Several dozen li downstream from where the Huan River entered the Huai lay the mouth of the Sishui, and several dozen li farther downstream lay a canal linking the Huai River to the Yangtze River. There was no need to dwell on that canal; who knew how many times it had been repaired and abandoned over the years... ten li into it, a county seat stood on its eastern bank: Shanyang County Seat.
Shanyang already belonged to Jiangdu Commandery.
Thus, broadly speaking, Jiangdu's northern gateway was of course Xuzhou. In the narrower sense, however, Huaiyang on the northern bank at the mouth of the Sishui, Shanyang along the northern stretch of the canal, and Gaoyou along its middle stretch formed Jiangdu's three successive gates.
Huaiyang had fallen for the stratagem of luring the tiger from its mountain, leaving it temporarily empty and easily breached.
By now, Du Pozhen, Fu Boshi, Li Zida, Kan Leng, the so-called Thirteen Vajras, and ten thousand troops of the Huaixi Grand Guardian Army had reached Shanyang. They had pitched camp directly across the canal from the city. The Front Camp was only one or two li from the canal, while the canal itself lay only three or four li from Shanyang.
But Du Pozhen himself was not in camp at the moment. Early on the morning of their second day there, he and Li Zida had brought several dozen men west to Hongze Marsh.
"Well, Alliance Leader?"
Standing sideways on a sloping embankment, Li Zida spoke to Du Pozhen with satisfaction. "Wasn't I right?"
"You were." With his hands behind his back, Du Pozhen surveyed the densely packed shallow lakes before him and, for once, let out a breath he had held for days. "Absolutely right... Huainan and Huaibei really do have completely different climates.