Chapter 357: The Sun Sets Westward, the Waters Flow On (Continuation)

On a battlefield where nearly a hundred thousand troops converge, just how much difference can a single person truly make?

For a warrior or a frontline commander, slaying generals and seizing banners, routing a section of the enemy, altering the local battlefield situation, and thereby tipping the scales of victory — perhaps that is already the utmost limit?

For a military strategist or the commander of an entire army, spotting the moment of opportunity, making the response, and thus settling the outcome with one decisive stroke — perhaps that too is an ultimate achievement worthy of the annals of history?

Now, Yang Feng, who had thrust his formation forward on the eastern face of the White Wave Army’s main battle line, was no man of shallow vision. Though his family could not be called an aristocratic lineage, for one thing, they possessed immense wealth and great influence, and he had witnessed grand scenes since childhood; for another, Hedong itself was part of the Sili region, a famous commandery of the Han close to the political center and of paramount military importance, so he was not entirely ignorant of political affairs; third, he was a literate man who had studied; fourth, after the realm fell into chaos, he had in fact carved out control over Yang County and Xiangling for himself... But no matter what, when the horns sounded in unison from the Youzhou army camp, and the world-renowned General of the Guards, Gongsun Xun, calmly rode out from the eastern side of the main camp, Yang Feng’s understanding of what “a single person” could be was utterly and completely overturned.

Because Gongsun Xun did nothing at all — he merely rose from the high platform in the camp, then unhurriedly rode his horse out — and yet the entire battle situation was immediately shaken... This was simply inconceivable!

But it truly happened.

As the sun set in the west, with the Youzhou army’s horns sounding one after another, the rhythm of battle on the Gaoliang Pavilion battlefield, where both sides had been locked in bloodshot slaughter, was abruptly and forcibly severed.

The Youzhou infantry, who had just completed a bitter engagement, abandoned their plan to turn back to camp to rest and reorganize. Behind them, the auxiliary troops and combat soldiers who had originally been defending behind the palisades also abandoned the camp defenses, instead surging out like a tide and forcibly forming ranks right on the ravaged battlefield in front of the camp.

And the Hedong troops, who should have continued their assault, almost all retreated and contracted in panic under some strange atmosphere, hurriedly assembling and forming ranks amid the urgent shouts of their respective leaders... And then, the entire battle formation of the Hedong army became inexplicably tense and oppressive!

From Guo Tai on the distant high platform to Yang Feng nearby, from Gao Shun in front of the camp to Han Dang on the flank, from the various Hedong vanguard commanders with their remnant troops to the more than ten thousand auxiliary troops in the rear camp of the Gaoliang Pavilion main camp who had not moved all along, from the White Wave Army to the Youzhou army — nearly everyone, amid the sound of horns, nervously fixed their gaze on that slowly moving White Horse banner!

And Yang Feng and his subordinates, positioned at the very front line, saw with their own eyes that figure riding on the white horse.

An ordinary white horse, a suit of fine steel armor, a crimson surcoat, a black greatcloak, a helmet with standing plumes — seemingly not excessively conspicuous, yet at this moment dazzling and impossible to look away from... Because nearly everyone could follow that figure and recall countless events!

Now the realm is in turmoil and unrest, with warfare breaking out almost everywhere. But before all this, in the vast Han empire, there had been only this one man who subdued the realm with the four words “command troops and quell rebellion”! This was something the General of the Guards had built up over more than a decade, from the Xianbei to the Wuhuan, from the Yellow Turbans to the Qiang rebellion, from Goguryeo to the Xiongnu, piled up with countless victories... There was no faking it!

In fact, these Hedong men probably understood this even more clearly than most, because the finest among them had fought under this man’s command countless times as the Knights of the Three Rivers... The Yellow Turban Rebellion six years ago might have been their fathers and elder brothers, but the great battle in Guanzhong a year ago was undoubtedly something they had personally experienced.

Were it not for the intertwining bonds of family and clan making it difficult to break away from the White Wave Army, who knows how many would have long since ridden alone to join him.

