Yan Province, Dong Commandery.
Renping Ford, on the banks of the Yellow River.
“That madman Zhang Jing!”
Sitting astride Red Hare, Lü Bu glared at the heavily fortified defenses on the opposite bank and ground his teeth.
“Not only has he occupied my Yan Province, he’s even killed my officers and soldiers. He’s utterly despicable!”
“My lord.”
Looking across the river, Zhang Liao frowned.
“Renping Ford is obviously heavily garrisoned. We have no means of crossing the river. In my humble opinion, we should make our way to Chenliu as soon as possible.”
“Hmph!”
Lü Bu snorted.
“If we head into Chenliu, then what about the grain stored in Liaocheng?”
A few days earlier, Yuan Shao had delivered all 50,000 shi of grain he had promised into Liaocheng.
At this point, Lü Bu had no good solution.
He couldn’t very well march at the front while having Yuan Shao serve as his personal logistics officer.
After all, he wasn’t Yuan Shao’s father.
“…”
Zhang Liao was left speechless.
If you hadn’t insisted on having things your way, none of this would’ve happened, he thought bitterly.
Had we taken the official road through Wei Commandery, we’d be close to Chenliu by now!
“Wenyuan.”
Looking at the Yellow River, nearly eight hundred paces across, Lü Bu finally accepted reality.
His face darkened as he asked, “Since we can’t cross the river and the Yellow Turbans refuse to fight us, what should the army do?”
“Go to Chenliu.”
“And what about the grain?”
“…”
Zhang Liao’s vision nearly went black.
How was he supposed to know?
“Sigh… Since things have come to this, let’s go back and eat.”
Seeing that none of his generals had any better ideas, Lü Bu could only order a retreat.
He decided to remain in Liaocheng for a while, treating it as an opportunity to consume some of the grain stores.
………
Early May, Jizhou
Ganling, Qinghe Commandery
“My lord.”
With a smile on his face, Guo Tu stroked his beard.
“Just as you predicted, Lü Bu couldn’t bear to abandon the grain and has remained in Liaocheng.”
“If the Yellow Turbans dare cross the river, then Your Lordship can attack them together with Lü Bu from both sides. Once the Yellow Turbans suffer heavy losses, Jizhou will finally be free to deal with Zhang Yan of the Heishan bandits.”
“And if the Yellow Turbans refuse to cross?”
A faint smile played across Yuan Shao’s face.
Though he appeared to be asking Guo Tu, he had already settled the answer in his own mind.
“My lord’s strategy is an open stratagem.”
Guo Tu immediately flattered him.
“Lü Bu has only four thousand troops, yet he’s burdened with tens of thousands of shi of grain. Liaocheng cannot be a place where he can remain forever.”
“When his grain begins running low, he will certainly leave.”
“And can cavalry still be called cavalry when they’re dragging wagons full of grain behind them?”
“Given how cunning and treacherous the Yellow Turbans are, they’ll undoubtedly attack Lü Bu.”
“When that happens, all Lü Bu has to do is hold out for a short while.”
“Your Lordship can then immediately march to his aid.”
“The Yellow Turbans will be defeated without question.”
In truth, they had only one objective— To lure the Qihuo Army across the Yellow River.
As long as the Qihuo Army dared cross, they were confident they could inflict devastating losses.
Lü Bu, who had been directed onto the Julu route, was merely bait that Yuan Shao had conveniently placed along the way.
As for whether Lü Bu lived or died, they couldn’t care less.
“Hahaha!”
Yuan Shao laughed heartily.
“Gongze speaks well.”
“Pass down my orders immediately.”
“The army is to march toward Boping.”
“And have our scouts eliminate every Yellow Turban scout they encounter.”
“In this battle, we must ensure that not a single Yellow Turban returns alive.”
“We’ll completely crush Zhang Yuheng’s ambitions of contending with Jizhou.”
“We obey!”
The assembled generals eagerly rubbed their hands together before saluting in unison.
………..
Mid-May
Dong’e, Dong Commandery
“Fengxiao.”
Watching the army drilling in formation, Zhang Jing wore a rather peculiar expression.
“Lü Bu has finally set out.”
“He only has four thousand soldiers, yet he’s dragging more than three thousand wagons loaded with grain.”
“To be honest, “I almost feel like helping him.”
“My lord is truly benevolent.”
Guo Jia smiled knowingly.
“Lü Bu has certainly had a difficult journey.”
“If Your Lordship were to lend him a helping hand, it would simply be helping him escape his suffering.”
“Haha.”
Zhang Jing laughed as well.
“How are things on Zhicai’s side?”
“My lord.”
Guo Jia’s smile faded as he cupped his hands respectfully.
