“My Lord, should we leave right now?”
Chen Mingsheng walked to the riverbank, urging Xinchang Marquis’s household to leave this trouble. The pressing matter was to find a way to return to Yueyang first. Otherwise, they would be like tigers fallen to flat ground, dragons trapped in shallow waters—unable to display their abilities no matter how capable they were.
At this time, Han Qian wasn’t at Yanling. Temporarily, no one would stop them. But once that bastard Han Qian returned, whether he’d change his mind was hard to say.
Xinchang Marquis Li Pu watched as Chen Mingsheng and his subordinates had only managed to find a few lame horses that Han Qian had abandoned. His heart full of bitterness, he asked, “Leave? How do we leave?”
To return to Yueyang, they either had to take the water route upstream along the Yangzi River, or go through Ningguo, crossing the mountain ranges between Xuan and She, then borrowing passage through Hongzhou and Yuanzhou, taking the land route through Hengzhou to circle back to Yueyang.
Taking the water route, for them and their escort of over a hundred people, whether finding large ships with capacity over two thousand shi or multiple medium-sized vessels, in these chaotic war times, wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, once entering the Yangzi waterway, they’d become a huge target, easily becoming the object of attacks.
Besides, though their escort still had over a hundred people following them, not one could operate rudders or manipulate sails and masts. Unless Yueyang sent ships to receive them, how could they take the water route?
Taking the land route, relying only on a few lame horses, through over two thousand li of mountains and rivers—when in the year of the donkey or month of the horse would they reach Yueyang?
Though Li Pu also worried Han Qian would turn his back on them, if they now wanted to obtain ships, or wanted to obtain enough horses, they still had to wait for Han Qian to return, or they’d have to go directly to Danyang to negotiate with Han Qian.
As Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng were caught in a dilemma, Xiao Dahu and Shi Ji led people and some horses back first to evacuate the women and children. They also brought news that using only half an hour, they had severely damaged the defenders and captured Danyang city.
Xinchang Marquis Li Pu’s heart held not a trace of excitement.
In his view, taking Danyang city by surprise while the defenders were unprepared wasn’t particularly difficult to accomplish. The key was that they had now severely wounded the Chuzhou army. How would they withstand the Chuzhou army’s mad retaliation next?
However, hearing Xiao Dahu and Shi Ji dispatch people to spread out, mobilizing the elderly, weak, women and children to withdraw to Mount Mao after their midday meal, Xinchang Marquis Li Pu was even more shocked. He shouted in his heart: Han Qian, you son of a horse, you went through so much effort to capture Danyang city, thoroughly provoking the Chuzhou army, stirring them into burning fury, yet you want to withdraw and defend Mount Mao?
If you had decided early on to lead so many elderly, weak, women and children to withdraw and defend Mount Mao, what kind of madness possessed you to insist on ambushing Danyang?
Xinchang Marquis Li Pu’s heart was in complete chaos, utterly unable to guess what Han Qian’s plan was. Chen Mingsheng, however, enviously eyed the over two hundred sturdy warhorses that Xiao Dahu and Shi Ji had brought back before noon, thinking that if their over hundred elite troops could have these two hundred-some healthy horses, returning to Yueyang by land route would be as easy as turning over one’s hand.
However, when Chen Mingsheng led his subordinates to rush over and seize horses, they were driven back by Xiao Dahu and Shi Ji’s men using beatings and blows.
Xiao Dahu and Shi Ji were both bold and reckless hot-blooded men. For the sake of their parents and relatives, they were willing to be deserters, not hesitating to flee thousands of li back to Jinling. How would they still fear Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng, whose military authority Han Qian had clearly seized?
Moreover, having captured Danyang city at dawn, the two men and their soldiers were still excited in their hearts, their blood not yet cooled. In their emotional state, they hated Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng’s incompetence even more. Though they didn’t draw up formations to fight together, under clubs and staffs, they still beat to death two of Chen Mingsheng’s guards who tried to forcibly seize warhorses.
In the end, Chen Mingsheng, seeing the situation might spiral out of control, led his subordinates back to withdraw to the residence at the wharf’s end.
Shi Ji and Xiao Dahu were the type who wouldn’t let go even when they had the advantage. Moreover, Han Qian hadn’t clearly ordered Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng’s release. They immediately arranged personnel to blockade the residence at the wharf’s end where Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng had retreated with their men.
In the first batch, Shi Ji and Xiao Dahu brought back over two hundred men to organize evacuating women and children toward Mount Mao. Fortunately, over the past three days, besides reorganizing remnant troops, Han Qian had selected two to three thousand able-bodied women to form a women’s battalion. Though the women’s battalion couldn’t be used in direct frontal charges and attacks, they could be used for ordinary order maintenance and camp guard duty, supplementing the shortage of personnel.
Otherwise, merely to guard nearly fifty thousand elderly, weak, women and children, the three thousand remnant troops wouldn’t be able to do anything else.
Though breaking through the blockade of over two hundred able-bodied women wasn’t difficult, Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng worried that if the situation spiraled out of control, it would only make their road back to Yueyang more difficult. For now, they patiently waited for Han Qian’s return.
***
***
When evening glow filled the clear sky, Han Qian crossed the Xipu River pontoon bridge. He grasped the reins, turning to gaze back at the fields behind him and Danyang city, where fires had burned all day and just been extinguished. The embers weren’t yet dead—at this moment, intermittent black smoke still rose from within the city.
“I thought Yang Yuanyan was so formidable. If he dared dispatch two thousand elite cavalry to thrust through at this time, we’d look quite bad today!” Kong Xirong’s injuries weren’t severe, but his thigh had been pierced with a hole. He could only sit honestly in a horse cart following the troops withdrawing west. At this time, seeing only a dozen cavalry scouts roaming along both banks of the Xipu River to the north, with no more Chuzhou troops pouncing over like wolves and tigers, he was somewhat disappointed.
