Jinting Han people

As a commander-in-chief, leading only 3,000 men, he wanted to charge directly into the heart of the enemy army and wait for an enemy force ten or even dozens of times larger than himself to surround him. Even the most radical people would find Meng Guan's strategy strange after learning of it.

This is indeed the case. When Qi Wannian learned the news, his first reaction was disbelief.

"Is Meng Guan crazy? He's not afraid of death?"

Even Xiang Yu, a world-renowned leader for his unparalleled military prowess, was helpless during the Siege of Gaixia, facing an army several times his size of 300,000 men, ultimately committing suicide by slashing his throat at the Wu River. And yet, Meng Guan, with only 3,000 cavalrymen, treated the army with such disregard—how could this be any different from courting death? It's truly inconceivable.

But since ancient times, we have heard of commanders sending their troops to carry out some impossible tasks to eliminate dissidents, but we have never heard of commanders actively seeking death. The more unreasonable Meng Guan's behavior is, the more it shows that the opponent is determined to win. Qi Wannian immediately understood Meng Guan's thoughts and couldn't help but laugh:

"Is he trying to force me to fight him?"

No one would seek death. It's like a sword fight. Fighting for life is a gesture, and revealing a flaw is an invitation to induce the opponent to give up defense and take the initiative to draw the sword. The same is true on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, some commanders were killed by the enemy because they exposed their positions by displaying their own banners. Later generations may have considered this a sign of folly. But in reality, the position of the commander's banner often also indicated the location of the army's elite. Countless men died in the attempt to reach the central army's banner. It is precisely for this reason that Guan Yu's execution of Yan Liang became the highest honor for a warrior.

However, Meng Guan's actions this time were more thorough. He had voluntarily separated himself from the main force, creating an opportunity for the rebels to annihilate him. Thus, Qi Wannian had to make a trade-off. If he failed to pacify Meng Guan, allowing him to rampage in the rear would inevitably lead to a complete loss of morale. On the other hand, if he turned his forces to confront Meng Guan, he would have to abandon his original plan and leave the camp. By then, the majority of the Jin army would have rushed to the rescue, forcing a premature decisive battle.

In a decisive battle, there's never a single equal. The victorious side will have the advantage of the situation, while the defeated side will have its foundation shaken. The reason Qi Wannian was able to achieve a powerful victory with a small force in Guanzhong, forcing the Jin army to hold back for a long time, was because he won two consecutive decisive battles.

However, all the victories Qi Wannian had won before were initiated after careful planning. However, this decisive battle was initiated by the Jin people, which made Qi Wannian have some concerns.

But this concern didn't last long. War is a struggle of courage and will, and only the brave can gain the support of their subordinates. With the enemy showing such a flaw, avoiding a fight would undoubtedly draw suspicion from his subordinates. Furthermore, Qi Wannian had his own reservations. He couldn't believe that the enemy had no strongholds, and Chenmayuan wasn't a dangerous place. Could he not defeat them with his all-out assault?

If this is acknowledged, there is no need to fight the rest of the battles because there will be no more favorable combat situation.

Qi Wannian immediately decided to leave only 10,000 people in Wugong City, and the rest of the troops would follow him back to annihilate Meng Guan.

The order was given, and the entire army was in turmoil. Most of the soldiers had heard that the Jin army had rushed into the rear and caused chaos, but only then did they realize that the leader of this Jin cavalry was actually the commander-in-chief of the Jin army. What would happen to the army in Chang'an? Who would lead it?

In fact, at the same time that Meng Guan led the Shanggu camp out of the city, the Jin army in Guanzhong was also mobilizing.

As early as mid-June, Meng Guan had announced the battle plan to the generals. Almost all the generals present found it difficult to understand. They also could not imagine that Meng Guan was willing to take such a big risk just to start a battle with the other side with an uncertain outcome.

Facing the generals' dissuasion, Meng Guan's determination was very firm. He said without question:
"The war has reached this point, which is a shame for every soldier! The soldiers are unwilling to shed blood, causing nearly one million civilians to be displaced. How can we face our country and our people? How can we face this bright and clear world?"

"Have you all forgotten the glory of a warrior? When Emperor Wu of Wei led his northern expedition against the Wuhuan, he marched a thousand miles, separated from his host, and with only a few thousand cavalrymen, he ultimately encountered the Hu people at White Wolf Mountain. The enemy he faced was more than ten times his size. Yet, he strategized, displayed his military prowess, and defeated two hundred thousand Hu bandits in a single battle! How truly magnificent! This is what we should emulate! Not simply humiliating them again and again!"

