Chapter 166: Extermination

Tuo Yangkun's camp tent was covered in blood and filth, the ground a complete mess. The heads of Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie had already been chopped off, and the expressions on their faces still carried shock, anger, and fear.

The several personal guards the two had brought were also beheaded. The aroma of wine and meat in the tent mixed with the stench of blood, making one want to vomit at the smell.

Tuo Yangkun had invited Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie to drink in his tent under the pretext that generous gifts would be presented after the wine, luring the two over from the official army camp.

Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie suspected nothing amiss, thinking that after these days of harsh treatment, Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Wenyao had finally softened.

Just as darkness fell, the two arrived at the banquet in high spirits, dressed casually and accompanied by a few personal guards.

Two tables of food and drink were set up in the tent. At Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie's table, Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Wenyao personally kept them company, while the personal guards they had brought were attended by Huang Chao and several trusted men selected by Tuo Yangkun and Zhang Wenyao.

When the wine had reached the halfway point of intoxication, Tuo Yangkun excused himself to relieve himself and rose to leave the tent. Zhang Wenyao deliberately knocked his chopsticks to the ground, and as he bent down to pick them up, he drew the short blade from his boot shaft.

He coughed once, then, half-crouching, lunged forward suddenly. Putting force into his waist and arms, he swung the arm gripping the short blade—the gleaming knife slashed across the throat of Liu Yingjie, who sat across the corner of the table from him. Liu Yingjie's body toppled backward like a log and slammed straight into the ground, a piece of mutton bone still in his mouth.

Before Xu Zhong across the table could react, Zhang Wenyao let out a great shout and hurled the short blade from his hand, nailing it into Xu Zhong's shoulder. Xu Zhong screamed in agony. Zhang Wenyao straightened up and violently flipped the table toward Xu Zhong. Caught completely off guard, Xu Zhong only felt his vision go dark before he was knocked flat by the table, which came crashing down amid a mess of cups, plates, bowls, and splashing soup.

At the sound of Zhang Wenyao's cough, Huang Chao and the others at the other table, who had been prepared all along, suddenly struck as well, cleanly and swiftly cutting down the several personal guards.

Before Xu Zhong could shove the table off and scramble to his feet, Zhang Wenyao grabbed a thick tree stump that served as a seat and slammed it hard onto the overturned table. Beneath it, Xu Zhong's chest bones shattered and he instantly fell unconscious. Huang Chao dashed over from the other side, flipped the table aside with one hand, and dragged the unconscious Xu Zhong out. Another of Tuo Yangkun's trusted men, Han San, rushed over and chopped several times with a small hand axe, severing Xu Zhong's head.

Then Huang Chao, Han San, and the other trusted men of Tuo Yangkun led their respective forces of over three thousand men each in a night raid on the official army camp. The Xu and Liu forces, long undisciplined and completely unprepared, were slaughtered and scattered in every direction in the night. Most of their weapons and armor fell into the rebels' hands, and all their grain and fodder was seized by the rebels as well.

Zhang Wenyao, who had left Tuo Yangkun's tent on the pretext of returning to camp to muster his troops, only led his men to the scene after the official troops had already fled. His excuse was that the soldiers couldn't see the road in the darkness and that he had encountered several bands of fleeing official troops along the way, losing time in a series of chaotic skirmishes. Though Tuo Yangkun and Huang Chao were displeased, they had no heart to investigate further. The great deed was already done—the only proper course now was to quickly find a way to escape Shaanxi.

Zhang Wenyao had already arranged for several trusted men to ride the few war horses they had toward Fengxiang Prefecture. This matter had to be reported to Sun Chuanting as quickly as possible—then everything he did from now on would become an open and aboveboard act carried out under the Governor's authorization.

From Pucheng, where they currently were, to Fengxiang Prefecture was over three hundred li. Pushing the horses without regard for their stamina, the journey could be made in two days. What Sun Chuanting would do upon receiving his report was no longer his concern. Whether he sent troops to pursue or to intercept, neither would be too difficult—because this band of nearly ten thousand men would leave an unmissable trail no matter where they marched. What Zhang Wenyao was waiting for was how to extract the greatest benefit for himself once the official army arrived.

