Chapter 266: Scramble

At nightfall, a scattered column of torches threaded through the mountain forests of Pure Stream Pass's northern slope. Pang Yu stared wide-eyed at the back of the soldier ahead. The torches' faint glow offered only limited light, and the column crept forward very slowly. The disorderly footfalls carried far through the quiet night mountains.

From the pitch-black forests all around came a few rasping bird calls, along with the crack of dry branches snapping. Farther off rose the low growl of a wild beast. Pang Yu instinctively turned his head to look. Against the ink-dark sky, the towering mountain bodies on either side were still visible.

Had he been given a choice, Pang Yu would never have crossed the mountain pass at night. After fording the West Stream at Yedu Bridge, the infantry had made a thirty-li forced march and finally reached Pure Stream Pass shortly after dark. By Pang Yu's original plan, Pure Stream Pass was the ideal overnight camp. It had ready-made buildings, and the pass walls offered protection.

From the moment they set out from camp, the entire day's combat operations had kept the troops at a peak of tension. Many had not even had a chance to eat their dry rations. By the time they reached Pure Stream Pass, they were at the end of their strength — even Pang Yu wanted to lie down and sleep. Judging by the army's condition, it had no strength left for further pursuit. Though the garrison battalion had given its all, the gap in mobility against cavalry could not be bridged by will alone.

But shortly after they made camp, the scout cavalry ahead sent word back: the Mounted Bandits had suffered a catastrophic rout at Zhulong Bridge. Chen Yuwang and Chen Rulie had only thirty men between them and could not clear the battlefield. They requested Pang Yu bring infantry reinforcements.

This was an unexpected delight. Pang Yu did not hesitate. He immediately selected men still capable of moving. The infantry at Pure Stream Pass consisted of the First Division and the Ninth Company. After accounting for the dead, wounded, missing, and those who had fallen behind during the pursuit, only two hundred and twenty men had reached Pure Stream Pass. The First Division, with the highest proportion of Iron Armor Soldiers, was utterly spent. The Ninth Company, subordinate to the Third Division, had a very low proportion of iron armor due to its far-back unit number; that morning it had also given most of its iron frames to the Seventh Company of the Ferry Crossing. It had reached Pure Stream Pass almost entirely intact.

Leaving Yao Dongshan to hold Pure Stream Pass, Pang Yu set out with the Ninth Company. After a full day of fierce battle, General Pang, who commanded over a thousand infantry and cavalry, could only lead his last hundred Light Infantry toward Zhulong Bridge.

The seven li from Pure Stream Pass to Zhulong Bridge was likewise a stone-paved Official Road, in excellent condition. But Pang Yu had lost all his baggage, including the torches within. At Pure Stream Pass they had found only twenty-odd torches, barely enough to light this small force's way.

The corpses of men and horses appeared frequently along the roadside — likely killed by Chen Yuwang and his men during the pursuit. A rough count by Pang Yu put the number at over a hundred along just a few li of mountain road. In yesterday's harassment, a hundred Horse Soldiers could have battered the garrison battalion black and blue. Yet here they had been easily slaughtered in retreat.

The cart ruts underfoot were easy to make out. Pang Yu walked along their edge, following the tracks. Though it was a night march, the number of people kept fear at bay. The seven-li journey took an hour and a half. At last, the scouts ahead reported that Zhulong Bridge was near and that contact had been made with Chen Rulie.

A cluster of firelight glowed ahead. Several cavalrymen were burning something by the roadside. The flames quickly rose, illuminating the corpses of men and horses piled along the Official Road, stretching into the darkness ahead. Farther off, a few torches bobbed, too distant to see clearly.

The column halted. Pang Yu walked forward from the side. He had now been through several battles and was no longer as impatient as before. In such pitch darkness, if he rashly sent all his soldiers out, it would be nearly impossible to rally them again — and these were his last troops.

Moments later he met Chen Rulie. The man had a gash on his face, dried blood caked on his cheek.

"Reporting for your awareness: your subordinate and Garrison Commander Chen pursued the enemy here. The Roving Bandits were crossing the bridge. We only charged once, and these Roving Thieves fought each other for the road. Countless numbers died."

"Where are Garrison Commander Chen's men?"

"He has led troops onward toward Dingyuan in pursuit. He ordered your final officer to remain here and receive you, sir."

Pang Yu asked in astonishment, "How many men did he take with him?"

"He picked out cavalrymen whose horses still had some strength — only ten men. Garrison Commander Chen said that when cavalry pursue routed troops, the farther the better."

