Jinting Han people

While the Han army was preparing for the next offensive, Gou Xi was also strengthening the city's defenses.

Faced with the failure of his previous ambush on Liu Xian, Gou Xi had no time to be frustrated; at least the operation had yielded some results, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. His greater concern now was the Han army's retaliation. Although he had fortified the city, Jiang'an's defenses were no match for Baidi City, and he dared not claim certainty of victory. Wang Dun's demand of Gou Xi was that, regardless of whether reinforcements arrived or when, he must do everything in his power to protect Jiang'an, to defend it to the death. Gou Xi had to give it his all.

Previously, in order to feign surrender, Gou Xi had not built any fortifications on the city walls. However, once the ambush failed, he immediately demolished all the houses and cut down all the trees inside the city, and overnight built wooden scaffolding and battlements on the city walls. By the next morning, the Han army was astonished to find that Jiang'an City had been raised by a full ten feet. Moreover, Gou Xi had also equipped the city with specially made long-handled hooks and sickles, which could extend from the wooden scaffolding and cut off the hands and feet of anyone who tried to climb the walls, making them virtually invincible.

Meanwhile, to alleviate the city's food burden, the 30,000 civilians who had been hiding in Jiang'an were completely plundered. Except for the families of soldiers, the elderly and weak were all driven out, and all able-bodied men were conscripted to guard the city. Gou Xi hoped this would lighten his own burden. Of course, what he couldn't openly say was that he hoped the King of Han would show mercy and use grain to win over the people, which would further increase the Han army's burden.

But Gou Xi also knew that even if all of this came true, it still wouldn't be enough. Any city surrounded by superior forces would inevitably fall if it remained trapped inside. To break the stalemate, the key was still reinforcements. With reinforcements, the attackers would be more cautious and wouldn't be able to use all their troops for the siege. As long as the siege wasn't too tight, the city could still communicate with the outside world; the city wasn't stagnant. Only by holding out could they continue.

Therefore, Gou Xi kept a close eye on the movements of the Xiangzhou reinforcements. On the very day he feigned surrender to Liu Xian, he sent an envoy to urge Ying Zhan and Wang Xun to lead their naval forces to come to the rescue.

The envoy spent a day and a night traveling by small boat from Jiang'an to the southern mouth of Dongting Lake, where he encountered Ying Zhan and Wang Xun's troops. Ying Zhan received him and learned that the Han army had already surrounded Jiang'an. After some thought, he truthfully analyzed the situation for the envoy:

“We have just completed the rotation of troops with the Jiangzhou army. According to our duty, we should go to their aid immediately. However, if we rush there without proper preparation, we will expose our weaknesses. Especially during the attack on Linxiang, our army has used up a lot of food and arrows. If we do not replenish our supplies, we may not be able to hold out against the enemy.”

"Here's what we'll do. Give me some time, just five days. We'll go to Jianli to resupply and rest first, and we'll definitely arrive in Jiang'an within five days."

Ying Zhan was a man who considered the big picture. In his view, this promise should be reliable. With Gou Xi's abilities, the stability of Jiang'an City, and five thousand troops, even if they couldn't hold Jiang'an for several months, couldn't they hold it for five days? And after five days, he would lead the navy to the embankment, and the pressure would shift from the defending army to the reinforcements. From any perspective, Ying Zhan had done everything he could.

So the envoy spent another day and night returning to Jiang'an to inform Gou Xi of the news. Gou Xi was immediately relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. He said to Xie Kun, "Alright, it seems that the original plan will not be needed for the time being. Let's withdraw the people."

It turned out that, in addition to the various defensive measures already in place, Gou Xi had also prepared a crucial trump card. He had secretly ambushed a small team on the north bank of the dike. If the Han army attempted to besiege the city and launch a strong attack, and if there were any signs that the city could not hold out, Gou Xi would use three smoke signals as an order to have the team breach the dike north of Jiang'an City and cause it to collapse.

This would undoubtedly bring enormous losses to the surrounding common people, but Gou Xi didn't care. He always adhered to a belief: victory is paramount in war, not virtue. In his eyes, the ancient virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness were merely tools to be used in order to achieve victory, and should not be upheld to the death. Victory was everything; after all, the victor is king, and the precedents of Bai Qi and Cao Cao had already proven that the victor is not to be blamed. Therefore, if slaughter and destruction could bring victory, he should use them as well.

However, this was ultimately a last resort. Jiang'an City was located in a low-lying area, and while breaching the dikes would inflict heavy casualties on the attacking Han army, it would also severely damage the morale of the local troops. Furthermore, his expulsion of local women and children had already drawn much criticism; adding another layer of trouble could easily lead to a mutiny. Since Ying Zhan promised to send reinforcements promptly, Gou Xi temporarily shelved this idea and focused on directing the defense.

