Chapter 510: The Last Stand

News of the Han army's northward withdrawal crossed the Yangtze in the first instant and reached Jinling. When the Tang sovereign Li Jing first heard it, he sat bolt upright from his sickbed—but this time it was with surprise and joy. He confirmed it several times in a row with the messenger who had brought the report, and only when he learned that the Han emperor's entourage and the Eastern Capital's imperial army, escorting the spoils of war and tribute payments, were proceeding grandly northward along the canal, did Li Jing fully let out a sigh of relief.

He immediately issued a decree ordering the Southern Tang court to load the last batch of tea and grain onto ships and transport them north of the Yangtze. Then, Li Jing found that his illness seemed to have lightened—he no longer mentioned moving the capital, nor did he mention abdicating.

Thereafter, he lifted the house arrest on Han Xizai and promoted him to Grand Academician of the Literary Affairs Institute, Minister of Revenue, and Chief Minister. He also singled out the defeated general Chen Jue, subjected him to censure and condemnation, and had him beheaded at the palace gate. He likewise demoted Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs Li Zhenggu and Remonstrance Counselor Wei Cen together. Most importantly, the Duke of Chu, Song Qiqiu, was stripped of all his offices and escorted to Mount Jiuhua for "recuperation."

The Northern Han's southern campaign had ended in a disastrous defeat for the Southern Tang—the loss of half its territory and a humiliating peace—and such an outcome still struck a deep chord in Li Jing. These actions of Li Jing's were decisions made after bitter reflection; he no longer wished to let the factional strife between north and south stir the court into a murky mess and thereby ruin the state.

With Chen Jue executed, Li Zhenggu and Wei Cen demoted, and Song Qiqiu relocated, it could be said that the once-flourishing "Song Faction" of the Southern Tang court had completely collapsed. And Li Jing also deliberately intended to promote the scholars of the north of the Yangtze and elevate worthy ministers and capable generals. Besides Han Xizai, the few military talents such as Liu Renshan and Lin Renzhao all received rewards and promotions as well.

However, Feng Yansi—who had once been a core pillar of the Song Faction and could even stand as a figure in his own right—survived this political upheaval intact. His official post was not reduced in the slightest, his rank and salary actually increased, and moreover his younger brother Feng Yanlu was promoted by Li Jing to Governor of Jinling.

As a sovereign, maintaining balance is a basic skill. From Li Jing's adjustments, one could see that he had truly repented and wished to restore the nation's strength. But at this point, was it not already too late?

More importantly, although the disaster of factional strife had been temporarily eliminated, the struggle over the succession had erupted once again. That Prince of Yan, Li Hongji, had seen his ambition thoroughly inflate during this national crisis.

At the same time as great changes were taking place in the Southern Tang court, Liu Chengyou's entourage had already crossed north over the Huai River and turned westward. Accompanying the imperial carriage were only three armies: the Iron Cavalry, the Longqi, and the Xiaodi.

Along the way, he was also inspecting the conditions of the prefectures and counties. The war had not long ended; though it was not yet a scene of utter devastation, the towns, villages, and hamlets were still desolate. On the canal, apart from official vessels and military ships, there were few other boats plying the waters.

However, one could clearly sense that although people's hearts were unsettled, order was slowly being restored. Though the rulers had changed, in this spring plowing season, the common folk of the countryside were already planting rice seedlings—whether the sky collapsed or not, one still had to eat.

Xuyi, in Si Prefecture.

The entire Huainan region had been offered to the Northern Han by the Tang court, yet Xuyi city still held out stubbornly. High atop the city walls, the Tang banner still flew. Outside the city, the Han army had set up only a single camp, keeping watch over this city "usurped" by Guo Tingwei.

Guo Tingwei had real military talent, but after Guo Rong returned and mobilized his forces—with more troops, more elite soldiers, and more resources—he was firmly sealed within the city.

Originally, the Si Prefecture naval force had been a trump card in Guo Tingwei's hand, but after Xiang Xun received orders to lead the main force of the Jingjiang Army eastward in support, it quickly lost its effectiveness. With attacks from both land and water, the Xuyi naval camp was successfully breached.

Guo Tingwei was also a man of great boldness and decisive action. Sensing the danger, he directly withdrew all his naval troops into the city and burned the naval camp and warships to block the Han army.

Thereafter, he reinforced the city defenses, putting on a full display of stubbornly defending an isolated city, determined to hold Xuyi to the death. Moreover, Guo Tingwei promptly scraped together all the food and supplies of the more than twenty thousand civilians in the city, kept the able-bodied, then drove the rest out of the city, thoroughly turning Xuyi into a military fortress.

Even Guo Rong could not help but sigh in admiration at Guo Tingwei's methods, gaining considerable appreciation for him. He ordered that the people of Xuyi who had been driven out of the city be sent north to Linhuai for temporary resettlement.

