Chapter 151: The Ambush and Assassination of Wang Bi

The reason Zhang Xiu decided to defect to Cao Cao was simply because the benefits offered by Cao Cao were overwhelmingly generous.

Initially, he believed that Yuan Shao's power was immense and that Yuan Shao was more likely to emerge victorious. However, Jia Xu persisted in persuading him otherwise, arguing that Cao Cao was far more brilliant, astute, and visionary than Yuan Shao, and that Cao Cao would ultimately secure final victory.

Consequently, Zhang Xiu remained perpetually indecisive—daring neither to truly surrender to Cao Cao nor to respond to Yuan Shao's call to attack Xuchang.

Now, Cao Cao had made an enormous gamble, willing to set aside even the deep-seated grudge of his eldest son's death, offering to marry his second legitimate son to Zhang Xiu's daughter, and his eldest legitimate daughter to Zhang Xiu's son.

After careful deliberation, Zhang Xiu reasoned that if he aided Cao Cao, Cao Cao's chances of winning would significantly increase. Furthermore, with his daughter married to Cao Cao's legitimate son, if Cao Shuo ascended to power in the future, such a familial tie of brothers-in-law born of related families would surely prevent any retrospective reckoning.

Should Cao Cao genuinely triumph in the Battle of Guandu with his assistance, the Cao clan would rise to dominance. As in-laws to the direct lineage of the family, the Zhang clan would naturally ride the wind and soar to new heights.

In contrast, going to Yuan Shao would net him nothing more than the rank of an ordinary general, likely devoid of any real authority, offering little advantage to his family's interests.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Xiu concluded that defecting to Cao Cao was undeniably the superior choice.

What he did not know, however, was that while Cao Shuo was indeed Cao Cao's legitimate second son following Cao Ang's death, historically, he was frail and sickly, passing away just two years after the conclusion of the Battle of Guandu. With both Cao Cao's eldest and second sons dead, the third son, Cao Pi, seized the throne to become Emperor Wen of Wei.

As for Princess Qinghe, she was a woman notorious for plotting against her own husband, possessing a ferocious temper and a thoroughly ruthless nature.

Thus, these supposedly prestigious matches of legitimate sons and daughters were entirely illusory.

Aside from Lady Bian's sons—Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi—the only sons Cao Cao truly favored were Cao Ang and Cao Chong. Regrettably, both had died far too young, allowing Cao Pi to reap the spoils of the Wei Empire.

If Zhang Xiu truly proceeded with this marriage alliance, he would be placing his bets on the wrong horse, and Cao Pi would ultimately slaughter his entire family once he came to power.

Naturally, Zhang Xiu was completely unaware of these future developments at present.

Believing that Cao Cao's proposal of a marital alliance demonstrated utmost sincerity, and reinforced by Jia Xu's continuous assertions that Cao Cao possessed superior capability and would undoubtedly win the Battle of Guandu, Zhang Xiu joyfully prepared to lead his troops northward toward Kunyang in accordance with their plan.

However, mobilizing an army required time. Over the next few days, while preparing rations, he coordinated with Wang Bi on the specific arrangements for the wedding between their children.

Simply put, Wang Bi would escort Zhang Xiu's daughter to Xuchang first, and then bring Cao Cao's daughter back to Nanyang.

This way, there would be no need to worry about Cao Cao holding his son hostage as a guarantee.

During that era, the status of women was relatively low. For instance, when Yuan Shu sent envoys to proactively propose a marriage alliance with Lü Bu, Lü Bu handed his daughter over to Yuan Shu's envoy, only for Chen Deng to disrupt the alliance and subsequently chase after them to retrieve her.

Such occurrences were commonplace; as long as the son did not travel to Xuchang, there was nothing to fear.

As for how to transport them safely, there was no need for concern.

At the time, aside from Yexian, there were numerous paths leading directly from Ruyin across the Dabie Mountains into Nanyang.

While those routes wound through mountain terrain rather than being major highways—making them unsuitable for large-scale troop movements—small squads could traverse them without difficulty, bypassing Yexian and Kunyang entirely.

Thus, on the dawn of the first day of the eighth month, while the entire city was still fast asleep, Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu escorted Wang Bi outside the city gates, less than a hundred paces from the relay station.

Inside the relay station at that moment, a young man stretched lazily as he awoke. Glancing around and finding his close friend absent, he rose, slipped on his wooden clogs, draped a long robe taken from a nearby clothes rack over his shoulders, and called out, "Boyan? Boyan?"

"Jibo, you're awake?"

A voice echoed from the courtyard, and the man addressed by the style name Jibo walked out, spotting his friend Zhang Ying standing on the pavilion tower gazing outward.

