Chapter 351: The Choice

From the direction of Chema River Market Town came several horn calls. You Lihua, drenched in sweat, listened intently for a moment, then looked up and said to Luo Rucai, "Chuang Tatian is about to run."

"Screw your mother's Chuang Tatian." Luo Rucai finished cursing and turned to look at everything before him. Behind the Central Army and the Left Wing, routed foot soldiers and servants were everywhere. The Long Family could no longer maintain order. The Government Troops had opened several gaps there, and the Right Wing, where the old camp was located, was also in imminent danger. The position the Heavy Armor Soldiers were attacking bulged into a protruding arc toward their own side. The great formation was like a dam leaking everywhere, just waiting for the final moment of collapse.

One after another, soldiers from the old camp broke away from the battle line and fled toward the northwest, precisely the direction of that small path. It seemed word of the escape path had spread far wider than he had imagined, and among them were quite a few of the Eight Great Kings' own old camp soldiers.

Just as Luo Rucai turned his head to look at the Eight Great Kings, the top of the formation's arc suddenly burst open. The first Heavy Armor Soldier appeared before his eyes. The old camp soldiers at both ends of the gap fled in disarray, revealing rows of Heavy Armor Soldiers. Their formation was dense and heavy, their massed long spears like a wall of polearms pressing forward.

At the same moment, the outermost Copy Troops completely collapsed. Foot soldiers scattered in all directions, pursued by over a hundred Government Troops soldiers. That unit of Government Troops had no Iron Armor; they all appeared to be in Leather Armor or Cloth Armor, and they moved very swiftly in pursuit. About fifty of them veered to strike at the Right Wing, aiming to attack the old camp's flank.

You Lihua wiped away his sweat. "Brother Luo, we're beaten!"

Luo Rucai said coldly, "Furl the banners, sound the horns, withdraw."

Before his words had faded, horn calls already rang out from the left. The horn calls of each camp varied in length, but this one Luo Rucai knew well — it was the Eight Great Kings'. The two of them had accepted defeat almost at the same instant.

Amid the horn calls, the various family old camps on the Right Wing collapsed like a receding tide. It was no orderly retreat at all, but the hardened bandits in the old camps were likewise battle-tested. Over years of a fugitive life, they had suffered countless defeats. Those who survived were equally outstanding at fleeing for their lives. They discarded their weapons and anything that might slow them down, and sprinted away toward the northwest.

Without a backward glance, Luo Rucai led his most trusted dozen or so riders toward the small path. The horses' hooves kept slipping on the slick mud. Cao Cao carefully controlled his mount, yet still managed to look up now and then to signal direction to his own old camp soldiers.

After riding a stretch, they turned north. That small path lay among the hills. His trusted scouts had returned at dawn to report that the road was very narrow, and in some places even a single man or horse would have trouble passing. But Luo Rucai intended to try, to take this mount with him if possible. He had to get ahead of those old camp soldiers on foot, though. When fleeing for one's life, one could only look out for oneself first.

Before the hills blocked his view, Luo Rucai glanced back at the battlefield. With the retreat of the Right Wing's old camp, the center line, composed mainly of servants, had completely collapsed. The crowd let out earth-shaking clamor and scattered northward across the hills and fields. Many slipped and fell in the mud, trampled by the dense mass of people. Fires blazed up around the camp area near Tufeng Fort. Countless figures dashed about, snatching and fighting among them. Screams and wails were faintly audible.

……

"Xiao Wazi, this way!"

Second Locust's figure flickered in and out of sight amid the crowd ahead. The panicked, fleeing servants completely blocked his view. Everyone seemed to be heading in a different direction. Underfoot everywhere were people trampled unconscious or injured. From time to time, a hand would reach out and grab at his trousers. Xiao Wazi could no longer tell which way was which. Dragging Wang Dashan, he struggled to keep up with Second Locust's pace.

