“After the First Division withdrew into Nantang Stockade, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan led eight hundred elite cavalry to arrive at the north bank of Meizhu Stream, but afterwards did not linger long and instead escorted Zhao Zhen’s remnant troops back to Liyang City to rest and reorganize. Except for a dozen scouts and reconnaissance riders circling west of Tianyin Mountain toward Xuancheng, scouts have not yet seen signs of the Chuzhou Army moving south in force to join with Gu Zhilong!”
As the sun slanted westward, Han Qian stood atop the broken city walls, listening to Guo Que report the intelligence compiled from the northern front.
Xi Ren, Yuan Guowei, and Feng Yi stood guard behind Han Qian. Hearing this news, they all breathed sighs of relief. This battle fought to the present had been extremely difficult—if it continued further, they all worried whether the Chishan Army could hold out.
After pondering in silence for a moment, Han Qian instructed Guo Que: “Send the latest intelligence from the northern front by fast horse to Gao Shao and Zhao Wuji. Order the Third Division and cavalry battalion to slow their advance on Xuancheng. Before nightfall, choose ground to make camp on the north bank of Xiadu River and detach small forces to establish sentry posts at selected locations on the west bank of Nanyi Lake. Before new military orders arrive, it is inadvisable to force a crossing of Xiadu River. Be careful—the Xuanzhou troops on the south bank of Xiadu River may still possibly organize forces for a counterattack…”
“I’ll make the trip personally, then transport Guo Nu’er’s body back to Langxi for burial,” Guo Que said.
Han Qian nodded wearily, indicating it would be good for Guo Que to personally deliver the message.
The six thousand elite troops defending Nantang Stockade had suffered over forty percent casualties. The subsequent reinforcements transferred from the eastern front to Nantang Stockade also had casualties approaching thirty percent.
After the Third Division besieged Langxi City, Xiao Dahu and Lin Jinzong’s combined forces of over two thousand troops all rushed to Honglin Pier to participate in intercepting the Xuancheng reinforcements, fighting down to fewer than a thousand survivors.
The cavalry battalion’s thousand-plus elite troops, dispersed to support three battlefields, ultimately were reduced to fewer than four hundred.
Guo Nu’er, a family soldier and follower who had accompanied him for many years, had also unfortunately died heroically in night combat when his skull was pierced by an enemy iron arrow while rushing to Honglin Pier to supervise the battle on his behalf. Besides Guo Nu’er, there was also a high-ranking officer at deputy division commander level, Shi Ji—also one of the Taowu Settlement youths who had initially rushed from Xuzhou back to Jinling with Han Qian—who had sacrificed heroically in the battle reinforcing Nantang Stockade.
To capture Langxi City, the Third Division had over two thousand corpses of those who died in battle beneath Langxi’s walls!
Guo Que and others shared deep brotherly affection with Guo Nu’er. To transport Guo Nu’er’s body back to select ground for burial, Han Qian felt heartbroken but also felt this was proper.
Watching the female battalion medical soldiers collecting the corpses of fallen soldiers beneath the city walls, at this moment Han Qian’s heart was filled with grief, but deep down he also felt profound relief. He privately felt that if the Chuzhou Army had dispatched more elite forces south at this time to join with Gu Zhilong, and he had to further squeeze the Chishan Army’s potential for intercepting combat, he truly didn’t know to what degree the Chishan Army’s vitality would be injured.
Feng Zhang, following orders to temporarily conscript two thousand new recruits from the stockades south of Guangde, most of whom had no weapons or armor—only wolf-fang rakes and wearing straw sandals—timely entered Langxi City. At this time, after joining with Feng Xuan, he ascended the East Gate tower to see Han Qian.
Seeing that beneath the city walls there were still many soldiers’ corpses charred by burning oil that hadn’t been collected, Feng Zhang also sighed with emotion. He hadn’t expected that after Gu Zhilong’s elite household troops were deceived out of the city, attacking Langxi would still be so cruel and bloody.
