Chapter 474: Defying Heaven Is No Triumph

In the summer of the sixth year of Jian’an, in the fifth month, as Gongsun Xun succeeded in his surprise raid on Baima and forcibly crossed the great river, the long-brewing war began in a manner most had anticipated yet still found unexpected.

During the fifth month, Cao Cao first dispatched Xia Houyuan with five thousand cavalry north from Chenliu into Dongjun in an attempt to provide relief, but then, upon hearing that Gongsun Xun had personally crossed the river and encamped at Baima, he immediately redeployed his main force and marched north himself, confronting Gongsun Xun on one front while hastily summoning troops from the various provinces and commanderies behind him and urging Liu Biao and Liu Bei to send swift reinforcements.

It must be said that the natural boundary between Gongsun Xun and Cao Cao — that is, between the Central Plains and Hebei — is of course the Yellow River, and from the three fords of Luoyang eastward to the Taishan region, there were in those days five major crossing points capable of supporting large armies.

From west to east, they were: Yan Ford north of Suanzao City, Baima Ford north of Baima City, the ford belonging to the stronghold of Puyang, the ford beside Qin Pavilion, and the ford beside Cang Pavilion.

Among these, Cang Pavilion had been in Gongsun Xun’s hands from the very start, yet he did not cross from Cang Pavilion, nor did he cross in force from the three Luoyang fords, which were shielded and protected, massing a hundred thousand troops before marching out of Luo. Instead, he raided Baima and personally led over twenty thousand mixed troops from Yexia and Wei Commandery forward to garrison Baima City.

This forward-thrusting method of attack was certainly unexpected, but from another perspective, it was only natural that he would find himself trapped within the defensive chain that Cao’s army had long prepared.

In fact, in order to monitor the Yellow River and contain Baima, as soon as Xia Houyuan spotted Gongsun Xun’s Baima banner, he immediately took the initiative to lead five thousand cavalry into the Suanzao-Zhoucheng-Yan Ford area west of Baima, and on the spot ordered the commandery troops and garrison soldiers of Dongjun, Chenliu, and other places to concentrate at Yanxian, Wacheng, Kuangcheng, Pucheng, Changyuan, and other cities in front of Baima to form a defensive chain. Moreover, Yue Jin himself had long since led eight thousand local troops to garrison the strongholds, great cities, and strategic points of Puyang east of Baima. At this moment, a complete, solid, and deep defensive chain already existed in front of Gongsun Xun — it was merely that the troop strength was clearly insufficient.

And by mid-fifth month, after Cao Cao personally led thirty thousand main-force troops to Pingqiu behind this temporary defense line to take overall command, in a certain sense, Gongsun Xun could already be said to have his back to the water and be surrounded on three sides.

Moreover, he seemed to have fallen into a relative disadvantage in troop strength as well — in northern Chenliu and western Dongjun, that is, the border region where Hebei, the Central Plains, and the old Sili region met on the south bank of the Yellow River, Cao Cao had concentrated nearly fifty thousand combat soldiers, support troops, and civilian laborers. One-sixth of the three-hundred-thousand-strong army was already in place, while Gongsun Xun still had only those twenty-thousand-odd mixed troops from Yexia and Wei Commandery.

However, neither Cao Cao nor Xia Houyuan and Yue Jin on the two flanks showed any intention of striking; on the contrary, they were exceptionally tense.

Because they knew very well that if one looked only at this local battlefield in the eastern section of the Central Plains, they indeed held an absolute strategic advantage and had indeed formed a complete, delightfully surprising encirclement. But if the scope of the battlefield were expanded, in reality, further west of Xia Houyuan, within Sizhou, Cheng Pu was certain to have a massive force concealed behind Hulao Pass!

Cavalry is swift, and the old Luoyang road and the Yellow River waterway are so very broad — if fighting truly broke out, who could say who would be faster?

Not only that, but Cang Pavilion, Baima Ford, and the three Luoyang fords were all in Gongsun Xun’s hands. To what extent the Hebei army had massed and where it was currently positioned was a complete blank — no one knew how many troops might emerge from these three places. In other words, on the surface and locally, Gongsun Xun was trapped at Baima, but in reality, the two sides were locked in an interlocking pattern along the south bank of the Yellow River. And if one zoomed out to the entire Yellow River basin, it was rather the northern Yanzhou region controlled by Cao Cao that was caught in a predicament of being surrounded on three sides by Hebei, Qingzhou, and Sizhou.