Gongsun Xun, leading his central army officers and military clerks, escorted by Han Hao, rode his white horse straight out of the eastern gate of the Gaoliang Pavilion main camp. Then, from the great cavalry formation facing him, the White Horse Volunteers naturally rode out to meet him. But Gongsun Xun did not stop; instead, under the escort of the Volunteers, he continued to slowly rein his horse forward along the great cavalry formation that had been resting the entire afternoon.

The various generals and their respective cavalry units had originally been dismounted and resting under their horses, and by rights should have performed their salutes. But Gongsun Xun drew his broken blade with his left hand, not unsheathing it, merely raising it slightly flat and gesturing upward — and this allowed the cavalry troops all along the route to simply mount their horses!

Just like that, he proceeded from north to south along the great cavalry formation. As he arrived, the various cavalry units remounted and stood firm one after another. And the great cavalry force, universally clad in crimson and white straight-hemmed robes, seemed as if pushed by this General of the Guards’ single hand, rolling up a wave of red and white across the Fenshui plain, which was then immediately obscured and merged into one by the white-horse cavalry following behind Gongsun Xun!

Presently, no one knew when it began, nor with whom it started, but the great Youzhou cavalry formation suddenly stirred with cheers, and in the end they were shouting “Your Majesty!” in unison!

Your Majesty!

In this era, this was not a term reserved exclusively for the Son of Heaven. In the army, its more common function was as a cheer after victory... In other words, though the sky had clearly not yet darkened, and the optimal moment to deliver a single fatal blow had clearly not yet arrived, the moment Gongsun Xun personally came among the troops and joined the formation, this army had already begun cheering for victory!

As the commander of the unit likely to be the first to encounter this great cavalry force, Yang Feng instinctively wanted to raise his troops’ vigilance!

But when he turned his head, this foremost magnate of Hedong was left utterly stupefied... It turned out that what Gongsun Xun had stirred earlier was far more than just the Youzhou troops. Even Yang Feng’s own subordinate battle formation had, without him noticing, entirely reoriented itself along with Gongsun Xun’s single inspection before the lines!

With a trace of terror, Yang Feng turned back again to look at the main battle formation of the White Wave Army behind him. And just as he had imagined, the entire White Wave Army had also, without realizing it, been entirely drawn along by Gongsun Xun and turned their heads!

As the first person to awaken to this, Yang Feng almost desperately wished he could immediately grab the beards of those men behind him — Cheng Yin, Li Le, Hu Cai — and make them continue attacking the Youzhou army’s main camp, instead of staring up at that White Horse banner like carp in the Yellow River before a rainstorm, mouths agape and heads raised, unable to let go!

But on second thought, even his own mind had been shaken just moments ago, let alone these men who had fought bitterly all afternoon? Let alone the soldiers under his own command?

In the final analysis, except perhaps for that Yellow Turban remnant Guo Tai, none of these people had ever dared, in their bones, to regard Gongsun Xun as an opponent. Though these men commanded massive forces, they had no real political platform to speak of... The essence of this entire battle was nothing more than that they wished to continue maintaining the reality of carving out territory and acting as local tyrants before Gongsun Xun, but Gongsun Xun was destined never to agree!

In fact, the reason they had hesitated so long while Gongsun Xun was stationed in Taiyuan — neither proactively surging to the natural barrier of spirit stone Pass at the Taiyuan-Hedong border, commonly known as the Rat Sparrow Valley, to block him, nor resolving from the start to wage a decisive great battle, only hurriedly coming to a decisive fight after Gongsun Xun had attacked and taken county after town, causing them real pain — this in itself represented their contradictory psychology of fear mixed with resistance toward Gongsun Xun.

So when Gongsun Xun, who in their minds stood at an unimaginable height, came out of camp and formed ranks with the most resolute posture, it was no wonder that these seventy to eighty thousand Hedong White Wave troops were shaken to the core... From politics to military affairs, these men had truly never placed themselves on an equal footing with the General of the Guards.

Of course, this was likely one of the General of the Guards’ objectives all along. After this setback, the Hedong army had missed its final chance to attack the main camp and seize a foothold.

