Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 595 Sun Jian's Foundation (13)

Summer of the fifth year of Shenwu.

At the Jiangzhou naval camp, Guo Huai and other generals from Shu surrounded Guo Jia, who was dressed in a scarlet-purple official robe, and gave him instructions on the preparations for the naval forces.

During the Han Dynasty, official robes changed with the seasons, such as green in spring, vermilion in summer, yellow in late summer, white in autumn, and black in winter. With Zhang Yu's reform of official salaries, a corresponding reform of the colors of official robes was also implemented.

Because the Tang Dynasty revered the earth element, the emperor used yellow and purple as the colors for his ceremonial robes. Officials of the rank of 3,000 shi and above wore blue-purple robes; those between 1,500 and 3,000 shi wore scarlet-purple; those between 1,100 and 800 shi wore dark scarlet; those between 800 and 500 shi wore green; and those below 500 shi wore blue. The colors worn by the wives of officials followed the colors of their husbands' rank and attire.

Guo Jia's current use of crimson-purple official robes indicates his promotion from Vice Minister to Attendant-in-Ordinary. Judging from the patterns on his attire, he has been promoted to Attendant-in-Ordinary with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain. He has been ordered by Zhang Yu to travel south to Bashu to inspect Guo Huai's war preparations.

"I have been ordered by His Majesty to make a southern tour, and I have come specifically to inquire about the progress of the naval training," Guo Jia said with a smile. "How are the preparations for launching a military campaign this winter?"

Guo Huai spoke in a friendly manner, saying, "Reporting to the Imperial Envoy, the naval soldiers are mostly former troops of Sun Jian who fought against Shu, and are the elite of Ba and Chu. Compared with Cao Cao's navy, their soldiers are by no means inferior. The reason for their defeat at the hands of Liu Bei was that the country had just been at peace and the people's hearts had not yet been won over."

Guo Jia said, "On the eve of the conquest of Shu, the court originally intended to conquer Cao, but His Majesty believed that without Yizhou, it would be difficult to cross the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, so he changed the strategy to conquer Ba and Shu. Now that Ba and Shu are in our possession, the Commander-in-Chief, leading the naval forces, should shoulder this heavy responsibility!"

Guo Huai led Guo Jia and others to the watchtower of the water fortress and said, "Yizhou is located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and has the advantage of being able to sail down the river. Therefore, if we want to defeat the southeastern navy, it is necessary to build large ships."

As he spoke, Guo Huai pointed to a warship undergoing drills on the river and said, "Last year, I conscripted laborers from Sichuan and Chongqing to build large ships, the largest of which were multi-story vessels, five stories high, over a hundred feet tall, capable of carrying eight hundred soldiers. They were equipped with trebuchets, powerful crossbows, and also stored oil and sulfur to burn enemy ships!"

"The smaller ones are called 'mengchong,' which are two or three stories high and can carry more than a hundred soldiers. These ships can attack enemy ships and board them at close range, and can be shot at with bows and crossbows. The bow has iron spikes, which will tear apart both the ship and its crew if any other boats try to block them."

"How many tower ships? How many warships? And how many other boats?" Guo Jia asked.

While having his men wave flags and drill, Guo Huai truthfully reported: "There are twelve warships, over fifty large warships, and more than three thousand fighting ships, vanguard ships, and red-horse ships, with thirty thousand naval soldiers who are all brave warriors. In addition, there is Guan Yu, the prefect of Badong County, and his general Zhang Fei, who have over ten thousand soldiers, all of whom are brave warriors. Now there are a total of forty thousand naval soldiers, along with twenty thousand infantry and cavalry under Commander Gao."

Guo Jia said, “The combined land and naval forces of Yizhou number 60,000. Today, our troops march east and will clash with Cao Cao’s general, Yue Jin. I have heard that Yue Jin has built iron chains across the Xiling Gorge to block our Yizhou naval warships. In addition to the Xiling iron chains across the river, the enemy has also deployed heavy troops at Jingmen and Xiaoting, using the mountainous terrain and dangerous shoals to obstruct our forces. I wonder what strategy Commander Guo has?”

Guo Huai pondered for a moment and said, "I already have a solution. I will have people make bamboo rafts with straw figures on them, wearing armor and holding staffs, to confuse the soldiers on the shore. I will also set up torches, fill them with sesame oil, place them in front of the rafts, and light them. The intense fire will melt and burn through the iron chains."

"As for the strategic locations of Jingmen and Xiaoting, infantry should be sent ashore to coordinate with the troops on the north bank of the river and attack the southern bandits on the shore. If any bandits cross the river, the boats should ram them; hold the dangerous shoals and send elite soldiers to lead the way by boat."

As he spoke, Guo Huai gestured for Guo Jia to look at the ten large warships painted with images of fierce beasts and tigers, and said, “I have recruited the Dan people of Bazhong, who are skilled in boat handling and crossbow shooting. I am now recruiting two thousand Han and Yi people to be the vanguard, and I will reward them handsomely and promise them great favors. They will be used specifically for disaster relief and defeating the enemy.”

