Chapter 251: Cao Cao

Outside Chuzhou, Gao Yingxiang was touching the scar on his face, pacing slowly under the covered corridor of a courtyard.

The courtyard was already a cacophony of quarrels; the hall was packed with people — every Camp Head that had advanced east into Nanzhili had assembled here.

The Sweeping King's voice boomed nearby, "On the northwest Official Road we ran into those dog-official Scout Cavalry. A few Horse Soldiers got captured. The ones who made it back swear it was the Border Army. The whole Nine Borders are Border Army — who says it has to be Lu Xiangsheng?"

If they had northern Tartar accents, then it's the Border Army. Many of the Roving Bandits' veteran camps and Horse Soldiers originally came from the Border Army; they wouldn't be wrong about recognizing a Tartar accent. Among the Ming Dynasty's Nine Border Garrisons, all recruit varying numbers of Mongol troops, but the Liao Army recruits the most. The Tartars have campaigned against the Mongol tribes many times, forging blood feuds with numerous clans, so a fair number have defected to the Liao Army.

"If the Horse Soldiers couldn't shake them, those Government Troops must have some pretty fine horses."

"Can't rule out that the ones who retreated just made up the Border Army story, afraid the Chief Steward would punish them."

"Fine horses don't necessarily mean it's the Liao Army, but the veteran camp men under my command who retreated say there were northern Tartar accents over there. It's most likely Lu Xiangsheng!"

The courtyard fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar. Everyone was shouting at once; some had already stood up, ready to return to camp and lead their troops in retreat. Lu Xiangsheng was an old foe of theirs. Normally they would have fled early, but this time Lu Xiangsheng had suddenly blocked their path ahead. His Vanguard was only twenty or thirty li from here — shaking them off would not be easy now.

Zhang Xianzhong strode into the center and kicked over the great cauldron of boiling meat. The iron cauldron crashed to the ground with a boom, splashing oil and water everywhere. The surrounding Roving Bandits fell silent one by one and turned to look at him.

The Eight Great Kings roared, "So what if Lu Xiangsheng is here? He brought his Liaodong Troops and hit me twice in Henan. I'd already sought out Chuang Wang to settle the score with him, but Zu Kuan vanished without a trace. If you ask me, since we've run into him, let's just fuck his mother!"

After a brief silence in the hall, a roar of noise erupted again. Quite a few people shouted curses directly at Zhang Xianzhong. Compared to Lu Xiangsheng, the Eight Great Kings was an easier man to deal with.

A big man in a Purple Arrow Robe also stepped into the hall. He clasped his hands and made a circle to all around. "Old brothers, Yellow Tiger never said we must fight Lu Xiangsheng to the death. We have several dozen Camp Heads here. Whether we fight or retreat, we're putting it out here to discuss with everyone."

The clamor below subsided slightly. Another Headman in red stood up. This man had a round face plastered with an ingratiating smile. "Cao Cao speaks reason. Isn't this exactly what we're discussing? We've fought Chen Qiyu and Hong Chengchou before. Lu Xiangsheng doesn't have a few extra arms. Last time in Henan, when we heard he was coming, I abandoned a lamb half-roasted and ran. Thinking back now, it does seem a bit of a pity, doesn't it?"

Laughter erupted all around. The Sweeping King pointed at the red-clad Headman. "You're the fastest runner of all. The name 'You Lihua' couldn't be more fitting. Look at the other old brothers — who isn't covered head to toe in scars? You haven't even lost a fingernail."

Not only was You Lihua not angered, his smile grew even more fawning. His round face scrunched until his eyes were slits. He raised his plump hands and clasped them in a circle. "It's all thanks to the awe-inspiring might of you great Chief Stewards. This time, with Lu Xiangsheng coming, he definitely won't get the better of us either."

This You Lihua was a minor Camp Head among the bandits. The number of men and horses he led was small, so when on the move he always followed a few of the major Camp Heads. This time, he had followed that Purple Arrow Robe-wearing Cao Cao to Jiangpu. Because Jiangpu County's seat was small and couldn't garrison that many Camp Heads, they had set up camp northwest of the county seat. This man was quite adept at handling affairs and maintained passable relations with all the camps.

