Late Han Zhao Tang

As a fellow townsman of Cao Cao, Wen Ji's surrender was a last resort.

After the last defeat and loss of Sheyang City, Cao Cao sent a letter of reprimand. Now that the attack has failed again, Cao Cao will likely be furious.

Of course, as the attendant suggested, Cao Cao himself was in dire straits and probably had no time to blame him. The key point, however, was that Cao Cao's ship was sinking, and if Wen Ji didn't jump ship to save himself sooner, he would likely lose his value in future political maneuvering. Therefore, considering his own future and that of his family, Wen Ji had no choice but to abandon the Cao family.

Wen Ji's sudden surrender with a white banner surprised Tang generals Meng Ningzhi, Qiu Lang, and Yin Li. However, in accordance with military discipline, the troops quickly ceased fighting, and the generals accepted Wen Ji's surrender according to procedure.

Seeing that the Tang soldiers had stopped fighting, Wen Ji ordered his soldiers to surrender their armor and helped the Tang soldiers recruit the defeated Cao troops. Because the fighting had not lasted long, the number of casualties among the five thousand soldiers was not many, probably less than a thousand. About four thousand Cao soldiers were recruited by Wen Ji, which was more than twice the number of soldiers under Meng Ning's command.

That being said, four thousand people are much easier to manage than four thousand pigs and sheep. Under Wen Ji's command, Cao Bing played the role of auxiliary troops, preparing logistics for the Tang soldiers, such as chopping wood to build camps, boiling water and cooking.

While the battlefield was being cleared, Meng Ningzhi summoned Wen Ji and asked, "What is the current situation of Cao Cao's army's deployment in Jiangdong?"

Wen Ji, with a humble expression, said, "Reporting to the general, there were originally 10,000 soldiers in the Guangling and Jiangdu areas. Upon learning that the Heavenly Army had descended upon Jiangdong, Xun Yu urgently ordered me and Xiahou Shang to lead troops south. Xiahou Shang was afraid that if the Han Canal was lost, the Heavenly Army would continue to march south, so he asked me to select 5,000 elite soldiers."

"Because he was unaware of the details of the Heavenly Army, Xun Yu not only ordered his servants to lead troops south, but also Cao Cao's eldest son, Cao Ang, who commanded 20,000 old and weak men. If these 20,000 old and weak men were defeated, Jiangdong would have no other large army. When the Heavenly Army arrived in Jinling, the people there would surely surrender."

Meng Ningzhi said, "Now that you have surrendered, you will temporarily command your old troops. Once Jinling is captured and Jiangdong is unified, I will reward you for your service."

"Yes, sir!" Wen Ji replied with a smile.

Having fought so many battles alongside Zhang Yu, Meng Ningzhi gradually understood the necessity of appeasing people's hearts. For example, Wen Ji, as a fellow townsman of Cao Cao, was not as high-ranking as the generals of the Xiahou and Cao clans in Cao's army, but his position was not low, and he had good value in uniting the people.

After Wen Ji surrendered, in order to prove himself, he went to persuade the magistrate of Dantu County to surrender as well. At that time, the magistrate saw that the situation was not good and that General Wen Ji had already surrendered, so he went out of the city to offer grain and surrender.

The day after Dantu surrendered, Xu Chu and Jia Qu led their land and naval forces to Dantu. They saw that Meng Ning had defeated and surrendered Wen Ji and had taken control of Dantu, which greatly pleased the generals.

After a military meeting of the generals and with reference to the intelligence provided by Wen Ji, it was decided to leave the wounded Gushan Battalion Commandant Ma Yu and his troops to garrison Beigushan and Dantu, both to control the waterways of Dantu and to facilitate the wounded soldiers' recovery.

At the meeting, Xu Chu adopted the tactical strategy of "the guest is in a hurry, the host is stable" proposed by Jia Qu and Qiu Lang. The more than 10,000 troops only rested for half a day in Dantu before leading the army to continue westward. He hoped to take advantage of the prestige of defeating Wen Ji to make the soldiers and civilians of Jiangdong surrender in fear and force the Cao troops left behind to rush to the battle.

