Chapter 251: Section Eight: Interlude

"Withdraw the troops."

After Huang Shi said this, the several Guanning Army generals all looked at him with expressions of disbelief, each thinking they had misheard. Both sides appeared to have over a thousand cavalry, the enemy and our own forces roughly equal in number, and Huang Shi was famously known as "a match for ten thousand," having won many victories over the years with inferior numbers. These Guanning Army generals were in high spirits from the fighting and had assumed Huang Shi would press his remaining courage forward and smash the Later Jin rearguard, so they had all eagerly requested battle, hoping to share in the spoils.

"I said, withdraw the troops." Huang Shi repeated it once more, his tone indifferent, and at the same time sent orders to recall the scouts.

Although the enemy's numbers were not large, Huang Shi knew that since two Banner Lords were present, those accompanying them would certainly all be Later Jin elite troops. The enemy was moving slowly, which suggested there might be reinforcements behind them. This place was already nearly twenty li from Ningyuan, and he could fairly say he had already done everything humanly possible in this rescue operation.

Huang Shi summarized the situation before them in a few brief sentences; once the Guanning Army cooled their heads, they too could see the disparity in strength between the two forces. Huang Shi told the several Guanning Army generals bluntly: "The art of war says: first seek to make yourself invincible, then seek the enemy's vulnerability. Your loyalty and courage are commendable, my lords, and I shall certainly report it to the Son of Heaven. But for now the enemy's momentum is fierce, and you, my lords, have long futures ahead of you — why insist on indulging a moment's impulse? I am resolved to withdraw the troops, and I hope you, my lords, will bear this difficulty with fortitude."

Hearing that even Huang Shi had no confidence, the several Guanning Army generals immediately lost their nerve. Besides, Huang Shi had already promised to report their merits upward, so the several generals had nothing more to ask for. Still, courtesy demands reciprocity, and these Guanning Army generals were all deeply versed in the ways of the world; at a moment like this, naturally it was a matter of people carrying people in a flowery sedan chair. They promptly voiced their agreement with Huang Shi's decision, declaring in unison that they too approved of withdrawing, and that Huang Shi's decision was truly brilliant and divinely martial.

Withdrawing troops in the face of the enemy is a more complex tactical maneuver than pursuit. Although the enemy forces were still far off and had not yet formally engaged — so this could not strictly be counted as "in the face of the enemy" — Huang Shi felt that in dealing with the Guanning armored cavalry, he still could not afford to be careless. This rescue operation had gone very well so far, but as they say, ninety li is only half of a hundred-li journey.

When he set out today, Huang Shi had not thought too much about it. But now his mood was gradually cooling. Huang Shi worried that if he let those greenhorns of the Guanning Army cover the rear, they would panic and scatter in a helter-skelter run, and then this thousand-odd cavalry would turn into a sheep-herding exercise again. Huang Shi had no desire to be dragged down by the Guanning Army on the way back to Juehua, ending up in a rout all the way, throwing away the victory he had won at the risk of his own life.

The Later Jin army was still several li away; they would need some time to scout and assess the enemy situation. Huang Shi and his personal guards each had a horse, and the road back to Ningyuan was not too far — surely they could not fail to make it back.

Having thought this through, Huang Shi said to the several generals without any change of expression: "You withdraw first. I shall personally cover the rear."

After assigning the tasks, Huang Shi had the Guanning Army begin withdrawing at once. Speaking from the heart to the several commanders, he said: "In my estimation, the Jianzhou slaves facing us number about three thousand in armor, of whom roughly half are cavalry. But the Jianzhou slaves are already stricken with fear. So long as our army withdraws in good order, they will be alarmed and uncertain, and will not dare to pursue aggressively."

After speaking, Huang Shi paused to let them absorb his meaning, then added with a smile: "My lords, so long as you proceed slowly, the Jianzhou slaves will not dare attack. I entrust my life to you, my lords."

The several Guanning commanders cried out in unison that they dared not accept such words, then split up to lead their troops in withdrawal. The situation was of course not truly as dire as Huang Shi made it sound — from here to Juehua was only a few dozen li, and if it came to the worst, Huang Shi could rely on his horse's speed to escape danger. However, Huang Shi had always believed that a sense of achievement was very important for raising work enthusiasm, and a sense of honor was even more indispensable in the army. So even for a withdrawal operation, it was worth spending some words to boost the troops' morale.