At a time like this, how could Cao Mengde dare to move recklessly?

In the Central Plains heartland, there were cities aplenty, and he had never expected to be able to block the enemy at the Yellow River fords anyway. The most critical bargaining chip for the decisive battle was troop strength.

Losing was not a problem, losing cities was not a problem, strategic retreat was not a problem — but he absolutely had to ensure he held sufficient troops in hand for the decisive battle. Gongsun Xun could gamble, could drag things out, could even trade troop losses, but he, Cao Cao, could not.

Of course, Gongsun Xun was not so foolish as to take the twenty-thousand-odd men in his hand and throw them against the dense network of city defenses before him. He too was dispatching generals and mobilizing troops, on one hand quietly awaiting the main army behind him to emerge from Baima Ford and assemble south of the river, and on the other hand watching for an opening to strike!

And so, after the Battle of Baima, Chenliu and Dongjun fell into a strange standoff lasting over twenty days, with virtually no fighting. Instead, it was in the eastern region of Yanzhou that fierce combat suddenly erupted!

Gongsun Xun and Cao Cao had been skirmishing constantly over the past few years, but it was mainly concentrated in the eastern region of Yanzhou… The reason was simple: firstly, everywhere else either had natural boundaries like the great river or typical checkpoint-style borders like the Luoyang periphery — only eastern Yanzhou was convenient for military operations; and secondly, it was because the principal commanders on both sides in this region were Xiahou Dun and Guan Yu respectively.

Guan Yu was Viceroy of Qingzhou, wielding both military and civil authority. His character was proud and unyielding, and he had always advocated aggressive action, constantly advancing. Yexia had always given him free rein, clearly hoping that he could seize control of all strategically advantageous positions along the entire border before the great war began. As for Xiahou Dun, as Cao Cao’s most trusted lieutenant and the de facto second-in-command of Cao’s camp before Xun Yu joined, he was naturally appointed as Grand Commander of the eastern Yanzhou and northern Yuzhou region to guard against Guan Yu…

The interesting thing, however, was that for many years, although Guan Yunchang had consistently been gaining the upper hand… he had gradually seized control of nearly eighty percent of Taishan Commandery and successfully penetrated into northern Lu, winning nine out of ten battles and essentially beating Xiahou Dun back at every turn… yet he had never been able to achieve a strategic breakthrough.

In other words, from a strategic perspective, Xiahou Dun had completely held off Guan Yu.

Even Gongsun Xun was surprised by this. It was not until last year, when Guo Jia was transferred from Guan Yu’s side to Yexia and specially wrote a report tens of thousands of characters long, like a book, that Yexia finally understood.

It turned out that although Xiahou Dun’s personal tactical ability was indeed highly questionable, as a theater commander he was absolutely competent, even excellent. After being assigned to deal with Guan Yu, for many years he had been diligent and conscientious, devoting himself wholeheartedly.

He knew his own combat skills were lacking, so he never sought to launch attacks, instead always carefully deploying defenses. Yet whenever a subordinate came under attack, he would surely strive to rescue them;

He knew he was not adept at military matters, so he vigorously promoted and recommended bold and capable young talents to serve as magistrates and officials in the border commanderies and counties, ensuring the defense line would not be breached. He then turned his own attention to constructing waterworks and opening up farmland. During his three-plus years in office, he successively managed the Si River, Wen River, Ji River, Daye Marsh, Lei Marsh, and He Marsh regions, winning the hearts of the local populace and causing the scholars to gladly serve under him;

And the final key was precisely these three rivers and three marshes, which allowed Xiahou Dun to successfully establish a natural elastic defense zone on the plain west of Taishan — Guan Yu’s troops, having toiled to cross the mountains, found it exceedingly difficult to then cross the marshes and rivers to achieve a major victory.

Guo Jia’s final summary was this: General Guan uses offense, Xiahou Dun uses defense; General Guan uses warfare, Xiahou Dun uses farming; General Guan relies on military strength, Xiahou Dun relies on popular support; General Guan relies on the mountains, Xiahou Dun relies on the waters!

The two seem clearly divided between strong and weak, but it is merely a clear division of strong and weak — not enough to determine the basis of victory or defeat.

