Apart from Xu Prefecture Water Camp’s twelve new-style sailing warships, Tower Ship Army’s forty-plus sailing warships had only been retrofitted with splash boards. The fleet’s overall speed slowed as it crossed Dongting Lake domain, taking a full two days and one night to reach the river mouth where the Yuan River entered Dongting Lake.
Entering the rainy season, rainfall in the upper Yuan River region during this period was also extremely abundant. The water surface in the river mouth area was extremely vast, submerging the riverbanks and beaches on both sides. The water surface was approximately ten-plus li wide.
North of Yunpan Ridge were all low mountains and shallow hills that didn’t block the wind.
Since Tanzhou naval forces’ main strength hadn’t pursued them, Tanzhou’s Water Camp forces inside the Yuan River were simply insufficient to resist Chu forces sailing southwest under full sail.
From within Hanshou City, the administrative seat of Langzhou, Ma Rong watched over fifty sailing warships sail past the river surface several li away, with no Water Camp main warships pursuing from behind. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his aged face:
“Tanzhou’s foundation is destroyed!”
Previously, Ma Rong had also felt that Han Qian, who had taken an unconventional approach and assisted Yang Yuanpu in repelling Liang forces at Xichuan, wasn’t worth worrying about. But the battle at Yuanling City made him truly recognize that the Wuling Army, established less than two years ago, deployed battle formations to attack cities in such an impeccable manner, so meticulous and seamless that it left him breathless. Not wanting his entire army annihilated, he could only flee back to Wuling in panic.
Ji Zhongqi’s plan was good—even if they let over ten thousand Longque Army elite troops enter the western lake plains, Tanzhou could still dispatch additional forces to engage them in field battle. But when even defending cities was so difficult, what chance of victory could there be in field battle?
Moreover, the military resources Xu Prefecture had prepared were far more abundant than previously estimated. But though Ma Rong repeatedly submitted memorials stating this, they weren’t taken seriously. Ma Rong also knew in his heart that many people around the state lord believed he was making excuses for his defeat at Yuanling.
Wen Ruilin, who had crossed Dongting Lake by boat from the lake mouth, then rode fast horses all the way from Junshan Mountain to reach Hanshou City ahead of time to join Ma Rong, looked at the river surface several li away, wishing he could drag heir apparent Ma Xun and state lord Ma Yin right here to point at the scene before them and make them open their eyes to look carefully: “Look, just look! You idiots, couldn’t you have listened to my opinion just once?”
The foul anger in Wen Ruilin’s chest was hard to dissipate, but he also knew now wasn’t the time to throw a tantrum. He said to Ma Rong: “At this time, I must ask Staff Officer to immediately lead troops to Wuling City—if I’m not mistaken, Chu forces will most likely employ the strategy of besieging the city to attack reinforcements. But regardless, I must still ask Staff Officer to hold Wuling City, otherwise Tanzhou will be difficult to preserve!”
Even guessing that Chu forces would besiege Wuling City to attack reinforcing troops, Wuling City still had to be held.
Along the lower Yuan River there were only two fortified cities—Hanshou and Wuling. If Chu forces captured Wuling City, heading north they could enter Langzhou’s heartland and press toward the southern Yangtze bank, opening communications with Jingxiang. Heading southeast they could attack into Tanzhou territory. The entire situation would truly collapse completely.
Ma Rong immediately assembled the limited cavalry in Hanshou City and, with Wen Ruilin, took the overland route along the river’s north bank, closely pursuing the Chu fleet. Only in the latter half of the night did they overtake it, entering Wuling City ahead of time to deploy defenses.
In the morning light, the Chu fleet rippled across the river water, passing through the river channel in front of Wuling City from northeast to southwest.
When they reached Yueyue Gorge, where the river surface was compressed and flanked by hills on both sides to less than one li wide, the Chu fleet stopped advancing and instead docked at the riverbank south of Yueyue Gorge. Thousands upon thousands of Chu troops jumped down from warships like tigers and wolves in the morning mist, charging onto the riverbank.
