Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 556 Surrender to Tang!

Han Dang and Zhang Ren led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry southward, including Sun's elite Jie Fan Army. However, they encountered Gao Shun's troops who were attacking Fucheng on the way.

When the two armies clashed, the Shu army charged the Tang army three times without success, and was instead counterattacked by the Tang army, resulting in a rout and retreat. Zhang Ren died in the chaos, and Han Dang committed suicide to repay his debt of gratitude. In addition to these two generals, seven other officers and soldiers died on the battlefield.

When Zhang Yan, the cavalry general of Jiefan Army, led a small number of cavalry to break through the encirclement and headed north to Jiange, he had only a dozen or so riders with him. After some reporting, he went to the main tent and reported the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Fushui to Xu Kun.

"boom!"

Upon learning of the disastrous defeat of the southward-bound army and the deaths of Han Dang and Zhang Ren, Xu Kun was overcome with rage. He wanted to blame Han Dang, but stopped himself from speaking, and could only vent his anger by smashing the porcelain bowl in his hand to the ground.

Afterwards, he inquired in detail about the battle, but Xu Kun sat silently on the couch, his face frighteningly gloomy.

"General, Generals Han and Zhang have been killed in battle, and the southward-bound troops have suffered a crushing defeat. What should we do now?" Sun Yu asked worriedly.

Although Xu Kun had 40,000 troops guarding Jiange, fewer than 30,000 were actually capable soldiers ready for battle. After the defeat at Hanchang, he transferred 5,000 men to support Langzhong. Later, to prevent Gao Shun from seizing Fucheng, Xu Kun dispatched 13,000 elite infantry and cavalry south.

After two separate troop deployments, Jiange now has only about 20,000 soldiers, and less than half of them are capable of fighting. Currently, Xu Huang's 40,000 troops are outside the pass, and Xu Kun is unable to attend to Fucheng. If Xu Huang were to send troops south again, he would surely be able to break through Jiange Pass.

Once Jiange Pass falls, Tang soldiers will pour south, and the Sun family will surely perish!

But if we don't send troops south, Fucheng will be occupied by Gao Shun, leaving Shu empty and without soldiers. If our military supplies are cut off, won't we still perish?

"What else can be done?"

Xu Kun sighed and said, "Xu Huang's army is outside, and our army dares not move rashly. We have no strength left to look south. If we withdraw our troops and Jian Ge falls, allowing Xu Huang to break through the pass, we will all become prisoners."

"Then what does the Governor-General think?" Yan Yan asked.

Xu Kun frowned slightly and said, "Have someone send a general to inform the magistrate, asking whether he should surrender to the Tang army?"

"What about Gao Shun's troops?"

"Ignore them, hold Jian'ge, and do your utmost to appease the army so that the magistrate can send an envoy to discuss surrender!"

"promise!"

Everyone sighed silently. The situation was dire; whether the Jiange troops moved or not, the fate of the Sun family was sealed. Xu Kun's defense of Jiange was still a bargaining chip for Sun Quan. But if he withdrew from Jiange and Xu Huang led his army into Shu, Sun Quan would lack sufficient leverage to negotiate with the Tang army.

After all, there is a significant difference between Gao Shun's isolated advance deep into enemy territory and a large army breaking through the passes and entering Sichuan. If a large army had broken through the passes and entered Sichuan, the Tang army's unification of Sichuan would have been inevitable; with Gao Shun's isolated advance, the Sun family still had a sliver of hope.

Not to mention that the Battle of Fushui has affected the morale of the people in Jiange. From the generals to the soldiers, no one has the will to fight. It can be said that people are thinking of surrendering!

While Xu Kun was contacting Sun Quan about surrendering, Gao Shun personally oversaw the defense of Fucheng, assigning troops to Zhang Feng and Guo Huai. At that time, Zhang Feng led his troops south, captured Mianzhu, and marched straight towards Chengdu; Guo Huai was ordered to go north, and in one day captured Zitong, completely cutting off the return route of the troops from Jiange and Langzhong.

It took the riders more than 200 li from Jiange to Langzhong, and they traveled for a day and a night to reach Langzhong on the third day of the seventh lunar month.

For Sun Quan, the governor of Yizhou, this day was a day of devastating news!
Inside the mansion, Sun Quan looked distressed. Although he was indignant about the defeat at the Battle of Fushui, he could not calm down quickly. After all, the situation was urgent, and he had to worry about the current situation.

Seeing Sun Quan sighing, Wu Jing hesitated for a long time before saying, "My lord, Gao Shun secretly crossed Yinping, defeated Han Dang, beheaded Zhang Ren, and captured Fucheng. Our armies in Jiange and Langzhong have lost contact with Shu, and everyone is without the will to fight. I wonder what your thoughts are now?"

Sun Quan sighed and said, "Commander Xu wants to surrender to the Tang army, but I have not yet made a decision!"

Sun He said, “Man Chong is pressing on Langzhong, and Ke Bi has captured Baxi. If you do not surrender to Tang but still want to make a living, in my opinion, it would be better to flee south to Jiangzhou, and from there float down the river to the east to join Cao Cao and Liu Bei.”

Sun Quan remained silent for a moment, then looked at Fa Zheng and asked, "What insightful opinion does Xiaozhi have?"

