Chapter 229: Responsibility

Warhorses screamed in agony.

At the Lion Battalion's front line, the long shafts were all shattered; the soldiers fought to the death, yet they could only slow the enemy for a moment.

Soon, Left Sentinel Commander Gao Xian, fighting right at the front, swung his golden mace and smashed a warhorse to the ground, only to be knocked aside by the cavalry behind it — before he could even get up, his men dragged him away, and the breach widened with him.

The Guanning cavalry lifted their reins and leapt over the horse carcasses, pouring into the formation in single file, charging and slaying without pause, expanding their gains on the flank until they slammed hard into the second wall.

That second wall was the personal troops led by the Han brothers.

Cao Wenzhao, charging at the very front, was met with a volley of heavy bows; his warhorse collapsed dead, and the cavalry behind, fearing they would trample their commander, slowed their assault slightly.

At that moment, Liu Chengzong had already mounted his horse, blade in hand. From the earthen mound at the center of the hollow square, banners waved, signaling the Lion Battalion's left and right wings to use this chance to re-form and turn inward, closing on the enemy in a pincer.

Once Cao Wenzhao had switched to a fresh horse, seeing his assault blunted, he spurred forward and leveled his lance straight at Liu Chengzong, hoping to take his head with an elite cavalry dash and thereby break the formation.

But Han Shipan and the others, standing to the side with bows drawn, loosed another volley of arrows. Even though Cao Wenzhao, in desperation, used his lance to swat down several shafts, he only barely managed to shield his horse — several arrows pierced his armor and bit deep into his flesh.

Cao Bianjiao, seeing his uncle struck by arrows, rushed to the very front and said urgently, "General, we can't break the central army — better to slice off a corner!"

"Slicing off a corner" is a cavalry shock tactic: the riders still pass through the enemy formation, but instead of punching straight through the center, they strike at one corner of a flank and, depending on their strength, burst out from that flank, cutting it off from the main body.

It is like slicing a corner off a block of tofu.

The severed unit will quickly collapse, and when facing stubborn resistance, the difficulty of completing the tactical maneuver is far lower than piercing straight through the enemy formation.

Cao Wenzhao took the advice readily. With Cao Bianjiao as the vanguard, shouting battle cries, he led the horse column charging straight to the left in a rampage.

Liu Chengzong planted his long blade in the ground and shouted to the banner-bearer on the earthen mound, "Right-wing cavalry, intercept!"

Inside the formation and outside it, the battle had already descended into chaos.

Although the Guanning Army had broken through the battle line, they could not expand their gains — the central army still had elite troops blocking them — so the Lion Battalion soldiers who had earlier dodged the warhorses and cavalry were now being regrouped by their officers.

But with the front-line banners toppled and officers wounded, command chaos was unavoidable; they could only let the lower-ranking officers act on their own initiative.

That said, this was precisely the Lion Battalion's strength — the entire Lion Battalion had never had any truly qualified field officers to begin with, but instead was full of absurdly proactive junior officers.

Without a bit of initiative, how would anyone become a rebel soldier?

For a time, both sides fought in a tangled mass at the breach in the formation, as squad after squad of Lion Battalion combat and support troops, lacking orders from higher officers, gradually contracted.

Clear, distinct gaps first appeared between the squads, and Guanning cavalry kept charging and thrusting through these gaps — men shouting, horses screaming, lances and spears darting — while not a few dismounted Guanning soldiers formed small mutual-support squads to protect the charge lanes.

Meanwhile, outside the formation, cavalry that had not yet charged in were also striking and pressing against the perimeter, accompanied by dismounted archers, constantly applying pressure on the outer edges of the formation and leaving the Lion Battalion troops at the breach caught between enemies front and rear.

Left Sentinel squad leader Lian Daqi's helmet had flown off to who-knows-where; only the iron plate sewn into his headscarf remained. He led his men inside the formation, holding back the Guanning Army's assault with everything they had.

His headache was starting again.

That iron plate on his forehead was a reward from Liu Chengzong for his valor in the battle at Yellow Dragon Mountain.

