On October seventh, over two thousand Chuzhou Army vanguard troops first crossed Fanchuan River, establishing a security perimeter. They drove able-bodied civilians to fell timber, construct palisade walls, and widen passages westward through dense forest and swamps.

Li Qi and Cao Ba’s troops remained calm in their camps west of Fanchuan River for two days. On the third day, the morning of October ninth, cold white mist rolled above the forest and swamps. Left and right seemed like fairyland as squad after squad of Liang soldiers filed out from the camps like packs of silent, vicious beasts waiting to feast on enemy blood, advancing along crude earthen paths through dense forest toward Fanchuan River.

Before today, everyone had assumed the Liang army, at an absolute numerical disadvantage, would use the dense forest and swamps on Fanchuan River’s eastern bank for defense. No one expected the Liang army would actively attack.

The Chuzhou Army’s vanguard camp established on the western bank’s river flats quickly noticed the Liang army’s movements. Horn calls blared urgently.

Squad after squad of soldiers donned armor, gripped bright swords, spears, bows, and shields. Some mounted palisade walls, others emerged from camps to form battle arrays before the walls, behind obstacles like chevaux de frise and caltrops, using shields and spears to construct what seemed an impregnable defensive line.

The vanguard camp was built on the river flats, its back against the calm, cold water.

The river flat between stream and forest was very narrow. Large patches of reeds had been burned clear in advance.

After entering winter, Fanchuan River had contracted quite shallow and narrow, leaving winding river flats on both sides—at the narrowest only twenty to thirty paces, at widest less than three to four hundred paces deep.

The Chuzhou Army’s vanguard camp was built on relatively open river flats, but its front edge pressed tightly against the dense forest west of the flats.

Not expecting the Liang army to counterattack immediately, the vanguard camp’s single-layer palisade walls were quite flimsy.

However, as the first troops advancing to Fanchuan River’s western bank, they were naturally elite among Chuzhou Army elite. Facing several Liang army squads counterattacking, they showed no panic.

The vanguard forces included infantry and cavalry. Infantry formed arrays inside and outside the palisade walls, while several cavalry squads rapidly rode out from the crude camp to assemble on both flanks.

Unfortunately, the river flats on Fanchuan River’s western bank remained too narrow. Some areas appeared open but were everywhere soft, muddy swamps where one couldn’t stand.

The previous two days they’d driven over a thousand civilians westward to fell trees, but in such short time, how much space could be cleared before the river flats?

This made the Chuzhou Army vanguard troops’ battle formations on one hand extremely crowded—one hundred or even three to four hundred men squeezed onto a small patch of high ground. On the other hand, high ground suitable for formations within the river flats was relatively scattered, connected only by thin passages, and located at the edge zone where river flats met dense forest, easily cut off.

Of course, Chuzhou Army vanguard commanders felt little worry. In their view, the narrow, chaotically complex terrain on the western bank posed even greater restrictions on the Liang army’s counterattack.

They had already blocked several narrow forest paths with palisade walls at the narrow passages. Even if the Liang army could disperse and emerge from the complex terrain of dense forest, what offensive power could they have?

Chuzhou Army vanguard commanders even concluded the Liang army’s attack was merely thunder with little rain—a feint. They placed defensive focus mainly on exits of several forest paths, believing that blocking these gaps would quickly silence the Liang army’s counterattack.

Cao Ba and Li Qi each drove their elite troops to attack, but in fact had the two battalions of elite troops departing first use small squads as combat units, dispersing through the dense forest before assembling again in suitable open areas before the enemy vanguard camp.

Great Liang forces’ greatest strength lay in being split into squads of twenty to thirty men while still possessing independent combat and maneuver capability. Their adaptability to forest warfare far exceeded what Chuzhou Army soldiers imagined.

Swamps and shallow streams amid dense forest, though obstacles, remained easier to traverse than dense forest in rugged mountain terrain.

Otherwise, the seven to eight li belt of dense forest and swamps from the vanguard camp to Fanchuan River’s western bank river flats would become an impassable natural barrier.

By midday, dozens of small Liang army squads bypassed heavy blockades at several passages, emerging from dense forest to engage the enemy with bows and crossbows.

Chuzhou Army vanguard commanders hastily adjusted deployments and troop movements, hoping to divide and annihilate the dispersed Liang forces infiltrating in.

