Chapter 163: Wen'an Station

Colonel Ai Mu stood atop the relay station fortress of Wen'an Station, his calloused hand brushing over the long-neglected battlements.

Ten years ago, he had followed his father as a household retainer, learning military affairs at Dingbian Camp.

Back then, he had once stayed at Wen'an Station.

He remembered this mountain pass being especially bustling — common folk from ten villages and eight townships gathered to hold a market, houses lined the streets in tight rows, all built like flat-roofed cave dwellings that collected water when it rained and grew grain when it didn't.

A pawnshop for clothes nestled between a boot shop and an inn; people favored the new over the old, making new clothes before the new year, wearing them until year's end, then pawning them for cash to buy replacements.

Surplus sons of military households performed wrestling daily for reward money, peddlers carrying chickens and selling fruit gathered around, and a painter whose headscarf couldn't cover his bald spot sat by the Wen'an Station river painting beauties — one beauty portrait for a jin of beef.

Green vines climbed the wall bricks; the hilltop relay fortress was lush and verdant. Inside stood a Kuixing Pavilion — he had even gone there to pay his respects.

Thinking back now, it was truly laughable. His branch of the Mizhi Ai clan had produced generals for three generations — they probably had no need for Kuixing's blessing.

The broad vistas of Wen'an Station, its flourishing appearance — all still vivid before his eyes.

Ten years passed in the snap of a finger. His aging father, worn down by overwork, died of illness in the Dingbian Camp headquarters, and he himself inherited that legacy, guarding the frontier for the Great Ming as a colonel.

All the memories of yesterday seemed to have turned to illusion.

The mat-shed stalls had vanished without a trace; the village houses west of the fortress had lost their beams and pillars, collapsed and ruined.

The ivy that once covered the fortress walls had either died of drought or been eaten away, now completely gone. The old fortress bricks bore the color of bare earth, and the Wen'an Station river nearby was on the verge of drying up.

Wen'an Station was empty of people.

But Wen'an Station was not the only place empty of people.

The clatter of armor from behind interrupted Ai Mu's brooding. He turned to see a young man in a padded cotton brigandine, holding an iron helmet, approaching with his hand on his sword.

The young man stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and reported: "General, that prisoner says that last year, Cao Cao could summon several thousand men with a wave of his hand, but this year, traveling everywhere, he could only recruit just over a thousand refugees. From a small glimpse, one can see the whole — the bandit strength in Yan'an Prefecture has already waned."

The young man was named Ai Huaiguang, Ai Mu's eldest son.

Besides Ai Huaiguang, Ai Mu had four other sons — Huai Xiang, Huai Ying, Huai Qian, and Huai Yuan — all serving in the army just as he had in his youth.

"Huaiguang, rise."

Ai Mu responded lightly, bidding his son to stand, then said: "The Supreme Commander intends to offer amnesty to the bandits. That prisoner is Cao Cao's maternal uncle — can he be sent to persuade them to surrender?"

"He can, but... Father — General — your subordinate fears he will only agree with his lips. If we let him go, once he sees Cao Cao, he'll surely join them in flight again."

"Then let him flee."

Ai Mu spoke with absolute finality. "The Supreme Commander's plan for amnesty is not wrong. Yanchuan and Yanchang are small counties, each with no more than a thousand households and a population under twenty thousand. In such a small county, if a hundred men turn bandit, the county magistrate deserves to be dragged out and beheaded. Now, how many more than a thousand have joined the bandits?"

He gestured for his son to look out at the barren mountains and bare ridges within view. "Huaiguang, this river is named after Wen'an Station. The lands along its banks are among the few prosperous places in these mountains. Now, even they have no one left."

"And isn't it the bandits who caused all this? A young fellow from Mizhi — the Master Ai I hired when I was learning martial arts as a boy — his son went into the mountains to become an outlaw last year. I heard from others that the one surnamed Li, who used to herd sheep as a long-term laborer for Uncle Nianhuai's household, couldn't repay his debt this year and killed the prison warden."

Ai Mu shook his head. "Look at the weather. How could he possibly have repaid it?"

Ai Huaiguang looked at the mountains outside, then back at his father, and muttered quietly: "For that little bit of money, why did Uncle Nianhuai insist he repay it? Knowing full well it couldn't be repaid, why lend him the money in the first place?"

