Jinting Han people

Although Liu Xian's tone was calm, his inner thoughts were not as composed as they appeared. The Jin army's plan was indeed audacious, completely unlike their previous conservative approach. After all, in September, the Jin army had deliberately avoided contact with the Han army, remaining entrenched within the city. Now, however, they seemed to have rebounded, launching a counter-offensive by land, with multiple forces advancing rapidly.

While the increase in Jin army strength certainly played a part, the generals are the courage of the entire army. If the generals are timid, they cannot execute such aggressive strategies. This precisely shows that the Jin army has undergone a major change, with a group of more capable and enterprising generals being promoted, which Liu Xian had not expected.

In Liu Xian's memory, the Jin army had always been known for its seniority system and its reliance on family background for recruitment, which resulted in most of the troops being all show and no substance, incapable of fighting tough battles. Last year, the Jin army's suppression of Zhang Fang's rebellion, despite having a clear advantage, resulted in a disgraceful defeat, which was clear evidence of this. But now, the Jin army's demeanor had changed. It seemed that Wang Yan had been pushed to the limit and, in order to survive, had no choice but to bite the bullet and implement reforms within the army, and these reforms were quite effective.

Among the various Jin armies currently in action, Liu Xian had heard of Tao Kan, Gan Zhuo, and Ying Zhan, but he had never heard of Zhou Fang, Du Zeng, Wang Chong, or Zhu Si. However, judging from their current actions, they were no ordinary men, and the difficulty of pacifying Jingzhou was far greater than pre-war expectations.

The most telling example of this is not that Ying Zhan turned the Wuxi barbarians against him. Ying Zhan had been cultivating his power base in Nanping for many years, so this is not surprising. Rather, it is that Zhou Fang's army dared to venture deep into Yidu County as a lone force to launch a siege and successfully capture the city. This demonstrates a qualitative improvement in the morale of the Jin army.

Therefore, after receiving the latest intelligence, Liu Xian assessed the overall situation and decided to change the plan, ordering Yang Nandi to shift his focus from relieving the siege of Tianmen to retaking Yidao. Firstly, Yidao was indeed crucial, serving as the southern gateway for the Han army to support Yiling and a vital riverside fortress between Bashu and Jingnan. Recapturing this city would ensure the safe transport of supplies. Secondly, at present, Zhou Fang's troops were likely the most valiant among the various Jin armies. Defeating this force would instill fear in the others, making it much easier to defeat them one by one.

Therefore, before setting off, Liu Xian specifically emphasized the importance of this military campaign to Yang Nandi, saying: "Nandi, the enemy is now advancing from four directions, clearly intending to fight us to the death. You cannot afford to lose this battle. You must take advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold and achieve a swift victory. Are you confident?"

Yang Nandi laughed and said, “Your Highness, although Yidao’s city is fortified, it is not an impregnable place. However, the enemy army has penetrated so deep into our territory and launched a surprise attack. They must not have carried much food. If I cut off their external support, they will starve to death in five or six days and will have no choice but to come out of the city and fight. Rest assured, I will definitely defeat the enemy army within ten days.”

"I am more worried about Your Highness." After explaining his plans, Yang Nandi reminded Liu Xian, "Your Highness has ordered me to lead 20,000 troops on an expedition, and you also have more than 10,000 troops in Xiangnan. You only have more than 30,000 men under your command. If the enemy abandons its navy and marches westward with its main force to besiege Yi'an, are you confident that you can hold it?"

In Yang Nandi's view, since the Jin army had adopted such an aggressive military strategy, it would certainly not stop at the current stage. Now that a net has been cast, the fisherman's next step must be to tighten the net. Especially now that Yang Nandi has left, Yi'an's defenses are becoming increasingly weak. The Jin army is very likely to take advantage of this and send its main force to completely surround Yi'an. At that time, the ratio of troop strength between the two sides may reach a frightening five to one, which cannot be ignored.

Liu Xian naturally came to the same conclusion, but he remained calm and said, "Great idea! You and I are on the same page!"

"Is Your Highness confident?"

"Of course I'm confident!" Liu Xian stroked the mane of the horse beside Yang Nandi and slowly smiled, "If we could win just by having more people, how could the world have come to this point? The rebel army may have more people, but I'm sure they're not united."

While the Jin army has indeed made significant changes in the current situation, the time frame is simply too short. Liu Xian believes that the various factions have differing interests and lack mutual trust. The situation is fine now that they've just assembled, but given time, conflicts are inevitable. In other words, if Wang Yan could truly unite these generals from all corners of the country and achieve seamless cooperation, why didn't he do this sooner? Would it have come to the point of having to move the capital to Shouchun?
Therefore, Liu Xian made up his mind and said, "Nandi, you don't need to worry about me. After you take back Yidao, the next step is to ensure the smooth flow of the grain supply. When the time is right, relieve the siege of Yiling. As long as these two cities are not lost and my reinforcements continue, there will be no worries about Yi'an."

