"Grand Marshal! We should retreat at once!"
"If this goes on, our entire army will perish here!"
Cao Xiu gazed bitterly at the battlefield before him, where his army had collapsed into a rout, and let out a long sigh.
He regretted it.
He was furious!
But he could only helplessly order a breakout.
In that day's battle alone, nearly ten thousand men of Cao Xiu's army had been killed or captured.
Cao Xiu's defeated army fled northeast in disarray. When night fell and marching became difficult, Cao Xiu ordered them to make camp and rest.
To guard against a nighttime raid by the Wu army, Cao Xiu sent out several groups of cavalry to patrol in shifts and ordered the soldiers to change shifts every two hours, forbidding them from sleeping too deeply.
In the camp, a Wei soldier lay limply on the ground, and soon his eyelids drooped shut.
"Li Zheng, wake up. Time to change shifts."
Li Zheng felt as though he had only just fallen asleep when his companion's voice reached his ears.
He opened his bleary eyes and looked reluctantly at his companion's dust-covered face. "Zhao Wu, cover for me a little longer. I only just fell asleep."
Zhao Wu looked visibly displeased and cursed with a laugh, "I'm dead tired too. I can't help you."
Li Zheng stood up helplessly and brushed the dust from his clothes.
Just then, both men heard a loud commotion coming from the other side of the camp.
"What happened?"
"Let's go take a look."
"Grand Marshal! Something's wrong!" A soldier rushed headlong into Cao Xiu's tent.
"What is it? What happened?"
"A mutiny has broken out in camp. Someone's inciting the soldiers to flee."
"What!?"
Cao Xiu hurriedly donned his armor and ran out of his tent.
Even Cao Xiu's nerves were stretched taut at that moment, let alone those of the ordinary soldiers in the camp.
They were fighting far from Wei State territory, had suffered a crushing defeat that day, and still had to remain constantly alert for the pursuing Wu army.
"Brothers, why should we stay here and throw our lives away!?"
"The Wu army is right behind us! If we don't run now, by tomorrow we'll all be buried in these desolate mountains!"
"That's right!"
"We won't die alongside Grand Marshal Cao Xiu!"
Soon, the soldiers responded in droves. Even the junior officers, who had kept them in line through force, were helpless and could only be swallowed by the torrent of fleeing troops.
Cao Xiu's arrival did nothing to help. He had no choice but to order the camp struck and the army withdrawn during the fifth watch.
Now, what had been a reasonably orderly retreat descended into chaos as the various units scrambled for the roads and fled.
They even abandoned almost all their baggage wagons, supplies, and equipment.
Wankou, the Wu army's main camp.
"Your Highness, an urgent report sent by Grand Commander Lu Xun."
Sun Quan, King of Wu, slowly took the letter. As he read, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.
Sun Quan had a square face and a thick beard. He was already forty-six that year, and twenty-eight years had passed since he succeeded his elder brother Sun Ce as ruler of Jiangdong.
For this formidable ruler of Jiangdong, the words "A son should be like Sun Zhongmou" were the highest praise.
Indeed, the rulers of Wei State were already on their third generation, while the young second emperor of the State of Shu had been on the throne for over five years.
And what of him? He ruled over dozens of commanderies large and small across Yang Province, Jing Province, and even Jiao Province. In territory and national strength, he might fall short of Wei State, but who knew how many times stronger he was than Shu Han?
"King of Wu of Great Wei"...
That thorn remained lodged in Sun Quan's heart.
With today's great victory, he had finally held his head high and breathed freely. At last, he had dispelled the gloom in his heart.
Wei State was not invincible!
"Excellent!"
Only then did he remember that he ought to express his approval of the grand commander's great victory.
But once he calmed down, his gaze returned to the contents of the letter.
Lu Xun proposed sending troops from Wankou along the waterways to its north, striking straight toward Jiashi.
That way, they could reach Jiashi before Cao Xiu, completely seal the Wei army's retreat, and wipe out Wei's elite forces from Huainan!
Sun Quan sighed.
Come to think of it, before the war began, Zhu Huan had suggested stationing an ambush at Jiashi in advance to cut off the Wei army's retreat.
Yet Sun Quan had not agreed at the time.
After years of campaigning against Hefei, he had truly grown afraid.
He had never imagined a time when he could truly defeat Wei State.
Suddenly, he slapped the table. He did not want to miss this golden opportunity.
"Summon Cavalry Commandant Zhuge Ke at once."
Soon, Zhuge Ke arrived at Sun Quan's command tent.
