Chapter 596: A Spent Crossbow Bolt

"Liu Xiu won't strike Chancellor Dou at Lingbi, but instead attacks Geng the General of Chariots and Cavalry at Xiapi and Xiaxiang?"

When Diwu Lun raised this hypothesis, the first reaction of every official at the Wei State field headquarters was that it was absurd. The opinions they offered were nothing more than the following points:

"The art of war says: an army without baggage train perishes, without provisions perishes, without stockpiles perishes. Lingbi is our rear area, and on the surface it has little defense. Liu Xiu has few troops; if he wants to cross through this perilous situation, he must send light troops to raid Lingbi and burn our provisions. If he succeeds, even if our army does not retreat in defeat, it will at least allow Pengcheng to hold out through the winter."

This was Diwu Lun's own analysis when he set the strategy — Lingbi was a flaw deliberately left exposed, hoping the enemy would step right into it. They all deeply believed this plan had a high chance of success, yet now the Emperor, because the enemy hesitated slightly on their march north, had suddenly changed his attitude?

"Even if Liu Xiu fears battle and dares not strike Lingbi, how could he dare to brush against the sharp edge of Geng the General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

Among the Wei army's three columns, the "snake's head" in the east was undoubtedly far harder to deal with than the "snake's tail" in the west. Geng Yan had just won a great victory in the Haidai region of Qi; his morale was at its peak. Under his command were not only the Shanggu shock cavalry but also over twenty thousand armored troops from Jizhou — pressing forward irresistibly. Now he had easily taken Xiapi and was advancing on Xiaxiang, baring venomous fangs and flicking his tongue. A foe this fearsome, most people would take a wide detour around, let alone charge headlong into him.

The officials' discussion was chaotic and clamorous, but the core point was one: Liu Xiu could not possibly attack Geng Yan. His Majesty the Emperor would do better to wait patiently a while longer and not wreck the plan already set.

When everyone speaks with one voice, it is very hard to hold to your own view — especially when you must overturn an existing plan based on vague intelligence. You have to convince yourself: this is not paranoia.

"It is the forethought of a wise man."

"A wise man in using troops must weigh advantage and disadvantage together. Weighing advantage, his undertakings can be trusted; weighing disadvantage, troubles can be resolved."

In the end, Diwu Lun made up his mind, followed his intuition, swiftly wrote out the edict, then flung his brush to the ground. Before the ink was fully dry, he sealed it and ordered it rushed south: "Request General Geng to hold his troops firmly, await the battle situation at Pengcheng, and must not engage Liu Xiu in hasty battle!"

……

Time rewinds to several days earlier.

South of Xiaxiang city in Huaibei (present-day Suqian, Jiangsu), the terrain is typical of the Jianghuai region. Apart from a few small hills, the rest of the area is open ground, with villages small and sparse. Canals, creeks, the Shu River, and other waterways crisscross it, cutting the flat landscape into pieces.

Where the abundant waters had not been cleared for farmland, they nourished unbroken stretches of forest — yet not so dense that men and horses could not pass. The deep winter had not completely frozen the leaves off; trees and thickets concealed the soldiers' traces. No one would have imagined that the Han army's elite, the Danyang troops, who should have been south of Lingbi, were hidden here.

And Liu Xiu stood atop a rock covered in withered yellow lichen, one hand resting on his sword, his gaze fixed beyond the trees.

Two months earlier, upon discovering Diwu Lun's intent to advance into Xu and Huai, Liu Xiu had begun shifting troops and commanders. But Feng Yi, earlier dispatched to Jingzhou to contest Xiangyang, could not be recalled in time, and the ten thousand-odd men whom Deng Yu had thrown away had long since become feed for the fish of the Han River.

Not counting the conscripted laborers temporarily rounded up to make up numbers, if Liu Xiu scraped together all the combat-worthy troops from the three regions of Huaibei, Huainan, and Jiangdong, he had only sixty thousand men — not even half the Wei army's strength. He could, of course, simply abandon Xuzhou, abandon Huaibei, but Liu Xiu knew full well that if he retreated too far in one go, the supporters behind him might, in despair, scatter like birds and beasts.

Huaibei must be defended! Pengcheng must be held! At the very least, he could not retreat without a fight.

"Though to hold the Huai you must hold Pengcheng, the Wei army's momentum is too great; we cannot clash head-on with them at Pengcheng. We still need to win by wits." This was Liu Xiu's "defend, but not entirely defend."

If Diwu Lun's use of troops was like the "Snake of Mount Chang," then Liu Xiu's response was modeled on the gecko.

Pengcheng was the gecko's tail; the Ximatai fortress was the fleshy tip of that tail. This stronghold, which could not be bypassed, could at least tie down the Wei main force for a month.

And the forty thousand mobile troops Liu Xiu had gathered became the gecko's tongue, able to stretch out several feet to catch flying insects at a distance!

Liu Xiu knew deeply that Pengcheng could not hold out long; he could only rely on a single strike to reverse this hopeless disadvantage!

The opinion of the Han civil and military officials was remarkably unanimous: they should strike the Wei army's rear supply depot, Lingbi!

