CH 130

Ch130 - Night Ambush

Contrary to Yi Yan’s expectations, instead of the Grand Administrator’s Mansion, he was led to the Daoist temple in the western quarter of the city. Why was his lord at the Daoist temple?

All his questions, however, were tossed to the back of his mind when he saw him. Yi Yan rushed over to him with long double-step strides, “My lord, how could you strain yourself so!”

Liang Feng’s sleeves were dirtied, his hair was mussed, his already pale face was completely bloodless, and he looked like he might keel over any minute. No wonder Yi Yan was worried. Liang Feng smiled at seeing Yi Yan so anxious, “It’s nothing. How is the situation on the walls? Does the primary force have any strength left?”

“Yes!” Yi Yan couldn’t help taking a step forward and steadying him before continuing, “Twenty seven of the civilian levies were injured, the whole of the auxiliary force joined the fight; the primary force only filled supervisory roles in rotation and didn’t go into battle themselves. The enemy’s attack on the walls was seemingly desperate, but they didn’t bring their full force to bear. Several cavalry companies took turns resting; they’re likely trying to wear us to exhaustion.”

“You handled it well,” Liang Feng nodded. These were the tactics he needed to lull the enemy. Accepting his support, he said, “Come with me to the back. I have something to show you.”

The back he referred to was not the handful of little buildings lying around, but the empty field cleared out behind the Daoist temple. When they got closer, the smell of saltpeter washed over them. The ground was littered with black burn marks and paper scraps, and there was a bonfire burning away in the distance.

“Your Excellency, I’ve finished adjusting the formula for the last type.” Ge Hong walked over to them, more disheveled than even Liang Feng. Not only was he covered with filth, his face was stained with black ash, though he was in high spirits nonetheless.

“Bring the shoulder-mounted crossbow over,” Liang Feng ordered concisely.

Soon, a shoulder crossbow was brought over. Liang Feng took something from Ge Hong, attached it to the bolt, and said to Yi Yan, “Shoot it into the bonfire.”

Yi Yan was befuddled, but took the shoulder crossbow, seeing a three-inch segment of bamboo tied to the end of the bolt. Judging by the weight, it wasn’t hollow. Still, with the bonfire only a hundred steps away, it wasn’t enough to affect his accuracy. Yi Yan raised the crossbow, took aim, and pressed the trigger.

The bolt whistled through the air, landing perfectly into the flames. In the next moment, something astonishing happened. A resounding boom came from the fire as it burst up and scattered embers all around.

The explosion was so powerful it seemed like lightning had struck the fire. The hairs on Yi Yan’s body stood up on end; he instantly shielded Liang Feng behind him.

Liang Feng chuckled, “It’s alright, these things are noisy but don’t have much killing potential.”

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.

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Liang Feng turned to Ge Hong, “Zhichuan, light one for Boyuan to see.”

Ge Hong took out another firecracker, smug at seeing that even the fierce Jie person was flabbergasted, and set it on the ground ten paces away. He lit the long fuse attached to it and swiftly took a dozen steps back. The fuse was instantly burnt up and the bamboo exploded. The sound was just as loud, but aside from a few flying chips of bamboo and a black mark on the ground, it hadn’t caused any other damage. The ground wasn’t even cratered.

By now, Yi Yan had calmed down already. It was the same as exploding bamboo, it made noise, but it wasn’t really lightning.

Liang Feng saw from his expression that he’d regained his equilibrium and said, “This is about all the effect we can get from gunpowder, since it was only just created. What do you think?”

Anyone else, after regaining their wits, might consider these oversized exploding bamboos useless, but Yi Yan wasn’t the same as the average mediocre. He frowned and said, “If this were used during the night, it could cause a camp catastrophe!”

That kind of commotion, that kind of cacophony, would only make those who didn’t know better assume it was lightning from heaven. The night would only multiply its shock factor.

Liang Feng nodded, “Precisely. The enemy would certainly rest easy in the night, believing victory to be within grasp, and with security in numbers. Approach undetected and wreak havoc on the enemy encampment along with ten brave, careful and tight-lipped soldiers, then order the militia to attack their flank. It will assuredly force them to retreat!”

Gunpowder was a technology beyond this era, nevertheless, its purpose and the mechanisms behind its function had to be kept confidential for it to be used in battle. It was like a magic trick, fearsome and amazing to those who didn’t know it, and only an amusement to those who did.

The gunpowder aside, the estate’s horseshoes and hand-held crossbows were classified too. Yi Yan knew, of course, how important it was. Although, looking at the bonfire and the unwieldy shoulder crossbow in his hands, he added, “Even with only ten people, it’ll be difficult to act once we near the enemy encampment.”

There was no fuse to light on the firecracker attached to the bolt, likely because lighting a fire during the night would reveal your position to the enemy. However, that meant that they had to shoot the firecrackers into their campfires from close range, for a shoulder crossbow’s range was no more than a hundred fifty paces. Avoiding discovery was extremely difficult at such a short distance.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll think of something to draw their attention away.” Liang Feng’s expression was solemn, “Tonight’s battle must not end in defeat! Only victory! We only have one chance. These Xiongnu must be forced to make an immediate withdrawal!”

