Chapter 469: Mount

Several arrows traced low, flat arcs, whistling chaotically overhead.

Ahead, three Qing soldiers were locked in a chase with Banner Commander and his men, trading shots with their horse bows. Mandar's figure stood out the most; Yang Guangdi saw arrows jutting from his horse as well.

Yang Guangdi pushed his horse to full speed. The three Qing soldiers spotted Yang Guangdi's group closing in. A sharp whistle rang out, and the Qing soldiers wheeled nimbly, veering east at a gallop to avoid being caught in a pincer by the two Ming Army squads.

Yang Guangdi locked his eyes on the nearest one. That Qing soldier's horse was extremely fast; his leather hat had flown off, and his queue streamed behind him, nearly airborne.

Banner Commander and his men chased from behind, trying to drive them toward Qin Jiuze's group. Yang Guangdi kept adjusting his heading and speed, straining to force the three Qing soldiers into a head-on clash under their superior position.

Qin Jiuze kept spurring his horse on, closing to within thirty paces. The three Qing soldiers suddenly accelerated; their mounts surged in speed at once, the warhorses clearly of far better quality than those of the Anqing Battalion.

Yang Guangdi glanced back. The four Qing soldiers from before had slightly reined in, already looping around in an arc to turn back, and would be upon them in moments.

Great Blaze could still hold its speed. Yang Guangdi continuously adjusted his heading, cutting toward the Qing soldiers' front. Ahead of him, Qin Jiuze leaned his body to the right of his horse's head, drew his horse bow full, and sent an arrow flying at the rearmost Qing soldier. The Qing soldier batted it with his bow, but only struck the arrow's tail; the arrowhead still plunged into the mount with a thud. His horse now had three arrows embedded in it.

Two arrows flew back from the other side. One struck Qin Jiuze's mount; the horse bucked twice, its speed dropping instantly.

Yang Guangdi didn't need to draw his bow. He lashed the flat of his sword hard across Great Blaze's hindquarters, and his horse surged past Qin Jiuze, closing rapidly on the Qing soldiers. The one hit by three arrows fell to the rear.

The Qing soldiers tried to change direction again. Banner Commander's squad had anticipated this, cutting off the path north in advance. The Qing soldiers could only turn their heads east.

Yang Guangdi pursued at an angle, drawing closer and closer to the Qing soldiers. Great Blaze snorted heavily, puffing and blowing, running with everything it had. Yang Guangdi's body rose and fell in practiced rhythm with Great Blaze's strides.

The Qing soldier ahead, his mount struck by three arrows, was gradually losing speed. The man showed no panic. He shouted once, then suddenly veered south, splitting off from the other two.

The Qing soldier cut across in front of Yang Guangdi's horse. Yang Guangdi instinctively pulled his horse's head right while swinging his waist saber, missing the Qing soldier by a hair. In his haste, he pressed the blade down, slicing across the right hindquarter of the Qing soldier's mount.

The mount let out a long, piercing neigh, its head thrashing wildly. The Qing soldier, a superb rider, quickly regained control of the horse, and its speed even picked up slightly.

Because of that Qing soldier's sudden change of direction, the pursuing mounted scouts fell into momentary confusion. Qin Jiuze and the others behind had their view blocked and failed to turn in time. Only Yang Guangdi was still chasing him.

Riding his wounded horse and controlling the reins one-handed, the Qing soldier moved as if on level ground. He headed straight for the other group of four Qing soldiers.

Anxiety gripped Yang Guangdi's heart. The turn just now had slowed his horse, and now he couldn't tell if he could catch that Tartar before the four Qing soldiers arrived. Qin Jiuze's shouts came from behind, but Yang Guangdi couldn't make them out. As he hesitated, he noticed the Tartar ahead glancing back repeatedly, yet in no hurry to spur his horse. The distance quickly shrank to within ten paces.

