Chapter 94: The Xi'an Camp

Zhang Xianzhong rode with a dark, silent face, urging his horse forward at full speed. Several roving bandits who failed to get out of the way were sent flying by the warhorse, their bones broken and sinews snapped, blood spilling from their mouths—clearly beyond saving. The rest hurriedly scrambled to the roadside, and after the dozen or so riders had thundered past, the bandits cursed loudly, some even running back to their tents to fetch bows and arrows for revenge. Word of this quickly reached Gao Yingxiang's ears, and his desire to kill Zhang Xianzhong grew even stronger.

Zhang Xianzhong's camp sat in the northwest corner of the roving bandits' main encampment, on slightly higher ground. Unlike the chaotic camps of the other bandits, the Xi'an camp was neatly arranged. The camp was separated from the outside by wooden palisades and shallow ditches, with four great gates of massive timber, each guarded by soldiers. Though the soldiers' tents were a motley assortment of varying shapes and sizes, they were all arranged in orderly rows with gaps left between them, and wider lanes ran through each row of tents for the passage of men and horses.

All of this Zhang Xianzhong had learned during his time in the army, and he had taught the methods of selecting ground and setting up camp to his four adopted sons. Among them, Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo had studied the most earnestly and thoroughly—the present camp had been built under their supervision and command. For this, Zhang Xianzhong had specially praised the two adopted sons before the assembled men.

The bandits guarding the camp gate saw their master galloping toward them from afar and hastily pushed open the wooden barrier before stepping aside. Zhang Xianzhong urged his mount into the camp. Before long, Sun Kewang and the others followed, entering one after another. Li Dingguo, bringing up the rear, slowed his horse and called out in a loud voice: "Close the gates! Station one hundred archers and three hundred spearmen at each of the four gates! No one leaves camp without orders! Anyone approaching the main camp, report at once!"

Only when he reached his own command tent did Zhang Xianzhong slow his horse. Reining in his steed, he leaped down in one motion. His personal guards at the tent entrance hurried forward to take the reins and led the yellow-maned horse away to be groomed and fed.

Two beautiful women inside the great tent heard the commotion and rushed out. A smile immediately spread across Zhang Xianzhong's face. Stepping forward, he pulled one into each arm and leered: "Just in time—I've got a belly full of fire. You two better cool me down first! Hahaha!"

One of the beauties giggled: "Who would dare make you angry, master! Aren't they afraid you'll cut them down with one swing of your blade!"

Zhang Xianzhong carried the two into the tent, laughing as he walked: "My blade doesn't dare cut him, but my spear sure dares to stab you! Hehehehe~"

The other beauty covered her mouth with a handkerchief and tittered. The one who had spoken pouted coquettishly: "This slave isn't afraid of being stabbed—just afraid that master's spear is all show and no substance!"

Zhang Xianzhong let out a strange cry, released the beauty who was stifling her laughter, crouched slightly, and with a heave of his shoulders hoisted the other beauty onto his shoulder, sprinting toward the rear of the tent. The beauty pretended to be startled, patting Zhang Xianzhong's back lightly with her soft white hands and laughing: "Don't judge by how lean and lanky you look, master—you've got real strength! Hehehehe~" The other woman followed into the inner tent as well, and before long, sounds unfit for polite ears drifted out.

Sun Kewang and the others dismounted and stood waiting outside the tent. They had long grown accustomed to their adopted father's ways. Only Li Dingguo frowned inwardly—he was deeply opposed to his adopted father keeping women in the camp for amusement, but bound by the duty of filial piety, he could never bring himself to speak out.

A little over half an hour later, the two beauties emerged from the tent, their clothes disheveled and their faces flushed with spring. Under the greedy gazes of the men waiting outside, they covered their mouths with their hands, tittering as they made their way back to their own tent.

Li Dingguo spoke up with displeasure: "A great battle is imminent. If the soldiers see women coming and going from our father's tent, it will surely harm morale. Eldest Brother, we should find the right moment to advise our father—military discipline cannot be broken!"

Sun Kewang was the eldest of Zhang Xianzhong's four adopted sons and was usually regarded as their elder brother. Skilled at currying favor with his adopted father, sharp-witted, and adept at both fighting and strategy, he was greatly favored by Zhang Xianzhong.

"A true man is not bound by trivialities—power and beautiful women are exactly what men like us pursue! Our father is in the prime of his life; this is perfectly ordinary! Dingguo, you're sixteen now, a grown man. In your daily speech you should think more of your father's interests, and always remember the proper order of superior and inferior!" Sun Kewang said with a smile. Privately, he was quite dismissive of Li Dingguo's earnestness.

Li Dingguo was unconvinced and about to argue when Liu Wenxiu, who was close to him, tugged at his robe and said with a smile: "There's no need to say more on this! This younger brother noticed that our father's expression seemed off—could it be that the Dashing King gave him trouble? As his sons, we should find out what happened and relieve his worries!"

