My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

The Han soldiers sat down on the ground and never wanted to get up again. The mud and sweat on their armor formed dark streaks, their heavy weapons leaned against their shoulders, and their heavy breathing echoed throughout the camp.

They were truly exhausted, so exhausted that they almost lost the strength to even chew their dry rations.

The fierce battle with the southern barbarians just now lasted from dawn to dusk. Blades were dulled and arrows missed their targets. Everyone's arms were sore and numb from wielding weapons, and their calves felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Moreover, this southern jungle is not a place to stay for long.

The midday sun was like a blazing fireball, scorching the ground. The damp air was filled with a strange smell of decaying leaves mixed with miasma, which made one feel suffocated when inhaled.

The mosquitoes in the grass were as big as thumbs, and their bites left the soldiers covered in welts. The festering wounds ached even more in the hot and humid environment.

Fighting in this environment requires more than ten times the physical exertion compared to fighting on the plains.

Just dealing with the hot and humid climate and mosquito bites is enough to exhaust most of an ordinary person's energy, not to mention having to fight against the fierce southern barbarian soldiers.

"If we could rest here for a few days, even just taking a hot bath and changing into dry clothes, that would be the greatest thing ever!"

A young soldier rubbed his aching shoulders and muttered to his fellow countryman beside him.

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement arose from the surrounding crowd, and the soldiers' eyes revealed expectant looks.

The days of forced marches and fierce battles had left them physically and mentally exhausted, and what they longed for most at this moment was a moment of peace.

Just then, a cheerful bugle call rang out in the camp.

Wei Yan, clad in armor, strode into the center of the camp, followed by dozens of personal guards carrying captured cattle, sheep, and several jars of strong liquor.

"Soldiers!"

Wei Yan's voice, loud as a bell, drowned out the noise in the camp, "We have won a great victory against the Southern Barbarians and captured a lot of spoils! All these beef, mutton, wine, and meat are for the brothers! Let's have a good meal tonight and rest well for a few days!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted in the camp.

The soldiers instantly forgot their fatigue and stood up to surround him.

The soldiers quickly butchered the cattle and sheep, set up campfires to roast them, and the rich aroma of meat soon filled the camp.

As the wine jars were opened, the rich aroma of the wine filled the air. The soldiers held their wine bowls, eating meat and drinking wine heartily. Some even played folk tunes from their hometowns and danced around the bonfire.

Laughter and cheers filled the air, and the stress and fatigue of the past few days vanished during the celebration banquet.

Two days later, at dawn, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the jungle and shone into the camp, the Han soldiers were already full of energy.

After two days of rest, the soldiers had fully recovered their strength. Their armor was polished to a gleaming shine, their weapons honed to sharpness, and every soldier's eyes gleamed with high morale. Wei Yan stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged ranks, quite satisfied.

He drew his sword from his waist, pointed it straight south, and shouted loudly:

"Soldiers! Meng Quan of the Southern Barbarians has not yet surrendered. Jiangyang is the gateway to the South. If we take Jiangyang, we can strike straight into the heart of the Southern Barbarians! All troops, march south to Jiangyang!"

"As ordered!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices so loud that the birds in the jungle scattered and fled.

The army marched south in a grand procession, banners waving, steps perfectly aligned, displaying the might and power of the Han army.

All of this was exactly what Xiao He had expected.

As early as during the pre-battle planning, Xiao He had made it clear to Wei Yan:
"Although Meng Quan is brave and fierce, he is suspicious by nature and afraid of battle. This great defeat has thrown his army into disarray. Although Jiangyang is the gateway to the south, it has no natural defenses. Meng Quan will not dare to hold it for long. Our army only needs to pursue the victory and we can take Jiangyang without a fight."

As expected, when Wei Yan led his army to the gates of Jiangyang, the city gates were wide open and the Nanman soldiers were nowhere to be seen on the city walls.

The scouts sent to investigate quickly reported back:
"General, Meng Quan abandoned the city and fled last night. Although the people in the city are fearful, they have not made any moves to cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan's lips curled into a cold smile, and he gave the order:
"Enter the city! Leave a thousand soldiers to garrison Jiangyang and pacify the people. The rest of you, pursue Meng Quan immediately!"

Jiangyang, a key town in southern China, fell into the hands of the Han army without bloodshed.

A massive pursuit ensued.

