Chapter 256: Heaven Changes

In the sixth month, the earth steamed with damp heat, and heavy rains fell in season. The weather was like a child's face — it changed the moment you turned away.

Yesterday the sky had been cloudless for ten thousand li, the sun blazing like fire. But on the morning of the first day of the sixth month, beginning with that strange mass of fog, the weather turned bizarre. Dark clouds hung thick and unbroken above Kunyang. Just as Liu Xiu led his three thousand deathsworn soldiers in a charge against Wang Yi's central force, a fierce gale whipped up as well.

Yet this wind blew from the west, whipping sand and stones straight into the faces of Liu Xiu's troops, choking off the cry of "Great Wind!" they had meant to shout.

Wang Yi's army seized a huge advantage at once. Bows and crossbows loosed with the wind, their bolts flying farther than before — though their aim was far poorer — yet still they pinned many Han soldiers to the ground. Even Liu Xiu took an arrow, square in the shoulder.

"I'm fine." Liu Xiu swung his blade and hacked off the arrow shaft. His armor was on; though the arrowhead was sharp, its force was spent, sinking only half an inch into flesh.

Liu Xiu's gaze locked onto the enemy. As the Grand Minister of Works' banners and pennons swayed, the Hu cavalry battalions, long waiting on both flanks, moved out.

These Hu riders, drawn from the dependent states of Longyou, were arrogant and proud, convinced they were unmatched under heaven, able to exploit flat terrain to maximum advantage. The Hu Cavalry Colonel had even boasted that against rebels his men could fight one against ten. Now, under orders, they spurred their horses toward the flanks, aiming to envelop the Han army and swallow this gang of rebels who knew nothing of numbers in a single breath!

But just as the two sides were about to clash, lightning flared with sudden, startling brilliance, and a tremendous crash of thunder roared overhead. In its wake, rain swept down in a frenzy — a summer storm, ferociously swift, pouring down like an upturned basin onto the heads of both armies.

The downpour struck, the horses grew skittish, and the archery at which the Hu riders excelled was effectively ruined. As the Hu Cavalry Colonel hesitated, wondering whether to charge straight through the rain, a Han force, following Fu Jun and Chen Jun — all bearing short arms — had already used the curtain of rain as cover to close in and strike! They frightened the Hu Cavalry Battalion into turning tail. Many who could not flee in time were forced to abandon their horses and fight on foot.

Liu Xiu had no more than three thousand men. Since banners and drums were useless, they simply followed the shouts of those ahead and charged with ferocious momentum — their aim was to close to short quarters with the Xin army, staking everything on morale!

For a time, they actually chased the Hu Cavalry Battalion backward through the rain, charging all the way to the very front of Wang Yi's great formation.

What they slammed into was a solid line formed by the Rapid as Tigers Battalion.

The Rapid as Tigers Battalion, an elite unit of the Northern Army, had originally been charioteers. After war chariots gradually faded from the order of battle, they had converted mainly to infantry. Nearly every man wore armor; raindrops hammered against their iron helmets and trickled down the rims. The soldiers gripped great Wu-style shields and crashed fiercely against the Han troops.

Swords, blades, dagger-axes, and spears rose and fell through the curtain of rain. Blood and rainwater flew in all directions. The ground underfoot turned to mire. In the melee, the cumbersome soldiers of the Rapid as Tigers Battalion proved less agile than the Han troops.

Their morale was not much higher than that of the six sister battalions Diwu Lun had utterly routed within the Passes. On top of that, Wang Yi had ordered a withdrawal one moment, then commanded them to stay and face the enemy the next, throwing the soldiers' hearts into chaos. They were all speculating that disaster had befallen their homeland in Guanzhong. Drenched by the rain, they had even less stomach for battle.

Though they clearly held the advantages of the windward side, armor, and numbers, under the Han soldiers' assault, the Rapid as Tigers Battalion's formation was faintly wavering.

