The Reason She Was Defeated
The Reason She Was Defeated
The scouts returned after finishing their sweep of Cheng Pu's camp.
As I looked through the reports they had compiled, I continued the council with Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao.
Aside from Ji Ling, Hua Xiong, and Xiahou Dun, who were standing guard, only the senior commanders were present. We were focusing on the least welcome news first.
"Three hundred thousand..."
"That is correct, Governor Dong. That is only the confirmed figure. We estimate more are still gathering."
"Our total strength, even combined, is one hundred fifty thousand. We have received reinforcements, but we are still outmatched in raw numbers."
"However, Governor Dong, the fifty thousand troops we brought are all elite soldiers of the central army. And everyone here already knows full well that the Yellow Turbans are a disorganized rabble. In terms of effective strength, we may even hold the advantage."
"There is... no need to worry."
Dong Zhuo's expression stiffened slightly as she read the report. Seated to her left and right, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao spoke in level voices.
"Indeed. I have experienced it myself many times, so I know that well. Nevertheless, we must not let down our guard. Underestimating an enemy anywhere, at any time, is the surest way to be caught off guard."
As she said that, Dong Zhuo looked at my face.
Seeing her recall that past crisis, I gave a small nod of agreement and spoke.
"She is right. Above all, great numbers are a strength that cannot simply be dismissed. Moreover, this land of Ji Province is practically their home ground, so we must be especially cautious."
I could not call the situation perfectly favorable, but in many ways things were better than the last time we had faced a great army of two hundred thousand.
Judging solely by the proportion of elite troops and their degree of training, the two sides' effective strength could be considered roughly equal.
On top of that, our army's morale was sky-high from the string of victories, while the enemy's momentum was somewhat broken.
"In that case, what do you intend to do?"
"First, we will closely observe the enemy's movements and prepare our attack. Once we have finished studying the terrain they occupy, we will advance at a measured pace."
Dong Zhuo answered Yuan Shao's question while pointing at the map.
Her position that there was no need to rush was one we all agreed with.
In any event, with supplies coming from the central government and support from both the Yuan Clan and Cao Cao's family, there was no reason for us to worry about provisions and other matériel.
In the current situation, moving with a degree of leisure was surely the right answer.
However. One part remained unsettled in my mind.
The relationship among the three ladies, even now giving each other the cold shoulder, was a problem, but there was one more thing that worried me even more.
In the Original Timeline, an event unfolded here in Ji Province: Dong Zhuo's defeat by the Yellow Turbans.
Dong Zhuo had succeeded Lu Zhi and become General of the Household for the North by bribery, then fought the Yellow Turbans.
But against the Yellow Turbans that Lu Zhi had already beaten to a pulp, Dong Zhuo was utterly routed and forced to flee.
In the Romance, Liu Bei and her two sworn sisters rescued her, but Dong Zhuo then slighted the three sisters because of their low birth—a bonus to the tale.
Judging only by that, Dong Zhuo seemed to be nothing more than an incompetent, corrupt, and arrogant parachute appointee, but the Dong Zhuo I had seen so far was absolutely not incompetent.
A unique arrogance did peek through, but it was closer to overflowing self-confidence, and both her command system and personal martial prowess were anything but ordinary.
Her rank meant I had never faced her directly, but her level might well be on par with Ji Ling or Xu Rong—perhaps higher.
In fact, in both the Records of the Three Kingdoms and this reality, Dong Zhuo was a fierce general hardened by years of fighting the frontier peoples in Xiliang and Bing Province.
That a woman like her had suffered a crushing defeat against half-dead Yellow Turbans was deeply puzzling.
'Did she simply let her guard down? Like when we first met... but even allowing for that, it still feels off...'
Thinking that there might be something beyond simple military strength involved, I decided I needed to watch how things developed a while longer.
Right then.
"General!"
Xu Rong entered in a rush.
The fact that she, who had been keeping watch outside, was coming in meant something was happening, and our wariness rose by instinct.
"What is it?"
"Urgent report. The Yellow Turban main army has begun to move. They are advancing toward our present position."
"What?"
"No—already?"
"That is not all. Judging by the banners, the report says their leader Zhang Jiao himself appears to have taken the field."
"!"
We had expected that, having been crushed so thoroughly just before, they would need time to move even if they were gathering troops.
Defying that expectation, the Yellow Turbans were already advancing—and Zhang Jiao was leading them personally.
Dong Zhuo's face showed a moment of surprise, but soon a deep smile began to spread across her lips.
"This is actually fortunate. I was already burdened by the thought of going to find them, so if they are coming out to greet us in person like this, we ought to be grateful."
"Still, it is somewhat suspicious. No matter how large their army, a sudden frontal confrontation like this... especially abandoning advantageous terrain to come out onto open ground..."
"Could it be... a trap?"
The two of them raised cautious doubts. But Dong Zhuo slowly shook her head.
"It may simply be that their situation is worse than we thought. Perhaps they have run out of provisions. Or perhaps last defeat has caused internal division."
It was obvious that the enemy's morale would have fallen badly after consecutive defeats.