It was at this moment that he noticed the Han army's offensive from the south seemed to be receding—no, it was a clear retreat. This surprised Gou Xi, and he went to inquire with Wei Yi's troops, who were in charge of the dike defense, and found that the Han army's offensive on the dike had also lessened. Continuing to look out from the watchtower at the Han camp, he saw a large number of troops gathered in front of the camp, their heads densely packed, their flags raised high like a forest, like a tide brewing.

"Are they going to rotate?" A thought flashed through Gou Xi's mind, making it hard for him to convince himself, because the Han army had only attacked with a few thousand men before, but judging from the current formation in front of the camp, the number of men was obviously much larger, almost the entire army.

"Could it be that Liu Xian is about to launch a general offensive?" Gou Xi thought to himself, and found it somewhat ridiculous. Because, at least from the current perspective, the Han army had only been besieging the city for a short time, and had only piled up four earthen mounds outside the city walls. They had not opened any breaches in the city walls, and had not even filled in the moat. Therefore, they did not have the conditions for a general offensive.

But if it wasn't a rotation or a general offensive, what exactly were the Han army's intentions? Gou Xi gazed at the ant-like crowd gathered in the distance, his eyes scanning back and forth, trying to find some clues from the enemy's formation, banners, and even the soldiers' distant faces. But strangely, the Han army's movements were completely beyond his comprehension; this army had actually formed a standard wedge formation. This was a formation used only in open field battles on plains, specifically designed to penetrate enemy square formations, completely unsuitable for siege warfare.

What puzzled him even more was that after the Han army completed their formation, they remained motionless, seemingly waiting for something to happen. What were they waiting for? What was Liu Xian planning?
A sense of unease and anxiety gathered in Gou Xi's heart, making him feel that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He could only repeatedly issue orders to all units in the army, demanding that all generals be alert, prepare for battle, and not slacken their efforts.

Gou Xi couldn't guess Liu Xian's method of breaching the city through a tunnel, but in fact, Liu Xian himself wasn't confident either.

After the Han army completed its formation, the autumn sun had not yet reached its zenith, and there were still three quarters of an hour before the agreed-upon time for the general attack. Zhang Qi and his men were still doing the final finishing touches. One soldier after another climbed out of the well, and the last to emerge was Zhang Qi, covered in sweat and his face smeared with mud. He held a thick fuse in his hand and pulled it in front of Liu Xian. Beside this fuse, seven other fuses were already in place.

Liu Xian knew that everyone was almost ready, but he was still a little worried and asked repeatedly, "Are you sure there won't be any problems? Can it be ignited underground?"

Zhang Qi hastily wiped his face with a burlap sack and replied, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I have made several holes in the city wall and poured oil on it. There is no reason why it cannot be lit."

Liu Xian took a deep breath, glanced at the sky, and knew the time was almost up. Without further thought, he ordered, "Light the fire!"

Eight fuses were lit one after another, crackling and burning like eight fiery serpents, quickly penetrating deep into the tunnel. Apart from the initial smoke and the lingering smell of fire on the ground, no trace remained. All those in the know stared at the eight openings, imagining the fuses traveling through the tunnel, igniting the bamboo frames and wooden pillars. They tried to estimate how long it would take for the fire to cause the ground to collapse. But human estimation couldn't predict the speed of the flames; looking at the openings, it felt like only a short while had passed, yet also like an eternity. Even though the temperature had dropped considerably, everyone felt as if they were in a sea of ​​fire, sweat beading on their foreheads and palms. This would determine the success or failure of the entire Jiang'an city's capture.

Success or failure?

Huangfu Dan's troops at the front kept their eyes fixed on the ground of the city wall ahead. They saw wisps of white smoke rising from the withered grass. At first, the smoke was faint and almost invisible. But soon, the white smoke grew as thick as a beam and ignited the surrounding withered grass, rising into the sky.

Such obvious features quickly attracted the attention of the Jin army on the city wall. Even though they did not know what had happened, they all realized that something was wrong. Wherever white smoke was coming out, everyone retreated and hid.

But it was all too late. First, a sound like shattering pottery came from underground, followed by a series of booming, hollow sounds, as if something had exploded or been crushed. The Jin soldiers clearly felt the city wall beneath their feet shaking and trembling. After exceeding a certain critical equilibrium point, a deafening bang, like a flood bursting its banks, shook the heavens and the earth, or like a sleeping dragon turning over and letting out a long roar. A large section of the city wall collapsed with a crash, and the ground trembled.

