Jinting Han people

Besides Chen An, Zhao Ran, and Jia Pi, Sima Yong, on Yan Ding's advice, recruited more than ten civil and military officials, including Xie Ban, Wei Fu, and Liang Chen, and appointed them to various positions. In a short time, the Prince of Hejian's staff expanded significantly. Thus, after losing Li Han, the Western Expeditionary Army finally experienced another major development, gaining considerable support from the people of Guanzhong and Longxi. This was all due to the influence of the Prince of Hejian's victory in the Battle of Luoyang.

Having gathered a considerable number of talented individuals, Sima Yong was confident in the future. He then followed Yan Ding's strategy, ordering the people to rest and recuperate, and postponing the war against Hedong until the autumn of this year.

However, although the war is scheduled to begin in the autumn, preparations should start now.

After all, Liu Xian had long been famous, and no one in the world dared to underestimate him. This was still Guanzhong, and it should be noted that Liu Xian's early reputation was basically built in the Western Expeditionary Army; everyone in Guanzhong knew of his military achievements. Therefore, even though his current military strength was somewhat insufficient, Yan Ding believed that they should be extremely cautious. If they could not devise a perfect strategy, the Western Army would never rashly launch an attack.

So throughout April, the staff of the Western Expeditionary Army were studying how to advance.

Guan Xian, the Commandant of the Eastern Qiang, was the first to propose a feasible strategy. He believed that since Zhang Fang had defeated Liu Xian in Luoyang, they should learn from Zhang Fang and adopt the same strategy in Hedong. He then studied Zhang Fang's actions in Luoyang and extracted three key points: siege, plundering civilians, and avoiding battle.

A siege, in essence, involves blocking off the enemy, occupying key strategic locations, and cutting off their internal and external communication, leaving the enemy isolated and helpless. In this situation, the enemy has nowhere to retreat and can only engage in direct combat. Every loss inflicted during the war will be unable to be replenished, leading to a protracted war of attrition.

Plundering civilians accelerates this depletion. In the eyes of ordinary people, war is a battle between two armies, with the populace and territory being the spoils of victory. But Zhang Fang takes the opposite approach. He sees at a glance that any war, in the end, is based on the people. Without the taxes and labor provided by the people, and without the army engaging in production, food and supplies cannot be replenished. Therefore, plundering civilians beforehand completely undermines the enemy's foundation; over time, the enemy will naturally collapse.

Avoiding battle is the last line of defense for victory. While the first two strategies will inflict significant damage on the enemy, this damage is not immediate; it takes time for its effects to become apparent. In the short term, it might even provoke the enemy into a desperate counterattack. If one takes this as an opportunity to engage in battle, it may result in a wasted effort and defeat, allowing the enemy to turn the tide. Therefore, actively building fortifications and avoiding battle is indispensable.

Therefore, Guan Xian imitated the cat and proposed a targeted strategy:

A large army can be deployed to defend the passes and checkpoints east of the Yellow River, while a larger force can be sent deep into the region. All the civilians encountered along the way should be relocated to Guanzhong. Those who refuse should have their houses burned down and their supplies looted, turning them into refugees. At this point, the refugees will have only two choices: either be forced to migrate to Guanzhong to seek a way to survive, or join Liu Xian's army and become a burden to them.

Once the entire Hedong Commandery was burned to the ground, Liu Xian had nowhere to go. He could either lead his army to forcefully storm the checkpoints and fight a decisive battle under the worst circumstances, or surrender on the spot and become a prisoner, or starve to death in Hedong Commandery. There was no other way.

This was indeed a winning strategy, but the other advisors were terrified and dared not support it.

Upon hearing this, Peng Sui, the Prefect of Hongnong, was the first to refute Guan Xian, saying, "Hedong Commandery is a major commandery in the country, with 400,000 people. If we move them to Guanzhong, they will lose their land and savings, which means 400,000 mouths waiting to be fed. My king will be going to war this year. Can the government afford to support them? If we can't, are we just going to watch them starve to death?"

Guan Xian had already thought this through. He said solemnly, "A merciful general cannot command an army! This is an age-old truth! How many people did Marshal Zhang starve to death in Luoyang in order to deal with a man like Liu Xian? In the end, it was all for naught. Not to mention that not even 400,000 people have died yet. Even if 400,000, or even 1 million or 2 million had died, as long as we can get rid of Liu Xian, it would all be worth it!"

He even cited Cao Cao's massacre of Hebei as an example, saying: "When Cao Cao captured Ye City, he fought two fierce battles and almost wiped out the people of Zhangbei. Even though Yuan Shang escaped in the end, wasn't it still a great victory?"

"What kind of talk is this?!" Yan Ding, Sima Yong's current chief strategist, was also extremely dissatisfied. He rejected the strategy, saying, "Luoyang is Luoyang, and Hedong is Hedong. Those parasites in Luoyang have been sucking the blood of everyone in the world, so killing them is fine. But we are all from Guanzhong, and Guanzhong is our foundation. If we kill even the people of Guanzhong, we will have no foothold, and where will we find refuge?"

