Chapter 139: Stabilizing the Army's Morale and Attacking Yingyin

In the early autumn season, the climate in the Henan region remained sweltering.

When Huan Wen launched his Northern Expedition, it was already the mid-Eastern Jin dynasty. The Little Ice Age that began at the end of the Han dynasty had largely come to an end by the close of the Western Jin.

Consequently, during that era, the Ru River and the Ying River in Henan possessed abundant water volumes, making it feasible to utilize the Huai River for a northern campaign.

However, the present period sat at the peak of the Little Ice Age, plagued by incessant natural disasters. Severe droughts had struck the Huai-nan region just two years prior, leading to the downfall of Yuan Shu, and the Ru-nan region fared little better.

A massive population of farming households inhabited the banks of the Ru and Ying Rivers, as the common folk of that era predominantly settled near water sources. The heavy demand for drinking water and agricultural irrigation drastically depleted the flow of both rivers.

Meanwhile, in the wilderness far from rivers like the Ru and Ying—such as the vast expanse lying between the two waterways—lay near-total wilderness. Countless fertile tracts of land remained uncultivated, with not a soul to till them.

Therefore, after Shen Chen parted ways with Liu Bei and led his troops forward, they marched northward traversing scores of square kilometers of land nestled between the Ru and Ying Rivers.

For hundreds of li along the route, virtually no human habitation could be found. Within Yingchuan, several rivers saw the water levels of even their main streams significantly reduced, let alone the irrigation canals and tributaries.

Most importantly, ever since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, decades of continuous warfare had practically devastated the entire Henan region. Compounded by droughts and crop failures, the populace had even resorted to cannibalism. The once-prosperous lands, densely populated and crisscrossed by a well-connected network of roads, had long since vanished.

The former interlocking fields and orderly paths were replaced by overgrown thickets and rampant wild grasses. Villages had largely deteriorated into crumbling ruins, and the howls of wild dogs, jackals, and ferocious tigers echoed across the desolate plains.

Occasionally, a solitary human figure might be spotted in the wilderness, only to bolt into the deep mountains like a startled rabbit upon catching sight of the army from afar.

For the most part, however, they encountered only abandoned villages flanking weed-choked post roads, dried-up irrigation canals, scattered human bones left exposed, untilled farmlands reverted to wastelands, and lonely earthen mounds standing desolate across the plains.

The entire world seemed to have transformed into a barren wasteland.

Yet this bleak landscape gradually began to improve the closer they drew to Xuchang.

For Shen Chen knew that Cao Cao had established large-scale agricultural colonies around Xuchang, numbering tens of thousands of farming households alone; thus, the closer they got, the higher the risk of exposure.

By July 10th, the army had passed Xiangcheng and continued north toward Yingyang. The surrounding territory already fell within Cao Cao's agricultural colony zone, lying less than forty kilometers from Xuchang. Crossing Yingyin would bring them practically right beneath the walls of Xuchang.

To achieve this, Shen Chen's army endured the wind and dew, marching through the wilderness by day and sleeping in wind-sheltered spots by night, frequently sharing their surroundings with tigers, wolves, and ancient tombs.

The land of China at that time was far from being dominated by humanity. While people clustered along riverbanks, the vast expanses of the wider wilderness were crawling with tigers, wolves, and wild boars. Waking up in the middle of the night, one could even catch the faint, eerie glint of greenish eyes shining from within the forests.

Marching under such conditions thus tested not only the physical endurance of the soldiers, but also their willpower.

While the one thousand nine hundred veteran soldiers from Huangmenting were able to sustain such high-intensity marches, Gan Ning's two thousand one hundred troops lagged noticeably behind, unable to keep pace with the speed of Shen Chen's forces.

On the afternoon of July 11th, after the main army crossed Yingyang, they were just over ten li away from Yingyin.

In future generations, this area corresponded to the Yan-Luo Expressway region west of Xuchang City. It was a desolate tract where their advance was shielded by a dense forest, and the path ahead was choked with weeds, requiring constant scouting to find the correct direction.

Due to their proximity to Yingyin, Shen Chen personally rode a li ahead to reconnoiter the situation while allowing the soldiers, who had been marching all morning, a brief rest.

Once the army halted, the Huangmenting soldiers silently broke down into small squads, sought out suitable resting spots, and produced their dry rations and water.

Gan Ning's troops appeared somewhat more disorganized. Letting out weary sighs, they collapsed onto patches of grass wherever they pleased.

