Book 22 Chapter 12 – The Battle of River Zhang
The first to pass was the vanguard cavalry of the thief army. Only in three days, four nights, the Three Big Bandits’ thief army tight formation has deteriorated into disorder. For a time the plains were full of scattered light of the torches.
Perhaps because it was only two days away from River Zhang, everybody was as anxious as stray dogs, thinking that after crossing River Zhang, they would be able to sleep without any worry. Yet actually it was not surprising that they were having that idea.
To Kou Zhong’s ambushing troops, this situation was actually ‘an easy drive on a familiar path’; the key was to use focus to generate chaos, to use order to create dispersion.
Shang Xiuxun whispered in Kou Zhong’s ear, “Currently, although we managed to obtain a thousand men, to defeat them, we still do not have any assurance.”
Shaking his head, Kou Zhong said, “This time we don’t want to only obtain one victory, but we want to put an end to these bandits who harm the world of the living thoroughly. We also want to lower the casualties on our side to the lowest point. Only this way will we show off our real ability.”
Suddenly recalling an old affair, he asked in passing, “How could Tao Shusheng be bought by these roving bandits that he agreed to betray the Ranch?”
Shang Xiuxun’s pretty eyes flashed with sharp rays; she coldly said, “How could Cao Yinglong buy him and entice his heart? It was Li Mi!”
Finally Kou Zhong found the answer to this mystery.
On the other side, Bai Wenyuan was peeking through the gap on the trees on the enemy troops winding around the horse relay station; he spoke in low voice, “The vanguard cavalry and the carts carrying provisions at the back of the line are separated by about three li distance. If we move fast enough, we might be able to strike before the enemy riders turn around to come to their aid. And then our whole division will retreat promptly.”
“Get on your horses!” Kou Zhong shouted.
Shang Xiuxun hurriedly issued her order, which was then rapidly transmitted down the line.
One after another one thousand Ranch’s warriors mounted their horses.
Among them, several hundreds held torches in their hands, prepared to burn the provision carts.
Approximately a hundred carts carrying provisions finally appeared before their eyes, protected by around two thousand thieves, mostly infantry; their cavalry was less than five hundred.
Kou Zhong waited for the fortunate timing. Suddenly he roared wildly, and charged out of the jungle on the slope of the hill, taking the lead to attack the convoy of the enemy’s provision carts.
The Moon in the Well was raised high in the air.
Shang Xiuxun, Bai Wenyuan, Luo Fang, Xu Yang, and the others followed closely behind, trailed by one thousand elite Ranch riders in fan-shaped formation closing in to trap the enemy in the middle.
The torches were lighted up, the fire illuminated the night sky, increasing the tidal-wave like surging momentum of the thousand riders.
The enemy formation was immediately thrown into chaos. Those with fast reaction were going to pull their bows and arrows, but several hundreds powerful arrows were raining down on them. Momentarily the men fell face up, the horses overturned, in utter defeat.
Like surging waves the chaos rippled from the back of the line toward the middle, and then continued on to the vanguard units. The bandits, who have wantonly plundered the area north of the river, which Cao Yinglong relied on, were immediately trampling each other.
Kou Zhong was the first to charge into the enemy ranks. The Moon in the Well appeared as a streak of continuously flashing yellow light hacked down the four enemy riders who galloped to meet him, so hard that the men and their weapons were thrown off of the horseback. Gaining the upper hand by this show of strength, he charged deep into the enemy formation. Those who tried to intercept were swept away by the wind. The most formidable thing was that he did not even need the Moon in the Well to touch the enemy’s body; merely the saber qi was enough to make the enemy’s seven apertures to bleed and sending them to their death.
The Ranch’s elite cavalry, as if they were descending from heavens, crushed into the enemy formation that the entire convoy of provision carts was separated from the middle army and the vanguard unit, and was put into a completely passive situation.
Two of the provision carts caught fire first, the flames and smoke soared to the sky.
Shang Xiuxun was using a long spear. Because she had a group of high-ranking military officers protecting her from left and right, her momentum was like a rainbow; the scream of the enemies thrust by her spear reached the sky.
In less than half a day, the entire convoy of provision carts was paralyzed, as well as broken into several sections, the thieves were scattering in all directions, fleeing for their lives; even the drivers of the carts jumped down and abandoned their vehicles.
One after another the overturned carts were set on fire, so that the entire area became a sea of fire.
Kou Zhong’s murderous intent flared up; leading about a hundred warriors, he charged toward the thieves, who were trying to come to the aid of their retreating companions. It was only after he saw the opponent’s vanguard riders, under the leadership of Cao Yinglong, rushing over from both sides ahead that he shouted retreat.
The surprise attack was finally over, successfully.
Xu Ziling chopped down a sturdy and solid pomegranate tree trunk, and spent half a day using his dagger to pare the small branches away to make it into a zhang and a half long stick. Its weight, as well as the feel of it in his hands, was very close to the ideal in his mind.
Battlefield could be different from desperate fight against martial art masters in general, long weapons were always more advantageous.
