Liu Bei's long-running grudge against high-speed rail could not change what the light screen was about to show.
[Lightscreen]
[Yangping Pass sits right against the Han River. It is the textbook definition of a fortress that is easy to defend and hard to attack. Liu Bei did not waste time with empty talk. He ordered Chen Shi right away to lead three thousand men over Zouma Ridge northwest of the pass. They took the Maming Pavilion Road to sneak around and strike Xiahou Yuan right in the rear.
Xiahou Yuan had not been waiting at Yangping Pass for half a year for nothing. He already had Zhang He stationed at Guangshi to guard that exact road. The moment news arrived, he also sent Xu Huang to add backup.
Chen Shi got caught in a pincer hit by two of the Five Elite Generals and still made it out alive. He even dragged his beaten up troops all the way back to Liu Bei. That alone is actually pretty impressive.]
The Five Elite Generals? Every general in the room leaned forward at once.
The God of War at Xiaoyao Ford already stood among the Four Great Han Generals alongside Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. That was flex enough. Now there was a whole new Five Elite Generals popping out of nowhere? Unfair!
Zhang Fei turned to Liu Bei with big hopeful eyes. "Big brother, look at what Cao Cao gets on his side. We must do much better!"
Mi Zhu nudged Jian Yong with his elbow. Jian Yong shot him a look that said, what now.
"Xianhe," Mi Zhu whispered, "do you think we could make a list of the Top Eight Han Merchants? Or maybe the Four Great Tycoons of the Han Restoration?"
Jian Yong looked at Mi Zhu with a strangely fond gaze. This is the first time I see a fat sheep that walks right up and offers itself to the knife.
"Let me think about that, Zizhong. Give me three days."
Liu Bei had zero clue about their little scheme. He was just genuinely proud of his subordinate officer.
Chen Shi had followed him faithfully all the way back in Xuzhou. He never pulled off some huge stunning feat, and he did not have mighty strength, but he made up for it with steady reliability. His rank climbed step by step from squad leader all the way to commanding two hundred men and then more.
Chen Shi did not have Second Brother's pride or Third Brother's ferocity. Yet the army was full of soldiers just like him. They were not good with fancy words, but they truly believed Liu Bei would lead them to a future worth fighting for. Right then Liu Bei's heart felt heavy with the weight of that trust.
[Lightscreen]
[Since going northwest did not work, what about swinging around southeast instead?
This time Liu Bei led the vanguard himself.
He left Gao Xiang behind to hold the line and confuse Xiahou Yuan.
Then he took Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Fa Zheng with him.
They crossed the Han River and marched south over Micang Mountain. Once they stepped into the Hanzhong region, they climbed Dingjun Mountain and set up camp right there.
Xiahou Yuan had planned for every possible move except this one. The nearly sixty year old Liu Bei pulled off a march so smooth it was basically a modern triathlon. He circled the whole army around and ended up right behind the enemy's rear guard!]
"Wait a minute, where am I in all this?" Zhang Fei frowned. He could see his big brother was deep behind enemy lines. A huge fight was coming. Why was he not there?
"Yide is likely still locked in combat with the three Cao generals at Xiabian,"
Zhuge Liang explained clearly. "The troops in Wudu have to be kept busy. If they broke free, they could drive straight through the unprotected center of the Jinniu Road. That would put our lord in terrible danger."
Huang Zhong looked down at his own aging limbs, then stared at the light screen. It showed him marching across rivers, climbing up mountains, and back down again. Is that really me? I would be seventy by then!
When he first heard his future deeds, he had imagined himself standing guard at a pass, waiting comfortably for the enemy to walk into an ambush. Now it looked nothing like that. The truth was far more grueling than he pictured.
Guan Yu nodded slowly as he pieced it all together. "Xiahou Yuan will have no choice but to attack Dingjun Mountain. If he does not, his army will lose all heart."
"Yangping Pass is a perfect choke point!" Zhang Fei said confidently. "But if they let big brother camp right behind them and roam free, their supply lines will fall apart completely."
The light screen lit up again to confirm exactly what they thought.
Lightscreen]
[Liu Bei camped on Dingjun Mountain and took full advantage of the high ground.
He held every advantage.
Xiahou Yuan grew restless and led Zhang He to set up their own camp at the foot of the mountain.
Records say they split their forces. Zhang He guarded the eastern side and Xiahou Yuan took the southern side. Both built barricades and settled in for a long standoff.
