Chapter 145: Covering the Rear, Shooting and Killing Cai Yang

Night fell, and the distant, prolonged, and continuous sound of horns echoed across the entire wilderness.

At the eastern gate of Ren Jun's encampment, the two thousand-plus soldiers under Shen Chen were forced to halt and regroup, abandoning their fierce assaults on the eastern gate.

This bought Ren Jun a moment of breathing room. His army had been pushed to the verge of collapse; of the five thousand men, more than a thousand were dead or wounded, another thousand had fled or gone missing, and only two thousand remained to bitterly hold the line.

Flames reaching toward the sky pierced the clouds. The raging fires within the camp, originally lit by Shen Chen to swiftly crush Ren Jun, had now become torches illuminating his path of retreat.

"Fall back!"

Shen Chen issued the order to retreat, personally staying behind to cover the rear alongside Gan Ning.

The soldiers who still had strength carried the wounded on their backs, dragging their weary bodies backward in a slow retreat. Those without strength searched the surroundings for the remains of the Huangmenting soldiers, picking up the identity tags left on their bodies.

These were the exclusive tokens of the Huangmenting troops. Each tag had a name and a numerical serial number carved on the back. If a soldier died in battle and his body could not be retrieved, the tag would be taken in place of the head.

Every single soldier had reached the absolute limit of their physical endurance, gasping for breath as they scrambled toward the western gate of the camp.

Once all the soldiers had hurriedly withdrawn, Shen Chen and Gan Ning led three hundred personal guards, holding their remaining bows and crossbows, and departed last. In the distance, Ren Jun simply watched them go. The two sides gazed at each other across the flames from afar.

"General."

Ren Jun's left and right deputy commanders also had their armor disheveled and bodies stained with blood, their topknots soaked with sweat. They stepped forward and said, "Should we not pursue them while the momentum is ours?"

"Pursue them?"

Ren Jun looked at the slowly retreating army of Shen Chen in the distance, his gaze flickering.

"No."

Xun Yu, standing nearby, shook his head. "Listen to the sound of those horns. Han Hao is still several miles away. He merely sounded the drums to put on a show and frighten away the enemy because he feared our situation was perilous. If we pursue now, our army will surely suffer defeat."

"That is true as well."

Ren Jun nodded. He knew that his own men had also reached their limit; if they pursued, they would likely be easily beaten back by the enemy.

Xun Yu said, "I ask that the General send men to extinguish the fires."

"Put out the fires!"

Ren Jun immediately issued the order.

Xun Yu then spurred his horse forward slowly, with Ren Jun following closely behind him. The group inspected the entire encampment.

The remaining two thousand-odd soldiers dispersed to put out the flames, accompanied by a hundred personal guards. As they reached the vicinity of the western gate, they could already see the torches of Shen Chen's army lit in the distance.

"Let's go and take a look."

Xun Yu and Ren Jun exited the western gate of the camp and followed the route all the way to the vicinity of the trench.

They saw that Shen Chen's army had already withdrawn to the opposite bank of the trench. The soldiers wound their way along the road, retreating in the direction of Yingyin. At the very rear of the formation, upon the small hill that Shen Chen had commanded from at dusk, a figure stood proudly on horseback.

Just as at the very beginning, the two sides gazed at each other across the trench, separated by a distance of about a hundred meters. In the glow of the torches, Xun Yu could vaguely make out Shen Chen's indistinct figure standing tall in the distance.

"General Shen!"

Xun Yu called out in a resonant voice, "I hold General Shen in high regard, but I implore the General to place the country and family above all else! His Majesty has drifted in displacement for many years and has finally found peace in Xuchang; he can no longer endure such upheaval."

Shen Chen shouted back, "Xuchang is not the final resting place of the Great Han, nor is Cao Cao a worthy minister to His Majesty. Cao Cao cannot call the shots regarding the honor, disgrace, rise, and fall of the Han. In the past, Emperor Wu had Huo Qubing whose might shook the northern frontiers; today, there should be I, Shen Chen, to restore the mountains and rivers of the Han Dynasty and return a bright and clear world to the common people! Lord Xun, let us part ways here. In my heart, Shen Chen holds only the Emperor of Han and the millions of common people. There is nothing to discuss with someone like you who cares only for his own family and ignores the life and death of the people."

With that, he wheeled his horse around and rode away.

