Jinting Han people

With the end of the wars in Jing and Xiang, the Jin army had very little strength left.

Although on paper, Yangzhou and Huainan could still muster over 100,000 troops, and there were also strategically important locations like Shicheng, Shouchun, Hefei, and Jianye, making a swift conquest still quite difficult, in reality, these 100,000 troops were merely a facade. Not only had they suffered successive crushing defeats, but more importantly, morale within the army was low, and the Jin generals no longer believed there was any possibility of a comeback.

Once the will to fight has crumbled, and the reason to fight to the death has been lost, those who wield weapons are nothing more than walking corpses. Indeed, this is the current situation. After months of exchanges, eight or nine out of ten of the Jiangzuo gentry have secretly pledged allegiance to the Yi'an court. Those who haven't joined are not necessarily loyal to the Jin court, but rather have nowhere else to turn. Especially those still serving in the Jin army, such as Gu Rong, Gan Zhuo, and Hou Tuo, are basically waiting for the Han army to arrive before switching sides.

Therefore, this eastern expedition can be said to be risk-free. Yangzhou and Huainan are like ripe peaches, and Liu Xian can easily pick them without losing a single soldier.

However, this does not mean that this military operation could be easily accomplished by anyone. Because what Liu Xian wanted was not just two pieces of land, but true legitimacy and righteousness.

If Liu Xian wanted to declare himself emperor, he could have done so right here in Chengdu. After all, his great-grandfather Liu Bei had done just that, so there was no need for the trouble of marching east across the Yangtze and Han rivers. However, Liu Xian repeatedly refused his ministers' urging to ascend the throne, remaining only as a king. The main reasons for this are actually only threefold:

Firstly, Shu Han had long been confined to the Ba-Shu region. If Liu Xian were to declare himself emperor in Ba-Shu, he might be misunderstood as lacking ambition. Liu Xian's decision to only claim the title of king, rather than emperor, was intended to show the world that he would never be a ruler confined to a corner of the land, but rather a true Son of Heaven who would bring peace to the world.
Secondly, although the Mandate of Heaven is ethereal and intangible, it is something that people care about. The most symbolic representation of the Mandate of Heaven and the popular will is the Imperial Seal of the State, which has been passed down since the pre-Qin period, and the submission of the previous emperor. The symbolism of the Imperial Seal of the State is self-evident. Although the Han army internally referred to the Jin court as a pseudo-Jin, the fact that the Jin dynasty unified the world for decades is undeniable. Liu Xian must first satisfy this perception in order to gain more authority and recognition.

The final reason is a form of self-motivation; Liu Xian hopes to remind himself that there are still many important things to do and he must not slack off easily.

Now, the time is ripe for Liu Xian to declare himself emperor. Liu Yuan and Liu Baigen in the north have both already proclaimed themselves emperors, and Liu Xian, to rival them, must inevitably do so. No one doubts Liu Xian's determination to pacify the realm. However, at the same time, he must also contend for legitimacy, even for the smallest share. This doesn't mean that Liu Xian, as the direct grandson of Liu Bei, can sit idly by. After all, the reason an emperor is an emperor is that he cannot be judged from an ordinary person's perspective; he must be perfect.

It was with this in mind that Liu Xian chose He Pan as the commander of this eastern expedition.

After He Pan entered the palace with the palace attendants, Liu Xian first greeted him warmly, saying, "It's been raining heavily lately, how is your health, Lord He?"

He Pan already knew seven or eight parts of the King of Han's intentions. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please speak freely. Although I am old and frail, I can still ride a horse and go into battle."

Seeing that his complexion was still quite rosy and his voice was full of energy, Liu Xian slammed his hand on the table and said, "That's good. I happen to have an important matter to entrust to Master He!"

Having said that, he immediately unfolded the newly drawn map on the table, lightly traced Yi'an with his left index finger, then followed the Yangtze River downstream, then upstream from Ruxukou, finally stopping at the two characters "Shouchun", emphasizing them, and said: "Lord He, this autumn during the flood season, I need you to take Shouchun, as well as Wang Yan and all the civil and military officials of the Jin court!"

The difficulty of this battle lies in one thing: how to prevent Wang Yan from escaping, surround him in Shouchun City, and then capture him.

It should be noted that geographically, Shouchun is located only thirty li south of the Huai River. Meanwhile, the Qi and Han armies essentially controlled the Huaibei region, with garrisons in Longkang and Jiaoxian, and their newly established headquarters in Daxing was only about seven hundred li from the Huai River. In contrast, if the Yi'an army were to move out, it would need to cross Dongting Lake, pass Xiakou, go through Shicheng, and then head north to Shouchun; even the fastest route would require over three thousand li.

In this way, if the Han army were to make a large-scale mobilization, it would be difficult to conceal its movements. If Qi and Han learned of this, they would likely intervene with their troops. By then, the Han army would not have even reached Shouchun yet, but would instead have tied down the Jin army's forces, allowing the Qi people to take advantage of the situation, reach Shouchun first, force Wang Yan to surrender, and seize the emperor and the imperial seal. That would be a very awkward situation.

