Chapter 47: The Battle for Xinye

In the battle at the gates of Xinye, Cao Xin and a hundred Langya cavalrymen shook Xiangfan with their valor, successfully dampening the momentum of the Jingzhou army. The cost, however, was heavy: Cao Xin took three arrows, five Langya riders fell, twenty were seriously wounded, and the rest, all bearing injuries, were in no condition to fight again soon.

During the days spent tending to their wounds, the Jingzhou forces did not relent in their assault on Xinye.

On the third day, Jingzhou troops launched a fierce three-pronged attack. The fighting lasted a whole day; the defenders of Xinye suffered a thousand casualties, while Jingzhou left over three thousand corpses beneath the walls.

On the fifth day, Jingzhou mounted a second furious assault on the city’s ramparts. After half a day of brutal combat, nearly a thousand more defenders fell, and the attackers lost at least four thousand men.

On the tenth day, Jingzhou laid siege for a third time. Wen Pin led three thousand elite troops in a direct assault on the battlements, hoping to take the city in one decisive strike. Liao Hua, Zhang Baiji, Wei Yan, and others met him atop the walls.

In the midst of this raging battle, eight prominent families within Xinye suddenly rebelled. In collusion with the Jingzhou army, they opened the north gate, attempting to let the enemy pour into the city.

Fortunately, Langya sentries discovered the plot in time and alerted Cao Xin.

Wounded but resolute, Cao Xin took the field with Dian Wei and over a hundred guards, engaged the rebels in bloody street fighting for half an hour, and slaughtered more than a thousand insurgents, successfully repelling the invading Jingzhou soldiers.

Afterward, the Cao army seized over three hundred thousand strings of cash, valuables, and grain from the eight treacherous households—a considerable windfall.

On the seventh night, Yu Du and Bai Feng led five hundred elite Langya infantry on a stealth raid into the enemy camp, aided by sentries. But, as fate would have it, Wen Pin himself was on guard duty that night. The two sides clashed for more than half an hour; the Langya infantry was encircled.

Upon receiving the news, Cao Xin, wounded yet again, led several dozen guards and three hundred Langya infantry out to rescue them.

Pei Yuanshao set fires within the Jingzhou camp to further the chaos.

Thanks to these measures, the Langya infantry barely made it back to the city, though they lost over two hundred men—the night raid had failed.

After days of brutal fighting, the Jingzhou army had lost more than twenty thousand men; Cao Xin’s forces were reduced by over four thousand—more than half their number. The situation in Xinye was growing dire.

“General, should we not consider withdrawing?” In the front hall of the Xinye county office, Yi Ji fanned himself as he spoke.

Cao Xin shot him a glance and scratched the scars on his body. “Ji Bo, you said perseverance is victory, that if we hold out for half a month, the Jingzhou army will retreat. Why are you now suggesting we pull back?”

Yi Ji sighed, “General, I did not anticipate the ferocity of Jingzhou’s attacks. Wen Pin truly lives up to his reputation as a formidable commander.”

“Haha, so you’re growing fond of Wen Pin now, are you, Ji Bo?” Cao Xin laughed heartily, glancing at the others present. Li Yan, Liao Hua, Zhang Baiji, and Wei Yan were here; Yu Du, Bai Feng, and a few others were still recovering from their wounds and absent from the council.

“Zhengfang, what are your opinions?” he asked the four.

“General!” Li Yan considered for a moment, then replied, “Ji Bo’s words are reasonable, but retreating now would be premature. After half a month of war, not only are our forces in a tough spot, but Jingzhou’s are in an even worse predicament. They’ve lost nearly twenty thousand men, their logistics and provisions must be stretched thin. At this stage, it’s a matter of which side can hold out longer. I advise we persevere another five days. If Jingzhou has not retreated by then, we can plan our withdrawal without haste.”

“General!” Wei Yan saluted with a fist to his chest. “I agree with Li Gongcao. Though our losses are heavy, our supplies are ample and the troops’ morale remains high. The Jingzhou army, after repeated setbacks and severe casualties in their assaults, is demoralized. The recent sweltering heat has further sapped their will to fight. In my judgment, their strength is spent; one more defeat and they will surely withdraw.”

