121 A Trial of Strength

At the outset of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the insurgents burned government offices, slaughtered officials, and pillaged everywhere. Within a month, war had erupted across twenty-eight commanderies in seven provinces. The Yellow Turban army advanced with irresistible force, causing commanderies to fall and officials to flee, sending shockwaves through the capital.

Emperor Ling of Han appointed He Jin as General-in-Chief, commanding the five divisions of the Yulin Imperial Guards to encamp at the capital’s gates. He was ordered to organize armaments and defend the capital, while also securing key passes such as Hangu, Dagu, Guangcheng, Yique, Huanyuan, Xuanmen, Mengjin, and Xiaopingjin. Simultaneously, Lu Zhi was ordered to lead his deputy Zong Yuan and the Northern Army’s five elite regiments to the northern front to engage the main forces of Zhang Jiao. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were each assigned a division, commanding a combined force of over forty thousand—comprising the five regiments, the cavalry of the Three Rivers, and newly recruited brave warriors—to suppress the Yellow Turbans in the Yingchuan region.

Unfortunately, the opening battle went poorly. Zhu Jun’s army was defeated by the Yellow Turban leader Bo Cai and retreated to Changshe, where they joined forces with Huangfu Song to fortify their position. The rebels seized the momentum, launching an assault and tightly encircling Changshe.

The Church’s main army marched day and night from Jinan to reach the vicinity. Upon learning of the situation, they established a camp a hundred miles from Changshe. The officers gathered in the main tent, anxious and struggling to devise a strategy. "The rebels have hundreds of thousands of troops, far outnumbering us. How are we supposed to fight this battle?"

Luan Yi had expected Zhang Fei to shout, "Give me three thousand men, and I will wring that rebel leader's head off for our fourth brother to use as a soccer ball!" Instead, he was surprised to see the rugged Zhang Fei fretting over the sheer numbers of the enemy. Luan Yi couldn't help but chuckle.

Hearing the laughter, Zhang Fei’s eyes lit up. "Fourth brother, why do you laugh? Do you have a plan to deal with them?"

"Not yet."

"Sigh..." Zhang Fei’s ox-like eyes widened. He didn't dwell on why Luan Yi was laughing but began pacing back and forth in the tent.

"Good heavens! Brother Yide, just be still for a moment! Sit down and clear your head. You pacing back and forth is making me dizzy; I can't think of any plans. Even if I had one, you’d shake it right out of my head!" Xu Chu rolled his eyes, complaining.

"Sigh!" With another long sigh, Zhang Fei plopped back into his seat.

Luan Yi turned to Xu Shu. "Brother Fu, do you have a clever plan?"

Xu Shu pondered for a moment and said, "The Art of War states that if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. To find a way to break the enemy, we must first assess our respective strengths and weaknesses."

"That makes sense. Please, continue." Luan Yi crossed his fingers, his thumbs circling each other.

Xu Shu glanced at Luan Yi’s hand gestures and smiled, thinking, *Brother Yi, you still haven't changed that childhood habit.* "First, let us look at the rebels. They have a massive force, claiming three hundred thousand. While that is just a claim, they likely have over a hundred thousand able-bodied combatants, which is still far more than our force. They are many and we are few—that is the first point."

Zhang Fei asked impatiently, "And the second?"

"Right General of the Household Zhu Gongwei is a man of great military achievements and is highly skilled at leading troops. Yet, even a man of his caliber was defeated in his first encounter with the rebels. It is said he was lured deep into enemy territory and trapped. This shows that the rebels besieging Changshe are not the usual disorganized rabble like Zhu Ying or Xiang Jun. Their commander understands strategy. That is the second point. Third, the rebels are besieging the city in open terrain. With the autumn harvest approaching, the fields are filled with crops; they have ample food to sustain a long campaign. Fourth, scouts report that the rebel commander Bo Cai has many brave subordinates, and his lead general Peng Tuo possesses the strength of a thousand men. Recently, he has cut down several of our officers beneath the walls of Changshe, which has caused..."

Before Xu Shu could finish, Guan Yu, who had been squinting, suddenly opened his eyes and let out a cold snort, startling Xu Shu.

