Internal and External Coordination, and an Ambush Too?

Internal and External Coordination, and an Ambush Too?

Leaving aside how Chen Gong racked his brains in prison, Wang Kai made his way straight to the commandery office after leaving the jail.

He had intended to probe Qin Tian's background, only to learn that Liu Bei and the others had already left the city.

Unable to confirm Qin Tian's identity, he had no way to report back to Chen Gong. He could only ponder it in secret and think of another way to verify Qin Tian's identity.

Amid all the activity on every side, night fell before anyone knew it.

On Yuan Shu Army's side, they had dispatched more than sixty thousand troops. After entering Xuzhou, Zhang Xun and the others divided their forces, marching north from Shouchun through Zhongli and into Xiapi.

They then split their troops in several directions. Lei Bu, Chen Lan, Chen Ji, and others led forces south, while Ji Ling provided support from behind. In all, seven armies invaded Xiapi State.

They plundered commanderies and counties along the way, leaving countless families in Xuzhou shattered and ruined.

When they heard that Liu Bei of Xiaopei had sent troops to assist, Zhang Xun ordered the various forces to converge. Gathering nearly forty thousand troops under Qiao Rui, Han Xian, Yang Feng, and others, they marched north together.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Xiapi, they learned that Liu Bei and Lu Bu had joined forces. Fearing they might not be able to defeat them in battle, they pitched camp thirty li outside the city.

That night, Zhang Xun sat in the main seat and asked his generals,

"We came under His Majesty's orders to attack Lu Bu, yet Liu Bei actually dared to bring troops to his aid!"

"Now the two have joined forces and formed a pincer position. How should our army attack them?"

Though Zhang Xun was not particularly famous in the Romance, he was in fact one of Yuan Shu's senior generals. Yuan Shu valued him even more highly than Ji Ling.

The moment Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, he entrusted Zhang Xun with an important responsibility.

Compared with the other generals, his status was exceptionally high.

Hearing Zhang Xun's words, Qiao Rui hurriedly cupped his hands and said,

"Liu Bei and Lu Bu are both skilled fighters. If they defend to the death, our assault will have little effect!"

"Our best course now is to summon the other generals north and combine our strength to strike them. We should be able to win!"

Zhang Xun nodded at this. In truth, that was his own idea as well.

Still, though he thought so, he had to consider everyone's opinions. Seeing Han Xian and Yang Feng remain silent, he asked,

"Do you two generals have any good strategies?"

The two had long harbored thoughts of rebellion. How could they possibly offer any ideas? They immediately cupped their hands and replied,

"We have no good strategy. We shall follow the general's orders in all things!"

Both had brought their own troops when they joined him, and both commanded personal contingents. They had always had plans of their own. Zhang Xun did not grow suspicious and rose to his feet.

"Then all of you should go rest!"

"Our army has come from afar, and the soldiers are exhausted. Guard against a night raid by the enemy. Remain vigilant and do not slacken!"

Qiao Rui and the others all accepted the order.

Seeing this, Zhang Xun figured that with his numerical advantage, so long as they stayed on guard, an enemy night raid would not cause much damage. He returned to his tent to rest and had the three men take turns standing watch.

After the three left the camp, Qiao Rui said,

"You two stand watch first. I will come relieve you in the latter half of the night."

The two had matters on their minds. They gave vague assent and withdrew from the tent.

Once they were outside, Yang Feng said,

"Heaven is helping us. Zhang Xun's brat has us stand watch today. His death is at hand!"

Both had risen from bandits, so they were naturally adept at this sort of business.

But Han Xian lowered his voice and said,

"Do not speak carelessly. Wait until the generals are sound asleep before acting!"

Yang Feng knew the matter was of great importance and did not dare be careless. He agreed and left.

On one hand, he ordered the soldiers to guard the camp strictly. On the other, he mobilized his own troops to take over the patrols.

At that moment, Lu Bu's camp gates swung open. Wearing full armor, Lu Bu rode out on Red Hare at the head of his troops.

From Liu Bei's camp, Zhang Fei also led troops out, while Fu Shiren brought another six thousand men with him.

Liu Bei, meanwhile, secretly led Chen Dao straight east, leaving only the minor general Xiahou Bo behind to guard the camp.

Xiahou Bo was not a famous man, but he was still an old general under Liu Bei.

Unfortunately, his rank was too low for him to command an army, so his name never became known.