“You got speared in the thigh and still haven’t had enough? First recover from your injury. Later there’ll be opportunities for you to charge into battle.” Han Qian laughed.
Yesterday, twenty thousand elite Shouzhou troops, under the protection of the Tower Ship Navy, crossed the river from Chuzhou in the north, stationing at Yongchun Palace at the western foothills of Mount Baohua. This increased Anning Palace’s forces east of Jinling city to over fifty thousand again.
Han Qian’s choice to launch a surprise attack on Danyang city today was mainly to borrow the momentum of Shouzhou’s troops, using speed to create chaos, making Yang Yuanyan and Wang Wenqian suspicious and not daring to act rashly.
But even so, it was still extremely perilous.
Kong Xirong only needed to charge into battle. Han Qian needed to consider more factors. Only after their main force withdrew to the west bank of the Xipu River did the suspended stone in his heart temporarily settle. But even so, they still had to withdraw to Mount Mao tonight—they couldn’t linger any longer at Yanling.
Yanling was only eighty li from Dantu, and less than sixty li from the Chuzhou army’s forward camp at Jingshan Hermitage.
No matter how slow Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan and Wang Wenqian were, by now they should know he had arrived at Jinling. Once they came to their senses, whether Chuzhou elite cavalry came from Dantu or from Jingshan Hermitage, attacking Yanling would only take half a day.
As a wharf town, though Yanling had one to two thousand households gathered in residence—a denser population than ordinary county seats, with buildings densely packed—without the protection of surrounding walls, it couldn’t withstand cavalry charges. It wasn’t a defensible location.
At this moment, Shi Ji came galloping from Yanling Wharf’s direction, reporting on the evacuation situation of women and children after they arrived at Yanling Wharf before noon.
Hearing Shi Ji mention that Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng had attempted to seize horses but were beaten back, Han Qian merely laughed dismissively, saying, “Don’t bother with them. Let them leave—you all hurry to withdraw the last batch of people to Mount Mao. At least we can sleep peacefully for a few days…”
Han Qian didn’t want to bother with Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng. He ordered the house arrest of Li Pu and others lifted. But Li Pu and Chen Mingsheng didn’t leave immediately. Instead, escorted by over a dozen people, they soon came directly to find Han Qian.
“Is Marquis Li specially rushing over to bid me farewell?” Han Qian, holding a riding whip, leaned on his horse’s back with narrowed eyes, looking at Li Pu and asking.
“Bid your mother farewell!” Chen Mingsheng cursed in his heart.
At this time, they not only had no horses, they didn’t even have provisions to sustain over a hundred people for three to five days. After today’s horse-seizing dispute, Shi Ji and Xiao Dahu had even cut off their meals.
So many of them had been blockaded in the compound all day without food, hungry until now, before Han Qian led three to four thousand remnant troops back.
Li Pu looked at the troops behind Han Qian. They showed no intention of entering Yanling Wharf, instead heading directly toward Mount Mao. It seemed what Shi Ji and Xiao Dahu said about defending Mount Mao after returning wasn’t false, but this was also what confused him most.
Since Han Qian had decided early to lead the women and children to withdraw and defend Mount Mao, why attack Danyang city? Why insist on wounding and enraging Yang Yuanyan, that evil dragon?
Wasn’t this superfluous? Had he lost his mind?
Seeing Han Qian’s lazy expression, as if returning from an excursion, Li Pu’s chest felt like it was stuffed with thorny grass, unspeakably uncomfortable. Glaring sternly at Han Qian, he demanded:
“You acted on your own initiative to attack Chuzhou’s army, destroying the alliance between our two sides. Do you know the consequences? Do you want Yueyang to simultaneously oppose both Anning Palace and Chuzhou?”
Han Qian glanced at Li Pu and asked back:
“What else then?”
Li Pu suppressed the resentment in his heart, saying, “You want to protect forty to fifty thousand elderly, weak, women and children—it’s not that there aren’t other methods to consider. Even if you lead forty to fifty thousand elderly, weak, women and children to withdraw and defend Mount Mao, there’s absolutely no need to oppose the Chuzhou army at this time. And before the Chuzhou forces decide victory against Anning Palace, they won’t do anything to you either. Today you ambushed Danyang city, captured and plundered it, yet have no intention of holding it—you’re merely venting hatred against Chuzhou, settling private grudges.”
Facing Li Pu’s accusations and doubts, Han Qian only responded with a smile.
No one would think about how tragic the siege of Jinling would be. Probably no one would understand why at this time he would tear off the mask with Chuzhou like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, right?
Even if Shen Yang and Yang Yuanpu came, Han Qian would find it difficult to explain his motive for attacking and seizing Danyang city today. Of course, he had even less desire to waste words on Li Pu. He merely said indifferently:
“Marquis Li, that’s not fair to say. Marquis Li, you’re still standing here without a hair harmed. What hatred am I venting, what revenge am I settling?”
“You…” Xinchang Marquis Li Pu hadn’t expected Han Qian would bring up the matter of his father being punished. Stiffening his neck, he said, “I’ll stay to watch how you clean up this mess!”
“If Marquis Li wants to stay, naturally Han Qian doesn’t dare obstruct. But if something like this morning’s incident happens again, don’t blame me, Han Qian, for showing no mercy in military law.” Han Qian said.
Chen Mingsheng beside him was so angry his nose went crooked. If Han Qian truly had even the slightest reverence for law and order, how could he have incited soldiers to mutiny and forcibly seized military authority?