In November, a sharp cold front blew violently inland from Bohai Bay into Bohai Commandery. The land of Hebei froze beneath the bitter cold, and the Great River froze over on schedule, allowing people to cross as though on level ground. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the military supplies and men the Exorcising the Dragon Gang had left in the Eastern Territories for their planned northward advance finally reached Hebei.
Now, from a political standpoint, the earlier battle at Leling certainly had the pleasant surprise of Zhang Shiyu to its credit. Although Zhang Xing's final remarks had contained an element of seizing the opportunity to boast and claim military merit, they had by no means conjured wind out of clear skies. Militarily, however, there had been little worth praising. They had merely relieved Leling and defeated the Bohai commandery troops and the few thousand Hejian Army soldiers serving as rearguard—and even then, it had been a rout, with very few prisoners taken.
Still, the earlier battle at Pingyuan had been fought with exceptional brilliance and had truly shaken the world. There was no need to quibble over anything more. Thus, the Exorcising the Dragon Army's hurried advance north really could be called an auspicious opening, and no ordinary one at that.
Next, the leaders of Hebei Righteous Army all craned their necks and rubbed their hands, waiting to see how the Exorcising the Dragon Gang would pursue its victory and sweep through the commanderies. They were also prepared to wave banners and shout encouragement along the way, with the prospect of securing a piece of territory.
But what Master Zhang San and the Exorcising the Dragon Gang did next made everyone's jaws drop. They fought no battles at all, leaving even Wudi and Rao'an, right beneath their noses, untouched. They