Chapter Ninety-One: A Decisive Victory

Meng Di led his cavalry a good distance onward. When he saw the waters beginning to slacken, he ordered the horsemen to halt and rest for a while, giving the mounts time to recover their strength. Glancing up at the sky, he saw that it was already well past midday, and a faint smile curved his lips.

“Indeed worthy of Gongshu Ban. This time, the Qi army is finished. All of you, prepare for battle.”

At his side, Han Zhan was brimming with excitement, waving the saber in his hand.

“Once those war chariots have gone into the water, they are as good as useless. My lord’s calculations are truly remarkable.”

Meng Di understood very well, however, that he had merely used the cavalry’s great mobility to lure the Qi army into the ambush. His true target now was the portion of the Qi force that had escaped the flood.

The deluge had split the Qi army in two, severing the vanguard from the rear. Now, with the enemy in utter confusion, it was the perfect moment to enlarge the victory. At his command, three thousand cavalry thundered straight toward the Qi ranks.

By then the Qi formation had already fallen into disorder. Some war chariots even collided one after another, blocking the road entirely. There were foot soldiers who had been accidentally wounded, and some who had lost their lives outright. Cries and screams rose without end.

Pan Yi stood on his chariot, his eyes nearly bursting from his head. His body swayed and lurched, and then he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“You shameless brat. To defeat me with such a trick—how am I supposed to explain this to the minister when I return?”

Then darkness flooded his vision, and Pan Yi toppled over.

With even the commander in this state, where could the Qi army find any will to fight? The loss of their general meant certain death upon return, and many soldiers surged instinctively toward Pan Yi’s position.

Just then, Meng Di’s cavalry had already arrived. Seeing Pan Yi’s banner, he pointed with one hand, and the entire cavalry formation became a single sharp blade, charging directly in.

Had there been anyone giving orders at that moment, this cavalry might still have been checked. Unfortunately, the Qi army was in complete chaos, each man fighting for himself, and under such circumstances the chariots could not play any meaningful role at all.

They could only watch helplessly as Meng Di rode up to Pan Yi’s chariot and shouted at the top of his voice:

“Pan Yi has been captured alive! Those who surrender will be spared!”

With that, he raised the saber in his hand and brought it down upon the commander’s banner. The pole snapped cleanly in two.

At the sight of this, the Qi soldiers lost all appetite for battle. Those nearest dropped their weapons, while those farther away seized the chance to flee.

Meng Di was in high spirits as well. He had not expected to net such a great prize this time. He immediately secured the prisoners, counted the spoils on the field, and gathered up the wounded as well, bringing them all back to Mengyi.

It must be understood that when a commander is captured, the enemy may ransom him back. That too would be a substantial source of income.

In the city of Qufu, Yang Hu stared at the military officer before him in utter disbelief.

“What did you say? Meng Di, with only three thousand men, utterly defeated the Qi army and even captured their commander, Pan Yi?”

The officer nodded firmly.

“It is exactly as reported. Even after receiving the news, I could not believe it, so I went to the battlefield myself and sent men to Fei City to confirm it. We learned that Pan Yi is indeed now in the city.”

After drawing a long breath, Yang Hu felt a chill of lingering fear. He had never imagined that Meng Di’s cavalry would be so formidable. Even with a stratagem already prepared, he had been facing an enemy ten times his number. It was fortunate that they had not made a move beforehand.

Ordinary men simply would not have had the courage to launch the attack first. Yet Meng Di had done exactly that, and not only had he won a crushing victory, he had also taken the enemy commander prisoner.

It was easy to foresee that, after this battle, Meng Di’s reputation within Lu would rise dramatically. For Yang Hu, that was far from good news.

After a long silence, his expression shifting uncertainly, Yang Hu thought of how they had driven Gongsun Bian to his death, only for someone else like this to emerge. Yet from the way things looked now, Meng Di showed no sign of seeking influence in the court of Lu.

After much deliberation, Yang Hu decided to summon Meng Di to Qufu and see what he was really planning. If he was indeed a man of great ambition, then he would have to be removed as early as possible to avert future trouble.

At the same time, Ji Sun Si was stunned beyond words. After a long daze, he slammed his fist heavily on the table and said in regret,

“Had I known this, I should never have left Fei City in such a hurry. I never imagined this Meng Di to be so valiant. In the future, whether the Ji Sun clan can regain power may well depend on this man.”

“Fei City is short of grain at present. Liang Huai, go at once and order another shipment of grain to be sent there, along with some money and valuables. Say that it is a gift from the Ji Sun clan in congratulation of this great victory.”

Liang Huai frowned, thought for a moment, and then said with some doubt,

“My lord, I fear this may not be entirely credible. Meng Di has only three thousand cavalry under him. How could he possibly defeat forty thousand Qi troops? There may be some unreliability in the report. You should be cautious above all.”

What he said had some merit. If Meng Di had fabricated the military report, then for the Ji Sun clan to send so much out would only make them a laughingstock.

But Ji Sun Si had his own judgment. Under the present circumstances, if Meng Di had indeed lied, at worst they would merely be mocked. For the Ji Sun clan, it would amount to little more than a loss of grain and money.

Yet if the matter were true, then the result would be entirely different. So long as Meng Di accepted the gifts sent by the Ji Sun clan, they would have a lever to use when the proper time came. Thus he said without hesitation,

“No need to say more. Go at once and prepare everything exactly as I have said.”

Gao Zhang never imagined that he would receive news from the Qi army so quickly, and even less news like this. After hearing it, he kicked over the desk before him and showed a ferocious expression.

“That Pan Yi deserves to die! Before he set out, I had already warned him to be doubly careful. Yet he still underestimated the enemy and pressed forward rashly, only to be captured alive! Defeated by three thousand cavalry—how did he even lead troops? Utterly shameful!”

He then drew a long breath, reached out, and picked up a bamboo slip from the desk. Opening it, he began to read carefully. It was intelligence concerning Meng Di. Before this, he had not taken it seriously, and had not even looked at it closely.

After all, Gao Zhang was the minister of Qi. How could he possibly care about some newly risen Lu grandee? But brutal reality had taught him a lesson, and forced him to pay attention.

Yet the intelligence on the slip was rather sparse. It only recorded what Meng Di had done after entering Lu, while the information before that was pitifully scant. Rage flared in Gao Zhang’s heart. He snatched up the bamboo slip and hurled it to the floor.

“A pack of useless fools! They cannot even find out where this Meng Di came from!”

At that moment, a servant came in to report.

“My lord, Lord Tian requests an audience outside.”

Hearing this, Gao Zhang took a deep breath and steadied himself. At once, he began to speculate on Tian Qi’s purpose in coming.