The characters 蜑 and 疍 are interchangeable, both meaning people who live on water. Therefore, the 蜑蛮 (Danman) were a group of barbarians living in the Bajiang River basin who made their living by operating ships. Because the Bajiang region is mountainous and the rivers are treacherous, they were exceptionally skilled at operating ships and especially adept at navigating water. Guo Huai's previous efforts to appease the Ba people finally proved effective in the eastern expedition.

Seeing that Guo Huai had made proper arrangements, Guo Jia nodded in satisfaction and said, "I will certainly report the preparations made by the Commander-in-Chief to His Majesty."

"Thank you so much, Angel Guo!"

Guo Huai, brimming with confidence, said, "In this campaign to conquer the south, I will certainly not fail His Majesty's trust!" Guo Jia smiled and said, "His Majesty has not yet conferred titles, precisely because he wishes to observe the generals' subsequent achievements. If the Commander-in-Chief can successfully defeat the enemy and seize Jingzhou, he can at least earn a good title. I dare not dream of becoming a Duke, but perhaps a County Duke would be more than enough!"

Guo Huai beamed with joy and said, "Thank you for the angel's words!"

Everyone currently craved noble titles. Rising generals like Guo Huai and Wang Ling dared not even dream of becoming dukes. But they were eager to become dukes of the prefectures, since if they could complete the tasks assigned by the court, they would at least be granted the title of marquis according to previous standards. If they could be granted the title of marquis in the past, why couldn't they aspire to be dukes of the prefectures or counties now?
"His Majesty!"

"Guo Shizhong's memorial has arrived from Jiangzhou!"

Guo Tu submitted a memorial, saying, "According to Guo Jia, Guo Huai is now well prepared for war, with more than 3,000 warships. If we include the 10,000 troops of Generals Guan and Zhang, as well as the 20,000 infantry and cavalry transport ships, the total number of ships is close to 10,000. The sight is that the ships fill the river and the banners and armor shine in the sun. It is a navy that is rare in the world."

After reviewing Guo Jia's memorial, Zhang Yu couldn't help but laugh and said, "The strength and prowess of the Sichuan and Chongqing navy have exceeded my expectations. If our Tang dynasty can unify the southeast, it will be thanks to Sun Jian's foundational work."

It has been previously stated that Sun Jian, under the pretext of conquering Ba and Shu, led Yuan Shu's elite navy on a westward expedition, ultimately blockading the Three Gorges and establishing his own independent regime in Yi Province. After quelling the rebellion in Ba and Shu, Sun Jian integrated the Yi Province navy into the original Jingchu navy, forming a massive and invincible fleet.

The Ba-Chu navy marched east, while the Jing-Zhou navy was undefended. As a result, they were routed by Sun Jian all the way to the walls of Jiangling.

Had Sun Jian not been shot and killed by Huang Zu, he might have captured Jiangling. He could then have conquered Southern Chu, and then marched north to Nanyang. He might even have clashed with Cao Cao before Zhang Yu's southern campaign. However, with Sun Jian's death, Sun Ce changed his strategy and moved north. After the Ba-Shu navy landed, the terrain hampered their ability to fully utilize their power.
When the Tang dynasty conquered Ba and Shu, it was shortly after Sun Jian's injury and death, and his powerful naval fleet was preserved almost intact. In this respect, Zhang Yu had to thank Sun Jian. Without his solid foundation for the navy, the Tang dynasty could not have launched its southern expedition just one year later.

"Your Majesty, according to Guo Huai's plan, we can send troops out in October this winter!" Guo Tu considered for a moment and said, "However, in October, the Han Canal will freeze over, which may make it inconvenient for Xu Huang to use his troops."

Zhang Yu put down the memorial and said, "Xu Huang sent a letter yesterday, saying that the ice on the Han Canal would not affect the strategy, and that the expedition can proceed as normal in October. In addition, an imperial edict has been sent by Sun Zi, the governor of Yizhou and concurrently the military governor of the Privy Council, saying that the army in Bashu has raised one million shi of grain, which can be transported down the river to supply the troops along the river."

Sun Zi, Zhang Yu's old comrade, submitted a memorial requesting to accompany the army on the eastern expedition on the eve of the campaign to conquer the southeast. Zhang Yu, mindful of their past friendship, readily appointed him as Protector-General, so that he could be granted a title later.

After a pause, Zhang Yu added, "Now that May is almost June, the troops of all the tribes must be mobilized. If we delay any longer, although we can still catch up with the autumn harvest, it will not be beneficial to our military operations. If the 300,000 troops are used properly, they can sweep through the southeast within a few months, which would save even more manpower!"

"Yes, sir!" Guo Tu replied.

The army for this southern expedition has expanded from about 250,000 to 300,000, leading to a further increase in the budget. Considering the land tax situation, Zhong Yao requested Zhang Yu to postpone the mobilization of troops so that the people's strength could be reserved for agricultural work.

However, it's almost June now, and non-elite troops must be mobilized. After all, deducting the time for transmitting government orders and troop assembly, at least a month will be wasted. Including the time to travel to the troop assembly point, it will probably take another month, especially for the troops from Hebei heading south.

Therefore, the main force of the southern expeditionary army would not truly assemble until August or September, leaving a month or two for training and for officers to familiarize themselves with their soldiers. If they were to dawdle until July, there would be very little time for the troops to integrate.

Guo Tu readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)