After saying this, the two parted ways in Lexiang. Under Liu Xian's watchful gaze, Yang Nandi led his 20,000-strong army and officially marched towards Yidao.

The winter wind was biting. Since the beginning of October, the temperature had dropped sharply, and now, the howling wind across the Jianghan Plain had a cutting, numbing effect on everyone's faces. Looking around, the sky was overcast and dark clouds covered the sun, giving the world a somewhat gloomy appearance. It seemed that the foggy weather had ended, and the first snow of winter would soon arrive.

However, Yang Nandi would not slacken his march because of this. He planned to reach the battlefield in two days, covering the 300-li journey from Lexiang to Yidao. To this end, he even left the supplies far away by the river, intending to wait for others to arrive at Yidao first and then slowly transport the supplies over. At the same time, in order to avoid being discovered by the Jin navy along the way, he deliberately took a detour, first heading southwest for 70 li, and then turning northwest after encountering a group of gently rolling hills. That night, he rested under a pine forest.

While most of his troops rested, Yang Nandi himself did not. He first went to a local village and asked the villagers how far it was from their location to Yidao City. He quickly learned that it was about 140 li away. After calculating in his mind for a while, Yang Nandi summoned his eldest son, Yang Yi, whispered something to him, and then ordered him to lead 400 elite cavalrymen to leave under cover of night and advance northwest.

Liu Lang was accompanying Yang Nandi on his campaign. As the eldest son of the King of Han, he naturally served as Yang Nandi's personal guard. Therefore, he clearly understood Yang Nandi's deployment. He thought that Yang Yi was leading these cavalry ahead to Yidao. But what could four hundred riders do? Even as a surprise force, they probably wouldn't be of much help in breaching the city.

He had intended to ask Yang Nandi directly, but considering his lack of interaction with Yang and Yang's arrogant and domineering manner, he felt a sense of fear and kept his question to himself for half the night. However, the next morning, after the soldiers had broken camp and set off, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked Yang Nandi, "Commander, what was the purpose of sending troops out yesterday?"

Yang Nandi was taken aback at first; clearly, he hadn't expected Liu Lang to ask the question. But after thinking for a moment, he smiled and replied, "Elder brother, there's no need to be so formal. Just call me uncle."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere immediately eased considerably. Liu Lang quickly changed his tune and respectfully asked, "On my father's orders, I was just about to ask Uncle for your guidance."

Yang Nandi didn't hold back, loosening the reins on his horse to slow the pace, and then taught him, "Brother, there's a famous saying in Sun Tzu's Art of War: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Do you know what that means?" Liu Lang certainly knew this saying; Li Ju had taught him to read Sun Tzu's Art of War. So he recited it verbatim: "To win a war, you must understand your own strength and the enemy's strength before you can make a reasonable decision."

"Too narrow-minded! Too narrow-minded!" Yang Nandi shook his head repeatedly and said, "Dalang's studies are too narrow. To know yourself and your enemy, you must not only understand the enemy's strength, but also understand the enemy's thoughts as you understand yourself. You must be anxious about what the enemy is anxious about and think what the enemy is thinking, and only then can you make countermeasures."

At this point, Yang Nandi glanced in the direction of Yidao City in the distance and asked, "Does my eldest son know how the rebel army managed to launch a surprise attack on Yidao?"

Liu Lang's experience was still too shallow, and upon hearing this, he could only shake his head blankly. Yang Nandi laughed and said, "The enemy army was able to launch a surprise attack because they were lightly equipped, with few supplies and little food. That's why they were able to bypass our sight and suddenly attack Yidao City. Don't you think so?"

Seeing Liu Lang nod, Yang Nandi continued his analysis: "Brother, if you were in the Jin army, what would be the most important thing to do after the city is breached, in this situation?"

Liu Lang finally caught up with Yang Nandi's line of thought, and he replied somewhat uncertainly, "According to what my uncle said, we should gather grain and supplies to prevent our army from attacking?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Nandi laughed and nodded, saying, "Haha, that's right! But there isn't much food or supplies in Yidao City, and the rebel army couldn't possibly have imagined that there would be extra supplies in the city. Therefore, they must have made preparations beforehand, right?"

"Yes." Liu Lang, feeling a bit more confident, continued, "Uncle means that the enemy should prepare provisions and supplies in the rear beforehand, and transport these things over as soon as they break through Yidao City!"

"You're a promising young man!" Having reached this point, Yang Nandi simply laid out his analysis in one breath: "The news of the city's fall arrived the night before last, but our army's communications rely on fast horses, so we should have known the news earlier than the enemy. And the enemy must be transporting their provisions and supplies to Yidao now, so we must intercept them! Judging by the speed, the enemy is currently going upstream, and the cargo on their ships is not light, so their speed is about 100 li per day. At the earliest tonight, and at the latest tomorrow morning, they should arrive in Yidao."

