Chapter 62: Before the Battle (Part 2)

"March! March! March!" Governor Zhao began shouting orders even before he reached the battle formation, but after hurrying to the front of the central army, he stubbornly kept his back to the small slope from earlier, utterly unwilling to turn around again — clearly afraid of witnessing something too terrible to bear with his own eyes.

The entire army had long been prepared. Now, seeing Governor Zhao return, everyone had a pillar of confidence again. Naturally, from the central army to both wings, orders rang out in unison and the battle formations moved as one!

"My lord, look!" Just at that moment, a commandery clerk from Liaoxi suddenly pointed toward the small slope ahead and cried out in shock. "The situation has changed!"

Zhao Bao could not resist turning his head back after all — and saw, exactly at that moment, the bald man, horse and all, being speared through and pinned to the ground. He stared, dumbfounded.

"I will go and bring back the old lady!" The military orders had already reached the drummers. Amid the rumbling of the drums, the clerk knew the great army had already been spurred into motion and absolutely could not be pulled back now. So, without waiting for Zhao Bao to speak, he directly led his unit, along with several quick-witted officers, to charge forward first.

"Strike!" At the very moment Gongsun Xun stabbed that bald Xianbei warrior to the ground, Cheng Pu also let out a great roar from horseback and lopped the head clean off the Xianbei man before him. Then, using the ropes that had bound her hands behind her back, he easily laid the Governor's wife across his horse and prepared to head behind the small hill as previously agreed.

Mo Hukuan, needless to say — though not particularly brawny, he was well practiced in this sort of backstabbing. He too struck with blade at once, cleanly and efficiently hacking down the man in front of him, and even had time to take the initiative in lifting the old lady and making a handoff with Gongsun Xun, allowing the latter to take her over without the slightest effort and ride straight away!

But at that same moment, something went wrong — neither big nor small — on Lou Gui's side!

One must understand: this man was, after all, a scholar from Nanyang. Killing men, mounted combat — he could manage them, but only passably. How could he compare to the other three, men of the frontier?

So when this fellow struck from horseback, his blade only managed to hit that Xianbei soldier's shoulder. Though the man dropped the weapon in his wounded hand from the pain, his other hand still clutched the binding rope of Governor Zhao's daughter in a death grip.

Lou Gui was instantly at a complete loss!

Fortunately, however, Cheng Pu, who happened to be riding past, was a reliable man. In a flash, with one hand steadying the Governor's wife on his own horse, he used the other to lightly lift the long spear hanging from his horse's flank and, with a backhand throw at that hand, cleanly severed both the Xianbei soldier's palm and the rope it held!

Only then did Lou Gui, in a fluster, haul the Governor's daughter onto his horse and flee together with Gongsun Xun and Cheng Pu.

But as the saying goes, no sooner has one wave subsided than another rises — or rather, so it is with many things: ten thousand plans, in the end, mostly come down to that final step. According to the earlier discussion, Mo Hukuan was supposed to stay behind to block the enemy and delay them for a moment. Yet at this very moment, the Han army across the field — over twenty thousand riders — all surged forward together to the beat of the drums, and a wave of elite central-army cavalry charged straight toward this spot... Under such momentum, Mo Hukuan was not frightened by those dozen or so Xianbei riders, but instead suddenly recalled his own Xianbei identity and was scared half to death on the spot by the Han army still several hundred meters away. And then, this wretch actually abandoned the other three and fled directly toward the Xianbei central army — toward the very place his own Mohu tribe was positioned!

By now, the dozen or so elite riders of the Kezui tribe's own division, originally standing before the slope, had also come to their senses. Some, quick of mind, simply wheeled their horses and fled. But a few bold ones — or rather, those not quick enough of wit — actually strung their bows, leveled their spears, and gave chase in the direction of Gongsun Xun and the others' escape.

As they say, a scholar is good for nothing. At the critical moment, Lou Gui's hands went soft again — with Mo Hukuan fleeing, the Xianbei riders in pursuit behind them, and the clear sensation of arrows whizzing past the back of his head, he, bringing up the very rear, actually let both hands go limp and dropped the Governor's daughter to the ground!

Gongsun Xun, having just set down Old Lady Zhao, was furious but helpless. With no time to say a word, he actually wheeled his horse back again to save her once more!

But by the time he went back and scooped up the Governor's daughter, the Xianbei soldiers were truly right behind him! Gongsun Xun could even hear the whistle of weapons swinging through the air at his back! And with no time to even glance back, he distinctly felt a chill somewhere on his back — clearly a wound — only, as his mother would say, his adrenaline was surging so fiercely at that moment that he felt no pain at all!

"I'll take them!"

In that instant between life and death, it still came down to Cheng Pu! Cheng Demou, having set down the Governor's wife, also hurried back to provide cover.

After Gongsun Xun galloped past him, he could hold on no longer and tumbled straight off his horse, clutching the Zhao daughter, to flee for his life. And when, ignoring the pain, he forced himself to catch his breath and look back at the situation, he was stunned speechless!

It turned out that Cheng Pu, facing several Xianbei riders head-on, had actually jumped down from his horse, and with neither spear nor blade in hand, met the enemy bare-handed!

