Chapter 137: Slashing Man Chong in the East, Striking Li Tong in the West (Book Recommendation: Mi Zhu)

In the early autumn of July, the afternoon sun was bright and a gentle autumn breeze blew, bringing a hint of coolness to the scorching transition between summer and autumn.

Along the post road near the pavilion east of Dingying City, a stretch of forest spanned for miles. The leaves had not yet turned yellow or withered, and their lush branches drooped gracefully, swaying gently in the slight breeze and rustling softly.

On a small slope east of the pavilion, several horses stood motionless. After seeing a fine horse galloping swiftly from the distance, the riders descended the slope and waited quietly by the roadside where the approaching party would pass.

Soon, the troop arrived. Imprinted in Shen Chen’s vision was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a rugged back. Travel-worn yet bearing a warm smile, he looked like the most magnanimous gentleman in the world, gazing at him with an amiable expression.

"Little master," he said, "you've grown taller, and you've grown up!"

Looking at the man’s familiar, gentle words, Shen Chen could no longer hold back. Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he dismounted, dropped to one knee, and bowed. "Chen pays his respects to Lord Xuande."

This bow was well-deserved.

Not only because he was Shen Chen’s savior, but also because of his benevolent ideal of loving the people, which had become Shen Chen's lifelong endeavor!

"Six years have passed, little master, and you are a grown man now. No more childish sentimentality."

Liu Bei dismounted and gently helped Shen Chen to his feet. Grasping Shen Chen's shoulders with both hands, he looked him up and down carefully.

What he saw was no longer an eight-year-old child, but a mighty and robust youth.

The youth was around fourteen or fifteen years of age, clad in battle armor and martial attire, revealing sinewy, bronze-colored arms. A ring-pommel saber was tucked at his waist, his expression resolute, and his eyes filled with strength and determination.

In that fleeting moment, Liu Bei was reminded of another child who had once followed him as he grew up.

Tian Yu.

Only, Tian Yu had been raised by his own hands, yet ultimately left him.

Whereas Shen Chen had merely shared a few encounters back in Xuzhou, yet still maintained a bond with him. Even though time had flown by and six years had passed in the blink of an eye, their affection seemed never to have diminished.

Yet Liu Bei felt no anger toward Tian Yu for leaving after being raised by him.

For he knew that Tian Yu had an aging mother to support, just as he himself had only left his hometown to forge a career after his mother passed away.

The little master had also grown up.

Liu Bei sighed inwardly. He was now capable of building his own foundation, and had even slain Cao Ren—the enemy who once slaughtered his family members—with his own hands. He was no longer the shivering child hiding amidst the sea of flames.

"The kindness of Lord Xuande, Chen will never forget for all eternity," Shen Chen said earnestly. "If not for you back then, Chen's entire clan of a thousand souls at Huangmenting would likely have become mere bones, just like the hundreds of thousands of victims in Xuzhou."

Liu Bei sighed. "At that time, my troops were few and my generals were weak; I could not stem Cao Cao's advance in Xuzhou, bringing pity upon tens of thousands of households. I originally wanted to send men to collect their remains, but unexpectedly, Yuan Shu and Lü Bu launched wave after wave of attacks, leaving me with no choice but to surrender to the imperial court. I had hoped to accomplish something in front of His Majesty, but Cao Cao usurped the Emperor's authority in his name, bullying the sovereign and monopolizing state affairs. I carried the decree of the girded belt to crusade against Cao Cao, yet was repeatedly defeated by him. Years have passed in idleness with nothing to accomplish, yet now, I am outperformed by the little master's battle in Nanyang, where you slew Cao Cao's generals Cao Ren and Yue Jin, displaying magnificent might."

Shen Chen encouraged him, "How many times a person is knocked down does not matter; what matters is whether one has the courage to crawl back up each time. Although you have been unable to defeat the rebel Cao, you have always maintained the courage to launch successive attacks against him. That courage alone is already precious beyond measure; what is there to feel disheartened about?"

"The little master is right."

Liu Bei was not lacking in resilience; he would never grow lazy or sluggish in the face of setbacks. Nodding seriously, he said, "Therefore, this time I intend to rally my former subordinates, recruit new troops, crusade against Cao Cao, and escort the Emperor back!"

