Chapter 499: Forcing the Crossing

"This damned Ji River."

The Red Eyebrows' Second Lord, Xu Xuan, stared at the river before him and cursed aloud.

After the army reached the Ji River, Xu Xuan had also sent men upstream and downstream to search for crossing points. Unlike ordinary streams, the Ji River was, after all, one of the ancient "Four Great Waterways," ranked alongside the Yangtze, the Yellow River, and the Huai — it still demanded a measure of respect. Without boats, fording it by swimming was essentially impossible.

But the opposite bank was held by the Wei army left to guard Dingtao, perhaps seven or eight thousand men, who controlled the main ferries near Dingtao, denying the Red Eyebrow Army so much as a single plank. They could only improvise crude bamboo rafts on the spot. This had delayed them for several more days. The moment Xu Xuan thought of First Lord Fan locked in a decisive battle with the Wei army between the Yellow River and the Ji, while he himself was blocked here, he grew thoroughly agitated.

The Red Eyebrow Army had already prepared to force a crossing, smash the enemy, and then rush to the battlefield — only the exact location still needed to be settled. Xu Xuan had personally inspected several spots. That day, when he reached a ferry near the lower reaches of Dingtao, a foul stench struck him from far off.

The Red Eyebrows knew that smell all too well: the odor of corpses that had soaked too long in water. When they drew near, even Xu Xuan, who had campaigned across several provinces, was stunned.

The Ji River downstream of Dingtao was blanketed with floating bodies. Some had been in the water for days and were unrecognizable, but judging by the clothes on them, they were Red Eyebrow brothers.

Xu Xuan recalled that when Ma Yuan seized Dingtao, he had indeed captured a large batch of Red Eyebrow troops, reportedly held in a fortified settlement beside the water near Dingtao. Xu Xuan had earlier thought that if he could take it along the way and free them, they could serve as reinforcements…

But according to captured locals, a few days earlier, the Wei army had flooded that small settlement. Unbroken wails and howls of agony had been heard, and afterward, officials ordered the people of Dingtao to help bury the dead. Yet many corpses had been swept out by the Ji River and drifted downstream.

This was a massacre. No wonder the Wei army could commit every man to the Ji River line — they no longer needed to guard prisoners.

Xu Xuan was suddenly seized with fury, but an instant later, he felt a surge of grim satisfaction.

Fan Chong regarded the Red Eyebrows as brothers and sisters; Xu Xuan regarded the Red Eyebrows as his life's enterprise.

A loss may turn out to be a gain. This event let the Wei army free up large numbers of men to block the Red Eyebrows, but on the other hand, it could also rouse their shared hatred and enmity. Forcing a crossing of the Ji River required precisely that — morale!

Xu Xuan feigned righteous indignation: "Fish out the floating dead and give them proper burial. And let all the Elders and Attendants see this."

"This is what comes of surrendering to Wei!"

…

Between the Yellow River and the Ji lies another river, shallower and narrower than the Ji. As the verse goes: "Youthful journeys, thoughts drifting endlessly — a single bend of shore-plants, the Pu River flows."

The climate along the Pu is mild. Reeds sway in the spring breeze, northbound migratory birds forage at the water's edge, and a great tortoise sprawls lazily on the bank, basking in the sun. If one built a little hut by the water and planted a few acres of lean fields, one could be self-sufficient without any contact with the outside world. No wonder Zhuangzi in his later years chose this as his place of seclusion, fishing at leisure, free and untroubled.

But this poetic scene was fragile. A burst of hurried footsteps sent the gulls and egrets flying up in alarm, while the old tortoise dragged its tail through the mud and slipped into the water to hide. Ever since Zhuang Zhou had set it free in its youth, every hundred years the tranquil Pu River would endure a spell of turmoil — it was used to it by now.

What shattered the stillness was a light-equipped Wei detachment, under orders to search the north bank of the Pu for suitable crossing points.

A commander must first thoroughly study the maps: the narrow defiles, the waters that swamp chariots, the famous mountains and connecting valleys, the main rivers, hills, and mounds. The Wei army did its cartography well, using the maps and registers from the imperial storehouses as a base to produce simplified topographic charts for every province. But even the most precise map could only show a river's general course; specific hydrological conditions varied with the seasons, requiring men to be sent to gather local fishermen as guides.