Pang Yu nodded thoughtfully. He knew about pursuing routed troops, but he had not expected such a great victory at Zhulong Bridge. This battle had made the importance of cavalry ever clearer. Given the vastness of China's interior, without strong cavalry it was very difficult to gain a strategic advantage.

Horses whinnied softly nearby. Pang Yu looked around. Many horses were tied to the trees along the road — likely all captured here by Chen Rulie and his men. Though utterly exhausted, Pang Yu suddenly felt a surge of energy. He walked up to the nearest horse and inspected it from all angles.

Chen Rulie said quietly, "Your subordinate only had time to catch the horses on the South Bank. We've tied up thirty or forty. Once it got dark, they were truly hard to catch."

Pang Yu looked for a moment, then asked, "How long is the road covered with corpses?"

"On the South Bank, about one and a half li. On the bridge surface and in the river. On the North Bank, less than one li."

Pang Yu turned to the Ninth Company's Centurion and said, "Dispatch three Squads to clear the South Bank first. Every Roving Bandit on the ground gets two thrusts of the Long Spear — regardless of whether they're alive or dead. Send another three Squads behind the forward teams, responsible for collecting gold, silver, and jewelry."

"What about the grain, cloth, and silk on the ground..."

"Those come later. Report to me once the South Bank is cleared. Give the remaining three Squads and the archers to Guo Fengyou to clear the North Bank. Take everything — those pouches, cloth bags, all of it. No sleep tonight until the clearing is done. We'll catch the horses after daybreak."

Chen Rulie asked quietly, "Should your subordinate continue pursuing the Roving Thieves?"

Pang Yu shook his head. "Beyond Zhulong Bridge there are no more passes. Further pursuit would only kill a few more Roving Thieves. Cavalry must always leave some seed behind. They will kill more than just this handful of enemies in the future. This operation ends here. What follows is the time to reap the fruits of victory."

At the si hour the next day, the sky briefly cleared. Sunlight streamed down through the dark clouds, shining upon Chuzhou just after fierce battle.

Pang Yu stood at Zhulong Bridge's North Bridge Head. The Pure Stream River was choked with layers upon layers of corpses. The dead Horse Soldiers had frozen under a coat of frost during the night, like sculptures of ice and snow. On the bridge's stone slabs lay a thin layer of red ice, like a red carpet twenty zhang and three chi long.

Soldiers from the newly arrived First Division were clearing the bridge surface. Corpses frozen stiff tumbled onto the riverbed, crashing into the bodies below and splashing up flakes of powdery ice that caught the sunlight like morning mist.

Several hundred Liao Army cavalrymen were crossing Zhulong Bridge. At their head was a Mobile Corps Commander's Recognition Banner bearing the character Zu. Pang Yu stood at the entrance of a wineshop by the roadside, carefully observing the passing cavalry.

According to Chen Yuwang, the Liao Army far surpassed interior cavalry. Yesterday should have been an excellent learning opportunity, but the Physics Bridge battlefield had been too chaotic. He had only glimpsed fragments of the Liao Army in action. What impressed him most was their tactic of herding infantry — separating and combining with discipline, one element retreating as another advanced. It had instantly given Pang Yu many new insights into cavalry tactics.

Most of the gold, silver, and horses near Zhulong Bridge had already been collected. Pang Yu reckoned that Lu Xiangsheng would also be coming from Pure Stream Pass, so at daybreak he had sent two Banner Teams of the Ninth Company away with the horses. A small number of horses were still being rounded up. These warhorses were extremely important to Pang Yu. If Anqing had a strong cavalry force, his operational options would multiply greatly. To train cavalry, he needed to study the finest troops he could currently observe.

Looking closely now, this vanguard force numbered about two hundred riders. Roughly half the soldiers wore Chain Mail over a Cotton Armor. Three in ten soldiers brought a second horse. Such mobility already matched that of the Roving Bandits' elite Old Camp, though their burden was somewhat heavier. If they continued the pursuit, the threat they posed to the Roving Thieves' Old Camp far exceeded that of the garrison battalion.

Pang Yu could also see that these cavalrymen were all veterans. They carried a natural air of fierceness. Even in a battlefield strewn with corpses, they remained utterly composed. Their discipline, however, was quite ordinary. Many were chatting and laughing. From time to time, small groups of cavalry broke from the column to chase horses or rummage for valuables. In just this short span, multiple clashes had already erupted with the garrison battalion's infantry. Both sides shouted and cursed loudly, neither understanding what the other was yelling.

