Murong Chui was stunned for a moment after a large number of boats surged out of Mengzhu Marsh and easily burned down the pontoon bridge over the Bian River.
Unlike the others, who instinctively assumed this was Liu Zheng's doing, his first reaction was that Liu Cheng had arrived, because Murong De had described that battle to him in detail before he came. Then he found it inconceivable.
Even counting from the fall of Chen County, there was no way news could have reached Shouchun, a force capable of opposing his detached unit of elite cavalry could have been assembled, and they could have arrived this quickly, even allowing for Murong De's description of their "miraculous speed by water."
And why had they come to Suiyang instead of taking the most straightforward route to recover Chen County?
How would they even get from Shouchun to Suiyang?
Soon, as troops spread downstream, more and more mounted scouts brought back more and more reports. In particular, when they saw brand-new boats everywhere along the lower Bian River, organized into formations, with even the many stragglers built to virtually identical specifications, the other Yan commanders began to sink into unease, bewilderment, and fear. Murong Chui, by contrast, gradually understood.
What else could it be?
First, a senior commander-one or even several of these remnants of Later Zhao-must have been in private contact with the Jin people and immediately passed on the two strategic objectives, Chen County and Suiyang, along with the relevant troop deployments.
Was that really worth being particularly surprised about?
Of course, it was indeed surprising. Murong Chui had thought his speed would ensure these men had no time to decide to pass on information, and that his surprise attack on Chen County would obstruct their attempts to send military intelligence