Even their word could not be fully trusted. The scouting teams had to test the depth with bamboo poles at every spot, and even wade out to midstream to gauge it.

Just as they reached mid-river, the water rising past their chests, scattered arrows and stones shot from the south bank of the Pu forced the Wei scouts to fall back.

The Red Eyebrows on the south bank of the Pu were also numerous, with many locals among them, and they too had divided their forces to guard the shallow, easily crossed sections.

Diwu Lun's main camp was set near the Zhuangzi Fishing Platform, a square plot of over three hundred mu on the north bank, spacious enough for the personal guard battalion. To the west lay a dense poplar grove, convenient for gathering firewood and timber for the crossing.

"Since ancient times, in river-crossing campaigns, the most brilliant stroke of surprise was perhaps that of the Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin — feigning defeat to lure the enemy into crossing halfway."

Inside the great tent, they were holding a council of war. Since the Red Eyebrows opposite them had been avoiding battle and retreating, luring the enemy would likely prove difficult. Moreover, Han Xin's stratagem required unique geographical conditions upstream, so it had to be set aside.

"Beyond that, there are two common methods of attack."

The Left Chancellor Geng Chun proposed: "In ancient times, the famous Qi general Kuang Zhang attacked Chu. He and the Chu army faced each other across a river for half a year. Later, a local woodcutter told him that discerning the river's depth was not difficult: wherever the Chu army placed heavy defenses, the water was shallow; wherever they placed few defenders, the water was deep. Kuang Zhang then selected crack troops and crossed by night precisely at the heavily defended points, thereby routing the Chu army."

"The Red Eyebrows retreated all the way from Chuqiu to here. Their pace was fast, true, but it was largely a desperate flight. Xie Lu's forces scattered by nearly half along the way. The Pu River is long, so he can only focus his defenses on the shallow stretches. We can concentrate thirty thousand Ji Province troops and launch a night assault at Wating Ford, where the current is shallow. Once we break the enemy on the bank, our follow-up forces will pour across in an unending stream — the Pu can be crossed."

The Tiger Might General Zhang Zong, unwilling to be outdone, proposed: "The Red Eyebrow bandits are better fighters than the Tongma. A frontal assault across the water against their heavy defenses may prove disadvantageous. Better to make a noisy feint to draw their main strength, then send strong swimmers to slip across at the deep, lightly defended spots, ropes tied to their bodies. The follow-up troops can pull themselves along the ropes to cross. That way we can get over a thousand elite warriors from the Three He regions across, who can then support the main force."

"Both ministers' proposals have merit."

Diwu Lun had both a direct and an indirect strategy in mind, but when he laid out the crossing attack points, he spread them along a horizontal line.

He said: "But the banks of the Pu are soft and damp, and the Yellow River once flooded into it, leaving behind vast deposits of silt. If the army masses together, trampled by tens of thousands of feet, the soldiers will be stuck before they even enter the water. Landing will be even more hampered by the mud. Therefore, in this battle, our forces should be dispersed, not concentrated."

"From Wating Ford in the west to Lihu County in the east, this stretch of several dozen li — all of it shall be our crossing ground."

…

Just as Diwu Lun had anticipated, the Fourth Lord Xie Lu on the south bank of the Pu had indeed seen many of his men scatter during the retreat and could not fully regroup them. With forces roughly equal, the only way to defeat the Wei army was to strike them mid-crossing!

But the Wei army did not concentrate its forces at a single point. Instead, they spread out in a string along the Pu, identified many shallow spots suitable for crossing, and kept sending men to probe.

Xie Lu was a veteran of many years of campaigning. He knew what Diwu Lun was trying to do: he was likely making a noisy demonstration merely to disperse the Red Eyebrow forces, spreading their defensive line thin like a flattened pancake, and then he would concentrate his elite troops, pick a single point, and punch right through!

"To defend everywhere is to defend nowhere."

But the most maddening thing was, even realizing this possibility, Xie Lu could only send men to shadow the Wei army. Wherever the enemy camped, they had to watch from the opposite bank: what if Diwu Lun's crack troops chose to cross precisely at an undefended spot?

Xie Lu could only hope that First Lord Fan, with whom he had just made contact, would quickly annihilate Ma Yuan at Zhuzao City and turn back.

