Jinting Han people

Upon learning that the troops that had come were Liu Xian's, the court in Shouchun was filled with unparalleled fear.

This left them no room for doubt. The Han army had dispatched a cavalry force to flank Shouchun, their intentions now clear: to wipe out the Jin court. But how many men were in this cavalry force? Was it merely the vanguard? Where was Liu Xian? Had he personally led his troops? Panic gripped the Wang faction; many felt the world had turned upside down, utterly bewildered.

The Chamberlain Zhuge Mei went to persuade Wang Yan, suggesting that since there were few cavalry outside the city, they should lead their troops in a breakout and flee north to join the Qi and Han armies. However, Wang Yan, mindful of Liu Xian's past reputation, dared not leave the city. He said, "Didn't you see that all the boats to the east have been burned? How are we supposed to get across? Swim across the river?" Zhuge Mei was speechless; Wang Yan's words hit the nail on the head. Although the men were all learned and eloquent scholars from prestigious families, very few could swim. If they led the troops across the river while the Han army pursued from behind, morale would collapse, and they might all perish in the river.

But Zhou Mu, standing to the side, was not giving up. He tried to persuade Wang Yan again, saying, "We can't just wait to die in the city, can we? At worst, a few of us can take His Majesty and sneak out of the city under cover of night. Shouchun is a big city after all. Unless the rebel army brings 200,000 men, they definitely can't be surrounded! They've just arrived, how can they burn all the ships in time? Let's go to the north of the city, there might still be ships there!"

Wang Yan disagreed even more. He thought: How could the emperor, with his size, possibly hide if a few people went out? How could he move quickly? Moreover, without an army, what value would he have? Wouldn't he be at the mercy of others no matter where he went? Perhaps those around him would take advantage of his loss of power and stab him in the back. Therefore, he absolutely could not leave the city.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Wang Yan decided to send envoys to Qi and Han again to request aid, expressing his willingness to surrender. Although the two sides had previously argued endlessly over the imperial seal and troops, all arguments ended with the arrival of Liu Xian's army. Even without the imperial seal, the Qi people would not sit idly by and watch the Southerners so decisively take over the entire Huainan region; they would inevitably take action. Wang Yan now had no other choice but to hope that Qi and Han would send troops to support him, but what would happen afterward was no longer something he could care about at the moment.

Therefore, Wang Yan sent his cousin Wang Xing to Daxing to request reinforcements, and also dispatched envoys to Hefei and Jianye, ordering Wang Kuang and Sima Rui to lead their troops back to reinforce Shouchun. Now, they could no longer concern themselves with the Han armies at Shicheng and Xunyang; their survival depended on this battle.

Unbeknownst to them, at that very moment, Zhou Qi and others had already launched an uprising in the Three Wu regions, followed by a sudden siege of Jianye. Gu Rong, Gan Zhuo, and Dai Yuan, among others, staged a second defection, much like a repeat of the pacification of Chen Min. Sima Rui and Wang Dao, with their remaining few thousand men, were forced to flee to Stone City, losing even their ships and unable to advance north. Wang Yan's only available reinforcements were likely Wang Kuang's army.

Even without knowing this news, Wang Yan and his men were extremely worried. The civil and military officials in the city were unaware of the situation and had no idea how to fight the Han army. After the city gates were closed, the civilians outside the city were also driven away by the Han army, scattering like sparrows. Within a radius of ten miles of Shouchun, there was no one to be seen, except for a few Han cavalry units that kept patrolling and observing to prevent the troops inside the city from escaping.

In reality, these Han cavalrymen were not numerous. There were still over ten thousand garrison troops in Shouchun City, giving them a numerical advantage. They could easily have gone out of the city to fight the Han army. However, Wang Yan feared that it was a trap set by Liu Xian himself, so he never considered leaving the city, thus missing the best opportunity to escape.

For a time, the Jin court officials and civil and military officials inside the city were filled with grief and unable to sleep. Meanwhile, Liu Lang, Du Zeng, and others outside the city led their soldiers in taking turns to sleep. Liu Lang had initially prepared for a direct confrontation with the Jin army, but seeing the city gates tightly shut, he couldn't help but laugh again, thinking, "A defeated army, truly fears the enemy like a tiger!" So he also went to sleep in a civilian house near the ferry crossing. Du Zeng and the others around him snored loudly, but he got used to it and soon joined in, sleeping soundly until dawn.

The next day was windless and the weather remained clear. After 9 AM, the area around Shouchun had become deserted. The bustling activity of the previous day seemed like a dream, leaving only the empty shops and houses outside the city in silent despair. Du Zeng continued to dispatch over a thousand cavalrymen to the surrounding areas to drive away the civilians, ensuring that any movement within Shouchun would not be obscured by other factors.

Meanwhile, in order to ensure that the people's hearts were not lost, Liu Lang wrote several proclamations and posted them on wooden signs along the roads to inform the people that those who were homeless could take temporary refuge in Anfeng County and return there after the war ended.

