Jinting Han people

The battle of Langzhong was so smooth that "utterly crushing" wouldn't even begin to describe it; perhaps "taking something out of a bag" would be a more apt description. Hundreds of warships and over six thousand veterans from Jiangzhou offered virtually no effective resistance, and Li Ju ended the battle and captured them all within half an hour.

Winning was nothing unusual; Li Ju had made ample preparations for it, and victory was simply a matter of course.

Since assuming the post of Prefect of Brazil, Li Ju's primary target of vigilance had always been Luo Shang. Given Luo Shang's incompetent rule, how easy would it be for him to gather intelligence from the common people? Therefore, Li Ju received news of Luo Shang's slightest northward movement from Jiangzhou immediately. Thus, he simultaneously quelled the Celestial Masters sect while planning a countermeasure in Brazil.

After conducting a thorough investigation of Rocháng, Li Ju deduced that Rocháng was eager for war and thus boldly set a trap. Just before Rocháng's advance, he orchestrated a massive relocation of people within Brazil, spreading the message that they were to avoid battle and return north. However, this was merely a ruse; the entire operation was designed to force Rocháng to march north hastily and confront him without adequate preparation.

The relocation process encountered relatively little resistance. Although it did cause some panic among the people, their fear stemmed not from the migration itself, but from Luo Shang. Luo Shang's bad reputation in Sichuan once again aided Li Ju. The local people preferred to leave rather than remain under Luo Shang's rule. This allowed Li Ju to maintain the facade without much criticism. Consequently, Luo Shang, as expected, could not withstand the pressure and quickly divided his troops to march north.

According to Li Ju's original plan, he had two options: if Luo Shang's entire army marched north, he would pretend to relocate people into the mountains, but in reality, he would set up an ambush on the mountain road to lure Luo Shang to abandon his ships and follow him into the mountains, thus launching an ambush; if Luo Shang divided his troops to march north, the approaching force would inevitably be the navy, so he would stay in the city and use his intelligence advantage to first encircle and annihilate the vanguard.

As the battle unfolded, everything went exactly as he had predicted. Although Luo Shang was a local from Sichuan and Chongqing, and many of his men were from Bazhou and Langzhong, he was completely blind and deaf in battle, receiving no cooperation from the locals whatsoever. He was unaware that Li Ju had already begun the relocation of people, that Li Ju possessed the ships captured from Jiameng belonging to Li Xiong, and that his every move was under Li Ju's surveillance. Ultimately, despite initiating the attack, Luo Shang secured a complete victory for Li Ju.

However, Li Ju did not show any joy after the victory. After counting the captured warships and prisoners, he said to Guo Fang, who was accompanying him, "After you have dealt with the armor and weapons, don't rush to move the people away. Go and pick out the medical personnel captured in the army, and hand the rest over to the Prefect of Zitong. The Xindu army has suffered heavy casualties and is in dire need of good medical personnel."

Seeing Guo Fang nod in agreement, Li Ju continued, "Also, inform Governor Liu of our victory and have him send troops according to the pre-arranged plan. Three days later, once Luo Shang's army arrives, our army will set off to join them at the city of Dianjiang. Use fast horses and try not to be late."

Having captured the Jiangzhou navy, Li Ju had no intention of stopping there. Luo Shang believed he could annihilate Li Ju's 20,000 men, but Li Ju also longed to take the opportunity to eliminate Luo Shang; the conditions simply weren't ripe. Now that Luo Shang had lost his most important naval advantage, the battlefield situation had subtly reversed. Li Ju planned to strike before Luo Shang realized anything was amiss, catching him completely off guard.

If this battle is successful, we will at least make Luo Shang afraid to fight again for a while, if not completely wipe them out.

After giving instructions on miscellaneous tasks, Li Ju inspected the prisoners and the battlefield once more, and reassured the displaced civilians, telling them to set aside their worries and return to their homes for the time being. This visit left everyone—from his Hanzhong army and the captured Jiangzhou soldiers to the civilians who witnessed the battle—some filled with awe, others with heartfelt reverence. In short, they all regarded Li Ju as a god. After all, a general's responsibility is to lead his army to victory, and to achieve such a brilliant and classic victory in a military career is almost every warrior's dream.

The crowd gazed at Li Ju's thin back, their hearts filled with awe. They whispered among themselves, saying, "General Li is so young, yet he has won battle after battle. Even Wei Qing and Huo Qubing are no match for him."

