Jinting Han people

Chapter 215: Disarray in Guanzhong (4k)

The fall of Linjin was fatal to the changes in the entire situation in Guanzhong.

As the seat of Fengyi Commandery, Linjin County might not have the largest population, but its location was crucial: Hedong's three major ferry crossings—Fengling Ferry, Puban Ferry, and Longmen Ferry—were all required to pass through Linjin to enter Hedong from Guanzhong, or to connect with Guanzhong from Hedong. This resulted in Linjin collecting the highest tariffs of these three trade routes. Within Guanzhong, it was second only to Chang'an and Mei County in terms of wealth.

By the time Qi Wannian conquered Linjin, there were over 3,000 county soldiers stationed there, and the county government housed 5,000 suits of armor, 250,000 hu of beans and wheat, 10,000 bolts of silk, and 3,000 jin of gold and silver. Because Qi Wannian's attack was so unexpected, the county soldiers were completely routed, and the wealth and supplies in the government treasury fell into Qi Wannian's hands. He became rich overnight, and immediately had the capital to recruit more soldiers.

More importantly, Linjin fell so quickly, Bai Yun was killed in battle, and Ouyang Jian escaped and disappeared. Upon hearing the news, the counties of Fengyi, without any instructions from their superiors, were bewildered and confused. Some abandoned the city and fled, while others closed in on themselves, making it impossible for them to mount an effective resistance.

Qi Wannian knew that time was of the essence and he had to capture as many cities and territories as possible before the Western Expedition Army could react. Therefore, after conquering Linjin, he quickly raised the banner of Hao Duyuan and called on the Xiongnu in the rear who were dispersed and imprisoned in various counties in Guanzhong to rise up in response.

At the same time, he divided his troops into three routes: north, south and west. The northern route was led by Hao Duyuan, and the western route was led by Juqu Zha, who were sent to occupy the cities in Fengyi respectively. He himself led the southern route and led the troops to break into Weinan, making an appearance as if he was ready to attack Chang'an from Weinan at any time.

This plan was truly brilliant. Qi Wannian successively conquered Zheng County, Xinfeng, and Yinban, and stationed his troops on the Bailuyuan Plain next to Bacheng. This place was less than 40 miles away from Chang'an, so he could arrive in the evening.

Sun Xiu was shocked and frightened when he heard the news. He hurriedly sent troops to the west bank of the Ba River to confront Qi Wannian across the river. He also tried to find out about Qi Wannian's army on the other side, but the result was nothing.

Qi Wannian deployed numerous troops on the east coast and frequently shifted positions around Bailuyuan. This led Jin scouts to believe that a rebel force was arriving daily to join the attack. At night, however, they saw fires everywhere in the mountains and hills. The common people of Weinan, fearing war, had largely fled to the woods and mountains, while others took boats to Hedong. The glow of their cooking fires could be seen everywhere.

The scouts wanted to investigate further, but for some reason, a gust of wind suddenly blew up at night, and the water birds in the Weinan swamp were frightened and suddenly flocks of them flew up. The sound of their wings sounded like strong wind and thunder, which frightened the scouts so much that they thought there were ambushes inside and immediately fled back to Chang'an.

This is how they reported to Sun Xiu: "Ah, there are too many fires in Hao Duyuan's position. People come to surrender every day. It can be said that they are everywhere in the mountains and plains. There are even enemies on the Wei River and in the swamps. There may be 100,000 people!"

This frightened Sun Xiu. He recalled the previous battle at Jishan, where Hao San led only 60,000 to 70,000 men, while the enemy had 100,000! This was probably not something he could handle, so Sun Xiu immediately ordered Huangfu Shang, who was in charge of the front line:

"Don't cross the river! The rebels are numerous and powerful, and they've set up ambushes throughout the mountains. Our army should err on the side of caution and hold the west bank! Wait until I send an envoy to Luoyang for help. Once the imperial court dispatches its troops, it won't be too late to start the battle!"

After saying this, he immediately sent a messenger out of the city, telling him to be extremely careful and to pass the message to Luoyang even if it meant walking slowly. Unexpectedly, on the morning of the fourth day, the messenger returned with a strange look on his face.

