Jinting Han people

Two days after crossing the river, the Hebei rebel army numbered 100,000. Scouts reported that after the enemy retreated to Yanshi, all units converged on the banks of the Yi River, forming a formidable force, seemingly numbering no less than 50,000 to 60,000. Among them were several thousand armored cavalry, tens of thousands of regular cavalry, and a thousand wagons linked together by iron chains, with generals' horses encircled within. There were also over a thousand crossbows of various sizes. The infantry's armor was mostly iron, painted in various colors. Even from several miles away, the value of their equipment and the discipline of their army were impressive.

While they were gathering, Sima Yi also received a letter of surrender from Sun Xiu. He summoned his advisors to discuss the matter.

Upon receiving the letter, Shangguan Yi and other former officials of the Prince's Palace were overjoyed. They congratulated Sima Yi, saying, "Your Highness's reputation for virtue is so great that even Sun Xiu fears him! We should immediately send an envoy to negotiate with Sun Xiu and accept this tremendous achievement!"

But Liu Xian disagreed. He summoned the messenger and asked, "Is there any news of the Emperor in Luoyang?"

The envoy was bewildered and did not know what Liu Xian meant.

Liu Xian then sneered twice and said to Sima Yi, "Your Highness, this is definitely Sun Xiu's delaying tactic."

"How so?" No one understood the logic behind it.

Liu Xian said, "Our army is fighting under the banner of serving the emperor. If he truly intended to surrender and preserve his descendants, he should have invited the emperor from Jinyong City out and asked him to be reinstated. But judging from the messenger's words, there is no news of the emperor in the city, and Sun Xiu has arrayed his troops at the Yi River. What does this mean? He is not even willing to make the most basic gesture of relinquishing power! Now he has only sent a letter; there must be something fishy about it!"

Therefore, Liu Xian concluded: "I guess there are only two possibilities: either they are waiting for an opportunity to ambush our army, or they are trying to buy time."

Sima Yi felt this made sense, and upon seeing Sun Xiu's envoy again, he flew into a rage. Ignoring the envoy's pleas for mercy, he immediately waved his hand and said, "Guards! Take this man out and behead him! Hang his head at the camp gate!"

He then addressed his generals, saying, "Even on the verge of death, this traitor Sun still plots and schemes! The nation is ruined by such a villain! Since he feigns surrender, I will fight him for real. Immediately contact my sixteenth brother! I will fight him to the death tomorrow!"

Having said that, he immediately sent Liu You to contact Sima Ying. Sima Ying had already crossed the river and was stationed with his troops five li east of Changshan Army. Logically, a fast horse would have gone there, made contact, discussed matters, and returned to report—it should have taken only half an hour. However, two hours passed, and Liu You hadn't returned by nightfall.

This situation inevitably caused the generals of Changshan to have some doubts. At this time, they had met with some local people and gentry in their army and heard some bad rumors: that the Prince of Chengdu wanted to take all the credit and was waiting for an opportunity to kill the Changshan army. At first, they did not believe it, but at this critical moment, such a strange sign appeared, so it was no wonder that people had many thoughts and began to doubt the truth of the rumors.

Just as everyone was filled with suspicion, the messenger finally came to report that Liu You had arrived with Sima Ying and Lu Zhi! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly took torches and went out of the camp to greet them.

As soon as Sima Ying met him, he shook Sima Yi's hand and said, "Brother! You almost fell into the villain's trap!"

Only then did everyone realize that the Chengdu King's army had also received the same letter and heard the same rumors. The reason for the long delay was that the Northern Expeditionary Army Commander was suspicious and unsure whether to join forces with the Changshan Army to avoid being suddenly attacked, and they debated this for a long time.

Lu Zhi continued, "If Changshan Palace wanted to fight each other, they could have seized power after their defeat at Huangqiao the first time. Why would they wait until here to stage a coup? Besides, we're new here. Where would the people have heard these rumors? Someone must be spreading them in secret!"

Thus, the Northern Expeditionary Army Commander ceased the debate and agreed to join forces with the Changshan Army to fight again. Sun Xiu's strategy for survival thus quietly failed.

However, after learning that the Zhao King's army was arrayed along the river, how to fight and win became a problem that the rebel army had to face.

Liu Hong analyzed the situation for the two kings, saying, "Sun Xiu is currently leading his army in Yanshi, with his troops arrayed between Mangshan and the Yi River. This place is not narrow, but it is not spacious for our army either. Of the 100,000 troops arrayed here, at most only 20,000 to 30,000 can advance to fight. If we engage in a head-on battle, our army will probably not be able to maneuver effectively, and our numerical advantage will not be easy to utilize."

