Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 449 Revenge

At its peak during the Han Dynasty, Rinan Commandery had over 10,000 households and a population of over 100,000. By the late Eastern Jin Dynasty, this number had dropped to just over 3,000 households, a decrease of more than 70%.

In recent years, Linyi has been constantly raiding, and Rinan County has been devastated to the point of being a mere shell of its former self, with its population reduced to only a few hundred households. Linyi also frequently penetrates into other counties of Jiaozhou, causing unrest throughout the entire southern border region.

In fact, the war with Linyi began forty years ago.

In the ninth year of Yonghe (353), Ruan Fu, the governor of Jiaozhou, led his army to attack Rinan County and destroyed more than fifty military camps in Linyi.

In the third year of the Shengping campaign (359), Wen Fangzhi, the governor of Jiaozhou, led his army on a southern expedition along the coast. The fleet passed through Xinluo Bay (now a bay in northeastern Vietnam) and entered Abenpu (now Da Nang, Vietnam). Finally, they engaged in a decisive battle with the Lin Yi navy at Penglong Bay (now the waters south of Hoi An, Vietnam), inflicting a major defeat on the main force of the Lin Yi navy. The Lin Yi army retreated to the capital Dien Chong (now Quang Nam Province, Vietnam) and sued for peace with the Jin dynasty.

However, at that time, the Battle of Shanchi broke out, and the Jin army was fighting with the Former Yan for Yanzhou. Their main forces were all in the north, so they accepted Linyi's request for peace.

Over the past few decades, Linyi has expanded southward and westward, successively annexing small states such as Daqijie, Xiaoqijie, Shipu, Xulang, Qudu, Qianlu, and Fudan. Its strength has increased, its ambitions have swelled, and it has once again invaded northward.

Liu Daogui's private message to Tan Pingzhi had only one request: to solve the Linyi problem once and for all.

As for how to do it, that's his business.

As one of the twelve dukes of the Han Dynasty and the Left Assistant General, I should share the burdens of the country.

Weapons are instruments of violence. After so many years of killing, the soldiers' resentment grew stronger and stronger.

The Kingdom of Linyi constantly harassed the counties of Rinan and Jiuzhen, and never hesitated to kill its Han Chinese.

Blood debts must be repaid in blood; it is only right and proper.

National prestige is always earned through bloodshed.

The army set out in February of the first year of Yuanwu, and arrived in Guangzhou in April, where it joined forces with Liu Zhong's navy and Sun Chu's 3,000 elite troops from the Northern Army, and together they marched south.

Seeing that Liu Daogui was serious, the peace envoy from the Kingdom of Linyi also rushed to Chang'an.

It was all a misunderstanding. General Li Zhong had secretly led troops and had been arrested and punished. Liu Daogui was told not to be angry. Linyi was willing to remain a vassal state of the Han Dynasty forever, guarding the southern border and paying tribute every year...

"If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Throw him out and behead him." Liu Daogui tore the letter from the Lin-yi Kingdom to shreds.

The Lin-yi envoy was completely stunned, and the court was silent.

Yin Zhongwen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, in times of war, envoys are not to be killed..."

"What war between two countries? Linyi has neither been granted a title by the Han Dynasty nor appointed by the previous dynasty, so how can it be considered a country?" Liu Daogui directly denied the existence of this country from the source.

This also sets a rule for all the countries in the world: without the investiture of the Han Dynasty, a country does not exist.

It is not easy to mobilize a large army for a southern expedition. The soldiers' morale has been stirred up, and it is impossible to issue an edict to make them retreat at this time.

The sword is already drawn; it will not be sheathed until the blood of the enemy is drawn.

Two fierce guards, one on each side, carried the messenger out the door. A scream rang out, and his head fell to the ground.

Along with the fifty-three Lin-yi attendants who were on the mission, they were all killed.

Liu Daogui was aiming to destroy the country this time, so there was no need for politeness; efficiency was the only goal.

Less than a month later, news of victory arrived from the south: Liu Zhong had decisively defeated the Lin-yi navy, killing over 1,300 men. The Han navy advanced rapidly, landing at Abenpu. Lin-yi's ruler, Fan Huda, personally led an army of 20,000 to meet them, but was defeated by Tan Pingzhi. Fan Huda retreated to Qusu City.

In the first phase, the Han army achieved a great victory, advancing with unstoppable momentum, suffering fewer than 500 casualties.

After these two battles, the overall situation in southern Xinjiang has been largely settled.

