Chapter 035: Are We Winning Without Even Lifting a Finger? It’s Time for Our Counterattack—Off to Wancheng!

Page (1/3)

“Waaah—”

A grim, murderous war horn pierced the heavens.

“Follow me! Charge up there and butcher that bastard Zhang Xiu!”

With a thunderous roar, Zhang Fei was the first to spur his horse forward, dragging his spear behind him as he charged.

Eight thousand soldiers surged forth like floodwaters bursting through a breached dike, carried by their soaring morale.

Several hundred paces away.

“No one is to leave formation! Whoever dares move recklessly will be executed!”

Zhang Xiu brandished his silver spear, angrily bellowing at his greedy troops.

It was useless.

The Xiliang Army was no longer the iron-blooded force it had once been. Ever since Dong Zhuo had set the precedent of unleashing his troops to plunder Luoyang, the discipline of the Xiliang soldiers had declined disastrously.

By now, their eyes had gone red with greed. Who among them would still heed the orders of Zhang Xiu, their commander?

At that moment, only one thought remained in their minds:

Loot!

Led on by the Xiliang soldiers, the Nanyang natives among the ranks also joined the plundering, completely ignoring the enemy so close at hand.

Zhang Xiu personally cut down several soldiers, yet he still could not suppress the frenzy of the looting.

Just then, the war horn sounded.

Zhang Xiu whipped around and saw that the eight thousand Liu troops, already arrayed in formation, had taken advantage of the chaos and were surging forward like a heaven-darkening tide.

“This is bad! We have fallen into a trap!”

Zhang Xiu suddenly realized the truth and cried out in alarm:

“Those provisions, cattle, and sheep must have been deliberately released by Liu Bei before the battle, merely to lure our army into plundering them and throw our ranks into chaos!”

“He saw through our weakness long ago and laid this trap in advance!”

“That is why he dared to array his forces in the open and challenge us!”

“We have been tricked!”

Zhang Xiu had seen many battles. At this point, how could he possibly remain oblivious?

Zhang Quan, however, was visibly shaken.

“Liu Bei actually saw through our army’s weakness so easily and laid such a cunning trap?”

“Does he truly have a strategist of such ability under his command?”

Confusion and bewilderment flickered in Zhang Xiu’s eyes, but he had no time to dwell on it. He could only grit his teeth and sigh.

“From the looks of it, Liu Bei is no ordinary man. No wonder he dared to brazenly order us to withdraw from Nanyang.”

“My uncle and I both underestimated him.”

“Pass down my order. The entire army is to retreat!”

With a sweep of his silver spear, Zhang Xiu wheeled his horse around and fled.

The clash of gongs rang out, and the order to retreat was issued.

The soldiers still holding formation scattered like startled birds.

The disorderly troops who had been looting the provisions, cattle, and sheep now realized that the Liu army had charged upon them. Chaos erupted at once, and they broke and fled in all directions.

Thus, Zhang Xiu’s eight-thousand-man army fell into disorder without even putting up a fight.

But it was already too late.

The Liu troops had surged forward like a great tide.

Zhang Fei led the charge, plunging into the routed army and reaping heads like a god of slaughter.

Close behind him came Guan Yu, Wei Yan, Xu Sheng, and the other generals, each leading their own forces into the enemy ranks.

In the blink of an eye, the plains west of Biyang had become a river of blood, filled with the wails of ghosts and the howls of wolves.

Upon the city walls, the watching soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers.

“I had always believed the Xiliang Army was the strongest force under Heaven, ferocious and impossible to resist.”

“I never imagined that the strategist would defeat them in an instant with such a minor stratagem—merely a few carts of provisions and a handful of cattle and sheep.”

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

“I am utterly convinced by the strategist’s wondrous schemes and unfathomable calculations!”

Mi Zhu bowed toward Xiao Fang, expressing his admiration.

At that moment, he could not help feeling as though he had won without lifting a finger.

Everyone praised Xiao Fang without end.

Xiao Fang merely smiled and said calmly:

“Only with unquestioned obedience to orders and strict military discipline can one prevail over all under Heaven!”

“If the Xiliang Army had maintained strict discipline, how could we have so easily thrown them into confusion by luring them with provisions?”

“The Xiliang Army of today is no longer what it once was. There is no need for us to fear them as though they were tigers.”

Hearing Xiao Fang’s explanation, Zhuge Liang seemed to grasp something. He hurriedly took out a bamboo slip and began carving notes upon it.

“Only with unquestioned obedience to orders and strict military discipline can one prevail over all under Heaven!”

“Well said. Brother-in-law is right…”

Zhuge Liang continued muttering to himself, savoring and reflecting upon those words.

Xiao Fang, meanwhile, yawned and waved to everyone.

“The outcome has already been decided. There is no need to linger here. Everyone, disperse. Go back and make your preparations. Get ready to follow our lord in relentless pursuit and take Wancheng itself.”

The others departed with faces full of delight.

Xiao Fang could not be bothered to return. He simply sat in the watchtower and dozed off, while sending Zhuge Liang back to the residence to gather their belongings.

Zhuge Liang put away his bamboo slip and rode swiftly home, mulling over everything along the way.

Within the estate, the sisters Zhuge Lan and Zhuge Rong were anxiously awaiting news of the battle outside the city.

“Elder Sister, I heard the guards discussing it. More than eight thousand Xiliang soldiers have come this time.”

“The Xiliang men are so savage that even Liu Jingsheng dares not easily confront them. Can Liu Xuande really defeat them?”

Worry shimmered in Zhuge Rong’s bright eyes as she could not help asking her sister.