Wang Yi, directing the battle from the rear, noticed this too. Whether pushed by the howling wind and rain or by the Han troops, if they retreated any further, they would be driven straight into the river.

"I underestimated this Liu Xiu."

Startled, Wang Yi immediately dispatched men to relay orders, summoning tens of thousands more troops to encircle the rebel band.

But the advantage of numbers vanished completely in this hellish weather. Though Wang Yi commanded a host of three hundred thousand, never mind the greater half that had already crossed the river northward — even those still south of the Zhi River numbered at least a hundred thousand. But because they were in a withdrawal column, a certain distance separated each unit from the next.

In good weather they could still communicate by flags and signals. Now, with the rain pouring down and mist and vapor billowing up, beyond half a li nothing was visible at all. The flags, soaked through, clung together and would not unfurl. The drumbeats were drowned out by the rain and thunder. Communication between the various divisions was effectively severed. They could only rely on mounted couriers to pass messages back and forth, but the storm slowed them drastically.

The formation swayed more and more violently. Wang Yi had intended to envelop Liu Xiu, deliberately making his wings thick and his center thin. Now his center had been struck and was bursting open like a flower. After half a quarter-hour of fighting, a hole had actually been punched straight through! He had no choice but to shift a motley reserve unit, temporarily summoned from nearby, to plug the gap, and to order another battalion to circle around to the rear and cut off Liu Xiu's line of retreat.

But in the vast, blinding rain, the soldiers could only hear distant shouts of battle and agonized screams, with no idea whether their own side was winning or losing. The moment they heard the order to fall back, someone jumped to a conclusion and shouted: "Our army is defeated?"

"Our army is defeated!"

The cry seemed contagious. A force of several thousand men went from a slow retreat to a full-scale rout, and finally broke into a run through the rain, charging in the wrong direction. Only the colonel was left standing where he was, staring helplessly as his command scattered like birds and beasts.

This unit ran headlong into another force struggling forward to reinforce the Grand Minister of Works. As they collided, the newcomers asked in astonishment: "Why are you retreating north?"

"Because our army is defeated."

And so the fleeing soldiers went from one unit to two. The rain lashing at their backs might as well have been arrows loosed by the enemy. They were all conscripts, dragged here by force, always looking for a chance to slip away in normal times — and now, here was a rare opportunity indeed.

The troops nearby behaved like this; the units farther away could not be dragged out of their camps at all. They would only huddle in the tents that had not yet been struck, sheltering from the rain. In some cases, the forced mustering even led to mutinies where colonels were killed.

An absurd scene unfolded: surrounded by a host of ten thousand, the Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi was "isolated and helpless." Yet the Rapid as Tigers Battalion struggled on bitterly until the rain let up slightly. By then, their clothes were soaked through, their arms grown heavy; neither side could lift blade or spear. A single fresh force would be enough to decide victory or defeat.

The first to arrive, however, was not one of Wang Yi's subordinates, but Deng Chen's division from Yan County, advancing through the rain!

Among the Nanyang powerful families, aside from the Liu clan of Chongling, the Deng clan's troops hated the Xin army most bitterly. After the battle of Little Chang'an, the Xin army had massacred a great number of the Deng clansmen, burned their ancestral home, and even dug up their graves. After that, every member of the Deng clan became a soldier; all surviving males joined the army. Besides Liu Xiu's brother-in-law Deng Chen, there was also Deng Yu. Learning that Liu Xiu was single-handedly hammering the Xin army's solid line, as brother-in-law and close friend, they did not hesitate for a moment, but came at once to support him.

With this reinforcement, the Han soldiers' courage swelled, and their battle cries shook heaven and earth. Across the field, the Hu Cavalry Battalion had long since fled without a trace, and the Rapid as Tigers Battalion, which had held out for so long, could truly hold no longer. Like a dike collapsing before a flood, they crumbled and routed in droves.

Wang Yi watched this scene from behind the lines, stupefied.