The others echoed his sentiments. Regardless of Zhang Fang's actions in Luoyang, that was far east of the Xiaoshan Mountains. Even if all the Shandong people died, it wouldn't affect Guanzhong. But Hedong and Guanzhong were separated only by a large river. If chaos erupted and hundreds of thousands of refugees flooded in without food, they wouldn't willingly starve to death and would most likely become bandits. This would undoubtedly have a huge impact on the rule of the Western Expeditionary Army, something many people didn't want to see.

Seeing that so many people disagreed, Guan Xian knew that this plan would not pass, and he was somewhat disappointed, but he still said, "This plan is the safest. If you don't agree, what other strategy do we have?"

This was indeed a headache. In everyone's eyes, Zhang Fu's original strategy of forcing surrender was already a very good one. However, without Liu Xian, the counties in Hedong had not surrendered, which was enough to show that it was not feasible. Now that Liu Xian had arrived, their morale was bound to be even higher. It was impossible to subdue the enemy without fighting, so the only option was a frontal assault.

But would a direct assault be a good strategy? In open field battles, the Western Army has more soldiers and generals, so they naturally have a chance of winning. However, if Liu Xian avoids battle and gets bogged down in a siege, no one is confident they can defeat him; everyone knows the outcome of the Battle of Niyang. Therefore, after rejecting Guan Xian's strategy, none of the others could come up with a convincing solution.

But Jia Pi, who had just taken up the post of Military Commander of Pingxi, was full of enthusiasm. He was, after all, a young man, and although his family upbringing required him to be composed, he still longed to prove himself. Therefore, after a series of plans by others were rejected, he was not intimidated and came up with a new strategy, which he presented to Sima Yong.

"Your Highness, I think we should order the army to advance along four routes: Longmen Ferry, Puban Ferry, Fengling Ferry, and Dianling Slope. Only by advancing along these four routes simultaneously can we break down the defense system of Hedong."

When Jia Pi suggested advancing along four routes, he recalled Yang Hu's strategy for destroying Wu.

From a purely local perspective, a direct confrontation with Liu Xian does not guarantee victory. However, the defensive line of Hedong is incredibly long, nearly three hundred li (approximately 150 kilometers), similar to the thousand-li (approximately 500 kilometers) river defenses of Eastern Wu. Attacking from a single point would make it difficult to leverage one's numerical advantage, but a simultaneous attack from four directions would drastically change the situation, instantly shattering Hedong's defensive system. Liu Xian could only defend one point, while the other three routes would be difficult to defend, ultimately leaving him caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. "What does Your Highness think of the four-pronged attack strategy? I believe that General Zhang (Zhang Fu) should lead 30,000 men across Fengling Ferry to attack Hebei; Military Advisor Yan (Yan Ding) should lead 20,000 men across Puban Ferry to attack Puban; General Peng (Peng Sui) should lead 30,000 men across Longmen Ferry to attack Fenying; and Your Highness should personally lead 20,000 men over Dianling Slope to attack Dayang. The daily advance need not be too fast. To ensure absolute safety, the advance can be 30 li per day, but we must not give the enemy any opportunity to take advantage."

"We must maintain military discipline along the way, avoid disturbing the people, and use benevolent governance as much as possible to dismantle the people's resistance and ensure they are on our side. We must also communicate with each other every two days to ensure we know each other's location and can send reinforcements at any time. If Liu Xian does not engage in battle, we will converge at Anyi. If Liu Xian does engage, we will hold one side while three sides come to our aid. In the end, we will surely win."

This is the most balanced strategy. Although it may not seem particularly unusual at first glance, it tests the patience of the planners the most. Jia Pi has undoubtedly considered everything in great detail, taking into account personnel, terrain, time, and other aspects. He even made a list of possible supplies. It can be said that it looks very neat and there are no flaws to be found.

Indeed, this is the best strategy when one has an overwhelming numerical advantage. This wasn't just evident in the Jin army's conquest of Wu; the earlier Jin conquest of Shu, and even the Chu-Han Contention, all demonstrated this strategic thinking. Even with Xiang Yu's unparalleled bravery, when the Han army's four armies converged at one point, launching simultaneous attacks from different directions with overwhelming superiority, he could only end up fleeing in panic.

This strategy naturally gained public approval, and Sima Yong did not object. He then said to Yan Ding, "Let's choose a date."

After some discussion, the day for the army to set off was set for the seventh month of the third year of Tai'an, on the day of Ji Si. According to custom, by this time the wheat had been harvested, the horses had been fed, and if it didn't rain, the ground would be dry and firm, perfect for riding horses—the best time to cross the river.