"What are you looking at?" Yi Ji walked over with a curious expression.

Zhang Ying replied, "When I was boiling water earlier, I noticed a large number of troops and horses outside the courtyard, so I came to check. It turns out General Zhang and Imperial Physician Jia are seeing off a guest."

"What guest could possibly warrant both of them coming out to send him off?"

Curious, Yi Ji climbed the stairs up to the pavilion tower and looked into the distance, spotting dozens of cavalrymen escorting a few carriages along the eastern road.

Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu were mounted on horses, bidding farewell to a single individual.

Han Dynasty carriages lacked enclosed cabins, so Yi Ji could vaguely discern a woman seated inside one of the carriages, accompanied by a young military officer standing nearby.

"That appears to be General Zhang's son and daughter," Zhang Ying remarked casually.

Hailing from a prominent local clan, Zhang Ying held only the minor position of a relay station master due to belonging to a collateral branch. Even upon arriving in Nanyang, Zhang Xiu lacked a sufficient pool of talent to manage the territory.

Consequently, apart from county magistrates, the minor officials governing Anyang and the surrounding cities under his control were drawn from local elite families.

Yi Ji was currently serving as the registrar in Chaoyang County to the south. Previously, Liu Shao had dispatched several lower-tier gentry members who had sworn allegiance to him to Nanyang for grassroots administration—figures such as Li Yan and Han Ran. This was essentially a move to control Nanyang's grassroots administration and prevent his own grip on the region from growing weak.

As close friends, Yi Ji had recently traveled to Chaoyang to spend a few days with Zhang Ying during a lull in official duties. To their surprise, at the break of dawn that very morning, they witnessed Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu bidding farewell to a group of strangers outside the city, which struck them as deeply unusual.

"These people are truly strange," Yi Ji muttered, thoroughly baffled as to where Zhang Xiu was sending his daughter.

Zhang Ying climbed down from the pavilion tower lazily, muttering, "We needn't trouble ourselves with General Zhang's personal affairs."

"There is likely a hidden reason behind this," Yi Ji said, continuing to observe the scene.

Moments later, Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu bid farewell to Wang Bi. Zhang Xiu then instructed his son Zhang Quan to lead several hundred cavalrymen to escort Wang Bi eastward.

Witnessing this, Yi Ji felt a growing sense of foreboding. The man bidding farewell to Jia Xu and Zhang Xiu looked remarkably familiar; he felt certain he had seen him somewhere before.

Unable to place the face immediately, Yi Ji temporarily pushed the thought aside to ponder another pressing matter.

General Zhang was sending his daughter eastward?

Where lay the east?

Crossing the Dabie Mountains led straight to Ruyin.

Could Zhang Xiu be forming a marriage alliance with either Yuan Shao or Cao Cao?

This was a matter of monumental importance.

Without a second thought, the moment he saw Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu return to the city in the distance, Yi Ji intended to fetch his horse from the relay station's stable and head south to Xiangyang to report the intelligence to Liu Biao.

As Zhang Ying prepared to kindle the fire for cooking, he watched Yi Ji prepare to leave and asked in astonishment, "Jibo, where are you off to? Are you returning to Chaoyang already?"

Yi Ji shook his head and said, "Zhang Xiu is sending his daughter away eastward, most likely via Wuyin into Ruyin. It must be a marriage alliance to the north—whether with Cao Cao or Yuan Shao, I must report this to my lord immediately."

"I shall accompany you," Zhang Ying offered.

Yi Ji deliberated for a moment before rejecting the idea. "No, you are the station master. If you leave and the station is unattended, word will reach Zhang Xiu, and if he grows suspicious, it could spell disaster. I shall go alone."

"Very well," Zhang Ying nodded. The matter was indeed grave. Although the underlying motives remained unclear, reporting it was undeniably the correct course of action.

Without further delay, Yi Ji mounted his horse and rode south alone.

Midway through his journey, just as he neared Chaoyang County, he suddenly slapped his forehead in realization.

"I remember now!"

He cried out in astonishment, "That man is Wang Bi!"

Wang Bi was a native of Yanzhou.

In his earlier years, when Cao Cao served as the Governor of Yanzhou, Wang Bi had remained by his side.

Yi Ji was young at the time, and his family was a prominent clan in Yanzhou. Following Cao Cao's execution of Bian Rang, which incited a rebellion among the gentry of Yanzhou, Yi Ji had migrated south with his clan to Xiangyang, throwing in his lot with his fellow provincial Liu Biao.

Before Cao Cao executed Bian Rang, a teenage Yi Ji had attended a banquet with his parents and caught a glimpse of Wang Bi. Because seven or eight years had passed, the memory had temporarily eluded him.