Zhang Fei jumped to his feet, strode over to Xu Shu with a voice like a booming bell, and shouted, "Military Advisor, why do you puff up the enemy and diminish our own spirit? When it comes to killing in battle, who have our four brothers ever feared? Not to mention Zilong, Zhongkang, and Ziyi—all of them are valiant! That nameless rat Peng Tuo is nothing in our eyes. If he dares to show his face, I’ll run my spear through his bird-brained head!"

Luan Yi smiled and waved his hand. "In that regard, the rebels have no advantage. The world’s greatest tiger-generals are right here in this tent. That is our greatest advantage."

Hearing this, Zhang Fei backed down, returning to his seat with a triumphant look, glancing at Luan Yi as if to say, *Fourth brother knows me best.*

Guan Yu closed his eyes again, stroking his long beard with a smile.

"Very well! Brother Fu has laid out the rebels' strengths. Let me now speak of their weaknesses!" Luan Yi stood up and began pacing the center of the tent. "The rebels' greatest weakness is... their numbers!"

The statement caused a stir. "Didn't you just say their numbers were an advantage? How can they be a disadvantage now?" "Yes, exactly!"

Only Xu Shu nodded with a smile.

"Everyone, be quiet. Listen to what I have to say." Luan Yi recalled many historical battles where the few defeated the many. *Why?*

The answer was simple. In ancient times, communication was primitive. Orders between units were passed by messengers, which took time. The larger the army, the more complex the organization, and the longer the time required for information to travel. The two were directly proportional.

Low communication efficiency led to a lack of coordination, difficulty in enforcing orders, and chaos in management. In such a state, it is easy for an enemy to spot flaws and use elite forces to shatter their ranks. This is precisely why the few can defeat the many.

Luan Yi explained this concept to the group, omitting references to battles that had not yet occurred. The others were enlightened. Zhao Yun nodded in approval. "The Master's logic is sound."

Luan Yi added, "The rebel army is large but not refined. Our army is small, but each man is a warrior, equipped with the best gear."

On this point, no one disagreed.

Luan Yi sighed. "That is all I can think of for now. Their numbers are both their advantage and their weakness. We must wait for a fleeting opening. Only then can we formulate a plan."

"Bah! All that talk and nothing to show for it!" Zhang Fei sighed, covering his face.

Just then, as the sky grew dark, an attendant entered and placed candlesticks at the corners of the tent, lighting them one by one.

*Click... click...*

Luan Yi suddenly froze. A spark of inspiration flashed in his mind, though he couldn't quite grasp it.

*Click... click... poof...* The lamps flared, casting a star-like glow in the tent.

"Light? No... it's fire... fire?" Luan Yi slapped his forehead, cursing himself for forgetting. In history, Huangfu Song used fire to defeat Bo Cai’s army at Changshe.

*How did he do it?* Right, Bo Cai had camped in the wrong place.

There was tall, withered grass around the rebel camp, and with the severe drought, the fields were tinder. Huangfu Song had seized this, launching a night raid and setting the camp ablaze.

Seeing Luan Yi stop his pacing and smile, Xu Shu knew he had a plan. "Brother Yi, have you devised a scheme?"

Luan Yi nodded. "We can use fire!" He explained the situation regarding the dry grass.

"Wait, how did you know the rebel camp was built on withered grass?"

Xu Shu’s question caught Luan Yi off guard. He panicked internally: *I know because I read about it in a book!* "Didn't the scouts report it just now?"

"Did they?" Xu Shu pondered, looking around. The others shook their heads, having no memory of such a report.

Dian Wei, sitting nearby, glanced at Luan Yi and saw his awkwardness. He assumed that Luan Yi had received this intelligence from a divine source and was forbidden from revealing its origin. Being a devout believer, Dian Wei stepped in to save him. "I vaguely remember the scout mentioning it. Third brother, do you recall?"

Zhang Fei, who rarely paid attention, simply followed suit. "I think I remember that brother mentioning it, too."

"See?" Luan Yi seized the opening. "It was mentioned, definitely."

"Hmm? Could I have misremembered?" Xu Shu was puzzled but eventually accepted it. "I suppose I was distracted. My apologies, Brother Yi!"

"Enough of that. When do we set the fire? Tomorrow? Or the day after?" Zhang Fei was eager.

Seeing the high morale of his officers, Luan Yi was relieved. With such spirit, victory was certain. However, he knew it wasn't the time just yet. "Neither tomorrow nor the day after."

"Why not?" Xu Chu asked, confused. "If we have a plan, why not act?"

"That is a long story!"