The journey from Baisha Beach to Hunxian County was over twenty li. The Japanese pirates entered every village they encountered and smashed down every door they saw. However, the people were prepared, and aside from the manure buried at the village entrances and the stones that had fallen behind the doors, the pirates managed to steal almost nothing. Hungry and thirsty from their journey, they drew water from a well, only to find that the well water had been poisoned. After dozens of people died, the pirates dared not drink a drop of water again.
"The water outside the city is poisonous, but the water inside shouldn't be!" the Japanese chieftain ordered. "Attack the city! After the attack, everyone can do whatever they want!" His simple words, conjuring up a bloody scene, reignited the previously dampened morale. The Japanese pirates howled and charged towards Hunxian County. Upon reaching the county seat, they were stunned. Everyone looked at their guide, who had clearly stated that Hunxian's people were wealthy, but the city walls were not very sturdy. Yet, under Shu Yue's guidance, the county walls had been rapidly reinforced and heightened!
What terrified the Japanese pirates most was that the gates of Hunxian County were wide open, and there was not a sound in the entire city.
"What's going on?" The Japanese pirates whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter. The Japanese chieftain, however, smiled coldly: "Someone set up the Eight Extremes Formation in Xizhou City, and someone here has set up an empty city trap. What Sun Lou left for these inferior people will still be useful a thousand years from now." "Your Highness, we must not act rashly. Caution is the best policy," one of the Japanese said.
"Of course I know. Let's send a team to scout out the situation first." The Japanese chieftain dispatched a small team of over five hundred men, ordering them to enter the city first to investigate.
The five hundred men entered the city gate with trepidation, but were unharmed. When they came to the city streets, they found no houses on either side, only high earthen walls.
Seeing that no one was stopping them, the Japanese pirates were filled with the desire to plunder and rape. Without sending anyone to report, they rushed into the earthen wall. Most of the Japanese pirates were just ordinary people from Japan. Although they were cruel and warlike by nature, and their leaders often appeared refined, these ordinary soldiers were mostly fools who could only see the immediate problem.
But behind the crack in the earthen wall stood a deadly figure. The Japanese pirates squeezed sideways into the crack, and before they could even see clearly, a knife or a club came flying at them. In an instant, the screams of the Japanese pirates filled the area near the city gate.
"Such a strange thing?" The Japanese chieftain, who had finally received his report, was skeptical, but there was no doubt that the resistance in the city was behind those earthen walls. He ordered his men to enter the city, and all ten thousand Japanese pirates entered Hunxian County.
The Japanese pirates were bewildered by the endless earthen walls, unsure what surprises awaited them further in, and fearing the might of the Chinese soldiers and civilians hidden within would emerge and cut off their retreat. Therefore, they dared not venture any deeper. The Japanese chieftain himself approached a section of the wall, listened intently, and heard breathing sounds coming from the other side. He drew his katana, discerning the direction of the breathing, and stealthily plunged the blade into the wall. A woman's scream echoed from the other side, instantly turning the Japanese pirates' eyes bloodshot. The chieftain withdrew his katana; the tip was already stained with blood. He licked the blood off his face, a cruel glint in his eyes.
"Kill! Climb over the wall and kill! Don't go through the gaps!" At his command, the Japanese pirates began to pile up into human pyramids. But almost at the same time, a loud bang came from the city, and countless torches were thrown from behind the earthen wall. The Japanese chieftain's expression changed. There were scattered firewood everywhere on the street. Although he had sensed something was wrong, his attention was focused on the earthen wall, so he did not think that the fire attack was the real purpose of the soldiers and civilians of Hunxian County.
The firewood piled up low, so the fire didn't burn very high either, and it couldn't get past the earthen wall. But flames were everywhere, and the Japanese were also scorched and burned by the smoke and fire. Just as the Japanese chieftain was about to order a charge into the city, another shout came from the city wall, and the soldiers and civilians who had been hiding on the wall all appeared, brandishing their weapons.
The already chaotic Japanese pirates were even more alarmed. Their leader cried out, "Oh no! We've been ambushed!" In his haste, he couldn't determine how many troops were there, so he had no choice but to order a retreat from the city.
