Snowball to Avalanche - 2: Han Hyun's Head Rolls, 10,000 Troops Captured Without a Fight
Jiangxia Prefect Han Hyun's head had fallen, and 10,000 troops were taken prisoner.
Without a single battle.
"They say the Jingzhou army numbered less than 1,000."
"Is that true?"
"Nah. I heard it was under 500 even when you add them all up."
The rumors kept snowballing.
The Jingzhou scholars who'd gone viral with tales of the Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Fledgling had latched onto the bait and run with it.
"A lone woman stood before 10,000 troops and debated them into submission, they say."
"I heard it differently. Apparently, Han Hyun raising his army in the first place was her trap."
"There was a rumor like that?"
"Yeah, they say it was a ploy to wipe out the rebels in one go. Everything was pre-planned and staged."
The southern Jingzhou warlords couldn't ignore the gossip either.
"10,000 troops surrendered without even fighting?"
"Yes, sire! They entered Jiangxia without spilling a drop of blood!"
"...So those rumors are really true?"
If you pieced together the slightly exaggerated tales, it went something like this.
When Chen Soyoung stood alone before 10,000 troops, thunder rumbled and lightning cracked.
The awestruck soldiers bowed their heads, and even vanguard commander Wei Yan realized the gravity of the situation, confronting her directly.
But in their exchange, every word from Chen Soyoung rang true with reason.
Vanguard Han Ho declared, "This woman reads the future itself. We can't oppose her. If we draw swords, we'll regret it forever."
Wei Yan instantly saw the light, bowed to Chen Soyoung, and the 10,000 troops prostrated themselves before her.
Jiangxia Prefect Han Hyun refused to acknowledge her and tried to fight.
But what happened next? As if heaven itself punished him, the moment Han Hyun laid eyes on Chen Soyoung, he collapsed, his heart giving out.
That was the full story behind the rumors.
'Who'd believe such an absurd tale, though.'
Yi Yin, who knew the truth through his spies, moved swiftly the instant Han Hyun's head rolled.
He declared his allegiance to the southern Jingzhou warlords.
"We must side with Liu Bei. That's our only path to survival."
As everyone hesitated, Yi Yin's vanguard commander Jin Do shouted.
"How can you be so indecisive? The battle's already lost! Know when to bow your heads!"
To Jin Do, the outcome had tipped with that one blow.
'Even Cao Cao couldn't breach Jingzhou for a reason.'
And that reason? The woman at the center of these earth-shaking rumors: Chen Soyoung.
The strategist who'd taken Jiangxia bloodlessly.
Now it all made sense. That was why even Cao Cao hadn't dared eye Jingzhou.
"Let's surrender."
Yi Yin pretended to yield to Jin Do as he rallied the warlords.
"Ahem... Jin Do is loyal. He's the one calling for surrender!"
Under Yi Yin's lead, the southern Jingzhou warlords one by one sent word of their submission.
The rumors only grew.
"Heard the four southern commanderies fell without a fight—total humiliation."
"I heard about Jiangxia. And then?"
"That was the spark!"
"So the rumors were true?"
The news that Jiangxia had fallen bloodlessly, followed by three more southern commanderies, set the entire land ablaze.
Chen Soyoung had pacified the four southern commanderies, her name now echoing across the realm.
This was the moment her value—soared from five sacks of rice to the heavens.
*
"Did you hear, my lady? The Little Strategist pulled off another miracle."
Liu Bei's mouth stretched ear to ear, weary from the Yizhou campaign.
"Ahem, that's my daughter for you!"
Surprisingly, Zhuge Liang's wife Huang Yueying was right there with Liu Bei during the Yizhou conquest.
Huang Yueying's invention, the Mokwoo Yumah.
The one-wheeled cart, once just a prototype, was finally entering mass production.
An upgraded version for hauling grain through rugged mountains, it stayed stable even overloaded—no tipping over. Supply troops clamored to use them.
Sure, they were heavy, but unlike two-wheeled carts that snagged on rocks or hills, these glided smoothly.
Huang Yueying was carving her name into history as project lead and Liu Bei's supply officer.
At the era's heart stood Chen Soyoung.
"She took Jiangxia without bloodshed and quelled the southern rebellion. How does one pull off such a feat without fighting?!"
Liu Bei had no idea what tricks she'd used.
Bloodless? What stratagem bends an enemy army to surrender without crossing swords?
He'd heard the ridiculous tale of her marching alone to face 10,000... but somehow, with Chen Soyoung, it felt plausible.
"Ahem, my daughter—it's only natural!"