Fortunately they had captured it—otherwise the consequences would truly be unimaginable.
Of course, precisely because of this, deceiving Gu Zhilong’s elite household troops out of the city beforehand appeared even more crucial.
Otherwise, they couldn’t possibly have captured Langxi City in such a short time. And failing to capture Langxi City, they would have to attack Huzhou before their grain ran out—then a series of arduous and desperate battles would await them.
However, after this battle, just like the Dragon Sparrow Army’s brilliant rise, no one under heaven would dare look down on the Chishan Army composed entirely of base lives and lowly breeds anymore.
“Gu Zhilong is truly an ambitious man! He stockpiled eleven to twelve万 shi of grain in Langxi City alone—enough for us to catch our breath thoroughly!” Feng Xuan took an invigorating breath and reported on the situation he had just roughly inspected at various granaries.
Gao Shao led the Third Division’s four thousand troops—still having some potential to squeeze—south to join with Zhao Wuji. The Third Division left behind three thousand troops, of which two-thirds were wounded, commanded by Feng Xuan to remain and assist Han Qian in holding Langxi. Han Qian also put him specifically in full charge of Langxi’s military and administrative affairs.
Fortunately Feng Zhang timely led two thousand new recruits rushing from Guangde, allowing him to breathe easier.
Otherwise, just guarding two thousand seven to eight hundred prisoners would keep him from daring to sleep at night.
“Gu Zhilong stockpiled so much grain in Langxi?” Yuan Guowei asked in considerable surprise.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it, but he was somewhat shocked, though he also better understood why Feng Xuan would say Gu Zhilong was an ambitious man.
Langxi’s garrison at most had only six thousand troops previously. Even preparing fifty to sixty thousand shi of grain in the city would be sufficient to supply the garrison adequately for a year.
Gu Zhilong stockpiling far more grain in Langxi City than they had estimated meant he actually wanted to gather all of Xuanzhou’s forces to Langxi when the Chuzhou Army and Anning Palace were locked in indecisive combat, to demonstrate his pivotal role and status in the upcoming situation.
In the end, Gu Zhilong just wanted to sell himself for a good price.
Gu Zhilong’s calculations fell into emptiness, and now with their harvest of this eleven to twelve万 shi of grain, plus the impending autumn harvest in old Guangde County and Langxi in another month, even if the Chishan Army no longer expanded south of Langxi into central and southern Xuanzhou or into Huzhou territory, the three hundred thousand old, weak, women, and children should be able to hold out until after the New Year.
This would at least win the extremely precious three-plus months of rest and reorganization time for the Chishan Army.
Yuan Guowei, having been by Han Qian’s side these days, knew especially deeply how difficult it was under such crude conditions to protect so many old, weak, women, and children while exercising maximum restraint not to plunder civilians and small households.
The women and children dispersed to the northern foot of Fuyu Mountain, though able to obtain some food sources from deep mountain forests, still received too little allocated rations. Some elderly people even secretly gave their rations to the young to eat, so that dozens of elders died each day from severe hunger and edema.
That the Chishan Army could maintain high morale under such difficult circumstances and successfully capture Langxi City, obtaining relatively adequate supply and rest and reorganization time and space for the next three to four months—Yuan Guowei of course clearly understood how difficult this was.
Such brilliant battle results could be said to be entirely fought and won through soldiers’ fearless bloody combat.
At this time, occupying Langxi and capturing nearly six thousand sets of weapons and armor, plus utilizing the iron, coal, leather, cloth, and many workshops with better conditions than Guangde Stockade stockpiled in the city, the Chishan Army’s equipment could also improve significantly over the next two to three months.
“Has Gu Zhao’s body been properly placed in a coffin?” Han Qian asked Feng Xuan.
Gu Zhao was Gu Zhilong’s second son and the main general of Langxi City.
