Chapter 53: Flight

Ze Prefecture, Gaoping.

This city had become a key depot and transfer point for the Liao army's supplies at Yangtou Mountain. Since Geng Chongmei led his forces north, two shipments of military supplies had already been sent to the front lines.

Early in the morning, before the morning mist had fully dispersed, a baggage train of several dozen flatbed carts, escorted by a battalion of Liao troops, slowly headed north. Among them, over three hundred forcibly conscripted local laborers drove the animals and pushed the carts.

This shipment went very poorly—before the convoy even left Gaoping's borders, it was attacked. First, nearby villagers and able-bodied country folk swarmed in like ants to strike, then a "Jin army" suddenly emerged from the flank and charged in. The leading general looked extremely fierce, and the conscripted laborers seized the opportunity to revolt as well. Soon, an entire battalion of Liao troops was wiped out.

The battle ended quickly, and the scene soon calmed down. The "Jin army" took a portion of the supplies, then distributed the remaining grain and weapons to the "righteous militia." When dividing the spoils, those people were as rapacious as bandits, but under the "Jin army's" maintenance of order, the dozens of carts of materiel were quickly carved up completely.

The commanding officer was, of course, Li Wanchao. He had been ordered to lead the Surui Battalion, take a remote path, infiltrate Ze Prefecture, and scheme to cut off Geng Chongmei's retreat. Since this was home territory, the army lacked no men familiar with the mountains and roads, and the advance went very smoothly. After entering Ze Prefecture, they quickly scouted out the situation in Gaoping, and even had time to organize some "righteous militia" for coordinated operations.

Riding on horseback, reining in the reins, sweeping his gaze over the scene of utter devastation, Li Wanchao gave orders: "Move a bit faster..."

Smelling the blood in the air, Li Wanchao licked his lips, his gaze cold and sharp, muttering under his breath: "A pity they're all Yan troops. When will I ever get the chance to kill some real Khitan again!"

He left a small number of "righteous militia" behind to assist, while the remaining able-bodied commoners were all dismissed by Li Wanchao. Turning his horse's head, Li Wanchao stared fixedly toward the south and ordered a subordinate soldier: "Change into the enemy's uniforms and go deceive the city into opening its gates!"

"Yes!"

"General, what should we do with these prisoners?" At this moment, a junior officer asked.

The Liao troops escorting the supplies numbered fewer than three hundred; about half were killed, and the rest captured. Li Wanchao glanced at the roadside, at the prisoners who had been disarmed and were being guarded. All Yan people. His brows furrowed slightly, but without much hesitation, he waved his hand and said coldly: "Kill them all."

At the order, the Surui soldiers under his command immediately raised their blades. The hundred-odd prisoners naturally put up a feeble wave of resistance.

Though Li Wanchao appeared righteous and upright before Liu Chengyou, on the battlefield he was merciless and ruthless. An officer who licked blood from his blade and fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—his heart was hard indeed.

After a brief cleanup, the Surui soldiers under Li Wanchao's leadership resolutely headed south, leaving behind only a scene of carnage. The smell of blood in the air grew heavier still...

In Gaoping city, several hundred Yan troops still held the defense. Deceiving the city was something Li Wanchao had thought of on the spot after seeing the escorting enemy forces completely annihilated. The effect was excellent—the Yan officer guarding the city was not a cautious man. His subordinates changed into blood-stained armor, put on a pitiful appearance of routed soldiers, and easily tricked the gates open. Li Wanchao, hidden outside the city, led his troops charging straight in.

To the north, the main battlefield.

"A misstep! A misstep!" In the command tent on the general's platform, Geng Chongmei muttered softly. His voice was nearly a sob, his face full of exhaustion and pallor. In just these two days, he seemed to have aged several years more.

The "Jin army" across from him moved very strangely—pressing forward, yet absorbed in fortifying their camp; showing intent to attack, yet putting on a defensive posture.

After probing attacks large and small, at this point, how could he not see the "Jin army's" sinister intentions? Though he wasn't yet certain what schemes Liu Chengyou would pull next, he knew that he and the Yan troops under his command were already in danger.

