Chapter 574: Horse and Deer

In his lifetime, Ma Wu witnessed the founding of the Great Han twice.

The first time was six years ago, on the sandy altar grounds by the Yu River in Nanyang. The Greenwood Army assembled in chaotic ranks, and Liu Xuan was half-pushed, half-reluctant onto the stage. This Gengshi Emperor stood facing south, receiving the obeisance of Ma Wu and the others. Liu Xuan had always been weak-willed; seeing this scene of ten thousand gathered, he was so ashamed he broke into a sweat, raised his hand, and stammered, unable to speak a single smooth sentence.

At the time, Ma Wu supported Liu Bosheng. Seeing this, he looked down on Gengshi with great contempt and said indignantly in a low voice to Liu Xiu beside him: "Even such a worthless man can become Emperor. In my view, not only is Bosheng stronger than him, but Wenshu surpasses him tenfold!"

Back then, Liu Xiu only smiled faintly. Yet those words proved prophetic — the Greenwood Han was indeed an empire built on sand, and it soon collapsed and scattered. And Ma Wu was fortunate enough, at Sishui Precinct in Pei County, to witness once more the revival of the Great Han: this time, the one ascending the throne was none other than Liu Xiu, who had inherited his elder brother's aspirations!

Completely opposite to the mediocre Liu Xuan, the Jianwu Emperor Liu Xiu was a born sovereign. His skill was sufficient to restrain and steer his ministers. After establishing the capital at Jiangdu, he once summoned Ma Wu and the others for a grand assembly. While celebrating their achievements and chatting with them, he said: "Everyone seated here today is a Marquis, General, or Minister. Yet had Wang Mang not usurped the Han, and a descendant of Emperor Xiaoxuan still occupied the throne, I would likely be just an ordinary imperial clansman in Chongling, farming and selling grain at home. And you, gentlemen, without encountering this opportunity, what rank and salary do you imagine you would hold? What would you be doing?"

At that moment, Deng Yu, who had just become Grand Chancellor, was the first to speak: "Your servant studied a little in his youth and could have served as an Erudite of Letters for a commandery."

Liu Xiu laughed and said that Deng Yu, as a scion of the great Deng clan, had cultivated his conduct and integrity, and could perfectly well have served as a commandery Merit Evaluator, in charge of achievements, promotions, and demotions.

When it was finally Ma Wu's turn, he could not wait and shouted loudly: "By my martial valor, your servant could serve as a Defender Commandant, supervising the capture of bandits and thieves!"

Unexpectedly, Liu Xiu pointed at him and laughed: "General Ma, it would be a great fortune if you did not become a bandit yourself. Even in a golden age, I fear you would be a great thief, and who knows how many Defender Commandants and Precinct Chiefs you would have killed."

Whether it was because of that remark — "Even you as Emperor would be better than Liu Xuan" — or because he had married Ma Wu's younger sister, Liu Xiu was partial to Ma Wu. Ma Wu was by nature fond of drink, broad-minded, and outspoken. That day, drunk, he even slighted his colleagues in front of the imperial throne, commenting on their strengths and weaknesses without any taboo or restraint, drawing furious glares from his fellow officials.

Had it been the founding ancestor Liu Bang, he would probably have been secretly grinding his teeth in hatred. But Liu Xiu did not fault Ma Wu for his crudeness and indulged him all along, even taking no offense when Ma Wu lay drunk in the great hall, instead draping a blanket over him.

Ma Wu felt grateful in his heart, but this blanket seemed somewhat heavy, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe…

Pain suddenly rushed back, and Ma Wu awoke with a start. There was almost no part of his body that did not hurt; from his forehead to his legs, he was covered in wounds. The most serious was the sharp arrow piercing his abdomen — the handiwork of a six-dan crossbow. It had thrust in through a gap in his shattered armor, and the organs in his belly were surely mangled beyond recognition. The blood still had not stopped, dripping onto the ground drop by drop as the stretcher moved.

Only then did Ma Wu realize he was tied to a stretcher, being carried forward by men — no wonder the dream had felt so tight. He turned his head to look left and right, and all he saw were miserable, fallen corpses. The blazing Han banners were half-burned, sinking into the mud, trampled underfoot by Wei soldiers.

Ma Wu remembered now. He had advanced west under Deng Yu's orders but was encircled by an enemy force twice his size. After several attempts to break through, none had succeeded — the enemy had over a thousand cavalry. At short range, how far could they run on two legs?

And later, after Cen Peng had finished dealing with Deng Yu, he turned his army back and surrounded Ma Wu layer upon layer. He led his troops in battle for a full day and night until he could hold out no longer. His personal guards died to the last man. Just before Ma Wu could cut his own throat, the Wei soldiers swarmed him and took him captive.

