Jinting Han people

The day after the Han army issued its proclamation against the Jin dynasty, Wang Dun, the governor of Jingzhou, received the full text.

At this moment, Wang Dun was in Jiang'an, feasting with his friends and advisors. After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was quite pleasant. Suddenly, they heard that a proclamation from the Han army had arrived, causing a stir among the group, their faces showing worry. They had only learned of the Han army's arrival at Yiling in the last two days, and the army was still undecided on how to respond.

However, Wang Dun remained unmoved. He had hosted this banquet to stabilize the morale of his troops in the face of a formidable enemy. Upon the arrival of the proclamation, he showed no emotion, nor did he leave his lodgings. Instead, he instructed his advisor, Shen Chong, to read the entire document aloud to the public. Shen Chong read it aloud word by word, and when he reached the phrase "Commander-in-Chief, 120,000 troops," the entire assembly was stunned. They were speechless with astonishment, then looked at each other in bewilderment and sighed.

However, Wang Dun was extremely shrewd. Even though everyone was alarmed and the proclamation was like an arrow, it still couldn't change Wang Dun's expression. After listening to the proclamation, he first exclaimed "Eh," and then picked up the silk book with great interest and read it again, as if admiring its literary talent. He slowly smiled and said, "Ah, it's been a few years, Fu Shidao's writing has improved."

After saying that, he handed the manifesto to his friend beside him and said calmly, "Bo Ren, take a look. He has learned three-tenths of Chen Lin's style, and it even has the effect of sobering up."

Chen Lin was a renowned scholar of the late Han Dynasty, especially skilled in parallel prose and antithetical couplets, considered the best of his time, and thus included among the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an." His most famous works are the two proclamations, "A Proclamation to the Governor of Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao" and "A Proclamation to the Generals and Troops of Wu," which are characterized by their bold and unrestrained style, flowing literary energy, and powerful writing, making them timeless masterpieces.

However, Wang Dun's praise also contained a hint of sarcasm. Chen Lin, though a gifted writer, was unlucky. For some reason, whenever he penned such magnificent prose, the rulers he served always failed to achieve victory. First, Yuan Shao was thrown into disarray at Guandu, then Cao Cao lamented the fall of the Yangtze at Ruxu. Later generations, reflecting on this, cannot help but laugh. Wang Dun's comparison of Chen Lin to Fu Chang was clearly a veiled criticism of the Han army's excessive boasting, making victory uncertain.

The scholar standing opposite him at that moment was none other than Zhou Yi.

In his early years, Zhou Yi worked with Liu Xian and Wang Dun, and was known for his integrity and uprightness. However, when Liu Xian returned to Luoyang from Guanzhong, Zhou Yi went back to his hometown to observe mourning for his mother, thus leaving the capital region. Later, seeing the various upheavals and political upheavals in Luoyang, Zhou Yi simply continued to live in seclusion at home to avoid the chaos. It wasn't until Wang Yan pacified Yangzhou again that he took up an official post in Xuchang, serving as the Vice Minister of Personnel, and was highly valued by Wang Yan.

The reason he was here was that after Du Tao of Xiangzhou started his rebellion, Wang Yan thought that Wang Dun was stubborn and inflexible. Although he was good at military affairs, he was afraid that he would not tolerate people. So he appointed Zhou Yi, who was more easy-going, as General Pingnan and deputy commander of the Jingzhou army. This was to help Wang Dun find and fill gaps in his abilities and to stabilize the morale of the army.

With Zhou Yi's refined manners, he could naturally discern Wang Dun's sarcasm, but he couldn't laugh at the moment. As the deputy commander of the Jin army in Jingzhou, he was acutely aware of the Jin army's current predicament; Wang Dun was merely putting on a brave face.

Although the imperial court adopted a show of force from the very beginning of the Xiangzhou Rebellion, calling for the military might of four prefectures to besiege Du Tao—a seemingly impressive move—the reality was far from ideal. Because the rebellion occurred so suddenly, by the time Zhou Yi arrived in Nanping, he discovered that among the surrounding prefectures, only Wang Dun's forces had made prior preparations to suppress the rebels. The other three prefectures were mostly still reorganizing their armies.

Moreover, the event was sudden, and Wang Dun was unfamiliar with the local customs, so he dared not rashly march south. He instead dispatched 20,000 troops, ordering Ying Zhan and Wang Xun to launch probing attacks on Luo County and Yiyang. However, it was too late. The two cities had already been looted by Du Tao. The refugee army stockpiled the looted supplies in Linxiang City, where they repaired the city walls, strengthened fortifications, and prepared for battle. The Jin army launched two probing attacks but found that they could not capture the city in time.

This led to a stalemate. Linxiang City was a crucial strategic location on the Xiang River; without capturing it, the Jin army could not advance south. Du Tao was able to defend the north and attack the south, successfully capturing half of Xiangzhou in just two months and expanding his army to over 40,000 men. Wang Dun, lacking numerical superiority, decided to first station his troops in Yiyang, awaiting reinforcements from other prefectures, and then make further plans once all sides had arrived.

