My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

At dawn, a deafening war drum shattered the silence on both banks of the Huai River.

Immediately afterwards, countless bugle calls rang out from the Northern Army camp, rolling across the sky above Xuyi City like thunder.

As soon as Xiao Heng and his team arrived, they stood up and looked towards Xuyi City. They saw two black torrents slowly advancing towards the city. The left wing was the elite Northern Army of Liu Laozhi's troops, and the right wing was the infantry of Zhuge Kan's troops. Their banners fluttered and their momentum was overwhelming.

"Order! The fleet must immediately form ranks, archers and crossbowmen, prepare yourselves, and guard against the Qin army's attempt to break out by water!"

Chen Da gave the order, and the horns on the flagship immediately sounded. The warships along the river raised their sails, and the oarsmen bent down and exerted their strength, moving the ships slowly. Soon, they formed a tight defensive line on the west bank of the Huai River. More than twenty warships were positioned across the middle of the river, their bows aimed at the water gate of Xuyi City. The archers nocked their arrows and kept their eyes fixed on the movements on the city wall.

Liu Laozhi's vanguard had reached the south gate of Xuyi City, and the soldiers, pushing ladders and battering rams, charged toward the city wall with a roar.

The Qin army on the city wall finally made a move. Sparse arrows were shot down from behind the battlements, landing on the shields of the Northern Army, but they could not stop the Northern Army's offensive.

Liu Laozhi, clad in heavy armor and wielding an iron shield and long sword, personally charged to the forefront, with his soldiers following closely behind, climbing up the cloud ladder. Shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the clash of weapons resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

"My lord, the Qin army's resistance is far too weak."

Chen Da stood beside Xiao Heng, frowning as he spoke.

"They shouldn't be so easily defeated. Look at the Qin soldiers on the city wall, they can't even draw their bows steadily, they look like they haven't woken up yet."

Xiao Heng remained calm, already knowing this would happen. He wasn't still half asleep; he was probably hungry.

The morale of the Qin soldiers on the city wall was low. Many of them could not even hold their weapons properly, and their arrows were extremely weak. They could not even reach the front line of the Northern Army. The number of Qin soldiers on the city wall was very small. The defenders at the south gate numbered less than a thousand, which was far less than the 20,000 Qin soldiers.

Although they knew that no action was likely to be taken, they still had to pretend they didn't know anything.

He shook his head and muttered to himself.

Something's not right.

"The Qin army is putting on a show of resistance, not genuinely defending the city. Liu Laozhi and Zhuge Kan's forces launched a fierce attack on the south and east gates, but the Qin army only sent a small number of troops to deal with them. This must be a trap."

Feeling that his performance was not up to par, he immediately turned to the scout beside him and gave orders.

"Take three fast boats and circle around to the north side of Xuyi City to scout the movements at the north and east gates. Pay special attention to whether the Qin army shows any signs of troop buildup, especially their cavalry. If you discover any Qin troop movements, report back immediately without fail!"

The scouts received the order and led three fast boats to quietly leave the fleet, following the tributary to the north side of Xuyi City.

Xiao Heng looked back at the city wall. He knew that if the Qin army wasn't going to advance eastward, they would surely set up a feint during the siege, using a small force to tie down the main force of the Northern Army while he led his elite cavalry to break out. The Qin army's current half-hearted resistance was perhaps just the first step, waiting for the Northern Army to relax their guard.

Less than an hour later, news of victory came from the southern battlefield: Liu Laozhi's troops had breached the south gate of Xuyi, with the vanguard soldiers taking the lead in scaling the city walls. The Qin army defenders were in retreat, and it seemed they were about to capture the south city.

Xiao Heng felt no joy whatsoever; instead, he became even more vigilant. The news relayed by the scouts completely confirmed his judgment: thousands of Qin cavalrymen were hidden on the north side of Xuyi City and were quietly gathering. The garrison at the east gate was also slowly retreating, seemingly clearing a path for the cavalry to break through.

"My lord, the city has fallen!"

Chen Da said urgently,

"Should we...?"

"no."

Xiao Heng resolutely refused.

"Our duty is to block the western waterway, in case Peng Chao's remnants manage to break through by water!"

He walked to the map, quickly considering his options, pondering whether to go north or east, or perhaps detour through the north gate and then head east...

Just as he was thinking, a deafening horn sound suddenly came from Xuyi City.

