Chapter 116: The Liao Army's Strange Movements

The Liao cavalry at Renqiu came on rather brazenly this time, and in greater numbers than before. At Hejian, He Fujin received the alarm and immediately sharpened his troops for battle. He had only just learned the general situation from garrison soldiers who had fled south when a thousand riders appeared outside the city, flaunting their might.

In the past, He Fujin would have held his ground and played for time, letting the enemy make the first move. But this time, Guo Rong had brought him reinforcements. With more troops and supplies, he had confidence to spare, and led two thousand infantry and cavalry out of the city to meet the enemy.

The Liao cavalry reacted strangely—they withdrew at the first contact, arriving fast and leaving in haste, leaving only a trail of dust behind. The Hu cavalry retreated without a real fight, and He Fujin led his men in pursuit.

From the city wall, Guo Rong took in the entire situation between friend and foe. He had misgivings about the enemy's movements, and seeing He Fujin charge off recklessly in pursuit, he immediately ordered the soldiers beside him: "The enemy cavalry withdrew suspiciously—there may be a trick. Sound the gong and have General He pull back!"

The soldiers relayed the order, and soon a series of urgent, crisp gong sounds rang out from Hejian's north wall. The open plain carried the sound far. Unfortunately, to Guo Rong's surprise, He Fujin's side seemed not to hear it at all, showing no intention of obeying the retreat order—his men only chased harder.

Gradually, He Fujin's force disappeared beyond the horizon. Even with Guo Rong's composure, anger began to gather on his face. Gazing northward, he clenched his fists, forcibly suppressed his rage, thought calmly for a moment, and immediately sent men to pursue.

But after waiting a long while with no word coming back, Guo Rong grew anxious. His nature had always carried a restless streak, and unable to contain himself, he barked angrily: "All cavalry in the city, follow me out! The rest of you, hold the city steady!"

Before leaving, he gave earnest instructions to a senior officer, then hurriedly rode north with the fifty remaining horsemen in Hejian. Guo Rong's heart burned with anger—these old generals truly were unruly and hard to tame at their core.

Riding hard, he caught up after nearly two quarters of an hour, at a place called Junzi Hall, twenty li north of the city. Looking out, he saw the two armies clashing amid the woods and fields—killing cries filled the air, banners unfurled, dust flying. Without pausing to look closely, Guo Rong thought to himself, "Just as I suspected," and lashed his horse's rump hard, leading his men forward.

Drawing closer, he found the battle was nearly over—both sides had already disengaged. The Liao cavalry had broken free of Yingzhou's troops and were retreating north, though this time somewhat disheveled.

It had been a small-scale engagement—brief, but fierce enough. Under the officers' command, the men quickly formed up on the spot, tended to the wounded, and cleared the battlefield.

Suppressing his surprise, Guo Rong kept a stern face as he sought out He Fujin.

The old general's beard and hair bristled, and his brow carried the satisfaction of killing enemies. Seeing Guo Rong, he looked at him with surprise: "General Guo, why have you come?"

His gaze swept over Guo Rong, and seeing his sour expression, he suddenly understood, revealing slightly yellowed teeth: "It seems you didn't trust this old man?"

Guo Rong said coldly: "I wouldn't dare! The enemy cavalry moved strangely—I only feared the old general might fall into their trap!"

"Heh heh!" He Fujin laughed twice. "These Hu barbarians tried to pull some baiting trick before me—as if I couldn't see through it. I defeated them in one blow!"

Hearing this, Guo Rong calmed down. He scanned the surroundings—it did indeed look like a victory—and took a deep breath: "It seems the old general has reaped quite a harvest?"

"Just a minor victory!" He Fujin waved a hand.

At that moment, a junior officer ran over from the perimeter, saluted He Fujin and Guo Rong, and said excitedly: "Generals, the tally is complete—one hundred and fourteen enemies killed, fifteen captured, and seventy-eight horses seized..."

Dismissing him with a gesture, He Fujin turned to look at Guo Rong without speaking, but his eagle-like eyes said everything.

The two men stared at each other for a moment. Guo Rong slowly stepped back two paces and said quietly: "It seems I was overthinking things."

He did not, however, mention the matter of the ignored gong order.

"This Liao army is somewhat strange!" After a moment of silence, Guo Rong spoke again.

"Men! Bring up the captured Khitan officer and let General Guo question him!" Seeing this, He Fujin immediately shouted to his subordinates.

Soon, after some interrogation, they learned the situation from the Liao officer. It turned out that Yongkang Prince Yelu Ruan had ascended the throne as emperor at Youzhou, then shifted troops south while ordering the Liao forces in Zhuo, Ding, and Mo prefectures to march south as well, claiming he would avenge the southern campaign and wash away the shame of Luancheng.

