Chapter 472: The River Channel

Three li east of Instruction Ground, a squad of five men with a single horse trudged through the frozen wilderness, a long trail of footprints stretching behind them. Snow had begun falling again at daybreak, but not yet enough to cover the tracks.

Yang Guangdi raised the telescope and gazed west at a figure a li away, leading a horse at a slow walk.

That man was the two-horse Qing soldier. Not long after crossing the post road, he had appeared at the southern end of Mangniu Mountain and had been shadowing them ever since. Several times before, he had spurred his horse and closed in fast, stopping only at fifty paces to probe them. None of the group matched him in archery or riding skill, they had only one horse, and its strength was inferior — they could not drive the Qing soldier off.

This Qing soldier exerted immense mental pressure on the five men. Every time he approached, they had no choice but to halt and stand guard with total concentration.

Staring at that figure in the snowfield, Yang Guangdi felt a surge of irritation. He handed the telescope to Qin Jiuze. "Qin Shu, why doesn't he go to Thirty-Li Post to call for help, then come back and follow our tracks?"

"He's afraid heavy snow will cover the tracks," Qin Jiuze said with a frown. "Or he figures he alone is enough to deal with us."

Manda'er said fiercely, "Then let him come and try."

Yang Guangdi nodded first, then after a moment of quiet thought said, "This Tartar came from Boping. He's probably never been near here. I think he may not even know this is Thirty-Li Post, or that he has allies there, so he won't waste the time."

Manda'er voiced his approval. "I think Yang Guangdi is right. This Tartar has no idea what place this is, and can't guess where we're really heading."

Yang Guangdi said, "I don't know where we're heading either. Qin Shu, which way do we go?"

"Go east into the mountains — it's not far." Qin Jiuze glanced back at the Banner Commander. "But with Banner Commander Chen's wound, only getting back to Tongcheng Post can save him. East of Tongcheng Post should have the fewest Tartars. Those are the only two routes."

The four men stood together. Back when they were in Dong'e, they had already learned that Tongcheng Post was besieged; the surrounding area was certain to have large numbers of Qing troops. Going there would be extremely dangerous — especially in the daytime, if discovered by Qing troops, escape would be nearly impossible.

All of them here were Mounted Scout cavalry. They understood Qing troop movements better than ordinary Battalion Commanders. The Advisory Room's assessment was that the Qing army would soon return to Liaodong — meaning the Qing troops would not linger long. They need not worry about being trapped and dying in the mountains. But if the Banner Commander's wound went untreated, he would certainly not survive.

None of these four were officers; they could only decide their course by talking it over among themselves. Qin Jiuze still held the telescope. Manda'er ground his teeth from time to time. The Javelin Scout Cavalry kept sizing up Qin Jiuze.

Yang Guangdi hesitated a moment, then said, "I say we go to Tongcheng Post."

Manda'er nodded sharply. "Tongcheng Post it is."

The Javelin Scout Cavalry waited, then said, "I'll stick with everyone."

Yang Guangdi turned his head to look. "This Tartar is going to keep following us…"

Qin Jiuze suddenly cut him off. "He only has one arrow left."

Yang Guangdi hurriedly took back the telescope. Through the lens he could indeed see it: the Qing soldier was adjusting his quiver. The quiver rose above the horse's body, its outline clearly visible, and inside was only a single arrow shaft. The man moved the quiver to the other side of the horse, not wanting them to know he was short on arrows, but he never imagined these scouts had a telescope — instead, he had exposed the fact early.

"There's blood on the horse's rump. His horse is wounded, but only lightly." Yang Guangdi spoke as he watched. "Qin Shu, he only has one horse too. If we can shoot his horse dead, we can turn around and hunt him down."

"How do we lure him in close?"

All of them frowned anxiously. The area around them was open wilderness. The Tartar held the advantage in mobility; they had no way to surround and attack him. If they let him keep shadowing them, he would remain a massive threat.

Suddenly, the Banner Commander on the horse let out a faint rasping sound. The others paid no attention. Yang Guangdi thought he was in pain and quickly moved closer. The Banner Commander's face was pale, but there was not much blood from the wound on his throat.

