At Qiyan, the formal alliance gathering began. The lords paid homage to the Son of Heaven, offered sacrifices to the gods of mountains and rivers, and finally held joint drills to improve coordination between their armies. While all this was proceeding in full swing, Ji Wan had already led his great army to the lands of Shen and Lü.
The many vassal states between Luoyi and the Chu State answered Ji Wan's call, bringing their armies to campaign alongside the Son of Heaven.
The sight of the mighty army filled Ji Wan with pride. At the banquets, the lords showered him with extravagant praise, their flattery even more cloying than that of the Marquis of You and the Marquis of Ji.
"Is the Count of Sui here?" A man suddenly came to Ji Wan's mind, and he asked his attendant about him. The Marquis of You had been feeling rather resentful of these Southern Barbarians. Hearing Ji Wan's question, he hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the Count of Sui guards the Sui State, on the front line against the Chu Barbarians. He dares not leave his post, so none of the rulers of the Five Han River States have come."
Ji Wan drained a cup of wine and shook his head. "Once my heavenly army arrives, the Chu Barbarians will surely surrender at the mere news of its approach. Why be so cautious?"
The Marquis of You hastily nodded in agreement. The Marquis of Han, who was also attending nearby, had intended to step forward and explain the importance of those five states. But after considering that any explanation would inevitably mention Luo Su and might even backfire, he kept his mouth shut.
The Five Han River States had all been established by Luo Su.
Back when Xiong Dun's arrogance had become impossible to curb, the southern frontier lords had repeatedly organized allied armies to attack him, only to suffer defeat after defeat and heavy losses. Even then, Luo Su had realized that Xiong Dun was probably a rare god of war.
Luo Su did not know how to command armies, but he knew that a man like this was invincible on the battlefield. To defeat him, he had to draw him into a contest on familiar ground.
He therefore decisively silenced the calls for another campaign against Chu and ordered the generals to build a defensive line that could trap Xiong Dun within the Chu lands. He would take responsibility for the troops, population, funds, and provisions.
Luo Su's method rested on his insight that, although Xiong Dun's troops were elite, they were few in number. The Chu State possessed vast lands, but most were empty and unpopulated. Luo Su thus forced Xiong Dun into a contest of attrition in funds and provisions. Pitting the population and resources of a single region against those of the entire realm was naturally unsustainable.
Eventually, this defensive line took shape along the Han River through the five states of Deng, Lu, Ruo, Tang, and Sui. These states supported one another and afforded clear lines of observation. Whenever Xiong Dun attacked, they would fortify their walls, clear the countryside, defend their cities, and then seek opportunities to cut his supply lines.
This strategy left the Chu army afraid to cross the Han River to attack. Xiong Dun was frustrated beyond measure, but he could hardly expend his already limited population storming cities.
As for why the five rulers were so obedient, the main reason was Luo Su's forceful, somewhat autocratic temperament. When it came to his orders, there were only two options: carry them out, or carry them out to the letter.
The fates of countless nobles had already proved that even the slightest show of outward obedience masking defiance would earn Luo Su's rebuke. If it led to a major defeat, the inevitable outcome was the loss of their titles and the abolition of their states.
To this day, Xiong Dun had yet to breach that defensive line. That was also why he had been overjoyed to hear that Luo Su had resigned from office.
Instead of charging at him head-on, Luo Su slowly wore him down with underhanded pressure, a method that countered him perfectly. Fortunately, he had made some gains to the south and west over the years. Otherwise, he would truly have been sick with frustration.
Although news of Luo Su's resignation had spread throughout the states of All Xia, his accumulated authority weighed so heavily that these five lords still dared not leave their defensive line, fearing he would return to Luoyi and punish them.
In truth, they were living in constant anxiety. They dared not leave, but now that Luo Su had departed the Royal Domain, was there still any need for these five states to exist? Would the Three Excellencies governing the Royal Domain continue supplying them with people, troops, and provisions? These were all very real problems confronting them.
After lavishly entertaining the lords in the two states of Shen and Lü, Ji Wan prepared to head straight south to the Five Han River States. Once there, only the Han River would separate him from the Chu State. In his mind, once his hundred thousand troops crossed the river, how could Xiong Dun possibly hold them back?
