Chapter 343: Villains Always Share a Telepathic Bond

Below Mawei Slope, across this boundless stretch of river-valley plain, dust clouds rose into the sky on every side.

Each cloud of dust was a few dozen cavalrymen locked in a dogfight.

The Fengxiang Army's cavalry were doing their utmost to secure the main army's line of march — at the very least, to buy the main force enough time to don their armor.

The Guiyi Army's cavalry were exceptionally ferocious as well. Besides tangling with the Fengxiang cavalry, they repeatedly pierced through the Fengxiang cavalry's screening line to harass the Fengxiang main force, which was forming up as it advanced.

This wore Li Congyan down until he had no choice but to have part of his infantry take turns wearing armor and standing guard with strong bows and heavy crossbows. A march of barely thirty li ended up taking a full day and a half.

And the worse the situation became, the less Li Congyan dared to rest. He judged that the Hexi army must be fiercely attacking Li Congzhao at Xingping County — otherwise so many cavalry would not have appeared to desperately delay his march.

"Sima Liu! Tell the lads — if we reach Xingping County today, I will bestow a reward of ten thousand strings of cash!

Once we've slain the Hexi bandits, their fine horses and iron armor — I won't take a single horse or a single suit of armor for myself. All of it goes to the lads!"

Hearing Li Congyan's order, this Liu, the Marching Sima of the Fengxiang Military Governor, hurriedly sent men to pass the word.

For a moment cheers thundered, and everywhere rose the expected cries of "We thank the Great King for his lavish reward!" The Fengxiang Army moved as if wound up like clockwork, their pace quickening at once.

Li Congyan looked forward and back from horseback, and saw that heaven and earth were filled with the mighty officers and soldiers of the Fengxiang Army.

He felt rather pleased with himself. He had marched out of Wugong County with a little over ten thousand men, and the young lord of the Xiongwu Army, the Chief Commander of Cavalry and Infantry, had also brought thirty-five hundred men to reinforce him.

The two forces combined came to a full fourteen thousand. Xingping County held another seven thousand, and even if some had been lost, five thousand would still remain.

That made nearly twenty thousand troops. That Hexi brat's own core army numbered only a little over eight thousand, and even with some prisoners taken, it came to no more than ten thousand-odd.

Moreover, most of those prisoners had old ties to his Li family. It was quite possible that the moment he, the Prince of Liqi, showed his face, he could win over several thousand defectors before the battle even began.

"With such a mighty army! Like a fierce tiger pouncing on a rabbit — victory is in hand!"

Having finished this arithmetic problem, Li Congyan — who had inherited Li Maozhen's cunning and his knack for winning hearts, but not much of his military talent — couldn't help bobbing his head and preening with pride.

Unfortunately, not long after the words left his mouth, changes on the distant battlefield smeared a handful of black across Great King Li's face.

Once past Mawei Slope, the ground was littered with all manner of discarded clothing and fragments of carts and horses, and from time to time another corpse belonging to the Fengxiang Army was turned up.

It was obvious that Li Congzhao had been ambushed here.

The cavalry battle in the distance had also reached a white-hot pitch. The Guiyi Army's cavalry kept increasing, and the Fengxiang cavalry's range of movement had been compressed to within two or three li — already a somewhat dangerous position.

What was more, a force of over two hundred Guiyi cavalry had just broken through to within a short distance of Li Congyan, giving this Prince of Liqi a real fright.

"Great King, something is wrong. There are far too many Hexi cavalry before us — I fear there must be several thousand of them.

Given the Hexi troops' numbers, there is no way they could still send this many men to delay us while besieging Xingping County!"

After the Guiyi cavalry had appeared near Li Congyan for a while, Li Congyan's brother-in-law, Lu Duan, the Left Chief Commander of Cavalry and Infantry of the Fengxiang Army, galloped over and said.