In that battle, he had been ordered to follow Gao Xian in storming the mountain and was shot in the forehead by a Ningxia soldier. He had survived by sheer luck, but was left with a chronic condition — violent fighting would trigger splitting headaches.

Huang Shengxiao, the cannon-sentinel squad leader nicknamed "Clay Figure," was also on the front line. Cao Wenzhao had broken through his squad's position, splitting his men in two, with a dozen or so cut off on the other side of the battlefield.

The twenty-odd arquebusiers under his command still held the line stubbornly, protecting the last remaining Lion Cannon in their possession and firing volleys in rotation at the charging horse column.

The other three cannons were still there, but their positions could no longer threaten the Guanning Army. The cannons might be useless, but the cannoneers were not.

Several artillerymen carried cannonballs wrapped in cloth and, whenever they got the chance, hurled them at the heads of the charging horses.

Whether it achieved anything or not — they had to do something.

But scattered acts of desperate courage could not overcome the instinct for self-preservation that set in once large-scale organization was lost.

The breach in the front-line formation slowly spread outward like a spiderweb of cracks.

For the Guanning soldiers deep in the chaotic melee, this meant they were seeing more and more familiar faces around them.

It was an omen that the enemy was about to collapse, and every man felt a surge of elation.

From time to time, men swung down from their horses, drew short weapons from the saddle, and threw themselves into close-quarters combat, pressing forward step by step to carve out a path for more cavalry to pass through.

Liu Chengzong's formation had completely deformed. The left and right wings of the hollow square were squeezing inward toward the center, while the rear ranks moved up to fill the middle, surging past him to strike at the Guanning troops trying to break through and blocking the enemy cavalry from piercing all the way out of the formation.

Further away on the bridge, Zhong Hu was leading his men forward as reinforcements.

Han Shipan drew his heavy bow to its limit and planted an armor-piercing arrow in a enemy rider's chest, then drew his goose-quill saber and turned his head, shouting, "Commander, I'm out of arrows!"

"Reinforcements are here — let the rear formation hold them first."

Liu Chengzong was out of arrows too. As the self-proclaimed pinnacle of martial prowess in the Lion Battalion, he had wanted to wade in and fight, but his subordinates never gave him the chance, so he could only shoot from the rear.

But against opponents so heavily and completely armored, his results were less than ideal.

Bang — a gunshot rang out, and a wisp of gunsmoke drifted past his ear.

It was Fan Sanlang beside him, instead — that little thing had brought five or six personal guards and stood in the safest spot, each of them holding a hand cannon, and she was even giving orders: "Don't shoot till you can't miss!"

The foot-long barrel was no shorter than a three-eyed gun, and though she had only fired five shots so far in the whole battle, she had already knocked three riders from their saddles.

She had wounded more men than Liu Chengzong had. He had only hit one man in the face, sending him straight off his horse; when he hit other spots, the arrowhead would often lodge in the armor after piercing it, unable to inflict a fatal wound.

Several times in a row, the enemy had ridden off with his arrows still stuck in them.

Firearms were different — at the right distance, a hit might not necessarily kill a man, but it was more than enough to knock him out of the fight and off his horse.

Just then, Liu Chengzong saw turmoil in the enemy's rear ranks, and his subordinates on the flank were also stirred with excitement.

Outside the formation, hoofbeats fell like rain.

Yang Yao had led the vanguard cavalry to strike the enemy's rear. Liu Chengzong climbed to higher ground and looked out, unable to contain his delight — the vanguard cavalry had actually driven off a group of over four hundred Guanning troops.

Those men were fleeing eastward with their tails between their legs, gradually receding from the battlefield.

Yang Yao then surrounded several hundred Guanning soldiers who had not yet managed to charge into the formation, and fell upon them in fierce combat.

At once, the morale of the Guanning troops inside the formation, who had been elated just moments before, collapsed. The dismounted soldiers no longer dared to charge about in all directions and instead contracted their formation.

On the other side, however, the Lion Battalion's shift in formation had created favorable conditions for Cao Bianjiao to break through. Relying on sheer ferocity, he bellowed and smashed open a path, leading over a hundred riders pouring out in single file.

But the others were not so lucky. Gao Yingdeng was almost as fierce as last time.

