Chapter 327: Siege

Outside the small market town of Susong Fengjiadian, battle cries shook the heavens. Thousands upon thousands of Roving Bandits blanketed the fields below the hillside like a carpet, surging toward the slope layer by layer.

At the southern slope below Fengjiadu, Chen Yuwang's chain mail was covered in bloodstains. He had just cut down one of his own fleeing officers and soldiers. Corpses from both sides lay piled on the ground around him. A group of Roving Bandits had just surged across the trench. Several red-clad unit commanders were howling, driving the ragged infantry forward.

Chen Yuwang led from the front, swinging his waist saber to hack down a Roving Bandit who had climbed over the trench. His Household Retainers appeared on both flanks. The two crowded sides collided. Along this stretch of the battle line, screams rose from all directions. Bursts of blood mist sprayed from the crowd at intervals. Chen Yuwang roared without pause, killing one refugee after another who blocked his path.

His waist saber, its edge notched in many places, stabbed into another refugee's chest. Coughing blood, the refugee clung desperately to the blade. Chen Yuwang, drenched in blood, drew his Cloud Ladder Blade from his waist with his left hand and stabbed viciously beside the man's ear. As blood gushed, Chen Yuwang spotted a gap in the crowd ahead to his left. Behind it was that red-clad bandit leader, holding a shortened line spear, shouting as he seized openings to stab the Household Retainers.

The refugee before him crumpled limply. Chen Yuwang abandoned the waist saber's hilt, gripping only the Cloud Ladder Blade as he strode through the gap. The bandit leader was an Old Bandit. Though fully focused on the front, he still sensed a figure charging at him. By then, Chen Yuwang was already closing fast. The bandit leader was experienced; just watching this man's momentum told him this was no easy opponent. With no time to retract the line spear, he decisively dropped the shaft, swiftly drew his waist saber from his left side, and swung a horizontal slash in one fluid, practiced motion without any pause. He wanted to stop this man from getting close, first steady his footing, then decide whether to fight or flee.

Chen Yuwang paid no heed to the blade edge. He parried with a swing of his right arm. The waist saber clanged against his iron arm guard. In that brief instant, Chen Yuwang reached the bandit leader. Giving him no chance to retreat, he drove the Cloud Ladder Blade into the bandit leader's abdomen. The bandit leader screamed. Before the scream ended, the blade was already withdrawn. Chen Yuwang aimed at the neck and struck twice in quick succession. The bandit leader went limp, his wide eyes filled with terror.

The Household Retainers behind him charged into this gap in the line. The bandits, already drained of blood-courage, scattered with shrieks, fleeing as fast as they had come. Chen Yuwang directed his Household Retainers in pursuit. This wave of attack on the southern slope collapsed.

After pursuing only a few dozen paces, Chen Yuwang led his troops back. Earlier, while observing the formation from the hilltop, he had seen a formation entirely in red behind the Roving Thieves. He knew that was Chuang Tatian's Old Camp. Inside were either veteran Old Bandits or new elites with battle-hardened skills. If the pursuit went too far, these men would cut off their retreat. If his Household Retainers were lost, the entire southern slope would be in grave danger.

At that moment, the Roving Bandits sounded their gongs. Some unit commanders beheaded the panic-stricken refugees on the spot, then began gathering their forces. Chen Yuwang had learned from experience that it took the Roving Bandits no short time to organize an attack. At most, they could manage one more wave today, but their edge was gone. Holding seemed assured. Taking advantage of this lull, he called over two officers to prepare a new battle line.

The entire line was covered with corpses. The screams of wounded soldiers from both sides rose and fell in waves. Someone was crying hysterically. Chen Yuwang could not even hear his own voice.

He turned to look. Judging by the uniform, it was a soldier from his own Ying. Eyes shut, the man kept emitting piercing howls, his voice hoarse yet still not stopping. Although his Military Camp was considered elite among the Jiangnan Army, it was constrained by rations and pay and was likewise understrength. Even of that understrength number, nearly half were conscripted beggars and the like. These men had neither fine equipment nor rigorous drill. They could swell the ranks and boost morale, but absolutely could not stand in an open-field formation. Otherwise, the result was exactly what he saw before him.

There was no time to worry about much else. The Roving Thieves were closing in from multiple sides. Morale was already at rock bottom after the bloody battle, and the crying further unsettled everyone's nerves. Chen Yuwang shot a glance at the officer before him. The officer nodded, drew his waist saber, turned, and left.

Moments later, the crying stopped abruptly. Chen Yuwang breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to deploy. Just then, a soldier came running down the mountain. He shouted at Chen Yuwang, "Orders from Lord Cheng! The Jinshan Battalion has been defeated. General Chen is ordered to lead his elites to reinforce the eastern slope."

Chen Yuwang's face changed. His eyes glared fiercely at the soldier. When the man reached him, before he could speak further, Chen Yuwang slapped him across the face, sending the soldier staggering.

Chen Yuwang lowered his voice and said angrily, "Who taught you to shout like that when delivering orders? Afraid the troops won't know the news of defeat?!"