Following Huang Chao's suggestion, they would travel from Pucheng southeast to Huayin, then turn east and pass through the great mountains near Tong Pass to enter Henan.

Tong Pass was certainly garrisoned by official troops. That kind of ancient, formidable pass was not something a ragtag mob like theirs could break through. They could only circle around through the nearby mountains—this was the nearest route to Henan.

If they went due east from Pucheng, there were several walled cities ahead, and no one knew whether they held official troops. Even if they bypassed those cities, they would still end up entering Shanxi.

Going that way would bring them ever closer to the official troops in northern Shaanxi. What they wanted now was to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the official army. Henan was the best destination at present.

Given the roving bandits' lazy and disorderly habits, by the time they marched from Pucheng to Huayin, the official army would certainly have caught up.

Sure enough, on the very night after the rebels passed Huayin County, Zhang Wenyao, who was lagging at the rear, saw his own dispatched trusted man, along with Sun Chuanting's personal guard squad leader Sun Zhian.

The next day the rebels marched to the southern side of the Huashan mountain range. After passing through a valley, another thirty li would bring them to the great mountains near Tong Pass, from where they could enter Henan.

Zhang Wenyao, Tuo Yangkun, and Huang Chao were discussing the route forward.

From Pucheng all the way to Huayin, they had encountered no official troops along the way. Huayin County's four gates were tightly shut. The rebels, who had originally wanted to attack the county town, abandoned the idea upon seeing the walls crowded with archers and able-bodied men. If they delayed a few days, official troops from the surrounding area might arrive, and then they wouldn't be able to leave even if they wanted to.

Zhang Wenyao spoke up: "Great Chieftain, the situation ahead is unclear. To be safe, I'll take my men to clear the road ahead. Keep a distance of ten li between yourself and me. Once I've scouted the way, I'll send word to you, and then you can lead the men forward with confidence."

Tuo Yangkun pondered for a moment, sensed nothing amiss, and nodded in agreement.

Zhang Wenyao returned to the rear, mustered his men, and after passing Tuo Yangkun's subordinates, marched into the valley.

After roughly an hour or more, Zhang Wenyao sent word back that the road ahead was clear of any trouble, and Tuo Yangkun should lead his men forward.

Amid the shouts and curses of Huang Chao and the other chieftains, the several thousand rebels took the better part of half an hour to assemble. Then Huang Chao led his own men into the valley first, while Tuo Yangkun followed with the main force.

This valley had sheer cliffs on both sides, and the narrow path within was difficult to traverse, wide enough for only three men to walk abreast. Fortunately, the rebels had only a few dozen war horses and carried no excess baggage, so progress wasn't too difficult—but the column stretched out for seven or eight li. The rebels at the front had already turned a bend while those at the rear had yet to even start moving.

Half an hour after the last of the rebels disappeared along the mountain road, three thousand Qin troops left behind to guard Xi'an Prefecture appeared at the mouth of the valley.

Zhang Wenyao's trusted man had ridden hard to Fengxiang Prefecture in search of Sun Chuanting but failed to find him there. Learning that he was at Linggu County not far away, he hurried on to where Sun Chuanting was leading troops to besiege the roving bandits.

Sun Chuanting immediately ordered Sun Zhian to take the Governor's written order and return to Xi'an Prefecture together with the man Zhang Wenyao had sent, to muster three thousand garrison troops in pursuit of the rebels. He also ordered that, with the exception of Zhang Wenyao's force, all others were to be killed without mercy.

As for the scattered remnants of Xu Zhong's and Liu Yingjie's forces, they could be gathered up after the roving bandits were wiped out. Regarding the disposal of this batch of useless men, Sun Chuanting sent word to Yang Mingsheng: disarm them, and under the watch of the Qin troops, have them work the military farmland and open up wasteland. Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie would be reported to the court on charges of letting the enemy slip away.

