Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 232 Spreading beans and forming an army
After Dian Man and his dozens of riders had fled, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, relying on their bravery and composure, successfully prevented a riot from breaking out in the camp.

After spending nearly half an hour reorganizing the camp and calming the soldiers, Xu Sheng ordered Ding Feng to bring up the rear and break camp.

He personally led 3,000 elite infantry and naval troops, 20 warships, and 200 cavalry, pursuing and probing the tracks of Cao Wei's elite cavalry.

In the eighteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao claimed to have an army of 400,000 men who had reached the Yangtze River and were attacking Ruxu. Gan Ning led a hundred men, fully armored and gagged, to sneak into Cao Cao's camp. They pulled out the deer antlers, charged into Cao Cao's camp, and beheaded nearly a hundred men.

The Cao army soldiers, startled by the darkness, mistakenly thought that the Eastern Wu army was attacking and got up to prepare for battle, so Gan Ning retreated.

Even under the cover of night, Cao Cao's army remained on high alert, raising torches, beating drums, and shouting. By the time the torches in Cao Cao's camp were as numerous as stars, Gan Ning, who had raided Wei's camp with a hundred cavalry, had already returned to Wu's camp.

Xu Sheng was also present in that battle.

At that time, the emperor led all 70,000 troops from Jiangdong to Ruxukou to confront Cao Cao.

Unexpectedly, the Chaohu naval forces encountered a sudden storm, and hundreds of warships had their mooring lines broken, drifting to the shore of the Wei army.

Wu's generals were terrified and none dared to venture out. Only Xu Sheng led his troops north to fight against Cao's army. After the storm subsided, he led several dozen ships south.

Gan Ning's raid on the camp with a hundred cavalrymen occurred after the storm that defeated Wu.

That battle was not Gan Ning's own impulsive act, nor was it something he volunteered for; rather, it was a secret order from the Supreme Being that Gan Ning risked his life to fight it.

The purpose was to demonstrate strength to the enemy and win back the morale of the troops.

It was a last resort for Wu Jun under the objective circumstances that "Heaven did not favor Wu".

Ultimately, Gan Ning's raid on the camp with a hundred cavalry did indeed make Cao Cao realize that Wu had a force capable of fighting and that Jiangnan could not be easily captured, so he retreated with his victory.

At that time, the Wu army was extremely weak, while the Wei army, having easily won a victory due to the seemingly divine intervention of the storm, was at the height of its morale and could have easily pressed its advantage in battle.

The reason for the retreat was that a sudden storm helped Cao Cao defeat Wu, and Cao Cao decided to withdraw his troops when he saw the advantage.

Upon returning to Ye City, he directly used this victory as a basis to receive the Nine Bestowments from the Han Dynasty, and established his own state as a duke.

At present, the Wei army is also raiding the camp with a hundred cavalry.

Xu Sheng had a premonition: the hundred or so Wei cavalry that attacked the camp at dawn were also a last resort for Cao Wei to show off their strength.

The saying goes, "What is empty may be made real, and what is real may be made empty."

The more than 10,000 troops of Jia Kui guarding the pass and the Cao Wei ambush troops in the deep valleys and dense forests that the scouts discovered yesterday are probably all just a bluff.

Cao Xiu and Jia Kui may have already taken the opportunity to leave.

as predicted.

When Xu Sheng led his men to the strategic pass where Jia Kui's Yuzhou army had previously occupied, the Wei army had completely disappeared, leaving only the sound of the wind and the shadows of the trees.

A large fire that broke out in the valley of the pass blocked the Wu army's infantry and cavalry from advancing north.

Where the Han River is at its narrowest and the current is most turbulent, boatmen need to pull the boats along the banks so that the navy can continue northward.

Currently, this section of the waterway is blocked by a crisscrossing network of sunken ships, large logs, reeds, tangled bamboo, and other debris. It would be impossible to clear this section of the waterway in less than a day or two.

Back then, when Guan Yu and Lu Su were facing off on the Xiang River, Guan Yu used the same strategy of blocking the water. That previously nameless waterway has now been given the name "Guan Yu Lai".

"Damn it!" Xu Sheng looked north in fury.

His anger subsided slightly, and he summoned his personal guards, ordering them to search for a suitable route for the army and to clear the waterways in the area.

Not long after, another scout reported back.