Given the geographical location of the Kingdom of Lin-yi, losing control of the waterways would be tantamount to having one's throat held by someone else.

Qusu City was originally the site of Xijuan County in Rinan Commandery during the Han Dynasty. After being occupied by the Linyi Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, it became a military fortress. It overlooks water to the north and south and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The city adopts a five-layered brick wall structure, with the highest point reaching seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-60 meters), forming a three-dimensional defense system. All of the Linyi Kingdom's weapons and equipment were stored in this city.

It is one of the largest cities in southern Xinjiang, and the people of Linyi call it "one of the most magnificent cities in the south".

However, the fact that the city is surrounded by water on three sides is not an advantage, but rather a weakness.

The Han navy could directly attack from their warships with heavy crossbows and oil, block the waterways, and cut Qu Su City into an isolated city.

Subsequently, Du Huidu, the governor of Jiaozhou, conscripted 10,000 people to go south, cut down mountains to make tools, and build fortifications.

By June of the first year of Yuanwu's reign, "the city was attacked with flying ladders and cloud bridges, suspended towers, gongs and drums sounded loudly, the warriors were fierce, the wind was strong and the fire was raging, the city was destroyed and the people fell." It only took two months to capture the city.

They seized the royal palace, which had as many as 2,100 rooms, and massacred the men and women of the Lin-yi royal family. They also beheaded Qu Su Wang Fan Huda, cut off his head, pickled it, and sent it to Chang'an by express courier for 600 li.

The Han army did not quell their anger. They closed the city gates and brought batches of officials, young men and women from the Lin-yi Kingdom to the city walls, where they were either cut in half at the waist or dismembered. Blood rained down on the towers, and corpses piled up like mountains, forming a Jingguan (a mound of corpses).

The entire city of Qusu was slaughtered.

The Han army then continued south by sea to attack Xiangpu, the capital of the Lin-yi Kingdom.

Fan Huda's son, Fan Yangmai, mobilized the entire nation to avenge his father, leading 700 elephant cavalry to meet the Han army at Penglong Bay.

The soldiers and naval forces of Jingzhou had never seen such a thing before. They were caught off guard and were defeated, suffering more than 2,000 casualties. Tong Linzhi, the Assistant Minister of State, and Fu Weizu, the Prefect of Jiuzhen, were killed in battle.

However, this defeat did not break the morale of the Han army, and Tan Pingzhi avoided their sharp edge.

Adopting the suggestions of Tan Hezhi and Liu Yuanjing, and emulating Zhuge Liang's campaign against the southern barbarians, they "made their shapes and placed them in front of the battle formation to frighten away the elephant cavalry of Linyi. Taking advantage of the situation, they launched a surprise attack and defeated the Linyi army. Liu Yuanjing wounded Fan Yangmai with an arrow."

Ordinary countries would have collapsed long ago if their capital was captured and their king killed. Fan Yangmai was a formidable figure for being able to regroup and lead his troops to fight again when his country was destroyed and his family was destroyed. After being wounded, he fought and retreated to Dongqiao to reorganize his forces.

However, Tan Hezhi and Liu Yuanjing did not give him another chance to regroup. They led 500 elite cavalrymen into the enemy's battle and beheaded Fan Yangmai.

At this point, all of Linyi's fighting force was defeated, and the Han army stormed into Xiangpu City, killing everyone, regardless of age or strength.

The seized items included 10,000 catties of gold, 100,000 catties of silver, 300,000 catties of copper, and piles of hawksbill turtle shells, cowrie shells, oyster shells, and agarwood, among countless other rare treasures.

There are over a hundred giant human figures cast in gold and silver, the largest being ten spans in circumference and the smallest being ten feet tall.

The Kingdom of Linyi stretches across the South Seas like a curved sword. Passing merchant ships are all subject to heavy taxes. The country itself is rich in gold and silver. It is said that "the country has a gold mountain, and the stones are all red, from which gold is produced." There is also a kind of cloth called Jibei, which is of excellent quality. "When its flowers are ripe, they are like goose feathers. The threads are drawn out and spun into cloth, which is as white as flute."

Since its founding at the end of the Han Dynasty, Linyi had been conquering and plundering everywhere, accumulating a huge amount of wealth over two or three hundred years.

It took Liu Zhong's more than a thousand naval warships more than ten trips to bring the goods back to Guangzhou, and then northward through the Ling Canal to Guanzhong.

(End of this chapter)