Chapter 50: Give Him a Battle

Yangtou Mountain stretches for dozens of li from east to west, perfectly dividing the two prefectures of Zezhou and Luzhou from each other, and has been the prefectural boundary between the two since ancient times. The mountain ridges are beautiful, with dense pine forests—a scenic place. But what this mountain is most famous for are the grottoes of various sizes, along with the Buddhist statues, temple steles, and stone pagodas within them. It is a place of profound cultural heritage.

At the foot of the mountain lies Shennong Tuanchi Village, but by now it has been occupied by the northward-advancing Khitan army, with the command platform set up in the village. It is said that twenty or thirty li to the southwest lies the site of the Battle of Changping.

The Khitan military camp is set up according to the terrain, relying on natural barriers, and is very meticulously arranged. However, constrained by the topography, the dangers are not extraordinary, and the barriers are not absolute—it cannot achieve the effect of one man holding a pass against ten thousand.

In the evening, after inspecting the camp, Geng Chongmei was in good spirits and climbed the high slope behind the village to look down at the northern foot of the mountain. Dusk mist hung heavy, the sky was dim, and sparse lights had already begun to flicker in the small village. By comparison, it was rather the surrounding Khitan camp that was dotted all over with points of light amid its grim stockades.

The scene at the foot of the mountain should have been tranquil and peaceful, but the smoke of war had long since spread, carried along with iron horses and golden spears, hengdao sabers and sharp blades. In fact, if not for Geng Chongmei's strict military discipline, the village at the mountain's foot would have long been razed to the ground.

A gust of night wind swept by, stirring the surrounding grass and trees, producing a rustling sound. Though it was spring, there was a feeling of desolation. As the wind blew against his body, Geng Chongmei couldn't help but shiver.

He had already reached the age of knowing heaven's mandate—fifty years old. The hardship of marching, without time to rest, compounded by the pressure of heavy responsibility, had left Geng Chongmei utterly exhausted in both body and mind. In a moment of carelessness, he was nearly blown over by this gentle breeze.

The yabing guards beside him hurriedly called out and steadied him.

Letting out a light sigh, Geng Chongmei called out: "Return to camp!"

"Military Governor." After returning to camp, when darkness had fully fallen, a burly, broad-shouldered general walked into the tent and respectfully saluted Geng Chongmei.

This was a yabing officer of the military governor, and also a junior clansman of the Geng family. Waving his hand, Geng Chongmei asked: "How is morale?"

"It has been pacified, but because you strictly ordered an end to looting raids and executed those two soldiers who violated Han women, the officers and men of the various camps are quite dissatisfied..." The yabing officer spoke frankly.

Geng Chongmei's brows furrowed slightly, and his voice turned somewhat cold: "Violating military discipline, disregarding orders—should they not die!"

Seeing this, the yabing officer said with some disapproval: "Military Governor, since we came south, all the armies of the Great Liao have been looting and plundering goods—this is even explicitly decreed by the Son of Heaven. Why must you be soft-hearted and thereby destabilize morale?"

From this yabing officer's attitude, one could see the current state of the Khitan army. Whether Khitan, Hu barbarians, or Han, their minds were already filled with rape and plunder. With such lax military discipline, no matter how many men such an army had, it was not to be feared.

Hearing this, Geng Chongmei was angered and rebuked: "We came out to fight a war!"

The yabing officer immediately muttered: "Fighting doesn't preclude looting..."

The moment the words left his mouth, Geng Chongmei slammed his fist hard on the campaign table, then stared fiercely at the yabing officer until the man's hair stood on end.

"Enough! What's the situation at Shangdang? Have the scouts obtained any intelligence?" Taking a deep breath, Geng Chongmei asked.

"The Hedong army has indeed arrived at the walls of Shangdang, and in considerable numbers—possibly more than our own. The four gates of Shangdang city are tightly shut; they should be waiting for us to come to their rescue!" Mentioning official matters, the yabing officer immediately reported the intelligence gathered by the scouts.

