Chapter 368: Night After Night of Hearty Song, Knowing One

Let us speak of how Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei met within the city of Goushi, rested briefly, and could be said to have escaped with their lives.

Yet the ill tidings that followed came one after another.

First, Yu Jin, who had been covering the rear, was caught between two forces and returned in utter defeat. Of his three thousand elite Taishan troops, it was said only a few hundred fought to the death to protect Yu Jin and flee back to Chenggao. Though both Cao and Liu were worried and reluctant to let them go, there was nothing they could do.

Next, Lu Dai and Jian Yong arrived in pitiful disarray from Gongxian, bringing with them the most calamitous news of all… It turned out that the intelligence Xu Rong had provided was true: Yuan Benchu at Chenggao had indeed made a treacherous move. He had suddenly struck, first seizing Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao on the charge of defeat in battle and absorbing their troops. Then he had forced the three major lords of eastern Yanzhou — Bao Xin, Qiao Mao, and Liu Dai — to march on Taishan. Apart from leaving a token force to guard Hulao Pass, he had simply abandoned Cao and Liu south of the Yellow River and washed his hands of them.

Cao and Liu had originally thought that with Xu Rong and Li Meng withdrawing west to Hongnong, leaving only Duan Wei at Luoyang, they might still persuade Yuan Shao to turn back and achieve their cause. But now, how could they still count on Yuan Benchu?

And just as Sun Jian was doing his utmost to console the two men, vowing to retake Luoyang by his own strength alone, the third piece of ill tidings arrived.

It must be said that Sun Jian had advanced with startling speed on Xu Rong’s heels, and rumors had spread from Luyang that Luoyang was completely undefended and that Sun Wentai intended to claim all the credit for himself. Thus, some had urged Yuan Shu to rein him in a little… Of course, the underlying reason was that after Dong Zhuo had retreated into the Guanzhong region, the grand cause of punishing Dong Zhuo no longer held any real prospect for the lords east of the passes. Everyone was looking out for himself, and internal strife and conflict were bound to come into the open… But whatever the case, Yuan Gonglu heeded the advice and abruptly cut off Sun Jian’s army provisions.

To Sun Wentai, this move was nothing short of a bolt from the blue. He was a military man, utterly without political foundation in places like Nanyang and Yingchuan. Without Yuan Shu to provide his political guarantee, how could he possibly accomplish anything?

Even the general’s rank he bore and the empty title of Inspector of Yuzhou had been memorialized by Yuan Shu.

And at this point, having been schooled in turn by Dong Zhuo and the two Yuans, Cao, Sun, and Liu suddenly realized their true standing… Xu Rong’s earlier words, though harsh, had been the plain truth. As things stood now, the great affairs of the realm were not yet theirs to decide.

Yet understanding was one thing; a surge of grief and indignation was unavoidable. For beyond all ambition and self-interest, these three men genuinely wished to do something for the state. Or rather, at this very moment, these three men — so utterly different in origin, reputation, seniority, and temperament — still possessed a measure of such idealism.

Of course, that said, among all the lords under Heaven, how many were truly without idealism?

In truth, devotion to family and country, the will to succor the imperiled and restore order, personal desire, and even tyrannical conduct were all mixed together in these men in varying degrees… Cao, Liu, and Sun had their ideals — but did Gongsun Xun and Yuan Shao have none? Even Dong Zhuo, when he first deposed and enthroned, surely harbored some desire to do things properly, to change the stifled silence of the Huan and Ling era?

It was only that, as the great waves washed away the sand, some could persevere in the face of every hardship, and some could not.

Returning to the present, at the very least, these three “small figures,” like stray dogs driven from their homes, had not yet abandoned this stubborn obsession and their ideals. Moved by the fickle turns of the age and bound by years of friendship, they smeared their mouths with blood upon the flower-strewn Mount Goushi and swore an oath of life and death, pledging that should any one of them meet with misfortune, the other two would do everything in their power to care for his wife and children. Then each set out on his own path, continuing to strive for his ideals… Cao Cao and Liu Bei would each use their own talents to rally their troops again, while Sun Jian would go alone to Luyang to declare his loyalty to Yuan Shu, thereby continuing to trade for his support.

And while these three heroes languished in their weakness, and Yuan Shao withdrew his great army to rampage unchecked through the lands east of the passes, on the other side, at Hongnong, the clouds of war were already thickly gathered.

