While hearts stirred and moves came thick and fast in the Central Plains, Chu State and Wu State were fighting madly on the Hanyang Plain, plunging white blades in and drawing red blades out.
On the surface, the war was a bewildering tangle, but Qingji and Sun Wu had very clear objectives. This was the only way to win quickly that Sun Wu had found through many years of study.
"If we sail upstream along the great river, Chu State will certainly intercept us. There is no assurance of victory. Only by taking the Xinyang Corridor can we bring them down in a single campaign, but the key is to pin Chu State's main elite force on the Hanyang Plain."
This was the war plan Sun Wu had drawn up, but developments on the battlefield soon exceeded everyone's expectations. Wu State had originally only wanted to tie down Chu State's main force on the Hanyang Plain.
They had not expected Chu State's generals to be so foolish. With Sun Wu planning and Qingji, clad in three layers of heavy armor, fighting with overwhelming valor and beheading Chu generals one after another, the Wu army won battle after battle.
Had Chen State's harassment of Ying State of Ying not proved effective, making it somewhat difficult to sustain Wu State's provisions, they might even have swept all the way to the Han River.
Eventually, the two armies settled into a temporary standoff. Chu State breathed a little easier, while Chen State was rather pleased with itself: a small state had managed to intervene in a contest between great powers.
A deep chill filled Sun Wu's eyes. "My lord, with Chen State harassing us, it is no longer realistic to seek another major battle with Chu State on the Hanyang Plain.
"We must