While making this pomegranate wooden stick, his mind was calm, his spirit was highly focused that he noticed every subtle detail on the tree trunk; which side needed more cut, at what angle he had to make the cut, everything was according to a certain amazing reason that even he himself found it difficult to explain clearly, but he knew that he must not make the slightest mistake.
After the long stick was finished, he had a feeling that this pomegranate stick was as if it was his own flesh and blood. Looking at each chop and cut, which were like the work of the gods, he felt as if it was a very valuable lesson for himself. At least, after Susu’s death, his spirit has never felt so satisfied like this.
When the sun was moving away from the middle of the sky and leaning away to the west, Xuan Yong came to report that he had found the enemy’s track.
Xu Ziling quickly stood up from the big rock where he had been sitting for about half a day; one hand putting the stick behind him, he said in delight, “Kou Zhong succeeded; otherwise, Cao Yinglong would not have traveled in haste during the day.”
Xuan Yong nodded and said, “According to the scouts, the enemy formation is in disorder, they are completely like scampering wolves or scurrying frightened rats, running away to the wilderness. This time Cao Yinglong ought to be in the-path-exhausted, the-road-ended situation.”
And then his eyes fell onto the pomegranate stick sticking out from Xu Ziling’s right shoulder.
Xu Ziling handed the long stick over for him to see. The murderous intent in his eyes flared out strongly, yet the tone of his voice was extremely calm as he said, “Tonight I will use this stick to take away Cao Yinglong’s dog life.”
Like a wave of fiery cloud, the Ranch’s main forces, led by Shang Zhen, swept through the enemy ranks, to rendezvous with Kou Zhong and Shang Xiuxun’s special forces. Without stopping to rest they rushed in the direction of Zhang River.
Hearing that they have been successfully burned Cao Army’s provision carts, their morale soared like a rainbow, their battle spirit was uplifted.
They changed formation; the vanguard unit was divided into two teams, each team had two thousand men, under Kou Zhong and Liu Zongdao’s command, respectively, with Luo Fang and Bai Wenyuan as their deputies.
Shang Xiuxun was in command of the middle army, with Shang Zhen brought up the rear.
They absolutely did not wish to overtake the Cao Army before they crossed the river, because it might force the enemy to fight hard like a trapped beast.
By dusk, Kou Zhong and Luo Fang’s vanguard units were the first to reach the mountaintop from which they were able to look at the Zhang River in the distance. They saw the eastern bank of River Zhang was full of enemy troops in battle array, ready to fight with their back to the river.
Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “Cao Yinglong indeed have a real skill. But he is making two big blunders.”
Astonished, Luo Fang said, “But I think the strategy he is using now is very brilliant. If we attack rashly, the casualties will definitely be disastrous.”
Laughing involuntarily, Kou Zhong said, “He is just bluffing [orig. looks impressive but is worthless]. First of all, he lost all his provisions. How long can he fight on empty stomach? If we set up an iron-clad trap in here, he will only end up in total defeat. This is his first blunder.”
After a short pause, he went on, “The second blunder is that he thought I didn’t know that he is waiting for the dark to set up the pontoon bridge, and then cross the river sneakily. This strategy is actually extremely brilliant, too bad he did not know there is another ambushing troops on the other side, just waiting for his thieving self to arrive.”
Listening to this, the spirit of the men of his left and right was greatly aroused; toward this Cao Army, who had murdered their friends and relatives, no one did not gnash their teeth in anger, they all wanted to annihilate the enemy as quickly as possible.
The moment of vengeance has finally come.
Puffing his chest, Luo Fang asked, “When should we attack?”
Kou Zhong shouted, “This will be decided by Xu Ziling. The moment they release fireworks on the opposite bank will be the moment thief Cao will repay all debts with his blood.”
‘Clang!’
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Kou Zhong drew the Moon in the Well. Pointed it at an angle toward the horizon, with ten-thousand-fathom heroic spirit he shouted, “Light the torches, set them up on every hilltop, while digging trenches at the same time. I want to setup a net that not a single enemy will be able to escape. Ranch troops will prevail, thief troops will fail!”
The moment his murderous intent was flaring, the bitter battle, where he had to defend Jingling in the past, reappeared in his mind. The difference was that this time, attacking and defending roles had been easily reversed.
His troops responded in thunderous roar.
When darkness fell, Xu Ziling put the pomegranate wooden stick on his horseback. Standing in the dense forest, he and Xuan Yong kept a close watch over each and every move that the enemy made.
On the opposite bank, the Cao Army lighted more than a hundred torches in tight battle formation, while covertly building the pontoon bridges.
A bit worried, Xuan Yong said, “If Cao Yinglong relies on this confusion to have his men crossing the river and setup formation on this side of the river, based on our current military strength, I am afraid we are helpless to do anything to him.”
By this time, five out of eight pontoon bridges have already been completed, the cavalry was the first to take their horses crossing the river. The situation was more urgent.
Xu Ziling smiled and said, “Under normal circumstances, we are indeed helpless to do anything to him. But look closely at them; they all show hungry, exhausted and beleaguered look on their faces. As long as your eight trebuchets are doing their job to create confusion, for instance, destroying one of the pontoons, I guarantee that the enemy will break down and lose their will to fight, any formation they are creating will be useless.”