The Guanning Army indeed withdrew slowly in orderly ranks. Zhang Minghe, who had stayed by Huang Shi's side the whole time, looked around and saw only their own men, and could not help saying indignantly: "My lord, our Dongjiang Army fights the enemy at the front and retreats at the rear — all the bitter, exhausting work is ours. Yet we let those useless wretches share the credit for nothing."

Huang Shi was about to explain when he noticed a look of disagreement on Hong Antong's face, so he gestured for Hong Antong to give his view as well. Hong Antong immediately spoke with assurance: "As the saying goes, a good man needs three helpers. Without this thousand Guanning troops, relying solely on our Changsheng Island hundred personal guards and Commander Zhang's twenty cavalry, our strength would have been much smaller. Even if every man of our Dongjiang Army fought bravely, in this whole sweep of battle we would inevitably have suffered considerable casualties."

Seeing Huang Shi nodding repeatedly with a smile, the encouraged Hong Antong spoke more and more fluently: "My lord often says: 'To help others is to help oneself,' and frequently teaches his subordinates: 'First kill the bear, then think about dividing the meat.' In my humble opinion, if today we had let the Guanning Army take the vanguard, or left them to cover the rear, and in the end we fought a losing battle — never mind the countless dead and wounded brothers — we would have wasted all our previous efforts. That would truly have been a great loss."

Huang Shi said: "Brother Hong knows my innermost thoughts."

Hong Antong inclined his body from horseback, his tone carrying unconcealed self-satisfaction: "My lord overpraises me; it is all from my lord's past instruction."

Seeing Huang Shi turn his gaze toward him again, Zhang Minghe, now suddenly enlightened, also smiled and said: "My lord's deep foresight and far-reaching plans are beyond the reach of ordinary men."

Huang Shi nodded heavily: "In this battle, Brother Zhang's merit is very great; in the recording of achievements, it shall be ranked first."

After the battle at Nanguan, Huang Shi had always backed Zhang Minghe, but ever since Zhang Minghe had pledged his loyalty and allegiance after the Fuzhou campaign, Huang Shi had never left him out of any merit. Just now, Huang Shi had unhesitatingly let Hong Antong speak those words, clearly already treating Zhang Minghe as a commander of his own direct line. Zhang Minghe was well aware of this in his heart; after modestly declining a couple of times, he said no more, and could not help feeling another surge of secret delight, deeply congratulating himself on his original decision to throw in his lot with the Dongjiang Army.

"After returning to Changsheng Island, I shall arrange to replenish the Vanguard Battalion with three hundred more firelocks," Huang Shi added with a genial smile. "But this can be done once, not twice. In the future, Brother Zhang must be careful, and absolutely must not allow anything similar to happen again."

"Your humble subordinate understands. Please set your mind at ease, my lord."

By this time, the Guanning Army had already moved two li away. The Changsheng Island personal guard scouts had also mostly regrouped, and one scout delivered the latest report: "Reporting to my lord, the Jianzhou slaves' thousand-odd cavalry are still advancing slowly, now a little over seven li, less than eight li from here. The Jianzhou slaves have also sent out twenty scouts to block our army's scouts. Therefore, we do not know whether the Jianzhou slaves have reinforcements."

"Mm, let us wait a while longer." Huang Shi looked at the sun beginning to sink in the west. He planned to wait until the Later Jin main force drew within five li before beginning his withdrawal. His hundred cavalry remaining here could serve to obstruct the Later Jin

army's scouting efforts. If his force were driven off by a few dozen Later Jin scouts, then his true strength and weakness would be exposed in an instant.

Today's military operation could be called perfect, except for one small matter — they had not found Zhao Yin's younger sister and brother-in-law.

Before setting out from Juehua, Zhao Yin had earnestly entreated Huang Shi, hoping he could look after his younger sister and brother-in-law to some small degree. But Huang Shi had told him that the battlefield changed in the blink of an eye, and moreover the husband and wife were a scholar and a frail woman; encountering an enemy as fierce as wolves and tigers, they were likely doomed. Huang Shi had given Zhao Yin a precautionary warning, telling him it was best to prepare himself mentally in advance.

Zhao Yin had expressed understanding, and had even made it clear that he agreed Huang Shi should prioritize the larger situation and need not place himself in danger for his sister and brother-in-law's sake. Although Vice Prefect Zhao had said this, Huang Shi still hoped he might chance upon his relatives — however it turned out, it would be saving two lives. But as things now looked, this hope was already very slim.

