Shouchun Rebellion (1)
The moment Liu Chong's army declared the raising of troops, it brought Lujiang Prefecture into the fold and ultimately secured the surrender of Jiujiang Prefecture, establishing itself as the hegemon of the south.
Unlike the impoverished prefectures south of the Yangtze, Lujiang and Jiujiang were the heart of the Huai River region, rich in population and material resources. Having secured both, Liu Chong's army was effectively no different from having unified an entire province.
"Shouchun City was the final capital of the State of Chu, the hegemon that once dominated the south. Relocate the capital to Shouchun and proclaim to all under heaven that we are the power that commands the south. Surely, once they recognize Your Highness's authority, countless scholar-officials and local gentry of the south will come pledging allegiance from every direction."
Shouchun City.
Move the seat of power to Shouchun.
Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao proposed the relocation.
"What does the Crown Prince think?"
"A wise judgment. We must shift our base to Shouchun if only to check the insubordination of Tao Qian, Inspector of Xu Province, and Chen Wen, Inspector of Yang Province. Once Xu and Yang have been subjugated, we can return the capital to Chen Kingdom without issue."
Using Shouchun as a springboard, we would advance on Xu Province and Yang Province. The iron fortress of the south excelled not only at defense but also as a forward base for invasion.
We shifted troops and supplies and prepared for war.
We would also mobilize the Central Plains refugees who had been resettled in Lujiang and Jiujiang to implement military-agricultural colonies.
Six months,
perhaps a year—that was what it would take.
Developing and expanding internal administration mattered just as much as winning battles. If anything, the civil infrastructure that replenished troops and supplies was a far more critical factor than war itself.
'Shouchun City, though... After the Gaoping Tombs Incident, rebellion after rebellion broke out here. They were uprisings against the Sima regime that usurped the Wei imperial house, so if you really think about it, they weren't rebellions at all—they were righteous men raising armies, I suppose.'
251,
Wang Ling's revolt.
255,
Guanqiu Jian's revolt.
257,
Zhuge Dan's revolt.
In the span of seven years, Shouchun City saw no fewer than three rebellions.
The loyalists of Wei were ultimately suppressed by Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, but the Shouchun uprisings shook the Sima regime that had seized power through military coup. The commander-in-chief of the suppression forces, Sima Yi's eldest son Sima Shi, even died in the course of putting them down.
A vein of rebellion ran through Shouchun City.
And the existence of Liu Chong's army, plotting to usurp the Later Han throne, proved that this was indeed territory of treason.
"W-We have returned from suppressing the rebellion...!"
After experiencing the true face of war,
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu began commanding troops in earnest.
Shouchun had been taken and the rebel army's surrender accepted, yet uprisings by diehards who refused our rule were erupting one after another. The young talents of Jiangdong gained experience putting down rebellion after rebellion.
"You've worked hard."
"N-Not at all! If it is for the Crown Prince...! I can crush these insects as many times as it takes!"
Insects.
To Sun Ce, the rebels were nothing more than bugs.
Bugs must be exterminated.
Not a single one can be left alive for the sake of the great enterprise.
In the original history, Sun Ce had been a hero endowed with exceptional military strategy and leadership, but she had also been a monster infamous for her vicious and brutal nature.
'And in the end, because of that temperament... she died young, just like her father, who never even made it to forty.'
If she wanted to avoid the fate of an early death, maybe she ought to start by mending that violent disposition.
Thinking that, I reached out and stroked the head of the girl with her flowing fiery hair.
"Ah, nngh! Th-This is an honor too great for me...!"
The way Sun Ce lifted her head and looked at me like a puppy expecting a reward made me stroke her hair on instinct.
Slide. Slide.
The silky strands slipped through my fingers.
Every slow stroke of one hand drew a rough, ragged breath from her.
A careless mistake.
Laying hands on a maiden who has not even married.
If Sun Jian rose up in mutiny over this, I'd have no defense.
"I shall memorialize the King and have you appointed general."
"No...! If it helps the Crown Prince, I would serve without pay... I will carry out any duty gratis!"
A classic case of 'the wife who is infinitely obedient to her beloved husband.' If her gambler of a husband snarled at her to hand over the betting money, she'd empty out the savings she'd scraped together for years.
I don't understand the reason.
Why is she so docile, like a tame sheep?
No matter how young she is, the Little Conqueror should still be the Little Conqueror.
Like father, like child—
the thug who surpassed her father Sun Jian was none other than Sun Ce.
Her nature as a killing machine who decided to kill anyone she disliked first and thought later was passed all the way down to Sun Hao, the last emperor of Wu and the arch-tyrant of the Three Kingdoms era.
So seeing that killing machine (provisional) show only an obedient face was bound to feel alien.
"Those who achieve merit receive reward; those who commit error receive punishment. That is the natural principle."
