Chapter 26: Holding Off the Two Warlords (Part Two)

Early the next morning, Ju Shou, Cao Xing, and Hao Meng stood upon the city ramparts, gazing into the distance.

A scout, dusty and travel-worn, rushed up to the ramparts and reported, "Reporting to the Governor, Wang Kuang has arrived at Juewei Mountain with an army of thirty thousand."

Juewei Mountain is located west of Huyan Village, Chaicun Town, Jiancaoping District, twenty-four kilometers northwest of Taiyuan City. It stretches from north to south, reaching an elevation of about 1,400 meters, with Qing Peak to the south and Feiyun Peak to the north.

Cao Xing laughed, "Wang Kuang marches quickly! It seems he is impatient to devour the fat prizes of Bing Province and You Province."

Ju Shou smiled faintly. "I fear his teeth are not quite strong enough for that. Zhang Yang is coming with forty thousand troops along the Dan River; his speed will not be much slower than Wang Kuang's. The success or failure of this battle depends on whether we can hold off Wang Kuang’s assault with the forces of a single city."

"Indeed," agreed Hao Meng.

A servant ran up urgently. "Reporting to the Governor, the Lord has mobilized his troops and is currently marching toward Jinyang."

Cao Xing said happily, "Excellent! The Lord has finally marched."

Hao Meng also said with joy, "Yes! As long as we hold out until the Lord arrives, we can annihilate Wang Kuang's army!"

In the afternoon, soldiers reported that Wang Kuang’s army had reached the city walls.

Ju Shou ordered, "General Cao Xing, General Hao Meng, lead your soldiers to defend the ramparts. You must repel the attack of Wang Kuang’s army."

Cao Xing and Hao Meng cupped their hands. "Understood."

With that, they went down to make preparations. Ju Shou wrote a letter, ordered someone to deliver it to Luo Ang, and then headed to the ramparts to defend against Wang Kuang’s army alongside Cao Xing and Hao Meng.

On the road, Luo Ang led fifteen thousand infantry and fifteen thousand cavalry, accompanied by Xi Zhicai, Guan Yu, Zhang He, Xu Chu, Song Xian, and Cheng Lian, marching majestically toward Jinyang.

Luo Ang asked Xi Zhicai at his side, "Zhicai, do you think Wang Kuang and Zhang Yang are already attacking Jinyang?"

Xi Zhicai pondered for a moment. "By my calculation, Wang Kuang's army has already arrived at Jinyang because he traveled by land, while Zhang Yang's army has not yet arrived as he is traveling by water. I am certain that Wang Kuang's army is currently attacking Jinyang."

Hearing this, Luo Ang said, "If that is the case, I cannot delay. Pass the order: march day and night. We must reach Jinyang within five days and annihilate Wang Kuang's army."

"Yes." A soldier went to relay the order.

Thus, Luo Ang led his army, marching day and night toward Jinyang, intending to destroy Wang Kuang’s forces there before moving on to deal with Zhang Yang.

In Jinyang, Cao Xing and Hao Meng were currently leading the city’s garrison to repel Wang Kuang’s troops. Seeing Ju Shou arrive on the ramparts, Cao Xing said, "Governor, why have you come up here? Go back quickly, it is dangerous!"

Ju Shou replied, "Even if it is dangerous, I must come, for I am the Governor of Jinyang!"

Cao Xing insisted, "Even so, it is too dangerous. Please, return at once!"

"No!" Ju Shou refused.

Cao Xing commanded, "Someone, escort the Governor down."

"Yes." Two soldiers stepped forward and escorted Ju Shou away.

As he was led off, Ju Shou protested, "Let me go! I must stay on the ramparts to fight the enemy!"

Cao Xing said, "Brother Ju Shou, you should return. The matters on the ramparts can be resolved by Hao Meng and me."

With that, he drew his sword and engaged the few enemy soldiers who had managed to climb the walls. Seeing that his army could not break through Jinyang, Wang Kuang was furious. "I did not expect Jinyang to be so well-defended! It seems I truly underestimated them! Sound the retreat!"

As the gongs rang out, the attacking soldiers immediately withdrew. Seeing the retreat, Cao Xing and Hao Meng knew the enemy would attack again tomorrow and remained vigilant.

Hao Meng said, "Cao Xing, you remain on the ramparts to defend against any surprise attacks by Wang Kuang. I will go and report to the Governor."

Cao Xing nodded. "Agreed."

Hao Meng hurried to the Governor's mansion. In the main hall, Ju Shou was reading a bamboo scroll, though his mind was on the situation at the walls.

Hao Meng ran in. "Brother Ju Shou, the enemy has retreated!"

Ju Shou set down the scroll, stood up, and said, "Excellent! Hao Meng, you and Cao Xing patrol the ramparts tonight; do not let the enemy launch a surprise attack."

Hao Meng cupped his hands. "Yes."

"Ju Shou, why suffer so? I have a plan that can force them to retreat." A voice came from outside.

Ju Shou and Hao Meng looked toward the entrance and saw a strategist in plain robes walking in, accompanied by two generals. Ju Shou recognized the strategist and said happily, "Brother Zhongde, it has been a long time!"

The man was none other than Ju Shou’s old friend, Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu cupped his hands. "Brother Ju Shou, it has been a long time!"

Noticing the two generals behind Cheng Yu, Ju Shou asked, "Brother Zhongde, who are they?"

