Chapter 552: The Pursuit

"All of you, mount up and head south!" Xing Na barked the order. After a brief interrogation, he was certain this relay rider was genuine, and judging by the situation the relay rider recounted, the two-horse real Jurchen who had passed through earlier had been inconsistent in his story — highly suspicious.

The armored soldier who had been berated by Zhou Wu earlier let out a loud howl. Humiliated by Zhou Wu, he had swallowed his anger for the sake of the Fourteenth Beile's face — only to find the man was actually a Nikan spy. How could he stomach such foul resentment?

Dengzhou's special operations teams had repeatedly impersonated real Jurchens, launching multiple raids near Yaozhoubao, even tricking open a small watchtower and slaughtering all thirty-plus men inside.

Xing Na was not here by chance. The area where Dengzhou's special operations teams were most active lay between Gaizhou and Yaozhoubao. His current station was at Boluoguo, but he often camped out in the wilderness precisely to deal with those Dengzhou special operations teams. They had already clashed twice, with casualties on both sides.

In Xing Na's mind, he was already certain that the real Jurchen was a Dengzhou operative, and one coming from the north — possibly having scouted the Haizhou direction, or perhaps having gone to Boluoguo to commit sabotage like burning grain supplies. For that reason, Xing Na absolutely could not let him escape.

The dozen or so armored soldiers mounted up one after another, their movements highly practiced. They were all elite troops under Beile Ajige of the Bordered White Banner, including eight White Armor Soldiers. The remaining armored soldiers were also the fiercest among the armored ranks, all from Xing Na's own niru, all battle-hardened veterans.

The talkative relay rider, seeing Xing Na and the others about to leave, hurriedly said to Xing Na, "My lord, I'm an armored soldier too, a crack shot with the bow. Take me with you to catch that Nikan spy."

Xing Na turned his head and looked at the talkative man, his gaze as if regarding a dead thing. The talkative man shuddered all over, his body leaning back slightly. After a moment, Xing Na said coldly, "You and two of my armored soldiers will go to Boluoguo. If he is heading south, he will have to lodge at Boluoguo. If he infiltrates it, he is highly likely to set fire to Boluoguo's grain and fodder. You know him best — first inform the jala ejen at Boluoguo and have him tighten the defenses. Then you and my men will search the fort. If you let him burn Boluoguo's grain and fodder, I will have your head."

The talkative man let out a startled cry. Xing Na, having finished speaking, wasted no more time. He dug his legs into his horse's flanks, and the dozen-odd fierce riders spurred their mounts southward in furious pursuit.

Xing Na rode at the very front. Beneath his helmet, his narrow eyes gleamed with a beast-like ferocity. The talkative man and three armored soldiers had already sped off toward Boluoguo. Xing Na now had nine armored soldiers left with him. Xing Na did not know whether the spy had accomplices. From what he understood of Dengzhou special operations tactics, these Nikans often employed methods of disguise, and most could speak a few phrases of Mongol or Jurchen. Xing Na did not know if this spy had accomplices. If he did, then it was highly likely they intended to launch a disguised attack on the grain and fodder at Boluoguo and other places. In Xing Na's view, securing the grain depot at Boluoguo was the top priority; killing the spy came second.

They searched as they traveled. Xing Na observed the traces on the ground the whole way, but even as one of the finest White Armor Soldiers of the Later Jin, he could not distinguish the spy's hoofprints on a road traveled daily by countless oxen and horses. The grass thickets and tree branches along the roadside, however, gave him better indications. Xing Na's main direction of observation was to the west, because this was the area where Dengzhou's special operations teams were active. If that man wanted to break out of the combat zone, going to sea was also the easiest route, rather than crossing the heavily guarded front lines overland.

"Xing Na, there are some tracks here," an armored soldier on the left called out loudly.

Xing Na and the others reined in their horses together. He turned his head and saw a faint set of tracks in the grass thicket to the east. He swiftly jumped off his horse and found several trampled spots in the grass. Another armored soldier discovered two broken tree branches nearby.

"East?" The knife scar at the corner of Xing Na's mouth twitched twice. That trail went very far; it did not look like someone had walked a stretch and then doubled back. This made Xing Na hesitate considerably.

Another White Armor soldier examining the hoofprints pressed down on the ground a few times, then said coldly, "The horse was carrying something — perhaps a person, perhaps something else."

Xing Na gazed eastward for a moment and said, "That relay rider just said the man had two horses. Here there are hoofprints of only one horse."

The White Armor soldier over there shook his head. "When he passed by, I saw them. Both horses were drenched in sweat and had been run past their limit. He probably abandoned the other one. Even the one he kept won't run much farther."

