Chapter 409: The Last Weibo yabing guards guards Guards

Xiao Pass lies southeast of present-day Guyuan in Ningxia. The Liupan Mountains stretch across the northwest of Guanzhong, serving as its shield.

The pass stands at a gap in the Liupan Mountains, holding a strategic position, guarding the route from the Jing River valley into Guanzhong. It is a vital pass on Guanzhong's northwestern frontier, bearing the heavy responsibility of shielding Guanzhong's northwest.

Historically, however, there were two Xiao Passes. During the Northern Song, in order to guard against the Western Xia, the Song court established a new Xiao Pass in present-day Tongxin County, Ningxia.

Of course, by now Great King Zhang had already uprooted the Dingnan Army, so naturally no northern Xiao Pass would ever come into being.

Feng Hui, leading three hundred men, had not long passed Xiao Pass when he sensed they were being watched.

These men, true to their reputation as fierce warriors of the former Silver Lance Honor Guard, or descendants of such fierce warriors, had actually succeeded in bypassing Weizhou (Pingliang), which was already largely under Zhang Zhao's control, crossed the Tanzheng Gorge, and made their way north of Xiao Pass, nearly reaching Yuanzhou.

"We'll rest here tonight and take turns standing watch. We move out at the third watch and shake off these scouts who've latched onto us!"

Though Feng Hui was already forty-six, he did not look like a man in his forties at all. Square-faced and wide-mouthed, with keen, spirited eyes, he moved more nimbly than a youth.

"We can't fight them, and we can't kill them. If it were up to my temper, I'd slaughter these few Tangut bandit scouts and be done with it!"

Feng Hui's eldest son, Feng Jixun, grumbled with some dissatisfaction.

Feng Hui was excellent in every way, except that he spoiled his descendants somewhat. Hearing this, he said nothing.

His trusted aide Wu Jixing gave a chuckle.

"Young lord, don't be angry. These men must not be killed. The Yuanzhou Tanguts are all under Great King Zhang's command. If we harmed them, it would be awkward when we meet."

"We can't even kill a few mixed Hu? Didn't you say Great King Zhang has tens of thousands of iron cavalry under his command? A few scouts without even armor—how could they be so precious?"

Feng Jixun kept muttering, until finally Feng Hui could not hold back. He turned and stared at his eldest son.

"You fool, if you keep talking, do you want to get us all killed? That King Zhang of Han has always been protective of his own. If you kill his scouts, how could he still put us to important use? When would we ever earn noble titles?"

Feng Hui, his face dark, gave his son a harsh scolding.

Of course, the word "fool" here is not the modern Japanese "chikan" meaning; it is roughly equivalent to "idiot," "dumbass," and the like.

After being scolded, Feng Jixun finally settled down.

The remaining several hundred men were long accustomed to such scenes, and showed not the slightest complaint about camping in the wilderness.

After silently gnawing on two flatbreads and drinking a few mouthfuls of cold water, those not on watch fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, when Yin Yuanzhu arrived with several hundred cavalry, the hillock where his Tangut scouts had sworn there were definitely people was already completely empty.

"Send fast riders to report to the Baicao Army and the tribes near Shimen Pass. Someone has slipped in. Search heaven and earth until you find them." Yin Yuanzhu glared coldly at the scout banner chief under his command.

After all that effort, the others had probably already passed Yuanzhou, and they still had no idea how many there were, or who they were.

In wartime, this would have been enough to make many heads roll.

Feng Hui and his men traveled by night and hid by day, covering over a hundred li in just two days—but this was their limit.

Because to pass north through Yuanzhou into the Yanzhou area would not be easy. The Guiyi Army had deployed large numbers of scouts here, and the only way to move north was through the Wei Rushui river valley.

They had not rested long when clouds of dust rose into the sky in the distance, drawing closer and closer. Soon the sound of hoofbeats could be heard.

Feng Hui was overjoyed. Around him, Feng Jixun, Wu Jixing, and the others all wore broad smiles. Wu Jixing even said excitedly:

"They say the elite cavalry of Hexi are no less than the Khitan's. Seeing them today, it is truly so!

These are merely tribal scouts of the Tanguts under Great King Zhang's rule, yet their tracking ability is already this formidable. If these were his elite troops, they would surely be peerless in valor. We have come to the right place!"

"Raise the great banner of the Lingwu Army Military Governor. We will wait right here for Great King Zhang to come!"

Feng Hui was equally excited. Ever since Shi Jingtang had driven him from the post of Military Governor of the Three Garrisons of Heyang to make room for Yang Guangyuan, he had resolved to seek a worthy new master.

Zhang Zhao had originally not wanted to come meet this Feng Hui. People always lack a clear concept of those they have never seen with their own eyes, and that was how Zhang Zhao felt about Feng Hui.

He had planned to send only Zhang Xichong to recruit him. But after hearing that someone could slip from Weizhou all the way to near Lingzhou—non-cavalry covering sixty li a day—he immediately recognized their value.

That ability to infiltrate and march alone, not to mention in this era, even in later ages, would be quite remarkable.

One had to remember that half of them wore armor, and each man carried at least forty jin of weight.

On the hillock, a mere few hundred men somehow gave the impression of a forest of blades and spears. Half wore iron lamellar armor and held bright silver long spears, adorned with leopard tails.

