Liu Zhang, former Lord of Yi Province, merely standing there carried a certain natural presence.
Jiang Wan glanced back at Zhang Yu's severed head. The expression frozen on the face still carried a mixture of terror and unwillingness.
Because Liu Zhang had served as an inside contact, Zhang Yu's ambitions regarding Jiangling had been laid out on Jiang Wan's desk from the very beginning—clear as day.
"The strongest fortresses fall from within."
Jiang Wan had seen that line too many times already. And in later history, Jiangling's fate would become the perfect annotation to those words.
For that reason, Jiang Wan had spent an extraordinary amount of effort sorting out Jiangling's internal defenses.
Registration and record-keeping. Street-by-street administration. Using the workshops and craftsmen relocated from Gong'an County as the backbone, establishing checkpoints on every street.
These measures became Jiang Wan's eyes and ears within the city, ensuring that Jiangling would not fall apart from the inside.
Zhang Yu, likewise, had been one of the unstable factors that needed to be eliminated. Under Xuande's dual strategy of commerce in one hand and military force in the other, aside from the last stubborn resistance of the Cuan clan, nearly everything else had already been cleaned up.
Zhang Yu, this fishing hook, had already yielded a considerable catch. It was time for it to be withdrawn.
What Jiang Wan hadn't expected was for the matter to conclude in this manner.
He had even reserved a cell in the prison specifically for Zhang Yu…
Now, all that remained was the final cleanup. The remaining accomplices who hadn't entered the General of Awe's residence should not be difficult to root out.
Mentally giving the General of Awe a nod of approval, Jiang Wan felt—perhaps for the first time—that if Liu Jiyu hadn't been stuck in Yi Province, he might actually have accomplished something.
A sharp clang broke Jiang Wan's train of thought.
He looked up to see Liu Zhang bending down to pick up the sword that had fallen to the ground.
Noticing Jiang Wan's gaze, Liu Zhang chuckled awkwardly.
"I truly didn't expect the Jiangdong navy to be this numerous."
Jiang Wan wondered if he was hallucinating.
The Liu Zhang before him now looked like nothing more than a wealthy gentleman—no trace of dominance or authority left.
"Ants may be many," Jiang Wan said calmly, "but they cannot gnaw through stone or iron."
He continued, offering reassurance.
"Now that the General has personally slain the traitors and removed Jiangling's internal threat, you need only sit in your residence and await news of Jiangdong's retreat."
"I will hold fast," Jiang Wan declared firmly. "I will not allow these vermin to seize any opportunity."
Watching Liu Zhang hurry away, Jiang Wan shook his head again.
Had killing a single Zhang Yu exhausted all of the General of Awe's courage?
It was nothing more than several tens of thousands of naval troops, without any means to assault the city. What was there to fear?
Strolling to the parapet, Jiang Wan looked out at the river beyond the walls. The ships outside were so numerous they seemed to blot out the sky, and he couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration.
He had long heard that Jiangdong treated soldiers as if they cost nothing, but seeing an army of this size deployed so casually still filled him with envy.
Xuande's forces were currently spread across multiple fronts. As the one managing movements in and out of Jiangling, Jiang Wan had a rough understanding of their disposition.
General Zhang and Military Advisor Pang held Guanzhong and Yong-Liang, commanding over twenty thousand elite troops.
General Guan and Military Advisor Xu defended Jingbei. After recruiting surrendered soldiers, they commanded more than sixty thousand.
The lord himself, together with Military Advisor Zhuge, was operating around Chengdu, with over thirty thousand combat-ready troops.
Adding the garrisons at Jiangling and other locations, Xuande's total forces likely numbered around one hundred twenty to one hundred thirty thousand.
And now, outside Jiangling alone, there were conservatively over seventy thousand troops. Including logistics personnel and laborers in the rear, calling it an army of one hundred thousand would not be an exaggeration.
With a single move, Jiangdong had deployed nearly the entirety of Xuande's accumulated strength.
Jiang Wan could only feel deeply envious.
From the way they were fortifying their camp at Gong'an, he could also infer Lü Meng's intentions:
Besiege Jiangling. Gradually erode Jingnan.
Lock down the river, sever Jing Province.
Seal Jiangling, let chaos arise from within.
But—
Jiang Wan turned his gaze southward, deep in thought.
Our victory or defeat… also hinges on Jingnan.
Yunmeng Marsh had now become a crucial staging ground for the Jiangdong navy.
Relying on the vast network of lakes and wetlands stretching for thousands of li, Jiangdong's fleet could sail there from Jiangxia.
From there, using the convenient waterways, they could either move south along the Xiang River toward Changsha and Guiyang, or proceed along the Zi River into Lingling, forming a pincer with Jiangdong's land forces.
There was also an even more direct route—advancing westward along the Yuan River to attack Lingling.
However, Lingling lay at the westernmost edge of Jingnan. Attacking it meant no coordination with land forces, relying solely on naval troops.
But—
"My father always said," a squad leader declared passionately aboard a Jiangdong warship sailing west along the Yuan River, "'The rougher the waves, the pricier the fish!'"
"Wuling Commandery may be large," he continued, "but its lands are mostly inhabited by mixed tribes."
"Subduing the Shanyue is easy—what difficulty could these tribes pose? Wouldn't this great commandery be ours for the taking?"
"And now we have General Dong leading us! Who doesn't know his record? His victories against the Shanyue are countless."
"With us serving under General Dong, the merit from taking Wuling is guaranteed!"
The argument sounded convincing, and many soldiers were visibly tempted.
