LFHYB -Chapter 189 They All Fear the Prince of Qin

Before explaining why Changsun Wuji became the Jiangdu garrison commander, it’s necessary to mention what happened in Jiangdu after Yang Guang’s death.

Yang Guang’s mental state collapsed under widespread rebellion, and he decided to stay in Jiangdu.

Most of his elite guard, the Xiaoguo army, were from Guanzhong. Seeing that Yang Guang refused to return north and unwilling to leave their homeland, they rebelled.

This mutiny came from the Xiaoguo army’s soldiers themselves; the senior generals and Yuwen Huaji, who ultimately took the blame, only reluctantly joined, fearing for their lives if they refused. So after Yang Guang’s death, Yuwen Huaji was bound by his promise to lead the Xiaoguo army north back home.

Yuwen Huaji had installed a puppet emperor from the royal clan, holding Empress Xiao and the court ministers hostage, while leaving the original Jiangdu Prefect, Wang Shichong, in charge of defending the city.

Wang Shichong had previously rounded up women in Jiangdu to forcibly marry them off to the local populace, causing widespread resentment among the citizens. Yuwen Huaji had initially wanted to kill Wang Shichong to appease the people, but Wang had already anticipated that the Xiaoguo Army might rebel, and he bribed the army’s generals with all his wealth. The bribed generals then spoke in Wang Shichong’s favor.

Yuwen Zhiji also advised Yuwen Huaji, saying, “The people of Jiangdu deeply detest Wang Shichong. If you let him continue guarding the city, he will never be able to establish himself in the future.”

Finding his brother’s argument reasonable, Yuwen Huaji allowed Wang Shichong to remain as Jiangdu Prefect and act temporarily as Governor, guarding Jiangdu while he led his troops north.

The Xiaoguo Army was the last fully organized elite unit of the Sui Dynasty. They might not be able to defeat Li Shimin’s troops in battle, but Li Shimin’s men were newly recruited and could not truly be considered Sui soldiers.

Yuwen Huaji believed that with the last strong army of the Sui in his hands, and with Empress Xiao and many members of the royal family, he could install a puppet emperor from the Sui clan and successfully take control of the Western Capital.

Moreover, as a prominent noble of the Guanlong region, Yuwen Huaji understood the mindset of the “fallen” nobles stationed in the Western Capital. If he returned with the Xiaoguo Army and the puppet emperor, those nobles would certainly support him, clashing with the small court in Luoyang.

As long as he temporarily refrained from declaring himself emperor, the conflict between the Western Capital and the Eastern court would simply become a struggle between the aristocratic families of Guanlong and Hedong.

Everything seemed perfectly calculated—except that Yuwen Huaji had completely no idea how to lead an army.

“Leading an army” wasn’t just about fighting; it also involved the seemingly simple act of marching.

The Xiaoguo Army was said to have 100,000 soldiers, with three to forty thousand elite troops when carefully selected.

How would they supply food for thirty to forty thousand men? When and where should they camp? How would they handle waste produced along the way?

Yuwen Huaji didn’t know any of this.

Adding to the problem, he and Yuwen Zhiji had been greedy, pillaging large amounts of wealth from Jiangdu. There were only so many pack animals and carts, and because they carried away so much treasure, there was no space left for provisions. The porters transporting the goods also needed food and care.

Yuwen Huaji didn’t understand marching; the Xiaoguo generals were mostly mid- to lower-level officers who had never commanded troops independently—they didn’t really know either. After just two or three days of marching, the soldiers began to complain of hunger and disease, and many deserted.

The ordinary soldiers simply wanted to go home. Now that no one was stopping them, following a large army with no provisions and more battles ahead seemed less appealing than sneaking away with a few comrades to find food. In fact, the latter option might even be easier.

Before Yuwen Huaji had even reached the Huai River, most of his soldiers had deserted. His dream of leading the Xiaoguo Army to seize the Western Capital and rule the realm had collapsed.

