Outbreak of War (2)
Wan City in Lujiang Prefecture and Xiling City in Jiangxia Prefecture were close enough to be covered in a four-day forced march.
Liu Chong's army: 120,000.
Dong Zhuo's army and the coalition of cadet imperial clansmen: 200,000.
The two typhoons set to sweep the Central Plains had arrived within striking distance.
A hair-trigger standoff, as if a full-scale battle could erupt at any moment. The fleets of Liu Chong's army and Liu Biao's army, representing Yang Province and Jing Province, were also gradually converging on the Red Cliffs, maintaining a precarious atmosphere of war.
"Fresh troops have reached Xiling City. Forces from Shangyong Prefecture in Yi Province."
"The cadet imperial clansmen who command Yi Province and Jing Province are throwing their full weight behind Dong Zhuo's army. A coalition that rules half the realm won't stop at a mere 200,000 men."
Bashu was a naturally treacherous fortress infamous for its rugged valleys and sheer cliffs. Apart from Liu Yan's army, which had marched out from Hanzhong Prefecture to join Dong Zhuo's forces, the troops dispatched from Ba Prefecture and Shu Prefecture were belatedly merging with the main army.
Just how many more soldiers would gather?
According to intelligence from our spies, a portion of Gongsun Zan's army, having passed through Bing Province, had joined Dong Zhuo's main force. It was likely a cavalry detachment from Beiping Prefecture, dispatched for a show of strength.
"You summoned me."
"General of Agile Cavalry."
On the eve of this crucial decisive battle,
I summoned General of Agile Cavalry Sun Jian.
"Give the order to your brothers in Jiangdong. They will follow gladly."
"Of course. Are not the heroes of Jiangdong without fear?"
The heroes of Jiangdong know no fear.
Sun Jian burst into hearty laughter at those words.
"Did we not crush the Imperial Guard under Dong Zhuo's command at Mount Song the other day? Those bastards are nothing but a disorganized mob relying on superior numbers. They may have been joined by the cadet imperial clansmen of Yi Province and Jing Province... but those are dark-hearted, cunning schemers. Their unity will be weak."
"Liu Yan's and Liu Biao's armies will avoid a general offensive as much as possible. Their objective is mutual destruction between our army and Dong Zhuo's. And from Dong Zhuo's perspective, he wouldn't entrust critical tasks to the likes of Liu Yan and Liu Biao, who harbor treacherous intentions."
Liu Yan's and Liu Biao's armies are mere window dressing.
The main attack will come from Dong Zhuo's army, and his alone.
When the full-scale battle erupts, we'll face Dong Zhuo's forces directly.
I ordered Sun Jian to confront Dong Zhuo's army with the anti-cavalry war machines at the forefront. Sun Jian was visibly elated at becoming the vanguard commander leading this desperate, all-or-nothing battle.
* * *
No crude psychological warfare,
no cunning deceptions are needed.
Only annihilation through overwhelming force.
The decisive battle was set for the morrow.
The moment their preparations were complete, the great armies at Wan City and Xiling City launched into a full-scale engagement.
A vast plain situated between Jiangxia and Lujiang Prefectures. Right after issuing their mutual ultimatums, the armies of Liu Chong and Dong Zhuo led their soldiers and horses to the arena of the final battle.
"We are the suppression army acting on the orders of the Han Imperial House and the Imperial Court! This is your final warning, you rebels of the south: discard your weapons and surrender!"
"Any surrendered general who brings the severed heads of Liu Chong and Liu Seong-hwi will be granted high office, generous stipends, and the seals of a feudal lord, regardless of origin or background! You have no chance of victory!"
Dong Zhuo's scouts proclaimed this amnesty, inciting betrayal.
But the Xu Province Army and Yang Province Army did not flinch. Neither did Sun Jian's army, deployed at the vanguard to face the soldiers of Guanxi and Guanzhong.
Not a flicker of hesitation.
Not a trace of fear.
Liu Chong's army held an unshakeable formation, awaiting only the order for a general offensive. Seeing the imposing dignity of the soldiers who commanded the south, Dong Zhuo let out a ferocious laugh.
"Indeed, Liu Chong's army is a worthy rival under heaven! Do they not stand unhesitatingly before a vast host? Perhaps Hua Xiong and the Imperial Guard's defeat at Mount Song... was an inevitable outcome after all."
"S-Sir...! Why do you utter such alarming words?"
"I was merely expressing a momentary respect for the Liu Chong bastards, who have made themselves the common enemy of the realm by falsely claiming the imperial title. Worry not, my resolve to make drinking cups from the skulls of Liu Chong and Liu Seong-hwi remains unchanged."
"Yes, sir!"
After answering Director of the Palace Gentlemen Li Ru's question, Dong Zhuo raised his sharp Ceremonial Axes high.
Then, escorted by numerous generals, he advanced to the center of the battlefield.
Liu Seong-hwi.
I will confront my lifelong nemesis face-to-face.
Despite his officers' dissuasion, Dong Zhuo pressed forward, flaunting his authority.