Cheng Yu remembered his companions. "This is Zhou Cang, and this is Pei Yuanshao. I met them on the road, and they have come to pledge allegiance to the Marquis of Yan."

Ju Shou asked, "What is your plan, Brother Zhongde?"

Cheng Yu explained, "Have General Cao Xing and General Hao Meng continue to hold the city to distract the enemy. Have General Zhou Cang and General Pei Yuanshao lead their troops to hide on both sides of Wang Kuang’s camp. Tomorrow morning, when Wang Kuang leads his army away, have them strike and seize the camp. Then, with a pincer attack, Wang Kuang will surely be defeated."

Ju Shou was enlightened and said gratefully, "Had it not been for your guidance, I would not have known how to destroy Wang Kuang's army. General Zhou Cang, General Pei Yuanshao, take your troops and divide into two groups to ambush Wang Kuang's camp. When dawn comes and Wang Kuang continues his assault, launch your raid. General Hao Meng, return to the ramparts and keep patrolling with General Cao Xing, acting as if you are on high alert."

"Yes!" The three departed to carry out their orders.

Ju Shou asked, "Brother Zhongde, what brings you to Bing Province?"

Cheng Yu sighed. "With Dong Zhuo currently in power and the warlords of the world rising against him, the Central Plains will surely fall into chaos and the people will suffer. Whether the campaign against Dong Zhuo succeeds or fails, the foreign tribes from the steppes will take advantage of the situation to invade, and the Central Plains will be even more chaotic!"

Ju Shou asked, "You could have chosen a lord you were satisfied with; why come to Bing Province?"

Cheng Yu replied, "I wanted to, but the warlords are all selfish and do not care for the people. Not to mention Liu Bei, who claims to be of the imperial line—he is even more shameless than the others. He uses that claim to deceive people for his own gain, gathering talent for his own use. If he were to rule, the consequences would be unthinkable. That is why I came to Bing Province."

Ju Shou said, "Why not join the Marquis of Yan? He cares for the people and spares them from suffering! The families of his soldiers receive silver, and their children are educated for free. Not only that, but the children of poor families can also attend school."

Cheng Yu was curious. "Do the children of the poor have to pay to attend school?"

Ju Shou replied, "I heard from the strategist that it is free!"

Cheng Yu was stunned. He had lived half his life, yet he had never heard of anyone allowing the children of the poor to be educated. He asked, "Why does the Marquis do this? Why do the influential clans not object?"

Ju Shou explained, "The Lord does this to ensure the poor have knowledge, so that even if they cannot become officials, they have skills to work elsewhere. He also reached an agreement with the clans: if they cooperate and stop exploiting the farmers, they may keep their wealth. If they refuse, their property is confiscated, their women are enslaved, the men are sent to the steppes, and the children are raised by the Lord."

Cheng Yu sighed, "I did not expect such a transformation in You and Bing Provinces under the Marquis."

Ju Shou said, "When I first joined the Lord, the economy of these two provinces had already surpassed that of the major provinces in the Central Plains. I am certain the Lord will unify the world."

Cheng Yu said, "Brother Ju Shou, I shall stay in Jinyang for now to see what kind of man the Marquis is and if he is a master worth serving."

The next morning, Wang Kuang led his army out of the camp to continue the assault on Jinyang, unaware that he had fallen into Cheng Yu's trap. As soon as the camp was empty, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao led their respective forces in a charge.

They caught the soldiers left behind in Wang Kuang's camp completely off guard.

Pei Yuanshao shouted, "If you pledge allegiance to the Marquis of Yan and abandon Wang Kuang, we will spare your lives! Otherwise, you will die here and now!"

The soldiers promptly laid down their weapons and surrendered.

"Follow my orders! Attack Wang Kuang's army!" Zhou Cang commanded. He and Pei Yuanshao led their troops toward the front lines to lift the siege of Jinyang.

Outside Jinyang, Wang Kuang was still pressing the attack, unaware that his camp had been taken. "Attack with all your might! We must take Jinyang!"

A soldier on a fast horse galloped up. "Reporting to the General, our camp has been captured! The soldiers there have all surrendered to the enemy!"

Wang Kuang could not believe it. "Who is leading them?"

"Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao!"

Wang Kuang was furious. "Damn them!"

Another scout arrived. "Reporting to the General, the enemy army is attacking us from behind!"

Wang Kuang ordered, "Stop the assault on the city! Turn around and engage the enemy!"

The troops turned and rushed toward the forces of Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao. Seeing the retreat, Cao Xing and Hao Meng on the walls cheered.

Cao Xing looked at Hao Meng. "Hao Meng, you stay and guard Jinyang. I will take the remaining troops out to support Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao."

Hao Meng said, "Understood. You must return safely; we still have to expand our borders for the Lord!"

"Rest assured, I will return safely!"

Cao Xing charged out of the city, coordinating with Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao. Trapped between the two forces, Wang Kuang’s army was in chaos.

A soldier reported, "General, the enemy has charged out from the city!"

Wang Kuang finally realized he had been tricked. "Retreat at once!"

But it was too late. Cao Xing reached Wang Kuang and struck him down with a single blow. "Your leader is dead! Surrender now, or be slaughtered!"

Seeing their leader fall to a relatively unknown general, Wang Kuang's soldiers were terrified. One by one, they dropped their weapons and knelt. "We surrender!"

With Wang Kuang dead, only seventeen of the eighteen warlords remained, and the only threat left for Luo Ang was the forces of Zhang Yang.