After Gongsun Xun turned east and seized the commandery seat of Hongnong Commandery, Dong Zhuo and Niu Fu — especially Niu Fu — immediately felt the gravest unease. Thereupon, Dong Zhuo’s forces swiftly followed their original plan, moving troops from the Henan region in great strength through Hangu Pass, attempting to contain or even eliminate Gongsun Xun within the borders of Hongnong.

Specifically, this was the narrow strip of land west of Shanxian and east of Tongguan, running along the Yellow River.

As for troop strength, Gongsun Xun still had his ten thousand cavalry, five thousand infantry, plus over ten thousand auxiliaries — this was the force after dividing his army, now concentrated around Huxian and Hongnong County. It is worth noting that his combat troops had suffered considerable losses in the battle of Hedong; his current force had been replenished with prisoners from the Hedong White Wave Army. Its fighting strength was generally maintained, but it was not necessarily without weaknesses.

Meanwhile, on Dong Zhuo’s side, apart from Duan Wei, who remained to guard Luoyang, all other forces showed signs of pulling back to take part in this military operation.

Among them, Niu Fu and Li Ru remained at Shanxian and Maojin, with a force of roughly fourteen or fifteen thousand. Dong Yue had gathered the defeated troops from Hulao Pass and Chenggao, about four or five thousand men, and was now at Mianchi. Li Meng had withdrawn to Xin’an with about five thousand cavalry. Then there was Hu Zhen with five thousand infantry, still garrisoning Hangu Pass.

These four positions, strung out in a line from west to east, were all key towns along the Luoyang–Chang’an official road in Hongnong Commandery, separated by no more than thirty or forty li from one another. Even from Shanxian to Hangu Pass was a mere hundred-odd li. They could well be regarded as a single grand army corps, dispersed in garrison under Niu Fu’s overall command… with a combined strength of roughly thirty thousand.

There was also Li Jue, whose force — Dong Zhuo’s most trusted army, a mixed body of infantry and cavalry numbering over ten thousand — had withdrawn from Nanyang to Wuguan, clearly intending to enter Lushi County from the southern route and encircle Gongsun Xun.

Not only that, but Dong Zhuo’s younger brother Dong Min had already led ten thousand troops into Huayin. Even from Pujin, they had gritted their teeth and detached five thousand cavalry under Guo Si, who had also reached Huayin… In other words, behind Tongguan there were nearly another twenty thousand troops.

Three columns — thirty thousand in the east, ten thousand in the south, twenty thousand in the west — a combined force three or four times his strength. Their intent to drive Gongsun Xun, who had crossed the river, back again, or simply pin him down dead against the Yellow River’s edge, could not have been more obvious.

So the question arises: where was Xu Rong, who had earlier let Cao and Liu go?

The answer is that Xu Bojin was now stationed with his five thousand cavalry at Yiyang County in Hongnong Commandery… From this position, marching thirty li north would bring him straight to the grand army corps of thirty thousand under Niu Fu and Li Ru. Marching west would allow him to link up with Li Jue, advancing from Wuguan, bringing that southern encircling army corps to a strength of fifteen thousand.

In a sense, it looked the part — after all, it was the junction between two army corps, allowing him to support either direction at any time, and he had not been entirely sidelined. Yet no matter how you looked at it, this position was the farthest point on the entire battlefield from Gongsun Xun. To say that Li Ru, who drew up the military plans, had not taken great pains, had not been on his guard, would be to speak with one’s eyes wide open.

But there was no helping it. Everyone knew that Xu Rong was Gongsun Xun’s former subordinate, and everyone also knew that Xu Rong was a man who could fight and knew how to fight… Had it not been for the great battle looming ahead, making it impossible to strip him of his command lightly, Xu Rong would likely have long since been surrounded by his colleagues and relieved of his troops!

Of course, if Gongsun Xun had not come, if there had been no great battle, then given Xu Rong’s performance and merits earlier in Yingchuan, why would they strip him of his command?

This in itself was a paradox.

“My lord has stormed Caoyang Pavilion.” Within the county offices of Yiyang County, Xu Rong handed a battle report to a young officer at his side who bore a close resemblance to him. “Caoyang Pavilion is no more than fifteen li from Shanxian, with only the Shanmo slope in between that can be defended. Niu Fu will absolutely not be able to endure it. In other words, the great battle may erupt at any moment.”