"Considering that the enemy has come out in full force and equipped their entire arsenal, we can deploy iron chariots in front of the lines and powerful crossbows behind them. If we launch a head-on attack, the enemy will rain down arrows, and our casualties will likely be extremely heavy."

Sima Ying didn't quite understand, so she pretended to be thinking and remained silent.

Sima Yi countered, "Lord Xuancheng, can't our army abandon the enemy forces and march straight for Luoyang?"

Liu Hong shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not. Our army is so large that if we are not careful, we will make a big mistake. The enemy army is less than 20 miles away from our army. If we ignore the enemy army and advance on Luoyang, we will expose our flanks, which will be difficult to defend. If the enemy army launches a surprise attack, our army will be in great difficulty to deal with it."

At this point, everyone fell into deep thought, realizing it was indeed a troublesome matter. At this distance, any slight movement by the army would be immediately detected by enemy scouts, making tactics like night raids or encirclement of enemy camps difficult to execute. Was the only option to focus on troop deployment and formation?

As Sima Yi pondered, he glanced at the crowd and saw that Liu Hong, Liu Xian, and Lu Zhi either had calm expressions or smiles on their lips. He couldn't help but think to himself: It seems that they have already made up their minds. They just want to suppress the arrogance in the army and are keeping it a secret for now.

With this idea in mind, Sima Yi reflected on his various experiences since the start of the campaign against the rebels. He suddenly recalled his conversation with Liu Xian when they first met, where they discussed Sun Xiu and his hunting expeditions. Finally, he gained some insight.

He asked Liu Hong, "Duke of Xuancheng, Sun Xiu has suffered repeated defeats, so why are the Imperial Guards still willing to risk their lives for him?"

Seeing Liu Hong stroke his beard and smile, Sima Yi immediately knew that he had asked the right question.

Liu Hong pointed at Liu Xian and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid Lord Liu understands this question better than I do. Let him answer it."

Liu Xian did not refuse and analyzed, "Many people say that Sun Xiu is good at bewitching people and promising official positions. But if you ask me, his greatest skill is to distort the truth. He is well aware of the magic of language, often making the unfavorable seem favorable and the unattainable seem attainable, and then telling one huge lie after another, making others intoxicated in the dream he has woven."

“I dare say that he is now resorting to his old tricks again, telling a series of outrageous lies to deceive the Imperial Guard into working for him.”

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi suddenly realized and then laughed, "Therefore, as long as we find a way to expose his lies and break through this illusion, the enemy's morale will collapse on its own. What use are their superior weapons and armor then?"

“Yes,” Lu Zhi also chimed in, “In my opinion, our army only needs to make good use of two people, and we will be confident of victory in this battle!” “Who?”

Everyone listened with curiosity, and then Lu Zhi said a name.

After the military council concluded, Liu Xian returned to his tent. It was already 7 PM. The night was pitch black, with thick clouds obscuring the sky, and not a trace of moonlight or starlight could be seen.

When Li Sheng saw Liu Xian and Zhuge Yan return, knowing that they had been discussing military matters for a long time and had not yet had dinner, he brought over two boiled eggs for them to eat first. Then he asked the kitchen to reheat their dinner and then asked Liu Xian, "How did the military discussion go?"

While peeling an egg, Liu Xian replied, "Go and inform all units in the army that they will break camp at Chenshi tomorrow and head to Yanshi for a decisive battle with the enemy."

After receiving the order, Li Sheng didn't say much and immediately went to find his officers to inform them of the matter.

Unexpectedly, a moment later, a strong wind suddenly arose from the horizon. This gale blew in from the south, whipping up yellow sand and instantly extinguishing the torches and oil lamps used for patrolling the camp. A fishy, ​​slightly damp, earthy smell immediately filled the air, seeping through the swaying tent flaps and quickly into the tent. Liu Xian put down the scroll in his hand, stood up, and rolled up the tent flap hanging in front of the tent entrance.

At this moment, the two could clearly hear the trees of Mangshan swaying and howling for a long time, leaves of various shapes fluttering in the sky, and some birds flying around in the unseen darkness, emitting heartbreaking cries.

"What a strong wind! It's almost as strong as the wind in Qiuchi!" Zhuge Yan said with a nostalgic expression. For him, Wudu and Yinping were his hometowns. Since coming to Guandong, he had not heard such a clear wind for a long time.

Liu Xian smiled at him and said, "It looks like it's going to rain soon."

