Chapter 108: Discipline and Power

On the third day of the eighth month, the column reached Baijiachuan in Yanchang County.

The autumn sky was high and crisp, the sun no longer so scorching, and even the sweltering heat in the air had fled without a trace. The occasional cold gusts reminded the chieftains that it was time to start stockpiling fodder and provisions for the winter.

The long march had long accustomed Liu Chengzong to a world of yellow dust, but as he stepped onto the ancient Gan-Long road amid billowing clouds of dust, a landscape of vibrant color finally reappeared before his eyes.

Climbing groundsel with tiny yellow blossoms blanketed the riverbanks, and on a few earthen slopes, salt fields had set up their boiling pans — everywhere was a vast expanse of white.

In the boundless fields, Sichuan pepper was ripening, and in the distance, orchards hung heavy with jujubes — a sea of vivid red across the land.

On the rolling mountains farther away, the dogwood had turned crimson, and the lush forests seemed dyed a layer of gold by autumn.

There was also the clear blue sky and the clouds drooping low over the mountain ridges. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful, as if they had stepped into another world.

Except for them.

Stepping onto the ancient Gan-Long road was like a signal. Before the chieftains even understood what was happening, the crowd had scattered with a roar.

People on the north bank were sprinting wildly — some rushed to the river to drink, some dashed into the fields to pick grain, and even more tried to cross the river.

Some led mules onto the bridge, others stripped off their trousers to swim across.

People on the south bank were also sprinting wildly, and the alarm bells and drums rang without pause.

Spotting them pour out from the mountain path in the distance, the villagers dropped whatever work was in their hands and fled home, then grabbed the old and the young, pushed carts and led livestock, escaping toward the mountains.

On the mountain stood the sturdy earthen fort they had built.

The earthen fort was huge; people from all three villages along the riverbank were running toward the mountain.

The entire column fell into chaos. The starving refugees were running, the squad leaders were running, and even Bu Zhan Ni, Shang Tian Hou, and Hun Tian Hou mounted their warhorses and charged forward at the first moment.

The grimy Shang Tian Hou galloped forward a few steps, then glanced back and saw that Gao Yingxiang and Liu Chengzong had not moved. He wheeled his horse around and came back. "Cross the river! Everyone's heading for the opposite bank — what are you two doing?"

Gao Yingxiang looked a little embarrassed. He glanced around but said nothing.

Liu Chengzong knew what he was looking at. He was looking at the troops.

A force of over seven thousand men had, in the blink of an eye, lost more than half its number. Those still maintaining formation on the mountain path were either the women guarding the baggage or the children leading the mules.

Even the old men on crutches had charged ahead.

Of the few remaining units, Gao Yingxiang's eight hundred well-trained border troops, divided into two companies, had already donned their armor and were advancing in formation toward the front.

There were also over three hundred Mongol auxiliaries. Their chieftain was a simple-minded Mongol who stood behind Gao Yingxiang with his men, unmoving.

Apart from them, the only ones still able to hold their ranks in place were Liu Chengzong's men.

To be precise, all that remained were Liu Chengzong's men.

On the ridge between the fields, Wei Qian'er, mounted with the great banner on his shoulder, had not moved. His scout cavalry, in groups of three or five, occupied every vantage point from the valley to the official road.

Gao Xian and Feng Rang, each leading their troops at the front, had already emerged from the valley. In the open ground on either side of the official road, they were donning their armor and maintaining formation to guard the critical pass.

Cao Yao's battalion artillery squad was at the rear, guarding the gun carriages and watching over the baggage, though their formation had been scattered and they were currently regrouping in place.

Since Gao Yingxiang said nothing, Liu Chengzong said nothing either. For a moment, an awkward silence hung between them.

He could not stand the sight of people indiscriminately looting villages, but at the moment, everything he ate came from Gao Yingxiang's military grain.

Moreover, aside from the combat soldiers in Gao Yingxiang's main force, Bu Zhan Ni's unit, Shang Tian Hou's unit, and Hun Tian Hou's unit, many of the starving refugees were going hungry — yet they provided enough grain for his own combined camp of over five hundred men to eat their fill at every meal.

This left him with no standing to obstruct or advise from any moral high ground. If he found it distasteful, all he could do was watch.

This matter could only depend on Gao Yingxiang's own plans.

