Chapter 450: One Battle

"The Tartars are moving from west to east. We'll turn onto the north-south post road, putting us between the two Tartar columns at Boping and Dong'e. The Boping column is chasing our tail, but the Dongchang column most likely doesn't even know our battalion exists yet. So they won't attack us from both ends at once — they'll come one after the other."

Pang Yu's gaze was steady. "We are in a fog of war, and the Tartars are in the same fog. We can only scout enemies within fifty li, and so can they. By tomorrow, it will be the third day since the Tartars launched from Wei County. Their various vanguard columns will have advanced over two hundred li. The column closest to Boping should be the one from Gaotang Prefecture. If we attack this Boping column, they'll report to the Gaotang Prefecture column, which will then summon the other columns to assemble at Chiping — that will take at least three days."

No one in the room spoke. Pang Ding, standing at the doorway, narrowed his eyes and watched General Pang earnestly as he spoke with fervor. The Staff Officer seated at the desk was not recording, only grinding the ink stick ceaselessly to keep the ink from congealing. If Lord Pang suddenly began issuing orders, there would be no time to record them, and missing a critical order and getting beheaded for it would be a terrible bargain.

"The reason Lord Lu was surrounded overnight was that when he attacked, the Tartars were contracting their forces. Right now, the Tartars are dispersing. We are currently between two Tartar columns, and there may be a third in the direction of Daming Prefecture, but since it would ultimately come from the Dong'e direction, we still treat it as two columns. Their communication will be slowed by distance, or because of contempt for us, they may not be communicating at all. We have cut the best-condition post road, so the Tartars will not coordinate to attack Tongcheng Post simultaneously. That is the time gap we can exploit. We hold the advantage of interior lines. North column or south column, whatever banner color they fly, we strike whoever arrives first. The first to arrive now is the force that chased us from Chujiaquan to Boping. This is the favorable situation and favorable opportunity this official has been waiting for."

Pang Yu pointed at the map. "This official has decided to counterattack here against the Tartars pursuing from the Boping direction. The Advisory Room is to send orders to Chen Rulie: create a false trail of troop movement on the roads from Chiping toward Gaotang and Changqing to lure the Tartars into splitting their forces in pursuit."

Hearing that orders were being issued, the Staff Officer immediately picked up his brush and began recording. Tu Dianli stood by prompting him, to prevent any omissions.

"The Tartars should know we are Southern Troops and will therefore hold us in contempt. At the same time, their primary objective is plunder, so they will certainly split their forces to attack Boping and Chiping. Their main direction of advance is eastward; we are to the south. The false trail we create at Chiping will draw off another portion of their troops, so only a small fraction will head toward Tongcheng Pu." Pang Yu pointed between Chiping and Dong'e. "If the Tartars reach Chiping tomorrow, they will leave one part to besiege the city and detach another part to pursue. The Tartars are arrogant and will certainly advance rashly out of contempt. By noon, they will reach the place where we are sitting now. By their marching schedule, they could continue onward. Tell Chen Rulie to do his utmost to induce the Tartars to divide their forces. He is to choose a location between Chiping and Tongcheng Post to ambush the Tartars coming from the south. He may draw troops from the Personal Troops Command to assist, with himself in command. Tomorrow, we counterattack the Tartars."

Everyone in the room stood up. The weariness on Tu Dianli's face was swept away. The Staff Officer swiftly finished writing the key points and looked up at Pang Yu with eyes full of reverence.

"This official still holds to the words spoken when we came: the Tartars have sent their army deep into our territory on a long tether. If they suffer just one defeat, their situation will become extremely dire. They will be forced to contract their forces and withdraw beyond the border. Their columns are bloated and slow-moving. If the Relief Troops apply themselves to a coordinated encirclement, the Tartars will certainly suffer heavy losses. We who take up arms do not do so merely to draw a monthly pay and make a living. In this age of chaos, we bear the duty of protecting the country and its people. To let a few tens of thousands of them rampage a thousand li across our territory, killing until the fields are heaped with corpses and the blood floats shields — a vast nation, and for decades unable to win a single battle — do we feel no shame? Twenty thousand Xuan-Da troops could not win a single battle. Twenty thousand Liao Garrison troops could not win a single battle…" Pang Yu's gaze slowly swept across every person in the room. "Then we, the two thousand of Anqing Battalion, will win this battle. Let the Tartars know that China is not without men."

……

On the nineteenth day of the twelfth month, at the third quarter of the yin hour, under the curtain of night, points of firelight flickered outside the city of Chiping.

