Chapter Twenty-Five: The Rushing Current

"Travel ten thousand miles, surpass a thousand leagues! Brothers, follow me, charge!"

Kou Qianzhi roared, his cloak snapping in the wind. In a flash, he was upon a Grass Army commander. Before the man could react, Kou’s blade, *Moon in the Well*, swept out like a paper-cutter. Blood gushed from the officer’s neck like a spring, and his armored body crashed to the ground, dead before he hit the earth.

Having slain an officer with a single stroke, Kou Qianzhi’s momentum remained fierce as he pivoted toward Meng Kai, who had been carving a path of destruction through the ranks.

Seeing Kou slay his subordinate, Meng Kai flew into a rage. His massive battle-axe swung down with the force of a mountain-cleaving giant, the blade whistling with a terrifying, crushing power.

But Kou Qianzhi arrived on horseback, his spirit at its peak, while Meng Kai, having been fighting for some time, was already showing signs of fatigue. A faint yellow glow emanated from *Moon in the Well*. Kou caught the axe-blow, skillfully diverting the kinetic energy into the ground through his own body, before flipping his blade to launch a counter-strike, his movements echoing the profound principles of the *I Ching*.

As the *Book of Changes* says: "When the shock comes, it brings fear; yet the sage speaks and laughs, calm and composed. Though the shock may shake a hundred miles, the sage remains in the ancestral temple, neither losing the sacrificial vessels nor, in the midst of a campaign, losing heart or abandoning his supplies."

Kou’s movements were fluid, as smooth as water. The rebounding force of his strike forced Meng Kai to retreat several steps, while Kou remained smiling and composed. In just two moves, he had slain one officer and forced back the seemingly unstoppable Meng Kai, shattering his momentum.

"Victory! Victory! Commander Kou is victorious!"

The Taining Army erupted in thunderous cheers. The Twenty-Eight Stars of the Nebula dismounted, fighting like wolves and tigers, heads rolling as they instantly reversed the Taining Army’s defeat.

The term "an army of ten thousand" is often merely a literary exaggeration. No matter how powerful a general, they cannot defeat an entire army alone; they would exhaust themselves long before the end. However, humans are driven by excitement and fear, and the morale of an army can be manipulated by a formidable commander. Kou Qianzhi, relying on the vigor of his arrival, had slain an officer and repelled Meng Kai. While not necessarily stronger than Meng Kai, the effect on morale was decisive.

*Great warriors do not rely solely on martial arts; they use intelligence and leverage. Famous generals like Kou Qianzhi understand the human heart. The magic of language, the rhythm of combat, and the contagion of emotion—all are keys to mobilizing morale and deciding victory or defeat.*

Zhu Wen silently assessed the situation. Kou Qianzhi’s performance had instantly shifted the morale of both sides, leaving the Grass Army in a precarious position.

From the rear of the Grass Army, a dark shadow drifted forward.

"It seems it is time for me to act."

The man removed his woven bamboo hat, revealing the face of a middle-aged man, refined and elegant, like a humble scholar. But when the Grass Army soldiers saw him, they froze, then burst into ecstatic cheers!

It was Liu Yanzhang, the vice-leader of the Zhenyi League.

As the second-in-command to the world’s greatest warrior, Wang Xianzhi, Liu Yanzhang’s martial prowess was not to be underestimated. He was a man capable of holding his own even against the "Snow Commander" Qi Ke-rang. Though his gentle nature made him less bloodthirsty than a fierce warrior like Meng Kai, his skill surpassed that of the young firebrand. With Liu Yanzhang here, who would fear Kou Qianzhi?

Zhu Wen had gone to great lengths to prepare this hidden card. He had arranged for Wang Xianzhi to challenge the Song Wei camp daily, with Liu Yanzhang supposedly in tow. In reality, Liu had long been replaced by a body double. Because Liu was low-key, his presence was always overshadowed by Wang, ensuring the enemy never realized he had secretly left the camp.

