"The art of war says: 'Those who lead troops must understand five things: the Way, Heaven, Earth, the General, and the Law.' Heaven refers to Yin and Yang, cold and heat, and the seasons. General, you have been on the battlefield for so long, how could you not know this?" Ding Zhi asked. "General, what should we do now?"
Zhao Xing's heart was pounding with anxiety. He didn't really take Ding Zhi's flattery seriously. Ding Zhi might be quite insightful and resourceful, but he couldn't be relied on in crucial moments. In this Nan'an Pass, the only one he could depend on was himself. Being able to see through Li Jun's plan was one thing, but being able to counter it was another. If he couldn't come up with a solution, he would have to watch helplessly as the city became a vast ocean.
He nervously shunned his subordinates, changed into civilian clothes, and slowly approached the inner city. Soldiers and civilians were still working hard, sweating profusely, to widen the trenches. Because Zhao Xing's bronze face was almost indistinguishable from that of ordinary people, no one recognized him.
"Now that Li Jun has retired, we can raise fish here," a young man said, spitting forcefully. Over the years, Zhao Xing had treated the soldiers and civilians of Nan'an Pass with great kindness, and the people were happy to serve him. In addition, everyone understood that if the water entered the city, no family could be spared, so the people rarely complained.
“Well, if we raise fish here, won’t we all have to travel by boat when we go out?” Another strong man put down his shovel and said, “I see we’ll have to remove the water again.”
"Getting the water away is easy!" the young man laughed. "We can treat the area between the inner and outer city as a large dam, hold the water in, and then dig open the outer city. Then all the water will flow away."
Hearing his nonsensical sentences, the people around him were stunned for a moment, not understanding what his rambling words meant. An old man slowly raised himself up, spat at him, and said: "Work, work, don't be lazy. Your tricks are always harmful to others and not beneficial to yourself. The enemy army didn't even break through the city walls, but you, this good-for-nothing brat, dug them up."
The young man stuck out his tongue. Just then, the foreman, who was supervising the work, approached, and the young man stopped talking and obediently began digging. Zhao Xing felt a sudden thought, as if he were considering something. Just then, a woman's clear voice rang out: "What does the general think?"
Zhao Xing was taken aback. No one recognized him in his disguise, but this woman was clearly speaking to him! He turned around and saw a woman wearing a bamboo hat standing quietly behind him. The veil hanging from the hat covered the upper half of her face, but from the lower half, she appeared to be a beautiful woman.
"Who are you?" Zhao Xing asked in a deep voice.
"General, please don't worry about who I am. I just want to ask, after hearing what that man said, do you have any plans?"
"You have some plans?" Zhao Xing's words touched a nerve, but he immediately came to his senses and asked, "Who are you, and why do you call me General?"
"General Zhao may have taken off his uniform, but he cannot hide it from those who are interested." The woman's melodious voice made it hard not to trust her. "As a citizen of my Great Su Kingdom, I cannot fight on the front lines during this time of national crisis, but I would like to remind General Zhao that Li... Li Jun is flooding the city. Why don't you do as that elder brother suggested, turn the area between the inner and outer cities into a waterlogged area, build dikes to contain the floodwaters, and wait for the water to recede before..."
The woman's voice grew softer and softer, and Zhao Xing couldn't help but take two steps forward. Listening to her soft words, he felt a faint fragrance waft towards him.
After the woman finished speaking, Zhao Xing was completely captivated. He had been thinking about how to protect the city, but had not thought about how to defeat Li Jun. The woman's words, however, pointed out a way for him to completely defeat Li Jun!
"The rain brought by this southeast wind comes quickly and goes quickly, so the Nan'an River rises and falls rapidly. An'an City is situated on high ground... Li Jun, Li Jun, if you don't die, then Heaven has no eyes!" As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly remembered the arrogance of the Lan Kingdom soldiers, and a brilliant idea struck him: "I can kill two birds with one stone, defeating the Peace Army and making the Lan Kingdom barbarians suffer greatly!"
"General, you've thought of that too?" The woman seemed to discern his thoughts from his fluctuating expressions of joy and worry. "If we could inflict a great loss on the Lan people while defeating Li Jun, wouldn't that be incredibly satisfying? I also have some important news to share with you, General, which you might be able to use to deal with the Lan people."
Zhao Xing stared intently at the woman, wondering to himself who she was and what her intentions were in offering such a brilliant plan at this moment. But regardless of who she was or what her intentions were, her scheme was entirely beneficial to him…
"Li Jun has breached the Nan'an River and is flooding the Nan'an Pass city?"