"It's truly still there?" Geng Chongmei's face showed a thoughtful expression, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

"Military Governor, since Shangdang has requested aid, our army should march north and jointly defeat the Hedong forces first. But I observe that you seem hesitant and uncertain—what is the reason?" The yabing officer's curiosity was strong as he voiced the question in his heart.

"Haven't you noticed anything amiss?"

"What?"

A complex suspicion hung on Geng Chongmei's swarthy face: "According to the messenger dispatched by Zhao Xingqian a few days ago, the Hedong army was stationed at Siting, a hundred li north of Shangdang, with no signs of moving south. Why did they suddenly march south just as our army approached Luzhou? And in the intervening days, why did we receive no further distress letters from Zhao Xingqian? Yet yesterday a messenger suddenly came south to us, already reporting that the Hedong army was about to arrive at the city walls!"

Pausing, Geng Chongmei continued: "The Hedong army's movements are also somewhat suspicious. If I were leading troops, I would take advantage of the unrest within Shangdang and strike directly at the prefectural seat. Even upon hearing of our army's approach, I would send a detached force south to occupy Yangtou Mountain, to block and delay our advance, so as not to affect their assault on Shangdang. Though Yangtou Mountain is no natural fortress, it is still a place that can be relied upon. And that small force of Hedong cavalry—rather than harassing our army, it seems more like they are watching us..."

This speech from Geng Chongmei left the yabing officer dumbfounded. He was silent for a long while before reacting sluggishly with surprise: "You mean, that messenger yesterday had a problem? If that's the case, then why did you let that fellow go back and allow Zhao Xingqian to break out?"

"Soon, we will be able to confirm whether my suspicions have merit!" Geng Chongmei said darkly.

The tent fell silent for a moment, then the yabing officer suddenly muttered: "All of this is your speculation. If the situation at Shangdang is true, and you make Zhao Xingqian abandon the city, wouldn't you be handing Luzhou to the Hedong army on a silver platter?"

Hearing this, Geng Chongmei replied calmly: "One Shangdang city is not worth our several thousand troops!"

"The Emperor ordered you to control Luzhou and prevent the Hedong army from moving south. If your suspicions prove wrong and Luzhou is lost, how will you answer to the Emperor?"

Facing the yabing officer's question, Geng Chongmei said with great cunning: "If we can take Luzhou and hold the strategic passes against the Hedong army, that would naturally be for the best. If that cannot be done, then we must choose another prefecture or county to defend against them..."

Seeing Geng Chongmei's cautious expression, the yabing officer felt he was making a mountain out of a molehill: "I hear the commander of the Hedong army is a mere wet-behind-the-ears youth, still smelling of mother's milk. Are you being too careful?"

"What kind of man is Liu Zhiyuan? Would he entrust a great army to a mere child?" Geng Chongmei waved his hand with some irritation: "Go. Send men to keep a close watch on the movements to the north—no slackening!"

"Yes."

"If it were you, how would you fight this battle?" To the north, in the camp below the walls of Shangdang, Liu Chengyou very directly asked Xiang Xun for his opinion. Liu Chengyou had already come to regard this close attendant as a trusted confidant.

Xiang Xun did not answer directly, but calmly asked in return: "That depends on whether Your Highness wishes to hold Luzhou securely, or to defeat this enemy army to the south!"

"Defeat them, of course—ideally annihilate them all!" This time, Liu Chengyou answered very resolutely, even waving his hand.

"Your Highness, from Geng Chongmei's actions, this is a man of great suspicion and extreme caution—truly cunning and calculating. Before he has clarified the specific situation at Shangdang, he will absolutely not advance rashly!" Only then did Xiang Xun analyze for Liu Chengyou: "And the situation at Shangdang cannot be concealed forever. His sending Li Chongju back to deliver this message as a test—he is probably waiting at Yangtou Mountain to see how we respond..."

Liu Chengyou nodded, but said very directly: "Geng Chongmei is not easy to deal with, and I have no intention of matching wits and schemes with him. Just tell me—how do we fight this battle!"

"Just as we raced to Shangdang by night, tonight we must race to Yangtou Mountain!" Hearing this, Xiang Xun said.

"A night raid?" Liu Chengyou frowned and asked.

Xiang Xun shook his head to indicate it was not.