Jinting Han people

Pi Chu, the prefect of Jianping, had indeed heard about the gathering of the Han navy in Jiangzhou and had already made relevant preparations for defense.

As a veteran general who had fought in the Jianghan region since the time of Liu Hong, Pi Chu was indeed no ordinary man. He participated in the Battle of Xiangyang to quell Li Chen, the Battle of Jingling, the Battle of Yiyang to eliminate Huang Lin, and the Battle of Wuchang to defeat Chen Min. He also quelled several rebellions in Jingzhou and was widely recognized as one of the most outstanding generals in the Jingzhou army. He was known as one of the "Three Talents" along with Tao Kan and Kuai Huan, and was famous for his ability to "strategize like Tao Kan, sever like Kuai Huan, and be brave like Pi Chu."

It was precisely because of this reputation, coupled with his crucial position, that Wang Yan did not arbitrarily change Pi Chu's official title. Instead, he promoted him to General Who Subdues the Barbarians and instructed Wang Dun to meet his needs as much as possible in order to completely lock down Liu Xian's army in Bashu.

Pi Chu devoted himself wholeheartedly to this cause. Firstly, as a Jin official, he felt obligated to repay the kindness shown to him. Secondly, he was confident in his abilities and wanted to prove himself through warfare. Therefore, after taking the initiative to conquer Badong Commandery, he prepared for a major battle with the Han army, meticulously managed Badong Commandery, and built a complete defensive system to deal with possible future attacks.

His primary consideration was that Badong was a small and sparsely populated area. Although it had three counties—Yufu, Qu, and Nanpu—only Yufu was truly important. Therefore, he voluntarily abandoned the other two counties and gathered 30,000 people from those two counties around Yufu to bolster the city's population. At the same time, taking advantage of this opportunity, he began to construct extensive fortifications, utilizing the unique terrain of Baidi City.

Baidi City, as its name suggests, was built by Gongsun Shu at the end of the Former Han Dynasty. He saw a white dragon aura on the mountain and called himself the White Emperor, naming the city Baidi City. After his defeat in the campaign against Wu, Emperor Zhaolie Liu Bei also retreated to this place, built Yong'an Palace behind Baidi City to prevent Wu troops from entering Shu, and spent the last six months of his life there.

The reason why Baidi City is so special is not because of the so-called dragon aura, but because of its terrain. It is a peninsula that suddenly turns from the north bank of the river to the center of the river [1]. Therefore, the river surface suddenly narrows here, resulting in a rapid current. It is difficult for the navy to attack the peninsula directly. They can only disembark on the river beach west of Baidi City and first besiege it.

This made the city easy to defend and difficult to attack. Pi Chu then made further modifications to address this issue. He ordered the people to build a city on the riverbank, extending all the way to Qushan Mountain in the northwest, forming a unique arc-shaped city. The city was low in the middle and high on both sides, capable of accommodating 50,000 people to live and defend within its walls. If the navy wanted to disembark here, they would be subjected to a barrage of arrows from the city walls from three sides, making it difficult for them to gain a foothold.

(Topographical map of Baidi City)
However, this was not without a solution. Pi Chu thought that if the Han army crossed the peninsula and first sent their navy to the west of the city to encircle and intercept them from the rear, then things would be very bad. With this in mind, he established a small city in the Jiangnan region to the east, facing Baidi City across the river. This was Jiangguan.

Jiangguan Pass was also situated atop a hill, offering a commanding view. However, its most important function was to manage two hundred-zhang-long iron chains blocking the river. These chains, forged by Wang Dun at great expense over three months, were sent to Yufu, spanning the river mouth and preventing large ships from passing, allowing only fishing boats to cross. Thus, as long as Jiangguan Pass remained intact, the Han army's encirclement strategy would fail.

In addition, Pi Chu set up numerous beacon towers around the area. In case of danger, fires could be lit to report the situation, and Baidi City, acting as the central command, could immediately detect all military movements in the surrounding area and quickly provide support. Pi Chu was confident that the defensive system he had created was a classic example of mountain city defense at present, and even with only five thousand soldiers, he could hold off Liu Xian's tens of thousands of troops.

He even felt something was missing, and after receiving news that the King of Han had arrived in Jiangzhou, he even considered how to launch a counterattack.

He said to his deputy Zhang Luo, "The King of Han is using his navy for the first time, and he must think that he can conquer anything by going downstream. We can use a small number of our navy to lure the enemy into a few minor defeats, and then use fire ships to burn them to ashes. What do you think?"

The Badong River is about a hundred zhang wide, which is a difficult distance for a person to swim across, but it is nothing unusual for a ship. Pi Chu thought that this place was not suitable for naval warfare, especially for the large Han army's navy. The not-so-wide river and the rapids would make the ships congested and difficult to move, which would bring great convenience to fire attacks.