Not long after, Fu Chang arrived in Shouchun with additional troops, and he also had other gains.

It turned out that shortly after Liu Lang and Du Zeng crossed the river, Pei Miao's troops were alarmed to find that Ma Jun's troops had suddenly left. He assumed that Ma Jun was dissatisfied with the court's treatment and was going to plunder the area around Shouchun, so he led his army out of the city to pursue Ma Jun. However, they were short of horses and could not catch up. Halfway there, according to news from the refugees who had fled, they learned that the Han army was attacking. They were extremely shocked and did not know whether to advance or retreat. In their hesitation, they ran into Fu Chang, who had followed them across the river. In their confusion, they were easily defeated by the Han army, and Pei Miao also died under their swords.

Now that Fu Chang, Liu Lang, and Du Zeng have joined forces, the Han army's more than 10,000 cavalry have basically arrived. At the same time, the troops of Anfeng and Yiyang prefectures are guarding the riverbanks, on guard against any movements of the Qi-Han army to the north. For a moment, the sound of ten thousand horses neighing and galloping below the city walls shook the city walls.

That night, He Sui, a high-ranking official, secretly slipped out of the city and surrendered to the Han army. He also secretly reported that Wang Yan had sent an envoy to recall Wang Kuang and Sima Rui, and presented a map of Huainan and a secret report on the specific deployment of the Jin army in the surrounding area. He Sui was from the He clan of Chen State and was a descendant of He Zeng, one of the eight founding dukes. Given his status, this intelligence should have been absolutely accurate.

Du Zeng was overjoyed upon hearing this. He immediately said to Liu Lang and Fu Chang, "Although our army is unaware of the situation in the Three Wu regions, according to our prior plan, the heroes of Yangzhou will rise up in droves, and the Prince of Langya will certainly be unable to withstand them, let alone return to their aid. Therefore, the only force capable of heading north to provide reinforcements must be Wang Kuang's troops. And Wang Kuang, upon learning the news, will surely be eager to rush to the rescue. How could I have expected to intercept him halfway?"

Wang Kuang's troops numbered 20,000, and according to He Sui, this was the last elite force that the Langya Wang clan could trust. The Han army, on the other hand, had to leave troops to monitor Shouchun and could only take a maximum of 5,000 cavalry south. Upon hearing this, Fu Chang and Liu Lang hesitated slightly.

But Du Zeng was determined. He advised again, "Your Highness, there is no need to hesitate. After the Battle of Yi'an, Wang Kuang is like a frightened bird. What use are his soldiers, no matter how elite they are? They are not even as good as the rabble led by Ying Zhan! He has three weaknesses that doom him to defeat. First, after the crushing defeat, Wang Kuang has lost the prestige to command his army, and his soldiers will not fight to the death for him. Second, although he has no shortage of strategists, he lacks true brave generals, whom I can kill with a flick of my finger. Third, our army will launch a surprise attack, the enemy's morale will be broken, and they will be in a state of panic. If our army then launches a sudden and unexpected attack, it will be a surprise on top of a surprise. How can he not be defeated?!"

After Du Zeng finished speaking, Fu Chang and Liu Lang were convinced and raised no further objections. He immediately deployed his troops, assigning each soldier their duties. Fu Chang led 6,000 soldiers to remain at the ferry crossing to monitor Shouchun, including the armored cavalry and supplies they had brought. Du Zeng took only his most elite cavalry and the healthiest warhorses, heading south with Liu Lang to ambush Wang Kuang. They did not depart immediately but waited until dusk before heading south under cover of darkness. Du Zeng had already planned it out. Shouchun was about 300 li from Hefei, and the two cities were connected by a canal called the Chen Min Canal. As the name suggests, this canal was built by Chen Min. Originally, Hefei was located on the east bank of the Shi River, and Shouchun was located on the west bank of the Fei River. The two rivers were not connected, so Chen Min built a canal here to connect the two rivers, allowing the grain transport from Jiangnan to be transported directly to Huaibei. From then on, this canal became the only route between Hefei and Shouchun.

According to He Sui, Chen Minqu had a wooden bridge five li south of Chengde County. The bridge was wide enough for carriages and horses to cross, and Wang Kuang's army would have to cross it to return to reinforce. Du Zeng then planned to ambush Wang Kuang at this location.

The army arrived at the destination that very night, covering a distance of one hundred li. The terrain along the canal was relatively flat, making it difficult to set up an ambush. Fortunately, the Shaopi Pond was only three li away. The Han army could send only a few cavalrymen to search for Wang Kuang, while the main force hid in the weeds on the low bank of the Shaopi Pond, waiting to receive news before launching their attack.

