Chapter 119: Weakness

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the dirt mountain road lay quiet. A weary border soldier sat on the ground, gulping down water before loosening his leg wraps to rest. He glanced at the setting sun, intending to take a breather, when he suddenly heard someone greeting him from behind.

Turning around, he saw a young man clad in a red cotton-padded brigandine and an iron bowl helmet. The youth’s face was flushed red from the long trek. As he walked forward, he asked, "Did you fall behind, too?"

Approaching, the young border soldier looked at the other’s uniform and insignias, then chuckled, "Third Unit, huh? You look unfamiliar."

"Hey, we’re all the same, aren't we? Transferred from General Liu’s command to General Li’s, and after only a few days of getting enough to eat since the mobilization, I’m just out of strength. You go ahead."

"Don't say that. I heard your unit commander has a nasty temper. If you rest any longer, it’ll be pitch black." The youth laughed and reached out a hand. "Come, let me pull you up. We'll have each other for company when we find the General."

The third unit commander’s temper was indeed notorious. The sitting soldier shook his head, sighed in resignation, and lowered his head to tighten his leg wraps. He stood up, grabbing the youth's hand while bracing himself with the other. He asked offhandedly, "Are you from the Ninth Unit? I have a few frie—"

Just then, the youth’s extended hand pulled him halfway up before shoving him violently backward. A blade flashed. The youth had used the moment the soldier lowered his head to draw his wrist-knife and slit the man's throat.

The soldier struggled on the ground, clutching his throat, emitting a wheezing, rattling sound. Liu Congzong took off his helmet, sat by the earthen slope, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the inner sleeve of his iron-braced armor, pulling at his collar to let the heat escape.

This was the fourth straggling imperial soldier to die by his hand.

Before long, Wei Qian’er and the Han brothers walked up from the mountain path behind. Liu Congzong praised them: "Good work, no noise. Scouts, continue forward."

Liu Congzong’s core force was the most capable among all the rebel factions. They were the only ones who could rival the imperial army in terms of professional military standards and organizational ability. They were mostly former border soldiers themselves; whether fighting individually or in formation, they were no different from the troops they were hunting.

However, he still could not fight large-scale battles against the imperial army. The problem lay not with his core, but with the other rebel factions. Even with proper coordination, those leaders could not grasp his logic, lacked his habits, and had no ability to form the kind of cohesion the imperial troops displayed. To swallow this detachment of the imperial army, only his core force could do it.

But Liu Congzong’s core force had one weakness: scouts. This job should have been handled by scouts, but his scouts were merely former postal station guards. They were fine for watching the enemy and waving flags, or filling in as cavalry on the battlefield, but they couldn't handle this kind of work.

The scouts passed by the slope, saluting the three "gods of war" on the hill with their eyes. With straggling imperial soldiers ahead, the main rebel force couldn't pass. They had to rely on a few men pretending to be stragglers to get close enough for a surprise attack, finishing them off before they could shout—there was no room for error.

From noon to dusk, marching thirty-seven li across mountains and ridges over three hours, Liu Congzong and the Han brothers had already eliminated twenty-seven stragglers. The mountain paths were nothing but twists and turns, constant ascents and descents; this was the fastest speed they could manage. It was only this that allowed him to barely keep a grip on the tail of Li Bei’s detachment as they entered the mountains.

The two armies entered the mountains one after the other. The timing was bad for the imperial army; if they had set out an hour earlier, they could have cleared the mountain road before dark and reached the open land south of the Yan River. But for Liu Congzong, the timing was perfect. Darkness was falling, and this imperial detachment would likely spend the night in the mountains.

Not long after, Wei Qian’er ran back quickly: "General, they have set up camp." He pointed to a distant peak and told Liu Congzong, "You can see them from that mountain."

Liu Congzong tugged at his collar one last time. Without a mule to carry his gear, he was sweltering even in autumn. He stood up and said, "Excellent. Call for Platoon Leader Wang. Let’s go over and take a look... With so many stragglers missing, Liu Guozhen should realize what’s happening soon."

Platoon Leader Wang was Wang Wenxiu, formerly an infantry centurion of the Guyuan Battalion who had joined him in Yanchang County along with Yang Yao. Wang’s unit was behind, and upon receiving the message, he brought two men over. He traversed the mountains as if walking on flat ground, his face unreddened and his breathing steady after such a long trek. He spoke in a muffled, resonant voice: "General, what is it?"

"The imperial army has camped ahead. Let the brothers rest for a moment and round up the stragglers. We’re going to that mountain to take a look."

Liu Congzong glanced at him. The man from Pingliang had just eaten fried flour and drunk water, and his thick beard was matted with flour paste. Liu laughed and said to Wang, "It’s thanks to them making camp. If 'Shang Tianhou' hadn't blocked the mountain pass, we would have lost them once they got out."