In the distance, Xun Yu's robes fluttered slightly in the wind, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

Ren Jun asked in puzzlement, "Lord Xun, this man shares a blood feud with Lord Cao that cannot be resolved. Why bother speaking further with him?"

Xun Yu shook his head and said, "The General does not understand. This man is extraordinary. I have old friends in Jiangnan, and upon learning of his words and deeds, I hold him in the utmost admiration..."

With that, he raised his head to look at the sky. At the turn of summer and autumn, the night was dotted with countless stars, their brilliant light illuminating the entire world.

"The unity of knowledge and action..."

Xun Yu muttered to himself, "Can such a sage-like breadth of mind truly be achieved by a mere youth? In a few years, our Great Han might well produce another sage. Alas... If Lord Cao had not massacred Xuzhou back then... Lord Cao... is truly muddle-headed."

His gaze was filled with sorrow.

Many aristocratic families of Yingchuan had fled to Jingzhou to seek refuge; for instance, Xun You had gone to Jingzhou to avoid disaster in his youth, and Sima Hui had also led his clan south.

Shen Chen's words, deeds, and reputation in Jingzhou had long since spread to Xuchang. His deeds and many of the viewpoints he expressed commanded deep admiration. From a literati's perspective, Xun Yu agreed wholeheartedly with many of his views.

What a pity... Lord Cao had slaughtered Xuzhou. Not only was this tied to the slaughter of Shen Chen's clan, but the crimes resulting from such a massacre stood in sharp conflict with the moral concepts expounded by Shen Chen.

Under the divergence of such ideologies and concepts, Shen Chen had ultimately embarked on the path of opposing Cao, firmly believing that Lord Cao was merely utilizing the Emperor rather than restoring the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, by now, the two sides were like fire and water, irreconcilable.

At the very end, Xun Yu could only sigh a lament that Lord Cao was muddle-headed.

Had it not been for that burst of wrath in Xuzhou back then, leaving a million corpses in its wake, how could there have been such a sorry plight today?

Xun Yu gazed at the distant sky.

In the southern part of the firmament, the brightest star was radiating a light as dazzling as the rising morning sun, seeming to illuminate the entire Han Dynasty.

The night grew deeper.

After nearly half an hour, Han Hao hurried over.

He had indeed been several miles away. Seeing the massive fire at Ren Jun's camp and fearing that Ren Jun could not hold out, he had sounded the drums to put on a show and force Shen Chen's army to retreat.

With the addition of this fresh force, and after expending a great deal of effort, they finally extinguished the fires within the camp.

When Han Hao learned that Shen Chen was also utterly exhausted and requested permission to pursue, Xun Yu told him that pursuing now was too late. The enemy would inevitably return to Yingyin before them; lacking siege equipment, they could not capture the city, and it would be better to let them leave.

Thus, another hour or more passed, and Cai Yang's troops hurried over.

Upon learning that Shen Chen's army was at the end of its tether, Cai Yang immediately led his troops in pursuit. Ren Jun and Han Hao tried earnestly to dissuade him, but he refused to listen.

By that time, Xun Yu had already returned to Xuchang.

Cai Yang was Man Chong's successor. Upon learning that Liu Bei and Shen Chen had jointly attacked Runan, repelled Li Tong, and killed Man Chong, Cao Cao had appointed him as the Administrator of Runan.

Ren Jun was the Colonel of Agricultural Colonies, with a rank equivalent to two thousand shi, while Han Hao was the General Protecting the Army, belonging to the ranks of miscellaneous generals.

Both of their statuses were lower than Cai Yang's, making it completely impossible for them to issue orders to him.

More importantly, early that year, Cao Cao had issued an order: anyone who captured Shen Chen alive or brought back his head would be rewarded with a hundred catties of gold and enfeoffed as a village marquis.

Now that Shen Chen's army had retreated back to Yingyin, and their soldiers had suffered heavy casualties and exhausted their physical strength, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was placed right before Cai Yang. If he did not actively pursue, wouldn't he be a fool?

Therefore, Cai Yang inwardly cursed Ren Jun and Han Hao as fools while urging his soldiers on in pursuit of Shen Chen.

At that moment, Shen Chen's army was slowly retreating toward the west.

Compared to their speed on the way there, their speed on the way back was much slower. The soldiers dragged their exhausted bodies, walking with difficulty along the imperial highway.

