Jinting Han people

Meanwhile, Wang Kuang, Wang Dun, and the others retreated back into the camp. Once they were seated in their tents, they were filled with disappointment.

In this battle, they were twice swept away by the fleeing soldiers, running a total of about thirty li. In the chaos, their horses were frightened and lost control, galloping wildly. Wang Kuang and the others couldn't hold the reins and fell to the ground, losing their shoes in the process. But even in this disheveled state, time was of the essence, and they were afraid of being caught by the Han army. They couldn't care less about being scholars or noblemen. They had no choice but to abandon their mounts and continue running, leaning on their wooden canes.

When they returned to camp, everyone's feet were covered in blisters, and their faces and bodies were covered in blood, mud, and dust. They looked at each other, almost unrecognizable. They had to spend an hour washing themselves, changing clothes with perfume, and applying makeup before their true appearances were revealed. But the radiant and spirited people of the past were nowhere to be seen.

At this point, when everyone tallied up the losses, the results were even more embarrassing.

The 20,000 troops guarding the camp were mostly still intact. However, of the 120,000 troops who went out to fight, only about 60,000 returned after one day, barely more than half. Of these, some were certainly lost on the battlefield, killed or captured. But a considerable number, believing that the Jin army was doomed, simply scattered and did not rejoin the main force.

For example, the Wuxi barbarians, who were not particularly hostile to the Han army to begin with, lost even more will to fight when they saw the unfavorable situation and fled directly towards Tianmen County. Some of the local Jingzhou troops also refused to fight and simply returned home. Only the Jiangzhou, Yangzhou, and Huainan troops, too far from their homes to go anywhere else, had to return to their main camp. However, their morale was very low, and without a long period of rest, they would likely be unable to fight the Han army again.

What should we do next in this situation?
Wang Dun was the only one among the crowd who was dressed normally. He was the last to arrive at the military camp, and he was accompanied by guards. After a quick wash and changing into clean military uniform and a headscarf, he prepared to discuss matters with the others. However, when he arrived at the commander's tent first, he sat for a long time without seeing anyone. Upon inquiring, he learned that despite the crushing defeat, his clansmen were still burning incense among themselves!
Upon hearing this news, Wang Dun was furious and shouted, "What time is it? Still bathing and burning incense? Burning dog-head incense! We are at war now. Can incense kill the enemy and drive them away?" As he spoke, he went to pull people in, and only then did he manage to drag everyone into the tent. Otherwise, he didn't know how much more time would have been wasted.

But once everyone was gathered, no one was willing to speak. Because when discussing the war, there was one unavoidable issue to address, and no one wanted to discuss it.

Wang Dun bluntly stated, "The current situation is bad, but it's not beyond saving. We must step up and take the lead, especially after each defeat. Otherwise, if we allow the morale of the army to collapse, then the tide will truly turn."

Wang Dun's meaning was clear: given the outcome of the battle, someone among the commanders had to step forward and take responsibility for the defeat. If no one took responsibility, the soldiers would believe that the commander was not only incompetent but also irresponsible. They would then suspect that their superiors would shift the blame for the failure onto them, which would demoralize the army and ultimately lead to them outwardly complying but inwardly resisting orders in subsequent battles.

But these words were immediately met with unanimous opposition from the Wang family. Marshal Wang Kuang, in particular, raised his voice and sternly rebuked them: "What are you saying, Chu Zhong?! Don't you know the political situation in the court? If we back down at this time, it will have far-reaching consequences, and we will be completely finished!"

As the marshal, Wang Kuang was undoubtedly the person primarily responsible for this defeat. He fell into Liu Xian's trap tactically, which created a huge opening, leading to the Han army's first major rout. Subsequently, he panicked and, instead of reorganizing his troops for another battle, handed over command to Wang Dun, completely relinquishing control of the war. Finally, during the second rout, he completely lost his will to fight and abandoned his army.

Every mistake Wang Kuang made had an extremely negative impact on the Jin army, proving that he was unfit to command the Jin army, both in terms of ability and willpower. But the question remains: would Wang Kuang admit this himself?
Wang Kuang was naturally unwilling to admit it, not only because it involved his personal pride, but more importantly, because he represented the Langya Wang clan and Wang Yan, and his prestige was also related to Wang Yan's ruling authority.

Wang Yan's position as regent was fundamentally unstable. He was neither a member of the Sima clan nor from a sufficiently prestigious family. He only managed to appease the various gentry and maintain the court's existence by relying on his literary reputation, the network of connections Sima Yue had secretly cultivated over many years, and some military victories in unifying the south. In reality, this political balance was extremely fragile and could not withstand any major setbacks.

