Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

In the second year of Xuanji, in the middle of the sixth month.

The plum rains in Jiangnan were gloomy, and Han Lie used the "civilian boats as a feint" strategy to deceive the defending army of Yingcheng. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away along the Huai River, the war raged day and night in a more direct and brutal way.

The Huai River, this mighty river stretching from north to south, was a noose more cruel than swords and spears during wartime and today, the lifeline upon which the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers depended.

The main force of the Xia army was bogged down in the marshes of Jiangnan, far from its base in the north.

The provisions, weapons, clothing, and even subsequent troops for hundreds of thousands of soldiers all relied on two major arteries: one was the canal waterway that transported grain from Shenjing and the Central Plains through the Bian River and the Han Canal to the Yangtze River, and the other was the supply trains that traveled south by land from Xuzhou, Shouchun, and other places.

Whether by land or water, the middle and lower reaches of the Huai River, especially the section around Huaiyin, Xuyi, and Zhongli, are inescapable places of life and death.

Xiao Rong, Xiao Min, and Zhao Ben understood this principle well.

To confront the mighty Xia army, which had swept across the north, from a corner of Jiangnan is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

The only chance of survival lay in cutting off the Xia army's supply lines, thus trapping and dragging this northern army, unaccustomed to the climate and water, into the quagmire of Jiangnan.

Therefore, while consolidating their main force and holding Yingcheng, they dispatched their most cunning and skilled mobile force, which was also most familiar with the geography of the Jianghuai region. This force consisted mainly of the original Chu cavalry and river pirates, mixed with Zhao Ben's desperate men. It was led by Shi Jiao, a trusted general of Xiao Rong, with Zhao Ben providing support from the side. They spared no expense to harass and intercept the Xia army's supply lines along the Huai River.

Han Lie had planned for this long ago.

Before crossing the river, he had already ordered General Wang Zhenyue to be stationed in Xuzhou to oversee the defense of Huaibei. He also dispatched Gao Shun, a fierce general known for his tenacity and defensive prowess, to lead 20,000 elite troops and conscript able-bodied men and watermen from the counties and prefectures along the Huai River to form a massive grain transport army. They set up defenses and fortifications along the Huai River to escort the grain convoys.

However, opportunities on the battlefield can change in an instant.

The Huai River is long and its tributaries are like a net. The terrain along its course is already complex, with lakes and marshes scattered everywhere. During the flood season, the water level rises and floods, turning many land routes into waterlogged areas. The importance of boats increases dramatically, and the difficulty of protecting grain is also twice as great as in the past.

On the tenth day of the sixth lunar month, at Laohekou, west of Huaiyin.

A massive grain convoy consisting of over three hundred cargo ships and civilian vessels, escorted by dozens of warships, is sailing upstream.

After days of continuous rain, the river water is muddy and turbulent.

The commander of the guard was Zhang Kui, a subordinate general under Wang Zhenyue. He stood at the bow of the lead warship, his brows furrowed as he gazed at the boundless reeds on both banks and the leaden sky.

Along the way, small groups of river bandits kept harassing them. Although they were driven back, the soldiers were already showing signs of fatigue.

"General, the river narrows ahead and the current becomes more rapid. The reeds on both banks are too tall, so there may be an ambush."

The sentry boat reported back.

Zhang Kui felt uneasy and hurriedly ordered, "Send word to all ships to be on high alert, nock bows and crossbows, and draw swords. The vanguard of fast boats will go ahead to scout the way!"

Before the words were even finished, something unexpected happened!

"Boom! Crash—!"

Ahead, in the narrow waterway, several thick, dark iron chains suddenly rose from the bottom of the water!

Almost simultaneously, from the dense reeds on both banks, rockets rained down like locusts, raining down on the grain transport fleet!

Dozens of narrow, long, and swift "wave drills" and "water centipedes" swarmed out from the reeds, their bows piled high with oil-soaked straw, flames raging, as they rushed downstream straight into the heart of the grain ship!

"Enemy attack! It's that water bandit Shi Jiao!"