Shen Chen pointed toward Dingying City to the west and said, "That being the case, today we shall use Pang De's—no, Man Chong's head as a beginning."

"Splendid!" Liu Bei said joyfully. "It suits my wishes precisely."

Shen Chen cupped his fists. "Please surround the south and east gates, and send a detachment of troops to lie in ambush at the west city. I will attack from the north gate. I anticipate that Man Chong cannot withstand us and will likely flee through the west gate to join Li Tong."

"Very well!" Liu Bei said. "I will make the arrangements right away."

With that, the two parted ways. Shen Chen turned back toward the north, and by this time his troops had already arrived outside Dingying City.

Upon returning to the camp, Shen Chen immediately issued orders to cut down trees outside the city, construct simple scaling ladders, and commence the assault on Dingying City without delay.

Liu Bei did the same on his side. Lacking large-scale siege engines, he had to rely on crude scaling ladders, but this did not hinder their confidence in taking the city, for the defending garrison inside Dingying was far too sparse.

At this moment, Man Chong was stationed atop the southern gate tower of Dingying. The enemies coming from the south were overwhelming—a surging force of over ten thousand men that practically filled the entire official road, placing immense pressure upon him.

His expression flickered uncertainly, for news had just reached him that another enemy force had suddenly appeared at the northern gate. Originally, he had factored in that although Liu Bei commanded over ten thousand men, the majority were hastily recruited rabble with very few elite soldiers, allowing him to hold the fortified city and await reinforcements.

He had not expected another enemy force to arrive from the north. According to the scouts' reconnaissance, their banners bore the character "Shen"—clearly Shen Chen of Kunyang.

Kunyang was very close to Xiangcheng, a mere forty kilometers away, but quite far from Dingying. Thus, by the time Xiahou Yuan received the news, Man Chong was still in the dark.

Traveling over three hundred *li* within three days to launch a surprise raid on Runan—who could have anticipated such a move?

Now he was completely surrounded. Aside from the five hundred elite soldiers he had personally selected and recruited, the rest of the surrendered remnants of Yuan's faction within the city were deeply restless, and army morale was highly unstable.

Defending a city under such internal and external troubles was tantamount to a death sentence.

Therefore, Man Chong had to devise a way to escape.

The terrain surrounding Dingying was flat, offering a superb view from the city walls.

He surveyed the south gate and saw that Liu Bei had deployed troops early to seal off the east gate as well, while a large number of soldiers were cutting down trees in the surrounding forest to construct siege weapons.

Man Chong even faintly spotted several black dots moving southward, prompting him to say immediately, "Liu Bei hasn't even established a proper camp; I fear he will launch the siege before long. Moreover, I observed what appeared to be cavalry heading south. They must have sent men by a detour to set an ambush at the west city—this is the tactic of 'surrounding three sides while leaving one open.' If we attempt to break out through the west, we are likely to fall into an ambush."

His attendants asked, "Prefect, what should we do now?"

"We break out." He sighed.

To wait any longer meant death, and once a rebellion broke out within the city, death would come even faster. Better to leave immediately before the siege and encirclement by Liu Bei's forces were completed.

With that, he ordered his attendants to immediately muster the five hundred soldiers. The rest of the surrendered troops were unreliable and posed a risk of renewed rebellion, so he ordered them to hold the city while using the pretext of garrisoning the west gate to transfer his five hundred trusted men there.

Yet the two thousand-odd surrendered soldiers from Yuan's former faction inside the city were no fools. Upon receiving Man Chong's orders, they went up to the city walls and looked out: the east, north, and south gates were tightly sealed, leaving only the west gate unguarded, and Man Chong was leading five hundred men toward the west gate. Wasn't this a blatant attempt to abandon them and escape alone?

Almost the moment Man Chong and his five hundred loyalists reached the west gate, a rebellion erupted at the south gate. Someone threw the gates open. Liu Bei, who was still preparing for the siege, saw the gates open and did not hesitate, immediately sending men to occupy the city. Learning that Man Chong was at the west gate, he gave immediate chase.

Once the south gate fell, the north and east gates did not hold out much longer. Seeing the east gate swing open, Shen Chen instantly realized that a rebellion must have broken out within Man Chong's ranks, and that he had most likely attempted to break out toward the west gate. He therefore led his scout cavalry personally to charge toward the west gate.