"Yes! As expected of the Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince.
An unusual form of address I had never heard before.
But the girl's puppy-like obedience was endearing, so I accepted the strange title as it was.
* * *
Sun Jian, General Who Defeats the Barbarians, had racked up countless merits ever since he took service under Liu Chong's army. For that reason, the officers of Liu Chong's army genuinely respected him despite his origins as an outsider.
Treat well the commanders who distinguish themselves in battle.
Strict reward and punishment is the timeless principle that revitalizes any army, in any age, east or west. The Han dynasty, which spurned that principle and judged men solely by bloodline and origin, had been fated to decline.
"Appoint Sun Jian as Left General among the Generals of the Four Directions and enfeoff him as Marquis of Wucheng. Henceforth, let Sun Jian devote himself to the state and serve the royal house and military command with unflagging loyalty."
"By heaven and earth and all the spirits, I shall continue my fealty!"
Left General was the highest rank among the offices of the Generals of the Four Directions and was also a post comparable to the high ministers of the imperial court.
He was furthermore granted the title Marquis of Wucheng and made a feudal lord.
A commander who had drifted among petty offices was simultaneously appointed Left General and enfeoffed as a lord.
It was a result commensurate with his ability and achievements.
Considering the feats he had demonstrated thus far, the exceptional reward was only natural.
The lord they had followed through the desolate borderlands had been recognized for his talents and elevated to high office. The officers of Sun Jian's army watched, deeply stirred, as their liege became the protagonist of the rewards ceremony.
"Crown Prince, hear me."
"Command me, Father King."
After Sun Jian's rewards were concluded,
Liu Chong, having bestowed honors on every officer who had recorded merit, finally called Liu Seong-hwi's name.
"From this moment, I appoint the Crown Prince as General-in-Chief and delegate military authority to him. The Crown Prince, who defeated the traitors who defied the Heavenly Mandate and subjugated Lujiang and Jiujiang, shall henceforth lead the three armies in my stead."
"I humbly receive the royal command."
General-in-Chief.
The head of the military command who leads the three armies on behalf of the sovereign.
Liu Seong-hwi had long commanded the entire army in Liu Chong's place and repelled the barbarians. The proclamation that the Crown Prince, who already exercised military authority by proxy, was now appointed General-in-Chief signified that jurisdiction over the whole army was being formally delegated to him.
It also meant,
that he was being named supreme commander to bring the usurpation to success.
"Accepting the King's command, I will subjugate Xu Province and conquer Yang Province. Once these vast territories have been brought under our rule, Father King, accept the ardent hopes and aspirations of the myriad people and become Emperor of the South."
The Two Rebels of Shouchun.
The King of Chen and the Crown Prince conspire rebellion at Shouchun City.
Having mastered Huainan, the strategic hub of the south, Liu Chong's army had seized a bridgehead for advancing both east and west. The armies of Chen Wen and Tao Qian, upon learning that Crown Prince Liu Seong-hwi had formally been appointed General-in-Chief, mobilized their entire forces and began to keep a wary watch on Liu Chong's army.
* * *
Of the three thousand troops sent to Dongcheng County, five hundred returned alive.
It was not a major blow.
In terms of scale, it was a fragmentary loss.
But—
the defeat at Dongcheng was enough to trample the self-righteous pride of Tao Qian, the man known as the Warlord of Langya, deep into the mud.
"Liu Seong-hwi...! That insolent, filthy traitor dares invade Xu Province! I will mobilize the entire army and crush these rebels of Chen Kingdom!"
As if to say, I don't give a damn about the likes of you,
he had trespassed into Dongcheng County, which lay within Xu's sphere of control.
The encampment was reduced to scorched earth, and the county town itself was swept away by fiery calamity. Even the supply depot stockpiled for Yang Province's reinforcements was reduced entirely to ashes, resulting in staggering damage.
"Has Gongsun Zan sent a reply, they say?"
"By now, the Governor of Beiping's messenger will have passed through Jinan."
Chen Wen, Inspector of Yang Province, was a mere layman ignorant of military strategy. To advance into Yan Province and keep Liu Chong's army in check, Tao Qian's forces had requested an alliance and reinforcements from Gongsun Zan, the hegemon of the north.
Gongsun Zan was a northern warlord who exercised dominion from her base in You Province all the way into Ji Province and Qing Province. She was also an undefeated commander who led a cavalry force of fearsome, one-woman-army caliber.
Of course, the White Horse General herself was unlikely to take the field in person.
She would dispatch subordinates who had proven themselves in the north to play their part in the encirclement net designed to subjugate Liu Chong and Liu Seong-hwi. Rather than face the beast alone, Tao Qian schemed to mount a drive hunt, mobilizing warlords from all four directions.