Although Han Qian had ordered before the siege to try as much as possible to capture Gu Zhao alive, when Kong Xirong led the vanguard shock troops onto the walls, soldiers on both sides fought with red eyes. Gu Zhao was also brave enough to lead his personal guard defending the East Gate tower without retreat, ultimately dying beneath chaotic blades, his body hacked until not a single place remained intact.
Han Qian couldn’t possibly blame Kong Xirong and the others for not following orders. He only instructed Feng Xuan to place Gu Zhao’s mangled corpse in a coffin, then protectively detain all Gu family women left in the city under guard, not allowing soldiers to harass them.
“It’s been done. Zhou Yuanhe is below the city,” Feng Xuan said.
“Bring him up,” Han Qian said.
Zhou Yuanhe was a civil official. During the fiercest siege assault, he hadn’t been atop the East Gate tower.
After Gu Zhao died in battle, the garrison completely collapsed and surrendered. Zhou Yuanhe was captured without resistance at the county office. Therefore, apart from taking some punches and kicks when captured and losing a few old teeth, he hadn’t suffered any serious injuries.
Brought up the city walls with a bruised and swollen face, Zhou Yuanhe was quite disheveled.
“This battle was fought with such bitterness and cruelty by both sides. The soldiers were agitated and rough—if there were any discourtesies, I hope Lord Zhou will show understanding,” Han Qian said calmly, looking at Zhou Yuanhe.
No matter how much he had previously looked down on this wastrel son of the Han family, Zhou Yuanhe still understood the principle of “the victor becomes king, the defeated becomes bandit.” He just wasn’t clear on Han Qian’s intention in dragging him to the East Gate tower at this time, so he remained silent without speaking.
“Although I ordered before battle to preserve the lives of you and Second Young Master Gu as much as possible, in fierce combat, blades and arrows have no eyes. That Second Young Master Gu unfortunately died in battle was not what I wished,” Han Qian said indifferently. “Tomorrow I will send people to escort Lord Zhou and the Gu residence women to Xuancheng. After Lord Zhou sees Lord Gu, please convey my apology on my behalf.” He paused. “Tell Lord Gu and the heads of all families in Xuancheng that my patience is very limited. If within ten days Xuanzhou does not take concrete action to pledge allegiance to Prince Tan and to the Hunan Provincial Administration, when the day comes that I lead the Chishan Army’s elite troops to press beneath the city walls, they shouldn’t blame me for then indulging my soldiers in massacring all the aristocratic families in the entire city!”
Having said this, Han Qian spoke no more and indicated for Feng Xuan to have someone take Zhou Yuanhe down first.
Watching Zhou Yuanhe being led away, Xi Ren asked: “Is there any possibility Gu Zhilong will be frightened by you?”
“Frightening him may not necessarily work, but if he submits now, he can at least still sell himself for a good price. If he delays another two or three months, as the Chishan Army’s military power grows stronger and he huddles within the Yi Mountains, to whom can he sell himself, and for what price?” Han Qian said.
Feng Xuan glanced at Yuan Guowei, hesitated for a moment, then said: “Gu Zhilong may not be willing to surrender at this time. Perhaps we need not press too urgently…”
Yuan Guowei coughed and said: “I’ll go down to see beneath the city walls.”
At this time, if Gu Zhilong could be made to pledge allegiance to Yueyang, it would of course be more advantageous for tilting the current situation toward Yueyang. But if Gu Zhilong’s strength hadn’t suffered major losses yet they were eager to win him over and accept his surrender, they could only allow him and Xuanzhou’s aristocratic families to retain considerable strength when joining Yueyang. Gu Zhilong would then become one of Yueyang’s figures with real power in the future.
And after this battle, even if Gu Zhilong and Xuanzhou’s aristocratic families pledged allegiance to Yueyang and His Highness, their hatred toward Han Qian and the Chishan Army would only deepen and couldn’t be easily resolved.