……

Several li away,

Manggūltai gripped his beloved great iron shield tightly, his expression solemn as he urged his horse slowly forward at the head of his own troops. Just now, Hong Taiji had advised him not to ride in the foremost position. But Manggūltai feared that morale was too low, so he insisted on taking the vanguard to boost the army's spirit. Hong Taiji and Manggūltai had already ordered the unarmored troops and bondservants to retreat at top speed, and at the same time Hong Taiji had sent men to deliver orders to his Plain White Banner, instructing them to come reinforce this place immediately.

Just now, Hong Taiji had helped Manggūltai work through some calculations, and the conclusion was still that Huang Shi himself did not have this many cavalry, and Changsheng Island's reinforcements, by all reasoning, could not have arrived so quickly. Their final conclusion was: Huang Shi's forces, apart from his own direct Fire Rescue Battalion and half of a mysterious new direct battalion, might also have pulled out Ningyuan's seven battalions and Juehua's four battalions to pursue. The two Guanning Army battalions that morning must have been greedy for merit and rashly advanced, but this time it should be the main force led by Huang Shi.

If it truly was a full-strength offensive, around ten Guanning Army field battalions and two Dongjiang Army field battalions would amount to about twenty-five thousand combat soldiers. Such an enormous force was roughly twice the number of Later Jin armored soldiers, and certainly not something the three banners of the Later Jin rearguard could resist. But since the Ming army had pursued so quickly, they clearly had not brought many auxiliary soldiers with them.

Manggūltai judged that the Ming army was conducting a light-troop pursuit this time, carrying no baggage at all apart from the combat soldiers' armor. That was how they had been able to force-march and catch up with the Later Jin rearguard; therefore, their total strength should be between thirty thousand and thirty-five thousand. Although the Later Jin had fewer armored soldiers — only twelve thousand — neither Manggūltai nor Hong Taiji thought much of the Guanning Army's combat effectiveness, so they did not believe the Ming army had any advantage in troop strength.

The battle at Juehua had proved that the Guanning Army was not entirely incapable of a single blow, but the two beile believed that eleven field battalions of the Guanning Army only had the ability to hold their ground; their field combat capability was very poor, at best on the same level as the Later Jin's unarmored troops, bondservants, and Mongol herders. Although they reached this conclusion, they were still unwilling to fight it out. Unless the Later Jin high command collectively took leave of their senses, they would absolutely never accept an engagement with a high exchange ratio.

What truly worried the two beile was that among these tens of thousands of Ming troops were three thousand elite soldiers under Huang Shi's direct command. Right now, sending the rearguard's Plain Blue Banner to fight to the death against three thousand Dongjiang troops was clearly unrealistic; even adding the Plain White Banner, the two brothers had no confidence. Besides, Huang Shi had also brought over twenty thousand Guanning Army combat soldiers to help. With the Dongjiang Army as the core, the Guanning Army might not be so easy to fight. Since even adding the Plain Red Banner would not guarantee a favorable outcome, Manggūltai and Hong Taiji had no choice but to use the "dragging saber" stratagem for now.

If they could use the weather to weaken the Ming army's strength by another ten or twenty percent, Manggūltai and Hong Taiji were both confident they could turn around and smash the Ming army. So the two beile gave orders to immediately set fire to all forts, post stations, and civilian dwellings along the route — in short, any place that could shelter one from the cold must absolutely not be left for the Ming army... Tonight, the Plain Blue Banner and Plain White Banner would all sleep in tents. The Ming army on the other side had advanced so quickly, they presumably had not brought any camping gear.

Manggūltai and Hong Taiji's plan was to strengthen the defenses and clear the countryside, forcing the Ming army pursuing behind them to drink the northwest wind all the way. If Huang Shi knew what was good for him, he would obediently return to Ningyuan; if he insisted on pursuing, then after a few days his army would be frozen half to death. Of course, as good as the "dragging saber" stratagem was, it still required preparation time. If Huang Shi charged straight at them right now, then all stratagems would go down the drain.

In order to create an atmosphere of fearless confidence, Hong Taiji and Manggūltai immediately led the Plain Blue Banner in a slow movement to the rear. Hong Taiji's Plain White Banner great standard was also promptly raised, to enhance the intimidating effect. During this time, Later Jin scouts came in a steady stream to report, confirming that the enemy commander was indeed Huang Shi. They had also seen Huang Shi with about a hundred cavalry blocking the entrance to the valley before Lianshan, and so they were unable to scout the Ming army's deployment behind the mountain ridge.

