Chapter 2101: Taizong Chronicles 43: The World Under the Great Han's Shadow (Part 1)

In the second month of spring in the sixth year of Yongxi, Lin Yi Kingdom, Jinlan Prefecture.

Within Jinlan Bay, embraced by mountains on both sides, unlike ordinary days, merchant ships coming and going were restricted, the shipping lanes cleared, ensuring unobstructed passage in and out of the harbor.

At the seaside, banners fluttered in the wind, drums and horns resounded in unison, and a great number of soldiers were arrayed here, awaiting departure. Especially the three thousand armored soldiers in the center, each wearing fine, even luxurious, chain mail.

This was the cream of the entire Lin Yi Kingdom's army, the strongest guarantee of the entire fiefdom. King Liu Shu of Lin Yi had spent a full ten years to forge a force of five thousand, and now he was sending out sixty percent of it at once.

The remaining troops were mainly composed of three parts. The first was the local military of Lin Yi's subordinate prefectures and counties; the second was the volunteer militia formed by Great Han merchants and civilians; and of course, there was no lack of cannon fodder conscripted from the local natives. All told, they numbered well over twenty thousand.

An army of this scale, for the Lin Yi Kingdom at the time, was by no means easy to organize—to call it militaristic would not be an exaggeration. And when one empties the nest to act, what one schemes for must be great.

On the high platform where all eyes gathered, Liu Shu, clad in a red robe with a king's crown atop his head, his expression solemn and grave, handed the royal sword to his heir, Liu Wenyan, and said: "My son, the kingdom's troops are all placed in your hands. Act with care, and I pray for your triumphant return!"

"Yes!" Liu Wenyan's young face showed only composure. Kneeling on one knee, he received the sword with both hands and vowed grandly: "Rest assured, Your Majesty. On this campaign, I shall surely take the River Delta lands. If I do not break Chenla, I swear I shall not return with my army!"

With that said, Liu Wenyan rose to his feet and drew the royal sword that Emperor Shizu had bestowed upon Liu Shu back when he first took up his fief. The treasured blade, forged from fine steel through a thousand hammerings, gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, and immediately after, the thunderous cry of "Victory!" rang out across the entire Jinlan Bay.

As the order to "board ship" was given, under the leadership of each army's senior officers, the departing soldiers filed aboard one after another—nearly twenty thousand men, along with logistical supplies, taking more than half a day to complete. For this expedition, the Lin Yi side had staked everything they had, using not only their elite troops but every large and sturdy ship as well.

On the flagship, Liu Wenyan, clad in full military dress, leaned against the railing of the upper deck, his gaze fixed steadily on where Liu Shu stood, and said in a firm and confident tone: "Liu Gong, this campaign must surely succeed!"

"Rest assured, Young Lord. Even if the Chenla army is on guard, their main strength must still be used to resist the imperial army to the north. Our army's strike this time is a fatal blow—Chenla cannot withstand it. From the moment we attacked Annam, their defeat was sealed!"

Beside Liu Wenyan stood a young general only a few years his senior—Liu Gong, deputy commander of the Lin Yi central army and the overall supervisor of troops for this expedition.

Liu Gong had originally been a household slave of the Duke of Chu's manor, but he had been clever and quick-witted since childhood, capable and decisive in all his dealings. When Liu Shu was enfeoffed with Lin Yi and brought his household south to carve out a new life, the already shrewd and capable Liu Gong quickly rose to prominence. In particular, the military talent he displayed—whether in training, command, or combat—made him stand out among all others.

At eighteen, he began to be heavily relied upon by Liu Shu, leading troops independently to suppress the various local tribes and establish actual rule.

For a long period before the enfeoffment of Lin Yi, the Annam Circuit's rule over the southern regions had been merely nominal; in reality, the land was held by the nobles, officials, and tribal chieftains of the former Champa Kingdom. This situation continued even after Liu Shu's enfeoffment.