Little did they know that just as all parties were in place and no real results had been achieved, Liu Xian had suddenly appeared, and so quickly and urgently.

Wang Dun had spent nearly ten thousand gold coins at Baidi City, only to be unable to hold off Liu Xian for even a day. This devastating news had left Wang Dun numb. In comparison, the subsequent fall of Yiling was hardly surprising. After all, Wang Dun had mobilized almost all of his available mobile forces to quickly eliminate Du Tao. This was understandable; most people would have thought that he could simply wait until Baidi City couldn't hold out before fortifying Yiling. But who could have predicted that things would develop this way? One miscalculation led to another, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

The Jin army now faces two problems: one is the issue of morale, how to salvage the low morale of the troops; the other is the issue of strategy, how they should adjust their strategy to break out of this vicious cycle and minimize losses.

Wang Dun was truly an extraordinary man; even in such dire circumstances, he could still manage a smile. Meanwhile, his deputy commander, Zhou Yi, after hearing Fu Chang's proclamation, was already feeling extremely uneasy.

Seeing Wang Dun hand over the proclamation, Zhou Yi didn't even glance at it, casually tossing it aside and forcing a smile, "Chuzhong, you've sobered up, but I haven't!"

"Oh?" Wang Dun laughed, "Bo Ren, you've really fallen behind. I still remember twenty years ago, when you and I traveled with Liu Xian, Lu Ji, Jiang Tong, Liu Kun, Liu Cong, and others, you drank ten cups without changing your expression and continued to argue with Lu Ji. Liu Xian even praised you, saying you had the style of Old Ruan Ji!"

Hearing Wang Dun recount the past, Zhou Yi couldn't help but sigh. Twenty years ago, they were just a group of young people in Luoyang. In the blink of an eye, everything had changed. Who could have predicted their respective destinies? He hadn't seen Liu Xian for almost twenty years and didn't even know what Liu Xian looked like now. Even Wang Dun's style was vastly different from before.

In response, Zhou Yi exclaimed, "It's not that I've regressed, but that you, Chu Zhong, have progressed. The country can do without me today, but it cannot do without you!"

Wang Dun was naturally delighted to receive praise from his childhood friend. He said, "Bo Ren, you lack experience. Don't be fooled by Liu Huaichong's aggressive approach. In my opinion, this proclamation is mostly a bluff. Where did he get 120,000 men? Back then, Wang Jun mobilized all of Yizhou, and with support from Guanzhong and Longxi, he only had a little over 70,000 men. How could he possibly have more than Wang Jun?" "Gentlemen, there's no need to worry. I have a prior agreement with the Prince of Langya in Yangzhou. If Liu Xian invades the Jianghan region from the east, he will definitely send a large army to his aid. The court will not ignore this either. As long as we hold our ground here and wait for reinforcements, preventing Liu Xian from joining forces with Du Tao, what can Liu Xian do when 200,000 troops from the southeast gather here?"

Among the Langya Wang clan, Wang Dun was considered to have military strategic talent. Without consulting anyone, he had already grasped the crux of the current battle situation. Although he did not know Liu Xian's current strength or weakness, as long as he established a foothold in Jiangnan and prevented Liu Xian from entering Xiangnan, while the rest of the Jin army joined forces to first wipe out Du Tao in Xiangnan, Liu Xian, being isolated and outnumbered, would be easier to deal with.

After Wang Dun's words, the tense atmosphere at the banquet greatly dissipated. The advisors, finding his reasoning sound, joined in the flattery and laughter, and everyone drank again, emboldened by the alcohol. It seemed that the once formidable reputation of the King of Han had become less intimidating.

But this atmosphere lasted only one night. The next morning, the Jingzhou army in Jiang'an received more bad news: Dangyang had fallen.

Just as they were holding their banquet, a Han army suddenly appeared beneath the walls of Dangyang. Tens of thousands of horses galloped around the city, raising clouds of dust and creating a terrifying spectacle. The last time such a large cavalry force appeared in Dangyang was probably on the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, when the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry pursued Liu Bei south from Xiangyang, finally arriving in Dangyang and nearly killing him. But a hundred years later, the cavalry was led by the Han army.

The defenders of Dangyang were more courageous than those of Yiling. Although they only had a thousand men in the city, they did not choose to abandon the city and flee in the face of the sudden cavalry attack. Instead, they planned to hold their ground, but the result was no different. Due to the panic of the people outside the city, they gathered at the city gate, causing chaos and preventing the defenders from closing the gate in time. Li Ju then led his troops into the city. Within just one hour, the defenders were unable to resist and had no choice but to surrender. Afterwards, he posted proclamations, declaring that he would attack Xiangyang.

Dangyang is located in the middle of the Yangtze and Han rivers, only about 300 li from Xiangyang. If the cavalry had no concerns, they could reach it in a day. When the news reached Jiang'an, the entire army was greatly alarmed and requested Wang Dun to return to the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Wang Dun was greatly troubled by this, and frankly, he strongly suspected that it was a feint.