The river surface before and after Yueyue Gorge was four to five li wide, but only this small section of river surface was constricted by hills on both sides to just four to five hundred paces. On one hand, the river water passing through here became extremely turbulent, making it very difficult to force through upstream. On the other hand, building camps on the hills along both banks and deploying whirlwind cannons could blockade the river surface.
Chu forces landing on the riverbank south of Yueyue Gorge, then controlling the hills on both sides of Yueyue Gorge, could use Yueyue Gorge as their main camp for attacking Wuling City, which was only ten li away. On one hand, transporting supplies and troops was extremely convenient. On the other hand, they didn’t need to worry about Tanzhou Water Camp being able to force through from downstream.
Ma Rong assembled two thousand cavalry and infantry on the shallow hills north of Yueyue Gorge. Seeing Chu forces rushing to land on the beach, he immediately divided several hundred cavalry into multiple groups, taking turns charging the fragile positions Chu forces established on the riverbank, hoping to give Chu forces a show of strength and make the ensuing confrontation less difficult.
Li Zhigao, as Longque Army’s Deputy Commander, was also the commanding general of the westward-advancing forces. Standing with Han Qian and Tower Ship Army Vice Commander Fan Xiang on a double-decked oared sailing warship, they vigilantly watched the movements of over ten oared warships downstream while keeping eyes on the riverbank where soldiers were landing.
At this time, light rain began falling from the sky. No one knew whether the rain would intensify, but they knew for certain that rebel forces near Wuling City at this time numbered only over five thousand. Even if they came out of the city in full force to intercept their landing at the riverbank, it would only be this much.
But if they delayed, who knew how many troops the rebels could transfer from other places.
To besiege Wuling City and utilize the hilly terrain around Wuling City to intercept rebel reinforcements coming from other directions, they had to be fast.
If they disembarked at Yunpan Ridge to reorganize military formation, then marched overland from Yunpan Ridge to press toward Wuling City, it would delay at least a day and night.
However, in a day and night, the garrison inside Wuling City could increase to at least over ten thousand men. Besieging it then would be much more difficult.
Li Zhigao ordered several square-bowed flat-bottomed boats to furl their sails and directly charge onto the riverbanks on both sides of the landing position. Concentrating seventy to eighty bed crossbows on the bow and top deck, they limited the direction of rebel forces’ charges at the riverbank position to frontal only. Then they pushed over a hundred war chariots onto the riverbank. Large crossbows were mounted on the chariots, and armored soldiers holding shields sheltered behind the vehicles, step by step expanding the range of the riverbank position before the enemy.
Soldiers from both sides constantly drew bows and controlled strings. Feathered arrows were dense as locusts. War horses neighed. In earth-shaking killing shouts and wild yells, mixed with life’s final screams of agony, mixed with the dull thuds of halberds and shields colliding.
Countless swords and arrows broke through armor, piercing and slashing into fragile flesh. Sprays of fresh blood splattered and flew up. Even more blood flowed along arms, waists, and armor collars into the muddy riverbank, staining the turbid river flow red in patches.
This battle lasted one hour. Before noon, Zheng Hui led Tian Cheng and Lin Haizheng’s two units plus four thousand soldiers from the foreign camp commanded by Xi Ying, pressing in from the south. Ma Rong could only take the corpses of over two hundred fallen soldiers and withdraw back into Wuling City, helplessly watching more and more Chu troops climb the hills on the north bank of Yueyue Gorge…
Du Yiming led the medical care team ashore, directly setting up medical camps on the devastatingly chaotic riverbank battlefield, gathering the temporarily bandaged wounded soldiers for further wound cleaning and suturing.
Once wounds became infected and festered, the world’s best wound medicine might have some curative effect, but timely wound cleaning could effectively prevent infection, roughly ensuring over seventy percent of wounded soldiers could be effectively healed.
