Chapter 471: Mountain Forest

In the dark snowy plain before dawn, two crows cawed.

Yang Guangdi lowered his hand, listening nervously to the sounds around him, his eyes scanning the blurred outline of the mountain forest on the horizon.

This place was five li south of Thirty-Li Post, but it was not a true mountain forest — only an earthen slope two zhang high, called Mangniu Mountain by the locals, also known as Jinniu Mountain. It stretched half a li north to south and east to west. In spring and summer, the trees on the slope grew thick with branches and leaves, and being so close to the post road, it was good for hiding and shaking off pursuit. Greenwood heroes who robbed travelers often holed up here for short stays.

This hill lay between Thirty-Li Post and Instruction Ground, one of the few nearby spots suitable for an ambush. Chen Rulie had planned to ambush the Qing army's supply convoy here, and it was also the second rally point for the mounted scouts.

In the murky darkness, Yang Guangdi could not tell whether the Anqing Cavalry had arrived, nor could he spot any mounted scouts who might be lurking nearby. He could only risk using crow calls to make contact.

If no mounted scouts answered, Yang Guangdi still had a fallback plan: cross the post road to the relatively safer eastern side, then find a way back to Tongcheng Post or head into the mountain region. The biggest threat in this plan was the lack of enough food.

He could only rely on luck to find something to eat. The second threat was being spotted by Qing cavalry in the open during the daytime.

There was still firelight to the west, and the area nearby was fairly quiet. Yang Guangdi felt that once the Qing troops had confirmed their position, Chen Rulie would not continue with the ambush plan. The chance of anyone meeting them at Mangniu Mountain was very slim.

Even though he had expected this, Yang Guangdi could not hide his disappointment. Dawn was near. Yang Guangdi stood up and moved his nearly numb feet, preparing to continue east.

He had to cross the post road before daybreak and get as far east as possible, to avoid being spotted by enemies patrolling the road.

A caw — a crow's call. Yang Guangdi immediately crouched. Two more calls followed — the mounted scouts' two-call, three-response signal. His heart pounded fiercely.

Yang Guangdi stayed still and listened quietly for a moment. Nothing unusual around him. He took a deep breath and crept toward the source of the crow calls. Yang Guangdi tried to step as lightly as possible, but his feet still crunched on the snow, a harsh sound in the empty, silent snowy plain.

The distance closed. According to regulation, there should have been another call-and-response, but a human figure had already appeared ahead. Yang Guangdi let out an involuntary "Hey."

A voice from the other side called out, "Yang Guangdi?"

He recognized the accent as Manda'er's. A surge of excitement rose in his chest. He had never found Manda'er's strange accent so pleasing.

"Man — da'er."

Yang Guangdi called back in a low voice. A low, joyful cry came from that direction. Yang Guangdi could now make out four figures and the outlines of two horses. He quickened his pace and walked up to them.

At the front was Manda'er. He grabbed Yang Guangdi's arm and let out a low, happy cry, even more excited than Yang Guangdi. Behind him were the Banner Commander and the javelin thrower, and at the back, Qin Jiuze.

Everyone was happy to see each other. The Banner Commander clapped Yang Guangdi on the shoulder several times.

Yang Guangdi said to him, "Banner Commander, you didn't link up with Battalion Commander Chen?"

The Banner Commander's voice was still steady. "We didn't go. A Tartar with two horses kept following us. That Tartar's archery is freakishly accurate. He killed two of our men on the way."

Yang Guangdi could not help interrupting. "The two who fell from their horses — he killed them too."

The group was silent for a moment. Then the Banner Commander spoke again. "We shook him off several times, but he picked us up again. We didn't dare head toward Battalion Commander Chen."

Qin Jiuze's voice said, "Battalion Commander Chen's side got tangled up with other Tartars. A trail of firelight followed them all the way. This whole area is crawling with Tartars. Once their tracks were exposed, they could only pull out. They definitely won't be coming this way."

The Banner Commander agreed. "They probably won't come. That bunch of Tartars last night might all have been elite guard. Truly fierce. Manda'er's horse and mine took a lot of arrows and both died on the road. We had to take turns riding the remaining horses. We just got here an hour ago."

Manda'er pointed behind him. "It was all Qin Shu who said maybe you were the one who lit the fire to the north, and we should wait a while to see if anyone came. And we really did wait for you."

Yang Guangdi looked at Qin Jiuze's shadow, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Qin Jiuze's deep voice said slowly, "It'll be light soon. We need to move fast."

The group looked east. A sliver of light had already appeared on the horizon. The surroundings were gradually becoming clearer, but this was not good news for them. The Qing forces held absolute superiority in this area, and the five of them had only two horses. Once spotted in daylight, they would have great difficulty shaking off the enemy.

Yang Guangdi quickly acknowledged. He walked up beside Qin Jiuze and asked, "Qin Shu, how did you finally shake off that two-horse Tartar?"

The Banner Commander took a step forward. "Old Qin shot one of his horses too..."

From the woods behind them came a sudden sharp twang. A dark streak shot through the crisscrossing branches like lightning and struck the Banner Commander precisely in the throat. The Banner Commander toppled backward.