Liu Xiu had initially thought the same, but as the great army gradually assembled and the plan was about to be put into action, he grew suspicious again.

"Diwu Lun in his military operations has always calculated everything. Why would he leave such a gaping flaw at Lingbi?"

Studying the map, pondering Diwu Lun's thinking, the more Liu Xiu thought, the more a retrospective dread crept over him.

Comparing the Wei army's dispositions, Liu Xiu realized that if he marched his troops toward Lingbi, he could easily be outflanked from behind by the enemy's "snake's head." Light troops heading north, if they could not break Lingbi, would inevitably be unable to sustain a prolonged fight. Facing an enemy several times their number, a rout would be certain.

"South of Lingbi is Fuli, south of Fuli is Daze Village, and further south of Daze Village is Gaixia!"

And further back? Probably not the Huai River, but Wujiang Pavilion!

Without realizing it, Liu Xiu had stepped onto the old tracks of Xiang Yu's destruction. This time, he chose to cautiously halt his steps and fix his gaze on the other side.

When the officials learned that the Emperor, instead of striking the poorly defended Lingbi, intended to meet the surging forces of Geng Bozhao head-on, ministers like Zhu You were ready to knock their heads bloody. They vehemently tried to dissuade Liu Xiu, arguing that even abandoning Pengcheng and falling back to defend Huaibei would be a wiser decision than this.

In the past half year, young General Geng's blade had been too sharp; he was almost seen as a second Han Xin. No one had the confidence to gain any advantage in battle against him.

Being a ruler is not easy. Sometimes one must broadly accept wise counsel; at other times, one must override the majority and forge ahead alone!

"A spent crossbow bolt cannot pierce even thin Lu silk."

Liu Xiu left these words behind. In the end, only about ten thousand decoy troops went toward Fuli, while Liu Xiu took the remaining thirty thousand-plus men, along with Zhu You, Yao Qi, and the other generals. After leaving Linhuai Commandery, they marched northeast, lying concealed a dozen or so li south of Xiaxiang, then halted — any further north and they would enter the Wei army scouts' detection range.

Liu Xiu had never been so alone. Even when he rode out of the city to seek aid during the Battle of Kunyang, he had thirteen riders with him. Yet now, though surrounded by officials and soldiers, nearly all his commanders lacked confidence. Their uneasy eyes stared beyond the woods, and occasionally flicked toward the Great Han Emperor's back. Fortunately, the thick armor blocked their view; they could not see the silk inner lining soaked through with Liu Xiu's sweat.

Bad news came one after another. First, someone who had risked death to come out of Pengcheng reported that Ximatai could not hold out many more days. Then Xiapi, where grain, fodder, and arrows had been stockpiled, actually fell. The Wei army's storming of the city had indeed cost them heavy casualties, but it also meant Liu Xiu had lost the chance to coordinate an "inside-outside pincer" with the Xiapi garrison.

"Only Xiaxiang remains."

As Xiang Yu's hometown, Xiaxiang County still flew the Han banner. The Han general Fu Jun held it, but he too faced Wei encirclement.

General Yao Qi was tall and powerfully built, with a commanding and dignified bearing. A man of Yingchuan, he had been recommended to Liu Xiu by Feng Yi. A loyal and valiant confidant, he commanded the vanguard and bore the most critical task of this battle.

"The Wei army's Geng division has three regiments of Jizhou troops and one brigade of Shanggu shock cavalry. Currently, two regiments and one brigade are resting near Xiapi; one other regiment is besieging Xiaxiang."

A meal must be eaten one bite at a time. How to annihilate this one Wei regiment and lift the siege of Xiaxiang was the top priority.

Although Liu Xiu held superior numbers against the enemy at Xiaxiang, he had a habit of "timidity when facing a small foe." He could have used overwhelming force to close in directly and force a battle at the city walls, but instead of rushing north at once, he first halted, let the troops rest, then sent Yao Qi to bait the enemy.

Liu Xiu had men inquire among the locals who had fled into the woods and marshes and learned that this Wei regiment was extremely arrogant and insolent. As subordinates of Geng Bozhao, their discipline was also quite poor. Having experienced the great victory at Linzi, the bloodless opening of Chengyang's gates, the uncontested taking of Donghai Commandery, and the three-day breach of Xiapi, they were at the very peak of arrogance.

"The Wei army's favorite tactic is besieging a city to strike the relief force. That they are bottling up Xiaxiang without attacking may well be to lure our army into coming to its rescue."

He added, "This battle is the first counteroffensive; we must strive for a complete victory with our forces intact."

That said, whether this Wei regiment would take the bait, pursue, and fall into an ambush by Han troops familiar with the terrain remained unknown. During the long wait, Liu Xiu could feel the unease among his subordinates.

And how could he himself be at ease? He could only walk among the officers and men, inspecting and encouraging them. If any man lacked winter clothing, Liu Xiu would even have his own blankets given to them — the Han army was not as well-funded as the Wei army; they could not yet provide a winter coat for every man, only doing their best to supply the elite troops.