The Banner Commander gestured twice with his hand. Yang Guangdi looked utterly puzzled. The Banner Commander turned his head, then lifted a coconut ladle hanging from the horse, shaking it ceaselessly so the water inside made a sloshing sound.

"Water?" Yang Guangdi guessed the Banner Commander was trying to hint at how to lure the Tartar closer. "A well?"

The Banner Commander shook his head, gestured once more, and finally pointed toward the southeast.

"Water…" Yang Guangdi murmured. "The old river channel."

…

At the second ke of the noon hour, fifteen li northeast of Tongcheng Post, the Qing soldier behind them spurred his horse and charged again. Yang Guangdi and the others raised their bows in readiness but did not shoot.

The Mounted Scout cavalry also had only a dozen or so arrows left, but their situation was far better than the Qing soldier's. The Qing soldier alternated between far and near, relentlessly applying pressure. The group, having noticed his shortage of arrows, simply refused to loose arrows lightly, to prevent the Tartar from scavenging any.

The five men continued south. After a moment, Yang Guangdi shouted, "Qin Shu — the river channel!"

A distinct scar appeared on the land, coming from the southwest and stretching toward the northeast.

The Qing soldier seemed to have spotted the river channel as well. A river channel on the plain could bring variables for both sides. He quickly spurred his horse closer again and soon came within fifty paces. Qin Jiuze gave a whistle, and the walking group halted at once.

The Qing soldier also stopped his horse, dismounted, and approached on foot. Yang Guangdi stuffed a handful of snow into his mouth, his eyes fixed on the Qing soldier. Besides him, Qin Jiuze and the other two all held step bows. Fifty paces was already combat range, but none of them shot.

The Qing soldier held a step bow and arrow in his hands. He took a step, paused, then another — advancing slowly but steadily. Yang Guangdi felt his breathing grow labored and hurriedly steadied his nerves.

They all knew this Tartar's archery was astonishing, but he had only one arrow. In such open ground, with them on guard, hitting a vital spot would be very difficult. Once he loosed that arrow, this Tartar would pose no further threat. After all, there were four fully armed Mounted Scout cavalry here. Defeating them in a head-on, close-quarters fight — no one could be completely confident of that.

The Qing soldier's approach grew slower and slower, his strides shorter and shorter. Clearly, he was not entirely without misgivings about these several Mounted Scout cavalry.

He was closing in on foot because he feared the Mounted Scout cavalry would shoot his mount. But that also meant he had given up his mobility advantage. If he strayed too far from his horse, the Mounted Scout cavalry could take the initiative to close in, using their bows to attack him or his stationary mount. Once his horse was too badly wounded, he would lose his mobility, and even if he picked up arrows, dealing with these four enemies at once in open country would be difficult.

The two sides stood forty paces apart, yet neither attacked nor moved closer. Yang Guangdi calmly held his bow and arrow, the bowstring drawn back only slightly, his eyes locked on the Qing soldier.

Wind-driven snow danced between the two sides. White mist exhaled from mouths and noses flickered in and out with each breath.

After a moment of standoff, the Qing soldier suddenly took a step backward. Yang Guangdi exhaled in relief. That the four of them had made this Qing soldier recoil — he actually felt a touch of thankfulness.

But the Qing soldier did not withdraw far, simply standing off at fifty paces. The Mounted Scout cavalry slowly retreated. The Qing soldier paused a moment, then turned back, retrieved his mount, and once again fell in behind them.

Yang Guangdi kept an eye on their rear as he walked. The group finally reached the bank of the old river channel.

Qin Jiuze wasted no time. He searched briefly for a path, then led the horse down into the river channel.

This old river channel was the same one that ran south of Tongcheng Post. The riverbed was quite broad. The banks had mostly collapsed under years of rain erosion, but the bottom of the riverbed still had a certain depth — more than enough to conceal the few of them.

The group entered the river channel, and both sides vanished from each other's sight at the same moment. But they did not immediately leave the edge; instead, they hid beneath the bank, hoping to ambush the Qing soldier when he came after them.

After they had waited a moment, the sound of hoofbeats moved south. Qin Jiuze signaled to Yang Guangdi. Yang Guangdi poked his head out for a look: the Qing soldier's figure was racing toward the south side. Moments later, he reached the riverbank ahead. This way, there was no risk of ambush at all. He simply stood at the bank's edge, placing the group back under his surveillance.