Cao Xin nodded—Wei Yan spoke with sound logic.

On the battlefield, morale is a decisive factor. A thousand high-spirited soldiers can often outperform ten thousand dispirited ones.

Though Xinye’s defenders had lost over half their number, they had food, rest, and repeated victories to raise their spirits—not to mention a formidable general commanding them. Confidence in battle was high.

In contrast, the Jingzhou army had lost nearly twenty thousand men under oppressive heat, and their morale was battered still further by Cao Xin’s taunts from the city walls. Once an army’s will is broken, not even a famous general like Wen Pin or a seasoned strategist like Kuai Yue could drive them to fight.

Still, there were disadvantages. The greatest was that Xinye’s defenders were too few—only four thousand, barely enough to man the walls. Should Jingzhou launch two more desperate assaults, the defenders would be hard-pressed to hold.

“Yuanshao, is Jingzhou’s garrison in the Jinyang area still there?” Cao Xin asked Pei Yuanshao. Previously, to force Jingzhou to split its forces, Cao Xin had ordered Cao Chun to feign a southern advance, prompting Jingzhou to dispatch Captain Deng Long with five thousand men to guard the area near Tongbai Mountains.

“Our scouts report that Deng Long is still there. However, Cao Chun and Li Dayan have repeatedly requested to reinforce the south and say they can bypass Deng Long’s troops,” Pei Yuanshao replied.

“Very well. Order them to move south. Wan City has Xiahou Shang with four thousand, and Li Tong and Wu Ba with eight thousand more—that’s enough to hold the city.”

“Yes, General!”

“And send a letter to Zhang Xiu, persuading him to abandon his misguided path and come over to the light. Otherwise, when I defeat the Jingzhou army, I’ll deal with him personally.”

“Yes, General!” Pei Yuanshao saluted and left the hall.

Just then, the sound of horns blared outside—the Jingzhou army was launching another assault.

Cao Xin immediately led his men up to the city walls.

It was the height of summer, sweltering hot. Below the ramparts, tens of thousands of Jingzhou soldiers, carrying ladders and pushing siege engines, surged toward the walls and gates of Xinye, their numbers dense as swarming ants.

As the attackers reached the base of the walls, defenders unleashed arrows, hurled stones, poured limewater, and scalding oil upon them. The battle was brutal and unrelenting.

Though hardened by war, even Cao Xin found himself growing weary of such slaughter.

“Kill!” With too many attackers and too few defenders, the walls could not be fully manned. Soon, Jingzhou’s vanguard climbed up and engaged in vicious hand-to-hand combat.

Cao Xin himself fought atop the ramparts, wielding his iron spear.

The last sortie had left him with three arrow wounds to his leg and shoulder as he covered the Langya cavalry’s retreat. Before he could recover, the rebellion forced him back into battle.

Hoping to heal faster, he invested his earned attribute points into Constitutions—each point sped up his recovery by ten percent and strengthened his body.

After some days of rest, his wounds were mostly healed, and he could fight in the defense without much issue.

“Kill!” Cao Xin and his men held the walls for half a day.

From noon until nightfall, the Jingzhou army finally sounded the retreat.

The fourth assault was over.

Xinye’s defenders lost nearly a thousand men; Jingzhou’s losses exceeded four thousand. Corpses littered the field and the carnage was unspeakable.

Cao Xin sighed, gazing at the endless Jingzhou encampments in the distance. Two more such battles and Xinye would be lost. How much longer could Jingzhou last?

“General!” Wei Yan strode up, saluting. “The Jingzhou forces are utterly demoralized, their resolve shaken. I request permission to lead a night raid on their camp—I am certain we can break them in one blow.”

“That would be unwise!” Yi Ji objected. “We have fewer than four thousand defenders left; we cannot afford another setback. Moreover, Wen Pin is a seasoned commander—if he guards the camp himself, you would never return.”

