Jinting Han people

October 1st, the day of Yi Si, was a fairly clear day with a cold, howling wind.

Although the main army had only marched east from Chenggao a few days prior and had challenged both the Eastern and Northern armies several times, with the possibility of war looming at any moment, the soldiers remained relatively relaxed until noon due to the lack of prior orders. During their meal, some soldiers even wandered between camps, intending to gather with their friends to play dice. In their view, while war was close, it wasn't truly imminent.

But that was the reality. When Sima Yi issued the order for the entire army to take a midday rest and summoned the generals for a military meeting, the soldiers realized that the war was tonight. As for who they were fighting and how they would fight, most of them had no idea.

Fortunately, their long history of victories instilled in the soldiers an unconditional obedience to their superiors. Although the reasoning behind it was unclear, they held this belief in their hearts: no matter what kind of enemy they faced or what kind of predicament they encountered, victory would ultimately belong to them.

Since the details had already been finalized, the military council was held very briefly. Sima Yi solemnly addressed his generals: "In this battle, the armies of three sides have converged, and the fate of the people of the world is at stake. If we can successfully defeat the Eastern Army in this battle, the area south of the Yellow River will return to peace. If we can then take advantage of our victory to defeat the Northern Army, the area north of the Yellow River will also be restored to peace. I hope you will all keep this in mind, fight to the death, and restore a bright and peaceful world for all."

Afterwards, he publicly presented a sword to Liu Xian, saying, "The heavy responsibility of this battle rests on you, my lord. I hope you will take good care of yourself."

Liu Xian accepted the sword and agreed, and no one could raise any objections. Once the meeting was over, Liu Xian and Suo Jing left the command tent together. Suo Jing joked, "Truly, the younger generation is formidable! Huai Chong, I remember it's been less than five years since we pacified Qi Wannian! It's unbelievable that you've already reached this position!"

"I have no choice in this matter." Liu Xian smiled, holding the long sword given to him by Sima Yi. He half-drawn it from its sheath, but saw the words "Restoration" engraved on the blade. He then silently sheathed it and said to Suo Jing, "Lord You'an, if I could, I would also like to become a prefect of a county. I have come to this point simply to survive."

It might sound funny to people, but that's the truth.

Although Liu Xian now holds a prominent position and wields immense power, this is merely the result of his forced struggles during successive political upheavals in Luoyang. It's not that he doesn't want to keep a low profile, but his special status naturally places him at the center of attention, leaving him nowhere to hide. Moreover, Sun Xiu, before his death, had placed an additional constraint on him.

Therefore, if Liu Xian wants to leave, he must find a legitimate reason. Otherwise, not only will his family suffer misfortune, but everyone else will also see him as the greatest threat and attack him en masse.

Suo Jing was an old man who had lived through the Wei-Jin transition, so he naturally knew the cruelty of such political struggles. Upon hearing Liu Xian's words, he couldn't help but sigh, "A duke is not as good as a prefect. People's hearts are really in chaos! Alas, in my opinion, even if we win this battle, the world will not be at peace."

In fact, back when he was suppressing the rebellion of Qi Wannian, Suo Jing went to the capital to report on his duties. Seeing the chaotic political situation in Luoyang, yet people coming and going in front of the palace, and people enjoying themselves, he was moved and pointed to the bronze camel in front of the palace, sighing, "The next time I see you, perhaps it will be in thorns!"

Everything is unfolding exactly as Suo Jing predicted, and Liu Xian shares the same sentiment. He couldn't help but ask Suo Jing, "Since Lord You'an thinks this way, why doesn't he resign and retire, but instead leads the righteous army into Luoyang?"

"In chaotic times, who can stay out of trouble? No matter what, if we do our best, even if we can't change the world, at least we can save a few more lives, and that can give us some solace."

"Haha, I've learned a lot. Lord You'an is absolutely right."

After the two arrived at Suo Jing's camp, they spent about half an hour inventorying the supplies. To ensure the success of the night raid and to successfully shake off the Northern Army afterward, Liu Xian equipped each knight with a chariot. Considering the Western Army's superior skill in mounted archery and close combat, Liu Xian also procured 300,000 arrows, distributing them throughout the army, ensuring almost every soldier received two full quivers. Next were the boats for crossing the river. Each ordinary small boat could carry about twenty people and ten horses; Lu Yun had procured over four hundred boats and more than five hundred experienced fishermen. With these boats, it was estimated that the cavalry would be able to cross the river completely within half an hour.

