Chapter 14: with translation of chapter title

The order was passed down, and the army began preparing for a light pursuit.

Shiniu was summoned again to the Central Command Tent.

Chang Yuchun looked at him and said, 'Shiniu, will you dare to chase the Yuan Shun Di with me the day after tomorrow?'

'Dare.' Shiniu answered bluntly.

'This time you have to ride a horse—your hammer… can the horse take it?'

Shiniu thought for a moment and said, 'I can also run.'

Chang Yuchun laughed loudly: 'No, that won't do—how can you chase cavalry on foot? I'll find you a good horse, a tall big horse from the Western Regions; it should be able to carry the load.'

'Thank you, General.'

'Go back and prepare; we'll set out early the day after tomorrow.'

Shiniu returned to the camp, and Wang Gui and the others gathered around him.

'Shiniu, I heard we're going to chase the Yuan Shun Di?'

'Hmm.'

'Take me with you! I want to go too!'

Shiniu shook his head and said, 'General Chang didn't say who to bring, only said to bring me.'

Wang Gui sighed, 'That's right, we ordinary soldiers would just be a burden if we went.'

He patted Shiniu's shoulder and cautioned, 'Be careful—chasing the Emperor is no small matter.'

'Hmm.'

Over the next two days, the army rested in Kaiping.

Shiniu did nothing but eat, sleep, and polish his hammers.

Those Double Hammers couldn't be cleaned no matter how he wiped them; they weren't really dirty, but on the black‑gold hammer faces there always seemed to be a layer of dark red.

On the third day, before dawn, the troops assembled.

Chang Yuchun selected three thousand light cavalry, all elite.

Shiniu was assigned a reddish‑brown large horse, indeed tall and sturdy, but when he hoisted the Double Hammers onto his shoulder and swung up onto the horse, the horse's legs visibly bent a bit.

Seeing this, Chang Yuchun told the groom, 'Feed his horse extra beans.'

'Yes.'

The troops set off, galloping north.

Shiniu was not used to riding a horse for such a long time.

But he was strong, clamping his legs tight around the horse's belly, so he remained steady.

But that pair of Double Hammers was really too heavy; after an hour of running, the horse began to pant.

Chang Yuchun noticed and ordered a brief rest.

Shiniu dismounted, patted the horse's neck, and said, 'You've worked hard.'

The horse let out a loud snort and lowered its head to graze.

Lan Yu walked over and handed Shiniu a water bag, saying, 'Take a drink.'

Shiniu took it and took a sip; it was plain water.

After a quarter‑hour's rest, they continued onward.

The scouts kept reporting the Yuan Emperor's whereabouts.

Yuan Shun Di fled in haste, taking his remnants north at full speed, but with baggage and family, his pace was not fast.

By the Shen Hour in the afternoon, a river appeared ahead.

The scout reported, 'General, the Yuan forces just crossed the river and destroyed the bridge!'

Chang Yuchun rode his horse to the riverbank to inspect.

The river wasn't wide, but the current was swift; the original wooden bridge had been torn down to just its piers.

'Find a shallow ford to cross the river!' Chang Yuchun ordered.

The soldiers searched along the riverbank for a place to ford.

Shiniu dismounted, walked to the river's edge, glanced at the current, then looked at the opposite bank.

'General, I'll go first,' he said.

Chang Yuchun frowned and said, 'The current is swift; even on horseback one could be swept away.'

Shiniu said nothing, he hoisted the Double Hammers onto his shoulder, turned and walked to a wider stretch upstream where the current was a bit slower.

Then he stepped straight into the river.

'Shiniu...' Chang Yuchun exclaimed.

The river water instantly rose to his thighs, but his steps remained steady as he kept moving forward.

The current shoved his body sideways, but his stance was rock‑solid, and he moved forward step by step.

When he reached the middle of the river, the water reached his chest.

He took a deep breath and continued walking.

On the far bank, a few Yuan soldiers saw someone crossing on foot and immediately drew their bows to shoot.

Arrows flew in; Shiniu swung his left hammer, and with a few 'dings' the arrows were all knocked away.

His steps did not stop; he kept moving forward.

The Yuan soldiers were terrified, shot a few more arrows, saw it was useless, and turned and fled.

Shiniu reached the opposite bank, soaked to the skin, but his hammers remained firmly gripped.

He turned back and waved at the opposite bank.

Seeing this, Chang Yuchun laughed loudly: 'Good lad! All troops, cross the river here!'

The soldiers led their horses into the water, with Shiniu scouting ahead, and everyone felt much more assured.

Crossing the river took half an hour, and during that time a small detachment of Yuan army harassed them, but Shiniu and his men repelled them.

After crossing the river, they continued the pursuit.

As dusk fell, a scout ahead rode back shouting, "General! We've spotted the Yuan army camp, ten li from here!"

Chang Yuchun's spirit lifted, and he immediately said, "All troops, prepare for battle, night raid!"

Three thousand light cavalry slipped forward quietly.

Under the night sky, the Yuan army camp's bonfires flickered, and the outlines of tents and the silhouettes of patrolling soldiers could be faintly seen.