However, as the great war unfolded, Shen Pei resigned from the post of Left Chancellor and arrived in Qingzhou in mid-fifth month to assume the post of Governor of Qingzhou, while Lou Gui resigned from the post of Right Chancellor and arrived in Sizhou to assume the post of Governor of Sizhou… Unlike Cheng Pu in Sizhou, who remained hidden behind Hulao Pass without moving, Guan Yunchang, after Shen Pei took over Qingzhou affairs, immediately left the Qingzhou heartland and went to Taishan Commandery to take personal command. Then, in late fifth month, just as Liu Bei’s main relief force entered Pei and the entire Cao Cao camp breathed a long sigh of relief, he suddenly dispatched a force of five thousand men, with Pan Zhang as its commander, to fiercely attack Ningyang in Dongping — a key border stronghold between the Si River, Wen River, and Daye Marsh.

Pan Wen'gui personally donned double armor and scaled the city walls. Right on the battlements, he beheaded his old, off-guard adversary with a single stroke of his blade, ending the grudge that had seesawed back and forth in this place for nearly three years, and successfully captured Ningyang.

The offensive was so swift, the timing so delicate, that even Xiahou Dun, the commander of Cao’s eastern front, who had just returned from Chen Commandery to Changyi in Shanyang Commandery in eastern Yanzhou to take command, was somewhat stunned.

One must understand that in the summer season, the rains gradually increase, mountain roads become difficult to traverse, and the waters and marshes flood — especially the Xuzhou area, which is directly affected by the plum rains. According to experience, the defensive pressure on the eastern front should be at its lowest all the way until the autumn harvest season. This was also why Xiahou Dun had not requested too many troops from Cao Cao — although Cao Cao had nominally obtained a combined force of three hundred thousand from the three allies in this campaign, and even before Liu Bei’s and Liu Biao’s troops were in position, there were over a hundred thousand various combat soldiers, support troops, and armed civilian laborers accompanying the army, Xiahou Dun had only brought five thousand troops back to Shanyang from Chen Commandery.

In essence, he did not want to affect Cao Cao’s main-force decisive battle.

But who could have imagined that while Chenliu and Dongjun remained locked in a standoff, it was instead the eastern front that suddenly stirred up waves?

"General Xiahou."

The rain was drizzling. Inside the government office at Changyi, the envoy sent by Lu Su — He Kui, nephew of Yuan Shu’s aunt, a man of Chen Commandery who had fled to Huainan with Yuan Huan to avoid Yuan Shu’s conscription, and now an attendant in Liu Bei’s staff — could not help but lean forward and ask once more. He stood over eight chi tall, and even leaning forward, he still appeared towering and unmatched. "My Regional Commander has a message: he asks how many relief troops are needed here. He will dispatch them immediately without the slightest delay…"

"None!" In the empty great hall, Xiahou Dun, fully armored and having sat silently clutching his helmet for a long time, fell silent for another moment, but finally put on his iron helmet, then gripped the saber at his waist and raised his head to reply. "No relief troops!"

"General Xiahou, why go to such lengths?" He Kui was momentarily puzzled. "Our allied forces have ample troops… My Regional Commander is leading a solid hundred-thousand-strong army marching in Pei not far behind us. If not twenty or thirty thousand, then ten or twenty thousand can always be dispatched at any time…"

Xiahou Dun still shook his head, then fixed his gaze seriously on the towering He Kui: "Still no! Because if we ask for them, even if it is just a single soldier, we will have fallen for Guan Yunchang’s stratagem!"

He Kui, He Shulong, was slightly taken aback, then leaned forward once more: "Please, General Xiahou, enlighten me!"

"You, sir, are from Chen Commandery?"

"Indeed."

"Have you ever been to this Shanyang area?"

"In my youth, before the realm fell into chaos, I came once with my eldest brother, who was still alive at the time." He Shulong answered candidly.

"Then do you, sir, know how many cities and county towns there are in the strategic area west of Taishan, between the Si River, Wen River, and Juye Marsh, all the way to Changyi where we now sit?"

"I am not entirely clear…"

"There are twelve counties in total, twelve great cities with ample populations and complete defenses." Xiahou Dun spoke without hesitation, clearly having them memorized by heart. "From east to west, they are: Cheng County in Taishan Commandery, Wenyang in Lu, Gang County in Jibei, Ningyang in Dongping, Xiaqiu in Shanyang, Shouzhang and Dongpinglu in Dongping, then Fan County, Rencheng, and Kangfu in Rencheng, and finally Jinxiang and Changyi in Shanyang… exactly twelve cities! Now that Ningyang is lost, Guan Yu holds four cities, but we still hold eight!"

