Han Ji

Yuan Shao was also trying to find a solution. Shen Pei sent men to sneak up near Liu Bei's camp in the middle of the night and released more than a dozen rats with sulfur packets tied to them. The rats were startled by the sulfur and ran wildly into Liu Bei's camp.

Two animals crawled into the hay pile outside the grain storehouse, and the hay caught fire. The night patrolman spotted it early, poured a bucket of water on it, and extinguished the fire.

The remaining few were trampled to death, and the sulfur packets were scattered on the ground, burning hot even through the boots. The chief clerk of the central army rushed over and collected the few packets of sulfur that hadn't been lit yet, saying they could be kept for later use.

The following night, Liu Bei sent Qian Zhao to retaliate. Qian Zhao selected twenty special forces soldiers, each carrying a bundle of dry grass, and they sneaked to the outside of Yuan Shao's front camp fence.

They piled hay under the fence, poured kerosene on it, and set it on fire. The fire quickly blazed up and burned down a section of the fence.

Yuan Shao's vanguard soldiers rushed out to fight the fire, and Qian Zhao's men took advantage of the chaos to fire dozens of fire arrows into the camp. Three of them struck a tent, setting it ablaze, and the flames illuminated half the camp.

But Yuan Shao's garrison reacted quickly, and a squad of swordsmen and shieldmen rushed out to give chase. Qian Zhao immediately ordered a retreat. The special forces soldiers abandoned the unfinished oil canisters and ran back. Yuan Shao's men chased them halfway but were intercepted by Guan Yu's troops who were lying in ambush behind the slope.

Guan Yu led five hundred men and suddenly charged down the slope, cutting down the leading group of pursuers before immediately retreating. Yuan Shao's men dared not pursue further and, with their wounded, withdrew to their camp.

At daybreak, both sides tallied their losses. Liu Bei's camp burned several piles of hay and wounded a night patrolman. Yuan Shao's camp burned a tent, killing two auxiliary soldiers sleeping inside, and the section of the fence that collapsed from the fire had to be repaired.

These minor skirmishes happened almost daily. Sometimes Yuan Shao's men would sneak up on the camp, and sometimes Liu Bei's men would fire arrows from the shadows. Both sides suffered casualties, but none were significant. The real problem was the supply of provisions.

Mid-May. The weather grew increasingly hot. The Yellow River had risen, and the muddy waters had submerged part of the ferry crossing. Yuan Shao's grain transport ships could not dock and had to unload their cargo upstream, then transport it to the camp by oxcart. The oxcarts could only make two trips a day, and the grain piled up by the ferry crossing had been soaked by the rain twice, resulting in dozens of bags rotting.

Qian Zhao learned of this information and returned to tell Liu Bei that Yuan Shao's supply lines were also in trouble. With rotten grain and losses along the way, at least two thousand shi of grain were missing every day.

Jian Yong checked the granaries every day, and the numbers in the ledgers kept getting smaller and smaller. Every time he opened the ledger, he would point his finger at the numbers and purse his lips tightly.

"Brother, we still have enough food for twenty days."

Liu Bei took the account book, glanced at it, and closed it.

"Has Xun Yu's letter arrived yet?"

Jian Yong said, "A letter arrived this morning. Wenruo said that 300,000 shi of grain had been transferred from Guanzhong and was already on its way. However, a section of the Hangu Pass has collapsed, so the grain carts have to take a detour and travel for another four days. So far, only 80,000 shi have reached Luoyang."

Liu Bei asked, "How many days will it take to transport 80,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) from Luoyang?"

Jian Yong said, "Normally it takes five days. But now Yuan Shao's cavalry are operating west of Guandu, so the grain transport team has to take a detour, which may take seven days."

Liu Bei tapped his hand on the table. "Seven days. We have twenty days' worth of provisions. Seven days on the road, so we'll have thirteen days left when we arrive."

Jia Xu stood to the side, his chess piece still in his hand. He looked at the map and spoke after a while.

"My lord, Yuan Shao's supply lines are short, but Qian Zhao can defeat him. Our supply lines are long, but Xun Yu is doing his best to transport them. Currently, both sides are at a loss. Yuan Shao has more troops and can afford to wait. We have fewer troops, but we will wear him down until he makes a mistake."

