Chapter 40: Section Five

Spreading open the marching map, the small hill ahead was exactly the first ink-marked spot Sun Degong had shown Huang Shi the day before yesterday. Before Fei Liguo's words had faded, the foremost scouts came rushing back in haste; before the horses even halted, the scout had already shouted: "Reporting to my lord Huang, there appear to be suspicious figures moving on the hill."

Under Fei Liguo's gaze, Huang Shi let out a loud cry: "Halt!"

The vanguard cavalry immediately stopped.

"Scout again." Huang Shi issued another order.

After the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, two scouts came flying back on horseback, gasping for breath, their hands still clutching some objects: "Reporting to my lord Huang, the suspicious figures were not found, but we discovered these."

Those objects were several pieces of commoners' clothing and a damaged horseshoe. Huang Shi and Fei Liguo exchanged a look of tacit understanding, then ordered the cavalry to spread out and search, while simultaneously reporting to the rear the discovery of signs of Later Jin scout activity.

Sun Degong, commanding the vanguard of the Guangning army, naturally halted the advance at once. Vanguard reconnaissance riders fanned out in all directions, searching for half a day before resuming the march. Chen Qu, having received the all-clear report, also pressed the entire army to move out.

Less than a quarter-hour into the march, at Sun Degong's second ink-marked spot — a stretch of forest — Later Jin banners were discovered. Though again proven to be a feint, the army was halted for nearly two quarter-hours this time. The only good news was that Zu Dashou, leading a thousand Guanning cavalry, had caught up with the main Guangning force.

On the road that followed, various signs were encountered repeatedly in succession. Though all proved to be false alarms, the great army stopped and started for nearly three double-hours, covering only a third of the distance of a normal march.

The soldiers of the vanguard cavalry had also grown jumpy and tense, as if an ambush might strike at any moment. The main Guangning army behind them was even more filled with grumbling and complaints.

No matter how slowly they marched, this stretch of road still had an end. But Huang Shi, serving as the vanguard, had long since seen a column of smoke gradually rising in the direction of Xipingbao on the horizon. Soon he saw several dozen Later Jin scouts, operating in small squads, appearing directly ahead of their cavalry and on both flanks. Behind them was Xipingbao, churning with the glow of fire.

"Halt the advance. Send more scouts to both flanks." Huang Shi gave the order loudly, then consulted Fei Liguo: "Brother Fei, is it better to halt, or to keep advancing?"

Fei Liguo gave a bitter smile: "Brother Huang, you're putting me in a difficult spot. I've never fought a battle either."

The personal guards beside him went without saying. Huang Shi knew that in the entire vanguard cavalry, not a single man had experience serving as a vanguard. Since the fierce fighting in Liaodong began, the Ming army's elite troops had long since been utterly depleted. The vast majority of the Guangning garrison were newly recruited soldiers or former garrison-farm troops; veterans who had seen battle were practically nonexistent.

"Vanguard, continue advancing." Huang Shi gritted his teeth and issued the order, while simultaneously pulling over a messenger: "Return at once and report: our unit has encountered the Jianzhou slaves and may require reinforcements."

The Later Jin scouts ahead advanced to a position four to five hundred meters from Huang Shi before halting. They gazed over with an air of ease. As these several hundred Ming cavalry pushed forward cautiously, the scouts withdrew westward at the same unhurried pace.

Huang Shi felt his palms begin to sweat. He swept his gaze over the soldiers around him; every one of them was pale-faced. Many had their hands resting on their weapons, and a few individuals repeatedly drew their blades partway out and then thrust them back in, producing a grating sound.

"All troops, heed the order: draw blades." Huang Shi could finally endure the tense atmosphere this sound created no longer. At his command, the vanguard soldiers eagerly bared their weapons one after another, followed by a great collective exhale. The soldiers began to let out low shouts to bolster their own courage.