In the Guanxiang area outside Chiping, all the cavalry units of Anqing had risen. Firelight flickered everywhere in the camp. The Fire Soldiers of each Squad were heating water and toasting flatbreads so the soldiers could eat hot food as close to the front line as possible.

Because Double Temple Pu up ahead was still under the control of the Anqing cavalry, Chiping remained a secure rear area, so the use of fire had not been prohibited.

The Scout Cavalry Banner of the Second Division had all risen. Because the Qing troops were very close, the scouts slept in their own tents and had not entered the houses of Guanxiang, to prevent their organization from falling into chaos in the darkness.

The Banner Team had pitched their tents on a street along the south side of a civilian house west of the city, blocking the wind from one direction. But in this bone-chilling cold, upon rising, their bodies were still frozen through and their limbs stiff. The Squads gathered around their own campfires, laid their weapons on the ground according to regulations, and sat on one end of them. Some who found their weapons too hard even sat on their own caps as cushions. Everyone hunched their necks, puffing clouds of white breath.

The Fire Soldier picked up the flatbreads from beside the fire and handed them out one by one to the cavalrymen sitting around.

Yang Guangdi took his flatbread just as the Fire Soldier finished distributing them. Yang Guangdi first gave his to Qin Jiuze beside him.

Once everyone had received hot soup and hot flatbread, each man ate and drank.

The Banner Commander strode over and plopped himself down beside Yang Guangdi. Qin Jiuze hurriedly made room for him.

"Orders received. Head south to Thirty-Li Post. Move out as soon as you've eaten."

A wave of discontented sighs rose from the Squad. Yang Guangdi asked cautiously, "Banner Commander, are we still running? What are we going to Thirty-Li Post for?"

"The detailed deployment will be given once we reach Thirty-Li Post." The Banner Commander's reddened eyes swept over the men. "Today our Banner Team is under the direct command of Battalion Commander Chen."

The men listened but still had no idea what was happening. The Banner Commander did not explain. He turned to Qin Jiuze. "Old Qin, today you must give these juniors more guidance."

Qin Jiuze paused his movements for a moment, then nodded slightly.

The Banner Commander looked up at the Fire Soldier. "Make sure everyone eats their fill. Today will be hard."

The Fire Soldier had just walked to the edge of the firelight and was rummaging in his back-basket for steamed cakes. Hearing this, he turned around to answer.

Suddenly, a tearing sound — wuu — cut through the darkness. An arrowhead instantly pierced through the Fire Soldier's throat. Blood immediately spurted along the arrowhead. The Fire Soldier's mouth gaped wide; he clutched his neck and collapsed to his knees.

Everyone froze for a moment. Then Qin Jiuze was the first to leap up. He snatched the weapon from under his backside and scrambled, half-rolling and half-crawling, to press himself against the wall of the civilian house. The others followed, running over. In the chaos, Yang Guangdi even forgot to grab his Lumi Gun and somehow ended up holding someone else's bow.

In the darkness, Old Yu's voice cursed, "Your mother's a Tartar! Where's my sword? Who took it?"

The Banner Commander shouted loudly. The adjacent team still did not know what was happening. From the darkness came another wailing sound — wuu.

This time Yang Guangdi heard it clearly. It approached swiftly from the northern fields, swept past the west side of the civilian house, and then a startled cry came from the Third Squad behind them — it seemed someone else had been struck by an arrow.

The Fire Soldier groaned in pain, low and deep. The campfire still blazed fiercely, the broken door planks inside it crackling and popping.

The Banner Commander poked his head out from the wall, about to speak to that Fire Soldier, when — bang! The mud-brick wall beside his face burst, sending chunks of clay smashing into his face. An arrow flashed through the firelight and vanished into the darkness beyond.

The Banner Commander instantly jerked his head back, rubbing his eyes furiously.

Qin Jiuze picked up a Line Spear from the ground, moved two steps toward the fire, and jabbed fiercely at the large pot. The hot water inside overturned instantly, splashing down onto the burning firewood below. A cloud of white steam hissed up, and the firelight was extinguished.

The Third Squad's campfire was also put out. Beside him, the Banner Commander loudly alerted the other nearby units. The surroundings sank into total darkness.

The Banner Commander's voice was steady. "Pull the man back."

The Squad Leader picked Old Yu and another scout cavalryman. The two men gauged the distance, then sprinted out, dragging and hauling the Fire Soldier back.

In the darkness, there was no way to assess the wound. The Banner Commander said quietly to the Fire Soldier, "This time, Doctor Shen from the Military Medical Hospital is accompanying the army. She can save this wound of yours. We'll send you to the Central Army immediately."

The Fire Soldier made two muffled sounds. With an arrow through his throat, he could not speak; every breath was agony.