"Last time" referred to He Huchen.

Cavalry does not move easily through an infantry formation. Even though the Guanning Army had the path that Cao Bianjiao had opened, Gao Yingdeng shouted and drove his infantry squad forward, yet still could not complete the interception as ordered. In the end, he simply changed direction and charged straight toward the center of the enemy ranks.

But by doing so, he was faster than the others — his subordinates had not yet caught up, and he was nearly crashing straight into the faces of the enemy cavalry.

He thought to himself, if he charged up there, he definitely couldn't win the fight, and might very well end up captured.

So he rode his horse over, and just as the enemy cavalry were about to engage him, this guy shouted "Catch me!" at the infantry squad beside him, and jumped off his horse.

Who would catch him? Man and armor together weighed over two hundred jin — who could possibly catch that? They all scattered.

In the end, Gao Yingdeng plunged headfirst into his own army's formation and was battered black and blue by the fall.

Gao Yingdeng's warhorse, however, was far more formidable than its master — it collided with the mount of a junior officer of the Guanning Army, blocking the charging cavalry column sideways.

Cao Wenzhao was in that blocked column.

Watching his cavalry being cut off and divided by the Lion Battalion infantry and cavalry encircling them, anxiety seized his heart. He swept aside several spearheads thrust at him with his lance, scanned the battlefield, and once again spotted Liu Chengzong deploying troops beneath the earthen mound.

Cao Wenzhao immediately wheeled his horse around, led the Guanning cavalry on a rampage through the formation, and charged with leveled lance straight for the central command.

Cao Bianjiao had just fought his way out of the formation. He had intended to circle around the army array and charge Yang Yao from the front to break more Guanning troops free, but when he turned his head, he discovered that only a little over two hundred riders had broken out, and the enemy line was gradually closing again.

So frantic he stood up on his horse's back, only to see his uncle actually leading troops to charge the bandit central command. In that moment, great urgency seized him, and he spurred his horse to lead his squad back into the formation.

Unexpectedly, a cannon suddenly fired from outside the army array, spooking his warhorse and carrying him off into the distance; his cavalry squad scattered around him as well.

Liu Chengzong paid no attention whatsoever to Cao Wenzhao. He was busy directing the frontline soldiers to coordinate with Yang Yao and rout the encircled enemy troops — some had already laid down their weapons and begun to surrender.

Suddenly he heard Fan Sanlang report: "Commander, someone's charging this way!"

He turned his head and saw the Guanning cavalry stretched across the formation like a long snake, its head curling back around — at the very front of the column was a middle-aged military officer, charging with leveled lance straight toward his position.

Liu the Lion's face darkened; he twisted his neck, raised his blade, and strode forward to meet him: "Does he think I'm too weak to truss a chicken? Twice now!"

He had seen this man before. As soon as the formation was breached, he had tried to lead his cavalry to charge him, relying on thick armor to absorb several arrows before veering off at an angle and escaping. Now, blocked by Gao Yingdeng's troops, he was bringing his cavalry to charge him again.

As Liu Chengzong advanced, Han Shipan and the others each took up their weapons and guarded his left and right. Zhong Bao shouted to his brother's subordinates nearby: "Protect the General! Form ranks!"

He heard the Guanning soldiers around that charging man all shouting "General" and such in thick Liaoyang accents as they followed him in the charge.

Liu Chengzong laughed, raised his arm and pointed: "Sanlang, aim right at him."

Then he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Cao Wenzhao is over there!"

At his shout, the teeth-grating sound of bowstrings being drawn came from all around, and a rain of arrows shot toward the galloping riders.

By now, Cao Wenzhao had several arrows stuck in his chest — and even that was after pulling out a few during the charge.

Beside him were two more riders; the three galloped abreast, shielding him from enemies to the left and right.

Seeing the enemy draw their bows, he lowered his head, relying entirely on his armor, neither dodging nor evading the incoming arrows. His long lance moved like the wind, solely focused on deflecting the weapons thrust at his horse and stabbing the foes blocking his path.

Only forty paces more — just forty paces more, and he could strike down the bandit chief!

