Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 362 Standoff

The surrounding generals all looked at him with eager eyes.

Although the Yan army suffered a defeat, its main force remained stationary. Murong Chao was surrounded by a large number of cavalry, and the terrain on the north bank was open. Charging over there at this time would be the same as the Yan army's earlier charge – a certain death.

The Battle of Feishui had many prerequisites and is basically impossible to replicate.

He Wuji said, "The main force of the Yan army has not been damaged and its morale is still high. When our army crosses the river, it will be attacked by their cavalry from three sides."

Liu Daogui agreed, "Issue the order: all troops shall retreat to their main camp and continue to hold their ground. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

The tens of thousands of troops were all fake; the real decisive battle depended only on the elite.

No matter how many of these barbarian rabble were killed, Murong Chao wouldn't even flinch.

With the two sides separated by a barrier, the Yan army lacked the courage to attack, and the Jin army saw no need to.

After a standoff lasting more than an hour, the long, desolate bugle calls from the other side slowly faded away.

Peace has been restored across the Taiwan Strait.

However, Murong Chao was a restless person, and unable to deal with Rongqiu, he continued to attack Chengcheng.

Chengcheng was the foundation of the Cao family. The city was well-fortified and had ample supplies. Wang Zhongde was also a fierce general. He cooperated well with Wang Yuande outside the city and repelled the Yan army's ferocious attacks three times.

After failing to capture Chengcheng, he sent his general Gongsun Wulou out of Dongguan County to attack Taishan County.

However, the general guarding Taishan County was the veteran Liu Guangzhi, who was known for his steadiness and skill in defense. Moreover, Taishan County was mostly mountainous, so Gongsun Wulou's 10,000 infantry and cavalry had no room to maneuver.

From Mount Tai to Lu, Lanling, and Xiapi, Liu Daogui wove a vast net along the Sishui River and Mount Niqiu, which Murong Chao could not break through no matter how he charged left or right.

A national war should look like a national war. The scale of this battle far surpasses any previous battle.

It mobilized almost all of the Jin dynasty's resources.

"Report! Murong Chao has issued a challenge." Meng Ganzhi came over carrying a piece of silk.

"It seems Murong Chao has panicked." Liu Daogui laughed heartily, throwing the challenge letter directly into the fire without even glancing at it.

He Wuji laughed and said, "After only a month and a half of stalemate, Southern Yan is already in trouble."

Liu Daogui said, "How can a mere prefecture support an army of fifty or sixty thousand for long? The Yan barbarians are good at quick battles, but I will deliberately avoid fighting and drag it out until they are exhausted and their horses are worn out!"

After several days of cold winds, the temperature dropped sharply.

Before we knew it, winter had arrived.

Taking advantage of the fact that the river had not yet frozen over, Cao Ji transported a large quantity of winter clothing, grain, and firewood from Pengcheng.

These winter clothes are mostly sheepskin furs, but there are also some fox furs, wolf furs, and various felt blankets, all of which were purchased from northern countries.

These supplies are warmer than the liangdang (a type of traditional Chinese garment) from Jiangzuo.

The liangdang (a type of traditional Chinese garment) is collarless and sleeveless, consisting of two pieces, front and back, with the space between them filled with cloth, brocade, fur, or other materials for warmth. However, fur, cloth, and brocade are all expensive items in the south and are not easy to produce, so tens of thousands of soldiers certainly could not afford to use them.

These furs were actually easier to obtain, and the production process was relatively simple. When worn as armor, they were exceptionally warm.

Jiankang also transported essential supplies such as crossbows, grain, cloth, pigs, sheep, and spirits from the Hangou Canal.

Liu Yu, the elder brother, also transferred four thousand elite troops from the Northern Army under Meng Longfu and Shen Tianzi to be stationed at Jianling, with their forces pointing directly at the rear of Tan County.

With the arrival of this elite Northern Army force, the situation has completely shifted in Liu Daogui's favor.

With snow approaching, Liu Daogui ordered that each conscript be given three shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain and sent home, to return to the army the following spring.

More than 10,000 volunteers happily returned to their hometowns with the grain they had collected.

The garrison and navy also retreated to Xiapi to reduce the consumption of supplies.

With the river frozen over, the navy is of little use.

Xiapi is only about 60 li away from Rongqiu. If there is a major battle, they can be mobilized at any time.

