Jinting Han people

In fact, it wasn't just Zhou Qi and Gan Zhuo's troops that suffered from unsatisfactory offensives within the Jin army. Zhou Fu's attack on Matou City and Ying Zhan's attack on Lady Sun's City also yielded little success. This is not surprising. In the cold winter wind, soldiers' hands and feet were already numb and inconvenient. Under such conditions, it was indeed difficult to achieve success by attacking a defending force with fortifications to rely on, especially when they were at a lower elevation.

What is reasonable does not mean that the commander-in-chief can accept it. This is the first day of the attack, and senior officers such as Wang Kuang naturally went to the front line to supervise the battle. They have seen the performance of all parties.

Ying Zhan and Zhou Fu's forces attacked a fortified city. Although small, the city was fully fortified with moats, battlements, and arrow towers, making it far more difficult than breaching a palisade. Their fighting spirit was also far more resolute. Ying Zhan braved a hail of arrows, personally leading his soldiers to fill the moats and erect ladders. Although they were repelled several times by the defenders, no one could blame him. Zhou Fu's performance was similar. While he didn't personally lead the charge, he and his eldest son, Zhou Mi, supervised the troops. Anyone found to be ineffective or deserting was severely punished, resulting in the execution of dozens of deserters in a single day, ensuring the army fought with unwavering resolve.

In comparison, the standoff at the palisade was far from satisfactory. Gan Zhuo's troops were doing alright; after a day, they had managed to break through one or two gaps, suffering losses of several hundred men. But Zhou Qi's troops, aside from their initial provocations, did nothing more than pile up earthen mounds in front of the palisade, which showed no real progress and seemed more like a perfunctory response to military orders.

Wang Kuang repeatedly issued military orders urging Zhou Qi to attack, but Zhou Qi remained unmoved. Seeing this, Wang Kuang was truly furious. After the attack ended that night, he immediately summoned Zhou Qi and, in front of his trusted confidants, criticized him, saying:

"All the other tribes are fighting bloody battles, yet you alone are afraid to advance. What are your true intentions?"

Wang Kuang initially wanted to speak more harshly, criticizing him for harboring disloyal intentions and secretly colluding with the Han army. However, after thinking it over, he realized that Zhou Qi had indeed performed admirably by publicly humiliating the Han army, and criticizing him for this would seem like making a fuss over nothing. In the end, he held back and only criticized him for his ineffective attack, hoping that he would improve.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Qi did not appreciate the criticism. Instead, he argued vehemently:

"Marshal, Confucius said, 'A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wants to do his work well,' and the same applies to warfare. As the attacking side, my building of the earthen mound is to prepare for the attack. What's wrong with that? To risk the lives of our soldiers to fight the enemy head-on is to waste our strength and achieve nothing. This is something a wise man would not do."

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions. Gan Zhuo, Ying Zhan, Zhou Fu, and others who were leading the attack today had all fought with real force. According to his statement, were they not wise men at all?

Wang Kuang was always arrogant, so he couldn't stand anyone putting on airs in front of him. Seeing Zhou Qi's blatant disregard for him, he could no longer contain his anger and immediately decided to kill Zhou Qi. He slammed his hand on the hilt of his sword and shouted sternly:

"Insolence! Insolence! Zhou Xuanpei, do you think my command tent is a place for you to spout nonsense? I summoned you here today to give you a chance to repent. If you still do not repent, I will punish you for delaying military operations and send you to keep Wang Xun company. Is that an injustice?!"

Wang Kuang, known for his formidable military bearing, was now enraged, his eyes blazing with fury, his hair standing on end, causing onlookers to tremble and worry for Zhou Qi. But Zhou Qi, as the person directly involved, remained unfazed, merely narrowing his eyes and coldly staring at Wang Kuang, asking calmly:

"The Marshal says I delayed military operations, but words alone are not enough. May I ask where I delayed military operations?"

"While all the other units are engaged in fierce fighting, your unit is doing nothing. Isn't that a waste of military resources?"