Shen Chen's force actually possessed very few cavalry—only about a hundred men. These horses were originally given to him after he helped Zhang Xiazhi—Zhang Xiu—defeat Cao's army. Following successive battles, the scout cavalry had suffered heavy casualties, leaving fewer than forty men.

Yet if his cavalry was scarce, Man Chong's was even scarcer: merely seven or eight horsemen, with the rest being infantrymen. At this moment, with the west gate wide open, the group rushed rapidly westward, hoping to retreat in the direction of Xiping.

However, no sooner had he cleared the west gate than the enemy cavalry came galloping from behind.

Man Chong looked back and saw that it was the enemy from the north of the city.

Never had he imagined that although Liu Bei was a step slower, Shen Chen reacted with lightning speed, leading his cavalry to pursue them at the very first moment.

He truly lived up to being a man who could trade blows with Lord Cao several times without a decisive outcome.

His face had frozen into frost, fire seemed to erupt from his eyes, and he roared, "Form ranks!"

"Form ranks!"

The shrill cries of his attendants pierced the firmament.

Man Chong's five hundred soldiers immediately began to form their ranks with tense precision. Though few in number, the unit was well-equipped; dozens of halberdiers immediately stepped forward to present their weapons at the front of the formation, while dozens of archers and crossbowmen behind them stood ready.

He swept his gaze across the surroundings, his eyes splitting in anger, and shouted passionately, "If we do not fight to the death today, we shall all perish utterly! Fight for survival against death, beat them back, and we can return to Xiping!"

"Fight for survival against death!" shouted his attendants.

"Fight for survival against death!"

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the surrounding soldiers, their morale soaring high.

Seeing this, Shen Chen reined in his horse in the distance and shouted, "Hold horses!"

"Whoa!" Gan Ning and the other riders immediately reined in their mounts.

Shen Chen said, "Man Chong is no incompetent fool; to actually form ranks on the spot like this is quite tricky. Let's wait until Lord Xuande's forces arrive before making a move."

Thus, the group halted, standing about half a *li* apart, eyeing each other across the distance.

"Retire in order!" Man Chong shouted, raising the sword in his hand as he saw them halt.

This moment bore a striking resemblance to when Shen Chen retreated from Xiangcheng to Kunyang, pursued by Cao Cao's cavalry.

Because infantry formations posed a devastating threat to cavalry, Cao Cao had not dared to charge rashly, preferring to buy time and wait for the infantry in the rear to catch up.

The situation was identical now.

Had Man Chong fled westward in a disorganized rout, Shen Chen would have attacked without a moment's hesitation. But this man had risen from humble origins rather than a noble lineage, yet ultimately attained one of the Three Ducal Offices of Cao Wei—testament enough that his capabilities were extraordinary.

Yet the catch was this: during the incident at Ziyun Mountain, Shen Chen had retreated a day in advance, causing Cao Cao's cavalry to pursue through the night while the infantry and supply trains lagged a full day behind. No matter how much time was bought, the Cao army could not possibly arrive in a short time.

Presently, however, Liu Bei's main force was stationed right at the south of the city, merely three or four *li* away from the west gate, and could arrive in an instant.

Although the vast majority of his troops were indeed rabble, his elite core consisted of the five hundred retainers Zhao Yun had recruited in Yecheng, along with two to three thousand men given to him by Yuan Shao before departure.

Still, the immense numerical disparity between the two sides could no longer be bridged by elite status alone, not to mention that Liu Bei possessed ferocious generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and Chen Dao.

Soon, amidst this tense and thrilling standoff, Man Chong's force had barely covered any distance before the cavalry Liu Bei had dispatched skirted around to intercept them on the post road less than ten *li* from Dingying City.

Simultaneously, Liu Bei's main infantry force drew close.

By now, Man Chong was completely surrounded. Still mounted, his face pale as frost, he watched quietly.

If he had abandoned his five hundred retainers at the very beginning and fled purely on horseback through the west gate, he might have made it; but now it was too late. He was hemmed in on all sides.

Yet Man Chong felt no regret for his actions. As the Grand Historian wrote: death comes to all men; some are heavier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a goose feather. At least if he died in battle today, it would be for the imperial court, and for Lord Cao!

"Man Chong, surrender," Liu Bei said, riding forward in full armor and speaking in a resonant voice. "Cao Cao is not worth risking your life for."

