Jinting Han people

That evening, Shen Chong left Yi'an and returned to the Jin army camp.

Compared to the bustling and noisy city of Yi'an, the Jin army camp at this moment was a completely different world. Even though the two places were only about twenty miles apart, the atmosphere was worlds apart. The same night, the same moonlit sky, the clear silver light shining on the city of Yi'an, seemed to possess a magical tranquility that could lull one to sleep. But when this bright and gentle moonlight shone on the Jin army camp, it evoked a desolate and icy sense of fragmentation, causing a pang in the heart and making one toss and turn in bed.

The reason is simple: people's feelings are always limited by their thoughts. When two sides have different expectations for the future, the atmosphere becomes completely opposite.

On the battlefield of Yi'an, the Han and Jin armies were nominally still fighting, but in reality, they had both moved beyond a state of war. The Han army was busily renovating Yi'an city, while the Jin army had almost abandoned its defenses. There were few soldiers patrolling at night, and no sentries at all. After entering the camp, Shen Chong walked three miles without being questioned or checked. All he could hear were the snores of the soldiers and the groans of the wounded.

Of course, Shen Chong didn't encounter nothing at all; he did at least run into two deserters attempting to escape in the dead of night. The first time, a deserter was turning over a deer's antlers when his eyes met Shen Chong's. Feeling somewhat awkward, they nodded to each other. The second time, four deserters were crawling through a dog hole in the camp wall. When they noticed Shen Chong, he tacitly pretended not to see them, and the two sides simply passed each other by.

But at the same time, he was also thinking: With the morale of the army so low, what can we use to fight against the Han army?
Fortunately, after entering Wang Dun's territory, order improved significantly; at least the camp was brightly lit with campfires, and night patrols were still being conducted normally. Without needing to announce his arrival, Wang Dun's guards, who had been waiting for a long time, intercepted him and led Shen Chong into Wang Dun's tent for a meeting.

It was already past midnight, but Wang Dun still hadn't rested. In the stillness of the night, he was practicing calligraphy. Shen Chong stood at the tent entrance and noticed that his lord's expression was normal. He seemed unaffected by Shen Chong's arrival, continuing to stand tall and unyielding, his calligraphy flowing smoothly, displaying the demeanor of a regional governor.

But when Shen Chong secretly peeked at his lord's handwriting, he was surprised to find that Wang Dun had copied Yue Yi's "Letter to King Hui of Yan," written in a wild and unrestrained style, unlike his usual meticulous brushwork. This was enough to show that Wang Dun's inner world was not as calm as it appeared.

After finishing his work, Wang Dun put down his pen and ink, examined it for a moment, and then looked up at Shen Chong. He scrutinized his subordinate with his famously bee-like eyes and asked, "Did anything unexpected happen on the way?"

Shen Chong cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, the journey was very smooth, and no one noticed anything unusual. The excuse I had prepared was not needed."

As one of the commanders-in-chief, Wang Dun was well aware of the current state of the Jin army. However, being cautious, he prepared a comprehensive plan to deal with any questions from others, just in case his clansmen discovered his true intentions. During this period, he first took on a large-scale task, including contacting the routed soldiers and apprehending deserters. Then, under the guise of being the governor of Jingzhou, he pretended to be trying to persuade the gentry who had defected to the Han army to defect. Shen Chong's trip to Yi'an, ostensibly to contact the Gong family of Nanping, was perfectly legitimate, and no one could find fault with it.

After confirming that no one was watching or following him, Wang Dun lowered his guard slightly and continued to ask Shen Chong, "How has the Prince of Han responded?"

Shen Chong then recounted to Wang Dun the events of his meeting with the Prince of Han that day, including his reply, and asked Wang Dun, "My lord, the Prince of Han's words seem lenient, but in reality they are ambiguous. He neither stated the conditions, nor the date, nor his demands, and simply sent me back. What do you think he meant?"

After listening carefully to the details, Wang Dun did not reply immediately. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before revealing a rare smile and saying, "Liu Xian is boasting about his sincerity and wants me to show my sincerity as well!"

"Sincerity?" Shen Chong was somewhat puzzled.

Wang Dun sat back on the bed, looked out of the tent, and slowly sighed: "No matter what, what I am doing now is an immoral act that violates the principles of morality. No matter how much or how little I do, or what impact it has on the overall situation, people will surely criticize me."

This was the truth, but Shen Chong was rather dismissive of this reasoning. After all, in those days, anyone in officialdom, especially after the purge during the War of the Eight Princes, had seen moral principles and social order reduced to ruins. Who would still believe in such principles?

However, from another perspective, disbelief in social norms does not mean one can do whatever one wants. People may not know what is right, but they do know what is wrong, and the ridicule and criticism will not diminish as a result. Wang Dun is now caught in this awkward middle ground.

