Chapter 216: The Courage of a Common Man

The Yellow Turban army came faster than expected.

By dusk, those on the city wall saw dust and smoke rolling up from the eastern plain.

It must be said that the area around Zhuoxian is mostly an endless plain, with extremely developed agriculture; as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods it was the foundation of the Yan state... Gongsun Xun's earlier supervision of spring plowing was indeed focused on the west and north of Zhuoxian, but that did not mean the farmers on the east and south sides would abandon spring plowing because of the rumors of rebellion.

Therefore, at this moment, looking out over the Hebei plain, it was a sea of lush green, with young crops in abundance.

And then, the Yellow Turban army arrived.

The group stood atop the city wall, and under the glow of the golden setting sun, across the verdant earth, a vast military force with yellow turbans wrapped around their heads and yellow banners held high came winding forward, like a giant yellow dragon. On both flanks of the dragon, over a thousand cavalry riders spread out, galloping in all directions to guard the wings, just like the great army baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

For a moment, the yellow banners and turbans, the green earth, the golden afterglow, the ancient and sturdy city walls, the vermilion Han-character great banner, the restless dust and smoke, the darting roving cavalry... all combined to project an indescribably imposing aura.

At this, not to mention the commandery soldiers and convicts defending the city, even Guan Yu, Qian Zhao, Liu Bei, and Zhang Fei, who were seeing a military formation for the first time, found themselves somewhat unable to maintain their composure.

However, this moment revealed the difference in quality among the group.

Those temporarily recruited commandery soldiers and penal laborers were barely kept in line almost entirely by the officers' suppression. And those youxia who had just recently enlisted and followed these officers up the wall showed markedly uneven reactions... some gritted their teeth and forced themselves to stand straight, some were dazed and lost in thought, and still others simply trembled at the knees; were it not for the unsheathed blades of the warriors beside them and the fear of military law, they might well have abandoned the city and fled!

Yet at the same time, the performance of the four men—Guan Yu and the others—was remarkably consistent: they first widened their eyes to observe carefully, then quickly steadied their postures, and when a few rebel cavalry riders provocatively galloped ahead to a spot several li from the city wall, they actually began to itch for action.

Of course, the most eye-catching performance still came from the Grand Administrator of Zhuo Commandery, Gongsun Xun, and his privately retained officials and volunteer followers, who were rich in war experience!

The former's smile never faded, and he stood as immovable as a mountain; while the latter, including the volunteer followers who had been drawn out and assigned to the city wall as officers, mostly looked on with disdain.

The strangest was Lou Gui. This military strategist whom Gongsun Xun trusted deeply could not help but sigh and lament, drawing sidelong glances from everyone who had recovered their senses.

"My lord, Yigong, and Colonel Gongsun, tell me... if Xu Bojin were here, why would we need ten days?" Lou Gui slammed his hand fiercely on the battlements, then finally could not restrain himself and pointed at the tens of thousands of troops ahead, his voice full of resentment. "Could we not annihilate this wretch today?!"

Most of the crowd was dumbfounded, because they had no idea who this Xu Bojin was, yet Han Dang and Gongsun Yue, the two men whose names had been called, both slowly nodded in agreement.

"Enough." Gongsun Xun shook his head to stop his trusted aides from their impromptu theatrics, but his tone also carried considerable regret. "Xu Bojin was transferred to Luoyang to serve as a Captain in the Northern Army. If the rebels retreat this time, perhaps we may meet again..."

However, this attempt to stop them not only failed to end the pointless topic but further stirred reactions from some.

"May I ask, my lord," Guan Yu, standing to the side, could not help but stroke his long beard and ask with pent-up curiosity, "is this Xu Bojin that you and Master Lou speak of the very same Xu Rong, Captain Xu, who stopped in Zhongshan specifically to pay his respects to you on his way to assume his post in Luoyang? The one who helped you annihilate Goguryeo in Xuantu?"

"That is indeed him." The Yellow Turban army outside the city pressed closer and closer, and Gongsun Xun truly did not wish to discuss it further, but since the topic had already been broached, it did not matter. "What doubts does Yunchang have?"

"Then may I ask further, my lord," Guan Yu indeed pursued the question relentlessly, "what kind of ability does this Xu Bojin, Captain Xu, possess, that he could annihilate these tens of thousands of sturdy Yellow Turban rebels before our eyes in a single day? Could he be an immortal descended to the mortal world?!"