Second Locust turned and shouted again, looking somewhat anxious. Xiao Wazi's ears were filled with frantic wailing; he could not make out what was being called. Second Locust's figure was blocked again by servants darting across his path.

Xiao Wazi swung his blade, hacking wildly at anyone blocking his way. It did not scare off those servants who had lost their senses. Wang Dashan, however, fell down behind him. Xiao Wazi dragged him by the collar, pulling twice but failing to get him up. The fleeing people around them trampled over Wang Dashan's back one after another. Xiao Wazi was jostled several times as well, nearly knocked off his feet himself. In such chaotic crowds, once you fell, you would never stand up again.

Wang Dashan wailed in terror. The thin mud underfoot was slick and slippery. An inexplicable loathing rose in Xiao Wazi's heart. He hated the people of this place, including this Wang Dashan before him. Now he even hated the very soil of this place. It was just that he still needed this servant for now. He needed this servant to guide the way, and this was the only person he could find who knew how to swim — a precaution in case they could not escape westward and had to cross the river.

Someone else crashed into him. Enraged, Xiao Wazi hacked out with his blade. He missed the head and struck the shoulder instead. The servant yelped, turned, and fled. Xiao Wazi seized the moment to haul Wang Dashan up by force. When he looked ahead again, Second Locust's figure was still there.

Xiao Wazi hurriedly continued in that direction. Once they broke out of the crowd and could see the terrain, he and Second Locust would be able to find that small path, because Wang Dashan was from Ink Smoke Shop and knew the area very well.

The chaotic crowd ahead let out shouts and simultaneously turned to flee. Second Locust also ran back toward him. Xiao Wazi knew something was wrong and hurriedly changed direction, but dragging Wang Dashan made him slow. Others rushed past him one after another, and suddenly the space around him opened up.

Xiao Wazi turned to look. Rows of Iron Armor Government Troops were bearing down on them, attacking from west to east. Their armor was studded with varying numbers of arrows. Their entire bodies gave off a dull metallic sheen. Their faces were covered by face armor painted with red fangs, making their features completely invisible.

These Iron Armor Soldiers did not move fast. Their advance was about the speed of an ordinary stroll, and they even seemed somewhat clumsy and heavy.

"Tongcheng Troops…" Xiao Wazi halted. Wang Dashan suddenly struggled violently, wrenching free of Xiao Wazi's grip with one fierce motion, and fled eastward with all his might.

Xiao Wazi drew his bow and aimed at Wang Dashan's staggering back. He sighted for a moment, then turned back toward the Government Troops. "Brother," he shouted, "I'll kill one to avenge you!"

Second Locust bellowed, "Kill a donkey's ball! Run!"

Xiao Wazi paid no heed. He drew his bow, nocked a Light Arrow, and let it fly like a bolt of lightning. The Light Arrow struck an Iron Armor Soldier's chest plate, snapped in two, and fell to the ground.

The Iron Armor formation continued its unhurried advance. Xiao Wazi retreated a few steps.

Xiao Wazi turned back again, drew his bow, and fired once more. With a sharp clang, the arrow struck an Iron Armor Soldier square in the face. The soldier's head jerked sideways; the arrow glanced off the face armor and flew away. The Iron Armor Soldier kept advancing without the slightest pause.

"Let me kill one!" Xiao Wazi roared, continuing to retreat as he did.

"You damn Xiao Wazi, stop shooting! Run this way!" Second Locust smacked his bow aside. By the time Xiao Wazi came to his senses, Second Locust seemed to be pulling him as they fled north.

Second Locust, however, stopped in his tracks. Ahead appeared a group of Government Troops in Light Armor, hacking down any servants they encountered. The fleeing crowd screamed and turned eastward. Several soldiers in Leather Armor were charging toward the two of them.

Second Locust turned and ran, cursing at Xiao Wazi as he went. "Just now there was only this one gap — we could have escaped! Kill, kill your mother! And now the servant who can swim has run off too."

