Chapter 312: Upper-Grade Horse

The Wei River is very long. Not counting its narrow channel in Longyou, from Chencang City in Right Fufeng to the Wei estuary where it joins the Yellow River, it stretches a full seven hundred-plus li. The Guanzhong plain's "mother river" flows gently across the flatlands. If one could levy enough boats and rafts or planks, the spots where pontoon bridges could be built to cross the river number not a thousand, then seven hundred at least — especially for a small-scale force.

Four days earlier, on the twelfth day of the ninth month.

A "cavalry" force numbering as many as two to three thousand men built a small pontoon bridge on the Wei River at Mei County in Right Fufeng and crossed at their leisure. This place is far from the territory controlled by the King of Wei; it is a buffer zone between the State of Wei and the Western Han forces, with neither garrison troops nor appointed officials.

For Wei army patrols of three to five mounted scouts, reaching this spot was already the limit. Beyond watching helplessly as the Greenwood men crossed the river, the only thing they could do was race back through the night to report.

Wei's General of Chariots and Cavalry, Geng Yan, was at Pingling, over one hundred fifty li from here — Liu Bosheng had already concentrated his main army north of Chang'an, where the Xin Dynasty's former Northern Army encampments still stood, ready to accommodate troops. Pontoon bridges were also being built simultaneously upon the remaining pillars of the Western Wei Bridge and the Central Wei Bridge, separated by several dozen li.

Accordingly, Diwu Lun had also ordered Wan Xiu and Geng Yan to garrison at Wei City and Pingling respectively for mutual defense, forming a pincer position, while he himself commanded from the center.

"Cavalry?"

By the time Geng Yan and Peng Chong learned of this, it was already noon on the thirteenth day of the ninth month. Hearing further that they had crossed the Wei at the border region between Western Han and Wei forces, Peng Chong could not help but say: "It seems Wang Yuan's attempt to persuade the Western Han on the King of Wei's behalf has failed. The Wei clan has decided to assist Liu Bosheng."

Geng Yan, however, shook his head: "The Wei clan has not openly broken with us. They likely intend to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

The distinction here was crucial. If the Wei clan were directly aiding Liu Bosheng, the river-crossers might be the famed cavalry of the Six Commanderies. But if the Wei clan were not directly entering the fray, then the only cavalry force under Liu Bosheng's command would be...

"The Garrison Cavalry Camp, which fled south in defeat when the Xin Mang fell and surrendered to the Greenwood Han!"

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Geng Yan was somewhat displeased: "Didn't the colonel stationed on the western flank say that the Garrison Cavalry Camp, serving as Liu Bosheng's vanguard, had advanced west to Zhouzhi and remained garrisoned there without moving? How did they suddenly run west over a hundred li to Mei County? Are they deaf, or blind?"

But the "cavalry" reported by the scouts could not be false. Two to three thousand horses — if not the Garrison Cavalry Camp, who else could it be? The Wei clan was unlikely to be that generous. It could essentially be concluded that the colonel on the western flank had fallen for the enemy's deception.

Having basically confirmed which detachment this enemy force belonged to, Geng Yan and the colonels under him were not the least bit nervous. Xin army turncoats — everyone knew what they were like. The King of Wei had also accepted the surrender of the Elite Cavalry Camp, and that unit's most famous battle achievement was indiscriminately attacking Dou Rong, who had come a thousand li to join them!

Afterward, Diwu Lun handed the Elite Cavalry Camp to Geng Yan to command. Geng Yan's assessment of them was six words: mud that cannot be plastered on a wall!

Of course, that was compared to the Youzhou shock cavalry he constantly yearned for. Once the Elite Cavalry Camp fell into Geng Yan's hands, they did improve somewhat, following him north to "persuade the surrender" of Xihe Commandery, then crossing Mengmen to intercept the Xin army's routed troops, completing a thousand-li flanking maneuver and the glorious feat of beheading Wang Xun and presenting his head — in a winning battle against a defeated army, the Elite Cavalry Camp could indeed be put to some use.

He had also heard that the Garrison Cavalry Camp was even worse than the Elite Cavalry. Three months ago, they had fled at the mere rumor of the enemy. They could not possibly have mingled with Greenwood bandits for three months and suddenly transformed into an elite force under heaven, could they?

"Liu Bosheng using the Garrison Cavalry Camp to circle around the rear is truly a misuse of troops."

He could see through the enemy's intent at a glance: make a feint to the east while attacking in the west. In the east, they opened battle at Huayin, seeking to draw Diwu Lun's forces; in the west, they dispatched a surprise force on a flanking maneuver, aiming to stab deep into their rear, throw everything into chaos, and further tie down the Wei army.

Deputy General Peng Chong requested instructions: "General of Chariots and Cavalry, they have already crossed the Chengguo Canal and reached Meiyang County, advancing toward Haozhi. We cannot fail to guard against this. How should we respond to the enemy?"

According to Diwu Lun's division, the entirety of Right Fufeng was Geng Yan's defense sector. Letting this cavalry force slip through to the north of the Wei was his responsibility.