Therefore, although Emperor Shizu had enfeoffed the land to Liu Shu and provided considerable support, establishing truly effective rule still required a process.

That process was inevitably accompanied by swords and bloodshed, and Liu Gong made outstanding contributions within it.

Over the past decade or so, apart from Jinlan Prefecture where the royal capital was located, Liu Shu had established a total of seven prefectures in Lin Yi, expanding basically along the coastal plains. To the north were the three prefectures of Qing, Fu, and Ping; to the south were Ning, Shun, and Song; and there was also De Prefecture to the west of Jinlan, established to protect the safety of the royal capital.

Of the seven prefectures, four had been conquered and brought under rule under Liu Gong's leadership, while the remaining three were the achievement of the heir, Liu Wenyan.

By now, these two young men—one twenty-seven, the other twenty—were the military pillars of the Lin Yi Kingdom. Only in such a country and under such circumstances could young heroes of this caliber have the chance to rise above the rest.

Of course, it was also because King Liu Shu of Lin Yi dared to entrust responsibility to others.

At the harbor, Liu Shu still stood, watching the fleet gradually recede toward the mouth of the bay. Time flew like a white colt passing a crack—the once absurd and dissolute Liu Shu was now forty-two years old, and he increasingly resembled a true king.

"Your Majesty need not worry. The Young Lord is gifted by heaven—this campaign will surely succeed at once!" An elder beside him, apparently seeing Liu Shu's concern, could not help but offer words of comfort.

The old man was named Fu Zhao Hui. His name revealed his origins—he was the son of Fu Yanlin, and by seniority Liu Shu had to call him a maternal cousin-uncle. He now served as the chancellor of Lin Yi.

"Chancellor!" Hearing his words, Liu Shu raised a finger and instructed gravely: "You must guarantee the army's supplies—bring out everything we have. This is a golden opportunity; we absolutely cannot miss it! Also, send a letter to the Southern Expedition Field Headquarters, telling my imperial nephew that his uncle has done everything in his power to coordinate with him. I hope he can continue to exert influence in the north, and I wish him swift success."

As he said this, a hint of cunning slipped onto Liu Shu's face, which the sea wind had dried and roughened.

Perhaps many people had underestimated Liu Shu, or even misjudged him. Or perhaps the more than thirty years of dissipation had merely been his way of playing at life and enjoying himself to the fullest. Setting all that aside, looking only at his performance in the ten years since his enfeoffment, one would find that Liu Shu, as a king, had actually done rather well.

In ten years' time, Liu Shu had established a complete administrative management system—the foundation for effective rule over his fief. At the same time, through political and military means, with the eight coastal prefectures at the core, he had basically integrated the former territory of Champa.

In terms of population, he had recruited more than two hundred thousand immigrants from the homeland, steadily and step by step consolidating Han rule over this land.

In terms of economy, he vigorously developed Jinlan Port and the coastal agriculture and fisheries, actively exchanged with the Great Han, encouraged commerce, and reaped no small profit merely from providing berthing and supply services to merchant ships plying north and south.

It could be said that in every respect, Liu Shu had performed well in his fief, and his Lin Yi Kingdom had developed with vigor and vitality.

Liu Shu himself possessed no heaven-shaking talent, nor was he any kind of military or political genius. But the most important reason he had achieved what he had was that he had a clear understanding of himself and knew how to make full use of his own advantages.

And what were his most prominent advantages? Two things: first, the title and the sacred right to rule over this land bestowed upon him by Emperor Shizu; second, the early support from the court in personnel, money, and grain, plus the abundant accumulated wealth of the Duke of Chu's manor. When these two advantages were fully brought into play, naturally nothing could stand in his way.

At the same time, Liu Shu was also a man who knew how to share. Power, wealth, land, and population—he never hoarded them all for himself. The military and civil chiefs of the seven prefectures and counties other than Jinlan Prefecture were all either sons of meritorious nobles from the homeland or officials who had rendered merit in opening up new territory. Liu Shu plainly shared the power of rule with them, allowing these Han aristocrats to enjoy this land together.