After the inventory was completed, the two returned to the main tent, leaned against a table, and rested for two hours. When they awoke again, the sky was already dim. Liu Xian had summoned all the generals, introduced them to each one, and then arranged the troops in formation, issuing orders:

Liu Xian divided his 10,000 cavalry into ten squads, with Suo Jing, Suo Lin, and Suo Qiu as the vanguard; Guo Song, Yang Zhang, Liu Yi, and Jin Miao as the central army; Zhang Shi, Han Pu, and Huangfu Dan as the rearguard; and the Songzi battalion led by Gongsun Gong, Guo Mo, and Mao Bao as the reserve force. Although the number of men was small, their supplies and equipment made them a force to be reckoned with.

After everyone had finished preparing, it was almost dusk. The early winter night came very early, and dusk quickly turned gloomy and dark. Liu Xian led everyone back to Hulao Pass and quietly crossed the river at the ferry crossing on the west side of Hulao Pass. After everyone had crossed, they crowded densely on the beach, and the first rays of moonlight shone down.

Unlike the undulating Mangshan Mountains on the south bank of the Yangtze River, the Hebei section of the riverbank consists only of gently rolling hills and gullies, with the valleys mostly flat, forming plains of varying sizes. Reeds grow densely on the mudflats, surrounded by low trees and withered grass, interspersed with shallow pits and gullies. Liu Xian and Suo Jing concealed their troops, then fired three whistling arrows into the air as a signal that they were ready.

Since the objective was to contain the Northern Army and prevent them from reinforcing from the south, the night attacks from both sides should ideally occur at close intervals. Therefore, after crossing the river, the Northern Route Army did not immediately set off but continued to wait on the riverbank, waiting for the Southern Route Army to leave its camp first.

As they waited, night fell, and the weather turned suddenly cold. The air was damp, and the soldiers' hair and clothes became cold and clammy. A gust of wind blew by, and they felt as if they were freezing. But to avoid revealing their location, they dared not light a fire to warm themselves, and could only huddle together, shivering, or hug their horses for warmth.

After waiting for about another hour, fog began to rise in the night. The Southern Route Army had completely left the Chenggao camp and was heading towards Xingyang. Liu Xian estimated the time and said to Suo Jing beside him, "Lord You'an, it's about time. Let's set off too."

Suo Jing's eyes were red from the cold, and he kept stamping his feet, but he was in good spirits. Looking at the waning moon overhead, he said, "I hope the Bodhisattva will protect us tonight." Suo Jing was from Liangzhou and a devout Buddhist, hence his words.

Led by Mao Bao, the group began their eastward march. Although the army carried a large number of horses, the soldiers did not ride them before setting off. Instead, they tied cloth strips to the horses' muzzles and led them slowly. This was to conceal their tracks, preventing the horses from suddenly neighing, avoiding the sound of hooves from alerting the enemy, and conserving horsepower.

After walking cautiously for almost an hour, taking a small detour and deliberately avoiding the Xingyang River Bridge, they successfully reached the other side of the river plateau. At this point, they could see clusters of camps on the opposite bank, with tens of thousands of people gathered on a mudflat. Even without deliberately lighting fires, they could smell the smoke from across the river, and from a distance, the area was brightly lit.

Apart from the lights, the Northern Army camp was completely silent. Liu Xian listened carefully and could only hear the sound of the river flowing between the two banks. This reassured him: it seemed that the infiltration had been very successful and the enemy was completely unaware. So the matter was already half accomplished.

Five li further on, a tributary meanders out from the main river, pitch black in the night, resembling a giant python. This is the Python River, and the confluence of the tributary and the main river is the Python Mouth, where the Northern Army's granary is located. On the opposite bank of the tributary, soldiers patrol, and campfires burn.

