Chapter 682: Bean Dregs

On the first day of the sixth month, the Guanzhong troops, Liangzhou heavy cavalry, and Bingzhou cavalry — over fifty thousand men under Wan Xiu's command — rendezvoused with Diwu Lun's guard force at Xiangyang right on schedule. The next day, Chancellor of the Right Dou Rong also arrived with forty thousand men of the Sanhe corps. The three forces combined numbered a hundred thousand.

Because a sudden downpour on the road delayed the hundred thousand troops from Hebei, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and other routes, Diwu Lun appointed Wan Xiu as temporary frontline commander.

After many years of rest and recuperation, Wan Xiu stepped onto the battlefield again today and felt utterly reborn.

When the great army halted at Lankouju, he observed this brand-new fortress through a telescope and compared it against the city construction plans obtained from Xiangyang. The fort had been built under Cen Peng's supervision. Now that it had fallen into enemy hands and become an obstacle blocking Diwu Lun's southward advance — wasn't this a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot?

Of course it wasn't, because starting a year ago, Diwu Lun had been exchanging letters with Cen Peng, plotting the Jiang-Han stratagem. At the time, they had already envisioned Cen Peng striking Jiangling hard, drawing Liu Xiu's main force to the Jiang-Han region, then feigning defeat to lure the enemy in, all in anticipation of a decisive battle.

Because the Han army held the advantage in naval and riverine warfare, Cen Peng guessed that the enemy would certainly use the waterways to raid Lankouju. He further proposed: "Only once Liu Xiu sends men to take Lankou smoothly and believes he has shut the northern gate of the Jiang-Han theater will he be at ease enough to commit to a decisive battle."

Therefore, Lankouju had to be lost — it absolutely had to be lost! And so, from the very start of construction, the entire fortress was nothing but…

"Bean dregs."

Diwu Lun used this phrase to describe Lankouju, and nothing could be more apt. From the moment the rammed earth and bricks were laid, Cen Peng had deliberately cut corners: the moat was left undug, the fortress walls sat level with the plain with no slope, the outer walls' batter was far too steep, the foundations were unstable, and the timber was worm-eaten. He had even left deliberate flaws in the walls — a few heavy blows from a battering ram would smash right through the hollow ramparts. As for the other vulnerabilities, they were beyond counting, each one clearly marked on the construction plans.

No wonder Cen Peng intentionally left scant provisions. When Liu Xiu sent Fu Jun to raid this place, the Wei garrison troops withdrew without a fight — because this shoddy fortress was simply indefensible!

Precisely because of this, the normally prudent Wan Xiu took only a few glances before petitioning Diwu Lun: "Your Majesty, observe the battle at ease. I request permission to assault it with the Guanzhong infantry, striking from three sides. We can take Lankou in a single day!"

He said this approach had two advantages: first, it would annihilate the nearly ten thousand Han troops inside and eliminate a future threat; second, as the pivotal water and land hub between Xiangyang and Dangyang, this place had a broad, convenient ferry for mooring boats. The hundred thousand troops' provisions and fodder all had to be shipped from Xiangyang and Nanyang and stockpiled here.

Wan Xiu strongly advocated taking Lankou first and pushing south later… Diwu Lun, however, remained noncommittal. After a moment of thought, he looked toward Chancellor of the Right Dou Rong. "Duke of Zhou, what is your opinion?"

Dou Rong was already in his fifties. Having occupied the position of Chancellor of the Right for many years, he had always walked on thin ice, cautious and trembling before a forceful Emperor. Perhaps worn down by administrative burdens, he looked quite aged. But his mind remained first-rate. When Diwu Lun posed the question, Dou Rong briefly weighed the Emperor's intent and inclination, then responded with perfect clarity: "Your Majesty, I have heard that the defender of Lankou is the false General of the Massed Crossbows, Fu Jun. This man is a diehard loyalist of the Liu Han."

