Jinting Han people

More than a year has passed since the coup d'état in Zhao Han and Shi Le's capture of Ye City. During this year, Shi Le's Zhongshan State has been relatively peaceful.

Although Shi Le successfully appeased Zhao Han through skillful political maneuvering, forcing Liu Cong to acknowledge his rule over the six commanderies of Ye City, subsequent developments were not smooth sailing. After seizing this hard-won and fertile land, Shi Le revealed his ambition to Qi Han for the first time, which led to a tense standoff between him and Qi Han, almost resulting in war.

Fortunately, after months of negotiations, both sides chose to prioritize the overall situation and reached a compromise. Qi and Han recognized Shi Le's occupation of the six prefectures of Ye City. In exchange, Shi Le would send his heir Shi Xing to Daxing City to marry Princess Pingyuan, the second daughter of the Qi and Han emperor, essentially as a hostage.

Initially, Shi Le was reluctant to accept this condition. The reason was simple: he was now thirty-seven years old, and due to frequent wars in the past, he had been constantly on the move and had no time to rest and recuperate. To this day, he still only had one son, Shi Xing. If he handed over Shi Xing, what would happen if something unexpected occurred in the future? To whom could he entrust the vast empire he had built? This was a political issue that could even affect the unity of his subordinates, and he had to consider it carefully.

Zhang Bin, however, had a different opinion. He had already been appointed Grand Enforcer by Shi Le for his strategic advice, overseeing all officials and holding a position comparable to the Prime Minister. Zhang Bin advised, “Your Highness, this is actually a good thing. He must intend to march south and contend with Liu Xian; otherwise, why would he plot to demand a hostage from you? When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. As the hunter, Your Highness should facilitate this. Conversely, if Your Highness does not send a hostage to demonstrate your loyalty, the Qi ruler will never let it go.”

These words greatly moved Shi Le, but he still hesitated and sighed, "What the Right Marquis says is very true, but I only have this one son. If anything happens to him..."

Zhang Bin said decisively, "What mishap could there be? If the Qi ruler marches south and truly wins, he can sweep across Jiangnan and eye Hebei with hostility. Can Your Highness withstand that? I'm afraid Your Highness will have to find a way to sue for peace. But that probability is not high. It is more likely that the Qi ruler will suffer a setback and be severely weakened. At that time, it will be the Qi ruler who will ask Your Highness for help. Is it really that difficult to win back the crown prince?"

Shi Le suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly, saying, "What the Right Marquis said is very true; it has relieved me of a great worry."

Zhang Bin was very pleased to see that Shi Le had adopted his suggestion. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Your Highness, this is also a good opportunity to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the Qi people. Do you remember the story I told you about King Ling of Chu's ascension to the throne?"

Not long ago, Zhang Bin was explaining the Spring and Autumn Annals to Shi Le when he mentioned this story. King Ling of Chu, Xiong Wei, was the second son of King Kang of Chu and had no right to inherit the throne. However, he gained the trust of his elder brother, Xiong Yuan, and served as the prime minister after Xiong Yuan succeeded to the throne. During this time, he secretly colluded with and contacted Chu officials. Then, when Xiong Yuan fell ill, he entered the palace under the pretext of visiting him to investigate the situation. He then killed his elder brother's entire family and finally inherited the throne.

Zhang Bin's revelation of this historical anecdote was a warning to Shi Le: after sending his heir as a hostage, he could also use the pretext of visiting the heir to send envoys to Daxing to investigate the strength and weaknesses of the Qi people, and take the opportunity to befriend important officials of Qi, from which he would surely benefit in the future.

Shi Le had already grasped the essence of the matter. He smiled knowingly and tapped the door, saying, "So it turns out it's still a good marriage after all!"

So, in the first month of the sixth year of the Qiming era, Shi Le sent his two adopted sons, Shi Sheng and Shi Kan, to escort Shi Xing to Daxing to complete his marriage. The betrothal gifts given to Liu Baigen included: five tiger skins, five leopard skins, a thousand bolts of silk, a thousand roots of ginseng, a suit of armor made of gold, and ten fine horses. Also given to the bride, the princess, were fifty bushels of fragrant pepper, two hundred agate stones, and twenty Hu women.