"Sir, look — Tartar soldiers from the Liao Garrison."

Guo Fengyou beside him murmured a warning. Pang Yu turned to look. In the column was a group of a dozen or so riders. They wore Leather Hats with small braids hanging beneath the brims. Most carried two or three arrow quivers. Their features differed slightly from those of the Central Plains. Pang Yu had also heard Chen Yuwang say that the border garrisons recruited large numbers of Mongols, especially among the cavalry, and that they were very common in the north. But for these soldiers from the Jiangbei region, it was indeed a curiosity.

The Ninth Company soldiers watching the spectacle were also pointing, and some even laughed aloud. A Tartar soldier in the column suddenly spurred his horse out of formation and brought his riding crop slashing down at a garrison battalion soldier by the roadside.

The soldier hurriedly raised an arm to block. With a crack, the crop split his sleeve open, and white cotton padding flew out.

Chaos erupted on the spot. The cavalrymen drew their swords in unison. The garrison battalion soldiers, who had been clearing the battlefield, scrambled in confusion to find their own weapons. Both sides cursed each other furiously in the middle of the road.

The Liao Garrison cavalrymen were utterly brazen. Riders kept spurring their horses forward, trying to force the garrison battalion soldiers back. Garrison infantrymen who kept arriving from the surrounding area brandished their Long Spears to frighten the horses away.

Pang Yu sat unmoving in the wineshop, letting them brawl outside. Guo Fengyou stood guard at the doorway with drawn sword, glancing back repeatedly, seemingly puzzled by Pang Yu's indifference.

Hoofbeats sounded outside. A General Officer came from up ahead, cursing in a northern accent the whole way. Only then did Pang Yu rise. He strode out of the wineshop and swaggered over to the scene of the clash.

The garrison battalion soldiers parted to the roadside. The Liao Garrison side, recognizing that this was an officer from the other force, each backed their horses away a little.

Pang Yu guessed this was the Mobile Corps Commander Zu. He clasped his hands politely toward the officer and said, "So it is General Zu. I am Anqing Garrison Commander Pang Yu."

The Liao Army officer showed a trace of surprise at how young Pang Yu was, but his manner remained extremely arrogant. He did not return the salute and addressed Pang Yu directly: "Had our Liao Army not entered the pass to assist in the suppression, Gao Bazi would have long since turned Jiangbei into a wasteland. You should be filled with gratitude. Why then do you answer with vicious insults?"

Pang Yu's smile vanished. "Before I joined the army, my family paid a sum of silver every year called the Liaodong Military Tax. Later I learned it was sent to Liaodong. Had our Jiangbei commoners not sent silver beyond the pass, the Tartars would have long since turned Liaoxi into a wasteland as well. I too came to Chuzhou to assist in the suppression. But I would not dare demand anyone's gratitude. Soldiers receive the court's silver. Wherever the Emperor and the various lords send me, I go without hesitation."

The Liao Army officer's face darkened. He stared at Pang Yu with a vicious look.

Though Pang Yu knew the man was a Mobile Corps Commander, this was not the modern military system. A Mobile Corps Commander of the Liao Garrison had no authority over him, so he did not fear this officer in the slightest. After a moment's thought, he piled his smile back on. "Just now it was merely a clash among soldiers who could not understand each other's speech. I will not delay the General's pursuit of the Roving Bandits, lest we interfere with the court's vital military affairs — a burden neither of us can bear."

That Mobile Corps Commander Zu stared coldly at Pang Yu for a moment. Most of the government troops he had seen since entering the pass were pathetic. The Liao Army cavalry's battle prowess towered above the rest, giving him a genuine sense of superiority.

Now, with Pang Yu giving him not the slightest face, Mobile Corps Commander Zu had no intention of letting Pang Yu off easily. He swept his gaze around Zhulong Bridge. There were still many horses abandoned by the Roving Bandits, which the garrison battalion's soldiers were rounding up.

He turned toward his cavalry and shouted, "Confiscate all the horses. Anyone who blocks you, beat them for me."

The cavalrymen howled and instantly scattered to seize the unclaimed horses. Mobile Corps Commander Zu gave Pang Yu a cold smirk, then turned and headed for his own mount.

Guo Fengyou said quietly, "Sir, should we fight them?"

Pang Yu watched the Mobile Corps Commander's back and nodded. "As it happens, I have no wish to follow them in chasing Roving Bandits. Fight."