"Yunchang misunderstands." Lou Gui helplessly interjected to explain. "I did not mean that Xu Bojin alone could destroy these tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans. I meant that if someone here possessed Xu Bojin's skill in leading cavalry, we might be able to overwhelm them in one stroke at this moment... You do not know, but back then, when fifty thousand Goguryeo troops besieged the stockade, my lord appointed Xu Bojin as commander, imitating the Battle of Yanling between Jin and Chu, arraying the troops inside the stockade, then pushing out the encampment and surging forth. With one burst of momentum, the enemy's fifty thousand collapsed in a single day..."

Lou Zibo took over the topic and chattered on, his explanation causing men like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Qian Zhao, and Liu Bei—who had never fought a battle—to each sink into contemplation.

After a moment, it was Gongsun Yue, who was always more honest and sincere, who spoke the truth: "In truth, whether it is my lord, Zibo, myself, or Yigong, we are not looking down on anyone. It is simply that the few of us have all seen that these Yellow Turban rebels are flashy but insubstantial, their march chaotic and disorderly. We were thinking that if the city now had a veteran cavalry general like Captain Xu, and the kind of elite cavalry he commanded back in Xuantu, then while the rebels are still unsteady on their feet, we might be able to win in a single battle!"

"Can it really be so?" Qian Zhao still found it somewhat hard to believe. "I see the rebels have considerable momentum; they are no ordinary bandits..."

"Zijing is mistaken." Gongsun Xun, who had been sizing up the Yellow Turban army the entire time these men were speaking, finally waved his hand and said, "Although the rebel army's momentum is very strong, in my eyes, it is full of flaws. If we truly had several thousand cavalry right now, we might indeed be able to annihilate them all in a single day!"

Liu Bei's heart stirred, and he hurriedly cupped his hands to seek guidance: "We are new to the military and our insight is unclear. I beg my lord to instruct us."

Gongsun Xun glanced at him and did not refuse. He immediately began pointing out the features of the Yellow Turban army before him to these officers of various ranks:

"Look, although the enemy has over a thousand cavalry, they do not know to use them in a concentrated manner, instead scattering them everywhere. If they were suddenly attacked by a large cavalry force, they clearly could not rapidly block it—that is the first point. And think further: Guangyang is several dozen li from here. Tens of thousands of rebel infantry advancing together in a large mass and marching here in a single day may seem mighty and caught us off guard, but in reality, the rebels are now universally exhausted and weak despite their outward appearance—that is the second point. And then there is the time: look at the sun now. On one side, the sun is setting in the west, yet its afterglow is still dazzling, and they are coming from the east..."

"I understand!" Even though Liu Xuande had grown increasingly taciturn and reserved over the years, at this moment of sudden insight, he could not help but interject, "If at this moment, while the enemy is unsteady, we led cavalry in a frontal charge, the rebels would be facing the glare and find it hard to respond, and as soon as they retreat slightly, night will fall immediately... By then, the enemy army will be famished and unbearably weary, retreating as they go in the twilight, likely unable to manage both vanguard and rear, and the entire army will collapse!"

Gongsun Xun smiled without speaking.

Liu Bei, realizing his own breach of etiquette, hastily cupped his hands to remedy it: "Looking at it now, this rebel general is indeed a man who knows nothing of warfare. Holding such a great army with momentum at its peak, he has still made a complete mess of it, full of flaws, like a three-year-old child before my elder brother..."

Gongsun Xun still smiled without speaking.

It must be said that compared to the earlier experiential talk, Liu Bei's words had truly hit the nail on the head. He had, in one sentence, laid bare the extremely obvious strengths and weaknesses of the Yellow Turban army at this moment.

What were the Yellow Turban army's strengths?

The answer was momentum and numbers!

At this time, the Yellow Turban army had only just risen in revolt seven or eight days ago, yet they had already attacked cities and seized territory, with reports of victory coming one after another... They were not short of food or supplies at this moment, and because quite a few powerful and wealthy households and city youxia had joined them, their individual soldier quality was not as weak as one might imagine; it could even be said to be rather outstanding!

As for the constant stream of refugees, the mutual coercion, and an army where over half were women and children who could not eat their fill... that situation had not yet occurred!