"What else could he do?"

Ai Mu's counter-question was met with a long silence from his son. He continued: "If you don't lend, he's at a dead end last year and joins the bandits — and joining the bandits, he'll resent you and come looking for trouble with you first."

"The heavens send great drought. You lend, he can't repay. If you don't demand repayment, everyone comes to you for loans. If you don't lend, everyone joins the bandits and comes looking for trouble. You can only pick one — make a big example at the county yamen, let everyone see and dare not come borrowing."

Ai Mu shook his head, his expression impossible to read as joy or sorrow. "They picked one with a tough life."

He thought to himself: Mizhi has sixteen hundred households, and over four hundred bear the surname Ai. With several thousand people in the same clan, you couldn't help them all even if you tried.

Those who should have been helped, those who could be helped — they had been helped long ago.

Even those who shouldn't have owed anything, who owed nothing — they had been helped too.

It was simply the way of the world. The Old Lord in Heaven had issued his decree; all that remained was to see whose life was tough enough.

With these thoughts in his mind, Ai Mu recalled the corpses of those bandits lying in the valley.

He asked, "The squad sent to take heads?"

"Forward Scout Left Division, Sixth Squad. The squad leader is named Ma Maoguan." Ai Huaiguang said, "The Guanzhong troops have long gone without battle. Taking heads — I imagine they won't be as efficient as Dingbian Camp."

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Ai Mu caught sight of several riders racing back along the eastern official road, all dressed as mounted scouts. It seemed one had an arrow lodged in his back.

From the high ground in the mountains, three signal rockets shrieked into the sky.

This was the sign that the lookouts had spotted a large enemy force.

The soldiers who had been sent to draw water from the river first came running back, carrying buckets and wearing their shoulder guards. Then, after running a stretch, they caught sight of something beyond the mountain and simply abandoned their buckets altogether.

He narrowed his eyes and frowned, speaking to his eldest son: "Huaiguang, go to the beacon tower and raise the alarm. Send mounted scouts out of the relay fortress to notify the forward and rear outposts camped at Huoshao Gully and Liangjiahe on the opposite bank..."

From the eastern official road came the neighing of mules and horses.

A scout rider had just entered Ai Mu's field of vision when an arrow struck him in the back — the shot was extremely fast and deep, looking as though fired from a war bow.

Close behind, several riders burst forth in pursuit, all armored and equipped in the manner of frontier troops. They rode tall, powerful horses; some loosed arrows in volleys, some brandished bone maces and golden melon hammers in chase, and some galloped with lances tucked under their arms.

Inside the relay fortress, soldiers were frantically donning armor and stringing bows. Officers of every rank shouted orders without pause. On the mountain west of the fortress, thick black smoke now billowed from the beacon tower.

The scout rider turned in the saddle, bow raised to aim, but the several bandit riders chasing him had all maneuvered to his right rear. He barely managed to loose one arrow and missed. Instead, a bandit rider beside him, from just a few paces away, shot an arrow that knocked his helmet off.

His headscarf was torn away along with the helmet, and in an instant, his hair fell loose in utter disarray.

Some of the soldiers who had been fetching water saw several bandit soldiers bearing down on their position. Realizing they could not escape and had no armor to protect them, they had no choice but to draw their blades and face the fight.

But just as one drew his sword, a bandit soldier carrying a lance slowed his horse and charged at him. The lance pierced straight through his chest; clutching the spearhead, he was pushed backward several steps by the warhorse's momentum.

By then, the warhorse had stopped. The bandit cavalryman pulled out the lance head, then, gripping it with both hands from horseback, stabbed several more times. Only then did he plant his weapon in the ground, leap down, strip the soldier's shoulder guard, and put it on himself, mounting his horse again with smug satisfaction.

The scout rider fared no better. Helmetless and already struck by one arrow, just as he neared the foot of the relay fortress, a bandit soldier wielding a golden melon hammer caught up to him and smashed him in the back of the head, sending him tumbling from his horse.

But with the scout rider dead, the arquebusiers on the southeastern corner tower of the relay fortress had no further concerns. A volley rang out, wounding one bandit soldier and one warhorse, startling them into a hasty retreat.

Yet several more riders still charged toward the fortress gate.

