Han Ji

"When will Liu Biao's reinforcements arrive?" he asked his subordinate.

The subordinate said, "We've already sent someone. It will take at least ten days."

Huang Zu asked, "Ten days. Can you hold out?"

The general said, "The provisions are enough for a month. But morale is low. The soldiers are terrified when they hear that the naval camp has been burned down."

Huang Zu said, "What's there to be afraid of? As long as the city stands, we stand; if the city falls, we die. Hold the line."

Sun Ce besieged Jiangxia City for ten days. Liu Biao's reinforcements arrived. Wen Ping led 5,000 naval troops, departing from Xiangyang, sailing down the Han River, entering the Yangtze River, and heading towards Jiangxia.

Sun Ce dispatched Zhou Yu with his navy to meet the enemy, and the two armies clashed on the river. Wen Ping's fleet was scattered by Zhou Yu's fire ships and retreated in defeat.

But Huang Zu's city remained unconquered. The walls were sturdy, and although the soldiers' morale was low, Huang Zu personally supervised the battle from the walls, and the soldiers dared not retreat. Sun Ce attacked three times, but was repelled each time. Stones thrown from the walls killed many, and several siege ladders were knocked down.

Sun Ce stood on a small earthen slope outside the city, looking at the city walls of Jiangxia, his brows furrowed.

"Gongjin, we can't take it. What should we do?"

Zhou Yu said, "Bo Fu, Jiangxia City is well-fortified, and Huang Zu is holding it to the death. It won't be taken anytime soon. Although Liu Biao's reinforcements were defeated, he will send more. Your Majesty's supplies are also running low. If we continue the siege, we will run out of food and reinforcements, which will be dangerous."

Sun Ce said, "Then what should we do? Retreat?"

Zhou Yu said, "Withdraw. But don't withdraw in vain. You can turn your attention to attacking Yuzhang. Yuzhang is south of Jiangxia, bordering Poyang Lake. The governor, Hua Xin, is a scholar, not a good strategist. Send someone to persuade him to surrender; he should do so. Once we take Yuzhang, Jiangdong will be united. We can leave Jiangxia for later."

Sun Ce thought for a moment. "Alright. Withdraw. Go attack Yuzhang."

He left a portion of his fleet on the river to monitor Huang Zu, while he led the main force south.

In August of the seventh year of Xingping, Sun Ce led 10,000 soldiers from Jiangxia southward to attack Yuzhang.

Yuzhang is located south of Jiangxia, bordering Poyang Lake. It is sparsely populated but has well-developed waterways. Poyang Lake connects to the Yangtze River, and the fastest way to travel from Jiangxia to Yuzhang is by boat. Sun Ce chose to travel by water, and his fleet sailed on the Yangtze River, entered Pengli Lake, then the Gan River, and continued south until they reached the city of Yuzhang.

Yuzhang City was small, and its walls were not high, all gray and dusty. A flag was planted on the city wall, bearing the character "Hua" (华). The guards stood on the city wall, few in number, some dozing off, others chatting.

The prefect was named Hua Xin, courtesy name Ziyu. A native of Pingyuan, he was a renowned scholar. In his youth, he studied with Guan Ning and Bing Yuan, and they were known as the "One Dragon." Hua Xin was the dragon's head, Bing Yuan was the dragon's belly, and Guan Ning was the dragon's tail. Later, Hua Xin became an official, eventually rising to the position of prefect of Yuzhang. He was a scholar, skilled in writing and lecturing on classics, but inept at warfare.

Hua Xin stood on the city wall, looking at Sun Ce's army outside the city. The fleet had blocked the Gan River, sails and masts standing tall, flags fluttering in the wind. The cavalry on the shore were arrayed in square formations, their armor neat and their spears pointing upwards. His legs were trembling, and his hands were trembling too.

His subordinate said, "Prefect, Sun Ce has ten thousand men. We only have three thousand; we can't defeat him. Let's surrender."

Hua Xin said, "Surrender? I am a prefect appointed by the imperial court. How can I surrender so easily?"

The subordinate general said, "Prefect, Sun Ce was also appointed General Who Subdues Rebels by the imperial court. He attacked Yuzhang on the orders of the imperial court. Prefect, surrendering to him is not considered treason."