Dantu is only a little over a hundred li from Jinling. The news of Shi Wenji's defeat and surrender to Tang reached Jinling on the very day Xu Chu's army arrived in Dantu.

At that time, 20,000 old and weak people had just been assembled, and Cao Ang was preparing to send troops out the next day when he suddenly heard that Wen Ji had been defeated and surrendered to the enemy, which greatly alarmed him.

"My lord, Wen Ji has been defeated and surrendered, and Dantu is on the verge of falling. What should we do now?" Cao Ang asked.

Xun Yu frowned and said, "Dantu has fallen. Right now, General, the only thing we can do is to take Jiangcheng first. Jiangcheng (now Qixia District of Nanjing) has the natural defense of Sheshan Mountain, which can temporarily block the enemy. Once the troops upstream return to reinforce, we may be able to salvage our current predicament!"

"good!"

Cao Ang looked at the generals in the main tent and asked in a deep voice, "Which general is willing to lead the troops into battle?"

"The general will go where he wishes!"

However, among the officers and soldiers, Li Shu stepped forward and requested permission to lead troops into battle.

Li Shu was from Runan. When Cao Cao marched south to Huainan, Li Shu was a bandit in the Lujiang area. After being defeated by Cao Cao, he surrendered. Because Cao Cao looked down on Li Shu and Li Shu had no family background, Li Shu was almost invisible in the Southern Han court.

In times of crisis, most of the brave and capable generals are stationed on the borders, and Li Shu is one of the few usable generals in the capital region.

"General Li's courage is commendable!"

Cao Ang tried his best to be a qualified leader. He poured a cup of wine for Li Shu and said with emotion, "When the country is in trouble, we need good generals. In this time of crisis, we rely on you, General, to lead the vanguard and take advantage of the danger of Jiangcheng Sheshan (Qixia Mountain). I will lead the main army to arrive later and fight against the Tang invaders together with you."

Li Shu downed the wine in one gulp, patted his chest, and assured, "Young General, rest assured. I have received great favors from the court and the Prime Minister. How could I possibly follow Wen Ji's example and betray the country to the enemy? As long as I am here, Sheshan will stand."

"color!"

Cao Ang greatly encouraged Li Shu, saying, "General, you are truly heroic! Your main force numbers two thousand, and I will now transfer another three thousand elite men to you, making a total of five thousand infantry and cavalry. Although the Tang bandits are fierce, five thousand infantry and cavalry are enough to defend Sheshan!"

"I will not fail the young general's expectations!" After receiving the military order, Li Shu strode out with his hand on his sword, his expression full of magnanimity.

Looking at Li Shu's figure, Cao Ang said with emotion, "When the country is in trouble, we think of good generals. Fortunately, Li Shu is not afraid of danger."

Jiangcheng Sheshan is not located between Dantu and Jinling, but closer to Jinling, about fifty li away from Jinling and sixty or seventy li away from Dantu.

Both armies knew that Sheshan was a strategically vital location and rushed there day and night. However, Li Shu, taking advantage of the distance, arrived at Sheshan before Meng Ningzhi and Wen Ji.

The sky was clear, and Li Shu stationed his troops in a strategic location. Wen Ji, intending to persuade Li Shu to surrender and gain merit, rode alone to pay homage to Cao Cao's camp.

Before Wen Ji could take a few steps, several riders from Cao Cao's camp suddenly galloped towards him, holding white banners in their hands.

"The guilty general Li Shu surrenders, and we beseech Heaven to take him in."

Seeing this, Wen Ji was completely astonished, cursing Li Shu inwardly. He had previously assumed Li Shu had no intention of surrendering when he saw Li Shu aggressively seizing Sheshan, but now, seeing Li Shu's voluntary surrender, it was clear he wanted to use more resources to get better treatment.