In truth, ever since leaving Yexian, grain rations had been uniform across the board.

During forced marches, everyone carried twenty days' worth of dry rations and two days' supply of water—primarily wheat cakes accompanied by pickled vegetables and dried meat. Though meager, the diet was a vast improvement over what they had previously endured, at least offering a taste of meat.

However, Gan Ning's army had never undergone reorganization and retained the backward habits of old warlord factions.

Their middle and lower-ranking officers frequently beat and abused the rank-and-file soldiers, even exploiting them by confiscating their rations of dried meat. Consequently, internal morale within Gan Ning's forces remained persistently poor.

Even Gan Ning himself felt deeply humiliated upon seeing his men lounging about sluggishly, flumping onto the ground after a single day's march rather than displaying the disciplined efficiency of Shen Chen's troops; in his anger, he lashed out at the soldiers with his whip.

At that moment, Shen Chen stood upon a hillside gazing into the distance. Before him lay a vast wilderness, with the faint silhouette of a city visible on the distant horizon.

Extensive farmlands stretched outside the city walls, connected by contiguous villages—clear evidence that they had reached Cao Cao's agricultural colony zone. Enemy forces might lie ahead, so he reined in his horse and returned to the encampment, intending to summon a few sharp-witted scouts to investigate on foot. Unexpectedly, he heard wailing sounds echoing from the rear.

"What is going on?"

After dispatching several scouts ahead to reconnoiter, he walked over to investigate and discovered that in the overgrown wasteland flanking the post road, while his own Huangmenting soldiers had seated themselves in an orderly fashion to rest, Gan Ning's troops were scattered in complete disarray and utter chaos.

Shen Chen saw Gan Ning in the act of whipping a soldier. The victim had fallen behind the rear of the column during the march, lagging four or five li behind Shen Chen's troops, which had caused Gan Ning to lose face.

The soldier was frail of build, likely only eighteen or nineteen years old. His face was covered in blood as he wept and begged for mercy.

The surrounding troopers looked on indifferently, as if seeing nothing at all. Gan Ning had a violent temper and a merciless streak; when provoked, no one could dissuade him. Thus, even those who pitied the young soldier dared not intervene.

"Stop!"

Shen Chen immediately stepped forward and intercepted him.

Gan Ning had already shed his outer iron armor, wearing only a linen short-tunic that revealed bulging, knotted muscles. Once his temper flared, no one could hold him back.

However, Shen Chen firmly gripped the tendon in Gan Ning's shoulder and applied pressure. Gan Ning turned around glaring furiously, ready to fly into a rage, but upon seeing it was Shen Chen, he lowered the raised whip and growled irritably, "Ah-Chen, this fellow is lazy and lax. If I don't whip him, how can military discipline be maintained?"

Seeing that the soldier's cloth shoes were worn through, exposing bloody, bruised toes, Shen Chen crouched down, removed the linen outer garment from his own shoulders, and gently wiped the blood from the soldier's feet. When he pulled off the remaining fabric of the shoe, a foul, putrid odor rushed forth.

It turned out that the multi-day forced march had caused the soldier's feet to swell and become severely infected. Without proper rest and treatment, there was a high likelihood the foot tissue would become gangrenous and require amputation.

Shen Chen immediately said with a stern expression, "Uncle Xingba, look. This soldier is not being lazy or lax; he is suffering from foot ailments. These men have risked their lives following you in battle, yet you show them no compassion, resorting to beatings at the slightest provocation without even inquiring into the cause. Would this not chill the hearts of the troops?"

Realizing his mistake, Gan Ning felt rather awkward and stammered, "I was unaware of this."

Shen Chen stood up and swept his gaze across the surroundings. Many of Gan Ning's officers and men, including Shen Mi, were watching him intently. He then declared loudly, "Since I am a Colonel, obey my command from this moment on. Anyone suffering from foot ailments is to report to me immediately. Tell me the exact number so I can make proper reassignments."

He did not immediately issue prohibitions against beating soldiers; instead, he chose to first gather those afflicted with foot ailments.

This approach was necessary because the officer ranks within the Huangmenting troops were built upon a foundation of his own kin and clansmen. These officers originated primarily from the elite clan guards who had marched south from Xuzhou years ago, containing a very high proportion of members from the Deng and Shen clans.

Shen Chen strictly forbade them from beating or verbally abusing soldiers, requiring them to adhere strictly to the Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, warning that any violations would result in expulsion from the clan guard ranks.

