"Master Xiahou, your plan has proved quite effective!"
On the imperial highway through Ji Valley, a large force of Wei cavalry thundered past. At their head, Zhang He and Xiahou Xian galloped southwest on their warhorses.
The wind was loud, and Xiahou Xian heard Zhang He's voice only in broken snatches.
"General, time waits for no one. Defeating the Shu army hinges on this battle," Xiahou Xian called to Zhang He, raising his voice.
"Good! After this battle, I shall personally petition His Majesty to reward you!"
"Then let me thank you in advance."
The vast Wei force surged from its main camp toward the routed Shu troops.
In fact, Xiahou Xian could have advanced steadily and consolidated his gains. With his absolute superiority in numbers, he believed he could defeat Zhao Yun within ten days.
But a few days earlier, the camp at Ji Valley had received a battle report from Longxi.
It said that General-in-Chief Cao Zhen and Zhuge Liang were locked in a stalemate at Jieting, suffering heavy losses.
Although Cao Zhen still held the advantage in military strength, the situation remained far from promising. He would need at least a month to break through.
Wei State's senior leaders all knew that if the Shu army successfully held Cao Zhen off for a month, the commanderies of Longxi would cease resisting and pass entirely into Shu Han's hands.
Guo Huai's forces in Shanggui were also in a grim position. He had originally intended to detach troops to attack Gao Xiang's Shu forces occupying Lieliucheng, but Guo Huai could not be in two places at once.
The troops there were Shu's elite, commanded by the State of Shu's capable general Wu Yi, with Jiang Wei as his deputy. Their attacks were fierce.
It was worth mentioning that Jiang Wei was originally from Tianshui Commandery. After joining Shu Han, he had immediately become a vanguard in the campaign against Wei.
He constantly urged Shanggui's defenders to abandon resistance and reunite with their families, since most of their dependents lived in Ji City, Tianshui's administrative seat, which was now under Shu Han's control.
This tactic proved quite effective. With no reinforcements arriving from the rear, the defenders' initial low morale gradually turned into desertion. Even commanders with the strictest discipline could do nothing about it.
If this stalemate continued, the war might be decided before Wei State's main army could reinforce Longyou.
Wei State could not afford such a loss.
Thus, Xiahou Xian changed his strategy and persuaded Zhang He.
Xiahou Xian guessed that Zhao Yun in Ji Valley must also have received the reports from Longxi at the earliest opportunity. He therefore had Zhang He feign a withdrawal with the main army, hoping to lure Zhao Yun into staking everything on one desperate battle.
Sure enough, Zhao Yun took the bait.
Little did he know that while the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole waited behind.
Although the scheme was a considerable gamble, the outcome showed that Xiahou Xian had won his wager.
The routed Shu troops would no longer have the strength to fight another battle.
Zhang He declared that he would annihilate the entire Shu army that very day.
Along the way, Wei State's cavalry did not linger in combat. Their aim was to reach the enemy camp as early as possible.
Zhao Yun truly deserved his reputation as a renowned general of his age. He had Deng Zhi rally the remnants while he personally led the thousand defenders previously stationed in the main camp to cover the retreat.
Despite their crushing defeat, their withdrawal remained orderly. The soldiers did not panic, and even their provisions and baggage suffered little plundering by the Wei army.
Only Wei State's advance cavalry engaged them. Zhao Yun's troops fought as they withdrew, continuing until they had fully left Ji Valley. By the time the entire Wei army arrived, the opportunity to annihilate the Shu forces had slipped away.
This was because Zhao Yun, to prevent the Wei army from pursuing its victory into Hanzhong, had sent men to burn more than a hundred li of plank roads around Red Cliff.
Nevertheless, this remained a great victory for Wei State. With the Shu army's cause lost, Zhang He's forces broke camp and marched north that same day. They then planned to emerge from Xie Valley, pass through Chencang, and head straight for Shanggui in Longyou.
News of the defeat at Ji Valley reached Jieting less than two days later.
That day.
Early that morning, the Wei army launched its usual assault on Jieting. Under General-in-Chief Cao Zhen's leadership, Wei State's soldiers fought fearlessly, their morale soaring.
As soon as the first wave fell, a second charged forward. Even with their comrades' corpses piled like mountains before the Shu camp, the soldiers showed no fear.
There was no helping it. Assaulting fortified positions was like this: there were no tricks, only a contest of manpower.
The battle remained as bitterly deadlocked as it had been over the preceding days.
