Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 205 The Upstart
The most elite navy in the world is naturally in the South, and the most elite navy in the South is undoubtedly the Western Navy.

During Yu Yi's time, a powerful navy was built. Huan Wen meticulously managed it for more than ten years. When he launched his northern expedition against the Former Yan, he relied entirely on this navy to fight against the Xianbei cavalry.

However, fate was unkind. When the army was at Fangtou, only a step away from Yecheng, a severe drought struck the rear, the water level of the Grand Canal dropped, and the supply of food and fodder was insufficient, causing Huan Wen's great northern expedition to fail.

At this very moment, on the Yangtze River, a twelve-zhang-tall warship broke through the thick fog. The bronze beast head at the bow was soaked with water vapor, and the iron chains hanging between its fangs scraped against the river surface, producing a crisp sound of metal clashing.

Following the tower ship, more than twenty warships lined up end to end, their iron-wood gunwales bearing dark red bloodstains—a mixture of rust and blood.

On the river surface, wood chips and pumice appear and disappear in the river mist, like a long dragon pieced together from flesh and wood, flowing eastward with the great river.

The north wind howled back and forth between the cliffs on both sides, and the huge five-toothed warship at the forefront floated slowly like a giant beast, with a black flag with red patterns bearing the character "Huan" standing proudly between the sky and the water.

Beneath the banner, Huan Xuan stood with his hands behind his back. His stout body appeared somewhat imposing against the backdrop of the armored soldiers around him.

Several scout ships watched as the flag approached. "Reporting to our lord, Yin Xun's seven thousand naval troops have been defeated by Guo Quan and Fu Hong. Our army has taken Baling without shedding a drop of blood!"

Huan Xuan sneered, "I offered Yin Zhongkan a chance to surrender two days ago, which would have kept him from losing his wealth and status. He refused, so don't blame me for being ruthless and heartless!"

Baling is a vital passage connecting the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake, nestled between Jiangzhou and Jingzhou. Legend has it that Hou Yi slew the Bashe serpent in Dongting, and its bones resembled a hill, hence the name Baling.

It was a vital stronghold for Yin Zhongkan to defend against Huan Xuan, so Yin Zhongkan stored all the grain and fodder of Jingzhou here, and appointed his cousin Yin Xun as the governor of Baling.

He never expected that his cousin would be even more incompetent than him. Faced with Huan Xuan's combined land and sea offensive, he actually chose to take the initiative and engage Huan's navy in a decisive battle at Jiangxi Estuary...

The final result was a complete defeat.

Seeing that the naval battle had failed and Huan Xuan was riding high, the defenders of Baling abandoned the city and surrendered this formidable fortress.

It also solved the food problem for Huan Xuan's army.

In fact, Huan Xuan also faced a food crisis in this battle. Although the Huan family had risen to power, there was not much food in the treasury. If Baling could hold out for two or three months, Huan Xuan would have to retreat.

But now Huan Xuan has no worries about the future.

"Now that Baling has been captured, the outcome is decided. We should press on and head straight for Jiangling!" Bian Fanzhi's eyes gleamed with barely concealed joy.

The Bian family of Jiyin was already a prominent family during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Bian Cui and his six brothers were known as the "Six Dragons of the Bian Family". After the migration of the elite to the south, Bian Cui's son Bian Kun fought against Su Jun and died. His two sons, Bian Zhi and Bian Xu, followed him into the enemy army to avenge their father and also fought to the death. The three of them were famous for a time.

Despite such a great sacrifice, the Bian family was still marginalized and relegated to a second-rate status.

If Huan Xuan could take Jingzhou, he could revitalize the Huan family, complete what Huan Wen had not finished, and the Bian family could once again become a prominent family.

The gentry families of Jiangzuo were not without exceptionally talented individuals, but they were all confined by their social status.

“Yin Zhongkan is nothing to worry about, but where is Yang Quanqi now?” Huan Xuan asked.

Feng Gai said, "We have arrived in Jiangling!"

Huan Xuan laughed and said, "Yin Zhongkan and Yang Quanqi want to have a decisive battle in Jiangling, which suits my purposes perfectly. How many men did Yang Quanqi bring?"

Jiangling is the foundation of the Huan family. In a major battle here, the people's hearts will be with the Huan family.

Feng Gai said in a muffled voice, "They've mobilized their entire force—eight thousand elite infantry and cavalry!"

Huan Xuan frowned. The Western Army was invincible on water, but not necessarily on land. Yang Quanqi was over sixty years old this year. He had roamed the north and was a veteran general, as well as a fierce one.