One rider arrived, leveling his spear to thrust. Cheng Pu sidestepped the spearhead, and in that motion, seized the spear shaft with a reverse grip. Then, with a great roar and an upward heave, he flung the charging rider bodily off his horse!

A reverse thrust of the spear, and only then did he finish the man!

It was not over yet. A second rider came. Cheng Pu did not pull the spear free, but repeated the same maneuver — sidestepped, caught the long spear bare-handed, and flung this second man off his horse as well!

Then, again, a finishing thrust of the spear to end him.

The third man was already stricken with terror and dared not thrust at all, but his horse's momentum could not be checked. This time, Cheng Pu simply pulled the spear free and hurled it straight at him, finishing the third man — whose horse's momentum had already weakened — right there on his mount!

In mere moments, this Cheng Demou, bare-handed, had slain three men in succession, terrifying the Xianbei pursuers behind so badly that their hearts pounded and their flesh crawled. Gongsun Xun, lying on the ground and watching, stared dumbstruck, his blood surging, and could only murmur over and over:

"Is this what they call a tiger minister of the age? Is this truly a tiger minister of the age?!"

Those few Xianbei riders, their courage shattered, how could they dare advance further? Hearts pounding, they turned straight back — only to be met head-on by a wave of Han soldiers and knocked from their horses. Reinforcements had arrived!

"Where is the old lady?" The commandery clerk leading them hurriedly tumbled from his horse to ask.

Lying below the small hill, his whole body aching, Gongsun Xun might have let it pass had he not heard that voice — but upon hearing it, he was so furious he cursed aloud: "Tian Kai, you bastard! When we needed you lot to come help, you were nowhere to be seen. Now that I'm half dead, you show up to steal the credit?! Tell me yourself — just now, if Cheng Demou's extraordinary valor hadn't stunned you, were you still planning to take advantage of the chaos and hack the three of us down as Xianbei?!"

In the springtime, with grasses growing tall and orioles taking flight, the commandery clerk could not for a moment see where Gongsun Xun was. But upon hearing this, he paused slightly: "By the voice, could it be Registrar Gongsun? You really are... Aiya... Sheathe blades at once! These are our own men! It is Registrar Gongsun of the Gongsun clan of Lingzhi!"

Gongsun Xun grew even more furious at this: "If it weren't the Gongsun clan, would you really have killed us to steal the credit?!"

"Didn't I just say we didn't see you?" Tian Kai laughed heartily even as he hurried over.

And while the two were speaking, this unit of Han soldiers had already swiftly closed in around them and secured the people — only at this moment could this affair be said to have reached a good conclusion!

Gongsun Xun let out a long breath and, with the help of a Han soldier, forced himself into a sitting position. Only then did he have the presence of mind to check on the safety of Governor Zhao's three family members.

Old Lady Zhao and Lady Zhao were both struggling to move, but clearly had suffered no serious harm. Tian Kai and the others were diligently helping cut their ropes, supporting them as they sat, and asking after their injuries... In such a situation, what room was there to speak of the impropriety between men and women?

As for the young maiden lying beside him — the Governor's daughter — though she lay still and unmoving, her eyes kept fixed on him, darting about. It seemed she too was without major injury. Probably, things had just happened too fast, and at her young age, with one brush with death after another, she was still a bit dazed.

Yet after looking around once, Gongsun Xun still felt something was missing. He forced himself to look again: Cheng Pu was sitting on the ground, resting and drinking water, with several Han cavalrymen gathered around him in admiration, asking after him. The half-useless Lou Gui was also lying there, panting... It seemed nothing was truly amiss!

Gongsun Xun shook his head and was just about to ask Tian Kai for a waterskin to drink when he suddenly felt the earth beneath him rumble like thunder. He froze in confusion, and his gaze swept past the white horse whose saddle had already slipped askew — only then did he jolt awake with a start!

"Tian Kai! Tian Gongzhi!" Gongsun Xun suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Wh-what is it?" Tian Kai, who had been hovering around the old lady, asked in astonishment. "What now?"

"Go save my younger brother, quickly!" Gongsun Xun pointed far off toward where the main Xianbei army was positioned to the west, his voice and expression fierce. "My younger brother Gongsun Fan, disguised as a Xianbei just like me, is right now in the enemy formation, commanding several hundred men of the Mohu tribe to throw their central army into chaos... Go save him, now!"

"When the Grand Ancestor once attacked the Xianbei, he was greatly beset and fled in disarray. Pu dismounted, cast aside his blade, and faced the enemy, shielding the Grand Ancestor. The bandits thrust at Pu with spears; Pu, bare-handed, seized a spear, turned it and slew the wielder, then cast the spear aside. Thus it was, again and again. The Xianbei were stricken with terror and all retreated in great alarm. The Grand Ancestor, behind him, sighed and said: 'Among tiger ministers of this age, who can compare to Cheng Demou?' Pu thereby became renowned beyond the frontier." — New Book of Yan, Volume 69, Biography 19: Cheng Pu

PS: Thanks to the readers for your support and to the editors for their great favor... I actually made it onto Sanjiang... It feels like a dream.

And of course, thanks to Baihe-niang for the chapter shoutout... Awesome!

Lastly, the reader group: 684558115. Everyone is welcome to come chat.

(End of Chapter)