Old Liu had originally intended to send out the entire army, but Qin Tian was still in the camp. Thus, he left one thousand troops under Xiahou Bo to protect Qin Tian.

Meanwhile, after Zhang Fei left camp, he had no torches lit and muzzled the horses. He led his men all the way to the outskirts of Yuan Shu Army's camp.

It was the second watch of the night when Yang Feng and the others learned of the movements outside the camp through their trusted men and immediately began to act.

The two divided their forces to set fires throughout the camp, then opened the camp gates.

When Lu Bu saw this, he was overjoyed. He immediately raised his halberd and shouted,

"By my command, the entire army will follow me into the camp!"

The moment the order was given, several hundred cavalry from his own force poured in, followed by several thousand elite soldiers flooding directly into the camp.

In an instant, flames erupted throughout Yuan Shu Army's camp, and cries of battle rang out without end.

In the rear of the camp, Fu Shiren saw this and hurriedly said to Zhang Fei,

"General, the camp is on fire. It is time for our army to move!"

But Zhang Fei shook his head.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Let Lu Bu fight for a while first. Then our army will move!"

Though Fu Shiren rebelled later in life, he had been utterly loyal and hardworking in his earlier years.

Seeing Zhang Fei act this way, he thought Zhang Fei was acting out of spite and quickly said,

"General Zhang, do not act out of anger. The strategist ordered us to capture Zhang Xun."

"Now that chaos has broken out, we can charge into the camp and throw them into greater confusion!"

But Zhang Fei gave a smug smile.

"It is precisely because he ordered me to capture Zhang Xun that we cannot enter now!"

"Our army is coordinating from within and without, while Lu Bu has already broken into the front camp. Yuan Shu's troops are in disarray. If we block the camp gates, the enemy will surely fight to the death to break through!"

"So we will not move. If the enemy believes the rear camp is undefended, they will naturally flee this way. We shall wait here at ease for exhausted foes, and only then can we catch the big fish!"

By now, he was completely confident.

"The strategist wants Zhang Xun captured? Today, I'll capture Zhang Xun and all his generals together. Let's see what he has to say then!"

Though Zhang Fei was usually loud and boisterous, he actually understood military strategy and tactics.

Unfortunately, he had never liked using his head and had rarely commanded an army alone, which was why he had few accomplishments to his name.

But now, with Qin Tian's arrival, Zhang Fei was eager to display his abilities. For once, he was using his brain.

Fu Shiren had never seen Zhang Fei like this and was secretly astonished, though he said nothing.

Within Yuan Shu Army's camp, events unfolded exactly as Zhang Fei had predicted. With fires breaking out and Lu Bu charging into the camp, the entire place descended into chaos.

In his panic, Zhang Xun threw on his armor and rushed out of his tent. Grabbing the first man he saw, he demanded,

"What is this commotion? How did the enemy enter the camp?"

The soldier he seized looked terrified.

"This lowly one truly does not know. I only know that the camp is on fire and there is shouting everywhere. I do not know how the enemy entered!"

"Useless fool!"

Zhang Xun flung the soldier aside, returned to his tent to grab his sword, then emerged shouting,

"Do not panic! Follow me and face the enemy!"

He immediately began gathering soldiers from all around, hoping to reverse the tide.

But the moment he reached the central army, he saw Qiao Rui rushing toward him, covered in blood.

"General, flee at once! Han Xian and Yang Feng have rebelled and let Lu Bu into the camp!"

"They have already broken through our front camp!"

"How dare those two traitors do this!"

Zhang Xun's eyes nearly split with rage. Raising his sword, he said,

"Follow me to the front camp! We must drive back the enemy!"

Qiao Rui hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Our army is already in chaos. How can we fight them? Lu Bu will be here soon. General, please retreat at once!"

Though Zhang Xun was furious, he remained clear-headed. At the mention of Lu Bu, his heart sank. Looking around at the burning camp, he asked,

"The camp is on fire. Where can we retreat?"

Qiao Rui looked around and hurriedly replied,

"There are no enemy troops in the rear camp. We can withdraw through the rear camp!"

Zhang Xun frowned.

"Liu Bei and Lu Bu are working together. If there are troops in the front camp, how could there be no troops in the rear?"

"If we leave through the rear camp, we will surely fall into an enemy ambush!"

Qiao Rui pointed west again.

"Perhaps we can escape through the west gate!"