As one of the Fengxiang Army's pillars of military strength, Lu Duan had not only married Li Congyan's full sister, but the Lu family was also a great clan of Fengxiang, and he enjoyed Li Congyan's deep trust in ordinary times.

"Then what does Fourth Brother think — that the Hexi army is not besieging Xingping County?"

Li Congyan asked. Though he had little military talent, he did have one virtue: he never pretended to understand what he did not.

"Great King, in my humble view, the Hexi army very likely intends to besiege the point and strike the relief force. Their attack on Xingping County is a feint; their true aim is to rely on their superior cavalry to ambush us on the road!"

"I second that!" Sima Liu, standing to one side, cupped his hands toward Li Congyan and said.

"The Third Lord has seven thousand troops in Xingping County, and the Hexi troops number at most a little over ten thousand.

The art of war says: 'Thus the method of employing troops: if ten times the enemy, surround him; if five times, attack him; if double, engage him; if equal, be able to fight him; if fewer, be able to withdraw from him; if no match, be able to avoid him. Therefore the obstinacy of a small force makes it the captive of a great force.'

The Hexi army is besieging Xingping County with less than double its strength, and even that is only because Xingping's walls are small and lightly defended. There is absolutely no way they could also detach several thousand cavalry to delay us!"

Li Congyan thought it over, and it did seem to be so. "Then according to Fourth Brother and Sima Liu, should our army advance or retreat?"

Lu Duan pondered for a moment, then said firmly: "We have already marched thirty li today; there is absolutely no reason to retreat. But neither should we advance further.

This place is less than twenty li from Xingping County — a fast horse can make the round trip within a single watch. Our army would do better to encamp here, on ground sheltered by hills and close to water, and send fast riders by the mountain paths to Xingping County to find out the true situation before deciding.

If the Hexi army truly means to besiege the point and strike the relief force, then order Third Brother to bring out the Xingping County army and strike them from front and rear with us — we will make sure they never return!"

"Good!" Li Congyan clapped his hands. "The Hexi men may have many cavalry, but they cannot seal off every mountain path. We shall stay right here and see what tricks he can play."

Zhang Zhao stood atop Mawei Slope and sighed. That Li Maozhen and his son had entrenched themselves in Fengxiang for decades — and that the Li family was one of the rare Five Dynasties warlord families in which father, son, and grandson all met good ends — was indeed because they had capable men to assist them!

"Order Murong Xinzhang, Li Yanli, and Li Zhongchao to combine their forces and clear away the Fengxiang cavalry before us.

Ma Yaozi leads the Hanhai Garrison on the right; Zhao Cunyi and Luo Shande (Shanzhu'er) lead the Yucheng Garrison on the left, forming a great infantry battle formation.

Hu Cile and Guo Guangcheng lead eight hundred cavalry to Xingping County, to capture or kill any bandit troops entering the county. If Li Congzhao dares come out of Xingping County, intercept him at any cost!"

"Yes!" The assembled officers hurried off to their respective duties, while Zhang Zhao led the Hanshan Capital personal guard in the center as the main force of the infantry.

This would be another bitter battle, because Zhang Zhao could not allow Li Congyan's Fengxiang Army to establish their camp.

If they truly got it established, and then attacked Zhang Zhao from front and rear together with Li Congzhao at Xingping County, he would have no choice but to cough up the supplies he had just seized and retreat to Qianzhou.

"Great King, look! There really is an ambush! The Hexi army is coming!"

On the Fengxiang side, they too saw the Guiyi Army emerging with great fanfare. Several thousand troops slowly advanced from behind Mawei Slope, their battle formation stern and orderly.

"The vile curs!" Li Congyan cursed loudly, then raised his voice and shouted as well.

"Order the rear army to close up quickly, the vanguard to form ranks on the spot, and send word to Commander Song — tell him to hasten here and join us!"

Li Congyan's Fengxiang Army was arranged in a vanguard-center-rear pattern: two thousand men in the vanguard as the spearhead, seven thousand in the center as the main force, and one thousand in the rear responsible for baggage and provisions.