Zhang Kui's eyes were bloodshot as he roared hoarsely, "Cut the iron chains! Archers, suppress both banks! Fast boats, intercept the fire ships!"

The battle erupted instantly.

The rebels had clearly planned this for a long time. They blocked the way with iron chains across the river, launched a surprise attack with fire boats downstream, and rained arrows down from both banks. Their target was clear—to burn the grain!

Although the Xia army's grain transport fleet was prepared, it was caught off guard by this sudden attack in the narrow section of the river, and its formation was thrown into chaos.

Many grain ships were struck by fire boats, and flames rose up.

The soldiers had to fight the fire, parry the arrows, and also split up to cut the heavy iron chains, struggling to cope with the situation.

"Abandon ship! Save the food supplies!"

Knowing that the fleet was unlikely to survive, Zhang Kui made a decisive move, ordering his soldiers to risk their lives to scramble unburnt grain bags onto the accompanying empty boats or push them into the water. At the same time, he led the warships in a desperate counterattack to cover the retreat.

In this battle, the Xia army lost over a hundred grain ships, countless grain supplies were burned or drowned, and over a thousand soldiers were killed or wounded.

After their success, the rebels did not linger in battle. They sailed away in a fast boat into the vast waterways and reed marshes, disappearing in an instant.

When the news reached them, Wang Zhenyue was furious, and Gao Shun was also deeply ashamed. He personally led his elite troops to clear out the rebel forces along the river and defeated several groups of rebel cavalry. However, the main forces of Shi Jiao and Zhao Ben were like ghosts and phantoms, and it was difficult to find their whereabouts.

June 15th, across from Xuyi, at the mouth of Hongze Lake.

This time, the rebels changed their tactics.

Instead of launching a direct attack on the increasingly heavily guarded canal transport fleet, they turned their attention to land transport hubs.

A land-based grain convoy consisting of thousands of laborers and hundreds of carts, escorted by thousands of infantrymen, was trudging along the official road, which was soaked and rotten by the rain.

Suddenly, the seemingly peaceful wetlands and reed marshes beside the road erupted in a deafening roar of battle!

Countless rebels, dressed in rags or even civilian clothes, swarmed out!

Using their familiarity with the terrain, they launched an attack from unexpected muddy paths and shallows.

What was particularly troublesome was that the rebel army was mixed with a large number of Zhao Ben's desperate men, who were fierce and fearless, armed with short weapons and sharp blades, and would deliberately choose the weak points of the Xia army's formation and the supply wagons to engage in desperate clashes.

"Form ranks! Form a circular formation to defend against the enemy!" the Xia army's grain transport commander shouted urgently.

The well-trained Xia infantry hastily retreated, their spears forming a forest and their shields a wall.

However, the muddy terrain severely hampered the formation changes, and the supply wagons were stuck in the mud, unable to move.

Instead of engaging the infantry in a direct confrontation, the rebels harassed them with crossbows and launched attacks from multiple directions, including splashing oil and throwing torches at the stranded grain carts.

Xia Jun was caught in a dilemma, having to maintain his formation while also sending troops to fight the fire and protect the vehicles.

"kill!"

Just as the Xia army was in slight disarray, the rebel cavalry charged out from the flank. Although there were only a few hundred riders, their momentum was still terrifying in this muddy and chaotic battlefield.

Several gaps were torn in the Xia army's circular formation, and the rebel infantry rushed in during the gaps, resulting in close combat and bloodshed.

The Xia army's grain transport commander fought valiantly to his death, and the soldiers suffered heavy casualties, with most of the grain carts destroyed by fire.

The remaining troops, clutching a small amount of food, fought and retreated, managing to escape by sheer luck.

In late June, near Zhongli.

Learning from past mistakes, Gao Shun no longer divided his troops to escort scattered grain convoys, but instead concentrated his forces and organized a large-scale grain transport operation by both land and water.

The naval vessels provided tight escort, while the land route proceeded cautiously, sweeping through suspicious areas along the way.

