Jinting Han people

After welcoming the Han army into Xuchang, Xu Kan informed Li Ju that, after deducting the troops of Wang Mi who had marched south and the surrendered troops of Xu Kan, the total strength of the Qi and Han armies remained at approximately 80,000. However, few of these troops were elite; most were disorganized rabble who obeyed orders but not commands, and more than half were deployed in the Puyang, Jibei, and Pingyuan areas to guard against a sudden river crossing and attack by Shi Le.

This news greatly excited the generals of the Han army, but at the same time it aroused doubts among some people, who felt that it might be a deception. Zhuge Yan then asked Xu Kan, "Isn't Shi Le a subject of the Qi ruler? I heard that his only son became the son-in-law of your Qi ruler, which is like in-laws. How could they be so jealous of each other?"

Xu Kan smiled wryly and explained to everyone, "Shi Le was still Liu Cong's subject, yet he still marched south and seized six counties of Ye City. Shi Le is just an insatiable wolf from Zhongshan; there's no point in arguing with him. In chaotic times, many brothers are not trustworthy, let alone mere relatives by marriage."

These words convinced everyone. Upon reflection, Shi Le, if not born with a rebellious nature, was at least a jinx; wherever he went, his lords rarely met a good end. First it was Ji Sang, then Liu Yuan and Liu Cong, and now it was Liu Baigen's turn. No wonder he was so wary. So, it seems that the great emptiness of Xing was indeed true.

Guo Mo, feeling that the battle hadn't been enough, was overjoyed to hear of the chance to capture the Qi-Han emperor alive. He immediately stepped out from the crowd and volunteered to Li Ju, saying, "Marshal, what are we waiting for? His Majesty entrusted the army to us so that we could wipe out the rebels and unify the world as soon as possible! I think these Qi people are as cowardly as pigs and dogs, nothing special. We can capture them in one fell swoop by attacking Suiyang!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals burst into laughter, filling the room with a joyful atmosphere. Li Ju, seeing Xu Kan's face flushed red, knew that such mockery was inappropriate, so he waved his hand to stop the crowd and comforted Xu Kan, saying, "The Duke of Yidu is a rough man, and speaks rather plainly. Please don't take it to heart, Lord Xu."

Xu Kan smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Not at all, not at all. The might of the Han Dynasty is unparalleled; who in the world doesn't know that?"

Li Ju smiled and turned to ask Zu Ti for his opinion: "What is your opinion, Lord?" Lord was the title for a marquis-level prime minister during the Han Dynasty. Although the title of marquis became more common since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the title of Lord still survived and gradually evolved into an honorific title for the most distinguished person.

Zu Ti pondered for a moment, stroked his beard, and said, “Everything else is a minor matter. It’s just that it’s almost December now. Once the heavy snow of winter comes, all the rivers will freeze over, and our army’s water transport will probably be in trouble. If we can’t quickly break through Daxing and get bogged down in a protracted war, it will be a disadvantage for our army.”

“Yes!” Li Ju nodded and expressed his thoughts, “I’ve also been considering this matter. If our army is stranded at the city gates, isolated in enemy territory, and it’s the dead of winter with poor logistics, if someone takes the opportunity to raid our rear, it will be no small danger.”

Upon hearing this, the other generals were so anxious they scratched their heads, thinking Li Ju was going to give up the opportunity. They were about to continue persuading Li Ju, but before they could speak, Li Ju suddenly changed his tone and became impassioned, saying:

"But how can we catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den? If this battle can be successfully won, the prefectures and counties of the Central Plains can be pacified with a single proclamation, reducing countless casualties and preventing countless wars. In this way, how many families can avoid being torn apart? How many years earlier can peace be restored to the world? As warriors, we should be willing to sacrifice our lives for the common people and forget our own mortality for the sake of the people of the Nine Provinces. In my opinion, although this move is risky, it is worth the risk!"

"Let's go to Suiyang!"

"it is good!"

The generals nodded repeatedly. Li Ju's words brought back vivid memories of the arduous years of war since the army's founding. Even the most warlike soldiers longed for peaceful times. Originally, the generals had only thought of personal wealth and glory, but Li Ju had spoken of a profound principle for the sake of the people. Their blood boiled, and they felt an urge to charge into battle.

Zu Ti, standing to the side, couldn't help but nod repeatedly, praising in his heart: Li Ju is indeed a man of extraordinary talent. No wonder Huai Chong trusts him so much. Without such a public-spirited commander, even the best plans would be in vain.

However, attacking the capital of a country is a major undertaking that cannot be undertaken hastily but must be planned in secret.

Since Xu Kan had no map, he used millet grains to draw on the table, explaining the situation of Daxing City to Li Ju in detail.

Daxing City, also known as Suiyang City, was the capital of the State of Song since ancient times. Later, when the Han Dynasty was established and various kings were enfeoffed, this place became the capital of the State of Liang. During the Rebellion of the Seven States, King Liu Wu of Liang resisted the rebel army here, tying down the main force of the rebels and buying time for Zhou Yafu to launch a flanking attack. At the turn of the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, Liu Yong, a descendant of the King of Liang, also established his capital here and ruled Shandong. Now, the Qi and Han dynasties have chosen this place as their capital, which can be seen as following the wisdom of Liu Yong.

