Chapter 492: Cold Water

At the northern camp of the Han army, in the imperial tent of the central command, the commanders of the Huainan campaign sat in full array. Setting aside the fatigue of marches and battles, Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Han convened a military council before the throne. He first praised the defensive merits of the Han generals led by Xiang Xun, and then Commander-in-Chief Wang Jun presided over the council.

That's right—after more than two and a half months of idle inactivity before the front, Liu Chengyou had once again activated Commander Wang. For one, Wang Jun had become much more subdued; for another, the overall situation in Huainan was firmly in hand; and additionally, there was Wang Zhu's remonstrance.

Wang Zhu had not said much, only offering oblique reminders to Liu Chengyou, hinting to him that Wang Jun was, after all, the field Commander-in-Chief he himself had personally appointed, and that he had previously rendered merit in leading the army to break the enemy. To shelve a meritorious minister before the troops on unproven charges could hardly avoid inviting criticism and harming the Son of Heaven's sage virtue.

This Wang Zhu—Liu Chengyou could not tell whether he was a true scholar with pedantic views, or one who, emboldened by favor, dared to say anything and remonstrate on anything. Though he had some loyalty, in the Emperor's eyes he was clearly lacking a measure of reverence. For the first time, Liu Chengyou subjected Wang Zhu to a stern reprimand, stripping him of his office and relieving him of his duties, though he remained with the army for service.

And so it was that Wang the Gentleman, who had enjoyed flourishing imperial favor, a bright future, and could be called a rising star at court, suddenly fell from grace—quite abruptly. At the same time, Liu Chengyou chose to adopt Wang Zhu's advice.

Inside the imperial tent, Wang Jun had recovered some of his spirit, the pride on his face tempered. He declared in a clear voice: "While Your Majesty struck south against the Chen and Xu armies, Guo Rong, the Pacification Commissioner of Eastern Huai, dealt with the two routes of Huai rebel reinforcements under Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng by taking the initiative to attack. Guo Rong led four thousand infantry and cavalry into Lai'an territory in Chuzhou, routed thirty thousand Huai rebels in a great victory, captured Huangfu Hui alive, and even seized Qingliu Pass in the process.

Zhao Kuangyin led his army east to Shanyang, first breaking Yao Feng's five-thousand-man detached force, then swinging south around Baoying, traversing nearly a hundred li north and south. Thereafter, with a small force he launched a night raid on the Tang camp, coordinating with Chen Sirang defending the city, and lifted the siege of Shanyang. The Tang army lost fifteen thousand troops in total, and Yao Feng fled south in haste with his defeated remnants to Gaoyou.

Si Chao, Patrol Inspector of Huang and Guang, also won a great victory over the Huai rebels at Gushi at the start of spring, annihilating the remnants of the Shouzhou naval force and seizing fifty warships. His troops have now advanced to Dingcheng County—Guangzhou can be taken."

When Wang Jun finished, the imperial tent rang with acclaim. Sun Li even declared bluntly that within half a month the entirety of Huainan could be taken, and within a month they could enter Jinling, destroy the puppet Tang, and completely recover Jianghuai. Clearly, the commanders of the field headquarters were all getting a bit carried away.

This was hardly surprising. Since the southern campaign began, though the Han army had not yet reached the point of being invincible in every battle and taking every fortress, they had still won victory after victory, with reports of triumph arriving constantly and almost no defeats. Among the officers and men, arrogance was inevitably taking root. As for why Liu Chengyou himself could remain calm—it was because his ambitions were too vast; these achievements in Huainan were far from enough to satisfy his aspirations for glory and great enterprise.

Wang Jun also stroked his beard and said: "Since the campaign began last year, in four months' time, our army has successively fought the crossing of the Huai, the great victories at Wokou and Xiaca, the strikes on Zhongli and Shanyang, and now the great victory at Feishui, the great victory at Lai'an, plus the defense of Shanyang and the battle of Gushi. All units of our Huainan expeditionary army have altogether annihilated more than two hundred thousand Huai rebel troops and civilians, and captured several hundred thousand pieces of armor, weapons, and grain—truly a brilliant record of achievement.

Even with the strength of the puppet Tang's national power, sustaining such losses has brought them to the end of their rope—military strength, manpower, and finances all greatly depleted. It can be said that the prefectures north of the river no longer have the strength to resist our great army. The troops at Shouchun and Xuyi, though still putting up stubborn resistance, are no more than cornered beasts fighting to the death. Once their cities fall, our army can march south, easily sweep through Huainan, and gaze upon Jinling from across the river!"

Another round of cheers erupted. Liu Chengyou wore a faint smile, his gaze calm as he looked upon the assembled generals. Seeing the Son of Heaven in this manner, the generals gradually quieted and instinctively straightened their postures with solemn expressions.

"What was just said—all of it is good news!" Liu Chengyou finally spoke, gesturing to Murong Yanzhao. "There are also a few pieces of bad news—share them with the generals as well!"

"Yes!" Murong Yanzhao rose and said: "A report of defeat has come from Wokou. The Tang army at Sizhou sent a detached force upstream westward, launching a surprise attack on the Wokou camp. The pontoon bridge was completely destroyed, and nearly half of the grain and military equipment stockpiled at Wokou was damaged or lost. Guo Rong, Pacification Commissioner of Eastern Huai, also reports that while he was marching south to engage the enemy, Guo Tingwei, the defender of Xuyi, led his troops out in a sortie, striking the Xuzhou army that was pinning the city from outside. Our forces could not withstand it and lost more than half their number. Thereafter, Guo Tingwei personally led his naval force eastward, intending to assist in the battle at Shanyang—fortunately for us, he arrived at the wrong time and returned without success..."