A thin mist had settled over the night. There was no wind, and thick clouds hung low in the sky. The moon was nowhere to be seen, but the horizon was a pale, pale light. In this dim light, visibility was poor, but everyone could still see the small, hill-like shadows in the Mangkou camp. They all knew that those shadows were made up of sacks of grain.

Estimating the distance, the cavalry was less than two li from the Mangkou granary. Liu Xian and Suo Jing exchanged a smile; they both knew it was time to proceed according to plan. After Liu Xian gave the order, the knights, who had been traveling all night, finally roused themselves. They donned their armor, mounted their horses, untied the muzzle straps, drew their longbows, opened their quivers, and began to assemble in the pre-arranged formation. These Westerners had excellent military discipline; in less than a quarter of an hour, the previously arranged ranks were complete.

As planned, the ten cavalry units would be divided into three parts. The first vanguard would charge into the enemy camp, attacking any enemy they encountered and dispersing any remaining, resilient enemy troops. After breaking out of the enemy camp, they would circle back and re-enter the fray from a different direction. The second unit would follow closely behind the first, pursuing and eliminating any stragglers to quickly reduce their numbers. Once inside the camp, they would disperse further, attacking enemies from all sides, creating the impression that the enemy camp was surrounded. The third unit would flank the first unit, flanking to the east to intercept and kill any fleeing soldiers, especially pursuing enemy generals on horseback.

Liu Xian himself led the Songzi Battalion as the general reserve force to deal with any possible unexpected situations.

Without a bugle call, relying entirely on tacit understanding, Suo Jing gave a loud shout from the front, and then, at the age of sixty-five, led his troops into battle. He brought only the finest men who had fought against Qi Wannian in the past. They rode into the icy, bone-chilling Python Water, and not a single one fell. Facing the raging torrents in the dark night, they only had a few ups and downs before quickly crossing the giant python and rushing to the front of the Python Mouth Camp.

As expected, the Northern army lacked awareness of protecting Mangkou, with only about four thousand men in their camp. Faced with the tall horses suddenly emerging from the darkness and mist, they were all terrified, thinking they were gods descending from heaven, and scattered in all directions. Suo Jing's army stormed into the enemy camp like tigers among sheep, pursuing and driving away any enemy they encountered, making it difficult for them to form ranks and defend themselves.

The Northern Army camp was suddenly attacked and was completely unprepared. The soldiers were terrified and rushed to avoid the Imperial Guards' advance, so Suo Jing's cavalry cut through the Mangkou camp as quickly as cutting tofu.

Then they circled to the left, but using the noise and commotion of the night, they locked onto their positions and began their formation again. The Northern Expeditionary Army wasn't without opportunities to resist; if they had relied on the pointed barricades of their camp and used a hundred or so archers to fire indiscriminately through the barricades, they could have inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. However, they were probably stunned by the sudden attack and had no such idea whatsoever. They simply fled outwards, allowing Suo Jing's vanguard to move freely, as free as fish in water.

Immediately afterward, a second contingent of Guanzhong cavalry, led by Guo Song, penetrated deep into the territory. Unlike the first contingent, this cavalry did not rush to charge. Instead, they dispersed, searching for those still capable of forming ranks and counterattacking. No, they didn't even counterattack; even groups of fleeing northerners were targeted and attacked. It was like casting a net to catch fish in water; only the smallest fish could escape, while the larger ones were trapped in the mesh, their efforts futile, only able to wail and lament.

At this moment, Suo Jing led his troops back across the battlefield, the two groups of men swirling back and forth in the formation, killing anyone they encountered. In the dim light of night, the northerners, stunned by the carnage, were even more routed, losing all will to fight, and scattered in all directions to flee for their lives.

Finally, the scattered northerners faced a third cavalry charge. Zhang Shi and his men, positioning themselves strategically, drove the defeated troops back like hunting dogs chasing their prey. By this time, the battle had become a complete massacre. Even if generals like Han Xin and Bai Qi were to be resurrected, they could not lead these routed soldiers to safety.

Within half an hour, the Northern Army at Mangkou completely ceased its resistance and surrendered to Liu Xian's forces.

This went even more smoothly than Liu Xian had imagined, because while the Imperial Guard cavalry were rampaging across the north bank, the main camp on the south bank had already heard the commotion. However, for some reason, they did not immediately respond. Apart from lighting more torches and shouting for support on the south bank, they offered no substantial assistance, and not many people even crossed the bridge.