“This is precisely the signal we agreed upon beforehand.” The officer took the battle report, gave it a cursory glance, and immediately grew solemn. “Elder brother, dispatch the troops at once!”

Seated in the Grand Commandant’s chair, Xu Rong let out a long sigh.

“What does elder brother mean by this?” The officer, whose features closely resembled Xu Rong’s, immediately tensed. “Why hesitate now when the moment has come? Was this not already settled?”

“I am not hesitating.” Xu Rong could not help but shake his head. “If I lacked resolve, I would have beheaded you long ago, and I would have cut those men down earlier at Yanshi… Even Li Ru knows how profound my lord’s kindness to me has been, and so took slight precautions. How could I myself forget? Not to mention having a Liaodong kinsman like you come in person to urge me at my side. Zixin, rest assured, we march at dawn tomorrow!”

“If that is so, then why does elder brother still sigh?” The officer speaking was in fact Xu Rong’s clan cousin, named Xu Xing, courtesy name Zixin. He was originally a White Horse Volunteer from Xuantu, had followed Gongsun Xun for a long time, and had long since risen to the rank of Company Commander.

And on this occasion, when Gongsun Xun crossed the river, he had ridden alone through Luhun Pass to seek out his clan elder brother… His purpose need hardly be stated.

“What I sigh over is not whether to aid my lord, but over Chancellor of State Dong.” Xu Rong shook his head slightly. “You are my close kinsman, so I will not hide it from you. If Chancellor Dong could have come to the front in person this time, as my lord has done — not even leading troops to confront my lord directly at the front, but merely emerging from Wuguan or Tongguan to oversee the battle — I might truly have hesitated… After all, Chancellor Dong has indeed treated me with the utmost benevolence and fulfilled every obligation.”

Xu Xing furrowed his brow slightly. Unlike his clan elder brother, who had no sensitivity whatsoever to politics and was a pure military man, Xu Xing, having come from the White Horse Volunteers, was clearly more “well-rounded.” In his view, since they had already decided to aid their lord, there was no need to speak of such irrelevant matters, which only gave others grounds for reproach.

But clearly, Xu Xing could not control his clan elder brother. Or rather, from Xu Xing’s perspective, as long as his clan elder brother ensured that he would dispatch troops according to Gongsun Xun’s requirements, everything else was of no consequence.

“But Chancellor Dong, after all, has plunged headlong into Guanzhong and will not come out again.” Xu Rong continued. “I hear he has lately been plundering the wealthy households of Guanzhong to fill his Mei Fortress. My lord, on the other hand, crossed the Yellow River regardless of all else, placing himself in this position, forcing me to make a decision. Sometimes I wonder, does the Chancellor not understand? He is a man who has fought his fill of battles. Where is the commander who, relying on superior numbers, can win a war while shrinking back inside his chambers?”

“Perhaps the chambers are too sturdy,” Xu Xing could not help but sneer slightly.

“Then he has abandoned those outside the chambers!” Xu Rong replied with a hint of helplessness. “He hides himself inside his chambers and entrusts our lives and deaths to a waste like Niu Fu… Granted, Niu Fu is his son-in-law, but now, facing our lord, if he will not come out himself, let alone a son-in-law — even if it were his own son, who would be truly convinced?”

“Elder brother thinks too much,” Xu Xing said dismissively. “In my view, Dong Zhuo’s arrangements this time are still correct, because the Henan generals and their troops are mostly his old Guanzhong subordinates, with their roots all in Guanzhong. They will not be discontented because of this.”

Xu Rong was momentarily taken aback, then his expression turned somber: “In other words, he has abandoned only me?”

Xu Xing smiled faintly: “What else? Does elder brother think that Li Ru’s arrangements this time did not have your Chancellor Dong’s consent? The entire southern half of Hongnong Commandery, where we now are, is in their hands. Messages between Chang’an and here have never been cut off. As for those who have truly caught the Chancellor’s eye — Lu Bu, for instance — is he not now in Guanzhong, holding a vital post?”

Xu Rong was silent for a moment. Finally, his face expressionless, he rose to his feet: “Go back and prepare. We march tonight!”

Xu Xing raised an eyebrow slightly, saluted with clasped hands, and withdrew.