On top of that, he discovered that the former rebellious kings who had attempted to assassinate Yang Guang shamelessly rebranded themselves as loyal ministers of the Sui, claiming they would avenge Yang Guang.

He marched onward, taking beatings along the way. Already a pampered and weak-willed man, his mental state collapsed completely.

When Dou Jiande’s army moved south to block his path, Yuwen Huaji, seeing himself at a dead end, decided to take a reckless gamble. He killed the puppet emperor and declared himself emperor, then turned his troops around and retreated south toward Jiangdu with the few soldiers left.

Dou Jiande then pursued Yuwen Huaji southward to Jiangdu.

When Li Xuanba received this intelligence, he was extremely confused.

Historically, Yuwen Huaji had also marched north but most of his soldiers deserted en route. He faced repeated attacks from the Wagang Zhai forces and Li Tang’s troops, and was eventually handed over to Dou Jiande by Wang Bo, who had feigned surrender.

Although Yuwen Huaji had declared himself emperor at his last resort, he did not return to Jiangdu historically, instead continuing north, attempting to capture Weijun as a base, which he ultimately failed to take.

Historically, while Dou Jiande did march against Yuwen Huaji, Yuwen Huaji was in Weijun, Hebei, very close to Dou Jiande. Dou did not move south toward Jiangdu.

Li Xuanba gathered more intelligence while comparing the differences.

He found a common pattern in the actions of Yuwen Huaji and Dou Jiande—they both tried to avoid the northern battlefield and sought to move south to establish their own power!

Li Xuanba looked at the newly obtained intelligence in disbelief.

The reason Yuwen Huaji and Dou Jiande wanted to seize Jiangdu was… because his second brother’s power was now too strong.

Bashu was far from Hebei. When Li Xuanba fought with Xiao Xian, Dou Jiande and Yuwen Huaji had no idea that Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had already reached the Yangtze River. They only knew that the Prince of Longxi, Li Shimin, had pacified Guanlong and might be preparing to move to Shanxi to rescue their father, Li Yuan.

Li Shimin’s achievements were terrifying—capturing two khans in a single battle! Even more frightening, he was still very young. Even if he did nothing, merely holding the territory he had conquered would be enough to outlast these middle-aged former kings.

Since Li Shimin had already occupied the Western Capital, the small court in Luoyang seemed inclined to court him. It would be extremely easy for him to march east into Hedong and Hebei.

Luo Yi, who controlled Yan territory, was a fence-sitter who sided with whoever was stronger, and also a former Sui official. If Li Shimin approached his city, Luo Yi would naturally side with Li Shimin rather than with Yuwen Huaji, the regicide, or Dou Jiande, the rebellious general.

Yuwen Huaji’s father often lamented how terrifying it was when Li Shimin and Li Xuanba worked together. Now Yuwen Huaji actually wished he had listened to his deceased father, unwilling to confront Li Shimin directly.

Without troops or generals, staying in Hebei meant Li Shimin would surely attack under the pretext of avenging Yang Guang. Only a fool would not flee south.

Returning to Jiangdu, even if he could not make a comeback, he could still establish a power base there.

Similarly, Dou Jiande also did not want to face Li Shimin directly.

Dou tried to recruit the Wagang Zhai forces and the Qilu militia. If he could unite these two forces, he might be able to challenge Li Shimin, currently the most powerful.

But Wagang Zhai was even stronger than him, unwilling to submit or even form an alliance. The Qilu militia was also not as easily swayed as he had hoped—once separated from Wang Bo, they were not a disorganized group. Wang Bo’s strategist, Wei Zheng, was clever and elusive, always dangling uncertainty in front of Dou, never giving a definite answer.

Dou Jiande, sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable, used the pretext of avenging Yang Guang to justify his intentions—but in reality, he wanted to move south to seize more territory. If he eventually failed to hold his ground against Li Shimin in Hebei, he could always retreat south of the Yangtze and establish his own domain there.

