Chapter 230: Light Troops Seize Twin Cities

In the late morning, a fine drizzle hung in the mist, yet the sky could not be called dark. Outside the earthen walls of Weixiang, the Han army was beating war drums and scaling the fortifications.

"Wenqi, the day before yesterday the rain poured down in torrents, and neither yesterday nor today has it let up. Everywhere is muddy and slick — is attacking the city at this moment truly appropriate?" Cao Cao shaded his eyes with his hand, braced himself against the saddle, and straightened up on his horse to watch the battle ahead for a long while, then could not help turning back to consult Gongsun Xun, who sat composed beneath a canopy behind him.

"Hard to say." Gongsun Xun soothed his white horse beneath him and replied indifferently. "But Weixiang is, after all, only an earthen fort. The rebels are likely having an equally difficult time of it."

"Of course!" Cao Cao was suddenly enlightened at these words. "The torrential rains of the past days must have washed away much of the earthen defenses the Yellow Turbans so painstakingly built."

"Quite right." Lou Gui, standing to the side, also stroked his beard and smiled. "And it is not only the earthen walls. In my view, the several makeshift ramparts hastily piled up inside the city have likely suffered severe damage as well. Beyond that, defending a city relies first and foremost on holding the high ground and fighting with bows and arrows. On rainy days, bowstrings grow damp — in this, they are at an even greater disadvantage!"

"If what Zibo says is true, then attacking a city on a rainy day is actually more advantageous?" Cao Cao could not help asking in curiosity.

"Not exactly." Gongsun Xun shook his head. "In the end, it is simply because this earthen fort is too low and small. If it were a large city with complete defenses, where the walls are clean and broad and equipment can be stored in good condition, attacking on a rainy day would be asking for trouble. And as for today, one can only say we are not at a disadvantage — but the assault is still arduous work!"

The assembled men all nodded and turned their gazes back toward the battlefield ahead.

At this moment, below the walls of Weixiang, three thousand disciples of the Li clan, flying the banners of the Han army, had split into three columns and were swarming up the fortifications simultaneously from the west, south, and north. Because the rain had dampened bowstrings and impaired visibility to some degree, both sides had largely abandoned bows and arrows, fighting instead with blades, shields, spears, and lances. On the other hand, just as Gongsun Xun, Lou Gui, and the others had said, the earthen walls of Weixiang and the hastily constructed defensive works had collapsed in many places during the downpour two days before, allowing the Han army to find breaches the moment they arrived.

Thus, the two sides were locked in direct hand-to-hand combat from the very first clash.

Yet, fighting under the rain, trudging through the mud, and struggling in brutal close quarters, the two forces — which had initially seemed evenly matched in spirit and numbers — quickly pulled apart.

On the Han side, the troops were all disciples of the Li clan, bound by kinship, village ties, and neighborly bonds; they watched over one another and would neither abandon nor forsake their comrades.

At the same time, the Han commander Li Jin distinguished himself with exceptional valor. Around him gathered scores of the clan's stoutest men, all warriors who spent their days roaming the Great Wild Marsh, the Pu River, and the Ji River, and whose combat experience was extraordinarily rich. He himself displayed remarkable martial courage and heroic spirit, wielding a blade in one hand and a shield in the other as he personally led the assault at the very front.

Such a bearing, rather like his name, carried an air of pressing forward irresistibly.

In contrast, over on the Yellow Turban side, minds were in turmoil and every man fought for himself.

Being attacked on a rainy day was already unexpected, and once the earthen walls were breached, they were even more at a loss. Moreover, Wang Du, the Yellow Turban commander at Weixiang, no matter how much shame might spur him to greater resolve, simply lacked the combat experience to direct several thousand men in a full-frontal engagement in the rain. In truth, with the rain streaming down, Wang Du felt only that chaos reigned everywhere; he could not even grasp how the battle was unfolding, let alone command with composure.

And so, for a time, the Yellow Turbans fell back in continuous defeat, turmoil spreading in all directions, to the point where it seemed the Han army might smash through their lines in one charge and seize the walls on three sides.

"Wenqi truly wields troops with divine skill." Cao Cao rode back through the rain and could not help sighing once more in admiration. "Our forces have not been engaged long and are already winning on three fronts, while the Yellow Turbans are faltering on all three. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, how could I have imagined that attacking a city on a rainy day could yield such results?"