Sun Xiu thought he was being stopped on the road, but the messenger told him the truth: "Chief, there are probably only about ten thousand people on the east bank. The so-called one hundred thousand is just a trick."

It turned out that the envoy encountered a rebel camp on the road. He bravely checked it in the dark of night and spent two days following it. Finally, he found out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses and realized that he had been tricked. He then hurried back to Chang'an to report to Sun Xiu.

Upon learning that there were only about 10,000 men on the other side, Sun Xiu was furious and quickly ordered Huangfu Shang to cross the river and attack fiercely to eliminate the rebels. However, upon hearing the news, Qi Wannian immediately fled, crossing the river again and returning to Weibei, leaving only an empty camp for the Jin army.

As they crossed the river, Qi Wannian laughed heartily at his subordinate Wu Luogan, saying, "Haha, I've said it before. The people of Jin are strong on the outside, but weak on the inside. They're like a palace that looks beautiful on the outside, but if you look at it and knock on it, you'll find it's missing a brick here, a tile there, and can't even stop a light rain!"

A month had passed since Qi Wannian crossed the Wei River. By the time he returned to the north of the Wei River, the southern and northern armies had already conquered the six counties of Xiagui, Lianshao, Chongquan, Suyi, Pinyang, and Heyang. In short, the Tiele people occupied the entire Fengyi County except Xiayang.

The reason they didn't capture Xiayang was because Qi Wannian had previously instructed Hao Duyuan, "You and I both know Liu Xian of Xiayang. He killed Lord Hao San in the Battle of Fenyin, and he's incredibly difficult to deal with. If you don't find a flaw when you go to Xiayang, don't waste time there. You must understand that to achieve great things, you must prioritize."

When Hao Duyuan arrived at Xiayang, he saw that the city was well defended, the soldiers were in good order, and the people around had fled into the forts. Knowing that he could not attack by force, he tried to take it by strategizing.

He sent arrows everywhere to send messages, trying to contact the Xiongnu people held in Xiayang, hoping to attack Xiayang from the inside. However, the Xiongnu people in Xiayang had already been divided into more than ten groups and guarded by Liu Xian, and the leaders of the disturbances had been captured by Liu Xian first, so they were naturally unable to respond.

The remaining Hu people in Xiayang County, such as the Hegan and Humo tribes, had already been convinced by Liu Xian and had no intention of following Hao Duyuan. Hao Duyuan pretended to be aggressive for five or six days, but seeing no response from the county, and considering that some Xianbei were still active in Xiayang, he looted some food and horses and then led his army back south.

But no matter what, the Tiele people's military strength was greatly enhanced at this time. From 100,000 troops and 30,000 warriors at the time of the expedition, it quickly expanded to 200,000 troops and 50,000 soldiers, and they also collected a large amount of armor and food.

More importantly, they did not intend to wander through Guanzhong like Hao San, but appointed their own officials, obviously intending to formally take root in Guanzhong and establish the rule of the Hu people.

At this time, Qi Wannian gathered his soldiers and led his troops westward again, successively conquering Wannian and Gaolu, and stationed on the north bank of the Weishui River. After Huangfu Shang recovered the counties of Weinan, he did not dare to cross the river blindly, so he had to station his troops north of Bacheng, and once again faced Qi Wannian across the river.

By June of the sixth year of the Yuankang reign, Sun Xiu's repeated defeats had driven Yongzhou Governor Jie Xi to the brink of collapse. Jie Xi again challenged Sun Xiu, impeaching him in a letter to the court while simultaneously petitioning Sima Lun, Prince of Zhao, to hand over command of the Western Expedition Army. Faced with the unwavering reality, Sima Lun could no longer favor Sun Xiu and agreed to Jie Xi's request.

Xie Xi then led all 100,000 troops under the command of the Western Expedition Army and planned to attack Qi Wannian.

At this time, the distribution of the entire Zhengxi Army's forces was as follows:
There were 30,000 defenders in Chang'an, commanded personally by Xie Xi, the governor of Yongzhou.
North of Bacheng and south of the Wei River, there was an army of 50,000 men, led by the military officer Huangfu Shang and the deputy driver Li Han.

