Late Han Zhao Tang

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

The servants scrambled into the mansion and hurriedly addressed Sun Quan.

Sun Quan sensed something was wrong and asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"

The attendant said, "The defeated troops have just arrived at the city walls. They say that the westward-bound army has suffered a major defeat, with heavy casualties, and Hanchang City has fallen."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan was stunned for a moment, then raised his voice and angrily asked, "A false report of military intelligence?"

"How dare I deceive the magistrate?"

Seeing this, the attendant was terrified and said aggrievedly, "There is not just one defeated soldier, but dozens or even hundreds. If Your Excellency can ask around, you will know the situation of the army!"

"According to the defeated soldiers, our army first besieged the Tang people in the mountain fortifications, but at dusk the day before yesterday, Ke Bi arrived on horseback and launched a surprise attack on the new recruits, resulting in the defeat of our army. The military situation of each unit is complicated, and I do not yet know the details of what happened next," the attendant said.

Sun Quan sighed deeply, said nothing, and waved for his servants to leave.

After the attendants left, Sun Quan couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and let out a low growl like a wounded beast, furious at the defeat of his army!
"Give me back my 40,000 troops!"

Sun Quan gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, his heart nearly breaking. Although he didn't know much about military affairs, he did have basic military common sense. The defeat of 40,000 troops in this battle meant that more than half of the troops left by his father and brother had been lost, leaving only 40,000 troops under Xu Kun who were still usable.

Even if some defeated soldiers fled back to Langzhong, abandoning their armor and weapons, how could soldiers who had lost their morale be able to shoulder heavy responsibilities?
For a moment, Sun Quan felt his future was bleak, and he was filled with a sense of powerlessness. He even had the thought of leaving and escaping!

As Sun Quan was feeling gloomy, the attendant entered the hall again, cautiously saying, "My lord, Generals Sun and Wu, along with Military Advisor Fa, are requesting an audience!"

"Please invite the three gentlemen into the mansion!"

"promise!"

A short while later, Sun He, Wu Jing, and Fa Zheng entered the mansion. When they saw Sun Quan coming forward to greet them, the three of them felt extremely ashamed.

"I have failed in my duty to you, my lord, and beg your forgiveness!"

"The three of you have done your utmost to be loyal; how could I possibly blame you!"

Since he had just ascended to the throne and knew that his prestige was insufficient, Sun Quan did not blame the three men for their defeat. Instead, he comforted them with words of reassurance.

"Ashamed!"

Seeing that Sun Quan did not blame him and even comforted him with kind words, Sun He said with shame, "I made a mistake in my military strategy, and all my efforts were in vain. I have truly failed your expectations, my lord!"

Fa Zheng said bitterly, "The ambush failed to stop Kirby from returning to reinforce, and Zheng's plan was flawed!"

"Gentlemen, there's no need for this!"

Sun Quan invited the three men to sit down and sighed, saying, "The Tang army has unified China with overwhelming force, and no one can stop them. Our army's defeat today may be fate!"

After speaking, Sun Quan hesitated for a moment and asked, "This defeat has likely resulted in heavy losses for our army. We are now unable to stop the Tang army. I intend to lead my troops to surrender to Tang. What are your opinions?"

The three exchanged glances and then fell silent.

After considering for a moment, Wu Jing said, "If you surrender to the Tang Dynasty, you may be granted land and a noble title, enjoying wealth and honor for the rest of your life, and your descendants will be able to continue. If you are truly willing to surrender, I think it is feasible!"

As Sun Quan's maternal uncle, Wu Jing hoped that his sister, Lady Wu's, offspring would be well-fed and clothed, and therefore largely agreed with Sun Quan's decision to surrender. After all, the terms of surrender now would certainly be better than surrendering later when the situation worsened.

After hesitating for a long time, Sun He said, "I am willing to obey your orders, sir. If you are willing to surrender, I am willing to lead my troops to surrender; if you are not willing to surrender, I am willing to lead my troops to resist."

"Where is Xiaozhi?" Sun Quan asked, looking at Fazheng.

After pondering for a long time, Fa Zheng asked, "Does Your Excellency perhaps feel that you are unable to resist the Tang army due to the defeat and loss of your troops, and therefore intend to surrender?"

"Of course!"

Sun Quan said helplessly, "Ba is undefended, and the Tang army is sweeping down. Langzhong has few soldiers and cannot hold off the Tang army for long. If we do not surrender now, we will become prisoners when the army is defeated!"