Xing Na stood up and looked east. "You take four men and follow the tracks east. Watch carefully for any ambush along the way. Ashdarhan, Huniqi, Dasanga, Batu — with me, west. We regroup here half a shichen after sunrise tomorrow."

The White Armor soldier said no more. The five men immediately set off eastward along the tracks. Xing Na glanced at the sun in the west — nightfall was not far off. He called the four men he had just named to mount up.

Of the four men he led, only Ashdarhan was an armored soldier; the other three were all White Armor Soldiers around thirty years old, at the very peak of experience and physical strength. These men had endured countless battles over many years and had never known what fear was. Xing Na did not doubt their combat prowess, but as for whether they could find that spy, he had little confidence. At least so far, that spy had fully exploited his two-horse advantage, forcing Xing Na to split off more than half his force, which shrank the area they could search.

After entering the western wilderness, the ground full of withered yellow grass slowed the horses. The five men gradually spread out into a broad arc, riding and searching westward under the glow of the setting sun. Xing Na lowered his head to block the sunlight and concentrated on observing the ground around him, hoping to find some traces.

After about half a ke of travel, a sharp whistling arrow shrieked from the distant left. Xing Na immediately loosed a whistling arrow to the right, signaling the two men on that side to converge, then yanked his horse's head and galloped over. He saw Ashdarhan crouching on the ground. There was a pile of horse dung. Seeing Xing Na arrive, Ashdarhan looked up and said, "Freshly dropped horse dung."

Xing Na jumped off his horse and crouched beside the pile of dung. There were faint marks on it where it had been poked at. Xing Na reached out a finger and parted the dung. After a careful look, he said to Ashdarhan, "It's eaten plenty of bean fodder. He topped up the horse's feed before setting out. Check the surrounding grass."

Ashdarhan quickly found signs of grazing on the nearby withered grass, with moisture still on it, indicating the horse had just passed not long ago. By now the other three men had also arrived. Xing Na stood up, shook the dung off his hand, then wiped it carelessly on his left sleeve. With a cold laugh, he said, "Stop looking at the ground. Just spur your horses and pursue west."

Having found the spy's trail, the five men spared no horseflesh and chased westward with all their might. On the western horizon, the setting sun was slowly sinking into the earth. The lingering afterglow was no longer harsh, outlining the jagged edges of dead trees, shrubs, and ruined villages to the west.

Xing Na's hawk-like eyes ceaselessly scanned the western horizon. If they could not spot the spy's trail before dark, it would be impossible to find anything more in the night.

The other four spread out in a fan shape within a hundred paces. The sun sank lower and lower. Just as Xing Na was nearing despair, behind the shadow of a distant thicket of shrubs ahead, a blurry human figure appeared.

Xing Na let out a sharp whistle. The four men around him swiftly closed in. Xing Na then lashed his horse's rump hard with his whip. His mount surged forward on all four hooves, breaking into a gallop. Xing Na rose slightly on his stirrups, riding steadily on the jolting horse's back. Through the jouncing motion, he watched the blurry figure ahead, his eyes gleaming with a wolf-like light. But his mind was utterly calm. Taking advantage of the pursuit time, Xing Na drew his riding bow with his left hand. His right hand moved along his waist in a habitual motion — his pre-battle check of his equipment. In sequence, he felt the arrow case, the short blade, the throwing axe, and the wooden grip of a short hand cannon. All were in their proper places. The knife scar at the corner of Xing Na's mouth twisted into an ugly grin.

With a wet thud, Zhou Wu stabbed a short blade a section deep into his horse's rump. The exhausted mount beneath him let out a long, piercing neigh, expended its last reserves of strength to bolt forward a few steps, and finally reached the limit of its stamina. Its four hooves buckled, and it toppled forward, frothing at the mouth. Zhou Wu casually tossed aside the mail armor he had just shed, nimbly grabbed a saddlebag, and rolled off the horse's back, sprinting madly toward a ruined village a hundred paces away.

In the distance, the setting sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving a radiating halo of light in the sky. Escape had seemed within reach, yet in the last sliver of daylight, he had been overtaken by the Jianzhou Bandit scouts. Zhou Wu could not help feeling a pang of regret. The biggest flaw had been that talkative relay rider. The things Zhou Wu had said before and after did not match. It must be that group of Later Jin armored soldiers from the roadside who were now pursuing him. Had he known this earlier, Zhou Wu would have taken that talkative man along on the journey and found a place to cut him down with one stroke.

