Chapter 138: Section 22: Skill

After the cheers gradually subsided, Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and smiled: "Huang Shi, every fellow officer in this room has heard of your great victory. The moment they learned you were coming, they all rushed over to make your acquaintance."

Huang Shi clasped his fists and bowed in a full circle to all the officers present: "Grand Commander, brothers all, Huang Mou is unworthy of such praise."

"Worthy, entirely worthy." Mao Wenlong stroked his beard again with a smile: "Huang Shi, with eight hundred troops you routed six thousand Jianzhou slaves — truly you have raised the spirit of Dongjiang to great heights, and the entire court and realm have been invigorated by it."

"The Grand Commander flatters me; this battle was truly a stroke of luck for your humble subordinate." Huang Shi guessed that Mao Wenlong likely had doubts about the number six thousand as well, but even if he did, Mao Wenlong would not raise the question in front of so many people — after all, he still had to consider the morale of the entire Dongjiang army. Yet Huang Shi also suspected that quite a few Dongjiang officers harbored private doubts; it was just that no one dared pour cold water on the celebration at such a moment.

But rather than let that doubt take root and sprout, it was better to preempt it and dispel it all at once. Huang Shi swept his cloak aside, dropped to one knee again, clasped his fists, and said: "Grand Commander, your subordinate still has hidden details to report."

"What hidden details? Huang Shi, don't be so modest." Mao Wenlong laughed heartily, while inwardly muttering — Is this Huang Shi a fool? It looks like he's about to say something unpleasant, but I can't join him in this madness; shaking morale would be bad.

Standing to the side, Kong Youde also gave a slight shake of his head in warning. That one dead and four wounded was far too shocking; likely everyone in the camp would be skeptical.

Kneeling on the ground, Huang Shi acted as if he saw nothing, still holding his clasped fists motionless and responding in a deep voice: "Grand Commander, permit your subordinate to report."

It would look bad to keep blocking him from speaking any longer. Mao Wenlong sighed inwardly: "Huang Shi, speak."

"Grand Commander, forgive your subordinate — my original intent was to go beat the drowning dogs at Jinzhou—" Huang Shi remained kneeling without rising and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I've made a fool of myself before the Grand Commander and all my brothers. Had I known earlier that I would run into several thousand Jianzhou slaves, I would never have dared go, no matter what."

Mao Wenlong's heart relaxed, and he laughed heartily twice: "Huang Shi, you really are honest. Rise and speak."

"Thank you, Grand Commander." Huang Shi rose to his feet amid the good-natured laughter of the entire camp. Those words had invisibly drawn him a layer closer to his admiring fellow officers.

After writing the memorial that day, Huang Shi had first discussed the details thoroughly with several old subordinates and finally put together a plausible story. Among the troops who had fought, he had also managed to more or less unify their accounts — after all, this era had no telephones, and the soldiers were all illiterate, so even if there were discrepancies, outsiders would have no way of learning of them.

"Your subordinate lay in ambush by the roadside beforehand. When the fleeing enemy from Jinzhou had passed halfway, I struck suddenly. At the same time, I ordered men to raise dust and smoke on both flanks, so the Jianzhou slaves had no idea how many men had come. The Jianzhou slaves were desperate to flee, so your subordinate pursued and harried their rear."

Hearing these arrangements, Mao Wenlong slapped the table and cheered: "Excellent! Do not block a returning army; make a false show of strength — Huang Shi, this is precisely the way of military command. All officers, you must remember this." Meeting a desperate, fleeing enemy head-on and blocking them was never a wise tactic to begin with; had Huang Shi not possessed absolute confidence in his own troops, he would not have dared such a risky move.

"Your subordinate had originally intended to ride the momentum and pursue for ten li; I would have been quite satisfied with a few dozen heads taken."

In such a rear pursuit against cavalry, one would normally cut down less than one in ten of the stragglers. The officers listening all pricked up their ears, waiting to hear what came next.

"Unexpectedly, barely one li out, the Jianzhou slaves fleeing from Jinzhou were blocked by another group of Jianzhou slaves traveling south. Your subordinate saw that the newcomers' men and horses were exhausted, and their ranks were scattered by the north-fleeing Jianzhou slaves, so I beat the drums and attacked, routing them all together."

Mao Wenlong mused: "This must mean someone had detected our army's movements in advance. This unit of Jianzhou slaves must have force-marched from Fuzhou, which is why their formation was disordered and their men weary and horses spent."

"The Grand Commander's insight is profound. Your subordinate pondered it at length afterward and concluded it must have been exactly so." Huang Shi gently placed a tall hat on him. For an old hand at military affairs like Mao Wenlong, the lie did not need to be spun too finely — he would naturally read the hidden details within, an effect far better than spoon-feeding him everything.

Sure enough, this flattery made Mao Wenlong smile faintly: "Huang Shi, continue."

"Then your subordinate naturally continued the pursuit. Within half a li we encountered another unit, also scattered by the Jianzhou slaves' routed troops. Your subordinate thought, in for a penny, in for a pound, and kept pursuing. In the end, more and more Jianzhou slaves appeared behind them, beyond counting."

Hearing this, Mao Wenlong burst into loud laughter and pointed a finger at Huang Shi: "By this point, you were riding a tiger and couldn't dismount. If you hadn't kept killing, Huang Shi, the Jianzhou slaves would have turned and devoured you."

"The Grand Commander sees clearly. Your subordinate was also terrified at the sight, growing more and more apprehensive, but I had no choice but to steel myself and keep chasing. Several times I wanted to turn and flee." Huang Shi gave a wry smile and wiped away sweat, putting on an expression of lingering fear.

As Huang Shi spoke below, Mao Wenlong offered commentary above, and while commenting he loudly reminded all the officers in the camp: "This is experience Huang Shi has bought with real blades and real battle — you must all listen carefully!"

By the end, the Dongjiang officers in the tent all understood: the Later Jin army had clearly been advancing in marching column, and each unit was rolled back onto the one behind it, with no chance to deploy at all. Amid the chaos, they had no idea how many enemies lay ahead. As for the timidity Huang Shi described, everyone felt it was only human. Imagining themselves in his place and the tension he must have felt, they all smiled knowingly.

"In the end, your subordinate has no idea how many Jianzhou slaves were routed; only after the battle did we collect these four hundred and sixty-seven heads." As an Assistant Regional Commander, Huang Shi would earn a first-grade merit for a hundred-odd heads; this batch of heads was worth more than three grades of merit.

Recalling the scene, Mao Wenlong stroked his long beard and chuckled: "Although these five hundred heads were obtained with some luck and fortune, it was precisely because you dared to keep pursuing, Huang Shi, that you could win." He explained to the surrounding Dongjiang officers: "This is what is called: it's easy to tie up a tiger, but hard to let one go. Had Huang Shi given up halfway out of fear, I'm afraid he would long since have died without a burial place."

One Dongjiang officer, full of admiration, finally could not contain himself. Smiling, he raised both arms in high praise: "General Huang truly deserves to be called a man made entirely of courage."

A single stone stirred a thousand waves...

"General Huang, what courage."

"General Huang is made entirely of courage."

Amid the chorus of heartfelt shouts, Huang Shi stole a glance at Kong Youde, who exchanged a knowing smile with him.