The Duke of Zhou had done his homework thoroughly and had Fu Jun's background down to the last detail: "In the last days of the Xin, when the Nanyang men rose against Xin, Liu Xiu led the Greenwood troops to raid Yingchuan Commandery. Passing through Xiangcheng, Fu Jun, then the local Precinct Chief, was the first to answer the call. But when the main Xin army marched south, the Greenwood forces retreated to Kunyang. Fu Jun went with them, while his mother, younger brother, and entire clan were captured and executed en masse."

Don't ask how he knew this without the Embroidered Uniform Guard relaying the information — because the "Xin official" who signed that arrest order was none other than Dou Rong himself!

"Afterward, when Liu Xiu was pushed aside by the Gengshi regime and departed for Xuzhou, Fu Jun was at home mourning his mother and brother. Hearing that Liu Xiu was heading east, he was willing to bear the stigma of unfilial conduct, immediately abandoned the mourning rites, and led his retainers traveling day and night. He caught up with Liu Xiu only at Suiyang. From that point on, he has served under Liu Xiu's banner for over ten years, repeatedly earning battle merits, enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed general."

"And the troops Fu Jun commands are also crack soldiers from Wu. Otherwise, they would not dare sail against the current up the Han River to raid Lankou."

Dou Rong concluded: "Therefore, even if we can easily breach Lankou's walls, Fu Jun will absolutely never surrender. He will surely lead the nearly ten thousand Han troops inside in a desperate, cornered resistance, fighting us street by street. Clearing them out will not be quick."

Wan Xiu grew somewhat displeased. "I said one day, and I mean one day. I will stake my life on a military pledge. If I fail, let Your Majesty and the Chancellor of the Right punish me as you see fit!"

"It is not that Dou Rong doubts the Front General," Dou Rong sighed. "It is just that my own past experience was far too bitter. It was on the eve of the great battle at Kunyang. I, too, was among the three hundred thousand Xin troops. I once counseled the Xin Grand Minister of Works, Wang Yi, arguing that our forces should not be expended on Kunyang — a city that was both sturdy and irrelevant to the larger situation. The great army should have marched straight for Wancheng and smashed the Greenwood forces besieging it. Once the enemy's main strength was destroyed, Kunyang would have fallen without a fight."

"But Wang Yi would not heed my well-meant advice. Instead, he said: 'Now that I command a million-strong army, if we encounter an enemy city and bypass it without taking it, how can we display the majesty of the royal host? We should first slaughter every soldier and civilian in Kunyang, let the three armies march forward treading through blood, singing in the front and dancing in the rear — would that not be satisfying?' He too boasted he could take the city in a single day. And then came the disaster at Kunyang."

"The present situation is quite similar to that time. Liu Xiu's main force is besieging General Cen, yet right beside Lankouju lies a broad, smooth highway. We could well leave troops to pin it down, bypass it with our main force, and continue south as soon as possible, so as to join Generals Cen and Geng in striking Liu Xiu together at the earliest moment!"

Diwu Lun clearly leaned toward Dou Rong's reasoning, but first he laughed and scolded: "The Chancellor of the Right's counsel is sound, but why compare General Wan to Wang Yi? Am I Wang Mang, then?"

Dou Rong said hurriedly, "I misspoke! I am guilty!" With that, he bowed and cupped his hands in apology toward Wan Xiu.

Diwu Lun waved his hand. "Times have changed. I am not the same as Wang Mang, and you, my ministers, are no Wang Yi."

"But our opponent — is still Liu Xiu!"

He rose to his feet. "Liu Wenshu is a man of extraordinary courage and insight, the foremost among the lords of the realm. That is why he has been able to dominate Jiangdong for a decade without losing his state. Liu Xiu is exceedingly crafty in his use of troops. Back then, it was by falling for his stratagem that Gai Yan was captured and has been detained in Jiangdong to this day."

Diwu Lun looked at Wan Xiu. "I believe the General can take Lankou in a single day. But never mind one day — even if we are delayed here for a mere half day, I fear Liu Xiu will be alerted and slip away, rendering this entire Jiang-Han stratagem futile!"