Under the barrage of arrows and stones from the soldiers and civilians in the city, the more than 10,000 Japanese pirates abandoned more than 2,000 corpses before leaving the city. Once outside, they dared not linger. The pirate chief asked the guide, "Still well water can be poisoned, but where is there any flowing water? These inferior people cannot poison flowing water!" The guide then led the pirates towards Qilipo. Upon reaching Yangjiao Spring at Qilipo, the pirates, already hungry and thirsty and having been burned by the fire, rushed to drink. Just as they were filling their bellies, another loud bang was heard, and countless figures from Shenzhou, wielding strange wooden clubs, charged from the surrounding woods.
The Japanese pirates, already terrified, mostly fled, with only a small number putting up resistance. During their attack on Hunxian County, they were completely disoriented, as if in a maze. Furthermore, the local militia, though not a regular army, outnumbered the Japanese and made it difficult for them to engage. Their morale shattered, the Japanese retreated again, this time heading towards Baisha Beach, hoping to escape back to their ships.
Upon arriving at the white sand beach, the Japanese pirates scrambled to board the boats. Originally, they were going to disembark in several groups, so the smaller boats weren't needed, but now the crowd was even tighter. In their panic, they didn't even notice that many of the smaller boats were missing. The slower pirates realized that there weren't many boats left, and the pursuing enemy was shouting battle cries behind them; although they couldn't see them, they seemed to be right behind them. Therefore, without waiting for their leader's instructions, the pirates began to seize the boats themselves.
With fewer ships than men, and the Japanese pirates divided into several groups, the fighting quickly escalated, and some pirates made the first move. These pirates were inherently volatile and selfish; once they started, they were uncontrollable, and no amount of scolding from their leader could sway them. As the looting continued, the leader, seeing the ships beginning to leave the shore, ordered his guards to seize a ship for himself. The entire white sand beach descended into chaos, with the clash of swords echoing incessantly, and screams of impending death emanating from the pirates. The sounds of pursuit from Hun County grew increasingly intense, making the pirates desperate to escape back to their large ships.
"Take me away, take me away!" A Japanese pirate clung tightly to the gunwale of a small boat that was slowly moving out to sea. The boat was crowded with Japanese pirates and was already drafted deep. The Japanese pirates around him also grabbed onto the gunwale. The pirates on the boat were already anxious because the boat was moving slowly. They drew their swords and cut off the arm of the man holding onto the gunwale. A red mist rose from the sea. The Japanese pirate with the severed arm floated on the surface of the sea for a few moments and then stopped moving.
Many Japanese pirates simply swam out to sea. For the Japanese, who were skilled swimmers like the barbarians, swimming from the shore to their large ships, while difficult, was not impossible. However, the smell of blood attracted uninvited guests from the sea. One pirate, while swimming, saw a companion floating motionless on the surface. He nudged him and discovered that the man was only half a body. Before the pirate could react, he felt a numbness in his leg, as if he had been clamped by a large pincer. He screamed in terror, "Shark!" The pirate leaders finally boarded the large ships. When they counted the number of pirates, only 10,000 out of nearly 20,000 had made it onto the ships. The rest either died in Hunxian County, perished at Yangjiao Spring, or died in the earlier infighting and shark attacks.
"I will definitely avenge this deep-seated hatred!" The Japanese chieftain struck out with his palm, knocking a piece off the side of the ship. His face was ferocious, and his eyes were burning with hatred.
"I will definitely avenge this!" At the same time, in Hunxian County, Ren Qian, who was returning home to comfort his family members who had died in the war, also said this. Tang Peng smiled slightly: "The countries of China are fighting amongst themselves and have no time to take care of themselves. How can they have time to seek revenge against the Japanese?"
"If the Peace Army can launch a campaign against Japan, I will do everything in my power to serve them!" Ren Qian glanced at Tang Peng, speaking almost word by word. III.
Wang Xian halted his horse at Jiuqu Plain, gazing at the vast expanse of heaven and earth, the boundless mountains and rivers. He sighed, looking up at the sky. The soldiers around him stared in bewilderment at him, wondering why he would appear so sorrowful on the eve of a great victory.