In return for what was given, the Emperor of Qi and Han bestowed upon Shi Le 20,000 taels of silver, two large eagles, 100 catties of crystal, and 1,000 pearls. He also conferred upon him the title of King of Zhao and Grand Chancellor, and presented him with the seal and sash of the King of Zhao, a royal carriage, a yellow canopy, a left banner, feathered canopies in front and behind, drums and trumpets, a light chariot, armored soldiers, and the Nine Bestowments, all to demonstrate the close relationship between the two families.

Originally, the Emperor of Qi and Han wanted to enfeoff Shi Le as the King of Dai, but Shi Le used the fact that the Dai region had been occupied by the Xianbei as a reason to request that he be enfeoffed in the Zhao region instead. Liu Baigen knew that he wanted to fulfill the prophecy of "the emperor will perish, the emperor will perish, and Zhao will prosper", but since he had already obtained the hostage, there was no need to offend Shi Le over such a trivial matter, so he agreed.

From then on, the two sides reconciled and began to engage in border trade. Wang Mi was able to purchase a large number of horses from Shi Le and the Tuoba Xianbei, and officially prepare for his southward expedition. At the same time, Shi Le took advantage of the locust plague and drought in Qi and Han territory to recruit a large number of refugees, and his national strength was further developed.

Of course, Shi Le also followed Zhang Bin's advice and used his wealth to bribe the fortified townsmen in the Qi and Han territories, and befriended important officials of Qi and Han such as Liang Ju, Chen Zhen, and Miao Bo.

By the time the Qi army marched south to the Jianghuai region, Shi Le had a clear understanding of the development of the situation in the Central Plains and even knew in advance that Wang Mi was building a large number of ships in Qingzhou.

He then discussed the success or failure of the Qi people's operation with his generals. Diao Ying commented, "Wang Feibao's move is courting death. The habits of the southerners and northerners are as different as an insurmountable chasm. How can a navy be trained in just one or two years? If he fights a naval battle head-on with the southerners, he will undoubtedly be defeated!"

This was agreed upon by most people, but Shi Le had already seen through something amiss. He shook his head with a smile and said, "What do you know? Wang Feibao is not such a fool. Why would he fight a naval battle with the Southerners? In my opinion, he intends to cross the sea and head straight for Yangzhou!"

While everyone was stunned, he praised Wang Mi, saying, "This move was truly brilliant, a suicidal tactic! How could Liu Xian have foreseen this? Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have been able to react in time. In my opinion, this time when Wang Mi leads his troops, he will definitely be able to cross the Yangtze River and turn the Three Wu regions upside down."

At this point, Shi Le's experience and wisdom had greatly increased, and he no longer needed Zhang Bin's instruction to continue his deductions on his own:

"In this way, Liu Xian has three strategies to deal with the situation. The best strategy is to launch a preemptive attack, taking advantage of the fact that the Qi people have not yet made their move, and head north to block Wang Feibao in Jiangbei. The middle strategy is to avoid the enemy's strength and attack their weakness. Wang Mi goes to attack Yangzhou, while he personally goes north to conquer the Central Plains and see who can launch a faster and fiercer attack. The worst strategy is for him to send his main force to resist Wang Feibao. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, Yangzhou will surely be reduced to wasteland and it may not be able to recover its strength for several years."

At this point, he asked Zhang Bin for his opinion: "What does the Right Marquis think?"

Zhang Bin smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness is quite right, but Liu Xian doesn't understand Wang Mi. Given his personality, he will probably choose the middle option."

Seeing that Zhang Bin shared the same thoughts, Shi Le was overjoyed. He raised an eyebrow and then judged, "Once Liu Xian leads his troops north, the Qi people probably won't be able to defend it. It wouldn't be surprising if they even reached Daxing. At that time, the emperor in the city will surely need my help, and we can then demand a higher price! He wants me to send troops, fine! But we must offer some benefits. I think the counties in Hebei would be good options. What do you think?"