Yang Feng understood some things now, but he was still utterly helpless... Because Gongsun Xun had already begun mobilizing that deadly great cavalry formation! There was no time to speak further of footholds; now it was about saving one’s life!

But saving one’s life was not so easy either.

The continuous horn calls ceased, and Gongsun Xun had also arrived at the very center of his great cavalry formation. He merely slowly raised his hand, and the great cavalry formation behind him actually began to gradually order and discipline itself... The immediate effect this produced, and the personal prestige and military discipline it represented, nearly chilled the bones of those Hedong magnates across the field who understood warfare.

They could be almost certain that there was no need to wait for sunset — right now, if these twenty thousand cavalry charged with full force, the seventy to eighty thousand White Wave troops would be routed like a mountain crumbling!

Ahead, the Youzhou cavalry was ordering and assembling its ranks, and Yang Feng, who would bear the brunt, felt his scalp tingle... He felt powerless at the thought of his five or six thousand men holding them back, and felt fear toward that man a few hundred paces ahead and his troops. Yet he dared not summon reinforcements! Because he knew full well that if the great formation made an unauthorized move at this moment, the disordered ranks might instead give the opposing cavalry a genuine opportunity to charge, bringing about an even faster great collapse!

Before the now-silent great Youzhou cavalry formation, Gongsun Xun looked at the sunlight ahead, which had long since ceased to be dazzling, and suddenly reined in his horse, immediately beginning to advance straight toward Yang Feng’s unit directly ahead.

Behind him, the various cavalry and infantry units watching their Regional Commander and that White Horse banner did not hesitate for a moment, immediately reining in their horses and beginning a slow advance following Gongsun Xun.

Twenty thousand cavalry, tall men on tall horses, boundless and endless — the very moment they began to move, they startled the seventy to eighty thousand White Wave troops opposite into a collective cowering! Among them, Yang Feng’s own main formation, which would bear the brunt, immediately showed signs of wavering, plunging the already despondent Yang Feng into utter despair... He knew all too well what this meant: when the Youzhou cavalry truly charged to his face, his troops would likely rout without a fight, and he himself, because of this pitiful position, would most likely die without a burial place, perhaps even trampled into a pulp of flesh.

But just at this moment, something interesting happened. As if he had merely been letting his mount acclimate to the environment here, Gongsun Xun suddenly reined in his horse and halted again. The twenty thousand Youzhou iron cavalry, though not understanding why, also came to a stop once more... This process, due to the sheer number of cavalry, though seemingly simple, was in fact a very time-consuming one.

Yang Feng had escaped the jaws of death, but he also instantly realized... The other side had a full complement of gongs and drums; if they had truly intended a full army assault just now, they would certainly have beaten the drums first.

Yet having narrowly escaped death, this Hedong magnate felt increasingly tormented, because death is not frightening — waiting for death is the most frightening! Moreover, Yang Feng was precisely the most adaptable and flexible man among the various Hedong magnates.

He began to ponder the specific reason for the General of the Guards’ actions — after all, while Gongsun Xun’s move certainly had the effect of deliberate mystification, of making a feint to the east while striking in the west, and of tricking the front lines into abandoning the attack on the main camp, now that the trick had succeeded and the White Wave Army had missed its final opportunity, why not wait for darkness to deliver a fatal blow, or simply end it with one direct strike? Why this posturing instead?

Gongsun Xun reined in his horse before the battle formation, standing sideways against the setting sun, gazing far off at the opposing formation that had just shown signs of recoiling, and silently counted in his heart.

After thirty counts, Gongsun Xun reined his horse forward for the second time.

Correspondingly, the White Wave Army’s great formation was thrown into turmoil for the second time, hard to quell, with even signs of dispersal at the edges. Yang Feng’s unit, in fact, made a move of overall retreat. At the same time, the White Wave troops on the front line also clearly noticed the over ten thousand auxiliary troops — veritable fresh forces — surging from the Youzhou army’s rear camp to the front. Though they were only auxiliaries, their appearance at this moment caused the White Wave Army’s morale to wilt even further.

But Gongsun Xun halted for the second time, and still stood sideways facing them.