They had not been broken by last night's meteor; in fact, because they had exploited it well, morale had even risen a little. Today the wind direction had been extremely favorable. The torrential rain had poured down on the heads of both armies, favoring neither side. As for the advantages of armor and numbers, those went without saying. So why had the Xin army lost?

Who was to blame?

"Blame Diwu Lun!"

Wang Yi hurled his riding crop to the ground. This Great Xin god of war, who styled himself "the greatest general under heaven," could only, under the protection of a few hundred personal guards, abandon his army — shattered by the Han soldiers' keen edge — cross the Zhi River, and flee north in disgrace.

Kunyang could be lost, but the villain Diwu — must die!

Wang Yi's heart was still fixated on the desire to rescue Chang'an. If he could not bring back all three hundred thousand, he had to at least bring half back to His Majesty the Emperor, surely?

But Wang Yi had already completely lost control of the situation. The surrounding units all realized the battle was lost. No longer caring about sheltering from the rain, they poured out of their camps and surged toward the Zhi River, now swollen and raging after the storm, fighting to wade across.

And at that very moment, the garrison inside Kunyang city also beat their drums and sallied forth. Forces inside and out joined together, their earth-shaking roar shaking the heavens!

The wind direction was still against the Han troops, but they still followed Liu Xiu in pursuit of the shattered enemy, shouting their charge cry.

"Wind! Great Wind!"

…

The defender of Kunyang, the Gengshi regime's Commandant of Justice Wang Chang, felt as though he were dreaming.

This was the sixth day since Liu Xiu had left. That morning, some had still been cursing Liu Wenshu: "Even crawling, he should have arrived from Dingling by now. Liu Xiu has always been timid as a chicken, with no talent to speak of. Outside there are a million Xin troops. Even if he managed to beg some soldiers, he would have taken them back south to Nanyang. How could he possibly come to our rescue? He must have fled!"

Wang Yi had assaulted the city for days. Kunyang's casualties were grievous. The chief commander, the Duke Who Stabilizes the State Wang Feng, had grown so desperate he wanted to surrender. If Wang Yi had pressed just a little harder, Kunyang would certainly have fallen.

Yet just before the Kunyang garrison collapsed, the attacks ceased. Wang Yi had actually turned his army around and was withdrawing!

Wang Chang and the others guessed that Wancheng must have fallen, and that the Gengshi Emperor and Liu Bosheng were bringing the main army to their rescue. Just as they were rejoicing, a fierce gale sprang up, tearing roof tiles into the air, and a force attacked from the east, beginning to hammer the Xin army fiercely.

But as for what happened next, the men in Kunyang could learn no more. Their view was completely blocked by the torrential rain. They could only hear the crash of thunder, and now and then the shouts of battle, but had no idea who was winning or losing.

Wang Chang paced the city wall, his heart burning with anxiety. That relief force must be Liu Xiu. But for him, with a mere few thousand men, to attack Wang Yi's force a hundred times larger — this truly was not Liu Wenshu's usual style.

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This went on for a full half a double-hour. When the rain finally eased and Wang Chang looked out again, he was stunned to discover:

The Xin troops lingering below the walls had begun a ragged rout. In the distance, countless Xin army formations were all retreating north. It was Liu Xiu's army instead — their red banners, though soaked by the rain, still stood out starkly — while Grand Minister of Works Wang's formation had already shattered.

"General Liu has won?"

After the shock came wild joy. Wang Chang immediately threw open the gates and led every man in Kunyang still able to walk out in pursuit through the light rain. For a time, drums thundered and war cries rose in a mighty surge.

The Xin troops collapsed in a great rout. Though tens of thousands still remained below the pass, not a man had the courage to turn and resist. Some knelt and surrendered; the rest fled without stopping. The fleeing trampled one another, and corpses lay strewn for more than ten li.