In fact, a moment's thought makes it clear: the Guangyang Yellow Turbans at this time were able to abandon the nearly captured cities of Guangyang and instead turn to assist the main Jizhou Yellow Turban force in besieging Zhuo Commandery. This shows that the Taiping Dao's control over the army was still very strong... These were genuine rebels, and they had not yet developed into the kind Lady Gongsun described, where soldiers and civilians were indistinguishable, impossible to kill off or disperse.

However, their weakness was also very obvious: they had absolutely no military experience!

The points Gongsun Xun had made to the officers earlier were not fabricated to calm people's hearts; they were all facts!

But then again, even if he could see that the enemy commander was an incompetent fool and that the entire army lacked military experience, Gongsun Xun was powerless to do anything about it... because Xu Rong was, after all, not in Zhuoxian, and he did not have that many large contingents of battle-hardened elite cavalry under his command.

As for those youxia in the city, if it came to individual combat or small-unit operations, they might be three-tenths stronger than the border troops under Xu Rong's command back then. But if they were to concentrate for a charge? Better not joke about that... Believe it or not, if Gongsun Xun gave the order now, these men would not even be able to finish lining up outside the city gate before dark.

As for the three hundred volunteer followers... had he gone mad, three hundred charging thirty thousand?

And besides, these three hundred men were all officers Gongsun Xun had carefully nurtured; he could not bear to lose them either! Let Guo Xun die, but he could not send them all to their deaths in one reckless charge, could he?

In fact, most of the people on the city gate tower at this moment understood this logic.

"If" Xu Bojin were here—did that not just mean that the generals and those youxia currently in the city could not accomplish such a thing?

"Who is the rebel leader?" As the enemy commander's great banner came into view, Gongsun Xun, his heart full of regret, suddenly turned his head and asked. "Is that the character 'Cheng' on that banner?"

"It should be 'Cheng' indeed." Lou Gui answered while straining his eyes to gaze into the distance. "Guangyang originally had a large division of the Taiping Dao, and their canal commander was called Cheng Yuanzhi."

Gongsun Xun's heart stirred at these words, as if he had grasped something, yet could not place it. He had no choice but to suppress his suspicious thoughts and continue questioning: "Then, are there any notable figures within their army?"

"There is one surnamed Deng who might be worth noting." Lou Gui replied after a moment's thought. "A few days ago, scouts reported that when the Taiping Dao rose up and besieged Anci City, there was a County Commandant in the city, originally from a local powerful family, who was looked down upon by the County Magistrate. He killed the magistrate and led several major households from the county, some youxia, and quite a few county soldiers to join the Taiping Dao... This man is said to be called Deng Mao, and he possesses considerable martial prowess."

"My lord, allow me to report—I know this man." Zhang Fei suddenly interjected very politely at this moment. "Before he became a County Commandant, he was a major magnate in Guangyang and was also well-known among the local youxia. I never imagined he would join the rebels! However, the talk of this man's martial prowess is probably just a rumor, because his martial skill is truly not worth mentioning..."

Compared to you, it certainly is not worth mentioning. As Gongsun Xun silently mocked this in his heart, an inexplicable thought grew stronger within him, yet he still could not find the door to it.

It was as if he had vaguely grasped a key point—a key that could, like a butcher dismembering an ox, skillfully tear apart these twenty to thirty thousand "vigorous troops" that were full of holes everywhere—but it was still veiled by a layer of gauze.

The people on the gate tower also saw that Gongsun Xun seemed to have gained some insight, so they all stood solemnly, not daring to speak more.

However, there are always tactless people... While no one on the Han army side dared to disturb Gongsun Xun, the Yellow Turban side was typically unorganized and undisciplined. A squad of only about twenty or thirty cavalry, emboldened by the countless troops behind them, actually ventured to a spot just over a hundred paces from the city gate tower.

They were of rogue youxia origin, so naturally, there was endless jeering, mockery, and cursing.

That alone might have been tolerable, but the leader of the group, probably relying on the suit of iron armor he had looted during a previous city breach and his fairly adept control of his horse, suddenly spurred his mount westward. He came to a spot a few dozen paces from the city gate, bent his bow and nocked an arrow, and shot it toward the city gate tower.

It must be understood that Zhuoxian was the administrative seat of Zhuo Commandery and also the seat of the Youzhou Inspectorate, making it a top-tier great city in all of Youzhou. The city wall was nearly two zhang high, and including the gate tower, it was nearly three zhang high. From several dozen paces away, and with this fellow's arrow traveling from bottom to top, by the time it barely managed to reach the gate tower, it was already light and drifting, utterly devoid of force.