Five government soldiers, leading their horses as they rushed out of the relay fortress to deliver messages, had not yet gotten clear before the gate was blocked by several riders. In an instant, arrows rained down in volleys, and some even fired arquebuses from horseback.

The five men ran — three corpses were left behind; the other two fled back into the relay fortress.

Immediately, the fortress gates slammed shut, and government soldiers formed ranks atop the fortress on its eastern, western, and southern sides.

In the ruined village west of the fortress, resting government soldiers saw the beacon tower's warning and hurriedly donned their full suits of armor. They assembled the supply wagons inside the village, then swiftly advanced toward the old horse and cart depot on the fortress's western side, crossing the moat via the pontoon bridge.

Ai Mu stood atop the south gate's high wall of the post station town, directing the government troops, and slammed a heavy fist onto the battlements.

Before occupying Wen'an Post Station, the government troops had carefully inspected the surrounding valleys. Moreover, they had fought their way here all the way from the east, and earlier they had sent Ma Maoguan's unit east to collect severed heads.

He had not expected a large force of bandit soldiers to come from the east.

Fortunately, however, the bandits seemed helpless against the post station chief and feared the firelocks and cannons on the southeast corner tower of the post town. Their main force could only form ranks far off to the side, not daring to press forward.

This gave the remaining soldiers of the Central Outpost, who were resting to the west, a chance to retreat into the post town for shelter.

The Lion Battalion formed ranks east of the town.

"General, why aren't we continuing the pursuit? If we advance now and don't let those government troops enter the town—the moat is still far off—let me go and rout them!"

Although Yang Yao's wounds had not yet healed, among the six combat outpost commanders, he was the most eager to seek battle, as if his troops were invincible.

Liu Chengzong rested one hand on his saddle, his demeanor relaxed, and his tone did not sound like he was on a tense battlefield. Instead, as if chatting, he raised his horsewhip hand and pointed at the distant post town: "Have you ever been to Wen'an Post Station? Look at this post town—a fine place."

Yang Yao first shook his head, then said: "I have. Last year, just after I joined you, General, we were heading west to Yan'an Prefecture City and passed by here... But General, this is no time for chatting!"

"Don't be impatient. Hear me out."

Liu Chengzong raised his horsewhip and pointed at the post town from afar: "This town is good in every way. It's hemmed in by mountains to the north and east. Outside the west wall is a moat. To the south, besides this official road, there's the Post River. If you approach from there, they can hit you with volley guns from the wall."

"You can't deploy a formation south of the town. To assault the town, you can only approach from the southeast corner—ten paces to the east, forty paces to the south. That's a width of fifty paces. Form a dense array there, and one cannon shot from the wall could kill or wound dozens of my brothers."

Though his words were grave, his expression was as relaxed as if telling a joke. He pointed toward the Post River: "You know why I'm so clear on this? Over twenty of my scouting cavalry brothers were once post station runners from here. Its post official was killed by me. Its grain was emptied by me. I am very familiar with this post town. You have to cross from the opposite bank of the river."

"Everyone must cross from the opposite bank, but not now. We must wait a bit longer, until the government troops west of the post town enter it, and then we'll bottle them up inside."

Yang Yao had been frowning as he listened. Wang Wenxiu, standing nearby, was also puzzled and asked: "Does the General know of a tunnel in this post town?"

"There is no tunnel."

"Then since this post town is easy to defend and hard to attack, why let the enemy troops inside?"

"Let them inside so it's easier to hit the others."

Liu Chengzong smiled as if it were only natural: "This town is easy to defend and hard to attack, but it's small and can't hold many people inside. Ma Maoguan said there are seven hundred troops stationed west of the town and five hundred inside. Right now, there are twelve hundred men in that town, and fifty of them are with me."

"Outside the town, seven hundred are camped at Fire Burning Gully in the northern hills, and seven hundred fifty are camped at Liang Family River in the southern hills... Listen to orders."

As he spoke, Liu Chengzong straightened up on his horse, and the outpost commanders gathered around him immediately assumed solemn expressions.

They heard him say: "The Left Outpost will remain stationed east of the town. The Right Outpost will guard outside the post town's south gate. The Central Outpost will go to the opposite bank of the moat west of the town. The Cannon Outpost will give the Red Barbarian Cannon to Feng Rang. If the enemy tries to break out and dares to open the south gate, bombard them with the Red Barbarian Cannon and force them back inside."