On the night of the eighteenth day of the second month, Xie Lu could not sleep. He rose to inspect the camp. This spot was the shallowest stretch of the Pu for several dozen li in either direction, with gently sloping banks and no natural obstacles. The campfires on the opposite bank were the densest, and by day the Intertwined Dragon Banner could be seen — perhaps this was Diwu Lun's main camp. So Xie Lu had to keep a personal watch on it.

Unlike the orderly stockades of the Wei army, the Red Eyebrow camps were far cruder. They had no barracks or even tents; often, a man simply spread a straw mat on the ground and lay down anywhere. By mid-second-month, the banks of the Pu already teemed with mosquitoes and insects, which tormented the Red Eyebrow fighters all night as they tossed and scratched.

"I'm like an old ox, led by the nose ring Diwu Lun has on me — I can only follow where he goes!"

Xie Lu was deeply disheartened. Diwu Lun had reached the Pu only a single day ago, yet the initiative already rested entirely with the attacking side. They could only passively wait for the moment the enemy launched their general assault!

Yet after all that waiting, the final attack came from behind them!

At the third watch, Xie Lu first received an urgent report from his scouts that an army had come from the southwest and attacked the Red Eyebrows' westernmost camp!

The Red Eyebrows' scouts were posted much closer in than the Wei army's, and their intelligence could not be systematically processed. The useful details were often buried amid a mass of useless information; by the time you truly received a warning, it was usually too late.

Sure enough, just moments later, Xie Lu suddenly heard the faint sound of drums from the southwest, and shouts of battle drifting over on the night wind.

They had approached under the moonlight, the clanking of their black armor as they marched masked by the rustling wind. Crouching low, they crossed the reed beds and launched their assault, directly overrunning a Red Eyebrow riverbank camp and setting it ablaze.

As if lighting an enormous beacon, the Wei army on the opposite bank, receiving the signal, promptly began its own crossing. In great alarm, Xie Lu could only dispatch men to reinforce, but they met fierce resistance, and the relief force was beaten back.

Only then did he learn that this Wei force attacking fiercely from his rear was no raiding party of a few hundred or a thousand — it numbered a full ten thousand men! Now there was no more need for concealment; they all lit their torches and proceeded along the Pu, rooting out one dispersed Red Eyebrow camp after another!

This was a chain stratagem. Diwu Lun had first spread his forces along the north bank to entice the Red Eyebrows into dividing theirs as well — not merely to fish in troubled waters, but more importantly to create an opening for the General Who Sweeps the Wilds, Zheng Tong, coming from Chenliu. Ten thousand elite central-army troops against Red Eyebrow camps that, once dispersed, held no more than a few thousand men each — was that not far easier?

One, two, three — General Who Sweeps the Wilds Zheng Tong had already smashed three camps in succession, and the din drew nearer and nearer. The routed troops could not be stopped. Xie Lu personally led his soldiers and only with difficulty drove back the enemy vanguard. But when he turned, clutching his arm where a crossbow bolt had struck, and looked back toward the Pu, he froze.

The Wei army's dozen-plus camps, spread over several dozen li along the north bank of the Pu, had all begun crossing in rapid succession. Company after company bearing torches made the Pu seem to shimmer with reflected stars, like a volley of fiery arrows loosed into the black night.

And Diwu Lun, at that very moment, stood atop the Zhuangzi Fishing Platform, pointing forward as if shouting, "Ten thousand arrows — loose!"

When the Wei troops gained the south bank of the Pu and drove off the panic-stricken Red Eyebrows, the torches they lit merged together, as if trimming the Pu River with a border of gold, setting the ink-black night ablaze. All who saw it were shaken to the core.

"Retreat." Xie Lu closed his mouth. He knew the cause was lost. They must fall back another step, set ambushes along the road ahead, and use their lives to stop the Wei army from drawing near Zhuzao City.

By the time full daylight came and Diwu Lun crossed by boat, the Wei army had already seized the south bank. Geng Chun, who had directed the Ji Province troops' forced crossing, and General Who Sweeps the Wilds Zheng Tong, who had paid his respects at the river's edge, both awaited their Emperor.

The Pu River was far too shallow along this stretch — the boats still had over a dozen paces to go before reaching the south bank and could advance no farther. At Commander Zheng's shout, the soldiers followed the General Who Sweeps the Wilds, shed their armor, and waded into the water, trying to lift the boat and carry it ashore.

But Diwu Lun got into the water himself as well, trudging forward one deep step, one shallow step.