This man was purely being provocative, and Gongsun Xun paid him no mind whatsoever. He was still staring at the vast military force ahead, pondering a strategy to defeat the enemy that seemed on the verge of coming to him. But the officers on the city gate tower were already bursting with fury!

That arrow landed squarely before Liu Bei, so he stepped forward, picked it up, then snatched a bow from a squad of archers who had hurried up behind him, and shot the arrow straight back!

As the saying goes, it flew like a shooting star, with the force of a startled swan... but as for Liu Xuande's archery skill, it seemed to have only force, and moreover, the armored Yellow Turban rider below knew it all came down to this one arrow, so after it was shot, he immediately ducked, wheeled his horse, and fled back.

Thus, this arrow merely landed awkwardly behind the other man's horse's rump, drawing unrestrained jeering laughter from that squad of Yellow Turban riders.

At this, those on the gate tower grew all the more ashamed and indignant, and Liu Bei was also quite embarrassed.

Most people there were cultivated; Gongsun Xun was also forcibly suppressing a laugh in his heart and preparing to console Liu Bei with a few words.

However, just at that moment, the crude Wei Yue, who had been silent all along, finally could not hold back any longer: "If my fellow townsman Lu the Attendant Clerk were here, that man would have already been killed by a single arrow! Let me shoot — at the very least I could shoot down his mount. How could we let our lord suffer such insult from this scoundrel?"

Liu Bei, helpless, simply knelt on one knee and begged forgiveness on the spot:

"This subordinate official is ashamed!"

It should be said that although Liu Bei had been placed into the army by Gongsun Xun, his previous post was that of Commandery Bandit Bureau Clerk, making him a genuine subordinate official of Gongsun Xun — hence he referred to himself as "subordinate official."

"No matter, no matter, my brother, get up quickly. Why stand on ceremony between you and me?" Seeing the situation turning awkward, Gongsun Xun naturally hurried to console him.

Although Liu Bei was embarrassed, over the years he had gradually grown steady and composed — a man of few words, whose emotions did not show on his face — so he quickly recovered his usual demeanor.

But Wei Yue's words had stirred the anger of another man!

"My lord, permit me to speak!" Zhang Fei bowed deeply with a grand salute, his voice shaking the gate tower. "We men of Zhuo Commandery may not be skilled at archery, but we are not incapable of battle! Please permit me at once to ride out alone and capture this scoundrel who shot from the shadows!"

Gongsun Xun was not unwilling to witness Zhang Yide's prowess against ten thousand, but at this moment the man was clearly quarreling with Wei Yue out of spite, and he did not want to encourage these men to form cliques based on region or seniority... especially since this Zhang Yide was actually standing up for Liu Bei.

So he was prepared to suppress him.

But one wave had barely settled when another rose — just then, Guan Yunchang also stepped forward proudly, cupping his hands in salute: "My lord, it is said that when the lord is humiliated, his ministers die. My lord is the lord of a commandery, and today, facing the enemy, you received this arrow. If we cannot repay this, we will surely be laughed at... I beg my lord to permit me to go forth. I too will ride out alone and will surely behead these men before returning!"

Gongsun Xun was momentarily speechless.

"My lord," Guan Yu continued proudly, "we are newly arrived on the battlefield and perhaps indeed cannot match Captain Xu in commanding troops, but when it comes to the strength of a single brave man, I am not necessarily willing to concede to any 'Attendant Clerk Lu'!"

Wei Yue retreated wordlessly... after three years together, they knew each other's depths; he knew the man detested him, yet he had never dared provoke this big man from Hedong, just as he had never dared provoke Lu Bu in Wuyuan.

A warrior's mindset is always very straightforward.

Gongsun Xun was also put in a difficult position. How could he not know that Guan Yu was brooding over the fact that he had praised Xu Rong today? So he opened his mouth, ready to grant the request to placate him.

"My lord!" However, Zhang Fei's voice was always the loudest. "My lord is the governor of our Yan territory, and both my brother Xuande and I are men of Yan. Now that he has missed, it is only right that I go forth to fight! What need is there for a warrior of Jin territory?!"

Guan Yu cast a cold glare at him.

