59. Li Rang Departs First for the Temporary Imperial Capital

A retainer of the Li family stood before Zhang Xun and Li Rang, his face pale with terror, recounting in broken fragments what he had witnessed in Hubei.

Previously, after the collection of the summer grain, Li Zhu in Chongqing had wished for Li Rang to ship one hundred thousand bushels of grain, alongside scarce commodities such as iron and hemp, to support his garrison warfare in Sichuan. Upon receiving his father's letter, Li Rang naturally set about fulfilling the task, even borrowing several hundred boats from Zhang Xun.

A month and a half had passed by the time the boats reached Chongqing. After unloading the cargo, they were reloaded with timber, medicinal herbs, and silver for the return journey to Changzhou. There was originally nothing remarkable about this, but as the vessels approached Huangzhou, they saw a massive fleet of Yuan warships surging from the upper reaches of the river.

Believing the Yuan army had descended upon them, the crews were paralyzed with fear and fled back day and night, intermingled with military ships. Along the way, several of their boats were plundered by retreating and defeated soldiers. Naturally, they also pulled a few stragglers aboard, thereby learning of the battle situation on the front lines at Yingzhou.

Following the death in battle of Zhao Wenyi, Vice-Commissioner of Yingzhou, the Yingzhou army fell into utter chaos. Some sought to flee back to Yingzhou, while others attempted to escape elsewhere. The vanguard collided with the rearguard, and the rearguard became entangled with Gao Da's army. From all sides, the Yuan forces converged for the kill. Gao Da led his troops fighting as they retreated, attempting to rally with the forces of Zhu Susun of Hanyang Commandery.

Zhu Susun still had a few thousand remaining local garrison guards from Jinghu under his command, and Wang Anjie's four thousand imperial guard troops were stationed in Ezhou, not far from Hanyang. Backed by solid city walls and with reinforcements available, there might have been a chance of survival.

Bayán and Aju how could possibly allow Gao Da to escape? Advancing by both land and water, they attacked from both banks. Lü Wenhuan, in particular, pointed at Gao Da's banner within the Yuan formation and addressed Bayán, stating that this was Gao Da, who had previously defended Xiangyang. In the early assessments of the Song court, he had been ranked above Lü Wende and was credited with the greatest achievements in Jinghu.

The Mongol and Han soldiers who had marched south from the north and had yet to establish any notable merits were thrilled upon hearing this, competing with one another as they charged forward with all their might. Just as Ma Yong and Wang Xiaojie had said, the Tartar armored cavalry swept forward like crashing waves, wave after wave, their onslaught never pausing for an instant. Arrows fell like locusts and rain, and the piercing whistles of signaling arrows were soul-shattering.

The remaining troops in Gao Da's army were the first to collapse, kneeling to surrender to the Yuan forces as their circular formation disintegrated. The Mongol commander of a thousand, Jalair Alaqan, led the vanguard in a charge against Gao Da's central army, while the Left-wing Han General-in-Chief Jia Wenbei ordered Han archers to join in a coordinated assault on Gao Da.

After more than thirty clashes, the Mongol armored cavalry broke through Gao Da's center. Liu Shiyong, commander of the vanguard, lost contact with Gao Da in the center. Realizing the situation was beyond redemption, Gao Da led twenty thousand troops in surrender to Bayán.

Liu Shiyong, commanding eight thousand men, twice broke through heavy encirclements, attempting to charge in and rescue Gao Da. Upon learning of Gao Da's surrender, he wept bitterly, changed direction, and led his remnant troops in a rout toward Hanyang Commandery.

Gao Da's Huai-East army collapsed, a force of over fifty thousand disintegrated, and the city of Yingzhou fell.

The defeated army fled into Hanyang Commandery. Upon hearing the news, Zhu Susun turned pale with fright and hastily sought out Xia Gui, demanding that Xia Gui reinforce the defenses of Hanyang Commandery. He also prepared to transfer Wang Anjie's contingent of over four thousand imperial guards into Hanyang.

The Yuan forces that had broken Yingzhou arrived in full force and besieged Hanyang Commandery. In his desperation, Zhu Susun ordered Xia Gui to provide urgent relief, leaving a vulnerability in the defenses of Hankou. That very night, Bayán ordered Han commander of a thousand Zhang Hongfan to lead three thousand cavalry in light boats across the Han River, preparing to launch a pincer attack against Xia Gui.