Meng Quan led his remaining troops south, pursued relentlessly by the Han army, which clung to them like a persistent carbuncle.

Meng Quan dared not stop for a moment. He traveled swiftly during the day and only dared to rest briefly at night. He did not even dare to light a fire to cook, and could only eat some dry food to fill his stomach.

He originally thought that after the Han army captured Jiangyang, they would be busy looting the city's wealth and enjoying the fruits of victory. However, he did not expect Wei Yan to be so decisive, not even lingering for a moment, and directly leading his army to pursue them.

This pursuit lasted for seven days. During those seven days, Meng Quan fled south, abandoning two cities in succession.

He dared not linger in any city he reached, but only gathered a small number of local garrison troops before continuing his southward escape.

By the time they fled to Nanguang, Meng Quan's 60,000-strong army had already suffered more than half its losses. The once orderly ranks were now reduced to less than 40,000 remnants, all dressed in rags, pale-faced, and with eyes full of fear and exhaustion.

Nanguang was already the heartland of the Southern Barbarians. Surrounded by continuous forests, it was home to dozens of Southern Barbarian tribes and the foundation of Meng Quan's rule.

If they flee again, the Han army will take the opportunity to attack the jungle, and those unarmed tribal people will inevitably suffer from the flames of war.

Meng Quan has been the King of the Southern Barbarians for five years. If he cannot even protect his own people, what face does he have as a king?
How could he possibly win over the people in the future? Thinking of this, Meng Quan stopped in his tracks, a resolute glint in his eyes:
"We can't run anymore! Right here in Nan Guang, we'll fight Wei Yan to the death!"

Upon taking up residence in Nanguang City, Meng Quan immediately issued the following orders:

"Martial law is hereby declared throughout the city! Gather all the defeated soldiers and register them! Recruit all able-bodied men in the city to replenish the army! Take all the weapons and armor from the treasury and distribute them!"

After the order was given, Nanguang City was instantly thrown into chaos.

Soldiers searched everywhere for the fleeing troops, officials conscripted able-bodied men from house to house, and the gates of the treasury were wide open as weapons and armor were continuously transported out. However, amidst the chaos, the results were minimal—the fleeing troops were already terrified, and many took advantage of the confusion to hide in the jungle;
The able-bodied men in the city were also afraid of the Han army and hid themselves. After a whole day of fussing, Meng Quan had only managed to gather less than 40,000 troops, many of whom were civilians who had been temporarily conscripted and did not even know how to use weapons.

Inside the government hall of Nanguang City, the light was dim and the air was filled with a restless atmosphere.

Meng, dressed in royal robes, sat stiffly in the main seat, his face ashen.

Below, several generals stood with their heads bowed, reporting in hushed tones on the troop recruitment situation.

"Your Majesty, most of the defeated soldiers have scattered, and only 23,000 have been gathered; it is difficult to recruit able-bodied men from the city, and only 15,000 can be found, half of whom are unable to use weapons..."

The general's voice grew softer and softer, and he dared not look Meng Quan in the eye.

"Trash! They're all trash!"

Meng Quan grew angrier as he listened, and suddenly slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup on it to jump and spill tea all over the floor.

"Sixty thousand troops! The sixty thousand troops I led! In just a few days, more than twenty thousand have been lost! When we arrived in Nanguang, we couldn't even muster forty thousand! What use are you bunch of good-for-nothings?!"

He stood up, pointed at the generals' noses, and cursed them, his anger erupting like a volcano.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a scout rushed in, stumbling and crawling. He knelt down with a thud before the hall, his voice trembling as he reported:
"Reporting...Reporting to Your Majesty! Wei Yan's army has passed Zhuti and is less than a hundred li from Nan Guang! The vanguard is already visible!"

"what?!"

Meng Quan's expression suddenly changed, and he swayed, almost falling off his seat.

He staggered to the front of the hall, grabbed the scout by the collar, and asked sternly:
"Say it again! How far is Wei Yan from Nanguang?!"

"Not even a hundred li, Your Majesty!" The scout trembled with fear, his voice trembling.

Meng Quan released his grip, staggered back a few steps, and plopped back into his seat, his face filled with despair. Baili!

At such a close distance, the Han army could reach the city within a day!
He originally thought that Wei Yan would stay for a few days to reorganize his troops after capturing Lushui and Zhuti, but he did not expect the enemy to be so fast. He had just arrived in Nanguang when the pursuers arrived.