"General Ma is awake?"

A broad face leaned in close. It was the Wei general who had captured Ma Wu. He was in excellent spirits and looked down at Ma Wu with a smile: "The General does not know me, but I too once served in the Greenwood."

This man was none other than Wei Colonel Yu Kuang, a native of Xi County in Nanyang. He started as a mountain bandit and joined when Liu Bosheng campaigned in the Guanzhong region. But as the Han army suffered defeats, he promptly left the Greenwood and defected to Diwu Lun. Together with other Greenwood surrenderees, he was subordinated to Cen Peng and fought his way back to the south.

After Yu Kuang surrendered to Wei, his greatest achievement had been escorting that fellow Feng Yan into Shu. But now that Feng Yan and General Cen had fallen out, this experience was, for him, a negative mark.

Unexpectedly, Heaven smiled upon him, and Yu Kuang received the assignment to intercept Ma Wu. Despite the meddling of countless "brother units" scrambling for credit, he still captured him. This man was the brother-in-law of the Han Emperor Liu Xiu, one of the core figures of the Eastern Han, and the highest-ranking general captured since the war between Han and Wei began!

"I hear the General was once a bandit, and so was I. Later, the General served the Greenwood, and so did I."

Yu Kuang instead tried to persuade Ma Wu: "Now that you are unfortunately captured, does General Ma not have old ties with General Cen? If you are willing to surrender to Wei, our dynasty's gates remain wide open!"

Ma Wu, however, feigned the weak breathing of a gravely wounded man, making Yu Kuang lean in closer. Unexpectedly, his eyes suddenly bulged wide, and he opened his mouth and bit down on Yu Kuang's ear, tearing off a corner with desperate force. Blood instantly streamed down Yu Kuang's head!

Ma Wu spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and cursed loudly: "Even if your father is a bandit, he is a great bandit! How can a petty thief like you compare?"

Then he suddenly struggled violently. The chaos caused the soldiers carrying the stretcher to lose their grip, and Ma Wu fell face-down, slamming hard onto the ground. The result was that the arrow lodged in his belly drove even deeper, and a great deal of blood soaked through his back as well!

By the time Cen Peng finally saw this "old acquaintance," Ma Wu's injuries were even worse. He had lost too much blood, his organs were damaged, and he had fainted again. From his pale lips came only a faint murmur: "In death, I shall still be a ghost of Han…"

Cen Peng sighed and ordered the Wei soldiers to splash him awake with cold water.

Ma Wu opened his eyes. When he saw Cen Peng, surrounded by a host of colonels and officers like stars cupping the moon, looking down at him from above with the bearing of a victor, he shook his head before recognizing him. He only sneered and cursed: "Cen Junran, had I known this day would come, back in Wancheng, King Bosheng should never have pardoned you!"

Over five years ago, when the Xin Dynasty collapsed, Cen Peng was trapped in Nanyang. With no other choice, he had to follow Yan You's dying wish and surrender to Han. Unexpectedly, Yan You wanted him to live, having already resolved to die himself. That day, after Cen Peng hastily buried Yan Erudite, who had taken his own life, he led his troops to kneel before the gates of Wancheng to welcome the "royal army."

What entered was an army in a riot of mismatched clothing. Their first act in Wan was to loot and plunder wildly. Only the troops under Liu Bosheng had passable discipline. And men like Ma Wu and Wang Chang all entered the city with him and accepted Cen Peng's surrender.

Yet today, victory and defeat had reversed.

"General Ma."

Cen Peng had heard of Ma Wu's temperament and knew he had absolutely no intention of surrendering. He only said in a low voice: "When you reach the Yellow Springs and see Bosheng, please tell him a message for me."

"Cen Peng indeed once received Bosheng's mercy in sparing my life, but that kindness is far outweighed by the teacher's grace of Lord Yan Erudite and the sovereign's grace of the Great Wei Son of Heaven. While Bosheng lived, Cen Peng did nothing whatsoever to wrong him, but this cannot truly be counted as repaying his kindness. In this life, I swear to destroy Han for my Emperor. Bosheng's grace and righteousness can only be repaid in the next life!"

"Peng has always known General Ma to be loyal and brave. Today, I shall send you on your way!"

With these words, Cen Peng reached out and grasped the arrow lodged in Ma Wu's abdomen. Ma Wu gripped his wrist tightly, but after a long moment, he released it.

In Ma Wu's eyes was defiance, and also the calm of one who has seen through life and death: "So be it. To die at Cen Junran's hand is better than being humiliated by jailers and common soldiers."

As Cen Peng pulled out the sharp arrow, Ma Wu's wound worsened. With the massive hemorrhage, the breath in his chest also escaped. But Ma Wu still did not utter a single sound. Only the fury and light in his eyes slowly dimmed as the blood flowed out, until they vanished completely.

