Jinting Han people

This time, the Jin army's offensive was well-planned.

Zhou Fang's troops, who had penetrated deep into Yidao, were a pawn from the start. In Tao Kan's plan, their purpose was to draw the Han army's attention, forcing them to divide their forces and thus buying time for Tao Kan to capture Yiling. However, in Wang Kuang's vision, both the attack on Yidao and the attack on Yiling could be feints. The real key was how to create an overwhelming force, either forcing the Han army to retreat or annihilating them within the Han's borders.

Now, this offensive has begun to take shape, presenting a huge pincer movement centered on Yi An.

The southern offensive was led by Ying Zhan, the military supervisor of Badong, who commanded over 20,000 troops from the Wuxi barbarians and Nanping army. He turned north via Zuotang, crossed Renyang Lake, and approached Chanling County. The northern offensive was led by Wang Xun, the military supervisor of Nanyang, who led Jingzhou ships to the Ouchi River on the south bank. After waiting for the main force for several days, 40,000 naval troops marched westward in a grand procession, intending to blockade Yi'an by water.

The largest force was naturally the central route. Gan Zhuo's troops lagged slightly behind the northern and southern routes, but his more than 10,000 men had completely swept through the southeastern part of Nanping County. This allowed the main force of the 70,000 Jin troops to safely abandon their ships and head ashore, marching towards Yi'an. Their packhorses followed one after another, billowing dust and banners obscuring the sun, stretching for thirty miles in all directions.

However, it is worth noting that the Jin army's advance was not rapid. Even though the offensive was divided into three routes, they only advanced about twenty li (approximately 10 kilometers) each day before resting and setting up camp. It seems that they deliberately slowed down their pace to avoid any one route becoming too isolated and isolated, thus ensuring smooth coordination among the three routes.

This situation was like Mount Tai pressing down on them, and the Han army could not possibly be unaware of it. Moreover, it could be estimated that after the main force of the Jin army landed, it would only take another ten days for them to reach the walls of Yi'an.

Faced with this situation, the Han army quickly convened a military council in Lexiang to discuss the next strategy.

At this time, the Han army numbered over 30,000. Even if they didn't know the exact number of the Jin army, everyone knew without a doubt that they were at a significant numerical disadvantage. No matter how much they usually looked down on the Jin army, under such circumstances, they couldn't help but feel anxious and panicked.

Wei Bo held a conservative view, saying to the crowd, "Our army is currently small and scattered. It would be unwise to engage the enemy in a decisive battle under these circumstances. Isn't Governor Yang about to capture Yidao? Let's go and join Governor Yang first, then go to Yiling to relieve Governor Zhang's siege. After we have assembled a large army, we can then engage the enemy in a decisive battle. Our chances of winning will be much higher."

Wei Bo's words immediately gained the approval of most people. For example, Fei Hei and Yan Yi said that military strategy dictates that if the enemy is strong, one should fight; if outnumbered, one should flee; if inferior, one should avoid. Yi'an is a newly annexed territory, surrounded by plains, unlike the treacherous terrain of Yiling. Holding it out will be extremely difficult. Since their forces are at a disadvantage, they must first find a sufficiently strategic location to rely on.

Even Li Ju hesitated, a rare occurrence for him. Although he liked to take risks, he said to Liu Xian, "Brother, the enemy's deployment is very tight. Although they are divided into three routes, they are very close to each other and can support each other at any time. If we want to attack, with our current numbers, we are afraid we will not be able to break through. But if we defend, the disadvantage in numbers is too great, which is too risky!"

Although Li Ju didn't openly support retreating to Yiling, only stating that he lacked a good strategy for breaking the stalemate, he essentially fueled the reluctance to retreat within the army. After all, given the current situation, the Han army had no spare troops in Jingnan, and waiting for Du Tao in Xiangnan to completely break through the encirclement was uncertain. Moreover, the original plan was to wear down the Jin army's supplies; a certain degree of retreat could actually lengthen the Jin army's supply lines, further exacerbating their losses—from a purely military perspective, this was advantageous.

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Liu Xian remained silent. He looked out of the boat and saw that snow was falling heavily there as well. The gloomy, heavy air carried a chilling cold that seeped into his bones. The northwest wind was howling fiercely, causing the reeds on the riverbank to sway incessantly, like the low murmurs of ghosts. The mountains and rivers were shrouded in a somber shadow, and even the evergreen pines and bamboos appeared somewhat forlorn.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Xian glanced at Li Feng beside him. Seeing that he was silent and seemed to be deep in thought, he asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Li Feng was taken aback by these words and was immediately jolted out of his thoughts. Seeing that it was the Prince of Han who was asking him the question, he quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Your Highness is joking. These are just some of my humble opinions."

Liu Xian smiled lightly and waved his hand, saying, "Even if it's just a humble opinion, it's fine. As the saying goes, there's always something to gain from pooling our wisdom. Besides, you're a smart person, so tell me what you think."