Forget about reinforcing the city's defenses, there wasn't even time for the soldiers to catch their breath!

The city walls of Nanguang City were already low and dilapidated. Now, with insufficient troops and a lack of weapons, how could they possibly withstand the fierce and powerful Han army?

Are the Southern Barbarians truly doomed?
"Wei Yan has already reached our stronghold! Speak up! How are we going to defend ourselves?!"

Meng Quan suddenly stood up and roared hysterically at the generals below.

However, all he received in response was deathly silence.

The generals all lowered their heads, and no one dared to utter a sound.

Most of these southern barbarian generals rose to power through bravery and strength. They were quite brave in battles when things were going well, but once they encountered adversity, they all lost their way.

Based on past experience, in such a situation, everyone would have scattered long ago, taking their confidants and fleeing into the jungle to evade pursuers using the familiar terrain.

But things are different now—this is the heart of the Southern Barbarian lands, and behind us are countless members of our tribe;

Meng Quan, as the King of the Southern Barbarians, had only recently unified the Southern Barbarians. He would never abandon his city and flee into the jungle to suffer, much less tolerate his generals deserting on their own.

"Trash! They're all trash!"

Seeing that the generals were all silent, Meng Quan's anger intensified. He grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

"Didn't you all usually boast about your invincibility and look down on the Han army? Now that the Han army has come to our doorstep, why are you all turning into cowards?!"

He berated the generals mercilessly, and by the end, his voice was trembling with tears.

The atmosphere inside the hall was extremely oppressive. The generals were all red-faced, but no one dared to speak.

Just when Meng Quan was almost in despair, his gaze swept over the jungle outside the hall, and a sudden inspiration flashed into his mind, and an idea popped into his head.

Nanguang City's defenses are weak and its troops are insufficient. There is no chance of winning a direct confrontation. However, what the Southern Barbarians are best at is not defending cities, but ambushing in the jungle! Thinking of this, Meng Quan's eyes lit up again.

Just as Meng Quan was furious and the atmosphere in the mansion was extremely tense, a general wearing black animal skin armor and carrying a bronze scimitar at his waist slowly stepped out of the ranks.

He was a burly man with distinctive southern barbarian tattoos on his face; he was none other than the cave master of the busy cave. He bowed deeply to Meng Quan, his voice steady and powerful, which quelled the commotion in the hall.

"Your Majesty need not be angry. My previous narrow victory over the Han army was not due to my exceptional bravery, but rather to the superior equipment and strict discipline of the Han army, not because our army was truly able to suppress them."

He paused, looked up at Meng Quan, his eyes gleaming with unwavering certainty, and continued:

"Since the Han army's advantage lies in its superior equipment, if we can send a more elite legion that can counter their weaponry, we will surely defeat Wei Yan's army and drive them out of the heart of the Southern Barbarian lands!"

"Elite Legion?"

Meng Quanzheng's mouth was dry from cursing, but upon hearing this, his body trembled, and his eyes, which had been red with rage, instantly lit up, as if he had seen a ray of light in the dark night.

He was so preoccupied with the predicament of insufficient troops and weak city defenses that he forgot that the southern barbarian lands harbored many hidden military forces.

He strode down the main steps, grabbed the arm of the man rushing to the cave, pulled him close, and eagerly asked:

"Tell me in detail, what elite legion are you referring to? Could it be the Black Bear Guard in your cave? But we tested them before, and although they are brave, they couldn't withstand the Han army's repeating crossbows!"

The cave master shook his head slightly, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. He raised his right hand and pointed towards the south of the mansion, his voice low, tinged with a mixture of awe and pride:
"Your Majesty may not know this, but deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains south of the Southern Barbarians lies a secluded kingdom called Wuge. Though Wuge is small in size and population, it possesses a legendary army that has been passed down for hundreds of years—the Rattan Armor Soldiers!"

"Rattan armor soldiers?"

Meng Quan frowned slightly, the name seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall the details for a moment.

"Exactly!"

The cave master emphasized his words, his eyes filled with longing:

"The soldiers of this army all wore specially made rattan armor. The rattan armor was made from old rattan from the deep mountains. It was soaked in tung oil for forty-nine days and then exposed to the sun for one hundred days. This process was repeated three times before it was finally made."

The finished rattan armor was not only lightweight and tough, but also able to withstand sword cuts and arrow shots, truly impervious to blades and spears, and impervious to water and fire. Ordinary weapons couldn't harm them in the slightest; they were practically gods descended to earth!

