Chapter 831: A Measured Rout

The horses couldn't run fast, so naturally there was no charging momentum to speak of. Cavalry without the force of a charge had no advantage whatsoever against infantry. Worse, with the horses' bodies in the way, their movements couldn't flow smoothly.

But the Zhao Battalion retainers' movements were perfectly fluid. Cavalry and infantry collided just like that, and the government cavalry wielding sabers and lances didn't gain the slightest edge. Their weapons couldn't match the length of the Zhao Battalion retainers' long spears, and even when they could reach their targets, they found it nearly impossible to pierce the sturdy armor the Zhao Battalion forged themselves.

Screams rang out one after another. Horse after horse emptied as the riders on their backs were stabbed and speared to death, tumbling from the saddle. The Zhao Battalion retainers paid no mind to these fully tacked warhorses — they simply drove them off and kept charging forward.

After that, there were no real enemies left to fight. In close combat, the ferocity and relentless drive of the Zhao Battalion retainers had already terrified the foe out of their wits. Their commander fleeing first had drained everyone of any will to fight. The rain of arrows loosed from those thirty-odd bows left them helpless. All anyone could do now was run.

Earlier, when they were packed tight in formation, even turning around had been difficult. But after that brief clash, with the dead dead and the fleeing fleeing, enough open space had cleared. Everyone's choice was obvious — scatter in an instant.

The Zhao Battalion retainers, who had expected a desperate, bloody fight, ran faster and faster, charging straight out along their original heading. They could no longer catch up to the government cavalry, because cavalry that had broken into a gallop was certainly faster than men on foot.

The government cavalry scattered in twos and threes, bolting for anywhere there was no fire and no enemy. But those places were often where their own unbroken camp formations stood, or even infantry that had just mustered. These routed horsemen threw the government army's main camp into utter chaos. Many officers and soldiers stumbled groggily out of their tents, not even knowing what was happening, before being scattered in all directions by their own charging cavalry. And then, the Zhao Battalion troops came burning and killing their way through.

Fires blazed everywhere. The whole camp scattered in pandemonium. The entire encampment was completely broken — and the Zhao Battalion retainers and militia companies had only just fought their way clear through it.

At the edge of the camp, lit by the sky-scorching flames, all around and ahead were nothing but routed government troops. No horsemen were in sight — those on horseback had long since vanished without a trace.

"Form up and stand guard!" At the edge, Dong Bingfeng gave new orders. The retainers obeyed. Charging in and punching straight through like this, the several companies under Dong Bingfeng's command had suffered a total of five wounded — all minor injuries from falls while running.

Dong Bingfeng turned to look back at the camp. He lifted his visor to catch his breath. Though the autumn night was cool, the government camp's sky-high blaze baked everyone drenched in sweat.

"I thought we'd have to charge a few more times to break them. Didn't expect it to be this easy," Dong Bingfeng muttered.

"Company Commander, there was still some risk this time. We assumed the government troops were completely off guard — never thought they'd have cavalry on night watch," one company commander said in a muffled voice.

To the Zhao Battalion retainers raiding the camp at night, it was of course impossible to know that the government troops' own sudden advance had also been set to launch tonight. Running into the enemy cavalry, they'd assumed the foe was fully prepared.

Dong Bingfeng shook his head, murmured something under his breath, then raised his voice in a shout: "All units assemble! Mop up the remaining enemy! Mount up and board the wagons for pursuit — chase thirty li, then turn back!"

He bellowed the order, and the soldiers echoed it, passing the command along. As for what he'd murmured earlier, no one cared.

What he'd said was: "So they're this useless. Why did we keep holding back all this time?"

The moment Dong Bingfeng's order went out, points of lamplight flickered to life in parts of the merchant camp that had just been dark. One horse-drawn wagon after another was driven out, and the soldiers advanced in all directions alongside them.

When the government army's night scouts reached those two bonfires, they found themselves surrounded by over a hundred cavalry. Those who didn't want to die could only surrender. After tying up the government night scouts securely, that cavalry unit had stayed out of the raid entirely — only now, with Dong Bingfeng's order given, did they begin to move.

Each company had three wagons, stocked with food and water. If the retainers and militia grew tired, they could rest on the wagons temporarily. This let the companies maintain their stamina during the pursuit without slowing down. If government cavalry regrouped and counterattacked, here in this flat land crisscrossed by rivers, they could quickly use the wagons as fortifications and fight from cover.

As for those hundred-odd Zhao Battalion mounted retainers, they didn't push ahead. Instead, they rode between the wagon companies, ready at all times to provide reserve support.

Under this kind of pursuit, the soldiers who had fled their tents in the dead of night had no chance to stop and rest. They could only keep running. Many hadn't even had time to dress properly and had no weapon in hand, just stumbling and fleeing in utter exhaustion.

Many had been chased to the breaking point and simply dropped to their knees, begging to surrender. To their surprise, these enemies who had appeared out of nowhere didn't slaughter them. They merely searched them for iron weapons, made them strip off their clothes, then left them there and pressed on without pause.

With such a huge commotion outside the city walls, the people inside Baoying County certainly knew what was happening. But seeing the government camp outside the city engulfed in raging flames, the sky shaking with battle cries, and government troops scattering in every direction — how would anyone on the walls dare make a move? All they could do was conscript able-bodied civilians from within the city, barricade the gates, and tighten security. As for the government troops outside the city, they could only pray for their own luck.