The Wei army's ambush site, which had been previously discovered, now contained nothing but hundreds of flags of various sizes and some miscellaneous items and filth left behind by the Wei army.

Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng gritted his teeth even more.

At midday, Ding Feng hurried as fast as he could and finally arrived with six or seven thousand of his rear guard.

"We planned everything, but we still fell for Jia Kui's feint and Cao Xiu managed to escape!" Xu Sheng cursed.

Although Cao Xiu suffered a defeat, he did not abandon his army like an ordinary general. Instead, he took the lead, fought bravely, and led the Wei army to fight their way out, thus stabilizing morale in a small area.

He then personally led the elite troops to cover the rear, which prevented the Great Wu from achieving much success in their pursuit.

It was precisely because Cao Xiu, as the Grand Marshal of Cao Wei, personally covered the rear that Sun Quan suddenly thought of Liu Shan's killing of Cao Zhen, and thus he was moved to try to capture the king instead of the traitor.

Although you, Liu Shan, killed Cao Wei's Grand General Cao Zhen and Right General Zhang He, and even defeated General of the Cavalry Sima Yi, those people were all minor figures.

If I, the Supreme Ruler of Wu, were to capture and kill the Grand Marshal, the most powerful military officer of Cao Wei, then my martial arts would certainly be no less than yours.
It goes without saying that destiny belongs to someone.
Under the influence of this strange psychology, Sun Quan disregarded Lu Xun's advice and ordered Ding Feng, Xu Sheng, and others to continue their pursuit.

What if Xu and Ding are ambushed and suffer a defeat?

In Sun Quan's words: "To shoot an arrow into a blade of grass is nothing to boast about."

Arrows made of wormwood stalks disappeared immediately upon entering the wormwood thicket. In other words, even if Xu Sheng and Ding Feng encountered some mishap during their pursuit, it would be insignificant compared to the potential gains from the chase.

Sun Quan has always loved adventure.

You can tell from the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford back then, where he led a thousand or so men to cover the rear of an army of 100,000.

He had sent Gan Ning, a wise and brave general, to lead a hundred cavalrymen to raid the camp and risk danger, just like he had done back then.

You asked him if he learns from his mistakes?
It can only be said that old habits die hard.

His personal guards were called "Tiger Warriors Under the Cart" because he liked to personally go into the mountains to hunt tigers, and he did so at extremely close range.

The saying goes, "To personally shoot a tiger, look to Sun Lang."

When hunting tigers, the tigers often attacked suddenly. Once, one tiger even tore through the saddle between his legs. Zhang Zhao was terrified and advised the tiger:
"A ruler is one who can command heroes and employ wise men."

"How can it be said that one gallops across the plains and is brave enough to challenge fierce beasts?"

"If a disaster were to occur, what would the world think of us?"

Sun Quan didn't take it seriously and continued hunting tigers. He simply made a tiger-shooting cart with a hole in the side and no cover on top, and then stood inside the cart to hunt tigers.

When a tiger invaded the chariot, Sun Quan would strike it with his hand for amusement.

Although Zhang Zhao offered his advice, Quan often smiled and did not reply.

Why not take a small risk for a big reward?
Xu Sheng certainly understood what the Supreme was thinking. Now, with a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he was unable to complete the mission because of his excessive caution. He felt depressed and increasingly annoyed.

As the sun set, a scout suddenly reported back.

"General Andong! There is a mountain road ten miles to the northeast that can be used for marching, and we have also discovered traces of Cao Cao's defeated soldiers along the way!"

Xu Sheng had just woken up from a nap, and his spirit and strength had been mostly restored. He had just heard that it would take at least two days to march by land or water, and thought that the pursuit would have to be abandoned. But now that he heard that a mountain road had been discovered, he became even more invigorated.

"Go! Order the naval troops to abandon their ships and go ashore. We will pursue them all by land!"

The inability to achieve success due to Cao Xiu's escape being too quick, and the inability to achieve success due to falling into the enemy's trap, represent two completely different mindsets.

Xu Sheng was furious that he had fallen into a trap, and he also thought that Cao Xiu and Jia Kui were already at their wits' end, so he wanted to drive straight in, both to make up for his mistake and to expand his gains.

After much deliberation, Ding Feng advised:
"My lord, let us pursue them here!"

