Yao Xishui had originally believed that Marquis Xinchang Li Pu did not need to bow down to Han Qian. They possessed over four hundred of what could be called the world’s most elite warriors, more than capable of seeking their own targets, breaking into fortified estates, and capturing servants as spoils. They could then retain the able-bodied young men to expand their forces while sending the elderly, weak, women, and children to Maoshan for Han Qian to handle.

However, when they actually tried to do this, they discovered things were not as easy as they had imagined.

The Great Chu had only established its capital in Jinling seventeen years ago. Since the eighth year of Tianyou, after defeating the armies of Prince Yue Dong Chang in a decisive battle at Runzhou, the counties on both flanks of Maoshan had enjoyed nearly ten years of peace. But the preceding century had been filled with warfare and chaos, with further disturbances from bandits in Fuyu Mountain, Yishan, and other areas. The aristocratic families and clans had established themselves in this fertile land for hundreds of years—which of the fortified strongholds west of Maoshan was not built high and thick?

Without undermining them from within, but instead randomly selecting a target and directly sending cavalry to attack it, while being reluctant to suffer heavy casualties, and simultaneously worrying that Chuzhou Army’s elite cavalry could circle around in less than half a day—how could they fight?

Meanwhile, Zhao Wuji and his men temporarily lacked the strength to launch a forceful assault on the two county towns of Liyang and Pingling, where two thousand troops were garrisoned for defense. Even though Anning Palace’s military strength was declining, they would not easily relinquish control of the outer counties. But with limited forces and not daring to engage in field battles, they simply left the vast towns and villages beyond the county seats to fend for themselves.

Apart from bypassing a few particularly solid fortifications where clan retainers and household troops had strong internal cohesion, Zhao Wuji and his men carefully selected each target they chose to attack.

During the initial days, Han Qian appeared to merely keep issuing proclamations to various towns and villages without directly deploying troops. But this did not mean he was not conducting infiltration work behind the scenes—in fact, this work was the real priority.

This approach ensured that even if they could not completely undermine the fighting spirit of the fort garrisons, when combat occurred, they could immediately grasp the most precise situation and forcefully penetrate from the weakest points.

They could ensure that nearly every day, they breached a fortification with weak defenses at minimal cost.

After disarming the remaining clan soldiers and fort guards, they expelled the clan descendants.

Those servants and guards willing to join the Chishan Army were brought back to Maoshan along with grain, iron, cloth, and livestock such as mules, horses, cattle, and sheep.

Those unwilling to join the Chishan Army were not mistreated either. They were given rations, money, cloth, and other goods to help them flee Lishui and Pingling counties and seek refuge in places like Xuanzhou and Huzhou.

In barely ten days, Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, Dou Rong, and others took turns leading forces to breach over nine medium and small fortifications with relatively weak defenses in Pingling and Lishui counties.

A single spark can start a prairie fire. Some medium and small aristocratic families, seeing the unfavorable situation, abandoned resistance and fled in panic with their wealth and servants into larger fortifications or county towns. But even more servants in both counties were stirred up, rising in agitation. They seized cattle, sheep, and grain, bringing their entire families to Maoshan.

Though Zhao Wuji and his men only brought back about ten thousand shi of grain and over a thousand mules, horses, cattle, and sheep, along with over six thousand servants, the servants and destitute commoners who came to surrender on their own brought double this amount in population and resources.

Regardless of the fact that these untrained servants had little combat capability, after excluding the elderly, weak, women, and children, there remained over six thousand able-bodied men between fifteen and forty-five years old. All were enrolled in military units, and in less than ten days, the Chishan Rebel Suppression Army suddenly expanded like an inflating balloon to over ten thousand troops.

During this period, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and Li Xiu also breached two fortifications, bringing back two thousand servants and their families.

They sent the elderly, weak, women, and children to Maoshan for Han Qian to settle, while they retained five hundred able-bodied men. But in this process, they themselves lost about forty skilled fighters.

Han Qian did not expose Marquis Xinchang Li Pu’s opportunistic intentions, though Li Pu himself felt quite uncomfortable about it.