Yang Guangdi knew something was wrong. The Qing soldier suddenly raised his bow, twisting his body from the left side. Yang Guangdi had been watching him closely and knew the man was about to shoot backward. He immediately pulled his horse's head right, veering out of the Qing soldier's power range.

The Qing soldier's center of gravity shifted slightly; his mount, in perfect sync, turned left, giving the Qing soldier his firing angle again. Yang Guangdi hadn't expected his opponent to control his horse like this in the heat of battle. A horse bow loosing a long arrow within ten paces carried both power and precision. Yang Guangdi had no time to think — his waist saber flew from his hand straight at the enemy.

The Qing soldier clearly hadn't expected Yang Guangdi to throw his sword either. He swung his bow hard again, knocking the waist saber away, but the arrow in his hand dropped as well. Seizing the moment while the man reached for another arrow, Yang Guangdi grabbed his own bow and thrust his hand blindly into his arrow case, snatching an arrow by its tail and yanking it out.

Before he could even nock the arrow tail onto the string, the Qing soldier ahead had already turned and loosed a shot. At ten paces, there was no dodging it. Great Blaze shuddered, letting out a long, drawn-out neigh. Yang Guangdi fired a wild shot back, missing his target.

The Qing soldier had already drawn another arrow and was smoothly hooking it onto the string. In his panic, Yang Guangdi noticed undulating shapes appearing in the snow-covered ground ahead and to the left — it looked like a patch of plowed land. He didn't know if the Qing soldier, busy shooting backward, had noticed it.

There were plenty of abandoned fields around here. In the ever-dimming light, Yang Guangdi couldn't be sure either, but he had no time to think. He yanked the horse's head hard to the right; Great Blaze struggled for a moment, then veered right.

The Qing soldier, using the same method as before, brought his horse left to get his angle. His mount ran straight into that undulating terrain. The bowstring released, the arrow flying straight for Great Blaze's neck.

The Qing soldier's mount suddenly stumbled, let out a neigh, and toppled sideways, horse and rider together. The Qing soldier reacted fast, his feet slipping free of the saddle as he rolled across the ground, kicking up a great cloud of swirling snow.

Yang Guangdi spurred his horse past. When he turned to look back, the Qing soldier had already gotten to his feet, drawn his bow, and was shooting at Yang Guangdi again.

Great Blaze was hit by another arrow. The four pursuing Qing soldiers were already close. Yang Guangdi didn't dare linger. He looped around and headed back toward Banner Commander. The four Qing soldiers were already within forty paces.

In the blurry light ahead, Yang Guangdi could see the two sides still locked in pursuit. The seven mounted scouts had failed to trap the enemy. Those two Qing soldiers were already racing north, pulling away from the mounted scouts, their heading gradually shifting west.

Though the mounted scouts held the advantage in numbers, the enemy's mounts were far superior. The Qing soldiers used their speed to hold the upper hand instead.

The light was dim now. Yang Guangdi couldn't tell how badly the mounts on either side were wounded. Though the mounted scouts couldn't do much to them, given the current situation, they might manage to drag things out until nightfall.

Great Blaze beneath him was slowing more and more. Yang Guangdi looked back. The four Qing soldiers had closed to thirty paces. He immediately turned west as well.

But the four Qing soldiers didn't pursue him. Instead, they chased after the main body of mounted scouts. Yang Guangdi loosed an arrow at them; it flew high, quickly vanishing into the dim field of view, landing who knew where.

Yang Guangdi glanced down. Great Blaze had been hit by four arrows, leaving a trail of blood behind. Its pace was slowing steadily.

But the fight wasn't over. Yang Guangdi couldn't let it stop. He squeezed his horse's flanks and urged Great Blaze toward the fighting.

The four Qing soldiers had already caught up. The two Qing soldiers who had been avoiding battle all along now turned and fought. Chaos erupted across the snowy plain.

Yang Guangdi hurried over. In the murky light, he could barely tell friend from foe. By now, Great Blaze had slowed to a crawl; even lashing it did no good.