If a favorable easterly wind could be found, it could lure the Han navy into battle. The Han fleet could then sail downstream and launch a surprise attack with fire ships. Since the Han ships are mostly large, they would be unable to maneuver quickly and would inevitably be engulfed in flames. At that point, the city's defenders could launch a surprise attack. Not only would defeating the Han army be possible, but capturing the Han king and recovering Ba and Shu would not be impossible.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luo also felt that the chances of winning were not small. He agreed and said, "There's no harm in giving it a try. If we lose, we can just continue to defend the city. With your abilities, General, they won't be able to break in."

After devising a plan, Pi Chu deployed scouts along the river to constantly monitor the movements of the Han navy in preparation for battle. Once the Han army sailed downstream, they would surely discover something and then use the advantage of their light boats to quickly reach Yufu.

He had made precise calculations, and the waterway from Jiangzhou to Yufu was a thousand miles long, divided into two stages.

The first phase, from Jiangzhou to Nanpu, covers approximately 700 li. During this phase, the current is relatively slow, allowing for a journey of 200 li per day, and the expedition is expected to take three or four days. However, given that this is the Han army's first large-scale march, the pace may be slower, and the expedition should be completed in about five or six days. The second phase, from Nanpu to Yufu, is 300 li in length, but the river narrows and the current becomes faster as it slopes downhill; light boats can reach this point in a day.

Due to the different flow rates of the two sections of the river, Pi Chu was always two or three days ahead in terms of intelligence, allowing him to grasp the Han army's movements. Whether to fight or defend, the initiative was entirely in the hands of the Jin army. It was virtually impossible for the Han army to employ any surprise attacks or ambushes.

And what followed unfolded exactly as he had predicted. On the fourth day after the King of Han arrived, the entire Han army officially set off from Jiangzhou, with nearly a thousand ships sailing majestically down the river. Scouts were positioned along the riverbank like chess pieces, with a team every thirty li. Each team was equipped with leather boats, and once they spotted the fleet from a distance and confirmed it was the main force of the Han army, they immediately cast off and reported back to Pi Chu.

The Han army's marching speed was even slower than Pi Chu had planned. It took them seven days to cover a distance of seven hundred li, advancing for three hours each day and spending the rest of the time stationary, training, and resting.

Pi initially thought that the enemy might still be adjusting to the rocking of the ship. However, he didn't dwell on it too much and instead told the soldiers to take a break as soon as possible. If they waited until the enemy reached the city, they would hardly have a chance to rest.

However, after the Han army arrived at Nanpu, they did not continue their journey the next day, but instead made a brief stop in the old city of Nanpu. This action was unexpected by Pi Chu, making him even more puzzled.

He then discussed with his brother Pi Su, saying, "The King of Han always values ​​speed in his military campaigns, especially now that Du Tao has raised an army in southern Hunan and urgently needs his eastward support. But his progress is so slow. Do you think there might be a trap?"

Pisu was also a shrewd general. He analyzed, "This is already a day's journey. Perhaps the enemy is deliberately trying to mislead us and then launch a surprise attack."

Pi Chu pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying, "That's probably it. Liu Xian is known for his risky and unpredictable tactics. I think he doesn't have a chance of winning here, so he's trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Tsk, he underestimates us too much. I've set up beacon towers along the river, on duty day and night. How could he possibly bypass them and attack me from afar?" "Perhaps it's because they have cavalry? They can circle around the mountains?"

"What's so scary about cavalry? Not to mention that we haven't seen any large army disembark, even if they come over the mountains, they must be exhausted. Even if they reach our city, how can they possibly break through?"

After this analysis, Pi Chu felt truly at ease. He had painstakingly built the city for so long, and no matter how many tricks Liu Xian had up his sleeve, he couldn't carry them out. Naturally, he breathed a sigh of relief. He inspected the boats, and when it got dark, he went back to rest as usual.

What Pi Chu didn't know was that Liu Xian was also inspecting the ships while he was inspecting them.

However, unlike Pi Chu, what he inspected was something the Jin army never expected: elephants from the south. After capturing ten elephants from the south, Liu Xian wondered if they could be used to his advantage in the eastern campaign, so he specially brought three elephants aboard his ship. Many soldiers in the army were amazed by the elephants; they had never imagined that such enormous beasts would be as docile as horses.

As Liu Xian personally fed the elephants oranges, he said to Li Ju beside him, "Shi Hui, do you think the Jin army in Jingzhou will be greatly surprised when they see them?"

Li Ju was also very curious about elephants, but what impressed him even more was their appetite. He sighed and said, "Brother, I don't know if the Jin army is surprised, but one elephant eats as much as twenty horses in a day, right? Isn't that too wasteful?"

Liu Xian laughed heartily, patted the elephant's trunk, and said with a smile, "I guarantee that in a critical moment, they can be as good as a thousand horses!"

Li Ju remained noncommittal. After the two finished their banter, they changed the subject. Li Ju said, "Judging by the time, it's almost time to launch the night raid. Pi Chu is a veteran general. Brother, what do you think the chances of this raid succeeding are?"

