Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 401 We All Love Peace

In autumn, General Hou Jing set out from Luoyang, accompanied by northern generals such as Hebasheng and Jia Xiandu, and stationed himself in Xuanhu City, the capital of Yuzhou.

The army and its supplies gathered in great numbers, numbering reportedly 100,000.

Xuanhu City has been the seat of prefectures, counties, and districts since the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It controls Bianluo in the north and connects Jingchu in the south. The city is named "Xuanhu" because the Ru River winds around it on three sides and the river is as winding as a hanging gourd.
When Tuoba Tao marched south and reached the Yangtze River, he had no choice but to retreat. One reason for this was that the Northern Wei army failed to capture several important towns of the Liu Song army, including Xuanhu City.

After the rebellion of Prince Yuan Yue of Runan failed, the city of Runan fell back into the control of Luoyang.

After Hou Jing led his troops to the garrison, he discussed military matters with his generals.

The situation they face is not optimistic.

Over the years, Emperor Xiao Yan accomplished great things with minimal expenditure, achieving remarkable results.

From being pinned down by the Northern Wei at the Huai River at its most critical moment, the Southern Liang now controls a large amount of land and cities north of the Huai River, and has established more than a dozen prefectures such as Huazhou, Xiyuzhou, Huaizhou, and Xixuzhou.

These prefectures and counties, serving as a strategic buffer zone north of the Huai River defense line, were the targets of Hou Jing and his men this time.

"Wan Jing, how should we deploy our troops?"

Hebasheng looked at Hou Jing. He already had a plan in mind, but he still showed enough respect to his nominal superior.

"Yuan Xin has already sent a letter saying that when our army marches south, Pengcheng will simultaneously send troops to attack Liang's Suizhou, Tongzhou, and Dongxuzhou as a support."

Hebasheng listened without taking it seriously. He knew very well that Yuan Xin's elite Pengcheng soldiers were military officers from the Tiance Prefecture brought over from Guanzhong. In such a short time, even if they absorbed the strong and brave men from the surrounding prefectures and counties of Xuzhou, they still didn't have many soldiers capable of fighting, and the pressure they could put on the Liang army was limited.

Hou Jing continued:
“We will lead our army to take the land west of the Huai River first. I have already scouted the area. The lands of Huazhou, Xiyuzhou, and Huaizhou in Liang are mostly military settlements with low combat effectiveness. We will take these three prefectures and a dozen cities first, and then plan to advance eastward.”

"In that case, I am willing to be a pioneer!"

Hebasheng cupped his hands in a gesture of request to fight, and Hou Jing laughed:

"In that case, I'll have to trouble Po Hu."

While Hebasheng and other northern generals may not be considered good people, no one can deny their military prowess. Hebasheng enjoyed high prestige among the northerners, yet he did not specifically oppose Hou Jing or try to seize control of the narrative.

They knew that the land, cities, wealth, and people they captured in this battle would all belong to them. Even their future ability to wield significant influence, like the Northern Army of the Southern Dynasty, depended on this battle.

Seeing that Hou Jing's strategy was the same as what he wanted and there was nothing wrong with it, Hebasheng immediately obeyed Hou Jing's order.

After discussing specific tactics, everyone accepted the order and left.

Hou Jing watched Hebasheng and the others leave, stroked his beard slightly, and smiled.

"Hebasheng and his group of northerners have really gone all out this time!"

Hou Jing was the nominal commander-in-chief, but his core force consisted of eight hundred cavalrymen brought from Luoyang. The rest of the troops were from the northern faction. Hou Jing was more of a supervisor than a commander-in-chief; the true commander was Hebasheng.

Wang Wei, standing to the side, seeing his lord in such a state, said:

"The northerners in Luoyang have split into two factions. Husichun's faction is powerful, and Hebasheng has suffered a lot of humiliation in Luoyang. Now, he probably wants to turn things around by relying on his military achievements."