It was not enfeoffment, yet it surpassed enfeoffment. Of course, this approach was also the most conducive to expansion. And whether it was Andong or Anxi, as experimental fields for the Great Han's overseas colonization, they provided the best reference for later arrivals like Liu Shu—even if the geographical environments were vastly different, the basic principles were the same.

Under the organization and management of Liu Shu's government, the level of civilized development in Lin Yi had markedly improved—there was no doubt about that. But having developed to its current extent, there was also too much reliance on past achievements. And now, Liu Shu had decided to seize another piece of foundational land for the future of Lin Yi.

That place lay to the southwest of Lin Yi, a place the Lin Yi high ranks called the "River Delta": the Mekong River Delta. Having basically occupied the entirety of the former Champa territory, Lin Yi's natural advantages lay in agriculture and fishing—after all, it was the birthplace of Champa rice, with three harvests a year being the basic norm.

However, the riverine plains suitable for cultivation within Lin Yi's territory were mostly narrow and cramped—enough to support people, but not enough to support them richly and permanently, especially with so many "high society" people who had seen the wider world in the Great Han.

Thus, finding a more fertile land that could provide more resources and support more people became an urgent need for Lin Yi's upper class. And the Mekong River Delta, with its excellent water, soil, and climate conditions, naturally became Lin Yi's target.

In fact, the situation of the delta plains was no secret to the Han merchants and civilians who had traveled back and forth between the Great Han and the South Seas for many years. Any Han farmer accustomed to cultivation who had seen the water and soil conditions there could not help but drool with desire.

And Lin Yi's covetous gaze upon the delta had also provoked a strong reaction from its neighbor Chenla. As early as the Kaibao era, the two sides had already been contending over this precious land. Of course, it was the Han merchants and armed immigrants supported by Lin Yi who landed from the sea, drove out the natives, and established strongholds.

From Chenla's perspective, the Han's actions had crossed the bottom line of past merchant activity—their ambition was fully exposed, it was invasion, and naturally they launched a counterattack.

But in the early period, the conflicts were not yet intense—merely you raiding my strongholds, me plundering your towns.

However, entering the Yongxi era, as Lin Yi gradually got on track and its military construction strengthened, the intensity of the conflicts began to escalate.

In the third year of Yongxi, Chenla organized over ten thousand men to launch an expulsion campaign against the Han, intending to drive the Han merchants and civilians in the delta into the sea.

Upon hearing the news, Liu Shu dispatched Liu Gong to lead three thousand troops to resist. After a fierce battle, relying on Liu Gong's outstanding command abilities and the equipment and combat superiority of the Lin Yi army, they successfully thwarted Chenla's operation.

It was precisely from the third year of Yongxi that Chenla and Lin Yi had completely torn off all pretense of civility. In terms of national strength alone, no country or force on the Indochinese Peninsula could compare with Chenla—not even Lin Yi.

If the two sides faced off in a war of attrition, Lin Yi might not necessarily win, and Liu Shu was unwilling to sacrifice so much. But Liu Shu's Lin Yi was, after all, not like the surrounding native kingdoms and tribal powers. He had a continuous stream of strength pouring in from the homeland—every immigrant who came, every merchant who passed through, was an enhancement to his power.

And the most direct support came from the Annam Circuit, which was backed by the court's endorsement. Every time Liu Shu submitted a report to the court requesting aid, claiming he faced the threat of Chenla attack, he could always squeeze out some benefits in the end, with the Annam Circuit as the provider.

And in the winter of the fifth year of Yongxi, when Chenla launched an attack on the Annam Circuit, this was the background. To be fair, the court had been dragged into the water by Lin Yi—though Chenla's act of deliberate provocation was indeed foolish.