However, Suiyang City was not a major town. Although it was one of the key transportation hubs in Henan, it was not as close to Luoyang as Xuchang, and its terrain was flat. Therefore, it did not have a complex defense system. The only thing this city could rely on was the strategic advantage that had been deliberately created by dozens of Liang kings over the past few hundred years.

In short, Suiyang is a rare water city in the Central Plains. Originally called Shangqiu, Suiyang's name means that its foundation was originally a small hill submerged in a round lake. The lake was connected to the Sui River, making it a natural center for water transport. Therefore, the Shang people established their capital here and built bridges across the sandbars in the lake to the hill, thus forming the basic structure of Suiyang as it is today.

Suiyang City itself is not large, with a city wall circumference of only ten li (approximately 5 kilometers). However, the circular lake outside forms a natural barrier, and the lake's area is much larger than the inner city. Therefore, to enter the city, there are only four roads connected by pontoon bridges, corresponding to the four gates in the east, west, south, and north, and each pontoon bridge is hundreds of zhang (approximately 30 meters) long. In the event of an invasion by foreign enemies, the defending troops can simply remove the pontoon bridges and safely defend themselves on the isolated island. This is Suiyang City's greatest advantage.

However, this was not a problem for the Han army at the moment, because no matter how large or wide the lake was, it was now deep winter, and not only would the water levels of the river's tributaries drop, but the river itself would also freeze. This meant that Suiyang's own defenses were no longer a threat.

Therefore, the Han army's primary concern was the issue of reinforcements. Although news of Xu Kan's surrender had not yet spread throughout the Central Plains, giving the Han army a valuable window of opportunity to quickly advance to the walls of Daxing, the flat and vast terrain of the Central Plains also favored the Qi army's reinforcements.

Analyzing the time required for both armies to reach Daxing, the Han army would normally need ten days to march, and only four days for a forced march. However, after a forced march, it would be difficult to immediately attack the city; a day of rest would be needed. In other words, even launching a normal offensive would take at least five days. The Qi army's forces along the riverbanks would receive the news in at least two days. Reinforcements, from decision-making to their return journey, would be slower due to traversing numerous tributaries; let's estimate eight days for that. Therefore, the Han army would have at least a ten-day window to capture the city.

Ten days is a long time, and it's quite difficult to conquer a city like Daxing. But Li Ju was a man of many ingenious ideas. After a moment of contemplation, a plan began to form in his mind: perhaps Xu Kan could write a letter in his own name, claiming that Xuchang was in grave danger and difficult to defend, and requesting reinforcements from Liu Baigen in Daxing. At that time, Liu Baigen would surely send reinforcements to rescue Xuchang. This rabble would be unable to break through the city, while Daxing would be in an awkward situation of being isolated and lacking defenses. In this way, it would be very easy to break through the city.

Li Ju explained the plan to his generals, who all praised it, deeming it ingenious. It exploited the intelligence gap between the two sides, mobilized the enemy's reserve forces, and struck at the Qi army's psychological weakness—a triple win, sure to bring victory. Zu Ti also agreed, saying, "Indeed a brilliant strategy; Li Shihui is quite like Han Xin." Unexpectedly, Xu Kan objected, stammering to Li Ju, "It's not that I'm unwilling to cooperate with the general, but the Qi ruler is no ordinary man; he possesses a keen eye that can see through the enemy's defenses. You cannot deceive him, General."

"The Heavenly Eye?" Xu Kan's words puzzled everyone. Li Ju stared at him for a while, then asked slowly, "Your Excellency is not joking with me, is he?"

"How dare I!" Xu Kan sensed the suspicion in his words and immediately knelt down, explaining repeatedly, "The Qi ruler spreads heresies, claiming to be the reincarnation of the immortal Liu Gen, which is tantamount to courting death. But he was able to carve out a territory in the Central Plains and become the ruler of several regions, so he must have extraordinary abilities. And since he usurped the throne, his magical power has greatly increased, and he has awakened the Heavenly Eye, claiming that no one can hide anything from him about the major events in the world."

Is this really true?

"At first, I only took it as a joke," Xu Kan said with a wry smile. "But two years ago, I acquired a beautiful concubine. Because of her captivating beauty, I became enamored with her and never mentioned her to anyone. As a result, when I went to pay my respects to the Qi ruler last year, he looked at me for a moment and suddenly congratulated me, saying that my family had good news and that we should have a proper celebration. He then invited me to drink. At that time, I was still worried about procuring food and had no idea that there was any good news, so I declined."

"When I returned to Xuchang, before I could even settle in, a servant informed me that my concubine had become pregnant." At this point, Xu Kan let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with emotion, and said to the generals of the Han army, "Gentlemen, such things happen countless times in the country. You can find out with a little inquiry. This is not something I made up. The Qi ruler is indeed powerful. If you, General, want to use such a scheme to deceive him, I'm afraid you won't be able to fool his divine eyes."