At that very moment, firelight flashed directly ahead, and a great alarm rang in his heart. He immediately hauled on the reins.

The warhorse, in pain, reared up its front hooves while its hind hooves still kicked forward from inertia. Just as the horse seemed about to topple, several thudding sounds rang out — the horse's body suddenly lurched forward, collapsed sideways, and slid two paces through the dust.

Several bloody holes had been punched through the warhorse's chest and neck. It struggled, unable to rise, its four hooves kicking wildly on the ground, lifting its neck with difficulty but unable to stand, and could only let out a loud, mournful whinny.

The instant his warhorse was hit, Cao Wenzhao jumped off by instinct, so the horse did not crush his legs. But he lost his long lance, and the cavalrymen beside him could not stop in time, trampling past all around him — for a moment, he could only scramble to dodge the hooves.

The charging cavalry column was blocked once again. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding infantry formation closed in and engaged in repeated clashes with the cavalrymen protecting him.

Just then, one of his subordinate officers, Ping An, threw away his war lance, dismounted at a gallop, and came running in leaping strides while pulling on the saddle to control the horse as it ran toward him, shouting: "General, mount up, quickly!"

With that, he released the saddle, rolled through the infantry formation to break his momentum, and had just steadied himself when he looked up and realized he had rolled right into the enemy ranks. He had barely drawn his blade half an inch from his waist when someone struck him heavily on the helmet with a mace — everything went black and he knew no more.

Liu Chengzong saw this scene from not far away. Watching one horse get shot down, only for a subordinate to send another one straight to Cao Wenzhao — fury blazed in his heart!

He snatched a long lance from a subordinate's hands, braced it against the ground, lifted his leg and snapped it with a kick, then gripped the broken spear shaft in reverse and ran forward shouting: "Everyone get out of my way!"

By the time he finished speaking, he had already run seven or eight paces. He sprinted a few more steps until the infantry formation ahead had no time to part, his face flushed red from holding his breath, and with all his strength, he hurled the broken spear shaft violently at Cao Wenzhao.

A dozen-odd paces — it arrived in an instant. The broken shaft pierced straight through the horse's neck, and the other end even stabbed into Cao Wenzhao's leg as he swung himself onto the horse, though it was blocked by his armored skirt.

But a straight-flying broken spear shaft was nothing like a tumbling, deforming lead ball. The warhorse did not die, and instead carried Cao Wenzhao charging forward like mad.

The sight of it constantly twisting its head and vomiting bloody froth startled Liu Chengzong. He wondered — was this horse out for revenge or what?

It charged until it crashed into the crowd, and only when the warhorse had no strength left did it collapse with a thunderous crash.

Cao Wenzhao was practically delivered into the infantry formation by the maddened horse. Even so, he still refused to be taken captive, picking up a severed hand still gripping a blade from who knows where, and relying on his sturdy armor to resist stubbornly.

It was not until the Han brothers and the others swarmed him all at once that he was finally captured.

No one knows who first shouted: "Cao Wenzhao has been captured!" — but in an instant, the cry resounded across the battlefield. Within a few breaths, it had changed to: "Cao Wenzhao is captured! Lay down your arms and surrender, and your lives will be spared!"

Moments later, large numbers of Guanning troops laid down their weapons. Yet many still resolved to resist to the death, and there were even several dozen who, after their commander was captured, still formed up and fought their way out.

The battle was drawing to a close. Liu Chengzong paid no mind to those few dozen who had fled.

In his view, this was the "benefit" of Cao Wenzhao's practice of leading troops to massacre those who surrendered. Do too many deeds that weigh on the conscience, and when these men lose a battle, they won't dare surrender.

Moments later, amid cries of "Long live!", Cao Wenzhao was bound and escorted forward. Shortly after, his subordinates also brought over Ping An, who was still unconscious — Han Shipan said that man was also a general.

"Cao Wenzhao, I've heard that in Shanxi, you simply killed all the starving refugees who surrendered. Is that true?"

Cao Wenzhao glanced at him and said nothing.

"You're a Datong old-timer — what are you pretending to be a Liaodong man for? Can't understand Shaanxi speech?"