General Wu Peng of Lan Kingdom was furious upon hearing this news. He had learned from a messenger sent by Zhao Xing that Zhao Xing had instructed him to proceed cautiously, and in a fit of rage, he immediately set off for Nan'an City. He divided his troops into three parts: the vanguard of over ten thousand elite cavalry, whom he personally commanded, intending to use their mobility to launch a surprise attack on Li Jun's weak points during the siege. The central army of fifty thousand followed closely behind, serving as the main force for the decisive battle, with the two armies no more than thirty li apart. The rearguard of forty thousand escorted the supplies and provisions, and could also provide support should the battle situation escalate. However, halfway through the march, while the Lan army was resting at their camp, he received this news.
"Damn it, how could these stupid Su Kingdom soldiers give Li Jun, that little thief, such an opportunity?" Wu Peng was furious. If the Su Kingdom's garrison could wear down a portion of Li Jun's forces under Li Jun's fierce attack, then his attack would be much easier. But now it seems that if he doesn't speed up his advance, Nan'an Pass will fall into Li Jun's hands.
"Brother, the messenger said that Li Jun's main force is here." His younger brother, Wu Ying, pointed to the map. "If Li Jun floods the city, this place is on higher ground, and he will definitely set up camp here. Our army can charge into his formation from the northwest!"
"First they divided their forces to besiege the city, then they flooded it. Li Jun has seriously underestimated the warriors of Da Lan!" said another general, Zhu Huan. "Marshal, please give the order!"
Despite his anger, Wu Peng wasn't entirely incompetent for leading 100,000 troops a thousand miles to reinforce them. He raised his thick, dark eyebrows and said, "Li Jun has followed that devil Lu Xiang for a long time; he's no careless person. Since he knows our reinforcements are nearby, he must have made arrangements. We mustn't act rashly before confirming the location of Li Jun's central camp. Fan Boshi, you are the liaison envoy for the Soviet Union; you must immediately determine the location of Li Jun's central camp!"
The liaison officer, already displeased by their vehement insults against the State of Su, was further angered by Wu Peng's commanding tone, which sounded as if he were directing a servant. He replied, "I have been with your army and am unfamiliar with the situation here. How could I possibly ascertain Li Jun's exact location in such a hurry?"
"Hmm, since Lu Xiang died, all that's left in your Su country is incompetent fools like you." Wu Peng glanced at him. Although he looked down on Fan Boshi, he knew he couldn't say it aloud, so he just said angrily, "Don't you know how to think of a solution?"
Just as Fan Boshi was about to reply, a junior officer rushed in and reported, "Marshal, an urgent messenger has arrived at Nan'an Pass!"
“Perfect timing,” Wu Peng said. “Let him get in here.”
The messenger, soaked to the bone and dressed as an ordinary commoner, knelt before Wu Peng and said, “I have come on General Zhao’s orders to report to the Marshal that there is an emergency. When I arrived, the floodwaters had already surrounded Nan’an Pass. The city lacks boats and the entire army is trapped. Li Jun has already divided his troops to besiege the city and is just waiting for the floodwaters to enter the city and breach the walls before launching an attack.”
“I know all that!” Wu Peng said in a low voice. “Didn’t Zhao Xing ask you to bring any valuable information, such as where Li Jun’s main force is?”
"I was just about to report to the general." The messenger kowtowed to the ground. "General Zhao has learned that Li Jun is only leading 10,000 infantrymen, who are stationed at Bailangang, five miles from the city. The spies have also learned that the assassin Li Jun encountered earlier was sent by the Netherworld Sect. Li Jun was hit by the Seven Emotions Sword Qi and is seriously injured."
"No wonder Li Jun didn't lead the charge!" Wu Peng's spirits lifted upon hearing this. More than ten days ago, his spies had learned of Li Jun's assassination attempt, but they had never been able to ascertain whether he was injured or how badly he was hurt. However, given that Wei Zhan and others had taken over command in several subsequent engagements, it was clear that Li Jun's injuries were quite severe. Yet, the morale of the Peace Army remained high, and their offensive continued unabated, making it seem as if Li Jun's injury was a trap. Now, hearing that the assassin was sent by the Netherworld Sect, he was largely convinced. Given the Netherworld Sect's elusive nature, it was entirely possible for them to have wounded Li Jun.
"Wait a minute," Fan Boshi said. He recognized the messenger as a captain under Zhao Xing, and said, "Ao An, why was such a crucial secret discovered at this particular moment? Didn't General Zhao say there was a trap involved?"
"General Zhao only instructed me to report this latest news to Marshal Wu. As for whether the news is true or false, and how our army should act, it is entirely up to Marshal Wu to decide."
Wu Peng glared at Fan Boshi and said, "No secrets stay hidden forever. We were able to find out about Li Jun's assassination attempt, so it's hardly a major secret. Alright, enough talk. If you delay my military operations, I'll deal with you according to military law!"