The other half held stiff bows and wore tight-fitting leather armor. They had formed a square formation with their backs to the hillock, layered with a strong sense of depth to face cavalry.

Huang Yingda drove over a thousand Yingyang Garrison elite riders in repeated charges around them, but these infantrymen stood utterly unmoved.

Whenever the cavalry approached a dangerous distance, the other side would accurately loose warning arrows, and the distance at which the arrows landed was essentially the same every time.

"Great King! These are truly fine infantry. Huang Yingda charged several times, and the other side did not so much as flinch.

But if he gets close, the enemy's strong archers are already prepared. Judging by marksmanship alone, it is Huang Yingda's men who would come off worse."

Ma Yaozi said from the side. Zhang Zhao nodded. Although the cavalry under Huang Yingda were not the most elite in the Guiyi Army, they were still not something ordinary infantry could handle.

Moreover, the other side was so composed. If they were equipped with pear-blossom guns—these early firearms that could fire—plus lightweight cloth-faced iron armor, they would absolutely be a crack force.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhao signaled the flag-bearer to have Huang Yingda and the others withdraw. Then, alone on his warhorse, he rode toward the hillock.

As Feng Hui watched Zhang Zhao draw closer, his heart began to pound.

Soon, Zhang Zhao entered the range of their massed bowfire. If Feng Hui gave the order to shoot now, he could certainly turn Zhang Zhao into a hedgehog.

What he did not know, however, was that Zhang Zhao wore specially made cloth-faced iron armor, better in protection and lighter than ordinary cloth-faced armor. The iron plates inside were refined steel plates smelted by Cao Yanming using a blast furnace.

On top of that, Zhang Zhao also wore a steel-wire ring mail hauberk of excellent defensive quality. With two such layers of armor, short of a strongman like a wild bear swinging a great iron hammer, nothing could hurt Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao rode all the way to thirty paces before stopping. He removed the phoenix-wing helmet from his head.

"May I ask which one is Military Governor Feng, come from the court? Please step forward and show yourself!"

Feng Hui threw aside the hengdao saber in his hand, removed his helmet and lamellar armor, and walked toward Zhang Zhao dressed only in a single layer of clothing.

Behind him, the three hundred soldiers of the Silver Lance Honor Guard all set down their long spears without a word.

"Military Governor Feng comes from the Eastern Capital. Have you come by the Jin sovereign's decree to take the Lingwu lands?" Zhang Zhao deliberately asked in a loud voice.

At these words, Feng Hui stopped directly, still ten paces from Zhang Zhao.

"Lingwu is the court's land. The Son of Heaven appointed me Military Governor of the Lingwu Army, so of course I am going to Lingwu to take up my post."

Zhang Zhao laughed loudly. "Then Yan-Yun is also the court's land. Why not appoint a few Military Governors to go take up their posts there?"

Feng Hui smiled bitterly. "Great King, you know the answer perfectly well. I am merely dispatched by the court. Great King is also a subject of the court—why make things difficult for me?"

"The Lord of Jin has lost his virtue, serving the Khitan like a son, unworthy to guard these ten thousand li of rivers and mountains. My Guiyi Army intends to set right what has been overturned. Why keep up this pretense, Feng Guangzhao? Come forward and pay your respects to the true lord, and join us in this great enterprise!"

Zhang Xichong now spurred his horse forward. He and Feng Hui were old acquaintances.

"What is Uncle still hesitating over? The Great King thirsts for worthy men. With Uncle's talents, why stay under the Lord of Jin's command, frustrated and unappreciated?"

The one who had ridden out to speak this time was, surprisingly, Chai Rong.

It turned out Feng Hui was from Weizhou, near Xingzhou. In his youth, Chai Rong's uncle and adoptive father, Guo Wei, had been a fellow townsman of his, and the two were acquainted.

Indeed, they were not merely acquainted fellow townsmen — the two had been close friends who stole chickens and dogs together, both wandering gallants from the old Weibo Army territory.

The grain-eating blue sparrow tattooed on Guo Wei's neck had been done together with Feng Hui, by a wandering Daoist priest. The two were kindred spirits, and even after each married, they often drank and gambled together.

Feng Hui naturally knew Chai Rong as well, and was greatly startled!

He knew the abilities of this adopted son of Guo Wei, and he knew the bond between Chai Rong and Guo Wei.

To keep Chai Rong by his side, without him returning to Hedong to seek Guo Wei — that was absolutely not something an ordinary man could accomplish.

He had traveled so far in secret, and revealed the look of a strong army — he had come to offer his allegiance.

Feng Hui had originally planned that if Zhang Zhao was not a true lord, he would sell the court's appointment as Military Governor of Lingwu for a good price and find somewhere else to make a living — at the very least he could go to Hedong and throw in his lot with Guo Wei.

If Zhang Zhao was a true lord, then he would follow him and seek a position as duke or marquis.

Now, seeing men like Zhang Xichong and Chai Rong serving under Zhang Zhao, he simply dropped to one knee.

"If the Great King does not disdain my age, the three hundred lads of the Silver Lance Xiaojie Unit are all willing to exert the strength of dogs and horses!"

All chapters have been cached for you. Download the APP to view them.