Huang Shi narrowed his eyes and gazed over. The Later Jin scouts opposite still maintained a posture with both hands resting on the reins. Their squads had spread out even more, scattered sparsely across the land, while the Ming cavalry clustered tighter and tighter together. At a glance, those few dozen Later Jin scouts actually seemed to have surrounded these four hundred Ming cavalry.

As they advanced further, a dense, dark mass of the Later Jin main force began to appear in the field of vision of Huang Shi and the other Ming troops.

"Brother Huang, we should halt the advance." Fei Liguo felt he could hardly compel his subordinates to press on any further.

"The enemy army is still a great distance from us." Huang Shi stood up in his stirrups and strained his eyes to gaze into the distance. "I can't make out how many men and horses they have. How am I to report to the central army?"

"Continue advancing." Ignoring Fei Liguo, who stood frozen to one side, Huang Shi gave the order decisively. The soldiers might be on the battlefield for the first time, but their performance was far too poor.

But before the cavalry could advance, a soldier cried out: "My lord, look!" That soldier pointed at a company of Later Jin cavalry slowly closing in on the Ming forces — their numbers appeared to be three or four hundred as well.

"There are enemy troops behind us!" A soldier at the rear suddenly let out a shout tinged with despair. Instantly, a panicked buzz of voices arose.

"Silence! All of you, silence!" Huang Shi roared as he swiftly wheeled his horse toward the rear. The Ming vanguard cavalry, having long since bunched into a tight combat formation due to their heightened alertness, had pulled open a gap between themselves and the main vanguard force. Huang Shi indeed saw two or three Later Jin scouts brazenly slip into this gap and ride past, observing the Ming vanguard troops.

When Huang Shi returned to the front rank, he still could not make out the formation or numbers of the Later Jin force, but the several hundred Later Jin cavalry pressing toward them were now less than two li away.

"My lord, give the order, quickly!" Several personal guards began urging Huang Shi one after another.

"My lord, give the order!" The soldiers around him also began shouting of their own accord.

Huang Shi knew exactly what kind of order they wanted, and had no choice but to issue it helplessly:

"Retreat. Rejoin the vanguard."

The scattered Later Jin scouts maintained the same speed and distance around them, escorting them all the way back into the Ming vanguard formation.

"How many are in the enemy's lead force?" The moment they returned to the vanguard army, Sun Degong, in front of a crowd of officers, demanded bluntly.

"Reporting to my lord: three to four thousand." Huang Shi answered without changing expression.

"Hmm. Then how large is the Jianzhou slave army in total?"

"Forty thousand." Huang Shi had of course seen nothing, but he replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Did you see clearly?"

"Absolutely certain."

"Nonsense!" Sun Degong suddenly flew into a rage, startling Huang Shi badly. He heard him roar: "How could you possibly see clearly all at once? Did you get close to look?"

Huang Shi hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "This humble officer dares not speak boastfully. The Jianzhou slaves are indeed a force of forty thousand. This humble officer saw it with his own eyes." So saying, he pointed at Fei Liguo, who stood dumbly to one side. "Company Commander Fei also saw it."

"Correct. The Jianzhou slaves are indeed forty thousand. This humble officer also saw it with his own eyes." Fei Liguo immediately chimed in to corroborate.

"There is no room for frivolous talk in the army." Sun Degong remained relentless.

"This humble officer would absolutely never dare." Fei Liguo and Huang Shi answered in unison.

Sun Degong silently mouthed "forty thousand" several times, then coughed sharply: "Fei Liguo, this is a matter of critical military intelligence. Do not attempt to deceive your general."

Fei Liguo stared back at Sun Degong in bewilderment for a moment, then answered helplessly: "This humble officer naturally would not dare."

"Hmm. Forty thousand. Did you truly see clearly? The entire army will halt the advance and rendezvous with the central army." Sun Degong issued the order, and Huang Shi hurriedly began mustering his subordinates.

Recalling the exchange between Sun Degong and Fei Liguo, Huang Shi's chest filled with confusion. A vague, indistinct thought flickered before his eyes, yet he could not quite grasp it.