The generals present were initially astonished by Shi Le's judgment, then impressed by their lord's wisdom, and finally burst into laughter, as if they already considered the entire Hebei region as their own. In the course of their conversation, they seemed to have completely forgotten that Liu Zhongdao existed among the Qi and Han prefectures of Hebei, which they coveted, as if his tens of thousands of troops were nothing more than fallen leaves drifting in the wind.

Over the next few months, Shi Le also prepared for war. However, to avoid attracting the attention of Zu Ti in the south, he entrusted the defense of Ye City to Tao Bao. He then secretly returned to his headquarters in Jinyang, where he trained his troops, taught them military skills, and provided instruction in hunting and archery.

During these years, Shi Le's rule was extremely peaceful, with no wars, but this did not mean that his army was complacent. On the contrary, in order to maintain the alliance with the Tuoba Xianbei and to train his army and learn from the Xianbei, he frequently sent troops to fight in alliance with his sworn brother Tuoba Liuxiu on the grasslands to punish those tribes that did not obey the orders of the Great Chanyu Tuoba Yilu.

Shi Le indeed put in a lot of effort. He sent troops to participate in the Tuoba tribe's campaigns against the Bai and Tiefu tribes to the south, the Gaoche and Tiele tribes to the north, and even the Wuhuan and Donghu tribes to the east. Each campaign involved a relatively small number of troops, around ten thousand, thus avoiding a heavy logistical burden while providing valuable training for the army. The Tuoba Xianbei were very satisfied with the alliance with Shi Le. During Wang Jun's rule of Youzhou, Wang Jun only knew how to drive the Xianbei without giving anything in return, and the situation continued to deteriorate. In contrast, Shi Le not only maintained peace on the border and within his territory but also actively provided assistance—a stark contrast. Initially, the Tuoba Xianbei were somewhat dissatisfied with Shi Le's unauthorized peace negotiations with the Duan Xianbei, but over time, this resentment dissipated.

This time, Shi Le was preparing for military action, knowing full well the gravity of the situation. This would be his first formal confrontation with the Han army, and he might even face Liu Xian directly. Therefore, he proactively sent an envoy to Sheng Le, requesting to borrow 20,000 troops this autumn. Tuoba Yilu readily agreed and promised Shi Le that from this autumn until February of next year, the troops under Tuoba Liuxiu in Pingcheng would be at Shi Le's command.

By July, when the Qi people officially marched south into the Jianghuai region, Shi Le had already amassed 50,000 infantry and cavalry in Jinyang. Combined with Tuoba Liuxiu's 20,000 troops, he had a total of 70,000 soldiers, ready to be mobilized at any time. This does not mean that Shi Le's army consisted of only this many men, but in order to demonstrate the elite status of his forces, he did not use a ragtag bunch to make up the numbers.

Subsequent developments proved Shi Le's judgment correct: Wang Mi did indeed cross the sea to Yangzhou, completely destroying the Han army's eastern defense line. However, the Han army's performance deviated from expectations.

In Shi Le's mind, given the vast territory of the Southern Han, the Han army could only launch an offensive in one direction while remaining on the defensive in the other. The offensive direction would inevitably be led by Liu Xian personally. However, Liu Xian actually led a weaker force to conquer Yangzhou, while Li Ju led the main force north to conquer the Central Plains, launching offensives in two directions. This was something Shi Le could not have foreseen.

As a result, Shi Le was unaware of the Han army's progress in the Jianghuai region, while Li Ju adopted a steady and methodical strategy in the Central Plains, gradually conquering the various prefectures of Yuzhou without revealing many weaknesses or showing any signs of a decisive battle. If Li Ju had chosen to stop while he was ahead after capturing Xuchang, Shi Le's meticulously planned war preparations would likely have become meaningless.

Shi Le also considered whether to seize the opportunity to send troops south and actively divide the territory of Qi and Han with the Southern Han. However, after careful consideration, he chose to abandon the idea, because in diplomacy, a betrayer is always more hateful than an enemy. Last time, when he attacked Ye City, he could claim it was out of loyalty to Liu Cong and to quell the rebellion for Zhao Han, but this time there was no excuse. On the contrary, it would force his carefully cultivated network of connections to Liu Xian's side, and might even give Liu Cong an opportunity to attack him. If it came to this, there would be no room for diplomatic maneuver.