Xiao Wazi tossed his bow aside, dodging the dead and wounded on the ground as he ran, and shouted to Second Locust, "I know where he's going!"

……

The footbridge across the moat at City River Stockade was jammed with people. One after another, they were jostled into the water. Silver coins and bolts of cloth lay scattered on the ground, and no one stopped to pick them up.

Fires blazed everywhere in the surrounding camp. Horses, donkeys, and oxen stampeded wildly, knocking panicked servants to the ground. Unattended children shut their eyes and shrieked at the top of their lungs.

Xiao Wazi, blade in hand, threaded his way through the camp. Second Locust followed behind him, glancing back from time to time. The Government Troops had already fought their way to Tufeng Fort. The two stockades were very close — a single charge by the Light Armor troops could reach them — so they did not have much time to cross the river.

Xiao Wazi had spent the previous night right here. His mount and Wang Dashan's wife had both been left behind. They had come here to catch Wang Dashan.

"There!" Xiao Wazi shouted. Second Locust quickened his pace. Wang Dashan had just helped his wife out of a tent. The woman was disheveled and pale-faced; she could only walk by leaning on Wang Dashan.

At the shout, Wang Dashan's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. Without a word, Xiao Wazi grabbed Wang Dashan's disheveled topknot and began dragging him toward the riverbank.

Wang Dashan wailed loudly, both hands clutching at Xiao Wazi's hand gripping his topknot, his feet kicking wildly on the ground. For a moment, Xiao Wazi could not drag him any further. The sound of horns came from behind — clearly the Government Troops were closing in.

"Make him stand up and walk." Second Locust slashed down an old man who had run up to them, then hauled Wang Dashan's wife up from where she lay on the ground. He pressed his blood-dripping Waist Saber to her neck. "If you don't move, I'll kill your woman first."

Wang Dashan stopped crying out. Xiao Wazi pulled him eastward. Second Locust dragged the Wang family wife. After a few steps, he turned back, aimed a fierce kick at the back of a sobbing child standing alone nearby, and sent the child sprawling forward onto the ground. The crying stopped instantly.

Second Locust gave a nasty chuckle, turned back, grabbed the Wang family wife again, and followed behind Xiao Wazi. City River Stockade lay right beside the Chema River, which fed water into the city moat. Guarding against the maddened servants in the camp, the four of them walked for a short while and then neared the riverbank.

The riverbank was packed solid with people. The four of them could not even see the river's surface. More people kept streaming in endlessly. The crowd piled and pressed together, their desperate screams piercing the sky.

Xiao Wazi panted. Judging by the density of the crowd, even hacking with a blade would not get them to the river's edge.

"We can't cross here. Let's head upstream first."

Second Locust took the lead and headed north. There was a stream of people moving north here as well. Cannon fire still sounded from time to time, sending fresh waves of panic through the crowd. The two of them swung their blades, cutting down anyone in their path, and pressed on northward without a word. Gradually, the people on the riverbank thinned out. Most of those heading north continued fleeing toward the great mountains. Xiao Wazi jumped down onto the riverbank. All around him were people sitting on the ground, wailing at the top of their lungs — most of them likely unable to swim. The opposite bank was also in chaos, and there were even people jumping into the river and swimming toward the west bank.

Xiao Wazi had no time to think it over. He was certain that only by reaching the east bank could they escape, because the main Government Troops formation was right behind them. The Chema River was not wide, but after yesterday's torrential rain, the water was higher than usual. Looking at the rolling River Water, Xiao Wazi felt more tense than when he went into battle. He unbuckled his Waist Saber, ready to take Wang Dashan into the water. Second Locust grabbed him and said coldly, "Aren't you afraid he'll drown you once you're in the water?"

"Then what…" Under the strain, Xiao Wazi's mind had grown a little rigid. He paused, then said, "Second Chief, you hold his wife hostage. He won't dare."

