Chapter 789: The Two Gullies

The gate tower of the North Water Pass was vast and imposing; the Tong River flowed from here into the Yellow River, in effect forming another defensive line to the east and west. The group stood atop the gate tower gazing out for a long while, especially at the Fengling Ferry on the opposite bank.

In days past, that place had bustled with activity — merchants traveling south and north came and went without cease every day: those hurrying on their way, those waiting to cross, those pushing carts, those driving livestock, those drifting along in boats on the river. The saying that a cock’s crow could be heard in three provinces was no idle boast. Like the Dayu Ferry and the Modi Ferry, it was one of the famous crossings of the Yellow River.

Yet now the far bank lay utterly still. The scene of boats racing north and south, of both shores vying to cross, was gone — only a few military vessels shuttled back and forth to maintain contact. The garrison troops on both banks had also tightened their inspections; anyone coming to cross was rigorously interrogated, and anyone suspicious was detained.

Like the Tatars, the roving bandits were also fond of using spies and agents — a thing that could not go unguarded against.

Wu Zhengchun put away his telescope and said, “Historically, those who have come from the west to attack Tong Pass have mostly returned with broken wings before its walls. The only thing to watch for is them bypassing the pass city from the far side of the Yellow River and striking directly at the pass’s rear.”

Everyone nodded. In history, when Cao Cao fought Ma Chao and could not take Tong Pass, Cao Cao had bypassed it from the far side of the Yellow River and ultimately seized the pass.

Sun Chuanting stroked his beard and said slowly, “Official dispatches report that Governor Cai Maode of Shanxi has already rushed to Fengling Ferry. So long as they hold the Yellow River, I, the Viceroy, can guarantee that Tong Pass will not fall.”

Sun Chuanting was not particularly worried about the northern defenses at the moment. The Yellow River’s water level was high now, and the roving bandits had no boats and could not cross. As long as Shanxi Provincial Governor Cai Maode kept watch over every crossing, the Yellow River line could be secured. As for winter, when the Yellow River would freeze over — that was still far off, and the bandits could not possibly wait beneath the pass until then.

The group continued eastward along the top of the wall to inspect it. The surface was flat and solid, paved entirely with square stone slabs and grey bricks, and the wall was also extremely broad. The wall of Xi’an was fifteen to eighteen meters wide, its thickness greater than its height, but the width of the Tong Pass wall was even greater than that of Xi’an’s.

Because it served not only as a city wall but also as a dyke to prevent the Yellow River from flooding the pass city.

As they walked east along the wall surface, the ground gradually rose. The section from the Little North Gate to the eastern wall was actually built following the contours of Mount Qilin, forming the city wall, with crenellations cut into it. In particular, at the eastern gate — the “Gate of Receiving Grace” — both the arrow tower and the main tower were built on the hillside.

The hillside was steep, and only below it lay the Yellow River bank, a mere few dozen paces from the water. If the slope itself were counted as part of the wall, this section of wall exceeded ten zhang in height. When enemy troops saw it, they would likely lose even the courage to scale it.

Sun Chuanting and his party entered the eastern gate tower. This gate tower was called the “Gate of Receiving Grace”; the barbican was called “The Place of Occupying the Purple”; the arrow tower was called “Heavenly Peril Tower.” The three-bay arrow tower stood outermost, and the five-bay gate tower stood within, forming the barbican layout. These arrow towers were like house walls with numerous windows cut into them, effectively shielding the defending soldiers on the tower.

Looking out from the Heavenly Peril Tower, the official road from Xi’an passed through the city, exited beneath this arrow tower, then hugged the foot of the wall, winding down the hillside to the base of the mountain, and descended further into the Yuanwang Gully — exposing its flank completely to the eyes of the defenders.

On the wall built atop the mountain, rolling logs and stone missiles could be released along the slope; a single rolling log could sweep down a whole swath of enemy troops advancing along the official road.

“A fierce tiger crouching at the mighty pass” — this phrase mostly referred to the eastern gate tower of Tong Pass, like a fierce tiger squatting halfway up Mount Qilin. To the north of this gate tower was the Yellow River; from east to south was Mount Qilin, with the wall snaking along the mountain contours; to the southeast it bordered closely on the Yuanwang Gully. Almost as soon as one climbed from the gully up onto the tableland, one was at the foot of Mount Qilin.