Along the way, numerous manors remained on strict alert. Seeing how high-spirited and arrogant they had been on the way there, but how much like remnants of a defeated army they looked on the way back, the various agricultural colonists within the estates grew much bolder. One by one, they stretched out their necks to watch from the manors, and some even threw stones at them.

In retaliation, several crossbow bolts flew back.

Swish, swish, swish!

They embedded themselves in the walls of the manors, their tail feathers humming.

As long as the colonists did not actively attack them, Shen Chen could still consider them civilians seeking only self-defense. But once they launched an active attack, they were enemies.

The colonists behind the walls instantly pulled back their necks. Only then did they realize that even though Shen Chen's army had failed in their attack and had not reached the outskirts of Xuchang, they were still a most elite regular army!

On the way back, Shen Chen gave his horse to a soldier who was severely wounded, while he himself walked on foot at the very rear of the formation. He was accompanied by three hundred soldiers—a fresh force that had come from Yingyin.

Earlier, while still in Yingyin, Shen Chen had ordered some soldiers suffering from foot ailments to return to Yingyang to recuperate, and had left five hundred men behind in Yingyin to garrison the city as a fallback route for retreat.

Anticipating that the battle might turn unfavorable, Shen Chen had sensed that the situation could deteriorate. He had thus ordered scout cavalry to return to Yingyin and bring three hundred men to meet them. At that time, because horses could not cross the trench, the scouts had not participated in the battle, so they had successfully returned and brought reinforcements.

At this moment, the three hundred fresh troops followed at the very rear of the formation, protecting the retreat of the vanguard.

After a while, Gan Ning suddenly walked back on foot. He was not riding a horse, and Shen Chen asked in surprise, "Uncle Xingba, what is the matter?"

"Nothing, just walking together."

Gan Ning had taken off his armor, revealing his knotted muscles. On the inner side of his left arm was a wound six centimeters long, temporarily wrapped in cloth, with blood staining the hempen strips.

On the wide post-road, the crowd moved forward in silence like a defeated rabble. After this single exchange, Shen Chen and Gan Ning said nothing more.

Walking silently for about two li, Gan Ning suddenly said, "A-Chen, we have failed."

"Indeed," Shen Chen sighed long. "However, this is not the end. It is only a beginning."

"What are your plans?" Gan Ning asked.

Shen Chen said in a deep voice, "Fall back to Nanyang, link up with Zhang Xiu. Cao Cao has now reached his most perilous moment. He and Yuan Shao are merely in a standoff, which is why he can barely spare a fraction of reinforcements to save Xuchang. Once a decisive battle breaks out, that will be our ultimate opportunity!"

This was a problem Shen Chen had been pondering constantly.

When he first went to Xuchang, it was around April or May. At that time, the summer wheat was being harvested, and Ren Jun, serving as the Colonel of Agricultural Colonies, had marched north to transport grain immediately after the harvest, leaving Xuchang defended by only ten thousand men under Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian.

Moreover, Li Tong and Man Chong needed to guard against the forces of Jiangdong and could not afford to withdraw to reinforce Yingchuan. Therefore, after defeating Cao Hong and seizing Ye County, Kunyang, and Wuyang, he had been able to head straight for Linying and march to the gates of Xuchang.

However, the pressure Cao Cao felt at that time was not all that intense; Yuan Shao had only just crossed the river and was marching from Baima toward Yangwu, and the two sides had not yet reached a standoff on the Guandu front line.

Thus, that first trip to Xuchang was destined to fail, as Cao Cao had time to bring back reinforcements.

At the time, Shen Chen had never imagined he could take Xuchang in a single stroke, so he felt no regret. After smoothly withdrawing his troops, he merely needed to wait for the next opportunity.

As for his second trip to Xuchang, he had joined forces with Liu Bei to launch an attack and had even trapped the main forces of Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian in Xiqiang. It had been an exceptionally good opportunity. Unfortunately, Ren Jun's agricultural army had formed an impenetrable wall, causing this offensive to fall just short of success.

Yet Shen Chen knew that he still had a third chance!

That would be when Cao Cao and Yuan Shao engaged in their formal decisive battle, and when the new millet was harvested in September. Ren Jun would inevitably march north once again to deliver provisions, while Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian would have very few troops left; even with the addition of Li Tong, they could muster at most around ten thousand men.

By then, Liu Bei would still have a considerable force. As long as Shen Chen could return to Kunyang first to let his soldiers rest and recuperate for two months, while personally traveling to Rangcheng to contact Zhang Xiu and launch a joint expedition, the situation would turn around.