In other words, Han Qian winning this battle meant the support he could gain within Yueyang not only wouldn’t increase, but forces opposing and targeting him might actually be strengthened.
The meaning in Feng Xuan’s words was actually to wait until the Chishan Army received adequate rest and strengthening, then advance to beneath Xuancheng’s walls and force Gu Zhilong to unconditionally surrender his forces—have the Chishan Army comprehensively absorb the Xuanzhou surrendered troops and take over all of Xuanzhou’s resources.
That would be most advantageous for Han Qian and the Chishan Army.
Yuan Guowei felt he really wasn’t suitable to remain and participate in discussing this kind of topic. Better to find an excuse to leave the gate tower.
“Accepting Gu Zhilong’s surrender is His Highness’s intention. We cannot violate it. We deployed troops to attack Langxi City also to promote Gu Zhilong’s allegiance to His Highness!” Han Qian looked at Yuan Guowei who was about to descend the city walls and asked: “Elder Lord Yuan, what do you think?”
“Using military pressure to promote surrender—truly a brilliant strategy, Lord Han,” Yuan Guowei smiled when Han Qian said this and bowed. “The Chuzhou Army has withdrawn north. Lord Zhang Ping should return from Nantang Stockade. I’ll go look north of the city and also wait for Lord Zhang Ping’s return—at this time perhaps Lord Zhang Ping and I can exert some effort for Yueyang and His Highness to welcome Old Lord Han’s safe return!”
Yuan Guowei naturally didn’t wish to see Han Qian have differences with the Third Prince. He thought that if he and Zhang Ping rushed to Xuancheng at the first opportunity to see Gu Zhilong, and if they could persuade Gu Zhilong to surrender while preserving the lives of Han Wenhuan, Han Daochang, and others, perhaps they could eliminate some hidden troubles arising from Han Qian attacking Langxi without declaring war. They could also leave the Marquis of Xinchang and everyone in Yueyang with nothing to say or criticize about Han Qian’s military attack on Langxi.
“Then I’ll trouble Elder Lord Yuan,” Han Qian returned the courtesy to Yuan Guowei.
“Just shamelessly sharing in Lord Han’s achievements,” Yuan Guowei smiled and descended from the city walls.
Seeing Yuan Guowei leave, with only Xi Ren, Feng Xuan, Feng Yi, and others around, Han Qian spoke further to Feng Xuan: “It’s not that I don’t consider Xuzhou or the many brave sons who fought valiantly. Right now the most critical thing is still not knowing when the Liang Emperor will fully control the Central Plains situation. If possible, we still need to drive the Chuzhou Army back north of the river as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if Huai, Shou, and other places all fall into the Liang Army’s hands, defending the Yangtze alone will be too difficult—I remember mentioning to you the strategic significance of ‘to defend the river one must defend the Huai.’ Your vision must be far-reaching. You cannot calculate temporary gains and losses, otherwise how would you and I differ from that Gu Zhilong? We must value military power and not fear displaying military power, but also remember that military power cannot solve all problems. The display and use of military power is often only laying better groundwork for solving problems…”
“Understood,” Feng Xuan responded in a muffled voice. In his heart he was still somewhat unwilling, but thinking that the old master was still in Gu Zhilong’s hands, he thought appropriate compromise was also an unavoidable method.
Han Qian smiled inwardly. Too many lessons from the dream world—he was only now gaining some deeper understanding at this time. He didn’t expect Feng Xuan and the others to understand more thoroughly than him. The academy already had its rudimentary form—at worst he could print more pamphlets and be more long-winded.
At this time a rider came galloping swiftly from the east. When he rode beneath the city walls, Han Qian saw it was one of the Prince’s Residence guards serving at Li Yu’s side. He now wore a white hemp mourning garment over his leather armor. Seeing this scene, Han Qian sighed softly in his heart—the famous general of a generation, Li Yu, had peacefully passed away at Guangde Stockade…