“I understand...”

Gazing from afar at that figure beneath the White Horse banner, gilded with a layer of golden ornament by the setting sun, Yang Feng suddenly realized. Then, as if grasping at a life-saving straw, he frantically summoned the most trusted and most outstanding general under his command. “Where is Xu Gongming?!”

Xu Huang, who had been striving to control the battle formation for Yang Feng not far away, came galloping over at once with a solemn expression: “General!”

“I can only count on you!” Yang Feng looked at Xu Huang and spoke with desperate urgency. “The General of the Guards is giving us a chance. He does not truly wish to slaughter us all... Otherwise, just now, before personally coming out to form ranks, he would not have suddenly released those prisoners! He is using this to signal to me, wanting me to surrender on the battlefield! Is that not right?”

“The reasoning is correct, but does the General intend to turn coat right on the battlefield?” Even the usually steady and taciturn Xu Huang was somewhat stunned at this. “What meaning is there in turning coat at this moment? The General of the Guards has personally taken the field; the entire Youzhou army is roused, while our entire army is shaken. When the opposing cavalry force charges directly, I fear these seventy to eighty thousand men will all lose control and then trample each other. At that time, what difference will it make whether we turn coat or not?”

“We can surrender with the entire army!” Yang Feng said abruptly, staring at his subordinate before him.

Xu Huang shook his head gravely: “Our army has dozens of divisions, their hearts are not united, and in this haste...”

“We can kill Guo Tai and command the entire army to lay down their weapons!” Yang Feng interrupted the other man once more. “Our army’s only high platform is over there. While the sky is not yet dark, if we do it in public, though there will be chaos, it can still be done. At the very least, the General of the Guards and his troops will be able to see it. At that time, our army will collapse on its own, and the General of the Guards will have no need to drive his cavalry to trample and charge...”

“Commander Guo has committed no fault!” Xu Huang blurted out. “And for a subordinate, to turn away because the situation has become unfavorable is already shameful enough — how can one also kill a man? Where in the world is there such a principle?”

“Where in these times is there any principle?” Yang Feng’s expression turned savage. “If we truly speak of principle, killing him alone today can save tens of thousands of fellow countrymen. To me, that is the greatest principle under heaven! Besides, think about it — our White Wave Army claims to be Yellow Turbans, and for this one item alone the General of the Guards cannot lightly forgive us. But as you well know, the only genuine Yellow Turban in the army is him. If we do not kill him, how can we surrender? Only by killing him can we give an account! And think further — he is the leader. After this battle, others might still have a choice, but he alone, even if he survives, will only be pursued relentlessly...”

Before the words had faded, the surroundings were thrown into turmoil once more.

It turned out that while Yang and Xu were conversing, Gongsun Xun had pressed forward several steps for the third time. This time, perhaps because the sun was slanting ever further west, the White Wave Army’s shaking and recoiling became ever more apparent. Moreover, the Youzhou infantry in front of the main camp, seizing the momentum, had also pressed forward right up to the now-filled-in trenches.

Xu Huang opened his mouth to speak.

But Yang Feng suddenly grew calm: “Gongming... you have also seen it. The General of the Guards’ hints are real, but his patience has its limits... Do not waste time. Go quickly to the central army. Along the way, you can take a good look and think carefully — do you want to preserve some hollow morality, or do you want to kill him and save the tens of thousands of fellow countrymen here? I will send men to find the other minor commanders and leaders; they will surely understand as well! When you arrive, if you have made your resolve, pretend to report military intelligence, ascend the platform, and strike him down directly with a hand axe! The lives of these seventy to eighty thousand men here all rest entirely on you!”

Xu Huang fell silent for a moment, then almost as if fleeing, hastily spurred his horse toward the central army where Guo Tai was.

Along the way, he saw that the White Wave soldiers — who that morning had been brimming with morale and that afternoon still seething with killing intent — now mostly wore expressions of alarm and dread! Clearly, Gongsun Xun's measured show of force had not only broken the White Wave Army's offensive but also made the militarily astute officers among them soberly recognize their true predicament! And this realization rapidly spread throughout the entire army!