These thoughts were too sensitive for Dou Jiande even to share with his closest aides.

The lesson of Yang Guang’s downfall was fresh in his mind. Most of his troops were from Hebei; if they discovered he intended to move south for his own ambitions, their morale would surely plummet.

Dou Jiande was, after all, a fairly capable leader with a decent strategic vision.

At present, he controlled only a few small counties in Hebei and was far from having a firm foothold. Unless Li Shimin confronted him while also clashing with the Wagang Army and Yang Xuangan, and he succeeded in reclaiming the Qi–Lu rebels, victory was out of the question.

Since the north was already in chaos and the southern forces were relatively weak, heading south to expand was his only viable path.

When Dou Jiande moved south and learned that Li Shimin had already reached Nanyang Commandery, he felt caught between a rock and a hard place.

Li Shimin had taken a long detour yet managed to approach the Eastern Capital. Was he planning to fight Yang Xuangan and the Wagang Army?

Would it have been more appropriate for him to release Yuwen Huaji and assist Yang Xuangan and the Wagang forces in attacking Li Shimin?

Just as Dou Jiande and his subordinates were discussing this and had decided to proactively seek an alliance with Yang Xuangan and the Wagang Army, Li Shimin went to defend Nanyang Commandery and attack Zhu Can instead. What puzzled Dou Jiande even more was that the Wagang Army, moved by this, went to support Li Shimin.

Dou Jiande felt like his head was about to explode. His strategists were all pulling at their hair and beards.

They just couldn’t make sense of it! Were the people of the Wagang Army all fools?

“Master, is it possible that the Wagang Army has already submitted to Li Shimin?”

One strategist proposed a theory that seemed the least likely at first, but upon reflection, appeared to be the only plausible one.

Cold sweat broke out all over Dou Jiande.

“If the Wagang Army has long been under Li Shimin’s influence—or was even a force supported by him—then Li Shimin might have harbored intentions to betray the Sui Dynasty from the start…” Dou Jiande murmured to himself, shaking his head. “Even if I bring this up now, what good would it do? Luoyang has fallen; Li Shimin has secured Bashu and the Wagang Army. He is now the most powerful force under heaven. Whether he is truly loyal to Sui or not, the former Sui officials will recognize him as a loyalist of the previous dynasty.”

Besides, he was just a bandit leader; who would care if he denounced Li Shimin as a traitor to the Sui?

“Master, Wang Bo and Zhai Rang have always been close allies. If Zhai Rang has already pledged to Li Shimin, then could Wei Zheng also…”

Another strategist presented Dou Jiande with a terrifying hypothesis.

Dou Jiande’s headache vanished—replaced by a numbness in his scalp.

If both the Qi–Lu rebels and the Wagang Army were Li Shimin’s forces, then he would be caught squarely between them.

Dou Jiande felt increasingly trapped.

Should he return to Hebei Commandery to fortify his position, or continue southward?

His family and troops’ families were still in Hebei, so logically, returning home would have been the correct move. Yet after a moment’s hesitation, he chose to continue south.

He knew communication would be delayed; by the time he learned that the Wagang Army had pledged to Li Shimin, Li Shimin would likely have already left Nanyang Commandery to take over the Wagang territories in Xingyang Commandery.

If Wei Zheng had also joined Li Shimin, he would have already rendezvoused with the Qi–Lu rebels, waiting to ambush Dou Jiande on his return.

Returning to Hebei Commandery would play directly into Li Shimin’s hands.

Still, Dou Jiande had no intention of moving all the way to Jiangdu.

Li Shimin had just come up from Huainan; Dou Jiande could occupy nearby Huai River counties such as Zhongli and Luyang. Especially the county town of Luyang Commandery, Hefei—it was a large city, easy to defend, difficult to attack, and rich in supplies. Occupying Hefei would allow him to strategize in central China and threaten the south, giving him some leverage against Li Shimin.

Moreover, Li Shimin’s detour from Bashu around Longxi made him like a tiger leaping from the mountains, which must have unnerved Jiang–Huai bandit leaders like Du Fuwei.