And even if they held influence over the bountiful land of Ji Province, feeding not just tens of thousands but hundreds of thousands was bound to be a heavy strain.
"That may also be true... but we lack clear evidence."
"There will be some stratagem at work."
"And what would that stratagem be? The enemy is crawling out onto open ground—by what possible means could they be weaving some trap? Go on, say your piece."
"Mm..."
"That is..."
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were trying to judge cautiously, but even they could not give a clear answer. If the enemy were luring us with a small force or launching a night raid, that would be one thing, but leading a great army openly in this fashion made it harder for them to be spinning any other scheme.
Watching the two of them fail to find an easy answer, Dong Zhuo smiled and said,
"Showing caution is a good thing, but too much thought makes one slow to move. Sometimes one also needs to think simply."
"Even so, I am against a head-on clash like this."
"I as well, I agree with Mengde."
Dong Zhuo's manner was oddly smug, as if lecturing them. Still, the two refused to yield their opinions.
Of course, if it came down to it, in principle they would ultimately have to follow their superior officer Dong Zhuo's word, but for now the two were attempting to apply the brakes.
At this, Dong Zhuo directed a cold look at them for a moment and kept silent.
Her face plainly read: she was contemplating how to put these two in their place. It went without saying, but no matter how much the pair objected, the final authority rested with the overall commander, the General of the Household for the North, Dong Zhuo.
If she forced the issue by authority, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would have no choice but to comply.
Thinking that the atmosphere would grow uncomfortable again and the matter would be forcibly closed, I quietly sighed to myself.
But then...
"General Yuan..."
"Lord Gonglu..."
"Gonglu..."
—"What do you think?"
"..."
As if they had rehearsed it together, all three turned to look at me at the same time and asked the same question. Faced with an inquiry that was no simple request for an opinion, but carried the meaning of "you decide," and the unnerving power struggle inside it, I felt a heavy pressure. After a moment of thought, I answered carefully.
"As I see it... we should probably avoid a rash frontal engagement. Their leader is none other than Zhang Jiao. He would not have moved the army without a definite reason."
They, too, must have had something they were counting on to come out onto open ground where their terrain advantage was diminished. For now, we needed to find out what that something was.
"Let us first mount a response, and at the same time probe the enemy's situation. We can send out only a portion of the troops. Still, we must put on a proper show, so it would be best to make use of the Yellow Turban prisoners."
With tens of thousands of prisoners captured in the last battle alone, it was better to use them while we could.
We had spared the lives of bandits who by rights should have been summarily executed. And yet they were the sort who would be watching for a chance to betray us, so however you looked at it, it was hard to view them favorably.
Massacring all of them felt a bit much, but in truth there was no reason for hesitation about throwing them into the work of cleaning up the dung they themselves had spread. If things went wrong, we could simply toss them at the enemy and figure out the enemy's scheme—that was also a method.
And then.
"That sounds good. Let us do so."
"I also am in favor of Lord Gonglu's opinion."
"I'll agree... Sis too."
All three smiled and readily accepted my argument.
Honestly, given the sharp atmosphere, I had thought there would be some back-and-forth. But contrary to my expectation, things moved smoothly along my words without much dispute, and I felt a little relief.
And as a bonus, it somehow felt as though the frosty mood had turned a bit more peaceful.
*
"So it's settled—I'll be counting on you, yes!"
"P-please... take good care of meee..."
"Tentatively trusting you."
"Mm... well, let's see what you can do."
Three women commanders, speaking like something out of a fever dream.
Watching the women who had been given command of this special detachment, one man—an officer under Cao Cao and a participant in the operation— Xiahou Dun found the feeling less than reassuring.
He had heard they were the three fierce generals under Dong Zhuo, but in truth, their manner of speech matched their looks, and they were not exactly confidence-inspiring.
When he had seen that one called Hua Xiong in action earlier, he remembered her martial skill was reasonably decent, but he could not be sure whether that Li Jue, who looked as though she had never so much as stepped on an ant, let alone fought a battle, or that Guo Si, who gave off a strange feeling like some kind of doll, could even fight properly.
'Well... they're officers, so at least they'll be able to keep their own necks safe.'
Thinking that, Xiahou Dun turned his gaze toward the enemy forces approaching before his eyes.
At the sight of a great army of hundreds of thousands advancing with spears and blades, his eyes began to turn cold.
This was his first battle in a long while after being stuck in Luoyang the whole time. If he distinguished himself here, he might be able to leap into the general's rank he had been wanting—so he was burning with genuine fervor.
"They're coming, yes!"
"Hoo-ee... get your wits about you, yeees...!"
"Preparation complete."
With that strange manner of speech, the three encouraged the soldiers. In step with them, Xiahou Dun also readied himself to charge the moment the order came down.
Right then.
—Hoo-hoohng...
"Huh?"
"Ehh?... What is that thing, yes?"
Something clearly abnormal began to appear. At the same time, a chill ran down their spines, and along with confusion, an eerie foreboding began to creep over them.
And then.
"Hiegeeeek!?"