Chapter 1016: The War Situation in Lingnan

Winter had set in everywhere, but compared to the north, the climate in Shaozhou was noticeably milder, not yet at the frost season—a piece of good news for the southern campaign. The Five Ridges stretched on endlessly, ten thousand great mountains, a considerable challenge for the Han army soldiers marching on campaign.

Of course, thanks to the court's ample preparations and a millennium of development, advancing into Lingnan now was not pioneering but reconquest and advance—realizing the empire's unification and establishing immortal achievements. With lofty aspirations in their hearts and rousing slogans on their lips, tens of thousands of soldiers crossed the mountains, their morale remaining high throughout.

However, the difficulty of the advance still existed—first in logistics, second in the pass barriers. As for the transport of supplies, though they had Hunan at their backs, without the court's years of sustained support and accumulation, supporting a war of national annihilation would still have been a heavy strain, and the poor roads added further trouble. Fortunately, Lu Huaizhong, the man in charge of the army's supply transport, was a capable officer, leaving Pan Mei with no worries from behind.

As for the pass barrier, that referred to Shaozhou. The seat of Shaozhou was Qujiang County, famed for its winding river—the gateway to Lingnan, the northern gate of Guangzhou. Breaking through here was the most time-saving and direct route. Back when the Han-Yue conflict arose from Liu Chang's assumption of the imperial title, Cao Bin had led troops against Shaozhou, been stopped beneath the walls of Qujiang city, and was ultimately forced to turn aside to Lianzhou.

At that time, the failure to take Shaozhou was due first to the army's exhaustion after earlier battles, second to insufficient troops, and most importantly, the defender of the city had some real skill. Now, with Pan Mei leading the great army back to Shaozhou, they were again stalled beneath the enemy's walls.

For this campaign against Southern Yue, of the fifty thousand troops the court had dispatched, Pan Mei again divided them into two routes—one route, with Cui Yanjin leading the eastern Sichuan troops, starting from Guizhou to take the western Guangnan regions of Zhao, He, Liu, and Xiang; Pan Mei led the main force to strike Shaozhou, his target aimed directly at Xingwang Prefecture.

Dividing into two routes was also a way of accommodating Cui Yanjin's feelings. After all, in merit, seniority, and previous military rank, Cui Yanjin stood above Pan Mei, yet the army to pacify Yue had Pan Mei in the commander's seat—anyone would have some thoughts about that.

Pan Mei had sensed this. Though not particularly concerned, he still decided: you attack Guangxi, I'll attack Guangdong—a two-pronged approach, both routes advancing together, to avoid conflict. As for the enemy capital being in the east, that was the prerogative of the commander-in-chief.

However, since the army had set out, they had been stalled beneath Qujiang city for over half a month without gaining a single step, and some change in morale was inevitable. Cui Yanjin, meanwhile, in the west, had already taken two prefectures in succession, advancing smoothly. Though Pan Mei remained steady, anxiety inevitably stirred in his heart.

Qujiang city was built flanking the water, and the Han army's camp stood five li from the city, facing the river. Inside the camp, for the Fourth Prince Liu Fang, the days were hard to bear. In previous years, he had accompanied Emperor Liu on several tours and hunts, witnessing the impregnability of the Yan Mountains, the vastness of the Taihang, the majesty of Songshan, the peril of Huashan—but for the southern ridges, he had only one impression: too many. Look up or down, in every direction, nothing but mountains.

From childhood to now, Liu Fang had spent no little time in military camps. For this southern pacification, he had come to the front with anticipation and curiosity. Though he had arrived only a little over ten days ago, in that time his imagination had been completely shattered—the clashing of armies, the golden spears and iron horses, none of it at all. Every day, all he did was accompany Pan Mei on inspections.

Apparently, since the camp was set, not even a probing attack had been launched against Qujiang city. Tens of thousands of men, bound by strict military law, stayed together day after day in a stifling atmosphere—this, it seemed, was the norm of war. Though he had accompanied the imperial northern expedition, Liu Fang had never truly experienced the battlefield. This was probably a new understanding of marching and fighting for him.

As for the Fourth Prince that the Emperor had sent, Pan Mei could absolutely not say he welcomed it—this was trouble. Most importantly, the battlefield was dangerous, blades and arrows had no eyes; if anything happened to Liu Fang, no merit earned could offset the crime.

Therefore, Pan Mei had originally planned to keep Liu Fang in the rear, and intended to praise the Fourth Prince in later reports, sharing some credit—that way everyone would be satisfied. But Liu Fang, though young, would not be fobbed off so easily. He directly invoked Emperor Liu, pointing out the key point: serving at the front as Commander Pan's guard.

Faced with the young but determined Fourth Prince, Pan Mei had no choice but to keep him at his side as a guard. He had expected trouble that would give him headaches, but Liu Fang's performance was somewhat unexpected. Though eager and hoping to truly experience battle, he stayed quietly in his post as a guard, without acting willfully or causing any mischief—and he had even taken an alias: Liu Si.