As a result, only 20,000 elite troops from the Northern and Western Prefectures remained at the front line, forming two large camps. They were provided with a constant supply of meat every day and a serving of strong liquor every three days.

In many cases, wars are fought over logistics.

Soldiers who are well-fed and well-clothed also possess fighting strength.

Meanwhile, the Yan army on the opposite side had already begun collecting corpses and storing them as food.

When the heavy snow fell, even the cold-resistant Xianbei people couldn't withstand it, and people and livestock froze to death every day on the other side.

Many soldiers in the Northern and Western Garrisons came from the south, and many of them suffered from frostbite.

Fortunately, there were army doctors with ample medicinal herbs. Applying medicated plasters and ointments was enough to cure them. Only seven soldiers froze to death. They all fell asleep outside the camp while on night patrol and were discovered the next day, their bodies already frozen stiff.

After the heavy snow, the weather became even colder, with the wind howling like knives all day long, and the world was gloomy and overcast. In such weather, let alone fighting, it would be a miracle if one could even survive the cold.

A few days later, Meng Ganzhi came again, "Reporting that Murong Chao has sent a letter seeking peace."

"Seek peace?" Liu Daogui sneered and opened the letter.

The gist of the argument is that Yan and Jin have no deep-seated hatred for each other, and there's no need to make things so tense. As long as Liu Daogui is willing to cease hostilities, the two sides can become allies and jointly attack Hebei...

He Wuji said, "Murong Chao is a wolf in sheep's clothing. This is clearly a delaying tactic. General, you should not trust him."

"Peace is possible, but only if Murong Chao surrenders and begs for forgiveness." With a knife to his throat, he finally begged for mercy; Liu Daogui, of course, wouldn't believe him.

Murong Chao was more like a barbarian than Murong Chui and Murong De, utterly shameless and untrustworthy.

This battle mobilized almost the entire national strength of the Jin dynasty, so it was impossible for it to be abandoned halfway through...

Guangzhou.

Heavy snow ravaged the Jianghuai region, while the south enjoyed clear skies and sunshine.

Guangzhou is neither cold nor hot at this time of year.

A distinguished guest arrived at the Pingnan General's residence. "After the brothers Liu Yu and Liu Daogui destroyed the Southern Yan, their military might will surely turn south. If they form an alliance with our country, they can take advantage of the emptiness of Jiangzuo and attack Jiankang from the west and south. At that time, the general will occupy Jiangzuo, and our Qiao family will occupy Jingxiang, thus restoring the tripartite balance of power at the end of the Han Dynasty."

The visitor was Qiao Hong, Qiao Zong's cousin, who came to contact the Celestial Masters sect to jointly attack the Jin dynasty.

From the very first day of its establishment, Qiao Shu regarded the Jin dynasty as an enemy, preferring to submit to the declining Yao Qin rather than make peace with the Jin dynasty.

With the war between Yan and Jin underway, the Jin court is focusing most of its energy on Xu and Si, which makes Qiao and Shu eager to make a move.

"Although Liu Daogui has launched a northern expedition, Liu Yu is still in Jiankang. I'm afraid our two families are no match for each other." Lu Xun was terrified of Liu Yu.

Even with over 100,000 troops and 600-700 warships at his disposal, he dares not easily head north.

“If our two families are not enough, there is also the Qin state. Both will attack from three sides. Even if Liu Yu and Liu Daogui had three heads and six arms, they would surely be defeated.”

Qiao Shu had little experience fighting against the Northern Army, so naturally they were not afraid of the reputations of Liu Yu and Liu Daogui.

"Let me think about this for a while." Lu Xun was doing well in Guangzhou and really didn't want to go north to fight Liu Yu again.

"With the elite troops of the Northern and Western armies all on their northern expedition, the country is vulnerable. This is an opportunity that must not be missed. Our Shu Kingdom can still rely on the natural defenses of the mountains and rivers to carve out a territory. Guangzhou is flat as a pancake, and to the south, there are Du Yuan and his son Du Huidu of Jiaozhou. If Liu Daogui leads his troops south in the future, how will you, General, cope?"

Qiao Hong's performance was vivid and expressive.

Lu Xun, however, looked at Xu Daofu.

Xu Daofu said, "General, there is no need to worry. Liu Yu is suffering from old injuries and is like a sick tiger. If he does not rise now, he will surely sit and wait for death in the future. Now we have enough food and fodder, our soldiers have been trained for many years, and our warships are sharp. We can launch a northern expedition!"