In times of chaos, any existing order will eventually be broken. The outcome of war is the biggest factor affecting times of chaos.

Hou Jing listened and laughed:
"These few counties probably can't feed Hebasheng and his gang. Do you think Chen Qingzhi will lead his army to their rescue?"

Wang Wei's answer was very affirmative.

"will not!"

Hou Jing looked at his advisor with great interest and asked:

"Why?"

"Chen Qingzhi's White Robe Army is located in the Woyang area. Its relocation requires the approval of Crown Prince Xiao Gang of Liang. The Liang army has not yet been mobilized, which suggests that the Crown Prince of Liang wants his own troops to fight this battle first."

"If what you say is true, Hebasheng is likely to gain a great advantage."

……

Xiyu Prefecture.

Guangling City.

As the nephew of Pei Sui, a famous general of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Pei Zhigao followed Pei Sui in his campaigns from a young age.

Pei Zhigao, who came from the Pei clan of Hedong, was over fifty years old, but Emperor Liang Xiao Yan often entrusted him with important military responsibilities.

After the Erzhu clan was exterminated, Pei Zhigao was transferred by Xiao Yan to Xiyu Prefecture, where he was stationed in Guangling City and served as the governor of Xiyu Prefecture.

Guangling City was located in Xi County during the Han Dynasty. It was originally built by the Northern Wei Dynasty and had a "Taicang" (granary). It was the core city for the Northern Wei Dynasty to control the land west of the Huai River.

Since the Heyin Incident, many members of the imperial family and important officials on the border between the Northern Wei and Southern Liang dynasties have gone south, and Guangling City has changed hands many times. Now it has fallen into the hands of the Liang army.

Since Pei Zhigao took up his post in Guangling City, he has reorganized the hereditary soldiers, stabilized the people, developed military farms, stabilized the situation in Xiyu Province, and trained five thousand hereditary soldiers.

The hereditary military system in the Southern Liang Dynasty was generally on the verge of collapse, but the combat effectiveness of the hereditary soldiers in some prefectures and counties was still quite strong.

The reason for this is that the combat effectiveness of soldiers is ultimately linked to their pay.

Military settlements in border areas are not easily invaded.

In addition, Pei Zhigao's prestige and the trust he enjoyed from Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang ensured the treatment of hereditary soldiers in Xiyu Prefecture.

Therefore, the soldiers fought bravely.

Since news came that Luoyang was planning to send troops south, Pei Zhigao had been paying close attention to the direction of their advance.

Upon learning that a large amount of supplies had been transported to Xuanhu City, Pei Zhigao knew that Xiyuzhou would become a key area of ​​attack for the enemy.

Pei Zhigao had been fighting since childhood and had clashed with the most elite army of the Northern Wei many times, so he was quite familiar with the Wei army.

But now, the opponent he faces is not the army he was familiar with back then.

The elite of the Northern Wei army had long been wiped out in the Six Garrisons Rebellion, and the remaining Xianbei army was also swept into oblivion with the defeat of the Erzhu clan.

The northern enemy forces that Liang Jun is now facing are a powerful force that has fought its way out of Guanzhong and this army of northerners.

Pei Zhigao was quite unfamiliar with both of these forces, having never fought against them before.

Pei Zhigao knew that with his five thousand hereditary soldiers and a small number of recruits, he couldn't hold out.

Guangling City was well-fortified and controlled the north and south, with many advantages, but it had one fatal flaw: it was built by the Northern Wei Dynasty and was located on the north bank of the Huai River.

It was built from the outset to counter the Liang army. Although Pei Zhigao made some changes after taking command of Guangling City, the weakness remained: the Liang army's most elite navy could not rely on the Huai River to defend against the enemy's cavalry.

Pei Zhigao was quite cautious. He immediately sent a document to Shouyang, asking Xiao Gang, who was now in charge of the Huai River defense line, to send reinforcements.

Before reinforcements arrived, Pei Zhigao received news that Hebasheng had led his army to conquer several cities in Xiyuzhou.

