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Ch119 - Pot
That was far earlier than he’d expected! Liang Feng had installed strategic defenses before he left, key amongst them being the anti-cavalry trenches at Taihang Fortress; that, plus the soldiers he’d seeded in Wu Ling’s forces, should’ve been able to resist the enemy cavalry’s besiegement. Simultaneously, the Liang Estate and Gaodu City both raised their alert level, ready to fend off all comers.
But who could’ve thought that the elite Xiongnu cavalry wouldn’t even try to crack that nut, loitering for less than half a day before heading back. If he’d been just a bit slower in retaking the passes here, he could’ve been encircled and eradicated.
“Return to the estate with all haste, inform Registrar Duan that the autumn harvest must be collected as soon as possible, that I have already secured Lu City, and that he need not worry,” Liang Feng instructed the courier.
“My lord, you’re not calling in more troops from the estate?” Yi Yan had only slept for four hours before he was up and at his side again. Unsurprisingly, the news had him on edge.
“It’s too late. The news came from the sentry posts. I’m afraid that enemy forces will arrive at Lu City tomorrow,” Liang Feng shook his head.
The Liang Estate’s sentry posts were a form of communication that he’d come up with, based on the same concept as the “message trees” used during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Using felled trees on the mountain tops as signals, a few sentry posts could convey information from dozens of kilometers away, all beneath the enemy’s notice. Still, for all its convenience, it was only half a day faster; against cavalry, it really didn’t count for much.
He’d brought quite a few elite soldiers on this trip to Lu City, and besides, the Liang Estate’s cavalry was still green and inexperienced. Perhaps they could have fought against ordinary cavalry, but certainly not against elite Xiongnu cavalry.
Now, he could only rely on himself.
Liang Feng thought for a moment and said, “Summon Staff Officer Sun.”
After everything that had happened yesterday, Staff Officer Sun had been fully tamed. Someone who was able to assassinate the grand administrator, capture three garrisons in a single day, and sweep all the petty officials under his banner, was rare even in the imperial court. That wasn’t someone he could defeat, so, since he’d been lucky enough to keep his life, he had to obey orders and try to make himself useful.
“Staff Officer Sun, what kind of person is the commander of the Xiongnu cavalry in Shangdang? How’s his temperament?” Liang Feng asked.
“He’s a thousand horse-master under the North Division Commandant named Liu Meng. He’s always smiling on the surface, but when it comes down to it, he’s quick, efficient, and ruthless! He was the one who orchestrated the attack on the Grand Administrator’s Mansion,” Staff Officer Sun answered honestly, not daring to be at all indolent.
It was apparent, from the way he’d immediately turned back after a failed effort, how decisive he was. Liang Feng asked, “Was it after hearing I would come to the commandery capital that he set off?”
“Precisely. Liu Meng led troops to Taihang Pass just after you’d arrived, Marquess Liang. He must have evil designs on the Taihang garrison
.” Staff Officer Sun answered gingerly.
He was of the meticulous sort, and one of Liu Xuan’s key subordinates to boot, so he likely knew much about him already. What would he think, after viewing the scenery at the Taihang garrison and Gaodu City? Liang Feng looked to Yi Yan, “Say, what does he intend to do when he gets back?”
Yi Yan considered it for a moment, “Perhaps he intends to solidify his hold on Huguan and await reinforcements from the Xiongnu.”
Of the three garrisons they’d retaken, the two at Bai Pass were the smallest and took the least manpower to hold. Huguan, however, was different. As a fortified city, fifty people could just about manage to control the city gate and no more. If they retreated, they would naturally make a beeline for Huguan.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“That’s not all. I don’t think he would let a potential danger like me slip by,” Liang Feng smirked coldly.
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Killing intent shined through Yi Yan’s eyes, “I will lead soldiers to neutralize that wretch immediately!”
“No need. It will suffice to kindly invite him to get in the pot.”
In the pot? What pot? And at those chilling words, Staff Officer Sun ducked his head like a quail, too scared to make a sound.
※
Galloping without rest, the return trip only took two days. As Lu City came into view, Liu Meng ordered, “Personal guards, with me to the commandery capital; everyone else, head for Huguan and defend the city!”
He’d made up his mind after his excursion to Gaodu; Liang Zixi had to die! He had to deal with that disaster, even if it meant falling out completely with Yan Ji. Only then, when the great army arrived, could they successfully cut off Sima Teng’s retreat route and bring the chancellor’s plot to fruition.