Although Lu Xun was the "Master," he did not have complete control over many important matters of the Celestial Masters sect.

His elite troops were all from the eight counties of Wu. Although Guangzhou was a good place, it was not his homeland. Moreover, his previous "master" was forced to drown himself by Liu Yu. This was an irreconcilable enmity.

Many people have long been clamoring for troops to march north and avenge their grievances.

Given the morale of the army, if Lu Xun did not agree, his role as "Master" would come to an end.

"Is Liu Yu really seriously ill?"

Over the years, Lu Xun's fear of Liu Yu has not diminished. As news from Jiankang spread, he became even more wary of this tiger.

Xu Daofu took out a piece of silk from his bosom. "This is a message that Yunxiu just sent back from Jiankang. Liu Yu is about to die, Jiankang is empty, Liu Daogui and Murong Chao have been fighting for a long time, and the outcome is unknown. Moreover, the Wei ruler Tuoba Gui has gathered 200,000 infantry and cavalry in Pingcheng, and intends to march south into the Central Plains. If we do not send troops, the Jin dynasty will be divided and devoured by others!"

The situation in the world has always been such that a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Tuoba Gui and Yao Xing both had ambitions to unify the world, and even Murong De and Murong Chao were eyeing Jiangzuo covetously.

The Jin dynasty was plagued by years of civil war, and its national strength was no longer what it once was. Despite occupying the most fertile land in the land and having the largest population, it was inevitable that it would be surrounded by wolves.

"Two hundred thousand infantry and cavalry!" Lu Xun was immediately relieved.

Qiao Hong said indignantly, "The Sima family has been treacherous for three generations, harboring poison within the family. They are like jackals in official hats and vipers in human clothing. They feigned illness to deceive Cao Shuang, broke their oath at Luo River, spilled blood at Gaoping Mausoleum, and murdered the emperor in the street. After that, the War of the Eight Princes caused the Central Plains to sink, incurring the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people. General, you are a member of a prominent family in Hebei, renowned throughout the land. It is only right that you take their place!"

With this high praise bestowed upon him, Lu Xun immediately felt invigorated. Recalling how the Lu family had been ostracized by those powerful families after their southward migration, a surge of hatred welled up in his heart: "I am irreconcilably opposed to the Sima family!"

Qiao Hong was overjoyed: "General, you are wise!"

Xu Daofu watched coldly from the sidelines. After he left, he dismissed his entourage and secretly discussed with Lu Xun: "Qiao Shu's alliance with us is not sincere. They are using us to restrain Liu Yu so that they can easily take Jingzhou and Xiangyang."

Lu Xun deeply agreed, saying, "Qiao Zong was treated well by Mao Qu, but once he succeeded, he killed his entire family. What a despicable person!"

The conversation just now was lively, but it was all just polite talk.

Both sides had their own calculations; Qiao Shu wanted to use the Celestial Masters sect, and the Celestial Masters sect also wanted to use Qiao Shu.

"General, you might as well wait until Liu Daogui and Nan Yan are both exhausted, and then Qin and Wei send troops to attack. Then you can send troops north and achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Sending troops north was inevitable, but the timing of the move was crucial.

Both Liu Yu and Liu Daogui left elite troops to guard Jiangling and Jiankang.

Jin and Yan are locked in a stalemate at Xusi, but have not yet engaged in a decisive battle, so there is no opportunity for either to make a move.

In any case, the current situation is very favorable to the Celestial Masters sect.

"If Qiao Zong and Yao Xing hadn't made the first move, why would I have gotten involved?" Lu Xun sneered. "Guards, send the 'Intelligence-Boosting Pill' that I've refined to Jiankang."

After the restoration of the Jin dynasty, the country was beset by internal and external troubles. It had no choice but to recognize Lu Xun's titles of General Who Pacifies the South and Governor of Guangzhou, and also appointed him as General Who Pacifies Yue. Xu Daofu was promoted to Chancellor of Shixing in an effort to appease the people.

There was frequent interaction between the two sides, and the Five-Stone Powder refined by the Celestial Masters Sect was a major source of wealth.

Liu Yu suffered an external injury, yet Lu Xun sent him "Intelligence-Boosting Pills," intending to mock Liu Yu's lack of strategic acumen...

(End of this chapter)