The status of the Huangmenting clan guards was exceptionally high, bestowed with great honor by Shen Chen. For these men, being cast out of the ranks was a fate worse than death.

Moreover, the newly recruited soldiers who performed well enjoyed ample opportunities for promotion, which squeezed the survival space of the old guards. This dynamic forced the clan guards to avoid even the slightest infraction, successfully preventing them from adopting the old warlord habits of humiliating, oppressing, beating, or exploiting the common soldiers.

Gan Ning's army, however, was different. The tradition of rigid military hierarchy had persisted since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods; everyone operated this way, and high-ranking generals viewing common soldiers as subhuman had gradually become normalized.

Attempting to change such deeply ingrained habits overnight was virtually impossible—much like managing domestic bondservants, Shen Chen could only initiate gradual improvements rather than radical overhauls.

True systemic reform would have to wait until he seized political power or amassed greater authority. For now, he could only adopt a gradual approach: setting his own house in order first, and then utilizing his acquisition of command over Gan Ning's forces to reform their military structure.

Before long, those suffering from foot ailments reported to him. Among them were over forty soldiers from Huangmenting and more than two hundred from Gan Ning's army. Shen Chen promptly dispatched a force of over two hundred men, alongside these afflicted soldiers—totaling five hundred in all—back to Yingyang to occupy the city and seek medical treatment.

The remaining troops stayed put to continue preparations for the assault on Xuchang.

After resting for roughly half an hour, several figures suddenly burst out from the sparse woodlands ahead. The scouts dispatched earlier returned and reported to Shen Chen, "General, Yingyin City lies some seven or eight li ahead, surrounded by extensive agricultural colonies."

"Are there guards posted?"

"Yes, there are quite a few of Cao's soldiers both inside and outside the city."

"Understood. It appears to be Cao Cao's agricultural militia."

Shen Chen muttered thoughtfully.

Historically, Cao Cao established agricultural colonies around Xuchang, utilizing the convenience of the upper reaches of the Ying and Xun Rivers to irrigate the land, encompassing neighboring areas such as Yingyin and Yanling.

Shen Chen had not known these details initially, but after sending agents to infiltrate Xuchang, he had gathered extensive intelligence.

During his very first approach to Xuchang, he had attacked from the southwest, reaching only the vicinity of Liying without penetrating the immediate environs of Xuchang city.

Now, merely twenty-or-so kilometers from Xuchang, they stood on the doorstep, placing those agricultural militia directly under the threat of his blade.

The commander of these agricultural militia was named Ren Jun, appointed by Cao Cao as the Colonel Protector of Farming. The reason Ren Jun had not been in Xuchang previously was that he had traveled north to transport grain for Cao Cao.

Historically, Cao Cao suffered from a severe grain shortage—not because his overall grain reserves were insufficient, but because his rear supply lines had been shattered into pieces by Yuan Shao.

It was Ren Jun who personally led the agricultural militia to escort the supply lines and fend off Yuan Shao's raiding cavalry, narrowly helping Cao Cao weather the crisis.

July had now arrived. Following the harvest of the early summer crops in May, the grain had been shipped successively to Guandu, while preparations for planting millet began around June.

Consequently, Ren Jun had returned to Xuchang to oversee the farming households and urge them to press forward with agricultural production.

Presently, the surrounding regions of Yingyin, Xuchang, and Yanling held tens of thousands of farming households, with Ren Jun commanding several thousand agricultural militia. While their combat effectiveness might not match Cao Cao's elite frontline troops, they were certainly not to be underestimated.

Gan Ning, itching for action, stepped forward and asked, "Ah-Chen, let's just charge straight in."

Shen Chen shook his head. "We cannot. If we charge blindly, they will simply retreat inside the city walls, and we lack the capability to conduct a siege. If we bypass Yingyang and push straight for Xuchang, we will end up caught in a pincer attack from front and rear."

"Then what should we do?" Gan Ning inquired.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Chen replied, "Cao Cao is short on grain at Guandu. If we destroy their millet fields, the enemy will inevitably sally forth to give battle, and we can thoroughly crush them."

Gan Ning's eyes widened before he flashed a thumbs-up. "Splendid idea."

The two commanders quickly finalized their plan: Gan Ning would lead five hundred men to launch a preliminary assault on Yingyin. If the agricultural militia outside the city chose to engage them in battle, all the better; Shen Chen would then bring up the main force to crush them. If they refused to fight, their crops would be systematically destroyed to force them out into the open.