But by now, Liu Meng was beginning to feel the stirrings of suspicion in his heart. Odds were, that that Liang fellow hadn’t gone to the commandery capital with good intentions. In which case, don’t blame him for being merciless with his saber.
The two parties went their separate ways. Pushing a grueling pace, Liu Meng personally headed a group of ten or so people onwards to the commandery city. Seeing as there were fifty elite cavalrymen stationed at the commandery government, he wasn’t going to waste time planning or talking it over with Yan Ji. On the contrary, it would be better to strike them like a bolt of lightning. A few hours ago, he’d sent reconnoitrers ahead to the Grand Administrator’s Mansion so that when the time came, he’d only a single order to annihilate everyone from the Liang Estate.
The reconnoitrers were rather late to report back though.
He was a bit displeased, but Liu Meng didn’t slow at all as he galloped through the city gates, and along the main road, towards the Grand Administrator’s Mansion. He’d walked this road many times, but upon reaching the very last row of houses before the Grand Administrator’s Mansion, suddenly, there were several large wagons parked on either side of the road, forcing them to reduce their speed. It was a minor thing, but his heart went cold, the kind of deathly cold he only felt on the battlefield that burrowed like maggots into his bones.
Something was wrong! To anyone else, it might have been only a fleeting notion, but Liu Meng, being the experienced commander that he was, instantly realized what was wrong. There were too few people on the streets! It was afternoon already, and there should’ve been more people about than this, no matter how much the coup had frightened them. And if there were so few people, why were there so many carts on the side of the road?
Liu Meng immediately yanked the reins; his horse whinnied, rearing up on its hind legs.
“Watch out!”
Was all he had time to say.
Almost simultaneously, arrows flew out from the buildings lining the road, swarming them like a plague of locusts!
The path before them was blocked, and they couldn’t quickly backtrack through the path behind them; stuck in the middle of the road, they were nothing more than sitting ducks. Liu Meng roared and tried to block the arrows with his saber, but he was only a mere mortal, how could he possibly withstand such an ambush?!
Why would there be an ambush? Wasn’t the commandery city supposed to be in their hands? Shocked and furious, there was no longer any hint of a smile on Liu Meng’s round face. His eyes bulged madly; suddenly, he turned his horse and darted towards one of the buildings! If he could neither retreat nor advance, then bursting into one of these houses was his only hope of survival!
His actions were bold, to be sure, but a short, thick bolt caught up with him, passing through the rain of arrows, and thudded into his neck. Fresh blood spurted out; he swayed, dropping from his horse.
Their leader lost, and without any prospect of escape, the dozen or so cavalries were turned into porcupines. Their blood pooled on the stone streets, becoming a crimson spring.
Inside one of the residential buildings, Zhang He took a breath of relief and set down his shoulder crossbow. It’d been dug out from the armory of the Grand Administrator’s Mansion and was more awkward to use than the Liang Estate’s handheld crossbows, but it wasn’t the same now as when they were retaking the mansion; bows and crossbows were contraband goods after all, so it was best not to show them off.
Thank goodness not that many Xiongnu had entered the city; if there were just a few more of them, they might not have been able to stop them all. He had smoothly accomplished is his mission; it only remained to be seen how the commander’s battle was going.
※
Not far from Lu City, a force of light cavalry was coming up to the city gates of Huguan. Upon noticing that they were their own, the gates were opened up early, as if to welcome the cavalry home. Tired after several days of hard travel and wanting nothing more than to take a long rest, many of them let down their guard.
The gates of even important, fortified cities weren’t very wide. The leader slowed his horse and led his troops into the city. Just when over half of their two-hundred and some force had entered the city, shouting suddenly sounded from within.
What was going on?!
The soldiers in the back instantly drew their swords, intending to rush in, but the shouts that came from the front were: “Retreat! Hurry, retreat! Back out of the city!”
Why would they retreat? If the city had been taken, then still, they should bust in and take it back! If they backed out of the city, wouldn’t they lose their chance entirely?!