But Li Ju was not comforted by the victory. Upon returning to Langzhong City, he left without any other guards, standing atop the city wall overlooking the river. Only then did a hint of fatigue appear on his face. Others only saw his triumphant public display, unaware of the pressure and effort he had endured behind the scenes. As Liu Xian's true second-in-command, Li Ju was arguably the only person in Bazhou County who truly knew of Liu Xian's illness.

In his letter, Liu Xian had made it clear to him that he had been unwell recently; a previously inconspicuous boil on his back had begun to swell and develop, and he often experienced numbness in his shoulder, which posed a significant risk of complications. Therefore, Liu Xian instructed Li Ju to prepare to end the war in Brazil as soon as possible. He also requested that Li Ju come to Luoxian before the end of the year in case of any unforeseen circumstances, as he had important matters to discuss with him.

Although Liu Xian did not explicitly state this part, Li Ju understood that it subtly implied a sense of entrusting the young man to someone else.

If Liu Xian were to truly fall seriously ill and pass away, within the current power structure of the Anle Duke's Mansion, only Liu Lang would be able to inherit the title. Li Ju, being Liu Lang's adoptive father, would naturally be the best candidate to assist him. After all, Li Ju excels in both military and political affairs, has distinguished himself in battle, and has cultivated good relations with the Shu people of Hedong and the Guanzhong forces. His prestige within the Anle Duke's Mansion is also the highest, an advantage that none of the other factions under Liu Xian could match.

However, Li Ju did not feel joy. First, he and Liu Xian were close friends and naturally did not want to see his sworn brother seriously ill; second, the situation in Brazil was currently unpredictable, and he had no time to consider the bigger picture; third, he was also afraid of the terrible consequences if this matter came true.

Li Ju gazed at the withered lotus leaves on the riverbank, his heart filled with desolation: at this juncture, once his elder brother passed away, no matter how hard he tried, a split within the Duke's mansion would be inevitable. The three major factions—the Qiu Chi Yang Clan, the former Sili Prefecture, and the Zhengxi Military Command—would certainly be unable to maintain their current peace.

But most importantly, in this world today, there probably won't be anyone else who can shoulder such a great responsibility as my brother...

With these considerations in mind, he began searching far and wide for doctors, even sending captured military doctors to Luocheng. But if all else failed, Li Ju was prepared; he would not shirk his responsibilities.

But before that, he must first teach Luo Shang a lesson, so that this arrogant oriole knows that he has not provoked a mantis, but an eagle!
Returning to Luo Shang's side, he was now 300 li (approximately 150 kilometers) behind Yao Xi's forces, making communication with his messengers difficult. Luo Shang continued his rapid northward march, sending out scouts and riders throughout the mountains to gather intelligence. They unexpectedly discovered a group of civilians seeking refuge in the mountains. These were mostly the elderly, women, and children, who, finding long journeys difficult, had chosen to remain deep in the mountains, intending to wait until the fighting subsided. Through interrogation of these prisoners, Luo Shang learned that Li Ju's main force had not yet left Langzhong, which greatly relieved him. Considering that Yao Xi's forces should have already reached Langzhong and could now be used to contain Li Ju's forces, he relaxed his pace, ordering his troops to halt their advance and halving their marching speed to allow them to rest and conserve their energy.

It must be said that the forced marches over several days caused many soldiers to experience discomfort, especially the Yue soldiers brought by Wang Ji from Guangzhou and the Jiaozhi soldiers brought by Wu Zi from Jiaozhou. They did not prepare enough autumn clothing, and after the temperature dropped, many of them began to catch typhoid fever, followed by weakness and loss of appetite.

Fortunately, as Luo Shang had previously stated, Li Xiu's troops had a whole cavalry unit of Ningzhou herbs, which were used for treatment, thus containing the typhoid fever outbreak and limiting it to Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, preventing a large-scale epidemic.

Three more days passed, and the Jiangzhou army continued its northward march. At this point, they vaguely sensed something amiss: Logically, after reaching Langzhong, Yao Xi's forces should have sent messengers to report back. However, Yao Xi's troops seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if they had disappeared into thin air. What had happened? Now only a hundred li from Langzhong, Luo Shang dispatched a messenger on horseback to make contact, but upon arriving at the city walls, he could only see enemy troops and found nothing of their own fleet.