For small Liang army squads, when they could concentrate they did. When they couldn’t, they conducted guerrilla warfare with the Chuzhou Army at the edge zone between dense forest and river flats, restraining as much Chuzhou Army vanguard strength as possible to enable follow-up reinforcements to continuously pour toward the river flats. They wouldn’t rashly take small forces into bloody battle against enemies several or even ten times their number.

The Chuzhou Army vanguard forces could perhaps be called elite—armor and equipment, troop training, combat experience, morale, and will might not be weak. Compared to the Liang army, each aspect might only be slightly inferior, but when every aspect was slightly inferior, adding all aspects together, the gap was far from trivial.

More critically, the Chuzhou Army vanguard forces entering Fanchuan River’s western bank were far from anticipating the Liang army’s counterattack would come so early and so decisively. Their preparations were extremely inadequate.

First, affected by the river flats’ complex terrain, after the relatively easily traversed edge area near dense forest was infiltrated on large scale by the Liang army and cut off, Chuzhou forces assembled on dry high ground deep in the river flats discovered they hadn’t promptly constructed passages connecting various battle formation high grounds in the river flats’ depths. They were even divided by flooded lowlands and river bend terrain, unable to rapidly maneuver and assemble.

On the other hand, Chuzhou Army vanguard forces at this time still hadn’t promptly transported bed crossbows and other war machines from the eastern bank.

They had originally thought they would only need these war machines when their troops advanced before the Liang army’s defensive military forts and stockades.

As more and more Liang troops emerged from deep in the dense forest, gathering into groups of one hundred or even two to three hundred, formations becoming tight, attack edges becoming sharp, they attempted to leave the forest edge area to attack toward the river flat depths where enemy forces formed arrays.

The Chuzhou Army soon couldn’t withstand the heavy casualties of dispersed combat, abandoning outer high ground to wade toward their narrow camp.

After the Chuzhou Army contracted back to their camp, they still hoped to regroup before attacking out again. But as more and more Liang forces emerged from the dense forest, they quickly discovered they were suppressed inside the camp, already lacking capability to break out.

After several forest paths were cleared, dozens of spring-powered bed crossbows were dragged along muddy paths to the edge zone between river flats and dense forest.

Iron-headed crossbow bolts like short spears easily pierced through the flimsy palisade walls.

The vanguard camp divided into three palisade camps on left, center, and right, stretching over seven hundred paces north-south along Fanchuan River, but only two hundred paces deep east-west. With scorpion crossbows dragged before the palisade walls, fire oil canisters could reach any corner of the camp.

At this point, the Chuzhou Army forces that had entered the western bank could no longer hold out, hastily withdrawing across two simple pontoon bridges to the eastern bank.

The Chuzhou Army camp on Fanchuan River’s eastern bank was more expansive—after all, from early September, the Chuzhou Army had ignored the Liang army’s repeated protests and entered the eastern bank buffer zone early for war preparations. After a month of construction, the camp was also much more solid, with double-layer palisade walls filled with earth between, topped with another layer of logs to facilitate soldiers standing on the walls for defensive combat. The troops were also more numerous—a full five thousand men.

Although more Chuzhou forces were on the eastern bank, the western bank camp was too narrow and crude. With soldiers suppressed in the camp unable to break out, even with two pontoon bridges connecting both banks, however many troops on the eastern bank couldn’t reinforce the western side.

Not wanting the narrow western bank vanguard camp to become a slaughter ground grinding down Chuzhou Army soldiers, they could only withdraw everyone first.

Chuzhou Army vanguard commanders at this time still didn’t feel the early setback was any great matter. They still hoped to use the camp built along the river on the eastern bank to turn the tide.

At dusk, Cao Ba personally arrived at the river flat camp. Besides corpses everywhere, the camp fires had just been extinguished, the surroundings still giving off a scorched smell.

Two pontoon bridges still spanned Fanchuan River’s gurgling gentle current. The enemy commanders hadn’t proactively destroyed these two pontoon bridges, merely piling large quantities of shield carts and chevaux de frise on the other side of the bridges, preventing direct assault across the bridges from this side.

The enemy commanders obviously still hoped to use these two pontoon bridges to attack the eastern bank again.

“Burn the pontoon bridges!” Cao Ba ordered.