The Chishan Army’s cumulative casualties also totaled over four hundred. By troop ratio, both sides’ casualties should be roughly equal. But the problem was—what was the quality of the remnant soldiers incorporated into the Chishan Army, and what was the quality of the household guards carefully cultivated by the Prince’sMansion over many years?

In the end, having achieved only slightly better results, how could Li Pu, Li Xiu, Li Qi, and the others be satisfied?

Yet the Chishan Army could easily replenish these casualties by selecting the most capable from among the servants.

In fact, during the last two days of grain and troop recruitment operations, Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, Dou Rong, and others deliberately selected some bold and daring individuals from the newly recruited servants to take directly into actual combat, so that after these servants adapted to the bloody warfare, they could quickly mature into useful veterans.

They had lost over forty skilled fighters, all proficient in blade and bow combat, who had trained their bodies since childhood. Not to mention fighting ten opponents at once—in open terrain, one person could definitely handle three or four ordinary soldiers without problem. How could such elite combat strength be replenished in a short time?

Entering mid-May, the weather in Jinling grew increasingly hot, and all sides would want to avoid fighting in such sweltering conditions.

Otherwise, with soldiers wearing heavy military garments and armor, before they could even form battle lines and engage in combat, they would suffer heatstroke just from walking to the battle area under the scorching sun.

During these ten-odd days, Gao Shao, Zhou Chu, Zhao Qi, Guo Que, and Lin Zongjing led the second batch of over two hundred military officers from household troop backgrounds and Left Bureau backgrounds, departing from Xuzhou to arrive at Maoshan and join Han Qian.

Additionally, one hundred forty to fifty Dragon Sparrow Army veterans who had fled from Shaozhou, Tanzhou, Yueyang, and elsewhere to seek refuge for their families also gradually arrived at Maoshan and accepted Han Qian’s conscription to return to military service.

The Chishan Army rapidly expanded to three commands totaling over ten thousand men. Although veteran soldiers still numbered only around three thousand, squad leaders and battalion commanders—mid-level officers serving as the core force—were finally sufficient.

This basically ensured that the battalion-level units of six to eight hundred men that Han Qian wanted to establish could initially build independent command systems.

Among the three command forces, the First Command, with Lin Haizheng as Commander and Vice Commander, remained the absolute main force. With Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, and Dou Rong as battalion commanders, and with over a hundred additional officers to strengthen the cohesion and command of patrol units of sixty to eighty men.

The Second and Third Commands, built on the framework of two hundred eastward-marching officers and twelve hundred veterans transferred from the First Command, incorporated nearly five thousand enlisted servants. Currently they could only serve as second-line reserve forces, unable to serve as combat main forces.

The Second Command had Gao Shao and Zhao Qi as Commander and Vice Commander, while the Third Command had the surrendered general Zhou Chu as Vice Commander along with Meng Man, a deputy battalion commander who had fled from Yueyang, as Deputy Vice Commander.

Young officers from household troop backgrounds and Left Bureau backgrounds like Lin Zongjing, as well as Xiao Dahu, Shi Ji, and others, filled positions as squad leaders and battalion commanders in the Second and Third Commands.

Kong Xirong and Wei Chang relinquished their responsibilities for leading the women’s battalion and youth battalion, replacing Shi Ji and Xiao Dahu to return behind Han Qian, taking charge of commanding the personal guard battalion. Guo Que and others also joined Han Qian’s side, along with Yuan Guowei, Guo Nu’er, and others, responsible for handling the increasingly complex scout reconnaissance and military staff work with increasingly strict requirements.

……

……

One afternoon in mid-May, Wang Wenqian, under the escort of a detachment of troops, ascended a low mountain called White Fox Ridge on the southeastern flank of Maoshan.

White Fox Ridge was a branch extending northwest toward Liyang from Boundary Ridge Mountain to the southeast.

The hill was only a few zhang high, stretching for about a li, but it was a key point for monitoring the southern foothills of Maoshan from northwest of Liyang city.

Wang Wenqian, accompanied by Zhao Zhen and Yin Peng, climbed to the summit of White Fox Ridge and stood in the dense mountain forest gazing westward.

