September, King Zhong Yu of Yu Kingdom held a speech outside Jiangling. The sky shone brightly and the red pihis shone upon the clouds for miles, the guardian beast of this kingdom, to pay homage to his undertaking.
Few hours later, the fall of Zhong Yu’s hand sent 500,000 soldiers north, for Luoyang.
In his lavish and opulent carriage, Zhong Yu looked out the window, at the sea of soldiers marching at his will.
He planned on putting an end to the Han Dynasty and this world that was starting to bore him.
Some might say he was strangling himself, for giving away the things that gave him power, all for the trust of these soldiers.
The day he won marked the moment he would crushe all these greedy soldiers as well.
200,000 of his men had been in his battles last year, each having crawled over a pile of dead.
But for them to come out alive, 600,000 had to die. The price was unimaginable.
It was all worth it. With them well equipped and 300,000 cannon fodder, the North campaign should run smoothly.
He took advantage of the court’s army being away and busy with the rebellion to strike at the heart.
‘Not that their return will ever change anything.’ The Han’s forces were at most 200,000 of mostly tired and weary soldiers sick of war.
His side had been resting for a year now, with countless soldiers under him itching to fight and earn their own fiefdom in battle.
Just like four hundred years ago, in times of Qin, the soldiers thirsted for wealth gained at the edge of a blade.
While he went a step beyond, giving land away as well, not like it would change anything, being as worthless as before when the end came.
The Han soldiers were fed up with war, exhausted after a year away from their families.
They watched their fellow man drop one after the other in the mud, lost from home, and the revulsion to war only increased.
It was now the leading clansmen heard of Zhong Yu’s treatment of his land’s clans.
Through spies, spreading stories of the many officials in Jiao State and Yang State surrendering and instead of being demoted, they were given land with them at the center, to spread their legacy.
These men were burning with greed for months at the south’s profiteers.
Their meetings would always be accompanied by complaints at the court and, while drunk and bitter, laying open their envy of the south.
They wanted nothing more but to have the same thing, wishing that the king would be marching north and not north as well and give them a shot at their own domain.
They just caught wind Zhong Yu was doing just that, with 500,000 men no less. While they could barely mobilize 100,000 as the rest were weary and slow.
Defeat was certain. Han’s treasury was bone dry, their stores so empty of grain even rats avoided it.
While the hearts of men changed. Many officials wished for their own stretch of land, eagerly awaiting for the emperor of the south to come to them and pledge their own allegiance. In short, no one in the whole Han Dynasty wanted to have anything to do with war.
When the court caught news of Zhong Yu, he was already in the Yingchuan Region. 5,000 riders was the vanguard of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
The moment the officials saw the banners outside their cities, their hearts of loyalty for Han crumbled then and there, while sending for the heads of the more stubborn ones.
They rushed to welcome them, in tears about the great injustice the corrupt Han had succumbed to. When in fact they were only waiting for the king to enter their city and shower them with rewards.
The general, having Zhong Yu’s instructions, grinned, speaking with the clansmen with a kind tone.
He eased their nerves, while guaranteeing Zhong Yu’s promises.
When the war was over, the king would reward them for their efforts and toils.
There was also a reminder of the clans’ lives in the two states in the south, just to drive the point home. With so many examples, they had to believe it.
And believed they did.
Brimming with excitement, they invited the general inside for a feast, who had to refuse with tact.
He turned away, saying he had orders to receive more cities, and only leaving a few dozen defenders as a symbol of trust.
The clansmen had no objection. A few dozen soldiers were by no means enough to deal with them.
They could get rid of them any time they wanted, not like they would, of course.
This was the common trend of Yu Kingdom’s campaign through the lands. It was welcomed with such open arms, no nation in the past ever was so popular.
Even the Zhou Dynasty with its 800 vassals fell in just 10 years, with the Shang Dynasty coming afterwards to unify the nation.
With how easy it was to fall, they were smart enough to choose surrender and express gratitude instead. And one knew that speed was crucial in war, saving money and lives.
While he also let the general be followed with familiar officials and clansmen to help him.
The operation was smooth and swift, without any impediment.
Anything was worth giving up for earning more and what one desired, even shame, honor and dignity.
The loyal dynasty they had been to for centuries, was now treated like nothing, betraying just so they had a better future.