If, as Wang Dun suggested, he were to directly admit his decision-making errors, the first consequence would be a significant decline in Wang Yan's and the court's authority. At that point, wouldn't political enemies seize the opportunity to challenge him, or even launch a coup, leading to the downfall of the Langya Wang clan? It's important to remember that the current emperor still has his brothers, such as the Prince of Yuzhang, and the court also has veteran officials like Shan Jian, Fu Zhi, Liu Tun, and Yue Guang, who have served multiple reigns. If they support each other, it will be difficult for Wang Yan to suppress them.

Therefore, whether from a personal perspective or from the perspective of the overall political situation, Wang Kuang could not admit his mistake; on the contrary, he wanted to distance himself from the situation.

Everyone understood Wang Kuang's meaning, so they all agreed that they absolutely could not admit this mistake. Even Wang Dao, who always considered the big picture, chimed in, saying, "Chu Zhong, we are all family. In the current situation, we must unite. Otherwise, we will all prosper together or suffer together, and none of us will have a good ending."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dun was momentarily at a loss for words. Just as Wang Dao had said, he was, after all, a member of the Wang family and should consider the family's interests. But the problem was, if no one took responsibility, how should the battles be fought? Should the responsibility be shifted to others?
Sure enough, Wang Cheng continued, "There's nothing to discuss about this. We all wanted to win this battle, and we made plans beforehand, but we didn't succeed in the end. We can only say that fate was against us, and it's beyond human control..."

"Furthermore, Zhu Si's troops numbered several thousand, and together with Zhao You's troops, they attacked the enemy from both sides. Logically speaking, they should have been able to win no matter what. But the enemy managed to hold them off with less than half their strength. Was this something we could have predicted? Or did they fail in their own battle and drag us all down with them?"

"Alas! How hateful! It is unbelievable that in such a vast country as China, we cannot find many capable generals like Zhang Liao and Zhang He, which has led to such a deterioration of the situation!"

At this point, Wang Cheng sighed deeply, looking as if he were Zhuge Liang who had been ruined by Ma Su. Then he said, "In my opinion, this matter should be reported to the court, and Zhu Si, Zhao You, Zhu Gui, Wang Chong and others should be stripped of their official positions. This matter should be put to rest, and everyone will be fine."

"As for boosting morale, why not learn from Sun Xiu? I'll invite a few Taoist priests to the riverbank to worship Emperor Wu, as well as sages like Yang Hu, Du Yu, and Wang Jun, and ask them to manifest their divine power and protect us. I'll also give the remaining troops some extra money, and I think that will be enough. Our dynasty isn't known for its harsh laws and severe punishments, so why make trouble for ourselves?"

At this point, everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that Wang Cheng's considerations were very thorough. Shifting the blame to the prisoners and the dead would at least prevent any disruption to the army's unity, and then boosting morale by paying homage to the ancient sages and rewarding the troops would satisfy all parties. However, the fact that the Wang family would shirk all responsibility seemed rather irresponsible.

Wang Han added, "We should still make a statement. After all, when Xiling was defeated, Emperor Wu demoted Yang Hu by one rank. We should show some remorse. The Grand Commandant will find a way to help us."

With these back-and-forth discussions, the outcome of the battle was settled. However, no one showed any interest in discussing Wang Dun's most pressing concern: how to proceed with the war against Liu Xian. The meeting quickly adjourned. In Wang Cheng's words, although they had suffered a defeat, not only was the Jin army incapable of fighting again in the short term, but the Han army also needed rest. Any further battles would have to wait until the army had reorganized.

Wang Dun returned to his tent alone, utterly dejected. His mind replayed the day's events, the constant echoes of the group's discussions replaying in his ears. He was so distraught he couldn't eat or sleep. A torrent of resentment brewed within him, growing increasingly bitter, and he muttered to himself, "How can I possibly succeed working with such a frivolous bunch?" He completely disagreed with the methods they had just discussed.

Holding the dead and prisoners responsible might seem like a win-win solution, but in reality, it would be devastating to morale. A person's most precious possession is, of course, their life. To fight on the battlefield, in other words, is to risk one's life for the court. When a person dies, their life is sold. Therefore, the court's most important task is to provide for the fallen soldiers, ensuring that the living feel that their service to the court was at least worthwhile.

But now, the Jin army is blaming the dead and prisoners of war for their defeat. What will others think? Most people will think that serving the court is worthless; only by staying alive can one receive a proper salary. When the next battle comes, how can the soldiers possibly fight for the court again? They'll just fire a few arrows into the air, take advantage of any opportunity, and run away from any danger. No one will ever face the so-called bitter and fierce battles again.

Born at the tail end of the Three Kingdoms period, and possessing the status and resources of a high-ranking family, Wang Dun naturally aspired to achieve great things and leave his mark on history. Some things were too far off to discuss, so he only thought about them. But at least for the moment, he desperately wanted to contribute to stabilizing the Jin dynasty. However, after this battle, Wang Dun inevitably realized with sorrow that this was entirely wishful thinking.

