all these tools on the east side. Nearly a hundred giant beasts unleashed their power at the same time, and in just half a day, the Imperial Guards broke through the eastern wall of the western fortress head-on. As breaches were successfully opened one by one, Sima Yi was overjoyed. He immediately mobilized the military flags, and Song Hong led several thousand Imperial Guards into the fortress. Everything went smoothly, as if flowing water.

But this was just the beginning. After the watchtower was set up, Liu Xian went up to observe the battle. He knew that the real brutal phase would begin with the fighting to break into the base.

As he was gazing into the distance, someone suddenly called out from below. Liu Xian looked down and was startled to see that it was Sima Fan, the Prince of Xiangyang. He quickly descended the watchtower and said to Sima Fan, "Yan Ping, what brings you here?"

Sima Fan had clearly just run over; his face was flushed, he was breathing heavily, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. He didn't speak first, but instead looked around. It was almost evening, the sky was dark, and the battlefield was deafening with the sounds of fighting; apart from Liu Xian's guards, no one had noticed them yet.

He let out a long breath, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and then smiled smugly at Liu Xian: "Uncle, the matter you asked me to do has been accomplished."

"It's done?" Upon hearing these two words, even Liu Xian, with his composure, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. He forced himself to suppress this emotion and then asked in a hoarse voice, "What conditions did the Empress say?"

"His Highness didn't mention any conditions." Sima Fan pulled a piece of yellow silk from his sleeve, opened it slightly to reveal a corner of a blue paper edict inside, and handed it to Liu Xian, saying, "This is your appointment. You are appointed as General of Chariots and Cavalry, and concurrently Grand Commander of Qin and Liang. The edict has already been stamped with the Imperial Seal and the Emperor's Seal. However, we don't have the means to make the official seals and ribbons right now, so you'll probably have to find a way to do that yourself."

Liu Xian took the imperial edict into his hands. Beneath the cool silk, it was clearly a light piece of paper, yet it felt incredibly heavy in his grasp. (End of Chapter)