Now, recalling that the man was none other than Wang Bi, Yi Ji instantly deduced the truth: the recipient of Zhang Xiu's marriage alliance was none other than Cao Cao!

At this realization, Yi Ji cast a look of sheer horror toward the north.

If Zhang Xiu and Cao Cao had formed an alliance, then Shen Chen and Lord Liu stationed at Kunyang were in extreme peril!

"I must deliver this intelligence. But my lord must also be informed. Xinye!"

Yi Ji made his decision instantly.

The garrison at Kunyang needed warning, and Liu Biao had to be notified as well.

Yet, being only one man, he lacked the ability to be in two places at once.

Fortunately, the Magistrate of Xinye County, Deng Mao, was Shen Chen's maternal great-uncle. Passing through Xinye was required when traveling south from Anyang to Xiangyang, so Yi Ji resolved to inform Deng Mao of the situation directly.

He promptly altered his route. Initially intending to travel south from Anyang through Chaoyang, then cross the river from Chaoyang to Fancheng and return to Xiangyang, he now rode eastward. Xinye lay directly across the river from Chaoyang County, a mere twenty or thirty li away—exceedingly close.

Meanwhile, Shen Chen was currently residing in Xinye County.

Xinye had transformed into his personal domain, governing over a population exceeding two hundred thousand peasants. Combined with Huyang and Huangmenting, the total population under his control reached over three hundred thousand—nearly one-third of all Nanyang—serving as the foundational guarantee for his military campaigns.

Therefore, upon returning to Xinye, Shen Chen's first action was to visit his maternal great-uncle, Deng Mao, asking him to arrange for the transport of the previous year's surplus grain to Xiangyang, where it could be sold to merchants in exchange for meat products to be sent to Kunyang.

The frontline troops actually possessed sufficient grain; after all, Shen Chen had accumulated supplies over four or five years, and unlike Cao Cao, he had not been waging constant wars, leaving him with massive reserves of aged grain.

However, meat was currently in critical short supply.

The ability of the Huangmenting soldiers to execute rapid forced marches of fifty to sixty kilometers daily was largely attributed to their consistent intake of meat to replenish protein.

Initially, the budget had sufficed. Later, when Shen Chen absorbed Gan Ning's military command and merged the two armies, equal treatment required expanding the supply, causing a shortage of meat products. Several soldiers contracting foot ailments in the camp was likely attributable to this dietary deficiency.

Thus, alongside negotiating troop deployment with Zhang Xiu, this journey back to the rear was intended to oversee logistical supplies. Newly forged blades, weaponry, and body armor were likewise scheduled to be transported to the front lines.

Just two days after Shen Chen's return to Xinye County, while he was conferring with his great-uncle in the main hall, a domestic servant rushed inside to report: "Master magistrate, young master, the Registrar of Chaoyang requests an audience."

"Yi Ji?" Shen Chen said in surprise. "Show him in."

Liu Biao had dispatched several members of the gentry to Nanyang's grassroots administration to assist with affairs, though Shen Chen was entirely clear on their underlying intentions.

Nevertheless, these individuals possessed genuine talent; figures such as Li Yan, Yi Ji, and Han Ran were outstanding among them, which was why Shen Chen consistently maintained cordial relations with them.

His sudden request for an audience suggested an urgent matter was at hand.

Sure enough, the moment Yi Ji entered and caught sight of Shen Chen, his face lit up with joy. "Young Master Shen, you are here as well? That is marvelous!"

"Brother Jibo," Shen Chen rose, cupping his fists in greeting. "What brings you here?"

Yi Ji hastily returned the salute. "I have spent the past few days visiting friends in Anyang. This morning, while staying at a relay station outside the city, I witnessed Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu sending off a traveler, accompanied by Zhang Xiu's daughter. The sight of that traveler stirred a familiar feeling within me, and after much pondering, I realized he is Wang Bi, Cao Cao's registrar! I caught a glimpse of him once during my days in Yanzhou!"

"What? Wang Bi!" Shen Chen was deeply shocked.

What on earth had Cao Cao promised Zhang Xiu?

It seemed that no sooner had he departed than Zhang Xiu sent his daughter off to Xuchang to form a marriage alliance with Cao Cao, rendering all his previous words completely futile.

"Indeed," Yi Ji said. "Sensing something amiss, I immediately headed south to report to Lord Liu. Then it struck me: if Zhang Xiu and Cao Cao have colluded, it places both you, Young Master, and Lord Liu in grave danger. That is why I came directly to Xinye to inform the magistrate."

