Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 342 Huan

"Anyone in the city who dares to carry weapons shall be treated as a traitor and killed without mercy!" Liu Daogui's first military order upon entering the city was directed at these Buddhist monks.

I used to think that the Celestial Masters sect was good at getting things done and posed a huge threat, but now I see that these Buddhist people are even more dangerous than the Celestial Masters sect.

The Celestial Masters sect's rebellions were all open, while the dangers posed by Buddhism were hidden.

"Governor Liu, come quickly to pay your respects to His Majesty!" A monk dressed in a bright yellow robe clasped his hands together in prayer.

A group of armored monks were gathered around him.

The soldiers all looked at Liu Daogui.

"Didn't you hear my order, Commander-in-Chief? Lay down your weapons!" Liu Daogui's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

This isn't about whether or not to pay respects to the emperor; rather, this person is using the emperor's name to suppress Liu Daogui and incidentally steal the credit for saving the emperor.

"Is Governor Liu so arrogant that he wants to become the next Su Jun?" The man opposite him held Sima Dezong and Sima Dewen in his hands, and was very tough.

Instead of being angry, Liu Daogui laughed, "Buddhist monks are indeed extraordinary. I wonder how many heads they have. Soldiers, listen to my command! This kind of evil monk is holding His Majesty hostage and openly resisting our army. Kill him!"

As soon as the word "kill" was uttered, Liu Zun and dozens of elite soldiers charged forward with knives and crossbows.

"you--"

Before the other person could finish speaking, he was shot to the ground by several crossbow bolts.

The other monks were also caught off guard by Liu Daogui's sudden attack and hastily responded, only to be cut down by Hu Ben.

More than two hundred people fell into pools of blood in the blink of an eye.

Liu Daogui stepped forward through the blood. The monk was still alive. "You... are not Su Jun, but Dong Zhuo..."

"Any last words?" Liu Daogui slowly drew his sword.

"You... dare to kill me..."

"Isn't that obvious? Didn't you see I've already killed him?" Liu Daogui raised his knife and stabbed it towards his face, blood splattering everywhere.

The soldiers around him looked at him with increasing fear.

"Wow—" Emperor Sima Dezong burst into laughter amidst the corpses.

Meanwhile, Sima Dewen, the Prince of Langya, standing next to him, was ashen-faced.

"Your Majesty and His Highness have been kidnapped by the evil monk. I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me!" Liu Daogui stared at Sima Dewen.

The emperor is untouchable, but a prince from the Sima family can be dealt with easily on any pretext.

It's possible that these monks were summoned by Sima Dewen.

The Sima family built Buddhist temples everywhere, and the status of monks rose accordingly. They were already on the same side.

"Governor Liu, you've worked hard. These evil monks deserve to be killed!" Sima Dewen said with righteous indignation.

Liu Daogui couldn't help but look at him with new respect.

At this moment, Meng Ganzhi rode up and said, "General, Huan Xuan has escaped from the west city."

"Order Mao Dezhu's cavalry to pursue them; Huan Xuan must not escape!" Liu Daogui glanced at the two Sima brothers. "Guards, escort His Majesty and His Highness to the army camp to rest; do not let the rebels disturb His Majesty's presence!"

"Yes, sir!" Liu Huaijing immediately led more than a thousand armored soldiers to escort the two men outside the city.

A chorus of screams erupted from the city.

When the Northern Army entered the city, they killed anyone carrying weapons.

Although Huan Xuan escaped, there were still many remnants of Huan Chu in the city, who were killing and setting fires.

As the Northern Army advanced, the smoke and fire in the city gradually dissipated in less than an hour, and the shouts of battle also faded.

Liu Zun grabbed several attractive women and winked at Liu Daogui.

Although the women were terrified, they could tell from the fine silks and satins they were wearing that they were not from ordinary families, and some of them even flirted with Liu Daogui.

Liu Daogui frowned. "Who are these people?"

Liu Zun said mysteriously, "Huan Xuan's concubines, and also—the Empress, the Princess..."

"Are you trying to harm me, you son of a bitch?"

The soldiers' pursuits are simple, nothing more than wealth and women, but Liu Daogui is different. He has reached the stage of cherishing his reputation. With his current power, what kind of woman can't he find?

Liu Zunqiang argued illogically, "I meant well..."

"How could I not know what you're thinking? Enough talk. The great enemy is still not defeated, and we haven't even captured a single member of the Huan clan. If you dare to slacken your efforts, you will be executed without mercy!"

This fellow corrupts himself first; once Liu Daogui loosens his trousers, the other soldiers will follow suit.