But the people at the front had no time to explain; they turned their horses around and tried to rush out. They couldn’t not retreat. Less than a hundred paces from the city gate, the topsoil had disappeared, while a gaping ditch appeared in the middle of the road. It was at least six meters wide and three meters deep. If they ran into it, they’d only be thrown off their horses in defeat, and they couldn’t even jump across it. What’s more maddening was that, behind a shield wall, archers were pointing flaming arrows at them from the other side of the ditch.
People were at least somewhat able to handle flaming arrows, but horses weren’t! Already agitated by the horses that’d fallen before them, then harassed by flaming arrows, even the experienced Xiongnu cavalry started losing control of their mounts.
In these circumstances, staying in the city was a death sentence; clearly, they had to retreat!
However, turning and retreating in a narrow gateway was easier said than done. For a while, the entrance at the city gates was like a pot of boiling soup. Horses neighed, people screamed, it was utter chaos!
But it wasn’t just a trap that was waiting for them.
Drumbeats resounded as the soldiers who’d been waiting in ambush raced forth. Most of them were soldiers of the Huguan garrison, numbering only three or four hundred. Usually, they hadn’t the courage to face Xiongnu soldiers in open battle. But today was not usual; the Xiongnu were in utter disarray, unable to hold a formation, let alone ride and shoot. Could a cavalry that couldn’t charge even be called a cavalry?
“Charge! Charge them!” Linghu Kuang shouted, as he spearheaded the charge.
Taking a city in a day had given him not only control of said city, but supreme self-confidence and a thirst for battle! And the soldiers behind him were eager as well, to absolve themselves from the sin of losing the city and working for traitors. It was written in The Six Secret Teachings, “Training Soldiers,” “those who are disgraced and wish to restore their honor, form them into a unit named ‘those who fight till death.’”
The soldiers following behind Linghu Kuang happened to be exactly “those who fight till death!”
With soldiers who were willing to die, and a well-planned trap, what had he to fear from the Xiongnu elites?
Although a pack of wolves could maul a tiger to death, a tiger was still a tiger. Their disorder lasted only a moment before the Xiongnu who had turned around met them in combat. They couldn’t use their bows, but they still had sabers and spears; they were surrounded on both sides, but they were fearless all the same. If they fought to the death as well, their strength was much greater than the foot soldiers’!
The charge, like a wave crashing against a cliff, was rebuffed. The Xiongnu spurred their horses and ploughed through the crowd. Three hundred people; their ranks could be broken through in just a few steps. Once they rammed their way out, they’d be able to run or regroup!
Their attempt to break the encirclement, however, was extinguished in an instant. Tens of horses galloped into the Xiongnu formation! Spears, sabers, and arrows; elite soldiers who weren’t at all inferior to them had entered the fray! The Xiongnu found that now, there were people with high noses, deep eyes, and strange hair color amongst their enemies. And there was one with blue eyes, fierce as a yaksha, coming straight for them!
The Jin armies shouldn’t have this kind of fighting force! In one clash, the cavalry formation which had only just taken shape was dispersed. Some fell off their horses, but most of them were dragged off their mounts by the foot soldiers swarming over them like ants.
Like gale winds sweeping away the storm clouds, the situation changed drastically!
Why would there be Jie people amidst the Jin army? How were these Jie people so strong? No one could answer his questions!
Swords and sabers clashed against each other; Linghu Kuang tried desperately to parry the warrior he was facing, but a dark shadow leaped from the side, and his face was splattered with fresh blood. Linghu Kuang’s mouth gaped. How was this Yi-surnamed Jie person so strong? Before he gathered his wits about him, the other said, “Commandant Linghu, lead troops to block the western gap; three sides surrounded and one side free. It’s time to draw the net.”
“Understood!” Linghu Kuang answered reflexively, forgetting that the other was only a household soldier, while he was the ranking commandant!
This would be a total victory, a victory worthy of record! Spurring his horse with excitement, he led his troops hurtling towards another direction!
The author has something to say:
The idiom, “will you kindly get in the pot?” came from the Tang dynasty. Someone accused a cruel official, Zhou Xing, of plotting rebellion, so the female emperor sent Lai Junchen to investigate. Lai Junchen held a banquet for Zhou Xing and asked him how to torture a confession out of someone. Zhou Xing said, all you need to do is put someone in a pot of boiling water. Then Lai Junchen said, “You are subject to accusation, old chap, so would you kindly get in this pot?” Zhou Xing could only confess to the crime out of terror.
Which is why Staff Officer Sun doesn’t know that idiom.