Therefore, this military operation must be swift enough to be completely unexpected.

Liu Xian had fought many battles of this kind. For example, in the third year of the Tai'an era, Liu Xian launched a surprise attack on Tongguan, covering more than 300 li in a single day, and suddenly set fire to the Western Army's cargo ships. The same was true for the battle to leave Sichuan last year. He took advantage of the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, traveled non-stop along the way, crossed the Three Gorges, and covered more than 600 li in a single day before finally seizing Yiling.

In previous battles, we often only had to face one enemy, but this time, we must face two enemies simultaneously. So, speed alone is not enough; we also need to use deception and feints to achieve our goals.

Therefore, based on the current troop distribution of the Jin army and its possible strategic intentions, Liu Xian discussed the plan with Li Ju, Li Feng, and others:
After their defeat, Wang Kuang and his troops remained stationed at Shicheng in Xuancheng Commandery, where they repaired the city's defenses. Clearly, their intention was to hope that Shicheng's defenses could hold off the Han army, and then they would seize an opportunity to counterattack.

This was exactly what Liu Xian wanted. He decided to first send a large army as the main force to openly besiege Shicheng, drawing the Jin army's attention there, but his real intention was to launch a feint attack. While the main Han army was attacking Shicheng, he could secretly send envoys to issue orders to the Wu clans who had already made arrangements in Yangzhou, instructing them to rebel within the agreed timeframe.

This would surely throw Jiangzuo into chaos. But Liu Xian's real killer move was not in this.

Previously, the two commanderies of Yiyang and Anfeng in Yuzhou had fallen into the control of the Han army. The area was divided by the Dabie Mountains, making it difficult to traverse, but it was still possible to cross. Liu Xian planned to send a cavalry force from there, during the great battle in the Three Wu regions, to conceal their movements, cross the mountains and ridges, and reach the banks of the Huai River. Then, with lightning speed, they would penetrate deep into the heart of Huainan, reach Shouchun, seize the key passes, and cut off Wang Yan's retreat route to the north.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Han army abandoned Shicheng, sailed downstream to Ruxukou, then crossed the Ruxu River, Chaohu Lake, Shi River, and Fei River, abandoning all cities along the way, and swiftly marched north, completely surrounding Shouchun and forcing it to surrender. As a result, the entire Jin court and the imperial seal fell into the hands of the Han army, and the remaining areas of the Three Wu and Huainan regions, having lost their leaders, could only surrender one after another.

After listening to the King of Han's plan, He Pan studied the map for a long time and asked, "Your Highness, isn't this a bit too risky? If our army is arranged like this, we definitely won't be able to take care of logistics. Even if we have ships accompanying us, we can only carry a month's worth of provisions at most. If Wang Yan does not surrender during this period, and the Qi rebels send reinforcements to attack our flanks and rear, the consequences will be unimaginable."

He Pan's concerns were not without merit. After all, Huainan was Wang Yan's long-established stronghold, while Liu Xian's arrangement was essentially an isolated advance into enemy territory, without logistical support, and therefore with no room for error. Although the Jin army was already on its last legs, there was no need to risk burning its own hands and feet. However, Liu Xian had already given it considerable thought. He slammed his hand on the table and laughed, "What Lord He said is exactly what Shi Hui and I have considered. During this period, in order to avoid suspicion, Yi'an has been secretly transporting 10,000 shi of grain to Anfeng every month. So far, we have accumulated 80,000 shi. As long as you besiege Shouchun, Anfeng can directly send grain via the Huai River, enough for another two months."

"Moreover, you are married into the Pei family of Wenxi and are highly respected in the Jin court. If you were to step forward and persuade those former colleagues to surrender, you and I both know that Wang Yan's entourage consists mostly of idle talkers who cannot even ride a horse. Where would they find the courage to resist to the end? Ninety percent of them will surrender."

Upon hearing this, He Pan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly in agreement with Liu Xian's opinion. He then asked Liu Xian with bright eyes, "Then what conditions does Your Highness intend to use to persuade the Jin imperial family to surrender?"

Liu Xian immediately pictured Sima Zhong's oily, pitiful round face, then thought of Yang Xianrong. After a moment of silence, he sighed, "I've already discussed this matter with Shi Hui. The emperor is a fool who hasn't committed any crime; he's just pitifully placed in this position by his father. Sima Zhao and Sima Yan gave my family a way out, so naturally I'll give them a way out in return."

He then stated his terms for surrender: "If Sima Zhong surrenders, he will be granted the title of Duke of Linhai. If any of the princes of the Jin dynasty surrender, except for Sima Mao, the Prince of Dongping, they will be granted the title of Marquis in order of merit. As for the other civil and military officials, I will deal with them after they are escorted back to Yi'an."

"What about the Wang family of Langya?" He Pan asked again.