Lu City couldn’t endure any more conflict anymore. Chasing away that band of vile brigands, quickly, was the only way to maintain his public support. He didn’t have much time. He could afford not a day’s delay in taking on refugees and replanting fallow land!

Looking at his ashen complexion, Yi Yan nodded decisively, “Rest assured, my lord! I will surely send those brigands to their deaths!”

※

The sky darkened bit by bit; the half-moon rose over the treetops, its light hazy and indistinct behind the clouds. The stars, too, were hidden from view. Darkness reigned over the land, save for the Xiongnu encampment, lit by scattered bonfires.

Liu Wei, being a cautious man, had dug in early on and kept his guard up, despite the scantness  of the Lu City guards. Not only that, he ordered a number of squads to patrol around the encampment. The captured peasants were, however, herded into a cluster away from the camp, for fear that any disturbance from them would cause a camp catastrophe. And several men were directed, especially, to stand watch over the gates of Lu City, to prevent them from opening the city in the night.

It could be said that their defenses accounted for every contingency. They couldn’t upset their stalwart encampment if they attacked in the thousands.

There was not a moment the soldiers on watch duty stopped patrolling the camp. Aside from them, the encampment was as silent as it surroundings. Even the horses were quiet, to say nothing of the people.

In the utter silence, there was a slight noise on the walls of Lu City as ropes were thrown down and, shortly after, used for descent. They landed on the ground as quietly as specters, their shadows blending into the night, and formed teams. No one spoke a word, they couldn’t, for they held bits in their mouths, making their breaths especially shallow and soundless. Next, slinking  along the left and right of the wall, they made for the Xiongnu encampment.

One team, in particular, was far swifter than the other. The ten dark shadows bounded like a pack of wolves closer and closer to the encampment with extreme agility and skill. By the end, they were all close to the ground as they neared the enemy’s shelters, stealthily as predators on the prowl.

They were too close already. If the sentries hadn’t been standing by the fire, ruining their night vision, the slightest motion might have alerted them to their presence.

Thus, they kept still and gripped their crossbows as they awaited the signal to begin.

Atop the walls, Liang Feng stood beside battlements, looking out at the flickering lights. His eyesight had always been poor, due to the heavy metal poisoning, and in the night, he could hardly see a thing. The heavy, ink-black of the night was a curtain that couldn’t be opened. The tranquility, though, wasn’t a bad thing.

An hour flew by. A household soldier went to him and said lowly, “Master, it’s time.”

An hour was certainly enough for Yi Yan and the others to get close to the encampment. Liang Feng gave a slight nod, “Begin then.”

At his order, a row of ten, long bamboo arrows were brought. Unlike regular arrows, their arrowheads been replaced with a paper-wrapped cylindrical package, trailing a long string behind it. The rather strange-looking arrow had a long and slender shaft that had no fletches on the end.

Each arrow was placed slanted upon a rack, aimed at the Xiongnu encampment. Some lit a match and held it to the fuse, which was covered in some reagent.

The string quickly burned away, hissing all the while. With the smell of saltpeter, the arrow rocketed away, soaring a couple dozen meters, when it began leaving a trail of shining silver. The third, second, and so on, arrows followed close behind, streaking through the sky, towards the Xiongnu encampment.

It was practically impossible to such a spectacular sight in such a still night. The corner of Liang Feng’s lips quirked up with the hint of a smirk. He’d never thought he’d see the skyrockets he’d played with so often as a child once more in this kind of context.

A Xiongnu soldier at the front of the camp heard something strange, looked up, and was instantly frozen with fear. Silver stars were falling from the heavens, right at their encampment. Just what was this? Why would shooting stars land on their encampment?! Was he to raise the alarm? Or to get on his knees and beg the gods and buddhas for mercy?

The soldier was absolutely stupefied, and he wasn’t alone. The soldiers beside him, and all the patrolling sentries, stared at the stars descending from the heavens. At that time, in the shadows, someone made a move.

Taking aim; pulling the trigger; a long crossbow bolt shot forth. He’d acted swiftly, almost as swift as the falling stars. When the first explosion sounded in the air, the fire beside the Xiongnu roared explosively as well!

It was as if a clap of thunder had shattered the serenity of the night. The Xiongnu soldier went weak in the legs, kneeling on the ground.

“F-fall….. falling….. d-divine punishment!”

This could be nothing but condemnation from the gods! Only the utterly evil and irredeemable met with such portents!

It wasn’t over yet, though. Thunder sounded again and again. As if enflamed by ghosts, the bonfires’ wrathful blaze surged three meters high, scattering embers all about the camp. The entire encampment descended into a state of complete chaos. The thunder had awoken everyone, but what awaited them when they exited their tents was more thunder. The tents near the bonfires were set alight by embers it spewed. Horses neighed and charged their own masters in their mad frenzy.

In but an instant, the unassailable encampment had become a hellish sea of fire!