In Beidi and Xinping counties, there were 10,000 troops stationed in each, commanded by Zhang Sun, the prefect of Beidi, and Huangfu Chong, the prefect of Xinping, respectively.

After two days of discussion, the Xie Department finally made the following arrangements:
The Weinan army remained where it was, continuing to tie down the main force of the rebels;
He would personally lead the Chang'an garrison to hold Weiqiao, using the force of a pincer attack to intimidate the rebels and immobilize them in Gaolu.

The key to suppressing the rebellion depended on the garrisons in Beidi and Xinping counties.

Under the leadership of the renowned general Zhou Chu, the troops from these two counties had fought numerous battles against the rebellious Hu tribes on the border, possessing the most experience and being the most elite. Having never participated in the Hedong rebellion before, their morale was the highest. Xie Xi planned to dispatch these elite troops to Wannian, initially attacking the rebels from the north. Once Xie Xi received the news, they would respond simultaneously with the Jin army in Weinan, encircling the rebels on three sides. With such an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and offensive power, the rebels would be completely defeated.

Jie Xi's plan was very good, but Qi Wannian had already bribed an informant in the Zhengxi Army Headquarters and easily learned Jie Xi's plan. When Jie Xi was mobilized, Qi Wannian used a sowing of dissension to sow discord among the Jin army.

He sent spies to spread rumors, saying to the Jie faction, "Huangfu Shang and Li Han had flattered Sun Xiu and were unwilling to obey Jie's orders." He also told the Jie faction, "Jie hated Sun Xiu so much that all his associates who had flattered him would be punished." In short, the rumors were so rampant that it was difficult to discern truth from falsehood. Unprecedented, the Hu people had such a deep understanding of the internal conflicts within the Jin army. Therefore, the Jin army never suspected that the Hu people were behind the trouble. They immediately began to blame each other and hesitated to advance.

At this point, Qi Wannian concentrated his forces and set up an ambush at Panlong Bay north of Wannian, which was the only way from Beidi County to Wannian County.

Huangfu Zhong and Zhang Sun, unaware that their plan had been leaked, continued their advance southward along the official route. Confident and unsuspecting of the enemy, they reached Panlong Bay. Fifty thousand rebels appeared above the valley, a sight like a dark cloud looming overhead, terrifying the soldiers.

Qi Wannian led his troops down the mountain, driving the Jin army into a river bend. The Jin soldiers fled, their horses and men clashing, and most of the soldiers were trampled to death. When Duolancha led his troops to cut off their retreat, most of the Jin army surrendered. Qi Wannian captured nearly 20,000 men. Zhang Sun, the governor of Beidi, was killed in action, and Huangfu Chong, the governor of Xinping, escaped. Hundreds of other officers were captured, along with tens of thousands of pieces of armor and provisions.

After the battle, Qi Wannian ordered that the right hands of all the Jin prisoners be cut off and then released. He then took advantage of the victory to occupy Xinping, Beidi, and the land north of Xingshui in Fufeng County.

When news of the Panlong Bay Battle reached Chang'an, Xie Xi's face turned pale. He dared not allow the rebellion to advance further, so he put aside his conflict and temporarily recruited 20,000 soldiers, bringing the total force to 100,000, attempting a decisive battle with Qi Wannian in Guanzhong. He did not seek to defeat Qi Wannian outright, but only to curb his continued expansion.

The two sides finally met in Meiyang County in August of the sixth year of the Yuankang reign. The Jin army, disorganized and disorganized, had lost half of Yongzhou before even engaging in a proper battle with Qi Wannian, and morale was low.

Xie Xi was eager to join forces with Qi Wannian, but Qi Wannian remained in his own camp and showed no sign of fighting. Instead, he sent a message:

"Why is General Jie so impatient? Haven't you heard the story of Wuzhangyuan? When two armies clash, caution is the key. The one who defends well will prevail. If you let your temper take over, how can you survive long?"

It was not until this time that the people of Jin knew that the rebel commander was Qi Wannian.

Xie Xi was furious upon receiving the message, yet he felt helpless. Two months ago, he would have stormed Qi Wannian's camp recklessly, confident of victory. But now, facing Qi Wannian's brilliant military achievements over the past three months, he lacked confidence in an easy victory and could only patiently continue the standoff with Qi Wannian in Meiyang.