"How can you say I've accomplished nothing by building this earthen mound?"

After a series of interrogations, upon hearing this, Wang Kuang's forehead veins bulged, and he was almost beyond restraint. He immediately ordered his men to tie Zhou Qi up and drag him off the stage. However, seeing the tense atmosphere, Wang Dao quickly pulled Wang Kuang back and whispered in his ear:
"Marshal, Zhou Qi is the pride of the Jiangzuo gentry, you must be very careful!"

Wang Kuang then realized his mistake and suppressed his anger. Now was indeed not the time to kill Zhou Qi. In the years following Lu Ji's death, although the Jiangzuo gentry were temporarily leaderless, after the two Jiangdong rebellions, Zhou Qi had become the new leader of the Jiangdong gentry. Although he did not yet have Lu Ji's prestige, he was not to be underestimated. If he were to be killed suddenly, it would inevitably cause a huge uproar, and it was not impossible that he would be forced to rebel in Yangzhou.

But if Zhou Qi is not punished, where is the commander-in-chief's authority?

Just as Wang Kuang was feeling awkward, Wang Dao regained his normal voice and said, "Marshal, no matter what, Zhou Qi is a descendant of loyal officials and has no ulterior motives. Please give him another chance for the sake of Duke Ziyin."

Wang Dao then turned to Zhou Qi and advised him: "Xuanpei, in this time of national crisis, we should unite as one. You should curb your arrogance. If Ziyin were alive, he would certainly not want this to happen."

He brought up Zhou Chu, who had died for his country, and the atmosphere immediately eased considerably. Although Zhou Qi still secretly cursed Wang Kuang as a "Northern barbarian," and Wang Kuang similarly cursed Zhou Qi as an "empty crab," the two managed to maintain a semblance of civility, exchanging a few reluctant pleasantries and pretending to have misspoke, thus letting the matter drop.

Wang Kuang patiently asked, "So, Xuan Pei has a brilliant plan to defeat the enemy?"

Zhou Qi smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Marshal. As long as you give me some support, I guarantee I will be the first to produce results."

He actually dared to ask for support! Wang Kuang's eyelids twitched, then he said with a forced smile, "Sure, what kind of support do you need?"

"The army's supplies are at my disposal, and the six thousand civilian laborers are at my command."

This was no small sum. Wang Kuang hesitated for a moment, then turned around, stared intently at Zhou Qi, and asked, "If you cannot achieve anything, what will happen to you?"

Zhou Qi calmly replied, "If I fail to achieve any merit within ten days, I will be subject to military law!"

"Alright! Transfer him to him!" Seeing that Zhou Qi dared to make a pledge in public, Wang Kuang was naturally overjoyed and immediately agreed to his request. At this point, it was hard to say whether he hoped Zhou Qi would succeed more or fail more.

When news of Zhou Qi's pledge reached the ears of the generals in Jiangzuo, everyone was worried about him. Gu Rong came to see Zhou Qi and asked him, "Why argue so fiercely? Gan Jisi said the enemy army was very difficult to attack. Are you really confident? If you are not, go and change your mind now, ask Wang Maohong (Wang Dao) for help, and apologize to the marshal. It's not too late."

Despite his friend's advice, Zhou Qi ignored it. He merely glanced at Gu Rong and stroked his beard, mocking, "What, are you afraid of Liu Xian, Gu Yanxian? He can hardly be called one of the Three Talents of Luoyang!" Gu Rong was not annoyed by this. He smiled and said, "No matter what, the Prince of Han was once my lord, and I still admire him."

Gu Rong was indeed once Liu Xian's subordinate. When Lu Ji entered the capital, Gu Rong accompanied him, and they were known as the Three Talents of Luoyang. Later, when Lu Ji went north to Ye City, Gu Rong remained in Luoyang, serving as the chief clerk to Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi. When Sima Jiong broke with Sima Yi, the Prince of Changsha, Gu Rong was recruited by Sima Yi and became the chief clerk of the General of Chariots and Cavalry. Although this was a nominal position, he was once under Liu Xian's command, fighting alongside him in the Battle of Mangshan and the Battle of Luoyang. With Liu Xian's departure, Gu Rong realized that the court was beyond saving, so he resigned and returned to his hometown, where he has been gone for over four years.