Deng Mao turned ashen with terror. "This Zhang Xiu is truly a jackal; these people of Xiliang are utterly capricious. Had it not been for Lord Liu, he would have been destroyed long ago, yet he dares to rebel once more."

Shen Chen muttered in deep thought, "This matter is of monumental importance. Zhang Xiu commands over six thousand infantry and cavalry—he is no ordinary adversary. Even with our prior preparations, we run the risk of being caught in a pincer attack. We must disrupt their marriage alliance. Brother Jibo, do you know which direction Wang Bi took?"

"He headed east; it is likely he will cross the Dabie Mountains via Wuyin," Yi Ji replied.

Shen Chen declared, "Uncle-Grandfather, dispatch men immediately to notify Lord Liu, urging him to deploy troops northward to surround Anyang. Brother Jibo, you and I will immediately pursue Wang Bi and intercept him."

"Ah?" Yi Ji started in fright. "But they have a cavalry escort of several hundred men!"

Shen Chen replied with cold resolve: "Ban Dingyuan once said, 'If you do not enter the tiger's cave, how can you capture its cub?' If we launch a surprise ambush along the road, they will never suspect it."

"This—" Yi Ji hesitated for a moment, but, infected by Shen Chen's towering boldness, he finally nodded. "Very well! I shall risk my life to accompany the Young Master! I will guide you."

"My thanks!" Shen Chen immediately turned to Deng Mao. "Uncle-Grandfather, I beg you to send men at once to entreat our lord to dispatch troops swiftly; otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"I understand," Deng Mao replied, immediately setting the mobilization into motion.

Stepping out of the county office, Shen Chen assembled a detachment of cavalrymen, ordering them to equip themselves fully with bows and crossbows to accompany him in hunting down Wang Bi.

The cavalrymen formed ranks swiftly, marching out of Xinye northward in an imposing formation.

At this point, it was barely past eight in the morning. The distance between Anyang and Xinye was a mere thirty-odd kilometers. Yi Ji had spotted the scene at dawn, around five in the morning, and spent roughly two hours traveling to Xinye.

Judging by their pace, Wang Bi's carriage procession, moving slowly with wagons, could at most have reached Anzhong County. Thus, Shen Chen pressed north immediately, planning to set an ambush along the Tianshui River east of Anzhong.

Coincidentally, the ambush site happened to be the exact location on the left bank of the Tianshui River east of Anzhong where Shen Chen had previously laid an ambush during Cao Cao's expedition to Nanyang.

The mountain forest remained unchanged. Dispatching scouts to inquire among local villagers, Shen Chen learned that the procession had not yet passed through. Consequently, he deployed his men in ambush at the familiar spot, atop the hills that had once overlooked his trap for Cao Cao.

To his surprise, they waited through the morning without sighting their targets.

Shen Chen dispatched scouts further north toward Niyang, reasoning that another bridge lay to the north—the very route Cao Cao had ordered Yu Jin to take, which Gan Ning had ambushed—offering an alternative path to the eastern bank of the Tianshui River.

Sure enough, Wang Bi's procession had taken the northern route. Peasants working in the fields confirmed that the convoy had passed by only a short while earlier.

Without hesitation, Shen Chen resumed the chase.

From their trajectory, it was evident they intended to travel from Anyang to Niyang, cross the Yushui River southward, pass through Wuyin, and navigate the minor trails around Zhongyang Mountain to cross the Dabie Mountain range into Wufang County within Ruyin territory.

This route was exceptionally safe; the intermediate regions fell outside Shen Chen's jurisdiction, and the Wan County area remained marginally under Zhang Xiu's control with a certain level of stationed troops.

Zhang Xiu dispatching his son Zhang Quan to escort the party was clearly an attempt to disguise the movement as a routine rotation of garrison forces around Wan County under his banner.

Such a maneuver was unlikely to arouse suspicion.

As for why they did not travel by night, the reason was simple.

Firstly, nighttime visibility was poor, and utilizing torches would render them excessively conspicuous. Secondly, commanding a cavalry escort of several hundred men moving through villages and relay stations by night created too much commotion. If local station masters or village elders filed reports upward, it might invite suspicion from the local county magistrates.

Presently, the territory under Zhang Xiu's direct control was quite limited, restricted to a few counties northwest of Anyang near Wuguan, while the eastern cities were administered by officials appointed by Liu Biao.

Although Liu Biao's main forces were currently quelling rebellions in Southern Jingzhou, his strength vastly surpassed its historical counterpart, and he still maintained twenty to thirty thousand troops stationed in Xiangyang. Zhang Xiu was keen to avoid arousing Liu Biao's suspicions and inviting an extermination campaign.