The others jeered and cursed at him for a while. After this interruption, the atmosphere of hostility directed at the Eight Great Kings moments before had eased considerably.

The big man in purple was originally named Luo Rucai, formerly of the Shaanxi Border Army. Influenced by the Water Margin, the late-Ming Roving Bandits all took nicknames — partly for swagger, partly to hide their real names. Later, over time, hiding became impossible, but the nicknames stuck. Seeing Gao Yingxiang just now approaching from the covered corridor, he quickly shouted, "Fourth Brother, give us a plan."

Gao Yingxiang kept his head lowered, walking slowly out from under the covered corridor. Several Headmen cleared a path for him. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he slowly sat down on the grand tutor's chair at the head of the hall.

Gao Bazi beckoned to Zhang Xianzhong. "Yellow Tiger, sit down and let's talk. We're all Chief Stewards of our own camps now, leading thousands, tens of thousands of men and horses. Bickering like this — what kind of example does it set for the men below?"

Luo Rucai and You Lihua, hearing this, both went over and pulled Zhang Xianzhong back to his seat. Zhang Xianzhong shook off You Lihua with a sweep of his arm, muttering a couple of curses before sitting down.

"The few Horse Soldiers who returned said the Government Troop Scout Cavalry they ran into at Guanshan to the northwest were quite fierce. They grabbed the silver and still chased hard, and there were northern Tartars among them." After listening for a moment, Gao Yingxiang spoke slowly. "Hong Chengchou is guarding the interior passes. The Border Army from the Shaanxi Three Borders won't come out. We haven't run into the Shanxi Border Army in a long time. It's most likely the Liao Army, no mistake. It really is Lu Xiangsheng."

No one else interrupted. At the moment, the only one with the prestige to keep all the Camp Heads in line was Gao Yingxiang, and his strength was also the greatest. The other camps didn't submit to one another and sometimes even fought amongst themselves. This combined-camp incursion into Nanzhili had been organized by Gao Yingxiang; only he could have assembled so many men and horses.

"We're old, close friends with the Liao Army's Zu Kuan, Zu Keyong, and Li Chongzhen. They chase fast too and have blocked our path ahead. Guanshan is no more than thirty li from here. Hiding won't be so easy." Gao Yingxiang finished and swept his gaze around the hall.

Luo Rucai chimed in, "We've got a hundred, two hundred thousand men here at Chuzhou. Inside the city are Government Troops from Nanjing. We fought three days and couldn't take it. Lu Xiangsheng has blocked that Official Road. Heading elsewhere to the east — those roads can't move this many people. If the troops inside the city come out and tie us up for a while, half our people won't get away."

A Headman below said, "Then let's head further south."

"Turn around and go south?" Luo Rucai sneered. "Never mind that there's no food or shelter on that road, just think about turning this many people around. You try turning them around — let me see you do it."

Zhang Xianzhong slapped his thigh. "This time it's not like before, with them chasing from behind. The Government Troops are coming head-on. How can we avoid them? If we can't avoid them, then we fight them for a spell."

Seeing that the major Camp Heads had stated their positions, You Lihua hastily stood up. "Fight for a spell it is. My camp will follow the lead of you great Chief Stewards."

This time, there was no uproar in the hall. With Gao Yingxiang's stance made clear, everyone understood what the major Camp Heads meant.

Gao Yingxiang said calmly, "Back in Henan, everyone foraged for themselves. Zu Kuan singled out one faction and pounded them; Old Eight naturally took losses from him. Now we have over twenty Camp Heads here. Lu Xiangsheng is already upon us. There are only so many roads. How many of us can truly escape? When the time comes and Zu Kuan drives us from behind, the camps will trample each other to death. We've suffered that kind of loss plenty of times before."

Zhang Xianzhong stood up upon hearing this. "What I said was, once we combined camps, Zu Kuan dodged us in Henan. Lu's troops are just Liaodong Troops. What's there to fear?"