Their military might was so fierce, it was as if they could destroy everything in their path.

"How is it?"

"General, Hebasheng has dispatched scouts to deploy at the military camps around Guangling City!"

Without the Huai River as a base, the northern cavalry could advance unimpeded and were almost at the gates of Guangling City.

Pei Zhigao looked at the military report and felt very strange about Hebasheng's movements.

What does he want?

Hebasheng did not launch a full-scale southward attack on Guangling City. Instead, he dispatched a large number of scouts to key locations around Guangling City. His main force, however, remained stationed in Xincai, a hundred miles away.

Pei Zhigao didn't understand at first, but after reading the subsequent military reports and learning that Hebasheng had concentrated all the looted supplies in Xincai County, he understood.

"The northern barbarians are still the northern barbarians. Even after marching south from the Six Garrisons and entering Luoyang, they still cannot hide their bandit nature."

"General, what should we do?" Although Pei Zhigao had made corresponding preparations for the war, he could not achieve the goal of completely clearing the land of Xiyuzhou.

The soldiers were furious! After all, the supplies that Hebasheng had looted were the result of their hard work over the years.

Pei Zhigao knew that everyone was angry, but he still remained rational.

Judging from the initial battle reports, Hebasheng's cavalry were skilled in both archery and horsemanship, and their combat strength far surpassed that of the Liang army's cavalry. Moreover, Liang scouts often failed to defeat the light cavalry of the northerners, and some even had no chance of escape.

Although Liang Jun's naval speedboats could assist in reconnaissance, their range was ultimately limited. This resulted in Liang Jun's reconnaissance area becoming increasingly smaller.

"Awaiting orders from His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Pei Zhigao's attitude was simple: he couldn't issue this order. Even if they were to fight, they would have to wait for Xiao Gang's reinforcements to arrive.

……

Woyang.

As the governor of Xixu Prefecture, Chen Qingzhi was stationed in Woyang and was very concerned about the situation west of the Huai River.

Compared to other generals of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Chen Qingzhi actually entered Luoyang and fought against the Northern army led by Erzhu Rong.

He was well aware of the fighting prowess of this northern army, and had also witnessed the fighting prowess of valiant generals like Erzhu Zhao and Hebasheng.

Chen Qingzhi handed the letter he had written to his subordinate and instructed him:
"Give this letter to His Highness the Crown Prince and tell him that the Northern barbarians are cunning and the army should not pursue them too far. It is best to rely on cities and the navy to advance gradually! This battle is a long-term plan and should not be rushed."

"promise!"

Chen Qingzhi was well aware of the gap between the two sides.

Although the Southern Liang Dynasty had heavy cavalry, they were all deployed within the Imperial Guard and were few in number. The prefectures and counties that were able to obtain them were mostly small horses from the southwest.

Such horses are sufficient for transportation and reconnaissance, but they are not suitable for cavalry charges.

Moreover, even their scouts were far inferior to the light cavalry from the north.

The devastating defeat suffered by the Liang scouts in Xiyu Prefecture during this battle is a case in point.

Liang Jun's advantage lies in his navy, but the navy's disadvantage is that it is limited to moving along fixed waterways, which is inconvenient for reconnaissance.

The land north of the Huai River in Henan is not a place with a complex water system like Jingzhou and Xiangyang. If the naval warships are no match for the enemy, they can hide in the lakes to avoid the pursuit of the cavalry.

If Liang Jun were to leave the protection of the city and the navy, his large army, which is mainly composed of infantry, would be easily divided and surrounded by the enemy's cavalry.

However, Chen Qingzhi had just sent out his letter when he received military intelligence from Shouyang.

"General, His Highness the Crown Prince has already ordered that the reinforcements from Xiyu Prefecture be combined with the troops from Xiyu Prefecture to attack Hebasheng."

Chen Qingzhi was startled and asked:

Why is Your Highness in such a hurry?

