Fan Fiction: The Northern Expedition in the Third Year of Jianwen under Wu

Author: Fang Congzhe, with Unflagging Dedication

After the failed northern campaign in the second year of Jianwen's reign, the Ming army launched a southern offensive, advancing as far as Yangzhou and sending shockwaves through Nanjing, the imperial capital. Even Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown, the Northern Supreme Capital (Beijing Zhongji Prefecture, also known at various times as Zhongli Prefecture, but here established as Beijing Zhongji Prefecture and serving as an auxiliary capital), was captured by Ming forces under the command of Zhang Yu, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Henan Expeditionary Camp.

“The ancestral tombs have fallen; the world trembles.” Such was the epitome of this crushing defeat.

In the wake of this campaign's failure, the Jianwen Emperor failed to learn from his mistakes. On the contrary, he was eager to change the situation immediately to stabilize the morale of the army.

In the third year of Jianwen’s reign, he appointed his son-in-law, Duke of the Imperial Sons-in-law, Shen Meiyin, as a key advisor on state affairs, granting him broad governing authority and signaling a reversal of verdicts against the group of veteran ministers. He also summoned the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Han from their fiefs to the capital, ostensibly to “assist in military planning and train elite troops.”

In the autumn of the third year of Jianwen’s reign, Deng She’s entire army withdrew northward. The Jianwen Emperor once again grew restless, saying to his courtiers, “The prefectures of Pengcheng and Ninghuai (Shouyang) are the gateways to the realm; the Northern Supreme Capital is the sacred land of our ancestors’ tombs. Now the Khitan (a derogatory term for Deng She’s Ming dynasty) have invaded south, seizing these vital territories. My heart cannot be at peace.”

Most civil officials opposed the campaign. However, beyond the emperor’s inner circle, even the Minister of Personnel, Jian Yi, voiced his support, saying, “If we do not seize this opportunity for recovery, the two Huai regions cannot be held, and how can the Yangtze suffice as our defense?” The Prince of Chu, Zhu Di, also declared, “If we do not recover Ninghuai, it is as if we open the gates to thieves and send ourselves to death.” Among the military commanders, although most were weary of war, Xu Huizu openly stated, “The Ming forces, overconfident from victory, now underestimate us—this is precisely the time to fight!”

In mid-autumn, the eighth lunar month, after failing to secure the return of Pengcheng, Ninghuai, and two other prefectures through negotiation with the Ming, the Jianwen Emperor appointed Duke of Wei, Xu Huizu, as Grand General of the Central Army, selecting fifteen thousand elite troops from the twelve imperial guards (three thousand cavalry, ten thousand infantry, and two thousand firearm units) to cross the Yangtze and launch a northern campaign. In addition, General Sheng Yong was assigned twenty thousand troops as vanguard for the Northern Expedition; Ping Anchu, Left Vice General of the Central Army, was given ten thousand soldiers from Chu; Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi (whose title was restored in the first year of Jianwen), commanded a navy of five thousand to provide support. The total strength amounted to fifty thousand—though they claimed two hundred thousand—preparing for a surprise assault on the Huai region to reestablish the old defensive line. Before departing the capital—

At the same time, Prince Yong Zhu Hui was left to guard Xiangyang, commanding all forces in the Han and Mian rivers, with authority over the provisional government of Huguang. Prince Xiang Zhu Bai was sent to garrison Jingzhou, commanding all upstream armies and overseeing the Huguang government. Additional troops and horses were drawn north from Annam. Ostensibly, these moves were to strengthen defenses, but in reality, they served to weaken the powerful domains of Yue, Chu, and Han.

The princes of Wu in this alternate timeline were as follows:

Zhu Shuang was enfeoffed in Chengdu as Prince of Shu; Zhu Gang in Guangzhou as Prince of Yue; Zhu Di in Wuchang as Prince of Chu; Zhu Su in Hangzhou as Prince of Wu (stripped of title and made a commoner in the first year of Jianwen); Zhu Zhen was initially enfeoffed in Jingzhou, later transferred to Chongqing as Prince of Ba; Zhu Fu in Ninghuai as Prince of Song (stripped of title and made a commoner in the first year of Jianwen); Zhu Zi in Changsha as Prince of Tan; Zhu Tan in Fuzhou as Prince of Min. Zhu Shouqian, demoted by one rank, was enfeoffed in Guilin as Prince of Jingjiang.