Gao Yingxiang smiled. "Having suffered losses so many times, everyone needs to understand one principle. The Government Troops who can actually fight are only so many. If we don't fight with our lives on the line, the number of dead in the end won't be any fewer. All the Rations and Pay we've gathered from everywhere will just get snatched away by those dog officials. If we stake our lives and fight them for a spell, wipe out that force of Government Troops, not only do we keep the Rations and Pay, but good days lie ahead. Just like with Cao Wenzhao and Ai Wannian. In the past, everyone feared them; each of us was beaten until we couldn't recognize our own mothers. We put our lives on the line and wiped out those two forces, and we had ourselves some pretty happy days after that."

Gao Yingxiang rose and stood in the center, sweeping his gaze over the surrounding Headmen. "Yellow Tiger is right. When you talk about Lu Xiangsheng's troops, it's the Liaodong Troops who can fight. Many of you brothers here came out of the Border Army. The Liaodong Troops are for fighting the Tartars; they can't just deploy as many as they want. If we break this force of Lu Xiangsheng's, then all of Jiangbei and Henan is ours to enjoy as we please. This Chuzhou before us — we can besiege it for as many days as we like."

Below, Chuang Tatian, Liu Guoneng, raised his voice. "Lu Xiangsheng rushed to Chuzhou, so he must have brought only the Liaodong Troops. After several fights in Henan, Zu Kuan and Li Chongzhen each have just over a thousand cavalry — no more than three thousand men. Among them, five or six hundred are Household Retainers, and two or three hundred are northern Tartars. That's all they amount to. If Chuang Wang says fight, then Old Liu will fight them."

After he spoke, the largest Camp Head having stated his position, the matter was essentially decided. Gao Yingxiang breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Normally, they relied on unpredictable movements to always leave the Government Troops behind them, often using the advantage of retreat to wear the Government Troops down. But once the Government Troops intercepted them, it was extremely dangerous. The Mianchi South Crossing and the Carriage Trap had both been narrow escapes.

Chuzhou was unfamiliar territory for the Roving Bandits. This time, Lu Xiangsheng had suddenly appeared at Guanshan northwest of Chuzhou, blocking the most critical Official Road. Gao Yingxiang had no confidence in his heart. If so many people fought over the roads to flee, the pursuing slaughter would certainly result in heavy casualties. Beyond the loss of strength, it would also be a massive blow to his authority. Now that everyone agreed to fight, he had room to maneuver.

Gao Yingxiang nodded toward Liu Guoneng. "Just now You Lihua said that when he heard Lu Xiangsheng was coming, he didn't dare finish his roasted lamb and left. I was the same in Hezhou — even worse than him. My whole camp didn't eat a bite, too busy rushing on the road."

The gang of bandits roared with laughter. Gao Yingxiang also smiled, not minding at all. The scar on his face stretched with it, pulling the corner of his mouth slightly askew.

After the laughter stopped, Gao Yingxiang put away his smile and swept his gaze over the crowd, his expression stern. "In the past, it was the same when we heard Chen Qiyu or Hong Chengchou were coming. We roam the world seeking a path to live, not to fight this army or that army to the death. But those Government Troops won't give us a path to live. If you don't fight them for a spell, you're cutting off your own path to live. Since that's how it is, we must settle our resolve and show Lu Xiangsheng what we're truly made of."

The surrounding Camp Headmen murmured in low discussion. Gao Yingxiang had set the tone. With the Chuang Camp as their backbone, everyone seemed less afraid than they had been at the start.

"Then we'll follow Chuang Wang and fight it out with Lu Xiangsheng." Zhang Xianzhong was the first to stand.

Following him, Ma Shouying, Flying All Over the Sky, Scorpion Block, and others stood up one after another. The atmosphere grew heated for a moment.

After most had risen, Luo Rucai slowly got up and said to Gao Yingxiang, "Then I ask Chuang Wang to deploy the troops of each camp."