Of the three major bandit leaders in the Central Plains—Zhai Rang, Dou Jiande, and Wei Zheng—two had quietly submitted to Li Shimin. Dou Jiande could only hope for some unity among the Jiang–Huai bandits.

Now, Dou Jiande was like a man driven to the end of a cliff, forced to make a desperate gamble.

In truth, his choice wasn’t wrong.

By the time Dou Jiande received news of the Wagang Army’s allegiance to Li Shimin, Li Shimin had already led his troops to Xingyang Commandery, transferring supplies to ships along the Yellow River en route to Qi–Lu territory to join Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng had already prepared to assist Li Shimin in attacking Hebei Commandery. If Dou Jiande returned now, he would fall right into a siege.

After analyzing the current situation, Li Xuanba shook his head with a smile, filled with sympathy for Dou Jiande.

Just as he had confronted Xiao Xian before Xiao Xian had time to develop, Dou Jiande, who should have quickly strengthened his power after Yang Guang’s death, now had no time to grow and could only flee like an ordinary bandit leader, driven around by the second brother.

On the other hand, it was fortunate that Dou Jiande hadn’t fully transformed into a regional power. His troops were still accustomed to being chased by the “Sui army.” Otherwise, if he abandoned Hebei Commandery to flee south, his soldiers’ morale would collapse.

“Wang Shichong lacks popular support. Li Jing will surely take the opportunity to expand along the Yangtze, likely clashing with Dou Jiande and Yuwen Huaji, preventing them from leaving easily. Second brother’s hold on Hebei Commandery is secure,” Li Xuanba breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he trusted his second brother’s abilities, even if he had never attacked a very strong city before, his talent was there; capturing a Hebei Commandery without Dou Jiande’s defense should not be too dangerous. But the siege itself remained one of the riskiest battles, and Li Xuanba was a little worried about his brother getting injured.

Now that he had learned Dou Jiande was abandoning Hebei Commandery to move south, his second brother would surely know this too. Once he informed the troops in Hebei Commandery that Dou Jiande had fled, the city would collapse without a fight.

…

“In short, this is the current situation,” Li Shimin explained to his subordinates regarding Yuwen Huaji, Wang Shichong, and Dou Jiande. “Hebei Commandery is available for the taking without Dou Jiande, making Dou Jiande himself the key factor.”

He slammed his hand on the map. “March south with me! Pursue Dou Jiande!”

“Yes!!!” The soldiers were used to obeying whatever their commander said.

Only Wei Zheng felt this was somewhat risky. It might be better to capture Hejian Commandery first, then join forces with Li Xuanba, Li Jing, and the others to gradually eliminate Dou Jiande and the other rebel generals.

Now that Yang Xuangan had already taken Luoyang, Wei Zheng thought they should first secure Luoyang, fully consolidate the north, and then plan campaigns south of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. That way, their supply lines wouldn’t be scattered.

Moreover, their supplies weren’t sufficient for a full-scale southern march. The journey south was long, and Wei Zheng worried that if Li Shimin pursued Dou Jiande, their army might be hindered by hunger.

Li Shimin thought Wei Zheng’s advice made perfect sense and praised him as a man who truly understood military strategy.

But as always, “the lord praises, but does not listen.”

Li Shimin stuck to his decision: “This is when Dou Jiande’s forces are at their weakest. He has just left the city, with no defenses to rely on. If we give him time to join forces with the southern rebels and occupy a fortified city, it will cost far more men and resources to defeat him later. Xuancheng, don’t worry—you may take twenty thousand men to continue persuading Hejian Commandery to surrender. I, along with Qin Shubao and others, will lead ten thousand troops lightly equipped southward.”

Wei Zheng worried: “Lightly equipped? Lord, without carrying supplies with the people, the southern army’s provisions will certainly be insufficient.”