Gongsun Xun frowned slightly. To be honest... if one were to take a petty-minded view, the opposition between Guan and Zhang might be rather interesting, and writing a letter home to his mother might even amuse the old lady.

However, as the lord of a commandery, the head of a city, the commander of an army, with a great enemy before him, how could he allow these arrogant soldiers and fierce generals to quarrel out of spite as they pleased?

In fact, by this time Gongsun Xun had already changed his mind and was prepared to forcibly suppress these two men's desire to fight, to demonstrate his authority!

"My lord." But just then, Lou Gui, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stepped forward and interjected lightly, "The enemy has come from afar and has not yet secured their footing. With such a fine opportunity, we cannot simply let them set up camp unmolested and sap the morale within the city. Why not let these two lead a very small force to probe them?"

Gongsun Xun's heart stirred. He turned and gave Lou Gui a serious look, then glanced at the Yellow Turbans outside the city who were already beginning to erect their stockade in the last rays of sunlight, and finally looked again at that squad of riders still lingering a hundred-plus paces away. Only then did he reluctantly nod: "Since it is Zibo's request, I will permit you to go forth. Zhang Yide, don your armor and go forth at once; be sure to slay these men to boost our army's prestige! Yunchang, go select twenty men skilled in bow and horse to follow... to serve as support!"

Zhang Fei was overjoyed, while Guan Yu, after all a man who understood propriety, reined himself in slightly at this moment and promptly accepted the order and left.

To avoid alerting the enemy, no drums were beaten and no banners waved within the city; Gongsun Xun merely led a group of officers to stand before the battlements and carefully watch the scene ahead.

The city gate suddenly opened. This Zhang Fei of Yan territory led the charge, and indeed he rode out alone, holding only a spear. Moreover, probably to don his armor quickly, he had actually stripped off his outer robe; his arms were unprotected, revealing half a section of stark white, muscular arm.

That squad of Yellow Turban riders, originally roving swordsmen from Guangyang, saw that there was only one man and were actually overjoyed. Instead of retreating, the group advanced, directly taking up their spears from their horses and shouting as they rode to meet the foe.

Bare-armed, Zhang Fei said not a word, merely spurring his horse straight toward them. Only when they closed in to cross spears did he suddenly let out a great roar.

The foremost Yellow Turban rider was so startled by the sound that his movements slowed by three-tenths. In a flash of lightning, he was skewered off his horse by this mighty, brawny man.

The next man was also thrown into momentary panic and tried to pull back and wheel around to get behind this big man. But just as he reined in his horse, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then his entire body was lifted up by the long spear and hurled crashing into the man behind him.

Further back was the armored warrior who had shot the arrow earlier. Seeing Zhang Fei so divinely fierce, killing three men almost in an instant, the man had already lost all will to fight and hurriedly turned his horse, preparing to flee.

However, Zhang Fei's horse's momentum did not slacken, and he had already charged right behind this man. But instead of finishing him with his spear, he threw aside the long spear in his hand, reached out with his right arm — veins bulging — and clamped the man, bodily plucking him alive from his saddle! Only then, under the dumbfounded gazes of a group of Yellow Turbans, did he calmly turn around and return!

The officers on the wall watched, stupefied. Even Gongsun Xun, who had been mentally prepared, was speechless. As for Liu Bei, it was rather hard to say — was he keeping his emotions from showing on his face, or was he simply dumbfounded?

After all, Zhang Fei had never been on a battlefield before, right?

But the matter did not end there!

Zhang Fei, carrying the man clamped under his arm, returned to a spot several dozen paces before the city gate, when he suddenly threw the man to the ground. Then he calmly dismounted and picked up an object from the ground... indeed, it was the very arrow that this Yellow Turban rider had earlier shot toward the gate tower, and which Liu Bei had shot back.

His ferocity now fully roused, Zhang Fei took this arrow and walked over to the man, who barely had a few breaths left in him. Facing the group of Yellow Turban riders watching from afar — none of whom dared to advance — he displayed the arrow in his hand, and only then did he backhandedly thrust it into the man's neck... the latter did not even have time to grunt before he breathed his last.

Above and below the wall, all were momentarily horrified. Even Wei Yue, who had earlier mocked others relying on his own bravery, was now staring dumbly.

Amid the utter silence, Zhang Fei then led his horse and ambled slowly back toward the city.

