My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

The speedboat to Niuer Island had not yet returned, but dark clouds had already gathered over Qu County.

For several days in a row, torrential rains, a rare occurrence in late spring, enveloped the coast. At first, Xiao Heng did not pay much attention to it, and even felt that the rain came at the right time, preventing Murong Yan from taking advantage of the gap when he sent his troops to Langya Port.

On the third day at noon, the rain subsided slightly, and the scouts responsible for monitoring Qu County brought bad news.

The brine cages he painstakingly buried upstream in the riverbed must have all been washed away, thus solving Murong Yan's freshwater problem.

The elaborate scheme he had devised, risking immense danger, was easily thwarted by a single rain shower.

Two days later, more detailed intelligence on the surveillance of Murong Yan's army arrived.

Murong Yan led his elite cavalry in a frenzied sweep through the counties north of the Huai River, capturing many fortified villages and towns along the riverbanks, and looting all their money, grain, and livestock.

However, Murong Yan's target this time seemed particularly clear: those salt producers.

Ultimately, in Huaipu County (now west of Lianshui, Jiangsu), an important salt-producing area in northern Jiangsu, he intercepted more than 3,000 salt farmers who had not been able to relocate due to the war.

But that wasn't all; Xu Xianzhi's letter from Langya Port also reached Xiao Heng.

"Although the naval force heading south this time is mostly converted from cargo ships, the number of armored and armed Xianbei and Han soldiers is no less than five thousand! There are four warships, and Niu'er Island..."

This news disrupted all of Xiao Heng's plans. Previous tactical successes were based on Murong Yan's lack of naval strength and weak logistics.

But now, Xiao Heng feels that he is the one who can't hold out any longer. The only good news is that he has seized a lot of food and supplies.

Looking at the nautical chart representing Qu County and their own islands, Xiao Heng felt for the first time how isolated and insignificant those islands were.

The five thousand naval troops, once replenished with provisions, wouldn't need much. Combined with the shore forces, they could clear and blockade the surrounding islands one by one, drastically reducing his operational space.

Han Yong and several team leaders all looked at Xiao Heng. They saw an unprecedented solemnity, even a hint of disorientation, on the Lord's face.

Xiao Heng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly placed Xu Xianzhi's battle report and briefing on the table.

"Pass on the order!"

"All dispatched scouts and harassing vessels are to be recalled and retreat to Yuzhou Island!"

The crowd was puzzled, but they still obeyed and left.

Retreating to Yuzhou Island was a passive option in the previous simulation. Although it allowed for a timely evacuation at sea, the chance of victory was not as high as defending Qu County.

Xiao Heng knew that it was too late to regret it now, so he left Xiaozhu Island that very day and went to Yuzhou Island.

On the east coast of Yuzhou Island, a relatively flat mudflat was leveled and turned into a temporary drill ground.

The sea breeze, damp and salty, carried fine sand and pelted the faces of everyone sweating profusely on the field.

Deng Jing stood on a slightly elevated earthen platform, shirtless, a far cry from the dashing scion of a military family he once was.

His hair was casually tied back with a hemp rope, and the skin on his face and body had turned bronze, just like those rough men from Han Yonglu.

"Right side, raise your shields! Higher! You're blocking arrows, not the damn sea wind!"

"Team A, charge forward! Keep your guns level! Engage your core! Haven't you eaten?!"

There were about a thousand people in the field, divided into several teams, practicing simple infantry formations and offense and defense.

These people were of diverse backgrounds. Although they had already been trained once, under Deng Jing's command, while they were far from being completely disciplined and forming a well-ordered formation, they at least showed basic discipline when given orders, and their shouts and charges revealed a certain ferocity.

Especially when Deng Jing personally demonstrated his spear skills, the ordinary wooden spear seemed to come alive in his hands. He used simple and ruthless techniques to point, stab, sweep, and thrust, demonstrating the skill of fighting for one's life on the battlefield. This drew gasps from the surrounding soldiers, who looked at him with more admiration.

"stop!"

Deng Jing suddenly shouted.

All the activity came to an abrupt halt.

He jumped off the earthen platform, walked up to a young soldier whose thrusting motion had gone awry, took his wooden spear, and without saying much, lightly patted the soldier's waist, legs, and arms with the shaft of the spear.

"Here, here, and here—remember the order of your movements. If you're weak and limp again next time, you'll be working with the salt farmers, carrying brine for a month!"

The young soldier, his face flushed, responded loudly.

Just then, a bodyguard ran up quickly and whispered a few words in Deng Jing's ear.

Deng Jing nodded and tossed the wooden gun back to the soldier.

"Each of you find your squad leader, correct your movements, and practice for a full hour!"

He grabbed an old coat draped over the earthen platform, casually put it on, and, ignoring the sweat and mud covering his body, strode towards the water village on the west side of the island.

Along the way, his mind raced. Xiao Heng's sudden arrival and his immediate desire to see him were anything but ordinary.

Inside the simple main room of the water village, Xiao Heng was facing away from the door, gazing at the sea chart he had drawn on the wall.