The brothers were still discussing how to maintain their power as regents, but if the fighting continued like this, the demise of the Jin dynasty was imminent.

Thinking of this, he heard the northwest wind howling outside, whipping up dry branches that lashed against the tent with a crackling sound. The cold wind seeped into the room through the cracks, and the chilly air made Wang Dun even more alert.

He instinctively grabbed the sword hidden against the wall beside the bed. The room was dark, and the shadows of the trees swayed outside the window. He could faintly hear the sound of wind chimes from the military camp. They were hung by Wang Cheng's maid, but they suddenly reminded Wang Dun of that night in the Eastern Palace, where the Crown Prince also liked to hang wind chimes.

That night, Yang Ji led a surprise attack on the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace guards were caught off guard and were nearly routed. It was Liu Xian who charged ahead, boosting morale, and ultimately held out until Meng Guan returned to reinforce. Wang Dun witnessed this scene and greatly admired Liu Xian's martial arts skills. But now it seemed that compared to Liu Xian's other merits, his martial arts skills were merely the least significant.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating, and Wang Dun recalled Wang Dao's words: "The Langya Wang clan prospers together, and suffers together..." He hadn't yet accomplished anything significant; was he destined to be forgotten along with the Langya Wang clan? No, there was another way. He could use his past relationship with Liu Xian to side with the Han army...

Thinking this, Wang Dun abruptly stood up, drew his sword, and pointed the cold blade at his face. Looking at his reflection in the sword, he seemed terrified by the terrible thought that had crossed his mind. In this era, betraying one's family was more against moral principles and more unforgivable than betraying the country. If he did such a thing, he would surely be condemned by everyone!
After a while, Wang Dun's mood gradually calmed down. He thought to himself, "The Sima family has been killing each other, causing the world to fall apart like this. I haven't personally harmed my own brothers, so what's wrong with that? It's just that my identity is sensitive, and I haven't seen Liu Xian for many years. I don't know what his attitude is now, so I need to think it over carefully and not make a hasty decision."

He tossed and turned for half an hour, and although he was still troubled, he was not as anxious as before, and finally he was able to fall asleep peacefully.

That night, he had a dream, a dream that seemed exciting and full of ups and downs, in which he won everything. But suddenly, the dream was interrupted by a commotion. Wang Dun opened his eyes, trying to recall the dream, but his mind was blank; he couldn't remember anything. Forcing himself to remember only gave him a headache.

Just as he was feeling bewildered, he heard the commotion outside the door growing louder and louder, which puzzled him. He summoned a guard and learned that Zhao You's scattered troops had returned, along with Ying Zhan. Zhao You was currently confronting Hou Tuo, demanding to know why he had broken his promise and deserted in the face of battle. Hou Tuo, not expecting Zhao You to escape alive, was extremely embarrassed and could only say that he had lost control of his troops and had been coerced by them.

This incident caused quite a stir, and the two sides almost came to blows. In the end, Ying Zhan had to ask Director Wang to mediate.

Wang Dao, of course, continued to try to smooth things over. At this juncture, he didn't want to provoke any further conflict within the army. So, he verbally reprimanded Hou Tuo, demoting him three ranks, allowing him to continue leading his old troops under the pretext of redeeming himself through meritorious service, without any actual punishment. At the same time, he commended Zhao You, saying he would recommend him for the position of General Who Pacifies the South, implying that the current situation was critical and that Hou Tuo would be severely punished in the future. His words were so earnest that he made no mention of the fact that they had planned the previous night to pin the blame for the defeat on Zhao You.

Although the matter was resolved, it was clear to the naked eye that morale in the army had further declined, rendering them incapable of any further action.

Wang Dun had anticipated this situation and was not surprised. However, when he heard that Ying Zhan had been released by Liu Xian, he recalled his thoughts from the previous night and was moved. He then summoned Ying Zhan, and the two chatted for a while.

He asked Ying Zhan, "In your opinion, can the enemy army still fight in the next few days?"

Ying Zhan said, "I'm afraid not. The enemy has captured tens of thousands of our prisoners, and it will probably take a considerable amount of time to settle them."

Wang Dun nodded and then asked, "What are your chances of victory?"

Ying Zhan said, "Ercheng, it is practically impossible to defeat the enemy head-on. But as long as our army holds firm and does not retreat, we may still have a chance to turn the tide once Tao Shiheng captures Yiling City."

The two discussed military matters for a while, when Wang Dun suddenly asked, "Since you have personally met Liu Xian, what do you think of his character? Who in ancient times does he compare to?"

Ying Zhan, unaware of Wang Dun's deeper meaning, pondered for a moment before replying, "The Duke of Anle possesses extraordinary magnanimity, comparable to Rang Hou of Qin and Xinling of Wei." (End of Chapter)