Cao Xin considered this. “Wenchang, how many men in the Bloodclad Battalion are still combat-ready?”

“Nearly a thousand!” Wei Yan replied.

“Rest for now. If Jingzhou suffers one more defeat, I’ll accompany you on the raid myself.”

“Yes, General!” Wei Yan saluted and withdrew.

Yi Ji watched Wei Yan go and hesitated. “General, Wei Wenchang is courageous and shrewd—a fine officer. But he is too young and rash, and he is harsh with the men. If you wish to nurture him, you should offer him guidance.”

“You speak true, Ji Bo. I will,” Cao Xin replied with a nod and a smile.

Of his three new subordinates—Li Yan, Yi Ji, and Wei Yan—each had strengths and weaknesses.

Wei Yan was brave and capable, but impatient and prone to cunning stratagems.

Yi Ji, long of Jingzhou, was learned and well-connected, but his knowledge was broad rather than deep, and he was somewhat rigid, always urging others to emulate ancient worthies and to be diligent scholars—much as he had tried to persuade old Cao to act as Duke of Zhou or Duke of Shao, which could be rather vexing.

Li Yan had served as an official for many years and was adept at both military and civil affairs—a minor version of Zhuge Liang, though more slippery and pragmatic.

Still, these flaws did not overshadow their virtues; all three were decent men who, if used well, would be of great help in the future.

As he gazed toward the distant Jingzhou camp, something suddenly fell from the sky onto his armor—warm and sticky, like blood splattered in battle.

“It’s... it’s raining! General, it’s raining!” Yi Ji cried out, shaking Cao Xin’s arm in excitement.

Cao Xin stretched out his hand. Raindrops pattered down, growing heavier and more frequent, washing the blood from his helmet and armor.

“It’s raining! It’s raining!” The soldiers on the walls erupted in shouts of joy. In the heat of summer, nothing was more welcome—a good rain meant a good night’s sleep for the defenders of Xinye.

For the Jingzhou soldiers, however, the downpour was a disaster. Rain would flood the tents, soak bedding, and worsen the wounds of the injured.

“Ji Bo, Zhengfang, what do you think Wen Pin and Kuai Yue will do now?” Cao Xin asked with a smile.

Before the rain, the pressure was on his side; after, it shifted to Jingzhou.

“General, do not celebrate too soon. In Xinye, July and August often bring thunderstorms, but such rain may not last long,” Yi Ji cautioned.

Cao Xin’s smile faded.

“General, I believe the Jingzhou army will retreat,” Li Yan said, gazing out at the downpour beyond the ramparts. “After so many days of fighting, they are exhausted and demoralized. Wen Pin, being a great commander, surely knows this. But, constrained by Liu Biao’s orders and Kuai Yue’s oversight, he cannot openly call for a retreat. This rain gives him the perfect excuse. If it lasts through the night, I am certain Jingzhou will withdraw by morning.”

“So, whether we fight or not is up to the heavens?” Cao Xin laughed.

“Indeed,” Li Yan and Yi Ji echoed with a smile.

The rain in Xinye continued for five days—torrential downpours lasting more than two hours each day, causing all the nearby rivers to rise.

On the third day, Jingzhou broke camp and retreated. Cao Xin, leading eighty Langya cavalry, and Zhang Baiji with six hundred light horsemen, routed Wen Pin’s rearguard twenty miles west of Huyang, capturing more than six thousand Jingzhou wounded and stragglers.

Yu Du led five hundred Langya infantry, and Wei Yan with a thousand Bloodclad Battalion soldiers took Huyang, capturing over four thousand more.

On the fifth day, Cao Xin and Zhang Baiji led the cavalry north, joined forces with Cao Chun and Li Dayan, and defeated Deng Long’s five thousand Jingzhou troops, taking over four thousand prisoners.

By the seventh day, Cao Xin marched on Caiyang and Zaoyang.

In the name of the Nanyang Prefect, he reclaimed these cities—their magistrates and defenders surrendered without a fight.

Thus, of the twenty-six counties in Nanyang Commandery, all but Rangcheng were now under his control.