Yang Guangdi felt a wave of dejection. They were utterly exhausted. The Mounted Scout cavalry had been fighting continuously and had been hunted for an entire night. If not for this Qing soldier pursuing them, they should have stopped to rest and recover long ago.

But this Qing soldier clung to them like a haunting ghost. Yang Guangdi bit his lip and glanced back at the Banner Commander. Banner Commander Chen's face was ashen; he was already swaying slightly on horseback.

He looked further into the riverbed. It was also full of accumulated snow, but the uneven, rolling terrain was still visible. Qin Jiuze led the way up front, following the river channel for a stretch. Whenever the Qing soldier disappeared from the riverbank, Yang Guangdi would move to the bank's edge to observe and confirm the man's position.

At last, Qin Jiuze turned left. The five men climbed the bank along a collapsed section of the river embankment. The crumbled earth was unstable; the horse's hooves slipped twice as they stepped on it, nearly throwing the Banner Commander off. Manda'er pulled from the front, and finally they made it up to the other side of the river channel.

With the river channel now between the two sides, Yang Guangdi immediately felt much safer psychologically.

That Qing soldier would not dare descend into the river channel casually. The riverbed terrain was rugged, and he was alone. With no one to cover him, climbing the opposite bank would be very difficult. He would have to wait until the Mounted Scout cavalry had moved well away from the bank before he could cross the river channel.

The four Mounted Scout cavalry spread out their distance. The Banner Commander's horse walked in the very center, two men in front and two behind. They continued along the riverbank this way.

Neither side moved quickly. They walked along opposite banks, sizing each other up as they went. Where the banks were close, Yang Guangdi could make out the other man's face clearly.

That Qing soldier had a broad face, a chin with little beard, and a build that was not especially tall, but his arms were rather long and he was slightly hunched — somewhat similar to Qin Jiuze, both physiques shaped by long years of archery practice.

That Qing soldier was also observing them. Judging by his riding posture, he remained thoroughly relaxed.

Not far ahead along the riverbank, a village appeared. Many of the roofs had collapsed; it looked utterly dilapidated — impossible to tell whether it was abandoned.

Qin Jiuze did not adjust their course. Clearly, he had no intention of heading there, to prevent this Qing soldier from starting another fire in the village. The smoke might draw nearby Qing troops. For that reason, they had avoided villages and woods the entire way — but that also meant they could not make use of any terrain features on this open plain.

Yang Guangdi hurried forward a few steps and said to Qin Jiuze, "If this Tartar has never been to Tongcheng Post, then he doesn't know where we're headed now."

Seeing Qin Jiuze's listening expression, Yang Guangdi continued, "Then he might think there are troops of ours around and wouldn't dare light a fire like last night. Even if he enters the village, it won't matter."

Qin Jiuze stopped walking. Up ahead, Manda'er turned his head and said, "Before we see Tongcheng Post, we must kill this Tartar. Otherwise we won't reach the town."

Qin Jiuze studied the river channel. Yang Guangdi quietly pointed ahead and said, "There's only one spot nearby where it's easy to come ashore."

After a moment, Qin Jiuze waved his hand. The group adjusted their direction and headed toward the village.

The village edge was only a few dozen paces from the riverbank. That Qing soldier stopped at a gentle section of the bank and watched the group disappear into the village.

Yang Guangdi hid behind a section of earthen wall, staring at that figure on the opposite bank. Even now, he still didn't understand why this Qing soldier had pursued them all this way. By the classification of scout cavalry, a few scattered soldiers weren't worth targeting.

Now that Qing soldier was on the defensive. If he didn't cross the river channel, the scout cavalry could pass through the village and depart, and he would lose his target.

That Qing soldier hesitated for a moment, then finally led his horse down into the river channel.

Yang Guangdi suddenly felt a surge of excitement. Just as he was about to rush out, Qin Jiuze's voice came from beside him: "Wait!"

He turned his head to look. Qin Jiuze was observing through a breach in the wall. The Banner Commander was resting against the wall behind him, the horses now free.

