Jinting Han people

On the third assault, Sima Yi went all out. After dragging Liu You's routed troops away to rest and regroup, he regrouped his forces and surprisingly chose to personally lead the charge, entering the fortified camp to direct the battle.

As predicted, although the Western Army managed to defeat the laborers and imperial guards who had entered the fortified position by using tunnels to launch a pincer attack, thus gaining a temporary advantage, the burned-down fortified positions could not be rebuilt, and the outer fortifications, with more than a dozen breaches, could not be recaptured and defended. Under these circumstances, as long as the imperial guards continued to apply pressure and attack, preventing the Western Army from having a chance to reorganize its fortifications, all the losses would be worthwhile. Under the scorching heat of the fire, the Western Army still had to retreat step by step.

Although the western fortress was not small, it was still extremely difficult for 60,000 men to be crammed into a single camp. At the current rate, if it took only three or four days to capture more than half of the western fortress, the western army would be unable to hold out any longer. At that point, they would only have two choices: either go out of the city to fight in the open or flee westward, both of which were outcomes that Sima Yi would welcome.

However, this kind of continuous combat is essentially a severe challenge to the morale of the soldiers.

Demolishing enemy camps amidst the smoke of battle was already incredibly arduous, let alone being exposed to Western arrows. Without strict enforcement of military law and discipline, the life-or-death struggle was enough to break a man's spirit, causing him to lose focus on many previously noticeable details. If the Western army found an opportunity to launch a counterattack, a repeat of Liu You's defeat was highly likely.

With this in mind, Sima Yi simply moved his camp forward, reducing the number of civilian laborers, and then transferred elite troops from various units of the Imperial Guards in the north and south. Units such as Zu Yue's troops under Zu Ti, Gou Chun's troops under Gou Xi, Pei Dun's troops under Sima Yue, Wang Dao's troops under Sima Rui, and Liang Chen's troops under Sima Mo were all transferred to the east. He even transferred Zhang Shi to Liu Xian's troops, whom he had been wary of, bringing the total number of troops to nearly 20,000.

Sima Yi reorganized his 20,000 men into eight divisions, sending them in shifts to advance into the fortified positions, while also preparing for battle. To maintain overall command, Sima Yi himself moved to a watchtower on the outer fortified position. He even declared, "We will not return to Luoyang until this fortified position is breached!"

Seeing the Imperial Guards advancing with such overwhelming force, the Western Army within the city naturally wouldn't remain indifferent. In fact, after the Imperial Guards switched to a strategy of advancing by burning things, Zhang Fang quickly took countermeasures. On one hand, he ordered Lü Lang to continue delaying the Imperial Guards' advance on the outer perimeter; on the other hand, Zhang Fang decisively changed his original strategy, deciding to abandon most of the smaller fortifications and instead urgently construct a large fortification in the central part of the western fortifications, within Zuo Si's residence.

To build this fortress within a fortress, he resorted to the same old trick. He covered the original courtyard wall with water-soaked cowhides and then sent laborers to continuously dump earth around it.

The captured laborers, who had toiled for several days, were mostly exhausted. But Zhang Fang didn't care about that. To ensure efficiency, he killed the slower laborers and buried them along with the bodies of those who had died in battle within the fortification. Spurred on by this, the remaining laborers piled up the earth like madmen, then poured water from the pond in the courtyard on top. Soon, a large earthen fortification capable of holding thousands of people began to take shape.

When Sima Yi mobilized his troops, the earthen rampart was only just completed, its outer walls barely visible. But as the Imperial Guards reorganized their formation and continued their advance, the Westerners' wooden huts and watchtowers rose slowly from the smoke of battle. The Imperial Guards watched in horror as the ramparts grew higher and higher, rising from nothing to stand before them, their morale plummeting.

