My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 434 Victory in Jingbei
Just as Liu Feng had predicted, Kuai Yue marched south along the Han River, his army stretching for more than ten miles, traveling no more than forty miles a day, and was not in a hurry to reach Jingnan.

However, in secret, Kuai Yue had already dispatched Cai Mao to lead a portion of his elite navy, in coordination with generals Huang Zhong and Wen Pin, to disguise themselves as merchant ships and sail south. Traveling day and night, they entered the Yangtze River in just fifteen days, and were only two hundred li away from Baqiu.

At the speed of boats, two hundred li would only take a day and a night, and even with rest at night, it would only take two days to arrive. At this time, the Jingnan army's reinforcements had just arrived at Baqiu, and they thought that the Jingbei army was far away in Jingling and would take at least ten days to half a month to reach the city of Baqiu.

Zhang Cheng, Qu Xiong, and Xiong Shang were caught off guard when Cai Mao launched a surprise attack and breached the city walls.

Zhang Cheng was killed by Huang Zhong in battle, and Xiong Shang was captured by Wen Ping. Only Qu Xiong led the remaining troops to break through the encirclement and escaped back to Linxiang.

Of the 6,000 county soldiers, 2,000 able-bodied men, and 8,000 soldiers from Jingnan, more than 700 were killed, and most of the remaining soldiers were captured. Only more than 2,000 survivors escaped from Baqiu with Qu Xiong.

When the news reached Linxiang, the entire city was shaken.

When Zhang Xian fainted in public, Huan Jie had no choice but to step forward and handle many matters on Zhang Xian's behalf.

Huan Jie sent Zhang Xian back to his residence and summoned a doctor to take care of him. At the same time, he announced that Linxiang was on high alert and closed all the city gates, leaving only the south gate open for the people to enter and exit.

At the same time, he strengthened the guards in various locations, increased the number of patrols in the city, and enhanced the security of important facilities such as armories and granaries. Although his military command ability was lacking, Huan Jie was very capable in these internal affairs and logistical tasks.

Thanks to Huan Jie's efforts, the entire Linxiang region has returned to stability.

After pacifying Linxiang City, Huan Jie personally visited Sun Ce to find him.

"Brother, what brings you here?"

Sun Ce was extremely surprised by Huan Jie's visit. At this time, Huan Jie was the pillar of the city, and if he wanted to see him, he could simply send someone to summon him. There was no need for him to come in person.

Sun Ce underestimated Huan Jie, who bowed respectfully to him: "Bo Fu, we were all wrong before. We have come here to ask you to come out of seclusion and assist us. I will advise you to transfer military authority to you, and ask you to defend Linxiang and protect the people of Changsha from Liu Jing Sheng's harm."

Sun Ce's heart pounded; he hadn't expected Huan Jie to offer such a huge temptation.

Sun Ce had considered that Huan Jie and the others might back down, which made him hesitate about whether to heed Liu Feng's advice and withdraw from Linxiang. But he never expected Huan Jie to go to such lengths, daring to entrust his life and fortune to him.

As for Zhang Xian, he would most likely agree to Huan Jie's idea, given how obedient he was to Huan Jie. He even followed Huan Jie's orders to raise an army in rebellion, so his military command authority was unlikely to deviate much from Huan Jie's.

Sun Ce pondered for a moment before speaking, "Brother, how dare I have such a thought..."

Before Sun Ce could finish speaking, Huan Jie interrupted him: "Bo Fu, are you still complaining that I didn't support you in the military council before?"

"How is that possible?"

Regardless of whether Sun Ce did it or not, this matter certainly cannot be admitted.

Huan Jie solemnly said, "Brother, you already know you were wrong. This time you will definitely follow my lead. Please do not refuse again."

The situation left Huan Jie no choice but to adopt this humble stance; Sun Ce's previous strategies had already proven his foresight. Furthermore, Sun Ce had warned Zhang Xian, Huan Jie, and others before the surprise attack on Baqiu.

Sun Ce believed that Kuai Duo was resourceful and adept at devising ingenious strategies, and would not obediently lead his troops south. He likely used the majority of his forces as bait, while selecting his elite troops to launch a surprise attack on Baqiu.

However, Zhang Xian and Huan Jie did not take this seriously. Although they adopted Sun Ce's suggestion and sent orders to generals such as Zhang Cheng of Baqiu, instructing them to defend carefully, the final result was that Baqiu was captured in a single day, and only two thousand remnants remained of the eight thousand-strong army.

Sun Ce sighed deeply, still tempted.

Being able to command the army in Linxiang to hold off the enemy is a much greater achievement than leaving Linxiang in disgrace.

Sun Ce had lofty ambitions. Although he had already been convinced by Liu Feng, it did not mean that he did not want to be ennobled or appointed as a general. As a military man, if he wanted to be ennobled or appointed as a general, he would have to rely on military merits.
"Very well! Since you think so highly of me, Brother Sun, I will do my best!"

Upon hearing Sun Ce's words, Huan Jie was overjoyed: "Brother, you can rest assured, your foolish brother will fully support you."

Sun Ce nodded and then said, "Brother, there are two urgent matters that need to be addressed first."