The weather remained foul — great thunder, fierce wind, roof tiles flying through the air, rain falling in torrents. The Zhi River overflowed its banks, trapping many of the defeated troops there. Soldiers did not know where their commanders were — perhaps they had fled themselves. Commanders did not know where their soldiers were. Everywhere the eye could see were defeated men whose units had disintegrated. They had no choice but to surrender to the Greenwood Han troops.

The baggage, rations, and supply wagons abandoned across the field would probably take a month to clear. Wang Chang rode through the wreckage-strewn battlefield and reached the bank of the Zhi River to link up with the relief force.

Only then did he see the great hero of the day, Liu Xiu. The bloodstains on Liu Xiu's armor had been washed away by the rain, but a few more arrows now jutted from it. Deng Yu was helping him remove the armor to treat his wounds.

Liu Xiu simply shut his eyes and endured the pain, a smile at the corner of his mouth. Though his body was soaked through, the humiliation the Little Chang'an defeat had left him had been washed clean in today's great victory!

Wang Chang's regard for Liu Xiu in the past had been only faint appreciation; he had admired his elder brother Liu Bosheng far more.

But today, when Wang Chang walked up to Liu Xiu, his legs nearly buckled. He almost dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Liu Xiu, whose standing and power in the Gengshi regime were both beneath his own!

Wang Chang now understood why, after the Battle of Julu, the various lords who had watched from their ramparts crawled on their knees into the Chu encampment and bowed their heads to the ground before Xiang Yu!

Though he managed to hold back from kneeling, Wang Chang was still utterly deferential to Liu Xiu: "General, when you laid out the plan for us and spoke of the battles of Jimo and Pengcheng, you said they were great victories where one man stood against ten."

"But today, General, with a mere few thousand men you defeated Wang Yi's army of several hundred thousand — that is one man standing against a hundred!"

This was a miracle the likes of which Wang Chang had never witnessed, so much so that even this great victory felt unreal to him.

But Liu Xiu was no Xiang Yu.

Liu Xiu shed the fierce valor and decisiveness he had shown in battle and returned to his customary humility. He bowed deeply to Wang Chang and said with an honest, simple smile, "What merit does Liu Xiu have? It was all by the strength of you gentlemen!"

In Liu Xiu's telling, the credit belonged to Ma Wu, Li Yi, and the other chieftains who had fought alongside him — even Deng Chen, who had arrived late with reinforcements, had contributed more than he had! Even Wang Feng and Wang Chang inside Kunyang city had far surpassed his own kills!

As for him, Liu Xiu, he had merely offered one trifling suggestion. And if you asked why he had charged so fiercely at the front — ah, that was because his horse had been startled during the battle and bolted forward against his will, putting him ahead of everyone by a single horse's head, nothing more.

When drafting the memorial to the Gengshi Emperor, he, Liu Xiu, must be listed last among the heroes of Kunyang — let no one fight him for that spot!

At this, the looks the others gave Liu Xiu grew even more admiring and full of esteem. When he could no longer deflect their praise, Liu Xiu put on a simple, guileless face and said, "Commandant of Justice, just look at this rain, this wind, this thunder — it was Heaven aiding the Great Han, Heaven aiding His Majesty the Gengshi Emperor. This battle truly had nothing to do with Liu Xiu."

The dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight broke through, falling on Liu Xiu's sharply defined face. He smiled modestly:

"I merely happened to be in the right place and got a little lucky, that's all!"

…

Another man, however, felt his luck was utterly wretched.

Dou Rong had been set free by someone during the army's rout. Wang Mu, the son of the Grand Minister of Works, who had come from Guanzhong bearing grievous news, happened to be his nephew.

It was also from Wang Mu's mouth that Dou Rong learned the whole story: why Wang Yi had flown into a rage and arrested him, and why he had stubbornly insisted on withdrawing the troops — it was all because Diwu Lun had rebelled!

"Boyu, ah, Boyu, I never imagined you had such daring."

Recalling further how Diwu Lun had predicted the meteor and Liu Xiu's role, Dou Rong felt even more that this man was unfathomably deep.

