My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

"Issue my order: assemble the entire army and pursue them while they are still in the heat of the moment!"

The urgent calls to assemble echoed through the valley, and more than 2,800 soldiers, ready to fight, quickly lined up, swords and spears in hand, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.

On the other side, more than two thousand salt farmers and refugees also gathered. They were mostly armed with sharpened bamboo spears and their usual tools. In particular, the people of Ganyu County who had been massacred a month earlier had deep hatred for the Xianbei people on their faces. Under Tan Lin's words of revenge, the suffering of being displaced and the horror of their relatives being slaughtered immediately turned into a fire of revenge.

Han Yong, carrying a shield and holding a ring-pommel sword, strode to the front of the group, raised his rough hands high, and let out a thunderous shout.

"Heaven has no one to feed, so I will beg for my own life! I will repay blood with blood, and life with life!"

Two thousand eight hundred soldiers were the first to respond, their roars echoing through the valley. More than two thousand salt farmers and refugees followed closely behind. Although their voices were slightly disordered, they carried a desperate and resolute spirit, making the slogan of the Beggars' Army resound throughout the mountains.

The shouts of battle echoed down the mountain path, like a vengeful ghost, terrifying the fleeing Qin soldiers and making them stagger even more.

"Rush!"

Deng Jing pointed his spear straight down the mountain.

Han Yong took the lead and no longer needed any formation.

He led his elite troops at the forefront like tigers descending a mountain, his ring-pommel sword flashing up and down, each strike precisely aimed at the fleeing Qin soldiers. Chen Da followed closely behind, leading the new recruits who had been tempered in actual combat, their attacks swift and decisive, completely devoid of their former awkwardness.

Although the salt farmers and refugees staggered, they followed closely on both sides of the column. When they encountered the fleeing Qin soldiers, they charged forward fearlessly, never retreating even if it meant mutual destruction.

At this moment, Murong Yan was being escorted by his personal guards as he fled towards the water fortress. Under his feet was a muddy riverbed, and all he could hear were the cries of soldiers. Just as he climbed a gentle slope, the deafening shouts of battle were already close behind him. Looking back, he saw that the dark mass of pursuers was almost upon him.

The slogan "blood for blood, life for life" made him tremble. He remembered that this was the slogan of the Beggars' Army who had not yet died out.

"Stop them! Stop them now!"

Murong Yan tried to stop the decline, but the defeated Qin army had lost all fighting spirit. Many of the mixed Hu people threw down their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy. Many more were only concerned with running forward and even pushing and trampling each other to fight for a way to survive.

Murong Lie led a squad of personal guards in an attempt to turn around and intercept them. Just as he raised his scimitar, his personal guards pounced on him. Then an arrow shot from a distance, and the guard screamed as he rolled down the hillside, where he was swallowed up by the pursuing crowd. Seeing this, the other guards grabbed Murong Lie and ran desperately up the mountain.

Upon seeing this, Liu Dan, who had fired the arrow, shook his head. This was an order given to him by Xiao Heng to specifically kill those Xianbei generals. He had finally found a big fish, how could he let him get away? Putting away his bow, Liu Dan gave chase.

The pursuing troops moved as if they were in an empty field, leaving Qin soldiers dead everywhere they went.

Murong Yan mustered his last strength and led his remaining dozen or so personal guards to the outside of Shiji Water Village, only to find that the village gate was already crowded with the routed Qin army. His heart sank and he instantly realized that this water village was not a refuge at all, but a trap deliberately left by Xiao Heng!

Once inside, you'll be trapped in the village by the pursuing defenders, with no way to escape!

"Retreat! Don't go into the water fortress! Back to the dock!"

Ignoring everything else, Murong Yan abruptly changed direction and led the charge towards the dock.

He knew very well that only by retreating back to the ship could he truly have a chance of survival.

Seeing that their commander-in-chief was not only not entering the village but was rushing towards the dock, the Qin soldiers inside the water village became even more panicked. They no longer cared about fighting for a foothold in the village and followed Murong Yan's figure, surging towards the dock like a tide.

When Deng Jing led his troops to the outside of the water fortress, the previous chaos inside the fortress had long since subsided, leaving only a few hundred slow-moving remnants of the army, who were slumped on the ground, trembling.

He was not disappointed when he saw this; instead, he calmly raised his hand in greeting.