Seeing this, Liu Xian raised his eyebrows and drew his sword. Ignoring the startled and jumping of his mount, he shouted at the top of his lungs to the soldiers, "Gentlemen, we can make the city collapse, what do we have to fear from these mere soldiers? Success or failure depends on this battle, let's go into battle and kill the enemy!"

"Beat the drums!"

The drums thundered across the land, inspiring the Han army to advance. Opposite them, panic gripped the city walls. Nearly a hundred zhang (approximately 33 meters) of collapsed wall remained, aftershocks still lingered, and dust filled the air. Wounded Jin soldiers cried out in agony, their officers desperately trying to quell the panic, yet large numbers of soldiers still fled north. Even the south gate of Jiang'an City appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The soldiers shouted, shield bearers in front, archers behind, and every soldier, regardless of their branch of service, carried a bag of soil. All 15,000 attacking men were the same. The two-mile distance was covered in the blink of an eye. The men threw soil into the moat, filling in less than half a section of the river.

Even though Gou Xi had already given the order to prepare for the attack, the Jin army was completely stunned by this unimaginable offensive. They watched helplessly as the Han army climbed over the collapsed section and entered.

Seeing this, Gou Xi still tried to fight back. He ordered all his soldiers to assemble at the south gate for a desperate battle to drive the Han army out. The current battle line was not long, and timely engagement might not necessarily lead to defeat. However, he was merely a general who had been parachuted in; although he had some prestige, his loyal followers were pitifully few. Within the city, forces such as Deng Yue's former troops, Xie Kun's troops, and Hu Huai's troops disobeyed his orders and attempted to escape the city via the eastern embankment.

In the end, it was their own people who were most trustworthy. After discovering the upheaval in Jiang'an City, it was Gou Chun's troops from Furen City who came to the rescue. The Tiger Army, along with the Furen City garrison, numbered only a little over a thousand, but their elite status was unmatched. At this time, most of the Han army's elite cavalry were under the command of Li Ju in Jiangbei, while a few elite Imperial Guards were protecting the Han King. Fei Hei's troops, who were directly confronting the Tiger Army, were no match for Gou Chun, which led to chaos. He managed to break through and enter the city, joining forces with Gou Xi's troops.

If the rest of the Jin army had cooperated at this moment, it might have been a golden opportunity to turn the tide of battle. But the other Jin soldiers didn't care about such things. As troops personally selected by their generals, they were already doing their utmost to serve their lord, and they didn't care about the changing situation on the battlefield. Thus, this last chance to defend the city vanished in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this situation, Gou Xi felt no joy even after reuniting with Gou Chun. Gou Chun urged him to escape together, but Gou Xi resolutely refused. He shook his head and smiled bitterly, with a hint of resentment: "We've come this far, can we really survive by running away? The enemy army is to the south, and the great river surrounds us on three sides. Where can we escape to? Even if we are lucky enough to survive, can I ever make a comeback?"

Then Gou Xi replied to himself, "If I had known this would happen, I should have just breached the dike and forced everyone to fight me to the death! Alas, I wasn't ruthless enough, otherwise, how could I be in such a predicament?!"

He couldn't help but think of his youthful ambitions, how he had believed himself to be a man of both literary and martial talents, unparalleled in his time, even surpassing Han Bai. But since the failed coup, he had been reduced to a homeless dog, wandering aimlessly, achieving nothing. This fueled his bitterness and sharpened his hatred. In a moment of dizziness, a sudden impulse arose within him. He grasped Gou Chun's hand and said, "Let's go, come with me to kill Liu Xian!"

Having said that, Gou Xi drew his long sword from his waist, took off his helmet, and made a move to launch a counterattack, displaying a spirit of "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me".

They had only gone a few dozen steps when a rain of arrows fell from the sky. Everyone scrambled to dodge, but he was caught off guard. One of the arrows struck Gou Xi in the left eye. In excruciating pain, he stiffened and was at a loss. Then, several Han soldiers rushed up, pinned Gou Xi to the ground, cut off his head, and tied it to his waist.

The Han army did not know that this middle-aged man was Gou Xi. In their eyes, he was just a Jin general who had gone mad on the battlefield, and they could not see anything extraordinary about him.

In fact, even the Jin army led by Gou Xi didn't understand their commander's actions. They stood there in a daze until they witnessed their commander being beheaded, at which point they snapped out of their daze. No matter how elite they were, without their commander, their fighting spirit inevitably vanished, and they scattered, joining the chaotic retreat within the city. To outsiders, the so-called Tiger Army was no different from an ordinary rabble.

Before dusk, the Han army captured the main city of Jiang'an, and the remaining cities of Furen City and Matou City surrendered accordingly. Thus, the Han army achieved the first objective of its eastward expansion strategy. (End of Chapter)