By this time, the convoy had indeed crossed Niyang and was heading south toward Nanjiu Township. Once they cleared Nanjiu Township, passed through Wuyin, and entered the Dabie Mountain region, they would reach Ruyin in safety.

On the western bank of the Yushui River, in the area corresponding to the modern-day Wolong District of Nanyang City, the landscape during the Han Dynasty resembled a pristine, untamed wilderness. The left bank of the Yushui was choked with dense, ancient forests whose canopies blotted out the sky, while across the river lay vast tracts of farmland, farming villages, ponds, and mulberry groves—the very expanse of Nanjiu Township.

Wang Bi's procession arrived here by the afternoon, having covered roughly thirty kilometers from Anyang. However, because they traveled on horseback, they remained utterly oblivious to the fact that Shen Chen had ridden ahead swiftly to establish an early ambush.

"Master Registrar," Zhang Quan said to Wang Bi upon reaching the left bank below Nanjiu Township, gesturing toward the riverside woods, "beyond this point lies Jiyang. My father instructed that a large contingent must not draw undue attention. We shall part ways here; my men and I will head north toward Wan County, while you and your party adopt the guise of an ordinary gentry family and proceed to Wuyin."

Among the hundreds of horsemen, Zhang Quan's Xiliang soldiers were regular troops, fully armored and armed with blades, whereas the riders in Wang Bi's escort mostly wore civilian attire.

Crossing Nanjiu Township brought them to Jiyang, territory no longer controlled by Zhang Xiu, where magistrates and minor officials were all appointees of Liu Biao. Regular military forces crossing through would inevitably spark suspicion.

Thus, the two parties agreed to separate here. With Jiyang behind them, Wuyin was close at hand, allowing them to reach Zhongyang Mountain before nightfall.

Wang Bi expressed his gratitude: "Many thanks, General. Let us part ways here."

"Farewell!"

Zhang Quan's gaze shifted toward his sister, his voice softening. "Little Sister, be obedient."

"Mm."

Zhang Quan's sister lowered her head in silence.

At a mere fifteen or sixteen years of age, being abruptly married off as though she were a mere gift would bring joy to no one.

Yet in this era, children held no agency over their own fates; parents commanded, and matchmakers arranged. Regardless of gender, parental consent sealed a marriage, and freedom of romance was utterly nonexistent.

Without further ado, Wang Bi resumed the journey.

Dozens of horsemen, disguised as a prominent gentry family escorting a young lady on an outing, advanced toward Nanjiu Township.

Zhang Quan stood at the rear of the road, watching them go. As a brother, seeing his sister sent away brought him no joy, but he was entirely powerless to change the outcome, left with no choice but to watch silently from afar.

At that exact instant, a thunderous roar erupted from the forest.

"Charge!"

In a flash, dozens of men burst forth from the foliage, raining a barrage of arrows and crossbow bolts upon the cavalry from front and rear.

Only the carriage at the exact center of the column, carrying Zhang Xiu's daughter, remained untouched.

Caught completely off guard, over a dozen men were struck down and killed within seconds. Immediately afterward, the men from the woods discarded their bows and crossbows, drawing their swords to slaughter their way into the convoy.

The Cao troops had no time to assemble a counterattack; horses bolted wildly, and soldiers fought individually amidst utter chaos.

Shen Chen charged at the very forefront, leading the charge with his eyes locked firmly onto Wang Bi. He first cut down an enemy horseman, then lunged forward to vault onto the rear of another's mount, running him through from behind.

A sudden flurry of clattering sounds rang across his armor, but he remained completely unharmed under the protection of his warplate, turning to strike fiercely.

Wang Bi shouted at the top of his lungs, "General Zhang!"

"Shen Chen!"

Zhang Quan's eyes widened in horror before he roared, "Charge!"

"Charge!"

The Xiliang iron cavalry broke into a charge.

The distance between the two forces was barely a hundred paces, a gap that could be closed in mere seconds.

By this time, Shen Chen had already cut down the Cao soldier who had assaulted him, closing the distance to Wang Bi. With a sudden leap, he brought his blade down in a lethal arc.

Slash!

In Wang Bi's eyes, filled with panic and disbelief, a flash of white light crossed his vision as his head severed from his shoulders.

"Zhang Quan! Do you wish for your sister to die?"

Having slain Wang Bi, Shen Chen reached the carriage carrying Zhang Xiu's daughter. Grasping Wang Bi's severed head by the hair, he leaped atop the carriage roof and bellowed, "Dare you test me?"

The dripping head terrified the young maiden inside the carriage, unleashing a piercing, bone-chilling shriek.