He Shulong’s mind stirred; he seemed to understand a little.

"You, sir, are an intelligent man and must have already guessed." Seeing this, Xiahou Dun continued to sit upright in the Grand Commandant’s chair, both hands resting on his saber as he spoke with assurance. "It is true that Guan Yu holds Qingzhou, but how many troops can he possibly have? Can ten thousand naval troops come ashore? Zang Ba of Langya has only just surrendered and is practically a warlord — whether he can even be deployed is uncertain, and is Zhou Gongjin, the beloved general under your General of the Left, just a figurehead, unable to keep an eye on a single Zang Ba? Moreover, do the various parts of Qingzhou not require garrisons and defenses? So in my view, if Hebei does not send Guan Yunchang reinforcements, the most he can deploy west of Taishan to press me is fifteen thousand men — that is already the absolute limit! In fact, I have indeed confirmed that apart from Pan Zhang’s five thousand, Guan Yunchang has only brought ten thousand men to Wenyang further back to serve as distant support!"

He Shulong was already completely at ease.

"However, if they wish to accomplish great things and have a major impact on the overall situation, they must necessarily punch through my defense line and circle around to Xuzhou or behind Meng De’s back. In other words, Guan Yunchang must use fifteen thousand troops to fight through my remaining eight cities!" Xiahou Dun spoke faster and faster. "But when he operates beyond his borders, does he not need to guard his rear? Taking a city in a single fierce assault may appear ferocious, but did he suffer no losses? From Ningyang onward to Changyi, for every city he takes, he must leave behind a thousand men… So no matter how fierce and cunning he is, we need only resist layer by layer. By the time he reaches the walls of Changyi, he will inevitably be a spent force. What use will he be then?"

"Then his purpose in dispatching troops this time…" He Kui had fully awakened to the truth. "Is like Xiang Zhuang performing the sword dance, with his intent aimed at the Duke of Pei?"

"Exactly!" Xiahou Dun sat motionless, looking straight at the other as he spoke. "Guan Yunchang is a man of comprehensive talent, versed in military and civil strategy, cavalry, infantry, and naval warfare alike. He cannot possibly fail to understand this; he cannot fail to know that even with his ferocity, he cannot achieve much in the short term… His sudden dispatch of troops now, putting on a ferocious posture, is surely not for these twelve cities on the eastern front, but to target your esteemed force of a hundred thousand troops marching through Pei, whose movements cannot be concealed at all! You must understand, the key to this entire war lies solely between Meng De and Gongsun Wenqi. Victory or defeat there is victory or defeat overall; all other fronts are merely supporting efforts. So what Guan Yunchang seeks is precisely to make us panic for a moment and then divert troops to reinforce this place!"

"This outsider has now precisely understood the General’s meaning." He Kui bowed earnestly, thoroughly convinced. "The General is truly a pillar-like figure."

"Then go back and tell your Regional Commander." Xiahou Dun rose to his feet and said. "I do not want a single soldier or a single trooper here. With just these twenty thousand original support troops and civilian laborers, plus five thousand elite soldiers, I can hold out! Tell him he must bring all one hundred thousand troops to Chenliu! For the decisive battle!"

He Shulong said no more. He bowed and withdrew, apparently intending to return directly and report. Xiahou Dun also did not hesitate. He immediately rose, grasped his saber, and went out, joining Lu Qian, Zhao Yan, and the other generals who had been waiting outside the hall. They rode out of the city in the rain, clearly preparing to dispatch troops to reinforce Xiaqiu, Dongpinglu, and the other cities behind Ningyang.

By the end of the fifth month, the plum rain season in the Yangtze River basin was already in its late stages, but the Yellow River basin began to experience frequent rain — not the kind of continuous downpour that causes floods, but merely the normal summer thunderstorms that come quickly and leave just as fast.

Yet, cold in winter, hot in summer, prone to illness in spring and autumn — for an army, behind the so-called "normal" always lay countless hardships for the common soldiers.

As time passed and both sides gradually reinforced, the density of troops in the Chenliu and Dongjun area grew greater and greater, and nearly every rainfall subjected the soldiers locked in the standoff to things that could not quite be called problems, but were certain to breed frustration.

For example, for the Yan Army main force near White Horse City, the cavalrymen — who made up a considerable proportion — had to pay close attention to their horses' hygiene after every rainfall. It was not just a matter of giving the warhorses clean water to drink; they also had to frequently clean the stables in the camp, bathe the warhorses, and shovel their dung!