"Lu Xiangsheng is pursuing from Guanshan. The provisions he's carrying can't be much. We must avoid his sharp edge. There's too much water west and north of the city — don't engage him north of the city. Pull the camps on the north side back to the east, and those on the west side back across the West Stream. That Black Rabbit Bridge is a critical location — my Chuang Camp will hold it. We'll fight them at Physics Bridge southeast of the city."

Had Pang Yu been here, he would surely have sighed: the Roving Thieves' combat decision-making process was basically identical to his own — all off the top of the head. At least Pang Yu still used a map.

The Chuang Camp voluntarily took on the defense of Black Rabbit Bridge, demonstrating Chuang Wang's fairness. The other Camp Heads had nothing to say and quietly listened to Chuang Wang's arrangements.

Deployments were made on the spot. Although Gao Yingxiang had no staff officers, after so many years of warfare, living in struggle every day, he quickly assigned each camp its task. The few who raised Objections were immediately resolved by Gao Yingxiang.

The various camps had originally come from the south and were mainly encamped on the east, south, and west sides outside Chuzhou. Now they needed to shift further south — primarily on the west side, they had to retreat across the West Stream. There were only two bridges over the river. Lu Xiangsheng was already not far away; the camps north of the West Stream needed to move quickly.

Once everything was settled, Luo Rucai went before Gao Yingxiang and said, "There's still that force of dog officials tailing us from the south — the ones who followed from Jiangpu. They're also extremely vicious. We mustn't underestimate them; don't let them cause any trouble. My camp is closest to that area. I'll hit them with everything and go wipe out that bunch first."

Gao Yingxiang looked up at him for a moment, then said, "So be it."

You Lihua hurriedly said, "I'm in a Combined Camp with Cao Cao. I'll go with Cao Cao too. Once we wipe out that force of Government Troops, we'll come back and kill those Liaodong Troops."

Gao Yingxiang waved his hand, settling the matter. Everyone knew of the great Defeat at Jiangpu; that force of Government Troops was vicious indeed and had quite a few sets of Iron Armor. Luo Rucai taking the initiative on this matter showed considerable responsibility. After brief discussion, the various Headmen returned to their respective Camp Grounds.

You Lihua followed Luo Rucai the whole way. Once the two reached a place outside with fewer people, Luo Rucai finally stopped and said, "Going south to hit that Jiangpu force — bring extra Carts. Leave behind the old and weak among the Servants. Don't move the camp, so no one gets suspicious."

You Lihua narrowed his eyes and turned his head to look around. "Big Brother means Lu Xiangsheng won't be easy to handle, and Chuang Wang might not come out ahead."

"Chuang Wang only mentioned Cao Wenzhao and Ai Wannian. He didn't say how Wang Jiayin died, or how Purple Gold Beam died." Luo Rucai twisted his mouth. "All killed by the Border Army. The fact that Lu Xiangsheng can block us from the front means he's guessed where we're heading. He came prepared. What he brought is definitely not just the Liaodong Troops. What are Lei Shisheng and Yang Shien doing? And those curs Mou Wenshou and Zuo Liangyu."

You Lihua wore an expression of sudden Realization. "Chuang Wang doesn't dare head further toward Lai'an and those directions. The further you go that way, the closer you get to the Grand Canal. There are bound to be plenty of River Ponds around, so he has to fight at Chuzhou. Lu Xiangsheng is coming from the northwest. The reason Chuang Wang wants to fight on the east side is because he's thinking of luring Lu Xiangsheng east. If the battle goes badly, he can flee northwest over Black Rabbit Bridge. That's the only good Official Road."

Luo Rucai glanced left and right and lowered his voice. "The Jiangpu Government Troops are all infantry. Whether we wipe them out or not doesn't matter. We'll watch from the south and see how the other Camp Heads fare against Lu Xiangsheng. If Lu's troops win, we'll head toward Jiangpu. At the very least, we can take all our Horse Soldiers with us. I've never yet heard of any great Chief Steward being killed by Southern Troops."

"This humble one understands. So where shall we fight those Jiangpu troops? They're almost at Wuyi Town."

Luo Rucai narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment. "Then it shall be at White Armor Bridge."