"The reason I sent Yang Yi with a small number of elite cavalry was to avoid alerting the enemy. Four hundred cavalrymen may not be able to do anything else, but when the enemy reaches the river mouth, they can plunder the ferry crossing and set fire to the boats. That will be enough. At that time, without this important supply of provisions, the enemy will have no choice but to come out of the city and fight our army in the open. Brother, don't you think so?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Lang suddenly understood and felt great admiration for Yang Nandi. He truly hadn't expected that this uncle of Yang, who appeared rough and arrogant, was actually so meticulous, calculating the details of the battlefield so clearly.

This is completely opposite to Li Ju's style. Although Li Ju also enjoys strategizing, he prioritizes unconventional tactics and risky moves to catch the enemy off guard. Yang Nandi's characteristic, on the other hand, is meticulous calculation. His tactics are not about surprise, but about taking into account as many battlefield details as possible, then seizing the key moment to deliver a fatal blow. If we were to draw parallels with famous generals of the past, Yang Nandi's style would probably be more similar to that of Zhang He, or even Wang Jian.

The Han army continued its march, and when they were about twenty li from Yidao, sleet began to fall. The snow in the south was not like the heavy, fluffy snow of the north, but rather a gentle, ink-like drizzle. The Han army continued their advance through the snow, as if bathing in salt. Due to their proximity to the Three Gorges, the density of hills increased, and the peaks of the small hills were covered with a few specks of white snow, reminiscent of newly sprouted white bamboo shoots. Occasionally, the Han army encountered villagers seeking refuge from the war. Yang Nandi, remembering the King of Han's instructions, left them several bags of grain.

However, by this time, the Han army's whereabouts had already been discovered by Jin scouts. After all, it was an army of 20,000, a considerable force, and it was impossible for them to remain undetected. Therefore, the Jin army dispatched a small number of cavalry, only about 500 riders, to harass them. Yang Nandi wasn't afraid of being discovered; he wanted to use his main force to draw the enemy's attention. So, he openly led his army out of the hills and encamped five li from Yidao City.

Traces of the Jin army's encampment beneath the city walls still remain. Even more glaring is the sight of a mound of skulls, a testament to the fallen comrades, piled up right before the east gate of Yidao City. The Han army had never suffered such humiliation, and their soldiers, enraged, eagerly requested permission to fight. However, Yang Nandi turned them all away, ordering his men to rest on the spot before leisurely enjoying their evening meal at the front lines.

Liu Lang knew that Yang Nandi was waiting for news from Yang Yi, so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He thought, if Yang Yi's hijacking of the ships failed, and the Jin army had supplies and baggage, wouldn't Yidao City be impossible to retake? Thinking of this, the young man became restless.

"Brother, don't be nervous." Yang Nandi cut the cured meat in his hand into slices and gave a plate to Liu Lang. Then, gazing at the Yi River behind Yidao City, he said slowly, "War is actually a contest of wills. The temporary wins and losses are not important. What is most important is the determination to fight until victory. Your father is now known as the number one general in the world, not only because of his tactics, but also because of his indomitable fighting spirit on the battlefield."

Hearing this, Liu Lang felt relieved. He took the slice of meat and took a bite, but the saltiness almost made him vomit. Liu Lang quickly took out the water jug ​​his mother had made, poured himself a couple of mouthfuls of water, and then looked up to watch Yang Nandi. He noticed that the Di general was still staring at the distant Yi River, chewing on the bitter slice of meat, but seemingly not tasting anything. Clearly, Yang Nandi wasn't as calm as he claimed; his mind was already on the banks of the Yi River.

Just as everyone was waiting, a sharp-eyed person noticed that some dark gray smoke seemed to be rising from behind Yidao City, followed by faint noises. Upon seeing this, Yang Nandi suddenly stood up and resolutely said to Yang Jian, "Second brother, quick! Take five thousand soldiers and go forward to check. If any bandits leave the city, drive them back!"

Yang Jian readily agreed and immediately led his army to advance towards the north of Yidao City. The Jin soldiers on the city walls, seeing the Han army's movements, were immediately alerted and began to prepare for battle. Meanwhile, the commotion outside the city gradually subsided. Within two quarters of an hour, a knight galloped towards the Han army headquarters, his face red from the winter wind, but excitedly reported to Yang Nandi: "Commander, I have fulfilled my mission! All twenty of the enemy's reinforcements' cargo ships have been intercepted by our army and burned on the spot!"

Yang Nandi breathed a sigh of relief. He finally burst into laughter and berated the Jin army, saying, "These mere bandits dare to raid my territory! They're overestimating themselves! I'll make sure they never return!" (End of Chapter)