"Why has Brother Zhongxuan come?"

After a bout of rain, in the army stables north of White Horse City, Zhuge Liang — dressed in a short blue outfit and shoveling dung — looked up and saw a figure that puzzled him. He hastily set down his dung shovel and cupped his hands in salute right there in the stable.

"A-Liang, why stand on such ceremony?" Wang Can, who was carrying a wooden bucket and a dung shovel, grinned awkwardly when he saw Zhuge Liang. "We're brothers, just be at ease..."

Zhuge Liang nodded and did not press further, but instead, as someone who had been through it, took the opportunity to offer a timely reminder: "Brother Zhongxuan, you had better roll up your trouser legs... otherwise you'll get splattered all over!"

Wang Can was momentarily dumbfounded.

"Also, the third horse on the left — that short, scrawny one — looks weak and brays like a donkey, but it actually has a particularly fierce temper and bites people... It's Protector-General Pang's spare mount." Zhuge Liang was about to lower his head and continue working, but then remembered something else and hurriedly added another warning.

Hearing this, Wang Can looked at that mount, whose coat had not even fully shed and could still be considered a blue horse, then looked at the horse urine and rain-soaked filth all over the ground. For a long time, he could not muster the courage to start working. After an indeterminate silence, the man finally sighed: "Tell me, your foolish elder brother here — how did I end up being so stupid as to write a poem? And thus I angered Duke Yan, who banished me here to join you in this so-called 'horse-washing'!"

Although Zhuge Liang did not know the details, he had absolutely no curiosity about the matter. Therefore, he did not reply, but simply lowered his head and continued shoveling dung... Just as on that day when Huangfu Song recommended him to the army to "wash horses," and Duke Yan agreed readily but then actually sent him to wash horses — he remained completely unruffled.

"All of you are elites from the Yexia Academy. I had you join the Volunteer Corps to participate in battle so that you would gain experience and become men of great accomplishment in the future. But military affairs have their own military rules. No matter what, you must not learn from that brat Wang Zhongxuan, who only cared about flattery and boasting, treating military affairs as some literati romantic dalliance." At the same time, inside the main army tent, the atmosphere was almost frozen solid. Gongsun Xun, clearly in a foul mood today, still sat there with a dark face, lecturing the group of new volunteers before him. "Several hundred thousand troops are about to assemble. I had him accompany the army to handle confidential documents and participate in military strategy, yet he wrote some 'Song of the Army March' on a military order slip to profess his loyalty! The military is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, survival and ruin — is it a place for him to show off his talent? If he wants to write poetry, can't he write it on his own clothes? If he wants to write poetry, can't he write it atop the Bronze Sparrow Terrace after a great victory? Must he do it here, at this time?!"

The young volunteers in the tent were all silent as cicadas in winter, and even the generals and military advisors standing on both sides were somewhat dazed... It had indeed been a long time since they had seen Gongsun Xun so furious.

After berating them for a long while, Gongsun Xun finally calmed down, but then turned to Pang De at his side: "Lingming, what were you about to say earlier?"

Pang De hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

"This is the central army command tent. Even the most confidential matters can be spoken of here!" Gongsun Xun could not help but frown.

"In the morning, when General Zhang Liao's unit was merging with the conscripts from Hejian and Anping and crossing the river, a message was sent from the ducal residence in Yexia, saying... saying that Young Master Ding has reached the age for capping his hair!" Pang De forced himself to speak, while the surrounding generals and aides hastily pretended not to hear.

Gongsun Xun was slightly startled, but immediately understood... He naturally knew these were his wife's words, and he also knew the meaning and reason behind his wife's message.

And so, the man thought for a moment, and ultimately let out a sigh: "This is the family worrying that as I continue to march on campaign away from home, I will miss A-Ding's capping ceremony. After all, I already missed A-Li's hairpin ceremony before... Very well, men and women are different after all. A girl's hairpin ceremony can be delayed for two years without issue, but the business of war should not hinder a youth's capping. Let A-Ding be capped and join the army! In three days, once Gao Suqing has finished merging the troops there and crosses the river, have him set out with them. He will cross the river from White Horse Ford to come here, and then... then he will be treated as a civilian laborer and sent to the stables to wash horses! Lingming, you will personally watch over him — the kind where if he doesn't work, he doesn't eat. Make sure he suffers some hardship!"