Guan Yu, who had been ordered to come out as support, had actually just finished donning his armor not long before. He led twenty men out of the city to provide cover and happened to witness the scene of the other man killing that rider with an arrow. However, unlike the riders behind him who watched Zhang Fei lead his horse into the city, Guan Yunchang simply allowed Zhang Yide to pass by his side, chest puffed out and belly thrust forward, leading his horse. He never once looked at the other man, nor did he dismount to express anything.

On the contrary, after Zhang Fei had passed, he instead looked up toward the gate tower above.

In truth, after Zhang Fei had captured the Yellow Turban leader who shot the arrow alive, Gongsun Xun had also stopped watching him and instead gazed into the distance for a long time. Now, coming back to his senses, he happened to meet the gaze of his beloved general below the wall, and simply issued an order aloud from the top of the wall: "Let Yunchang lead his twenty men out to fight. Tell him I want only twenty enemy heads, nothing else matters..."

Separated by just one wall — merely the gate tower above and below — what need was there for someone to relay the message? Guan Yu heard these words, narrowed his eyes directly, and rode forth with spear in hand. One man behind him, bearing a strangely shaped large blade on his back, followed closely. The remaining nineteen men dared not delay and immediately tore their gazes away from Zhang Fei in the gate tunnel behind them, hastily shouting as they charged out to battle.

In the dim light, the dozen or so remaining Yellow Turban riders had already scattered in a rout. Guan Yu paid them no heed whatsoever; instead, he drove straight in, charging directly into the enemy's encampment several hundred paces away, which they had just begun to erect.

The sky gradually darkened, and those on the gate tower could not see clearly at all how Guan Yunchang displayed his divine might.

But by the time Zhang Fei had removed his iron armor, washed off the bloodstains, and changed his clothes, Guan Yu had actually already returned, leading his twenty riders.

The Yellow Turban army outside the city, having been raided, was thrown into chaos and clamor for a time, yet Guan Yu and the twenty men under him suffered not a single casualty and had indeed brought back twenty heads.

One of the heads even still wore an iron helmet, clearly belonging to a leader of no small rank.

"My lord!" Inside the slowly closing city gate, Guan Yu, neither short of breath nor flustered, proudly cupped his hands and addressed Gongsun Xun, who was descending from the gate tower. "I am fortunate not to have disgraced your command!"

Even though the many officers around considered themselves widely experienced, witnessing the performance of these two, Guan and Zhang, today left them awed into silence.

Gongsun Xun also said nothing, merely nodding slightly. Only after he had walked past Guan Yu did he stop, then turned back with a sudden laugh: "Gentlemen, just now on the wall, watching these two 'generals' slay foes and cut down enemy leaders with unmatched divine bravery, a thought occurred to me — it seems I have already found the strategy to defeat the enemy... In less than ten days, within seven or eight days, I will surely annihilate the foe before us! Yang Kai is on night duty today; patrol diligently. The rest of you, follow me back to the government office to hold a banquet in honor of these two 'Foes of Ten Thousand'!"

In the darkness, before the torches were lit, everyone's expressions were all blurred and indistinct. Yet upon hearing these words, whether it was the individually prideful Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, or Liu Bei who never showed his emotions, or the rest of the already numb officers — all of them froze on the spot simultaneously.

Torches were lit. Gongsun Xun had already walked away, hand on his sword. Lou Zibo, after a moment's thought, also shook his head and chuckled, then stroked his beard and followed. But the rest of the officers remained motionless for a long time.

—————I am the dividing line of speechless and frozen—————

"In the late Guanghe era of the Later Han, thirty thousand Guangyang Yellow Turbans besieged Zhuo City. The Grand Ancestor, as Governor of Zhuo Commandery, saw the enemy arrive below the walls and set up camp. He then led Gongsun Yue, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, Wei Yue, Lou Gui, and Yang Kai — twenty riders in all — out of the city, pierced through the bandit camp, and returned, the bandits unable to harm them. Upon entering the city gate, the various generals boasted endlessly of their kills; only the Grand Ancestor remained silent. When the generals fell quiet, the Grand Ancestor then declared proudly: 'Having scouted their weaknesses, I have already devised the strategy to defeat the enemy. Within five days, the bandits shall be destroyed. Watch and see.'" — Old Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Martial Emperor Grand Ancestor

Don't curse me. I did it to fulfill a promise...

(End of chapter)