"Report!"

Just as the two were speaking, more than a dozen scouts came galloping back from the rear.

Yingyin was only about ten kilometers from Xuchang, so Shen Chen had stationed two scouts every three li, ordering them to wait in place and observe whether any hostile troops were following from behind.

By now, they had been walking for more than three hours since leaving Ren Jun's camp. Normally, they should have reached the gates of Yingyin long ago, but because the soldiers were utterly exhausted and advancing at a snail's pace of two to three kilometers per hour, they had only covered about three-fifths of the distance.

Now that the scouts had returned, a situation had naturally arisen. Shen Chen immediately asked, "What is it?"

"The enemy's pursuing force has arrived," the scout replied. "They are just twelve li behind us."

"Twelve li?" Shen Chen frowned. "Their pursuing speed is quite fast."

Gan Ning waved his hand and said, "We will reach Yingyin not far ahead. Let's return as quickly as possible; they won't be able to catch up to us."

Cai Yang had arrived an hour and a half later than Han Hao, creating a time gap of over three hours between them. Even if Shen Chen marched at a slow pace of two to three kilometers per hour, they would still return to Yingyin in another hour.

And even if Cai Yang's marching speed was twice that of Shen Chen, it would take him at least three hours to catch up to them. By that time, Shen Chen's army would have long since retreated inside the city walls.

However, Shen Chen pondered, "Our army is still deep within Cao Cao's interior territory. Most of our soldiers are wounded and need to return immediately to Kunyang to recuperate; we cannot linger in Yingyin. If the pursuing force delays us, it will be unfavorable to our army, so we must rout them."

"How many men have they brought?" Gan Ning asked.

The scout replied, "Judging by their torches, there are about two to three thousand souls."

Shen Chen looked around and said, "I have three hundred soldiers—that will be enough. Uncle Xingba, you and Colonel Shen withdraw to Yingyin; I will lead three hundred men to hold the rear and intercept them."

Gan Ning said lazily, "How can holding the rear be complete without me? Let Shen Mi and Deng Zhao and the rest go. Since we are uncle and nephew here, if anything happens to you, I will have no way to answer to Youshuo when we get back."

Deng Hong was a consummate master of social arts with many friends in Jingzhou, and he maintained a very good relationship with Gan Ning.

To a certain extent, the reason Gan Ning was willing to take orders—aside from the wager he had made with Shen Chen years ago, which had shown him that Shen Chen possessed extraordinary foresight—was the bridge of deep friendship between him and Deng Hong.

Human nature is simply like that.

Sometimes, when you meet someone, if certain aspects of him make you feel ill-disposed, no matter how good he is otherwise, you won't think much of him.

If he makes a favorable impression and his character has no major flaws, the relationship is bound to be a good one.

Deng Hong and his wife interacted with Gan Ning in a way that made him very comfortable. Every year they exchanged gifts during various holidays, and they frequently invited him on excursions.

Therefore, by comparison, Gan Ning cared much more about Deng Hong's attitude.

After all, when the expedition began, Deng Hong had specifically asked Gan Ning to look after Shen Chen. How could he possibly let his good friend's step-grandson actually come to harm on the battlefield?

Hearing Gan Ning's words, Shen Chen was deeply moved and said, "Thank you, Uncle Xingba. Then let us give the pursuers a head-on blow!"

With that, he immediately began arranging the ambush.

Once the order was given, all the bows and crossbows of the entire force were gathered into the hands of the three hundred fresh troops, and the very last bit of ammunition was distributed.

Taking advantage of the night, they extinguished their torches and found a grove of trees beside the road.

The moment they stepped inside, magpies flew up in a flurry, and a large number of birds took to the air, startling up a mass of feathers.

Yet none of them paid it any mind.

Because the enemy was still far away, and by the time they arrived, the birds would have long since quieted down.

The disturbance caused by three hundred men was not overly large. The soldiers concealed themselves on one side of the road, hiding within the forest, and waited silently for the pursuing force to arrive.

After a while, the birds circled in the air for a moment, and seeing that all was quiet in the forest, they flew back to their nests to continue resting.

The surrounding wilderness seemed to fall silent. Aside from the occasional howl of a wolf and the dying chirps of cicadas at the turn of summer and autumn, not even a frog could be heard croaking in the fields across the distant wilderness.

