Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 61 The Limitations of Local Warlords

Li Sheng did not sleep the night the army set up camp.

At his age, he was full of energy, and seeing that a battle was about to take place, Li Sheng felt both excited and apprehensive.

This is nothing like the small-scale skirmishes he had previously engaged in at Wangjiawu Fortress. Once he clashed with the enemy, it would be a massive battlefield involving hundreds or even thousands of people.

He sat at the entrance of the tent, flipping through the notes that Li Zili had given him before his departure, by the moonlight.

The notebook is filled with detailed records of the population, land, and grain production of Siyang Township, as well as the distribution of post stations and water sources along the official road.

This is what he asked Li Zili to organize.

After this battle, he intends to completely take control of Siyang Township.

"Sheng-ge, aren't you asleep yet?"

Liu Wu poked his head out from the tent next to him and asked in a low voice.

Li Sheng waved his hand.

"You go to sleep first, I'm thinking about tomorrow."

Liu Wu didn't ask any more questions and shrank back.

The night wind blew in from the north, carrying a hint of coolness and an indescribable smell, like the smell of cooking fires or the smell of decay.

Li Sheng frowned.

That's the smell of war.

He had seen blood and killed people, but that was in the countryside, with only a few dozen people involved. The north had long been ravaged by the rebel armies, with villages massacred and people destroyed, a scene of extreme tragedy.

He touched the halberd beside him; its blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

He took a deep breath, put the journal into his pocket, and closed his eyes.

My thoughts, however, wouldn't stop.

He thought of the wheat field in Dongpingli, the brothers who had trained with him for more than a month, and he imagined the great battle that was about to begin.

Although his opponents were also oppressed people, once they were on the battlefield, he had no choice but to show them no mercy.

He had to bring his brothers and fellow villagers back, as many as possible.

……

The next morning, the bugle sounded again.

Before dawn, the camp was already bustling with activity as each camp was busy cooking and chopping firewood. Smoke rose from hundreds of cooking pits, weaving into a gray-white mist in the morning light.

Marching and fighting is not like enjoying life, nor is it like camping and cooking; it is extremely arduous.

Li Sheng's troops had already risen up long ago.

This is a habit they developed during their farming training in Dongpingli. They are all farmers, and few of them would stay in bed late.

In front of the central command tent, under the blazing sun, Chen Yuan was basking in the warmth of the sun, holding a scroll of silk in his hand, his brows furrowed.

At this moment, a scout rode in from the north, dismounted upon approaching, and bowed with clasped hands.

"Reporting to the Commandant (County Commandant): About seven or eight li to the north, we have spotted traces of Yellow Turban rebels! Their numbers are numerous and difficult to discern, but they certainly outnumber us significantly, and they are currently moving towards us!"

A commotion broke out in front of the tent.

Their numbers far exceed ours, at least two thousand or more.

Chen Yuan's face darkened.

He had no more than two thousand men under his command, of which only four or five hundred were capable soldiers; the rest were local militia recruited on short notice.

Although this wave of Yellow Turban rebels was mostly a rabble, their numbers far exceeded his, and the outcome of a real battle was uncertain.

Chen Yuan was uncertain; this was the first time he had faced such a massive band of rebels since he became a county magistrate…

He pondered for a moment, then raised his head.

"Send word to all the commanders to come and discuss this!"

According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, five men formed a squad, ten men formed a shi (a unit of measurement), and above the shi and shi were tun (a unit of troops), qu (a unit of troops), and bu (a unit of troops). A tun consisted of about fifty to one hundred men and was headed by a tun leader; a qu consisted of two tuns with about one or two hundred men and was headed by a junhou (a military commander); a bu consisted of two qu with about seven or eight hundred men and was headed by a xiaowei (a military officer) or junsima (a military commander).

Because of his exceptional bravery and Chen Yuan's appreciation, Li Sheng was appointed as a garrison leader, and his core group and the militia of Siyang Township all worked under him.

Since he was just a minor village head, he was not qualified to participate in strategy formulation at this moment; he was merely an executor.

As soon as the order was given, the commanders of each battalion gathered together.

Chen Yuan unfolded the silk scroll, which contained a rough map.

"According to scouts, the bandits have gathered about seven or eight miles to the north, numbering in the thousands, and are moving southeast, intending to cross the river to the south. Our army is currently here."

He tapped his finger on the map.

"The enemy outnumbers us, and a direct confrontation would likely result in heavy losses. Military strategy dictates, 'Attack when halfway across,' which is advantageous. My suggestion is for the entire army to conceal themselves on the spot and ambush along the south bank of the river. When the enemy is halfway across, we can launch a sudden attack and achieve a complete victory. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the generals all nodded in agreement.

A captain spoke first.

"The Commandant is absolutely right. Our army is small, and if we cross the river to engage in battle, the terrain on the north bank is open, and the bandits will swarm in, making us outnumbered. It would be better to hold this bank and wait for them to tire themselves out."

Another military officer echoed this sentiment.

"Indeed. Although the water is shallow, wading is still slow. Once the bandits reach the middle of the river, they will be unable to advance or retreat quickly. At that time, our crossbows will fire all at once, and our elite troops will charge in and surely defeat them in one blow."

Everyone agreed with Chen Yuan's decision.

Their consensus stemmed from a deeper reason: they were eager to defend their territory because their fields, clans, and neighbors lay behind them, leaving them no way to retreat. However, asking them to actively cross the river and launch an attack was a different matter entirely. War means death—the death of their own men and militia, the loss of their own strength. Who wouldn't want to avoid losing even one life?

Even if the Yellow Turban rebels did not cross the river here as they expected, but instead took a detour elsewhere, it would not have caused any loss to the people.

The bandits are gone, and that's that. The fact that they guarded the south bank doesn't mean they failed in their duty. If they rashly crossed the river to pursue them, they might fall into an ambush.

Everyone tacitly refrained from explicitly stating their thoughts.

Chen Yuan naturally knew this as well; he was not a warlike person, and stability was his top priority.

"If that's the case, then it's settled."

Chen Yuan put away the map.

"Each camp shall immediately take cover, and shall not light any fires or make any noise. They shall conserve their strength and await the arrival of the enemy."

The soldiers clasped their hands in acceptance of the order and dispersed.

By the time the order had been fully disseminated throughout the army, it was already noon.

"Brother Sheng, what do you mean?"

Li Feng and the others gathered around; they were clearly aware of the decision made by the higher-ups.

Li Sheng broke down what he had gleaned from Chen Yuan's decisions and explained it to his team.

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Attack while the enemy is crossing the river?"

Liu Wu nodded.

"The Captain's method is prudent."

Seeing that everyone agreed, Li Sheng looked around and asked.

"Doesn't anyone have any other ideas?"

The group looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Li Feng, if you were the head coach of this team, what would you do?"

Li Feng, who had been pointed out by Li Sheng, did not answer immediately. After thinking about the question in his mind, he spoke calmly.

"Brother Sheng, I will probably still arrange things according to Commander Chen's idea."

Upon hearing this answer, Li Sheng sighed.

Well, I asked for nothing.

He chose to ask Li Feng's opinion first to see if he could overcome his overly cautious nature.

Being overly cautious often results in being good at maintaining the status quo but lacking in ambition.

If they were to rebel later, maintaining the status quo would mean a slow death.

If he can't overcome this personality trait, then we'll have no choice but to keep him in the rear to stabilize things.