Zhuge Ke was the second son of Zhuge Jin, a senior minister of Eastern Wu, and Zhuge Jin was Zhuge Liang's eldest brother.
Zhuge Ke came in answer to the summons and was most respectful.
"Your subject, Zhuge Ke, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"No need for ceremony, Yuanxun. Come closer." Sun Quan smiled and beckoned.
He was very fond of this young man, who had made his name early and was known as a child prodigy.
As early as the year Zhuge Ke came of age, Sun Quan had appointed him cavalry commandant, granted him military authority, and assigned him to assist Crown Prince Sun Deng.
With their forces out in full strength for this campaign, none of Sun Quan's various great generals were by his side. Only Zhuge Ke remained with him.
Sun Quan said, "Yuanxun, Cao Xiu was defeated by the grand commander at Shiting and is fleeing northeast."
"The grand commander has advised me to send troops from Wankou to Jiashi to intercept the Wei army. I too believe this plan is feasible, so I wish to have you lead troops to Jiashi. Can you undertake this task?"
Zhuge Ke's heart stirred. He would never pass up any chance to win merit and establish himself, and immediately replied, "This is a heaven-sent opportunity. I am willing to go!"
"Good!" Sun Quan said. "I will give you ten thousand elite troops. Lead them out at once."
At this, Zhuge Ke hesitated briefly.
"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness. Though Cao Xiu's army has been defeated, it still numbers fifty to sixty thousand. With so few troops, I fear I may jeopardize Your Highness's great undertaking."
Sun Quan narrowed his eyes at Zhuge Ke.
To think this boy was still so slippery.
After all, Wu State recognized the legitimacy of the private troops maintained by the great clans.
The very reason Wu State had dared challenge Wei State this time was that Sun Quan had appealed to both sentiment and reason to persuade the clans to bring out their reserves.
Only then had Wu State been able to field a full ninety thousand troops for this campaign.
After all, during the Battle of Yiling, Eastern Wu had barely mustered fifty thousand elite troops.
But the great clans still held something back, avoiding the use of their private troops whenever possible.
Still wearing a kindly expression, Sun Quan began pleading hardship outright. "Yuanxun, Wankou is of extraordinary importance and must not be lost. Thus, much as I wish to give you more troops, I am powerless to do so."
Quick-witted as he was, Zhuge Ke understood at once.
He promptly cupped his hands and bowed. "I will certainly not fail my mission!"
Two days later.
On the imperial highway some eighty li south of Hefei in Yang Province.
A Wei force clad in black armor was quickening its pace as it hurried south.
The commander of this Wei force was Jia Kui, Inspector of Yu Province.
His troops had originally come to take over Hefei's defenses after Cao Xiu's army marched south toward Poyang Commandery.
After Cao Xiu set out, Jia Kui led several probing attacks against Wu State's Dongguan.
He discovered that the Wu forces there were exceedingly weak.
He surmised that the main Wu force must have been transferred to Wan City.
He therefore acted decisively, advancing by land and water and making a forced march toward Jiashi to provide support.
After a forced march of more than two hundred li, Jia Kui's army finally reached Jiashi.
By then, however, a Wu force was already guarding Jiashi Pass.
Jia Kui had no choice but to order a frontal assault, intending to seize control of the pass.
After some fighting, Jia Kui discovered that this Wu force's battlefield command was highly disorganized-or rather, inexperienced.
Moreover, the Wu force seemed to have few troops. In less than two days, Jia Kui drove it back at the cost of only a little over a thousand men and successfully occupied Jiashi Pass.
The commander of that Wu force was, naturally, Zhuge Ke. This counted as his first truly independent command.
He had intended to ambush Cao Xiu's army, which might come from the west. Who could have imagined that Wei State's reinforcements from the north would arrive so quickly?
Against thirty thousand Wei State troops, winning with a smaller force still seemed too much for him.
It was worth mentioning that he had brought only one thousand of his own clan's private troops.
But even with the ten thousand elite troops Sun Quan had given him, he had only a little over ten thousand men. Facing Jia Kui, he was no more than a mantis raising its arms against a chariot.
In the end, he could only withdraw with his tail between his legs.
Afterward, with Jia Kui's support, Cao Xiu's defeated army successfully escaped through Jiashi and returned to Shouchun.
Faced with the Wei State defenders at Jiashi standing ready for battle, Lu Xun and the other Wu forces responsible for the pursuit decisively chose to give up, cease operations, and return.
This battle ended in a crushing defeat for Wei State...