He said, “Liu Xian is the King of Han, so he naturally understands my predicament. In this matter, no matter what conditions or demands he makes, he is forcing me to harm the emperor and my family, which is an unrighteous act. Therefore, he means that I should handle it myself, and he will accept whatever the outcome may be.”

At this point, Wang Dun was indeed somewhat moved.

If the roles were reversed, and one had an inside agent within the enemy ranks, to maximize that agent's effectiveness, it wouldn't be enough to simply ask them to defect. Ideally, they would first betray internal intelligence, then incite internal strife, and finally seize the opportunity to launch a massive attack and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. Wang Dun had actually prepared for this, but he hadn't expected Liu Xian's statement to be so lenient, implying that even if Wang Dun surrendered directly with his troops, he wouldn't have to stain his own people's blood. This was, in effect, protecting Wang Dun's reputation.

Shen Chong suddenly understood and asked, "Then, my lord, what do you mean we should do?"

Wang Dun pondered for a moment and asked, "How many men do I have left in my force?"

Shen Chong replied, "Ying Zhan's troops have been almost completely wiped out, with less than two thousand men left. Wang Xun's troops have also lost more than half of their strength, leaving only the troops of Miao Guang, Kuai Huan, Hu Huai, Yang Ju, Xie Kun, and others, totaling about eighteen thousand men. In total, there are about twenty thousand men."

“Twenty thousand men…” Wang Dun was speechless for a moment. In the previous battles, the Jingzhou army suffered the most losses. Originally, he had more than 70,000 men under his command, and nearly 50,000 men had come across the river. However, after several battles, only about 20,000 men remained.

Twenty thousand men would hardly be a reliable force for the Han army. After all, Wang Dun was aware of the situation in Xiangnan and calculated that Du Tao had at least forty thousand men. If he were to risk public condemnation by switching sides and end up with a lower status than a displaced leader like Du Tao, wouldn't he be a laughingstock?
Upon realizing this, Wang Dun immediately abandoned his plan to directly seek refuge with Liu Xian and instead set his sights on Jiangbei.

Although he was very familiar with his subordinates in Jiangbei, in order to ensure there were no mistakes, he asked Shen Chong, "Shiju, how many men do we have left in Jiangbei?"

Shen Chong replied, “My lord, if I remember correctly, there are over 5,000 men left in Wancheng under the command of Liu Fan, the Prefect of Yiyang; 8,000 men left in Xiangyang under the command of He Song, the Chief Administrator; over 6,000 men left in Jiangling under the command of Jiang Chao, the Commandant of the Southern Barbarians; over 4,000 men left in Shicheng under the command of Liu Pan, the Protector-General of Pingnan; and over 5,000 men left in Xiakou and Anlu under the command of Wei Zhan, the Prefect of Jiangxia, and Yu Tan, the Military Commander of Pingnan. In total, there are over 29,000 men.”

Wang Dun nodded, tapping the table repeatedly with his fingers as he fell into deep thought once more.

Although he was now the governor of Jingzhou, he was self-aware enough to know that his ability to command the Jingzhou army largely depended on the prestige of the imperial court and the reputation of the Langya Wang clan. Of those currently under his command, those he could truly trust and rely on were mostly brought to Jiangnan. Those remaining north of the Yangtze were either local powerful clans or directly placed there by Wang Yan, and he might not be able to effectively command them. Fortunately, many of them were veterans employed by Liu Hong. Especially noteworthy were Liu Fan and Xiahou Zhi, Liu Hong's eldest son and son-in-law respectively, both having connections with Liu Xian. He could find a reason to gather them all together for a meeting, first persuading Liu Fan and the others. With them leading the way, the rest would find it difficult to object. If anyone still refused to cooperate, he could make an example of them.

Wang Dun thought to himself that by then, it would not be difficult to lead the troops north of the Yangtze River to defect to the Han army.

Moreover, this will trigger a chain reaction. It should be noted that Zhou Fang and Tao Kan are still besieging Yiling. If the situation north of the Yangtze River reverses, these nearly 40,000 men will be trapped, with no choice but to surrender. Furthermore, these 40,000 men are Jiangzhou's most important elite troops. Therefore, even if the Jin army wanted to retreat to Jiangzhou, it would be impossible, and the battle line would likely be pushed directly to Yangzhou and Huainan.

Only if one can achieve this level of effort can one truly be considered to have a place in the Han Dynasty.

Having made this decision, Wang Dun had a concrete plan for his actions in the coming days. But at the moment, he still faced a difficult problem.

He said to Shen Chong, "Shiju, who in our army is skilled at imitating handwriting?"

Shen Chong asked in surprise, "What is the purpose of your question, Your Excellency?"

Wang Dun said, "I have my own uses."

Shen Chong pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and smiled, "My lord, you do have a man under your command whose family is known for its three unique talents; he should be able to serve you."

"who is it?"