Seven or eight li from the pass, Liu Congzong took a side path up the hill and caught sight of the imperial encampment. It was an abandoned village built against the mountain. Darkness was setting in, and he couldn't see the situation inside clearly, only that the imperial troops had lit campfires on the roads leading to the village entrance, and a dozen men were digging narrow trenches. Whether they had taken off their armor, Liu didn't know, but those on the perimeter were mostly still armored.

Before darkness fully descended, the imperial troops had donned all their armor. Wang Wenxiu was pleased, laughing at Liu Congzong: "General, this Commander Liu won't be sleeping well tonight."

Clearly, wearing armor at night meant the imperial army had realized their stragglers weren't returning. Liu Congzong waved his hand and said to those around him, "Think they can sleep? Shipan, Shiyou, that campfire is thirty paces from the village gate. No one else can do this—you two go get some food and sleep, then shoot the sentries in the night."

The Han brothers nodded. Han Shipan asked, "General, should we get up at night to fire a few arrows and go back to sleep, or should we raid the camp?"

"Night raids are too dangerous; they’re on guard. Just get up and loose a few arrows."

Han Shipan nodded. "Understood. Since it’s close, we’ll sleep right here." The brothers weren't picky about living conditions. They found a wind-sheltered rock, laid their cotton-padded armor underneath them, covered themselves with their battle jackets, and fell asleep side-by-side. Ever since the battle in Yanchang the day before, everyone had been on edge; few had slept well. But today, they were truly exhausted. Before long, after Liu Congzong had arranged for the Fourth Platoon to camp on nearby hills, he returned to find the two brothers snoring like thunder.

"General, not sleeping yet?"

Liu Congzong was sitting by a rock on the cliff, staring blankly at the campfires of the imperial army. Hearing the voice behind him, he turned to see the bearded Wang Wenxiu.

"General, are you worried about the Jiaopao Mountain side?" Wang asked. "Don't be. They won't fight today. Since Li Bei split his forces, he’ll wait for news from this side before advancing. After fighting for several days straight, his men need rest too."

"I’m not worried about that side, I’m just... a bit unhappy. If not for Li Bei’s side, if it were just this detachment, I think the best time to start the battle would be tomorrow afternoon."

What was truly keeping Liu Congzong awake was indeed the war. But not this battle—the wars that were to come in the years ahead. This was the first time he had considered problems from the perspective of a campaign commander. It felt just like a war game from another memory. Both sides set down face-down pieces, and only when they were flipped could one see who had been captured. He had many pieces, but they were all small, and he dared not flip any of them, leaving him passive everywhere.

Wang Wenxiu didn't know his thoughts, only looking toward the imperial camp. "If we don't let them sleep tonight, by tomorrow afternoon, they’ll be dizzy with exhaustion and unable to do anything."

Pity that time did not allow it. They had to destroy this imperial detachment as quickly as possible and return to intercept Li Bei.

Liu Congzong looked toward the southeast, where the mountains rose and fell in the darkness. He said slowly, "Tomorrow morning, when we attack them, Li Bei will also attack my troops." If the imperial army here was crushed and the rebels there were also crushed, he still had a chance to win. If the imperial army here was routed and the rebels there held out through the morning, their odds would be great.

Just as Liu Congzong was thinking this, his gaze crossed the village, and the winding mountain path to the north lit up. The crowd divided into several lines, holding torches high like multiple snakes of fire, winding toward the village where the imperial army was stationed.

"This..." The sound of chaos drifted from afar. Wang Wenxiu was stunned. "Is that how 'Shang Tianhou's' men lay siege?"

It was too bold. There was no intention of concealment. The bright, flickering torches lit up the valley, surrounding the village in an overwhelming display.

"Hey, don't say that—Shang Tianhou is doing alright. Look at those units. Even though they don't have much formation and aren't hiding their tracks, the units aren't interfering with each other. Some are pushing forward to delay, some are flanking." Liu Congzong clapped his hands at Wang Wenxiu. "Not bad!"

The Han brothers, just fallen asleep, were woken up. They were furious, not even putting on their battle jackets or armor, and ran over with their bows. "General, are those bastards attacking?"

"It’s our own people. Shang Tianhou is launching a night raid. Get dressed! There's no sleeping tonight—let’s just break this village."

Shang Tianhou had no intention of hiding. He treated the village like a landlord's manor, even sending someone forward to demand surrender. The man was shot dead by an imperial arrow, sparking the night battle. Afterward, both sides exchanged fire, with Shang Tianhou in the light and the imperial army in the dark, arrows flying back and forth.

Liu Congzong couldn't just watch. Seeing the platoon leaders from the surrounding three hills sending men to inquire about the situation, he immediately gathered his troops and sent Han Shipan to find Shang Tianhou to coordinate the two forces.