About seven or eight li away, they could vaguely see that the Chishan Rebel Suppression Army had over a thousand troops occupying a village on the southeastern flank of Canglong Ridge where Great Mao Peak was located. They were burying felled trees in the ground to create palisade walls, enclosing a village of several dozen households, apparently intending to transform this village into a strongpoint controlling the southeastern foothills of Maoshan and expand the Chishan Army’s operational space in the southern foothills.

The Chishan Army had clearly noticed the presence of this detachment. In the more distant southeastern foothills of Maoshan, two forces could dimly be seen emerging from the forest, stopping at the forest edge on standby.

“Yesterday the Chishan Army split off four thousand troops to exit the southern foothills of Maoshan and enter the northern foothills of Donglu Mountain, where they have now cut off Shang Family Fort’s contact with the outside. At the earliest, they may launch a forceful assault on Shang Family Fort by noon tomorrow,” Yin Peng informed Wang Wenqian, who had come on behalf of Prince Xin to survey the military situation, describing the current situation in the southern foothills of Maoshan.

“The aristocratic families taking refuge in Jinling city must all be in an uproar now. I wonder if they will watch helplessly as Han Qian forcefully attacks Shang Family Fort?” Wang Wenqian frowned, staring at the faintly visible green mountains to the south-southwest, saying with considerable concern, “Han Qian’s conscription of servants into the army and his widespread agitation in Lishui and Pingling counties—with fugitive servants and runaway households coming from as far as the north bank of the Yangtze River—has already infuriated the aristocratic families hiding in Jinling city. However, if he truly launches a forceful assault on Shang Family Fort tomorrow, I believe that apart from the Shang clan, families like the Yuan, Xiao, Liu, and Xu will share a common enemy and be utterly enraged. But the likelihood of Anning Palace sending troops is not high—we cannot count on Anning Palace to send forces to check the momentum of the Chishan Army…”

Wang Wenqian’s brow was locked with worry. He had thought that having His Highness deploy Zhao Zhen with five or six thousand troops to garrison Liyang and Jintan, blocking the Chishan Army’s operational space toward the eastern flank of Maoshan, would allow the battle situation to develop according to their expectations. But who could have imagined Han Qian would pull this move?

Initially, when the Chuzhou Army officers learned that Han Qian wanted to recruit servants into the army, most thought to watch him seek his own destruction with amusement. But seeing how easily the servants in Pingling and Lishui counties were stirred up, with twenty or thirty thousand people gathering at Maoshan in just ten-odd days, and without Han Qian hitting any real obstacles, they were greatly surprised.

The Chishan Rebel Suppression Army suddenly expanded to over ten thousand troops in just over ten days—who could not find this troublesome?

And in this process, over thirty fortifications belonging to aristocratic families in the two counties who had gathered in strongholds for self-protection and attempted to resist Han Qian had been easily breached by him, allowing the Chishan Army to obtain large quantities of supplies. To date, there had been no sign whatsoever of grain shortages.

Although everyone said that Han Qian’s recruitment of servants into the army, hastily expanding the Chishan Army to over ten thousand troops, could only be considered a rabble, and that at this time in Jinling it was impossible for Han Qian to conjure up enough armor and weapons to equip so many troops—yet Han Qian was determined to gnaw down Shang Family Fort regardless of casualties. What could the Chuzhou Army and Anning Palace do about it?

Currently, the Chuzhou Army, Southern Court Imperial Guards, and Shouzhou Army were locked in tight confrontation on both banks of Chishan Lake, unable to spare more forces for the southern front to deal a heavy blow to this rabble.

Though the aristocratic families within Jinling city were all utterly enraged, Wang Wenqian believed that Anning Palace likewise would not dare to easily deploy elite forces of over ten thousand from the Southern Court Imperial Guards or Shouzhou Army southward.

Han Qian was actually exploiting the mutual suspicion between the Chuzhou Army and Anning Palace to maneuver.

But the problem was that the Chishan Army had now increased to over ten thousand men and showed no signs of stopping there.

Under the surveillance of Chuzhou cavalry, the Chishan Army temporarily dared not operate too far from Maoshan. But the momentum of recruiting servants into the army had already burned like a prairie fire. Among the servants in counties like Wuhu and Dangtu, those who were bold needed no coercion—with just a little agitation, hundreds and thousands would flee to Maoshan with their families every day.

