Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 605 Villain
In December, at Yidao.

After more than a month of building up, Gao Shun erected an earthen mound outside Yidao City and built watchtowers on it, which were then guarded by elite soldiers in an attempt to suppress Cao Cao's army on the city walls.

"Whoosh!"

The earthen mound was about twenty meters high and about fifty paces from the city gate tower. A pavilion stood on the mound. The pavilion had multiple levels, and archers were stationed inside, firing in unison with the Tang soldiers on the hill outside at the Cao army on the south city gate tower.

In an instant, more than a thousand arrows fell on the city tower, as if rain was pouring down from the sky. Most of Cao's soldiers were terrified and hid behind the city walls and shield towers to avoid the arrows from the Tang army who were on high ground.

Meanwhile, the elderly and weak of the Tang army, carrying mud and sand on their backs, threw basket after basket of soil at the front of the earthen mound under the cover of the passageway, attempting to pile it up to be level with the city walls.

Even though Cao's troops on the city walls wanted to stop them, they could only watch helplessly as the earthen mound got closer and closer to the city walls, suppressed by Tang archers above.

Seeing that the situation was not optimistic, Yue Jin, with a serious expression and no fear, led his personal guards to the south gate and shouted, "Although the enemy is on high ground overlooking the city and their arrows are shooting down, they are only a few dozen paces away. Only a master archer can hit us. Why should you be afraid?"

"Anyone who is afraid of fighting will be dealt with according to military law!"

"promise!"

As he spoke, Le Jin ordered his personal guards to act as a supervisory team, urging the soldiers on the city walls to counterattack.

Under Le Jin's strict military discipline, Cao Cao's troops on the city walls barely managed to launch a counterattack using bows and arrows. However, because the passageways below the city walls had been dug with moats, and palisades of carts and trees were laid on both sides of the moats to block arrows, and canopies were installed on top to shield them from water and arrows, Cao Cao's troops on the city walls had nowhere to hit them with their arrows.

Therefore, arrows from the Tang and Cao armies flew through the air, while below, the old and weak piled up mud, trying to build a high earthen mound to surround the city.

On the high hill, Gao Shun took in the battle situation and said, "His Majesty has sent a letter urging us to quickly break through the Yi Road."

Guo Huai frowned and said, "The earthen mound has not yet reached the city and will take some time. It is estimated that it will be properly constructed before the beginning of the year. After the beginning of the year, we will launch a fierce attack, and it will take at least a few days to a month to break through the city. Therefore, based on my calculations, it will take at least two months."

Gao Shun said, "His Majesty wrote in his letter that after the spring rains, the southeast has been experiencing continuous rainfall, making the land muddy and prone to disease. Therefore, the capture of Yiling must be completed before March. Otherwise, the disease will spread, and the troops will have to be withdrawn!"

"The earthen mounds are built at the south and north gates, but I intend to build another mound at the east gate. With a three-sided attack, day and night, Cao Cao's army will not be able to hold out for long!"

With the Privy Council formulating strategies, almost every step had detailed points. For example, the southern expedition in October was to avoid the prolonged autumn rains in Jingzhou, which could sometimes last for twenty days.

When Cao Cao launched his southern campaign against Jingzhou, he set out from Xuchang in July and by September he had completely occupied the area north of the Yangtze River. At that time, he happened to encounter continuous autumn rains, and the humid environment inevitably led to outbreaks of plague.

Therefore, when the Tang army marched south, they specifically avoided the autumn rains. They took advantage of the dry and sunny weather of winter to quickly wage war. Once spring arrived, the continuous spring rains would likely breed diseases, and the prolonged rains would be extremely detrimental to military operations.

Guo Huai said, "Building earthen mounds and erecting watchtowers requires manpower, but I don't know where the manpower will come from?"

"Shamok!"

Sun Zi interjected, "His Majesty has appointed Shamoke as the governor of Wuxi County and allowed his son to succeed him. Seeing the fame and fortune, Shamoke will surely send his confidants to persuade the various tribes and recruit the old and weak."

Guo Huai said, "If we have the manpower, we can build three earthen mounds, surround the city from three sides and leave one side open, and launch a rapid attack over several months. Even if Yue Jin and Taishi Ci are brave, the city is small and the people are few, while our troops are strong and powerful. We can break through the city!"

"Ok!"

Gao Shun handed the letter to Guo Huai, saying, "His Majesty is worried that Cao Ren will attack Wen Ping, so he has ordered Bo Ji to lead the navy to guard against him and provide support for Wen Ping."

