“When the previous dynasty fell, Xiao Yiqing led his followers north into the great desert, initially submitting to the Tuoyan clan—the Tuoyan clan harbored deep suspicions toward the Central Plains aristocratic families. Some in the clan suggested killing all the male members of the northern refugee aristocrats and keeping only the women and children. After Xiao Yiqing and I detected the Tuoyan clan’s intentions, we fled and sought rescue from the Wusu clan. The Wusu clan king initially ignored our pleas for help and even had us bound, intending to hand us back to the Tuoyan clan. At that time, the clan prince Wusu Dashi took on the task of escorting us to the Tuoyan clan. During the journey, Xiao Yiqing persuaded Wusu Dashi to gather tribal forces and launch a surprise attack on the Tuoyan clan. Through this battle, the Wusu clan not only absorbed the Tuoyan clan but also began their journey to rule the desert. Xiao Yiqing and Wusu Dashi became the closest of friends. When the national lord grew old and senile, it was Xiao Yiqing who advised Wusu Dashi to focus exclusively on the Southern Court to avoid suspicion, and to use the Southern Court to campaign across the realm. Wusu Dashi followed Xiao Yiqing’s counsel in all matters—they frequently conversed by candlelight through the night and slept with their feet touching… My infiltration into Jin territory under Wusu Dashi’s orders to establish the Guanjiang Tower and win over people like Wang Yuankui was also Xiao Yiqing’s strategy…”

In the early years, apart from seizing the Yanyun prefectures while taking advantage of the conflict between Liang and Jin, the Mengwu people had spent more than ten years focused on campaigns in eastern Liao—even after the River-North Upheaval, though the Mengwu cavalry shocked the realm, few knew about Xiao Yiqing leading the northern refugee aristocrats to submit to the Mengwu back then.

The desolate, cold desert had isolated the flow of information.

Xiao Yiqing had died in service to Wusu Dashi, preferring death to surrendering to Great Liang. Wang Jingrong lacked such backbone—after Great Liang’s forces suddenly struck the remnant camp, he surrendered without resistance, choosing to become Great Liang’s prisoner.

Kong Xirong, Li Xiu, Han Donghu and the others were quite interested in the early history of the northern refugee aristocrats submitting to the Mengwu. They deliberately had Wang Jingrong brought to the great tent to hear him speak of those old affairs, never expecting that Xiao Yiqing and Wusu Dashi had so many past events unknown to the outside world.

The operational plan to lure and annihilate the main Mengwu forces at Zezhou had taken complete shape after the Battle of Fanchuan River. After successfully annihilating the main Mengwu forces at Zezhou, the General Staff had long since made preliminary arrangements and plans for subsequent military operations.

Besides the hundred thousand elderly, weak, women and children, the Mengwu army would have a hundred and forty thousand troops either killed or captured, which essentially meant the complete destruction of the Mengwu Southern Court’s main military strength.

Currently, the Mengwu Southern Court still had several tens of thousands of garrison troops in Yanyun and River-North, but these were second- or third-rate defensive forces, mainly composed of Han troops and submitted forces with little combat capability. Their forces at Luzhou and Huguan—about ten thousand men—also could not possibly block the northward advance of the Taiyue Command Army.

In this campaign, the Taiyue Command Army had undertaken the most difficult and dangerous mission of blocking the pass, suffering quite severe casualties. Their subsequent operational tasks were to recover Luzhou and northern Yizhou, then rest and reorganize locally until late spring next year, after which they would advance through Jingxing into the northern River-North regions of Hengzhou and Dingzhou, initiating the campaign to recover River-North.

At that time, the Taiyue Command Army would be renamed the River-North Command Army, and a River-North Provincial Administration would also be established. They would continue northward to recover territories in the Yan Mountains—north and south—as well as eastern Liao. Li Xiu would serve as Deputy River-North Strategic Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of the River-North Command Army, but who would serve as River-North Strategic Commissioner and Inspector was still under discussion.

At present, the Mengwu still had twenty thousand garrison troops in Taiyuan Prefecture. These would be handled by Wen Bo leading the Hedong Command Army stationed at Pingyang Prefecture, advancing north along the Fen River to annihilate them. After recovering Taiyuan, the capital of Hedong Provincial Administration would relocate to Taiyuan and continue military operations northward to recover Xin, Yun, Shuo, and Yu prefectures.