Zheng Tong grew frantic and quickened his pace, wanting to carry the Emperor ashore on his back, but Diwu Lun refused.

"What you carry on your back, my minister, should be the life and death of the army's struggle — not the Emperor."

He clapped the soldiers on their dark, sun-blackened shoulders. The men were all swaying unsteadily in the river current, and their hearts were swaying too.

"What did I say? So long as the three armies are of one mind, any river — whether the Ji or the Pu — can be crossed on a single reed!"

"Your Majesty's brilliant foresight!"

And so Diwu Lun, arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder with them, waded ashore together. The soldiers were wildly stirred, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" — wave after wave rising and falling, resounding along both banks of the Pu. Only the old river turtle of the Pu poked its head out, found the noise a nuisance, and dove back under.

Ignoring his thoroughly soaked clothes, Diwu Lun left a trail of wet footprints as he walked to the temporary command post and issued the follow-up orders.

"The Pu River is not deep, but neither is it shallow. Fording it is still too slow — the men can get across, but the heavy baggage cannot. Have the civilian laborers from Puyang hurry and build a pontoon bridge, so the follow-up troops can catch up."

In this campaign, Diwu Lun had relied mainly on logistics to gain the advantage, and had spent a little extra time because of it. The mission to rescue his father-in-law's party had only completed its first phase — from here on, it would all be hard fighting!

Diwu Lun singled out Zhang Zong, who had been held back and barred from moving during last night's battle and was still rather sullen this morning.

"Gentlemen, you asked to fight several times yesterday, and each time I denied you. That was because the Three He troops have a greater task."

Zhang Zong's spirits immediately lifted, but then he heard Diwu Lun say: "The General Who Sweeps the Wilds and the Guanzhong troops raided the camp by night; the Jizhou troops crossed the river last night and struck first. They are all utterly exhausted. After they eat, I fear they will have to sleep until the afternoon before they can set out. Reaching Boiled Jujube City, even marching fifty li a day, will take them until tomorrow evening at the earliest."

"The Three He troops alone are well rested and full of vigor, able to cover a hundred li in a day. Can the General manage it?"

…

And by dusk that same day, at the ford near Dingtao City, another fierce river-crossing battle was raging hotly.

Under the mountain-roar, sea-surge ferocity of the Red Eyebrows' assault — paddling their bamboo rafts with righteous fury — Assistant General Zhao Pang felt his troops were on the verge of collapse. Fear rose in his heart, and he sent a man to notify Dong Xuan inside Dingtao City.

"I beg Lord Dong to open the city gates and let us withdraw into the city."

But the gates of Dingtao City did not budge. To Dong Xuan, watching the battlefield from the city wall, the Wei army was clearly fighting the Red Eyebrows to a standstill; the enemy was also showing signs of exhaustion, and they could hold out another day or two. Zhao Pang's demand to pull back now was nothing but cowardice — he wanted to open the line and let the Red Eyebrows cross the Ji River at their leisure, just to preserve himself and his own troops.

As a military judge, Dong Xuan had witnessed such scenes countless times and could still make his own judgment. He flatly refused Zhao Pang's demand!

"What is the meaning of this, Dong Shaoping? Have you gone mad from slaughtering Red Eyebrow captives, and now you mean to harm your own allies too?" Zhao Pang was thoroughly shocked, but the messenger only relayed Dong Xuan's exact words.

"Governor Dong says: Night is falling. Opening the Dingtao city gates now might let the Red Eyebrows slip in. He hopes the General will hold on for one more night. At dawn tomorrow, if you truly cannot hold, then you may withdraw — the gates of Dingtao will open wide, and a meal will be ready."

Zhao Pang ground his teeth. "Tomorrow morning? What Dong Shaoping will be welcoming by then is likely our severed heads! I am the commanding general of this battle — for him to act this way, he will be held accountable under military law!"

"Governor Dong says: Though the General is the commanding officer, he is also the army supervisor. If Dong Xuan's judgment proves wrong, and any misfortune befalls the General and his men, he will of course cut his own throat to atone, and follow the General to the Yellow Springs as your servant."

"But until the very last moment, the Ji River defense line cannot be abandoned."

"The decisive battle is imminent — a single hair pulled affects the whole body. Holding back this Red Eyebrow force for even one more hour gives His Majesty and Commandant Ma one more measure of victory!"

"This — this is the highest military law!"

…

PS: Only one chapter today.