However, he also had doubts about Qi Wannian's actions. He analyzed the situation to his subordinates, "Back at Wuzhangyuan, facing Zhuge Liang's offensive, Emperor Xuan held his ground because he had the advantage of terrain and support from the rear, while Zhuge Liang was weak and short of troops and food. Although a direct confrontation was difficult, he could still defeat the enemy by dragging them out."

"The rebels have hastily risen up. Although they may have won a victory and seized a large amount of food and fodder, their forces are ultimately rootless. Their food is dwindling day by day, and they have no external aid. If our army fails, we can still count on the imperial court. Why would they dare to fight us here?"

No one could answer Jie Xi's question, so he had no choice but to confront Qi Wannian again with this question.

More than ten days later, at the end of August, a scout from the Jin army suddenly reported to Jie Xi, saying:
"Envoy, a large number of Hu people have appeared in the west!"

Just as Xie Xi was about to ask the scouts for details, another messenger came calling, saying he had something urgent to report to Xie Xi. It turned out to be a messenger from Hu Tao, the governor of Qinzhou. He trotted up to Xie Xi, panting heavily, and reported:

"Envoy Jie, Qinzhou...Qinzhou...urgent news!"

"Don't be impatient, speak slowly, what happened?"

"I have no choice but to hurry." The envoy finally caught his breath and gave Xie Xi a wry smile. "Envoy Xie, of the six counties in Qinzhou, four have now rebelled! I don't know what happened, but this month the Qiang and Hu tribes in all four counties rose up in rebellion, and Qinzhou is in complete chaos! Although I'm not sure exactly how many Qiang and Hu tribes are united, I'm sure the total number will be no less than 60,000. Envoy Hu asked me to inform you as soon as possible so we can discuss a countermeasure."

"But I didn't expect these Qiang and Hu people to move so quickly. When I came to you, they were also coming to you. Now we are only about twenty miles apart!"

Hearing this, Xie Xi felt dizzy and dazed for a long time. He finally understood what the rebel leader was waiting for and how he had done it. Xie Xi no longer had time to think about these things. Now he was faced with an unavoidable question: how to fight?
Before he could come up with a solution, the army was already in commotion. A quarter of an hour later, the soldiers reported to Jie Xitong:
"Lord, something terrible has happened! The rebels in the north have already left their camp and are gathering!"

The initiative has been lost and the situation is set.

On that day, the Jin army learned that a large Qiang and Hu army was coming to the west to aid Qi Wannian, and saw that the Tiele people had taken the initiative to come out of the camp to join the battle. The morale of the army collapsed, and the 100,000-strong army collapsed like earth and water without firing a single arrow, and fled to Chang'an in a scramble.

The Qi Wannian army seized the opportunity to pursue the Jin army, hunting them down along the Wei River. Their pursuit lasted from day to night, and the north bank of the Wei River was a spectacle of continuous flames. The Tiele people, in pursuit, captured many Jin soldiers along the way. Their weapons and armor were piled on land and in the fields for dozens of miles, recreating the military miracle of killing 20,000 men in a single day.

This was not all of his achievements. The rest of the Jin army was driven into the Wei River and tried to swim across the river. But in fact, most of the Jin people in Guanzhong were not good at swimming and were soon drowned in the waves of the mother river Wei River. In the next two or three years, fishermen often took out finger bones and nails from the bellies of the fish they caught.

After this battle, only 40,000 of the 100,000 Jin troops finally escaped back to Chang'an. Jie Xi dared not fight again. On the one hand, he requested reinforcements from Luoyang, and on the other hand, he strengthened the defense in Chang'an and completely gave up interfering with the rebels.

Qi Wannian had no intention of stationing his troops in Chang'an. He took advantage of the victory to proclaim himself emperor and continued to march westward. His next targets were Qin and Liang states.

At this point, Qi Wannian's career has surpassed Tufa Shuji's twenty years ago, and his reputation has spread throughout the country.

Among the counties in Yongzhou, only five county towns, namely Chang'an, Bacheng, Lantian, Duxian and Xiayang, were still under the control of the imperial court.

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(End of this chapter)