One hundred and eight.

Zhang Xun’s battle knife clashed fiercely against Lei Bu’s sword. Locking eyes with Lei Bu, he roared, “My lord once assigned you to guard Zhongcheng and personally secured for you the rank of General to lead an army there. How have you repaid that trust, you treacherous dog?”

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

The clang of metal on metal rang loudly in everyone’s ears as the two warriors intensified their strikes. Dust swirled on the ground beneath their horses.

“Zhang Xun, you lie through your teeth! Li Shu declared himself emperor, and the world despises him!” Lei Bu retorted bitterly, feeling as if old wounds were being torn open. He could not deny that he had betrayed Li Shu—he had turned his back on his lord and shamelessly plundered Shouchun. Regardless, Li Shu had been their leader. Seeing him fall and instead of helping, they chose to strike him down only brought shame upon themselves.

But Lei Bu refused to show weakness; he had to fight. Knowing reason would not sway Zhang Xun, he spat back, accusing Zhang Xun of disloyalty to Han by declaring himself emperor. Zhang Xun knew full well that Lei Bu had been causing trouble in Zhongcheng even before Li Shu’s imperial proclamation. His rebellion was not born of loyalty to the emperor, but of his own ambition. Though Lei Bu had fought when Li Shu raised the seven armies, his heart had long since strayed.

“Traitor! You abandoned your lord, plundered Shouchun. Today, I shall cut you down!” Zhang Xun bellowed, their iron-blooded Han warrior spirits igniting as they clashed again in the dusty clearing.

After seventy or eighty rounds, Lei Bu sensed something was wrong. He had been defeated by Zhang Xun once on Tianzhu Mountain, but that was because he had underestimated him. Back then, Zhang Xun had fought fiercely but cautiously, for his own life, Li Yin’s, and the three hundred Yulin troops depended on Lei Bu’s mercy.

Now, Zhang Xun’s strength and skill had grown; his horse maneuvers were more masterful, his moves more varied. Could Zhang Xun be even more formidable than on Tianzhu Mountain? Lei Bu had not expected this. With growing unease, he realized if he lost again, the entire force of three thousand troops would be wasted.

Fear creeping in, Lei Bu pulled his horse back, deciding to retreat—better to live to fight another day. But Zhang Xun sensed his moment and charged forward with his horse’s tremendous momentum, wielding his gleaming battle knife aimed straight at Lei Bu’s face.

Intent on delivering a fatal blow, Zhang Xun smiled inwardly. He gripped his knife with both hands, bracing against the enemy’s weapon, and with a sharp clash, Lei Bu’s sword was jolted loose, nearly slipping from his grasp.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Xun swung his knife at Lei Bu’s neck, but Lei Bu rolled off his horse, kicked off the ground, and remounted from the other side, escaping injury.

From behind, Zhao Yi saw the danger and quickly sounded the retreat signal, spurring his horse into the fray to aid Lei Bu. The vanguard commander must be saved at all costs.

“Enemy general approaching, watch the spear!” Zhao Yi’s voice reached before he did.

Zhao Yi seized the moment, parrying Zhang Xun’s blade and thrusting his spear straight for Zhang’s chest. But Zhang Xun remained calm, sidestepping with ease to avoid the attack.

Seeing his life spared, Lei Bu urged his horse back toward their lines, shouting to Zhao Yi, “You’re no match for him—fall back!”

But Zhang Xun’s battle knife was deadly in its versatility. Just as he dodged Zhao Yi’s spear, Zhang bowed low, twisted, and stabbed beneath Zhao Yi’s ribs. With a swift, powerful motion, he slashed across Zhao Yi’s chest. Before Zhao Yi could react, blood gushed as he blacked out and tumbled from his saddle.

Zhang Xun watched as Zhao Yi fell and promptly beheaded him.

At that moment, the sound of the retreat signal echoed through the enemy camp, signaling the call to withdraw. Lei Bu’s retreat was underway, but with Zhao Yi slain, the vanguard was in disarray. His body fell heavily to the ground.

“General!” The Jiangting army erupted in cheers. Their commander had bested an enemy general and slain another—a supreme honor that filled their spirits with courage.

On the opposite side, morale plummeted. Their commander was overwhelmed, their deputy general slain by the enemy’s hand. The retreat drum further shook their confidence.

“Night falls; we will fight again tomorrow!” Lei Bu called out, uneasy.

Feeling embarrassed, he hurried back, but Zhang Xun’s troops pressed hard. Leading two hundred cavalry and a thousand infantry, their spirits soaring, they cut through Lei Bu’s forces like slicing through melons and vegetables, leaving hundreds dead. Lei Bu had suffered a grave loss upon arriving at Jiangting—his deputy general killed and morale shattered.

Back in his tent, Lei Bu’s fury blazed.

Facing his weary troops, he took full responsibility for the defeat and declared, “Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, we must ensure Zhang Xun’s army never returns!”

Meanwhile, Zhang Xun’s camp was filled with laughter and cheer. Yet, they did not celebrate with feasts or wine. Zhang Xun declared, “Tomorrow, the three thousand vanguard troops will be utterly destroyed.”

