Chapter 71: The Most Difficult Time

Although the Nanyang side had a considerable army in terms of numbers, there was little they could do. The greatest problem they faced was the lack of capable generals under their command—a most pressing dilemma. At this moment, the greatest challenge in all of Nanyang was Zhang Xiu. In the vast territory of Nanyang, only Zhang Xiu stood guard, while their opponents—no less than four warlords—advanced in attack. One could well imagine the immense pressure Zhang Xiu was under. This was precisely why Liu Xie and his forces needed to accelerate their pace.

“Hurry, press the attack! Today, we must advance to within fifty li of Xiangyang!” Hu Che’er urged the army forward. In truth, whether marching from Nan County or Xinye to Xiangyang, the distance was not considerable—neither route exceeded a hundred li. If they pressed their march, they could arrive in at most three days; given that Liu Xie, Hu Che’er, and the others were moving at forced speed, it would take no more than two days to fully arrive.

As they launched their assault on Xiangyang, Cao Cao and Sun Ce, too, were mounting ferocious attacks on Nanyang. Meanwhile, in Jing Province, each prefecture’s governor dispatched generals and troops to support Xiangyang as swiftly as possible. Yet, even so, Liu Xie gave these matters little thought. With his mind set solely on taking Xiangyang, he shut out all other concerns.

Time crept by. Soon, less than two hours remained before nightfall.

“Sir, we are now only twenty li from Xiangyang. Scouts report the defenders are prepared.” A subordinate arrived to report.

Liu Xie glanced up at the sky, his expression grave. Though the distance to Xiangyang was now short, he knew this was no ordinary march. He commanded an army of a hundred and fifty thousand, the majority of whom were infantry—progress was necessarily slow.

“This cannot go on. We must quicken our pace. Order two thousand cavalry to advance lightly with me; the infantry and baggage train are to follow close behind. Cavalry, with me!” Liu Xie resolved to personally lead the cavalry forward.

“All men, listen: scour the ground for stones, as many as you can find, all the size of a fist! Wrap them all in cloth!” Liu Xie gave a strange command, instructing his men to gather stones the size of a fist, wrap them in cloth, and tie them with cords about a foot long.

With preparations complete, Liu Xie pressed forward with twenty thousand cavalry. The horsemen charged ahead, covering the remaining twenty li in no time.

“Sir, there is a pass ahead—Jing Province troops are lying in ambush!” a soldier shouted as they rode.

Liu Xie saw it, too. Several thousand enemy soldiers had already formed a shield wall, awaiting their approach. Suddenly, a volley of arrows arced through the sky toward them.

“Raise your shields!” Liu Xie bellowed. The cavalry hoisted their bucklers overhead and charged on through the rain of arrows.

“Prepare to throw the stones!” When they were within a hundred paces of the enemy, Liu Xie gave the order. The cavalry lowered their shields and drew out the stones they had prepared. Gripping the cords, they whirled the stones rapidly in their hands.

“Release!” As they closed to within fifty paces of the shield wall, Liu Xie gave the command, and every man hurled his stone. Thousands of stones whistled through the air and crashed upon the enemy shields.

With a thunderous impact, the shield wall broke into chaos. Some shields were even split in two. This was Liu Xie’s newly devised, makeshift weapon for breaking enemy formations. Stones, heavy and deadly, combined with the momentum of charging cavalry, dealt a tremendous blow. As the stones rained down, the enemy line collapsed.

“Again! Throw everything you have!” Liu Xie shouted. The cavalry obliged, flinging every last stone at the enemy. Deprived of the protection of their shield wall, the defenders were struck down, bewildered by this unexpected tactic. Liu Xie had discovered that, in critical moments, stones could be more effective than arrows.

“Press through! Attack!” Liu Xie cried. He would not allow the enemy a moment’s respite, determined to pursue his advantage and make the first battle a resounding triumph. The cavalry, without pause, crashed into the enemy lines. The first wave of assault shattered the defenders; more than half were slain, the rest fled in panic.

