Jinting Han people

In terms of the number of casualties suffered by both sides, the Han army only achieved a minor victory in the Battle of Shenzizhou.

According to the statistics, the Han army lost over 170 ships and over 2,700 soldiers, while the Jin army suffered greater losses, with over 4,300 dead and wounded and over 260 ships lost. These figures may seem acceptable, but those who know the details understand that this result dealt a devastating blow to the Jin army's offensive.

Although both tower ships and warships are vessels, their impact on the battlefield is incomparable. After destroying the Jin army's tower ships, the Han army largely retained its original fleet, effectively disrupting the balance of naval power between the two armies. The Jin navy was no longer sufficient to blockade the river, and Wang Kuang's original plan to blockade Yi'an from three directions was no longer feasible.

When news of the battle reached Wang Kuang, he was furious. Gan Zhuo had just returned from his expedition to Yi'an and offered advice to Wang Kuang and others, strongly advocating against a direct assault on Yi'an and suggesting instead that the navy attack the dikes first. Wang Kuang was very interested in this and was discussing it with him when, unexpectedly, before they could reach a conclusion, their own navy was breached by the Han army.

How could Wang Kuang tolerate this? He was already impatient by nature, and after hearing the news, he sulked for two days. Then he made up his mind and said to the brothers Wang Dun and Wang Dao, "I was just about to clean up the mess inside and outside the palace, and I didn't know who to use to establish my authority! Now that someone has appeared, I'll use him as an example!"

The implication was that he wanted to imprison Wang Xun, the naval commander in charge of the battle, and punish him accordingly.

This truly caused a huge uproar. After all, since the Cao Wei dynasty established the Eight Deliberations system, battlefield punishments were extremely rare. Aside from a few exceptional cases like the internal mutinies of Zhong Hui and Deng Ai, the court hadn't punished generals for battlefield failures for decades. Even during the Qi Wannian Rebellion, when Zhao Wang Sima Lun and Liang Wang Sima Tong performed so poorly, no one pursued the matter, thus fostering a leisurely and carefree attitude among the military officers. Now, Wang Kuang's proposal to reaffirm military law undoubtedly broke this precedent.

Wang Dun naturally opposed this matter. He admired Wang Xun's talent, so he defended him, saying, "Wang Shaobo has not made many mistakes in commanding the navy. In this battle, the enemy launched a surprise attack first, and he countered afterward. He was able to adapt to the situation and turn a major defeat into a minor one, which is already commendable. There is no need to be too harsh on him."

Wang Dao also advised Wang Kuang, saying, "Marshal, with a formidable enemy at hand, peace should be the priority. Rather than imprisoning Wang Xun and punishing him, it would be better to let him redeem himself by leading the attack on the palisade. This would also demonstrate your magnanimity."

But Wang Kuang completely ignored their advice. As he himself said, ever since taking command of the army, Wang Kuang had been looking for an opportunity to establish his authority. He had previously considered killing Ying Zhan, but later devised a new plan and gave Wang Dun face, thus delaying the action. Now, with Wang Xun's situation, how could he possibly let it go?

Therefore, Wang Kuang said to everyone, "In chaotic times, the law must be strictly enforced! This is an unshakeable principle! As for grievances, who doesn't have their own grievances? If everyone who loses a battle claims to have their own grievances, what is the point of having laws?"

"I have already made it clear beforehand that rewards and punishments must be clearly distinguished. There is nothing wrong with punishing Wang Xun at this time! Anyone who tries to persuade me to do so will be punished as well as Wang Xun!"

Having said this, he immediately sent a cage to imprison Wang Xun. After he was sent back to his camp, Wang Kuang then criticized him for his poor performance in battle and for missing opportunities. Finally, he ordered Wang Xun to be beheaded and his head displayed to inspire everyone to fight to the death.

Wang Xun was decisive, kind, and loyal to the court. He had also distinguished himself in suppressing Zhang Fang's rebellion. Therefore, even though Wang Kuang had spoken out, many people still wrote to him on his behalf. But the more this happened, the more determined Wang Kuang became. He felt that only in this way could he establish his absolute authority.

However, when they arrived at the execution ground, he saw that Wang Xun remained silent and showed no sign of complaint, which he found somewhat admirable. So he asked, "Wang Xun, I will deal with you according to military law. What do you have to say?"

With the blade at his side, Wang Xun lowered his head and said, "I am a defeated general and have nothing to say. I only hope that you, my lord, can keep your word and persevere to the end, and truly win this battle. Then I can die in peace."

Seeing Wang Xun's uprightness, Wang Kuang felt a pang of regret and worried that he might have earned a reputation for killing a virtuous man. However, it was too late for him to change his mind, so he proceeded with the execution. After killing Wang Xun, the executioner hung his head at the camp gate for three days to demonstrate to the troops his determination to win the battle.