"I, too, underestimated the Lord Marquis's wisdom and strategy." Lou Gui, hearing this, also shook his head repeatedly and sighed. "I only thought of the walls, the ramparts, the arrows — but I forgot that war, in the end, is about men. The army offered by the Li clan is mostly made up of clan kinsmen, bound together and familiar with one another; in chaotic battle, they have no thought of wavering. The Yellow Turban rebels, on the other hand, are mostly a disorderly mob that has been under arms for barely two months. In the chaos of battle, they cannot even look after themselves, much less wish to aid one another. It seems the Lord Marquis grasped this point from the very start, and it was precisely because he was unwilling to lose the moment of opportunity that he ordered Li Tuizhi to attack the city the moment he arrived, newcomer though he was!"

At these words, the officers gathered around all suddenly saw the light. Among them, men like Guan Yu, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun, Chu Yan, and Zhang Fei all wore thoughtful expressions, while Wei Yue and the commandants and army marquises from the Luoyang Northern Army could only lavish unceasing praise.

Surrounded by the crowd, Gongsun Xun, beneath his ceremonial canopy, could not help but reveal a faint smile, as if holding all the stratagems in his palm. Yet none around him likely imagined that this General of the Household of All Purposes had never once considered that rainy-day chaos could produce such an effect — or rather, even if today had been a bright, clear day, he would still have compelled Li Jin to attack the city at once.

For one thing, Li Jin had just arrived with three thousand clan soldiers, and this was precisely the moment to borrow their momentum for a vigorous fight, while incidentally gauging their true combat strength.

For another, Gongsun Xun was unwilling to waste time and continue dragging things out beneath a mere Weixiang. One must realize that the Yellow Turbans of Dong Commandery still held well over a dozen cities — where was the time to keep loitering about?

If it rained, they would attack; if it cleared, they would attack; even if it hailed, they would still attack!

With this thought, Gongsun Xun suddenly raised a hand to halt the crowd's flattery, and the area beneath the canopy fell momentarily silent — only the distant shouts of battle, the pattering of the rain, and the beating of the war drums behind them remained loud and clear.

"Xuande, Yuanrang, and the two Commandants Guo and Yang." Gongsun Xun set his face into a stern expression and gave formal orders. "Though you were not punished for the earlier defeat, to suffer a reverse against such a small city is, in the end, an embarrassment. The four of you, take your respective detachments, press forward to oversee the assault, and drive in from the western face of the city. Move out at once. You must help Li Jin bring this battle to a swift conclusion!"

Xiahou Dun, Liu Bei, and the two commandants immediately received the order with awe and, heedless of their injuries, reined in their horses and returned to their own units, then ordered their cavalrymen to dismount and prepare to push into Weixiang.

"Zidu (Wei Yue), Yide (Zhang Fei)." After watching the four depart, Gongsun Xun continued. "You two will go separately to the south and north of the city. Do not join the assault. Your main task is to patrol and press the enemy, ensuring you cut off the Yellow Turbans' escape routes from those two directions. Once the rebels collapse, you are to pursue and harry them from behind."

Wei Yue and Zhang Fei, who had only arrived from Yan County the day before, were naturally all smiles.

"Army Marquis Chu." Gongsun Xun then called out to Chu Yan.

"Your subordinate is here!" Chu Yan was beside himself with excitement.

"Move out now. Go to the road east of the city leading toward Puyang and set an ambush in advance. When Wang Du leads his defeated troops there, you must let Wang Du and a small number of his defeated men pass, and then cut off the bulk of the fleeing soldiers." Gongsun Xun spoke thus, then looked seriously at the three army marquises tasked with pursuing the routed enemy and could not resist pressing them with a question. "Do you understand my meaning?"

"Understood!" Chu Yan hastily cupped his fists. "Letting Wang Du and a few defeated men pass comes first; mopping up the routed troops comes second! We will by no means bungle the task!"

"Rest assured, Lord Marquis!"

"There will certainly be no mishap." Zhang Fei and Wei Yue also hurriedly cupped their fists in reply.

"Then go and make ready." Gongsun Xun nodded slightly and said no more.

That the main army pressed forward to bring the battle to a swift conclusion needs no further elaboration, but the matter of letting Wang Du go once again stirred the curiosity of Cao Cao, who was like an inquisitive child. As soon as the commanders had left, he bluntly asked:

"Wenqi, from the look of it, if Wang Du dies inside the city, so be it, but if he flees, you mean to deliberately let him go? Why is that? Could it be that you plan to disguise troops as defeated soldiers following behind, attempting to trick open a city gate?"