“The soldiers rest one night—tomorrow we can use these two bridges to cross the river. How can we burn them?” The commander who led today’s attack on the river flat enemy vanguard camp became frantic, clamoring at Cao Ba.

The western bank enemy camp was built almost against the water. Trying to reconstruct pontoon bridges from the western bank to the eastern bank before the enemy camp would be extremely difficult. Who would willingly burn down two ready-made pontoon bridges?

“Wait until tomorrow to cross? Burning the pontoon bridges is what will truly make enemy vigilance slacken. Zhou Bao and Dong Jiang’s two squads will disperse and swim across Fanchuan River tonight, then pass through that forest northeast of the opposite bank to cut off the retreat route of these enemy forces on the eastern bank from behind. Over the next three days, we must devour these enemy forces on the eastern bank—let Chu’s rulers and ministers first taste the consequences of tearing up the peace treaty!”

War is forever a comprehensive contest and trial of both sides’ aggregate strength.

Troop training, morale, and combat experience are certainly extremely important, but they’re merely one aspect. Superior, comprehensive equipment, adequate and effective logistics supply, and rapid bridge construction capability are all key factors determining campaign direction that cannot be ignored.

Tightly sealed waterproof combat boots were crucial protection for crossing flooded dense forests in cold seasons.

Although the Jianghuai region hadn’t yet reached deep winter, when frost formed late at night, gentle streams and rivers near shore also began forming thin ice. At such times, having icy cold water fill shoes and socks, legs numbed by bone-piercing cold—definitely not a pleasant experience.

Although the Chuzhou Army had blocked Fanchuan River’s northern mouth entering Hongze Lake, preventing naval large and medium warships from supporting inside, the navy’s rafts and shuttle-shaped light warships could even navigate waters merely a foot deep.

These shallow waters were small streams and remnant channels amid dense forest that the Chuzhou Army didn’t value, where even fishing boats couldn’t smoothly pass. These rafts and shuttle-shaped warships could simultaneously rapidly connect to form pontoon bridges hundreds of paces or even dozens of li long.

The Chuzhou Army felt nothing, because they had never been the focus of Liang army defense and attack. Forces deployed on the southern front weren’t Great Liang’s most elite combat power either.

However, since Han Qian ordered formation of specialized bridge engineering troops to overcome difficulties of troops crossing flood zones on both Ying River banks to conduct raids deep into Eastern Liang territory, the Liang army had accumulated extensive combat experience in these areas and built batches of specialized war machines.

If necessary, they could even lay two or three floating plank passages spanning Fanchuan River and passing through dense forest and swamp zones on both banks in short time.

When the Liang army proactively burned the pontoon bridges, the Chuzhou Army on the western bank naturally concluded the Liang army felt timid, assuming the Liang army feared their powerful forces. The Liang army, currently at absolute numerical disadvantage, had as its main combat intent holding the Fanchuan River line.

Winding channels, dense forests, and swamps also became excellent cover. The Chuzhou Army on the western bank completely failed to notice that merely twenty-some li north of them, a Liang army force marched by torchlight at night, crossing Fanchuan River.

The next morning, after two thousand Liang troops crossed Fanchuan River and passed through dense forest, circling behind the western bank Chuzhou forces, their vanguard commanders finally realized the Liang army’s determination to annihilate them on Fanchuan River’s western bank!

The Chuzhou Army still had nearly ten thousand infantry garrisoned in Dongyang County seat. Immediately discovering the passage between Dongyang and Fanchuan River was cut, they rapidly dispatched large forces, hoping to attack front and rear with Fanchuan River western bank vanguard forces to annihilate this penetrating Liang force.

However, not until afternoon, after Cao Ba and Li Qi personally led the charge routing nearly seven thousand Chuzhou Army vanguard forces on Fanchuan River’s eastern bank, did Zhou Bao and Dong Jiang, two commanders leading over two thousand Liang troops, remain firm as rock, firmly blocking the passage from Dongyang leading to Fanchuan River’s banks.

Nearly eight thousand troops attacking from Dongyang fought most of the day yet remained blocked to the east, unable to advance half an inch, let alone link up with their vanguard forces on Fanchuan River’s eastern bank.

Although the Chuzhou Army had entered full war mobilization a month early, without direct support from the Chu court center, available materials remained too scarce.