He leaned closer to Meng Quan and lowered his voice:
"Your Majesty, consider this: the most powerful weapons of the Han army are the repeating crossbow and the ring-pommel sword, but these weapons are like scrap iron when they encounter rattan armor soldiers."

If our army can bring this unit of rattan armor soldiers here, and launch a surprise attack while Wei Yan is unprepared, we will surely catch him off guard and leave the Han army dead strewn across the battlefield!

"Rattan armor soldiers!"

Meng Quan suddenly realized what was happening, and his long-buried memories were instantly awakened. An uncontrollable joy flashed across his face, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

He recalled that when he was young and had just unified the nearby tribes, the elders of the tribe had given him a warning:

Beyond the heartland of the Southern Barbarians, there dwells a force of rattan-armored soldiers, impervious to swords and spears; they should not be provoked lightly.

When he first came to power, he even sent people to investigate. He learned that the Kingdom of Wuge was located deep in the mountains and never participated in the conflicts between the various southern tribes, which put his mind at ease.

Yes, invulnerable to swords and spears!
Just hearing those four words sends chills down your spine.

Meng Quan still remembers the tone of awe in which the scouts described the rattan armor soldiers when they returned to report:
“Those soldiers wore brown rattan armor. When our warriors slashed at them with their scimitars, they only left a white mark. Arrows were either deflected or embedded in the gaps of the rattan armor, unable to harm the people inside.”

With such a powerful legion, if Lord Wuge Cave had even the slightest ambition to contend for the title of King of the Southern Barbarians, then with this rattan armor army, no one in the Southern Barbarian territory could stop him!
Fortunately, the cave lord of Wugo Kingdom, Wutugu, was a man indifferent to fame and fortune and had no interest in the position of the Southern Barbarian King.

When Meng Quan defeated his last rival and ascended the throne in Nan Guang, Wu Tu Gu specially sent an envoy with ten tiger skins and a hundred catties of precious medicinal herbs as a congratulatory gift, clearly indicating that the Wu Ge Kingdom was willing to submit to him and would never rebel.

It was precisely because of this that Meng Quan gradually forgot about this terrifying legion, regarding it only as a peaceful territory within the Southern Barbarian domain.

Now, thanks to the cave master's reminder, Meng Quan suddenly remembered that he actually held such a trump card! He slapped his thigh hard, his eyes flashing with a crazed light:
"That's right! How could I forget about this surprise force! So what if Wei Yan has 300,000 troops? No matter how powerful his repeating crossbow is, can it pierce through the rattan armor that is impervious to swords and spears?"
No matter how brave his soldiers are, can they defeat the godlike rattan armor soldiers?

Thinking of this, Meng Quan's previous despair vanished, replaced by a surge of confidence.

He grabbed the shoulder of the cave master and laughed loudly:

"Good! You've done a great service! There's no time to lose, so let's quickly select a capable envoy, take generous gifts to the Kingdom of Wugo, and ask Lord Wutugu Cave to send his rattan armor army to assist in the battle!"

He turned and walked back to his seat, drew the royal seal from his waist, and pressed it heavily onto a silk scroll:

"With this royal seal as proof, tell Wutugu that as long as he can send rattan armor soldiers to repel Wei Yan, I am willing to cede the three cities west of Zhuti City to Wuge Kingdom, and pay him a tribute of a thousand bolts of silk and ten thousand bushels of grain every year!"

"With the help of the rattan armor soldiers, we will surely kill Wei Yan without leaving a single piece of armor, and he will never return!"

Meng Quan burst into loud laughter, which echoed for a long time in the empty hall. His previous anxiety and fear had long been replaced by his anticipation of victory.

When the other generals in the hall saw that Meng Quan had an idea, and that the idea sounded so reliable, they all raised their heads, and hope was rekindled in their eyes.

Therefore, the cave master, not daring to delay, immediately accepted the order and left the mansion.

He selected ten eloquent and knowledgeable confidants as messengers, and took out one hundred taels of gold, a string of pearls, and twenty tiger skins from the treasury as generous gifts, filling three oxcarts.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, the envoy team, carrying Meng Quan's royal seal and a silk scroll, set off into the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains south of the Southern Barbarians, braving the morning dew, to invite the invulnerable rattan armor soldiers to come out of the mountains. (End of Chapter)