But the focus of Gao Yingxiang's attention was not on the villages across the river.

Shang Tian Hou followed Gao Yingxiang's gaze and looked around as well. He, too, noticed the anomaly.

It was Gao Yingxiang who broke the silence first. In a flat tone, he asked Shang Tian Hou, "What were you running for?"

"All my men ran off — I had to go to the front and command them!"

After saying this, Liu Jiusi realized he had spoken far too matter-of-factly and felt a twinge of regret. He added, "Winter's almost here, the cold is brutal. The brothers were just going to grab some clothes to wear."

Gao Yingxiang nodded. He lifted his head to look at the deep blue sky and exhaled heavily through his nose, as if asking himself, or perhaps asking Shang Tian Hou, "Then why did my troops run off too?"

"They're impressive!" Shang Tian Hou exclaimed in admiration. "Led by Zhong Dou Xing, they marched off in neat formation with their armor on."

Zhong Dou Xing was Gao Yingxiang's younger brother, named Gao Ying'en.

Just moments ago, Gao Yingxiang had been talking to Liu Chengzong about Gao Ying'en, remarking that he considered himself a man of some spirit, yet he had no idea why his brother had taken the nickname Zhong Dou Xing.

The Star Lord Zhong Dou, also known as Da Kui, governs the protection of life.

Gao Yingxiang turned his head and asked Liu Chengzong, "Then why didn't your men move?"

Shang Tian Hou said, "I've looked. Every man under Liu the Lion has a padded cotton jacket. They don't need to steal clothes."

"That's not the reason." Gao Yingxiang sighed. "It's because he gave no order. Look, Monkey — his four units are all waiting for his command."

At this, a trace of anger finally surfaced on Gao Yingxiang's face. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "The Lion is right. Men like us cannot hold Golden Lock Pass and Yan'an City."

He raised his hand and pointed ahead. "Go. Command your men. Stop them on the north bank. And Bu Zhan Ni and Hun Tian Hou too — stop them on the north bank. See if you can make them listen."

Shang Tian Hou, still bewildered, spurred his horse and rode forward.

Only then did Gao Yingxiang smile and say to Liu Chengzong with admiration, "I told you I was right to seek you out. Your men here — now these have the look of elite soldiers."

Liu Chengzong shook his head. "Master Gao, my men are not elite soldiers. If it came to a real battle, they might not match the two companies of border troops led by Zhong Dou Xing."

If this was a contest about discipline, then the contest was not a fair one for Gao Yingxiang.

But Gao Yingxiang did not know that. He thought Liu Chengzong was merely being modest and waved his hand. "Later, you must tell me how you train your troops..."

"It's not that my men are crack troops. It's just that my men don't have the habit of looting commoners, and I've never let them loot."

In that instant, the expression on Gao Yingxiang's face was spectacular — shifting from disbelief to relief, and finally settling on nothing but regret.

It was a simple enough logic to grasp. Liu Chengzong had few men, so he had no need to plunder villages. His frequency of raids was high, and seizing relay stations one after another had been enough to supply them.

Having figured this out, Gao Yingxiang shook his head ruefully. "I had originally thought the same way, but once the band grew large, there was no way to keep everyone fed."

It was like a vivid lesson, and Gao Yingxiang was not the only one who learned from it.

Gao Yingxiang saw discipline; Liu Chengzong saw power.

Power appears to come from above, but in truth, it comes from below.

In a land crawling with petty chieftains, they were not necessarily the best fighters in the band, nor the highest in status or most learned, nor even the most talented.

They simply thought the way most people did, did the right thing at the right time, earned prestige and won allegiance — and so became leaders.

Even if he never bathed.

The three chieftains each tried to rein in their bands. Only Heaven-Reaching Monkey Liu Jiusi could cool the crowd's frenzy; most men regrouped around him.

More men, after crossing the river, saw the main force still massing on the north bank and ran back again.

No-Stick-Mud had no thought of restraint at all. He crossed with his chaotic followers and let them plunder watermelons in the fields at will.

It was not necessarily that No-Stick-Mud could not control his soldiers.

Rather, Gao Yingxiang could not control No-Stick-Mud. These chieftains were merely in a joint camp; they had no superior-subordinate relationship, just banding together to survive.