Fortunately, Li Ju ultimately chose to attack Daxing, further expanding the scale of the war. In addition, in mid-winter, Liu Baigen received news of the defeat in Jiangnan. The Qi ruler had to painfully admit that he could no longer resist Li Ju's attack on his own. Therefore, after learning of Li Ju's attack, he dispatched Liu Baigen south and also sent an envoy to Yecheng to actively seek help from Shi Le.

The ruler of Qi was aware of Shi Le's ambition to unify Hebei. In order to save time and avoid excessive bargaining, he directly sent an envoy to promise Shi Le: "If Your Majesty assists, the six prefectures of Hebei will all be at Your Majesty's command."

When the news reached Jinyang, Shi Le was overjoyed. He jumped up and mounted his horse, then ordered his men, "Tell all the generals to come and see me at the camp south of the city!"

The 70,000 troops had been waiting in the southern camp for a long time, from the height of summer to the depths of winter. With Shi Le’s order, the generals arrived one after another to await the king’s command.

Shi Le looked around at his generals, his excitement was hard to contain. Even after so many years, his temperament was still the same as when he was young. The more difficult something was to accomplish, the more he wanted to do it, as if he were playing a game in the world and he had to make it as brilliant and wonderful as possible.

Looking back over the past few decades, what he admired most, and what he feared most, was undoubtedly the Han army built by Liu Xian. This southward campaign would be the first direct confrontation between the two, and even though the opponent was not Liu Xian himself, it did not diminish Shi Le's burning fighting spirit.

Shi Le publicly appointed his generals, saying, "Kong Chang, Zhi Xiong, Kui An, and Lu Ming, each of you will lead three thousand men as the vanguard."

"Zhi Quliu, Diao Ying, Wang Yang, and Wu Yu, each of you will lead four thousand men as the rear guard."

"Huyanmo, Liu Zheng, Guo Heilue, Ji Bao, and Zhao Lu, each of you will lead five thousand men to serve as the central army with me."

"Xu Guang, Cheng Xia, and Shi Cong, you shall remain in Jinyang and do not give Guanzhong any opportunity to take advantage of you."

"Right Marquis, I will trouble you to continue to offer me advice and strategies."

"Shi Sheng, Shi Qian, you two will take charge of my subordinates."

A series of orders were issued like nails, and the generals did not hesitate or object. They simply bowed and agreed, then left the camp like flowing water to reorganize the army and adjust the formation.

Finally, Shi Le's expression softened slightly, and he turned to Tuoba Liuxiu, saying, "Brother, although Liu Xian is not here this time, Li Ju is also a famous general known throughout the land. Do you dare to compete with him?"

Tuoba Liuxiu laughed and said, "Brother, you don't know this. Back then, Liu Xian was trapped in Niyang and barely escaped with his life. He was only able to get out of the siege thanks to the power of our Xianbei cavalry! Li Ju was in the same boat. What is there to fear?"

At this point, Tuoba Liuxiu resolutely said, "Please let me lead the vanguard, brother!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Le laughed heartily. He took Tuoba Liuxiu's hand and patted the back of his hand, saying, "Brother, you'll definitely need to lend a hand in this battle. But let's give this opportunity to shine to your juniors! We should also give the young people a chance to rise to the top!"

"Oh?" Hearing Shi Le's words, Tuoba Liuxiu couldn't help but feel curious. He rolled his eyes and asked, "Brother, who do you plan to use as the vanguard?"

Shi Le chuckled softly and turned his gaze to a tall young man beside him. Tuoba Liuxiu followed suit and saw that the young man was wearing an ochre-yellow round-necked Hu robe, with a gold belt around his waist and a Hu knife hanging diagonally. He was very noble, but he could not hide the arrogance and sharpness on his face, nor could he hide the merciless killing intent in his eyes.

"Shi Jilong!" Shi Le said to his only member of the royal family, "You will be the vanguard in this battle!"

"Yes, sir!" The young man grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and bowed slightly, his face beaming with a bright smile. "Please rest assured, Uncle, anyone who dares to oppose you, I, Shi Hu, will cut off their head and drink the wine!" (End of Chapter)