And this official road leading all the way to the eastern gate was the only major entrance into the pass from the east — there was no other way to go. This was the origin of the saying that the eastern pass was “one man guarding the pass, ten thousand unable to break through.” Though called the eastern gate, this pass was in fact also right beside the Yellow River — just as the city of Tong Pass had three northern gates.

At this moment, patrolling soldiers came and went all across the tower and the wall. The commander defending Tong Pass was Zhang Eryou, the tenth-generation hereditary Guard Commander of the Tong Pass Guard. He was tall and stout, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and currently served as Mobile Corps Commander of Tong Pass, with two thousand troops under his command, including over a hundred retainers.

He said to Sun Chuanting, “After learning that the roving bandits were pressing near, I tightened the defenses and screened the refugees. Hampered by insufficient troops, I could not attend to the forts outside the city or the Twelve Linked Cities. Fortunately, General Yang’s swift cavalry have kept the bandit horsemen from crossing the Yuanwang Gully.”

As a guard battalion, Tong Pass was also considered a guard city. The forts, beacon towers, and the like outside the city were where the various battalion and company commands were located. Some of the guard battalion troops both farmed and fought; defending their own forts was one thing, but sending them out to drive off roving bandit scout riders was asking too much of them.

Although Zhang Eryou nominally had two thousand troops, in reality he had fewer, and most were infantry. Even if he sent out some mounted retainers, most could not compare with the bandits’ scout riders. Their main role was to serve as guides; the core scouting force still relied on the hunting cavalry and swift cavalry led by Master Tiger.

Zhang Eryou had a placid temperament, and recently the inwardly proud Master Tiger had become good friends with him. But with a great enemy about to arrive, seeing Zhang Eryou act as if nothing were amiss displeased Sun Chuanting somewhat, and he merely gave a cool grunt of acknowledgment.

He gazed out at the Yellow River, thinking to himself: these several passes from the west gate could be said to fully command the terrain. The roving bandits could not mass in large numbers, while his own side could shoot them down in droves. If the bandits came to attack, it would at most be with some roving troops; the defense of these passes was nothing to worry about.

He waved his hand, and the group continued southward. Following the wall, they climbed higher and higher up Mount Qilin. Here the stepped wall had a considerable slope, and there were many barracks on the mountain tableland and gate towers — even a few temples. Stone-paved paths crisscrossed the mountain in all directions. Looking into the city, one saw tier upon tier of flying eaves and a multitude of streets and alleys.

Tong Pass was an enormous, mighty stronghold, with a city perimeter of over twenty li. Within the city, along both banks of the Tong River, there were also several thousand mu of farmland. Even if the city were besieged, it would not fall into a state of exhausted supplies in a short time.

Mount Qilin underfoot was an even more critical defensive position, guarding the eastern and southeastern sides of Tong Pass. Looking out from the wall, the wall and the mountain tableland merged into one, rising and falling with the terrain.

Moreover, the slope of Mount Qilin below the wall had been shaped rather peculiarly — not the ordinary slope of a typical mountain ridge or hill, but a terraced surface, tier after tier like steps.

This was naturally to increase the mountain’s defensive strength. On an ordinary slope, some fierce and courageous enemies might still charge all the way to the foot of the wall in one breath. But with this terraced form, each tier had a steep drop of two or three meters…

They would have to climb up one tier first, and after finishing that tier there would be yet another. By the time they reached the base of the wall, the defenders on the wall would have killed them many times over.

And with this kind of terrain, even scaling ladders could not be set up.

Standing on the wall, one could already see the deep Yuanwang Gully lying close at the foot of the mountain. The official road connecting Shaanxi and Henan descended into the gully here, then climbed out of the gully and stretched into the distance.

The group gazed toward the opposite side. Across the Yuanwang Gully, the Niutou Tableland towered and sprawled to the right of the road. Near the Yellow River bank was a high cliff; in the middle was a loess slope. Then, after climbing out of the gully, the official road cut through the Huangxiang Slope, forming a narrow, steep, and treacherous passage several li long, connecting all the way to Tong Pass’s first gate — the Jindou Pass.

Looking in that direction, a staff officer could not help saying, “A five-li hidden gate, tight, perilous, and securely encircled, with girdling terrain easy to defend. If the roving bandits come to attack by this road, our forces could set an ambush on the Niutou Tableland. It would surely be like when the Hu troops were at Hangu Pass…”

Sun Chuanting shook his head. “This place is indeed suited for ambushes. But the Bandit Chuang is not that stupid!”