"Cease pursuit! Clean up the battlefield and gather the remaining enemies!"

The shouts of killing did not subside. The Hu people inside and outside the water village faced the cruel revenge of the refugees. Many refugees killed Hu people on sight, and no one could stop them. With nowhere to escape, the Hu people, desperate, began to fight back. Deng Jing had no choice but to lead his men to set up camps everywhere.

The battle continued until the afternoon, with the 5,000-strong force suffering over a thousand casualties. However, the swift and decisive pursuit brought a sense of exhilaration to the survivors. It was the first time they had fought back so fiercely, and the first time they had truly felt the hope of survival.

At sea, Murong Yan, with only two thousand remaining soldiers, fled back to the ship in a sorry state.

He slumped in the flagship's cabin, gazing out the window towards Yuzhou Island. The arrogance and fighting spirit he had displayed earlier were gone, replaced by deep weariness and apprehension.

"Order the entire army to retreat and return to Qu County!"

Murong Yan waved his hand weakly, and with the wave of the command flag, the Qin army fleet slowly sailed away from the port and retreated towards the distant sea.

......

Two days later, Lu Da seized the supplies that were being sent south to the Qin army. This action thoroughly enraged Murong Yan, who led his troops again. This time, the number of troops was as many as 15,000, and it even included a large number of siege weapons.

Meanwhile, in Huainan, Peng Chao personally led his army south from Sikou, his sword aimed directly at Guangling. Ju Nan also led his elite troops eastward from Xuyi. The two armies formed a pincer movement and quickly encircled San'a.

San'a is a crucial point in Huainan. If it falls, the entire Jianghuai defense line will be wide open.

Qiao Wang Sima Tian led 50,000 imperial guards to reinforce San'a, intending to use his superior numbers to defeat the Qin army.

However, the Imperial Guards, having been out of practice for a long time, proved utterly ineffective against the fierce and elite Qin army.

When the two armies first met, the Qin army tore through the Imperial Guards' formation like a hot knife through butter. Although Sima Tian tried his best to supervise the battle, he could not reverse the decline. The 50,000-strong army suffered heavy casualties and was routed all the way.

In this battle, only the vanguard Xi Hui led 5,000 troops to break through the encirclement at the last minute and survived. The rest of the imperial guards either died or fled, and eventually retreated to Jiankang in a sorry state.

When news of the three generals' crushing defeat reached Jiankang, the imperial court was in an uproar.

Officials were filled with fear and unease, their voices of impeachment and calls for war mingling together, their former composure and calm completely gone.

Sima Yao stood on the throne, looking at the panicked officials below, his face ashen. This was the second time recently that the Imperial Guards had been defeated by the Qin army, and the collapse of the Jianghuai defense line was imminent.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, even worse news followed. Xie Shao, who had been delivering military intelligence to Xiao Heng on his way back from Yuzhou Island, encountered an unusually strong storm when he reached the waters near Guangling. His ship was capsized by the giant waves, and no one on board survived.

Xie Shao was Xie An's nephew. He was intelligent and decisive and was a rising star in the Xie family. He was also a junior whom Xie An had high hopes for. When Xie An learned of Xie Shao's unexpected death, he was overwhelmed with grief and worry. This usually calm and composed prime minister fell ill and was bedridden, unable to even manage state affairs.

The news of Xie An's illness was a further blow to the court. At this time, Huan Chong, the governor of Jingzhou, learned that the Jianghuai region was in danger and Jiankang was in turmoil. He immediately submitted a memorial requesting permission to lead the elite troops of Jingzhou into the capital to protect the capital.

Huan Chong, who commanded a large army, had always maintained a balance of power with the Xie family, both cooperating with them. His request for permission to serve as regent put the court in an even more difficult position; some feared he would follow in Huan Wen's footsteps, while others seconded his request...

Caught in a dilemma, Sima Yao had no other choice but to send someone to visit Xie An's residence and, in the name of Empress Dowager Chu Suanzi, personally write an imperial edict to earnestly request Xie An to come out of seclusion and take charge of the government.

In his imperial edict, Sima Yao spoke earnestly, stating frankly, "The state is now in imminent danger, and only you can stabilize it," placing all his hopes for saving the situation on Xie An.

A few days later, the timeline returned to normal, and Xie Xuan was ordered to set off from Guangling.

......