Man Chong replied coldly, "Liu Bei, Lord Cao treated you with great favor, yet you repeatedly rebelled. A disloyal and unrighteous wretch like you—how dare you attempt to persuade me to surrender?"

"Cao Cao treated me with great favor?" Liu Bei's eyes reddened instantly, and he rebuked angrily, "Indeed, he treated me well. But do you know how he treats the Emperor? He slaughtered the imperial uncle, brutally murdered the noble consort, and spared not even the unborn imperial prince. I witnessed with my own eyes the Emperor pleading bitterly, begging Cao Cao not to punish the imperial consort, yet he still ordered her strangled. I ask you: does this Han dynasty belong to Cao Cao, or to His Majesty? I raised troops in the name of the Emperor's decree to crusade against this rebel; what wrong have I done? On the contrary, you traitorous knaves, defying the sovereign's commands and acting as accomplices to tyranny—your crimes deserve death!"

"Hmph," Man Chong sneered. "The imperial uncle and noble consort plotted rebellion; they died deservedly."

Pointing at him, Liu Bei shouted furiously, "Silence, you shameless villain! It was by the Emperor's secret decree of the girded belt that the imperial uncle and I were commanded to secretly rid the state of such traitors as Cao Cao. These were the sovereign's royal commands, yet you run interference for him—are you even worthy of being called a scholar?"

"Lord Xuande, there is no need to reason with such a creature who knows neither sovereign nor father." Shen Chen drew the ring-pommel saber from his waist, glared coldly at Man Chong, and said, "He even tortured and abused venerable three-dynasty statesmen like Minister Wenxian. This scoundrel's nature is identical to Cao Cao's—both are utterly devoid of humaneness and cruelty incarnate. The Emperor is still waiting for us to rescue him in Xudu, and the ministers of the court are still awaiting us. Kill him."

"Kill them!"

Liu Bei raised the sword in his hand and pointed it toward Man Chong.

"Kill!"

The troops led by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci, and others closed the ring around Man Chong's forces layer by layer.

Arrows flew incessantly from bows and crossbows, though Man Chong's men were far too few, and with only a few dozen archers, their offensive output was limited.

Conversely, the vanguard of Shen Chen's and Liu Bei's forces pressed forward with shields locked in front while archers loosed volleys continuously. Their sheer volume of arrows rained down like a blanket over Man Chong's troops, wiping out a third of their number in an instant.

The next moment, Shen Chen, Gan Ning, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and others led the infantry charging straight into Man Chong's formation, shattering his troops into a complete rout.

Amidst the chaos, Man Chong's mount was struck by an arrow and bolted wildly, unseating him and hurling him heavily into the fields beside the post road.

He struggled to his feet and raised his head, only to see, under the afternoon sun, a blade flashing with cold light sweeping toward his neck.

*Splat!*

Blood sprayed, and under immense force, his head tumbled from his shoulders. To his dying breath, Man Chong's eyes remained wide open.

Shen Chen kicked the corpse over with one foot and wiped the blood from his blade using the dead man's clothes.

This future cruel official of Cao Wei had thus met his end.

Beside him, Gan Ning lamented, "Ah Chen, you move far too quickly."

"When dealing with enemies, one must strike like lightning."

Shen Chen turned back. By now the battlefield was largely pacified; fifteen thousand men against five hundred left no room for suspense. With Man Chong dead, the remaining troops naturally surrendered.

Soldiers under the command of officers at all levels cleared the battlefield, while Shen Chen took Gan Ning to see Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was standing on a small slope. By the time the two arrived, he was already directing the soldiers to herd the captives and retrieve dropped weapons and equipment.

Although Yuan Shao had provided him with ample supplies and men, marching deep into enemy territory meant Liu Bei could not carry heavy baggage trains, leaving weapons and equipment in short supply. Among this force of ten thousand-odd men, several thousand still wielded crude and inferior arms, meaning every single saber and halberd could not be wasted.

"Lord Xuande."

Shen Chen approached and saluted Liu Bei. "Are your men's physical stamina still holding up?"

Liu Bei asked in surprise, "Why do you ask?"