Among the chieftains, Mud-Scrambling Monkey looked the most wretched.

He obeyed Gao Yingxiang closely and tried his utmost to hold his men at the riverbank, but his followers were fiercely independent. Many simply melted into No-Stick-Mud's band and crossed to loot the opposite bank.

Only a minor headman called Bai Guang'en gathered a few dozen men and stayed by Mud-Scrambling Monkey's side.

The main force did not cross the river. No-Stick-Mud led over a thousand men in sacking the salt pans, orchards, pepper fields, and villages, then returned laden, draped in the common folk's padded jackets and bedding.

"Tch, if you lot aren't heading that way, there's bound to be good stuff in that fort. I saw it."

Back on the north bank, No-Stick-Mud was beside himself with glee. He said to the others, "What are you still standing here for? One word from the Dashing King — do we storm the fort or keep moving?"

Gao Yingxiang shook his head. "Let's split forces here."

"Huh?"

No-Stick-Mud frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think? It's time to split. Seven or eight thousand men in one place — no one can feed that. You have the most men; go to the central part of Yijun. Heaven-Reaching Monkey, go to Yichuan. Mud-Scrambling Monkey, to Luochuan."

Gao Yingxiang knew perfectly well he could not control No-Stick-Mud, and this fellow townsman of Wang Jiayin was not easy to restrain either. He said, "Keep in touch with each other through messengers. Use this time to drill your brothers. The moment there's word of government troops, follow the plan and run for Yanchuan."

This was the plan they had long agreed upon. No one objected. No-Stick-Mud jutted his chin toward Liu Chengzong. "What about Lion Liu and you?"

"I'll stay right here in Yanchang, close to Yanchuan, and keep some strength in reserve to fight the government troops."

Gao Yingxiang turned to Liu Chengzong and said, "He's a Yan'an man, so he'll go back to Yan'an."

The very day the split was decided, No-Stick-Mud and Mud-Scrambling Monkey pulled their bands out and left.

Heaven-Reaching Monkey was not going the same way, so he said he would tag along a while longer, until Gao Yingxiang found a place to settle; then he would lead his band south to Yichuan.

But on the road that followed, right until he followed Gao Yingxiang deep into the mountains to a deserted village called Guyuan, he stuck to Liu Chengzong's side, asking about methods for drilling troops and disciplining ranks.

Liu Chengzong knew his own limits best. Disciplining the ranks was the squad leaders' achievement; what the hell did he know about disciplining ranks?

As he had told Gao Yingxiang, the reason his four squads of men were obedient was partly his prestige from leading at the front, and partly the source of his troops.

They had all undergone military training and knew that once the formation scattered, their fighting strength was gone.

They all had winter clothes and had never gone hungry. Used to the big business of raiding government offices and post stations, unless they were truly starving, they looked down on the paltry pickings of looting a village.

But most important was that the leaders of the three outposts and one squad believed — believed that Liu Chengzong would not let them suffer loss, believed that Liu Chengzong could keep them alive.

The greatest lesson he could pass on to Liu Jiusi was to build an organization. Even if you led a mob of starving refugees, you had to select layer upon layer of refugee commanders from among them.

Liu Chengzong could not teach Heaven-Reaching Monkey much. Instead, a few days of contact gave him a much deeper understanding of the man.

Heaven-Reaching Monkey's real name was Liu Jiusi. The moment Liu Chengzong heard the name, he knew the man's origins were actually not bad.

A question confirmed it. His father and grandfather had built a decent family fortune through trade in Qingjian early on; their family land had been greater than that of Old Master Liu of Black Dragon Mountain.

Jiusi — "Nine Reflections" — came from the Analects, "Ji Shi, Chapter Sixteen": In looking, reflect on clarity; in listening, reflect on acuity; in countenance, reflect on warmth; in bearing, reflect on respect; in speech, reflect on sincerity; in conduct, reflect on reverence; in doubt, reflect on inquiry; in anger, reflect on consequences; in seeing gain, reflect on righteousness.

But his luck was a little poor. Not long after he was born, his parents died one after the other. He was raised by his grandfather, but before he reached the age for schooling, his grandfather too was gone.

His relatives did not let him starve, but they only did not let him starve. The family shops and land shrank year by year, and by the time he was grown, hardly anything was left.