This strategy was chosen because Ren Jun's agricultural militia were currently dispersed across the areas surrounding Yingyin, Xuchang, and Yanling.

If they ignored them and advanced directly toward Xuchang, the garrison forces stationed at Xuchang would pin them down while the militia converged from the rear, trapping them between two fires. Securing Yingyin first was therefore essential to establishing a secure fallback position.

At present, visual reconnaissance indicated that only one or two hundred agricultural militia were stationed west of Yingyin City. Even factoring in the forces inside the city and to the east—meaning east of the Ying River—the total troop strength would not exceed one thousand.

With Gan Ning leading just five hundred men to lay waste to the fields, it would easily provoke the garrison commander into sallying forth for a decisive battle outside the walls. At that juncture, Shen Chen would strike, securing victory in a single stroke.

The strategy thus established, Gan Ning led his men out, swaggering boldly in the direction of Yingyin City.

Agricultural planting cycles during the Han dynasty followed a system of summer millet and winter wheat. Winter wheat was harvested in May of the following year, followed by the sowing of millet seedlings in June. Millet had a three-month growing cycle, allowing for a harvest by September before the replanting of winter wheat.

Thus, early July was precisely the period when the summer millet had recently been sown, requiring farming households to tend the fields daily—handling irrigation, pest control, and weeding without a moment's respite.

When Gan Ning's force of five hundred appeared west of Yingyin City, numerous agricultural laborers were still hard at work in the fields. Suddenly, they spotted a large, imposing army cresting the southern post road and marching directly toward Yingyin.

This was already the heartland of Yingchuan and the immediate periphery of Xuchang.

Many initially assumed these were Cao Cao's troops stationed in Xiangcheng returning to Xuchang for official business, though they found the military uniforms rather peculiar.

Cao Cao's forces wore standardized black uniforms, whereas the military attire worn by this approaching army was crimson red...

A militia squad leader supervising the agricultural laborers grew increasingly puzzled the longer he watched. Racking his brain, he tried to recall which detachment of Cao's army wore crimson uniforms.

Red?

In the next split second, his face drained entirely of color. He snatched a bone whistle from his belt and blew it sharply.

"Squeak—!"

The piercing whistle pierced the heavens.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

Shen Changqing walked along the path, exchanging nods or greetings with familiar acquaintances he encountered.

Regardless of who they were, however,

there was a distinct lack of superfluous expression on anyone's face, as if they were utterly indifferent to everything around them.

To this,

Shen Changqing had long since grown accustomed.

For this was the Demon Suppression Office, an institution charged with maintaining stability in the Great Qin Empire. Its primary responsibility was the subjugation of evil demons and bizarre entities, alongside a few other auxiliary duties.

One could safely say

that every single person within the Demon Suppression Office had blood on their hands.

When a person grew accustomed to witnessing life and death on a daily basis, they inevitably grew detached toward many things.

Upon first arriving in this world, Shen Changqing had struggled to adapt, but over time, he had simply grown used to it.

The Demon Suppression Office was vast.

Those permitted to remain within its ranks were either formidable martial artists or individuals possessed of the raw potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The structure of the Demon Suppression Office comprised two main vocations: Garrison Envoys and Exorcism Envoys.

Anyone who entered the Demon Suppression Office started at the lowest tier as a Probationary Exorcism Envoy,

advancing step by step with the ultimate aspiration of rising to the rank of Garrison Envoy.

Shen Changqing's predecessor had been precisely such a probationary exorcism envoy within the Demon Suppression Office—occupying the very lowest rung of the exorcism hierarchy.

Equipped with the memories of his predecessor,

he was thoroughly familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Office.

Without taking an excessive amount of time, Shen Changqing halted before a pavilion.

Unlike the other areas of the Demon Suppression Office, which were fraught with a heavy, murderous aura, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, radiating a tranquil serenity that contrasted sharply with the surrounding blood-stained atmosphere.

At the moment, the doors of the pavilion stood wide open, with individuals occasionally entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing hesitated for only a brief moment before stepping inside.

Upon crossing the threshold,

the ambient atmosphere abruptly shifted.

A faint fragrance of ink intermingled with a trace of subtle blood odor wafted over him, causing his brow to furrow instinctively before smoothing out again.

The scent of blood clinging to everyone within the Demon Suppression Office was something virtually impossible to wash away entirely.