From Dongyang to Fanchuan River banks, the Chuzhou Army had merely constructed one road over twenty li. Beyond this road everywhere were abandoned villages, dense forests, and fields destroyed by floods, making the Dongyang County area east of Fanchuan River—where the Chuzhou Army clearly held absolute numerical advantage—unable to deploy.

When occasional small Chuzhou forces tried circling around both sides of the road, once dispersed they were no match for Liang army elite, routed in defeat.

After Wuzhi Dam was breached and Yu River’s great waters returned to their original course, flood conditions in Hongze Lake and surrounding areas this summer and autumn were much calmer than previous years. But seven or eight consecutive years of great floods had long since thoroughly devastated Dongyang County territory.

Choosing to deploy troops from Dongyang County, crossing Fanchuan River to invade Shiliang County—this was the most fatal error Yang Yuanyan committed. Of course, the deeper reason was Yang Yuanyan hadn’t anticipated the Liang army, with forces so stretched, would counterattack immediately.

The Chuzhou Army had made absolutely no contingency plans for the Liang army immediately crossing Fanchuan River to counterattack.

After Cao Ba and Li Qi led their troops across Fanchuan River, Yang Yuanyan personally led eight thousand cavalry, remaining stopped in southern Gaoyou County on Fanliang Lake’s eastern shore.

As Zhao Wuji, Cao Ba, and others predicted, he was even waiting for warfare on both Fanchuan River banks to enter stalemate before directly leading cavalry to circle south of Fanliang Lake, together with Yangzhou garrison forces rapidly raiding Tangyi and southern Shiliang County areas.

He hadn’t expected forces deployed at Fanchuan River and Dongyang would prove so vulnerable. By the time he saw the situation was wrong and led cavalry back to Dongyang County, his vanguard forces on Fanchuan River’s eastern bank had been annihilated. Cao Ba and Li Qi were regrouping their forces, preparing to advance toward Dongyang County.

Yang Yuanyan also acted decisively. After linking with Dongyang County remnant forces, he collided with Liang army main forces. Both sides fought bitterly across plains crisscrossed with lakes, channels, and dense forests.

The battlefield covered nearly twenty li depth west of Dongyang County seat. Fighting erupted at dusk, continuing without cease into deep night with bright moon and sparse stars.

Yang Yuanyan had originally thought the Liang army, having fought all day, must be exhausted. He intended to seize the chaos for victory.

At dusk, Zhao Wuji personally entered Fanchuan River’s western bank to supervise battle.

The entire battlefield seemed chaotic, but over ten thousand infantry and cavalry actually fought tightly centered on this one troop deployment passage the Chuzhou Army had opened from Dongyang westward to Fanchuan River’s western bank.

Over two hundred spring-powered bed crossbows mounted on light war carts were also mainly distributed along this passage, forming seven cart arrays.

When the enemy was strong, infantry and cavalry on both flanks contracted back, using powerful crossbows to shoot and kill pursuing enemies head-on, effectively destroying and severely damaging enemy forces. When the enemy was weak, infantry and cavalry took advantage of chaos to attack. But the core direction was advancing toward Dongyang—the strategic town linking Chu and Yang provinces that the enemy dared not lightly abandon…

On the afternoon of the eleventh, Zhao Wuji ordered withdrawal back to Fanchuan River’s western bank.

Forces remained severely insufficient—no way to besiege Dongyang and completely annihilate Chuzhou Army remnants.

“What a goddamn shame! This morning I finally found a haystack where I could doze a bit. At one moment I suddenly thought—if we killed our way to Chuzhou city walls with thousands of stalwarts shouting ‘Break Chuzhou city, capture Yang Yuanyan alive,’ what a thrilling thing that would be! I immediately woke up laughing. Yet today we chased the routed enemy less than two hours before directly withdrawing like this? Tell me, isn’t Deputy Commissioner Zhao’s order somewhat nonsensical? Could it be at this time he still fears Chu forces south of the river have the guts to cross and cut off our rear?”

Commanding soldiers in retreat naturally fell to commanders below and combat staff. Cao Ba, riding a date-red warhorse, complained full-mouthed to Feng Yi and Wen Ruilin observing the battle that Zhao Wuji ordering retreat at this time was fucking awful.