"No need to say more! If a man can't gallop through Dragon City, he should die on the battlefield! I heard that some of you have escaped several times. I'm afraid you have lost all your courage! If that's the case, then let me enjoy this honor alone!"

After hearing these words, everyone present was excited. Xia Houjun, who was listening, couldn't help but sigh when reporting to Sima Rong:

"When I usually listen to generals discussing strategy, it's all bland and boring, but when I listen to Meng Shushi's discussion of military affairs, it's like sealing the Wolf's Lair!"

In this way, no one dared to dissuade Meng Guan, and the plan was successfully implemented.

After he left, those responsible for leading the army were Zhang Gui, commander of the Zhengxi Army, and Liu Xian, commander of the Pingxi Army, while Fu Zhi, commander of the Anxi Army, stayed behind to be responsible for logistics.

Zhang Gui was responsible for leading Lu Bo, Jia Kan, Wang Quan, Huangfu Chong, Jie Xi, Hu Yuan, Zhang Hong and other troops, a total of 50,000 people, and set out from Chang'an to form the Southern Route Army.

Liu Xian was responsible for leading Suo Jing, Li Han, Zhang Guang, Huangfu Shang and other troops, a total of 20,000 people, setting out from Niyang as the Northern Army.

The two armies agreed to arrive at Mei County on July Bingshen, the third day after Meng Guan sent out his troops, to participate in this unimaginable battle.

In reality, Liu Xian had already dispatched his troops on the Renchen day of the sixth lunar month due to the distance. The assembled 20,000-man army immediately alerted the Hu scouts upon leaving Niyang. It was precisely because of this that the rebels initially focused their attention to the north and failed to anticipate Meng Guan's movements in the south, allowing Meng Guan's attack to succeed.

But Liu Xian also had no idea of the success of Meng Guan's surprise attack. As he led his troops through Fufeng County, seeing the familiar scenery along the way, memories of the previous battle flooded back, leaving him feeling uncertain.

If Meng Guan made a mistake and failed to mobilize the Hu people, the Hu people would be under no military pressure and would most likely split up and attack him. If this were to happen, Liu Xian, fighting away from home and unfamiliar with the terrain, would have no chance of successfully resisting.

But Liu Xian still chose to trust Meng Guan. Firstly, as Meng Guan said, this would be an unprecedented gamble. If it succeeded, it would go down in history. If it failed due to his own poor execution, Liu Xian would absolutely not tolerate it.

Secondly, he believed in his friends. If he couldn't trust others with his heart, it would be difficult for him to gain their friendship. So far, Meng Guan had taken more risks. A person who was willing to take risks on his own was certainly a trustworthy friend.

Fortunately, for now, all changes are still normal.

Liu Xian traveled seventy li a day. On the evening of their first day, they crossed the Jing River. All the Hu scouts and tribesmen they encountered along the way, upon seeing the northern Jin army, dared not approach, instead moving to the left and right. The next day, they arrived at Haozhi, a deserted city. However, some Hu soldiers had not yet rushed to harvest, leaving many ripe, unharvested millet fields in the surrounding areas. Liu Xian restrained his troops, refraining from trampling the fields and resting on a flat patch ten li south of the city.

On the third day, as Meng Guan led the Shanggu Camp into Mei County, the northern Jin army reached the banks of the Qiju River north of Meiyang City. This was already very close to Mei County, only about eighty miles away on the fastest official road. However, thousands of rebels were also stationed within Meiyang City. Liu Xian did not rush his advance, but waited for a while while sending scouts to gather information, particularly the movements of the main rebel force. After all, twenty miles south of Meiyang lay Wugong, where Qi Wannian's main force was stationed.

On the entire fourth day, Liu Xian did not take any action. Instead, he continued to monitor the movements of the Wugong rebels and to inquire about the news from Mei County.

This was the most critical day. If the rebels did not return to Mei County, or Meng Guan did not gain a foothold in Chenmayuan, the conditions for a joint battle in Chenmayuan would be lost. Meng Guan would have no choice but to join Liu Xian and then go to Wugong City to show off his strength and provoke, so as to create new possibilities for a joint battle.

Strangely, Liu Xian's anxiety had lessened. The initial uneasiness he'd felt when he'd first set out had nearly vanished by the time he'd finally come within striking distance of the enemy. It seemed as time went on, he was becoming more and more comfortable with the task at hand.