Li Shimin patted his belly. “It’s fine. There’s food at the Luokou granary; it’s just a bit inconvenient to transport. You gather the supplies at your pace and catch up with me. At most, I’ll go hungry a day or two—no problem.”

Unable to argue with Li Shimin, Wei Zheng reluctantly complied. “If General Changsun has indeed taken Jiangdu, then go, my lord. I will do my best to gather provisions.”

Thus, Li Shimin led ten thousand troops south with only seven days’ rations, moving at a forced march.

To make the troops move faster, Li Shimin had the horses carry supplies and armor, and personally marched on foot with the soldiers.

Horses were scarce; since the pre-Qin era, “forced marches” mostly involved infantry. Li Shimin led the march personally, and even though the soldiers knew they might be hungry for a day or two, they ran swiftly.

Li Shimin had informed them in advance: there were supplies at the Luokou granary—they had all seen it—but transporting them was inconvenient. Hence the forced march; the supplies might arrive a day or two late.

A day or two delay didn’t bother the soldiers, because Li Shimin would share the same food and sleep with them, even going hungry together.

Moreover, if they won a battle, they could seize Dou Jiande’s supplies and horses; they might not go hungry even for a day.

Li Shimin led the troops south. Wei Zheng busily wrote letters.

Although “the lord praises, but does not listen,” Wei Zheng, powerless, could only follow orders. But he had to report the logistical situation promptly to the chief quartermaster.

“Send this letter to the Western Capital at full speed,” Wei Zheng said expressionlessly, sealing it. “It must reach Prince Jin personally; we need his assistance!”

The messenger replied: “Yes!”

Luo Shixin hesitated for a moment. “Mr. Wei, are you complaining to the Third Prince?”

Wei Zheng clasped his hands behind his back and spoke calmly: “Telling the Third Prince that his brother is about to go hungry—how is that complaining? It’s merely informing him.”

The honest boy Luo Shixin said: “That’s complaining.”

Zhai Rang, who stayed behind with Wei Zheng to continue gathering supplies and persuading Hejian Commandery, was puzzled: “? What? Informing? Complaining?”

…

“I still don’t know the current situation,” Changsun Wuji said. “How did I end up as the commander of Jiangdu? And where did you all come from?”

Chen Ling and Xue Shou exchanged glances—they too were surprised to see Changsun Wuji in Jiangdu.

Yu Shinan sighed, head aching. “Erlang commands you like this? Why is everyone running around in chaos? Erlang doesn’t even know where you went!”

Changsun Wuji defended himself: “The lord certainly knows where I went; I came to Jiangdu to gather intelligence!”

Xue Shou said: “Li Daxiong… the lord naturally knows where I went. I told him I was going to persuade General Chen to submit to the lord.”

Chen Ling replied even more confidently: “I haven’t submitted to the lord yet.”

Yu Shinan groaned: “…Then why are you following the lord?!”

Although civil and military officials were now integrated, Yu Shinan lacked experience and ability in commanding troops. He could only watch these three clearly unreliable people and feel frustrated.

Indeed, how did Changsun Wuji end up as Jiangdu’s commander?

Because the people of Jiangdu deeply hated Wang Shichong.

When Wang Shichong closed the city gates to prepare for defense, he forbade civilians from fleeing.

If the civilians escaped, the garrison would lose manpower. Moreover, they would take provisions with them. Civilians themselves were essential in extreme situations; how could Wang Shichong allow them to leave?

The world had long been in chaos, and the populace could foresee what was coming. Public resentment was at its peak.

Yuwen Huaji had taken the Xiaoguo army away, leaving Wang Shichong’s remaining troops—originally from Jiangdu’s Yingyang Prefecture. These soldiers were locals.

Even if Wang Shichong hadn’t harmed them personally, they still resented him for what he did to their hometown.

Die for Wang Shichong? They only wanted Wang Shichong dead.

When Changsun Wuji entered the city, he also undertook the task of persuading Jiangdu’s remaining troops.