Shen Chen explained, "Man Chong lingered until now before attempting to leave precisely because he was unaware of our presence, believing the troops you recruited were untrained and that he could rely on the fortified city to hold out until Li Tong's reinforcements arrived. He only fled when he saw our army arrive, but it was already too late. This indicates that Li Tong is very likely on his way here. We should immediately head toward Xiping and set an ambush along the post road."

Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, and others were present around Liu Bei. Hearing this, Mi Zhu asked in astonishment, "Since we aim to fight Li Tong, why not await him inside the city with ease while the enemy exhausts themselves?"

"Lord Zizhong!"

Seeing Mi Zhu among the crowd, Shen Chen stepped forward and saluted respectfully. "It has been many years indeed; I trust you have been well, sir."

"My daily life has been passable." Mi Zhu looked at the youth, filled with emotion.

Years ago, it was Mi Zhu who had helped handle the lands of Huangmenting, but now the two of them were worlds apart from what they once were.

Mi Zhu was no longer a wealthy merchant of Xuzhou, but a General of the Left's Attendant Official and Chief史 (Shi) wandering from place to place following Liu Bei.

And Shen Chen was no longer the rustic child of the countryside, but a Colonel under Liu Biao, having even heavily defeated Cao Cao in Nanyang, slaying Cao Ren and Yue Jin, with his renown spreading far and wide.

"As long as you are well, sir."

Shen Chen explained, "The reason we are setting an ambush along the post road is because Li Tong fears Man Chong may meet with disaster, so he will march at full speed and will not constantly dispatch scouts to probe the surrounding terrain. However, once he reaches Dingying, he will grow cautious and send out scouts for wide-area reconnaissance. If we allow him to perceive any flaws or realize that the city has fallen and Man Chong is dead, defeating him will become far more difficult."

Man Chong was currently besieged by Liu Bei, so Li Tong would undoubtedly be burning with anxiety, instinctively assuming all enemies were concentrated at Dingying and that the surroundings of Xiping were entirely safe. Thus, he would march at breakneck speed, only stopping to send out scouts for reconnaissance once he was twenty or thirty *li* away from Dingying.

This was the textbook tactic of "besieging a point to wipe out reinforcements." In later eras, Marshal Xu of our founding era adored this strategy. Whenever he besieged a location, he would immediately make a forced march to set an ambush in rugged terrain near the enemy reinforcements' encampment, striking them with a crushing blow just as they marched out from their homes to rescue the besieged forces.

Therefore, in warfare, grasping the psychology of the enemy was paramount.

Hearing Shen Chen's words, Mi Zhu pondered for a moment before sighing, "No wonder the lord calls you the little master; such intellect truly surpasses us by far."

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

Shen Changqing walked along the path, exchanging greetings and nods with familiar faces he encountered.

Yet no matter who it was, not an extra expression lingered on anyone's face, as though they were utterly indifferent to everything around them.

To this, Shen Changqing had long since grown accustomed.

For this was the Demon Suppression Guard, an organization tasked with maintaining stability in the Great Qin, with its primary duty being the slaying of demons, ghosts, and monsters, alongside a few other auxiliary trades.

It could be said that every single person within the Demon Suppression Guard had bloodstained hands.

When a person grew accustomed to life and death, indifference toward many things naturally followed.

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing had felt somewhat ill-at-ease, but over time, he had grown used to it.

The Demon Suppression Guard was vast.

Those who remained within its ranks were either masters of formidable strength or individuals possessing the potential to become such masters.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.

The Guard comprised two main professions: Suppressors and Demon Slayers.

Anyone who entered the Demon Suppression Guard started from the lowest rank of Demon Slayer, then advanced step by step, ultimately aspiring to become a Suppressor.

Shen Changqing's predecessor had been a probationary Demon Slayer within the Guard—the lowest tier among Demon Slayers.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor, he was intimately familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Guard.

Before long, Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the rest of the Demon Suppression Guard, which was filled with an aura of stern slaughter, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, radiating an unusual tranquility amidst the blood-soaked atmosphere of the Guard.

At this moment, the doors of the pavilion stood open, and people occasionally walked in and out.

Shen Changqing hesitated for just a moment before stepping inside.

Upon entering, the environment instantly shifted.

A blend of ink fragrance and the faint scent of fresh blood rushed over him, causing his brows to knit instinctively before smoothing out just as quickly.

The scent of blood on everyone within the Demon Suppression Guard was something that almost defied all attempts to wash away completely.