"Far away, yet right before my eyes."

Wang Dun then realized that Shen Chong was referring to himself. Shen You of the Shen family of Wuxing was once known for his three exceptional talents: eloquence, swordsmanship, and calligraphy. He asked with a smile, "How much of Shen You's skill do you possess?"

Shen Chong said casually, "Seven or eight parts is enough. May I ask, sir, who do you wish to imitate?"

“Tao Kan.” Wang Dun clasped his hands together and looked at Shen Chong again, saying, “I need a letter from Tao Kan requesting reinforcements. He should say that Yiling is about to fall, but the soldiers are exhausted and unable to fight any longer. Therefore, we need reinforcements to come to our aid. Once the reinforcements arrive, we can take Yiling in less than ten days.”

For Wang Dun, the biggest problem at the moment was not how to recruit the various tribes north of the Yangtze River, but how to leave the Jin army camp. After all, they had just suffered a defeat, and the Jin army was in a state of panic, fearing that they would not have enough troops in the camp. At this time, seven or eight deserters might be able to leave under cover of night, but Wang Dun's attempt to take the entire Jingzhou army and break away would inevitably attract attention and would be difficult to carry out.

Therefore, he needed a suitable reason to leave.

Initially, Wang Dun planned to march north under the pretext of recruiting soldiers, since the Jin army was currently short of manpower, and replenishing their ranks would not be a bad thing. However, after careful consideration, he rejected this plan. Firstly, recruitment could be delegated to subordinates, and there was no need for someone of Wang Dun's stature to personally oversee it; secondly, this was a critical moment, and any suggestion from anyone would be carefully weighed, and Wang Dao, Wang Kuang, and others were his cousins, who understood Wang Dun's character to a certain extent, and his sudden proposal might not be able to deceive everyone.

Therefore, Wang Dun planned to bring in external aid, using Tao Kan's name. The entire army was awaiting victory at Yiling, and if Tao Kan sent such a letter requesting aid, it would certainly not be refused. At the same time, everyone was afraid to fight the Han army, so it seemed reasonable for Wang Dun, who had always been a strong advocate for war, to lead troops to their aid. Everyone's attention was focused on Tao Kan; no one would suspect that Wang Dun was planning to defect.
This was indeed a brilliant plan. Shen Chong was greatly impressed upon learning of it, and without hesitation, he immediately began to forge letters. His calligraphy was truly exceptional; although he usually used the "flying white" style, he could effortlessly imitate Tao Kan's graceful small regular script. Who would have thought? Tao Kan, a famous general from Jiangnan, possessed calligraphy as alluring as a woman. This was also thanks to Wang Dun's previous frequent contact with Tao Kan, providing him with many letters for reference.

Before long, a letter was forged, but it was missing Tao Kan's seal. Wang Dun immediately asked his retainer Xie Yong to help him carve a seal that read "Seal of Kan, Military Advisor of Jiangzhou". He dipped it in vermilion ink and stamped it on the letter. It was truly a masterpiece, and no difference could be seen.

After slightly roasting and aging the letter, Wang Dun ordered it to be sent to Wang Kuang. Wang Kuang indeed convened a military council, requesting that the princes discuss the matter.

Just as Wang Dun had predicted, upon hearing the news, most people looked hesitant and reluctant to go to provide support. Even before Wang Dun spoke, everyone's eyes were already on him, waiting for him to volunteer.

Wang Dun chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. He even pretended to be somewhat reluctant as he replied, "This matter is of great importance. If you want me to send troops, let me reorganize my forces in Jiangling first, and then proceed to Yiling."

So early the next morning, half a month after the Battle of Yi'an, Wang Dun officially led the Jingzhou army across the river to the north.

Standing on the Yangtze River, Wang Dun breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had overcome the most difficult hurdle. But as he stood at the bow of the boat, looking back at the undulating waves of the river and the reeds swaying in the wind on the south bank, a touch of sadness suddenly rose in his heart.

He had probably just made the most important decision of his life, but what would that decision bring him? Wang Dun originally thought he had thought it through clearly, but at this moment when the cold wind swept by, he felt the insignificance of humankind. In chaotic times, even an emperor, with his supreme status, is sometimes as powerless as a piece of duckweed, let alone ordinary people? What in this world can truly last as long as heaven and earth, unchanging for eternity? No one knows.

This melancholy lasted only a moment, quickly transforming into boundless pride. Amidst the astonished gazes of those around him, Wang Dun suddenly struck the bow of the boat with his ruyi scepter and loudly sang "Though the Tortoise Lives Long":

"An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles; a hero, though old, may still cherish lofty ambitions!"

Under the clear sky, he sang repeatedly until the boat docked on the north bank. Regardless of how history would unfold, at least in this moment, marked by Wang Dun's crossing of the river, a new era belonging to the Han Dynasty was about to begin. (End of Chapter)