Hearing that Huang Shi had only a hundred men with him, Manggūltai and Hong Taiji exchanged a glance; each saw confusion and worry in the other's eyes. Manggūltai counted on his fingers and calculated: "Five li is roughly a safe distance. We might as well stop five li out. If several thousand Ming cavalry come in pursuit, our thousand cavalry will still have time to retreat."

"The Ming army's artillery range is about one li. That scoundrel Huang Shi's infantry runs astonishingly fast — they may well have already arrived. Hmm, his cannons also run astonishingly fast; by my reckoning, they should be arriving soon too." Hong Taiji paid no attention to Manggūltai, lowering his head and muttering to himself, lost in some calculation. After a long while, he suddenly looked up and laughed: "Fifth Brother, since we're putting on a show of strength, we might as well carry it through to the end."

Manggūltai tilted his head and looked at this younger brother who always liked to say only half of what he meant, and grumbled with some dissatisfaction: "If you have something to say, say it quickly. I'm listening."

……

Standing at the valley mouth, Huang Shi gazed into the distance to the north. The main force of the Later Jin army had halted five li away. Then a hundred riders emerged, carrying two great banners, and slowly rode forward, stopping only when they were two li from Huang Shi. Huang Shi narrowed his eyes and looked at the Plain Blue great standard and the Plain White great standard opposite him, murmuring: "Could it be an ambush, meant to lure me into attacking? A pity I simply don't have the strength."

Hu Yining, who had already left, now returned with seven or eight guards. He said that Jin Guan had already taken charge of leading the Guanning Army in retreat and had no use for him, so he had come back to advance or retreat together with Huang Shi. Huang Shi could not very well force Assistant Regional Commander Hu to leave, so he let him stay.

At that moment, Manggūltai on the opposite side was also craning his neck to look over. He gazed at the red banner fluttering at the mountain pass and let out a long breath: "It seems the Ming main force has not yet arrived. That Huang Shi is also waiting for reinforcements — or else he wants to lure us into attacking, which is also his usual trick."

"At the very least, we must cut off his scouts and prevent him from observing our true situation." Seeing that Huang Shi

did not dare press closely upon them, Hong Taiji also let out a great breath of relief. It seemed the Ming main force had not yet arrived. The other side was also full of misgivings. Now, to drag out every moment possible and buy more retreat time for the baggage train was all to the good.

The two Banner Lords had with them over a hundred cavalry with ample horse strength. This force was small in number and flexible in movement. Whether Huang Shi used the men beside him to charge, or a large body of cavalry surged out from the valley behind Huang Shi, they were confident they could handle it. Moreover, at a distance of two li, the Ming army's artillery naturally posed not the slightest threat. Hong Taiji felt that doing this could both boost morale and make it even harder for the habitually cautious Huang Shi to reach a decision.

Huang Shi saw the two Banner Lords opposite and their guards dismount. With a wave of his hand, the Changsheng Island personal guards also all jumped down from their horses and stood on level ground together with their commander.

"Let us stand here a short while longer, and then it will be time to flee for our lives," Huang Shi said with a low laugh to Hu Yining, Zhang Minghe, and Hong Antong beside him. The three of them all gently nodded. Everyone knew they could not deceive the enemy for too long; sooner or later, the enemy would send men to further probe their true situation, and that would be the moment for Huang Shi to leave.

Huang Shi estimated that the Guanning Army should already be far away, and then added one more instruction: "When they send scouts closer, we all mount up together, walk slowly past the mountain ridge, and then break into a northward flight. The Jianzhou slaves' courage is already drained; terrified of falling into our army's trap, they will certainly conduct a careful search. By the time they finish searching, we will probably be nearly back at Ningyuan."

After Huang Shi finished speaking, the men around him all laughed too, and then quickly passed this order around. The two armies faced each other across two li for a while longer, then Hong Taiji turned his head and said to Manggūltai: "Our baggage should have withdrawn far enough by now. The enemy is also hesitating and unable to decide. In a little while, when our men start burning the surrounding houses, Huang Shi will see through our true situation. So we had better quit while we're ahead and leave now."

Manggūltai, his expression solemn, slowly nodded. The two men turned around, intending to mount their horses and leave. Seeing the Later Jin army opposite begin to mount, Huang Shi also waved for his men to mount up at once, preparing to start their escape. Just as Huang Shi, Manggūltai, and Hong Taiji were all about to swiftly retreat, they suddenly heard a woman's scream coming from the west...

"Help! General Huang, help!"