With catastrophe looming, every man feared for his own life.

Xu Huang grew increasingly torn, but his warhorse did not stop, and by the time Gongsun Xun made his fourth approach, he had already reached the central army position.

Just like everywhere else, the White Wave Army's commander, Guo Tai — a yellow turban wrapped around his head — was arguing heatedly with his personal guards about something. Yet when he saw Xu Huang arrive, his expression actually showed relief and ease: "Are you Xu Gongming of Yang County?"

"I am!" Xu Huang dismounted below the platform, then bowed deeply. "I pay my respects to Commander Guo!"

"You've come at the perfect time." Guo Tai stood atop the hastily piled high platform, a sword held loosely at his side, and sighed with relief. "There is a task I wanted my attendants to perform, but none of them dared. Gongming is renowned throughout the commandery as a man of valor, and since we have no personal ties, you are just the man to do it for me!"

Xu Huang steeled himself, raised his head, and responded: "I am willing to render any service, be it as a dog or horse! However, Commander Yang has..."

"I intend to take my own life. I ask you to ascend this platform, sever my head, and present it in surrender, so as to save the tens of thousands of innocent countrymen here." Guo Tai spoke abruptly.

Xu Huang's face went pale with shock.

"There is no need for shock." Guo Tai raised his head and sighed. "I am but a remnant of the Yellow Turbans, a leftover follower of the Way of Great Peace, a sect the world will not tolerate. Seven years ago, when the Way of Great Peace swept across the land, I could not even raise troops successfully in Hedong. Today, even standing here as a leader, I am likewise unable to revive the Way of Great Peace... My heart's desire cannot be fulfilled, and now, seeing defeat is certain, I know my death is inevitable. That being the case, if my single head can be exchanged on the battlefield for the lives of tens of thousands, what is there for me to begrudge? Remember, do not delay, for once the sky darkens, General of the Guard will give no more chances."

Xu Huang remained silent. Around him, several of Guo Tai's personal guards knelt to the ground, sobbing, swearing to rescue Guo Tai and flee into the depths of the Lüliang Mountains, which stirred Guo Tai's own reluctance to part.

But soon, as the surrounding soldiers once again retreated in panic and the entire army showed signs of imminent collapse, Guo Tai hesitated no more. With his back to the setting sun, atop the only high platform in the army, he raised his sword and took his own life! And Xu Gongming, facing the setting sun, leaped with all his might onto the high platform, and before the eyes of the multitude, drew his hand-axe and publicly severed his head.

The setting sun sank in the west, blood splashed five paces, and the central army collapsed of its own accord!

—————I am the dividing line of suicide for survival—————

"After the Grand Ancestor emerged from camp, he led the combined cavalry, twenty thousand strong, and personally arrayed them to the east. Their formation was strict and orderly, their armor dazzling, catching the setting sun and blinding the eye, like celestial gods; the rebel army gazed upon them in terror. Seeing the rebels shaken, the Grand Ancestor ordered the entire army to cheer. When the cheering ceased, without beating the drums, he directly led the host forward. The rebel formation wavered at the sight of the banners; before they had advanced ten paces, they halted abruptly. The rebels, caught off guard, grew suspicious, and their formation gradually crumbled. This was repeated thrice, and the entire rebel army was shaken, scattering left and right. The rebel leader Guo Tai, watching from afar, knew it was hopeless and also understood the Grand Ancestor's merciful intent, so he took his own life and had his personal guard present his head in a box to surrender. Thus Hedong was pacified." — The Old Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Grand Ancestor, the Martial Emperor

PS: Thanks to the book friend Wuyouxiang, the thirty-ninth cutie... After three years of effort, I've finally poached her from Ji Cha. She was once my chief empress of the harem!

Also, sorry, I fell asleep... Around eleven, drowsiness hit me... Even drinking coffee couldn't steady me... It's so embarrassing... From today on, everyone should get back into the habit of checking for updates every morning! I hope to find my rhythm again this way.

In any case, everyone should also sleep early, because Wednesday looks like a fine day for hauling bricks, and I, for one, can't hold out any longer.

(End of Chapter)