The regret lasted only a brief moment. Zhou Wu was a versatile operative of the Intelligence Bureau and an elite of the Action Teams; an unshakable will was a prerequisite. He remembered something Wu Jianzhong had said: never regret what has already been done. Besides, he had more urgent matters to deal with immediately.

The sound of hoofbeats came from far behind. Zhou Wu steeled his spirit and regulated his breathing. As he ran, he looked back to gauge the speed of the riders. In the twilight, the figures of the Later Jin riders were indistinct, only the occasional glint of light flashing off their bodies, which allowed Zhou Wu to roughly estimate the distance.

He calculated that he had a chance to make it into the village. As long as it was dark, these few Later Jin soldiers could not seal off such a large village. The wilderness at night would be pitch-black as ink; cavalry speed would have no place to be used. That was his chance to escape. Moreover, this village was one of the special operations team's rendezvous points. Although no one was stationed there every day, at least there was hope.

Five riders pursued one sprinting man. Zhou Wu's figure flew swiftly across the wilderness. Flocks of birds were startled into flight all around him, flapping their wings and scattering in all directions. In Zhou Wu's jostling field of vision, the village entrance drew closer and closer. At the entrance stood a rammed-earth thatched hut with a collapsed roof. Once inside the village, those ruins would become his hiding places. The hoofbeats behind him were also drawing nearer. Zhou Wu could no longer bother to regulate his breathing and pushed his running speed to the maximum.

The first rider behind him had closed within thirty paces. With a twang, Zhou Wu instinctively ducked his head. A light arrow grazed past his shoulder and hissed into the grass thicket beside him. Two more bowstrings sounded behind him. Zhou Wu swerved slightly, dodging one arrow, but felt a jolt on his left calf, followed immediately by a surge of pain.

Zhou Wu knew he had been hit by an arrow. His heart cried out in dismay, but he dared not slow down. Gritting his teeth against the sharp pain, he kept running. At that moment, the first rider behind him was closing in. Zhou Wu could even hear the horse's heavy panting. He had no time to look back. With a great shout, he mustered his remaining strength and plunged headlong into the village entrance. Just as his figure turned a corner and vanished into the ruins of the thatched hut, a throwing axe spun through the space he had just passed, smashing viciously against a stone slab and striking a small cluster of sparks.

The lead rider drew his saber with a sharp ring and followed Zhou Wu closely to the village entrance. Zhou Wu had no time to observe his surroundings. As he passed the thatched hut, he casually yanked an exposed wooden pole. A section of the half-collapsed roof came crashing down with a clatter, landing on the path at the village entrance. The horse behind neighed and its speed abruptly slowed.

The lead Later Jin soldier leaped off his horse — it was Xing Na, the commander. Ahead, Zhou Wu's blurry back was still swaying. Xing Na vaulted over the collapsed thatched roof. Just as he drew the short hand cannon from his waist, he suddenly let out a muffled grunt. The knife scar at the corner of his mouth twisted out of shape, and his body lurched to one side.

Xing Na hopped to a stop. A sharp pain shot up from the sole of his foot. Without looking, Xing Na knew he had stepped on a Dengzhou caltrop. That spy must have scattered them casually after pulling down the thatched roof. The caltrops were probably kept in the saddlebag the spy was carrying.

With this delay, Zhou Wu had seized the chance to disappear up ahead. Hoofbeats approached from behind as several Later Jin soldiers swiftly arrived. Xing Na raised his hand. "Don't come over — there are caltrops on the ground. Ashdarhan, Huniqi, guard the village perimeter. The other two, circle around here and pursue. He's wounded; he can't run far."

The men answered and left. Only then did Xing Na lift his left foot. The pain in his sole was bone-grinding. Xing Na gritted his teeth slightly and pulled the caltrop out. Blood smeared slickly over it. The iron, in the deep autumn air, radiated an icy cold. Xing Na slowly raised the caltrop to his nose. A whiff of horse dung entered his nostrils.

A trace of cruel amusement appeared on Xing Na's face. This spy had not only evaded pursuit but had also laid a trap for him. The speed of his reactions was something Xing Na had never seen in his life. But Xing Na had a powerful constitution. He had been shot twice before by arrows smeared with horse dung and had survived both times, so he did not care. Instead, it only stoked his rage.

Xing Na crouched down and squeezed some blood from the sole of his foot, then tore off a piece of cloth and wrapped the sole. He moved forward with his foot sliding along the ground, passed through that dangerous stretch, then lifted his feet and pursued ahead. His movements were only slightly slowed. Xing Na's figure flickered a few times on the village path and then vanished among the ruins as well.

At that moment, the last sliver of light on the horizon finally disappeared, and the wilderness of Gaizhou sank into complete darkness.

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