Chapter 136: You Have Grown Up, Young Man

On June 26, under the cover of night, Shen Chen's army suddenly headed north toward Fucheng.

Neither Xiahou Yuan nor Li Dian was aware of this development.

Though they had deployed scouts around Kunyang, their troops were not currently under siege, and the surrounding scout outposts had all been withdrawn.

Even the nearby villagers and peasants had been relocated south to Nanyang. Any stranger appearing near Kunyang would be immediately arrested.

Consequently, it was not until Lou Fa led a force of fifteen hundred men all the way to Fucheng County that the local residents became aware of the situation.

Fucheng did not surrender, but there was practically no defensive force within the city. The county magistrate and other officials fled through the east gate overnight, heading toward Xiangcheng to report the news.

Lou Fa refrained from pillaging the populace. He raised the banner proclaiming: "Liu Biao, General of the Chariots and Cavalry of the Great Han, acts under the edict of the Girdle to punish the traitor Cao. The benevolent and righteous army of Jingzhou welcomes the Son of Heaven and will not take so much as a single grain of rice from the people."

The reason he raised Liu Biao's banner was that Shen Chen and Gan Ning were nominally subordinate generals under Liu Biao at this time. Liu Biao's main force was still stationed in southern Jingzhou and could not conquer Zhang Xian, and therefore could not dispatch reinforcements to Shen Chen.

However, upon hearing that Shen Chen had severely defeated Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan, slain two Cao generals, and fought to a standstill against Cao Cao at Ziyun Mountain, Liu Biao immediately appointed him as a Chunglangjiang (Colonel).

At present, there were very few Chunglangjiang under Liu Biao's command—only Han Xi, Wen Pin, Lü Jie, and Liu Pan—making them high-ranking generals second only to Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, and Huang Zu.

The fact that Shen Chen, despite his youth, had already attained the rank of Chunglangjiang and bypassed the junior and intermediate officer ranks was sufficient to demonstrate the high level of importance Liu Biao attached to him.

Operating under Liu Biao's banner, Lou Fa reached Jiaxian on June 27 and marched toward Yangzhai.

When Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian received the news, they were naturally shocked and hastily dispatched troops in pursuit.

By the night of June 27, Shen Chen led Gan Ning, Deng Zhao, Shen Mi, and others eastward in a grand momentum.

His total force at this moment numbered only 6,700 men. Originally, there had been quite a few wounded soldiers; those with severe injuries had been sent back to Nanyang, while those with minor injuries had recovered after more than a month of recuperation, bringing the total effective force to 6,500.

In terms of troop deployment, Shen Zhen remained as the garrison commander of Kunyang with 1,000 men, and Lou Fa led 1,500 men northward, leaving Shen Chen with a force of 4,000 soldiers under his direct command.

On June 28, upon learning that Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian had each personally led two to three thousand men to suppress him, Lou Fa immediately retreated to Fucheng.

Meanwhile, Shen Chen's army had rushed to Dingling overnight. After securing Dingling and resting for merely half a day, they marched east toward Yancheng on the night of June 28. These locations were situated very close to one another: the distance from Kunyang to Dingling was approximately thirty-five kilometers, and from Dingling to Yancheng was another thirty-five kilometers. Covering seventy kilometers in two days was more than ample.

By June 29, Shen Chen had already occupied Yancheng. It was only at this juncture that Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian received the intelligence and hurriedly led their troops south. The problem, however, was that they were still in Jiaxian, one hundred and twenty kilometers away from Yancheng—far too great a distance.

Furthermore, they analyzed a fatal problem: they had to figure out precisely what Shen Chen intended to achieve.

The intelligence they had received at the moment was that one of Shen Chen's detachment forces was heading north, while his main force was advancing eastward. This strongly resembled a pincer movement. Since Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian were defending the roads leading to Xuchang in the center, Shen Chen's army was pincers-attacking Xuchang from both the left and right flanks.

Moreover, the left flank was clearly a diversionary force, while the true main force lay in the east. Marching straight north from Yancheng, passing through Zhaoling and Xiqiang, one could reach Xuchang in two days' travel. This strategic intent was glaringly obvious.

Consequently, both commanders immediately moved to defend the rear. Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian had brought only two to three thousand men each, while Xiangcheng and Linying still held two to three thousand garrison troops. Leaving only one thousand men behind to guard those places, they immediately merged their forces. Instead of heading to Yancheng, they proceeded first to Xiqiang County, intending to establish defenses in advance to prevent Shen Chen from moving north.

This arrangement was actually quite sound, as Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian had to guarantee the security of Xuchang. Now that Shen Chen's main force had appeared south of Xuchang, they were obligated to secure the southern approaches to Xuchang. Moreover, with Liu Bei recently preparing to attack Xuchang in Runan, this served a dual purpose, allowing them to defend against Shen Chen and Liu Bei simultaneously.

Yet, they overlooked one crucial detail.