Cao Wenzhao drew a deep breath and spoke through gritted teeth: "You accepted amnesty — why did you attack me?"

"Why hit you?" Liu Chengzong snorted. "You never should have come here!"

"I ran out of grain."

"Now you know what it's like to be out of grain with no options? Every one of those starving refugees and border soldiers you killed — which of them wasn't out of grain with no options? I'm not talking about coming to Pingliang."

Liu Chengzong paced half a circle beneath the earthen mound. The fighting had largely ended. The surrendering Guanning soldiers were being stripped of weapons and armor and escorted to the rear under guard. The supply troops had already come forward to transport the wounded.

To the east, a force of over two hundred Guanning soldiers still hung back in the distance, neither daring to advance nor willing to leave.

Yang Yao was leading his men to guard against a sudden raid from them at a distance.

Liu Chengzong stopped several subordinates escorting prisoners and said to the captives: "Send one of your men out. Tell the officer outside — either get lost right now, or if you want Cao Wenzhao back, bring every last one of your weapons, armor, and warhorses and deliver yourselves here."

The Guanning Army was in a difficult position. Had it been any other unit that had done what Cao Wenzhao did, Liu Chengzong could have bled them until the Jing River ran red.

Especially since it was his own money they had spent. Seeing Cao Wenzhao, Liu Chengzong could not help but recall being so famished at Yuhe Fort that his vision swam.

But now, with over a thousand wounded and surrendered, Liu Chengzong could not help but think of these men in that narrow corridor beyond Shanhai Pass, resting their heads on their spears every night, waiting for dawn.

And though the court was wrong to embezzle their pay, in Liu Chengzong's eyes, the skill and courage of these men had indeed not dishonored the wages they received.

Even with inferior horses and inferior cannons, they still managed to fight the battle to this extent.

After saying this, Liu Chengzong drew a deep breath, turned around, and said to Cao Wenzhao: "I say you never should have entered Shanxi, never entered Shaanxi. When you fought the Eastern Brigands beyond the passes, I respected you as heroes. But what have you done since coming inside the passes?"

"The Guanning Army fights by imperial decree. Cao fights only for the Emperor — fighting the Eastern Brigands, striking the roving bandits. What wrong have I done?"

"And what wrong have the common people done in seeking to live! Do they not wish to serve the country? Do they have money? Can they feed their parents, wives, and children? They've all fucking hanged themselves!"

Liu Chengzong was so furious he raised his hand, then let it fall. He could only curse bitterly: "I've fucking wanted to beat you for a long time. Are the mountains of Shaanxi beyond the passes? Are starving people Eastern Brigands?"

Cao Wenzhao was truly pondering Liu Chengzong's words with serious thought.

After thinking for a moment, even bound as he was, he still kowtowed once toward the east, then stretched out his neck and said: "Killed or not, it's done. Defeat means my skill was inferior. Cao knew this day would come from the moment he joined the army. Behead me."

Liu Chengzong was so angry he scratched his head, pointed at Cao Wenzhao, and said to Fan Sanlang: "You should have just shot him dead."

Fan Sanlang thought to herself, she had wanted to shoot him dead — wasn't it the warhorse that blocked the shot?

Just then, a report came from the front: the officer of that Guanning Army outside claimed to be Cao Bianjiao, and he had arrived.

Liu Chengzong saw a young officer who, stripped of armor and wearing only a thin tunic as he entered the camp, still retained a soldier's bearing. Head high and strides bold, he walked forward, chin raised, and declared: "Assistant Commander and Mobile Corps General Cao Bianjiao stands here. Release my uncle."

Liu Chengzong looked at him once, then again. He was born with a commanding presence that drew favor, yet he too seemed to have that stubborn, death-defying ox temper — clearly defeated, yet still this arrogant.

He shot him a glance and said irritably: "Can't hear you. My official rank is higher than yours. Salute first, then speak."

It had originally been a spiteful remark meant to embarrass Cao Bianjiao. He never expected that Cao Bianjiao would freeze for a moment, then truly prostrate himself and perform a military salute, utterly naturally: "Mobile Corps General Cao Bianjiao pays respects to the commanding officer, and requests the commanding officer release my uncle."