Everyone scattered in panic, ducking behind the nearest large tree trunks.

Yang Guangdi pressed himself against a trunk. He saw Manda'er grab the Banner Commander's foot and drag him behind a tree trunk for cover.

A Light Arrow was lodged in the Banner Commander's throat. His hand clutched at the shaft. His eyes were wide open, staring rigidly at the sky. His feet kept kicking against the ground.

Qin Jiuze's voice rang out. "Don't move! Breathe out — push the breath out!"

The Banner Commander's body on the ground was rigid. He tilted slightly to one side, then stopped. Blue veins bulged on his face, his expression quite ferocious. Clearly, breathing out was not easy for him. If he could not expel this breath, he would simply suffocate to death.

Yang Guangdi felt nothing but a vast blankness. It was Banner Commander Chen who had brought him all the way into the mounted scouts, brought him through the assessment, and brought him into battle. Banner Commander Chen looked after everyone in the Banner Team. Even in the most dangerous moments, Yang Guangdi had never imagined that Banner Commander Chen would die in combat.

Suddenly, with a retching sound, the Banner Commander's body convulsed violently. He forced out a difficult breath, and his face instantly relaxed. His legs stopped thrashing. He lay on his back, panting in short, rapid gasps.

Seeing that the Banner Commander would not die, Yang Guangdi felt as if he himself had come back to life. His reactions sharpened again. He craned his neck to peer into Mangniu Mountain. His field of vision was filled with jagged trunks and branches. He could see no trace of the enemy.

"Manda'er — arrows. Give me arrows."

Manda'er was shielding the Banner Commander. Hearing this, he pulled two Light Arrows from the arrow quiver and tossed them toward Yang Guangdi.

"It's that two-horse Tartar." The javelin-throwing scout's voice came.

Yang Guangdi said in a low voice, "Qin Shu, where is that Tartar?"

Qin Jiuze did not answer. The four of them crouched behind the tree trunks, each carefully observing. Yang Guangdi stuck his head out, scanning the blurred mountain forest in the dawn light.

On Mangniu Mountain, the mottled branches and trunks of the trees crisscrossed against the white snow. The faint light of dawn was rising from the east, piercing through this empty, silent forest. Not a single snowflake stirred among the trees.

The Banner Commander's rasping, labored breathing reached his ears. Though it was still the cold night, cold sweat had already beaded on Yang Guangdi's forehead. In his eyes, this mountain forest was fraught with danger. A deadly arrow could fly out from anywhere at any moment.

Yang Guangdi called out in a low voice toward Qin Jiuze, "Qin Shu, how do we fight him?"

"Don't panic. First find where he is."

Qin Jiuze crouched on the ground, quietly observing the mountain forest. Yang Guangdi knew that Tartar's archery was freakishly accurate. They truly could not act rashly. Otherwise, with one more wounded man, it would be very hard for the five of them to keep escaping.

But if they did not deal with this Tartar, they could not leave Mangniu Mountain at all. Once it was light, Qing troops would be moving along the post road. This Tartar could easily summon reinforcements, and they would be wiped out all the same.

The first priority now was to pinpoint that Tartar's position. Otherwise, they could not bring their numerical advantage to bear. Qin Jiuze was also observing to find the Tartar's position.

In the midst of his anxiety, Yang Guangdi suddenly raised his head. He said to Qin Jiuze, "Qin Shu, how did this Tartar get here?"

"He rode here, naturally." Qin Jiuze stopped mid-sentence and looked at Yang Guangdi. "He must have left his horse on the side near the post road. One of his horses is dead. He only has this one left."

Manda'er and the javelin scout both looked over. They all understood what Qin Jiuze meant. Though there were many horses, every rider had his own fixed mount. If it was just for riding, the difference was not great, but for combat, it was entirely different. It was generally a rapport built over long training. The horse could sense the rider's intent from the slightest movement. That could not be replaced in a short time. No rider would willingly change horses.

This Tartar had two horses. Yang Guangdi had seen it with his own eyes. The spare horse followed on its own without even needing to be led. Now he had lost one of his two horses. Whichever one remained was extremely precious to him, absolutely irreplaceable by an ordinary warhorse.

Yang Guangdi crawled over to the Banner Commander's side. He felt for the Throwing Axe on his belt, yanked it out, and also took the Banner Commander's Waist Saber, rearming himself.

"When you spot him, we all rush together." Qin Jiuze lowered his body and made a hand signal to Yang Guangdi, indicating he should go left. Manda'er crept off to the right.

Yang Guangdi looked down at the Banner Commander. The Banner Commander was breathing with difficulty, but he still gave an encouraging slight nod. Yang Guangdi patted the Banner Commander's shoulder, lowered his body, and walked a few steps to the left, waiting for that Tartar to reveal himself so they could all attack together. As long as they got in close, even if that Tartar was a Vanguard soldier of the Qing army, he could not possibly handle four mounted scouts attacking him in a desperate assault at the same time.

Once the group was ready, Qin Jiuze spoke up and said two lines loudly in Mongolian. Manda'er on the right answered.