Dou Rong had no time to dwell on it. He had to flee at once with Wang Mu. They had already lost contact with Wang Yi and could only flee amidst the chaos of the routed troops.

An army of three hundred thousand takes nearly half a year to organize, a month to hastily train, and another month on the march.

Yet its collapse required only a single two-hour period!

Once Wang Yi was defeated, every camp was shaken. Without waiting for orders, they all abandoned their camps and fled in chaos, each man running for his homeland, all crowding toward the riverbank.

The competitors in the crush were not just men and horses — there were even several rhinoceroses and elephants!

This was an idea someone had proposed after Wang Mang summoned sixty-three experts in warfare from across the realm to accompany the army. The Shanglin Park still held many fierce beasts left from the Former Han, and even elephants sent as tribute from the south. Hadn't the Emperor complained they wasted provisions? They might as well be put to use.

"Your Majesty, in ancient times, when the Yellow Emperor fought the Flame Emperor in the wilds of Banquan, he led bears, brown bears, wolves, leopards, tiger-cats, and tigers as his vanguard, and used eagles, pheasants, hawks, and kites as his banners — this was using force to command birds and beasts."

"Now Your Majesty is the descendant of the Yellow Emperor, and the Nanyang rebels are descendants of the Flame Emperor. Why not likewise use birds as banners and let the beasts follow the army to strike them?"

Imitating the southern Yue people's use of elephant troops was only the lesser scheme; they actually wanted to create rhinoceros cavalry. And so these beasts had consumed provisions along the way without even being usable as pack animals. Having trudged a thousand li, they were now fleeing alongside the men in the storm. Tigers and leopards in their cages trembled with fear, while rhinoceroses and elephants bellowed, adding to the chaos of the scene and lending this wretched defeat a touch of absurd comedy.

Dou Rong and his companions spurred their horses into the water to swim across. It was only thanks to the many corpses in the river filling the bottom that they managed to cross to the far bank, then fled wildly northward.

They ran deep into the night. Wang Yi's whereabouts remained unknown, but the three-hundred-thousand-strong army had already scattered in rout, men fleeing east, west, south, and north — each man's destination his own homeland.

That night, when the remnant defeated soldiers poured into Fucheng County to rest, Dou Rong, through careful questioning, finally learned the full details of the Guanzhong situation from Wang Mu. Wang Mu also urged him: "Uncle, Father was only momentarily enraged at Diwu Lun and that's why he locked you up. He will surely withdraw to Luoyang. Once we arrive, I will plead for you myself!"

Dou Rong agreed readily, but inwardly he had his own thoughts. He worried about his family in Pingling County, pondered the contest between Diwu Lun and Wang Mang, and considered where the realm would go after the great defeat at Kunyang.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At midnight, someone cried out, "The Han troops are here!" Everyone fled the city in panic, and another bout of frantic running ensued. But in the midst of this chaos, Dou Rong signaled several trusted followers with his eyes, and his carriage and horses broke away from the column fleeing toward Luoyang.

"Though I have sought only to protect myself, all these years I have been open and upright, and have never once committed an act of rebellion against the Xin."

Dou Rong laughed coldly. "But since Wang Yi disregards old ties and insists on slandering me, I, Dou Rong, will not let anyone accuse me in vain!"

He cast to the ground the seal and cord of the General of the Bo River, which Wang Yi had not had time to strip from him.

"Dou Rong shall be a minister of Xin no longer!"

Whether or not Diwu Lun managed to take Chang'an, after the battle of Kunyang, the Xin Dynasty was already utterly finished.

The heavens had changed!

But he himself bore an indirect blood feud with the Chongling Liu clan — surrender was out of the question.

Fortunately, in this realm, "Han" was not the only place to go!

Dou Rong turned his horse's head to the west. "Find a way back to Guanzhong — we go to join Lord Diwu!"

…

PS: Chapter 3 at 18:00.