While the Banner Commander was comforting the Fire Soldier, Yang Guangdi asked Qin Jiuze beside him in a low voice, "Qin Shu, was that really a Tartar Point Scout? They can hide in the wilds even in this cold?"

Qin Jiuze waited a moment, then replied, "There are Tartars like that. They can stay alone in ice and snow for over ten days, eating nothing but snow and dry rations. This Tartar didn't take the official road. In this freezing cold, crossing the wilds in the middle of the night to find our camp — he's no ordinary elite guard."

Yang Guangdi said in surprise, "Qin Shu, you mean it was just one Tartar?"

"I only heard one. Lucky it was against you Household Retainers. Against ordinary Battalion soldiers, this one Tartar could have thrown their whole camp into chaos."

The Banner Commander came over at this point and said to Qin Jiuze, "Old Qin, how do you deal with this kind of Tartar?"

"I only heard one. Send three to five men. In the dark, too many people leads to friendly fire."

The Banner Commander nodded. "We can't let him delay our operation…"

Just as he said this, a long howl came from the north. It sounded distant, at least a hundred paces away — like a wolf, yet like a dog.

The howl echoed across the wilderness outside Chiping. The Banner Commander stopped speaking and listened carefully to the sound.

Qin Jiuze said quietly, "There might be more than one. I fear he's about to leave."

The Banner Commander said, puzzled, "He walked all night through the wilds to get here, and now he's just leaving?"

"There's no chaos here. Staying won't do him much good. If he leaves too late, at dawn we'll follow his tracks in the snow and find him."

Yang Guangdi poked his head out from the wall and glanced out. The northern fields were pitch black. That howl seemed not yet to have faded.

The Banner Commander's voice was steady. "This Tartar is formidable, but we'll deal with him. Old Qin, take some men and sweep the area two hundred paces to the north. If you find no trace, return. I'll go inform the First Cavalry Division of the situation. The Banner Team is to prepare to move to Thirty-Li Post."

……

On the morning of the nineteenth, the Banner Team was moving through the market town of Thirty-Li Post.

At the center of the market town was the Cross Street intersection. The east side of the intersection was split into two small alleyways by a stage. The stage, with its hip-and-gable roof, faced west. Beneath it was a Small Square, the usual place for watching performances. Beyond the Small Square lay the post road that ran from north to south through the market town.

Diagonally opposite the stage was a Horse God Temple. Any post station or relay post of any size along the post road had a Horse God Temple. Travelers and carters passing by would mostly stop to pay their respects, praying for a safe journey.

This Horse God Temple at Thirty-Li Post had only two courtyards. The Scout Cavalry Banner of the Second Division had just halted at the main gate. The scout cavalrymen stood on the street to one side of the temple gate, holding their horses. Because of the morning's attack, morale was even lower.

Mandahai happened to be standing right in front of the main gate of the Horse God Temple. As soon as he dismounted, he knelt down and kowtowed devoutly toward the painted clay statue of the Horse God inside.

Yang Guangdi and Qin Jiuze looked toward the stage. Beneath it, a cluster of officers were in discussion — Cavalry Battalion Commander Chen Rulie was personally making arrangements. Among the officers, one wearing iron armor stood out. The man was not tall, but extremely broad; in full armor, he was almost a square.

Yang Guangdi saw Manda'er bowing and tilted his head to ask, "Uncle Qin, I ride a horse too — should I go bow as well?"

Qin Jiuze said indifferently, "Soldiers should bow to Martial God Yue. This is for people who make their living from livestock."

Yang Guangdi gave an "Oh." Just then, Chen Rulie walked northward, pointed once toward the Horse God Temple, and gave instructions to the cavalry's Deputy Battalion Commander. The Deputy Battalion Commander quickly found the Banner Commander and pointed toward the Horse God Temple.

Manda'er leaned in and asked, "Uncle Qin, are they going to fight the Tartars?"

Qin Jiuze nodded. Yang Shisan said in a low voice, "The Tartar vanguard has at least fifty White Armor Soldiers. These mounted Southern Troops can't beat them."

Yang Guangdi could hear him. He turned his head to Yang Shisan and said, "If they fight here, they'll definitely bring in infantry too."

The three men from Xuanfu shook their heads at the same time, looking at Yang Guangdi with eyes full of pity.

Yang Shisan advised, "If two hundred Tartars come, no infantry can handle that. That Commander Pang of yours isn't much good with troops either."

Yang Guangdi suddenly said, "They're here."

Manda'er asked, "What's here?"

Yang Guangdi pointed to the south side. "That's our infantry."

Manda'er turned his head casually to look.