"Wei Qian'er's scouting cavalry squad will set up defenses in the northern hills and keep an eye on the seven hundred enemy troops stationed in the direction of Fire Burning Gully. If they move south, Outpost Commander Gao, who is guarding the east, will immediately send troops to support the west. Outpost Commander Feng must not move."

Feng Rang understood Liu Chengzong's intent. He was also from the capital army's firearm battalion and was a gunner himself. He immediately responded: "Rest assured, General. If the government troops inside the town dare to open the gate, I'll use the cannon to kill every last man in the gate tunnel."

Wei Qian'er was delighted. This was their home turf. The twenty-some scouting cavalry under his command were all locals, familiar with every tree and bush in the nearby mountains.

He immediately turned and said a few words to a trusted aide. Before long, two scouting cavalrymen came over and said they were locals from Liang Family River and would soon guide Liu Chengzong.

Liu Chengzong turned to his young sworn brother and said: "Chengyun, you stay here with the Supply Outpost. Keep your combat troops close to the west side. If the government troops break out and the western forces can't hold, send them to help."

Chengyun nodded very earnestly: "Brother, rest assured."

With orders issued to this point, the subordinate outpost commanders were already very clear on Liu Chengzong's tactics.

"The Forward Outpost, Rear Outpost, and Cannon Outpost will cross the river from the south. Let these two good men lead the way and first rout the government troops at Liang Family River."

Liu Chengzong looked specifically at Cao Yao and said: "Outpost Commander Cao, since you can't fight Pingyang Guard, try a mixed formation with Outpost Commander Wang this time. One hundred paces."

Cao Yao nodded heavily. In this battle, it was his turn to test a cannon volley at a distance of one hundred paces.

Just as orders were being given here, a scouting cavalryman came galloping back from the southwest to report: "General, several government cavalry riders emerged from the southern mountain path. After a brief skirmish, they retreated!"

A smile appeared on Liu Chengzong's face. He said to everyone: "They must be scouts sent by the enemy at Liang Family River. The government troops over there may already be prepared for battle. Be careful."

The commanders accepted their orders and each arranged their defenses. Soon, the main force waded across the nearly dried-up Post River. Those on defense duty began digging trenches beyond the post town's firing range.

The three outposts assigned to attack followed the valley road south, led by the local post station runners, heading southward.

Having accomplished all this, Liu Chengzong raised his telescope and looked toward Wen'an Post Town. On the gate tower, an officer clad in fish-scale silver armor was also holding a telescope, surveying the area outside the post town.

'So you are Ai Mu?'

Liu Chengzong thought to himself. He remembered when he had just left Yuhe Fort and passed through Mizhi, he had eaten a goat brought over by the Ai family.

"General, your subordinate does not understand. Why do it this way?"

Liu Chengzong turned his head. It was Fan Sanlang, wearing ill-fitting studded armor that made her look all puffed up, her cheeks flushed red from her hair and helmet.

He chuckled: "What way?"

"Encircling them, dividing our troops. Why not take advantage of the two government forces being separated and capture the town?"

It seemed this young girl actually wanted to learn military strategy.

Liu Chengzong said: "Everyone in the world lacks the means to assault cities. Battles that can take a city or stronghold within three days are exceedingly rare. And regarding sieges—have you read Sun Tzu's Art of War?"

Fan Sanlang shook her head.

"Even in field battles, it's best to have ten times the force to encircle and annihilate. With five times the force, I can choose when to fight. With twice the force, you must strive to defeat the enemy. If evenly matched, find a way to divide the enemy. If outnumbered, find a place to defend; if that's not possible, avoid battle."

"I don't have five times the force, so forcing a siege isn't worth it. But I can use twice the force to nibble away at the enemy troops."

"Then, then in the end," Fan Sanlang asked, "won't we still have to besiege and assault the town?"

"Everything else is false. In war, only people are real. You think it's about besieging a town and assaulting a city, but in truth, what you besiege is the heart, and what you assault is also the heart."

Liu Chengzong looked at her, smiled, and asked very seriously: "There are twelve hundred men in this little town. What are they going to eat?"

Source of "The Stubborn Bandits":