Jinting Han people

It was perfectly legitimate for Grand Commandant He Pan to lead a large army on an expedition, but the appointment of Du Zeng and others as a special task force to launch a surprise attack on Shouchun was kept secret.

This battle is crucial to the success or failure of the unification of the entire south, and may also trigger the first conflict with Qi and Han. Therefore, Liu Xian is very cautious. He specially summoned Liu Lang and instructed him: "Fengyao, although you are nominally the commander-in-chief of the northern route in this battle, you are only in name. Just listen to your uncle or Commandant Du in everything. Do not act on your own or be presumptuous."

Liu Xian didn't actually want Liu Lang to be nominally sent to war. After all, he had only recently come of age, and although he had followed Liu Xian and Li Ju on their travels for four or five years, he had only truly fought on the battlefield last year. Liu Xian did intend to train Liu Lang, but he didn't want to force him to grow too quickly and preferred to accumulate experience step by step. Letting him lead troops on his own would have to wait until he was at least twenty years old.

However, in order to stabilize morale and win over the troops, there was really no better way than to appoint him as commander-in-chief. Liu Xian then appointed Liu Lang as General Jianwu, Fu Chang as Commander of Jianwu Army, and Du Zeng as General of the Army, to be in charge of this battle.

Unexpectedly, Green Pearl strongly opposed this plan upon receiving the news. She demanded that Liu Xian rescind his order and not send Liu Lang to the battlefield again. Her reasoning was simple: Liu Lang had been wounded in last year's battle, and although he was unaware of Liu Xian's plans, he knew the battlefield was dangerous and his safety could not be guaranteed. Moreover, given Liu Lang's sensitive position, what use would any further merits be?
Liu Xian was speechless for a moment. In his entire life, there were only two women in front of whom he couldn't say no: one was his mother, Zhang Ximiao, and the other was Lü Zhu. After trying to persuade her for a while, seeing that Lü Zhu was determined not to agree, he was already planning to give up. However, he still wanted to ask Liu Lang's opinion, so he called his eldest son over and asked him if he wanted to stay.

After his coming-of-age ceremony and marriage, Liu Lang was now seven feet four inches tall, a strong and capable young man. He said to his mother almost without hesitation, "Since I am the Duke of the State, I have the responsibility to protect the borders and the people. How can I sit in the rear and enjoy the people's hard-earned money? Mother, I don't want any merit. I only hate that I have nothing to do all day and am not worthy of being your son."

Liu Xian was greatly pleased to hear this. He felt that his son had truly lived up to his teachings and that his previous admonitions were completely unnecessary. He then stroked his beard and exclaimed, "Well said! A man should share the burdens of his country. I am proud of you for having such thoughts."

Green Pearl listened, remaining silent for a long time. She looked at her son for a moment, then at Liu Xian, recalling how he had looked when he first met her after his coming-of-age ceremony. She sighed, "Alas, you do resemble your father, but on the battlefield, you must learn to cherish yourself." Having said that, she didn't insist any further. She simply chose two new suits of bright armor for him that very night, along with four fine swords, two fine spears, and four bags of carved feathered arrows before letting him set off.

So Liu Lang and Fu Chang set off as originally planned. After receiving news that He Pan had begun to besiege Shicheng, they crossed the river at Yi'an and headed north to Jiangling, then passed through Jingling, went to Yangkou, entered Jiangxia, and finally reorganized their troops in Anlu.

Du Zeng had already arrived by this time. Although he had boasted before the King of Han, he was actually a little apprehensive. Mainly, he had injured Liu Lang the previous year, so he suspected Liu Lang might hold a grudge, and he also suspected someone in the army might sabotage him by shortchanging him on troop supplies and logistics. Therefore, he was exceptionally diligent, personally calculating every shipment of supplies he received and overseeing every personnel arrangement in the army, to ensure nothing went wrong.

However, this was seen as an advantage by others. One-third of the troops and key personnel dispatched for this expedition were Du Zeng's old subordinates, while the remaining two-thirds came from the Qin and Yongzhou armies. These men were naturally somewhat dissatisfied with the emergence of a new leader. But after interacting with Du Zeng and seeing how cautious and meticulous he was in his work, they began to admire him to some extent.

This time, Du Zeng was assigned a total of nine thousand light cavalry, five hundred armored cavalry, one thousand chariot soldiers, and twenty-one thousand horses. By the time Liu Lang arrived in Anlu, the handover was basically complete. When Du Zeng saw Liu Lang, he immediately put on a hearty expression and praised him, saying, "Your Highness and I became acquainted through a fight. I never expected Your Highness to be so young yet so brave! I thought you were Guan Yu and Zhang Fei resurrected! You truly deserve to be the King's son! I am willing to risk my life for Your Highness!"