Only Wang Xian himself knew the truth. Back then, he was persuaded by Fu Lian and lured by high-ranking official positions and generous salaries. He personally led troops to ambush Lu Xiang after the great battle. Although this earned him the position of General of the Cavalry, he would wake up from nightmares every night for the past few years, waiting every single day for the moment when Lu Xiang would come to take his life.
Li Jun's rise to power made him see his own doom, but Li Jun's decision to leave Dong Cheng in charge of Qinggui while he quickly retreated to Yuzhou to deal with Liu Guang gave him another opportunity. However, he knew in his heart that even if he won for a time, he could not win forever.
"General Lu, General Lu, the world will probably never know that while I killed you, I also cemented your invincible reputation. Otherwise, one day, you too would inevitably have been defeated..." "The bandits are encamped here. This place is strategically located, Dong Cheng's last camp within hundreds of miles. The bandits have built a stronghold here and dug deep trenches; it seems they intend to resist for a long time." The advisor pointed to the dust rising in the distance, gesturing for Wang Xian to see. Wang Xian gave a soft hum. Dong Cheng was no incompetent man; given the unfavorable situation and the inability to achieve a quick victory, such a tactical change was quite reasonable.
“He only has about ten thousand men left. We cannot wait until his camp is completed before attacking,” one general said. “Our army is under your command, and we are acting in accordance with the Emperor’s orders and the people’s wishes. If we can strike with lightning speed, we will surely turn the enemy into dust.” “What do you think?” Wang Xian asked the others.
“Winter in the South is different from that in the North,” the former advisor said. “Although the North is colder than the South, it is a dry cold, while the South is damp and cold. Most of our troops were temporarily transferred from the North and are not well adapted to the Southern climate. If this continues for too long, I fear there will be an epidemic in the army. Moreover, although our army has penetrated more than a hundred miles into Qinggui, we dare not seize a city and divide our forces, nor can we stay in the wilderness for long. If we cannot achieve a quick victory, I fear we will incur the wrath of His Majesty and the Prime Minister.” Wang Xian chuckled slightly and asked, “Anything else?”
"With the year-end approaching, the soldiers are eager to return home. Now, with our army having an absolute advantage, we can wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop. The soldiers will surely be willing to fight to the death. General, you must not overlook this," another general said.
“Yes, you are absolutely right.” Wang Xian nodded, but his eyes were utterly empty. The end of the year was approaching, which meant that he was one step closer to the seven-year anniversary of his ambush of Lu Xiang. He took a breath of the cold air in the wilderness, his gaze sharpened, and he said sternly, “Pass on my order: advance immediately and seize the enemy’s camp. We only need to seize it when the bandits’ camp is about to be completed, so that our army will not have to camp in the open, while the bandits will suffer from cold and hunger!” The generals understood that he still did not agree with completely annihilating the Peace Army in one fell swoop, but was still pressing forward step by step, and they couldn’t help but look at each other in dismay. Before his advisors could offer further explanation, Wang Xian waved his hand, saying, "You are all unaware that Dong Cheng is not so easily defeated. Military strategy dictates that one should first prepare to be invincible, then wait until the enemy is vulnerable. If our attack is too swift, weaknesses will inevitably emerge. Further words are useless; my mind is made up. Go and prepare!" "They're here!" Upon learning of Wang Xian's approaching army, Dong Cheng's expression changed slightly. He looked around, and all the generals remained silent. Mo Zidu's face showed worry; clearly, even he was puzzled by his own plan.
"We have no other way out. This battle can only be won, not lost," Dong Cheng said in a deep voice. "Even if you didn't trust me before, please trust me this time. My family is in the army. If our army is defeated, you can kill my family first to avenge us." "Please rest assured, General, even if you didn't say so, we would fight to the death," a general said. "For Li Jun's great cause, and for our Peace Army to live up to its name, we are determined to take Qinggui. I'm just afraid that your fighting spirit is not strong enough, and you will retreat after a single engagement as before." "That's exactly what I intend to do, another single engagement and retreat," Dong Cheng said with a smile. He could finally reveal his plan, and he felt a surge of satisfaction. "I retreated seven times, losing seven camps. This eighth camp is our last. Wang Xian served under Commander Lu for many years and must be afraid of Commander Lu and Commander Li Jun's repeated surprise attacks. Therefore, I expected him to proceed cautiously. However, with the end of the year approaching, the soldiers all want to fight a decisive battle before returning home for the New Year. Therefore, he has no choice but to attack our camp again, hoping to expose our army to the cold." "Then why is the general still prepared to abandon this camp?"