After a moment's thought, Fa Zheng cupped his hands and said, "My lord, although our 40,000-strong army was defeated by the Tang people, we still have several thousand to tens of thousands of soldiers gathered together. In addition, the 5,000 troops garrisoning Langzhong will give us tens of thousands of soldiers. If we occupy Langzhong and hold this strategic position, we may well be able to repel the enemy!"

"Currently, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are besieging Jiangling. If they can break through the city and advance north, they will shake up Henan, and Zhang Yu will have to withdraw his troops to reinforce it. Meanwhile, our army is holding the Han River, preventing the enemy from entering Shu, which gives us hope of repelling them!"

Fa Zheng's strategy was simple: gather the remnants of his defeated army to defend Langzhong, leaving Ba Commandery to the Tang army. They would then rely on the natural defenses of the Jialing River to resist Man Chong's attack. If the stalemate dragged on and the allied forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei made a breakthrough in Jingzhou, while Shu remained undeveloped, Zhang Yu might abandon his southern campaign and instead focus on defending against Cao Cao and Liu Bei in the south.

Sun Quan remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Can Langzhong withstand the Tang army?"

"can!"

Fa Zheng analyzed the geography of Sichuan, saying, "Langzhong is several hundred li from Hanchang and one or two hundred li west of Jiange. If the Tang army marches south, the army in Langzhong can cut off their retreat. Therefore, if Hanchang falls, the Tang army will definitely attack Langzhong. Only after Langzhong is captured can the Tang army directly enter Sichuan." While the importance of Langzhong has been mentioned before, its geographical location is actually extremely crucial.

Historically, before Liu Bei possessed Hanzhong, Langzhong, garrisoned by Zhang Fei, effectively became the first line of defense against northern enemies. In particular, when Zhang He invaded and relocated people from the Three Ba ​​regions, Zhang Fei defended Langzhong, preventing Zhang He from wreaking havoc on Shu.

Moreover, when Zhang Fei ascertained Zhang He's movements, the army in Langzhong was able to switch from defense to offense and defeat Zhang He at Dangqu.

Furthermore, Langzhong is located on the banks of the Jialing River, with Jiameng and Baishui upstream and Jiangzhou downstream. Therefore, if the Shu army could retreat to Langzhong and rely on the natural defenses of the Han River, they might be able to hold off the Tang army in the short term.

Sun Quan asked, "What are the chances of success for the strategist's plan?"

"Five out of ten!"

Fa Zheng said, "The defeat at Hanchang has terrified the three Ba ​​regions, making it difficult for them to survive. The only way now is to defend Langzhong to contain the enemy's advance and thus stop them. If we do not use this plan, we can follow your suggestion and surrender!"

After a pause, Fa Zheng said, "If you beg to surrender to the Tang people, you may gain wealth and honor for life, but your ambitions will be difficult to realize, and you will eventually die under their supervision in frustration. Therefore, it would be better to take advantage of the situation and use force. When you have no other options, you can go out of the city and beg for surrender. At that time, even if there are no marquises with a thousand households, there will be marquises with a hundred households. And for an ordinary person, why would they need a thousand households to provide for them? A hundred households are enough to support them!"

"Yes!"

Sun Quan was deeply moved and said, "Since I am a prisoner and have lived a muddled life, why should I need the support of a thousand households? A hundred households offering food is enough!"

For Sun Quan, who was eager to achieve great things, Fa Zheng's words of advice hit the nail on the head.

If he were to surrender to the Tang Dynasty after his defeat, he would inevitably be imprisoned. At that time, given his life of idleness and complacency, the difference between a fiefdom of a hundred households and one of a thousand households would be negligible. Therefore, rather than surrendering and receiving generous treatment, it would be better to fight one last time and see if he could seize control of Sichuan and Chongqing.

Having made up his mind, Sun Quan said in a deep voice, "Bashu is the foundation of my father and brother's two generations of business. I am continuing this cause, how dare I easily abandon it and return to Tang? Now, following the advice of the military advisor, we should recruit the defeated soldiers and hold Langzhong and Jialing. As long as Shu is still intact and Langzhong is not breached, we will do our utmost to defend against the enemy."

"Yes, sir!" the three responded.

