Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 328 Jiang

In the Taiji Hall, Huan Xuan was in a state of agitation. "You all need to come up with a plan: how to fight? How to defend?"

The 50,000 elite troops of Xifu were decimated in one battle. Fewer than 4,000 escaped back to Jiankang, most of whom either scattered on the way or died on the road.

Although he still had 30,000 elite naval troops at his disposal, the impact of the Battle of Xiangcheng on Jiangzuo went far beyond the battlefield.

Rumors spread throughout Jiankang City: "Changgan Lane, the lane is long, this year the young master will be killed, the year after next the Huan clan will be beheaded."

The news had already reached Huan Xuan's ears, and because of this, he imprisoned over a hundred people. Not only did this fail to stop the rumors, but they also spread from Jiankang to the surrounding counties...

The term "Langjun" refers to Sima Yuanxian, which ironically aroused the sympathy of the people, and the reputation of the Jin dynasty gradually improved.

The Huan family became villains...

All of this made Huan Xuan feel extremely uneasy in Jiankang.

Jiankang belonged to Jiangzuo and Wu, and was closer to the Northern Army and the Jin Dynasty. It naturally had a resistant attitude towards Huan Chu, who came from Jingxiang.

The conflict between the Western and Northern armies of the Jin dynasty was, in essence, a regional struggle between Jingxiang and Jiangzuo.

After Huan Xuan ascended to the throne, he only cared about eating, drinking and having fun, and did not care much about the people. He did not issue a single imperial edict of favor, and the people of Jiangzuo became increasingly disapproving of Huan Chu.

"Your Majesty need not worry. Liu the bandit has only 20,000 men under his command. My 30,000 elite naval troops can blockade the Yangtze River. The bandits can only look at the river and sigh!" Minister Huan Qian, as the head of all officials, could not remain silent at this moment.

The Yangtze River has become a source of spiritual sustenance for everyone.

Back then, Liu Laozhi's 20,000 elite troops resisted the Western Prefecture navy at Xinting, but they could only sigh helplessly as they looked across the river.

On land, Xifu is no match for Beifu, but on the Yangtze River, the outcome is still uncertain.

“Now it’s not just Liu the bandit in Jiangbei, but all the bandits in Jiangnan. Minister Wang, do you have any good strategies?” Huan Xuan’s eyes were full of hope.

Over the decades, the Xie and Huan families had been entangled in various grudges and affections. Huan Xuan no longer expected the Xie family to support him, but the Langya Wang family was different. Wang Mi had been encouraging him to become emperor, and the imperial seal was something he had snatched from Sima Dezong.

Now, the first person to respond to Liu Yu and Liu Daogui was his cousin Wang Zhenzhi.

This is clearly the Wang family betting on both sides.

Huan Xuan was perfectly clear-headed, yet dared not touch him.

"In my opinion... we should neither fight nor defend, but make peace!" Wang Mi said, making a startling statement.

Huan Xuan was also taken aback by his words, "Merge? How can we make peace?"

Wang Mi said, "The Northern Army is unlikely to cross the river. Wang Zhenzhi and Yu Xiaofu are not to be feared. Your Majesty can send people across the river, bestow generous rewards on Liu Yu and Liu Daogui, and order them to withdraw their troops. Afterwards, you can recuperate, strengthen your army, and prepare for another battle in the future."

These words, ostensibly for Huan Xuan's benefit, were in reality a reminder that the imperial court could no longer sustain the war.

Unable to eliminate the two.

Bian Fanzhi urgently advised, "Your Majesty, you must not do this! In the Battle of Xiangcheng, the enemy suffered heavy casualties. Liu Daogui is surrounded by enemies on all sides and cannot sustain this for long. The enemy force is only 30,000. Although there are traitors secretly supporting us, our foundation remains. Jingzhou and Xiangyang still have tens of thousands of troops and millions of provisions. With a single decree from Your Majesty, we can mobilize 100,000 troops to sail down the river, first annihilate the likes of Wang Zhenzhi, Yu Xiaofu, and Kong Jing, then defend the river, and then send an envoy to Wei, promising great benefits to lure the Wei army south into the Central Plains. With a pincer attack from the north and south, the two Lius will surely perish!"

Everyone knew that the State of Wei coveted the Central Plains.

Last year, they launched the massive Battle of Luoyang, breaking off relations with Liu Daogui.