That day, Cao Zhen suddenly caught a whiff of danger. His instincts were indeed remarkably accurate.
As the fierce fighting raged,
a force of Shu troops suddenly descended from the small hill to one side of the Shu camp, like heavenly gods descending to earth.
They seized the moment when a fresh wave of Wei soldiers moved up and caught the Wei army off guard.
Indeed, this was Zhuge Liang's handiwork.
He had refined Ma Su's proposal from that day, sending only a few thousand soldiers up the hill to establish camp and await their opportunity.
As a surprise force, they proved highly effective.
The Wei soldiers had been charging toward the camp in one sustained rush, only to be thrown into panic by the Shu troops on their flank. Their momentum collapsed at once.
Seeing this, Cao Zhen sent in no further reinforcements and sounded the gongs to withdraw.
Inside the Shu camp.
Ma Su ran almost the entire way as he rushed into the central command tent.
"Chancellor! Terrible news!"
Without even stopping to salute, Ma Su continued, "The General Who Guards the East has been defeated by Zhang He at Ji Valley and has already withdrawn to Hanzhong. Wei State's reinforcements have passed Chencang!"
At this, Zhuge Liang knitted his brows tightly and remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he struck the command desk before him. "Alas! My cause is lost."
Ma Su thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. "Chancellor, our army has just won a great victory today. Cao Zhen has absolutely no chance of breaking through Jieting anytime soon. If our troops at Shanggui switch from attack to defense, perhaps there is still a chance?"
"Youchang," Zhuge Liang said earnestly, "on the Mount Qi front, we outnumber the enemy. Only by using offense as defense can our main army keep the Wei troops confined within Shanggui. But once Wei State's main force arrives, what chance of victory will we have?"
Zhuge Liang sighed. In the end, the State of Shu was simply too depleted.
After the late ruler Liu Bei's death, he had closed the borders and allowed the people to recuperate for years. He had then pacified Nanzhong and recruited some young and able-bodied men from the barbarian tribes into the army. Only then had Shu Han somewhat replenished its losses from the Battle of Yiling.
Even so, it had taken the strength of his entire state to muster an army of one hundred thousand. Wei State, meanwhile, could mobilize two hundred thousand on the western front alone.
Seeing that Ma Su remained silent, Zhuge Liang continued in a grave voice:
"Longxi Commandery and Guangwei Commandery are still resisting stubbornly in their corners. Though Tianshui, Nan'an, and Anding have surrendered to us, they have only just changed their banners. They do not yet truly belong to the Great Han."
"Only when our army has complete control of Longyou can we ensure our supply of provisions. Then, even if we must fight a decisive battle against the Wei army, we would not be without a chance of victory."
"But right now, our provisions must be transported from Hanzhong. One misstep, and our army will die without even a place to be buried."
"Your student has learned his lesson," Ma Su hastily said, cupping his hands, seemingly at last understanding their present predicament.
Zhuge Liang sat back down behind the command desk and waved a hand. "Pass on my order. Break camp and withdraw immediately."
Zhuge Liang's decision was undoubtedly correct.
Before Zhang He's reinforcements reached the Longxi battlefield, the Shu army had already withdrawn in good order.
Had they hesitated even a few days longer, Wei State's main army could have blocked their retreat, with consequences too terrible to contemplate.
Afterward, General-in-Chief Cao Zhen successfully entered Longyou.
Cao Zhen enjoyed great prestige in Longxi. Seeing that it was he who had arrived, the commanderies returned one after another to Great Wei's embrace.
With scarcely any effort, Cao Zhen successfully recovered the three commanderies of Longxi.
Half a month later, Xiahou Xian returned to Chang'an to report to Cao Rui.
Inside the imperial residence at Chang'an, Cao Rui sat at ease upon the dragon couch. He was clearly in excellent spirits.
As promised, Zhang He spared no praise in petitioning for Xiahou Xian's reward.
"Your Majesty, Staff Officer Xiahou truly has a talent for commanding troops. Given a few more years of experience in the army, he will surely achieve great things."
Cao Rui glanced at Zhang He. "Oh? General Zhang, you hold him in such high regard?"
Then Cao Rui's gaze slowly settled on Xiahou Xian. "Still, you have indeed not disappointed me."
Xiahou Xian kept his head lowered as he received the emperor's praise.
Cao Rui descended the jade steps, walked over to Xiahou Xian, and patted his shoulder.
"Return to the capital first. I have my own arrangements."