Huan Jie hurriedly asked, "Bo Fu, please speak frankly, I will do my utmost."

Sun Ce smiled with satisfaction: "The first thing to do is to immediately withdraw the troops stationed in Yiyang and Wangcheng, and make sure that some of them are safely withdrawn to Linxiang. If the Xiang River is blocked by the Jingbei army, then withdraw by land."

Seeing Huan Jie's somewhat puzzled look, Sun Ce had to add an explanation: "Yiyang needs more than 6,000 soldiers to pose a threat. Now we only have 3,000 soldiers, which are insignificant and just idle. It would be more useful to withdraw these soldiers back to Linxiang."

Huan Jie was immediately ashamed and speechless. Wasn't this the mistake that Huan Jie, Zhang Xian, and others had made?
At the time, he thought it was to save face for Sun Ce, but if Sun Ce hadn't made the suggestion at that moment, how would he have known that Sun Ce was actually extremely dissatisfied with it?

"And what is the second thing?"

Sun Ce continued, "The second thing is to set aside a military camp specifically to receive the defeated troops from Baqiu, and prohibit them from leaving the camp. We will wait until they are reorganized and stabilized before making any further decisions, so as to avoid spreading panic among their troops and dampening the morale of the Linxiang army."

Huan Jie suddenly realized what was going on and immediately agreed: "Bo Fu, please don't worry, I will definitely do as you say."

Huan Jie then gave a few instructions to his trusted confidants, telling them to draft official documents, stamp them, and send them to Yiyang and Wangcheng. He also ordered men to be sent to meet Qu Xiong's defeated army, instructing them to return directly to their camp upon entering the city and not to leave without orders.

Seeing Huan Jie's actions, which demonstrated his sincerity, Sun Ce felt somewhat more at ease.

Next, Sun Ce put forward some guidelines for defending the city, and also needed to adjust the defense deployment.

Huan Jie agreed to all of these requests without fail.

********
After Cai Mao occupied Baqiu, he did not follow Kuai Yue's orders to continue advancing and take Wangcheng, thereby cutting off the supply lines from Wuling County and Changsha County to Linxiang.

The reason for this situation was not that Cai Mao disobeyed Kuai Yue's military orders, but rather that he was worried that if he rashly advanced and encountered reinforcements from Linxiang, he would become an isolated force deep in enemy territory. At this time, in addition to his own 4,000 elite troops, Cai Mao also had 6,000 men from Huang Zhong and Wen Pin's units, for a total of 10,000 soldiers.

The capture of Baqiu did not result in significant troop losses, with only a few hundred casualties. However, after splitting the forces at Baqiu, only seven or eight thousand troops remained to continue south, while Linxiang still had a forty-thousand-strong army.

Cai Mao now thinks it's time to stop while he's ahead. He has already opened the way to advance into Linxiang by capturing Baqiu City. He is undoubtedly the one who made the greatest contribution. There is really no need to take any more risks. At least Cai Mao doesn't think that he can take Linxiang with just his 10,000 men.

If he were to follow Kuai Yue's orders and continue the advance, only to have his retreat cut off by the Jingnan army during the attack on Wangcheng, or if he were to face a counterattack from the heavy forces of Linxiang, then he would be left with a record of initial victory followed by defeat, and all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Another key factor was that Cai Mao's opinion received unanimous support from Huang Zhong and Wen Pin, which gave Cai Mao the confidence to disobey military orders. Moreover, Cai Mao himself also had the authority to make decisions on the spot.

While resting in Baqiu, Cai Mao sent a message to Kuai Yue in the rear, and also sent a proclamation back to Xiangyang. This gave the Jingnan army in Yiyang and Wangcheng the opportunity and time to withdraw to Linxiang.

********
"Uncle, Governor Cai has reported that he has captured Baqiu. However, the Jingnan army has already reacted. He is worried that if the army goes too far into enemy territory, it will be taken advantage of. Therefore, he has stopped in Baqiu to reorganize the army, gather food and supplies, and wait for reinforcements to arrive."

Kuai Qi, holding a silk scroll in his hand, hurriedly entered the main tent.

Kuai Yue frowned slightly, reached out and took the silk scroll to read it. After reading it, he sighed.

Although Cai Mao's actions did not suit Kuai Yue's wishes, he could understand them. More importantly, he could not afford to fall out with Cai Mao because of this.

Cai Mao's willingness to obey his orders and lead a small number of elite troops on a long-distance raid already demonstrated his loyalty to Liu Biao and Jingzhou. Judging from the outcome, this matter seemed quite easy and feasible.

However, Cai Mao was completely unaware of this before setting off. He relied entirely on Kuai Yue's judgment and speculation about the enemy and had already prepared to return to Zhouling if the sneak attack failed.

Seeing Kuai Yue holding the report without speaking, a trace of worry flashed across Kuai Qi's face. He stepped forward and pretended to help Kuai Yue tidy up his desk, while cautiously suggesting, "Uncle, Lord Cai is at the front line and must know more than we do. Moreover, Generals Huang and Wen have both submitted letters supporting Lord Cai's decision, which shows that it is not just Lord Cai's judgment alone."