Zhang Xun shook his head once more.

"The west gate is closest to our territory. The enemy must have an ambush there!"

"We should leave through the east gate!"

With that, he swung onto his horse and galloped away.

Qiao Rui hurriedly followed behind him.

As the two fled, they gathered scattered soldiers along the way. They managed to collect two or three thousand men before fighting their way out through the east gate.

The moment they moved, Zhang Fei heard the disturbance at the east gate from afar and was greatly startled.

"Damn it! The enemy bandits are trying to escape!"

He had been watching the south gate of the rear camp and had wondered why the enemy had not emerged. He had not expected them to break out through the east gate. Zhang Fei immediately shouted,

"By my command, pursue the enemy!"

He spurred his horse forward in haste and chased after Zhang Xun and the others.

His men were rested and ready, unlike Yuan Shu Army's troops. Before long, they caught up from behind.

Hearing the movement at their rear, Qiao Rui said,

"General, go! We will hold off the enemy!"

Without waiting for Zhang Xun to answer, he turned his horse and charged at Zhang Fei.

"General Qiao, be careful!"

Zhang Xun called out a warning. Knowing the situation was urgent, he spurred his horse and fled.

Zhang Fei was focused on capturing Zhang Xun, but Qiao Rui and his men blocked his path. He heard a shout,

"Enemy general, do not act so wildly! Qiao Rui is here!"

The instant Zhang Fei saw him, anger surged within him. He charged forward with his spear in hand.

"Do not block my path!"

When he reached Qiao Rui, he suddenly thrust his spear forward.

Qiao Rui hurriedly twisted aside to evade it.

But Zhang Fei drew back his spear and swept it out with force. With a loud clang, it crashed directly into Qiao Rui's blade.

Sparks burst from their weapons. Qiao Rui felt an enormous force strike him, and his tiger's mouth split open at once. He could not help thinking,

This man has monstrous strength!

Just as he was about to fight again, Zhang Fei had already rushed forward. He grabbed Qiao Rui by the belt and lifted him straight into the air.

"Enemy general captured! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

With that, he tossed Qiao Rui to the ground as if throwing away a chick.

Zhang Fei's attendants behind him all cried out,

"General, divine might!"

Only Fu Shiren hurriedly shouted,

"Enemy general captured! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The Liu Bei Army soldiers heard this and began shouting as well.

Yuan Shu Army's soldiers had long lost their will to fight. With their commander captured, they threw down their armor and weapons and surrendered on the spot.

After Zhang Fei gathered the surrendered troops and prepared to resume the pursuit, Fu Shiren said,

"General, Zhang Xun has already gone far. We certainly cannot catch him. Better to return and gather the surrendered soldiers, so we can make up for our failure with merit!"

Though Zhang Fei was reckless, he knew he could not capture Zhang Xun. He could only return to the camp.

But by then, Lu Bu had already occupied the camp and had guards posted around the vast stores of supplies. Left with no choice, Zhang Fei searched about for fleeing soldiers and captives, saying no more.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xun fled from the camp and reached a fork in the road outside the city.

Seeing this, one of his accompanying guards asked,

"General, which road should we take?"

Zhang Xun sighed mournfully.

"Now that we have lost the battle, if we return to Shouchun, we will surely be punished. We should first gather the troops from the various divisions before returning. Head south!"

As the commander, he naturally could not return alone.

The best course was to head south, gather the various troops first, then see whether he could make up for his failure with merit.

Thus, Zhang Xun led his men south.

A cool breeze blew along the road, but his mood was terrible. Thinking of how his army of tens of thousands had been utterly destroyed while he alone escaped, he felt even more desolate.

As they traveled, he suddenly saw shimmering water in the distance and realized they had reached the Si River.

A guard quickly said,

"General, this river blocks our path. How can we cross it?"

Zhang Xun looked back and saw that only a few dozen cavalry remained with him. Shaking his head, he sighed.

"We swim across!"

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly removed their armor.

But just then, a laugh suddenly rang out from afar:

"Where are you headed, General Zhang?"

Hearing the voice, Zhang Xun looked up and saw a man standing on the riverbank. At the same time, over a thousand soldiers surged out from the woods on both sides.

At the sight, Zhang Xun was terrified and couldn't help thinking:

My life is over!

He'd thought he was about to escape with his life.

He hadn't expected there to be an ambush here as well!