Later, someone led him into gambling, and he thoroughly squandered the family estate.

But losing the family estate was nothing to him. Instead, it was those who had ruined him that made him feel he mattered; being with them felt warm.

Later, though, those gamblers abandoned him too, and he could only wander.

Until the number of people rising in rebellion and plundering everywhere grew. Perhaps it was his nature — if someone treated him well, he repaid that kindness doubly. In the hardest times, if he had a mouthful of food, he would endure hunger to share it with those who followed him.

That was how he rose from beggar to chieftain.

Liu Chengzong asked him why he never bathed. He said not bathing made him feel safe; that thick layer of grime on his body was like a suit of armor.

On the sixth day of the eighth month, Heaven-Reaching Monkey led his band to Yichuan.

Gao Yingxiang scattered his men around Guyuan to set up camp, and showed Liu Chengzong how his force normally operated.

Under his command were not only border troops and tribal warriors, but also a great number of women, craftsmen, and even more starving refugees with no talent for fighting.

Over a hundred blacksmiths, carpenters, peddlers, and spirit mediums left the mountains to roam in all directions, gathering intelligence. In just two or three days, those nearby had already returned with news of village terrain and wealthy households and officials; those farther afield were still on the road.

At this rate, within ten days they would have a complete picture of the situation in Yanchang.

After that, grain-gathering and fodder-gathering squads, formed from refugees and women, left camp daily to collect wild fruit in the mountains and graze the horses and donkeys.

The combat troops used this time to rest and build strength, preparing to strike hard once the intelligence arrived.

Liu Chengzong did not stay long. Gao Yingxiang held him in high regard. Before his departure, he prepared grain for the mule team, specially slaughtered a lame donkey, and sent men to a village outside the mountains to trade silver for wine, laying out a feast to see him off.

But the meal did not go smoothly. Halfway through, a relay rider arrived with a report: government troops had come to the mountains to the south.

Over two hundred riders, with four to five hundred horses.

When the news came, the Central Dipper Star Gao Ying'en was just raising a wine bowl to toast Liu Chengzong. He had swallowed half a mouthful when he heard the report and sprayed it all over the ground, choking and coughing uncontrollably.

Coughing, he gasped, "Brother, strike, strike camp — cough cough — government troops!"

The entire camp erupted in turmoil.

Strangely enough, if the intelligence had reported four or five hundred government troops, they might not have been so afraid.

But the number "two hundred riders" — any peasant army in northern Shaanxi trembled at the sound of it.

After all, last time Li Bei had taken two hundred riders and fought his way from Yellow Dragon Mountain to beyond the Great Wall, nearly piercing straight through all of northern Shaanxi.

Gao Yingxiang was not as frightened as his younger brother. He wiped his mouth and said, "What's there to fear? Lion, I'm afraid you won't be leaving just yet. How about we fight them?"

Liu Chengzong felt the same way. Holding his wine bowl, he nodded and said, "We must not let ourselves fall into disarray now. If we run, we'll end up just like Old Huihui... Hm?"

Before he could finish, he saw a commotion at the campfire by the camp gate, and then a familiar figure walked over — it was actually Liu Jiusi, the Heaven-Raising Monkey, who had left and now returned.

Behind him was a man wearing a cotton-armor coat that belonged to a border-army squad leader, the armor covered in battle scars. The Heaven-Raising Monkey walked up and introduced him: "This is Tall Chuang Wang."

The man looked around, then clasped his fist toward Gao Yingxiang and said, "Tall Chuang Wang, my respects."

Without waiting for Gao Yingxiang to return the greeting, he turned his head and asked the Heaven-Raising Monkey, "Where is General Liu?"

The Heaven-Raising Monkey gave Gao Yingxiang a helpless look, then raised his hand to indicate Liu Chengzong.

Liu Chengzong looked at the man, his face full of suspicion. He confirmed again and again that he truly had no memory of this person. He set down his wine bowl, rested his hand on the hilt of his waist saber, frowned, and asked, "Who are you?"

The border-army man stepped forward, studied him carefully, then lifted his leg into a bow stance and performed a military salute. Clasping his fist, he said, "I am Yang Yao, Mounted-Arms Centurion of the Guyuan Garrison, leading two hundred and forty brothers to come and pledge allegiance. I earnestly beg the General to take us in!"