Chapter 137: For My Son, Press Forward!

Emperor Wu of Han Liuche successfully conquered the northern city-states of Mojietuo State, after initially establishing the caste system, his gaze firmly turned southward.

However, as he began to prepare the plan to conquer the southern city-states, numerous thorny problems surged like a tide, causing even this talented and broad-minded emperor to feel troubled.

One day, Liuche summoned Shiliu, Li Guang, and Huo Qubing inside the tent to discuss the strategy for attacking the southern city-states.

The atmosphere was very solemn.

Liuche spoke first, his voice low yet full of majesty: "My beloved officials, the southern city-states now present many obstacles; I wish for a swift and decisive battle—do you have any good strategies?"

Before his words even fell, a soldier who had surrendered from the Great Yuezhi said: "Your Majesty, we have just conquered the various city-states in the north; our foothold is not yet stable, and the situation in the south is even more complex than in the north—we still need to think carefully!"

Li Guang glanced contemptuously at that person, stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said resolutely: "Your Majesty, I believe we should first send elite cavalry to detour around the mountains, thrust straight into the heart of the southern city-states to catch them off guard; then the main army can steadily advance, attacking from front and rear."

Previously, when fighting the Xiongnu, Li Guang still felt the enemy could put up a fight, but this Mojietuo State is truly no match.

Huo Qubing immediately continued: "Your Majesty, the southern forests are dense, making cavalry difficult to deploy. I suggest selecting soldiers skilled in mountain and forest warfare to form a vanguard unit, penetrate the forests, clear enemy ambushes, and open a path for the main army; at the same time, we can use our army's crossbow advantage to engage the enemy head-on in open terrain."

Shiliu bowed slightly and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the southern city-state alliance is solid and cannot be assaulted head-on. We can first divide them, sending agents to secretly contact some city-states dissatisfied with the alliance, offering them great benefits to make them defect; thus we can weaken the enemy's strength before launching an attack."

His understanding of the local situation made his suggestion especially pragmatic.

Several people successively proposed their attack plans, but the opinion of the Great Yuezhi soldier was outright ignored.

Emperor Wu of Han listened to everyone's suggestions, pondered for a moment, and finally decided to divide the troops into three routes.

One route led by Li Guang with elite cavalry, making a detour from the flank;

One route led by Huo Qubing with the vanguard unit, penetrating the forest;

He himself personally led the main army, advancing steadily.

However, as soon as the offensive began, problems came one after another.

The cavalry led by Li Guang encountered traps set in advance by the southern city-states during their detour.

The mountain path was narrow, the cavalry could not turn flexibly, many warhorses fell into deep pits, soldiers tumbled down one after another, and the unit instantly fell into disorder.

Taking advantage of the situation, the southern city-states' ambush troops burst from the forest, releasing a barrage of arrows; Li Guang's cavalry suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat.

Huo Qubing's vanguard unit also struggled to move forward in the forest.

The terrain in the forest is complex, making it extremely easy to lose direction.

Soldiers not only had to guard against attacks by ferocious beasts and poisonous insects, but also had to cope with frequent sneak attacks by the southern city-states' troops.

In a fierce encounter, the vanguard unit fell into heavy encirclement by the enemy; although they fought desperately, they still suffered many casualties, and the offensive was stalled.

The main army personally led by Liuche also faced difficulties.

The southern city-states resisted tenaciously relying on sturdy walls and advanced weapons.

The Han army's siege equipment malfunctioned in the southern hot and humid climate, greatly reducing its siege efficiency.

Moreover, due to logistical difficulties, the soldiers lacked food and water, and morale plummeted.

Faced with the situation of the failed offensive, Emperor Wu of Han looked at the weary soldiers outside the tent, feeling immense worry.

He gazed at the endless mountains and dense forests of the south, as if seeing countless insurmountable obstacles.

In that brief moment, a thought quietly arose in Liuche's heart, and he actually considered retreating.

Just as Liuche hesitated internally about whether to withdraw the troops, a dust-covered messenger came galloping from Chang'an at full speed.

The messenger's face was solemn, his whole body exuding the fatigue of a long journey; upon entering the tent he knelt and presented a sealed letter.

Liuche hastily opened the sealed letter, quickly scanned its contents, his face instantly turned livid, his eyes widened in anger, and he shouted:

"Sang Hongyang, Jin Ridi—these two traitors! How dare they betray the Han!"

He immediately paced back and forth in the tent, muttering to himself: "Ju is still too impatient—why develop the south so early? It's essentially a land of miasma, unsuitable for governance."

Then he suddenly turned to the messenger, urgently asking: "Quickly, tell me in detail what this is about? How is the situation in Chang'an now? Is Ju safe?"

The messenger swallowed, his voice slightly trembling, and replied: "Your Majesty, Sang Hongyang and Jin Ridi secretly colluded with some factions in the court, intending to rebel. First they created chaos in the court, repeatedly obstructing the crown prince's edicts; then they spread rumors among the populace, bewildering the people and disrupting livelihoods. The Han people are panic-stricken, and the situation is extremely perilous."

Liuche frowned, clasped his hands behind his back, paced back and forth, and asked again: "What about the Son of Heaven? How is he responding?"

The messenger hurriedly said: "The Son of Heaven has ordered Prince Wei to go suppress the rebellion, and at the same time is actively establishing the Han navy to encircle the rebels from water and land."

Li Guang and Huo Qubing inside the tent, upon hearing this, were also furious.

Li Guang clenched his fists until his joints whitened, the wrinkles on his face deepening with anger, and he shouted angrily: "How dare these two act this way, betraying Your Majesty's trust!"

Huo Qubing, with his eyebrows raised like swords and eyes blazing with fury, paced back and forth, wishing he could fly back to Chang'an immediately to bring the traitors to justice.

At this moment, Liuche was filled with worry for his son Ju's situation.

The Han situation suddenly changed; could Ju stabilize the situation?

The impact of those two senior ministers' betrayal is enormous; a slight mistake would plunge the court into chaos.

Seeing this, Huo Qubing stepped forward and urgently said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to immediately lead my troops back to the Han to provide aid, determined to capture those two traitors and safeguard the Han completely!"

Li Guang also clasped his fists and requested: "Your Majesty, this old official also wishes to accompany the General of Cavalry back, to keep the Han safe and stable!"

However, the messenger hurriedly said: "The two generals, please wait; the Son of Heaven had already anticipated that Your Majesty and the generals would have this idea. His Majesty specifically instructed that at this time Your Majesty should continue conquering the south. The south has abundant teak, which can be logged in large quantities as shipbuilding material. Now the Han navy is at a critical stage of development, and warship construction is urgent."

"Only in this way can we strengthen the Han's national strength; then, whether facing court turmoil or foreign invasion, we will have a greater chance of victory."

After hearing this, Liuche fell into deep thought.

Ju's words were sound; if we withdrew the troops rashly now, not only would our previous efforts go to waste, but we would also miss the opportunity to obtain high-quality shipbuilding materials.

After a moment, his gaze firmed up; he waved his hand and ordered: "Issue the command—let all troops straighten their morale and continue conquering the southern city-states!"

"I will fight to the death for my son and for the Han!"

All responded in unison, accepting the order.