Ai Nengqi, who was introverted by nature, nodded vigorously on the side, indicating his agreement.

Zhang Xianzhong treated the four as his own flesh and blood. To ensure they would amount to something in the future, he had specially captured a xiucai to teach them reading and writing, and had scoured the countryside collecting military manuals and texts for them to study and memorize. Over more than two years, the four had benefited greatly, with Li Dingguo standing out the most—not only did he know the most characters, but after finishing his daily drills with his men, he would burn the midnight oil reading in his own tent. Zhang Xianzhong had once joked that in the future he would send him to take the imperial examinations—who knew, he might even pass and become a xiucai himself.

Sun Kewang's smile faded as he spoke: "Just now in the Dashing King's tent, we were standing too far from our father to hear what the two of them said. But knowing the Dashing King's temperament, he likely can't stomach our Xi'an camp growing stronger in secret. This time, he's probably going to make our Xi'an camp do the heavy lifting!"

Li Dingguo said firmly: "At worst, he'll order our Xi'an camp to assault the city! If we're willing to accept heavy casualties, taking Shouzhou is well within our reach! What worries me is the government cavalry that's been dogging our heels the whole way. If we don't deal with that threat from behind, it'll be like a thorn in our backs! The Dashing King holds ten thousand elite horsemen, yet he won't spend them in a hard fight! The government cavalry numbers barely two thousand. If I were the Dashing King, I'd send a thousand riders to lure the enemy, hide the rest of my elite cavalry on both flanks, and when the government troops rode into the trap, charge out from all sides—even if we couldn't annihilate them, crippling them would be beyond doubt!"

Sun Kewang snorted derisively: "The Dashing King uses those elite riders to intimidate others—why would he risk them in a desperate fight! Two thousand government cavalry is nothing much either. Hasn't the Dashing King already sent several thousand horsemen to face them off? When we break Shouzhou this time, we need to grab as much grain as we can. Gold and silver are useless—can a starving man eat them?"

Li Dingguo frowned: "The government forces won't just send cavalry. If I'm not mistaken, a large body of infantry is marching toward us right now! We need to take Shouzhou as quickly as possible, or we'll be in serious trouble!"

Liu Wenxiu nodded: "Second Brother speaks truly! The sooner Shouzhou falls, the better for us! With plenty of grain in hand, we can leave at our leisure before the main government army arrives. The sooner we take Shouzhou, the better!"

Sun Kewang said: "If we've thought of it, how could our father have missed it? Just wait for his orders!"

As they were speaking, Zhang Xianzhong's deep voice came from within the tent: "Come in!"

Sun Kewang led the way, and the others filed in one after another. There sat Zhang Xianzhong, bare-chested, seated cross-legged behind a great desk. This desk in the tent had been built to his specifications two years earlier, modeled entirely on the style used by senior officers of the Ming army in their command tents. Ever since his days in the military, he had envied the bearing of Regional Commanders and great generals, and now that he finally commanded tens of thousands of troops, he was determined to savor the pleasure of playing the great general.

After they had paid their respects, Sun Kewang spoke: "Father, did the Dashing King give you trouble just now? Your son saw that your expression seemed off—could he harbor ill intentions? Please tell your sons what difficulties you face—we are willing to share your burdens!"

Li Dingguo and the others also looked at Zhang Xianzhong, their eyes full of concern.

A warmth rose in Zhang Xianzhong's heart, but his words were dismissive: "That horse trader can't cause me any trouble! He's just jealous watching our strength grow day by day! Today your father has burned his bridges with him. If things go badly, after we take Shouzhou, he won't be able to stomach this old Zhang anymore!"

Sun Kewang said angrily: "What does he intend to do! He may have more men, but our Xi'an camp isn't afraid of him!"

Ai Nengqi said in a low, muffled voice: "Father, tonight I'll sneak into his tent and kill him!"

Li Dingguo said urgently: "Father, we need to start thinking of a way out right now! With Shouzhou ahead and the government army behind, that Dashing King won't dare risk an open confrontation! Once we take Shouzhou, we need to find a chance to slip away!"

Liu Wenxiu said: "Father, Second Brother is full of clever schemes—we'd best listen closely to his ideas!"

Sun Kewang shot Li Dingguo a jealous glance, then said: "What situation hasn't our father seen before? He must already have a plan for this!"

Zhang Xianzhong rose and walked around the desk, hands clasped behind his back, coming to stand before the four. He looked at them with affectionate eyes and smiled: "This old Zhang has been lucky in life—my adopted sons are better than flesh and blood! Rest easy, my boys. If that Dashing King dares to be unrighteous, he can't blame old Zhang for being unkind in return! This time I'll make him sorry! When his troops are shattered and he's a beaten dog, I'd like to see if he still dares to order me around! Hmph!"