Yet, being low-key did not mean lacking authority. As the vice-leader of the Zhenyi League, the head of the six major factions, Liu was a master of the martial world’s affairs—a man of deep wisdom and high prestige. Though Zhu Wen was a direct disciple of Huang Chao, his youth and lack of seniority made him rely on Liu not just as a trump card, but to bolster his own authority and pressure.

"I am the deputy to Leader Wang. Having come to the Salt Commander’s camp as an allied guest, regardless of my status in the martial world, I shall follow the orders of young Commander Zhu," Liu Yanzhang said with a graceful smile. "However, with a formidable foe before us, I must take the field."

This statement offered Zhu Wen great face and support while demonstrating his own strength—a masterful display of tact.

"Vice-Leader Liu is truly righteous; we admire your dedication to the greater cause," said Lin Yan, nephew of Huang Chao.

"Our two sides have united to raise an army of righteousness, to punish the tyrant and follow the will of the heavens—why distinguish between us?" Liu Yanzhang smiled, drawing his long sword. He pointed it toward Kou Qianzhi. His movements were seasoned and seemingly plain, yet carried a hidden power that struck the heart. He was a master, indeed.

Just then, a deep rumble shook the earth.

"It is time," Kou Qianzhi said to himself, looking up at the sky.

"What is happening? An earthquake?" The Grass Army soldiers murmured in confusion.

"No, the sound is coming from the North Bian River direction. Could it be..." Ban Fan-lang, Meng Kai’s deputy, exclaimed, "But Commander Huang has already led the main force out to pin down Qi Ke-rang. Qi should be retreating to save his base!"

"Exactly. The levee has been breached," Zhu Wen’s face turned pale. Though shrewd, he was young and impulsive, unable to mask his emotions like an old fox. "Qi Ke-rang could have breached the levee earlier, but he delayed to drain our strength through the construction work. He planned to trigger the flood only on the eve of the camp raid."

Zhu Wen continued, "Before Qi retreated from the construction site, he weakened the levee to a critical point. It collapsed under the water pressure shortly after he left, unleashing the flood!"

Lin Yan asked anxiously, "Then the soldiers in the tunnels..."

Zhu Wen sighed. The rushing water would not submerge the main camp of Yan Wang City, but it would flood the tunnels. The soldiers who hadn’t yet emerged would perish in the dark, buried by the torrent.

He had promised that a preemptive strike would dismantle Qi Ke-rang’s plans, but he had miscalculated. The soldiers who trusted him would die in the darkness. Fortunately, the Grass Army moved quickly; most had already escaped, so the losses were not catastrophic. But those bringing up the rear were doomed, and the flood severed their path back to the camp, threatening to shake the morale of the army.

"Vice-Leader Liu, I will face Kou Qianzhi myself! Please, handle the Twenty-Eight Stars of the Nebula!" Zhu Wen’s eyes burned with sharp intent as he gripped his blade, the *Xia Longque*. He plunged toward Kou Qianzhi, his blade singing with fury.

"You look like you want to kill me," Kou Qianzhi said calmly.

"Naturally!" Zhu Wen shouted.

"I helped plan Qi’s strategy. Their deaths are on my hands," Kou replied, unmoved. "Huang Chao trusts a young man like you with such an important mission—you must be the one who saw through our plans. It would be a pity if such talent died here today."

"Whether you live or die, we shall see in battle!" Zhu Wen roared, his blade flashing toward Kou’s chest.

Kou parried with *Moon in the Well*. "If you grieve for those who died, what of the imperial soldiers who died by your hands? They, too, had wives and children. Are they not human? On the battlefield, one must be prepared to die."

"You are right," Zhu Wen attacked again, his blade like crashing tides. "I hate only that I miscalculated by one step, causing those men to die for me. But you are a renowned commander. If I slay you here, I can turn the tide and shake the very foundations of the Tang. I have every reason to kill you!"