The officers had not heard any of this before; upon first hearing it, they all burst into clamor.

"This Guo Tingwei—he actually has such boldness and cunning?" Wang Quanbin, who had rendered great merit in breaking Chen Jue's army, could not help but exclaim in surprise.

"None of you expected this, did you? I didn't either! A mere Guo Tingwei, alone defending a desperate city, could stir up such waves, galloping freely across the Huai, running rampant without restraint!" Liu Chengyou's calm tone carried authority. "If not for Zhao Kuangyin and Chen Sirang having already repelled Yao Feng's army at Shanyang first—just one day's difference—had Shanyang fallen and allowed the Tang troops to join forces and enter the Huai, our rear supply lines would certainly have been threatened."

"And this Guo Tingwei—if he had been given another ten or twenty thousand troops, I believe he would have dared to take advantage of our emptiness north of the Huai and launch a counterattack!" Liu Chengyou's gaze turned cold as he swept his eyes around the tent, causing the generals to lower their heads. "I hope you can all remember: though our battle results are abundant, we are far from the time for celebration. When generals grow arrogant, soldiers grow lax; when soldiers grow lax, defeat and ruin are not far behind. When the southern campaign is fully accomplished and we return to court to offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple, there will be a time for conferring merits and celebrating victory. But for now, I ask you all not to let down your vigilance!"

"We humbly heed Your Majesty's instruction!" The assembled officers rose and answered in unison.

"Enough!" Having delivered his admonishment, Liu Chengyou resumed his composed demeanor. "Shouchun has been besieged for a long time now. I have grown impatient with its stubborn resistance. Next, the entire army should make preparations—once fully rested and reorganized, launch an all-out assault and break Shouchun!"

"Your Majesty, in the previous attempt we failed to breach the city. The officers and men of the Xiaodi Army have all been bearing shame and humiliation. As long as the decree is issued, your subordinate will surely lead the army to break the city—I dare to sign a military pledge!" Sun Li rose, striking a fervent and impassioned pose.

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou waved his hand to halt the eager Li Chongjin and Wang Yansheng, and said directly: "For this assault on the city, the Xiaodi Army and the Husheng Army will be the main forces, with the other armies in support!"

Turning to Sun Li, Liu Chengyou said: "I don't need you to sign a military pledge. Given the current state of Shouchun—a desperate city that can hardly hold out—if you cannot break the city, then you need not come see me again!"

"Yes!" Sun Li clasped his hands in salute, his expression exceptionally solemn.

"Xingmin!" Liu Chengyou called out again.

"Your subordinate is here!" Xiang Xun immediately responded.

"I am also entrusting you with a mission!" Liu Chengyou pointed to the northeast. "That Guo Tingwei, entrenched at Sizhou, remains a persistent threat to our rear. Guo Rong wishes to break Xuyi and pull out this thorn in our back—I have approved it. You will lead a naval force eastward down the Huai, destroy his fleet, and assist Guo Rong in taking the city!"

"Orders received!" Xiang Xun wasted no words, joy showing on his brow.

"Once Xuyi is broken, if Guo Tingwei is captured, I would like to meet this man!" Liu Chengyou added. "Among the puppet Tang's hundred-thousand-strong army, there are only a scant few who can catch my eye..."

"Yes!"

After the council dispersed, Li Chongjin and Wang Yansheng returned to camp together to prepare their troops.

"His Majesty is something else—everywhere we've fought, we've won great victories. The Huai rebels were never a match for us to begin with. That mere Guo Tingwei, no matter how he hops around, how high can he jump? The men were just a bit happy—why so stern? Anyone listening would think we'd lost a battle..." Wang Yansheng muttered under his breath.

Clearly, Wang Yansheng was still brooding over Liu Chengyou's admonishment. These days, among the arrogant generals in the army, Wang Yansheng had been the most boisterous.

Li Chongjin beside him nodded, then shook his head, saying: "When you think about it carefully, what His Majesty said is not without reason. After a string of victories, there is indeed much arrogance in the army—and you and I are among them!"

Waving his hand, Wang Yansheng looked at Li Chongjin and suddenly said: "Speaking of which, that cousin of yours really does have some skill. Commanding his own front, repeatedly building great merit. Among the commanders of the Huainan campaign, if we're only talking military achievements and battle records, I fear few can match him!"

Hearing Wang Yansheng mention Guo Rong, an unnatural expression flickered across Li Chongjin's face. Despite their kinship, Li Chongjin was in fact somewhat resentful of Guo Rong. From childhood to adulthood, Guo Wei had always valued his adopted son more than his own nephew. And after entering official service, there was little comparison to be made in their careers.

When the present Son of Heaven was still a dragon in hiding, he had personally summoned Guo Rong to serve under his command. As for Li Chongjin himself, though he had rendered some merits after the establishment of the Great Han, and had Guo Wei's connections, over the course of several years he had risen step by step to become Chief Commander of the imperial army—which could be counted as having achieved his ambitions. But compared to Guo Rong, he still came up short...

After a moment of distraction, Li Chongjin snapped back to himself, somewhat deliberately avoiding the topic. Quickening his pace, he said in a firm tone: "His Majesty's decree has already been issued. This merit of breaking the city—my Husheng Army will fight for it. The Xiaodi Army may bark loudly, but when it comes to battle, it's real skill that counts!"

In truth, the Xiaodi and Husheng armies were like two fierce beasts caged in a pen, muzzles covering their sharp jaws, limbs bound—kept suppressed, their hunger maintained. Now the restraints were being removed, and they were being released from their cage...