Huang Shi looked in the direction of the voice, and once he understood the situation, he was truly badly startled. The one shouting was Zhao Yin's eldest younger sister. In the wilderness less than a li off the official road, she was struggling with a man, and beside that man was another person tied up — it actually seemed to be the second Zhao daughter. The wind carried the eldest Zhao daughter's shouts intermittently over.

Early this morning, after the eldest Zhao daughter had left with her husband, the second Zhao daughter had first gone to report to her brother. But Zhao Yin was entangled in official duties and could not possibly spare the time to go after them, so the second Zhao daughter had hurriedly ridden off on her own to chase them, hoping to call her elder sister and brother-in-law back. The two Ming battalions contained many infantry, so the second Zhao daughter had luckily caught up with them by asking along the way. Just as she was earnestly pleading with her elder sister to return, the Ming army up ahead had already collapsed and retreated.

The two sisters and Zhao Yin's eldest brother-in-law fled amid the routed soldiers. Their horses had been seized by the fleeing troops, so they had found a cave in this valley to hide. But they were unfortunately discovered by a Later Jin bondservant. Zhao Yin's eldest brother-in-law was killed on the spot trying to protect the two women, and the two sisters were tied up and prepared to be taken away.

When the Ming army had charged over earlier, that bondservant had hastily dragged the two sisters back into the cave, then blocked them to prevent them from having any chance to move about. Huang Shi had been worried the whole time about a Later Jin counterattack, so he had not let the Ming army sweep the battlefield thoroughly. As a result, although these three people were right under Huang Shi's nose, they had never been discovered.

After that bondservant carelessly stuffed a cloth into each of the Zhao sisters' mouths, he kept his main attention on the Ming soldiers outside. So he never noticed that the eldest Zhao girl had been secretly making small movements all along. After a long effort, she finally managed to work the ropes off her own feet and even get the cloth out of her mouth, then she lunged forward and fiercely bit the bondservant's hand until the blood flowed freely.

Seizing the moment when the bondservant was startled, the eldest Zhao girl leaped up and rushed out of the cave to call for help. That was the first woman's scream that Hong Taiji, Manggūltai, Huang Shi, and the people around them heard.

Although he did not know the specific details, Huang Shi quickly grasped the general situation. He gave a cold snort, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "The people of the Zhao family — I truly do not know how to judge them. I cannot tell if they are brave or foolish!"

Huang Shi had previously thought the second Zhao girl was someone quick in action, but this time she had truly been far too reckless. On a dangerous battlefield, a woman coming here was simply throwing her life away for nothing. If Huang Shi and the second Zhao girl had swapped places, faced with his elder sister's situation, Huang Shi, however anxious in his heart, would not have dared to go out searching; he could only have left her to her luck. Going out to search would only have resulted in throwing away his own life as well.

After leaping out of the cave, the eldest Zhao sister ran toward Huang Shi's direction while shouting desperately. The bondservant failed to grab her in one attempt, so he hastily hoisted the still tightly bound second Zhao girl onto his shoulder and ran in the opposite direction. When the eldest Zhao sister turned her head and saw this scene, she paid no heed to the fact that her own hands were still tied and immediately turned around to chase after him.

With a person hoisted on his shoulder, the bondservant was naturally clumsy on his feet. After running just a couple of steps, the eldest Zhao sister crashed headlong into him, and the three of them went tumbling together on the ground. "General Huang, save us!" the eldest Zhao sister shouted one last time with all her might, then bit down fiercely on her sister's clothing and refused to let go no matter what.

In just an instant, Hong Antong recognized the person opposite him. In his desperation, heedless of the outsiders present, he shouted loudly to Huang Shi, "My lord, your subordinate will go rescue them now. I beg my lord to go on ahead first."

Seeing that Huang Shi did not move immediately, Hong Antong cried out again urgently, "My lord, please set your mind at ease and go on ahead. Your subordinate will stake his very life on this and will certainly ensure the young lady Zhao returns safely."

While Hu Yining beside them was still standing there dumbfounded, Zhang Minghe had already discerned a hint of what was going on from the looks on Hong Antong and Huang Shi. He too cupped his fist toward Huang Shi: "My lord, your humble subordinate has trained hard in horsemanship since childhood and is willing to go with Company Commander Hong to rescue them."

"No matter how good your horsemanship is, one horse carrying two people cannot run fast." Huang Shi swept a glance at the three people on the ground several hundred meters away, then turned his head to look at the Later Jin cavalry squad to the north. Those hundred-odd Later Jin horsemen all remained motionless. Huang Shi felt a cold, piercing gaze stabbing straight at him from the opposite side, spying on his every move.