In February of the third year of Yonghe (AD 347), Huan Wen's army to conquer Shu arrived in Qingyi (now Mingshan North, Sichuan).
Since the troops were sent out in November last year, even if they took advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and advanced quickly with light troops, they had marched for three full months. During this period, they had overcome numerous dangers and obstacles, which shows how difficult it was to enter Sichuan.
Huan Xi knew the success or failure of this battle, so he did not interfere too much in Huan Wen's decision-making, fearing that he would change the outcome of the matter by meddling in it.
He mostly listens to military discussions and does not express his own opinions easily.
Of course, Huan Xi also gained something of his own during the three months he went on the expedition with his father. He benefited a lot from Huan Wen's words and deeds on the military level.
Huan Wen's military ability was not top-notch. Among the famous generals of his generation, he was still inferior to Murong Ba (Murong Chui), the general of the Yan clan.
Of course, Murong Ba joined the army at the age of thirteen and never failed in his life. He can be praised by future generations as the first god of war in the Sixteen Kingdoms. How can he be an ordinary person.
At least in today's Jiangnan, it is difficult to find anyone who can match Huan Wen in terms of military ability.
For Huan Xi, his father is the best teacher.
Huan Wen naturally taught his eldest son everything he had to offer without reservation. Whenever Huan Xi had any questions during the march and formation, he would always patiently answer his questions.
Huan Wen was also very pleased with Huan Xi's understanding.
On the Chenghan side, three generals, Li Fu, Li Quan, and Zan Jian, led the army to resist the Jin army. Li Fu and Zan Jian's troops reached Heshui (the intersection of Fuhe River and Minjiang River in Pengshan County, Sichuan today).
The generals of the Han army requested to set up defenses south of the Minjiang River to wait for work, but Zan Jian strongly advocated taking the initiative to cross the Minjiang River and march towards Jianwei (today's east of Pengshan County, Sichuan) to face the Jin army.
Li Fu was persuaded by Zan Jian, and the two went eastward, but they happened to go in the wrong direction with the Jin army. In March, the Jin army arrived at Pengmo (southeast of today's Pengshan County, Sichuan).
Huan Wen held a military meeting in Peng Mo to discuss the next course of action. Some generals suggested that Huan Wen divide his troops into two groups and advance together. Yuan Qiao, the pioneer, was the first to stand up and object:
"Now our army is alone thousands of miles away. If we win, we will make great achievements, but if we lose, we will lose our bodies. We should unite our forces to win a battle. It is better to destroy the cauldron and sink the boat, with only three days of food, and the whole army rushes forward. To show your determination, you will definitely win!"
It has to be said that Yuan Qiao's plan is a bold one. If he cannot conquer Chengdu, he will surely fall into a dangerous situation where he will run out of ammunition and food and become unsustainable.
Just as the discussion in the commander's tent was buzzing, Huan Xi, who had always been tight-lipped, stood up to support Yuan Qiao:
"Our army is small, how can we divide our troops and advance together, my father is handsome! The boy thought that if he came in any way, I would only go all the way, leaving a small number of soldiers to guard the baggage, and the army would surprise Chengdu.
"Li Shi saw that we have few soldiers, so he will rush out of the city to fight. If he can defeat them in one battle, he will surely capture Chengdu and then force the Shu invaders to surrender!"
Yuan Qiao cast a grateful look at Huan Xi. From the very beginning of the Jiangling Military Conference, Huan Xi always agreed with him when Huan Wen's generals and subordinates disagreed, which also made Yuan Qiao feel like a confidant.
When Huan Wen saw that Yuan Qiao and Huan Xi both insisted on a surprise attack on Chengdu, he did not hesitate at all. He immediately overcame all opinions and left Sun Sheng, who had joined the army, and Zhou Chu, the son of Zhou Fu, to guard the baggage in Peng Mo, while he led the main force and only took them for three days. Food, rush to Chengdu.
Yizhou, Chengdu.
"What are you talking about! The Jin army is approaching the capital! What do Li Fu and Zan Jian do for food! Why did they let the Jin army cross the border without hearing about their defeat? Could it be that the Jin people have wings and can fly over!"
When the leader of the country, Li Shi, heard the news, he was frightened and shouted sharply.
The person who reported the news was horrified and had no choice but to tell the truth:
"The two generals attacked the Jin army but took the wrong path and are now in Qianwei."
Li Shi was even more furious. In the Western Han Dynasty, Li Guang got lost when he went to the fortress. This could be attributed to his unfamiliarity with the place, but when fighting in the local area, Li Fu and Zan Jian could also go the wrong way, which really made him extremely angry.