Shi Jiao and Zhao Ben seemed to have sensed something and did not directly attack the main force.

However, Xia Jun's troubles did not diminish.

Bridges along the way were destroyed, roads were dug up, and wells were poisoned. Some small groups of rebels disguised themselves as refugees and infiltrated the laborers' convoy to set fires and poison the water at night.

The supply convoy was slow to advance, the soldiers were exhausted, and non-combat casualties were increasing daily.

What troubled Gao Shun even more was that the rebels had changed their tactics, harassing and ambushing him day and night like maggots clinging to a bone. When the Xia army set up camp, they would launch surprise attacks with drums and arrows at night; when the Xia army marched, they would set traps in front and fire from both flanks; when the Xia army requisitioned civilian boats, they would burn down the docks and disperse the boatmen…

Along the Huai River, beacon fires were lit continuously.

Protecting grain and seizing grain have become a daily life-or-death struggle between the two sides.

The Xia army, relying on its strict military discipline, superior equipment and armor, and strong military force, managed to stabilize its base and protect most of its supply lines. However, losses increased daily, and the efficiency of transportation was far worse than before.

The food and fodder reserves of Han Lie's camp at the front line have visibly decreased, and the army has begun to implement rationing.

On the rebel side, although Shi Jiao and Zhao Ben caused great trouble for the Xia army, they also suffered considerable losses themselves.

When they engaged in direct combat with the elite Xia army, they often suffered heavy casualties.

However, their movements are elusive, like ghosts and phantoms. Relying on their absolute familiarity with the terrain and their secret connections with certain powerful families and water fortresses along the Huai River, they can always find gaps in the Xia army's defenses, strike once and leave, leaving the Xia army exhausted.

Along the Huai River, the region is mired in a brutal and arduous tug-of-war.

Xia Jun was like a giant, with immense strength, yet he was stuck in the mud, being bitten by countless poisonous mosquitoes and leeches. Although not fatal, his blood and energy were constantly being drained, and his irritability was increasing day by day.

The rebels, like crocodiles and venomous snakes in a swamp, relied on their advantageous terrain to launch frequent deadly sneak attacks, trying to drain the giant's life force bit by bit.

In his command tent in Jiangnan, Han Lie received urgent reports daily about the attacks on the Huai River grain route and the extent of the losses. His face remained grim, and his eyes grew increasingly worried.

He knew that this was exactly what Xiao Rong and Zhao Ben had been hoping for.

Once the frontline supplies run out, morale will collapse. Even the most formidable army will crumble in the face of hunger, exhaustion, and disease.

"The Huai River grain route has become the key to the outcome of this battle."

Han Lie stood before the map, his finger tapping heavily on the Huai River. "Gao Shun is steady, but slightly too rigid. Against opponents like Shi Jiao and Zhao Ben, who are as cunning as foxes and as swift as the wind, he will inevitably be on the defensive. Wang Zhenyue needs to be stationed in Xuzhou to oversee the overall situation, making it difficult for him to personally go to the front lines..."

He pondered for a moment, then summoned his attendant: "Send word to Zhou Meng that the feint attack in Jiangnan has been effective, and the true state of Yingcheng is now clear."

He ordered his deputy to remain and continue the mission of deceiving the enemy. He himself immediately selected five thousand of the most elite Wave-Treading Battalion and veteran soldiers, lightly armed and simply, to secretly return north to await the orders of Wang Zhenyue and Gao Shun. Their sole task was to eliminate the rebels and bandits along the Huai River, and to ensure the safety of the supply lines!

Tell him that His Majesty is waiting for good news from Jiangnan in the capital, and that good news from Jiangnan is tied to a single grain of rice from the Huai River!

"Let him use the same methods he used against the northern barbarians to dig out these water rats hiding in the mud, one by one, and grind them into dust!"

The Huai River flows mightily, its surface tinged with blood.

The struggle over grain supplies has reached a point of life or death.

Will Zhou Meng's fresh troops' quiet return north break the stalemate on the Huai River front and reconnect the vital supply lines for the army trapped in Jiangnan?