As soon as the Wei army makes a move, Liu Daogui will have to return to Pengcheng to resist the Wei army, and Huan Chu will be able to catch his breath.

Wang Mi raised his tablet and said, "Minister Bian's plan is indeed a good strategy, but it is too far away to be of immediate use. Wei is engaged in battle with Southern Yan and has no time to look south."

Huan Xuan was now in a precarious situation, and the Northern Army was stationed at Guabu, facing Jiankang across the river.

If someone were to be sent to Pingcheng to contact the Wei Kingdom at this point... it would take at least two months for them to travel back and forth, and who knows when the Wei army would be able to send troops.

Wei and Yan were sworn enemies, and the urgency to deal with Southern Yan far outweighed that of the Central Plains.

Moreover, the two sides have already started fighting, and it's unclear when it will end.

Huan Xuan shifted his bulky body. "Minister Wang has long resided in Jiangzuo and his reputation is widespread. He can go and appease Wang Zhenzhi, Yu Xiaofu, and Kong Jing. He can also issue an order to the Western Prefecture to recruit another 50,000 able-bodied men to guard Gushu!"

Gushu is located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, southwest of Jiankang, and faces Liyang across the river.

It was the place where Huan Wen spent his final years. Before Huan Xuan came to power, he carried out large-scale construction here, building palaces.

The fact that the able-bodied men of the Western Prefecture did not enter Jiankang but instead guarded this place shows that Huan Xuan had made the worst-case scenario plan.

Everyone in the hall understood the unspoken agreement.

"Your subject obeys!" Wang Mi, of course, understood Huan Xuan's intentions.

This was to appease the Wang family of Langya.

Huan Qian cupped his hands and said, "Wu Fuzhi and Huangfu Fu have died in battle, and Feng Gai and Fu Hong have suffered a great defeat. Daoquan can be transferred to the capital!"

The Huan Zhen mentioned by Daoquan was the father of the famous Huan Shiqian, a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men.

He inherited his father's character and was brave and fierce from a young age. However, because of his unruly behavior and bad reputation, he was never liked by Huan Xuan.

"Jingzhou is the foundation; it cannot be touched lightly." Sure enough, even at this point, Huan Xuan didn't think much of his brave and valiant nephew…

On the Yangtze River, shouts of battle soared into the sky, arrows flew through the air, and fireballs flew into the sky and crashed into the river, creating plumes of white smoke and splashes of waves.

After a standoff lasting more than half a month, Huan Xuan did not withdraw from Jiankang; on the contrary, the number of warships on the river increased. Wang Zhenzhi, Yu Xiaofu, Kong Jing, and others made a lot of noise, but none of them actually raised an army to attack Jiankang.

In addition to his 30,000 naval troops, Huan Xuan also commanded 10,000 to 20,000 Northern Army soldiers, all of whom were gathered in Jiankang.

There was also movement in Jingxiang upstream. Huan Shikang led 30,000 troops to Gushu to support Jiankang.

Given this situation, Huan Xuan would certainly not abandon Jiankang and leave.

More than fifty mid-wing warships were locked in fierce combat on the river. Each side had four mid-wing warships as the main force and more than a dozen small boats as the auxiliary force, fighting each other like wolf packs.

The Northern Army's navy was mostly converted from merchant ships and lacked proper equipment.

The Xifu navy consisted entirely of genuine warships, equipped with heavy crossbows, hooks, and battering rams on both sides, and catapults at the stern capable of launching fireballs.

It was just a test, not a decisive battle, so neither side sent out warships.

Wood chips flew across the river, warships collided with each other, and the soldiers of the Northern Army fought side by side, shirtless and carrying only swords and shields as they leaped onto the enemy's ships. Suddenly, the enemy's grappling hooks popped out, killing five soldiers in mid-air, while more than ten others fell into the water, creating waves of blood.

Naval warfare places even higher demands on soldiers.

Being able to stand firm on a rocking deck and being familiar with the water put the Beifu navy at a clear disadvantage.

The ships of the Xifu navy were clearly superior to those of Liu Daogui, faster, and the soldiers were more skilled. The sails turned and the helmsmen rolled up the oars in one smooth motion, and they were always able to seize the upstream position and ram the Beifu navy downstream.

After two hours of fierce fighting, Liu Daogui lost twelve warships, while the Xifu navy only lost two.