Fa Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "Since ancient times, people have submitted to the strong rather than the weak. You, my lord, are the ruler of a province, yet you have fled east to Wu and Chu, living under someone else's roof. How can you refer to Cao Cao and Liu Bei? Although there is an emperor above you, you are still in Cao Cao's hands." "Furthermore, if Shu is destroyed, Tang and Han will share the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Ships can sail down the river, and the people of China can cross the river and attack. Then Cao Cao and Liu Bei will be unable to resist. Therefore, the trend of unification of the world is hard to stop, and the unification of China is a natural outcome. Therefore, Tang can swallow Han, but Han cannot swallow Tang."

"To submit to a smaller power, only for that smaller power to be annexed by a larger one, and for the ruler to suffer the humiliation of national subjugation—how can this be justified?"

With the situation hopeless, Fa Zheng finally stopped advising Sun Quan to fight to the death and instead urged him to surrender to the Tang army.

After all, as he said, the Tang Dynasty had the ability to destroy Cao Cao and Liu Bei, while Cao Cao and Liu Bei did not have the ability to destroy the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, rather than surrendering to Cao Cao and then surrendering to the Tang Dynasty after Cao Cao's defeat, it was better to surrender directly to the Tang Dynasty and avoid the humiliation of surrendering twice.

"What Xiaozhi said makes sense!"

Wu Jing said, “Your Excellency still has tens of thousands of soldiers under your command, and the southern prefectures are still loyal, while the prefectures along the Yangtze River are obedient. If you were to abandon your territory in Sichuan and Chongqing to flee to Wu and Chu, it would be an unwise move. Therefore, it would be better to surrender to Tang with the legacy of your father and brother, seek a fiefdom and a title, and enjoy lasting blessings!”

“Gao Shun has cut off our retreat, Man Chong is besieging Langzhong, and Xu Huang is surrounding Jiange. The enemy is within reach. Now we are begging for surrender from the enemy. I wonder if they will be willing to comply?” Sun Quan asked hesitantly.

Wu Jing said, “Currently, Cao Cao and Liu Bei have not yet submitted, and Shi Xie is entrenched in Jiaoling. Therefore, given the current situation, the Tang army has no choice but to accept. Moreover, the Tang emperor is generous and benevolent, and Liu He, Lü Bu, and Zhang Lu are all marquises with ten thousand households. Therefore, even if you do not accept the title of marquis with ten thousand households, you will at least have a fief of several thousand households.”

Sun Quan remained silent for a long time, then turned to look at Fa Zheng and asked, "Have you truly surrendered to Tang?"

Fa Zheng bowed and said, "I am acting on General Bo Fu's dying wish and dare not speak falsely. If the Tang army had not secretly crossed Yinping, the loss of Ba could still have been avoided. However, now that Gao Shun has killed Han Dang and captured Fucheng, Shu is unprepared and the people are in a state of panic. They surrendered as soon as the order was given, and it is already difficult to stop the enemy!"

"good!"

Sun Quan flicked his sleeves, rose from the couch, and said with difficulty, "I am exhausted from discussing the surrender with you all!"

As he spoke, Sun Quan slowly walked out of the hall, his lonely figure filled with a sense of desolation.

At the beginning of his reign, Sun Quan boasted that he could preserve his father and brother's legacy and even establish a separatist regime in Yizhou. However, in just half a year, Sun Quan's situation deteriorated rapidly. First, Zhang Yu seized Baishui Pass under the pretense of welcoming a bride, and his army marched south, reaching the border city. Then, he suffered a series of major defeats within a month, forcing Sun Quan into a corner.

Only now does Sun Quan realize how ridiculous his initial ambitions were. He can no longer even maintain control of Yi Province, let alone preserve the legacy of his father and brother!

After Sun Quan left, the crowd exchanged glances for a moment. In order to protect Sun Quan's interests, Wu Jing stepped forward and said, "As your elder, I will take over the matter of surrendering. I hope you will all cooperate!"

"I am willing to serve the general!"

As everyone withdrew, Fa Zheng grabbed Wu Jing's arm and asked in a low voice, "General, to whom do you wish to surrender?"

Wu Jing bluntly stated, "Man Chong's troops are not far away; we should surrender to Man Chong today!"

"No!"

Fa Zheng said, "Although Man Chong is close to me, he is only my deputy. Although Xu Huang is far from me, he is my commander-in-chief. Therefore, if you surrender to Man Chong, I fear Xu Huang will harbor resentment. So, it is the best plan to surrender to Xu Huang!"

"Aren't you afraid that begging Xu Huang for surrender will cause resentment from Man Chong?" Wu Jing asked rhetorically.

Fa Zheng smiled and said, "Report the household registration, books, and military records to Xu Huang, and also discuss the matter of the title of the magistrate. Sun He and his soldiers below him, as well as the counties of Sanba, can seek surrender from Man Chong, which may temporarily appease Man Chong."

"good!"

After thinking for a moment, Wu Jing said, "If we follow Xiaozhi's advice, I will go to Jiange with you first to ask Xu Huang for surrender. Sun He and you will stay in Langzhong to submit to Man Chong."

"Mr. Wu is wise!"

Since the choice has been made to surrender, it is important to select the right person to surrender to. Compared to Man Chong, who had just achieved a great victory at Hanchang, Xu Huang, who had been besieged outside Jiange for a long time, would be even more delighted than Man Chong to learn that Sun Quan had surrendered the city. He would be more willing to help the Sun family obtain official titles and rewards.

(End of this chapter)