Luo Shang discussed the matter with his generals in the army. Some believed that Yao Xi had led his troops north to cut off Li Ju's retreat, while others thought they had retreated to a tributary and held their ground. No one believed that Yao Xi's troops had been annihilated. After all, there was no intelligence to prove that the Hanzhong army possessed a navy, which meant that Yao Xi was in an invincible position.

In short, opinions are divided, and no unified conclusion can be reached.

Just as Luo Shang was feeling troubled, a messenger suddenly reported that a large number of warships had appeared on the river. Judging from their design, they should be the ships of Yao Xi's forces. What was strange was that these warships did not surround Langzhong City as planned, but instead sailed downstream and left Langzhong, heading straight for the Jiangzhou army.

This turn of events was unexpected by everyone. Luo Shang was furious when he learned of it. He cursed in public, "Has Yao Xi lost his mind?! He wants to retreat without my orders? What is he trying to do?! Does he think I wouldn't dare to kill him?"

Luo Shang immediately led his generals to the ferry to watch, and they happened to see hundreds of warships sailing down the river. Because of the north wind, the fleet was sailing with the wind and current, so the ships were moving very fast. They formed several columns on the river, but it was difficult to maintain them, and they were like snakes, sometimes scattering and sometimes gathering.

Upon seeing this, Luo Shang criticized Wang Ji and the others, saying, "Yao Xi is really getting worse with age. Back when we were conquering Wu, we practiced formations on the Yangtze River, passing Baling and Wuchang, covering 500 li a day with the help of the wind, and even then, our formation didn't fall apart. Look at him, as if he's only been sailing for a short time. What does he mean by this? Is he trying to embarrass me?"

Having said this, he had made up his mind to capture Yao Xi as soon as the ship stopped. After the battle, once they returned to Jiangzhou, he would then deal with Yao Xi according to military law.

After a while, the lead warship showed no intention of hoisting its sails or stopping. Instead, it began rowing rapidly, followed closely by the warships behind it, like a flock of ducks scattering into the water. The Jiangzhou soldiers on the riverbank watched the fleet pass by like a whirlwind, completely bewildered and unable to comprehend what was happening. Some shouted from the shore for the ships to stop, but no one responded. Until all the warships disappeared from sight, not a single one paused even for a moment. The men gazed at the wide river in the valley, as lost as children abandoned by their mother.

It took Luo Shang a while to react. Suddenly, another possibility popped into his mind: Could it be that he had been pushing Yao Xi too hard, and Yao Xi was unwilling to fight to the death, so he was going to abandon him and lead his troops to join Jingzhou? Or was he going to report directly to the court and have him dismissed from his post?

His mind was a complete blank, and the generals around him were even more bewildered. He Chong remained stunned for a long time before asking Luo Shang, "My lord, shall we continue the attack on Langzhong?"

Upon hearing this, everyone found it somewhat ridiculous: they didn't even have the navy besieging Langzhong anymore, so what was the point of attacking Langzhong? Were they just going to fill in the river?

Luo Shang also realized the situation, feeling both resentment and anxiety, but he had to painfully admit that this offensive against Brazil could not continue. His only option was to lead his troops back and find out what had happened and what Yao Xi's actions truly meant.

Under these circumstances, the 50,000 Jiangzhou troops rested for a day, then turned around and returned along the same route they had come from. On the return journey, Luo Shang and other generals were greatly discouraged and unwilling to speak, as the course of this expedition had been utterly inexplicable. However, the soldiers were very happy. After all, for them, not having to fight meant they had simply gone out for a stroll, which was always a welcome change compared to the bloodshed under swords.

Just two days later, a group of men suddenly appeared, claiming to be the garrison of Anhan. They came disheveled and reported that just last night, the southward-bound fleet of warships had suddenly docked in front of Anhan city. The troops left behind in the city, bewildered, assumed there had been a change in Luo Shang's plans and went out to greet their comrades. Unexpectedly, the soldiers on the warships disembarked, captured the Anhan garrison, and then seized control of the entire city.

Only then did the Jiangzhou army realize that the magnificent fleet of warships that had passed by was not Yao Xi's troops, but rather eight thousand Hanzhong soldiers personally led by Li Ju.

The loss of Anhan meant a harsh reality: the Hanzhong army was now blocking their retreat. Although the Hanzhong army was far outnumbered by the Jiangzhou army, it held a crucial advantage. The Jiangzhou army only had enough provisions for twenty days. If they couldn't break through their defenses within that timeframe, their entire force of 50,000 might face total annihilation. (End of Chapter)