"I heard it was a report of victory from Jiangling. Wang Sengbian, a general under the Prince of Xiangdong, has won several battles and has captured Fuling and other places, opening up the passage to Bashu."

Chen Qingzhi was somewhat taken aback, but also somewhat helpless. Finally, he could only give the order:
"Assemble a large army and be ready to support Shouyang at any time."

……

Jiankang.

"I entrusted the military power of more than ten prefectures on both sides of the Huai River to the Crown Prince. Is this how he repays me?!"

Xiao Yan was extremely angry.

Xiao Gang's reinforcements launched a preemptive strike, but were dealt a heavy blow by Hebasheng north of the Huai River, suffering a major defeat and losing a large amount of supplies.

The loss of troops and supplies was secondary; the real problem was the direct loss of Xiyu Prefecture.

Liang's army's territory north of the Huai River fell into Hebasheng's hands.

Facing the furious Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi said:
"Your Majesty, although there were some setbacks in this battle, Your Highness's guards did not suffer many losses. Among them, this captain named Chen Baxian even covered the rear alone, leading his soldiers to defeat Hebasheng's pursuing cavalry, which greatly boosted the morale of our army!"

Generally speaking, to get Zhu Yi to speak well of Xiao Yan, one must offer ample wealth. However, there are exceptions, such as now, where Zhu Yi needs to appease Xiao Yan and quell his anger.

After listening, Xiao Yan flipped through the battle report and asked:
"Who is this Chen Baxian?"

Zhu Yi cupped his hands and said:
"This man came from a poor family and was originally a minor official in an oil depot. After hearing that His Majesty was recruiting soldiers, he enlisted and later followed the Crown Prince to Shouyang."

Xiao Yan nodded and said:

“Those who are brave and valiant should be rewarded handsomely to appease the hearts of the soldiers.”

"Your Majesty is wise!"

After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he added:
"Let Qingzhi lead his troops to relocate to Shouyang."

"But if that happens, there will definitely be some movement in Pengcheng."

Despite Zhu Yi's reminder, Xiao Yan was not worried.

"Pengcheng is irrelevant to the overall situation—has there been any reply from Guanzhong?"

Zhu Yi hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said:
"The envoy from Guanzhong has arrived, saying that he is acting on the orders of the King of Qin and is willing to discuss a joint agreement with Your Majesty."

"How to say it?"

"The envoy of Ōno Sō said that even if the border is divided according to the current situation, we must give them 300,000 bolts of silk every year as a price for peace talks!"

Xiao Yan sneered:
"Three hundred thousand bolts of cloth and silk, he has quite the appetite! Why doesn't he want anything else?"

Zhu Yi lowered his head and cupped his hands, saying:
"Ohno Sō said he didn't want the iron coins we were using and wanted to replace them with cloth instead."

After hearing this, Xiao Yan was furious.

"he--"

Fortunately, at the last moment, Xiao Yan managed to hold back and didn't utter a curse.

Even so, Xiao Yan was still quite angry.

At this moment, Zhu Yi stepped forward and whispered:
"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Guanzhong; that person has made a move."

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised and said:

"What can he possibly accomplish now?"

"Whether it succeeds or fails, it's always worth a try."
-
Changan.

A polo match is being held in the open field.

The surrounding pavilions were filled with nobles and dignitaries from Chang'an.

Heba Yue stood in the shade of the tree, his gaze not on the polo field, but on the main seat in the attic—

Li Shuang, along with Yuan Mingyue, Dugu Ru, and other women from the inner palace, were watching the polo match.

A person quietly approached and came to Heba Yue's side, whispering:
"King Xia!"

Has His Majesty agreed?

“We can provide what the King of Xia needs, but we are afraid we cannot guarantee that the King of Xia will leave Guanzhong.”

Heba Yue shook his head, a hint of hatred in his eyes, and looked at Li Shuang, saying:
"I wasn't planning on leaving anyway!"

……

(End of this chapter)