If Han Qian forcefully took Shang Family Fort, apart from his momentum growing even stronger and obtaining the grain and supplies the Shang clan had stockpiled, Wang Wenqian was more worried that after the Chishan Army controlled Donglu Mountain south of Maoshan, they would extend their operational range into northern Xuanzhou.

This was what Han Qian was considering, wasn’t it?

From Maoshan southward to Jilongshan in northern Xuanzhou was a gap of about a hundred li in all directions. But this gap area was actually a southern extension of Maoshan’s terrain, containing a series of hills like Donglu Mountain, Yin Mountain, and Fu Mountain—not high but quite treacherous.

Wang Wenqian found it hard to imagine how passive the Chuzhou Army’s situation on the southern bank of the Yangtze would become if Han Qian captured Shang Family Fort.

However, was it realistic now to deploy an additional ten thousand elite troops from the northern front to deal with the cunning Han Qian and the Chishan Army on the southern front? Or should they also learn from Han Qian and conscript servants from counties like Runyang into the army to supplement their insufficient forces?

“The families in Lishui have been deeply disturbed by Han Qian and have all realized that defending separate fortifications will inevitably lead to being defeated one by one by Han Qian. Currently, about two thousand aristocratic family defense troops have gathered at Shang Family Fort, with quite strong combat capability. The families have also promised heavy rewards to household troops and retainers brave in battle, which should prove effective. If we also divide our forces to harass from the eastern flank, and Han Qian truly dares to lead ten thousand rabble to gnaw at Shang Family Fort, we will make him pay a heart-wrenching price!” However, Zhao Zhen was not as worried as Wang Wenqian, not believing that the situation facing the Chishan Army would continue smoothly.

In his view, the key at this time was that after coordinating with Shang Family Fort’s clan defense troops, they should temporarily set aside the dispute over whether they were enemies or friends and first concentrate on working together to shatter Han Qian’s delusion of forcefully capturing Shang Family Fort.

On the west side of Liyang and Jintan counties, they still had three thousand elite cavalry that could mobilize for combat. Attacking Maoshan was impossible, but harassing from the flanks to prevent the Chishan Army from fully concentrating on attacking Shang Family Fort, while letting Shang Family Fort’s defenders know that reinforcements existed outside, would strengthen their determination to defend. Zhao Zhen believed this time they could make Han Qian and the Chishan Army suffer a setback.

Zhao Zhen did not consider Han Qian negligible, but the problem was—ten thousand rabble, of whom sixty to seventy percent had been docile servants just ten days or half a month ago, who still lacked armor and weapons—could such an army really be that formidable?

Under these circumstances, if they did not dare to strike the flanks, should they in future stop fighting altogether and meekly flee whenever they saw Han Qian’s banner raised?

Wang Wenqian looked at the terrain of the southern foothills of Maoshan, but found it difficult to relax his brow, saying, “Donglu Mountain is relatively small, but geographically it should be considered a southern extension of the southern foothills of Maoshan—all intermittent hills, not high in elevation but quite treacherous. Such terrain would considerably limit cavalry charges, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s correct. Since Han Qian is determined to attack Shang Family Fort, he must have considered our harassment. But on a narrow path, the brave prevail. And I see that Shang Family Fort’s defense troops are quite determined. We only need to make their resolve even firmer. Could Han Qian really leisurely construct siege weapons around Shang Family Fort before attacking the fortress?” Zhao Zhen said. He was already unusually steady and measured, but he also felt Wang Wenqian was too fearful of Han Qian as an opponent.

“If General Zhao has confidence, I will not interject further.” Wang Wenqian knew that if he spoke too much, Zhao Zhen would not appreciate it. Since Han Qian had already made up his mind to attack Shang Family Fort and they could not stand by and watch, they could only let Zhao Zhen act freely.

……

……

When Wang Wenqian, Zhao Zhen, and Yin Peng climbed White Fox Ridge, Han Qian, along with Li Pu, Zhang Ping, Yuan Guowei, and others, were on Black Bull Ridge in the opposite southern foothills of Maoshan. They too noticed that a Chuzhou cavalry force had entered White Fox Ridge.

It should be high-ranking Chuzhou generals ascending White Fox Ridge to observe their movements in the southern foothills of Maoshan.