The once great Greenwood bandit had become a lifeless thing.

"Find a fine coffin and lay him to rest. The weather is hot; I fear he cannot be sent back to Huyang. Bury him near Fancheng. Erect a sword and inscribe it: 'Tomb of Ma Wu, the Great Greenwood Bandit.'"

Cen Peng granted his enemy final dignity, wiping the blood from his hands. With Ma Wu's death, the battle north of the Han River was thoroughly concluded. Deng Yu had escaped with only his own life; over ten thousand troops were annihilated at Cen Peng's hands. One-eighth of the Han army's total strength was gone in an instant. This was the greatest victory he had ever won since surrendering to Wei!

"At last, I have not failed His Majesty's heavy trust."

Cen Peng raised his head to look at the clear sky after the rain. His art of warfare was learned during the southern campaigns under Yan You, precisely amid these very mountains and rivers, listening to Lord Yan's teachings, and he had benefited immensely.

"Master Yan, do you see?"

Cen Peng only sighed inwardly: "Your disciple has won another battle against the Han troops! Liu Xiu, another Greenwood great general has fallen!"

However, the war was far from over. Before Cen Peng's side could celebrate the victory, an urgent report arrived from the main camp on the southern bank of the Han River:

"Han General Feng Yi fiercely attacks the southern mountain pass. Our army has already lost two colonels and can only maintain a defensive posture. The Agriculture Magistrate says he hopes that after General Cen concludes matters north of the river, he will come quickly to Tanxi to take charge of the overall situation!"

…

When Cen Peng once again stepped onto the pontoon bridge connecting the banks of the Han River, he was no longer as hurried as before. His mount's hooves were rather unhurried.

Behind him were the troops who had just fought a great battle and were now resting, reorganizing, and guarding the prisoners of war; the elite soldiers who had no time even for a nap before having to follow Cen Peng to shift operations south of the river; the supply troops guarding the pontoon bridge, standing on both sides; and even the great army on the southern bank, eagerly awaiting his arrival…

The eyes of everyone looking at Cen Peng were filled with admiration and blind trust. Over the past few months, the Wei army in Jing and Xiang had been restless and uneasy. After all, the pieces Cen Peng had laid out in advance were something even deputy generals and colonels could not see through, let alone ordinary soldiers.

But now, Cen Peng had annihilated over ten thousand Han troops in a single battle, and it was said he had even slain Liu Xiu's affine relative. Even though the main Han force was still in the south, no one doubted anymore that Cen Peng would easily defeat them!

Yet Cen Peng's heart held no such optimism. He had already arranged for the great camp south of the river to hold fast and wait, merely to delay Feng Yi. How could they have suffered such a major defeat, even losing two colonels and several thousand troops?

As soon as he reached the southern bank, Cen Peng met the frantic Ren Guang himself, who informed him of the specific situation.

"Just this morning, after the news of the Han army's Deng Yu division being annihilated arrived, Feng Yi's side likely learned of it too. They promptly retreated in haste from the southern mountain pass. The deputy general and colonels at the pass fortifications, spurred on by the General's victory, disregarded previous orders and sent light troops in pursuit. I was unable to stop them in time. Unexpectedly, barely half a shichen into the chase, they were ambushed by Cen Peng at the neck of the southern mountain, losing troops and officers…"

After hearing the detailed battle report, Cen Peng finally understood: this Feng Yi had actually pulled off a reverse ambush, turning the "bottleneck" terrain disadvantageous for advancing troops into an ambush point.

"What is the battle situation now?"

"After Feng Yi succeeded, he immediately launched a fierce assault on the mountain pass. Two camps fell. Now his vanguard is already pressing close to the Tanxi main camp." Ren Guang was not overly panicked either. The terrain advantage was still on their side. With Cen Peng's return, everyone was filled with confidence in the war. If Feng Yi dared to thrust into the Xiangyang basin, he would surely suffer a painful blow.

Deng Yu had fled; capturing and executing Feng Yi would expand the victory and also erase the blemish of this minor setback.

Yet when Cen Peng heard that Feng Yi was attacking with such ferocity — as if determined to fight his way in and avenge Ma Wu — he merely sighed.

"This is Feng Yi's stratagem. The force storming the southern hill is only a diversion. Feng Yi himself will have already turned his rear column into the vanguard and withdrawn south!"

Seeing this hunt end almost as soon as it began, Cen Peng could only clasp his wrist in regret and count off his quarry one by one:

"The 'horse-deer' is dead, but the 'rhinoceros' has slipped away through the water, and even this great 'tree' has sprouted legs and is about to leap out of the trap!"