When this news spread, the entire army was indeed terrified. It could be said that Wang Kuang broke the decades-old unspoken political rule of not punishing based on victory or defeat. Although Wang Kuang had previously stated in the military council that rewards and punishments should be clear, everyone thought that the punishment would at most be dismissal, but no one expected it to be a matter of life and death! After this incident, the morale of the Jin army was immediately renewed, and military discipline improved significantly. Wherever Wang Kuang went, the soldiers treated him with utmost respect and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Seeing that his efforts to establish authority had been effective, Wang Kuang was finally somewhat satisfied. During this time, the main force in the rear had arrived, so he took the opportunity to convene another military meeting to besiege Yi'an.

By this time, the entire battle situation had become extremely clear. Just as Tao Kan had planned, after recapturing Tianmen and Wuling, the Han army had been compressed into a single line in Jiangnan, which was further divided into three points: Yiling, Yi'an, and Xiangnan. Xiangnan was naturally contained by Wang Ji's Guangzhou army, while Yi'an and Yiling were already heavily besieged by the Jin army.

It's clear to everyone that the Jin army's conditions for victory are extremely simple. If they can capture either of these two cities, the Han army will most likely suffer a crushing defeat. But how difficult is it to do, especially in this frigid weather? Without a bloody battle, it will be incredibly difficult to breach the city. And even with a bloody battle, is success guaranteed?

The generals initially had some confidence, but after the Han army attacked Shenzizhou, they became somewhat less confident.

Wang Kuang was well aware of this mentality, so before the military meeting, he shared some good news with everyone.

One is about Yiling. Zhou Fang's troops have now joined forces with Tao Kan's troops. After the two armies joined forces, their strength greatly increased. They have already laid a deep siege. First, they repelled two counterattacks by the Han army inside the city, and then they repelled three relief efforts by Yang Nandi's troops outside the city. Judging from the current situation, the siege of Yiling is very solid, and they have a great chance of winning.

The other story concerns Xuchang. It says that Fu Zhi and Liu Tun defended Xuchang with the utmost loyalty and the bravery of the soldiers. They suffered initial defeats but ultimately triumphed, defeating the enemy at the north gate of Xuchang and repelling the first siege by the Qi-Han army. Wang Mi had by then retreated to the Nandun area to rest and regroup.

The last piece of news was unrelated to politics, but rather an anecdote. In the Wuchang Palace, there were originally four ancient plum trees, one of which was the thickest and tallest. More than a decade ago, it was struck by lightning and burned to death. But this winter, this withered plum tree miraculously bloomed again! Its blossoms were redder and more purple than the others. Those who saw it said that this plum tree was likely protected by ancestral spirits, and that it foreshadowed the Jin dynasty's miraculous recovery.

However, upon hearing this news, everyone's expression did not improve as expected. This was understandable; in recent years, people had become accustomed to bad news and somewhat numb to the country's increasingly dire situation. And this good news, in truth, wasn't much better; it was merely a temporary improvement, certainly not enough to reverse the overall situation. Therefore, Zhou Yi sighed, "Though the royal army may win, when will we be able to announce our victory at the ancestral temple?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd became even more dejected. Indeed, now that the Imperial Ancestral Temple no longer exists, what meaning do these insignificant victories have?
Fortunately, Wang Dao saw that the situation was not good and quickly stepped in to save the day, saying, "We should be like Zhao Xiang and Tian Dan, working together to serve the royal family and recover the Central Plains, so as not to suffer the same fate as Chu Huai!"

Of the two historical anecdotes used by Wang Dao, Zhao Xiang refers to Zhao Xiangzi, a wise ruler of the Zhao state. During a period of internal strife in the Jin state, he defended the isolated city of Jinyang, launching a counterattack that ultimately destroyed the Zhi clan, the most powerful family in Jin, thus reviving the Zhao clan. Tian Dan refers to Tian Qi, a famous general. During the Warring States period, the renowned general Yue Yi led a coalition of six states to attack Qi, reducing it to only five cities. However, Tian Dan used a fire ox formation to decisively defeat the Yan army, ultimately restoring Qi to its former glory. Wang Dao's use of these anecdotes to illustrate his point today is undoubtedly intended to encourage people, reminding them that victory will eventually come.

This indeed boosted morale once again, and everyone rallied their spirits and apologized to Wang Dao. Wang Kuang also seized the opportunity to say, "Yes, the reason we have ended up here is because of that ruthless traitor Liu Xian! If it weren't for his secret sabotage, how could the country have come to this? If we can capture and kill him here this time, why should we worry about the country's restoration or the royal family's revival?!"