Shang Tianhou was outside the village, standing on a large rock. There were no torches around him; he was watching the battle with great interest, occasionally sending men to relay orders. That afternoon, upon receiving word from Liu Congzong, he had urged his men to sleep right where they were, or at least lie down. Later, he used stolen silver to buy a few live pigs, slaughtering them for the vanguard and the arriving rear guard to have a comfortable meal, only setting out at dusk to search for the imperial troops. Not only did they fail to find them, but the men sent into the mountains got lost. It wasn't until dark, when the imperial troops lit torches in the village, that they finally saw them. By then, Shang Tianhou’s entire force had already moved into the mountains.

They had to move—they’d eaten the meat; if he didn't get his men moving, they’d all be sleepy. Fortunately, the imperial army's campfire positions were indeed conspicuous.

Shang Tianhou’s plan was simple: his three thousand men were divided into three large groups, each occupying an entrance to the village, taking turns to assault in hundred-man teams. The front would charge, the back would shoot; if they couldn't get in, they’d retreat to regroup, and the next wave would charge, while the rest rested and guarded against imperial sorties. Once the defenses at the village gate were smashed, they would charge straight in.

This was the only way. Shang Tianhou’s decision to start at dusk and fight at night wasn't a rash impulse; he had planned it carefully. Only under these conditions was the gap between his men and the imperial army minimized. In a valley during the day, this battle couldn't be fought.

But even at night, storming a village held by imperial troops was very different from storming a landlord's manor.

Before long, Han Shipan returned. "Shang Tianhou is delighted. He asked what the General's orders are, as his men can't break through."

Liu Congzong waved his hand. "Don't worry about not breaking through. Tell him to pull the men on the east side and launch two fierce attacks from the north and south."

"Is the General thinking of 'besieging three sides and leaving one open'?"

"Besiege three and leave one open? Even a dog wouldn't fall for that." Liu Congzong laughed. "Assemble our men. We won't light torches. We’ll attack through that 'open' side, cut off their north and south, and when Shang Tianhou’s men pour in, the deed will be done!"

"Besieging three sides and leaving one open" was a common and effective tactic. It wasn't that the enemy would run just because a gap was left—everyone knew a gap left open was a trap. It was effective because the psychological defenses of the besieged were already shattered; even knowing it was a trap, they wanted to try their luck. Could Shang Tianhou’s men break the imperial army’s psychological defenses? Yes, if the battle lasted an hour or two, charging twelve or thirteen times an hour, they would certainly break. But if they fought like that, Shang Tianhou’s side would collapse first.

Liu Congzong’s idea was that the imperial army, knowing it was a trap, would definitely not jump out, but they might not expect him to push in. Their attention was entirely drawn by the torches.

After saying this, Liu Congzong called out to Han Shipan as he prepared to deliver the message: "Wait, be careful. It’s pitch black and you're wearing border army armor—don't let the 'monkeys' mistake you for imperial soldiers."

Han Shipan laughed heartily, waving his hand. "Don't joke, General. Shang Tianhou hasn't lit any torches there. I snuck in earlier and searched for a long time; I only found him because I saw others holding torches to send messages. His men on the perimeter don't even know I was there."

Liu Congzong nodded, urging him to be careful again. He thought to himself that once this battle was over, he must ensure Shang Tianhou improved his security. How alert were these men?

It was only because the imperial troops in the village were worried about their rear that they stayed put. If not for those stragglers failing to return, Liu Congzong estimated the imperial troops would have already sallied out.

The Fourth Platoon carried the four-directional marshal flags and assembled in the mountains, moving silently toward the river valley east of the village without torches or noise. The fighting on the north and south sides continued. With Wei Qian’er’s scouts clearing the way in front, and Liu Jiusi (Shang Tianhou) sending a team to meet them, they avoided startling their own men.

Soon, they reached the millet fields directly east of the village. Shang Tianhou ran over to warn them: "General, be careful. The imperial army dug three narrow trenches at the village gate, a foot wide and a foot deep, specifically to trip people. Many of my brothers were tripped, and some even broke their legs."

This information was crucial. Liu Congzong immediately had the platoons relay this, then waited two hundred paces from the village for Shang Tianhou’s force to create an opportunity on the north and south.

To the north, three hundred-man teams charged twice with torches and weapons, but the mountain path on the right was narrow, only allowing two hundred-man teams to charge at a time. Each time, they were blocked at the gate. Those three spaced-out trenches weren't much use during the day, but at night, especially to the rabble under Liu Jiusi, a moment of hesitation was enough—five or six men in a team would be shot down, and the unit would rout.

Even so, Liu Congzong’s plan was working. To deal with the increasing number of attackers, the imperial army gradually diverted the troops guarding the east toward the sides.

The opportunity had arrived.

Liu Congzong gripped his bow and arrow. The Fourth Platoon’s infantry lined up left and right, stepping out of the darkness without a sound.