Liu Lang was young and unaware of the complexities of human nature. He admired Du Zeng, a brave general, and said with a cupped hand, "General, you flatter me. This is my first time leading troops and I am unfamiliar with battle formations. I hope General Du will give me your guidance."

Seeing that Liu Lang didn't seem to hold a grudge, Du Zeng was overjoyed and immediately declared, "It's my duty, why bother with instructions? Unifying the world and returning the Sage to His Majesty is Du Zeng's ambition!"

That evening, Du Zeng earnestly invited Liu Lang to a banquet and repeatedly toasted him until Fu Chang couldn't stand it anymore and persuaded him to stop.

So the group set off from Anlu, deliberately avoiding the Yangtze River and traveling along the Dabie Mountains to avoid being discovered. When they reached Yiyang County, facing the mountain path covered with fallen leaves, Du Zeng did not immediately cross the mountain, but first sent someone to inquire about the progress of He Pan's troops.

The two armies were about 700 li apart at this time. Three days later, He Pan sent a messenger by fast horse with a secret letter saying that the main force had just contacted the powerful families in Yangzhou and agreed to start an uprising on the Xinhai day of September.

Du Zeng calculated the time and said to Liu Lang and Fu Chang, "There are still about thirteen days left. There is no need for us to leave too early. Otherwise, if we cross the mountain too quickly and are discovered by the Qi spies in Huaibei, it will be a big problem. It is better to be safe and wait a few days first."

Du Zeng had already made his decision. Although the Dabie Mountains had a complex terrain, they weren't particularly treacherous. From their location at Youxian Mountain to Yiyang County was only about 300 li, and from Yiyang County to Songzi County in Anfeng was just over 300 li. A surprise attack on Shouchun from Songzi would be very short, only about 200 li. At the current speed of the cavalry, they could arrive in about five days. However, if they went too early, they might alert the enemy and potentially cause trouble for Qi and Han. Therefore, Du Zeng planned to set off after the uprising in Yangzhou.

Fu Chang had no objection, but Liu Lang objected, saying, "General Du, in war, we should be prepared for any eventuality. We are not familiar with the terrain of Huainan, so how can we be sure there will be no mistakes? What if it rains in autumn and the roads become muddy? Or what if Wang Yan is terrified and asks the Qi people for help before Shicheng falls? Since we have been entrusted with important responsibilities for the country, we should do our utmost."

Liu Lang's statement surprised the two men. Du Zeng, wanting to offer some advice, said, "Your Highness's words are not without merit, but it wouldn't be good if word got out beforehand. After all, we're launching a surprise attack; we can't afford to lose sight of that element." Liu Lang pondered for a moment, recalling the tactics Li Ju had used in the past and what he had seen and heard under Yang Nandi last year. He quickly came up with an idea and suddenly said, "Aren't there many refugees begging for survival in Xiangyang recently? We can use the name of the 'Beggars for Survival' to send envoys to the Qi people in Huaibei to demand grain, and at the same time, also to Shouchun. They will surely be unprepared and might even try to recruit us!"

Upon hearing this, Du Zeng and Fu Chang were taken aback again, because this violated Liu Xian's prior arrangements and was tantamount to changing the battle plan. However, this inspired Du Zeng, making him realize that it was indeed a good idea; with some modifications, it could be completely concealed.

During this period, the imperial court has been busy suppressing and eliminating bandits within its borders. It would be perfectly normal to send a contingent of troops, disguised as bandits, into Anfeng first, followed by another contingent feigning pursuit. Alternatively, sending four thousand troops into Huainan would not only avoid alerting the bandits but also allow for monitoring of surrounding areas and provide an opportunity to force other cities to declare martial law and eliminate spies. Then, the main force could be sent into the cities disguised as civilians suffering from banditry. The entire process would be perfectly logical and natural, and neither the Qi-Han nor the Jin court would be surprised upon hearing the news.

Having considered this, Du Zeng spent a day refining the details and quickly finalized the new plan. Then, the entire army marched into the Dabie Mountains. It was late autumn, and the Han army's cavalry wound its way through the deep mountains. Autumn leaves covered the ground, flocks of birds flew south, and foxes could be seen foraging along the roadside from time to time. The mountains on the east and west sides were not particularly high, but they stretched out continuously, like a reclining giant Buddha, or a natural city wall, serving as the dividing line between North and South China.

Deep in the mountains, apart from a small vanguard scouting ahead, the people mainly traveled on foot to avoid being scratched by tree branches. They ate dry rations during the day and slept together in their clothes at night. Du Zeng wanted to curry favor with Liu Lang by arranging hot meals and a special tent for him, but Liu Lang refused, insisting on the same treatment as his soldiers. This was something Liu Xian and Li Ju had taught him; only in this way could the soldiers be united and convinced of their worth.