"We will make a decision once His Majesty and the Grand Commander arrive."

Xu Sheng immediately shook his head:

"Chengyuan, no!"

"It is still more than 300 li from here to Xiangyang. Cao Xiu suffered a great defeat and fled north. It will take four or five days to reach him."

"And within four or five days, their ranks would stretch for dozens or even hundreds of miles."

"One cannot look back while looking forward, nor can one look forward while looking back."

"While the Wei traitors have not yet returned to Xiangyang, our Great Wu should pursue them relentlessly and surely achieve great victories!"

"Although I can no longer hold Cao Xiu in command."

"But if we can capture and kill Cao Xiu's trusted rear guard general, that would be enough!"

"When Liu Bei fled south from Xiangyang, Cao Wei's elite cavalry, known as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, did not rest for three days and traveled eight hundred li, eventually capturing his two daughters and killing his wives and concubines!"
"In the Battle of Yiling, our Great Wu also took advantage of the victory to pursue the enemy, and then killed Fu Tong, Cheng Ji and other Shu generals who were covering the rear, and forced Huang Quan to flee north!"
"Why should we doubt our pursuit now?!"

He Da stood to the side, frowning deeply.

"General Andong, you were the one who was cautious yesterday and prevented us from pursuing them."

"Now it's you who keeps us chasing after you."

"Could it be that General Andong is enraged because he fell for Cao Cao's scheme?" Xu Sheng, though annoyed, remained composed and said:
The Art of War states:

“Those who are humble on the outside but become increasingly prepared are advancing.”

“Those who are driven forward by external forces will retreat.”

"Now Jia Kui is hanging a sheep and beating a drum, leading a hundred cavalry to raid our camp, showing our Wu strength and assuming we dare not pursue him lightly. In reality, he is strong on the outside but weak on the inside!"
"When Liu Bei fled south, Zhang Fei was in this place. He led dozens of cavalrymen and shouted at Dangyang, which made Cao Cao suspicious and dare not pursue."

"As a result, when Zhang Fei retreated, he cut down the Dangyang Bridge. Cao Cao then realized that Zhang Fei was all bark and no bite, so he led his troops to pursue him. As a result, Liu Bei lost his wife and daughter and barely escaped with his life."

"Now, Jia Kui first raids the camp with a hundred cavalrymen, and then burns down the roads. How is this any different from Zhang Fei shouting at Dangyang and then cutting down the single bridge?"
“If I send my troops to pursue them now, how is it any different from Cao Cao pursuing Liu Bei back then?”

"Not only must we pursue it, but we must also achieve three things quickly."

"Chase them! Intercept them! Block their path!"

Upon hearing this, Ding Feng felt that there was some truth to it, and thus he no longer doubted it.

Before long, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng abandoned their boat and went ashore, traveling swiftly by land.

A day later, they indeed encountered several hundred slow-moving, routed soldiers of Cao Cao's army.

They attacked and won a great victory.

Wu Jun was emboldened and continued his pursuit of the fleeing enemy.

Two more days passed.

Dozens of miles to the north, the road is flanked by mountains.

Jia Kui, along with his generals Dian Man, Man Wei, and Li Xu, stood on a hilltop by the roadside.

In the mountain path, the Wei army soldiers, who had lost all contact with the main force, were being pursued by the Wu army and were fleeing northward.

Xu Sheng's vanguard, holding high the banner bearing the character "Xu," has already passed.

"The commotion in the camp arose from doubt and fear, and shook the army at dawn. One man's wild shout could set off a commotion among ten thousand soldiers. Even the bravery of Han Xin and Bai Qi could not stop it."

"If one fails to remain calm and quell the commotion in the camp immediately, then in an instant, thousands of people will start shouting and killing each other."

"Xu Sheng and Ding Feng are capable of suppressing the riots in the camp, and can be considered as good generals for the time being. If Sun Quan could lose these two generals, wouldn't Sun Quan be heartbroken?"

After Jia Kui finished speaking, he let out a cold snort.

Despite all the preparations, Wu's pursuing troops finally caught up, proving that their efforts were not in vain.

Before long, a thick cloud of dust suddenly rose from the south of the mountain road.

Xu Sheng and Ding Feng led their infantry and cavalry in a rapid advance.

Wu's banners fluttered in the wind, and his armor gleamed like scales.