"Not at all!" Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly. "Puyang is too large and has too many troops. If we try to trick open the gate, sending too many men would arouse suspicion, but sending too few would be useless. In the end, we must still lure them out of the city. This move is merely meant to put pressure on Bu Si and the rebel forces inside Puyang!"

The assembled men, whether they understood or not, either nodded once more or renewed their praise of General Gongsun.

The battle situation underwent a decisive change. As the large contingent of fresh troops suddenly pressed in from the western side, the Han army almost instantly crushed the enemy's western defense line.

And in defending a city, if one point is breached, the whole line is breached; if one line is breached, the whole city is breached. As the western wall was entirely seized by the Han army, the Yellow Turbans collapsed almost immediately. Of the several thousand soldiers, the majority instinctively fled toward the eastern side, which the Han army had deliberately left open, while a minority, thinking themselves clever, attempted to break out from the north and south, only to be slaughtered to the last man by the well-prepared Han forces.

By this time, in stark contrast to the Han officers beneath the canopy who grew ever more at ease, beside a rampart inside the city, the Yellow Turban commander Wang Du was already surrounded by panic and desolation. This former Assistant County Magistrate of Dong'e had just been dragged back from the front lines by his trusted subordinates. His entire body was drenched, dripping with blood and water; his iron armor had long since been shed because of the heavy mud; the yellow headscarf on his forehead had been stained an indescribable color. Only the hundred or so trusted followers barely gathered around him still marked his status.

After catching his breath for a moment, Wang Du abruptly shook off a trusted aide who tried to support him, leaned on his blade, and clambered up the slick rampart beside him. He then stood up and tried to survey the battle. Yet as far as his eyes could see, the entire earthen fort of Weixiang was swarming with Han soldiers, while the Yellow Turbans were utterly routed. Some tore off their headscarves in panic, some knelt to beg for surrender, some gathered in groups to force a path of escape, and some, unwilling to be taken captive, simply raised their blades and took their own lives.

Amid the streaming rain, Wang Du, beholding such a wretched scene, could not help but raise his face to the heavens and wail bitterly. He then moved to draw his blade and end his own life, but was once again stopped by several trusted followers who had followed him up. They seized his weapon and forcibly dragged him away toward the east of the city.

Yet the escape route was no safer. After fleeing in terror for seven or eight li, they encountered a Han ambush of several hundred cavalry that had long been waiting there. The horsemen immediately charged out and cut off the main body of fleeing troops. Of course, this ambush force was intent only on blocking the larger group, so Wang Du and his trusted men ultimately managed to escape by the skin of their teeth.

After fleeing for another five or six li and seeing no pursuers behind them, the group finally managed to catch their breath and collapsed by the roadside to rest.

Among them, Wang Du sat dazed in the mud, looking back toward the west, where faint shouts of battle could still be heard. He stared blankly for a long while before opening his mouth and speaking in sorrow: "All of you have been my trusted followers for many years and should know that I do not truly believe in this so-called Yellow Heaven. When I seized Dong'e and rose in revolt, it was merely because I felt that the county magistrate, Wen Rensheng, was a worthless man who, relying on his family background and official rank, repeatedly bullied and ridiculed me. I sought only to borrow the momentum of the Yellow Turbans to take revenge on him. And what was the result? Cheng Li appeared halfway and forcibly drove me out of Dong'e. At that time, I was already burning with shame and fury."

"Lord Wang, you must not speak so!" Someone beside him, sensing the ominous tone, hastily tried to console him. "Even when we were defeated by Cheng Li back then, did we not endure and pull through? In my view, Commander Bu of Puyang is a generous man. Though we have been defeated today, he may not necessarily punish you for it. Let us go to Puyang, settle down, and then discuss our future prospects. What do you say?"

"It is not my personal prospects that I worry about!" Wang Du scooped up a handful of mud with one hand and spoke indignantly. "I, Wang Du, am also a man who understands loyalty and righteousness! You must know that after the disaster at Dong'e, when I was at the end of my rope and fled to Puyang, Commander Bu was generous and did not hold it against me. Not only did he not cast me aside, he gave me three thousand soldiers and had me garrison Weixiang. That very day, I swore a secret oath in my heart that I would serve with single-minded devotion to repay Commander Bu's kindness in recognizing and employing me. Yet after holding out for only a few days, I have lost both the city and the troops so utterly. How could I now have the face to go to Puyang and see Commander Bu?!"

