Chapter 473: Snowfield

Amid the howling wind and snow, the old river channel wound its way across the white snowfield; a mile to the west lay the gray-black city wall of Tongcheng Post. Over ten cavalrymen came from the north, riding slowly southward along the eastern wall.

On the bank of the river channel, a snow-covered leather hat slowly rose, utterly inconspicuous against the white background. From beneath the leather hat a telescope extended; after peering toward the city wall for a moment, the leather hat slowly sank back down.

Man Da'er removed the hat, shook off the snow, and said to Qin Jiuze, "There are houses by the wall, and a dozen or so Mounted Armor."

"Only a dozen or so…" Qin Jiuze asked, "Are there many hoofprints on the ground?"

Man Da'er shook his head. "Can't see them."

The line of sight when poking his head out was nearly level with the ground, making it very hard to see traces on the surface. The situation on the east side of Tongcheng Post was better than they had expected, but spotting only a dozen or so Mounted Armor made them uneasy instead, because the Qing army would certainly not seal off an entire side with so few men.

The Javelin scout waited a moment and said, "From here to the city gate there's no cover at all; the Tartars will definitely spot us. It'll be much easier once evening comes."

Yang Guangdi turned his head to look and saw that the Banner Commander had already collapsed limp on the ground, the white breath he exhaled extremely faint.

"If we wait until evening, the Banner Commander will be dead," Man Da'er said with absolute certainty. "We have to get into the city right now."

Qin Jiuze frowned, took the leather hat and telescope, and Man Da'er spread snowflakes over the leather hat. Qin Jiuze lay prone on the riverbank and slowly poked his head out; only after looking for a long while did he pull back.

He looked at the others and said, "The nearest breach is south of the east gate. We have to enter the city there, and we'll have to exit there too. I'm afraid that's also where the Tartars are concentrated, all hidden in the houses against the wall. Getting into the city will likely be hard."

Just as he said this, a cannon shot suddenly rang out from the west. The group gave a start, all stopped speaking, and listened quietly to the sounds around them.

Qin Jiuze nodded at Yang Guangdi. Yang Guangdi put on the hat and poked his head out to observe again. He quickly pulled back and said to the others, "No smoke in sight, so it wasn't the east wall firing. Those Mounted Armor are heading toward the river channel."

The group immediately readied their weapons. Yang Guangdi went to the Banner Commander's side and quietly told him the situation. The Banner Commander nodded weakly, indicating he understood.

The faint sound of hoofbeats was approaching. Qin Jiuze held the horse — this single horse was his mount. He pulled the reins and pressed downward; the mount obediently lay on its side in the river channel, greatly reducing the chance of exposure.

The hoofbeats reached the vicinity of the riverbank, paused for a moment to the south, then came northward, drawing closer and closer to them. Yang Guangdi lay prone beneath the riverbank; as the hooves moved, the soil beneath him gave faint tremors.

He looked up above him. Above the snow-covered riverbank was the sky of swirling wind and snow. If a Qing soldier appeared there, he would certainly spot the men in the riverbed, and they would have almost no chance of escape.

Voices came from the bank. Yang Guangdi could not understand them. He tilted his head to look at Man Da'er beside him; the Mongol's face was taut with tension, his left cheek twitching uncontrollably.

Yang Guangdi, on the contrary, was no longer nervous. Even his heartbeat was calm, and the hand gripping his bow was free of sweat.

The voices drew closer and closer. Yang Guangdi pressed his body as close to the ground as possible and buried his mouth against his collar to keep white breath from escaping.

Suddenly a burst of raucous laughter came from above. Man Da'er's body jolted beside him. Yang Guangdi lay quietly on the ground, but his eyes remained fixed on the edge of the riverbank — if they really were discovered, he would at least drag a Tartar down with him.

The sound of horse hooves crunching through snow was very clear; the Qing soldiers were right above their heads. Amid the conversation came the snorting of horses.

Another cannon shot rang out from the west. The pitch of the Qing soldiers' voices rose. Yang Guangdi dared not breathe; the air seemed to have frozen solid. Yang Guangdi kept staring at the riverbank.

After who knew how long, Yang Guangdi finally judged that the Qing soldiers had moved far away and suddenly exhaled. Behind him, Qin Jiuze and his mount rose to their feet at the same time.

Qin Jiuze walked past him, peered from the riverbank for a moment, then came back and said, "The Tartars have gone north. This group must be a patrol. If we're going to enter the city, we need to do it before they come back."