To set up this decisive battle, Cen Peng had even sacrificed his rear column of over ten thousand men, using himself as bait to hook Liu Xiu. Diwu Lun had received no word from Cen Peng for several days. One could well imagine how bitterly the Han and Wei armies were fighting at Dangyang — so fierce that not even a messenger could get out…

After mollifying Wan Xiu, Diwu Lun made his arrangements. "Junyou, take thirty thousand men and keep a close watch on Lankouju. Once the troops have rested, attack the city immediately! At the same time, receive and coordinate with the follow-up force of a hundred thousand. I myself will lead seventy thousand men straight south, hurrying toward Dangyang!"

Time was pressing. Liu Xiu held a numerical advantage at Dangyang. They could not count on Cen Peng and young Geng, who was circling to the rear, to completely tie him down. Even if every part of the plan was realized — Xiakou blocked, Jingling burned — as long as Liu Xiu had three days, he could withdraw in one breath to Jiangling, Huarong, and other places. Once the Han army crossed the river, even if Diwu Lun truly had eight hundred thousand troops, given the current size of their own fleet, they could only gaze at the river and sigh.

Wan Xiu still felt this was unwise and strongly urged Diwu Lun to reconsider. However, the Martial Virtue Emperor's will was firm, and he was unmoved.

"Five years ago, in the campaign north of the Huai, I failed to lure Liu Xiu to a decisive battle at Pengcheng."

"Now Liu Xiu can no longer hold back. He has personally ventured into the Jiang-Han region, staking everything on one desperate throw. An opportunity missed is an opportunity lost forever — this time."

Diwu Lun's hand clenched toward the southern void:

"I must catch him!"

…

Liu Xiu had praised Fu Jun as a man brimming with sheer gall. Among the Han army's generals, his valor ranked in the top five. Fu Jun did not fear being besieged by a force ten times his size; what he feared most was the enemy ignoring him entirely.

Now, that very thing he dreaded most had come to pass. From atop the walls, Fu Jun spied the Wei army splitting its forces to surround Lankou, while its main host, following Diwu Lun's Five Virtues banner, continued south!

"Open the gates."

"Open the gates and strike the enemy!"

That was Fu Jun's first reaction. He and Zang Gong had been placed by Liu Xiu at the front and rear of the Jiang-Han theater. Fu Jun's task was to block the southern reinforcements. How could he stand by and watch this vast Wei army march south? He was even willing to sacrifice his own life and the lives of his nearly ten thousand soldiers to buy Liu Xiu a little time.

But Fu Jun was, after all, a seasoned campaigner who had dealt with feudal lords, warlords, the Red Eyebrows, and the Shanyue. He quickly calmed down.

"No. If I sally forth and engage the enemy in bitter combat, facing a force ten times our size, my men might collapse within half a day."

"But as long as I hold Lankou, I can at least tie down twenty or thirty thousand Wei troops for ten days to half a month!"

Unlike Diwu Lun's worry, as one of the "Thirteen Riders" who had fought at Kunyang, the Liu Xiu in Fu Jun's eyes was absolutely not the sort of man who, upon hearing Diwu Lun was coming, would emulate his ancestor Liu Bang and flee.

"Throughout His Majesty's life, he has been cautious before small foes, but now, facing a great foe, he is bold!"

If he did not fear three hundred thousand Xin troops, what were a hundred thousand Wei troops? If Liu Xiu was about to fight a decisive battle with the Wei army at Dangyang, then by tying down the enemy before him, Fu Jun might give the Han army an extra sliver of victory.

After much deliberation, Fu Jun ultimately resolved to defend Lankou to the death. He ordered his deputy generals, colonels, and soldiers to make every preparation: arrows were piled atop the walls, and every brick and tile inside the city was torn down and hauled up. At the same time, roof beams were used to brace the main gate, which looked the most vulnerable. The remaining naval vessels left the docks and anchored on the Han River to prevent the Wei army from outflanking the water gate.

After several hours of preparation, the Wei army launched a three-pronged assault — and Fu Jun burst out laughing at the sight.

"When your father was in Huainan, I assaulted my share of cities. I know that when attacking a fortress, you must concentrate your forces and break through at a single point. Multi-front assaults are only for when the garrison is undermanned. I still have nearly ten thousand crack troops under my command — plenty of men…"

And those battering rams, transported from Xiangyang and assembled here — though they were shielded by thick ox hides and impervious to Han arrows and torches, why were they being pushed toward the walls instead of the main gate? Had they forgotten how to turn?