"The arch-traitor of all ages, who murdered the late emperor and the late Empress Dowager, comes lumbering out, his bloated bulk heaving with the effort!"
Our thoughts aligned as if by telepathy.
The moment we reached the battlefield's center, I came face-to-face with the Southern Heir commanding his subordinate generals. Dong Zhuo recognized that the young man displaying such an imposing, majestic bearing before a vast host was none other than Liu Seong-hwi.
"Liu Seong-hwi! I will butcher you and avenge Commander Hua Xiong!"
"Give the order, sir! I will sever the traitor's head in a single stroke."
Grip—
The generals of Dong Zhuo's army bellowed as they clutched their sword hilts.
They were General of the Guards Niu Fu and General Who Conquers the North Zhang Ji.
To the officers of Dong Zhuo's army, who had followed the deadliest warrior of Xiliang, Liu Seong-hwi was a mortal enemy. It was only natural for them to direct an intense, blazing killing intent like Sulfur Fire at such a foe.
"Liu Seong-hwi! We have marched to slay you, who have deceived and mocked the Han Imperial House and the Imperial Court! You, who have elevated your father, the King of Chen, as a new emperor and unlawfully seized Xu Province and Yang Province—are you not the true mastermind behind this usurpation? Today, I shall judge you and correct the discipline and order of the realm!"
"You, who plundered the royal tombs of past emperors and feudal lords, burned the capital Luoyang, and crushed tens of thousands of innocent subjects—you speak of discipline and order? You are the state criminal of Han, a villain fit to be compared to Wang Mang!"
This was not the fundamental framework of a hero judging a villain.
It was simply a clash between traitors, each seeking to swallow the Han Dynasty whole.
Right and wrong are irrelevant.
Across all ages and lands, justice has always been the exclusive property of the strong.
Both Liu Seong-hwi and Dong Zhuo were nothing more than rebels threatening the Han Imperial House and the court. Whoever won the decisive battle to be fought today, the Han lineage, after four hundred years, would finally be brought to an end.
"You cunning pig, I'll sever your throat on this battlefield!"
"Bwahaha! I'll capture you and your father and throw you into boiling oil."
The Southern Heir made his declaration.
The arch-traitor of all ages shot back.
"Assume battle formation! Advance the war-wagons!" "Xiliang cavalry! It's time to trample these southern bumpkins into the dirt!"
The encounter between nemeses lasted but a fleeting moment.
As soon as their exchange ended, Liu Seong-hwi and Dong Zhuo marshaled their subordinate generals and returned to their main camps. With both supreme commanders back in position, the battle began in earnest.
* * *
Dong Zhuo's army's vanguard commanders were General Who Conquers the East Ma Teng and General Who Guards the East Han Sui. The Xiliang warlords, who had joined Dong Zhuo's army on the condition of amnesty for their rebellion, prepared for a general offensive, placing their elite cavalry, each a match for a thousand, at the forefront.
"Iron Cavalry, follow me! We will break through the enemy camp's center!"
A warrior woman with flowing orange hair raised the tip of a razor-sharp spear, rallying her cavalry. Like a great wolf leading its massive pack, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry assembled with flawless, single-minded precision.
The foremost of the Guanzhong Warlords.
Xiliang's Ma Chao the Splendid.
She was Ma Chao, the eldest daughter of General Who Conquers the West Ma Teng.
A black fur cape draped over her shoulders.
Agile leather armor emphasizing mobility.
And a spear, sharp as a harpoon, clutched in one hand.
They, who had been mere low-ranking frontier officers, were now committed to a full-scale battle for the Unification of the Realm. Ma Chao and the officers of Ma Teng's army stared beyond the cloud of dust at Liu Chong's forces, waiting only for the order to launch the general offensive.
"Hah...! What's this, a weapon I've never seen before... There must be at least several hundred of them...?"
Rrrrrrrrrumble-.
The heavy sound of wheels echoed.
The ground trembled, and a thick dust cloud swirled as if titanic beasts were stampeding about in chaos.
War-wagons.
They were iron-plated war-wagons.
Moreover, sharp spears and blades were mounted on their fronts.
Bladed War Wagons.
These were the combat wagons Liu Chong's army had deployed for anti-cavalry warfare.
Hundreds of Bladed War Wagons were arrayed in a horizontal line, flaunting the impregnable majesty of an Iron Fortress. They must have been secretly manufactured for years to confront the cavalry corps of the north and Xiliang.
"So that's why they chose this vast plain as the battlefield. On a flat, open field with no harsh obstacles, they can unleash the full power of their wagons..."
They placed the Bladed War Wagons at the front line.
And behind them, countless Repeating Crossbows stood ready.
Approach rashly and you die.
Your entire body will be torn apart like a beehive.
For Liu Chong's army, which entirely lacked cavalry strength, this was the optimal tactic. By sacrificing mobility and pushing their defensive power to the absolute limit, they intended to absorb the attacks of the cavalry corps Dong Zhuo's army prided itself on.