Namely, that Shen Chen and Liu Bei were actually acquainted, and their relationship was far from shallow.

Years ago, Shen Chen and Liu Bei had crossed paths only once in Xuzhou, which to a large extent gave Cao Cao and others the illusion that the two men were merely casual acquaintances who exchanged nods in passing.

One must remember that Chen Qun and Chen Deng were former subordinates of Liu Bei, belonging to the category of disciples and former officials, a connection presumably much deeper than that; yet, both of them were now serving Cao Cao in Cao's camp.

With Liu Bei in Runan, Chen Deng, serving as the Administrator of Guangling, had not even responded to his call.

Therefore, they had no inkling that this was a trap laid by Shen Chen. He had never once entertained the thought of attacking Xuchang; rather, his initial plan was to converge and unite with Liu Bei.

On June 30, having rested for a single day, Shen Chen's army set out once more. This time, they carried only twenty days' worth of dry rations, traveling light without even carrying camp tents. When hungry, they ate dry rations; when thirsty, they scooped up river water; when exhausted, they either slept within city walls or camped in the open wilderness.

After three days of such marching, by the early morning of July 1, he was already less than twenty li away from Dingying.

Inside Dingying city at that moment, Man Chong, who had risen not long ago, was heavy with worries. He only perfunctorily managed a few bites of breakfast before immediately settling into his office at the county yamen to process various official documents.

As the Administrator of Runan appointed by Cao Cao, he had not actually relied on Li Tong's forces during the pacification of Runan.

At the time when Yuan Shao prepared to deal with Cao Cao, responses flared up everywhere in Yanzhou, and the territory of Runan witnessed countless rebellions by the disciples and former officials of the Yuan clan, with county magistrates across the board submitting to Yuan Shao. Although Li Tong, then stationed in Yang'an, had rejected Yuan Shao's overtures, Cao Cao did not entirely trust him either.

Consequently, Man Chong had secretly guarded against Li Tong during that period, recruiting five hundred men of his own to pacify the chaotic Yuan clan disciples and former officials in the surrounding area, capturing over twenty thousand civilians and two thousand soldiers.

He settled the civilians on farmland and ordered them to cultivate the land, while the soldiers were incorporated into his own ranks.

However, these soldiers had previously belonged to the disciples and former officials of the Yuan clan; on one hand, their combat effectiveness was not particularly strong, and on the other, they represented an unstable element. Therefore, upon recently learning that Liu Bei had actually gathered a force numbering in the tens of thousands in Runan, marched his troops north, and arrived at Shangcai, he felt deeply anxious.

Fortunately, however, Cao Cao had written to him a few days prior, and he had already arranged for General Cai Yang to lead a force of three thousand men as reinforcements, who were expected to arrive in Dingying shortly. This gave him reason to hold out a little longer.

Right now, he was waiting in the Dingying county yamen for news of Cai Yang.

"Report!"

At that very moment, a soldier rushed in, entered the hall, and dropped to one knee, saying, "Prefect!"

"Has General Cai Yang arrived?"

Man Chong immediately inquired.

The soldier replied, "Liu Bei has mobilized his troops. This morning, scouts discovered abnormal movements, marching from Shangcai toward Dingying. Judging by the distance, they should arrive outside the city by this afternoon."

"What?"

Man Chong frowned, paced back and forth across the hall a few times, and then commanded, "Quickly, dispatch someone to notify General Li and have him send reinforcements."

"Understood!"

The soldier immediately went out to transmit the order.

Man Chong's expression turned grave. After a moment of deep thought, he stepped out of his residence, changed into Hu-style armor suitable for combat, and prepared to personally lead troops to the south gate to await Liu Bei's arrival.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei's grand army was no longer far from Dingying. Pingyu and Dingying were very close, roughly fifty-some kilometers apart. Two days prior, he had marched over thirty kilometers from Pingyu to Shangcai, rested there for two days, and then launched an attack on Dingying starting from Shangcai in the early morning of July 1.

The distance between Shangcai and Dingying was less than twenty kilometers; no matter how slowly they marched, they would arrive by late morning.

By the third quarter of Yu-zhong—around ten-odd minutes past ten in the morning on July 1—

At Yingyang Pavilion, ten li outside Dingying city, several cavalrymen galloped swiftly along the wide loess post road.

Liu Bei rode at the very front of the procession, with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Taishi Ci commanding the troops further back. Beside him were Zhao Yun and a young warrior.

In addition to them, his subordinates currently included Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, Shi Ren, Liu Yan, Yuan Chen, Xiahou Zuan, and others. The young warrior, named Chen Dao, had been recruited during their time in Pingyu.

Seeing the cavalry galloping toward them and unable to distinguish friend from foe for the moment, Chen Dao, serving as the captain of Liu Bei's personal guards, spurred his mount forward and shouted, "Halt!"