Kuai Yue put down the silk scroll and glanced at his nephew.

Kuai Qi quickly lowered his head, but heard Kuai Yue sigh.

"You don't need to worry about Cai Degui. How could I really punish him?"

After a moment of contemplation, Kuai Yue ordered, "Draft an order for me to have Cai Degui send men to scout Luocheng and Yiyang counties. If there is an opportunity, take these two cities. If the garrison in the two cities can be held, Cai Degui will be credited with another great achievement."

Kuai Qi looked up in surprise, then looked at Kuai Yue with some confusion.

Kuai Yue understood that his nephew didn't understand his actions. Considering that Kuai Qi was already the most outstanding member of the next generation of the Kuai family, Kuai Yue took the opportunity to instruct him: "I previously ordered Cai Degui to advance unimpeded and attack Wangcheng because I was certain that no one in Jingnan was capable of leading a counterattack. Once Baqiu fell, the Jingnan army would surely lose heart and wouldn't dare to come out of Linxiang to meet our army. It's just a pity that Cai Degui was too cautious and dared not take risks, thus wasting the opportunity."

Kuai Qi suddenly realized where his uncle's confidence came from.

The great victory at Baqiu proved that Kuai Yue's assessment of the Jingnan army was accurate, but Cai Mao dared not expand his advantage, thus wasting a great opportunity.

Kuai Yue continued his instruction: "Now that Baqiu City has fallen, Jingnan will surely be shaken, and the people in various counties and towns will be unsettled. Linxiang will also dare not disperse its military forces any further. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I will have Cai Degui take Luocheng and Yiyang first to clear the way for our army to retreat. At the same time, we can take advantage of the situation to eliminate some of Jingnan's military forces. Although it will not be as profitable as advancing on Wangcheng, it will be safer."

Kuai Qi replied, "I see. Then it wouldn't be too much to give Lord Cai a major merit."

Kuai Yue laughed, nodding with a sense of satisfaction at his son's potential: "Go ahead, and give me your seal after you finish writing. Send it to Baqiu as soon as possible."

"Yes, Grand Commander."

Kuai Qi quickly responded and went to write on the table beside him.

After Kuai Qi finished writing the order, he went to Kuai Yue to have it stamped. The latter suddenly asked, "Is there any movement in Yangzhou? Has there been any new information from the governor?"

Kuai Qi was stunned for a moment, then replied, "There has been no movement in Yangzhou, except that a fleet of several thousand people has arrived at Chaisang Port and is stationed in Chaisang City. This fleet has more than two hundred warships of various sizes, including twenty or thirty large warships, and the rest are small boats."

"Yes, you reported this matter before."

Kuai Yue nodded: "I remember. Has there been any news from that Fang Bo?"

Kuai Qi hurriedly replied, "The governor has sent people to Jiangxia twice in a row to urge Prefect Huang to keep a close watch on the Yangtze River and to order that no warships coming from the east should cross the Fankou line. Xiakou is the boundary, and anyone who crosses the boundary, even a single plank, will be executed without mercy."

Fankou, located in Echeng County on the Changjiang River, was the first strong line of defense in Jiangxia. It not only had a large water fortress, but also housed hundreds of warships of various sizes and five to six thousand elite troops on land and sea year-round.

As for Xiakou, it is the confluence of the Han River and the Yangtze River. The Han River was anciently called Xia River, and the confluence with the Yangtze River was called Xiakou. This place is also the Hanyang area of ​​Wuhan City in later years. On the opposite bank is the Xiakou City built by Sun Quan decades later, relying on Snake Mountain.

Now, Xiakou City is not only personally guarded by Huang Zu, but also has gathered most of his elite troops and warships. It can be said to be the last solid line of defense for Yangzhou, and it is connected to Xiangyang by the Han River, so reinforcements can be easily sent via the Han River.

Therefore, Liu Biao designated Xiakou as the border, and if it were lost, Huang Zu would be held accountable, because this place was just too important.

If Xiangyang loses Fankou, it can still send reinforcements to Xiakou; but if it loses Xiakou, Xiangyang will be left with no choice but to passively endure attacks.

Another extremely frightening consequence is that once Yangzhou captures Xiakou, it can sever the entire Xiangyang front, thereby gaining the strategic initiative.

As is well known, the Nanyang Basin is divided between Nanyang and Xiangyang, each occupying half of the area.

The Xiangyang Basin is divided into two parts by Xiangyang and Suizhou, separated by the natural Green Forest Mountain (later known as Dahong Mountain), forming the Xiangyang (Han River) passage on the left side of the mountain and the Suizhou (Yu River) passage on the right side of the mountain.

Since ancient times, Xiangyang has held a much higher status than Suizhou. This is because the Han River is connected to the Nanyang River system to the north, allowing for free passage. Whether it is a northern expedition to the south or a southern expedition to the north, goods can be transported using the Han River, Mian River, Yu River, and other rivers.

Although the Suizhou Passage has the Yun River, its source is in the Tongbai Mountains, hundreds of miles away from other water systems in the Nanyang Basin, and they have no connection whatsoever.

(End of this chapter)