“The Wang clan of Langya…” Liu Xian frowned slightly. He did not answer immediately. This was actually what Liu Xian was struggling with. As the current de facto ruler of the Jin court and a remnant of the Prince of Donghai, Liu Xian could not treat them leniently. However, considering Wang Dun’s position and the status of the Wang clan of Langya among the current aristocratic families, he could not completely exterminate them.

After careful consideration, he stated, "Wang Yan will certainly not be let off lightly and will be punished according to the law. As for the rest of the Wang clan, except for those who betrayed the country with Wang Chuzhong, they will all be demoted to commoners and imprisoned for thirty years, barred from holding office. Furthermore, Wang Yan's daughter, the former deposed Crown Princess Wang Huifeng, will continue to be supported as a princess."

This can be considered a compromise. For a powerful clan like the Wang family, being barred from officialdom for thirty years was equivalent to this generation of Wang family members being placed under house arrest until their deaths, and the next generation also wasting half their lives. But at least they were spared and could receive assistance from Wang Dun. Wang Dun could accept it, and Liu Xian could accept it, but whether Wang Yan could accept it was unknown.

He Pan felt that the handling was already quite satisfactory, so he didn't say anything more and instead discussed the specific personnel arrangements with Liu Xian.

After about three days of consultation, the candidate was quickly selected.

This time, the imperial court will send 60,000 troops as the main force, personally led by He Pan. Under his command are the Hedong Army under Guo Song and Jiang Xiu, the Xiangdong Army under Du Hong, Zhang Yan and Wang Zhen, the Yongzhou Army under Wei Bo and Yan Yi, the Sili Army under Meng Tao and Huan Yi, the Yizhou Army under Zhang Qi and Li Xing, and the Jingzhou Army under Miao Guang.

In terms of factional composition, the army's formation this time is quite complex, mainly because Liu Xian wanted to take this opportunity to cultivate tacit understanding between the various units. After all, the mission this time is not particularly demanding, and the Xiangzhou and Jingzhou armies have only recently joined, so they can be integrated into the current army system through combat.

At the same time, Liu Xian appointed Lu Yun as an advisor to accompany the army on the expedition, and put him in charge of contacting the gentry in Jiangzuo. Given his background and reputation, this was a perfectly legitimate appointment.

The real concern lies with the cavalry force that departs from Anfeng. This force bears the heaviest responsibility: to launch a surprise attack on Shouchun, cut off Wang Yan's retreat, and even block Qi Han. If this force fails, the entire war will lose its meaning. Therefore, Liu Xian is extremely cautious in selecting the commander for this force, and must choose a valiant general.

Li Ju is undoubtedly the most suitable general for this position, but he is currently busy training a new army in Xiangyang and is unable to spare the time. Moreover, leading only ten thousand men on an expedition would be a waste of his talents and an insult to his status. Should Guo Mo be used? He lacks adaptability and maturity. As for Wen Shuo, he is probably even less experienced.

While Liu Xian was pondering between Zhang Guang and Zhuge Yan, He Pan suggested, "Your Highness, perhaps Du Zeng could be used."

Du Zeng? Upon hearing this name, Liu Xian immediately remembered him; he was the most famous warrior in Jingzhou. During the Battle of Yiling, he had given Yang Nandi and Zhang Guang a hard time, so Liu Xian remembered him vividly. Previously, when Tao Kan and Zhou Fang were captured alive, he had surrendered along with them. Afterwards, Liu Xian appointed him as the Commandant of Jiangxia, placing him under Zhuge Yan's command.

He is indeed a good candidate, and in terms of ability, he should be able to complete the task. However, he lacks the necessary qualifications, and hastily promoting him may cause dissatisfaction among the rest of the military.

He Pan understood the King of Han's concerns and advised again, "If Your Highness feels that he is not qualified enough, you can appoint the Duke of Longxi as the commander-in-chief, Du Zeng as the deputy general, and Fu Chang as the military commander. What do you think?"

Liu Xian immediately understood He Pan's idea: if Liu Lang, the eldest son of the King of Han, was nominally in charge, and his cousin-in-law Fu Chang was there to support him, even if Du Zeng was new to the area, he could use their prestige to command the army. Moreover, he would feel that he had received the King of Han's favor and would fight even harder.

This was indeed a good suggestion, so Liu Xian ordered Du Zeng to be summoned and discussed the eastern expedition plan with him face to face. He then asked him with a smile, "This matter is of utmost importance. Do you dare to sign a military pledge? If Wang Yan is lost, you will lose your head."

Du Zeng didn't care at all. He loved fame and fortune more than life itself. Now that he had the opportunity to be employed, he was naturally unwilling to let it go. He said firmly, "Your Highness, please rest assured, if there are really ten thousand cavalrymen, I will take Shouchun as easily as taking something out of a bag!"

At this point, all the personnel for the expedition had been decided. Thus, in late August, He Pan led 60,000 troops and over a thousand ships, officially setting sail from Yi'an Wharf, heading downstream in a grand procession. (End of Chapter)