It must be said that the army has always been the place where one most easily gains prestige. If a man can lead his subordinates to victory after victory, ensuring in life-and-death clashes that the enemy dies unceasingly while his own men survive unceasingly, then he is easily deified by his subordinates — and by the enemy as well.

Xu Rong could not quite reach that level, but since taking command, he had never once been defeated. Thus, his control over these five thousand cavalry under his command was beyond question… Within the army, he had his trusted men and his core officers, and his troops’ blind obedience to him was extremely high.

And so, without even fabricating a military order, he easily pulled the entire force out and marched south under the stars that very night.

Meanwhile, seven li west of Shanxian, at Shanmo, Gongsun Xun was fighting through the night.

“What are the losses?” Gongsun Xun, seated in person at the front to oversee the battle, saw Yang Feng coming to report after withdrawing from the line and asked directly.

“Dead and wounded together, about five or six hundred men,” Yang Feng replied, his face showing shame. “I beg the general’s punishment.”

“Punishment for what?” Gongsun Xun dismissed it. “It was I who forced you into a night assault on their ramparts… But I hope you understand, with the great battle imminent, we cannot afford to trust to luck.”

“This subordinate naturally understands!” Yang Feng hastily bowed his head again.

“Withdraw and rest for now.” Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, then turned to another tall and powerfully built military officer at his side — none other than Gao Shun, the highest-ranking among the generals who had crossed the river with him.

Gao Suqing, seeing this, dared not be remiss and immediately stepped forward to request battle: “If the enemy has no reinforcements, we can take it in one fierce assault.”

“Even if they have reinforcements, we must take it in one fierce assault,” Gongsun Xun replied with a solemn expression. “We must break through this final obstacle before we can face Niu Fu directly.”

"Aye!" Gao Shun said no more, gave a crisp acknowledgment, and departed.

It was a summer night, the weather already slightly stifling. In the firelight, Gao Shun took his orders and left, personally leading three thousand foot soldiers to launch the general assault. The Dong Zhuo army encampment on the Shanmo plain, however, never received the expected reinforcements, and thus could hold out no longer — it was indeed taken in a single charge.

Yet throughout the Youzhou Army, from top to bottom, there was little joy, because anyone who clearly understood the strategic situation knew that the overall picture remained extremely grim.

In fact, as early as when they had earlier breached Hongnong County, causing tremors along the entire Dong Zhuo line and triggering an immediate counterattack attempt, quite a few in the army had already privately urged Gongsun Xun to turn back to Hedong.

To this, Gongsun Xun's answer was very simple — he wanted to try once more.

"From Shanmo to Shan County is a mere seven or eight li, yet Niu Fu actually sent no reinforcements..." Gongsun Xun mused thoughtfully, then suddenly issued orders to the commanders beside him. "Immediately scatter all the scout riders, then dispatch the main cavalry force. Push the troops up to the front of Shan County overnight, raise a clamor, and then pull back to rest and reorganize."

Though the commanders did not understand the reasoning, they hurried to carry out the order.

Watching the central army depart, Gongsun Xun issued another order: shift the camp to Shanmo, where he would personally station himself and halt, preparing to face Niu Fu directly.

"Why did you not support Shanmo, allowing the last barrier to be taken so easily?" Inside Shan County, the Youzhou cavalry had arrived beneath the walls that night, raised a clamor of alarm, and then turned straight back to Shanmo. Li Ru, still shaken, could not help but angrily question Niu Fu. "Niu Bozheng, you must understand, Li Jue and your uncle's forces over there are not yet in position!"

"You don't understand. It was useless." Niu Fu, just descended from the ramparts, shook his head repeatedly. "A mere camp on the open plain — it couldn't be held. Sending reinforcements would have been nothing but feeding the White Horse Bandit."

"I don't understand..." Li Ru was half dead with fury. "What don't I understand? Aren't you just terrified of him as if he were a tiger? Yet you put on an air of complete indifference, when in your heart you are already scared to the extreme."

"Do not disturb the army's morale!" Niu Fu declared loftily. "When have I ever feared the White Horse Bandit? This move was simply the most prudent method... Just hold fast here in Shan County. What can he do to me?"

Li Ru sneered again: "Is that truly so?"

Niu Fu's expression abruptly changed: "Li Wenyou, must I kill a Two Thousand Shi to assert my authority?!"

Li Ru finally erupted in fury: "Who do you intend to kill?! Me?! You killed my dispatches earlier and I have yet to settle accounts with you — and today you would actually kill me?"