The soldier clutched his face and stared at Chen Yuwang in terror. After a stunned moment, he said quietly, "The Jinshan Battalion and the Changzhou Biao Camp have been defeated. The Roving Thieves are about to storm the eastern slope. Lord Cheng orders General Chen to reinforce."

Chen Yuwang ground his teeth and cursed under his breath. He ordered the Company Commander to assemble the Household Retainers, then cursed at the soldier before him, "Three Ying couldn't hold one eastern slope. Defeated, where do they plan to flee?"

"This lowly one saw them fleeing north."

"All damned, worthless curs. The Roving Thieves left the north unencircled. It's all mountains there. Enter the mountains, and where do they plan to flee then?"

The soldier dared not answer. Chen Yuwang did not want to curse at him anymore. He raised his head and glanced toward the hilltop. Cheng Long's Recognition Banner still flew, but since the battle began, it had never been used with flag and drum commands. All orders were delivered verbally like this, because the Jiangnan Army's Ying heads were a motley mix and had never trained together. Not only were the Banner Drum signals incompatible, but they also lacked mutual trust. Here was a ready example: the Jinshan Battalion and Changzhou Biao Camp had collapsed as soon as battle was joined. The Roving Bandits surrounded three sides and left one open, leaving the north side, inconvenient for attack, for the government troops to flee through. Last night, over a hundred men had already escaped. Even some of the soldiers Cheng Long sent to block the northern slope had fled. Chen Yuwang felt that nothing was secure.

After a full day of bloody battle today, he could imagine even more men would flee tonight. If the intensity of today's attacks continued, Chen Yuwang was very worried about whether they could continue to hold.

Moments later, fifty Household Retainers were assembled. Chen Yuwang left one Company Commander to reset the battle line and personally led troops to the eastern slope. They arrived quickly. The entire slope was a chaos of darting figures, government troops and Roving Bandits intermingled. Some of the conscripted soldiers did not even have red padded jackets and could not be distinguished at all. Chen Yuwang ignored all that, leading his troops in a slashing advance, driving the hundred-odd Roving Thieves who had stormed the slope back down.

Fortunately, the Household Retainers of the Jinshan Battalion and Changzhou Biao Camp were still holding firm below the slope; the defense line had not completely collapsed. Then Cheng Long dispatched his own Household Retainers, finally stabilizing the eastern line.

Chen Yuwang did not know which Camp Head the Roving Bandits outside the eastern slope belonged to; their numbers were relatively smaller. Still, the Jinshan Battalion, Changzhou Biao Camp, and Anqing Army Courage Battalion had suffered heavy casualties. Cheng Long left a portion of his Household Retainers. Chen Yuwang still had to worry about his own line, so he hastily transferred his Household Retainers back to the southern slope and hurried toward the hilltop himself. When he reached the Vice General's Recognition Banner at the hilltop, he did not see Cheng Long, but instead saw Jiang Ruolai, who had arrived earlier.

Jiang Ruolai was defending the western slope. The post road came from the west, and the slope in that direction was very gentle, making it the direction of the Roving Bandits' fiercest attacks. Besides Jiang Ruolai's unit, there were also the Fushan Camp, part of the Zhenjiang Land Camp, and the Anqing New Courage Battalion. After fierce fighting, Jiang Ruolai was likewise drenched in blood and was wiping the bloodstains from his face with a cloth.

Seeing it was Chen Yuwang, the lean Jiang Ruolai grinned, then came over and helped pull an arrow from the lower hem of Chen Yuwang's chain mail. Chen Yuwang himself had not even noticed. He felt the spot on his thigh with his hand and found no wound.

Jiang Ruolai tossed the arrow aside and handed the cloth to Chen Yuwang. "I just arrived too. Deputy Regional Commander Cheng went to the northern slope to block deserters. Let's wait for him."

Chen Yuwang took the cloth and wiped his face, slightly alleviating the discomfort of dried blood. "The bandits' Post Commander and unit commanders are driving the battle layer by layer. My Household Retainers have suffered thirty percent casualties. Since when have these Roving Thieves fought so desperately?"

"Probably they have nowhere else to go. I captured a few bandits and questioned them. They've been on the move from Huguang and haven't looted anything. They besieged over ten fortified strongholds at Huangmei. When have they ever besieged strongholds like this before?" Jiang Ruolai lowered his voice. "They also took the Chenghe Fort and Tufeng Fort at Chemahé, but it still wasn't enough to feed them."

Chen Yuwang snorted and frowned. "Pity we don't have much to eat either. Last night's grain wasn't delivered. Even rationing, it's only two or three days' worth."

"Fighting like this, perhaps before the grain runs out..." Jiang Ruolai glanced left and right. "The captured bandits confessed that Cao Cao has also come."

Chen Yuwang's face darkened. "As expected. They meant to lure us here. As long as they win this battle regardless of casualties, Anqing will be theirs to roam."

Jiang Ruolai pointed east. "That must be it. They're already digging trenches on the post road."

Chen Yuwang turned and looked carefully. Sure enough, near the post road to the east, there were large numbers of figures, dust flying among them. Clearly, they intended to cut the post road and trap the government troops here to die.