Hearing this, the trusted follower actually breathed a sigh of relief: "Then may I ask, Lord Wang, if you had died in the city just now, would that have repaid Commander Bu's kindness? And as you sit here in the mud, seething with resentment, does that repay Commander Bu's kindness?"

"Then what should I do?" Wang Du could not help but shed tears once more.

"The Han army has come with overwhelming force, their elite troops beyond compare." The man grew increasingly relaxed. "Commander Bu will sooner or later have to face the Han army. At a time when men are needed, Lord Wang, even if you are utterly incapable, you still have the strength of a common soldier, do you not? Not to mention that we hundred-odd retainers, whom you have supported for many years, are all willing to follow you in life and death — that is still a force to be reckoned with. That being so, Lord Wang, why not swallow these humiliations and preserve this useful body of yours? Even if you serve as a common soldier on the walls of Puyang, bearing a halberd and fighting for Commander Bu, that would be better than weeping in the wilderness or losing your life amid the chaos of routed troops, would it not?"

After hearing this trusted follower's counsel, Wang Du said not a word. He merely forced back his tears, rose to his feet, and hurriedly led his men northeast toward Puyang.

And so, Weixiang fell in a single day.

By this point, all three cities on Puyang's western flank were lost, leaving it without any outer defenses. Moreover, with the defeated soldiers fleeing back in panic and the Han army regrouping at Baima, Bu Si grew intensely nervous. On one hand, he ordered Puyang to be meticulously defended; on the other, he hastily redeployed troops from the cities to the east and those north of the Yellow River, attempting to rearrange his forces in response.

However, after gathering his forces and resting briefly at Baima, the Han army's commander bearing the imperial staff, General of the Household of All Purposes Gongsun Xun, repeated his old trick. Leaving only Yang Kai behind with the local militia to guard Baima, he had iron chains link the boats together to form a pontoon bridge, and the entire army crossed the river once more, sweeping toward the cities north of the Yellow River.

The first to bear the brunt was Dunqiu.

And the battle of Dunqiu was fought with extreme ease. The Yellow Turban reinforcements originally gathered there had already been redeployed because of Gongsun Xun's actions south of the river. But Yue Jin, a former subordinate and retainer of Cao Mengde, had seized the opportunity of the Han army's victories to secretly contact and rally even more men.

Thus, when Li Jin led his troops into formation and began scaling the walls, before battle was even joined, Yue Wenqian had already led his followers to seize the city gate. The Han cavalry galloped straight in, and Zhang Fei fought for and claimed the head of the local rebel commander. The entire battle could be described as sweeping away all before it.

That was not all. Once Dunqiu was taken, Gongsun Xun did not pause for a moment. Following the stratagem offered by Cao Cao, he had Yue Jin and his local fellows disguise themselves as defeated Huang Jin troops and set out that very day for Weiguo County, where Yue Jin's clan resided.

Weiguo was no more than twenty or thirty li from Dunqiu. Defeated soldiers were already streaming in continuously, and amid the chaos, Yue Wenqian once again seized the city gate on the spot. The Han cavalry following close behind immediately charged into the city... By dusk, Weiguo too had been recovered.

"Wenqian fights with valor, ferocity, and speed — bold and fierce beyond ordinary men. He truly has the bearing of a famed general of old!" Gongsun Xun also arrived at Weiguo County that evening, and the moment he dismounted, he went up to the city wall to lavish praise on Yue Jin, who had indisputably earned the greatest merit in the day's battle. "How could a man of such caliber be content to remain a mere county clerk?! Why not lead your local volunteers into the army, follow me to sweep away the Huang Jin, and seek to establish merit and a career?"

Yue Jin was short of stature, reaching only to the tip of Gongsun Xun's nose. And now, though stirred by these words, he still took the initiative to look toward Cao Cao, who stood nearby and was of similar build. Only when he saw the latter standing with hands clasped behind his back and a smile did Yue Jin resolutely give his assent.

Seeing this, Gongsun Xun felt somewhat stifled, but there was nothing to be done... Who could blame him? The moment this Yue Jin appeared, he was already a subordinate officer of Cao Mengde. Whether in the stories told by his own mother or right here before his eyes, it was clear that this was the kind of absolute core retinue that Cao Aman seemed to bring with him the instant he stepped onto the stage.