Liu Chengzong said: "Too late. Your uncle truly begged me for death."

Hearing this, Cao Bianjiao's expression finally changed, and he cried out in alarm: "General?"

He was calling out to his uncle.

Cao Wenzhao offered no explanation, only saying: "The blame for this defeat is not yours. Go back, serve His Majesty with loyalty, and do not disgrace our family name."

"Yes!"

Cao Bianjiao's eyes reddened. He answered heavily, performed a salute and kowtowed to his uncle, then rose, ground his teeth, pointed at Liu Chengzong, turned, and made to leave.

Not only was Liu Chengzong dumbfounded — all the officers and soldiers of Lion Camp around them were utterly dumbfounded.

What kind of household produced such a blockhead? The uncle could clearly tell the commander also felt regret for them and was simply seeking death; the nephew, seeing his uncle about to die, was not un-grieved, yet he turned and left just like that.

"Come back!" Liu Chengzong called him to a halt and said: "I struck you because your indiscriminate slaughter of starving people deserved retribution. But you have rendered service to the realm in Liaodong after all. I will not kill you, but the pay you spent that was ours must be returned. Hand over all your arms, armor, and warhorses."

Cao Bianjiao was overjoyed at these words. He turned to look at his uncle, and though he tried his utmost to keep his face expressionless, he could not help breaking into a smile. He drew several deep breaths, then lowered his head slightly and said to Liu Chengzong: "Many thanks, commanding officer."

"Thank me? Ha. Those who surrender, I do not release. Matters between Shaanxi and the mountains cannot be resolved by slaughter — that only makes others hate you more, hate the court more."

"Leave others a path to live, and others will leave you a path to live. Otherwise, even if I do not kill you, someone else will in the future. Keep your useful lives and go fight the Eastern Brigands beyond the passes."

Having said this, Liu Chengzong waved his hand: "Hand over the arms, armor, and warhorses, and take your uncle away."

Not long after, Cao Bianjiao had his men deliver the arms, armor, and warhorses. Liu Chengzong's side released Cao Wenzhao.

He stood at the edge of the battlefield, holding his warhorse by the reins, watching over two hundred men depart with only light gear. Breathing in the scent of blood in his nostrils, he swept his gaze across the battlefield and let out a long sigh.

Fan Sanlang asked: "Commander, why didn't you kill them?"

"Killing or releasing — either was acceptable." Liu Chengzong glanced at her: "My objective has already been achieved."

Fan Sanlang looked toward the nearby Guanning Army soldiers who were being offered surrender: "Did the Commander want to recruit them? They are indeed formidable."

But unexpectedly, Liu Chengzong shook his head: "Not recruitment. Those I don't kill, I must take with me. That is my responsibility."

"Responsibility?"

"The most battle-capable border troops of Shaanxi are all in my hands. Once we go to Qinghai, no one will be left to stop this Guanning force. Their methods against prisoners are brutal — how many more would die?"

Liu Chengzong looked toward his own battle formation, his eyes carrying an ineffable sorrow: "Those principles I spoke of — those uncle and nephew, their minds full of loyalty to sovereign and service to country, may not have taken in a word. I could only let the blade do the talking."

"My objective was to cripple this Guanning Army. They've fled, surrendered, been wounded, and died. The few hundred that remain, even if re-equipped with full arms, armor, and warhorses, would still have some fighting strength, but they pose no absolute threat to the forces of Wang and Gao remaining in the Shaanxi mountains."

Having said this, Liu Chengzong cast his gaze into the distance: "We enter Qinghai to amass strength for the struggle over the realm. Between the Shaanxi mountains, we cannot be without friendly forces. Only I... can do this."

A personal guard came to report: "Commander, everything is packed and ready."

"Set out. I will catch up to you soon."

In the west, the setting sun was like blood. By the banks of Jian Gou River, Liu Chengzong led his horse across the devastated battlefield and stood silently for a moment, head bowed.

No spirits spoke to him, making this patch of land all the more silent.

After a moment, he swung onto his horse, raised his whip to the west, and said: "Let's go. I want to demand a plot of land from the Prince of Han — to bury the heroic dead!"

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