"The left camp reports soldiers down with colds. Go check and see how many men across the army are affected, and pass the order to gather them for treatment. Also notify Lu Huaizhong that medicines must not run short!" In the commander's tent, Pan Mei, who had been studying the military situation for a long while, looked up, noticed one of the slightly shorter figures standing at attention before the tent, and instructed the army secretary Shangguan Zheng: "Also, call Liu Si in!"

"Yes!"

Shangguan Zheng dared not delay with Pan Mei's orders and hurried off. Soon, Liu Fang entered, saluted Pan Mei, and said in a full, vigorous voice: "Greetings, Commander. What are your orders?"

"It's cold outside the tent—have some hot soup!" Pan Mei looked at the spirited Fourth Prince, praising him inwardly, and spoke with concern.

Unexpectedly, Liu Fang's brow furrowed at this, and he said stubbornly: "I am the same as the other guards—my comrades are still waiting outside the tent. If the Commander summoned me alone for this, I must beg to be excused!"

Seeing this, Pan Mei said: "Do you mean to have the guards outside all come in for soup as well?"

"If the Commander commands it, I dare not disobey!" Liu Fang replied.

Pan Mei broke into a smile, pointed at the bowl of ginger soup on the commander's table, and said: "My command is for you to drink this ginger soup!"

Hearing this, Liu Fang's young face first showed surprise, then he said solemnly: "Yes!"

With that, he stepped forward, picked up the still-warm ginger soup, and drained it in one go. Then he looked at Pan Mei, waiting for his next order. Pan Mei took in Liu Fang's performance at a glance and sighed inwardly—this must be the royal family's thousand-li steed.

He stood up and beckoned to him. After this period of contact, Pan Mei had lost some of his initial distant reverence for the prince, and said naturally: "Come, let's go survey Qujiang's city defenses!"

"Yes!" Liu Fang's voice rose unconsciously with excitement.

The group rode south at a gallop. Though most of Shaozhou was mountainous, the towns sat on the flat plains where two rivers converged, so the ride was smooth. As for Qujiang city's defenses and surrounding terrain, Pan Mei had long since known them by heart—the so-called survey was just an excuse to ride out, clear his head, and see if the enemy situation had changed.

"Your Highness must be eager for battle too, yes?" After warming up, Pan Mei asked Liu Fang, who rode alone beside him like a bird freed from its cage.

To be honest, back in the palace, he had felt the inner court was stern and full of rules, without freedom—but truly spending time in the army, he now knew what restraint meant. Of course, it was also because Pan Mei governed the army strictly; though no battle had yet been fought, in this period more than twenty officers and men had already been executed under military law.

At the question, Liu Fang first replied, "My name is Liu Si," then said: "Who in the entire army does not harbor this wish—to kill the enemy, break the city, and earn merit! But why has the Commander endured all this time, not moving a single soldier, not loosing a single arrow?"

His gaze turned south, Pan Mei's tiger eyes reflecting the distant outline of Qujiang city. He pointed and said confidently: "Shaozhou may be the gateway to Lingnan, but its walls are hardly so formidable, nor its defenses so strong.

That Prefect Lu Guangtu, though he has popular support, gathers brave men, and wins hearts, is ultimately a civilian—without the ability to command troops. The enemy general Zhi Tingxiao does have some strategic skill, but unfortunately the city's forces are insufficient.

I can say plainly: with the strength of our Han army, if we attacked in force, we could break this city within three days!"

Hearing Pan Mei's description, a surge of hot blood rose in Liu Fang's heart, and he could not help asking: "Then why not attack?"

"Casualties!" Pan Mei uttered two words. "Though most of Yue's troops are weak, they still number a hundred thousand. If we assault Shaozhou in force and suffer too many losses in the first battle, by the time we fight our way to Panyu, we may well be spent. Moreover, Lingnan is vast, with Han and barbarians living mixed together and complex local customs—afterward we will need sufficient strength to suppress and garrison, and must preserve our forces."

"But battle inevitably brings casualties!" Liu Fang said immediately. "Does the Commander intend to win by strategy?"

"Exactly!" Pan Mei nodded, looking at Liu Fang with curiosity: "Does Your Highness have any idea how to break Qujiang while reducing casualties among the soldiers?"

Liu Fang thought seriously, furrowed his brow, and replied: "To be honest with the Commander, I have read many military books in my daily life, yet facing a real enemy pass, I don't know how to apply them..."

Liu Fang's refusal to boast raised him further in Pan Mei's estimation. He was about to offer a few words of comfort when he heard Liu Fang continue: "The enemy is holding fast. If we could lure them out of the city, we could surely break them in open battle! But how would they be willing to come out?"

Pan Mei was slightly surprised, a smile appearing on his face. Sensing this, Liu Fang immediately cupped his hands: "The Commander must already have a plan in mind—I beg you to teach me!"

Reining his horse around to return to camp, Pan Mei said calmly: "In my seven years stationed in Hunan, the thing I felt most deeply was only one thing: patience! Wait a little longer—the opportunity for battle will appear."