"War is nothing but endless slaughter," Kou said, turning defense into offense, his blade sweeping down. "I do not wish to label you a bandit, but since your uprising, you have only brought more death. What is the meaning of this? Those farmers who followed you—for whom did they die?"

"The court is corrupt, taxes are cruel, and the people cannot live! Is that not reason enough to rebel?" Zhu Wen blocked the blow, shouting, "We rise to sweep away all injustice!"

"But in building your army, you only exacerbate the conflict, creating more injustice. Those who rise as rebels are often outlaws; how many innocents have they bullied?" Kou sighed. "The world is full of suffering; things are not as simple as a young man like you imagines."

"You are right. There are those in our ranks who bully the weak," Zhu Wen admitted. "But who made them this way? Tax collectors forcing widows to hang themselves; soldiers acting like bandits, burning farms; warlords like Dong Zhuo stripping the land to the bone; officials drowning in luxury while the people have no place to stand! If the commoners have no home, how can the Tang have a country? If the court is clear, who would take up arms?"

Zhu Wen’s eyes flashed with intensity. "You are high and mighty, Commander Kou—clean, honest, and hardworking. But your 'self-cultivation' while watching the world burn is no different from a hypocrite! It is you loyalists, knowing the court is dark yet staying foolishly loyal, who are the true culprits! You are just as worthy of death as the tyrants!"

"Well said," Kou Qianzhi smiled, his blade striking like a viper. "Hearing you, I almost feel I deserve to die. But if you win the empire through slaughter and trickery, do you truly think you can build a new era? Once you have dirtied your hands, how can you keep your heart clean?"

"Cao Cao was once a hot-blooded youth like you, punishing tyrants," Zhu Wen replied, spinning away to deliver a thunderous strike. "I do not expect to convince you. But the people’s resentment has reached its limit. Do not expect them to remain as indifferent as stone forever. Since there is so much injustice, why not gamble our lives and make a grand splash? Look, my soldiers are filled with the will to die. That is enough for me!"

A massive momentum erupted from the *Xia Longque*. Kou glanced around to see the Grass Army soldiers, emboldened by Zhu Wen’s words, their faces alight with fanatical resolve.

Nearby, Liu Yanzhang’s sword moved like a willow in the wind—soft, yet deadly as a serpent. Within moments, he had slain two of the Twenty-Eight Stars. Kou Qianzhi was a master of foot combat, but his elite riders were less adept on the ground. Caught off guard by Liu’s ghostly, inescapable swordplay, they suffered heavy losses.

The Twenty-Eight Stars of the Nebula rarely suffered casualties, yet today, two had fallen.

Kou Qianzhi, previously dominant, now found himself in a stalemate against the less-skilled Zhu Wen, further boosting the Grass Army’s morale. The flooding of the tunnels had not crushed their spirit; it had united them in shared hatred.

*Heaven’s timing is not as good as earthly advantages, and earthly advantages are not as good as human unity. War is, at its heart, the battle for the human heart.*

Kou Qianzhi’s eyes flickered with reluctance. Just then, a rider galloped up, shouting, "Commander! Bad news! Commander Qi is losing his battle against Huang Chao and is forced to retreat toward Song Wei’s direction. He cannot save the camp. Please, organize a withdrawal!"

Zhu Wen laughed. "Commander Kou, you cannot even convince yourself, let alone me. You have lost completely. The people’s eyes are Heaven’s eyes; the people’s ears are Heaven’s ears. If you survive this, stop resisting the will of the people for the sake of the Li family, or you will perish!"

His laughter was filled with absolute confidence.

Kou Qianzhi’s expression finally changed, but he regained his composure instantly. He retreated, breaking away from Zhu Wen’s blade, and blew a horn to signal his command: "Victory does not breed pride, and defeat does not breed despair! Taining soldiers, withdraw with me!"

The Taining officers formed their ranks with perfect order, retreating from the camp in disciplined silence. A true master of war, he remained as calm as if the mountain were collapsing before him. Finding no opening in Kou’s disciplined formation, Zhu Wen could only trail behind, allowing them to retreat.