Wen Shiyan also sighed and said, “This humble official also believes the roving bandits will not attack from Jindou Pass! … The eastern, southeastern, and northern sides of Tong Pass are built high against the mountains and stand beside the water. Our forces fully command the terrain. Even if the Bandit Chuang reached the city walls, how could he deploy his troops and form his battle lines? Therefore…”

Everyone said in unison, “They will certainly cross the Niutou Tableland, spy upon the Yuanwang Gully, and even enter the Linzhi Tableland…”

Gao Xun gazed southward and declared decisively, “Having regained Long, they will also eye Shu. If they break into the Linzhi Tableland, they will also attack the Forbidden Gully, striving to circle around to the western city!”

The strategic situation of Tong Pass was this: a few dozen li to the south lay the Qinling barrier; to the north was the natural moat of the Yellow River; to the west was Mount Hua. The pass city itself actually sat on a stretch of flatland.

But over a thousand years, the cutting of Qinling streams and the scouring of floods had created countless fragmented, chaotic tablelands crisscrossed by gullies and ravines — all of which posed enormous obstacles to travel and military operations. Even trenches dug on flatland could serve to block an enemy, but nature’s uncanny craftsmanship had created the even stranger terrain of Tong Pass.

The Qinling Mountains to the south were difficult to cross; the Yellow River to the north was difficult to ford. Then the streams flowing from the Qinling toward the Yellow River had carved out numerous gullies and valleys. Most of these gullies and valleys ran north-south, precisely blocking the roads leading from Henan into Shaanxi.

By a rough count, within the territory of Tong Pass, there were nearly a thousand north-south gullies and ravines, and more than ten of them were over ten li long — cutting a single plain into fragmented pieces. Many of the tablelands also varied in height, with sheer drops between them.

Gullies and ravines everywhere, high tablelands and deep gorges, hills and valleys rising and falling — such terrain was of course difficult to traverse.

It was just like the Loess Plateau: a thousand gullies, ten thousand ravines. Walking across the plain, on perfectly fine ground ahead, a deep valley would suddenly appear. Unless one climbed across the deep valley, taking a detour around it might well require several extra days of travel. Gazing at the tableland could run a man to death.

Perhaps a lone rider, someone of great skill and boldness, could slowly climb across, but what of those with baggage carts and horses, those hauling heavy supplies — could they fly over these gullies and chasms that appeared without warning?

Some of these gullies had drops reaching as much as a hundred zhang, which was why roads were necessary.

Hangu Pass actually had the same kind of terrain. The Chousang Tableland extended northward all the way to the banks of the Yellow River, with the river flowing past the edge of the tableland — the two connected, leaving not a sliver of open ground. The tableland was full of gullies and ravines, with drops commonly a hundred zhang, and the riverbank was lined with towering cliffs. Therefore, the main east-west road could only cross the Chousang Tableland; there was no other way.

And as it happened, there was one deep gully that could serve as a passage, which created the treacherous defile of the ancient Hangu road. Standing in the gully and looking up at the tableland, the valley was deep and the cliffs sheer, the mountains high and the road narrow. In essence, both Tong Pass and Hangu Pass were continuations of the Loess Plateau terrain.

Later, as the Yellow River cut downward, a strip of beachland appeared at the northern end of the Chousang Tableland near the river. Travelers could then proceed along the beachland without needing to cross the tableland. The treacherous road of Hangu Pass was no longer traveled, and the tragedy of Geshu Han was not repeated.

The advantages of Tong Pass, apart from the Qinling Mountains and the Yellow River, were even more embodied in its gullies. The two most advantageous gullies were the Yuanwang Gully and the Forbidden Gully.

The Yuanwang Gully lay directly below Tong Pass, at the southeastern foot of Mount Qilin by the city. It connected to the Yellow River in the north and extended southward toward the Qinling range, over twenty li long — a long gully with a precipitous valley, one could say a natural barrier protecting the city of Tong Pass.

Then, about five li west of the Yuanwang Gully, there was a parallel gully — the Forbidden Gully.

This gully was deeper and longer, connecting to the Haojiayu Pass of the Qinling in the south and reaching Shimen Pass south of Tong Pass city in the north, over thirty li in length. It deeply barred any traveler trying to go from Henan into Shaanxi, forcing them to go only through the gates of Tong Pass.

Successive dynasties also recognized the importance of the Forbidden Gully to Tong Pass. On both sides of the gully, numerous beacon towers were built — one every three li — along with twelve supporting fortress cities, called the Twelve Linked Cities.

