Chapter 185: Timely Rain Knows Its Season

He Huchen stood in a rain cape atop a flat rise six li from the battlefield, gazing into the distance.

The rolling ridges were a blaze of autumn color; cloaked in mist and rain, Yellow Dragon Mountain shed its ruggedness and brimmed with lush green.

This had once been a hamlet of a dozen or so households — now the people were all gone, leaving only scarred, crumbling walls. The Ningxia Regional Commander's tent was pitched right here.

He Huchen should have been closer to the fighting, but the sudden downpour had seized control of the battle's tempo.

This was the ideal place to camp; neither east nor west could one easily find level ground on slightly higher terrain.

Two hundred border troops up from Ningxia were on the flat, pitching tent after tent and rigging rain shelters from spears and canvas, beneath which they kindled cookfires.

The damp firewood burned with enormous billows of smoke that rose churning above the flat.

When the soldiers fighting on the front line returned, these would let them hang their clothes to dry, and the tents would shield them from wind and rain.

He Huchen was a veteran of the border army. Though he did not believe Old Jackal Li could win, he had still prepared for two outcomes.

If the bandits broke and fled after engaging, the Ningxia troops would not pursue but would withdraw to camp to rest and regroup.

If they could not secure victory quickly, they would likewise fight a fighting retreat, pulling back to camp.

They had not expected rain in northern Shaanxi after years of drought and had brought too little rain gear.

Moreover, the valley terrain would flood the roads, and the latrine needs of over a thousand soldiers would become a major problem — men standing in water with vapor rising would sicken many.

The crux of this battle had already shifted from defeating the enemy to keeping warm enough to minimize troop wastage.

In these conditions, at this temperature, even without an assault, Old Jackal Li's logistics alone would leave his men soaked, ill, or even frozen to death.

What do you mean, Old Jackal Li's logistics?

It means no logistics at all.

By his reckoning, word of victory should be coming back from the front about now.

What seemed like a cannon shot echoed through the valley.

He Huchen frowned. This was a full six li from the front line, and it was raining.

The report of a Gushing Pearl cannon should not carry this far.

A mounted scout burst through the curtain of rain, reined in below the flat, flung himself from the saddle, and knelt. "Grand Commander, Divine General reports: the enemy is not Old Jackal Li. They are fully manned and fully armed, drawn up in formation a hundred paces from our lines. They traded thirteen cannon salvos and did not break!"

Traded thirteen salvos and did not break?

True, the Gushing Pearl was a small cannon — light charge, light shot, loaded with one large ball of a catty and two taels and twenty small balls of one tael each, short barrel, short range.

The barrel couldn't be made long, either — if it were long, it would burst.

But small as it was, it was still a cannon. Twenty one-tael balls firing at once was no joke; even a big animal like a horse couldn't get up after taking a hit.

By what virtue could Old Jackal Li's roving bandits trade thirteen cannon salvos?

He Huchen thought, Damn — we haven't just beaten up Du Wenhuan, have we?

Last year, reading the patrol reports, when Mobile Corps Commander Lu Cheng fought the Yanshui Pass Commander, he had thought those two were unimaginably colossal fools.

And this year it was his and Du Wenhuan's turn to be the colossal fools?

But the next moment he dismissed the thought.

He knew Du Wenhuan. Old Man Du could not fly.

So the Yulin army could not possibly be in Yellow Dragon Mountain today.

The only man who could appear in the Yellow Dragon Mountain road was the great northern Shaanxi bandit chieftain, Liu Chengzong.

When He Huchen heard this news, far from being alarmed, he grew cheerful.

Liu the Lion's force, called Lion Camp, was the hardest-hitting of all the northern Shaanxi bandits. Whoever entered Yan'an Prefecture got hit by him.

Every officer on the Three Borders of Shaanxi knew this. He Huchen had dared enter Yan'an Prefecture with no intention of bypassing this mountain.

Meeting now, instead, set his mind more at ease.

He Huchen was deeply wary of Lion Camp.

But what he feared was not Liu Chengzong — it was the hundred thousand loess ridges and gullies of northern Shaanxi.