Sima Yi also witnessed this scene. Standing on the outer ramparts, he saw that a tower was also being built on the opposite side, and he was truly incredulous. Seeing Zhang Shi beside him, and knowing that he was from Guanzhong and had had contact with Zhang Fang, he asked, "Who exactly taught Zhang Fang his military strategies? How can they be so unconventional? Did he receive guidance from a master? Why have I never heard of him before?"

Zhang Shi immediately introduced, "Zhang Fang was originally a refugee from Hejian, with no fixed abode and no known teachers. When he came to Chang'an, he had no relatives or friends. It was Commandant Zhi Fu who took him under his command because he valued his bravery and strength. At that time, he was illiterate, so he took books to the army and asked around. Many people knew him, so he can be considered self-taught."

"Later, he fought against the Xianbei people and made some contributions, and was promoted slightly. However, when my master (Zhang Gui) was in power, he could not stand his strange way of speaking and his humble origins, so he was never given an important position."

A self-taught genius—that's Lü Meng! There are countless heroes in the world! Upon learning the reason, Sima Yi felt both admiration and trepidation, and asked again, "Oh, what about Zhi Fu? His ability to recognize Zhang Fang suggests he possesses other talents?"

"He's just an average guy, known in the army for his extravagant spending. But now that Zhang Fang is in power, he's risen in rank and become the deputy commander in the army."

"So, Zhang Fang, though the commander-in-chief, is unpopular?" Sima Yi, who had been looking for Zhang Fang's weaknesses, immediately had an idea upon hearing this.

He immediately wrote a reward notice, had dozens of copies made, and shot them into the Western Army. It read: "To all generals and soldiers of the Western Army: Zhang Fang, having received honors from the Prince of Hejian, was promoted to marshal in a single day. Furthermore, he is a fellow townsman of the Prince of Hejian. Assisting his rebellion might be a possibility. However, what reason do you, the soldiers, have to follow him without regard for your lives? In battle, you will die like ants; in surrender, you will live to be rich and noble. All who surrender will be rewarded according to their rank. Whoever can kill Zhang Fang alive and surrender will be appointed general, enfeoffed as a duke, granted a fief of ten thousand households, and rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces!"

The reward notice also reads: "Zhang Fang slaughtered the people and harmed the country; Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate him! You all aided and abetted this tyranny; you will be cursed by the people in life and will not find peace in death. What is the point of your suffering? Surrender! Retreat!"

In Sima Yi's view, Zhang Fang, as the commander-in-chief, came from a poor background and was an outsider from Hejian. Logically speaking, the generals in the army would not be convinced of his authority. With discord between superiors and subordinates, there would be an opportunity to exploit. Therefore, he thought of using this psychological warfare tactic to try to undermine the Western Army from within.

One of the rewards was shot at the troops of Zhu Yong, the secretary of the secretariat. Upon seeing the reward, Zhu Yong was immediately terrified. He handed his troops over to Lü Lang to take command, while he went to the main camp to see Zhang Fang.

It was midday, and Zhang Fang was reclining on the couch, warming himself by the fire. When he saw Zhu Yong rushing in looking anxious, he couldn't help but tease him, "Haha, did the Secretary get shot in the butt? Why are you so flustered?"

Seeing that his commander-in-chief was calm and composed, Zhu Yong felt somewhat reassured, but thinking of the reward in his hand, he couldn't help but feel flustered. He stepped forward and said, "Marshal, something terrible has happened! The imperial court has offered a reward to persuade the soldiers to surrender and take your life!"

He shared the same thought as Sima Yi; in his view, this psychological warfare tactic was extremely vicious. There was precedent for this: during the campaign against Zhao, Sun Xiu's army was utterly defeated without a fight by a psychological warfare tactic against the Hebei coalition.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fang burst into laughter. Under Zhu Yong's gaze, he took out a piece of paper from his hand, waved it in the air, and then said mockingly, "Ha, the Secretary's information is really outdated! I've already seen this!"

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yong asked repeatedly, "So, Marshal, you already have a brilliant plan to deal with this?"