They led their troops northward in pursuit, and along the way they saw nothing but armor and supplies abandoned by the Wei army, and even many wounded soldiers lying paralyzed by the roadside groaning in pain.

These sights further convinced Xu Sheng that the Wei army had indeed suffered a complete defeat, and he became even more eager to pursue them.

"My lord, the mountains on both sides are densely forested; we must be careful of Wei army ambushes," Ding Feng suddenly warned, pointing to the dense forests in the valleys on both sides.

They pursued northwards without stopping, and encountered no resistance from the Wei army.

Ding Feng understood that Xu Sheng's anxiety was gradually easing.

On the other side, after hearing Ding Feng's reminder, Xu Sheng finally reined in his horse and looked around.

The mountain path meandered like a snake, with deep valleys and dense forests on both sides, making it an excellent place to set up an ambush.

He pondered for a moment, and as far as the eye could see, he saw a large number of Wei army banners carelessly discarded by the roadside, along with a few pieces of armor and weapons. In addition, there was a dying warhorse thrashing about on the ground, unable to stand. According to his estimation, it had been lying there for two or three hours.

"Send out three scout teams to investigate up the mountain!" Xu Sheng finally gave the order.

The scouts dispersed.

But Xu Sheng's pursuit did not stop.

Before the scouts had completely disappeared from sight.

A gust of wind swept from north to south, heading towards Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng wrinkled his nose. Besides the smells of blood, filth, sweat, and earth and grass, he also smelled a faint fragrance.

"Chengyuan, can you smell anything?" He looked at Ding Feng.

Ding Feng also wrinkled his nose and sniffed: "It seems...it seems to smell like spices?"

"Spice?" Xu Sheng was puzzled, so he raised his hand to signal the vanguard to slow down, and at the same time ordered his soldiers to scout the mountains on the left and right to see if there were any ambushes.

He Da snorted coldly:
"General Andong, why did you chase us all the way here and then suddenly hesitate?!"
"Could it be that he has some contradictory things to say to us again?!"

Xu Sheng ignored him and continued to ride north.

The further north you go, the stronger the aroma becomes.

After traveling more than half a mile, his warhorse suddenly stopped and began to graze on the ground.

Xu Sheng looked down and his expression changed. He then quickly dismounted.

The ground was covered with a layer of dark red beans, glistening with oil.

He bent down, picked one up, and sniffed it.

The aroma in the valley was indeed coming from these beans!
It smells like spices.

"Oh no! There's an ambush!" Xu Sheng's pupils widened as he instantly realized what was happening.

Without saying a word, he immediately mounted his horse.

He then whipped his horse, intending to lead his men to retreat south first.

However, the horse, having been hungry all day, smelled the delicious aroma of the beans and momentarily forgot its master, refusing to move no matter how hard Xu Sheng whipped it.

On the cliff, Jia Kui saw that Wu's army was completely trapped, and a slight smile finally appeared on his wrinkled old face.

He said to Dian Man beside him:

"Although Wu the bandit is somewhat cautious."

"Unfortunately, greed for credit still prevailed, and in the end, he could not escape his fate."

Dianman bowed with hands clasped:

"These fragrant beans are roasted with maltose and spices. When warhorses are hungry, they will not leave even if swords and axes are brought upon them!"

Jia Kui nodded, then suddenly asked, "Did you follow the instructions and leave a way out on the east side?"

Man Wei replied, "As you instructed, the eastern valley entrance appears to be an easy passage, but in reality, it has been the site of a trap and hidden troops!"

Jia Kui nodded: "Alright, beat the drum!"

"Boom!"

"Dong dong!"

"—Knock knock knock!"

At the bottom of the valley, Xu Sheng kept urging his horse forward. Suddenly, he heard a thunderous drumbeat, and countless Wei army banners appeared from the dense forest in the valley.

Seeing this situation.

He rose up, drew his sword, and shouted loudly:
"Come with me quickly, let's break through to the valley entrance!"

However, the warhorses were all intoxicated by storax.

Many knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

Jia Kui stood on the high slope and waved his flag.

Dian Man and Man Wei each led their ambush troops down the mountain.

Hundreds of Wu's warhorses were still munching on beans with their heads down, causing chaos among Wu's troops, who were unable to advance or retreat.

(End of this chapter)