On the twenty-seventh of the fifth month, another day of light rain began early in Lihu.
Zhang Xing received Li Shu's report: the government troops ahead had already passed Fan County and were continuing toward Eastern Commandery, without any hesitation or sign of having noticed anything.
Meanwhile, in Lihu, troubles and progress alike continued unabated—someone proposed keeping a reserve of five thousand outside the battle formation, concealed instead in the Military Stockade behind it, ready to move in any direction to plug gaps. This seemed feasible, but others worried it would leave the main formation too weak, making it as pointless as taking off your trousers to fart. Someone else proposed standardizing the supplementary equipment, concentrating spears, Steel Crossbows, and swords and shields for large-scale use. The leaders who actually controlled the troops had mixed reactions, some strongly resistant. Meanwhile, quite a few soldiers seemed to have suddenly contracted an epidemic because of the rain, and a leader's proposal to let some men visit nearby relatives before the battle stirred up another controversy.
As Zhang Xing made every decision with an outward appearance of composure and dignity, almost as though everything were firmly in hand, while inwardly he was practically floundering blindly, he had no idea that the mobilization and concentration of their armies had also begun to unsettle the people of Eastern Commandery and Jiyin Commandery, which had enjoyed almost a year of stability. Their order was beginning to show signs of breaking down.
Within and without, many problems previously concealed by the military presence now threatened to shake loose and run out of control as military operations unfolded. The tense atmosphere was also forcing many things forward toward a crossroads.
There was no helping it. When someone clenched a fist without regard for anything else, he would unwittingly