Man Da'er's voice was somewhat stiff as he said, "Where do we enter the city? The Tartars will be guarding against cavalry coming out from inside — there are bound to be ambushes at the city gate and the breaches…"

Yang Guangdi suddenly slapped his leg. "That means where there are no breaches, the Tartars won't be guarding. North of the east gate there are no breaches at all; those dozen or so Mounted Armor are just patrolling this stretch."

Man Da'er said blankly, "Then how do we get in?"

"Everyone on the wall is our own people. They lower a rope and we go right up."

The Javelin scout said in a low voice, "Once we leave the river channel there's no cover. What if the Tartars at the city gate see us?"

"This is the east wall. The Tartars are all watching the city. We walk over openly and the Tartars won't be able to tell."

Man Da'er looked at Qin Jiuze. Qin Jiuze nodded at him. The group waited in the river channel for a moment; once Qin Jiuze was certain the Mounted Armor had gone far, he led the horse and took the lead stepping onto the bank.

Man Da'er and Yang Guangdi supported the Banner Commander onto the bank. The moment they left the river channel, Yang Guangdi's field of vision suddenly opened wide, but at the same time he felt utterly exposed.

They helped the Banner Commander onto the horse's back. The five men and one horse walked across the snowfield toward the city wall. Within their line of sight, there were no enemies.

The Qing soldiers outside the city wall were likely in the houses against the wall; no one wanted to be out in the open in this weather. That squad of Mounted Armor from earlier was still to the north, their figures turned extremely blurry in the wind and snow.

The distance to the city wall gradually closed. Yang Guangdi peered toward the walltop. In just two short days, the walltop was already covered with Hanging Curtains, though figures could still be seen at the arrow crenels.

The Banner Commander's body swayed; several times he nearly toppled off. Yang Guangdi called out warnings, ready at any moment to catch him, but each time the Banner Commander held on.

If the Banner Commander could not ride, he would have to be supported by others, and their pace would slow drastically. Just as Yang Guangdi was feeling relieved, several mounted figures suddenly appeared at the city gate position; they rode out from the streets and alleys and headed toward them.

It seemed the Qing soldiers had not yet confirmed their identities, because they had not drawn weapons. Yang Guangdi shouted a low warning; Qin Jiuze and the others also spotted those men.

Just then, a startled cry came from beside him. Yang Guangdi whipped his head around just in time to see the Banner Commander topple over. Man Da'er, quick of eye and hand, caught the Banner Commander together with the Javelin scout, and for a moment there was chaos.

The several Qing soldiers to the south halted and shouted in this direction. Behind them, several more appeared, and the one in the lead even drew a bow.

Qin Jiuze's voice barked low, "Man Da'er, take the Banner Commander!"

Without another word, Man Da'er swung himself onto the horse. The Javelin scout helped push the Banner Commander up and laid him across the saddle.

The Qing soldiers began spurring their horses. Qin Jiuze shouted, "Run!"

Yang Guangdi had no time to consider how they had been exposed. He turned and ran for the city wall. Man Da'er, spurring his horse, ran at the very front; the other three sprinted with all their might through the snow.

Behind them came the drumming of hooves. Running in the snow was especially exhausting. Yang Guangdi felt his strength draining away at terrifying speed. Twenty paces ahead were the houses of Guanxiang; Man Da'er seemed to have already found a path and had vanished behind the buildings.

If they could just reach the foot of the city wall, the walltop would provide covering fire, and the Qing soldiers would not be able to approach.

Yang Guangdi pushed with everything he had, gasping violently as he ran, his chest feeling as if it would explode. The houses were just ahead when suddenly a miserable scream came from behind him.

In his haste, Yang Guangdi turned his head and saw that Qin Jiuze had fallen in the snow. The Javelin scout was beside him but did not stop. Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Guangdi turned and ran back toward Qin Jiuze.

The pursuing Qing cavalry were already within thirty paces. Yang Guangdi reached Qin Jiuze's side, hauled him up with one pull, and the two of them ran together toward the houses.

Qin Jiuze was gasping for breath. Yang Guangdi dragged him along with great effort. The two of them finally neared the nearest house, and the hoofbeats reached them from behind.

Twang — the sound of a bowstring. Yang Guangdi felt a jolt in his back, was shoved forward by a tremendous force, and then crashed to the ground.

Qin Jiuze also fell. Yang Guangdi twisted his head to look and saw Qin Jiuze flip over and rise, at the same time hurling a Throwing Axe. After a miserable scream, a mounted Qing soldier shot past beside them; after running a dozen or so paces, the Qing soldier crashed from his horse with a boom.