When he was promoted to governor of Yongzhou last year, Xiangyang was still occupied by Xi Hui's forces, who conspired with Lu Qiu Xian, the prefect of Nanyang, to raise troops to resist the attack.

However, Yang Quanqi spread rumors that Huan Xuan would lead a large army into Mian, and that he himself was only the vanguard. He claimed that he was relying on the power of the Huan family, and that Xi Hui's troops were mostly Huan's followers, whose morale was low and who were defecting and surrendering.

Yang Quanqi led his troops in a rapid advance, beheading Lüqiu Xian and driving Xi Hui back to Jiankang. He then comforted the soldiers, provided relief to the people, repaired the city walls, and trained soldiers, winning the hearts of the people.

Huan Xuan was uncertain about the outcome of the decisive battle on the Jianghan Plain.

This battle concerns the future of the Huan family and allows no room for error. If they are defeated, the popularity and prestige that Huan Xuan has painstakingly built up will vanish. Meanwhile, Sima Yuanxian in Jiankang is also eyeing the city covetously.

The biggest problem with Huan Xuan's campaign was that he did not have the support of the imperial court, making his actions illegitimate and lacking legitimacy.

If they win, all is well; if they lose, they will be attacked from both the east and the west.

This is why Sima Yuanxian promoted him to Governor of Jiangzhou instead of Governor of Jingzhou.

Bian Fanzhi laughed and said, "Yang Quanqi is fierce and brave, which is advantageous for a quick battle. Our army has sufficient food and supplies, which is advantageous for not fighting!"

"Not to fight?" A glint of light flashed in Huan Xuan's eyes...

Jiangling, Jingzhou.

Although Yang Quanqi only had eight thousand infantry and cavalry, two thousand of them were cavalry, and the remaining six thousand were armored soldiers.

Accompanying them were more than 20,000 young men from Nanyong Prefecture.

This puts enormous pressure on logistics.

At first, Yang Quanqi believed that Jiangling was the former territory of the Huan family and that the people's hearts were with Huan Xuan. He then told Yin Zhongkan to abandon Jiangling and lead the people to retreat to Xiangyang, where they would fortify their defenses and clear the fields.

However, Yin Zhongkan was reluctant to leave Jingzhou and advised Yang Quanqi to head south.

Out of gratitude for Yang Quanqi's patronage, he agreed.

Why is half the grain available today?

"We risk our lives for Lord Yin, are you so stingy that you can't even afford a bite to eat?"

The soldiers' complaints alerted Yang Quanqi, who was on patrol.

Yang Quanqi frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

His brother Yang Guang said, "The grain in Jingzhou was all stored in Baling, which was obtained by Huan Xuan. There is not much in Jiangling City."

"What?" Yang Quanqi was dumbfounded.

Yin Zhongkan knew perfectly well that there was no food in Jiangling City, but he kept it a secret, even lying to him that he had collected a lot and had reserves, and that he could come to the rescue without worry, as food and drink would not be a problem...

Yang Quanqi believed him and led his army to the Jianghan Plain, preparing to rely on his cavalry advantage to fight Huan Xuan in a decisive battle...

"Lord Yin has misled me; we are doomed to defeat in this battle..." Yang Quanqi rolled his eyes in anger.

Without food, even the most elite soldiers lose their fighting power.

Yang Siping advised, "Huan Xuan's army has only just reached the head of the horse and is hesitant to advance. It's still not too late to retreat to Xiangyang!"

Yin Zhongkan was really unreliable, and this kind of ally made the three Yang brothers feel uneasy.

Yang Quanqi looked back at the soldiers behind him, their armor gleaming in the sun, their killing intent palpable. He was truly unwilling to miss this opportunity. "If I retreat, Jingzhou will surely fall into Huan Xuan's hands. At that time, with the combined strength of Yu, Jiang, and Jingzhou, we will surely die without a burial place. Moreover, the hearts of the people in Nanyongzhou are also with Huan. If we retreat, the morale of the army will immediately collapse. At this moment, the only option is to fight to the death!"

Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. The middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, which Huan Wen had managed for decades, were filled with his old friends and acquaintances.

Yang Quanqi either doesn't come at all, or once he comes, he can't back down.

Now that things have come to this, we can only push forward; perhaps there's still a chance of winning.

Yang Guang said angrily, "This fool is utterly incompetent. Yin Zhongkan is all show and no substance, as stupid as a deer or a pig, and has brought ruin to my family!"

(End of this chapter)