Yang Guangdi let out a breath and crouched back behind the earthen wall. The opposite riverbank was empty. If they didn't hurry over, that Tartar would be hard to deal with once he came ashore.

Just as anxiety burned in his chest, a head suddenly appeared on the opposite bank — that Qing soldier had returned to the far bank. Yang Guangdi quickly shrank back behind the wall. He saw the Qing soldier pause on the riverbank, staring intently in this direction.

Yang Guangdi even lightened his breathing, terrified of alerting that Tartar. After a long while, the Qing soldier vanished from the riverbank again.

At last, Qin Jiuze waved a hand. "Go!"

The group ran out together. The Qing soldier was already out of sight; they could imagine him crossing the river channel right now.

What they had been waiting for was precisely this moment when the Qing soldier lost visual contact. Because he was alone, once he lost sight of them, he lost his grasp of the scout cavalry's position and fell into a passive situation.

The group sprinted at full speed, aiming to reach the riverbank before the Qing soldier and seize the advantage of higher ground. Qin Jiuze rode his horse but kept the same pace as the others, the hoofbeats kept very soft.

Yang Guangdi held his bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right, both arms swinging as his feet trampled the snow — crunch, crunch, the sound went on and on.

They soon neared the riverbank. The river channel gradually appeared in his shaking field of vision. Yang Guangdi rushed forward two more steps and finally spotted that Qing soldier. Leading his horse, the man had just passed the midpoint of the river channel, still twenty paces from the bank.

The four scout cavalrymen appeared almost simultaneously. That Qing soldier was clearly thrown into panic, but his reaction was still extremely swift. He had been leading his horse; in his haste, he yanked the horse's head around to change direction, his body retreating a step behind the horse.

Bowstrings twanged repeatedly from the riverbank. Arrows flew out in an unbroken stream. The sound of a horse's shriek rose from the river channel.

That Qing soldier struggled to control the horse, using its body as cover while retreating toward the opposite bank.

Five or six arrows were already lodged in the Qing soldier's mount's rump. The horse's head twisted ceaselessly, its forehooves leaping twice in succession. The Qing soldier had already lost control but immediately seized the reins again.

Manda'er leaped down into the river channel, loosed an arrow, and pressed forward in pursuit. The Qing soldier suddenly dropped the reins, leaned his upper body out diagonally from beside the horse's neck, drew his bow, and shot straight at Manda'er.

A sharp clang rang out. Manda'er immediately rolled in the river channel, collapsing a large patch of snow.

The other three scout cavalrymen also jumped down into the river channel. That Qing soldier pulled his horse and continued retreating, backing up almost to the point of climbing ashore. Qin Jiuze loosed an armor-piercing bodkin arrow in quick succession. Wracked with agony, the horse plunged into madness and let out a long, piercing shriek.

Yang Guangdi had already closed to within twenty paces. That Qing soldier jumped to the horse's rump, grabbed three arrow shafts in one fist, and tore them out with a violent yank. Amid his mount's harrowing shriek, the Qing soldier drew his waist saber, swept it across the remaining arrow shafts, then stabbed fiercely into the horse's belly, turned his head, and ran for the bank.

Yang Guangdi kept running, only stopping when he reached the bank. As he thrust his head out, his hand raised a throwing axe high, but that Qing soldier was already thirty paces away.

Only now did Yang Guangdi begin to gasp violently. Qin Jiuze also reached the bank. When Yang Guangdi turned to look back, he saw Manda'er coming up. A hole had been torn in the chest area of his iron-inlaid cotton armor; it seemed that arrow had not pierced through the armor plates.

That Qing soldier on the opposite side had lost his mount but gained three arrows. He seemed to have finally caught his breath as well. He nocked an arrow onto his step bow, retreating while staying on guard.

"Qin Shu, should we go kill him?"

Qin Jiuze looked back and said, "How many arrows do we have left?"

Yang Guangdi immediately said, "None."

Manda'er said between gasps, "One."

The javelin scout cavalryman also said, "Two."

As they spoke, that Qing soldier's feet never paused. He retreated swiftly back the way he had come.

Qin Jiuze felt his own arrow case and found only a single arrow shaft. He stared at that Qing soldier's figure for a long moment, then said, "Withdraw."