Thus, the Western Expeditionary Army began preparations. On the one hand, they sent scouts to Hedong to gather intelligence, and on the other hand, they informed the commanders of the various armies of their plans and troop deployments. Of course, they also sent troops to the prefectures and counties of Guanzhong to repair armor and weapons as early as possible, train soldiers during the off-season, and expedite the collection of ships and convoys that were essential for the war to ensure logistical support during the war.

Other messengers ventured deep into the mountains and forests to deliver messages to the various nomadic tribes. The Western Expeditionary Army planned to purchase some grain and warhorses from them, while also recruiting more nomadic troops to increase its strength for the autumn campaign.

Before they knew it, it was early June. The wheat was ripening one after another, and taxes were being collected from all over Guanzhong. The Wei River was filled with ships collected from various counties in Guanzhong, but the hold was still empty, looking as if the river was covered with fallen leaves. In about ten days, however, they would be loaded with grain and supplies and set off with the first wave of the Western Army.

In fact, the first batch of Western Army troops had already quietly assembled in Hongnong. July 1st was the day to cross the river, but there was another location west of the river still under Liu Xian's control: Xiayang. The mission of this army was to capture Xiayang and then seize Longmen Ferry in order to cross the river on the designated time. It was precisely because of this additional task that these Western Army troops had to set off first.

The composition of these western armies was also extraordinary; they were all drawn from Zhang Fang's troops in Luoyang. Following Yan Ding's advice, Sima Yong successfully withdrew 30,000 cavalry from Henan on the condition that Zhang Fang be appointed Commandant of the Capital Region. Among them were troops of Lü Lang, Ma Zhan, and Diao Mo, who had distinguished themselves in the Battle of Luoyang. With these men in his ranks, Sima Yong's confidence naturally increased, and he entrusted them all to Peng Sui, the Prefect of Hongnong, to lead, instructing him to attack Xiayang according to plan.

However, since Xiayang is not a small city, the military headquarters held a small meeting before departure to refine the details of the operation as much as possible and prevent any unexpected events.

Sima Yong's main concern was the attitude of the Tuoba Xianbei. Xiayang possessed the largest trade market with the Tuoba Xianbei among the Guanzhong prefectures, thus maintaining a relatively good relationship with them. Angering the Tuoba Xianbei over the Battle of Xiayang would undoubtedly bring him unnecessary trouble. Precisely for this reason, although he knew Xiayang was within Liu Xian's sphere of influence, Sima Yong had not taken any special action against it since entering Guanzhong.

Now that the situation had reached a point where war was inevitable, he attached even greater importance to it and gave Peng Sui special instructions: "Before attacking the city, you must make good relations with the Tuoba Xianbei. I have prepared 100,000 bolts of silk as a gift. If the Xianbei have any requests, as long as they are not too unreasonable, you should try your best to satisfy them."

Then they discussed topics such as pacifying the people and crossing the river. Generally speaking, they were relatively optimistic about capturing Xiayang. While Xiayang appeared to be a large city, its defenses were incomplete. Its significant development over the past decade or so had mostly occurred in the markets outside the city, while the layout within the county itself hadn't changed much. A small city with a large population should, in theory, be the easiest to conquer.

Peng Sui had no objection to this, but during the discussion, he brought up a matter and said: "The soldiers who returned from Luoyang said that they heard news in Henan that Liu Xian had surrendered to the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the Prince of Chengdu in Ye City was supplying him with troops, saying that they were preparing to attack Chang'an soon. What do you all think?"

"He wants to attack Chang'an?" Upon hearing this, the military officers all burst into laughter. How could that be? How many troops could Hedong possibly send? They wouldn't even be able to defend themselves, let alone attack Chang'an. Wouldn't that be courting death?

They also didn't believe Hebei would send troops to support Liu Xian, because troop movements couldn't be concealed. They had scouts in Hanoi Commandery, but they hadn't seen Lu Zhi withdraw his troops from the front lines. If the front-line troops weren't being mobilized, would they be relying on a ragtag army from the rear? That would be even less effective; what was there to worry about?

Therefore, Yan Ding concluded: "This is probably Liu Xian deliberately creating a diversion to trick us into temporarily halting our attack!"

However, Xie Ban pointed out that Li Ju had once led an army to attack Linjin, and Liu Xian might adopt the same strategy, so it was best to be cautious. Sima Yong agreed, so he ordered Liang Zong in Chang'an to remember to repair the city's defenses as a precaution, and that was the end of the matter.

The day of deployment drew ever closer, and a massive offensive was in its final stages of preparation. All that remained was a flash of lightning to unleash the storm of war.

As everyone anticipated, the thunderbolt struck with a deafening roar, but it was entirely contrary to the expectations of the Western Expeditionary Army. The thunder did not originate from them, but rather from Liu Xian's side, who should have been on the defensive.

On the day of Bingzi in the sixth month of the third year of the Tai'an era, Liu Xian led his army in a surprise attack on Fenglingdu, reaching the foot of Tongguan Pass. (End of Chapter)