Not long after, the Han army encountered an unexpected obstacle. It wasn't the rain, but rather the presence of a band of mountain bandits who had gathered in the mountains, blocking their path. Due to the chaos of war, these bandits were quite large, numbering over a dozen groups, each with several hundred men, and they had abducted many women and children. Some, seeing that the Han army's vanguard was unarmored, mistook them for travelers and robbed them.

This was like a godsend; upon learning the news, Du Zeng immediately dispatched a large army to drive the bandits away one by one. The bandits never expected a group of deadly demons to emerge from the deep mountains and forests, and they scattered in all directions. The Han army spent five or six days capturing some of the bandits and releasing all the local women and children. Then, Du Zeng ordered his subordinate Ma Jun to disguise himself as a bandit with the spoils of war, while his subordinate Su Wen, under the guise of bandit suppression, led his troops out of the mountains in order.

This indeed caused a stir in Yiyang and Anfeng prefectures. However, when Huaibei and Huainan learned of the news, they only made a brief commotion. Seeing that nothing serious had happened, they relaxed their vigilance, just as the plan had predicted.

Then, the Han soldiers, disguised as refugees and hiding in the mountains, moved by night and fled in batches from the Dabie Mountains, sneaking into Anfeng City. Following this, under Fu Chang's instigation, martial law was declared in all cities of the prefecture, and those whose whereabouts were unknown were interrogated. Sure enough, several spies were discovered. Some came from Huainan, some from Daxing, and surprisingly, some even from Jinyang, though none from Pingyang.

Upon hearing the news, Du Zeng was slightly surprised. He said to Liu Lang, "I've heard that Shi Le has submitted to the Qi traitors, but it seems they're not of one mind!" However, he didn't pay much attention to this and quickly smiled and said, "Thanks to Your Highness's good fortune, we have already accomplished most of our mission."

Ma Jun surrendered to Shouchun under the guise of a bandit. Shouchun did not suspect anything and even appointed him as the governor of Anfeng, gave him some food, and sent him to anchor at Shahuzui on the north bank of Shaopi and the east bank of Bishui River to monitor the Han army in the direction of Anfeng.

This arrangement by the enemy effectively left the defenses west of the Bi River completely undefended! Du Zeng was overjoyed upon receiving the report and ordered Fu Chang to leave the majority of his troops in Anfeng, while he and Liu Lang led three thousand cavalry into Songzi. They planned to rest briefly in Songzi, then cross the Bi River at night to join Ma Jun's forces, forming the vanguard to advance directly towards Shouchun. Once they moved, Fu Chang's main army would follow. At that time, Qi and Han would surely receive the news, allowing Fu Chang to raise many flags and deploy his forces along the river in a grand display, making Qi and Han wary and hesitant to advance too far.

With these arrangements made, Du Zeng, Liu Lang, and their group immediately led their troops to Songzi under cover of night. By this time, they had already set foot on the Huainan Plain, where the surrounding land was flat, the roads were wide, and they could see many ponds, rice paddies, and villages, all sleeping peacefully in the autumn breeze.

At daybreak, the people of Songzi City discovered that the city was still under martial law, and that a large number of cavalrymen had arrived. They murmured among themselves, trying to find out what was going on. Then, to their surprise, they learned from the proclamation that the eldest son of the King of Han, the Duke of Longxi, had arrived and that they were going to march from here to attack Shouchun. The crowd was immediately excited, eager to see the King of Han's eldest son in the streets.

After all, everyone in the city knew that before becoming the King of Han, Liu Xian had been the Duke of Songzi. Although Liu Xian had never been to Songzi, during the Tai'an era, he had indeed drawn a thousand able-bodied men from Songzi County to join the army, and those who died in battle received generous compensation to their families. Therefore, hearing about the King of Han's illustrious military achievements over the years, the people of the county felt a sense of pride, as if they themselves had won a victory. And now that the Duke of Longxi had come, he was naturally their son. As a result, many young men blocked the road, wanting to enlist in the army.

This was a rare sight, and Liu Lang was deeply moved by it. He said to Du Zeng, "General Du, these are my father's earliest subjects. We can't let them laugh at us in this battle!"

Du Zeng laughed heartily, touching his neck as he said to Liu Lang, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I swore this to the King with my life, so how could I dare to embarrass Your Highness? With the situation having progressed to this point, our army already has an 80% chance of winning."

After resting in the city for two days, Du selected several fishermen as guides and led three thousand light cavalry across the Bi River at night to launch a surprise attack on Shouchun. (End of Chapter)