Fortunately, they had no intention of fighting and retreated after a small victory; otherwise, the remaining dozen or so warships would never have returned.

With a score of twelve to two, it's simply impossible to win. Liu Daogui only has two or three hundred warships, while Xifu has a full thousand...

"This humble general is incompetent, please punish me, Commander!" Li Damu said, his face full of shame.

“It’s none of your business.” Liu Daogui helped him up.

He had done his best in the naval battle. Naval warfare is different from land warfare; there is no such thing as defeating the many with the few or the strong with the weak.

The river flows straight and unobstructed; weakness is weakness, and strength is strength.

Whoever has the biggest, strongest, and fastest ship will win.

"Why not use fire ships to defeat the enemy, just like in the Battle of Qiantang River five years ago?" Liu Zun may seem like a reckless man, but he has a lot of ideas.

Liu Daogui said helplessly, "Didn't you see that they control the upstream area? Our boats will be intercepted if they try to enter the middle of the river."

The Yangtze River is much wider than the Qiantang River.

As soon as the fire ships appeared, the other side knew what was going on.

Moreover, the rafts and bamboo rafts were too small and could be overturned by a single wave. The Xifu navy set up a water fortress for more than ten miles on the south bank, with water gates and water stakes. Even if the fire ships crossed the middle of the river, they could not damage the warships in the water fortress.

Liu Daogui spent many years fighting against the Hu cavalry in the north, and had only a superficial understanding of naval warfare.

As it happens, the world's strongest navy is right across from them...

Liu Yu said, "Don't waste your energy. We can't defeat the Western Army in a naval battle. We can only outsmart them. Back then, Liu Laozhi's 20,000 elite troops confronted Huan Xuan at Xinting and couldn't find any opportunity."

When his uncle Liu Juanzi heard that he had been seriously injured, he specially came from Pengcheng to treat him, and he recovered well.

Not only can they walk on the ground, but they can also wield knives and spears to some extent.

I used to think this uncle was a quack doctor, but I never expected him to have such high skill in treating wounds.

For minor injuries, a needle is used to cauterize the wound with a paper wick, then medicine is applied, and the wound heals quickly. For severe injuries, the flesh is removed and the wound is stitched up, treating both internal and external injuries, resulting in a miraculous recovery.

He pulled many seriously wounded soldiers back from the brink of death.

During the late Han and Wei-Jin periods, the Five Barbarian Tribes invaded China, and plagues and wars followed one after another. Medical skills reached a high level of perfection. Two hundred years ago, Hua Tuo had already developed Mafeisan (a type of anesthetic) and was about to operate on Cao Cao's head to cure his headaches...

"Governor, a secret message from Jiankang!" Meng Ganzhi rushed over.

The secret letter was unsigned, and the handwriting was the popular running script of the time. It contained only a few words: Huan Xuan is already afraid. If his army can reach the gates of Jiankang, he will surely flee in fear!

"Isn't this obvious? I also want to bring my troops to the gates of Jiankang, but how do I cross the river?" Liu Daogui handed the secret letter to the others.

Liu Zun's eyes darted around, and he had another idea. "Huan Xuan has a navy, and so do we. It's just boats, right? We can link several thousand bamboo rafts together and have a decisive battle on the Yangtze River!"

Liu Zhong poured cold water on our hopes, saying, "If the Western Prefecture navy uses fire to attack, we won't even have a place to escape to."

In the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao chained his warships together with iron chains, attempting to get the Wei army from the north to cross the river, but Zhou Yu set fire to Red Cliffs instead.

"Then disperse. As many as you can get through, that's what we need. With the elite of my Northern Army, why should we be afraid of the Western Army?"

“Naval warfare is different from land warfare. The Yangtze River is not like the Si River or the Ji River. It has high winds and rough waves. Most of our people are northerners. They get seasick as soon as they get on the boat and can't even stand up. How can we fight against the elite troops of the Western Regions?”

The Yangtze River is not a small river or canal. The section of the river from Guabu to Jiankang is nearly thirty miles wide, and it takes a large ship half a day to cross it. The river is also more turbulent than the canals in the north.

Know yourself and know your enemy.

The Yangtze River has always been the home ground of the Xifu Navy, which is stronger than its own side in terms of both manpower and naval combat capabilities.

(End of this chapter)