What a mistake!
Wen Ji was filled with remorse. If he had known this would happen, he would never have fought that battle with Meng Ningzhi. He would certainly not have had the same advantages as Li Shu in surrendering after his defeat.

"It seems we don't need General Wen to persuade us to surrender!"

Meng Ningzhi laughed loudly, rode his horse out of the camp gate, and shouted, "Where is Li Shu?"

"exist!"

One of the surrendered Cao cavalrymen stepped forward and saw that although Meng Ningzhi was short, his armor was imposing. He dismounted and knelt before Meng Ningzhi's horse in two quick steps.

Li Shu respectfully said, "Cao Cao's son, Cao Ang, has led 15,000 old and weak soldiers to meet the enemy. I, Li Shu, have admired the Tang Emperor for many years. Now that I hear that the heavenly army has descended upon Jiangdong, I have specially led 5,000 infantry and cavalry as the vanguard to await the heavenly army here."

Meng Ningzhi helped Li Shu up and laughed loudly, "General, you have rendered meritorious service to our Tang Dynasty by leading your troops to surrender your camp. I, Meng Ningzhi, will temporarily serve as the vanguard, with General Xu Chu as the commander-in-chief. We are currently twenty li from here. General, you will temporarily lead the troops in your original position, and there will be imperial decrees to bestow rewards upon you later."

"I have heard much about General Meng's bravery!" Li Shu said obsequiously. "I have ordered my men to clear the camp and set up camp on flat ground so that the general can take advantage of the terrain. Perhaps I would like to be the vanguard to meet Cao Ang's forces head-on."

If Cao Cao didn't value him, how could Li Shu possibly be expected to serve Cao Cao to the death?

His performance in front of Cao Ang was all an attempt to trick Cao Ang into giving him a contingent of troops. Given the strategic advantage of Mount She and the few elite soldiers he possessed, the Tang people would be overjoyed by the potential benefits of his defection. If he were to surrender again after being defeated, his value in the political arena would be greatly diminished.

"Not urgent!"

Meng Ningzhi smiled and said, "General Xu will arrive with his troops shortly."

"promise!"

Li Shu, taking advantage of the strategic location of Sheshan Mountain, led 5,000 infantry and cavalry to surrender, a move that could be seen as a blatant betrayal of the Cao family. Cao Ang, the commander, nearly fainted from anger upon hearing the news.

"Li Shu, you scoundrel!"

Recalling the words Li Shu had spoken to him before, Cao Ang knew perfectly well that he had been deceived. He flew into a rage and cursed, "You treacherous traitor, you break your promise and betray my trust! You have unjustly entrusted me with such a large army!"

As he spoke, Cao Ang, in his anger, remembered the great hopes Cao Cao had placed on him, and said sadly, "My father entrusted me with a great responsibility, but I have mistakenly trusted a villain. Now that all the generals are surrendering, where can I lead my troops?"

Li Shu's defection to the enemy filled Cao Ang with grief and indignation. Before setting out on the campaign, he had placed his hopes on Li Shu to defend Sheshan. Now, not only was Sheshan gone, but five thousand of his elite men had also defected with Li Shu, a devastating blow to Cao Ang, who was determined to save Jiangdong from peril.

Seeing Cao Ang dejected because of Li Shu's betrayal, Yu Fan, who had joined the expedition, said excitedly, "Young General, you bear a heavy responsibility and still have more than ten thousand men under your command. If we avoid the enemy's sharp edge and retreat to Zhongshan, we may have a chance to hold them off. If you become dejected because of Li Shu's betrayal, wouldn't that be exactly what the Tang invaders wanted?"

Cao Ang suppressed his anger, rallied his spirits, and said, "We should do as Vice Minister Yu said and retreat our troops to Zhongshan. Also, General, send a message to Jinling, asking Lord Xun to dispatch troops to our aid as soon as possible!"

"As ordered!"

Li Shu's betrayal and defection to the Tang Dynasty made the already dire situation in Jiangdong even more critical, with the Tang army's advance less than a hundred li from Jinling. (End of Chapter)