Liu Bei asked, "When will Yuan Shao make a mistake?"

Jia Xu said, "I don't know. But Yuan Shao is a suspicious man who is easily swayed. His advisors are fighting amongst themselves; Shen Pei and Xu You are enemies, and Guo Tu and Xin Ping are enemies as well. If this drags on, their conflicts will surface. Once those conflicts arise, Yuan Shao will make a mistake."

Liu Bei said, "So we'll just keep at it?"

Jia Xu said, "Keep at it. Keep at it until he collapses on his own."

Liu Bei glanced at Jia Xu.

"Okay. Let's keep at it."

By the end of May, the stalemate between the two armies had entered a very strange phase.

During the day, both sides were busy with their daily routines in their camps. Yuan Shao's auxiliary troops repaired fences, mended trenches, sharpened weapons, and dried grain. Liu Bei's soldiers did the same. On the flat ground between the camps, a few wild dogs occasionally ran by, but neither side had time to fight them.

At night, they engaged in underhanded tactics. Yuan Shao sent small groups to infiltrate Liu Bei's flank camp, while Liu Bei sent special forces to infiltrate Yuan Shao's passageways. Sometimes, these small groups would bump into each other on the way, engage in a fierce battle in the dark, and then withdraw before dawn.

On one occasion, Yuan Shao's men sneaked up to the outskirts of Liu Bei's camp and were about to fill the trench with soil when they suddenly heard a noise in the bushes nearby. Neither side had lit torches, so neither could see the other clearly. After a moment of hesitation, they simultaneously drew their swords.

In the darkness, swords clashed, sparks flew, and screams echoed one after another. The fighting lasted less than a quarter of an hour before both sides withdrew. At dawn, seven more corpses lay outside the trench: three belonging to Yuan Shao and four to Liu Bei.

On another occasion, the spies infiltrated Yuan Shao's rear camp, intending to burn down the granaries. The granaries were heavily guarded, preventing them from entering. Instead, they set fire to the haystacks outside the granaries. The fire burned for most of the night, destroying hundreds of bundles of hay. Yuan Shao's warhorses went hungry for two days.

By early June, the weather had become even hotter. Mosquitoes swarmed along the Yellow River, making it impossible to sleep. Malaria was rampant in both camps; people with diarrhea lay in their tents, their faces yellow, lips dry, and bodies shivering. Over a thousand men fell ill on Yuan Shao's side, and several hundred on Liu Bei's.

The healer was so busy he barely had time to rest. When he ran out of herbs, he mixed soot from the bottom of a pot with water and administered it. Some people recovered after receiving it, while others died.

The stalemate at Guandu continued, grinding away at each other bit by bit. Every day there were minor skirmishes, every day people died, but the overall situation remained unchanged. Liu Bei didn't engage, and Yuan Shao didn't launch a general offensive; the two sides simply wore each other down.

The stalemate continues. The two armies have been locked in a standoff for more than six months.

September. Guandu. The autumn wind rises.

The reeds along the Yellow River have turned white. The wind blows, and the reeds sway, scattering their fluffy seeds everywhere. The nights are cold, the days are hot. Many people in the camp have caught colds, and coughs echo throughout the village.

Jian Yong emerged from the granary, carrying an account book. He walked through the camp toward the main tent, his face expressionless. The cover of the account book was worn, and the four corners were rolled up and tied with hemp rope.

Inside the main tent, Liu Bei was looking at a map. Jia Xu sat beside him, holding a chess piece in his hand.

Jian Yong came in and placed the account book on the table.

"Brother, we only have enough food for ten days."

Liu Bei picked up the account book and flipped through it. The daily expenses were recorded clearly, and from March to September, the numbers had been steadily decreasing. From the initial several hundred thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), it had dropped to the current forty-two thousand shi. He closed the account book.

How much is left on the road?

Jian Yong said, "Xun Yu has transferred 120,000 shi of grain from Guanzhong to Luoyang. However, it will take seven days to transport the grain from Luoyang to Guandu. Yuan Shao's cavalry are active in the Xingyang area, and the grain convoy was intercepted once, three carts were burned, and more than a dozen laborers died. Now the grain convoy is stopped in Xingyang and dares not go any further, waiting for escort."