The Lan Kingdom army accelerated its advance early the next morning. Learning that Li Jun was wounded and stationed at Bailangang, their morale soared. They were eager to capture Li Jun alive and return home to enjoy the spoils they had amassed along the way. At this time, after two days of torrential rain, the roads were muddy and difficult to traverse. To save time and prevent Li Jun from receiving the news and moving his troops, the Lan Kingdom army proceeded along the post road. When they were less than fifteen li from Bailangang, news of unusual activity arrived.
First, a faint rumble of thunder came from the direction of Nan'an Pass in the south. Wu Peng, mounted on his horse, frowned and looked towards the sky. The sky was high and clear, cloudless after a winter rain, making the thunder seem highly suspicious. A chill ran through Wu Peng; thunder on such a bright, clear day was probably not a good omen. Immediately afterward, smoke rose faintly from the direction of the thunder, and gusts of cold wind whipped the Lan Kingdom's battle flags wildly.
"Why is the south wind blowing again now?" A staff officer spurred his horse to Wu Peng's side and said, "Marshal, something seems amiss."
Fan Shibao opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. At this moment and in this place, it was not a place where he could have a say.
Wu Ying said, "Brother, why don't we stop setting up the formation and wait for the scouts to return before making a decision?"
"As you say," Wu Peng replied. He knew that when the situation was unclear, it was better to be cautious than careless. Just as the formation was set up, they heard the faint sound of thousands of horses galloping. Wu Peng was both surprised and suspicious. Could it be that the intelligence was wrong, or that the Peace Army already knew of his arrival and their main cavalry force had already...
Were they transferred here to fight against them?
Just as they were hesitating, a scout galloped back like the wind, shouting from afar, "Water! Water's coming! Get to higher ground!"
Before Wu Peng could give the order, a torrent of water, carrying trees and mud, surged towards the cavalry like a collapsing sky. Wu Peng cried out and turned his horse to flee. The ten thousand-plus cavalrymen immediately lost their formation and scattered in panic. The once orderly formation crumbled in an instant. In their desperate escape, those at the back charged forward regardless of who was in their way, resulting in two men colliding and falling from their horses. Before they could even get up, hundreds of hooves trampled over their heads. Everyone screamed in terror, everyone cried for help in utter disarray, everyone forgot they were seasoned warriors, and everyone's only thought was how to escape from this horde.
The more panicked they became, the more they huddled together. The flood was faster than a galloping horse, and the cavalrymen, crammed together, could only stare back in terror as the flood, like a monstrous beast with bared teeth and claws, shattered the army of over ten thousand men.
The warhorses were already terrified and disobeyed their master's control. Their neighs were swallowed up by the deafening roar of the flood, and even they could not hear them. They bent their legs and crouched down, instinctively trying to protect themselves, but the force of the flood treated their hundreds of pounds of bodies like small twigs, tossing them high into the air, slamming them down, disappearing into the water before they could even neigh, or struggling to surface only to be swallowed by another wave.
If even horses suffer like this, how can humans endure it? Facing the flood, they bear almost immense pressure, which is beyond human resistance. A cavalryman was knocked off his horse by the wave, and before he could even struggle, he was swept away by the flood as if flying through the clouds. The immense pressure shattered his internal organs, and the blood he vomited could not even stain the water red before he and the man disappeared without a trace.
A staff member from the Lan Kingdom, relying on the fact that he was not wearing armor, drifted downstream for a while before struggling to grab onto a large tree. But as soon as he poked his head out of the water and greedily inhaled a breath of air, he was struck by a piece of wood swept by the water. His grip loosened, and he lost his life-saving support. In the murky waves, he gulped down mouthfuls of sewage mixed with mud and filth, desperately pounding the water with his hands, trying to find something to save him. When he grabbed onto an unconscious body drifting with the current, he held on tightly and refused to let go. As a result, both of them sank to the bottom of the water and never resurfaced.
The soldiers of Lan Kingdom were born in the north and were mostly unaccustomed to water. Therefore, even if they were not knocked unconscious or killed by the giant waves, their bodies were already limp and powerless after being submerged in the water. In addition, many of the armored cavalrymen were wearing heavy armor and could not float after being swept far away by the water. Like a stone rolled up by the water, they sank to their deaths when the water slowed down.
Of the more than ten thousand cavalry, only a hundred or so managed to seize the high ground, but were surrounded by the floodwaters on several hilltops. These soldiers, mouths agape, stared dejectedly at the raging floodwaters. The banners that had just blotted out the sky were now swept away by the current; those who had been comrades-in-arms were now gone forever. At one point, these soldiers collapsed helplessly onto their terrified warhorses, which were flapping their ears and neighing loudly, and began to weep bitterly.
The flood came quickly and went quickly. After about half an hour, the water gradually receded, leaving only some water in the low-lying areas. The ground was covered with a thick layer of mud, and beneath the mud, the shapes of men and horses could still be seen, lying there haphazardly, unable to stand up again.