Zhuge Lan slightly furrowed her delicate brows and shook her head.

“What do women like us know of warfare? I cannot say who will win or lose.”

“Still, judging from your brother-in-law’s manner last night, he seemed completely at ease and did not appear to take today’s battle seriously at all. He must have been quite confident of victory.”

Zhuge Rong felt somewhat reassured.

After a brief pause, she said with a mysterious air:

“I heard A-Liang say that brother-in-law’s wisdom is unfathomable, far beyond anything we have ever seen.”

“He also said that brother-in-law possesses the gift of divine calculation and has the talents of a kingmaker!”

“Elder Sister, you and brother-in-law have shared a bed for so long. Didn’t you notice that he was hiding such extraordinary abilities?”

At the words “shared a bed,” Zhuge Lan’s cheeks flushed faintly.

After a light cough, she sighed.

“Your brother-in-law’s words and actions have indeed always been unusual. Uncle once said that he was no ordinary man.”

“But I never expected A-Liang to judge your brother-in-law a kingmaker!”

A trace of bewilderment appeared in Zhuge Lan’s eyes. It seemed that the more she learned about her husband, the less clearly she understood him.

The sisters were still discussing him when footsteps sounded.

Zhuge Liang hurried home.

“Elder Sister, Second Sister, quickly pack your luggage. We are about to head north with our lord to Wancheng.”

He urged them on the moment he entered.

The two sisters stared at him in surprise. Zhuge Rong asked curiously:

“A-Liang, why are we going to Wancheng all of a sudden?”

Zhuge Liang sat down, tipped back his head, and drained a cup of water. His face was filled with excitement.

“Our lord used brother-in-law’s brilliant stratagem and has already dealt the Xiliang Army a crushing blow. Naturally, we must pursue our victory and take Wancheng itself.”

“As the chief strategist, brother-in-law must accompany the army north. That is why I have come back to make preparations.”

Liu Bei had won?

Page (2/3)

And he had used Xiao Fang’s stratagem?

The two Zhuge sisters trembled, and the worry in their hearts vanished like smoke in an instant. Their lovely faces and bright eyes filled with immense delight.

“The Xiliang Army was so ferocious, yet they were defeated by my husband’s stratagem?”

“A-Liang, tell us everything!”

Zhuge Lan was bursting with curiosity and urged him on impatiently.

Zhuge Liang then recounted the entire battle, describing Xiao Fang’s various arrangements to his two sisters.

“Brother-in-law is truly so formidable?”

“With just one stratagem, he helped Liu Xuande defeat eight thousand Xiliang soldiers?”

Zhuge Rong drew in a sharp breath, her almond-shaped eyes widening in astonishment as she looked toward Zhuge Lan.

Zhuge Lan wore the same expression of wonder. Clearly, she had never imagined that her own husband could be so capable.

Hearing her sister’s exclamation, Zhuge Lan, as his wife, found a trace of pride quietly rising in her eyes.

“It seems your brother-in-law truly has been hiding his abilities. No wonder he is so confident about assisting Lord Xuande in swallowing the serpent that is Liu Biao and taking Jingzhou from him.”

“When he returns, I must ask him properly how he could possess such wisdom and schemes yet keep them hidden from his own wife.”

Her words sounded like a complaint, but the secret delight between her brows was impossible to conceal.

Zhuge Liang had no time to elaborate. He went to pack his belongings and prepare to leave.

Zhuge Lan also came back to herself and hurriedly summoned the maids to pack Xiao Fang’s personal effects as well.

“My brother-in-law truly is an extraordinary man. Elder Sister is blessed indeed to have married such a husband…”

For some reason, Zhuge Rong suddenly grew melancholy and sighed wistfully.

…

That winter, Liu Bei dealt Zhang Xiu a crushing defeat at Biyang.

That very day, Liu Bei drove his victorious army onward without pause, pursuing the enemy relentlessly.

Zhang Xiu led his routed forces in retreat toward Wancheng.

Two days later, the defeated army reached Wancheng. To escape the devastation of war, the common people from the surrounding villages and counties flocked into the city for refuge.

Southwest of Wancheng.

More than a hundred Xiliang soldiers were escorting a bridal carriage toward the southern gate of Wancheng.

“General Wenjin should have conquered Biyang by now, defeated that Liu Bei, and seized a hundred thousand hu of grain.”

“And now the Zou family has finally seen reason and agreed to let me bring their young lady back to Wancheng to marry our lord.”

“This is truly a double celebration. At tonight’s wedding feast, I must drink several cups with him…”

Hu Che’er stroked his thick beard as he muttered to himself. The thought stirred his craving for wine, and he swallowed repeatedly.

Just as he was indulging in his fantasies, a cloud of dust rose ahead, and a troop of horsemen came thundering toward them.

Hu Che’er narrowed his eyes and studied them carefully. Beneath a banner bearing the character Wei, several hundred soldiers were charging toward him like tigers and wolves.

“A Wei banner?”

“We have no such person in our army. And judging by their armor, they do not look like our soldiers either.”

Hu Che’er was puzzled for a moment. Then his expression suddenly changed, and he cried out in alarm:

“They are Liu Bei’s men!”

“How could Liu Bei’s army have appeared at Wancheng?”

Hu Che’er was horrified, and the Xiliang soldiers around him immediately erupted in an uproar.

Ahead, Wei Yan, leading the troops, raised his long saber and shouted fiercely:

“There are Xiliang soldiers ahead! Follow me! Charge! Slaughter every one of those Xiliang beasts!”

The several hundred Liu soldiers, upon seeing the Xiliang troops, surged forward in an instant as though injected with fresh blood.

Page (3/3)