Everyone was uniformly stunned. Even Jia Xu and Xun You were momentarily taken aback, but not a single person dared to speak up.

Having said this, Gongsun Xun suddenly recalled another matter and could not help but look at Xu Huang, who stood to the side like a wooden puppet: "Gongming, I have something to ask you."

"Your Highness, please speak." Xu Huang immediately stepped forward and saluted.

"I hear that Sima Yi performed poorly in your unit. In the Battle of White Horse, his squad's battle merit ranked dead last among your directly subordinate troops?" Gongsun Xun asked with a frown.

"Your Highness is correct." Xu Huang responded immediately, but could not avoid offering two sentences of explanation. "It was mainly because the man had just joined the army and participated in combat as a squad leader. During the rapid march, because he was unfamiliar with military marching orders, he ended up falling to the very rear. After crossing White Horse Ford, he never even got to touch a single battle..."

"I overestimated him." Gongsun Xun shook his head with increasing disappointment. "And I overestimated this group of young men — each one has grand ambitions but little ability. Yet with a great battle imminent, we absolutely cannot let these newcomers run amok... According to the rules of merging units, your unit will be combined with troops from Wei Commandery and Henei to form a ten-thousand-man army. A squad leader should at the very least be promoted to a company commander, correct?"

"Yes." Xu Gongming was concise and to the point. "This lowly general had only promoted him to company commander."

"This battle concerns the fate of the nation. We cannot let these pretentious amateurs ruin such a great matter." Gongsun Xun spoke with a stern expression. "Using the Battle of White Horse as grounds, issue an order in my name: strip him of his rank, punish him by reducing him to a penal bondsman, and send him to the stables to wash horses! In this battle, it is not yet their turn to be so at ease!"

"Aye!" Xu Huang calmly bowed.

The atmosphere in the tent eased slightly, but just at that moment, a duty volunteer officer suddenly rushed in flustered, saluted, and reported: "Your Highness, Advisor Wang has been bitten by General Pang's strange horse!"

"That is the penal bondsman Wang Can, not Advisor Wang!" Before Pang De could even open his mouth, Gongsun Xun, who had just calmed down, flew into an even greater rage. "A penal bondsman bitten by a warhorse — what is the meaning of reporting this to the central army tent?! You, get out and wash horses as well! Has the army grown so arrogant after a few years without a major battle?!"

Everyone in the tent once again fell silent as cicadas in winter. Even Jia Xu and Xun You could not help but secretly exchange a glance.

After a long silence in the tent, Gongsun Xun finally spoke again, but his voice was now utterly devoid of emotion: "Yunchang's feint to lure the enemy has failed. The Central Plains Coalition's eastern front still consists of Zhou Yu's twenty thousand-plus men and Xiahou Dun's twenty thousand-plus men, barely fifty thousand in total. Cai Mao has also finished his deployments in Nanyang... Sun Ce has already reached Chen Commandery and is about to arrive at Yingchuan... Cao Mengde is about to obtain absolutely sufficient troops to set up layer upon layer of defenses on our immediate front, and will be able to maintain a field elite force of nearly eighty thousand... We can no longer feign weakness and wait idly here. It is time to act!"

"Where does Your Highness plan to strike?" Jia Xu stepped forward solemnly and asked. "Le Jin at Puyang, or Xiahou Yuan at Yan Crossing?"

"Xiahou Yuan, of course!" Gongsun Xun's expression did not change. "Devour him! Make Cao Mengde's liver and gall quake with fear! The moment Gao Suqing arrives, we march immediately!"

The entire tent stood in solemn reverence.

—————I am the dividing line of dead silence—————

"At dawn we depart from Yedu Bridge, at dusk we ford White Horse Ford.

Leisurely upon the river dike, left and right I gaze upon our army.

Linked barges exceed ten thousand vessels, armored soldiers number a thousand thousand men.

We lead them along the Central Plains road, soon to settle merit in a single stroke.

Strategies are devised within the command tent, all by our sage sovereign's will.

I regret I lack timely counsel, akin to those mere titular ministers.

Bowing and toiling among the core ranks, I have no meager plan to present.

Xu Li, though but a common scholar, with one word still defeated Qin.

I bear the shame of feasting without merit, truly shamed before the woodcutters of 'Fa Tan.'

Though lacking even a lead blade's use, I still hope to exert my humble self." — "Song of the Army March, Poem Two" — Yan — Wang Can

(End of Chapter)