The Battle of Xinye
“I intend to use Xinye Castle itself as the stage for a fire attack.”
At the words “fire attack,” the sound of people swallowing hard could be heard all around the room.
A fire attack. The plan unfolding before me was a little different from the one I had been expecting.
That Liu Bei had set fire to the camp at Bowang Slope and driven Xiahou Dun off with ambushes was a fact recorded in the official histories. But Zhuge Liang’s fire attack at Xinye Castle existed only in the Romance; it was nowhere to be found in the historical records.
My novel’s setting had always been a blend of the Romance and the official histories, so in a way this was only natural—yet it still left me slightly unsettled. If things continued like this, I might later lose track of whether we were following the Romance’s storyline or the historical one.
Still, this was Zhuge Liang’s first real exploit. Being able to watch it unfold while dealing the enemy a solid blow was, in its own way, something to look forward to.
“First we evacuate the common people. After that we prepare the fire attack… Since they have already been burned once by His Lordship’s fire stratagem, we will proceed with even greater care this time.”
Zhuge Liang continued laying out the plan. Xinye Castle grew busy with preparations both to receive Cao Ren’s army and to lead the people to safety.
A long, unbroken stream of commoners poured out through the gates, one after another. Outside the walls their line already stretched beyond the horizon.
Zhuge Liang’s operation proceeded without major setbacks, though not without a few discontented voices.
If we take the people with us, the army’s advance will slow and we may be endangered. Better to launch a surprise attack on Liu Cong and seize Jingzhou instead.
Opinions split, but Liu Bei rejected both alternatives. It was a choice true to the man who had always valued the hearts of the people above all else, and since I had known he would decide this way, I felt no great dissatisfaction.
Still, I had spent roughly a year in this Xinye Castle. The thought that it would now burn to the ground left a bitter taste I could not quite shake.
Yet what else was there to do? If Zhuge Liang’s plan worked well, it would deal the enemy a heavy blow—an excellent opportunity. And that, in turn, might make our flight with the people that much easier.
Watching the soldiers scatter sulfur, saltpeter, and other highly flammable materials where they would not be noticed, I prepared to move our troops together with my father.
“Preparations for the fire attack are complete.”
“Good. You have all worked hard.”
Zhuge Liang nodded at the soldiers’ report.
Now all that remained was to wait for Cao Ren’s army to enter Xinye Castle.
The vanguard of Cao Cao’s army was led by Cao Ren and Yu Jin.
Last time Xiahou Dun had charged in headlong and suffered a crushing defeat, so this time the more cautious Cao Ren took overall command. Yu Jin had volunteered, determined to avenge the previous loss.
Under Yu Jin’s scouting and guidance they passed safely through Bowang Slope, where they had once been burned and ambushed. Once they were clear of the slope, he let out a long breath of relief.
The problem was Xinye Castle. Still cautious, he first sent scouts to observe the enemy’s movements.
“General Cao Ren. The scouts report that Xinye Castle is empty—not so much as a single rat left behind. It seems both the commoners and the soldiers have already fled.”
“Is that so? Well done. Then we will enter at once. Once inside we will rest the men and put the army in order.”
Cao Ren and his tens of thousands of troops marched into the deserted Xinye Castle.
Inwardly Cao Ren rejoiced at having taken the city without shedding a drop of blood.
“It seems even they have no leisure for petty tricks in the face of our great army.”
Yu Jin, however, could not shake his unease. The roaring flames of Bowang Slope still burned vividly before his eyes.
Did the enemy truly abandon the city so meekly? They took the refugees with them, true—but what other scheme might they have left behind?
“General Yu Jin. Let us go inside first and at least get something to eat.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cao Ren and Yu Jin entered the administrative compound of Xinye Castle, where Liu Bei had resided until only a short while ago. Yu Jin nevertheless ordered the soldiers not to lower their guard. They rested a little while waiting for the meal that would soon arrive.
Is nothing really going to happen?
So far everything had been quiet, and even Yu Jin began to relax a fraction. But no sooner had the thought formed than—
“Fire!”
A scream-like shout from outside brought Yu Jin leaping to his feet.
Fire? C-could Liu Bei have done it again…?
“General Yu Jin, do not panic. It is surely only some soldier’s carelessness. If you lose your composure, the men will take fright.”