The Xiongwu Army's thirty-five hundred men were led by the young lord surnamed Song, Chief Commander of Cavalry and Infantry, on their right flank.

Before the Guiyi Army emerged from behind Mawei Slope, Murong Xinzhang and the others had already driven off all the Fengxiang cavalry before them and seized a gentle slope of slightly higher ground.

The moment the Guiyi Army arrived, they held the advantage of high ground — though the slope was a little too gentle, and the advantage was not great.

With a few shouted orders, the Guiyi Army's recognition banners and the gongs and drums of each garrison, battalion, company, and squad were set in place.

The troops of each unit, according to their organization, deployed into the standard crane-wing formation, with cavalry on both wings and infantry in the center.

The Fengxiang Army did much the same. The officers and men on both sides were all seasoned veterans; neither could hope to catch the other off guard, and both directly deployed this formation centered on a head-on infantry decisive battle.

The only difference was that the Fengxiang Army was short of cavalry, so they placed some archers and crossbowmen on the wings to guard against the Guiyi cavalry's charges.

'Clop-clop-clop!' A cavalry officer bearing a white banner rode out from the Fengxiang formation and reined in his horse between the two armies.

Make no mistake — he was not coming to surrender. The white banner marked him as a messenger.

"Great King Li of Daqi, the Hexi Military Governor Zhang is requested to come before the battle lines to parley!" The rider waved a white flag twice and shouted in a loud voice. Sure enough, he had come as a messenger.

This was certainly novel. This Li Congyan still had a taste for old-fashioned ways. Zhang Zhao rubbed his nose and said to Murong Xinzhang and Li Cunhui beside him, "You two, follow me out!"

"Let me lead the Military Governor's horse!" Dunzhu, standing nearby, was fully armored in helmet and mail. Four throwing spears were stuck in the quiver at his side, and he held two more in his hands.

Zhang Zhao chuckled. "Then you'd better run fast in a moment!"

Dunzhu smiled knowingly. "Rest assured, Military Governor. These legs of mine are no slower than the heavenly horse beneath you!"

With Dunzhu leading his horse, Zhang Zhao came out before the two battle lines. At this time, Li Congyan also slowly rode over.

The two men had brought roughly the same number of attendants. Li Congyan had three elite riders with him, while Zhang Zhao had only Dunzhu, one infantryman leading a horse.

"Military Governor Zhang has long been in Hexi, and I fear he does not know the rites of the Central Kingdom. Quelling rebel troops may be loyalty, but to raid and kill the soldiers and officers of my Prince of Qi's household army — that is the great crime of rebellion!"

The fat, bulky Li Congyan felt displeased the moment he saw Zhang Zhao in golden helmet and golden armor, and he spoke with a mocking tone.

Zhang Zhao's face turned cold. "Long been in Hexi, does not know the rites of the Central Kingdom" — wasn't that just calling him a barbarian boy who knew no rites? So he sneered.

"The Prince of Qi may sit in Guanzhong, but he watches idly while rebel troops run rampant. How many families have been destroyed? How many lives lost? Rites such as these — I, in Hexi, truly do not know them!"

Li Congyan's face also turned cold. This was cursing him as knowing less of right and wrong than a barbarian boy of Hexi. At once he raised his hand, pointed at Zhang Zhao, and shouted.

"You little brat from Hexi, falsely claiming to be the descendant of loyal subjects! The moment you entered Guanzhong you set about winning hearts. In name you come to quell rebellion, but in truth you harbor wicked designs.

I am your elder, and I will not quibble over your rash offense. If you can withdraw quickly, you may yet keep your life and return home!"

"Hah! You and your father have held Fengxiang for decades, seizing the Son of Heaven and murdering princes at will. Above you deceive Heaven, below you oppress the people. The spawn of traitors dares call himself a loyal and righteous elder — how shameless! Today you will surely be buried here!"

