Chapter 93: Blade Drawn, Horse at the Ready

Follow the Te Wu county seat south for over seventy li, and on the upper reaches of the Bitter Water River, the water is actually not so salty — people and livestock can drink it, and you can even see fish swimming beneath the clear surface. The banks are high loess plateaus, and because their color is pale, the locals call this area "White Earth Ridge."

White Earth Ridge was the hiding place of Ma Yuan's band. In the basin among the mountain hollows were several dozen plank houses, where over a hundred households lived.

Ma Yuan still remembered that the first people he and Wan Xiu rescued were a family on the grasslands being hunted down by a Qiang-Hu lord from the Anding Dependent State. After that, as the two men's reputation for robbing the rich to aid the poor gradually grew, landless farmers and herders who could no longer survive joined them almost every month.

They brought their cattle, sheep, and horses with them, and gradually a band of several hundred gathered, with Ma Yuan and Wan Xiu as their leaders, forming an armed herding company.

Besides having everyone herd and farm, Ma Yuan also selected able-bodied young men and, playing to their skilled horsemanship, organized and trained them. They repelled probing attacks by the Qiang-Hu lords of the Anding Dependent State, and also made the Te Wu county authorities wary. Lacking the nerve to enter the mountains to exterminate them, the officials could only turn a blind eye, allowing Ma Yuan to become a force to be reckoned with.

This morning, as a horn sounded, the able-bodied men filed out of their plank houses and gathered laughing by the water, wondering only which wealthy household in the county — rich but unkind — Ma Yuan had his eye on this time, meaning to take them harvesting.

"It can't be the Zhang clan in the county!" someone joked, but they all knew it was impossible. The Zhangs were no ordinary local rich family. It was said their patriarch, Zhang Chun, was the fifth-generation descendant of Zhang Anshi, Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Han dynasty, and the former "Marquis of Fuping." Only after Wang Mang usurped the Han and he lost his marquisate, not daring to remain in the Guanzhong region, did he slink back here, content to be the third most powerful house in Beidi.

But the Zhang clan's influence remained: they owned hundreds of qing of land, with seven hundred servants, retainers, and soldiers. Their word carried more weight than the County Magistrate's. With the strength Ma Yuan and Wan Xiu had, they would never dare touch the Zhangs.

Yet, to everyone's shock, Ma Yuan's target for today was even more startling.

"Today we will not be paying any visits to rich households."

Ma Yuan swept his gaze over the crowd, a mix of Hua and Rong peoples, their only common traits being their hempen clothes and wool felt, their faces sun-baked to a dark reddish brown.

He smiled. "Tomorrow, we go to attack the Boar-Rush Braves who have been extorting and plundering south of the county, and with our own blades we will slay Major Ru Chen!"

The crowd fell silent. They had been fairly active over the past year, because Te Wu County had no major power, and they only needed to maintain a balance with the authorities and the Zhang clan. But ever since the Swallow-the-Hu General arrived, they had, without Ma Yuan needing to warn them, lain low considerably — after all, that was an army of over ten thousand.

Over the past month, Ru Chen had been wantonly seizing grain in the south of the county, provoking universal fury. They had all heard of it and had been indignant, but they never imagined Ma Yuan would actually dare!

Wan Xiu, seeing the timidity in their hearts, pointed out several among them. "You fled here from Anding last month. Do you know that it was Ru Chen who killed your wives and daughters and plundered your grain?"

"And you dozen or so, who just came to join us a few days ago, said that Ru Chen sent men to extort fodder and grain, and that you simply could not go on living, so you abandoned your fields and took to the hills."

The people nodded. Life in the mountains was hard, with wild beasts roaming, but oppressive government is fiercer than a tiger. Here they could taste the flavor of freedom — no tax collectors coming to the door to threaten them, no need to serve that damned corvée labor, dying for nothing from abuse on the road.

Wan Xiu said, "The one who directly destroyed your homes and brought calamity upon you was Ru Chen. Do you not want revenge?"

"To sit by and watch Ru Chen run rampant — who knows how many in Te Wu County will lose their homes like you did? Better to eliminate this scourge sooner rather than later!"