"True enough. I hold her in as high regard as you do, my lady. Any guess on her ploy?"
Huang Yueying answered without hesitation.
"She bewitched their hearts."
"...Bewitched them?"
"Has to be. That girl's a master at handling people."
Liu Bei pondered her words.
It rang true.
Chen Soyoung's knack for reading people outshone even Cao Cao, in Liu Bei's eyes.
Whenever they discussed realm talents, she'd nail their character and skills spot-on— all proven true.
Her advice had been key to launching the Yizhou campaign.
"Under Yizhou's Liu Zhang is a man named Zhang Song. He'll side with you, my lord—heed his words."
Astonishingly accurate. She'd been setting the board half a year prior.
"Your words hit the mark again, my lady. The Little Strategist knows where to place talent; sharp eyes indeed. That must be her gift for 'handling people' you mentioned."
"Absolutely. I always knew my girl would shake the world one day!"
Huang Yueying beamed too.
Chen Soyoung was fulfilling her dreams by proxy.
"I'll handle my duties—trust me."
"I never doubt your talents, my lady. Even Kongming praises you to the skies."
*
Soyang buzzed with a military council.
Cam Nang and Zhuge Liang had safely withdrawn the army to Soyang.
Cam Nang knew the terrain, Zhuge Liang commanded the rear, and the troops followed obediently.
Whatever ploy Chen Soyoung had pulled, it drew Cao Cao's attention to Chang'an, crumbling his forces—and letting them retreat unscathed.
"Kongming, Jiangxia has fallen."
"I heard. What do you make of it, Shi Dao?"
"No clue. But the war's tilting our way a bit."
Present were Shi Dao, Choi Jupyeong, Meng Jian, and Ma Su tucked in the corner.
"Not all good, but her stratagem deserves praise."
Unbelievable feat.
Victory without battle. What a grand strategy.
No idea what she'd done. With such a force gap, fear alone wouldn't make them surrender.
Shi Dao echoed the thought, asking about Chen Soyoung.
"Lady Soyoung must've swayed the enemy. Right, Kongming?"
"Likely. Some back-and-forth convinced them."
His daughter had a real talent for toying with people.
She never yielded a word. Stubborn, sure—but not blindly so.
Her arguments always landed on truth.
Awkward in expression, roundabout phrasing, still honing her rhetoric... yet the results? Her words built something massive.
Her thoughts ran deep—that was it.
This proved it again.
Zhuge Liang sank into thought.
Choi Jupyeong, not wanting to interrupt, subtly shifted topics.
"What're Soyoung's aides up to?"
"Lady Huang is securing Jiangxia's order while sorting the south... per Hand Gun's report."
"Huh. 'Sorting' how?"
"Hand Gun said: fortify defenses to make rebellion unthinkable."
"Whoa."
Hand Gun was swamped.
He'd reported Jiangxia via Yangyang to Soyang—only to find trouble here too.
Now back southbound.
"So... opinions on Zhang He's army?"
Soyang was on alert.
Cao Cao had mobilized, total commander Zhang He.
Over 100,000 strong, intel said.
Not heading Chang'an.
Toward Xinyang. Zhuge Liang hastily summoned Soyang's four county magistrates for council.
"But... the river project? Your plan, Meng Jian?"
He knew Chen Soyoung was digging a major canal.
But this was uncanny.
"Lady Soyoung's orders. Something off?"
Keen insight. Couldn't help but admire.
As if foreseeing Cao Cao's advance, she'd started dredging the river a year ago.
Prepared in advance.
"Launching such a project without losing the people's hearts? Astonishing."
Meng Jian's nose rose proudly.
"Finally beating you once, Kongming! There's always a way."
Soyang's administration ran flawlessly, security ironclad—no theft or mischief.
Yet no starvation.
Of course, Shi Dao, Choi Jupyeong, Meng Jian, Ma Su—top talents all, their strategies elite.
But Zhuge Liang held: couldn't forge such prosperity from wasteland on smarts alone.
He recalled Chen Soyoung preaching at the water conservancy office.
"Know people, use people. That principle birthed this boom."
"Kongming, what nonsense is that?"
Choi Jupyeong said.
"It's the law. Rule of law—proper state."
Zhuge Liang nodded.
"Could be. Veered off-topic. Ma Su, fetch brush and ink?"
"Yes, sir!"
Meng Jian looked puzzled.
"Why brush and ink now?"
Council just starting—why that?
Zhuge Liang brushed it off.
"Seizing initiative. I've prepped a stratagem to repel them—shall we postpone the meeting?"