Chapter 1012: A Situation Gradually Choking

Compared to the thunderous and rapid progress of the Cao-Liu army in the middle and upper reaches, the fighting downstream had fallen into a period of stalemate. After winning the naval battle at Jingkou, the Han army, under Li Gu's orders, launched a tentative crossing attack toward Jingkou, but was repelled by Lin Renzhao, and from then on fell silent.

Warships raced along the river, striking from time to time, slogans were shouted, troops were being shifted, but there was no substantial major action—a case of much thunder, little rain. During this process, Jiangnan's defense line seemed temporarily stabilized; the Han army could not cross the river for the time being, and Jinling's safety was temporarily assured. In the court, voices calling for Lin Renzhao to be punished accordingly died down. However, as the senior general, Lin Renzhao's heart grew heavier by the day.

When a mountain storm approaches, there is always wild wind beforehand, and a single stretch of water could not stop the Han army's blade. Even as the Han army reined in its offensive, Lin Renzhao felt the danger all the more keenly. And where did the danger come from? No need for deep thought—Ezhou, Jiangzhou, Chizhou, Taiping, Changzhou—Jiangnan's Yangtze defense line was riddled with holes everywhere.

At Changzhou, facing the attack of a joint force of tens of thousands from the Han army and Wuyue, though still holding out, its hardship could be anticipated. Prefect Zheng Yanhua was a loyal and brave general who had participated in bloody battles against the Han army during the great Huainan campaign, yet how long he could hold remained unknown.

Once Changzhou fell, Runzhou's safety would be beyond doubt imperiled. Under internal and external distress, caught in a pincer from both sides, even if Bai Wu were resurrected to command the army, it would be difficult to resolve the crisis. Changzhou's defenders numbered only twenty thousand, and fewer than five thousand were fit for battle. Ever since learning that Guo Tingwei was leading a large army to attack, Lin Renzhao had been worried about the situation.

He had once submitted a memorial to Jinling, suggesting to Li Yu that troops be sent from Jinling to strengthen Changzhou's defense. After all, twenty thousand able-bodied men had just been conscripted—even if they could not fight, they could do manual labor and still play some role in helping defend the city.

However, Lin Renzhao's suggestion was rejected, for a simple reason: Jinling's safety must be guaranteed first. Clearly, the Jinling court lacked confidence in holding the Yangtze defense line, and the reason lay in news from upstream. It could be said that with several armies pacifying Jiangnan, whichever route achieved a breakthrough would affect the overall situation.

Therefore, the Jinling court began to consider that if the river defense fell and the Han army successfully crossed, they would need sufficient troops to hold out. In terms of city fortifications, none compared to Jinling. At that point, relying on Jinling city, they might still hold out, drag out the war, and perhaps win some turnaround—after all, in history, there were examples of holding a lone city and turning certain defeat into victory.

After being rejected, Lin Renzhao flew into a rage, furious at their lack of resolve, cursing the benighted ruler and incompetent ministers. Helpless, Lin Renzhao could only detach five thousand troops from Runzhou's garrison to reinforce Zheng Yanhua at Changzhou.

Before this, Lin Renzhao had also considered leading Runzhou's elite troops in a stealth march to Changzhou, coordinating with Zheng Yanhua for a pincer attack from inside and out, launching a surprise assault on the allied forces. As a joint force, command gaps were bound to appear—the Wuyue troops and the Han army were not necessarily of one mind—perhaps it was an opportunity.

If the allied forces at Changzhou could be broken, eliminating one flanking army, the impact on the entire war situation would be incalculable—it could be said to remove a threat at one's very elbow. Moreover, Changzhou was adjacent to Runzhou, not far away, convenient both for advancing and for retreating.

However, the risk of this matter was also enormous. If something unexpected happened—say, failing to quickly defeat the Han army at Changzhou, or outright defeat—and the main Han force at Guazhou took the opportunity to cross the river and attack, then the entire war situation would completely collapse, and the Jiangnan court might be plunged into irretrievable ruin.

Gambling—Lin Renzhao had the boldness and courage for it, but there were not many willing to follow him into risk and desperate struggle. After all, for the southern army generals at Runzhou, merely defending already placed enormous pressure on them, let alone taking the initiative to strike out.

Therefore, Lin Renzhao's proposal failed to gain support. In Runzhou's garrison, besides the Zhenhai Army that had long been stationed there, there were nearly thirty thousand imperial troops from Jinling as well as local troops transferred from other prefectures and counties. Although Lin Renzhao was the commander, he was still considerably constrained.