"Look," Dong Cheng said, pointing to the map, "this was originally the old course of the Qinghe River. Our camp is situated on this old course, which became a road hundreds of years ago due to siltation." He continued, "I had already ordered the Qinghe River embankment breached here to divert water into Yanhu Lake, claiming it was just to dredge the river. Back then, you all blamed me for neglecting military matters and focusing on these water conservancy issues, but little did you know I had already foreseen this day. My feigned defeats for days served two purposes: first, to embolden the enemy, and second, to drive away dissidents within my ranks, lest they thwart my plans! Military strategy says, 'When weak, feign strength; when strong, feign weakness.' Today, I'm doing the opposite, feigning even greater weakness to embolden the enemy. Now that Wang Xian is attacking, we'll retreat after a brief battle. Since we haven't laid an ambush before, Wang Xian will be caught off guard. He wants our army to collapse without a fight in the wilderness, and I'll let him..." The entire army was routed in the marshland! The generals finally understood, their spirits lifted, but Dong Cheng added, "This matter must not be told to the soldiers beforehand, lest there are still enemy spies within the army. Mo Zidu, you lead five hundred men to Yanhu while our army is defeated, and breach the lake embankment tonight without fail. The rest of the generals will join me in confronting Wang Xian. When we are defeated, each of you should lead your troops to seize the surrounding high ground, and absolutely not let the enemy take it!" Wang Xian's army approached Dong Cheng's camp. The Peace Army's resistance this time was fiercer than before, but with only ten thousand men, how could they withstand the repeated attacks of two hundred thousand? After holding out for a while, the Peace Army scattered and fled. Since there was no more camp to regroup in, the Peace Army did not flee in one direction this time, but instead seized nearby hills and hid. The Su troops, due to Wang Xian's strict orders, did not pursue them relentlessly.
The night was bright and the stars were few, the wind was biting cold, and the frost was thick and menacing. Wang Xian lit a fire in his central command tent to keep warm. To prevent a night attack by the Peace Army, he had doubled the number of patrols. He summoned two trusted confidants to warm wine by the fire. As they sipped their wine, one confidant praised, "General Wang's military tactics are far more cautious than those of a mere brute. If it weren't for your meticulous planning, how could you have driven the bandits into the wilderness?"
Another confidant laughed, "The ancients often used the phrase 'eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew' to describe the hardships of travel. Tonight, the bandits have truly endured such hardships. Although the winter in Qinggui is not as cold as in the north, the dampness and frost make it ten times more difficult for those in the wilderness. Knowing that we are drinking and chatting by the fire, they must hate Dong Cheng to the core." "Perhaps they will cut off Dong Cheng's head and present it to the general. In that case, the general will have accomplished a great feat, and upon returning to the capital, he will surely be promoted and ennobled. Hahahaha..." Only Wang Xian, the person in charge, frowned. This campaign had gone far too smoothly. So smoothly that it frightened him, and he felt that Dong Cheng must have a backup plan.
"What's on your mind, General?" a trusted aide asked.
“Although the terrain here is flat and wide, it is relatively low-lying. If there is continuous heavy rain, the water here can be knee-deep,” Wang Xian said. “Logically speaking, Dong Cheng should not set up camp here. Could this camp be a trap?”
“General, you are overthinking it,” the confidant laughed. “Although this place is low-lying, there aren’t many times when Qinggui experiences torrential rains in winter. Moreover, this place is located in the old course of the Qinghe River, which has been a military stronghold for hundreds of years. To capture Qinggui, you must take this place. Dong Cheng set up camp here precisely because he saw its importance.” “What if Dong Cheng digs open the old course of the Qinghe River and uses the water to attack?” Wang Xian asked.
“Absolutely impossible. If Dong Cheng were to breach the old course of the Qinghe River, the river water would flow into Yanhu Lake. He would then have to breach the dike of Yanhu Lake to flood this place…” As the confidant spoke, his expression gradually changed.