In the vast plain, the faint silhouettes of distant hills could be made out. After waiting for nearly an hour, countless pinpricks of torchlight suddenly appeared at the end of the road.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Cai Yang rode on horseback. He possessed a tiger-like back and a bear-like waist, gripped a long saber, and urged his soldiers forward.

In truth, the soldiers were also exhausted. After all, they too had marched over thirty kilometers to reach Xuchang, moving continuously from afternoon until dark without a moment of rest, leaving their legs aching and sore.

Although Xiahou Yuan and Sima Yi marched faster, and Shen Chen's army had also spent two days covering about eighty kilometers to raid Xuchang—lagging only slightly behind Xiahou Yuan and Sima Yi—those had been normal marches over days, whereas Cai Yang had been on a forced march.

That meant covering a full day's distance in half a day, which had drained the combat effectiveness of Cai Yang's troops considerably, making them even more tired. Even though they were elite troops brought directly from Cao Cao's Guandu front line, their fatigue had significantly degraded their combat capability.

Of course.

Even so, they were at least not as exhausted as Shen Chen's men, who had fought their way from Yingyang to Yingyin over twenty kilometers, then from Yingyin to Baliqiao covering another ten-plus kilometers, followed by three hours of fierce battle.

Therefore, if the two sides clashed head-on, given that Shen Chen's army had depleted its crossbow bolts and was physically drained, Cai Yang's three thousand elite Cao troops might indeed have annihilated Shen Chen's forces.

Yet what Cai Yang never expected was that, even when pushed to the verge of desperation, Shen Chen still had the audacity to ambush him.

At that moment.

Within the dense forest, Shen Chen and Gan Ning grasped their bows almost simultaneously, pointing their arrowheads squarely at Cai Yang.

Not only the two of them, but all three hundred soldiers also silently raised their bows and crossbows.

Cai Yang was simply too conspicuous.

He wore heavy armor and rode swaggering at the very head of the formation.

Behind him, men hoisted high banners, and under the illumination of the long dragon of torches in the rear, the large banner bearing the character "Cai" was clearly visible.

Due to physical exhaustion, the Cao soldiers were somewhat strung out, and their formation was far from neat.

Cai Yang reined in his horse, turned his head, and roared, "Faster, all of you..."

The rest of his words were never spoken.

"Buzz, buzz!"

There came a sound resembling the beating wings of a swarm of bees. A volley of three hundred bows and crossbows was fired simultaneously, hurtling toward him in the darkness like shooting stars.

"Clang, clang, clatter—squelch!"

The first to fall was Cai Yang's warhorse, which was pierced so full of arrows it resembled a hedgehog.

Then, the armor and helmet Cai Yang wore managed to deflect the majority of the bolts, but at least ten arrows still struck his unprotected feet and lower legs.

Han dynasty armor came in several varieties. Some featured iron-plate neck guards to protect the throat, while others had lamellar skirts extending downward like pleats to protect the thighs and knees. However, virtually no armor protected the lower legs or feet.

Even several arrows struck Cai Yang directly in the face.

In an instant, shrill screams filled the air, as not only Cai Yang suffered heavily, but his surrounding personal guards were also caught in the rain of arrows, collapsing in rows.

"Charge!"

Countless bows and crossbows fired from within the dense forest until Shen Chen's army exhausted its last thousand-odd arrows.

Once the ammunition was spent, the soldiers cast their bows and crossbows to the ground, drew the ring-headed sabers at their waists or picked up long halberds, spears, and shields, and hurled themselves upon the Cao troops like ferocious wolves.

The Cao army was already thrown into complete chaos. Panic-stricken from front to rear, the soldiers broke formation and fled in all directions, utterly devoid of any will to fight.

Shen Chen and Gan Ning led the three hundred men in a single charge, and the Cao troops completely collapsed, fleeing in total disarray.

In less than ten minutes, the wilderness was littered with fleeing Cao soldiers. Neither Shen Chen nor Gan Ning pursued further; instead, they turned back to sweep the battlefield, collecting various weapons and pieces of equipment before going to inspect Cai Yang's corpse.

They found that his left foot was bristling with arrows, but what had truly proved fatal were the several arrows shot straight into his face, which had pierced clean through his cheek and eyes. One of those very arrows had the character "Chen" carved upon it!

Shen Chen's archery practice over the past few years had not gone to waste!