In a Single Battle!
Such rumors swept through the Xiaopei region like wildfire: “That foolish Yuan Shao refuses to move because of his son’s illness.” “Cao Cao’s army already knows Yuan Shao won’t stir, so they’re launching an all-out assault.” “The rebels in Xuzhou will soon be swept away by Cao Cao.” Liu Bei could not possibly have missed them. If anything, the whispers only made him more desperate. He must have wondered whether Yuan Shao had truly been halted by something so trivial, or whether—now that matters had reached this point—he should persuade Guan Yu at Xiapi to join him for one final, desperate stand at Xiaopei.
“Which is why I believe they will attempt a night raid,” I concluded.
“Night, you say…”
Cao Cao murmured the word softly, then nodded and turned to me with a piercing gaze.
“Which night?”
“I’m still calculating it, but the timing is difficult to pin down.”
“Come now, Ziye. Speak freely.”
“A rider can travel from Xiaopei to Xiapi and back in two days. The question is whether Imperial Uncle Liu will succeed in persuading Guan Yu on the first try, or whether he will need several attempts to coordinate.”
“If the first attempt fails, he’ll launch the night raid on the third night—or perhaps the fifth?” Cao Cao grasped the situation instantly. That was what made it so uncertain.
“Uncle, my head cannot decide between three nights or five.”
In cases like this, one had to weigh Liu Bei’s unpredictable nature. As everyone knew, the man’s temperament was impossible to read.
At that moment, a voice spoke from behind us.
“It will be four nights from now.”
“Gongda!”
“Advisor Xun You.”
Xun You, having overheard our exchange, stepped forward and pointed toward Xiaopei.
“As Lord Ziye said, Liu Bei will first deliver an ultimatum to Xiapi. If that fails, he will cling to straws and wait one extra day to see whether any troops arrive from Hebei. Only then will he make his decision. In the end, he will stake everything on a single charge.”
“And that charge will be the night raid?”
“Correct, my lord.”
Once Xun You laid it out so clearly, Cao Cao nodded and burst into hearty laughter.
“Excellent. Then we prepare for four nights from now.”
“Understood, my lord.”
“By the way, what are the other advisors saying?”
“The truth is… they were discussing the exact same question as Lord Ziye. Advisor Cheng Yu insisted on three nights, while Fengxiao argued for five. They were quite heated about it.”
So my thoughts were not unique. Even if I were wrong, the others would fill the gaps. That meant I could speak boldly; any mistakes could be corrected.
“Ziye, make the preparations accordingly.”
“Yes, Uncle. I will inform the generals at once.”
I would need to tell not only Xiahou Yuan but also Yue Jin, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, and even Dian Wei and Xu Chu, who guarded Cao Cao himself.
Four nights passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, I had ordered the soldiers to rest thoroughly during daylight hours and warned them that battle would come with the night. As dusk deepened, the camp stirred with quiet tension.
“Huuuaaaahm~”
“Look at this pig. He slept all day and he’s still yawning.”
“What did you say?”
Dian Wei’s casual jab sent Xu Chu bristling at once. The two giants began growling at each other until a much smaller man stepped between their massive frames.
“Now, now, that’s enough. We have a battle ahead of us.”
“Ugh!”
“So stop yawning like an idiot.”
“That’s it! After this war, you and I are settling this properly in the capital!”
“Hmph. The man who lost at Runan has no right to talk…”
Yue Jin somehow managed to separate the bickering pair. I watched them for a moment, then walked forward, eyes fixed on the walls of Xiaopei.
“Who goes there? Ready the crossbows!”
“Hold your fire!”
At the password, the soldiers of Xu Huang’s unit, who had been lying in wait, relaxed. Xu Huang himself appeared, looking relieved.
“Ah, Lord Ziye. What brings you here?”
“I must say, are we certain they’re coming tonight?”
Beside him, Xiahou Yuan was also restless, shaking his head in the late-night chill.
“They will come. Just wait a little longer.”
Cheng Yu stood with the frontline generals, serving as advisor while we waited. In this era there was no convenient way to pass the time, so we simply endured. Even though the men had rested during the day, the boredom was crushing.
“Honestly, standing around in this weather is pure torture,” Xu Huang grumbled.
Xiahou Yuan chuckled. “Didn’t some general say that to win a battle for certain, you must sit heavily on your rear and force the enemy to come to you first?”
That had been my advice during the Southern Xiongnu campaign.
“It is sound logic, but…”
“That general is truly remarkable. When he first stepped onto the battlefield he was a complete mess—‘Yes? What?’—couldn’t understand a single order. The heat of his first fight left him so excited he didn’t even notice his body had gone stiff the next day. Hahaha!”
A shameful piece of my dark history.
“Yet at some point he began thinking for himself on the field. Before long he was spotting enemy weaknesses on his own and boldly offering counsel to his commander. A true master of both civil and military affairs, wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh, he sounds incredible just from that description. Is this a story about General Xiahou or perhaps the lord’s own youth?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
The idle chatter helped the time pass. Still, the night dragged on. Eventually the deepest hours of dawn approached, and the first rooster was about to crow.
“Huuuaaaahm~”
Even Xiahou Yuan could no longer hold back a yawn.
“This is taking far too—”
“General! General!”
Cheng Yu suddenly called out, pointing at Xiaopei. Subtle movement could be seen along the walls. Even from this distance the faint signs of life were visible, growing steadily closer.
“It took them long enough, but it really is a night raid.”