Geng Yan found it merely laughable. Not to mention that Diwu Lun had already ordered every county west of the Jing River to strengthen fortifications and clear the fields — they wanted to play grand flanking maneuvers, grand envelopments, right in front of him, Geng Yan?

He dismissed it casually: "Commandant Peng, have you heard of Tian Ji's horse racing?"

"Horses are divided into upper, middle, and lower grades."

"If I am an upper-grade horse, then this Garrison Cavalry Camp is a lower-grade horse."

In the eyes of Geng Yan, who had never tasted defeat since taking the field, within his own camp, aside from Ma Yuan, who was an upper-grade horse, the likes of Diwu Lun and Wan Xiu were merely middle-grade horses. And Peng Chong was also a solidly lower-grade horse.

"That being the case, pitting a middle-grade horse against a lower-grade horse is more than sufficient."

In Geng Yan's estimation, the Elite Cavalry Camp, whom he had whipped into shape, was at least of middle-grade horse standard. Apart from this unit, there were no other cavalry available for the moment. Send them in pursuit, coordinate with the militia Diwu Lun had stationed in each county, and with home-ground advantage, it would be enough to trap or even annihilate this rashly advancing detachment!

Cheng Zhong, the former colonel of the Elite Cavalry Camp who had previously been demoted by Diwu Lun to "company officer," had followed Geng Yan in taking Xihe and beheading Wang Xun. For these merits, he was now reinstated as deputy colonel. Diwu Lun had also not forgotten his contribution in surrendering and had granted him the noble rank of "zi," for which Cheng Zhong was profoundly grateful.

Now granted another chance to lead troops out independently, Cheng Zhong, before Geng Yan, who had given him a second life, swore a military pledge.

"This humble officer will certainly redeem his past crimes with meritorious service!"

Cheng Zhong advanced with pent-up urgency, his march speed very fast. On the fourteenth of the ninth month, he reached Haozhi County. But from Haozhi, whose gates were tightly shut under the fortify-and-clear-fields order, he learned that the Han cavalry force was moving with fierce speed. Scorning the walled towns and already-fortified villages along the way, they had only overrun one loosely defended hamlet to seize grain to feed their horses and resupply, then immediately marched east.

Once he had clearly ascertained that the enemy was basically one man to one horse, Cheng Zhong was overjoyed: "They disregard their horses' stamina and force-march relentlessly. When battle comes, their mounts will surely be exhausted. Let's see how they fight then!"

He requested Haozhi County to send over a thousand able-bodied men to accompany him, and the Elite Cavalry Camp continued pursuing eastward. On the afternoon of the fourteenth of the ninth month, when they reached Wuchuang Mountain at Gukou County, they finally caught up to the enemy's tail!

Wuchuang Mountain was not tall — it was really just five hills, resembling bedsteads. The Han troops were seen halting among the hills. Their two-thousand-odd men had marched for a full day and night, basically without rest, and their horses were already quite exhausted. In contrast, the two thousand cavalry Cheng Zhong had brought still had fight left in them.

Seeing that the opposing force was indeed flying the banners of the Garrison Cavalry Camp, Cheng Zhong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He sent men to call out and demand their surrender, telling the Garrison Cavalry Camp colonel that he was an old friend, now enjoying wealth and rank in the State of Wei, and had even been granted a noble title. The King of Wei was short of cavalry — let the Garrison Cavalry Camp come over too. Wasn't that better than being bandits with the Greenwood?

But the man sent to demand surrender was shot dead by a young junior officer in the "Garrison Cavalry Camp" — and the crossbow shot was damnably accurate.

Since the call to surrender had failed, there was nothing for it but to fight.

A Major proposed: "Colonel, why not trap them here until the main army arrives?"

"Foolishness! The main army must guard the Wei River against Liu Bosheng. How can it come here? If we draw troops over, wouldn't we be falling for their diversion?"

Having been harshly punished by Diwu Lun the previous time, Cheng Zhong had learned to see the bigger picture. He rebuked: "Ten to surround — we are not enough to encircle them. There is a stream flowing here, and apart from Wuchuang Mountain, it is all flat ground. Their dry rations and grain for the horses are not yet exhausted. If we do not strike while their horses' stamina is spent, do we wait for them to recover their strength and mount up to escape?"

A chase of pursuit and flight would drag on endlessly. Even if just a few hundred of them managed to cross the Jing River, Cheng Zhong would be in enormous trouble.

"The Elite Cavalry Camp is constantly reprimanded. We have finally seized a chance for merit — we absolutely cannot let it slip away again."

He was also one of the founding veterans who had surrendered. Watching others being enfeoffed as marquises and earls while he himself was only a "zi" — it gnawed at him.

Against other armies, the Elite Cavalry Camp was timid, but against the Garrison Cavalry Camp, "comrades" they knew inside and out, they were brimming with confidence.

As the militia from Haozhi and Gukou counties successively arrived, Cheng Zhong began expertly deploying his troops, intending to use a two-to-one numerical advantage to annihilate the enemy here.