As if to echo his thoughts, his premonition rapidly became reality. A yabing officer of the Geng clan hurried in and reported in alarm: "Commander, word from the rear—Gaoping has been taken by surprise attack!"

Hearing this, Geng Chongmei's old brows immediately knit together. His expression darkened at a visible rate. He drew a heavy breath: "When did this happen? Who attacked? How many enemy troops?"

Though alarm showed on Geng Chongmei's face, there was little surprise—rather, a sense of realization. He tried his best to stay calm and asked for the specific details.

"It should have happened this morning. It was a group of Jin troops bearing the 'Liu' banner, along with some local ruffians from Ze Prefecture. As for which Hedong force exactly, and how many men, we don't know yet..." the yabing officer replied.

"Useless!" He suddenly exploded, pointing at the dusk scene outside as he berated: "Something from this morning, and you only report it now! The enemy has already circled behind our backs, and you don't even know which force they belong to—what exactly are you people doing?"

Scolded into speechless stammering, the yabing officer hung his head in shame.

Geng Chongmei's face twisted into an ugly knot. Clenching his aged fists, he pondered bitterly. Before he could think of a countermeasure, another junior officer burst into the tent and reported nervously: "Commander, the Prefect of Ze Prefecture, Zhai Lingqi, has rebelled! He assembled the soldiers and civilians under his jurisdiction in Jincheng, killed our men, and declared the city's submission to the false emperor Liu Zhiyuan..."

If the fall of Gaoping only alarmed Geng Chongmei, then Ze Prefecture's defection sent chills through his entire body, a suffocating feeling sweeping over him. After several rapid breaths, he suddenly felt a pang in his chest and muttered: "Such swift moves..."

The Jin army at Gaoping had clearly crossed the mountains by small paths. As for the "shocking turn" in Ze Prefecture, Hedong's hidden hand was obviously at work there too. Prefect Zhai Lingqi—Geng Chongmei knew him well; the man was timid as a mouse and would never dare rebel lightly. But now he'd directly raised the banner of revolt!

"Commander, with Ze Prefecture lost, our army's retreat route is completely cut off." That yabing officer seemed to have had a sudden realization, and said uneasily: "Now the main Hedong army is before us, a detached force is covering our rear, and our grain and weapons are cut off..."

The more he spoke, the weaker his voice became, until finally he placed all his hopes on the old general: "What do you say we should do?"

"What should we do?" Geng Chongmei asked himself as well.

Ever since he had entered the service of the Khitan, he had always stayed by the side of two generations of Khitan sovereigns, even when leading troops in battle. This was his first time commanding a region independently, and before he'd even fought much of a battle, he had unknowingly been driven into such a dangerous and difficult position. The commander of the Hedong army across from him was still a youth who hadn't yet come of age. The taste of it in Geng Chongmei's heart was truly hard to bear.

He was, after all, an old man who had weathered much in life. Geng Chongmei gradually calmed down, analyzing the situation before him with a clear head. Thinking back on his own actions these past few days, he said in a self-mocking tone: "I've been hesitating these past days. It seems this old commander must be decisive for once tonight!"

"Pass the orders!" As soon as he finished speaking, Geng Chongmei turned, swept his sleeve, and said sternly and resolutely to the two officers.

The hour was still early. Liu Chengyou remained calmly in his tent, reading by lamplight. The book he was reading was titled *Chronicles Beyond the Frontier*, written by the famous Daoist Li Quan of the High Tang period. It was said that Guo Wei was extremely fond of this book, so Liu Chengyou had picked it up to read as well. The so-called principle of defending the state with righteousness and waging war with surprise, comparing survival and ruin, order and chaos, recording the wise and the foolish, success and failure—this book was somewhat interesting.

"Your Highness, there's movement in the Liao camp."

Ma Quanyi hurried in to report, immediately putting Liu Chengyou on alert. He set down the book, picked up his helmet and put it on, then beckoned his personal guards and followed Ma Quanyi out of the tent, intending to go observe.

Walking along, he asked: "What's the situation?"

"The Liao army may be about to flee!" Ma Quanyi said.