Chang Yuchun observed for a moment, then whispered his orders, "Divide into three routes: I will lead the middle route straight at the central forces, Lan Yu on the left, Shiniu on the right. Remember, the target is Yuan Shun Di; do not linger in battle."

"Yes!"

Shiniu, with the five hundred cavalry assigned to him, slipped around to the right side of the camp.

He rode his horse, Double Hammers in hand, eyes fixed on the camp.

Waiting for the signal.

A quarter hour later, a shout of battle erupted on the middle route.

Chang Yuchun led the army in a charge into the camp.

Shiniu immediately urged his horse, "Charge!"

The five hundred cavalry surged like arrows off a bow, charging toward the Yuan army camp.

The camp fell into chaos at once.

The Yuan army hadn't expected the Ming army to pursue so swiftly and hastily prepared to fight.

Shiniu led the charge, storming the camp gate, swinging his Double Hammers left and right.

A roadblock spiked barrier was smashed by a hammer.

The advancing Yuan soldiers were struck and sent flying by a hammer.

Where he charged, a trail of blood followed.

The target was clear: the largest Jin‑topped tent at the center of the camp, surely Yuan Shun Di's imperial tent.

Along the way, Yuan troops kept trying to intercept, but no one could stop his hammer blow.

A Yuan army centurion led his elite guards to form a blockade, spears like a forest.

Shiniu's horse maintained its speed; his left hammer swept across, cleaving a line of spears, and his right hammer followed, smashing into the shield formation.

Boom!

The shield formation shattered, men and horses toppling.

He surged forward, his horse trampling the enemy formation, Double Hammers turning like wheels.

When he was fifty steps from the Jin‑topped tent, the tent curtains were thrown open, and several people fled in panic, mounting horses and heading north.

One of them wore Jin armor, standing out brightly in the firelight.

"Chase!" Shiniu roared, urging his horse to pursue.

Those riders were superb horsemen, and their horses were fine, running extremely fast.

But Shiniu's horse, fed on bean fodder, was full of stamina and kept up relentless pursuit.

He chased out of the camp for about three li, entering a forest.

The forest was dark, but Moonlight filtered through the branches, allowing barely enough visibility.

The Golden Armor man glanced back, saw only Shiniu in pursuit, suddenly reined his horse and drew his curved blade.

A few of his guards also drew swords and closed in.

Shiniu's horse kept its speed, charging straight ahead.

The Golden Armor man swung his blade, the technique fierce, clearly not that of an ordinary soldier.

Shiniu's left hammer struck, "Clang!" a huge sound, and the blade was blasted away.

The right hammer followed through, smashing down…

"Prince, be careful!" a guard leapt forward, shielding the Golden Armor man.

Puff!

The guard was smashed, his sternum shattered, and he died on the spot.

The Golden Armor man seized the chance, rolled off his horse, and fled deeper into the forest.

Shiniu dismounted to chase, while the remaining guards fought desperately to block.

He swung his Double Hammers in succession, Three Breaths, and all five fell.

Pressing further into the forest, the Golden Armor man had vanished.

Shiniu searched the woods for a moment, only finding a discarded Golden Armor piece tossed among the bushes.

The person had fled.

He carried the Golden Armor out of the woods; Chang Yuchun had already arrived with men in pursuit.

"Where is the person!" Chang Yuchun asked urgently.

"Fled, the armor is here…" Shiniu handed over the Golden Armor.

Chang Yuchun took it, glanced, and sighed, "It's Yuan Shun Di's armor… a pity, he escaped."

Lan Yu also arrived, and upon hearing, said, "At least we captured the imperial armor, that's a great achievement."

Chang Yuchun nodded, looked at Shiniu and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Return to clear the camp, and continue the pursuit after dawn."

"Understood."

Returning to the Yuan army camp, the fighting had basically ended.

The Yuan troops who died died, those who fled fled, and the camp fell under Ming army control.

Counting the spoils, about eight hundred enemies were annihilated, three hundred captured, and a large amount of supplies were seized.

But Yuan Shun Di escaped.

Chang Yuchun sat on the seized Yuan Emperor's throne, gazed at the Golden Armor, and remained silent for a long while.

"General, shall we continue the pursuit?" Lan Yu asked.

"Pursue; he didn't run far... Send the order: rest for two hours, depart at dawn," Chang Yuchun rose and said.

Shiniu sat on a pile of seized grain sacks, gnawing on Dry Rations.

Wang Gui didn't come this time; Wang Gui felt a bit unaccustomed.

Finished the meal.

Shiniu lay down, using a grain sack as a pillow, then closed his eyes.

From afar came the moans of wounded soldiers, the footsteps of patrolling troops, and occasional whinnies of warhorses.

Shiniu fell asleep quickly.

In the dream there was no battlefield, no slaughter.

Only Fengyang village, where Shi Laosan was chopping firewood in the courtyard, the sunset warm, and the stove exuded the scent of rice.

Shiniu slept soundly, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned.

Chang Yuchun, patrolling the camp, passed by, saw the simple youngster smiling in his sleep, shook his head, and laughed as well.

"This kid... truly a treasure bestowed by Heaven upon Great Ming."

Moonlight spilled over the camp, illuminating Shiniu's face.

The youth slept soundly.

Tomorrow, we still have to chase the Emperor.