Otherwise, having experienced two intense battles with casualty rates exceeding thirty percent within half a year, it would be difficult to say Wuling Army could still maintain such vigorous fighting spirit at this time.
Zheng Hui, Zhang Ping along with Tian Cheng, Lin Haizheng, Xi Ying and other officers came over to join Han Qian, Li Zhigao, Zhou Shu, Zhou Dan, Fan Xiang and others.
When Han Qian and the others were at Yuedong Main Camp, the Third Prince along with Marquis Xinchang Li Pu, Marquis Zhenyuan Yang Jian, and Shen Yang decided to split forces to the Yuan River. They clearly established the Western Xiang Regional Command to uniformly direct Chu forces assembled in the middle and lower Yuan River.
Since Han Daoxun wasn’t personally commanding combat at the front lines, Zheng Hui—as Counselor Participant in Military Affairs of the Prince’s Manor, Vice Defense Commissioner of Wuling Army, and Prefectural Governor of Chenzhou, who had been continuously commanding combat on both banks of the Yuan River—was naturally the obvious choice for Regional Command General Manager. Li Zhigao, Zhou Dan, Zhou Shu, Fan Xiang, Xi Ying and others served as deputy generals. Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, Yang Qin, Xi Chang, Feng Xuan, Feng Zhang and others were one level lower in status.
Han Qian, as Regional Command Military Administrator, continued to be responsible for logistics, supplies and other matters.
Zhang Ping and Li Chong, who accompanied the army, served as Regional Command Supervising Commissioner and Military Records Participant in Military Affairs.
When at Yuedong Main Camp, the Third Prince and everyone had also preliminarily discussed the upcoming battle plans for the Yuan River direction—Zhou Shu and Zhou Dan would respectively occupy the strategic passes north and east of Wuling City, intercepting reinforcements coming from these two directions. Fan Xiang would coordinate with Xu Prefecture Water Camp’s Yang Qin unit to intercept naval reinforcements sailing upstream along the Yuan River. Li Zhigao would coordinate with the foreign camp and the whirlwind cannon battalion belonging to the supply train camp to launch a strong assault on Wuling City.
Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng’s three battalions of armored soldiers, plus the elite troops of the personal guard battalion commanded by Zheng Xingxuan, would temporarily serve as reserve forces stationed at the main camp on the north bank of Yueyue Gorge, able to reinforce any direction as needed at any time.
“So fast! Couldn’t you commanding officers rest a few days after leading troops here to reorganize your forces?” Gao Shao asked in astonishment.
Progress in their direction had been extremely smooth, but each time they organized a new offensive, they required one to two months of preparation. Now they had just joined forces on the north bank of Yueyue Gorge, and by the day after tomorrow at the latest they had to complete preparations for attacking Wuling City. At that time, the camps on the north bank of Yueyue Gorge might not even be properly constructed.
Han Qian sat across from Li Zhigao. The specific battle plans were currently known only to a few people and needed further communication with battalion commanders below. He said: “There isn’t that much time to spare. Even if Marquis Liyang’s mission to Shu goes smoothly, Shu forces will drag things out until June at the earliest before possibly withdrawing from Yiling. But Liang forces’ assembly at Caizhou won’t stop. Once the rainy season passes, if Liang forces attack the Nanyang-Fangcheng defense line from Caizhou—which has only been under construction for two years and cannot yet be called very solid—relying only on the thirty thousand garrison troops in Dengzhou, Junzhou, and Xiangzhou, it’s hard to say it will be as stable as Mount Tai. The court will inevitably have to draw troops from various places to reinforce Deng and Xiang. If at that time the military situation here in Tanzhou is still deadlocked, we’ll truly be in a dilemma of advancing or retreating. The Yuan River Regional Command has essentially completed assembly at this time, so it must immediately demonstrate its effectiveness. There’s no time for newly arrived forces to adapt and adjust. The faster, more decisive, and more ferocious our actions, the greater the intimidation of Tan and Xiang forces will be, and ultimately the fewer reinforcements will dare to rush over…”