Hua Xin thought for a moment. "Send someone to ask him what he wants."

Sun Ce sent someone to persuade him to surrender. The messenger said, "General Sun has been ordered by the court to pacify Jiangdong. If Prefect Hua surrenders, he will retain his official position and continue to govern the people. If he does not surrender, the city will be destroyed when it falls."

Hua Xin stood on the city wall, looking at the sun. The sun was so bright that he could hardly open his eyes. He looked for a while, then sighed.

"Open the city gates. Welcome General Sun."

The city gates opened. Hua Xin, dressed in a clean official robe, stood at the city gate, holding the prefect's seal in his hand. He bowed his head and waited.

Sun Ce rode his horse to the city gate, reined in his horse, and looked down at Hua Xin. Hua Xin raised his head, glanced at Sun Ce, and then lowered it again.

"Hua Xin, a sinner, pays his respects to General Sun."

Sun Ce dismounted, walked to him, bent down to take the seal of office, glanced at it, and then placed it back in Hua Xin's hand. "Mr. Hua, get up. You can keep the seal and continue to be the governor. But remember, from today onwards, Yuzhang is under the jurisdiction of Jiangdong. Half of the taxes you collect must be handed over. The troops you maintain must be reorganized."

Hua Xin said, "General Sun, I don't know how to organize troops. I only know how to read books."

Sun Ce smiled. "Then you should continue your studies. I'll send someone to manage the military affairs."

Sun Ce entered the city and posted a proclamation to reassure the people. He reduced taxes, released prisoners, and opened granaries to distribute grain. The people of Yuzhang heard that a new governor had been appointed, but there were no exorbitant taxes or forced conscription, and life continued as usual, so they stopped making trouble.

At this point, although Jiangxia was still in Liu Biao's hands, Sun Ce had already opened the door to westward expansion.

Returning from Yuzhang, Sun Ce stood by Poyang Lake, watching the waterbirds on the surface. The birds took flight, skimming the water and disappearing into the horizon. The lake water was clear; one could see the bottom. A breeze blew by, carrying the fishy smell of aquatic plants.

"Gongjin, I have taken the five counties of Jiangdong. I didn't take Jiangxia, but I crippled Huang Zu's navy. He won't dare to come out for several years."

Zhou Yu stood beside him and said, "Bo Fu, although Jiangdong has been pacified, it is not yet stable. Yan Baihu and Xu Gong's old troops are still around. The Yue people in the mountains also frequently cause trouble. Your Excellency needs to take time to manage things and cannot rush to attack externally. First, stabilize the internal situation before making a move on Jiangxia."

Sun Ce said, "I know. First, we must stabilize Jiangdong, then we can plan for other things. We need to cultivate land, train troops, and build ships. I want to build large ships, ships that can cross the Yangtze River. Once we have the ships, I will attack Jiangxia and Liu Biao."

Sun Ce did not rush to dominate the country. He returned to Wu Commandery and began to reorganize the internal affairs. He reduced taxes, recruited displaced people, and reclaimed wasteland. The people of Jiangnan began to live in peace and prosperity, and their lives improved day by day.

In October of the seventh year of Xingping, Chang'an experienced its first snowfall. The snow was light and fine, falling on rooftops, courtyards, and city walls. Liu Bei stood in the courtyard of the General's Mansion, staring blankly at the snowflakes.

He was wearing a thick robe, over which he wore a fur coat, and boots. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and his neck was hunched. Xun Cai came out of the house, carrying a bowl of hot soup, and handed it to him. He took the bowl, took a sip; the soup was hot, scalding his mouth. He swallowed it and exhaled a breath of relief.

Li Shun ran in from outside, his boots crunching on the snow. He ran to Liu Bei, knelt on one knee, and held up an urgent report.

"My lord, urgent report from Jiangdong. Sun Ce defeated Huang Zu at Shaxian, burned Huang Zu's naval camp, and captured more than thirty warships. However, he failed to capture Jiangxia City. Huang Zu held out to the death, and Liu Biao sent reinforcements. Sun Ce ran out of supplies and retreated. Later, he turned his attention to Yuzhang, where Hua Xin surrendered."

Liu Bei handed the bowl to Xun Cai, who took the urgent report, unfolded it, and read it. After reading it once, he handed it to Xun Yu, who had come over.