Ironically, when facing a crisis of annihilation, those truly fighting desperately and bleeding on the front lines were not the dukes and ministers, high officials and nobles who had enjoyed the Li clan's generous treatment, but rather the generals and ministers who had never been valued. Lin Renzhao was one, Zheng Yanhua was another—both were surrendered generals from the state of Min.

Of course, what Lin Renzhao worried about most was Dangtu in Xuanzhou. Though it was a key point in the river defense, it was also a suitable place for crossing. Yet since the war began, every key location had been ablaze with activity—only the Dangtu area remained quiet the whole time. This was highly abnormal, especially given that the Han navy had essentially taken control of the Yangtze waterway.

He reported his concerns to Jinling, hoping to strengthen Dangtu's troop strength and defenses, but this too was not adopted—the old minister Zhu Gong was personally stationed there. Lin Renzhao's suggestions were all targeted, yet none were adopted. It seemed the Jinling court was utterly benighted. However, on closer thought, if Lin Renzhao's suggestions were followed—fortifying everywhere and reinforcing troops—Jiangnan simply did not have the strength.

Relying on only half of the southeast, nearly two hundred thousand troops had already been armed—this was already militarism to the point of exhaustion. The mess could neither be spread out nor cleaned up. Under such circumstances, the Jinling court's selective arrangements were somewhat understandable.

All in all, under the imperial court's offensive, the state of Jiangnan had become a complete mess.

While the southern army's situation went from bad to worse, the Han army side was getting restless. The various generals were eager for battle, repeatedly requesting Li Gu to launch attacks, but were all held back. Li Gu was well-versed in the art of motivating generals—like penning a group of hungry tigers, just waiting for the day the cage was opened.

At Guazhou, the Jianghuai field headquarters, Li Gu curled up on the couch. As the weather grew colder each day, he endured pain almost daily. Fortunately, Guazhou was a major town with a good environment; otherwise, if he were on the march, the suffering his body endured would surely be doubled.

A warm stove burned in the room, providing some relief but not a cure. Yet from Li Gu's face, little pain could be seen—only calm. Still, some bodily reactions could not be resisted by sheer willpower alone.

Footsteps sounded from outside, then noticeably slowed at the door. Under the guard's guidance, two men walked slowly in—they were Deputy Commander-in-Chief Shi Shouxin and Army Supervisor Zhao Yanjin.

"We pay our respects to the Grand Marshal!" The two saluted.

"Shouxin, Boheng, you've come—sit!" Li Gu was studying a map. Seeing the two, an amiable smile appeared on his aged face. "What important matter brings you two here together?"

"Lord Li, winter has already set in, and we still haven't moved the troops. Zhang Baoyi has been at Liyang for nearly ten days now, waiting for your order to cross the river. The soldiers are unwilling to spend the entire winter on this campaign. When is the opportunity for battle? Must we really wait until General Guo breaks through Changzhou?" Zhao Yanjin had a close relationship with Li Gu and spoke directly.

"The more critical such moments are, the more we must not be impatient—the more we need patience!" Li Gu said, looking at the two, and asked: "Do you think we can cross the river now?"

"Lord Li, the opportunity you've been waiting for has arrived!" Shi Shouxin pulled two military dispatches from his bosom. He had long been assisting Li Gu in handling military affairs and wielded considerable authority.

"All good news!" Li Gu smiled.

Shi Shouxin said: "One is from Cao Bin. He and Liu Guangyi have taken Ezhou and are preparing to advance on Jiangzhou!"

"That fast!" Li Gu was slightly surprised as well.

Shi Shouxin also sighed with emotion: "Ezhou had internal turmoil. Commander-in-Chief Huangfu Jixun had lost the soldiers' loyalty and was executed. The remaining defenders all surrendered. Generals Cao and Liu took Ezhou without much effort..."

"Once the news spreads, I fear General Zhang will be even more restless!" Li Gu said. "And the other one—has Zhang Yanqing gotten results?"

"Exactly!" Shi Shouxin nodded: "Jinling's navy has been routed once again. On the Yangtze, Jiangnan has completely lost the ability to fight our navy! We can let General Zhang Yongde act now. At Dangtu, Caishi Rock is indeed a defensive fortress, but the defenders are not strong. Zhu Gong, responsible for its defense, is an old minister but ultimately a civilian. We can force a crossing and break through to the other side in one stroke!"

Hearing this, Li Gu did not immediately respond. Instead, he took the two military dispatches and examined them carefully, then raised his hand and said crisply: "Then let Zhang Baoyi act. Order Zhang Yanqing to lead five thousand naval troops westward to coordinate with his operations. After occupying Dangtu, advance directly on Jinling!"

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin couldn't help but smile: "If the advance goes smoothly, perhaps before November, the army can enter Jinling!"