Li Feng obeyed the order. He had indeed been trying to figure out Liu Xian's thoughts. After all, everyone's opinions were already clear, but the King of Han had not taken the initiative to express his opinion. Obviously, the King of Han was not planning to withdraw to Yiling. What was he worried about? Li Feng had been thinking for a while and had already gained some insight.

Most of the others discussed the merits and demerits of the matter from a military perspective, but Liu Xian, as the King of Han, certainly couldn't consider the issue solely from a military standpoint; he also had to consider its political implications. Abandoning Yi'an and retreating to Yiling was, of course, reasonable from a military standpoint, but from another perspective, it had very negative political consequences.

Firstly, Yi'an City was, after all, a city built by Emperor Zhaolie (Liu Bei), the place where he rose to power. The Han army had finally managed to capture it and renamed it Yi'an, intending to use it as the center of their eastward advance. If they were to abandon it easily now, it would inevitably have a very negative impact on the morale of the local people. The people might think that the Han army was merely taking advantage of the situation and did not truly regard Jingzhou as their confidant, thus becoming disappointed in the King of Han and returning to the Jin army.

Correspondingly, the Jin army was merely a hastily assembled force, inevitably riddled with internal discord and lacking cohesion. However, victory is the best catalyst for unity. Even if they didn't decisively defeat the Han army, any achievements would significantly reduce internal strife. At that point, the Jin army's morale would be even higher, making them much more difficult to defeat.

These two points were already a great concern for the King of Han, but Li Feng immediately thought of another point: once Yi'an was abandoned, the Han army would likely lose all contact with Du Tao's troops, and the two armies would be completely separated. If the Jin army, after recapturing Yi'an, did not rush to attack Yiling, but instead marched south to attack Du Tao's refugee army and wiped it out completely, then the Han army would lose its most important external support, which was undoubtedly the last thing the King of Han wanted to see.

Throughout history, when people review past wars, they often focus too much on the military aspects and fail to grasp the underlying political implications. However, in most wars, the political influence is irreplaceable, even decisive. For example, during Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, Liu Bei and Ma Chao's efforts ensured that the Han dynasty still held significant political influence in the region. As a result, once the Han army entered Longyou, many counties rebelled. Due to a temporary military setback, Zhuge Liang chose to abandon the decisive battle and retreat to Hanzhong. This political influence was quickly exhausted, and the scale of the first expedition could never be replicated.

However, these are words that Liu Xian is not suited to say. Politics is too abstract and ethereal for most people. Even though it does affect most people, it is necessary to persuade them from a more practical perspective.

Having figured this out, Li Feng had a plan. He slowly replied, "Your Highness, I believe that rather than retreating to Yiling, staying in Yi'an to hold the line would actually give us a better chance of winning."

Upon hearing this, all the generals present were astonished. They thought that the advantages and disadvantages of the two armies were obvious at a glance. How could Li Feng say such a lie, saying that the chances of winning in defending Yi'an were greater?

But then Li Feng calmly said, "Although the Jin army is numerous, it has suffered three defeats. Although the royal army is outnumbered, it has three victories. All troops, as long as we work together, defeating the Jin army will not be difficult!" Upon hearing this, Liu Xian chimed in, "Oh? Then tell me, Li Qing, why did the Jin army suffer three defeats while I was defending Yi'an?"

Li Feng immediately stood up and began to speak eloquently to the crowd:
"Their army was several times larger than ours. The strategy of surrounding them if they outnumbered us and attacking if they outnumbered us was easy to make. However, they put on a show of force, pretending to be superior in numbers but actually acting slowly. This shows that they were afraid of us and hoped that we would retreat without a fight. Their morale has been lost, and this can be considered a defeat."

"Now it is the dead of winter, the wind and snow are getting stronger, the cold wind is biting, and the cold is getting worse day by day, which is not conducive to attacking the city. However, the enemy army disregards the weather and has come from afar to force our army to attack. If we attack the city, our army will be in a warm room, while the enemy will be in the freezing cold, their fingers will be frozen off. How can we easily break through the city? It is like walking into a death trap. This is their second defeat."

"The rebel army is making a show of besieging Yi'an, but we have Governor Yang to the west and Governor Du to the south, both of whom can serve as reinforcements. When they attack from both sides, how long can the rebel army last? They certainly cannot. This is their third defeat."

Li Feng's words were somewhat sophistry, and could be refuted if one wanted to. For example, the conservative choice of generals did not mean that the army's morale was low. Yang Nandi and Du Tao each had their own opponents, so how could they be considered reinforcements? However, this was not something that could be understood in a hurry. Li Feng spoke very quickly, which naturally boosted morale.

Liu Xian was somewhat satisfied with Li Feng's performance, and then asked, "And I wonder how our army achieved three victories?"