“Zhicai has long since prepared more than seven hundred ferries at Cangting Ford.”
“We’re simply awaiting your command.”
“In less than three hours, our army can cross the river and lie in ambush at Dongwuyang.”
Dongwuyang was only about thirty li from Cangting Ford.
With the army traveling light, the march would take no more than two hours.
“Good.”
Zhang Jing gazed toward the north and asked, “Fengxiao, do you think there’s any chance Lü Bu will choose Yangping instead?”
Yangping lay to the east of Dongwuyang.
The two cities were separated by no more than ten li.
It was also the first city Lü Bu would encounter before reaching Dongwuyang.
“Impossible.”
Guo Jia answered without hesitation.
“If Yuan Shao hadn’t given him the grain, it might have been possible. But now that Lü Bu is burdened with those supplies, he’ll definitely enter Dongwuyang to rest and reorganize.”
“There are three reasons.”
“First, the nearest city west of Dongwuyang is Weiguo, which is about one hundred sixty li away. Lü Bu can’t possibly cover that distance in a single day, so resting at Dongwuyang is the best choice.”
“Second, Dongwuyang is far more formidable than Yangping. It’s one of the region’s few well-fortified cities. Combined with the constant harassment from our scouts along the way, such a strong fortress would give Lü Bu a greater sense of security.”
“Third… the march itself.”
“The distance from Liaocheng to Dongwuyang is only about one hundred fifty li. An army carrying only a modest amount of baggage could cover it in two days.”
“But Lü Bu…”
“Dragging all that grain, will need nearly four days.”
“Lü Bu has commanded the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry for many years.”
“He certainly isn’t accustomed to such slow, cumbersome marches.”
“So I believe not only will he enter Dongwuyang, he’ll likely remain there for a day or two to let his troops rest.”
“It’s simply human nature.”
Given those three reasons, even Guo Jia found it hard to believe Lü Bu would stop at Yangping.
Of course, he admitted there was still an element of gambling in his prediction.
“What an excellent observation—it’s simply human nature.”
After listening, Zhang Jing turned to Guo Jia with a broad smile.
“Fengxiao truly possesses the talent to govern and strategize on a grand scale.”
“How fortunate I, Zhang Yuheng, am.”
Indeed, every truly exceptional strategist possessed a silver tongue.
Someone like Tian Feng—upright, rigid, and unwilling to adapt— was ultimately an incomplete strategist.
No wonder there had been the famous “Ten Victories and Ten Defeats” argument.
For Cao Cao at the time, that essay had been worth the equivalent of an army of one hundred thousand men, because it instilled unparalleled confidence throughout the Cao camp.
“My lord overpraises me.”
Guo Jia smiled and bowed modestly.
“Fengxiao.”
Looking at him seriously, Zhang Jing said, “For this campaign, I will assign Dian Wei, Taishi Ci, and Guan Hai to assist you.”
“In addition, you’ll command part of the Central Army, including the Xiandeng Battalion, for a total force of five thousand men.”
“Lü Bu may die.”
“But you absolutely must not come to harm.”
This had originally been the force Zhang Jing intended to lead personally.
Unfortunately, Cheng Yu had refused to let him take such a risk.
So he could only remain behind at the ferry crossing.
“M-My lord… then what about your own safety…”
Before Guo Jia could finish, Zhang Jing interrupted with a wave of his hand.
“It’s fine.”
“I wouldn’t claim to have mastered all the Six Arts of a gentleman, but I’m more than capable of handling ordinary opponents.”
“Besides, we also have a detachment stationed at Cangting.”
Faced with Guo Jia’s concern, Zhang Jing simply smiled, indicating that he was no helpless scholar— he could hold his own in a fight.
“Please rest assured, my lord.”
Guo Jia’s eyes reddened as he bowed deeply.
“I will certainly live up to your trust.”
“I shall lead the army to victory and return triumphant.”
At that moment, Guo Jia was deeply moved.
He had only entered Zhang Jing’s service less than half a month ago, yet his lord already trusted him enough to place commanders such as Dian Wei, Taishi Ci, and Guan Hai under his command.
Although he had only recently joined, he already knew quite a bit about the Qihuo Army.
Especially these generals.
Setting aside their ability to command troops, their martial prowess alone was extraordinary.
He had heard that when Taishi Ci was selecting cavalrymen, he had defeated one officer after another in contests of arms.
Among them, Guan Hai had performed the best.
As for Dian Wei, there was even less that needed to be said.
He was so formidable that even Taishi Ci willingly admitted inferiority.
And now, all of them would obey his orders.
At that moment, Guo Jia finally understood the saying:
“A true man will lay down his life for the one who recognizes his worth.”
Perhaps, this was exactly what those words meant.
— The end of the Chapter–
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