The next day, Xia Gui led his troops out of camp to rescue Hanyang. The Yuan army split into three separate routes: one to assault Hanyang, one to intercept Xia Gui's relief force, and one to launch a surprise flank attack, all three advancing simultaneously. Just then, an autumn gale arose, and the sky darkened dramatically. The Song army was downwind and already struggling in combat, never imagining they would be ambushed by Zhang Hongfan. Their naval and land forces suffered a catastrophic rout.

What happened next?

As for what followed, that family knew nothing more. The Song soldiers they had rescued were those who had broken and fled during the battles between Hanyang Commandery and Hankou; anything beyond that was entirely unknown to them.

"Ah..." Zhang Xun already had an inkling in his heart.

"To think it has suffered a defeat of such magnitude," Li Rang murmured in disbelief. A hundred thousand-strong army had collapsed like a crumbling mountain and toppled sea in mere days.

"Heaven knows how many generals and soldiers will be trapped in this fray."

"Indeed."

"You should go below and settle yourself," Zhang Xun said, dismissing the retainer.

Silence hung between him and Li Rang. These twin defeats at Yingzhou and Hanyang—it remained to be seen whether they would implicate Ezhou. If Ezhou were drawn into this, there truly would be nothing left to say.

Naturally, it would implicate Ezhou. It was simply that Zhang Xun knew yet remained silent, while Li Rang had guessed and preferred not to speak, clinging to a shred of fantasy.

Never mind, it was better to change the subject. Zhang Xun asked Li Rang how his prefectural examinations were progressing. Li Rang merely waved his hand dismissively, indicating that the matter was trivial. Changzhou was sending nearly two hundred candidates to Hangzhou this year to participate in the metropolitan examinations, which posed no real difficulty for Li Rang.

The warfare in Jinghu was a matter for the Pacification and Pacification-Cooordinating Commissioners of the two Jinghu circuits to handle; a scholar like Li Rang should stop dwelling on it. He ought to quickly prepare for his departure to Hangzhou to participate in the spring examinations of the coming year.

If one wished to participate in politics and governance, one had to enter the official system first.

Shouting from the outside—who would pay you any heed?

Li Rang had originally cared deeply about this matter, but ever since Li Zhu's departure for Chongqing, his enthusiasm had clearly waned. When Wen Tianxiang first arrived in Changzhou, Li Rang had eagerly rushed to pay his respects. Later, when Wang Lisin came to Changzhou, Li Rang's attitude was noticeably less proactive.

In the past, he had aspired to harmonize with other literati in poetry, gain scholarly renown, and pursue an official career. By now, that ambition had likely faded within him.

"The imperial court surely still has ways and means. Besides, Huangzhou, Jiangzhou, Anqing, Jiankang—there are so many vital strongholds along the river." Although Zhang Xun knew none of these places would offer resistance, he still felt compelled to offer words of comfort to Li Rang.

Moreover, the court was not entirely without troops. Had they not ordered Zhao Huai to recruit twenty thousand soldiers in Liyang? Having trained for over half a year, they should at least have become passable soldiers by now.

Places like Liyang were numbered in the hundreds within the Great Song. Even Zhang Xun in Jinling had cashed out to recruit soldiers for Ma Yong and Wang Xiaojie, so other places naturally could not escape doing the same.

If they truly dragged people into service by force, the court could cobble together another one hundred thousand able-bodied men within three to five months to send off as fodder in Jinghu.

Therefore, there was no need to panic; things might not suddenly deteriorate to the point of utter ruin. The Great Song was, after all, a great nation of Jiangnan, holding half of the realm under heaven, boasting two hundred commanderies and tens of millions of people.

What the future held was still anyone's guess.

"Indeed. Well then, I shall set off for the temporary capital immediately, and we can stay in touch by letter." Li Rang was anxious after all.

Logic dictated that he could have remained in Changzhou for another two months, but he no longer wished to stay. By going to Hangzhou, he could immediately obtain firsthand news from the court.

Although Li Zhu was in Chongqing and had not lost contact with the court, the river routes were ultimately on the verge of being severed by the Yuan naval forces. Put oneself in his shoes—one could not help but be anxious.

"You should find a few companions to travel with you," Zhang Xun advised without trying to dissuade him. Going to Hangzhou was a good thing as well.

If Bayán marched on Hangzhou, he would not subject the capital of the Southern Song to a massacre. If Li Rang were in Hangzhou, he might find it easier to preserve himself. Who knows, he might even be coerced by the Southern Song court into surrendering and granted an official post by the Yuan court.