After listening to Xu Kan's words, Li Ju looked doubtful. Xu Kan's confident expression didn't seem to suggest he was lying, but to take such words as truth would be asking too much. Li Ju wasn't unfamiliar with the Celestial Masters sect; Fan Changsheng and his son Fan Ben did indeed possess some extraordinary abilities, and Li Ju could certainly believe they were reclusive masters. But to say they had some kind of supernatural ability like a divine eye was simply unbelievable to him.

After a moment's consideration, Li Ju said to Xu Kan, "If what you say is true, then we can't use any of our strategies. I'm afraid we'll have to fight on the battlefield. In your opinion, can our army conquer Daxing?"

Xu Kan replied, "The Marshal's military tactics are like those of a god, but Daxing is not a small city after all. It is probably a 50/50 chance that the Marshal can conquer it."

Li Ju paced back and forth in the tent for a moment, clearly lost in thought. The generals around him, seeing this, were mostly dissatisfied and wanted to offer advice or rebuke Xu Kan, but before they could speak, Li Ju raised his hand to interrupt them, restoring silence to the room. Then, he surveyed the crowd and announced his decision:
"Let's stick to the plan."

Li Ju first set the tone, then slowly explained: "Whether the Qi ruler is pretending to be a god, making a fuss, or truly has a pair of heavenly eyes that can see through falsehoods, if I give up without even trying, what's the point of fighting the Qi people? It would be better to just surrender directly."

"In any case, this is indeed a golden opportunity. Even if my plan fails and the enemy's reinforcements are unlikely to arrive for a while, I still have plenty of time to attack the city."

“One month! If our army cannot break through Daxing City within a month, then I will show off my power under the capital of Qi and relocate the local people. In this way, the Qi ruler will lose all prestige, and our army will not have gained nothing.”

After saying this, Li Ju asked Zu Ti for his opinion: "My lord, what do you think?"

Zu Ti flicked the scabbard twice and praised, "Being able to advance and retreat, without being arrogant or impatient, is not a bad plan."

"Then I will trouble you, my lord, to guard the rear for me."

Li Ju then finalized the plan: Zu Ti's 30,000 troops would remain in Xuchang to provide support, while he himself would lead 60,000 Han soldiers and 2,000 of Xu Kan's men as guides on a long-distance raid towards Daxing City. Before setting off, Xu Kan, as requested by Li Ju, sent his brother-in-law Yang Dun as an envoy with a letter requesting reinforcements, who would ride ahead towards Daxing. However, the outcome would only be known upon arrival in Daxing.

Not long after they set off, the predicted heavy snow of midwinter arrived. At first, it was just a few scattered flakes, giving only a slight chill, easily missed if one wasn't paying attention. But silently, the snowflakes in the air grew to the size of fingers, landing on the soldiers' armor, pure white and crystalline, not easily melting. By the next day, the houses, fortified villages, cities, and wilderness along the way were all shrouded in a silvery white. The sky was overcast and gloomy, the earth vast and boundless, making the once mighty Han army appear like a tiny snail, struggling eastward.

The heavy snow slowed the Han army's advance, reducing the soldiers' speed by nearly half. To prevent their toes from freezing off, Li Ju had to camp for the night. This changed the original plan, but he comforted himself by thinking, "The heavy snow has the same effect on both armies. Our army's marching speed is slower, which means the Qi people will arrive later, perhaps giving us more time to attack the city. Moreover, the snow greatly reduces the possibility of scouts reporting back."

The Han army marched through the snow for eight days, until the morning they arrived at Yan County, when the snow finally stopped. When they awoke and packed up their tents, the Han army's tents were completely covered in frost. They were now only fifty li from Daxing, so the Han army continued onward. By noon, the cavalry's horses were exhausted, forcing the riders to dismount and walk through the snow.

By evening, the sky had become extremely dark. Thick clouds, like layers of giant waves, pressed down to the far distance before suddenly dropping to the horizon. The horizon was extremely low, with what appeared to be an almost invisible gap through which the afterglow shone, staining the clouds with an intoxicating purplish-red color, as if smeared with fresh blood.

Less than ten li from Daxing City, Li Ju, after passing through a place called Qingliang Township, decided to requisition the local houses and officially set up camp there. At the same time, he ordered scouts to go and spy on the city's defenses. That night, the scouts reported to Li Ju that Daxing City was undergoing extensive repairs to its city walls and watchtowers, which seemed to have been going on for some time, and the work continued unabated into the night. Meanwhile, the head of the messenger Yang Dun was hanging under the west gate tower of Daxing City.

Upon hearing this, Li Ju's face immediately turned solemn, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he gave a perfunctory "hmm" to the scout, indicating that he already knew.

In other words, as Xu Kan said, perhaps there is a pair of clairvoyant eyes in Daxing City that have allowed the Qi people to see through Li Ju's scheme. Now, it's time for a tough battle. (End of Chapter)