“Attacking Shang Family Fort at this time—is the timing not premature?” Li Pu had by now been formally appointed by Yueyang to remain in Jinling as Pacification and Liaison Envoy. Though he could not wrest military authority back from Han Qian, and because the surrounding aristocratic clans had all formed deadly feuds with them, making the liaison position merely an empty title, he was nominally on equal footing with Han Qian.

Since he was staying, Li Pu’s feelings toward Han Qian were more complicated than before.

He wholeheartedly did not want to see Han Qian succeed brilliantly, but if Han Qian truly suffered a crushing defeat, he would not benefit in the slightest either.

Therefore, at this time, he did not advocate for the Chishan Army to commit its full strength and risk forcefully attacking Shang Family Fort.

Shang Family Fort had two thousand defense troops. If the Chuzhou Army were not watching from one side, the Chishan Army could surround it with four to five times the forces, then construct siege weapons to breach the fort walls that were over two zhang high and covered with ramparts. At most it would take more time, but they should have considerable confidence in gnawing it down through force.

The current situation was that the Chuzhou Army had six or seven thousand troops on the southern front, with three thousand elite cavalry gathering toward White Fox Ridge opposite them. The Chishan Army simply could not leisurely conduct a siege of Shang Family Fort.

The forces attacking Shang Family Fort would have their flanks and rear actually exposed to the Chuzhou Army cavalry’s blade edge.

From Black Bull Ridge to Donglu Mountain was a gap of seven or eight li. They had merely hastily constructed a fortified camp at Sanliu Market to the east, with no way to protect their flanks. Did they expect to use infantry to form battle lines on relatively open slopes to protect the main force’s flanks?

The problem was that Han Qian had only three thousand troops that could be called elite. If these three thousand were deployed on the flanks to guard against the Chuzhou Army’s elite cavalry, then the six or seven thousand rabble—who after barely ten days of crude training might not even be able to form proper battle lines—could they forcefully capture Shang Family Fort with its high walls, deep moats, and two thousand elite defenders in a short time?

Furthermore, over seventy thousand elderly, weak, women, and children had gathered in Maoshan. Did they need to divide forces to protect them?

Li Pu looked at the battalion of soldiers assembled below Black Bull Ridge, two-thirds of whom were newly enlisted servants. Without surplus armor to issue them, the vast majority were bare-chested in the scorching summer, wearing straw sandals, holding four or five meter long bamboo poles with unstripped tips as weapons. Could such an army deployed on the flanks withstand harassment launched by the Chuzhou Army’s elite cavalry from the flanks?

Li Pu was full of doubt.

Li Xiu and Li Qi had learned military command and administration from Li Yu since childhood. Throughout history, many hastily raised forces had made do with bamboo spears and wooden pikes, all difficult to rely on. They truly could not understand why Han Qian would hastily attack Shang Family Fort.

Li Xiu even wanted to go to Leiping Peak to ask his father to come out and persuade Han Qian not to act so recklessly.

“On a narrow path, the brave prevail. What is the current precarious situation of the Chishan Army? Retreating half a step means a ten-thousand-zhang abyss. Does the Marquis think we have the opportunity to make thorough preparations before attacking Shang Family Fort?” Han Qian glanced at Li Pu, saying calmly, “But please, Marquis, and General Li, lead your forces to blockade the connection between Shang Family Fort and Lishui city. Whether this battle succeeds or fails, you will have done your utmost…”

“If Anning Palace does not send troops, we will guard the western flank and prevent Lishui city from sending reinforcements to Shang Family Fort.” Currently Lishui city had only about two thousand miscellaneous troops, of which only one battalion of Southern Court Imperial Guards could be called elite. Even if they emerged from the city in full force, Li Pu believed that with five hundred infantry and four hundred cavalry of what could be called the world’s most elite combat strength under his command, they had complete confidence in routing and annihilating them in field battle. But if Anning Palace deployed more elite cavalry from the Northern Court Imperial Guards or Shouzhou, they would not stay to risk their lives with Han Qian.

He stated the ugly truth upfront, not wanting to be seized upon by Han Qian and have responsibility shifted onto him later.

“Good. Marquis Li and General Li, you just need to keep watch on that force in Lishui city!” Han Qian readily agreed.