Confidence surged among the men. Qin Huai asked, “General, you displayed great prowess today. How will we crush Lei Bu’s vanguard again tomorrow?”

Leaning close, Zhang Xun smiled. “Though Lei Bu’s men have rested, they remain fatigued.”

“What do you mean, General?” Qin Huai frowned.

“Imagine if Lei Bu’s troops all fought tomorrow with dark circles under their eyes,” Zhang Xun chuckled.

Qin Huai’s eyes lit up as he pictured the vanguard soldiers sluggish and weak, like soft-shelled shrimp, and exclaimed, “You mean to keep Lei Bu’s men awake all night?”

“Exactly!” Zhang Xun explained, “Though they appeared spirited in battle this afternoon, their exhaustion lies beneath. Tonight, we send two hundred men with drums and gongs to feign a raid, shaking their camp every half hour. When they pursue, our men retreat swiftly. At the third watch tomorrow, we strike their camp—then we reap our harvest.”

A general laughed, “A cunning plan indeed. With no sleep, Lei Bu’s troops will surely be defeated tomorrow.”

Qin Huai joined the laughter, “Depriving them of rest—that’s ruthless. No one could endure it.”

Zhang Xun’s tone grew serious. “This tactic should be used several nights in a row, but our forces are limited, and Chen Lan’s troops will soon arrive at Jiangting. We must break Lei Bu’s vanguard quickly. One sleepless night won’t guarantee victory, but tomorrow will be a battle to the death. Everyone, steel yourselves.”

“Of course!” the generals shouted.

One asked, “General, if we disturb their camp all night, how will our soldiers rest? Their camp isn’t far; won’t we lose sleep too?”

“Good question,” Zhang Xun praised, producing two cloth strips. He stuffed them into his ears and demonstrated. “This is a method the emperor once shared. With these plugs, the sound won’t disappear entirely, but you can still sleep.”

“Brilliant, General! We admire you!” came the flattering chorus.

“Very well,” Zhang Xun ordered. “Zhu Cheng, take two hundred men. Prepare the raid at dusk and attack at night. Do not approach Lei Bu’s camp too closely. If you encounter Lei Bu or others, avoid direct combat and retreat immediately. Harass them every half hour until the third watch. Don’t fear wasting arrows; avoid close-quarters fighting.”

“Disobey, and it’s death without mercy!” Zhang Xun warned.

“Yes, General. I will complete the mission,” Zhu Cheng pledged. As a junior officer of the Yulin troops, Zhu Cheng was trusted over the surrendered generals, who knew they were not yet fully trusted and thus kept their heads down.

“To the rest of the army, I will command tomorrow,” Zhang Xun continued. “Lei Bu’s forces are demoralized today; they will rest and recover. You need not act tonight. Rest well until the third watch tomorrow. When the sun rises, we will shatter Lei Bu’s army. Understood?”

“Understood!” the soldiers answered.

“Rest assured, you will have plenty of time. But Lei Bu’s men won’t catch a moment’s breath. Can you not defeat a weary, powerless foe?”

“Yes!” came the resounding reply.

“Prepare at once. Qin Huai, lead fifty men to coordinate and support. Today, do not seek to defeat Lei Bu. Your task is to hold the vanguard firmly and deny them rest.”

“Yes, General!”

***

In the quiet expanse outside his tent, Zhang Xun paced beneath the stars, murmuring, “Tomorrow will decide victory or defeat.”

Though outwardly composed, Zhang Xun’s nerves were taut. One misstep could doom his twelve hundred men, and with them, Li Miao’s fate. He must ensure his plan held no flaw.

“General, the defenses outside Lei Bu’s camp have slackened,” Qin Huai reported as he entered.

“Good,” Zhang Xun replied. Regardless of whether this was a ruse or not, it was time to begin the harassment.

“Order Zhu Cheng to lead fifty cavalry and one hundred fifty infantry to raid Lei Bu’s camp. Avoid direct confrontation!”

“Yes!”

Qin Huai hurried off to relay the orders.

***

Before Lei Bu had fully displayed his might upon arriving at Jiangting, disaster struck. His vanguard deputy general Zhao Yi fell to Zhang Xun’s blade, shattering their morale.

Fearing Zhang Xun’s raid, Lei Bu deliberately loosened the outer defenses to lure the enemy in, hoping to catch them off guard during the counterattack.

Unbeknownst to Lei Bu, his nightmare was only beginning.

At the third quarter of the night watch, darkness blanketed the land. Within Lei Bu’s camp, troops and weapons lay concealed amidst a tense, murderous atmosphere. Even the moon seemed to shrink behind the clouds, unwilling to witness the looming bloodshed.

Within his tent, Lei Bu confided in his trusted generals, “Have the outer defenses relaxed?”

“Yes, Second Commander. The defenses are down, and the ambush is set. If Zhang Xun comes to raid tonight, he will not return,” the general assured him.

Lei Bu spat wine bitterly. “That wretched Zhang Xun! Today, he has slain over four hundred of our men!”