"A response?" Zhang Fang yawned widely and casually replied, "There is no response."

This answer startled Zhu Yong. The battle between the two sides was extremely fierce, and any change could determine the outcome. How could there be no countermeasure? Could it be that Zhang Fang does not understand human nature and has not come up with a plan?
Upon realizing this, he quickly offered a suggestion: "Marshal, this is a psychological tactic by the King of Changsha, we must be wary! You should immediately order the entire army to confiscate all the rewards and strictly forbid the soldiers from discussing it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Fang gave him a look as if he were an idiot, which made him feel awkward and uncomfortable, and he choked on the words he had prepared.

After Zhang Fang sat up straight, he took a sip of the bone broth simmering on the brazier and said leisurely, "The Secretary General came with my king from Hejian, didn't he? He hasn't fought any major battles before this year, has he?" "That's right..."

"Well, since the secretary and I are from the same hometown, I'll say a few words." Zhang Fang scraped the bits of flesh between his teeth with his fingernail, then revealed a mocking smile:

"Hey, the King of Changsha is right. If he had used this strategy twenty days earlier, he might have really caused some trouble in our army. But using it now is pointless."

"Why is that?" Zhu Yong couldn't understand the reason.

"Ha, of course it's because people's hearts are inherently base! They fear power but don't cherish virtue!"

Zhang Fang put the finger out of his mouth and, in an almost chanting tone, began to recount his wisdom. He slowly said:
“Chief Secretary, you must know what people mean by a peaceful world. It is nothing more than the existence of an extremely wicked person who kills so many people that they dare not be at peace. What is the so-called chaotic world? It is nothing more than the absence of such an extremely wicked person, the killing of fewer people, which leads to the struggle for power among heroes and endless warfare.”

"Zhuangzi said, 'He who steals a hook is punished, he who steals a state becomes a prince.' What is the reason behind this? It means that military achievements are the same as doing evil! Killing one person doesn't show any ability. But if you kill a thousand people, ten thousand people, or even hundreds of thousands or millions, you can show your ability to do evil. Only then can you achieve unity of purpose and peace throughout the world."

"If it were twenty years ago, before I had established prestige in the army and had achieved any military merits, the court's issuance of this document would indeed have posed a risk of unrest. But today, I have built fortifications right up to Luoyang, and he still wants to win hearts and minds? Hahaha, isn't that laughable?"

Indeed, before leaving the pass, Zhang Fang acted arbitrarily and achieved little, which greatly displeased the generals of the Western Expeditionary Army. Even Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, wavered and considered replacing him. But now, Zhang Fang has captured Yiyang, broken the bridge across the river, seized Hulao Pass, and besieged Luoyang. With his undeniable military talent, he has completely won over the generals of the Western Army.

The battlefield is always the place where the victor takes all. Victory and defeat may seem like just a few words, but in reality, they represent worlds apart.

Zhang Fang then made the final decision. He sneered at Zhu Yong and said, "No matter how many rewards the court sends in, you add one sentence to my list, and then send them all back!"

"What?"

"Anyone who beheads the King of Changsha or the Duke of Songzi will be rewarded accordingly!"

Based on the battle situation over the past few days, the fact that the Songzi Camp had not appeared on the battlefield for a long time, coupled with the words of the prisoners, indicated that the Western Army actually already knew about Liu Xian's loss of power and the return of the Imperial Guards to Sima Yi's command.

At this moment, Zhang Fang suddenly had another idea and added a sentence to the back of the reward notice: "The Duke of Songzi has been poisoned by the King of Changsha. If you don't believe it, why didn't he personally lead the troops?! You should think carefully about what the end will be for those who serve the King of Changsha!"

