My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

In Huaiyin City, the three argued until the afternoon.

Finally, Xiao Heng had no choice but to gather all the soldiers under his command at the drill ground. He glanced at the mixed group of surrendered soldiers, refugees, and former subordinates in the ranks and said in a deep voice.

"The quality of an army is more important than its quantity; redundant personnel will only hinder combat effectiveness. From today onwards, my unit will be streamlined to five thousand men, all of whom are elite soldiers familiar with the Huai and Si waterways and skilled in ship handling and combat. The remaining three thousand men will be commanded by General He."

The drill ground was silent. Although the guards were puzzled, none of them dared to speak up.

Seeing that Xiao Heng was actually going to hand over three thousand soldiers, he was filled with astonishment, which then turned into ecstasy. Although these three thousand men were not top-notch elites, they could still strengthen the defense and share the responsibility of guarding the canal.

"Is Sanlang really willing to give it up?"

He Qian stepped forward, his voice trembling with excitement.

"What is there to be reluctant about?"

Xiao Heng smiled faintly and turned to look at Zhuge Kan beside him.

"These are mostly refugees from Huaibei. They may not be able to live peacefully following me. You two are former commanders and know better than I how to use these people. In addition, I will keep ten of the warships I have captured for my own use, and give the rest to you two for the defense of the Sikou waterway."

A hint of approval flashed in Zhuge Kan's eyes. He had previously worried that Xiao Heng would become arrogant because of his achievements, but now that he saw how insightful Xiao Heng was, he felt relieved.

"Sanlang, you are so generous! We will certainly not fail you. But isn't your generosity a bit...?"

Xiao Heng knew what this guy was thinking, but he just brushed it off by saying that there wasn't enough food.

He knew he was different from these refugee leaders; he also had the identity of the Xiao family of Lanling. He had to be even more careful now, as having too many soldiers would attract criticism.

That day, a joint report was sent by the Clippers to Xie Xuan's army.

The next day, the commander of the Northern Army camp.

Xie Xuan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge map of the Huai and Si rivers.

There were hurried footsteps outside the tent. The scout knelt on one knee, holding up a tightly sealed battle report with both hands.

"Governor! Urgent report from Huaiyin! A joint report from Xiao Heng, He Qian, and Zhuge Kan!"

Xie Xuan hurriedly turned around and took the battle report. At first, he was calm, as neither the recapture of Sikou nor Huaiyin excited him.

When he glimpsed Xiao Heng's troops being reduced to five thousand, with the remaining three thousand to be handed over to He Qian, and half of the captured warships to be deployed at Sikou, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by a slight upturn of his lips.

"He was neither greedy for soldiers nor attached to material possessions; he had an extremely precise grasp of the proper measure."

He handed the battle report to the generals in the tent. Liu Laozhi and others were not present, but the veteran general Gao Heng took it first and praised it.

"That kid's got a sharp eye!"

Xie Xuan raised his hand and placed it on the map, his former restraint and calm gone.

"Without food, what will your 40,000-strong army eat?"

Xie Xuan immediately began drafting the order, adjusting the deployment in a deep voice as he wrote.

"Order Liu Laozhi to lead 5,000 elite troops as the vanguard and immediately seize the high ground of Daze on the west side of San'a. Construct fortifications, dig trenches, block the Qin army's escape route to the west, coordinate with Sun Wuzhong's troops, guard against reinforcements from Pengcheng, and at the same time find out the location of the Qin army's grain storage. Submit a detailed report in three days."

"Order Sun Wuzhong to lead his 4,000 troops to garrison the village strongholds directly north of San'a, forming a pincer movement with Liu Laozhi's detachment. Hold the land route for the Qin army's northward retreat to Pengcheng at all costs. If the Qin army breaks out, be sure to delay them until the main force arrives."

Xie Xuan then turned to look at the map, his tone becoming more solemn.

"Order Xiao Heng to lead 5,000 elite naval troops to garrison the tributary of the Han Canal east of San'a. Deploy defenses along the tributary to intercept the Qin army and simultaneously construct siege equipment!"

Just as I was about to stop writing, as if I had thought of something, I turned back to look at the direction of Pengcheng on the map.

"He Qian stayed behind at Sikou to block the Huai River waterway, cutting off the waterway connection between San'a and Pengcheng and Xuyi, and guarding the vital supply route."

"Zhuge Kan advances along the west bank of the Huai River, closely monitoring reinforcements from Pengcheng!"

Finally, Xie Xuan looked up at Gao Heng.

"General Gao will personally lead 10,000 main force troops, carrying provisions and supplies, to slowly advance. Within ten days, we must form an encirclement around San'a. All units should communicate with each other through scouts and coordinate their operations. Once the Qin army runs out of supplies and breaks out, we will then gather together and annihilate them!"

Once the military order was given, messengers set off in different directions, traveling day and night to reach the various units along the Huai and Si rivers.

Three days later, the transfer orders arrived at their destinations one after another.

Inside the Sikou naval camp, He Qian, clutching the transfer order, angrily slammed it onto the table and began to curse loudly.

"That Xiao Heng! He's got me stuck here at Sikou watching the ships! I was hoping to go to San'a to make a name for myself, but instead, I'm stuck here blocking grain ships!"

Zhuge Kan, who was standing nearby, quickly tried to calm him down: "General, please calm down. Sikou is a strategic location. The commander-in-chief's order for you to stay and guard it shows his trust in you!"

Despite his cursing, He Qian knew that military orders were absolute, and he gritted his teeth and gave the order.

"Prepare the army for war! Guard the main channel of the Huai River firmly, and do not allow the Qin army to pass through with a single grain of food or a single soldier!"

"Peng Chao's supply lines are now completely cut off. The Qin army can't possibly abandon him. Our fiercest battles are yet to come!"