Zhou Qi and Gu Rong were good friends, and upon hearing this, he didn't take it to heart. He simply said indignantly, "So what? I don't hate Liu Xian either, but as you know, those who rely on others will not come, and those who depend on others will not last long. We Wu people have always been looked down upon by northerners, even Lu Ji was like that. If we cannot strengthen ourselves, we will probably be worse than turtles and tortoises in the future."

Seeing this, Gu Rong knew that his mind was made up, so he stopped trying to persuade him and just sighed, "I'm afraid that going too far will be as bad as not going far enough!"

The following day, the Jin army resumed its attack, and Wang Kuang continued to order his troops to launch a fierce assault. The soldiers of the three armies marched out of their camps, filled the earthen ditches, and advanced directly towards the walls of Yi'an. The force was truly overwhelming, with banners stretching for miles.

At Matou City and Sunfuren City, the Jin army began to use siege towers and ladders to attack the cities. Dozens of siege engines were deployed on the city walls, creating a spectacular sight. Infantrymen fought on the walls, while dozens of battering rams, pointed wooden donkeys, hook carts, and other equipment supported them from below, either attacking the city gates, transporting soldiers, or assisting the siege engines in providing close cover for the soldiers.

Then it began to snow again. Looking down from the city walls, the Jin army attacking the city seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see amidst the vast expanse of snowflakes. The shouts of battle and the sounds of drums and gongs were deafening. Behind them, countless reinforcements stood in the gray, withered grass, a dark mass like clouds in the sky. These tens of thousands of soldiers watched the battle from the rear, while between the vanguard and the reinforcements, there were hundreds of supervisors who used deer antlers to separate the two sides. If they saw any vanguard soldiers not retreating on orders, they would immediately rush forward and behead them.

Meanwhile, Gan Zhuo's troops were also fighting fiercely within the palisade. Finding that cutting down the palisade head-on was ineffective, he resorted to fire attacks. He ordered his soldiers to cut dry reeds by the river to use as torches, then, with shield walls in front of the wooden palisade, they piled up grass and burned it. The raging flames rose and fell, at one point overpowering the snow, and billowing black smoke filled the air.

However, the defending troops remained calm. Yi'an was located near the Yangtze River, and to prevent fire attacks, they had diverted a small river from Youjiangkou to the wooden palisade beforehand. If the Jin army launched a fire attack, the laborers would use special wooden buckets to fetch water from the river to extinguish the fire. Faced with the Jin army's blaze, under the command of their officers, they advanced wave after wave. Wherever there was a fire, a whistle would sound, and the laborers would respond immediately, ultimately bringing the Jin army's fire under control.

All the units were fighting fiercely, with arrows and whistling arrows filling the air above the battlefield, except for Zhou Qi's unit.

After signing a pledge to Wang Kuang, Zhou Qi remained calm on the battlefield. Having gathered a large amount of supplies and laborers, he still did not launch a general attack on the fortified position. Instead, he continued to build earthen mounds on his own battlefield and construct watchtowers on them. Over several days, he built more than ten mounds, each nearly seven zhang high, level with the distant Yi'an city wall, standing out starkly on the fortified battlefield. Still not satisfied, he built watchtowers on the mounds, making himself visible to almost everyone on the battlefield.

Even so, he still did not launch a large-scale attack on the Han army in front of him, but only conducted small-scale probing attacks, without any indication of launching a general offensive.

However, Zhou Qi's fortifications did play a role. At least facing so many earthen mounds, the Han army on the other side dared not be careless. This section of the palisade was under the responsibility of Suo Lin, who also deployed a considerable number of men to reinforce the palisade and monitor Zhou Qi's army, ensuring that they had enough manpower to retaliate if Zhou Qi attacked.