They had certainly not forgotten their hatred, but even so, the crowd still hesitated. "But we have only a hundred riders, while they number several hundred…"

Ma Yuan said loudly, "Soldiers are not about numbers, but quality. The Boar-Rush Braves are poor folk too — they won't sell their lives for Ru Chen. They're not worth worrying about. We only need to deal with the several dozen trusted men at his side."

"What's more, a true man's ambition should grow firmer in hardship, and his vigor stronger in old age!"

"Ma Yuan is thirty-five this year — a little old, I admit. I've muddled through this life, but today I intend to do something satisfying."

Ma Yuan reached out and took a crude apricot-yellow banner that Wan Xiu handed him. On it were written four ink characters: "Execute Heaven's Justice!"

"Gentlemen, blades in hand — follow me!"

…

The next day, by the time Diwu Lun and his several hundred men escorting the "grain" reached the banks of the Bitter Water River, the sun was already at its zenith. Xuan Biao, who served as the eyes of the "Fifth Column" and had gone to coordinate the meeting time with Ru Chen, also hurried back to report.

"Has Ru Chen set out?"

"He's already left the fortified camp."

Xuan Biao looked somewhat anxious. "But the numbers are greater than expected."

Diwu Lun grew tense. "How many?"

Xuan Biao said, "About five hundred Boar-Rush Braves, including over fifty of Ru Chen's personal guards and private retainers. But Ru Chen, being cautious, also pulled in the Patrol Officers from two nearby townships, each bringing several dozen township and village station troops to help him escort the grain."

Diwu Lun did the math and thought to himself, This is bad. "That way, even excluding the Boar-Rush Braves, there are over a hundred men who can fight — far exceeding Ma Yuan's forces."

Sure enough, plans never keep up with changes. Diwu Lun felt some anxiety. Should he send someone to request reinforcements, or trick the township Patrol Officers into leaving?

No, that would be tantamount to telling Ru Chen that someone might be coming to attack, and would eliminate the key to victory: surprise.

The grain transport column moved in a long single-file line. Ru Chen was moving a lot of grain, and the column stretched one or two li from front to back. The fortified camp was situated between the Han Canal and the Qin Canal, and to reach the ferry crossing near the county seat, he had to cross a bridge.

Diwu Lun had discussed with Ma Yuan and the others: the moment to strike would be when the vanguard had mostly crossed but Ru Chen, bringing up the rear, had not yet reached the bridge — a sudden attack then!

"I trust that Wenyuan and Junyou are both men of outstanding talent. Their force is mostly cavalry, so even if they fail to kill Ru Chen, they can still withdraw intact."

Diwu Lun took a deep breath and called for everyone to prepare to cross the Bitter Water River and head for the ferry.

"Everything is still within my plan!"

…

In a vast region like Te Wu County, where agriculture and pastoralism mixed, the household registration and travel permit system was very hard to enforce. On the grasslands beyond the Han Canal, it was common to see a rider or two galloping by, and no one paid them any mind.

Ma Yuan's band exploited this, breaking up into small groups and splitting into twenty squads, heading from different directions to their destination: Golden Grass Flats, beyond the Han Canal.

When everyone had gradually assembled, Ma Yuan swept his eyes over them and counted heads. Nearly all had come, their left or right arms bared, carrying bows and blades, heads held high as they looked at him. Their weapons had originally been extremely crude, but recently they had received support from a "friend who wishes to remain anonymous" of Ma Yuan's — only the inscriptions had been ground off, so the source could not be traced.

"All who are here today are men of ambition."

Ma Yuan immediately assigned tasks. "Junyou, in a moment you will take twenty men and be responsible for burning the bridge, to block reinforcements from the vanguard."

"And I will take eighty-some riders and head straight for Ru Chen! Killing him is enough — do not get bogged down in the fight or greedy for the grain carts."

The men assented and one after another tied the hemp cloth masks over their faces. They rode out of Golden Grass Flats and forded the shallow Han Canal. By this point, there was no need to hide their movements any longer. Farmers working in the fields near and far saw a band of riders leap onto the embankment and advance swiftly; they all stopped their work to gaze.