And when you thought about it, it made sense. Cao Cao had come to serve as the Prefect of Dunqiu not long after reaching adulthood, and Yue Jin was a man from Weiguo County, which was only this short distance from Dunqiu. He was so capable, and equally short — no wonder Cao Cao had discovered him so early.

Still, Gongsun Xun reflected that his own core retinue was not inferior. Seeing that this fine general already had a formal tie to another, he extinguished any superfluous thoughts, generously granted the man the rank of Deputy General, and then turned his attention back to serious matters.

"Where will our army head next?" Having won such great face for himself — capturing two county seats in a swift sweep — Cao Cao could not help growing giddy with success. Right there on the city wall, he stroked his beard and struck the pose of a military genius. "I see that Wenqi has again let that local minor commander and a few remnant troops cross the river toward Puyang. I suppose the intent is still to draw out the Puyang forces... But Dunqiu and Weiguo both face Puyang across the river. If our army waits here, they surely will not risk coming this way and exposing themselves to an attack mid-crossing. Would it not be better to continue our mobile campaign, pick off the various cities, isolate Puyang, and force them to come out for a decisive battle?"

"Brother Mengde speaks truly!" Gongsun Xun stood on the city wall, gazing at the faintly visible embankment of the Yellow River to the south, but he had some misgivings. "Yet if we continue striking further, where should we turn? Should we keep sweeping through Hebei, taking the cities to the east like Dongwuyang and Fagan, and completely sever the Dong Commandery Huang Jin from Zhang Jiao? Or should we cross the river again, smash through Xiancheng, Zhencheng, and Fan County, open a path to Dong'e, link up with Qing and Xu provinces, and utterly isolate Puyang? Brother Mengde has always had keen insight — can you instruct me?"

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then immediately dropped the hand that had been imitating Lou Gui's beard-stroking, stood honestly with hands clasped, and said no more.

What Cao Mengde probably did not realize, however, was that Gongsun Xun was half teasing him, but also half genuinely unsure how to decide... Or rather, at this moment, Gongsun Xun had both cavalry and infantry in full, morale was high, supplies were complete, and fierce generals and strategists were spilling over in abundance. So, holding such powerful troops and fierce commanders, aside from being unable to touch Puyang — a city with high walls, perilous moats, and a heavy garrison — he could probably strike wherever he wished!

"Speaking of Dongwuyang," just as Gongsun Xun was about to casually decide on a campaign strategy, Shen Pei, who had rarely been at his side, suddenly spoke up. "I have an old friend there. I had originally intended to rely on his help to replicate what this Yue Wenqian did today. It's a pity that I just asked some locals below the wall and learned that he is not in his home village at present. He left to study abroad in Qingzhou long before the rebellion broke out..."

Gongsun Xun could not help his curiosity. "Since he is a close friend of Zhengnan, I imagine he must also be a man of heroic caliber."

"Indeed." Shen Pei, also gazing at the distant Yellow River, nodded slightly. "This man's surname is Chen, given name Gong, courtesy name Gongtai. He has always been impassioned and vehement, upright and unyielding, and is full of resourceful stratagems!"

Gongsun Xun was momentarily stunned, then thought to himself... If it is that man, then no wonder he is an old friend of yours!

It was just a pity that this man was not here!

"It is just a pity that this man is not here." Before Gongsun Xun could speak, Shen Pei took the initiative to shake his head. "Otherwise, Dongwuyang would certainly fall with ease!"

"Since Chen Gongtai is not here, then let us go and see Cheng Zhongde!" Gongsun Xun laughed in spite of himself. "Have Qian Zhao stay behind to keep watch on Puyang. The rest of the entire army will move out tomorrow, advance right before Bu Si's eyes with chains linked across the river, cross southward, and make sure to turn Puyang into an isolated city!"

On the city wall beneath the setting sun, silhouetted against the distant embankment of the Yellow River, from Cao Cao on down, all the commanders cupped their fists in salute and accepted the order.

—————I am the dividing line of cupping fists and accepting orders—————

"When the Grand Ancestor attacked the Dong Commandery Huang Jin, the rebel commander Bu Si led his troops to Puyang, with his back to the river, and held his ground. The Grand Ancestor saw this and avoided him, crossing the Yellow River several times but refraining from attacking." — New Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Grand Ancestor, the Martial Emperor

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(End of Chapter)