"Dong Cheng hasn't been preparing for war; instead, he's been building water conservancy projects!" Wang Xian suddenly stood up and roared, "Order the entire army to break camp immediately, take nothing, and seize the surrounding high ground tonight!" Just then, he heard a rustling sound like wind blowing through leaves, which quickly transformed into the roar of surging waves. Under the moonlight, the waves were like snow, and the giant waves churned, almost instantly engulfing the camp. The Su soldiers, who had just been awakened, cried out as they were submerged in the icy water, frantically searching for anything they could use, because the water was still rising and would soon be enough to drown a Qiang man.
Wang Xian was completely submerged in the deep water. There were no boats or ships on land. In his panic, he grabbed onto a piece of driftwood and was swept far away by the water in a short time. Fortunately, he was not wearing armor. He saw a large tree that was half submerged in water, with its withered yellow branches drooping into the water. He swam desperately towards the tree and finally climbed it up.
"How can there be so much water here?" Seeing the water level still rising, he couldn't help but sigh. Although he had expected Dong Cheng to use water, he couldn't understand why Dong Cheng's water was so turbulent. He naturally didn't know that Dong Cheng had drained the entire Yanhu Lake, which covered an area of over a hundred miles, and that this area was the lowest point in the surrounding land. For hundreds of years, the people had reclaimed land from the lake, causing the lake level to rise higher and higher. Dong Cheng's excavation of the old Qinghe River channel provided Yanhu Lake with a continuous source of water. The water level had accumulated here and couldn't find a way out, so it naturally rose higher and higher.
Wang Xian climbed the tree, soaked to the bone, and felt a chill run through him as the night wind blew. But what was even colder was his heart; he was half a step slower than Dong Cheng, and that half step had decided the outcome of the battle.
Countless soldiers were struggling in the vast ocean before him. In the face of sudden danger, they would cling to even the smallest straw, so amidst the roar of the water, soldiers could be seen everywhere, clinging to driftwood or climbing trees. In just a short while, five or six soldiers climbed up the tree where Wang Xian was.
"Cold...cold to death..." The soldiers, still shaken, began to mutter. Wang Xian stared coldly at them. As more and more people climbed the tree and began to try to huddle together for warmth, Wang Xian remained all alone on the treetop.
"No more people can climb on this tree," he suddenly said. "If anyone else climbs on it, it will fall!" The soldiers below were stunned. This tree was their lifeline; if it fell, none of them were sure they would survive the water. In a crisis, human selfishness is laid bare.
"Don't come any closer!" As a soldier struggling to swim towards the tree while clinging to a plank, before Wang Xian could give any orders, the soldiers below shouted, "If you come any closer, you'll all die!" The soldier, in his perilous struggle, didn't think of anything else and continued swimming towards the tree. Just as he was about to get close, the soldiers in the tree felt the tree tremble, as if it were about to collapse, and the soldiers in the tree were terrified.
The soldier clutching the plank reached out hopefully to the soldier in the tree, crying, "Help me! Help me!" But he was met with a kick; his grip loosened and the plank slipped from his hand. He flailed his arms across the water, bobbing up and down for a moment before disappearing into the distance. Only his occasional screams as he surfaced echoed in the ears of those in the tree, reminding each of the fate that awaited them.
"General, what do you suggest we do?" The soldiers looked at Wang Xian in despair. They had already recognized him, and although he was no longer as imposing as he usually was, he gave them a glimmer of hope. As a general, he should be able to think of a solution.
"Wait, the bandits will send men." Wang Xian uttered these words with difficulty. At this moment, he wished he could still be hiding in the warm general's mansion in the capital, passing the time with fine wine and beautiful women.
As the cold moon finally teetered on the horizon, dawn broke in the east. Peace Army soldiers, using rafts, began searching for the Soviet soldiers and civilians trapped by the flood. For days, fighting had raged in the area, and Dong Cheng had already evacuated the civilians under the pretext of potential war damage. However, a few stubborn individuals had also perished in the flood along with the Soviet soldiers. In this battle, most of the Soviet army of 200,000 became easy prey; only about 3,000 were captured, and only 20,000 survived—nine out of ten were killed. Their commander, Wang Xian, was captured by Dong Cheng.