Seeing that Sun Quan had made up his mind, Wu Jing said, "Jiange has 40,000 soldiers, which is enough to defend against the enemy with its natural defenses. However, Langzhong lacks troops, so it would be better to recruit 5,000 soldiers to come to the east to reinforce our forces."

"Can!"

Sun Quan agreed, saying, "I trouble you, Uncle, to gather the defeated troops. Military affairs will still be under your command, and the military advisor will advise on military strategy."

"As ordered!"

Not to mention that Sun Quan adopted Fa Zheng's plan to defend Langzhong at all costs in order to gain some hope of repelling the enemy. Now, when the news reached Xu Huang's army, the Tang soldiers were overjoyed.

"Bo Ning possesses great strategic acumen. He lured the enemy into an ambush, launching a simultaneous attack from both inside and outside, resulting in the capture and killing of over 17,000 men. His achievements are immense!" Xu Huang delivered a letter praising him, saying, "Now that the Three Ba ​​regions are vulnerable, Bo Ning will surely sweep them down!"

"Although Vice Governor Man's plan is risky, it is a way to break the deadlock."

Tian Feng exclaimed, “The Shu army is currently in a great rout, and Langzhong is short of troops. If the Shu people do not surrender, they will surely gather their troops in Langzhong. With the troops being redeployed, the counties of Guanghan will inevitably be left empty. I will secretly send out troops from Yinping. If they can bypass Jiange, they will surely be able to shake up the Shu region.”

Guo Jia agreed, saying, "The Yinping army is advancing through dangerous paths. If they encounter an ambush along the way, our army will surely be defeated. Therefore, this great victory at Hanchang will draw away the enemy's forces from Yinping."

Xu Huang laughed and said, "Bo Ning has made great contributions in Ba. This letter is sent here for two reasons: first, to inform you of the military situation, and second, to publicize his military achievements. However, little do you know that I have already sent troops to secretly cross Yinping. If we can capture Fucheng, the people of Shu will be terrified and will surely surrender to me!"

Xu Huang and Man Chong served as the main and deputy generals, respectively, with one commanding the main army and the other leading a detachment. To say they had no ambition for personal glory would be a lie!
In reality, when Zhang Yu entrusted Xu Huang with 90,000 troops, it's impossible that he truly gave Xu Huang the entire army. Rather, he meant to share military power with Man Chong, since one can never truly test human nature. With their forces divided and advancing simultaneously, both men naturally yearned to establish merit and strive to surpass the other, aiming to claim the greatest credit for conquering Shu.

Now that Man Chong has won a great victory, he has sent a letter boasting of his martial prowess, and Xu Huang says it's impossible not to be envious. Therefore, if Xu Huang wants to surpass Man Chong, he can only rely on the army that has secretly crossed Yinping.

Guo Jia pondered for a moment and said, "General Man Du has truthfully reported to me. Shall we now inform him of the military intelligence regarding the secret crossing of Yinping?"

"inform!"

Why wasn't this information provided?

Xu Huang stopped and said, "Bo Ning has won a great victory, and our army is only one step away from destroying Shu. If Gao Shun can successfully cross the river, then the Sun family will surrender on their own. Moreover, Man Bo Ning is not a jealous person. If he does not inform us of the military strategy, wouldn't that jeopardize our grand plan to destroy Shu?"

"The Governor is magnanimous!" those around him praised.

Praising Xu Huang is not without reason. As the commander-in-chief, Xu Huang only needed to report to Zhang Yu and didn't need to inform Man Chong of the plan. Therefore, if Xu Huang was eager to claim credit and was jealous of Man Chong, he would most likely have intercepted crucial information, keeping Man Chong in the dark.

Although Xu Huang was eager to compete with Man Chong for credit, he knew the importance of conquering Shu and therefore did not want to conceal the truth from Man Chong. For the sake of better coordination between the two armies, Xu Huang hoped that Man Chong could tie down the Shu army in Langzhong, allowing Gao Shun's surprise attack to succeed!

"Where are Gao Shun's troops now?" Xu Huang asked.

"No scouts have been dispatched!"

Guo Jia estimated the journey and said, "Judging from the distance, Gao Shun's troops are not far from Jiangyou. If we can successfully launch a surprise attack on Jiangyou, we can take Fucheng and Zitong. Jiange will lose contact with Shu, so we may not need to take Chengdu. When Sun Quan sees that the situation is hopeless, he will surrender to our army!"

"Hope it goes smoothly!" (End of Chapter)