“Yi’an is a major city in Jingzhou, with strong fortifications, numerous garrison soldiers, and enough food for three months. It is also well-prepared for the enemy’s arrival, which is one of our victories. Moreover, the reinforcements from Xiangzhou are on their way and will arrive within a month. With a strong city inside and strong reinforcements outside, this is the second victory for our royal army.”

At this point, Li Feng paused deliberately and glanced at the Prince of Han. The news that Du Tao's troops would arrive within a month came from Xi Jian's military report a few days earlier. Xi Jian had already successfully led his troops to join forces with Du Tao's. After observing the situation on both sides in southern Hunan, he made a bold statement to Liu Xian in a letter, claiming that he would defeat the Guangzhou army within a month and then head north to join the main force of the Han army.

However, the letter was written in a rough style, and Liu Xian was unable to see the details in person or send anyone to verify it. Whether Xi Jian could head north within a month was still unknown, so Liu Xian did not announce it to his soldiers.

But upon hearing this, the soldiers all showed joy. After all, according to the information they had gathered beforehand, if Du Tao's troops could march north to join them, they would have at least 60,000 soldiers, which would be enough to reverse the balance of power between the two armies and give everyone more confidence in defending Yi'an.

Now that the conversation had reached this point, Mao Bao asked again, "Just now, Li Jun said that our army had won three victories, but he only mentioned two. What is the third one?"

"General Mao, can you guess?"

Mao Bao was naturally unaware of this, but Li Feng stroked his beard, smiled slightly, nodded to everyone present, and said loudly, "Compared to the rebel army, our army has strategists within, brave generals without, and a wise ruler without. We are of one mind from top to bottom. Aren't we far superior to the rebels?"

After he said this, everyone burst into laughter, and their confidence soared and their morale soared.

Now that the atmosphere was harmonious, Liu Xian said with a smile, "Minister Li's words are very much to my liking, I think it's settled then!"

He immediately made a decision, ordering all Han troops stationed in Lexiang, regardless of whether they were infantry, cavalry, or boats, to return to Yi'an and prepare to hold their ground against the enemy. He then issued three more military orders.

The first military order was to conscript all the people around Yi'an into the city, clear the fields and fortify the city, and to seize the time to have the soldiers and civilians in the city build a fence with a circumference of more than 20 li along the dike outside the city as the main fortification to resist the Jin army.

The second military order was sent to Yang Nandi. Liu Xian ordered him not to rush back to reinforce Yidao after it was captured, but to first defend Yidao and Jingmen, and then to lift the siege of Yiling as appropriate. He was not to act without Liu Xian's orders.

The third military order was sent to Xi Jian and Du Tao. Liu Xian wrote a letter detailing their current predicament, explaining that if they retreated, they would likely be besieged by the main force of the Jin army. Therefore, he planned to hold Yi'an until they marched north to reinforce them. However, Liu Xian did not specify a particular time for their return, allowing them to consider it and act as they saw fit.

Finally, Liu Xian solemnly addressed the crowd: "Our army has been marching eastward along the Yangtze and Han rivers for over two months, and we have crushed every enemy, large and small, we have done so with ease. But everything has its limits. The puppet Jin regime cannot tolerate defeat and is determined to fight us to the death. The upcoming battle will undoubtedly be an unprecedentedly bitter and fierce one!"

"But I have served in the army for twenty years and fought countless bitter and fierce battles. I encountered Qi Wannian at Niyang, Lu Ji at Mangkou, and Zhang Fang at Luoyang. The dangers were far greater than what I am facing now! The other side is only relying on its numbers. What can they do to me?! You are all people who have fought alongside me in great battles. I suppose you don't need me to ramble on too much."

"I have only one sentence to say: if anyone retreats to the rear and hesitates to advance once we are on the battlefield, I will execute them on the spot! Do not blame me for being ruthless; in a battle between two armies, the one who fights to the death will prevail, otherwise the lives of the entire army will be in danger!"

Upon hearing this, General Li Ju drew his sword and encouraged the crowd, saying, "Life and death are unpredictable on the battlefield, but we are like-minded men who can fight side by side. Even if we die, won't we have our comrades-in-arms to accompany us in the afterlife?! In the past, Zhang Liao, with only a few thousand men, was able to defeat Sun Quan's army of 100,000. How much more so can our tens of thousands of men? Are we not as good as our predecessors? I absolutely do not believe it!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals stood up and agreed, their spirits soaring. The Han army then swiftly returned to Yi'an, whereupon they conscripted civilians—men to work, women to transport goods—and tens of thousands worked day and night to fortify the defenses, making final preparations for the impending battle.

On the second day of the eleventh month of the third year of the Han Qiming era, the Jin army scouts finally appeared outside Yi'an City. They spotted the city's palisades in the distance and quickly returned to report to the main force. Upon learning this, Commander-in-Chief Wang Kuang ordered the Jin army to set up camp on the spot. At this time, they were less than twenty li away from Yi'an. (End of Chapter)