In peacetime, merchants and travelers were forbidden, and pedestrians were barred from passing. The felling of trees in the gully was also prohibited. Thus, together with the Qinling Mountains and Tong Pass, it formed a solid defensive line that even flying birds could not surmount.

The tableland between the two gullies was called the Linzhi Tableland by the locals, also known as the Southern Tableland. This stretch of flat land south of Tong Pass, about twenty-odd li long and four or five li wide, had in former days mostly been where the Tong Pass garrison stored grain and grew wheat. A number of guard battalion villages had also gathered on the tableland.

From a military standpoint, by holding the Yuanwang Gully and the Forbidden Gully, the enemy could not infiltrate into Shaanxi, still less circle around to the west gate. The city of Tong Pass would not be completely surrounded, and reinforcements and provisions from the Shaanxi heartland could flow in continuously.

Therefore, the two gullies were extremely important. Linked together with Tong Pass, they made the city as solid as a golden moat. Hence the saying: “To guard the pass but not guard the Forbidden Gully is to guard as if not guarding; to guard the Forbidden Gully but not build the Twelve Linked Cities is to guard yet not guard well. It is like being inside a single room, shutting the door and blocking the holes to keep out sparrows, yet forgetting to close the window.”

In history, the Tang general Tian Lingzi garrisoned the pass with a hundred thousand troops. Huang Chao secretly crossed the Yuanwang Gully, then crossed the Forbidden Gully, circled behind the city, and only then seized Tong Pass and drove straight on to Chang’an.

If Li Zicheng wanted to exploit his human-wave tactics, he too would have to break into the Linzhi Tableland and besiege the South Gate, the South Water Gate, the Upper South Gate, and such places. Otherwise, if he only tried to attack the East Gate, the North Gate, and the like, he would be doomed to defeat.

It was just that the various generals under the Bandit Chuang were all battle-hardened. Whatever they themselves could think of, the enemy could certainly think of too.

The group hurried to the Upper South Gate, still part of Mount Qilin. The gate was called "Lingyun Gate." The wall running westward led to the Lower South Gate, "Yingxun Gate," and the Nanshui Pass.

In terms of terrain, the Upper South Gate was quite perilous, carved into the slope as a gate, much like the East Gate — difficult to assault.

The Lower South Gate lay on mostly flat ground, and the Nanshui Pass was gentler. However, the western section of the Nanshui Pass gate tower wall already connected to Mount Fenghuang. If the bandit army crossed Yuanwang Gully, their main attack would likely target the Lower South Gate.

Of course, even attacking the Lower South Gate would not be easy. The wall was tall and thick, over four zhang high, with protruding bastions that increased the defensive capacity of each wall section. Attacking only one gate would also render the Chuang bandits' massive forces useless.

So they would probably also attack the Upper South Gate and Nanshui Pass. Though the Upper South Gate was treacherous, it was still better than assaulting the East Gate. The Tonghe River at Nanshui Pass was not deep at the moment, so the bandits would likely wade across to attack the pass.

They might also attack the Forbidden Trench, attempting to circle around to the city's rear — if they could first capture Yuanwang Gully.

"It's estimated the Chuang bandits will cross Niutou Tableland, traverse the various ravines and tablelands, and deploy their troops on the opposite tableland. No matter how difficult that route is, it's better than entering the East Gate through Jindou Pass. Only there can their hundreds of thousands of troops spread out… and only then can they use their superior numbers to attack Yuanwang Gully. Once they break into Linzhi Tableland, they can attack the city on one front while striking the Forbidden Trench defense line on the other…"

Gao Xun said thoughtfully.

The opposite side was crisscrossed with ravines and fragmented tablelands, but years of villagers traveling had left some small paths. The roving bandits had numbers — widening the roads would not be difficult. Only by reaching that vast, flat tableland across the gully could they deploy their forces and launch a proper assault.

If they took the Jindou Pass route into the East Gate, that narrow, perilous defile stretching several li would be far too easy for government troops to ambush. The Chuang bandits would surely meet the same fate as Geshu Han — a point they had likely considered themselves.

Everyone agreed with Gao Xun's assessment. One advisor said, "Therefore, our first line of defense must be Yuanwang Gully. We cannot allow the bandits to enter the Southern Tableland."

The Southern Tableland before them stretched wide and open, the flat ground extending southward all the way to the Qinling Mountains. The tableland between the eastern and western gullies was several li wide, dotted with numerous forts and villages. Wheat was sparsely planted around them — this had long been a vital grain-producing area for the Tongguan garrison.