Liu Daogui escorted the Empress and the Princess out of the city to reunite with Sima Dezong and Sima Dewen, while the other women were temporarily imprisoned.

The moment these women were sent out, the soldiers were all shocked.

Jiangling City quickly returned to peace.

However, Huan Xuan still failed to catch up, and Liu Daogui couldn't help but feel disappointed. Without capturing Huan Xuan, Huan Chu was not truly destroyed, and the great battle was not quite perfect.

Liu Daogui stayed up all night, guarding the central command tent to prevent the Huan clan from launching a counterattack.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened that night.

Just as it was getting light and I was about to go to sleep, Meng Ganzhi rushed over to report: "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the troops of Mao Qu, the Governor of Yizhou, are also pursuing Huan Xuan!"

Liu Daogui was taken aback. "How come the troops from Yizhou are in Jingxiang?"

"The Prefect of Ningzhou, Mao Fan, has passed away. Mao Qu sent his grand-nephew Mao Youzhi and military advisor Fei Tian, ​​along with several hundred men, to escort Mao Fan's coffin to Jiangling!"

Mao Qu, the governor of Yizhou, Mao Fan, the governor of Ningzhou, and Mao Zhen, the prefect of Tianmen, all came from the Mao clan of Xingyang and shared the same lineage as Mao Dezu. However, Mao Bao, the grandfather of the three Maos, went south to Jingxiang during the Yongjia Rebellion and served as a military advisor in the office of General Wen Qiao, who repelled the attack of the rebel general Han Huang, quelled the rebellion of Su Jun, and quelled the rebellion of Guo Mo, becoming famous for a time.

Later, in Zhucheng, they faced a 50,000-strong Jie-Zhao army led by Shi Jian, Kui An, and Li Tu. Yu Liang refused to come to their aid, and Mao Bao broke out of the city but drowned.

His son, Mao Muzhi, followed Huan Wen on his northern expedition, fighting across the country and achieving great military exploits. In the Battle of Fei River, when the Di and Qin forces captured Xiangyang, Mao Muzhi led an army of 30,000 to attack Ba Commandery. After years of bitter fighting, he finally reclaimed Ba and Shu from the Di and Qin forces.

In other words, the present-day Sichuan and Chongqing region is Mao's territory. And it has been under Mao's control for more than 20 years. When Liu Yu rebelled against Chu, Mao Qu joined forces with Sima Zun, the Prince of Wuling, to rebel against Huan. Mao Qu was appointed General Who Conquers the West and Attendant Gentleman of the Palace.

Now they're getting involved too, clearly trying to steal the credit.

Although Jiangling was captured, important towns such as Xiangyang, Changsha, Wuling, Yidu, Linhe, and Shixing were still lost.

Bazhou, Yizhou, and Ningzhou are all in the hands of the Mao family, as is Tianmen County under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou. If they were to swallow these cities, they would be connected with Shu, and their power would be even greater than that of Jiangzuo.

Moreover, the Mao family originated from the Western Prefecture and had followed Huan Wen and Huan Huo in the past, making them naturally more easily accepted by the Western Prefecture forces.

Liu Daogui said, "We can't let this cooked duck fly away. Liu Zun, listen to my order, lead another two hundred cavalrymen and make sure to block Huan Xuan."

Mao Qu was a member of the Western Court and also supported Sima Zun, so he was not on the same side as the Northern Court.

"What should we do if we encounter the Mao family?" Liu Zun asked, his eyes wide.

Liu Daogui rolled his eyes. "I've never met anyone from the Mao family. I only know that when you encounter a traitor, you must eradicate him completely!"

"I obey!" Liu Zun chuckled twice, turned around, mounted his warhorse, and led two hundred riders westward.

However, before his men could leave the city, Mao Dezhu returned with Huan Xuan, Bian Fanzhi, and others.

"I have fulfilled my mission!"

"Dezu is truly a great general!" Liu Daogui was overjoyed. Huan Xuan was captured alive, and this battle came to a perfect end.

Liu Yu's promise of a one-year deadline was broken in less than two months, and Huan Chu was destroyed.

Although many cities remain unconquered and many remnants of the Huan clan are still outside, the overall situation is already settled.

"Brother Huan, how have you been?" Liu Daogui walked up to the prison cart.

"In the end, I was still defeated by you two brothers. This is the will of Heaven, which cannot be changed by human effort." Huan Xuan huddled in the prison cart, his face full of dejection, but he did not beg for mercy.

"Perhaps." Liu Daogui was too lazy to argue with him.

There's no point in arguing.