Liu Xian smiled again, clearly confident in the plan. He said to Li Ju, "I will use the main force of the navy as a cover to advance openly and legitimately, attracting Pi Chu's attention, while actually sending Huo Biao to Yong'an via the mountain road. Pi Chu will definitely not expect this, and even if he did, he would not be able to guess the time it will take for our army to advance. He will never expect that our army will be able to reach the city of Yong'an tonight."

As it turned out, Pi Chu's plan was correct; Liu Xian did indeed employ a cavalry raid. However, contrary to his expectations, Liu Xian, taking advantage of Pi Chu's scorched-earth strategy, anticipated that his scouts could only be positioned along the riverbank and would not be able to detect the army hidden in the mountains. Therefore, before the Han navy officially set sail, Liu Xian dispatched Huo Biao with 5,000 cavalry, ordering them to advance towards Baidi City via mountain roads.

The reason Huo Biao was dispatched was because he had a large number of Qiang horses from the high mountains under his command. These horses were better at climbing mountains than ordinary horses. Although they could not match the speed of the Longyou horses over short distances, they were superior in endurance, making them suitable for use here. To prevent getting lost, Liu Xian also assigned Zhang Guang to work with local hunters as guides, and had Wang Zhen, who had traveled the route before, accompany the army, making it unlikely that any accidents would occur.

Most importantly, Pi Chu was ultimately just a general and did not understand the people's hearts.

He relocated all the residents of Badong County to Baidi City, resulting in a chaotic situation with many discontented residents. Through Zhang Guang's covert efforts, some residents secretly defected to the Han army, willing to act as internal agents. Even Zhao Bi, the former governor of Fuling who was residing in Baidi City, expressed his willingness to return to the orthodox line.

With these inside agents, no matter how fortified Baidi City was by Pi Chu, it would be nothing more than a thin sheet of paper in front of Liu Xian, easily obtained. However, this list of inside agents was of utmost importance, and Liu Xian strictly ordered it to be kept secret. Apart from Zhang Guang and a few others, even He Pan and Li Ju did not know about it, let alone anyone else.

Therefore, from beginning to end, Liu Xian did not take Baidi City seriously; instead, he was thinking about what would happen after breaking through Jiangguan Pass.

Wang Dun and his men certainly couldn't have imagined that the heavily fortified Jiangguan Pass, on which they had placed such high hopes, would be so easily breached by Liu Xian. This presented an excellent opportunity, meaning that after capturing the city, the area between Jiangguan Pass and Yiling would be undefended, allowing Liu Xian to sail downstream and directly attack Yiling. Only then would the true war begin.

Liu Xian asked Li Ju, "Shi Hui, who do you think is suitable to guard Yiling? Is Yang Nandi up to the task?"

Li Ju was taken aback upon hearing this, but then realized that his elder brother had the victory in the bag. He did not question it and said with a smile, "Defending a city is not the same as attacking. Bravery is secondary. What is needed is a kind and benevolent person who can love the people and unite the masses. I think Governor Yang is definitely more suitable for galloping on the battlefield, while Governor Zhang is more suitable for defending the city."

“You make a good point. Alright, it’s settled then.” Liu Xian said, and seeing that it was getting late, he strolled back to the Fanyu to rest. Resting on the bed on the ship, he could feel the sound of the water flowing beneath the hull; this slight rocking sensation made Liu Xian very comfortable. He had been overthinking and suffering from insomnia in Chengdu recently, but after boarding the ship, he slept soundly.

Before they knew it, dawn had broken again, and there was still no news of last night's raid. But Liu Xian was not in a hurry. After washing up and waiting for the whole army to have breakfast, he stood on the flagship's lookout tower and ordered the entire army to weigh anchor and set off again.

After basking in the river breeze for a while, the sun rose, and a seagull flew by, perching on the mast beside Liu Xian, curiously observing him. Liu Xian admired its feathers for a moment, then turned to Liu Lang and asked him to recite "The Yellow Bird." As soon as Liu Lang began to speak, the seagull immediately spread its wings and flew south.

It was at this moment that soldiers saw a knight waving a Han flag approaching from the downstream bank. A small boat came ashore and took him to the flagship. Then people learned about the situation at the front. Just four hours earlier, with the help of an inside agent, the Han army had directly captured Xiaguan City of Yufu, but the main body of Baidi City on the Jiangxin Peninsula was still in a stalemate.

Upon hearing this, the Han navy immediately accelerated its rowing. Three hours later, the army arrived at Baidi City. Seeing no hope of breaking out, the city's defenders mutinied before the Han army could launch a fierce attack. The Jin army killed the Pi brothers and surrendered, opening the city gates to present their heads.

[1] With the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, the water level of the Yangtze River rose, turning Baidi City, which was originally a peninsula, into an isolated island in the river. The massive modern project has completely changed the environment, and it is now difficult to see the original geographical features. (End of this chapter)