The troops at Renqiu, now reinforced, had planned under their garrison commander Yang An to raid and plunder southward first. They had attempted a crude baiting trick, but never expected He Fujin to see through it at a glance—they took a loss and pulled back.

Learning that Yelu Ruan had declared himself emperor, Guo Rong's eyes lit up first, with a flicker of joy in his heart. But at the man's intentions, he couldn't help feeling doubtful. He couldn't help wondering—was Yelu Ruan planning to use a southern campaign to establish his authority, win domestic support, and stabilize his position?

It seemed possible, but on reflection, it didn't seem very likely. Yelu Deguang had been so arrogant and overbearing, yet still came to a miserable end. Given the current situation within the Khitan state, nothing mattered more than seizing control of power and stabilizing the country. No matter how deeply the pain of Luancheng was etched into their hearts, they would have to endure it, lick their wounds, and plan for the future. Moreover, if Yelu Ruan dared take such a risk and slipped up even slightly, his fate could be even worse than Yelu Deguang's.

As they rode south back to Hejian, one of his trusted commanders looked toward Guo Rong and said in a low voice: "General, I hear that Chief Inspector Guo is a close confidant of the Second Prince. You just ignored a military order..."

Hearing the doubt in his voice, He Fujin narrowed his eyes and turned his head away: "So what? Do I need someone else to teach me how to fight? Don't worry—there's nothing to fear!"

The minor victory lifted Hejian's spirits, and cheers rang out through the city. He Fujin directly ordered the severed heads of the Hu cavalry divided into two lots—one hung on Hejian's city wall, the other sent south to hang on Leshou's wall, to boost the morale of soldiers and civilians alike.

After much deliberation, Guo Rong went straight to He Fujin: "General He, the Khitan state is in turmoil. I must return quickly to Zhending. Yingzhou is entirely in your hands, old general—please guard well against the Hu cavalry!"

Guo Rong's expression was grave and his words sincere, showing not a trace of displeasure, as if the earlier friction had never lodged in his heart. He Fujin set aside his slight contempt for the young man and replied: "Since I have promised Your Highness, I will do my utmost to defend Yingzhou. If the enemy cavalry come, I will meet them myself!"

That very night, Guo Rong took advantage of the darkness and rode west, straight for Zhending.

At Youzhou, Yelu Ruan had already put on imperial airs. He admired Chinese customs and dressed himself like a Son of Heaven of the Han.

Looking at Yelu Ruan's outfit, which clashed utterly with Hu clothing, Yelu Anbo furrowed his brow slightly as he entered, then clasped his hands and bowed: "Your Majesty!"

"Rise! How goes the situation?" At this time, Yelu Ruan had not yet firmly seated himself on the throne—he was a ruler striving to govern well.

"The Bohai and Xi cavalry have received their orders and are raiding southward with considerable gains. The Jin army in the south has strengthened its defenses. Only the garrison commander of Mo Prefecture, Yang An, was defeated by the Yingzhou Defense Commissioner He Fujin, losing a small number of troops!"

Yelu Ruan did not take it to heart. He thought for a moment, then hesitated slightly: "We're making quite a stir. If it backfires and draws the Jin army north, what then?"

"It won't!" Yelu Anbo said with certainty. "The Jin army absolutely cannot march north. I have learned that Liu Chengyou is busy with the summer harvest. The great wave of refugees fleeing south has all been taken in by him—his hands are tied! Holding Chengde Garrison is already his limit. Our movements here will leave him guessing and hesitant. Moreover, with his strength, if he dares to march north rashly, the sharp defenses of the Southern Capital will be enough to break him—he'll never make it back!"

Reassured by these words, Yelu Ruan nodded, then his face turned grim and he said seriously: "Wait two more days and see how things stand. If nothing unusual occurs, send the army north—back to Shangjing!"

"Should we not wait for a reply from Shangjing?" Yelu Anbo asked.

A sneer curled on his lips, Yelu Ruan said: "Empress Dowager Shulu will never support me!"

"Still no word from Xiao Han?"

"None! The prefectures of Hebei have basically all submitted to the Liu clan. After our army withdrew, it will be very difficult for the Imperial Uncle and the others to pull back safely from Hebei!"

"What a pity about those troops—I wonder how many will make it back?" Though he did not particularly care for Xiao Han, Yelu Ruan grieved for the soldiers under his command. Then he spat out a harsh vow: "These Han, trimming their sails with the wind, sitting on the fence—sooner or later I'll make them regret it!"