If he encountered a Huaibei local magnate accompanying the army and asked about his family's situation, Liu Xiu would stop and offer comfort, his words filled with indignation at the Wei army's savage atrocities. Young Geng's discipline when he took Xiapi had not been good, and coupled with the habitual plundering of the Yuyang and Shanggu shock cavalry, it had already affected the Wei army's reputation in this area.

Suddenly, Liu Xiu spun around. Amid the rustle of cold wind blowing through the woods, he seemed to hear a sound: the Han decoy troops retreating in haste, the arrogant Wei troops in hot pursuit! The sound grew louder and louder — the thunder of a thousand galloping horses, the clash of swords, armor, and blades!

Yao Qi had done well. Most of the Wei troops besieging the city had taken the bait and pursued. The battles of the past half year and more had all been won too easily; the moment they struck, the enemy crumbled. Accustomed to invincibility, their mentality had undergone a subtle shift.

Seeing the Wei troops gradually enter the ambush ring, Liu Xiu also mounted his horse and swept his gaze over the assembled men. As on the eve of the great battle at Kunyang, he raised his sword, letting his figure pass before the soldiers in front of the blazing Han banners, letting everyone see him — see that their Emperor stood together with his soldiers!

"Gentlemen, the retaking of Huaibei begins with this battle!"

……

Barely a day later, Geng Yan, who was in Xiapi city waiting to coordinate with the "snake's tail," learned of the defeat at Xiaxiang.

"Xiaxiang was attacked by a large Wu army force?"

"The enemy raiders came from several directions; you were unable to withstand them, so after inflicting countless casualties on the enemy, you turned and temporarily withdrew?"

Faced with this dire news, Geng Yan was not entirely worried; rather, he felt a certain excitement. This meant the enemy had given up on the Lingbi trap and was charging straight at him, the snake's head. This was something he had not anticipated before.

"How many men does Wu's army have?"

"A hundred thousand?"

The figure so infuriated Geng Yan that he slammed the table: "They must be lying to me. Even if Liu Xiu scraped together every soldier in Xu and Yang provinces, he couldn't have more than fifty thousand in hand — how could he possibly have a host of a hundred thousand?"

This was clearly defeated officers shifting blame — the moment things go wrong, they exaggerate the enemy's strength to the utmost. A standing practice in any army.

As for the returning commanders claiming they killed so-and-so many of the foe during the fighting but had no time to take heads and tally them — that is even less to be believed.

Geng Yan cared about only one thing: in the battle at Xiaxiang, how many had his own side lost?

"After rallying the troops, only five thousand remain?"

Whether the other five thousand had died in battle, been taken prisoner, or scattered in flight, losing over half your strength basically means an army has all but lost its fighting capacity. Even if it is reorganized, it can hardly be entrusted with a major task again.

The situation had suddenly turned grim. Like his subordinates, young Geng was not immune to the army's bad habits. The earlier battle at Xiapi had not gone as smoothly as the memorial to Diwu Lun had made it sound — one division had borne the brunt of the assault and suffered no small losses.

And what was worse, as the harsh winter grew ever colder, the wound where Geng Yan had taken an arrow at Linzi in the summer had flared up again, aching dully without cease. That was also why he had lingered at Xiapi and not led the attack on Xiaxiang in person.

"General of Chariots and Cavalry!"

Fu Long, whom Diwu Lun had placed at Geng Yan's side as a brake, immediately implored: "The situation has shifted drastically. Wu's army is not striking Lingbi but coming for us. Since Liu Xiu's rebel troops are so strong, would it not be better to shut the gates of Xiapi for now, rest the officers and men, and await the Emperor's arrival?"

"Xiapi is too small a city to hold over ten thousand men. What of the rest? Withdraw north?"

Geng Yan, however, shook his head and said: "What is more, the Son of Heaven is about to arrive. A subject ought to slaughter oxen and sprinkle wine to greet the hundred officials — how could he instead leave rebel curs behind to trouble his sovereign?"

Before any decision could be reached, an urgent edict arrived from Pengcheng. After hearing the edict, Fu Long, besides exclaiming that Diwu Lun foresaw things like a god and had anticipated Liu Xiu's move in advance, once again urged Geng Yan to follow the Emperor's decree: do not engage the Han army!

Geng Yan, however, was thinking more of the military problem. He asked his own scouts: "Between Xiaxiang and Xiapi is barely a day's march. Has Wu's army crossed the Shu River yet?"

"They have already crossed the Shu. The vanguard, over ten thousand strong, has pressed close to the outskirts of Xiapi and halted there, making no further move."

Geng Yan understood at once. Had the enemy not yet crossed the Shu, they could still have been checked at the river. Once they had forced a crossing, they were already right in their face. Fury surged in his heart. Even with that minor defeat at Xiaxiang, he still had over twenty thousand troops in hand — a match for the enemy. Fighting with the city at his back, he even held a slight advantage. Did he truly need to avoid their sharp edge?

But the Son of Heaven's edict could not be disobeyed. Geng Yan therefore bowed low before the decree and said helplessly:

"As the situation now stands, it is not that your servant insists on a hasty battle with Liu Xiu."

"It is that Liu Xiu is bearing down upon us, and there is no avoiding him!"