And so it went—for a full month, the offensive and defensive contest between Guo Rong and Guo Tingwei, two men surnamed Guo, unfolded around Xuyi city. Even full-scale assaults were attempted; one could say every means was employed, but Guo Tingwei held firm every time.

Yet the tide of events was hard to defy. Guo Tingwei's solitary persistence lost all meaning once news spread north that the two states had made peace and the Tang court had submitted. In Xuyi city, morale among the people scattered and the army's spirit wavered—it could be called an abandoned army. Had it not been for Guo Tingwei's considerable prestige, it would have collapsed long ago.

On the walls of Xuyi, Guo Tingwei patrolled the defenses with an expressionless face as usual. He could clearly feel the weakness of morale. Gazing into the distance beyond the city, the Han army's camp remained as orderly as ever.

"Governor!"

"Governor!"

Every junior officer he encountered saluted Guo Tingwei. Finally, one officer still asked him: "Governor, the court has already sued for peace with the Han army. Why must we stubbornly hold on? If we anger the Han army and the city falls to ruin, the soldiers will be buried with it!"

Had a subordinate spoken to Guo Tingwei like this earlier, he would have executed him for shaking the army's morale. But now, there was no longer any need.

The Han army outside the city had not made any move for quite some time. Guo Tingwei simply beckoned the nearby soldiers to sit in a circle around him and said: "You all share this view?"

Another Commander spoke directly: "Governor, since the Northern Han's southern campaign began, we have resisted with all our hearts and fought with all our might. The sons of Hao and Si have suffered many casualties. Holding the city, preferring death to surrender—we have done our utmost loyalty to the court. Now that the two states have made peace, why must we continue to struggle? At this point, aside from surrendering, there is no other way out!"

Seeing this, Guo Tingwei smiled bitterly for a moment and said: "How could I not know what you all have led your men through? It's just that..."

A flicker of hesitation passed across his face. Guo Tingwei said: "Enough. At this point, how could I lead the soldiers into a death trap? The Han army outside the city has not attacked for a long time—do you know why? That Guo Rong is also waiting for us to lay down our armor and surrender!"

"Then, Governor?" his subordinates asked urgently.

"Tell me—would it be better to surrender to a Northern Han Huainan East Circuit Commissioner, or to surrender directly to the Son of Heaven of the Northern Han?" Guo Tingwei said calmly.

At these words, the listeners seemed to gain some understanding.

Meanwhile, in the Han camp outside the city, the Han officers were also largely puzzled. Wu Xingde, for instance, had been hoping to atone for his past crimes with new merits, yet he had only ended up idling in the Xuyi Han camp for a month. He hurried to the commander's tent, sought out Guo Rong, and found him leisurely sipping tea and playing chess with Xiang Xun.

"Governor Guo and Chief General Xiang have quite the refined taste!" Wu Xingde said.

"Please, have a seat, Duke Wu!" Guo Rong said. "Someone, bring tea!"

"Governor!" Wu Xingde clearly had no such interest and stated his purpose directly: "Now all the prefectures of Huainan have become Han territory. Only this city remains, occupied by these remnants of the Tang army. If word of this spreads, it will damage our army's prestige.

In Xuyi city, morale has already scattered. Just attack once more and the city is sure to fall. The dragon boat has already entered the Huai River—His Majesty will soon arrive. Then how will we account for this to His Majesty?"

"Duke Wu, do not be anxious!" Guo Rong said with a composed attitude: "Once His Majesty arrives, Xuyi will fall. With the overall situation as it is, taking the city intact and capturing it with ease is naturally the best outcome. Why waste our soldiers' lives in a contest of pride? One general's fame is built on ten thousand bones!"

Wu Xingde was somewhat stunned, looking at Guo Rong: "How can Governor Guo be so certain?"

Guo Rong did not explain. He exchanged a knowing smile with Xiang Xun, then said to Wu Xingde: "If Duke Wu truly cannot bear the wait, you may go prepare for His Majesty's arrival!"

Seeing this, Wu Xingde did not hesitate much and immediately agreed. What this man was thinking of now was simply to leave a good impression with the Son of Heaven, so as to erase the fault of his previous defeat. Little did he know that Liu Chengyou had no intention of reproaching him harshly.

As for Guo Rong's side, his calmness came from a letter he had received from Guo Tingwei some time ago. The letter said that it was not that he was unwilling to surrender, but that his family were all in Jiangnan—he feared that if he surrendered north of the Yangtze, his family would be harmed south of it.

It was much the same consideration as the Tang general Xu Xiang and others had before. Guo Rong reported this to Liu Chengyou, and the reply was only one sentence: Noted. Await His Majesty's resolution.

And on the Xuyi side, between the two Guos, there seemed to be a tacit understanding as well.