"promise!"

Guo Huai accepted the letter and excused himself, citing military duties.

Soon, a burly man dressed in blue with silver earrings strode up to Gao Shun.

"Governor Gao, what brings you here?" Shamoke asked casually.

Gao Shun forced a smile onto his serious face and said, "His Majesty knows that you have raised an army to help, so he has specially issued an edict to you, granting you official titles and ranks."

Shamoke was overjoyed and asked, "May I ask what title His Majesty has bestowed upon me?"

"His Majesty has appointed you as the King of the Five Streams Barbarians and has now specially established the Five Streams Commandery, appointing you as its governor with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), the same rank as other governors. After your death, your son will succeed you."

Sun Zi smiled and said, "His Majesty has temporarily conferred upon you the title of Earl of the Founding State, with a fief of seven hundred households. If you achieve merit in this campaign, you will be further rewarded. In addition, His Majesty bestows upon you the surname 'Zhang' as your Han surname, so that from now on your surname will be the same as the imperial surname."

Upon hearing this, Shamoke grinned, unable to conceal his smile, and asked, "His Majesty has appointed me as governor. I wonder how the various tribes will arrange things?"

Sun Zi said, “Your Majesty, the Five Streams Barbarians live in water caves. Now, the prefecture first governs the roads, and under the roads are established the villages. The chiefs of the roads and villages can be hereditary, and the eldest mayor can be chosen to succeed. All the roads and villages are under the management of the Lord, and the court does not receive a salary, but sends envoys to pay tribute every year. If any of the Southern Barbarians rebel, you can send troops to help quell the rebellion.” Seeing the court bestowing such favor upon him, Shamoke smiled broadly and said, “Your Majesty has bestowed upon me an official title and a name. I will do my utmost to repay Your Majesty’s great kindness.”

The Five Streams Barbarians were not a monolithic entity. Shamoke's rise to the position of Barbarian King was primarily due to the strength of his tribe and his own military prowess. If he were to die of illness, not only would his title as Barbarian King be difficult to retain, but even the succession within his tribe would be uncertain. Therefore, with the backing of the Tang Dynasty and the promises made by Zhang Yu, he was able to guarantee the stability of his rule.

Gao Shun said, "The leaders of the Dao and Dong tribes recommend each other based on the size of their troops. However, my army is currently short of manpower for construction work. I wonder if you could summon the other tribal leaders to come and assist the army."

"Easy to say!"

Seeing that the court intended to support him, Shamoke was very enthusiastic and said, "There are many barbarian tribes in the Five Streams. If I can send someone to summon them, I will tell them that the Tang Emperor is benevolent and virtuous, and troops will surely come to their aid."

"good!"
-
Under Zhang Yu's edict, Gao Shun led Han and Manchu troops to raise an earthen mound and urgently besiege Yidao. Shamoke was overjoyed to be appointed as the governor of Wuxi County and summoned the various tribes of Wuxi to come and help him.

Under the siege of Tushan, Cao Cao's soldiers and generals were all terrified. Yue Jin urgently wrote to Cao Ren, asking him to send troops to help.

The letter reached Cao Ren's army stationed in Gong'an, causing Cao Ren a great headache.

Inside the large tent, the lights were on.

Cao Ren looked around at his generals and asked, "The Prime Minister has ordered me to defeat Wen Ping, while Yue Jin is seeking to lift the siege of Yidao. I wonder what strategies you gentlemen have?"

Ling Cao cupped his hands and said, “Wen Ping’s troops are fewer than ours, and they are stationed at Jiangzhu, the north bank, and the city walls. I think it would be better to use a feint attack, sending troops to pretend to attack Jiangling City, while the commander-in-chief leads troops to launch a surprise attack on Jiangzhu. The camp at Jiangzhu has many naval forces. If we can break through the Jiangzhu camp, we can burn their ships and make it difficult for Wen Ping to cause trouble.”

Cao Ren nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Ling Cao's proposed feint attack strategy, and said, "Wen Ping's troops are divided into three locations: ten thousand troops at Jiangzhu, five thousand at the Jiang'an camp, and several thousand old and weak soldiers garrisoning Jiangling. Jiangling has a large amount of supplies stored up, which is a vital point for the Tang army. If we implement the feint attack strategy, we can launch a large-scale attack on Jiangling, pretending to burn the enemy's supplies."