If Lion Camp lay hidden in the shadows and struck when the Ningxia troops let down their guard, not even heavenly soldiers and generals could withstand it.

But meeting them head-on in this mountain defile — that He Huchen did not fear.

They were all border troops; failing to win quickly was normal. Just bottle them up — there was no room to maneuver here anyway. Once Du Wenhuan sealed the other end of the road, all under heaven would be well.

But it seemed all under heaven was not to be well after all.

Half a ke later, another scout came galloping in — a mounted soldier from the second defense line four li out.

This time he could not even manage the kneeling salute, shouting his report: "Grand Commander, the second line has been broken through by Divine General's troops! They're about to come flooding back in rout!"

"Flooding back in rout?"

Before He Huchen could press for details, a chaos of panicked shouts was already carrying from the distance.

First, two groups of mounted troops, several dozen riders each, came racing from the direction of the second line. The two company commanders rode abreast, seemingly arguing as they galloped, and in a flash they had reached the foot of the flat.

One commander led his riders up onto the flat; the other group did not so much as glance at He Huchen on the flat but kept galloping west.

He Huchen said furiously, "What is the matter with them?"

The commander who had brought his men up onto the flat dared not speak. Only when He Huchen asked a second time did he lift his head. "Grand Commander, the bandits hid a thousand-catty divine engine in their formation and used the rain and overcast to shift their artillery out to the right flank. They opened fire from both sides at once. Divine General's division broke and fell back in full rout."

"And why did you not hold the second line — why come running back here?"

"The second line could not hold. The Young Grand Commander did not expect the front to collapse and was hurriedly reforming the troops when Divine General's fleeing soldiers scattered them. The Young Grand Commander sent our two mounted companies to protect you, Grand Commander."

He Huchen was momentarily speechless.

Too many questions — for a moment he did not know whether to berate his son first, or ask about the military situation, or inquire about that mounted company that had ridden off.

"Do I need protecting back here? And what was that mounted company that ran off about?"

The mounted company commander drew a deep breath. "He said the court still owes last year's pay and there's no point throwing his life away here…"

"Idiot! There are enemies on the rear road!"

He Huchen spat out a fierce curse, then realized this was no time for anger. He pointed urgently east. "What of the two defense lines?"

"It's chaos. The routed troops from the front line have smashed through the formation and jammed the road ahead. The bandits are using their elite troops to pursue and slaughter, while sending detachments to pin our flank soldiers against the ridge."

He Huchen drew a deep breath and ordered his household retainers to pass the word, summoning soldiers to reinforce the second line of defense: "They've routed, so the bandits' pursuit will be chaotic too. We can still turn the tide!"

The order had just been issued when the cavalry squad leader said, "Grand Commander, you must flee. There's no turning it back — the bandits aren't in chaos."

He Huchen froze, blankly pursing his lips. "Not in chaos?"

"Not in chaos. They used their elite troops to pursue, but the bandit chief — this humble officer saw the bandit chief. Very young, riding a chestnut horse. He galloped to the front of the formation and reformed the ranks, forcibly halting the disorder. Later, when the elite troops were exhausted and pulled back, it was the re-formed bandit soldiers who advanced steadily, pressing forward."

"Divine General's troops..." The cavalry squad leader sighed. "Their courage has been shattered."

He Huchen watched the soldiers mustering behind him, then raised a hand and pointed at the cavalry squad leader. "Go back and relay the order: have He Jie and He Zan pull back and set up a new defense here. Your cavalry will position themselves along the route to guide the routed soldiers."

Though the front-line battle was not going well, He Huchen's courage had not been broken. He wanted to try once more.

Without this camp, he would have no choice but to lead his troops in a westward retreat. But by reforming ranks on this flat ground, he could let the routed troops withdraw and regroup along the official road beyond the flat ground, while his own forces could calmly meet the enemy on the flat ground itself.

At the very least, the chance of being scattered by the routed troops was small.

But the second line of defense collapsed far faster than he had imagined.

Half a shichen.