Huan Xuan remained silent for a moment before asking, "Do you have any Five-Stone Powder?"

"Yes." Liu Daogui ordered someone to fetch it, but fearing he might commit suicide, he only gave him three pills. "Send them down and take good care of them. Do not neglect them. They will be escorted to Jiankang tomorrow."

In any case, Huan Xuan was a figure of considerable importance, and his father, Huan Wen, had made contributions to China.

Although they lost, they should still be given the respect they deserve.

"Yes, sir!" Liu Huaimo replied.

As the prison cart was about to be pushed away, Huan Xuan suddenly laughed, a hint of sharpness in his eyes. "Agui, you rescued the emperor, pacified Jingxiang, and even captured me. You have made such great contributions. Don't you steal the limelight from Ji Nu?"

The surrounding soldiers suddenly looked at him strangely.

Emperor Huanxuan was not a very good ruler, but he was adept at internal strife and was also a master at instigating conflict.

The infighting within aristocratic families was even more brutal, and Huan Xuan was somewhat influenced by what he saw and heard.

Liu Daogui calmly replied, "You need not worry about this matter. What is mine is my brother's, and what is mine is also mine!"

Huan Xuan's gaze was piercing. "It seems you don't know much about Ji Nu's nature. What is a fierce tiger? He has been using you all along, but you have been kept in the dark. In the face of power, let alone brothers, even father and son will turn against each other!"

"Do you think I'm a fish to be manipulated? You should worry about yourself first. Take him away."

"A dying man's words are often good; let's wait and see! Hahaha—"

Perhaps it was the effects of the Five-Stone Powder taking hold, but Huan Xuan burst into manic laughter.

Taking Jiangling did not equate to conquering Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Liu Yi and He Wuji still failed to capture Wuchang. Huan Qian and Huan Zhen retreated to Xiangyang, and Huan Xi occupied Liangzhou.

The Huan family's influence extended throughout Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

Liu Daogui immediately ordered Liu Zhong to lead his army south to attack the counties of Nanxiang and Changsha south of the Yangtze River, and Wang Zhen'e to attack the cities of Yidu, Yichang, and Yiling on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Mao Dezhu led his army north and launched a feigned attack on Xiangyang.

Since the Eastern Wu period, a series of fortresses and strong cities have been built in the Jingchu region, with Yichang and Xiangyang being the most prominent.

Yichang was the Xiling during the Eastern Wu period. It is located south of the Yangtze River, overlooking the Jianghan Plain from a high vantage point.

As for Xiangyang, it has been an important town since ancient times.

When Fu Jian attacked Jin, he sent his crown prince Fu Pi, General Gou Chang, and Minister Murong Ti to lead 170,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Xiangyang. Zhu Xu, who was guarding Xiangyang, only had more than 10,000 men, but he was able to launch repeated attacks and win great victories.

Even after the outer city was lost, they held firm in the inner city and resisted the Qin army for a year. It was only after a traitor betrayed them and they were able to capture Xiangyang through a coordinated attack from within and without.

With only 20,000 to 30,000 men under Liu Daogui's command, and lacking siege equipment, it would be difficult for him to capture Xiangyang.

Huan Qian was not Huan Xuan. As the second son of Huan Chong, he was not lacking in reputation or talent.

During Huan Xuan's reign, he only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, and all military and political affairs were maintained by Huan Qian. Although Huan Qian was not particularly outstanding, he was able to keep things in order.

Liu Zhong's attack on the southern counties and Changsha was quite successful, and the Western Army surrendered after only a little resistance.

But Wang Zhen'e was blocked at the foot of Yiling City.

This city faces Yichang across the river, one to the south and one to the north, forming a strategic defensive position. It also has the assistance of the barbarian army, and the defending general is Huan Xuan's cousin, Huan Shikang, the Southern Barbarian Commandant and Governor of Jingzhou.

Wang Zhen'e has only 8,000 men under his command; he'd be lucky if he could even protect himself.

Mao Dezhu's feigned attack with 1,500 cavalry in the north went smoothly, but he did not gain any significant advantage.

In the Battle of Fuzhou Mountain, all the Chu armies were defeated by Liu Yu. Seeing that the situation was not good, Huan Qian led his troops back to Xiangyang and set up a scorched earth policy early on.

Huan Xuan's downfall, ironically, freed the Huan clan members from their constraints.

The Huan clan is such a large clan that it's impossible for them to be all good-for-nothings.

Since the time of Huan Wen, the company has been operating in Jingzhou and Xiangyang for more than 50 years, and its deep-rooted foundation is beyond the imagination of outsiders.

(End of this chapter)