Trash talk, was it? Who's afraid of whom!

"You don't know what's good for you!" Li Congyan waved his hand in a huff and turned his horse to go back with his three elite riders. But he cast a sidelong glance and signaled with his eyes to the three riders beside him.

Zhang Zhao also pretended to wheel his horse and head back, but when he tugged the reins, he did not turn back — instead he spurred his horse forward.

At this moment Zhang Zhao and Li Congyan were separated by about three or four hundred paces. He only needed to charge a little over two hundred paces to bring Li Congyan within range of a strong bow.

However, the moment Zhang Zhao spurred his horse forward, he saw the three elite riders Li Congyan had brought with him likewise charging forward in pursuit.

Uh..........!

Both sides were instantly stunned by the other's shamelessness, and the very air seemed to freeze for a second.

After that brief shock, the killing began!

"Watch my divine archery!" Murong Xinzhang shouted, racing to the very front. He loosed three arrows in quick succession, all striking one elite rider of the Fengxiang army.

That elite rider wore two layers of armor, but the bow in Murong Xinzhang's hands had tremendous power.

All three arrows struck home. Though they did not kill him, they still pierced his armor, and the pain made the rider howl. He hastily flattened himself on his horse's back and fled back the way he had come.

Another elite rider exchanged two arrows with Li Cunhui, and neither hit. The two men simply cast aside their bows, took up their lances, and paired off to stab at each other.

In the end, Li Cunhui proved the more skillful. He struck that elite rider until the man vomited blood and tumbled straight off his horse.

Of the three elite riders, the one charging straight at Zhang Zhao seemed the most capable, and his target was clear — he was coming for Zhang Zhao.

But Zhang Zhao paid him no attention at all. He shouted "Dunzhu!" and spurred his horse toward Li Congyan.

Hearing Zhang Zhao's call, Dunzhu charged forward and, at extreme speed, hurled the two spears in his hands and the four in his quiver — six throwing spears in all — within the space of a few breaths.

This elite rider had originally come to deal with Zhang Zhao, but he had not expected that Dunzhu, who had no warhorse, would have throwing spears — and that they would be so powerful and so accurate.

Caught utterly unprepared, he had no way to dodge. He could only let out a miserable scream as three of Dunzhu's throwing spears struck him and knocked him off his horse.

By now Zhang Zhao had nearly caught up with Li Congyan. The horse beneath him was a Ferghana blood-sweat steed.

"Do not harm my king!" At the same time, a dozen or more Fengxiang cavalry had noticed something was wrong and were racing over to help.

Seeing more men coming out from the Fengxiang army, Zhang Zhao had no choice but to loose three arrows from a little over a hundred paces.

But the first arrow missed completely. Nothing to be done — archery was not this Military Governor Zhang's strong suit.

The second arrow was far more accurate, skimming over the top of Li Congyan's head and frightening the Prince of Qi so badly that he shrieked.

The third arrow did hit, but unfortunately it struck the horse's leg. The warhorse suddenly lurched and threw Li Congyan straight to the ground.

What a pity. The Fengxiang cavalry had already arrived, and Zhang Zhao did not dare risk riding over to finish him with a lance thrust. He could only wheel his horse and head back.

By now Murong Xinzhang and Li Cunhui had also arrived, and the two of them covered Zhang Zhao as he galloped back to their own lines.

"Kill him! Kill him for me!" Li Congyan, lying on the ground, howled at the top of his lungs.

Several of his personal guards went to help him up. The Prince of Li was covered in dirt from head to toe, and faintly, around his crotch, there seemed to be some damp stains.

—————— Author's note ——————

An extra update in honor of "Wu Huo Yan Si Dui" Tangzhu's ten-thousand reward. In truth, there are many book friends whose rewards I have not yet added updates for, and for that Tiger offers his deepest apologies. As everyone knows, I am a sorry writer who posts as he writes. If one day I rage-write thirty thousand characters, I will certainly make up all those reward updates!

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