From the moment the red-barbarian cannons swept down a swath of government troops and broke their formation, it took Liu Chengzong only half a shichen to drive the government forces five li westward.

Liu Chengzong had no idea He Huchen even had a second line of defense.

That line was directly scattered by the routed troops from the front formation.

Liu Chengzong handed the prisoners over to Chengyun to guard, sent word back for Zhong Hu and Li Laochai to advance, and reorganized his own formation, delaying him for a while at the rear.

The one pursuing the routed troops up ahead was Wang Wenxiu. By the time he reached the second line of defense, Divine Light Manifestation's troops had already scattered it. Only a few dozen men tried to resist, but even they could do no more than fight while retreating.

The defense line was meant for the front army's withdrawal, but the official road was so narrow. As a result, the routed troops smashed it to pieces, making it utterly impossible to organize any effective resistance.

And Liu Chengzong, leading the main formation, had been pressing forward with his head down, gathering prisoners, and could not see the defense line at all.

After pursuing for nearly five li, Wang Wenxiu sent a messenger to report that they had captured a prisoner, and the prisoner said He Huchen's second son, He Zan, was at the second line of defense.

Liu Chengzong clapped his hands in delight. "A second line of defense? Then what are we waiting for? Go smash his second line of defense!"

"General, the second line of defense is behind us."

Liu Chengzong was stunned. He turned to look at the prisoners being marched rearward in columns, then raised a hand and wiped his face. Where the hell was the defense line?

Everywhere, routed troops were rolling on the ground, being disarmed and marched rearward. They had met no resistance along the entire way. That was the second line of defense?

He hurriedly sent Zhong Bao to find the prisoner.

Wei Qian'er ran over to report: "General, one li ahead, north of the road, there's a flat ground. Government troops are setting up camp and defenses there, and gathering routed troops on the official road."

Liu Chengzong reined in his horse, narrowed his eyes, and peered ahead. He could make out distant smoke rising through the rain and quickly asked, "Setting up camp and defenses — have they built a stockade?"

Wei Qian'er shook his head. "No stockade. Just a small abandoned village, with lots of army tents pitched."

That single sentence from Wei Qian'er made Liu Chengzong shiver. Thinking of army tents that could block the wind and rain, a warmth spread through his heart.

He sent his household retainers to relay the news to Wang Wenxiu, then spurred his horse forward to find Cao Yao. The cannon scout was trudging along with his head down. Liu Chengzong asked, "How many cannons are left?"

Cao Yao said, "Sixteen still. What's up?"

He thought to himself, if Liu Chengzong hadn't reformed the ranks, they'd probably be down to just two or three.

The moment they saw the government troops routed, the combat and support soldiers had all gotten worked up and surged forward in a dark mass. The cannons got wet and no one cared anymore — they all just thought the battle was already won.

After the ranks were reformed, they took stock: twelve cannons were wet.

There was also one huge idiot who plugged the touchhole, held the match cord in his mouth, and shouldered a gushing-bead cannon to chase the routed troops. He caught up, hugged the cannon, and fired a shot.

It sent him flying head over heels. He's now lying in a donkey cart with the baggage train.

Very comfortable.

"There's a flat ground ahead. Government troops have set up a camp there." Liu Chengzong said, "They've set up defenses on the flat ground and are gathering routed troops on the official road. They've got army tents and have lit fires. It doesn't look like this rain is stopping today. We must take that camp and let the government troops freeze."

Cao Yao asked, "How do you plan to attack? Cannon scouts as the main assault on the flat ground?"

Cannon scouts as the main assault on the flat ground?

Liu Chengzong thought it over and felt it might not work, so he said, "No. Sixteen cannons — organize them into four teams, four cannons each. First, see if there are cannons on the flat ground. If there are, pull two teams to trade fire with them. If not, use three teams to attack below the flat ground."

"Troops who've already routed once will rout even more easily. Once the ones below rout, the ones above won't be able to fight properly either."

By now, the one pursuing the enemy at the very front was no longer Wang Wenxiu. The rear sentry's men were too exhausted and could only chase slowly from behind.

