Seeing that the vanguard troops had already established their position at the ravine east of Langxi City, and that the defenders were too timid to come out and fight, Zhou Chu, Zhao Qi, and the others, all surrounded by escorts, separately rushed to their respective supervised battalions, urging the main forces of the Third Corps to advance toward the ravine, then split forces toward Yanzi Wharf to the south and Changshan Gully to the north, preparing to assault Langxi City from three sides.
Zhang Ping, Feng Yi, Kong Xirong, Wei Chang, and the five-hundred-man Guard Battalion still remained behind Han Qian.
And in the crude defensive stockade at Mount Tingzi, there was also Xiao Dahu serving as Battalion Commander leading over a thousand infantry in armor as the final reserve force.
These were all the troops for attacking Langxi City. Even if some elite forces from the Second Corps were subsequently transferred from the eastern line, they would only be dispersed to the periphery, used to intercept Xuancheng reinforcements and the advance of the Chuzhou Army.
In this battle, not only did they need to capture Langxi City at the fastest speed possible, but before achieving this, they also had to resolutely block the Chuzhou Army’s Zhao Zhen forces stationed at Liyang as well as the seven or eight thousand reinforcements Gu Zhilong could mobilize in Xuancheng.
Hearing Han Qian’s words of “though millions oppose me, I shall go forth,” Zhang Ping sighed quietly in his heart. Marquis Xinchang Li Pu appeared mediocre but also had no obvious deficiencies. When it came to commanding troops, governing armies, and political calculations, he had a certain level of competence. But ultimately, he still lacked a kind of spirit that could radiate from the bones.
Kong Xirong and Wei Chang now also led the Guard Battalion forward to the mountain slope below, so that if needed they could enter the front lines at the first moment.
In this battle, Han Qian had staked all his own and the Chishan Army’s fate and future. Han Qian remained calm and composed, but Zhang Ping had no way to keep his spirit calm. He pulled Feng Yi to rush to the front lines to more carefully observe the enemy army’s reactions on the city walls.
In the end, only Xi Ren remained with over ten Xi clan youths, accompanying Han Qian standing on the mountain ridge, waiting for the most intense combat to unfold under the blazing sun of early autumn…
……
……
The Fu clan had an estate in Baoshi Mountain southeast of Xuancheng.
The warfare hadn’t yet extended to Xuancheng’s periphery. The Fu clan’s estate in Baoshi Mountain still had crowds of slaves and servants with singing and dancing in peace.
On the southern foothills of Baoshi Mountain was a large expanse of flat, fertile fields and properties – originally a clan property of the Han family in Xuancheng, occupying about a hundred-plus qing, normally with over three hundred slaves and servants responsible for cultivation.
At the beginning of planning the Vassal Reduction Campaign, when Han Qian led troops to “flee” the capital, Han Daoming and Han Daochang, not knowing the inside story, fearfully brought their nephews to the capital to confess their crimes.
At that time, performing the complete act, Emperor Tianyou ordered the Han family to disperse their fields, properties, and slaves in Xuan, She, and other provinces, and move all clan members into Jinling as hostages.
This expanse of fields and over three hundred slaves and servants on the southern foothills of Baoshi Mountain was transferred at that time to the Fu family at quite a low price. Including fields totaling over fifteen hundred qing, over three thousand buildings, and over three thousand slaves and servants that the Han family had painstakingly managed over three generations in Ningguo, Jing County, Xin, She Province, and other places, plus dozens of shops they operated and two copper mines that were all sold off – in total they only exchanged for財goods worth over three hundred thousand strings of cash to take to the capital.
After the Vassal Reduction Campaign officially began, besides having the Feng family’s precedent as a warning, at that time Han Daoxun and Han Qian’s imperial commission to manage Xuzhou also became publicly known. The Han family could only stake everything on Third Prince Yang Yuanpu, taking out large amounts of財goods to help Yang Yuanpu procure grain, weapons, armor, and other supplies in Ezhou.
Before the Han family could redeem from the Fu clan and others the fields and properties they had sold cheaply, the Jinling Incident erupted.
Han Jun stood in a pavilion within the Fu clan’s estate, thinking that after Grandfather and Second Uncle met with Gu Zhilong, they should also privately discuss with the Fu family people about redeeming the fields, properties, and slaves.
It was already August now. The estate was built halfway up the mountain where the weather was cooler. Seeing from afar a cavalry column turn from behind a cliff onto the stone path up the mountain, Han Jun lifted his robe hem and, with his attending servant boy, walked toward the guest courtyard.
Seeing that the master here, Fu Mo, was accompanying Grandfather and Second Uncle in conversation in the guest courtyard’s great hall, he stepped forward, bowed, and said:
“There’s a cavalry column coming up the mountain. It should be Gu Zhilong arriving – should we go out to greet Director Gu?”
“Young Master Han, please remain calm for the moment. Let this old man go greet the Governor and bring him to meet with Old Master Han,” said Fu Mo, over sixty years old with completely white temples. No matter what, before Gu Zhilong truly decided to submit to Yueyang, news of Han Wenhuan and Han Daochang being in Xuancheng could not be leaked.
The Fu family still wanted to seek shelter under Gu Zhilong in Xuanzhou territory. How could they possibly let the Han family people play such petty tricks?
“Jun’er, remain calm. We’ll just wait here,” Han Daochang said.
Fu Mo left to greet Gu Zhilong, specifically instructing his eldest son to bring several trusted household soldiers to guard the courtyard.
“Gu Zhilong returned to Xuancheng and came straight to Baoshi Mountain – this shows his thoughts are even more urgent than ours. This matter truly has promise!” Although Han Jun was constrained to the guest courtyard and couldn’t move about freely, his mood was still extremely excited. He thought that if Gu Zhilong led Xuanzhou troops to submit to Yueyang, besides quickly opening the connecting passage to Hengzhou, they would also possess sixty thousand troops south of Jinling.
