Chapter 62: Section Ten

"My lord, your subordinate holds a different view." Zhao Manxiong suddenly spoke in a low voice. Because the situation was urgent, he dispensed with formalities: "The enemy may have reinforcements, but your subordinate estimates they are already nearby and will soon launch an offensive. Your subordinate believes we should beat back their first assault, then seek an opening to break out."

"Why are you certain they will attack soon?"

"Because your subordinate thinks, if he were the opposing commander, he would not act this way before reinforcements arrive." Zhao Manxiong analyzed that if the enemy were still waiting for reinforcements, they should be hiding far away. Their current movements looked more like pre-battle deployment than reconnaissance.

"Your subordinate agrees with Company Commander Zhao's view." Ma Qianzu also interjected: "Your subordinate also feels this looks like preparations before an attack."

When people think of future peril, they sometimes forget the situation right before their eyes. Zhao Manxiong's words jolted Huang Shi awake. Huang Shi silently cursed Jin Qiude — it was that line of his, "If surrounded by a large army, there is absolutely no chance of survival," that had thrown him into such disarray.

"The enemy may not know we have detected them. Continue to lull them, then strike back fiercely when they attack, and break out — break out with fire." Huang Shi issued the order decisively.

"As ordered." Jin Qiude and the other officers responded at once.

"My lord, your subordinate believes we can also make them firmly convinced our army has not detected anything." Ma Qianzu offered another idea: "When your subordinate was a bandit, there was a trade saying: 'Throw a stone to test the road.'"

"Explain."

The enemy outside indeed seemed unaware that Huang Shi and his men were prepared. After drawing near the wooden wall, they grew even more cautious; one could barely detect anyone moving without straining one's eyes wide open.

"Thud." Something struck the wooden wall beside the relay station gate. No sound came from within the station.

"Thud." Another sound a moment later.

A soldier pre-positioned on the left immediately created a huge commotion, and as he scrambled up from the ground, he deliberately knocked over a wooden bucket.

"What is it?" Another soldier, his face turned toward the outside of the wall, called out loudly.

The soldier who had gotten up said nothing. He thrashed about noisily for a while, lit a torch, and peered out over the wall. Watching that sleep-bleary face illuminated clearly by the firelight, Huang Shi silently praised his acting.

After a long moment, the soldier extinguished the torch and, as he left the wall, said loudly: "Seems like there was some noise."

The next two stone-throwing probes were also dealt with by Huang Shi using similar methods. Finally, it was Jin Qiude's turn to hurry over: "They've started throwing stones to test the road at your subordinate's position."

"Good," Huang Shi nodded, and gave a savage grin: "The whole army, prepare."

The chosen position was precisely where the rear door of the building stood. A large body of soldiers lay in ambush inside the building. Huang Shi pulled the door open a crack and stole a glance out toward the top of the wall.

A while after the stone-throwing probe had passed, Huang Shi saw a dark figure poke out from the top of the wall, followed by several more. The first dark figure made a very faint sound upon landing; the next few, with his assistance, also came down without a sound.

This landing spot was far from the main gate. The figures darted over beside the main gate, where two soldiers were producing continuous snores. Seeing the figures slowly moving toward them, Zhao Manxiong, hidden at the building entrance, immediately nudged the soldier beside him.

"Shift change." That man promptly called out: "Get up, quickly."

The figures retreated into the shadows. Three soldiers stumbled toward the main gate. The one in the lead made a show of kicking the feigning-sleep soldiers a few times: "If you want to sleep, go inside and sleep. Aren't you afraid of freezing to death?"

Those two soldiers grumbled a couple of times and trudged back toward the main camp with heavy steps. The two who replaced them sat down facing each other and began chatting quietly about this and that.

The two chatted for a while, then several dark figures vanished from Zhao Manxiong's surveillance and reappeared in Huang Shi's line of sight. One of them once again climbed out over the wall.

"They've gone out to discuss their next move. Next should be a large group climbing in to forcibly seize the main gate," Ma Qianzu whispered in Huang Shi's ear. Huang Shi gripped his saber hilt — the moment to counterattack was near.

Not long after, figures indeed appeared. This time the noise was noticeably louder, but what surprised Huang Shi was: only seven men came in this time.

"Do they really intend to seize the main gate with so few men?" Huang Shi asked Ma Qianzu in a hesitant whisper.

"That is also one method, though relatively rare. They must have the main force waiting at the gate. These few men open the bolt, and the main force swarms in at once," the seasoned Ma Qianzu immediately replied: "Robbing a wealthy household this way is not impossible; your subordinate has used it a few times, at least."

This sounded very reasonable. Huang Shi signaled the soldiers lying in ambush behind him not to act rashly. He gave a few instructions to Jin Qiude, who led several archers on tiptoe to the front. After the figures crept along the base of the wall and rounded the corner of the building, Huang Shi also directed the main body of soldiers to split into squads and lie in ambush behind the front gate.

"Once their main force enters the gate, immediately hurl the torches at them, then shoot arrows, and then all charge together."

"Your subordinate understands." Yang Zhiyuan nodded.

This torch plan was not Ma Qianzu's idea — he only knew how to charge in and rob with torches and weapons brandished openly.

Zhao Manxiong, however, was an old hand at digging a pit and watching the prey fall in. After Huang Shi decided to stage an ambush, Zhao Manxiong offered a vicious scheme: when the enemy's main force charged in, hurl all the torches at them together — blind a bunch of them first. And in the darkness, these men would immediately become targets.

The same soldier from before swaggered out again and said to the two still chatting at the main gate: "You two, come with me to the back to feed the horses."

After the two soldiers left, Huang Shi was delighted to see those several shadows swiftly dart to the main gate. One dark figure, apparently the leader, let out a cricket chirp. Soon, a responding chirp came from outside the gate.

"Come on, you dog thieves." Huang Shi, hidden in the darkness, muttered silently. Hearing the answering cricket chirp, the dark figures at the front gate immediately dropped the bolt and removed the lock at flying speed, opening the main gate without a sound — these deft movements suggested another seasoned old bandit.

As Huang Shi raised his arm in a preparatory signal, ten soldiers at once slowly drew their iron bows to full and aimed steadily at the gate. Behind them, another squad of soldiers worked in pairs — one man in each pair held flint and steel in both hands, the other held a torch soaked in oil.

The wooden gate finally opened. They opened it to its widest, but there was no imagined main force charging in.

"What are they waiting for? Aren't they afraid the sentries will come back?" Huang Shi observed the enemy's movements, full of suspicion. He waited and waited, until finally he heard another cricket chirp from outside.

At the sound, the lead dark figure immediately waved a hand.

"Finally, they're here." Huang Shi felt he had waited until his forehead was drenched in sweat.

A dozen or so enemies rushed out through the gate at that gesture. In the blink of an eye, not a single ghost of a shadow remained before Huang Shi's eyes. The silent night sky was suddenly shattered by a chaotic, heavy tramp of footsteps.

"What are they doing?" Huang Shi, dumbfounded, still had his arm frozen in midair. The archers behind him, bows drawn and ready, were equally stunned.