As Ji Wan saw it, his ancestor King Wu had defeated the larger Yin Shang army at Muye, settling the realm in a single battle. The Sage King had shattered the rebels in one battle beside the Luo River, then swept through and conquered all the eastern states. He was the Son of Heaven of the Zhou State, the descendant of those two kings. Surely defeating a mere Southern Barbarian lord would be effortless?
When the great army reached the Five Han River States, its forces were stationed in Deng, Lu, and Ruo to rest and prepare for the subsequent river crossing and battle.
Xiong Dun had long been waiting eagerly in the Chu lands for Ji Wan. Upon hearing that he had arrived, Xiong Dun immediately dispatched an envoy to inquire about the weight of the tripods.
When they heard that an envoy from the Chu State sought an audience with the Son of Heaven, Ji Wan, the Marquis of You, the Marquis of Ji, and the others assumed that Xiong Dun feared the heavenly army and wanted to sue for peace. They felt rather pleased with themselves.
Ji Wan received the Chu envoy in the Count of Deng's hall. A ring of burly guards protected him, and several important lords stood beside him. The Chu envoy was a tall man, without the slightest trace of fear on his face.
The envoy entered the hall without bowing, merely cupping his hands slightly. "I am Jing Lin, a minister of another state. My king..."
Before he could continue, the Marquis of Han sprang forward in fury and berated him. "How dare you, treacherous minister! Xiong Dun is merely a viscount. How dare he usurp the title of king before the Son of Heaven? Do you think we dare not kill you?"
Ji Wan's face instantly turned livid as well. He had never expected Xiong Dun to be so heedless of death. The heavenly army had arrived, and his end was at hand, yet he still dared make such shameless boasts.
Ji Wan even began considering the strategy the Marquises of You and Ji had previously proposed.
Confronted with the Marquis of Han's furious rebuke, the Chu minister Jing Lin remained utterly unafraid and continued calmly, "My king asks the Son of Heaven of the Zhou State: which are heavier, the great tripods of our Chu State or the Nine Tripods of Luoyi?"
Shing!
Bang!
Now it was not just the Marquis of Han. Almost everyone glared at the envoy from Chu, and Ji Wan, the Son of Heaven, could no longer restrain his fury at all.
"Xiong Dun! You're courting death!"
"You treacherous minister, go back and tell Xiong Dun to wait for me! I will have him torn apart by five horses and die by chariot dismemberment!"
Only Ji Wan's furious voice could be heard in the hall. He drew a guard's sharp sword and hacked viciously at the table before him, roaring, "Send out the troops at once! I will put Xiong Dun to death immediately, by the cruelest means!"
Though furious, the Marquis of Han still retained his reason. Hearing Ji Wan's reckless order, he hastily remonstrated, "Your Majesty, you must not! Our army has marched for days and is utterly exhausted. If we cross the river to fight now, defeat is certain!"
But Ji Wan was consumed by rage. How could he listen to such words? He immediately roared at the Marquises of You and Ji, "Will you also disobey my command?"
The Marquises of You and Ji also believed they should not send out the troops, but they dared not defy Ji Wan's command. They could only order the armies to attack.
Seeing that nothing could stop it, the Marquis of Han felt cold all over. Only now did he understand why Luo Su had insisted on leaving: he had long since seen through Ji Wan's character.
Even if we talked him out of it this time, what about the next?
Unless Ji Wan changes his temperament, utter defeat is inevitable!
No!
I cannot simply sit here and wait to die.
The Marquis of Han forced himself to calm down. The Son of Heaven's Six Armies could not all die here. He had to bring as many men home alive as possible.
He recalled a list of nobles Luo Su had once left him. Every name on it belonged to the Marquis of Luo's faction. If he wanted to undertake something important now, they were the only people he could rely on.
He hurriedly began recalling the names on the list and immediately prepared to contact them. He believed that anyone with even a little sense would be shocked to hear Ji Wan's command.
Do not think Ji Wan was too stupid to be believable. Read enough history, and you will discover that great figures even more foolish than this were a dime a dozen. Perhaps the fact that intelligence was not hereditary was the fairest thing in this world.
Before you continue