"How would I dare kill Wenyou?" Niu Fu laughed awkwardly. "If I killed you, would your father-in-law ever spare me? I'll just kill some ordinary Two Thousand Shi."

"Killing anyone else won't do either!" Li Ru was so angry his head ached. "Every Two Thousand Shi is a major general commanding troops independently. How can you kill a great general on the eve of battle to assert authority? I didn't even dare kill Xu Rong — I merely sidelined him at Yiyang — precisely for fear of causing chaos and shaking the army's morale!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Niu Fu grew increasingly impatient. "Didn't Father-in-law, the White Horse Bandit, and you all speak with absolute certainty, fond of using the killing of a Two Thousand Shi to assert authority? That day in Jinyang, that's exactly how you all discussed disposing of that Yanmen Grand Administrator — I remember it clearly! Therefore, to unify the army from top to bottom, I must kill a Two Thousand Shi..."

"Is this the same thing?" Li Ru no longer had the strength to argue with him. "Fine, never mind past matters. Right now, Gongsun Xun has led his troops to Shanmo. He likely intends to strike and break the two of us before we can complete our encirclement... If the two of us collapse, the various commanders will lose their chain of command, and he will be able to snatch survival from the jaws of death."

"This I naturally understand." Niu Fu rested a hand on his sword and spoke with a sidelong glare. "You mean we should summon the other divisions to assemble here, making the White Horse Bandit recognize the odds and withdraw... correct?"

"Exactly!"

"Tomorrow I will issue the military order for them to draw near. With thirty thousand troops massed together, how could we fail to hold a single city?"

Li Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and went back to his quarters to rest. Niu Fu returned to his own residence, but was in no hurry to sleep. Instead, he casually lashed out with his whip and ordered his personal guard Hu Chier to summon the sorcerers and sorceresses.

Hu Chier had no choice but to go and call those diviners and spirit-dancers, giving them a few lashes along the way to vent his spleen.

The sorcerers and sorceresses came cautiously into Niu Fu's quarters, only to be met at once with his deliberation: "The Guard General has struck at Shanmo. I have no confidence in my heart. You said before that I might face peril in this battle, and it seems that has proven true. Now divine for me again — once the great army assembles in a few days, should I or should I not kill a Two Thousand Shi to assert authority?"

The sorcerers and sorceresses exchanged glances, then each displayed their arts. Their conclusions, however, were unanimous — whether by hexagram or by divine prompting, all indicated that Niu Fu must indeed kill a Two Thousand Shi to turn peril into safety.

Hearing their report, beneath the lamplight, Niu Fu, seated on his bed-couch, sighed repeatedly: "I knew it should be so... Then divine once more — which one should I kill to assert authority?"

The sorcerers and sorceresses hurriedly displayed their arts again at full force. Very soon, one sorcerer who burned tortoise shells was the first to obtain a hexagram. Kneeling and trembling, he spoke: "Reporting to the Grand General, the hexagram has emerged, but it gives no specific designation. It only says you must kill the first other Two Thousand Shi who enters the city, and only then can peril turn to safety... for this person is precisely the chief culprit bringing misfortune upon the Grand General."

Niu Fu had a sudden epiphany: "Is the Mandate of Heaven truly so unfathomable?"

—————— I am the dividing line of the Radiant Mandate of Heaven ——————

"An army should keep diviners to bolster morale, yet the direction of divination must be controlled by the commander. Thus it is said: of old, when King Wu attacked Zhou, he divined and obtained great auspiciousness, and so dispatched the troops. In truth, it was because he was to dispatch the troops that the divination yielded great auspiciousness. Another example: when Song and Zheng once fought, Zheng could not hold its ground and sought aid from Jin. The Jin grandees entered the temple and divined — it was inauspicious, so they abandoned the relief of Zheng. It was not that the hexagram image caused them to abandon the relief; rather, it was because they intended to abandon the relief that they displayed that hexagram image to the Zheng envoy. If, on the contrary, one determines military affairs by the divination text, that is precisely what is called putting the cart before the horse!" — Zibo's Art of War

PS: Book recommendation, Divine Mind Kingdom, a new book by a new big-shot author. A story where technological revival after the retreat of spiritual energy encounters a magic side — this premise is really interesting! Everyone can give it a try.

(End of Chapter)