Zhou Qi's actions naturally drew criticism from the rear once again. Wang Kuang continued to send messengers to urge him on, but Zhou Qi ignored them completely. He even invited friends to play chess on the battlefield while the earthen mound was being built, a game that lasted for several hours. Under such circumstances, rumors began to circulate in the army that Zhou Qi, the Military Advisor of the Eastern Garrison, was at odds with Marshal Wang Kuang and wanted to deliberately embarrass Wang Kuang.

Upon hearing this news, Wang Kuang was furious, but he dared not push Zhou Qi too far to change sides. He could only privately threaten Wang Dun and others, saying that if Zhou Qi broke his promise and breached the agreement, he would cut Zhou Qi into a thousand pieces after the change of sides.

The tenth day arrived in the blink of an eye. The other three Jin armies had suffered heavy losses and their morale was low. They had still achieved nothing and had not made any decisive progress. In contrast, Zhou Qi's troops were completely unscathed, as if they had just gone on a field trip.

Tomorrow is the deadline for the troop rotation, and everyone is worried about Zhou Qi's fate. But Zhou Qi is calm and collected. That night, he suddenly summoned his troops and ordered them to prepare for an attack.

At this moment, Ji Zhan, as Zhou Qi's deputy general, was quite puzzled. He asked, "The enemy has heavily fortified the palisade. How can our army break through it in such a short time?"

Zhou Qi laughed and said, "Who said I was going to attack the palisade? How can military tactics be so rigid!"

While everyone was puzzled, he pointed to Lady Sun's City in the south and said, "What I want to take is this city."

It turns out that Zhou Qi built the earthen mound for three main purposes: first, to overlook the battlefield and investigate the strength and weakness of the Han army; second, to confuse and attract the Han army, making them think that their main focus of attack was still the palisade; and third, to use the earthen mound as cover to block the Han army's view and secretly dig a tunnel to Lady Sun's city.

Now all three objectives have been achieved. Zhou Qi has successfully misled the Han army, causing them to deploy heavy defenses in front of the earthen hill. The tunnels have been dug, and the Han army in Lady City is exhausted after several days of bloody fighting with Ying Zhan.

However, Zhou Qi still dared not be careless. To ensure that the enemy did not discover his movements, he had spread the rumors of discord between the generals. At this time, he also placed many straw men on the earthen mound, using the darkness to keep the Han army in front of the palisade on high alert. Then, Zhou Qi's troops tiptoed away from the earthen mound without carrying torches and slowly made their way towards Lady Sun's city.

The first group to advance through the tunnels consisted of over a hundred Wu Xing swordsmen, personally trained by Zhou Qi and led by his eldest son, Zhou Xie, who quietly made their way into Lady Sun's city.

Zhou Qi led the main force to wait quietly three miles outside the city. That night, dark clouds covered the sky, so dark that it seemed to swallow everything. Even at such a close distance, the guards on the city did not notice them.

The crowd waited quietly. The officers who knew the situation were anxious. Zhou Qi's plan was indeed ingenious, but the Han army had made almost no tactical mistakes since leaving Sichuan. Could he really succeed?
But Zhou Qi, who had risked his life, remained calm and composed. He leaned against a tree with his sword in his arms, closing his eyes to rest, and no one could see his expression.

In the darkness, silence, and cold, the shivering people didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly, it was as if a sharp sword had slashed through the sky. They heard piercing shouts of battle coming from the city of Lady not far away. The shouts were very close, and soon, the east gate they were approaching opened a crack, letting in a faint light of fire.

Zhou Qi revealed a smug smile. He drew his sword from his waist and said authoritatively to the messenger beside him, "Charge into the city!"

With a loud shout, horns sounded in the darkness, and eight thousand Wu soldiers surged out of the shadows like a tidal wave. Instantly, footsteps, horns, and shouts of battle filled the air, and plumes of dust billowed towards Lady City. (End of Chapter)