They skirted the sightline of the fortified camp, advancing diagonally northward from the other side. As they approached the bridge over the Qin Canal, sure enough, they saw in the distance the grain column, stretched out like a long snake, moving slowly. Oxen, donkeys, or pack horses pulled the carts; vehicles without draft animals were pushed by the Boar-Rush Braves. Beside each cart were two soldiers with blades, supervising.

Although the numbers were somewhat greater than expected, they were still very spread out.

After riding for a while, Ma Yuan's band had also become scattered and disordered. They rested briefly three li away, then mounted again. At Ma Yuan's whistle, they all tensely took up their bows and blades and followed their leader as he galloped forward.

Before the rear column had fully crossed the bridge, Ma Yuan led his men in a charge, surging forward!

Facing the onrushing cavalry, the Boar-Rush Braves pushing the carts were first stunned. Someone shouted — no one knew who — "The Hu barbarians are coming!"

At that, they immediately abandoned the carts, turned, and fled, only to find that the township troops beside the carts were running even faster, each one diving into the Qin Canal.

Almost no fighting occurred. The eighty-some riders bit down on the tail of the grain column, but looking left and right, they saw no banner of the Major. Ma Yuan only managed to catch the township Patrol Officer, who had not managed to flee. Under questioning, the Patrol Officer's trembling hand pointed toward the front of the grain column. "Major Ru… is up ahead!"

"He's not personally escorting the grain at the rear?" Ma Yuan was taken aback.

Wan Xiu grew frantic. The front half of the grain column had already marched over a li away and, now aware of the attack on the rear, was gradually rallying its fighting men. Their advantage was gone. Ever cautious, he said, "Wenyuan, better to burn the bridge, pull back for now, and look for another chance later!"

"Junyou, hold off on burning the bridge."

"What are you going to do, Wenyuan?"

Ma Yuan's gaze was fixed dead on the bridge, and on the Major's banner that was turning and heading back this way.

"Charge through!"

"I said, charge through!"

……

Just moments before, Ruchen had still been singing on the supply cart, daydreaming that this grain transport would once again earn the Swallowing-the-Hu General's favor, and that after the war ended, he'd land a Colonel's post.

He never expected the rear column to suddenly come under attack. The subordinate who rushed back to report the crisis shouted that it was the Xiongnu. Ruchen only found it absurd — the Xiongnu were still hundreds of li away beyond Beiyi Mountain, blocked by the Swallowing-the-Hu General's several thousand troops. How could they have silently reached this place?

"Could it be bandits from south of the county? Or some village's unruly folk, resentful that I seized their grain, posing as raiders to snatch it back?"

Ruchen truly wasn't afraid of them, and had no intention of fleeing. His instinct was that he absolutely had to hold the rear column's grain carts!

He immediately called his men together and organized all the Boar-Rush Braves.

Only, the organizing process was utter chaos — even more chaotic than the confusion on the opposite bank after Ma Yuan's men charged into empty air. Many Boar-Rush Braves had been waiting for just such a chance. The moment they saw the soldiers nearby weren't watching them, they turned tail and ran. Under Ruchen's command, they lived a fate worse than death, and many had discussed among themselves: "Better to flee beyond the frontier and join the Xiongnu!"

In the Boar-Rush Braves' imagination, the herdsmen's life on the other side of the Great Wall's earthen ramparts was utterly idealized. Wasn't it just herding sheep? Far easier than toiling from dawn to dusk — lying on the grass, basking in the sun all day, and eating meat every day.

In the blink of an eye, over a hundred men had fled, scattering in every direction, impossible to stop. In the end, they could only shove and jostle three or four hundred into a chaotic "grand army." Trusted aides and local soldiers, using dagger-axes, spears, and crossbows from behind, forced the Boar-Rush Braves forward, while Ruchen, in his war chariot, directed the battle from the very rear.

They turned and advanced toward the bridge over the Qin Canal. In Ruchen's view, the other side held only a few dozen petty thieves, while he had several hundred men under his command. Though most of the Boar-Rush Braves hadn't been issued armor or weapons, this mob was itself the finest shield — perfect for blocking arrows.