Then Liu Bei showed his rascal side. He split his men into small squads and sent them down the mountain in shifts to set fires. Basically, if we sum up Liu Bei's moves, it goes like this: the enemy advances, we retreat. The enemy camps, we harass. The enemy tires, we attack. The enemy retreats, we pursue.
If the Cao troops chased them, they pulled back to the mountain. If the Cao troops backed off, they came right back to set more fires and keep the pressure on. They kept the enemy running around in circles nonstop.]
Liu Bei stood up to protest. "Hey, I have not been called a rascal in years! I have grown up!" However, upon seeing the following sixteen characters, a profound realization struck him like a ringing temple bell. The clouds parted in his mind. This is exactly how small-unit guerrilla warfare should be fought! Oh. Oh right. That is brilliant actually.
The generals were losing their minds.
Zhang Fei slapped his thigh so hard he probably bruised it. "That sounds so simple! Why did I never think of that?! It is pure genius!"
"I really want to know what this future scholar thinks of huge battles like Guandu."
Guan Yu closed his eyes and turned the whole battle over in his mind. It made perfect sense. He felt surer of himself than ever. "Anyone who can lay out such clear principles would definitely have great insight into large scale warfare!"
"However..." Guan Yu paused. "We do not know what this future world is like. They have things like high-speed rail and floating territory. Maybe war there is nothing like what we know at all."
Floating territory. Everyone remembered those words. The idea stretched their brains until it hurt.
"The absolute peak of human military power!"
What did that even look like?!
Jian Yong and Mi Zhu just looked at each other. What are they talking about? Floating territory? Did I drink too much tea today?
[Lightscreen]
[Liu Bei's constant harassment made one thing very obvious. Zhang He's position was far weaker than Xiahou Yuan's.
So Liu Bei sent more than half his force down the mountain. Zhao Yun led the charge straight at Zhang He. Zhang He got overwhelmed instantly and sent an urgent plea for help to Xiahou Yuan.]
Guan Yu recognized the trick at once. "Attack that which the enemy must rescue! That is straight from Sun Tzu. If I wish to fight, even if the enemy hides behind high walls and deep moats, he cannot avoid the engagement if I strike where he must send help!"
"Xiahou Yuan is done for!"
[Lightscreen]
[Xiahou Yuan knew if Zhang He fell, he would be surrounded on all sides. He had to send reinforcements.
Fa Zheng watched everything from the mountain top and spotted the exact moment to strike. He signaled Liu Bei and the time had come. The last of the Five Tiger Generals, the seventy-two year old Huang Zhong, charged down the mountain in full force straight toward Xiahou Yuan.
As the saying goes:
A blade of snow secures the lands of Shu.
Let not white hair dim the hero's heart.
The old wolf dons armor bright and bold.
The twilight tiger rides the wind, still fierce and cold.
Facing this twilight tiger, Xiahou Yuan died right there on the field. The entire Cao army lost all will to fight. Zhao Yong, the Governor of Yizhou appointed by Wei, also fell under Huang Zhong's blade.
When word spread, Zhang He's troops crumbled. He led just over a thousand men to break through the siege under cover of night and fell back to Yangping Pass.
From that moment, the Battle of Hanzhong turned completely in Shu's favor.]
Huang Zhong could not wipe the grin off his face. He bowed to everyone around him over and over, then just laughed out loud. "Do not let white hair diminish the spirit of a hero! Heh! I like that one!"
Zhang Fei was equal parts happy and jealous. "He gets to kill the guy AND they write a whole poem about him?! Unfair! Where is my poem?!"
Then he thought of his wife Lady Xia and calmed down a little. Okay fine. If anyone has to die, let it be Xiahou Yuan. I would rather not explain to my wife why I chopped up her cousin. Thanks.
Seventy-two years old and still charging down a mountain to kill an enemy general. That was next level.
Even Sun Qian bowed respectfully. "General, you are incredible. Truly."
Liu Bei patted Huang Zhong's shoulder gently. He knew the old man had a heavy heart too. He had sent someone to Nanyang recently looking for any surviving family. News should be arriving soon.
Only Guan Yu stayed serious.
His expression grew solemn as he looked at everyone in the room.
"Yangping Pass now has enemies on both sides. Zhang He is cornered. But Cao Cao will never let Hanzhong go that easily. He will come himself. And when he does, the real war truly begins."