After meeting Yu Shinan, he learned which people in Jiangdu were worth recruiting and quietly approached them as an envoy of “Prince of Longxi, Li Shimin.”

When Wang Shichong ordered his soldiers to seize the people’s food and conscript men to reinforce the army, the officers who had met Changsun Wuji secretly coordinated: “Prince of Longxi hates evil. If we commit these atrocities, we can never join him. Better to surrender the city now!”

The more they thought about it, the more it made sense. They immediately acted.

These men were locals and knew the people of Jiangdu hated Wang Shichong. They secretly distributed weapons, incited civilians to attack the prefecture office, and took the opportunity to kill Wang Shichong from behind, chopping his body to pieces and handing it to the people.

“We are men sent by Li Shimin, Prince of Longxi Commandery, to rescue you! You know the Prince of Longxi Commandery, right? Huh? You don’t? Then what about Li Shimin who captured the Turkic Khagan, and Li Xuanba who founded charitable estates? Yes, yes, those brothers famed as ‘Righteousness Reaching the Clouds’ and ‘Virtue Profound and Grace Abundant’! We’re their people! We’ve come to save the people of Jiangdu!”

Then this group brought over a completely bewildered Changsun Wuji, pushed him straight onto the position of Governor of Jiangdu.

Changsun Wuji: “……”

The Jiangdu officers: “By the way, we haven’t yet asked—may we know your surname and given name, sir, and what post you hold under the Prince of Longxi Commandery?”

Changsun Wuji: “……I am Changsun Wuji, son of Right Xiaowei General Changsun Sheng, brother-in-law of Li Shimin, Prince of Longxi Commandery. I currently serve under him as commander of the Right Unified Army.”

The Jiangdu officers: Σ（°△°|||）??!

……

Xue Shou said in disbelief, “So… that’s how you ended up becoming the commander defending Jiangdu?”

Changsun Wuji replied weakly, “Yes. And you? How did you end up in Jiangdu?”

No sooner had he taken up the post than warships flying both the Sui banner and the Prince of Longxi Commandery’s banner sailed in from the lower reaches of the Yangtze.

Changsun Wuji was utterly confused. He knew Li Daxiong was good at running around—often popping up in the strangest places during campaigns—but where did we get warships this big? These could sail on the open sea, couldn’t they?!

Fortunately, the arrival was Xue Shou, whom he recognized, so no misunderstanding arose.

Xue Shou said, “General Chen is willing to submit to our lord, but he wished first to come to Jiangdu to collect and perform rites for the late emperor. I thought our lord should have reached the south of the Yangtze by now, and General Chen’s navy would come in handy.”

Changsun Wuji gestured in astonishment. “So you crossed such a vast distance from Tsukushi Island all the way to the Yangtze? Such a long journey—where did you get the provisions?”

Xue Shou replied, “General Chen farmed and stockpiled grain on Tsukushi Island. The supplies there are just barely sufficient.”

Changsun Wuji looked toward Chen Ling.

Chen Ling said modestly, “After spending several years as a wild man on the island with Xue Bapao, that’s how we honed our land-reclamation skills.”

Xue Shou complained, “You really didn’t have to put it that plainly.”

Changsun Wuji laughed. “I’d almost forgotten about that.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “With General Chen’s assistance, holding the city this time should be worry-free until Li Yaoshi arrives with reinforcements. Li Yaoshi is in Baling Commandery; once the warships are ready, coming downstream will be very fast.”

Xue Shou asked, “What about our lord and Dade? Aren’t they coming to rescue you?”

Changsun Wuji said, “I’ve just received word that our lord has gone to Qi Commandery to meet Wei Xuancheng. The Prince of Taiyuan is escorting the old Duke of Tang and his wife to the Western Capital. The journey is long; we likely can’t count on them coming personally.”

He did not mention the fall of Luoyang, worried that Chen Ling might still harbor loyalty to the Sui and develop resentment toward Li Erlang and Li Sanlang for not saving Luoyang.