Gazing at this place, Sun Chuanting's heart surged with emotion. Back then, Grand Secretary Yang had devised the "Four Fronts, Six Corners, Ten-Sided Net" strategy. The Chuang bandits, pressed by Cao Bianjiao and others, had been driven into Tongguan. Under the orders of his honored mentor Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting had set up three layers of ambush here on the Southern Tableland and its vicinity.

The Chuang bandits fell into the trap and were nearly annihilated at the Battle of the Southern Tableland. Corpses piled like mountains. In the end, they broke out with only eighteen riders and fled into the Mount Shangluo.

Back then, the Chuang bandits had been as panicked as stray dogs. Who could have imagined that a few years later they would rise again and even take the initiative to attack Tongguan?

His gaze shifted to a small fort about two li southeast of the Upper South Gate. The fort sat on a slightly elevated tableland the locals called Dongyuan, also bordering Yuanwang Gully. He had some impression of this fort and mused, "Is that Taojiazhuang?"

Zhang Eryou said, "Reporting to the Viceroy, yes. This fort currently holds three hundred defenders, guarding an official road coming from across the gully."

Numerous small paths crossed Yuanwang Gully, among them some official roads. Forts and watchtowers had been built along the tableland edge by the gully to guard these strategic points.

Wu Zhengchun said, "Viceroy Sun, Taojiazhuang holds an extremely critical position. If our forces hold it, we can bombard the western approaches while the Upper South Gate provides supporting cannon fire. The roving bandits will be unable to attack the Upper South Gate. Conversely, if the bandits seize Taojiazhuang, they will occupy the high ground, peer into our pass, and even fire cannons down upon us."

Sun Chuanting nodded gravely. He too had immediately recognized the fort's importance. He said, "Let us go out and inspect it!"

……

Like a whirlwind, the group spurred their horses out of the Upper South Gate. First, they rode from the tableland up to Taojiazhuang Fort. The fort had long fallen into disrepair. Though the rammed-earth walls remained thick and tall, they were overgrown with brambles everywhere, and the wall bases were choked with tangled, wild weeds.

To the north and south of the fort grew hardy wild jujube thorns, scattered across the uneven terrain. Wheat fields were interspersed among them. Many of the garrison soldiers inside were hoeing the soil on the tableland. They were called soldiers, but they looked more like farmers.

Seeing Sun Chuanting and his party arrive, they merely stared at them numbly, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Wu Zhengchun, Gao Xun, and the others shook their heads. Sun Chuanting's face turned livid. The roving bandits were about to arrive, and they were still hoeing the fields?

Zhang Eryou wore a helpless expression. For these guard battalion soldiers, being able to farm was already quite good. After all, the battalions provided them no grain or pay. Growing some crops at least allowed them to feed their families. Though he had issued repeated orders, livelihood took precedence, and the soldiers and officers of each battalion could only focus on what was immediately before them.

The local Company Commander, having gotten word, hurried over from the fields. Covered in mud, he looked every bit the old village headman. Seeing Sun Chuanting, he knelt and said in a trembling voice, "This humble officer greets the Vice… Vice…"

His teeth chattered uncontrollably; he could not get out a single complete sentence. Sun Chuanting shot him a cold glance and said, "Hundreds of thousands of roving bandits are about to press upon Tongguan, and you lot, instead of thinking about defense and vigilance, frolic outside the city walls… Men, behead him!"

Immediately, two guards stepped forward to drag him away. The Company Commander's face turned ashen. The surrounding guard battalion soldiers still watched numbly. Only a few women began wailing in grief — likely the Company Commander's family and relatives.

Sun Chuanting's advisors watched impassively. With the great enemy at hand, a Company Commander who neglected defense deserved execution. Zhang Eryou wanted to plead for mercy, but before he could speak, Sun Chuanting raised a hand to stop him. It was Wen Shiyan who laughed heartily and said, "With the great enemy before us, executing an officer is inauspicious. Viceroy Sun, perhaps you might spare his life."

Wu Zhengchun also glanced at the Company Commander with some pity. "This is a chronic failing of the guard battalion system over many years — there are mitigating circumstances. I ask Viceroy Sun to show leniency."

With the Jingbian Army men interceding, Sun Chuanting could not refuse them face. He glared fiercely at the Company Commander. "Then let him be punished with twenty heavy strokes of the military rod!"