“I hope you are right, but…”
Yu Jin forced himself to appear calmer at Cao Ren’s words, yet worry still gripped him. He left the compound, saying he must see the situation for himself.
The moment he stepped outside, he realized the crisis was far worse than he had imagined.
“Th-this is no ordinary fire—this is a fire attack!”
Flames painted the administrative compound and everything around it a deep, hungry red, jaws open wide toward them. Of the four city gates, three were already engulfed; escape was impossible.
“Enemy fire stratagem! Get out through the remaining gate!”
Only then did Cao Ren grasp that they had fallen into a trap. He came scrambling out in a panic.
“Vicious bastards. To think of burning the whole place down.”
“General, there is no time. We must get the soldiers out first.”
“The eastern gate is still clear. We break out through the eastern gate.”
Under Cao Ren and Yu Jin’s command the soldiers raced breathlessly toward the eastern gate. Even as they ran, men fell to the flames one after another—needless to say. In their desperation many trampled or collided with one another and went down in heaps.
“General! We have broken out through the eastern gate!”
Soldiers and horses streamed out through the single remaining exit of the blazing Xinye Castle.
“Form ranks at once! We cannot know what other traps the enemy may have laid!”
The words were barely out of his mouth when they discovered exactly what trap had been waiting for them.
From left and right two generals came thundering down, each leading a detachment of troops.
“Take this spear of Zhao Zilong!”
“Yide Zhang Fei is here! You should have stayed quietly inside Xinye Castle and enjoyed the fireworks—why the hell did you crawl out? Choose: taste my spear, or turn around and taste the fire like good little boys! There are no other options!”
They had barely escaped the flames only to find themselves caught in a pincer attack from both sides. How could soldiers already half out of their minds with terror hope to stop such men?
“We break free of this place first. All troops move east!”
Cao Ren had no choice but to order a withdrawal toward the east, where no enemy ambush had yet appeared.
“Move, damn you! Faster!”
Cao Ren and Yu Jin took the lead and fled with their men. After they had run for some time, a shallow stream appeared ahead of them.
“The water is shallow—we should be able to cross as we are.”
Cao Ren and Yu Jin led the army straight into the stream. Fortunately Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei did not pursue any farther.
Splash, splash!
It was hardly a pleasant situation, yet the thought that they might still save their lives brought the soldiers a measure of relief.
Even that, however, proved wishful thinking.
“General… the water is strangely shallow. It should not be like this.”
What other stratagem lay hidden in that water became clear at once. The earth itself seemed to tremble—or at least it felt as though it did.
“General! The current up there—!”
A cry thick with horror. From upstream a wall of water like a tidal wave came roaring down, ready to swallow them from above.
“Hurry! Get to the shallows!”
Cao Ren and Yu Jin barely escaped the water attack, but once again great numbers of soldiers were swept away by the current and carried out of sight.
“Aaaah! Help!”
Men waved their arms and shouted, yet those who had survived could only stare helplessly; there was no way to save them.
They could not know the details, but Guan Yu had already built a temporary dam upstream and had been waiting to break it.
Fire, ambush, and now water. The vanguard Cao Cao had sent was shattered to pieces.
Damn it… how many layers of traps did they dig?
Once again, after Bowang Slope, Yu Jin was forced to drink the bitter cup of defeat.
“The operation is a success. Withdraw and rejoin His Lordship.”
This time as well, the fire attack had been carried out by a detached force under Liu Feng and Guan Ping. I had slipped in among them and lent a hand.
The combination of fire and water—an exquisite plan drawn up by Zhuge Liang himself. We still had a long road ahead, but I had seen Zhuge Liang’s ability with my own eyes, and for the moment I could breathe a little easier.
“You have all done well. We will take refuge in Jiangling for now.”
That was the order Liu Bei gave after we rejoined the main force. “Main force” was a generous term; already mixed with tens of thousands of refugees, it could scarcely be called an army any longer.
Zhuge Liang’s exploit had dealt Cao Cao’s army a solid blow, yet the real flight had only just begun.
If my expectations were correct, we would never reach Jiangling. We would pass through Changban and head for Jiangxia instead.
The Battle of Changban. Or the Battle of Dangyang.
The fight that was coming would likely be the most important first turning point since I had arrived in this world.
I lifted my eyes and looked ahead. There was Liu Bei.
And walking at his side, Xu Shu as well.