The one at the very front was Gao Yingdeng, under Gao Xian's command.

This was one of the Yulin King-Diligence troops sent back by Yang Yanchang.

The main force of Gao Xian's unit was all up in the mountains. Only this one squad of his was behind on the official road. When the two armies clashed, they had rotated in to fight for a spell, and had just pulled back to the rear when the red-barbarian cannons went off.

This kid was sharp as a tack. The moment he heard the cannons roar, he knew the enemy was about to rout. Instead of advancing, he immediately turned and headed for the rear.

The rear was Chengyun's baggage sentry. Apart from six wounded, all fifty-four of his combat and support soldiers mounted horses, and before Liu Chengzong could reform the ranks, they had already slipped ahead to the front.

After that, they had been following Wang Wenxiu in pursuit all along. When Wang Wenxiu's men ran out of steam, his men took over the pursuit at the front, while Wang Wenxiu accepted surrenders at the rear.

One li was a very short distance. In the blink of an eye, Gao Yingdeng's troops could see the government troops setting up defenses on the flat ground. He hesitated, but only for a moment.

Then he gritted his teeth and led his squad in a charge toward the flat ground.

The charge stalled, and instead, every soldier in the squad ended up with several arrows stuck in them. Only then did he wheel his horse around and charge instead at the routed troops reforming on the official road.

This time, the charge broke through at once. The routed troops that He Huchen had just pulled together fell into chaos again. He burst into their formation. The front section bottled up on the mountain road was breached, and the several hundred men behind them scattered once more, driven fleeing westward.

Everything else went fine — except that Gao Yingdeng's squad was now trapped inside the formation. He Huchen led his troops charging down from the flat ground, surrounding them front and back on the official road, unable to advance or retreat.

Fortunately, at that moment, Wang Wenxiu arrived first with over twenty men and joined the battle from behind He Huchen. Only then were they spared from having to surrender outright.

Liu Chengzong saw the fighting break out ahead and pressed the main force forward at speed. When he reached the front line and saw the situation was different from what he had envisioned, he simply gave Cao Yao the order: "Bombard the flat ground first! Take the camp, then deal with them!"

The Han brothers led the household retainers in mounted archery from behind the enemy lines, while Cao Yao led the artillerymen to set down four gushing-bead cannons about thirty paces apart, firing in alternating volleys at the dirt path connecting the flat ground to the official road to block the government reinforcements.

Two cannon blasts drove the government troops back from the flat ground. Cao Yao led his subordinate arquebusiers, drawing their blades, charging up along the road.

They had no arquebuses — only an assortment of weapons they had just seized from the prisoners.

Liu Chengzong then immediately rode up onto the flat ground and directed the follow-up troops' archers to ascend the flat ground and fire on the government troops.

Seeing their flank seized by the Lion Battalion, the Ningxia government troops on the official road barked out an order, then immediately launched an extremely fierce westward breakout.

This spelled disaster for the cavalrymen trapped deep within the enemy lines — they tumbled from their horses one after another inside the encirclement, and in the rush, before their infantry formation could even be assembled, they were slammed by another charge from the government troops.

The worst off was Gao Yingdeng — after the battle line was broken through, some passing government soldier casually smashed him to the ground with a bone mace, and he got trampled by several feet.

Then another government soldier yanked him up and dragged him along as they fled west. It took enormous effort to break free, only for the pursuing soldiers of Wang Wenxiu's unit behind him to mistake him for a government soldier, pin him straight to the ground, and shout, "Caught a prisoner — an officer!"

Watching the government troops' formation collapse into rout once more, Liu Chengzong stood on the rise and shouted to reassemble the ranks. He sent his household retainers after the soldiers pursuing the routed enemy, ordering them to halt the chase.

Only at this moment did Liu Chengzong finally let out a breath of relief.

Turning to look around, he saw oilcloth tents standing all over the rise and campfire after campfire blazing beneath rain shelters. Liu Chengzong tilted his face to the sky, letting the raindrops fall from the heavens and strike his face, and laughed with unrestrained joy.