Subsequently, the Hedong Command Army and Feng Xuan’s Yongzhou Command Army would also undertake the vital mission of penetrating deep into the desert to suppress the Mengwu Northern Court’s military forces.

After the First and Second Central Command Armies successfully completed their military mission of recovering southern Jin this time, they would march south after the new year to undertake the military operations for recovering the Huai River region together with the River-Huai Command Army.

Even though the Mengwu Southern Court forces had suffered devastating blows, the situation in the Yan Mountains—north and south—and deep in the desert remained quite complex. Before continuing military campaigns northward, it was truly necessary to conduct further investigation and research into the situations of the northern refugee aristocrats, Yanyun Han people, and local forces.

Prisoners like Wang Jingrong naturally needed to be put to good use.

This also related to subsequent governance of the northern territories.

On the third day of the first month in the eighth year of Taihe, after receiving the victory report, Han Qian’s imperial directive was transmitted to Gaoping City.

Han Qian ordered Kong Xirong to find coffins to transport the remains of Wusu Dashi, Xiao Yiqing, Xiao Siqing, Wusu Zongbei and others to Luoyang for burial. Captured generals and war criminals like Wang Jingrong and Nahe Yanzhen were also to be escorted to Luoyang for trial.

The total of a hundred and sixty thousand captured soldiers and Mengwu women and children, Yanyun Han people, and Jin-territory and River-North submitted forces would all serve as auxiliary troops under the command of the Taiyue Command Army. The Taiyue Command Army would also be officially renamed the River-North Command Army. After resting and reorganizing at Luzhou for two months, they would then deploy forces into Ding and Heng prefectures.

Considering that River-North military forces had already suffered heavy losses when Tian Weiye and his Chengde Army were destroyed, and this time the few remaining elite combat forces had all been transferred by Wusu Dashi to fight in southern Jin, Han Qian instructed Li Xiu that if the River-North problem could be resolved through peaceful means, peaceful means should be used as much as possible.

The artillery units would temporarily detach one battalion to be organized as a directly subordinate artillery battalion of the River-North Command Army.

The Mengwu ethnic young men among the prisoners would all be assigned to labor battalions under the command of the Second Central Command Army.

After a brief rest and reorganization, the Second Central Command Army would head south as soon as possible, preparing to cross the Yu River and join the Henan Command Army in launching an attack on Zhu Rang and Liang Ren’s forces at Biangliang first.

The First Central Command Army had suffered heavy casualties entering Yangcheng and other places—the main force would first withdraw to Xingyang to rest, reorganize, and replenish.

Although speed in war was essential, after achieving the great victory in southern Jin, even the Second Central Command Army with the lightest casualties planned to head south only after the Lantern Festival.

By comparison, the Taiyue Command Army with the heaviest casualties—because enemy forces at Luzhou and Yizhou fled without fighting—needed to first divide forces to take over defensive duties in these two prefectures, making their new year celebrations rather busy.

As for the forces fleeing north from Luzhou and Yizhou, the Taiyue Command Army wouldn’t bother with them. In Han Donghu’s words, they had to leave some enemy troops for the Hedong (Jinzhou) Command Army to eliminate—they couldn’t claim all the military achievements.

Sima De and Cao Zhe, however, sat restlessly, urging Wen Ruilin to hurry over and bid farewell to Kong Xirong, Li Xiu, Han Donghu and other generals, wanting to end their observation tour and rush to Luoyang for an audience with Han Qian.

“After the Lantern Festival, when the Second Central Command Army heads south to Mengzhou to coordinate with the Henan Command Army on plans to recover Biangliang, His Majesty may come to Mengzhou or Xingyang to meet with the generals—why don’t you wait until after the Lantern Festival and travel south through Taihang Pass with us?” Han Donghu invited them to travel together.

Cao Zhe was one thing, but at this moment Sima De wished he could sprout wings and fly to Luoyang to take his leave, then rush back to Xuzhou at the earliest opportunity to persuade his uncle Sima Tan not to hesitate for another moment.