Yang Guangdi pulled the reins and stopped his horse. Just as he prepared to draw his bow and join the fight, a sudden twang rang out from the west. A thick, dark blur flashed, slamming hard into the side of Great Blaze's neck. The arrowhead burst out the other side, carrying flesh and blood with it.

Great Blaze screamed in agony and crashed down onto its right side with a boom. Yang Guangdi went down with it, the fall leaving him dizzy and disoriented. His right leg was pinned under the horse's body; he couldn't pull it free for the moment.

The sound of a bowstring vibrating came from the west again. Yang Guangdi could tell it was a step bow. He strained to push himself up and look west. There, in the dim twilight, stood a blurry figure on the snowy plain. This Qing soldier had arrived at some unknown point, seemingly alone.

His mount was not far behind him — two horses, it seemed — both standing quietly by. The figure advanced on foot, raising a step bow nearly the height of a man, loosing arrows in rapid succession, barely a shot wasted. Among the mounted scouts locked in battle, horses neighed one after another. In a short span, two horses collapsed. Banner Commander's voice shouted out, and the mounted scouts retreated east in a flurry.

The Qing soldiers immediately gave chase. Yang Guangdi struggled frantically, fighting desperately to pull his leg free. The lone Qing soldier strode swiftly toward the spot where the two mounted scouts had fallen.

A figure rose from the ground. The Qing soldier raised his hand casually. A bowstring thrummed, followed by a scream. The figure collapsed again.

Yang Guangdi couldn't make out who it was. He saw the Qing soldier walk up close and draw his bow on another wounded mounted scout.

Next, he would come to kill him. Anxiety surged in Yang Guangdi's heart. He struggled again. The spot where he was pinned seemed to have loosened.

Yang Guangdi wrenched with all his strength and finally pulled his leg free. But he was not out of danger. That Qing soldier was a superb archer, and he was using a step bow. On this open wilderness, with no cover whatsoever, Yang Guangdi was absolutely no match for him.

All he had in his hands was that horse bow. Yang Guangdi flipped over to search, but even his bow case was gone. Just then, another bowstring sounded from over there. Yang Guangdi looked up and saw that the Qing soldier had already turned his head toward him.

The Qing soldier lifted his foot and started walking over. Yang Guangdi's scalp went numb. His hands scrabbled wildly across the ground, but he couldn't grab a single arrow.

At that moment, Great Blaze suddenly stirred. Then, impossibly, it rose and stood back up. Blood dripped steadily from its neck.

Yang Guangdi froze for an instant, then vaulted onto Great Blaze's back. Another bowstring thrummed behind him — another heavy arrow, no doubt. Yang Guangdi could even feel the impact reverberate through Great Blaze's body. But this time, Great Blaze did not neigh. It simply turned its head and ran west.

The wind scraped across his cheeks. Yang Guangdi felt Great Blaze accelerating. Its body did not tremble; it ran just as it always did.

Hoofbeats sounded behind him. Yang Guangdi turned his head to look. That Qing soldier was chasing him. Great Blaze galloped full-tilt across the snow-covered plain in the twilight.

Yang Guangdi lowered his body, lying flat against Great Blaze's back. His face could feel the warmth of its spine. As Great Blaze ran, the tips of its mane kept brushing against his forehead.

The horse's body rose and fell. He didn't know how long they ran. The light grew dimmer and dimmer. At some point, the hoofbeats behind him disappeared.

At last, Great Blaze stopped. Yang Guangdi hurriedly jumped off its back. Great Blaze stood still and silent. Yang Guangdi touched its neck with his right hand, feeling warm liquid flowing.

The pitch-black snowy plain was utterly silent. The Qing soldiers behind had likely given up the chase. Shielded by the darkness, Yang Guangdi was safe now.

He fished a handful of black beans from his pack and held them out before Great Blaze. A rush of warmth — a warm tongue licked across his palm. In the darkness, Yang Guangdi stroked Great Blaze's neck, feeling its faint trembling, then slowly sank down to the ground.