By the time the sky began to lighten, the flames had died out. Across the crude ruins of the government camp, clusters of campfires rose — someone was lighting fires to cook.

Wagon after wagon, squad after squad of exhausted retainers returned. Dong Bingfeng had slung his bow back over his shoulders, and the blood on his long spear had been wiped clean. He sat there wearily, drinking congee. At this time of year, along the banks of the canal, rice was not in short supply.

"Have the nearby merchants come out and put out the fires. Make sure to tell them one thing — say whatever you saw, no need to cover for us. Let the men rest for one double-hour, then we set out back to Qingjiangpu. Old Li handling things alone there must be stretched thin," Dong Bingfeng gave the simple orders.

In this situation, Zhang Hubin was Dong Bingfeng's second-in-command. The unit he led hadn't joined the attack; instead, they'd held the government camp itself, guarding the main force's base and line of retreat.

Hearing the orders, Zhang Hubin acknowledged and immediately went to pass the word. He came running back not long after, a grin he couldn't suppress on his face. Laughing, he said: "Sixth Master, those merchants who came from Qingjiangpu are completely dumbstruck. They had no idea we'd come here too. Some of them were even stupidly asking when we arrived."

Dong Bingfeng couldn't help laughing either, his face full of smug satisfaction. "How could they ever guess Big Brother's plans? Let's eat — we still have to march today!"

Fengyang Governor Guo Shangyou had sent an aide to negotiate an agreement with Dong Bingfeng: the two sides would have a tacit understanding, each staying in their own camp without fighting, and afterward report it up the chain for everyone's convenience.

After the talks, Dong Bingfeng immediately sent word by fast horse to Xuzhou. Regarding this negotiation, Li Dajin's stance was crystal clear: "Officials and rebels cannot coexist. A verbal tacit understanding with no written agreement and no hostages as collateral — on what grounds should we trust them? We must guard against them launching a sudden, desperate strike."

And the reply from Xuzhou came just as fast. Zhao Jin's words were even more direct: "Smash them. Scatter them. Since they want both sides to refrain from fighting, then they shouldn't have troops stationed nearby. We'll send our forces out and scatter them directly. Make them feel real, gut-deep pain and fear — only then will they honor the agreement."

With the policy set, Qingjiangpu immediately began reorganizing the troops. In Qingjiangpu, there were many merchants who, to outside eyes, had no connection to Xuzhou or the Cloud Mountain Trading Company. No one paid attention when they used carts and boats to ship goods, and wagons coming and going between the military camp and various locations to deliver supplies was perfectly normal.

Relying on these merchants, wagons, and canal boats, the Zhao Battalion's Third Regiment and the Qingjiangpu detachment's retainers and militia were continuously transported to Baoying County. They posed as hired hands during the day or stayed hidden inside the carts and boats, only moving at night. Right under the government army's nose, they assembled over a thousand troops.

They knew full well the government forces had superior numbers, so they decided on a night raid. By Dong Bingfeng's assessment, since the government troops had an agreement with the Zhao Battalion, they would surely be complacent and off guard. Once hit by a surprise attack, they'd panic and fall into chaos — a single strike would certainly break the camp.

What Dong Bingfeng hadn't expected was that the government troops had been thinking along much the same lines. They'd just been a few steps slower in acting — and so lost the whole game.

Just as the sun rose, the Zhao Battalion retainers and militia had already packed up and begun marching toward Qingjiangpu. Having been awake all night, every one of them was utterly exhausted. Most were practically dragging their legs as they moved. The cavalry had dismounted and were leading their horses on foot, feeding them dry rations as they walked to replenish them.

All of this was clearly visible from the city walls. Everyone in Baoying County, even those who knew nothing of warfare, could see that these Xuzhou retainers and militia were at the end of their strength — a single attack right now might well break them.

But no one dared make a move. Everyone's gaze kept drifting toward the government camp. The grand encampment that had stood there in plain sight just yesterday was now nothing but ruins. Last night they'd watched the flames soar skyward and heard the battle cries shake the earth — and now it looked like this.

The reason it had become this was those exhausted young men down below. The officials and gentry on the city walls didn't even know whether those young men were truly Xuzhou's troops, or whether they'd really come from Qingjiangpu. Separated by such a distance — how had they suddenly appeared here?

The gates of Baoying County didn't dare open until dusk. By then, neither side — nor the government troops — was anywhere to be seen.

After the camp was broken last night, the wagon-based pursuit had been extraordinarily effective. Relying on it, they had thoroughly scattered those several thousand government troops. For the retainers pursuing with the wagons, even if a small band of government cavalry tried to counterattack, it was no problem — they only needed to resist briefly with their backs to the wagons, and the Zhao Battalion's cavalry would arrive.

In reality, the government cavalry never counterattacked at all. With battle cries shaking the sky and flames soaring high, they had no idea how many enemies there were. All they knew was that they had lost — and that the farther they ran, the better.

Before nightfall, a light rain began to fall within Yangzhou's borders, with the rain slightly heavier around Qingjiangpu. Under these conditions, the roads turned muddy and unsuitable for carts and horses. Smooth movement could only rely on the waterways now.

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