“His Lordship’s edict prioritizes ensuring Liang and Chu don’t enter full-scale decisive battle too early. Lord Gao and Lord Yang also repeatedly emphasized this point,” Wen Ruilin said. “Currently having achieved the intent of severely damaging invading enemy forces, Deputy Commissioner Zhao decisively ordering retreat locks in achieved results. After the northern front recovers southern Jin, when the First and Second Central Field Armies can break free, does General Cao fear lacking battles to fight?”

“Am I, Old Cao, so easily fooled by you?” Cao Ba grinned. “Those Chu cowards—before two days ago they might have felt somewhat eager to try. Now? I’m afraid if we demanded Grand Empress Dowager warm His Lordship’s bed, they’d shamefully hand her over… Hey, that’s a good idea. Directly demanding Grand Empress Dowager warm His Lordship’s bed is somewhat too shameless, but if Jinling sends people to request restarting peace negotiations, you demand Grand Empress Dowager personally come negotiate—His Lordship will definitely remember your kindness!”

Feng Yi and Wen Ruilin both laughed heartily.

“What are you discussing?”

Zhao Wuji, surrounded by several mounted escorts, rode over alongside Ye Feiying. He was worried Cao Ba would throw a tantrum about withdrawing now. He came over to mollify him a bit, yet saw Feng Yi and Wen Ruilin talking and laughing animatedly with Cao Ba. He asked curiously.

Cao Ba winked. Feng Yi and Wen Ruilin knew Zhao Wuji was His Lordship’s brother-in-law. They naturally couldn’t discuss such rotten ideas with him…

Ruan Yan tremblingly had people support him climbing Dongyang’s western tower. As if a basin of bone-chilling ice water had been poured from head to foot, watching the scene before him, his hands and feet shook uncontrollably.

At this time, everywhere in the over twenty li depth of wilderness between Fanchuan River eastward to Dongyang were corpses, broken bows and shattered halberds, scattered warhorses, and destroyed or abandoned war carts and war machines.

The Liang army hadn’t bothered cleaning the battlefield, merely transporting away corpses of their own fallen soldiers. Everything else was abandoned on the battlefield. They even seemed to disdain taking armor from fallen Chuzhou soldiers, showing absolutely no intention of constructing camps east of Fanchuan River to establish a foothold. It seemed exactly as Feng Yi previously proclaimed on Great Liang’s behalf—this battle was purely to counterattack Chuzhou Army aggression.

When Zhang Xian, surrounded by several mounted escorts, arrived at Dongyang, seeing the city full of bedraggled remnant soldiers, his legs went weak. Supporting himself against the cold city wall, after quite a while he barely managed to climb the tower. But standing atop it, seeing the devastation outside, he felt even more as if all strength had been drained from his body.

Nearly thirty thousand Chuzhou Army elite—in less than three days routed like this by just over ten thousand Liang forces?

Yang Zhitang currently couldn’t show his face publicly. Heir Apparent Yang Fan held concurrent position as Runzhou Regional Commander, also inconvenient to directly come to the northern bank to liaise with Yang Yuanyan. Zhang Xian thus assumed the capacity of Prince Shou’s guest to mediate coordination issues between Yangzhou garrison forces and Chuzhou Army.

When the Liang army crossed Fanchuan River, he was with Yangzhou Military Commissioner Geng Jinglian preparing troop deployment matters. He hadn’t expected the Chuzhou Army, on whom they placed high hopes, would be so easily routed utterly on Fanchuan River’s eastern bank.

“Where is Prince Xin?” Zhang Xian controlled his trembling hands and feet, but his voice still shook when questioning Ruan Yan.

Ruan Yan was truly old. His lips trembled, unable to speak clearly. Only after someone beside him explained did Zhang Xian learn that Yang Yuanyan at dawn had tried personally leading Silver Halberd Guards in sudden assault on the Liang army’s command banner location. But before charging close, he was sniped by dozens of Liang army long-range powerful crossbows. Despite wearing two layers of heavy armor, he took over ten arrows and fell from his horse, rescued back to Dongyang by escorts. Only by now had his injury stabilized.

If Yang Yuanyan hadn’t been shot down so early, perhaps the defeat wouldn’t have been so catastrophic.

Yang Yuanyan possessed tremendous strength. In early years he charged into battle wearing multiple layers of heavy armor. Enemy soldiers dying under his war halberd were countless. Zhang Xian had long heard of his martial prowess, yet never imagined this time he would be so easily shot down from his horse by the Liang army?