At this point, fortunately, the three armies still had Li Quan guarding the important areas in the capital. Li Shi quickly sent someone to summon Li Quan and ordered him to stop Huan Wen.
After everyone retreated, Li Shi was still angry, but a girl walked into the side hall. She was not very old, only fourteen years old. She had a beautiful face and a look that would overwhelm the country. She comforted her and said:
"Father, there is no need to worry. The Jin army is small. As long as two generals, Li Fu and Zan Jian, lead the troops back to support, they will be able to turn danger into disaster."
The girl is Li Shi's daughter, Princess Li Yuan of the Han Dynasty.
Seeing his beloved daughter, Li Shi's irritability calmed down a lot. He sighed:
"I just hope that my uncle can intercept the Jin people for me."
Li Quan is Li Fu's father and Li Shi's uncle.
However, battle reports soon came from the front. Li Quan had been defeated in three battles, and Huan Wen had broken through the defense line. The Jin army was marching towards Chengdu with great momentum.
Li Shi was even more frightened. He wanted to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements, but misfortunes never come singly, and bad news came from the front line.
Li Fu learned that the Jin army was attacking Chengdu, so he returned to attack Peng Mo. Peng Mo was the Jin army's baggage station. Li Fu's move was naturally to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao, but he was repulsed by Huan Wen's generals Sun Sheng and Zhou Chu.
However, Zan Jian did not wait for the Jin army in Qianwei and hurriedly returned to the army. Halfway through, he learned that Huan Wen had already arrived at the gates of Chengdu, and Zan Jian's troops collapsed without a fight.
Now that there was no hope for reinforcements, people in the city were panicked and it was difficult to hold on. Li Shi followed the advice of his attendant Feng Fu and took advantage of Huan Wen's small number of troops to concentrate Chengdu's troops and go out of the city to fight.
The two armies fought decisively at Zuoqiao outside Chengdu. Huan Wen personally came to the front line to command, while Huan Xi rode a horse and stood alongside his father.
The battle was fierce and the sound of killing was loud. Although the Jin army was elite, it still had few soldiers. The Han army outnumbered the few and once held an advantage.
"Report! Commander, the battle ahead is unfavorable and Gong Shenjun died in battle!"
Gong Canjun was Gong Hu who joined the army of the Huan Wen shogunate. Huan Xi had an impression of him as a middle-aged man with a strong personality.
The generals who followed Huan Wen to supervise the battle saw the battle line moving towards them, and they all felt fear in their hearts. At this moment, an arrow from the Han army hit Huan Wen's horse.
The fact that the enemy's arrows could reach our commander showed that the situation on the battlefield was critical. At this moment, even Huan Wen had the intention to retreat.
"Send my command and beat the drum to retreat."
As soon as he finished speaking, Huan Xi beside him suddenly shouted:
"No! Now our army is short of provisions and outnumbered, and we are advancing alone. It can be said that we are advancing but not retreating!"
"Today's retreat will surely lead to a defeat, and the battle against Shu will also be a failure!
"Father, handsome! We can't afford to lose!"
"The Han army has suffered successive defeats before, but today it is just a show of force. As long as they can withstand their attack, they will surely collapse!
"When we meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins! I also asked my father to order the drums to be beaten to boost the morale of the front troops!"
When Huan Wen heard this, he gritted his teeth and shouted:
"Enter the drum! Beat the drum!"
Huan Xi didn't have time to be happy and quickly got off his horse.
He was worried that the drummer would make a mistake in panic and beat the drum into a drum, so he simply grabbed the drumstick from the drummer's hand and used all his strength to beat the drum.
Yuan Qiao, who was commanding the battle on the front line, heard the beating of Jingu and took advantage of the situation to encourage his soldiers to fight bravely. The Han army could not break through the Jin army's formation, and as expected, its morale weakened and then collapsed. The Jin army was able to defeat the Han army outside the city.
The drummers stared dumbfoundedly at the reversal of the situation on the battlefield. At this time, Huan Xi, who was already exhausted, handed the drumsticks back to the drummers.
Originally, in this battle, the drummers made a mistake while busy and beat the retreating drum into an advancing drum, causing the Jin army to turn defeat into victory.
Huan Xi did not mean to steal Drummer's limelight, but to save him.
After all, this trend cannot last forever. If the drummers are rewarded, who knows whether there will be people who take matters into their own hands and disobey Huan Wen's orders in the next war, and how Huan Wen will lead his troops in the future.
If it were left to Huan Xi to deal with it, he would definitely kill the drummers to clarify the military law, and at the same time give generous gifts to his family, so that rewards and punishments can be clearly understood.