Attacking Wuling meant no land army to split the credit. No need to head north and face that turtle-shell Jiangling. No need to go to Jingbei and confront the killing god Guan Yu. And they had General Dong Xi leading them—rumored to be exceptionally skilled at fighting mountain tribes.
All signs pointed to a sure win.
Sailing upriver along the Yuan River, the first stop was Longyang County.
To the soldiers' disappointment, the people of Longyang seemed to have already fled after hearing the news. The remaining tribespeople let out strange cries upon seeing the Jiangdong warships and immediately bolted into the mountains.
Even after hastily disembarking and giving chase while firing arrows, the total kills amounted to only thirty or fifty at most.
The soldiers grew sullen over the meager gains, but Dong Xi was in high spirits.
"They fear our might," he said with satisfaction. "Wuling may fall in a single battle!"
He noticed his men's dissatisfaction and immediately issued new orders.
"Continue westward. Ahead lies Linyuan, a major county of Wuling. There will be merit to claim!"
"North of Linyuan is Hanshou, a great city of Jingnan. If we take it, the Marquis Sun will surely reward us!"
A veteran general of Jiangdong, Dong Xi knew well how to stir his troops' fighting spirit.
Sure enough, upon hearing the name Hanshou, the greed on the soldiers' faces could no longer be concealed.
Jingnan was poor—this was common knowledge in Jiangdong.
Yet even remote regions like Jiaozhou had prosperous cities such as Panyu. And impoverished Jingnan still boasted places like Hanshou, Linxiang, and Liling, all well-known in Jiangdong.
Reality soon proved Dong Xi's judgment accurate.
After sailing a bit further, before even reaching the shore, Dong Xi could already see heads crowding atop Linyuan's low walls.
There was no need for further encouragement.
As soon as the ships docked, the Jiangdong troops leapt ashore and rushed toward Linyuan.
If Linyuan had been defended by troops of Imperial Uncle Liu or Chancellor Cao, Jiangdong would never have dared such recklessness.
But these were tribesmen.
Tribesmen… weren't they basically the same as the Shanyue?
In that case, Jiangdong had no reason to hesitate. When it came to fighting the Shanyue, who was more experienced than them?
Those mountain tribes might be strong and powerful, but they lacked proper armor and sharp weapons. No matter how hard their fists, could they really match steel blades?
That was precisely why Jiangdong's campaigns against the Shanyue had always been so successful.
Seeing the tribesmen wielding wooden clubs with only pitiful scraps of metal at the tips, the Jiangdong soldiers sneered.
Just as expected—no different from the Shanyue.
They didn't even bother dodging the clubs, instinctively employing the tried-and-true tactics that had never failed them before.
Hack wildly with blades. Thrust recklessly with spears.
When steel met flesh, even the strongest body would lose its grip on a weapon.
But today, that flawless method ran into trouble.
Dong Xi watched as a Jiangdong warrior slashed a tribesman—only for his blade to be bounced aside by the ridiculous-looking vines wrapped around the man's body.
The tribesman swung his club with terrifying force. It landed squarely on the soldier's head, twisting his neck into an unnatural angle. He was clearly dead.
"These tribesmen," Dong Xi judged grimly, "are tougher than the Shanyue."
Still, the outcome shouldn't change.
Like the Shanyue, they lacked iron weapons. Strange vine armor or not, their arms were still wooden clubs and spears. How could they defeat troops armed with steel?
Just to be safe, Dong Xi charged into the fray himself, shouting for his men to use their spears.
He had already noticed that while the vines offered protection, their gaps were wide—perfect targets for iron spearheads.
With Dong Xi's arrival, the Jiangdong troops quickly stabilized their line and began pressing the tribesmen back toward Linyuan.
Due to the southern climate and terrain, building thick, rammed-earth walls like those in the north was difficult. Most cities had only low walls meant to keep out beasts.
Linyuan was no exception.
Under spear pressure, the low wall soon fell into Jiangdong hands.
Dong Xi felt pleased. These tribesmen were far stronger than the Shanyue—surely they would fetch a good price.
His reverie was abruptly shattered by the panicked voice of a bodyguard.
"General! Large numbers of tribesmen are emerging from the east! Should we withdraw?"
Reinforcements?
Dong Xi frowned. Something felt wrong.
He leapt onto the low wall, and the battlefield came fully into view.
To the east of Linyuan lay wetlands. The waist-high reeds and grasses were perfect for hiding men.
In ordinary circumstances, Dong Xi would have sent scouts to check such terrain. He hadn't expected these tribesmen—so unlike the Shanyue—to actually employ deception.
Anger flared in his chest, but it didn't change the reality: the tribesmen now outnumbered them.
And because the initial assault had been a headlong rush, issuing a withdrawal order now would be nearly impossible to relay across the battlefield.
More likely, they would be pinned down by the Linyuan tribesmen and ultimately surrounded.
So Dong Xi chose the simplest response, bellowing at the top of his lungs:
"Form ranks! Defend!"
He steeled himself. Even at a numerical disadvantage, relying on superior armor and weapons, they would grind through these tribesmen if they had to.
Facing the dense mass of enemies, hearing their general's command, the Jiangdong troops finally snapped out of their earlier greed for captives and profit, scrambling to form a messy formation.
Before the uneven ranks could even turn to face the enemy, a hulking, muscular tribesman burst from the opposing lines, leading a group in a headlong charge.
Though it was infantry combat, the charge carried the momentum of cavalry.
The leader roared wildly as he ran:
"I've long heard Master Ma say that Jiangdong soldiers are weak! Today I, Shamoke, will test your weight!"