“They’ve smeared charcoal on their blades and spearheads, and they carry no torches. They’re moving in complete silence. Even the horses’ hooves have been muffled. This is without doubt a nocturnal assault.”
I clenched my fist. The bait had been taken. Now the only question was when to spring the trap. We needed to gauge exactly how large a force would emerge.
“Two ke from now.”
“Chancellor!”
“Shh!”
Cheng Yu and Xu Huang flinched in surprise as Cao Cao appeared behind me. He patted both my shoulders and whispered softly.
“I was dozing off myself until a moment ago. So they really came. Then I suppose I must give my dear brother Xuande a proper welcome.”
“Uncle…”
Cao Cao stood quietly, counting the moments. When the appointed time drew near, a brazier was brought forward.
“Everyone, prepare fire arrows.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Every general and soldier at the front—including myself—nocked arrows and lit their tips. In the distance, the approaching enemy flinched at the sudden sparks. We drew our bows.
Thwip—!
Cao Cao’s flaming arrow soared first. I released mine a heartbeat later. The gates of our formation swung wide, and ten thousand cavalry burst forth. Even one-fifth of our total force was enough to match Liu Bei’s army man for man.
“An ambush! They knew we were coming!”
Liu Bei’s startled face appeared amid the rain of fire arrows, but the moment he tried to charge, a nine-foot giant cut down everyone in his path.
“The Left General himself has come to visit! Greet him lavishly! The night is dark—prepare even more fire arrows!”
Cao Cao savored the taste of victory as he butchered the troops pouring out of Xiaopei.
“Ziye, what are you doing? Mount up and fight!”
“Uncle Xiahou, everything you say is correct, but my horse has poor night vision.”
“What?”
Thwip!
The arrow I loosed felled an enemy officer—some low-ranking commander, though I couldn’t tell exactly who.
“That’s why I intend to fight with my bow.”
By the time the roosters crowed, the predawn air was thick with the smell of burning pitch and the sky was beginning to brighten. Countless corpses of the soldiers who had marched out of Xiaopei for a night raid lay scattered across the field. Cao Cao’s troops swiftly restored order.
“My lord, the enemy is annihilated.”
“And Xuande’s head?”
“That is… no matter how thoroughly we searched, we found no bodies of general rank.”
“He must have fled toward Hebei. The sly bastard. If only he would drop dead from the plague in that region, it would save us all a great deal of trouble.”
Despite the harsh words, the corners of Cao Cao’s mouth were curved in a merchant’s satisfied smile.
“We will eat breakfast inside Xiaopei. Do not waste time—go in and prepare a quiet meal!”
Having reclaimed territory that had once been his after Lu Bu’s defeat, Cao Cao welcomed the surrendering troops.
“And you are?”
“I—I am Jin Jangmun of Yingchuan.”
“Ah, I have heard the name. Moreover, a member of the Jin clan of Yingchuan. Your family’s village estate is quite impressive.”
“It is an honor, Chancellor…”
The Jin troops stationed in Xiaopei never even considered remaining loyal to Liu Bei; they simply joined Cao Cao’s ranks. Nor were they alone. Many renowned scholars who had stayed in Xiaopei and fallen under Liu Bei’s influence now offered their service. Cao Cao claimed them all as spoils of victory and brought them back to the capital.
“Occupying a battlefield and claiming its beauties has its charm, but nothing compares to talent. Talent is what moves a nation forward!”
Only Talent Matters. Recruit anyone with ability, regardless of moral reputation. Cao Cao absorbed them all without hesitation.
With only Xiapi remaining, urgent news arrived.
“Upon learning that Xiaopei has fallen, Guan Yu has led eight thousand troops out of Xiapi in a furious charge! Colonel Yue Jin and General Xu Huang engaged him, but Guan Yu’s momentum is overwhelming.”
“So he has finally come out!”
Cao Cao slammed his desk and rose. I stepped forward at once.
“Uncle, allow me to go.”
“You would raise your hand against the master who taught you martial arts?”
“That will not be necessary. Victory in battle is not decided by strength alone.”
Cao Cao approached until our eyes were inches apart.
“Are you confident? This is Guan Yu. No matter how close a teacher and student you once were, do you truly believe he will accept those who have slain his sworn brothers?”
“I have more than enough leverage to make him listen.”
“Heh heh… heh heh heh heh!”
Cao Cao clapped me on the shoulder, laughing deeply.
“I wondered why you didn’t mount up and chase Xuande and Yide after the dawn battle.”
“That was because my horse has poor night vision. I feared it might stumble…”
“Very well! Take any horse you like from the Xiaopei stables. Go and bring Guan Yu before me!”
“Yes, Uncle!”
I immediately took command of a cavalry unit and rode for Xiapi.
“Colonel, you’ve arrived.”
“We fought five engagements. We retreated the first three times but continued pressing him. Guan Yu has now taken position on that hill.”
Both Xu Huang and Yue Jin looked utterly exhausted. Only two years earlier, they had stood on the same side as Guan Yu, surrounding and ultimately destroying Lu Bu’s army here.
“So Uncle Yunchang has gone up there?”
“Indeed.”
“It brings back memories. I once climbed that mountain with orders to divert the river for a flood attack.”
“Ah, I thought my toes would fall off from the cold that day.”
Zhang Liao, who had followed behind, declared that he too would join the effort to capture Guan Yu alive.
I led the cavalry up the slope in search of him. The remaining enemy soldiers prepared to fight the moment they saw me, but I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“I have not come to fight! I am here to see my honored uncle, so clear the way!”
Now, shall we actually trigger an event for once?