Since the tenth month of last year, Hou Yanguang, deputy commander of the Southern Expedition Army, had led troops from the two Guang circuits southward, beginning to suppress the rebellions within the Annam Circuit. Many were killed, and the pacification was highly effective. Within a month, the major rebel forces had basically ceased to exist. Some tribes chose to bow their heads once more, while those who refused to submit could only retreat into the mountains and highlands to the west and north to fight guerrilla warfare.

By the time the main commander, Liu Wenhuan, arrived at Jiaozhi, the seat of the Annam Circuit, the rebellions in the northern part of the Annam Circuit had already been basically pacified.

In the twelfth month, after a brief rest, the Han army marched south to Huan Prefecture to attack the invading Chenla forces. The result was without any suspense—although the Chenla army summoned up their courage to give battle, they rapidly collapsed under the Han army's assault. Their proud war elephant corps could not even withstand a single round of cannon fire.

In the Battle of Huan Prefecture, the thunderous roar of Chinese cannons sounded across the Indochinese Peninsula for the first time, unleashed to the fullest.

The Chenla army suffered a disastrous defeat—several thousand dead and more than thirty thousand captured. By all rights, the mission entrusted by the court was more or less complete at this point: two months to suppress rebellion and repel the enemy was a perfect record.

But at Liu Wenhuan's insistence, after recovering all lost territory, the Han army took advantage of the momentum to counter-invade into Chenla's territory, seeking greater glory. Even if criticized by many conservatives, expanding the frontiers remained the foremost honor and distinction of the Great Han.

As one might imagine, compared to the counter-offensive operations within the Annam Circuit, invading Chenla was not so easy. The difficulty lay not with the enemy, but with the crude roads, the arduous logistical supply, and the poisonous insects and miasma. Even though the expeditionary soldiers were mainly from the two Guangs and Annam, they still suffered enormous casualties during the march.

Even so, by the first month of the sixth year of Yongxi, the Han army had successfully captured a great number of cities and lands in northern Chenla—in particular, the city of Wendan had also been taken by the Han army.

Wendan was no ordinary city. Known in later ages as "Vientiane," Chenla had once split into Water Chenla and Land Chenla, and in China, Land (Northern) Chenla was called the Wendan Kingdom. One can imagine how important this city was to Chenla—it was virtually the backbone of its northern territory.

And of all people, the most excited about Liu Wenhuan's decision to attack Chenla was none other than his uncle Liu Shu. During the rebellion-suppression campaign, Linyi on the southern side had also launched raids against Chenla, but the scale of fighting had never been particularly large — after all, the development of the entire Indochinese Peninsula situation hinged on that one battle at Hoan Prefecture.

And once Liu Wenhuan's troops entered Chenla, Liu Shu's side began a full-scale mobilization. After news arrived that Wendan City had been taken by the Han army, the kingdom of Linyi could no longer sit still. Thus, apart from leaving behind necessary garrisons, the great army poured out of the entire country, heading straight for the Mekong Delta.

In choosing this timing, Liu Shu and his ministers had given full consideration to the matter. First, Chenla had suffered heavy losses in the north, and its main energy still had to be spent dealing with the relentless Liu Wenhuan's forces — this greatly reduced their military pressure.

At the same time, Liu Shu also feared that the imperial court might order Liu Wenhuan to halt his operations. Given the foreign policy of his second brother the Emperor in recent years, this was highly possible.

Therefore, Liu Shu had to seize this opportunity tightly. For the imperial court to be so "earnestly" engaged was far too rare a thing — once missed, who knew when the next chance would come.

And Liu Shu's judgment proved accurate. While the Linyi army was taking cities and territories across the Mekong Delta, accepting surrenders and recruiting defectors, routing the Chenla forces into total disarray, people at the Western Capital court had already begun submitting remonstrances one after another, wanting to rein in this "runaway wild horse" that was Liu Wenhuan.

Regarding Liu Wenhuan's unauthorized invasion of Chenla and his ever-expanding scale of war, as time passed, the voices of opposition inevitably grew stronger and stronger.