Sure enough, just as the wind began to subside, crisp raindrops followed closely behind, swirling and chasing after it. The rain suddenly intensified, pelting the surrounding pine, cypress, and sycamore trees, creating a rustling sound as thousands of leaves fell.

On a sweltering summer day, such a refreshing downpour dispelled the heat, a truly delightful thing. Liu Xian reached out and caught the raindrops outside the tent, watching them drip onto his fingers. For some reason, a sense of joy, like that of a bountiful harvest, suddenly welled up within him. He thought of his past self, the gloomy and irritable boy in the manor—had he now become a composed and serene person?
A while later, a soldier wearing a straw raincoat brought Liu Xian his meal. Liu Xian accepted the food box, thanked the soldier, and then began to eat with Zhuge Yan. With the decisive battle imminent, Liu Xian indulged in a rare act of luxury, stewing a pot of dog meat. Although seasonings were scarce in the army, at this time, just a little salt and some dew-kissed purple clover sprouts were enough to make a delicious meal.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, a thunderclap descended from the sky, exploding above the military camp. One bolt of lightning struck a pine tree in front of the camp gate in a bizarre manner. Amidst the deafening thunder, the pine tree burned for a moment before collapsing to the ground with a crash, splitting into several pieces. This strange sight caused an uproar throughout the army.

A short while later, Li Sheng returned soaked in the rain. He quickly asked Liu Xian, "My lord, did you see that lightning bolt just now?"

"I saw it, what happened?"

Li Sheng changed his robe, wiped his face with a dry cloth, and said, "When the soldiers saw this scene, they said that before the great battle, lightning struck a pine tree. The Great Jin belongs to the Wood element in the Five Elements. This may be a warning from Heaven that it is not auspicious for us to go into battle tomorrow."

"Oh? Are there many people in the military talking about it?"

"That's quite a lot. I estimate that in a couple of days, the entire army will know!"

As they were talking, Sima Yi and Sima Ying also sent people over to inquire about the matter. They were discussing it, but they added a few more reasons. After all, the roads were muddy after the heavy rain and not suitable for the army to march. They wondered if they should wait until the weather cleared up and the ground hardened before fighting the battle.

Liu Xian disagreed with this, and reported back: "Since the strategy has been decided, there is no need to hesitate any longer. This time, our army did not win the battle by relying on cavalry. On the contrary, the enemy has more armored cavalry. From this point of view, it is actually our side that benefits."

"The news hasn't spread yet, and the soldiers are just treating it as a strange story. If the army really postpones the battle because of this, it will only fuel the rumors and make the soldiers uneasy, thinking that our battle is unlucky. In that case, the morale that has been raised so hard will drop again."

After receiving the reply, both kings agreed with this statement, and the army continued to march according to the original plan.

However, this did indeed cause Liu Xian some concern. After finishing his dinner, he put on a raincoat and straw hat and braved the rain to inspect the three armies, in order to guard against any further accidents in the army.

It was now completely night, and the rain poured down in the camp. The lights in each tent flickered precariously, as if they were about to plunge into an endless, dark hell, or as if the rain would continue for the entire summer. The river was visibly turbulent, and the floating boats that formed the bridge rose and fell with the tide, seemingly about to be swept away by the current in the flashes of lightning.

Even in such a raging storm, Liu Xian continued to patrol the camp, which greatly comforted the soldiers. They said, "Fighting alongside such a cautious man as Lord Liu is like wearing clothes made by our mother; we can go anywhere in the world."

They then asked Liu Xian, "What does Lord Liu think of the lightning and fire just now?"

Liu Xian replied, "Where there is wind, thunder, rain, and lightning, there must be dragons roaming. It is probably that the gods have sent dragons and snakes to protect us, to help us kill Sun Xiu's ghost soldiers, and to ward off evil for us!"

As he spoke, his gaze was resolute, yet his smile was amiable. He had weathered too many storms in officialdom, and even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him, he would not waver in the slightest. Seeing this, the soldiers gradually calmed down and fell into a deep sleep amidst the thunder and rain.

When they awoke again, it was early morning. The downpour had ended, and a refreshing mist filled the air. The sky above was an astonishingly clear blue, and the brilliant, golden sunlight shone brightly. Glistening water droplets clung to the leaves of countless trees, gently dripping in the breeze. Everywhere on the land of Mangshan, puddles shimmered in the morning light, the tranquility making the previous night seem like a dream.

It's a fine day, perfect for winning a battle.

After having breakfast, the soldiers trudged up the mountain path, their steps uneven, towards the summit of Mangshan. (End of Chapter)