By now, the sky had grown somewhat dim. The opposing force left their horses among the hills and formed up in a battle array that Cheng Zhong could not make sense of!

"They actually abandoned their horses and formed an infantry line!?"

Cheng Zhong found it simply ridiculous: "In three months apart, has the colonel of the Garrison Cavalry Camp had his brains addled by the heat among the Greenwood men? In the old days, when the Xin Mang still stood, during the Northern Army's two-camp drills, they were no match for us even on horseback — let alone today?"

He then raised his command banner high: "Gentlemen, today we shall once again give our 'allies' a sound thrashing!"

On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, on the opposite bank, Liu Bosheng's main army had their two pontoon bridges half-built. Geng Yan, acting on Diwu Lun's orders, had also prepared fireships at the upstream crossing, ready to send them crashing in just as the bridges neared completion, leaving the Han troops to gaze at the river and sigh in frustration.

But there was debate within the army. Some argued for thoroughly destroying the pontoon bridges and continuing the standoff with Liu Bosheng, dragging the war into winter so the enemy would collapse on their own. Others argued that they should let Liu Bosheng finish his pontoon bridges, so his elite troops could cross the river and come over bit by bit to throw their lives away.

Geng Yan supported the latter view. Ever since taking the field, in every battle, he had summoned all his strength, only to feel in the end like he was throwing a heavy punch into a soft mattress.

Taking on the powerful clan forces at Wu'an was a trivial effort. Striking north of the Wei against the Mang, taking the Five Tombs in three days — easy. Seizing Xihe, crossing Mengmen, and beheading Wang Xun — others all cheered "Bravo!", but Geng Yan always felt it was just a little short of satisfying. Every engagement ended with the enemy collapsing before he had even exerted himself.

This was also why Geng Yan considered himself an "upper-grade horse," far surpassing the other officers. In the eyes of this young man barely past twenty, if only Diwu Lun would stop always giving him mere detached commands and instead entrust him with the entire army, Longyou would already have been conquered!

He had long heard that Liu Bosheng was a man skilled in the use of troops, perhaps also a fine horse. Geng Yan very much looked forward to a true contest of blade against blade with him.

Yet Liu Bosheng did not charge in headlong as they had expected. Instead, he unhurriedly built the pontoon bridge. They had heard this man was rash and reckless — how could he be so slow and deliberate in battle?

However, it was only when the defeated remnants of the Yueqi Camp fled back in disarray and reported the outcome that Geng Yan understood what Liu Bosheng had truly been waiting for!

"Colonel Cheng Zhong has fallen in battle!"

"The Yueqi Camp suffered several hundred casualties and lost its colonel. We had no choice but to withdraw to Haozhi. The militia from the two counties also collapsed and retreated."

The more Geng Yan listened, the deeper he frowned. He knew the fighting strength of the Yueqi Camp well. After months of his own rigorous tempering, they were not what they used to be — they had indeed reached the standard of a "middle-grade steed" and had gradually learned to fight boldly and fiercely. How could the Tunqi Camp be even more valiant?

"They spared no horseflesh on the march."

"They dismounted, formed infantry ranks, anchored their rear against the hills, kept perfect order, and advanced with ring-pommel blades like a moving wall? With commands as if from a single man?"

Geng Yan savored the defeated soldiers' description of the enemy's tactics. There might have been some exaggeration, but that sense of wrongness grew stronger and stronger. Finally, he declared with certainty: "The banners and armor are fake. These are absolutely not the Tunqi Camp!"

"They must be Jing-Chu warriors and master swordsmen from Nanyang!"

The confessions of several prisoners captured during the Yueqi Camp's engagement confirmed this.

"The General had the Tunqi Camp make a great show of force in Zhouzhi, then requisitioned their horses so that those among us Nanyang clan levies who could ride might mount them..."

Mounted infantry!

"Who is your general? Who leads this force?"

This was clearly a defeat, yet Geng Yan, who had been utterly listless and unable to muster any energy, suddenly grew excited. He pressed for answers and obtained the response he wanted.

"Lai Xi..." Geng Yan murmured the name. Meanwhile, Yueqi Camp soldiers who were unwilling to accept defeat and had continued tailing Lai Xi arrived one after another to report the latest enemy movements.

"Where has Lai Xi reached?"

"They abandoned their dead. Several dozen of their severely wounded drew their blades and took their own lives. The remaining two thousand have continued riding and reached the mouth of the Six Auxiliary Canals on the Jing River. It looks as though they are about to cross!"

At this point, Lai Xi's objective was glaringly obvious.

Geng Yan grew somewhat agitated. He looked at the map, at the vast expanse between the Zhengguo Canal and the Bai Canal — an area now defended by only ten thousand-odd militia, left behind as the main army shifted to the Five Tombs west of the Jing to block Liu Bosheng.

"Yueyang. Lai Xi intends to raid Yueyang!"

"What nerve!"

A mad act, yet Geng Yan could not help but praise it: "Lord Lai, you too are a top-grade steed!"

PS: Chapter 2 at 18:00.

(Chapter 3 at 23:00.)