At that time, if Third Prince Yang Yuanpu could gather another hundred thousand water and land forces at Yueyang and advance east along the river, as long as they could successfully conquer Jiang, Chi, Shu, Chao and other provinces, wouldn’t Great Chu’s realm be settled in a matter of days?
At that time, even if that scoundrel Han Qian was excluded, wouldn’t the power the Han family held in Great Chu be at its zenith, scorching hot?
“Clatter clatter” – hearing the sound of clustered armor, Han Jun thought Gu Zhilong was walking quickly surrounded by escorts. But the clamor was excessively noisy. Not knowing what was happening, he poked his head out to look through the half-open door. He saw a mass of black-armored soldiers wielding sabers, swords, and spears charging into the courtyard like wolves and tigers, rushing straight toward the corridor.
Han Jun was startled. Not knowing what was happening, he heard a “boom” – the first several fierce soldiers who rushed onto the corridor kicked open the half-shut door and burst in wielding swords with murderous aura.
“What are you doing?”
Han Jun instinctively reached for the saber at his waist. His hand grasped empty air before he remembered that in preparation for meeting Gu Zhilong, he had placed his sword and armor in the bedroom early this morning.
Before he could react further, a fierce-looking officer with a knife scar running across his face kicked toward his chest, drew his saber and placed it against Han Jun’s neck, then glared at Han Wenhuan sitting in the front of the hall and demanded, “Are you that old dog Han Wenhuan?”
“Who are you people?” Han Wenhuan tremblingly gripped his chair, still relatively composed as he stared at the newcomers and shouted, “Where is Director Fu?”
“Director Fu? That old dog Fu Mo?” Another military officer-looking martial official walked in with a cold laugh. Seeing Han Daochang trying to shield himself in front of Han Wenhuan, he punched out, striking Han Daochang with such force that he staggered backward and toppled over, “crash” knocking over two pear-wood chairs.
Han Jun looked toward the door and saw Fu Mo being pushed in tightly gripped by several strong men.
Han Jun had absolutely no idea what was happening. His thoughts raced extremely fast. Seeing the courtyard completely packed with over a hundred people, he thought that near Xuancheng, Gu Zhilong couldn’t possibly allow so many cavalry to quietly infiltrate and kidnap them. Could it be that Gu Zhilong wanted to show them his authority?
Thinking this, ignoring the pain in his chest, he sternly demanded, “We are honored guests invited by Gu Zhilong. Who are you people?”
“Honored your mother’s balls!” The fierce officer with the knife scar reversed his blade and viciously struck Han Jun’s forehead with the blade’s spine. Ignoring Han Jun’s screams, he ordered his subordinates to bind Han Wenhuan, Han Daochang, Han Jun, and Fu Mo father and son tightly and drag them outside the courtyard.
Struggling, Han Jun could finally see there were over a hundred more troops outside the guest courtyard.
How could the Fu family’s household soldiers and servants in the estate just watch as their family head and eldest young master were barbarically kidnapped by this large group of troops? At this time, dozens of able-bodied men from the estate, wielding crude spears and pitchforks, surrounded them from all sides.
In comparison, the several guards Han Wenhuan and Han Daochang had brought with them, seeing the old master, second master, and eldest young master being controlled, didn’t dare rashly charge over.
“Hah!” Those fierce soldiers had absolutely no intention of entangling with the Fu clan’s household soldiers. First forming a shield and blade formation, they killed their way out, dispersing the estate workers. Then two small cavalry squads, taking advantage of the cleared space, drove their horses back and forth in the valley before the courtyard, charging and slashing. With blades rising and falling, sword light and blade shadows instantly cut down over ten estate workers. Blood splattered everywhere, frightening the others away. Then the nearly two hundred cavalry directly galloped from the small path before the mountain valley toward outside the estate.
Han Jun initially thought these were major bandits from deep in Mount Fuyu or Mount Yi disguised as Xuanzhou troops raiding the estate to kidnap them. But bound to the horses’ backs with their soft bellies pressed against the bony horse spines, jostled until their internal organs felt about to spill out, they saw this cavalry column didn’t take them to flee into the mountains but directly galloped toward Xuancheng north of Baoshi Mountain.
Han Wenhuan was after all over seventy years old. After going through such torment, when brought to the Governor’s office, he was visibly exhaling more than inhaling. Finally, he was dragged into the great hall by two military men.
Han Daochang and Han Jun were slightly better off. Raising their heads, they saw Gu Zhilong sitting behind the long desk with blood-red eyes, his tiger eyes looking as if he wanted to devour them alive.
“Director Gu, what is the meaning of this? Could it be you want to take our heads to seek merit from Anning Palace?” Han Daochang didn’t know what had actually happened but was certain their situation was very bad. His face pale, forcing himself to remain calm, he demanded.
“Asking me what I mean?” Gu Zhilong in early years had quite a reputation for his gloomy temperament. After abandoning martial pursuits for civil service and coming to serve as Xuanzhou Governor, he had cultivated literary refinement and self-cultivation even more. At this moment, his hair and beard stood on end. He grabbed the tea cup before his desk and viciously smashed it onto the stone floor before Han Daochang, seeming to smoke from all seven orifices as he roared, “You arranged to meet me privately. I had barely led people away from Langxi City when the Chishan Army surrounded Langxi City so tightly not even water could leak through. What is YOUR meaning?”
Hearing Gu Zhilong speak thus, Han Daochang’s vision went black and he nearly fainted. He should have guessed long ago that beast harbored resentment in his heart over their refusing to save Third Brother.