He turned around when he heard footsteps.

Their eyes met, and they both paused for a moment.

Deng Jing saw the weariness hidden deep in Xiao Heng's eyes, while Xiao Heng saw a complete transformation in Deng Jing.

Deng Jing wanted to clasp his hands in a salute, but he couldn't get past the mental hurdle, so he simply stood there.

Xiao Heng never considered him a subordinate. His gaze swept over Deng Jing, and his eyes showed some satisfaction.

"It seems the general has already adapted to the sandstorms on this island!"

Deng Jing twitched the corner of his mouth in response to the teasing remark, and asked directly:

"But the war situation has changed, and these new recruits are barely usable!"

Xiao Heng did not answer immediately, but turned and walked towards the door.

"Come with me for a walk in the mountains."

The two left the water village in silence, one after the other, and walked along the rugged path toward the mountains in the middle of the island.

Xiao Heng walked quickly, with Deng Jing following closely behind. The mountain path became increasingly steep, and the forest grew deeper, with only birdsong and the sound of the wind as their companions.

We walked until we reached a relatively open area halfway up the mountain, where a clear, green freshwater lake came into view. The lake water was crystal clear, reflecting the drifting clouds in the sky and the surrounding verdant mountain shadows.

The terrain here is relatively high, and you can vaguely see parts of the coastline on the east and west sides of the island.

Xiao Heng stopped and looked at the lake before finally speaking.

Without beating around the bush, he clearly and calmly recounted how the plan to seize salt in Qu County was thwarted by the rain, how Murong Yan had gone south to capture three thousand salt households and brought them back to Qu, and how Xu Xianzhi had sent back news that five thousand naval troops from Langya Port were about to head south.

Upon hearing this, Deng Jing's facial lines tightened even more, and his gaze shifted from the lake to the distant, indistinct sea horizon, as if he could see the approaching fleet.

"Murong Yan is trying to lock us down."

"good."

Xiao Heng nodded, turned around, and even changed his form of address this time.

"Wen Du, I've come here today with only one question for you: using this island as a reference, how long do you estimate we can hold out?"

Deng Jing did not answer immediately. He walked to a huge rock by the lake and looked around.

Yuzhou Island is not small, but its terrain is complex, and its supplies rely entirely on external imports. With its current fighting strength, it can only muster no more than five thousand men capable of forming ranks and fighting. Even with the able-bodied salt farmers who can serve as auxiliary troops, it still amounts to just over ten thousand men. Facing the combined land and sea encirclement of Murong Yan's ten thousand land troops and five thousand naval forces...

He fell silent, his mind racing as he considered various defense plans, resource consumption, and the enemy's possible main attack direction.

Finally, he slowly shook his head.

"My lord, if the enemy launches a full-scale attack and the sea and land blockade is tight, with the island's current strength, it may not be able to hold out for long if it tries to defend itself to the death. It may take at least a month or two or three months, but in the end, we may not be able to escape the situation of running out of food and reinforcements."

This answer did not surprise Xiao Heng, but hearing it from Deng Jing, a general with practical combat experience, still made his heart sink. He pointed to the surrounding mountains and forests and the lake in front of him: "If I intend to use this mountain and lake as the center, abandon some of the outer perimeter, build a camp, and use local materials..."

Deng Jing was taken aback and looked at Xiao Heng with a puzzled expression.

This strategy is almost self-imposed confinement, a stark contrast to the previous strategy of proactive harassment and maintaining mobility.

He carefully surveyed the terrain again. Although the mountains offered some support, the area was limited, and once surrounded, breaking out would be even more difficult.

He shook his head again, this time more decisively.

"This is not a good place. The mountain roads are rugged. The enemy does not need to launch a strong attack. They can simply besiege us for a long time or use fire to attack the forest. We will be trapped like turtles in a jar. Moreover, construction will take a long time. I am afraid that the enemy will arrive before we are finished."

The question was asked twice, and the answer was denied both times.

Xiao Heng's face remained expressionless, but his hands, clasped behind his back, carried the faint sounds of training shouts from below the mountain as the sea breeze blew, making the mountainside even more silent. He looked at Deng Jing and asked his last question.

"Then, in your opinion, how can we win?"

It's not about how to defend, nor how to escape, but about how to win.

Deng Jing's body jolted, and he abruptly looked up to meet Xiao Heng's gaze.

There was no despair or impatience in his eyes, only confidence, a belief that he had a solution.

How can we win?

These four words made Deng Jing feel that it was wishful thinking. He didn't understand why Xiao Heng insisted on holding this place to the death. Logically, they should have retreated before Murong Yan's army arrived.

He looked again at the lake, at the mountains and forests, at the distant sea, and at the island beneath his feet, which they had been cultivating for some time.

This time, his focus was no longer solely on assessing defense and survival, but on searching for even the slightest possible opportunity to break the deadlock.

The mountain wind grew stronger, sweeping across the lake and creating ripples, which also stirred the clothes of the two people standing in the precarious situation.

The answer is still unknown...