Upon hearing the bugle call, Xiao Heng didn't wait any longer. Knowing that Ju Nan was about to break through, he immediately ordered a pursuit.

"Order! All warships to set sail immediately, downstream at full speed, in pursuit!"

Xiao Heng turned around abruptly and gave a stern order.

Chen Da was a little confused, not knowing who to chase. Before he could ask, Xiao Heng gave another order.

"Heading south, into the river!"

"Go south? Enter the river!"

Chen Da asked in confusion, but seeing that Xiao Heng's eyes were fixed on him, he could only go and relay the order.

Soon, the naval warships hoisted their sails, and the oarsmen exerted all their strength, plunging the oars into the water and stirring up waves. The warships sped away along the Huai River like arrows.

Standing at the bow of the flagship, Xiao Heng could already see the Qin cavalry breaking through and galloping away. Although the naval warships were fast, they could not catch up with the cavalry who were charging at full speed. The Qin cavalry could travel more than a hundred miles a day, while the navy was limited by waterways and could only travel seventy or eighty miles at most. If they could not catch up with the Qin army before dark, they would completely break free from the control of the Northern Army.

After leaving the bow of the ship, Xiao Heng pondered for a moment and then summoned a personal guard.

"Immediately send word to the main camp that the Ju Nan might advance eastward to Guangling, and that our navy should prepare to sail south into the Yangtze River!"

The guards didn't ask any further questions and simply clasped their hands in a fist salute.

"promise!"

At this moment, Chen Da stepped forward, still somewhat puzzled.

"Guangling? Isn't that a place of no return?"

Xiao Heng looked at the Yuwang River on the map, which could flow south and into the Yangtze River, and asked a question.

Where do you think he'll go?

"It can't be..."

Xiao Heng was somewhat surprised, and when he looked up, he was speechless.

"Going back to San'a will also mean certain death!"

"Stop thinking about it. Go urge the oarsmen on and tell them that if they catch up with the Qin army, each of them will be rewarded with thirty bolts of silk!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Da immediately relayed the order loudly. The oarsmen, hearing of the reward, were greatly encouraged and rowed with even greater force, increasing the speed of the warship. They sped down the Huai River and pursued the Qin cavalry.

The speed of the Qin cavalry's swift advance, pursued by both iron cavalry and waterways, far exceeded Xiao Heng's expectations.

Ju Nan seemed to have anticipated that the Northern Army would send troops to pursue them, so he deliberately chose a route along the coast that was mostly plains. The cavalry galloped across the plains as if walking on flat ground, and covered more than 30 li in less than an hour.

Xiao Heng led his naval fleet downstream. Although aided by the current, the winding waterways limited their ability to keep up with the Qin cavalry. They could only see the smoke and dust on the eastern bank from afar, but could not catch up.

It wasn't until the afternoon that the fleet left Xuyi and came into view Shengren Mountain. In the past, Yu the Great passed by this mountain while taming the floods, hence the mountain was named after the sage.

Below the mountain lies the Yuwang River, an ancient river formed by Yu the Great diverting the Huai River into the Yangtze River.

After the fleet entered the Yuwang River, its speed quickly slowed down, and in some places, people even had to go ashore to pull the boats.

"My lord, the Qin cavalry are too fast. If we keep chasing them like this, we won't be able to catch up at all."

Chen Da stood at the bow of the boat, his tone tinged with urgency.

"How about we send fast ships with elite troops ashore and pursue them by land?"

Xiao Heng shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.

"No, our soldiers are all from the navy and are good at naval warfare, but not good at land raids. If we go ashore to pursue them, we will definitely be defeated by the Qin cavalry. Moreover, the coastline is mostly open plains with no natural defenses, so it would be a losing proposition."

Xiao Heng looked up into the distance, knowing in his heart that he definitely couldn't catch up this way.

"Order Liu Dan to lead fifty elite archers to catch up with the small boats clearing the way. The Qin cavalry have been on a long march and will surely rest. If we can catch up, we don't need to engage in battle. Instead, we can take the opportunity to shoot down the Qin horses and scouts, slowing down their advance and buying time for the subsequent pursuit!"

"promise!"

Chen Da immediately accepted the order and went to deliver it personally.

Xiao Heng led the main fleet to continue the pursuit, repeatedly calculating the Qin army's resting place.

Even the fastest cavalry can't withstand long raids; both horses and riders need rest...