"..."

Three days later, the Hangou Canal, which connects the north and east sides of San'a.

When Xiao Heng led his naval fast boats to dock, Sun Wuzhong was already standing on the earthen slope at the ferry crossing with several personal guards, waiting. His exquisite armor made him look even more imposing, but there was a hint of melancholy between his brows.

Seeing Xiao Heng, dressed in light leather armor, calmly step ashore, with his personal guards standing in neat rows, exuding an imposing aura, Sun Wuzhong's eyes flashed with a complex expression. He quickly stepped forward, raised his hand and patted Xiao Heng's shoulder heavily, his words revealing a hint of undisguised envy and jealousy.

"You bastard! In just a few months, you've gone from being a lowly supervisor under me to being more successful than me!"

Xiao Heng smiled faintly: "Brother Sun, you flatter me. If it weren't for your promotion, I, Xiao Heng, would not be where I am today."

Sun Wuzhong snorted, the sourness in his tone lessening, and pulled Xiao Heng toward the temporary camp on the shore.

"Alright, alright, you're quite capable, I'm happy for you. It's just that life in the army is getting more and more unpleasant!"

Upon entering the tent, his personal guards served him coarse tea. Sun Wuji picked up the teacup, took a large gulp, slammed the teacup down on the table, and cursed.

"That Chief Clerk! That old bastard, relying on his background as a scholar and the trust of Commander Xie, bosses around the army and always finds fault with me!"

Xiao Heng paused, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Chief Secretary Yin? How could he have clashed with Brother Sun?"

"It's all because of you, kid!"

Sun Wuzhong grew increasingly angry as he spoke, and his pace quickened.

"That's the guy who was holding back your letters from the East China Sea!"

"In the end, the matter reached Commander Xie, who immediately suspended me from my post. If it weren't for the later encounter with Xianbei scouts who confirmed your judgment, I probably would have lost my position forever!"

Xiao Heng listened quietly. Yin Zhongkan was a renowned scholar who always advocated peace. Although he served as the chief clerk in the Northern Army, he was mostly responsible for administrative tasks and rarely interfered directly in military affairs. This time, he intercepted the letter without cause. It seemed to be an impeachment of Sun Wuzhong, but in fact, it seemed to be aimed at him. This was really abnormal.

Before he could think it through, Sun Wuzhong added angrily.

"And that matter of you escorting Murong Yan back to Guangling, that old bastard also messed it up! After Murong Yan was handed over to the Guangling camp, he insisted on detaining him to verify his identity, saying that there might be an imposter and that he needed to be verified. He dragged it out for ten days. When he was finally released, Murong Yan had become an idiot, only able to talk nonsense, and he didn't even recognize who he was!"

Xiao Heng felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly looked up. He knew it was a misunderstanding; that guy had gone crazy after being captured, but he still continued the conversation.

"Is this really true? Murong Yan was clear-headed when he was captured, how could he suddenly become stupid?"

"Who knows!"

Sun Wuzhong curled his lip.

"Later, it was Xie Gong who intervened, and only then was he paraded through the streets as a public spectacle!"

As he spoke, a hint of smugness appeared on his face.

"But after this incident, your reputation has really soared! Everyone in the army is saying you can predict the enemy's moves like a god, and that you can command the wind and rain. Even I've been praised by Commander Xie several times!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, completely oblivious to the seriousness on Xiao Heng's face.

Xiao Heng held his teacup, lowering his eyes to hide the doubt in them, but his heart was churning. Yin Zhongkan's series of actions were too strange.

What's even more suspicious is how Xie An got involved.

"Brother Sun!"

Xiao Heng raised his eyes and asked in a calm tone.

"During Murong Yan's detention, did he exhibit any unusual behavior? For example, did he frequently contact people within Guangling City?"

Sun Wuzhong paused for a moment, scratched his head, and thought carefully for a while.

"Unusual behavior? The army had already set off; Governor Xie originally intended to use this man as a sacrifice to appease the flag!"

Xiao Heng nodded silently. It seemed that his act of presenting the captives had caused a big problem, and might even have involved factional struggles in the Eastern Jin court.

"Sanlang? What are you spacing out about?" Sun Wuzhong asked, puzzled, seeing his serious expression.

Xiao Heng snapped out of his reverie, suppressed his doubts, and said with a faint smile, "It's nothing, I just find this Chief Clerk Yin's behavior strange. Brother Sun, you should be more careful when dealing with him in the future, lest he find fault with you again."

Sun Wuzhong waved his hand dismissively: "What's there to be afraid of! Now that I have Xie Shuai's appreciation and a good reputation, what can he do to me?"

Xiao Heng said no more, and instead brought up defenses: "Let's not talk about that. The Commander-in-Chief intends to besiege San'a. Brother Sun, are you in trouble here? What if the Qin army manages to break through?"

Sun Wuzhong immediately composed himself and nodded in response, "There are indeed difficulties; the elite troops have all been taken away by Military Advisor Liu..."

The two discussed for another half an hour, finalizing the details of the defense coordination, before Xiao Heng got up to take his leave and returned to the eastern naval camp.

As night deepened, the speedboat glided along a tributary of the Han Canal. The evening breeze carried the fragrance of reeds, but it could not dispel the doubts in Xiao Heng's heart.

He stood at the bow of the boat, recalling Sun Wuzhong's words. Yin Zhongkan's unusual behavior was by no means accidental.

That night, Zhou Laosi left the camp, and Xiao Heng ordered him to return to Jiankang to secretly investigate Yin Zhongkan's movements and his connections in the court.

While we're at it, let's find out why Xie Shao never returned; those hundreds of Cui family members from Qingzhou haven't been settled yet.