Yet just as Fu Jun was inwardly sneering at Wan Xiu's siegecraft, the Wei battering rams had already closed in on a certain section of the wall. Under repeated, shoving, violent blows, the rammed-earth wall, which should have stood firm as a boulder, actually began to "shudder."

The Han soldiers packed together, shooting arrows downward, felt this tremor. They looked at each other in dismay. The bricks and earth beneath their feet cracked and split apart at an accelerating pace. Before they could react, with a thunderous boom, a long stretch of the rampart collapsed outright, burying dozens in the dust!

Fu Jun, directing the battle from the gate tower, stared in stunned disbelief. In all his years of war, he had never seen walls of such appalling quality. Fu Jun could only mutter: "I never imagined the State of Wei had grown this rotten. Even the funds for building walls at a critical border ford — the army's generals and clerks dared embezzle them and skimp on labor and materials?!"

He could only try to mend the fold after the sheep were lost, urgently ordering his men to plug the breach and engage the surging Wei troops in hand-to-hand combat. But this Lankouju was already like a breached dike. Before long, urgent reports came flooding in from every sector:

"General Fu, the north wall is breached!"

"The south wall is breached too!"

Good heavens! This Lankouju — surely it was built from bean curd!

With that, the Wei army's assault became unstoppable. They not only poured in through the breach, but some were the first to scale the walls. The enemy had superior numbers and sharp weapons — the city's fall was only a matter of time…

Fortunately, the water gate on the eastern side of the city still held, and there were boats on the river to receive them.

For a moment, the Han soldiers lost all will to fight and petitioned Fu Jun one after another: "General Fu, break out through the water gate!"

But Fu Jun knew the principle of surrounding on three sides and leaving one open — the Wei fleet was likely waiting upstream for the very moment they rushed headlong into the river in chaos. Even if they broke out, how many could board the boats and flee south? A mad rush would only hasten the battle's end and let them fall into Wei's trap once more.

Fu Jun heaved a long sigh. Only now did he realize that the place he had been stubbornly defending all these days was nothing but a dead end riddled with holes, a trap. Now that pinning down the enemy through a holding action had become a vain hope, all Fu Jun could do was delay them one moment longer — every moment counted.

"All of you, go. Carry word of Lankou's fall to General Zang and Minister of Works Deng downstream. Deng Yu is full of stratagems; he will surely have a brilliant plan to resolve this crisis."

"As for me?"

Fu Jun drew his blade and laughed: "I have received my lord's grace — I shall die for one who knows my worth, die for the cause of the realm!"

As the Wei troops poured steadily through the breach and follow-up forces seized the city walls, large numbers of Han soldiers fled in rout through the eastern water gate. The boats scrambled to receive them, and just as expected, the Wei warships waiting upstream swept down with the current and scattered them to pieces. Thousands drowned in the river. The rest either surrendered, or in despair turned back into the city and rejoined Fu Jun's ranks — with over a thousand men, he used the city's wards and granaries to fight the Wei army street by street, contesting every inch of ground!

Wan Xiu remained outside, not personally taking up a blade to join the fray. Listening to the sounds of slaughter rising unceasingly from within the city, he received a colonel's report that Fu Jun would rather die than surrender and was still putting up desperate resistance.

Wan Xiu was a man of chivalrous honor. Facing this enemy who fought on like a cornered beast, he could not help but show a look of admiration.

But he was no longer that Wan Junyou who, for the sake of a momentary personal sense of righteousness, could let a target go.

He was the General of the Vanguard of the State of Wei, Diwu Lun's right-hand commander!

He would prove to Diwu Lun and Dou Rong that he did not need a full day — in just half a day, he had taken this town, and he would pursue the Emperor's main force and not miss the true decisive battle!

And so Wan Xiu shook his head. "Before nightfall, clear Lankou."

"Send Fu Jun and his men to meet their Han Emperor Gaozu!"