Amid the cracking sounds of the rod and agonized screams, Sun Chuanting and the others entered Taojiazhuang. Inside, it was a typical refugee camp — more a village than a military barracks. They climbed the wall. On the Kuixing Tower above the west gate, a few Frankish cannons had been mounted. Due to poor maintenance, some of the cannons had already rusted.

That aside, however, the fort's terrain was superb. Standing atop the western gate tower, one could see Tongguan City with perfect clarity, even much of the activity within. More than half of Tongguan City lay within view. It truly could be said to occupy the commanding heights and hold every geographical advantage.

Gao Xun said, "The guard battalion troops are unusable. The garrison soldiers must all be replaced, and defensive equipment must be added. On the western wall, some Grand General cannons must be installed."

Sun Chuanting nodded approvingly. The fort's position was indeed excellent. Below the east gate lay Yuanwang Gully. An official road passed by the south gate, wound down to the slope below the east gate, then twisted and turned along the hillside, finally reaching the tableland on the opposite side of the gully.

This road was entirely under the threat of the Taojiazhuang garrison's eastern and southern positions. To the west, the fort could coordinate with the Upper South Gate of Tongguan. But first, these fort-guarding soldiers had to be completely replaced — otherwise, the roving bandits might very well take it in a single assault.

The group gazed out from the east gate. Before them, Yuanwang Gully's loess walls stood sheer, overgrown with grass and trees, winding far into the distance toward the Qinling Mountains. Opposite was Datai Tableland. The drop between the gully and the tableland was roughly sixty to seventy zhang. The distance between the two tablelands varied — in some places just over a hundred paces, in others as much as one or two li.

The slope gradients also differed. Some sections were deep and steep, difficult to climb; others were gentler and easier to traverse. On these gentler gully sections, faint small paths could be seen winding along. There were even some wheat fields and vegetable plots down in the gully.

After all, the gully bottom was moister than the tableland above, with some gully water here and there. Of course, if a flood came, everything would be swept away.

The slopes on both sides of the gully, in many places, resembled terraced fields and tea plantations, step by step. Most were masterpieces of nature's uncanny craftsmanship, formed naturally. A small portion were man-made — local garrison troops and civilians had carved terraced fields or vegetable plots on the slopes for their livelihood, and also out of defensive considerations.

With this step-like terrain, the mountain paths wound beneath the terraces. The defending troops could fire down from the terraces onto enemy forces on the road below, delivering layered, three-dimensional fire from the flank — much like the defenses of a bastion fort.

On the opposite tableland, some beacon towers were faintly visible, part of the Twelve Linked Cities system.

Sun Chuanting gazed at the opposite side for a moment, then drew his bow from his waist — a powerful three-dan bow. He nocked an eagle-feather arrow, drew it to a full moon, and with a whoosh, loosed it. The arrow flew to the tableland on the opposite side.

The advisors around him all cheered. Sun Chuanting wore a look of satisfaction. Wu Zhengchun also nodded. Only Gao Xun smiled without speaking.

One advisor exclaimed, "Judging by the arrow's flight, the two tablelands here are quite close — about a hundred-some paces apart. Our forces can place cannons on the east gate to bombard the opposite tableland, preventing the enemy from massing troops there. From the terrain, this official road is surely where the Chuang bandits will concentrate their assault."

Everyone agreed. Just then, faint sounds of neighing came from the opposite side — several riders were chasing across the tableland, one fleeing, several in pursuit. Then came the crack of a gunshot, a puff of smoke rising. It seemed the fleeing rider had fired back over his shoulder, unhorsing one of the pursuers. The remaining riders promptly reined in, not daring to continue the chase.

The roving bandit cavalry units were growing more numerous. The beacon tower garrison troops on the opposite side were completely incapable of driving off those probing bandit scouts. It was entirely up to the Tiger Lord's hunting cavalry and elite riders to keep the bandit horsemen from entering the Southern Tableland to spy.

Sun Chuanting snorted. "Let us follow the gully's edge and look further."

……

The group rode along the edge of Yuanwang Gully. Based on the terrain, the Jingbian Army's strategic advisors continuously tallied: how many gentle sections there were, how many small paths could be used to cross the gully, and how many troops would be needed to defend it.

Watching this, Sun Chuanting nodded to himself. The Jingbian Army's staff system considered everything to the greatest extent possible. Fighting a battle based on this, even if one did not win a great victory, one would not suffer a great defeat. (To be continued..)