Zhu Chun was enfeoffed in Hanzhong as Prince of Qin; Zhu Bai in Jingzhou as Prince of Xiang; Zhu Gui in Guizhou as Prince of Gui (stripped of title and made a commoner in the first year of Jianwen); Zhu Ning in Nanning as Prince of Ning; Zhu Zhi in Pengcheng as Prince of Xu (later changed to Prince of Lu).

Zhu Zhan was enfeoffed in Nanchang as Prince of Hong; Zhu Quan in Jiujiang as Prince of Han; Zhu Yan in Minzhou as Prince of Min, later transferred to Kunming; Zhu Hui in Xiangyang as Prince of Yong; Zhu Song in Anqing as Prince of Shu; Zhu Mo in Yangzhou as Prince of Wei; Zhu Ying in Luzhou as Prince of An; Zhu Jing in Hanzhong as Prince of Tang; Zhu Dong in Anlu as Prince of Ying; Zhu Yi in Quanzhou as Prince of Yong.

Since Deng She’s main force withdrew north, the Ming army established three field camps on the southern front: Huai Left, Huai Right, and Tang-Deng, while abolishing the Henan and Shandong camps. The Huai Left camp was based in Pengcheng, comprising two field armies, six guards, and four garrison units, amounting to about fifty thousand combat troops. The Huai Right camp was headquartered in Luzhou, with one field army, five guards, and three garrison units, totaling thirty-three thousand combat troops.

On the Ming side, the commander-in-chief of the Huai Right was Guo Conglong, Commissioner of Henan (second rank), Marquis of Qinghe, and Chief Commander of the Henan Expeditionary Camp. However, after the death of veteran general Fu Youde, Duke of Xia, who had long defended Longyou, and the less-than-absolute victory of Zhao Guo’s northern expedition, a major redeployment was necessary. Guo Conglong was recalled to the capital and appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard (second rank). Fang Jichong, formerly camp provost, Assistant Commissioner of the Henan Command (fourth rank), and General of Proclamation and Might (military fourteenth rank), was temporarily appointed overall commander.

The defense of Ninghuai was entrusted to Zhang Yu, Assistant Commissioner (third rank) of the Henan Command and General of Manifested Bravery (military tenth rank), who also served as Deputy Chief Commander of the Huai Right camp.

This resulted in friction within the command structure. Both Zhang Yu and Guo Yun, Deputy Chief Commander of the Tang-Deng camp, had once been fierce warriors under Chaghan Temur. Having served the Mongols and risen to the rank of first-class Privy Councilor, both were seasoned veterans with rich experience. Fang Jichong, on the other hand, was a scholar-official who joined the military after the founding of the Ming. Though he had earned numerous military merits in the wars against the remnants of the Yuan, his experience was still limited. Zhang Yu refused to accept the authority of the younger Fang Jichong, while Fang, proud of his scholar-official background and military academy training, looked down on Zhang Yu for having surrendered to the Ming.

The situation was much more stable on the Huai Left front. Yang Wanhu, formerly Chief Commander of Shandong and Marquis of Licheng, was transferred to be Chief Commander of Huai Left, stationed at Pengcheng. After Guo Conglong’s departure, the Huai Right forces theoretically also fell under his command.

Additionally, on the civil side, Zhang Bing, former Vice Minister of Works and War, was urgently dispatched as Vice Minister of Revenue (third rank), Senior Grand Master of Consultations (civil eleventh rank), and Pacification Commissioner of the Two Huai, making preparations to take over and manage the region for the long term.

Yet, regardless of rank or experience, all had grown complacent after last year’s great victory, convinced that a swift counterattack from the Wu army was impossible.

Zhang Bing: Born in 1358 (Western calendar). A native of Zezhou, Shanxi. After the founding of the Ming, he rose through the ranks for his talent, starting as a clerk in the Ministry of Works. He was promoted successively to Vice Minister of Works, Vice Minister of War, Director of Waterways, Grand Master of Remonstrance and Supervisor of the Grand Canal, then Vice Minister of Justice, Vice Minister of War, Governor of Liaodong, returned as Vice Minister of Revenue, and was finally sent as Pacification Commissioner of the Two Huai.