Among the cities north of the Yangtze River, the three most important were Yiling, Jiangling, and Xiangyang. Yiling's main advantage was its strategic location and strong defenses, but these were far inferior to those of Jiangling and Xiangyang. Jiangling was the center of the Northern Expeditions personally overseen by Guan Yu, a famous general of Shu Han, and its defenses were comparable to those of Luoyang. Xiangyang, on the other hand, was the foundation of Jingzhou, which the Wei and Jin dynasties had managed for over a century since Liu Biao's time, and it was a renowned twin city situated between two rivers.

The best example of this is the warfare during the Three Kingdoms period. Yiling City was at least captured by Lu Xun, Lu Kang, and Wang Jun. However, Jiangling and Xiangyang, since their construction, have never been breached by a direct attack unless the defending troops surrendered or abandoned the city.

Liu Xian's immediate move upon entering Yiling to attack Xiangyang or Jiangling was, in Wang Dun's view, utterly impossible. As long as these two cities remained unconquered, the Han army would be unable to establish a foothold north of the Yangtze River, essentially walking into a trap. Therefore, Wang Dun had already vaguely sensed that this was likely a feint.

But the brilliance of Li Ju's move lies precisely in this: even if Wang Dun sensed something amiss, what could he do? His generals and soldiers were mostly from Jingzhou north of the Yangtze River; the Jianghan Plain was their true home. If the Han army were allowed to roam freely north of the Yangtze, how could they fight with peace of mind? At that point, morale would collapse, and they would crumble without a fight.

After discussing the matter, Wang Dun and Zhou Yi had no choice but to agree to the generals' request to lead the majority of their forces back to Jiangbei to stabilize the rear and await reinforcements before making further plans. However, he was unwilling to completely abandon Jiangnan, and at the very least, he could not simply hand over Nanping Commandery so easily. Ying Zhan had cultivated a good reputation there for several years, and the people were loyal to him. If he were to give it to Liu Xian like this, it would be tantamount to cutting off his own arm.

Therefore, Wang Dun ordered the troops under Ying Zhan and Wang Xun at the front to relieve the Jiangzhou army, handing over Yiyang County to Tao Kan's forces, and then led his navy back to Jiang'an. At the same time, he wrote to Wang Kuang, the governor of Yangzhou, requesting that he temporarily relocate the Jiangzhou navy to the north mouth of Dongting Lake as backup for the Jingzhou navy. If Liu Xian continued his eastward advance, even if they could not defeat him, they could at least slow down his advance.

Wang Dun still pinned his hopes on the Jin armies advancing from the north and south, hoping they could completely annihilate Du Tao's forces before Liu Xian broke through to southern Hunan. While this seemed unlikely at the moment, there was no better alternative. Otherwise, he could only wait for reinforcements from Yangzhou and Huainan to arrive and engage the Han army in a desperate, head-on confrontation.

When the order was issued to the front lines in Yiyang, both Wang Xun and Ying Zhan were unwilling. They had been besieging Linxiang for over half a month, and the battle was at a critical stage. Withdrawing now would undoubtedly mean all their previous efforts were wasted. Ying Zhan was relatively calm, but Wang Xun privately complained to his men, "Logically speaking, Jingbei is undefended; shouldn't we ask the Jiangzhou army to take over? We're on the front lines; such a hasty withdrawal only emboldens the rebels! Wang Jingzhou is still too concerned with power, afraid someone else will seize his governorship in Jingbei!"

That being said, Wang Xun also knew that it was unrealistic to expect a regional governor to be indifferent to power and position. With half of the country already lost, the Jin army had lost its absolute numerical advantage; they couldn't possibly fight enemies from all directions simultaneously and had to make choices. After careful consideration, he chose to obey orders, abandon the siege of Linxiang, and return to Jiang'an by boat.

Meanwhile, Wang Dun had just returned to Jiangling and had not yet gone back to reinforce Xiangyang when he felt that the arrangements in Jingnan were somewhat lacking. After all, it would take some time for Wang Xun and Ying Zhan to return to reinforce, and before they arrived, only 5,000 troops remained in Nanping Commandery, currently commanded by Wang Dun's general Deng Yue. However, Deng Yue lacked experience, and once the main force of the Han army advanced eastward, under Liu Xian's intimidation, the Jin army might fall into chaos even before the battle began.

Therefore, Wang Dun urgently needed a veteran general with considerable prestige to bolster the defenses of Nanping Commandery. But where could he find such a candidate in such a short time? Even if he did find one, why would he serve him? But soon, he actually thought of such a candidate: talented, under his command, and certain that this person would fight Liu Xian to the bitter end and never surrender, perfectly meeting his requirements.

"It seems that we have no choice but to use this person to block Liu Xian. At least we won't have any worries."

After pondering for a while, Wang Dun discussed the matter with Zhou Yi, saying, "Let Gou Xi go to Jiang'an!" (End of Chapter)