The approaching men were Shen Chen's cousin Shen Tao and several scout cavalrymen. Upon recognizing Chen Dao and glancing back at the fluttering banners of Liu Bei's formation—bearing distinct characters such as "Liu," "Guan," "Zhang," and "Taishi"—Shen Tao asked, "Is this the army of Lord Xuande?"

"Who are you?" Chen Dao demanded.

Shen Tao replied, "I am a subordinate of Colonel Shen under the command of the General of the Chariots and Cavalry, and I have come specifically to pay my respects to Lord Xuande."

"Let them through."

Liu Bei had naturally heard these words and promptly signaled Chen Dao not to obstruct them.

Approaching close, Shen Tao dismounted from his saddle. Catching sight of Liu Bei—the man who had rescued Huangmen Pavilion years ago—his eyes welled up with hot tears. He dropped to one knee and said, "Lord Xuande, it has been many years. Have you been well?"

"You are?"

Liu Bei looked at him with suspicious perplexity, finding him somewhat familiar; but after all, they had met only once, and the impression was not deeply etched in his memory.

Shen Tao explained, "I am Shen Tao, the older paternal cousin of A-chen. In those days, my parents and younger brother were mistakenly targeted by Cao Ren as A-chen's family and brutally murdered. Had it not been for the righteous assistance of Lord Xuande, the over one thousand members of our clan in Huangmen Pavilion would likely have perished long ago."

"So it was you."

Liu Bei sighed, saying, "That was purely a matter of coincidence back then. Had our boat not been damaged, I would not have saved the young master scholar and your clansmen either. Any benevolent person would not have stood idly by in such a situation."

Shen Tao wiped away his tears and said, "Your righteousness is something our entire clan holds engraved in our hearts. A-chen is currently waiting for you in Dingying; please follow me."

"Let's move!"

Liu Bei waved his hand, and the grand army marched north in an imposing procession.

At this time, Shen Chen's army was also less than ten li away from Dingying. He instructed Gan Ning to lead the soldiers forward while he himself, accompanied by Deng Zhao and a few trusted mounted guards, rode like the wind toward the south.

When he reached a pavilion located roughly one li east of Dingying city, he could already see from afar a dense mass of an army advancing northward from the south.

Riding on horseback, with the morning sun just rising, anyone looking at him from south to north would only be able to discern a hazy silhouette.

Several mounted guards stood firmly upon a high ridge before the pavilion, surrounded by villages and farmland. Many commoners remained outside the city walls because they had heard the rumor that this was the army of Lord Liu.

Having served as the Governor of Yanzhou for several years, Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence had always endured. Thus, when he began recruiting troops, he swiftly gathered a considerable force, while numerous renowned figures came to offer their allegiance, causing the local populace to refrain from fleeing.

At this moment, watching from afar at the edge of the road, that familiar, broad-shouldered figure grew closer and closer, slowly coming directly into his view.

"Young master scholar,"

The man looked at him with a smile, speaking in a gentle and soft voice, "You have grown taller, and you have grown up!"

"Brother Shen!"

"Mmm!"

Shen Changqing walked along the path, encountering familiar faces along the way, exchanging greetings or nods with one another.

Yet regardless of who it was,

Not a single person wore any superfluous expression on their face, as though they remained entirely indifferent to everything around them.

To this,

Shen Changqing had long since grown accustomed.

For this place was the Town Demon Division, an institution dedicated to maintaining stability in the Great Qin Empire, whose primary responsibility was the slaying of malevolent demons and strange monsters, alongside a few other auxiliary operations.

It could be said that

Every single person within the Town Demon Division had their hands stained with copious amounts of blood.

When a person grew accustomed to witnessing life and death, their attitude toward many things inevitably turned cold and detached.

When he had first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing found it somewhat difficult to adapt, but over time, he grew used to it.

The Town Demon Division was vast.

Those permitted to remain within the Town Demon Division were either powerful martial experts of formidable strength or individuals possessing the potential to become such experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

Within the division, roles were fundamentally divided into two distinct professions: Town Protectors and Demon Slayers.

Anyone who entered the Town Demon Division started from the lowest tier as a probationary Demon Slayer,

Before stepping upward rank by rank, ultimately aspiring to become a Town Protector.

Shen Changqing's predecessor had been a probationary Demon Slayer within the Town Demon Division, representing the lowest rung among the Demon Slayers.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor,

He was thoroughly familiar with the environment of the Town Demon Division.

Without taking too much time, Shen Changqing halted before a multi-storied pavilion.

Unlike other areas of the Town Demon Division that radiated a chilling aura of stern suppression, this particular pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, presenting a different kind of tranquility amidst the blood-soaked division.

At that moment, the pavilion doors stood wide open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing merely hesitated for a brief moment before stepping across the threshold and walking inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

The atmosphere abruptly shifted.

A fragrance of ink mingled with a faint, underlying scent of blood washed over him, causing his brow to twitch instinctively before smoothing out again.

The trace of blood clinging to everyone in the Town Demon Division was practically impossible to wash away entirely.