“Quick, secure this ground and await the army!” After routing the first wave, Liu Xie left five thousand cavalry to hold the position and wait for the main force, while he led the remaining fifteen thousand deeper into enemy territory. This opening battle had to be decisive. The closer they drew to Xiangyang, the more territory they could seize before the city’s walls.

Nanyang was under immense pressure, Zhang Xiu fighting desperately; Jing Province was dispatching reinforcements from every county. If they wasted time, not only would Nanyang fall, but they themselves would be surrounded.

Thus, before disaster struck, Liu Xie needed to seize Xiangyang as swiftly as possible.

“Sir, another force of several thousand blocks the road ahead! But we’ve no more stones!” Not long after resuming their charge, they encountered another enemy detachment.

“It seems they mean to use successive skirmishes to slow our advance. Hmph! If we have no stones, we have spears! Press on!” Liu Xie now understood their intent: with few troops in Xiangyang, the defenders split their forces into small groups to delay the invaders and buy time for reinforcements.

Had they concentrated all their troops in one place, they might have slowed Liu Xie’s advance more effectively. But by dividing them, they made themselves vulnerable. Liu Xie was ruthless in exploiting this.

With thunderous speed, fifteen thousand cavalry smashed through the enemy lines, leaving five thousand behind to deal with survivors and await the army, while Liu Xie pressed on with ten thousand, breaking through two more enemy positions in succession.

Finally, as Liu Xie led his last five thousand men through the final enemy formation, he called a halt.

“Sir, we are now less than ten li from Xiangyang. We’ve advanced too far,” a breathless subordinate reported.

“Yes, our task for today ends here. We’ll encamp ten li outside Xiangyang and begin the siege at dawn!” Liu Xie had made up his mind. Regardless of the situation in Nanyang or the arrival of Jing Province reinforcements, his sole aim was Xiangyang. He knew that once the city fell, all other crises would resolve themselves.

His relentless advance through four enemy positions sent shockwaves through the Xiangyang governor’s mansion. Liu Biao, the city’s governor, convened his civil and military officials late into the night to discuss their next move.

“Liu Xie led twenty thousand cavalry, broke through four lines. Of our fifty thousand men, ten thousand have already been lost. You urged me to divide the forces for successive resistance—look where it’s left us. What do you advise now?” Liu Biao demanded anxiously.

Dividing the forces had been his advisors’ suggestion; at first, it seemed sound, but now with the enemy less than ten li away, all Xiangyang was thrown into panic.

“My lord, in my view, the Nanyang army has come from afar and fought continuous battles—they must be exhausted. Why not launch a night raid tonight? We could catch them off guard!” one advisor suggested.

This time, Liu Biao hesitated, his face dark with worry.

“No, absolutely not. We have only forty thousand men left; if a night raid fails, Xiangyang will be lost in a single night. We cannot take that risk. Send orders to gather all forces and defend Xiangyang to the utmost! And send urgent word to Cao Cao, Sun Ce, Liu Yao, Liu Yan, and Zhang Lu—take Nanyang as quickly as possible!” Liu Biao was desperate. His only hope now was to delay, to buy time for their own reinforcements and for the allied armies to take Nanyang. Otherwise, with Xiangyang’s strength alone, they could not withstand Liu Xie’s army of a hundred and fifty thousand.

Outside the city, in Liu Xie’s camp, the exhausted soldiers began to settle in for the night—after all, fierce and relentless battles awaited them from tomorrow onward. Tonight would be their only chance, for some days, to enjoy a full night’s rest.

“Sir, word has come from Lord Zhang. Cao Cao and the other warlords are attacking Nanyang with great force. Several cities have been captured, but Lord Zhang rallied his troops and retook them. For now, all the cities remain in our hands—but Lord Zhang says he may not be able to hold out for more than a few days.”

The messenger from Zhang Xiu once again delivered news from Nanyang. Liu Xie sighed, weary.

“Go back and tell Lord Zhang—he need only hold out for five more days. In five days, all will be well.”

Five days—this was Liu Xie’s most conservative estimate. Over the next few days, he would push himself and his army to their utmost. In truth, Liu Xie felt that this crisis, for them, might not be such a misfortune after all.