Instead, the surrounding subordinates felt a little nervous, because they had never fought such a battle before. People like Li Han were particularly surprised. He had never seen such a fearless general before, so he couldn't help but ask Liu Xian in person:

"Is the Marshal's plan real? Is he using us as bait?"

At this time, Meng Ping was beside Liu Xian. He admired his father the most. Upon hearing this, he immediately scolded Li Han angrily:

"How could my master be such a scum? If he wanted to do this, why would I be here? Lord Li, don't judge others by your own standards!"

This remark left Li Han speechless. In fact, he felt in his heart that people in officialdom had no morals and were capable of doing anything vile. However, it was not easy to say it openly, so he just smiled and let it go.

This incident gave Liu Xian an idea, and he simply sent Meng Ping to visit the troops under his command at this time. He took the opportunity to announce to the soldiers that the marshal's son was in the army, in order to reassure them.

When Meng Ping returned, the scouts from the east and west had also returned, and they brought back good news:

Meng Guan had successfully established camp at Chenmayuan. Wugong's rebels were mobilizing westward on a massive scale, with alarming momentum, practically out in full force. Even the Hu people within Meiyang City, save for a few still monitoring Liu Xian's forces, had abandoned the city and joined the westward march.

Liu Xian was overjoyed to hear this, as everything was going according to Meng Guan's plan. He immediately ordered his troops to break camp and march eastward along the northern plains.

It was already late at night when the army set out, but on this night that should have been quiet, all the troops, whether Hu or Jin, were marching towards Chenmayuan.

In the dead of night, the Jin army in the north lit torches to signal their path, creating a vast, raging dragon of fire across the northern plains, conspicuous in the darkness. The wolves that once roamed the plains, striking fear in the hearts of the farmers, retreated in terror, observing with curiosity and fear. Countless figures wandered and tangled in the firelight, casting a shadow on the surrounding trees, sometimes eerie, sometimes bright, causing the wood owls to stare wide-eyed. The shrill cries of monkeys pierced the air, like a drizzling rain.

Amidst this atmosphere, another fiery dragon suddenly emerged from the south. They were numerous, almost as long as the Jin troops to the north. Seeing the Jin troops from afar, they began to sing a rough ballad in an ancient Qiang-Di language that Liu Xian struggled to understand, signaling their identities. It seemed Qi Wannian had discovered them and sent them specifically to slow down Liu Xian's advance.

This was a blatant conspiracy. If Liu Xian didn't slow down and take precautions, he would be very likely to be attacked. Liu Xian could only order his troops to change their marching formation. After the entire army was transformed into a defensive formation, the fire dragon that was approaching also wisely opened up a distance. The two teams continued to move side by side on the plain.

But the marching speed was indeed slow. After two hours, the soldiers were exhausted, yet the entire army had only covered thirty miles. According to the guide, Chenmayuan was still forty miles away, but it was already dawn. If they continued at this pace, they would not reach Chenmayuan until the afternoon. By then, the main force of the rebels would have been besieging Mengguan for most of the day. Could he hold out?
Thinking of this, Liu Xian hardened his heart and decided to ignore the rebels around him and speed forward in formation. Unexpectedly, at this moment, a mighty fire dragon emerged from behind Yuanxia. Its scale was much larger than both the Jin army on the plain and the rebels below. They also sang a ballad, but it was the Jin army's war song, the same one Cao Cao had written himself, "The Turtle's Longevity":
“The tortoise, though long-lived, has its end. The flying serpent, riding the mist, will eventually turn to dust.

Even an old horse in the stable still aspires to run a thousand miles. Even a martyr in his old age still has great ambitions.

The period of shrinking is not only in the sky.The blessing of Yang Yi, you can get eternal years.

Fortunately, even singing praises one's aspirations. "

The song is majestic and solemn yet inspiring. It contains the murderous spirit of the soldiers who are willing to die bravely, as well as the respect for the eternal history and the hope for a better future.

After the song was finished, they immediately started singing from the beginning, which made the Hu people nearby change color. They no longer cared about continuing to contain Liu Xian's troops, but hurriedly ran to the southwest.

Liu Xian was overjoyed upon hearing this. He ordered his troops down to the plains to join the fire dragon coming from the east. As they got closer, they saw that it was indeed the Jin army from the south. Zhang Gui, the leader, shared Liu Xian's thoughts. Upon meeting them, his first words were, "Move faster! Leave behind anything that's difficult to carry. We must not let the Marshal get trapped!"

By this time, the sky was almost bright, and they were only ten miles away from the main force of the rebels. The vanguard of the Hu people had just reached Chenmayuan. (End of this chapter)