He still couldn't let go of the idea of ​​blocking Yi'an by waterway, and turned to ask Wang Dao, "Maohong, in your opinion, what do you think about us mobilizing the navy from the mouth of Dongting Lake?"

Wang Dao did not answer directly, but first glanced back at Zhou Qi, and then said, "I don't know much about military affairs, so perhaps Zhou Xuanpei can answer this question."

"Oh?" Wang Kuang glanced at Zhou Qi. He didn't really trust this son of Zhou Chu. After all, Zhou Qi had joined Chen Min's rebel army, and although he had turned back, it was clear that he was a talented but immoral person, and he didn't admire him. But since Wang Dao had recommended him, he turned to Zhou Qi and asked, "What are your thoughts, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Qi remained calm and said casually, "It's nothing special, Marshal. If our army were to bring the navy from the mouth of Dongting Lake over now, the enemy would face only two possibilities once they heard the news."

"One possibility is that the rebel army will lead its navy to withdraw from Jiang'an and return to relieve the siege of Yiling, while our army will pursue them. But in my opinion, this is probably unlikely."

"Why is it impossible?" Wang Kuang desperately hoped that Liu Xian would make this choice. His previous grand gesture was for this very purpose.

Zhou Qi said, "Our army is about to surround them, but the enemy has taken the initiative to attack our navy. This shows that they are prepared to defend to the death and eliminate the threat to the waterways. If our army sends warships, it will only be another decisive battle on the water."

"This is the second scenario I mentioned, Marshal. If our army sends another navy, we will have no navy left to use. If the enemy wins, they can freely travel across the Yangtze River. They can support Du Tao in the south, plunder Jiangling and Xiangyang in the north, and most importantly, they can occupy the mouth of Dongting Lake and block our return route. At that time, I'm afraid our army of over 100,000 will starve to death."

As he said this, Zhou Fu interrupted him, saying, "What discouraging things are you saying?! Are we really destined to lose?"

Zhou Qi glanced at him and calmly replied, "I was just discussing the pros and cons. Right now, the westerly winds are strong, making it difficult to meet them head-on. As everyone has seen, even if the enemy doesn't set fires and arrives with the wind, they can still strike first. Moreover, our army can't overcome the advantage of numbers. In the end, the fate of the entire army rests on the navy."

The implication is that the naval force at the mouth of Dongting Lake is the last ballast of the Jin army. If this tactic is used lightly, all other arrangements will be meaningless, and the outcome will be decided instantly after the naval battle between the two armies.

This sent chills down the spines of everyone present, and even someone as resolute as Wang Kuang found it difficult to make a decision for a moment.

Zhou Qi's words were certainly tinged with personal bias; the damaged warships were mostly from Jiangzhou and Jingzhou, with only their Yangzhou navy remaining intact. But what he said was true, and that was enough.

Wang Kuang glanced at the faces of the soldiers around him and knew that using the navy was probably unrealistic. In that case, the only option was to launch a direct attack on the fences set up by Liu Xian. This was no easy task, and the only solution was to have each unit take turns attacking, using real manpower to wear them down.

This wasn't exactly a bad idea, but it was still unsatisfying. Wang Kuang thought it over and over, unable to make up his mind, when Wang Cheng suddenly leaned over and whispered, "Marshal, there's nothing to hesitate about. Let these Wu dogs and Wuxi barbarians go first. What does it matter how many of them die? It'll be good for the imperial court to take command of the army!"

Wang Kuang snapped to attention, glancing at Wang Cheng, and immediately understood his intention: just as he said, the court's control over the various prefectures was currently insufficient, especially in Yangzhou and Jiangzuo. The powerful clans left over from Eastern Wu remained a thorn in the court's side, especially after the capital was moved, when the influence of these Wu people grew stronger. Sending these people and others who disobeyed orders to their deaths, while those behind reaped the benefits, was actually a win-win situation!

Thinking of this, Wang Kuang nodded and then ordered, "In that case, let's break through the city head-on. The time will be three days from now."

Then, he looked around at his generals and said, "Our army will take turns attacking the city, rotating every ten days, but you must not take chances! If you try to cheat or shirk your duties, or fail in battle, you will suffer the same fate as Wang Xun!"

The thought of Wang Xun's severed head sent chills down everyone's spines, and they all responded in unison.

Then he assigned the first wave of attackers: "It is said that Lord Zhou and Lord Gan are skilled in military affairs, so let Lord Zhou and Lord Gan attack the palisade first and take the lead. Chu Zhong, go and send a message to Ying Zhan, asking him to lead the Wuxi barbarians to cooperate in besieging Lady Sun's city. General Zhou (Zhou Fu), you go and attack Matou City."

The generals clasped their hands in agreement and returned to their respective camps to make final preparations for the general offensive. (End of Chapter)