"Then you hold her. I'll cross first." Without waiting for agreement, Second Locust shoved Xiao Wazi aside, flung his Waist Saber into the river, and drew his Short Blade, holding it in his hand.

Xiao Wazi's face twitched a few times, but he still stepped back two paces.

Wang Dashan trembled all over. In a quavering voice, he exchanged a few words with Second Locust, then entered the water first. Second Locust lay himself across Wang Dashan's back, and the two of them swam toward the opposite bank together.

Xiao Wazi watched with rapt attention. Before the two had reached midstream, Second Locust began to panic. He strained desperately to keep his head above the surface, bracing himself with both hands. Wang Dashan's head was pressed down until it submerged.

Then Second Locust's own head dipped below the surface several times. When he came back up, he let out violent coughs. After he went under once more, Xiao Wazi's heart nearly leaped into his throat. His eyes stared at the river surface without blinking.

At last, Second Locust's head broke the surface again. He had reached the east bank's edge. Second Locust scrambled and crawled ashore, then lay on the bank coughing up water without stop.

Wang Dashan had practically crossed the Chema River in a single breath. He paused only a moment before swimming back toward the west bank. Xiao Wazi slid into the water first. His chest and stomach immediately felt compressed. Panic surged within him, and his hands dared not let go of the riverbank's earth.

Soon Wang Dashan was back at the west bank. Trembling, he was about to speak to Xiao Wazi when a tremendous roar erupted behind them. The crowd on the riverbank exploded like a scattered nest. Xiao Wazi looked downstream. Countless figures were hurling themselves from the bank into the water. The river's surface was a mass of white foam.

"Go, now!"

Wang Dashan said, "Don't grab my hand."

Xiao Wazi had no time to listen further, nor could he spare a thought for whether Wang Dashan would let him drown in the river. Gritting his teeth, he lay flat on Wang Dashan's back. Once Wang Dashan began swimming, Xiao Wazi squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling only the water crashing incessantly against his mouth and nose. With no experience at all, he immediately began choking on water.

When the water closed over his head, Xiao Wazi felt he had already died. When he surfaced again, he felt he had come back to life. After dying and living several times over, Xiao Wazi finally touched the riverbank on the eastern shore and scrambled wretchedly to Second Locust's side, vomiting and coughing just the same.

When he had recovered a little, he realized Wang Dashan had already swum back to the western shore and was helping his wife up, showing no sign of wanting to cross the river.

Second Locust, still panting, said through gritted teeth, "How could you let him go? There's still a river ahead at Taihu County."

But now the Horse-Cart River lay between them, and the two could do nothing more to him. Xiao Wazi thought for a moment, then stood up. He wiped a handful of snot and shouted toward the opposite bank, "Wang Dashan, remember what I told you. You're no longer a native of Anqing. If the Government Troops catch you, your whole family will die horribly. Look at your wife's belly — what do you think will happen to it?"

Wang Dashan stopped moving. The matter of the blood trough that Xiao Wazi had told him today was still deeply imprinted in his mind.

"Even if the Government Troops don't catch you, you have no grain and no house. Stay here and you won't survive either."

Another dense crowd threw themselves into the river water. Wang Dashan turned back in terror and saw a group of light-armored Government Troops already appearing at the north gate of City River Stockade, charging straight this way, cutting down everyone they met along the path.

Xiao Wazi shouted, "The soldiers are coming to kill you! Come with me, my lord, and I guarantee your whole family will live."

The voice carried across the Horse-Cart River. Wang Dashan supported his wife, the two of them standing dazed on the riverbank. The river was full of struggling splashes, and behind them thousands upon thousands of people were fleeing toward the mountain region to the north.

Wang Dashan's gaze shifted back and forth between Xiao Wazi and the Government Troops. Strings of drool dripped from his wide-open mouth. The light-armored Government Troops drew closer and closer. Wang Dashan retreated step by step into the river, finally stepping into the river water. Dragging the woman along, weeping as he went, he swam toward Xiao Wazi.