Qin Jiuze pulled Yang Guangdi up. By now Yang Guangdi felt the searing pain coming from his back; howling as he ran, he struggled with all his might toward the inside of the alley.

Hoofbeats came from behind. Yang Guangdi laboriously turned his head to look. Two Qing soldiers flashed past the alley entrance, and two Light Arrows came flying swiftly. He could not dodge; he only felt another jolt in his thigh.

Qin Jiuze led him around a corner. After entering a courtyard, they saw the enclosing wall. The Javelin scout was shouting upward; Man Da'er was gesturing incessantly; the Banner Commander still lay sideways across the horse's back. Qin Jiuze supported Yang Guangdi, and the two of them went to a corner and collapsed sitting on the ground.

A familiar voice came from the walltop. "Man Da'er, you're still alive. Is Qin Jiuze dead yet?"

Yang Guangdi gasped continuously, unable to move anymore. He only heard Qin Jiuze beside him curse under his breath, "Yang Shisan, you turtle-spawn."

…

Two cannon shots rang out in succession from the east city wall. Inside the Main Hall of the Horse God Temple outside the north wall, silence fell for a moment. Ye Chen, Banner Commander of the Bordered Red Banner, paused briefly.

He glanced toward the east, then continued speaking to Yoto before him. "The Southern Barbarians cavalry that raided Boping were overtaken by Laosa last night. The Bordered Red Banner's Vanguard, Imperial Guard, and Mounted Armor, four hundred men in all, split into thirteen groups to engage. The Southern Barbarians cavalry scattered and fled south. Du Lei reports that Plain Red Banner's Ye Chenshu defeated over a hundred Southern Barbarians cavalry outside Dong'e City this morning, capturing eleven horses, killing fourteen and taking four prisoners. Enggetu encountered fifty Southern Barbarians cavalry five li west of Nandingpu, killed seven and captured two, seizing five horses. Over a hundred Southern Barbarians cavalry who fled by separate routes charged from west of the city to the walls of Tongcheng Post and were taken in by those inside the city…"

Yoto waved his hand lightly, signaling Ye Chen to stop. He felt not the slightest surprise at defeating this Southern Army; the outcome of such small-scale engagements did not concern him.

Yoto's face was slightly flushed. After coughing a few times, he said to Ye Chen, "I hear Laosa was wounded?"

"Last night he located the Southern Barbarians cavalry and engaged the enemy's Night-Not-Returning. His nature got the better of him — he abandoned the Vanguard and Imperial Guard he was leading and pursued alone to Instruction Ground, where he was ambushed by the Southern Barbarians Night-Not-Returning. Both his horses died, he took an arrow wound himself, and he encountered men from our banner on the post road."

"His nature got the better of him — when has it not?" Yoto sighed. "Four hundred men split into thirteen groups, with no one to coordinate them — how could they wipe out those Southern Barbarians? How many can one man kill by himself? What they call 'scattered and fled south' simply means the Southern Barbarians split up and ran on their own."

Ye Chen showed no embarrassment and replied calmly, "This slave has advised him many times…"

"He is Hai Dongqing Baturu, the finest light cavalry, but he is not suited to leading troops in battle. From the Emperor down to the Armored Soldiers, everyone knows this — and it is not something we learned only today."

"This slave has handled matters poorly, but reports from every route confirm that the Southern Barbarians cavalry were indeed routed and scattered."

Yoto waved his hand casually. "Remember it for the future. This great merit will still be recorded under Laosa's name. Since the Southern Barbarians cavalry are broken, gather the banner's men and return to Chiping tomorrow."

"What about this Tongcheng Post — shall we attack it once more?" Ye Chen hesitated briefly. "This slave keeps feeling that this group of Southern Barbarians has a different way about them, strange in every respect. I would be more at ease if we wiped them out."

"We have fought this Ming State for decades. We have even besieged the Capital where their Emperor lives. Any strong troops they had were all transferred to the north. The Sichuan Army is far more distant than Nanzhili, yet it was wiped out all the same. You say they seem strange — it is only that they have Foot-Combat Retainers. These two days cooped up in the city, they have been useless; their cavalry broke at the first blow. That day you also said not to assault strong cities. A commander must not let his thoughts run wild, or the men below will lose all direction." Yoto coughed once, then said, "Go tell Du Lei that the Bordered Red Banner will withdraw tomorrow. If he wishes to attack this Tongcheng Post, we will wait for him in Chiping for two days. After two days, the entire Right Wing will continue advancing toward Jinan Prefecture."