“Wen Ping is worried about the loss of Jiangling. When he sees that I am attacking Jiangling, he will definitely divide his troops to relieve the siege. If his troops move, the two camps on the riverbank and the riverbank will be empty. I can send out my elite troops to attack them separately and we will surely be able to defeat Wen Ping in a great way,” Cao Ren said confidently.

Li Yan hesitated for a moment and retorted, "The Tang navy is positioned on the river. It is feasible for the general to attack the riverbank, but if we divide our forces to attack the northern camp, we may be heading straight for hell, and our troops will be in grave danger!"

Although Li Yan was appointed Governor of Jiaozhou by Cao Cao, he was temporarily unable to manage the Jiaoling Mountains, so he stationed his troops in Guiyang County. When the Tang army marched south to Jingzhou, Li Yan led his troops to join Cao Ren and was placed under Cao Ren's command.

Seeing Li Yan question his military strategy, Cao Ren said unhappily, "I have followed the Prime Minister in battle for more than ten years. How do you, a scholar, know anything about military affairs? Just follow orders and fight."

Li Yan's expression shifted between anger and displeasure, furious at Cao Ren for humiliating him in this way.

Cao Ren disregarded Li Yan's mood and instructed, "Tomorrow, Deng Chi will lead the old and weak to attack Jiangling. If they see Tang reinforcements, they must set up obstacles to delay them. They should be able to withdraw on their own by the afternoon."

"Ling Cao will lead the vanguard. Tomorrow, when the troops leave the camp at Jiangzhu, he will lead his troops to launch a surprise attack on the Tang army's main camp. Li Yan will lead 5,000 troops by boat to attack the northern camp on the shore. He must return victorious. I will lead 10,000 troops as reinforcements, in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

"As ordered!"

The generals were eager to try, but Li Yan was reluctant to accept the order.

After Cao Ren recounted some details, Li Yan left the tent with a gloomy expression, feeling indignant.

He opposed Cao Ren's plan to divide his forces to attack the northern camp on the shore, but Cao Ren, in retaliation, ordered him to lead troops to attack the northern camp. Wasn't that an insult to him?
Looking back at the main tent, Li Yan felt a pang of regret. Had he known that Cao Cao was doomed, how could he have listened to Jiang Gan's slander and abandoned the Tang dynasty to join Cao Cao, given the abundance of talented people in China?

After all, no matter how high his official rank was, once Cao Cao's regime collapsed and he became a prisoner, what did those high-ranking positions and generous salaries have to do with him?
When I surrendered to Tang in advance, what did Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have to do with it?
If we do not save ourselves now, we will surely face retaliation once Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's troops break through Jingzhou.

Why not lead your troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty? You might just receive a reward!

But he had a grudge against Guan Yu, would the Tang army be willing to accept him?
Li Yan was filled with mixed feelings, worried about the current situation of Cao Cao's army, fearing that he would be purged if the army was defeated.

When Li Yan was depressed and discontented, Cao Ren was alone in his tent, discussing military strategy with his subordinate Yan Jun.

“Li Yan is a man highly regarded by the Prime Minister and is now a prominent figure in Jingchu, enjoying a great reputation. Since the Commander-in-Chief has appointed Li Yan as a general, how can we humiliate him?” Yan Jun said, “Therefore, in my opinion, the Commander-in-Chief should privately summon him, speak kindly and appease him, so as to reassure Li Yan.”

Cao Ren sneered and said, "Li Yan is a greedy man who covets fame and fortune. He was initially relied upon by Liu Bei, but he joined me in times of crisis and boasts of his merits. If we do not curb his arrogance now, I fear he will not obey military orders. If he can break through the northern camp, I will treat him kindly."

Cao Ren, as a general highly regarded by Cao Cao, held a similar position to Zhang Liao and had not yet encountered any political struggles, so he often acted on his likes and dislikes in many matters.

If Cao Ren disliked Li Yan, he wouldn't tolerate it, especially since Li Yan refuted his strategies, even exaggerating it as an invasion of hell. Therefore, in Cao Ren's eyes, since attacking the north bank was hell, he would let Li Yan lead the troops to attack the north bank.

Seeing that Cao Ren showed no remorse, Yan Jun sighed inwardly, knowing he could not persuade Cao Ren to change his mind.

When Cao Ren first took command of the army, Cao Cao worried that Cao Ren would act impulsively. Therefore, he appointed Li Yan as his advisor on military strategy and Yan Jun as his personal advisor. However, the two men had limited influence, so how could Cao Ren listen to their advice?

(End of this chapter)