Although the Westerners' rumors were hard to believe, it was undeniable that Sima Yi had become estranged from Liu Xian. Since being promoted to Grand Commandant, Liu Xian had never appeared before the army again, a fact that had been the subject of much speculation. Now, with the Western army adding fuel to the fire, the Imperial Guards were even more suspicious, further slowing their advance. Seeing this, Sima Yi knew his plan had failed, but he refused to give up. He resolved to take down the earthen fortress hastily erected by the Western army, even at the cost of a full-scale assault.

The Imperial Guards then intensified their efforts to clear the outer perimeter, tearing down the fences between the smaller fortifications, demolishing walls, and uncovering and burying all the hidden tunnels. After nearly a day, they finally reached the base of the earthen ramparts. However, since the siege equipment they had previously acquired could not be brought inside, the Imperial Guards resorted to the simplest and most direct method: using human lives to build a human wall!
It was already late at night. Under Sima Yi's orders, the Imperial Guards built another earthen mound, erected ladders, and charged into the city with reckless abandon. As the giant drums beat, the Imperial Guards abandoned their heavy armor, changing into lighter and more flexible narrow-sleeved cloth garments, wearing only two layers of leather armor over their chests. Then, holding a long spear in one hand and a large shield in the other, they struggled to climb upwards.

In fact, after so much fighting, Zhang Fang wasn't worried about supplies, but logistics weren't just about food and fodder. He had built fortifications overnight, but the supplies from the Western Expeditionary Army hadn't arrived, making it seem like the Western Army was running out of arrows. Coupled with the lack of rest for days, the soldiers' counterattacks were gradually weakening.

The Westerners, thus conserving their arrows, began throwing stones and logs down the earthen ramparts. Those hit naturally tumbled down, suffering broken bones and serious injuries, but this defense was ineffective. Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards still had plenty of arrows. Gou Chun, noticing this trend, immediately ordered the Imperial Guards below to increase their arrow fire, pinning the Westerners down. Finally, the soldiers who had been swarming upwards managed to climb the ramparts and once again engage the Westerners in hand-to-hand combat.

Sima Yi, positioned atop the outer ramparts, watched as soldiers steadily climbed the earthen walls. He braced himself and watched intently. The Western Army, with its superior terrain and numerical superiority, quickly overwhelmed the Imperial Guards who had just reached the top. Before they could even stand still, more than ten long spears lashed out at them, leaving them no chance to defend themselves. They were swiftly cut down, beheaded, and thrown down. This sight weighed heavily on his heart; his right hand, clasped behind his back, clenched into a fist, as if his palm were about to bleed.

Fortunately, Liu You, spurred by his defeat, rallied his troops. As the son of Zhu Xugong Liu Tun and an early friend of Sima Yi, he personally led his guards to the ramparts. These men, carrying heavy axes, fought recklessly, hacking and slashing at anyone they saw. They were indifferent to being stabbed, and whether it was a long spear or a ring-pommel sword, they cleaved it in a few exchanges. This finally secured a foothold for the Imperial Guards.

As more and more soldiers climbed the ramparts, Sima Yi on the east side breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Fang, who was watching the battle from the west side, couldn't help but grip his sword and sneer.

Zhang Fang knew that the battle had reached its most critical moment. After nearly three days of fierce fighting, the outcome of the great battle would likely be decided on the fourth day. He issued two military orders in quick succession. One was given to Chen Yan's troops in the fortified city, ordering him to lead his troops in rotation to repel the imperial guards on the earthen city walls. The other order was sent outside the city, and no one else knew where it went.

"It's time to close the net."

The weather was clear, illuminating the vast expanse of white snow and dispelling the smoke from the battle within the fortified camp. Amidst the fierce fighting, one could see mountains of corpses and rivers of blood piled up in the western camp, the steam rising from the blood as if one were immersed in a pot of scalding hot soup.

Zhang Fang encouraged his generals, saying, "Hold on for one more day. When the sun rises tomorrow, we will return to Luoyang for a feast! At that time, all delicacies, including dragon liver and phoenix gall, will be ours to enjoy!" (End of Chapter)