Yang Guangdi understood what they were talking about — they were going to look for that Tartar's mount. Because the branches in this mountain forest were dense, horses would fear injuring their heads and eyes and could not possibly enter the woods; the mount had to be somewhere nearby at the forest's edge. Afraid the Tartar could not understand Chinese, they deliberately spoke in Mongolian to force the Tartar to show himself.

The forest fell quiet for a moment, then suddenly twang — a sound rang out. An arrow shot through the trees, scraping snow powder off the branches along its path and sending it swirling into the air. It burst out of the woods and flew straight toward the shoulder blade of one of the mounts. The horse gave a pitiful scream, turned its head, and bolted toward the western plain.

This Tartar had clearly intended to trap a few of the roving cavalrymen, wipe them out, and then capture two warhorses. Now he had changed his plan — wounding or driving off their warhorses so that the roving cavalrymen, on foot, could not run far. He could then go back and retrieve his own warhorse, and after daybreak continue the hunt.

In the faint light of dawn, Yang Guangdi spotted a blurry human figure. He heard Qin Jiuze's voice shout, "Go!"

All four burst from behind the trees at the same time. Yang Guangdi sprinted through the forest snow toward that dark figure. From his right came the thrum of a bowstring. The figure ahead wavered for an instant, then stopped again. Running, Yang Guangdi could not see clearly at all — only a gut feeling that the Tartar was aiming at him. He veered sharply behind a tree trunk to the right.

A thunderous report from ahead — crack! — snow powder exploded into the air. A dark shape streaked past the tree trunk, and then half a tree branch shot out of the snow mist.

Because of his sudden turn, the Tartar had aimed hastily, yet his accuracy was still astonishing. Had the arrow not struck the branch, it would very likely have hit Yang Guangdi directly. Yang Guangdi had no time for fear — he had already closed to twenty paces.

A figure on his right was even faster. The javelin roving cavalryman had already raced ahead. The dark figure turned its head and ran south, its heels kicking up flurries of snow.

The four closed in on the dark figure from both sides. A bowstring twanged on the right. The dark figure paused for a moment. Yang Guangdi held his breath and ran at full speed. In his shaking field of vision, the Tartar's form flickered in and out of sight among the jagged trees.

Whoosh — the sound of a weapon slicing through air. Yang Guangdi had just rounded a tree trunk when a javelin flew toward the dark figure. The figure ducked low; the javelin spun past overhead and thud — embedded itself in a slanting branch. The branch shook violently, snow on it swirling into the sky.

Yang Guangdi had no time to think. Anticipating the Tartar would rise, he hurled his throwing axe mid-stride. But the Tartar never rose at all — staying low, he kicked off a tree trunk ahead with his foot, changed direction, and darted into denser woods to the east. Yang Guangdi's throwing axe vanished into that cloud of snow.

The Tartar picked up speed, still leaping and bounding through the snow-laden forest as if flying, constantly shifting direction. Yang Guangdi had no time even to draw his bow, and did not dare slow his steps one bit.

"Halt."

Qin Jiuze's voice rang out. Yang Guangdi stopped. In that brief moment, the Tartar was already far away; only occasionally could his form be glimpsed flashing between the trees.

The four were not far apart, all breathing heavily. None of them had expected the Tartar to move so swiftly through the snow-covered forest. If they kept chasing, differences in stamina would soon separate them by speed, and they would lose the advantage of attacking together — instead, the Tartar would pick them off one by one.

Yang Guangdi and the javelin roving cavalryman were closest to each other. They exchanged a glance — in their eyes were both frustration and fear. Failing to kill that Tartar just now would leave a massive hidden danger after daybreak.

Qin Jiuze said in a low voice, "Move, now."

Yang Guangdi looked toward where the Tartar had gone. "We've only got one horse. Will this Tartar keep tracking us during the day?"

Qin Jiuze narrowed his eyes. During the day they would leave obvious tracks in the snow, and with only one horse, they would certainly move slowly — they could not outrun the Tartar.

"He's alone. If he follows us, he won't be able to gather more men. We need to cross the post road, quickly."

Qin Jiuze turned and left as soon as he finished speaking. The other three followed him out of the woods. First they moved the Banner Commander and the horses well away from the tree line. Then Qin Jiuze and Mandar together snapped off the exposed section of the arrow shaft in the Banner Commander's throat, so that the arrow would not wobble and widen the wound.

As they snapped the shaft, the Banner Commander's face flushed deep red, and he nearly failed to catch his breath again. Fortunately, the bleeding from his wound was not heavy. He did not make a sound, only labored to breathe.

Then they lifted the Banner Commander from the ground onto the mount. As they strained together, they watched him nervously — if the Banner Commander could not stay steady on the horse, none of them here could carry him away.

The Banner Commander struggled a few times, then slumped crookedly over the horse's back, his left hand gripping the saddle with desperate strength.

Yang Guangdi let out a breath. By now the eastern sky had turned the pale white of a fish's belly. The post road was not far. Qin Jiuze waved his hand; Mandar led the horse, and the group headed toward the faintly brightening east.