If they raised Xu and Si territories to submit to Great Liang now and mobilized forces to jointly launch the campaign to recover the Huai River region with the Henan Command Army and Second Central Command Army, in the end the Sima clan might still be able to obtain some scraps.

If they delayed until after Biangliang had been captured by Liang forces, what would the Sima clan’s submission of Xu and Si to Great Liang be worth then?

At that point, not pursuing the Sima clan’s crimes of repeated vacillation over these years would already be considered courteous.

Thinking this way, Sima De didn’t want to linger in Gaoping, Zezhou for even a moment. He wished to immediately take Wen Ruilin, Cao Zhe and others and rush at full gallop to Luoyang. The two assistants by Sima De’s side were both confidants of his uncle Sima Tan, and their opinion at this time was the same.

Even though some time had passed, the horrific scene of the Mengwu army compressed in the valley suffering artillery bombardment still appeared repeatedly in their minds—they even woke startled from nightmares about it.

Cao Zhe naturally also hoped to return to the Shu state as early as possible, but his mood was extremely complicated.

Sima Tan’s secret dispatch of Sima De to Luoyang had more or less set the tone for submission—previously it was only that the price of submission hadn’t been negotiated properly. Sima De would report the true situation of the southern Jin campaign, and Cao Zhe believed the Sima clan would have no further hesitation. But the Shu state’s situation was far more complicated.

If the Sima clan rejoined Great Liang, they could continue enjoying wealth and honor.

And the various officials and officers of Great Shu could also submit to Liang, but how would National Lord Wang Yong handle himself?

Even if National Lord Wang Yong ultimately yielded and surrendered to Liang, would Luoyang then give him a dignified settlement without persecution?

His Cao clan father and son had served National Lord Wang Yong loyally and faithfully for so many years and could be said to have greatly enjoyed National Lord Wang Yong’s favor—how should they deal with this? Should they joyfully join others in coercing the national lord to submit to Liang, or make futile resistance and die as martyrs for final loyalty?

Kong Xirong, Han Donghu, and Li Xiu—they had all achieved the ranks of famous generals in this age, but each had experienced hardships in their lives.

If they could quickly resolve the problems in the Huai River region with smaller casualties, or even through peaceful means, they would strive for it as much as possible rather than creating meaningless slaughter to compete for military achievements.

In fact, Han Qian had long since reformed the merit system of Liang forces. Heads, decapitated heads, and enemy kill counts had long ceased to be the core standard for military achievements. Especially for mid- to high-ranking officers, the degree of completion of combat and campaign objectives was the most important standard for evaluating military merit.

They also hoped that by the time the Second Central Command Army headed south, the Sima clan would have already changed flags in Xu and Si. They would immediately dispatch cavalry escorts to take them to Luoyang, while also placing the remains of Wusu Dashi and Xiao Yiqing in coffins to be sent to Luoyang first along with Wang Jingrong.

Sending Wang Jingrong to Luoyang in the first batch was also Han Qian’s requirement.

Han Qian urgently wanted a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the Sinicization of the Mengwu Northern Court tribes and the settlement situation of northern refugee aristocrats in Yanyun, eastern Liao, northern desert and other places. There was probably no more direct way than having Wang Jingrong escorted back to Luoyang for interrogation.

Traveling south from Gaoping City through Jincheng and taking Taihang Pass to first reach Mengzhou, then continuing all the way to Luoyang—military postal stations had been established along this route of over seven hundred li as a priority. By carriage, it required only two days.

Han Qian also received Sima De and Cao Zhe at the first opportunity in Lingyun Pavilion.

Cao Zhe’s state of mind was somewhat complicated. What more could Sima De say at this point?

The two confidants of Sima Tan also hoped Luoyang could directly send people with them to Xuzhou to directly negotiate the matter of changing flags and submitting. They also hoped Luoyang could directly decide on how Xuzhou should subsequently coordinate with the Henan Command Army and Second Central Command Army in deploying forces against Biangliang and Songzhou.

To put it bluntly, Sima De didn’t think his uncle Sima Tan would have any reluctance or hesitation after news of the great southern Jin victory reached Xuzhou. It was simply a matter of what posture Luoyang hoped to adopt, with the Xuzhou side cooperating in every possible way, hoping to ultimately receive favorable treatment…