Chapter Thirty-Seven: Skirmish (Part Two)

Watching the Yellow Turbans being beaten back by Zhao Hong and his men, Xu Kang felt something was amiss. He thought that, no matter how poor the Yellow Turban forces were, it was unlikely they would be routed so easily by an army just a tenth their size. If they were truly so feeble, they could not have surrounded the Right General Zhu Jun, nor could they have held out against Lu Zhi’s army for over a month. Even if, by the wildest stretch, these Yellow Turbans were little more than a rabble, their numbers did not add up; tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans had gathered at Changshe County, and though not all would be sent to every battle, surely more than ten thousand should have appeared here.

Could it be that they looked down on the imperial troops, believing that a force of ten thousand would suffice? That was impossible. The only reasonable explanation was that this ten thousand was merely the vanguard, with hundreds of thousands more Yellow Turbans following behind.

“If that’s the case, we’re in real trouble. We’ll be outmatched, unable to fight or flee, and may well be wiped out.”

The realization struck Xu Kang, and his expression changed at once.

“No, I can’t let that happen. Send the order to withdraw!”

“Yes, sir!”

At his command, the soldier beside him immediately signaled the retreat. Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng, who were pursuing the fleeing Yellow Turbans, saw the withdrawal order from the rear. Though reluctant, they had no choice but to obey and lead their troops back.

As soon as they returned, before they could speak, Xu Kang anxiously questioned them.

“Zhao Hong, Zhang Cheng, tell me: how many roads lead from here to Changshe County?”

“Er… well…” The question caught them off guard. They exchanged a puzzled glance before replying with a salute, “Sir, there is only one road to Changshe from here. All other routes are impassable.”

“What?” Hearing there was but one road, Xu Kang’s brow furrowed deeply. “This is a problem.”

Seeing his grave expression and recalling the recent order to retreat, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng began to realize what was happening, a flash of alarm crossing their faces.

“Sir, do you mean… there’s an ambush of Yellow Turban forces ahead?”

“Yes, that seems certain.” Xu Kang did not conceal his suspicion, but spoke it plainly. “What we encountered just now was likely their vanguard. There’s a main force behind. If we press on, we’ll be drawn into a desperate fight—and may be annihilated.”

“What should we do, then?” Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng grew anxious at his words. “Should we retreat, or send for reinforcements?”

“Haha, there’s no need for that!”

Smiling broadly at their worry, Xu Kang waved a hand.

“The Yellow Turbans’ aim is to cut off reinforcements for Lord Lu Zhi, to leave him isolated and crush him completely. It’s a classic strategy—besieging a point to lure out aid. As long as we don’t engage them head-on, we’ll be fine. We can take a detour!”

“A detour?”

Zhang Cheng frowned, bowing again. “Sir, if we detour, we must first go north to Chenliu, then turn east and pass through Xu County before reaching Changshe. The road is long, and if we delay, the court may blame us. Would it not be better to send for aid instead? Please consider carefully.”

Zhang Cheng had barely finished when Zhao Hong added, “Yes, sir, perhaps it’s best to send for help.”

Though neither man said it outright, Xu Kang understood their concerns, and laughed again.

“I know your hearts are in the right place. You worry that if we don’t reach in time, Lord Lu Zhi’s defeat may implicate us, and that if we request aid and the court refuses, we can at least claim we tried. But…”

At this, he grew solemn, thumping his chest with conviction.

“Do you take me, Xu Yide, for a man who shirks responsibility? Since I have come here, I must defeat the Yellow Turban rebels. Even if Lord Lu Zhi falls, as long as I draw breath, I will fight the Yellow Turbans to the end!”

Moved by his resolute words, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng saluted as one. “We pledge our lives to follow you, sir!”

Neither of them knew that, while Xu Kang’s words sounded righteous, in his heart he was thinking, “So long as I can win with little effort, what’s a little detour? The credit for this campaign, whether it goes to Huangfu Song or Lu Zhi, I’ll make sure to claim my share!”

With his spirits lifted by this thought, Xu Kang smiled and waved his hand. “Pass down the order: abandon the march to Changshe, turn toward Chenliu, and set out at once!”

“Yes, sir!”

Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng responded at once, relaying the order, and led the troops toward Chenliu.

Having learned from his earlier mistake, Xu Kang decided to be more cautious this time. He sent Zhao Hong ahead with a hundred cavalry to scout the way, ordering him to report back at once if anything seemed amiss.

His decision soon proved wise. By evening, Zhao Hong sent word that a force of one hundred thousand Yellow Turbans had been spotted ahead, blocking the road to Chenliu.

Xu Kang was not surprised by this. Since the Yellow Turbans intended to cut off aid, they would not only block the road from Luoyang to Changshe—of course they would also guard the route to Chenliu. The fact that they could station a hundred thousand troops here suggested that Chenliu Prefecture itself had at least several thousand defenders, and these Yellow Turban forces were posted here precisely to prevent the Chenliu garrison from coming to Changshe’s aid.

This, in fact, was good news.

“These Yellow Turbans are here to guard against Chenliu’s troops supporting Changshe. They would never expect us to appear behind them. As long as we coordinate with the Chenliu garrison, even if we can’t shatter their force, we should be able to break through!”

His eyes lit up at the thought. Calling Zhao Hong to his side, he handed him his official seal.

“Zhao Hong, take my seal to Chenliu at once. Ask the Prefect to dispatch troops for a midnight raid on the Yellow Turban army, to open a path for us. Tell him that great rewards await if he succeeds. There’s no time to lose—go now!”

“Yes, sir!”

Taking the seal, Zhao Hong departed at once.

After Zhao Hong left, to be certain nothing would go awry, Xu Kang called Zhang Cheng and gave new orders.

“Zhang Cheng, pass the word: have the supply officer distribute all the rice to the men, so they can cook a proper meal immediately. Make sure they eat solid food, not thin gruel. And tell every soldier to stay by his horse, armor on and ready. At midnight, we attack the Yellow Turban rebels!”

“Yes, sir!”