Sun Chuanting rewarded each of the trusted men Zhang Wenyao had sent with thirty taels of silver, so that they would push through their exhaustion and ride back through the night with Sun Zhian.

Sun Zhian, along with several personal guards and Zhang Wenyao's trusted man, took two horses per man and rode through the night with torches toward Xi'an, arriving back by noon the next day. Upon arrival, Sun Zhian presented the Governor's written order to Chen Yong, the Mobile Corps Commander of the Qin troops. Chen Yong immediately mustered his men and set out for the Huayin area, over two hundred li away.

Sun Zhian and the others, ignoring their fatigue, rode ahead toward the Huayin area and met up with Zhang Wenyao, who was lagging at the rear, north of Huayin at dusk the following day.

After entering the valley and marching less than ten li, Huang Chao's men at the front came running back in a panic to report that the road ahead was blocked, and Zhang Wenyao's scouting force had vanished without a trace.

Huang Chao ordered the column to wait where they were. He and several minor chieftains pushed through the crowd and ran to the very front.

On the mountain road ahead, great boulders mixed with felled trees and brush had blocked the narrow path completely solid.

Huang Chao scrambled up the pile of rocks blocking the road and looked out. For over a hundred paces ahead, the same obstacles continued. Clearing away all that debris would take at least half a day's effort.

He climbed down from the rock pile, wanting to find the trusted man Zhang Wenyao had sent to inform them, but he was already long gone—no doubt having slipped away to the very front and fled while no one was watching.

He didn't need to look further—these obstacles had been set up by Zhang Wenyao's men ahead of them. But why would he do such a thing?

Just as Huang Chao was still puzzling it over, a rumbling sound came from the steep cliffs on both sides. Great boulders came tumbling down along the mountainside, kicking up gravel and broken wood and sending clouds of dust billowing into the sky. Figures moved on the mountaintops on both sides, though their faces could not be made out.

In the instant the boulders began to roll down, Huang Chao suddenly understood: Zhang Wenyao had never intended to rebel again! Both he and Tuo Yangkun had been duped! Since he dared to block the road here, then the official army must have arrived behind them!

The outcome of the battle was never in doubt. Huang Chao was crushed to pulp by the first wave of rolling boulders, and several hundred roving bandits died along with him. In the panic, the bandits scrambled desperately to flee back the way they had come, and countless numbers were trampled and crushed to death in the stampede.

By the time Tuo Yangkun in the middle of the column barely managed to bring the chaos under control, it was clear that the road ahead was blocked and the cliffs on both sides were unclimbable. The only option was to retreat and seek another route.

But when the bandits finally struggled out of the valley, what awaited them at the mouth was three thousand official troops in gleaming armor and weapons.

Under the alternating long-range assault of five hundred muskets and five hundred archers, the bandits, now reduced to just over three thousand men, left another field of dead and wounded behind them. Any thought of making a desperate charge to cut a bloody path to freedom was utterly shattered.

Tuo Yangkun raised his blade and took his own life—at least he died with some dignity. After the official troops ordered the rest to lay down their weapons, the remaining bandits knelt and begged for surrender. In the end, completely incapable of resistance, they were ordered executed to the last man by Chen Yong, the Mobile Corps Commander of the Qin troops.

When Zhang Wenyao led his men out of the valley, what he saw was a scene of unspeakable carnage—to describe it as corpses strewn across the ground would be no exaggeration.

Zhang Wenyao's men all secretly counted themselves lucky. Thank goodness they hadn't followed Tuo Yangkun in rebelling again—otherwise, it would be their own corpses lying here.

Chen Yong sent someone to Huayin County to notify the county office, asking the local authorities to send people to bury the dead and clean up the battlefield.

County Magistrate Feng Qi had been puzzled about the identity of the band that had passed through a few days earlier. Only after hearing the brief explanation from the official army messenger did he realize—they had been a band of roving bandits.

Though he was quite displeased that a mere Mobile Corps Commander of the official army could order him about, considering that the man had just won a victory and might be worth relying on in the future, he pinched his nose and accepted the task.