But when Wan Xiu, leading a dozen-odd riders, charged across the bridge with reckless abandon, Ruchen's great wall of flesh instantly showed its true colors.

As the horses on the opposite side surged forward on pounding hooves, their riders masked in hemp hoods and gripping ring-pommel sabers, someone — no one knows who — screamed "Run!" in terror. The three or four hundred Boar-Rush Braves scrambled over one another, dashing madly left and right in a boar-like rush. In mere moments, Ruchen and his few dozen soldiers were laid bare before the riders' blades.

Ruchen hadn't expected the Boar-Rush Braves to flee so fast. He frantically shouted: "Four-sided assault formation! Quickly, form the four-sided assault formation! Pull the carts over and make a circle!"

This formation was specifically designed to counter cavalry. The key lay in the cart barricade: first unhitch the oxen and horses, then link the vehicles into a circular or square rampart to serve as a makeshift camp, and position crack troops with powerful crossbows on all four sides. That way, they could withstand a Xiongnu cavalry charge.

Had there been enough time, Ma Yuan and Wan Xiu's motley riders would never have been able to touch Ruchen. But the crisis was sudden — where was the time to form a cart formation? Ruchen's subordinates could only aim their crossbows at the oncoming riders and shoot, heedless that the enemy was still over a hundred paces away. A spent crossbow bolt cannot wound man or horse.

Yet those loose, scattered bolts actually made the riders rein in and pull back. No matter how Wan Xiu shouted, they wouldn't budge. He could only unsling the bow from his shoulder and, with his riders, begin trading shots with the other side from the bridgehead.

It had plainly become a battle of rookies pecking at each other — both sides shooting at maximum range. After trading fire for half a ke, the fight was fiercely deadlocked, yet the wounded were pitifully few.

It did, however, give Ruchen the chance to send someone to beg his "allied force," Diwu Lun, for help.

He dared not abandon the grain convoy and flee on his own. He could only wait anxiously for reinforcements. But just then, the men beside him let out a terrified shriek!

"Behind us! There are bandits behind us too!"

Ruchen turned to look and saw twenty or thirty riders who had somehow circled around to his rear, massing over a hundred paces away. Then they spurred their horses into a trot and charged straight at them. In an instant, they were within thirty paces. The fine steeds' hooves struck the earth, and the tall rider at their head bore down on Ruchen at breakneck speed!

Ruchen bellowed for his men to turn around, but on the chaotic, clamorous battlefield, no one heeded his command anymore. He could only work the crossbow in his hands, aiming at the foremost rider and firing. To his dismay, the bolt flew wide. As he fumbled to recock it, the man was already upon him.

Ruchen barely had time to throw aside the crossbow and snatch up the long spear on the chariot, intending to meet him in combat. But in the instant they passed each other, his thrust struck empty air. The rider closed in, and with a fierce sweep of his long saber, severed Ruchen's right arm!

The earth suddenly rushed up close. Clutching his severed arm, Ruchen wailed as he tumbled off the horse and slammed heavily onto the ground. Before his eyes, footsteps churned in chaos; now and then, hooves charged right up to him. The battle had shifted from wild long-range shooting to a chaotic melee at close quarters.

Amid the chaos, a man reined in his horse, blade held crosswise, and leaped down. He strode calmly through the slaughter, heading swiftly toward Ruchen, his ring-pommel saber still tracing flourishes in the air. On its blade, Ruchen's blood dripped down, drop by drop.

Ruchen was in too much pain to think clearly, and couldn't rise to his feet. He could only tremble, trying to crawl under a cart wheel, but someone grabbed him and yanked him back, forcing his face up toward the sun.

Ma Yuan, his face covered by a hemp mask, planted a foot on Ruchen's shoulder. He unhurriedly confirmed with those beside him that this was indeed the villainous Major who had committed every evil — then burst into roaring laughter. In the next instant, he raised the keen blade high and hacked off Ruchen's head with a savage chop!

"The law indulged you, and military discipline promoted you. That's how this world is — jackals stalk the path! Since that's the case, then we three brothers, on Heaven's behalf, shall execute you!"

……

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