The result was unexpected. According to calculations, Wang Kuang should have arrived in three days after receiving the message and traveling two hundred li. However, Du Zeng and Liu Lang waited at Shaopi for five days without seeing any sign of Wang Kuang, and the scouts did not return either. The group had only brought seven days' worth of rations. If Wang Kuang did not come soon, Du Zeng would have no choice but to lead the Han army back the way they came.

For a moment, Du Zeng was extremely agitated. He looked at Liu Lang, who was waiting quietly to the side, and thought: He had given his assurance that he had persuaded the man to come; if he brought him here empty-handed, wouldn't he appear incompetent and become a laughingstock? Could it be that Wang Kuang had taken a different route to Shouchun and hadn't come this way at all? Or perhaps this was actually Wang Yan's conspiracy, secretly sending He Sui out to mislead him, so that Wang Kuang could safely enter Shouchun, causing him to lose all his previous efforts?
After pondering for a long time, Du Zeng grew increasingly angry. He then called He Sui over and questioned him about the authenticity of the map and whether this was indeed the only route. He Sui swore an oath and eventually managed to coax Du Zeng back to his original location.

That night, several pedestrians crossed the bridge. Du Zeng, growing impatient, sent men to capture them, intending to question them about the situation to the south and see if they knew Wang Kuang's location. However, after capturing them, he embarrassingly discovered that he couldn't understand the local dialect of Huainan. He had brought a large group of elite soldiers, but had left his guide from Songzi, who could understand the dialect, behind at the gates of Shouchun.

Fortunately, He Sui could understand, so he let He Sui speak with these people. Amidst the murmurs, Du Zeng's heart tightened again. He suddenly thought: Could these people be secret envoys sent by Wang Kuang to set a trap for our army? Otherwise, why would pedestrians be passing by with torches in the middle of the night? He looked around, increasingly sensing a deep-seated hostility lurking in the darkness! He quietly approached He Sui, his right hand gripping the hilt of his knife tightly.

Just then, He Sui finished asking his questions and turned around excitedly, about to report to Du Zeng. Unexpectedly, he found Du Zeng suddenly standing beside him, his eyes fixed on him like those of a night owl. He was startled and then turned pale with fright.

Upon seeing this, Du Zeng grabbed He Sui by the collar without saying a word, dragged him to his side, and asked, "What exactly happened! What are you talking about?"

Seeing Du Zeng's eyes wide with terror, He Sui stammered, "They said that in less than a quarter of an hour, Wang... Wang Kuangjun will be here!"

Du Zeng's patience had long since run out. Seeing He Sui's stammering and embarrassed speech, his suspicions intensified. He was blinded by rage and kicked He Sui to the ground. Then he drew his sword and swung it fiercely. This most distinguished scholar in the Jin court was cut in two, lying dead on the grass with his eyes wide open.

Seeing Du Zeng take action, his confidants dared not delay. They drew their ring-pommel swords and hacked wildly, killing the passersby they had just captured. Their heads were severed, and blood dripped onto the ground, emitting a foul, fishy smell.

Liu Lang, witnessing this sudden turn of events, was equally stunned, completely bewildered by Du Zeng's outburst. Just as he was about to confront Du Zeng, they heard the sound of horses' hooves ahead. They quickly concealed themselves, only to be pleasantly surprised to discover that it was the scouts they had previously sent out.

The scout said excitedly, "Your Highness, General, the bandits are almost here! Quickly prepare for battle!"

It turned out that after receiving the news, Wang Kuang's troops were somewhat hesitant to fight. They seemed unwilling to engage the Han army, but they had no choice but to go. Therefore, they had to slow their march, advancing slowly at a pace of forty li per day, and hiding during the day and moving at night to prevent any accidents. As a result, it took them a full five days to reach the place they should have arrived at three days ago.

Upon hearing this, Du Zeng and Liu Lang exchanged awkward glances. It turned out He Sui hadn't lied; they had misunderstood him. But then he thought, He Sui wasn't a loyal minister or a capable man; he was just a good-for-nothing from one of the eight founding noble families. He had killed him, so what? In a life-or-death situation, every decision was crucial, leaving no room for carelessness or suspicion. Surely the King of Han, knowing the truth, would understand.

With that thought in mind, Du Zeng no longer cared about the dead. He ordered his men to quickly throw the heads and corpses into the waters of Shaopi Lake, and then ordered his soldiers to quickly prepare their swords, bows, and arrows, ready to fight at his command.

Soon, an army appeared in the darkness, carrying torches and meandering along the canal. The torches, illuminated by the river, resembled two winding fire dragons. Du Zeng squinted and watched for a moment. Seeing that about half the army had crossed the wooden bridge, he immediately mounted his horse and fired a whistling arrow into the air. The arrow's whistle, like the cry of a swan, rang out clearly in the silent night.

Upon hearing the whistling of arrows, the Jin soldiers by the canal stopped in their tracks and looked towards the source of the sound. Just as they feared, within moments, Han cavalry surged forth from the shadows, overwhelming them like a tidal wave. (End of Chapter)