Liu Xian gazed at the vast expanse of torches on the opposite bank, trying to guess Lu Ji's thoughts. He wondered: Was the enemy's delayed response due to his unexpected attack? Or were the generals divided and arguing internally, unable to make a decision? Or was Lu Ji simply too prudent to accept such a loss and unwilling to even glance at the scene?
Regardless, Liu Xian was still pleased to see that the other side was unwilling to cross the river, as this reduced his own losses.

Upon learning that Suo Jing had completely captured the granary, Liu Xian led the Songzi Camp across the Mang River and entered the granary to inspect the spoils of war. Seeing that the warehouse was full of grain sacks, Zhuge Yan was extremely pleased. He drew his waist knife and poked a few grain sacks on the ground, and soybeans and millet gushed out, along with many other grains of rice and wheat.

At first glance, the granary contained nearly 100,000 bushels of grain. Zhuge Yan, seeing this, was quite conflicted and said to Liu Xian, "It would be such a waste to burn so much grain!"

Liu Xian had the same feeling, but he knew that these things couldn't be taken away and would only lead to his demise here. He resolutely said, "Burn them if you can. If we don't burn them today, we'll regret it even more later!"

So he directed his men to guard the prisoners while he began to burn piles of grain. Grain was a wondrous thing; in the blazing flames, it emitted a captivating aroma that was intoxicating, and the light it emitted seemed even more intense and bright, like dazzling stars right before one's eyes.

Gazing at the raging flames before him, Liu Xian felt a growing unease. Everything had gone too smoothly, almost unnaturally so: the Northern army at Mangkou had collapsed too quickly, failing to mount any semblance of resistance despite having fortifications; the grain supply was plentiful, but the granaries meant to supply the entire Northern Expeditionary Army were clearly running low; and while some on the south bank were openly displaying fire and shouting encouragement, they refused to cross the river despite controlling the bridge…

Suddenly, a terrible thought popped into Liu Xian's mind, causing his face to change drastically. He hurriedly asked Suo Jing beside him, "Lord You'an, are there any Northern Army officers among the prisoners?"

Suo Jing, of course, didn't care about this detail, while Liu Xian immediately arrested people for interrogation. He questioned three or four people in a row, and the results were all the same. The prisoners said: Although there are more than four thousand guards in the Mangkou camp, for some unknown reason, Lu Ji transferred all the officers from the guards today, and they have not returned yet.

With each person interrogated, Liu Xian's face grew increasingly grim. Finally, his face was ashen, and after taking a deep breath, he forced himself to suppress his unease and said to Suo Jing and the others as if nothing had happened, "Lord You'an, now that this matter is over, quickly order everyone to form ranks and withdraw as soon as possible!"

Suo Jing was puzzled by this and asked, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Wasn't your original plan to stay here for two hours?"

Liu Xian was about to explain, but before he could even speak, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly. In just a few breaths, the trembling changed from an illusion to something tangible, like waves surging across the land. In this early winter when most birds and beasts had already hidden themselves, the tremor was particularly deafening.

Those present were all seasoned warriors. Hearing the sound, like muffled thunder growing ever closer, they knew it was the sound of thousands of horses trampling underfoot. Their hearts pounded with fear, and they rushed out of the camp to investigate.

Liu Xian didn't go to see it; he already fully understood the situation and knew what had happened without even looking.

While crossing the river, most of the Northern Army's forces quietly moved to the north bank of the Dahe River, and then formed a huge encirclement around the Mangkou granary.

This was a trap. Lu Ji used 100,000 bushels of grain and over 4,000 soldiers as bait to lure him in. Then, with overwhelming numerical superiority, Lu Ji seized the opportunity to tighten the trap, determined to annihilate him here.

This was not a clever plan. If Lu Ji had misjudged the timing, it would have been tantamount to abandoning the Xingyang River Bridge and the main camp on the riverbank, which he had painstakingly built. But Lu Ji succeeded, and Liu Xian fell into the trap. Liu Xian knew perfectly well why: the plan had been leaked, and he had been betrayed. (End of Chapter)