At that moment, a sudden clamor arose from the west. Both men looked west together. On the post road, a tide of red surged like a rushing crimson river, all Horse Soldiers. The surrounding Roving Bandits burst into loud cheers. The government troops on the mountain stirred with unrest, their morale plummeting. If not for the fieldworks offering slight protection, they would have completely collapsed right then.

The two exchanged a glance. The Eight Bandits were already at the foot of the mountain. With so many Horse Soldiers, the one arriving was surely Cao Cao. The Bandit Cavalry's strength was growing ever more formidable. The Jiangnan Reinforcement Troops were mostly infantry. Retreat would now be very difficult.

"For now, our only option is to hold here and await reinforcements." Chen Yuwang slowly exhaled. "We must not entertain thoughts of retreat."

"Xu Strengthening may not be reliable."

"But General Pang is reliable. The Garrison Battalion is a strong army from Jiangbei."

"That Garrison Battalion is only two or three thousand men. His Household Retainers, I imagine, number no more than three hundred. The Roving Thieves' momentum is so immense." Jiang Ruolai paused, then said, "General Chen... it's still best to be prepared."

Chen Yuwang chuckled grimly. "I've fought wars for decades. The Tartars couldn't take my life. Let's see if these bandit spawn have the skill. General Pang and I faced death together at Chuzhou. He is a young talent; he will certainly come."

Jiang Ruolai narrowed his eyes but did not press further. Another uproar came from below the mountain. The two turned to look. A great banner bearing the character 'Cao' drew ever closer amid the tide of cavalry.

Fifteen li east of Susong, hoofbeats rumbled. Several hundred cavalry, in a three-column formation, stretched into a long line, winding forward along the official road. Cavalry lances and banners mingled in the ranks, dust swirling around them.

Behind the column were dozens of carts. Yang Guangdi strode along the road, his forehead covered in sweat. A gunshot sounded ahead, followed by a drum sounding, and the pace slowed slightly.

"What the hell's going on? Fast one moment, slow the next. The sooner we get there, the sooner we finish the job, right?"

Yang Guangdi turned his head to look and saw that their Chief of Ten, Tan, had at some point climbed onto a cart and was leaning against the bean sacks. Though the cart's movement made him sway constantly, he was still popping dried soybeans into his mouth.

"Master Zeng told me that when riding, you need to alternate fast and slow to let the horses recover their strength. Otherwise, if they have no strength when we arrive, we can't fight the bandits. Lord Pang had people test many times how best to travel." Yang Guangdi thought for a moment, then added, "Chief of Ten, that soldier just now said no one is allowed to ride on the carts."

"'Soldier this, soldier that.' Do you listen to Tan Ye or to some soldier? Can you afford to offend me?" Tan Laizi glared at him, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Quick, there's a Soldier Tag over there. Go pick it up, fast."

Yang Guangdi looked in that direction. Sure enough, there was a wooden tag on the ground, in the style of the Garrison Battalion. He quickly ran over, picked it up, and handed it to Tan Laizi. Tan Laizi took it, examined it, smiled smugly, and tucked it into his bosom.

"Chief of Ten, why are you picking up these things all along the way?"

"Naturally, you wouldn't understand Tan Ye's thinking." Tan Laizi chuckled. "You little brat just can't read. But Tan Ye can. In this Garrison Battalion's Military Law, losing weapons, Soldier Tags, coconut ladles, or gag-sticks means both a beating and a fine in silver. Tan Ye here picks them up. They've got the Military Camp and name on them. I'll do a good deed, go find them later, and that soldier will have to pay silver to buy it back, at least sparing himself a beating. Tan Ye gets the silver. A win for both sides. You've picked up a few things; I'll throw you some copper coins too."

Yang Guangdi scratched his head. "I remember that during actual battle, losing a Soldier Tag doesn't matter. At the destination, they only count weapons, armor, and clothing."

Tan Laizi's eyes darted around. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly cursed, "Could Tan Ye be wrong? What does a little brat like you know? It's just a few Roving Thieves coming. With so many of us government troops heading over, the bandits will turn tail and run. That doesn't count as a real battle. When we get back, they'll still do the count. Let me tell you something else. Our Garrison Battalion fights Roving Bandits like slaughtering chickens. The riders will just run off on their own, leaving behind little brats like you and the women. Last time, Zhang Sangui told me the Roving Thieves have a Women's Camp. If they capture them, they're not easy to kill, so they'll all be put under my charge. Heh heh, running a Women's Camp, you get it? A little brat like you probably doesn't."

"'Women' means old women. I don't get it." Yang Guangdi was still puzzled. "If you go find them demanding silver, what if that soldier beats you up and just snatches the Soldier Tag back?"

"He dares!" Tan Laizi sat up angrily. "Is there no law? He loses something and still dares to hit people? Besides, who does he think your Tan Ye is? Can he afford to offend me?"

At that moment, another drum sounding came from ahead, and the column sped up again. Yang Guangdi whipped the packhorse's rump, and the cart immediately accelerated. Unsteady, Tan Laizi let out an "Aiya!" and tumbled off the cart.