His confidence restored, Xuan Yong nodded and said, “I was indeed a bit worried about personal gains and losses. We are honing our strength for the big push, as well as trying to catch the enemy off guard with a surprise attack [idiom, from Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’]. I know that the other side does not know about us, so we are really in an invincible position. Hey! How could Xu Ye, in such an urgent situation where war could happen any moment, still look so calm and composed?”
Xu Ziling replied indifferently, “As long as you are able to put life and death, success and failure, completely out of your mind, and able to have free spirit and comfortable thought, you will be able to completely bring out your full potential.”
Revealing a deference expression on his face, Xuan Yong spoke in low voice, “Xuan Yong receives benefit from your advice.”
Finally the eight pontoon bridges were completed, from beginning to end it took less than half a sichen. The number of men crossing the river increased dramatically; waves after waves of men were heading to the grassland on the western bank of River Zhang. Most men and horses were at the end of the limit of their strength; as soon as they crossed the river, they sat on the ground, no need to mention any will to fight.
“When should we attack?” Xuan Yong asked.
Xu Ziling’s pair of tiger-eyes suddenly lit up; he said, Cao Yinglong and Fang Jianding already crossed the river! Xiang Baxian [sic. It was Xiang Batian in Book 9 Chapter 7] will make Kou Zhong’s job a bit easier!”
And then he turned his head and shouted, “Light the torches!”
Behind him, the sound of battle drums and bugle horns immediately shook the heavens. From the eastern bank, loud battle cry and the whooshing noise of big rocks splitting the air also shook the heavens.
From the Ranch warriors’ point of view, everywhere on the mountaintops on the opposite bank were bright with several thousand torches, painting the riverbank, as well as the sky, blood red, so that the pontoon bridges, which were originally hidden in the dark, were completely exposed. The torchlight also revealed what seemed to be the flickering shadows of ten thousand horses and thousands of men.
Shang Xiuxun was greatly surprised, “How come there are so many men?”
Laughing involuntarily, Kou Zhong said, “Good kid! Unexpectedly he knew how to bluff; even I am intimidated by him.”
‘Boom!’
One big rock accurately hit a pontoon bridge, the more than a hundred men and horses on it were immediately overturned and fell into the water in such a sorry state.
At the same time, from both upstream and downstream, not far from the crossing, several hundred archers appeared, and mercilessly shot those who were falling to the water and were trying to swim to their direction.
The thieves on both sides of the river, as well as those who were still on the pontoon bridges, were thrown into confusion, and were trying to flee for their lives, yet they were trapped into a completely desperate strait.
‘Bang!’
The fireworks released from the opposite bank burst into greenish-white sparks high in the sky.
“Charge!” Kou Zhong shouted.
The Ranch Cavalry of five thousand men were divided into five units of one thousand men each, like five tornadoes sweeping through the enemy lines.
From about a dozen or so mountaintop jungles torchlight lighted the sky, raging flames spread wildly, so that the moon and the stars in the sky lost their splendor.
In the river and on the shores, dead bodies were everywhere.
Out of eight pontoon bridges, five have been destroyed. The killing was just the beginning.
All Shaoshuai Army and Ranch warriors wore yellow headbands; those without the yellow band were killed without mercy.
Xu Ziling and Xuan Yong, each leading five hundred men, rushed out of their respective hiding place and charged toward the enemy. The remaining several hundred men were spread out with the straw dummies, increasing the momentum of their attack. They also released powerful arrows to intercept any thief who happened to flee in their direction.
The thieves abandoned their horses and fled on foot to be able to run more easily.
Xu Ziling fought at the head of his troops. His state of mind has entered the out-of-the-ordinary ‘non-self’ boundary. His zhang-and-a-half long pomegranate stick displayed its matchless swift-and-fierce killing power to the fullest extent. It poked, swept, hacked, or struck, ao that the enemy, along with his weapon, would be thrown out and died on the spot, no one was able to prolong his remaining breath.
The thieves have turned into a sheet of loose sand; those who were able to run have run, those who were unable to escape could not even form any battle array; only small groups of three or four men were fighting desperately with their backs against each other for support.
It’s just that the thieves were indeed too numerous; over the years, they were accustomed to pass their days licking the blood from their blade, accustomed to see the wind and the waves, so that although they were hungry and trapped in difficulties, in this life-and-death crisis, they were still unyieldingly brave and were fighting desperately with everything they had.
At first Xu Ziling was able to identify Cao Yinglong and Fang Jianding, and was rushing over to kill them, who would have thought that thousands of enemies swarmed toward him from the shore? Before his eyes were dense shadows of people with flickering blades, naturally he could not see Cao Yinglong and Fang Jianding’s whereabouts.
‘Crack!’
A thief with exceptionally outstanding martial art skill met his stick with a spear. But after three exchanges, Xu Ziling flicked his wrist, the pomegranate stick pushed and pulled to create a gap, which he immediately exploited. With a thrust the thief’s chest shattered and he died.
However, with this slight delay, the soldiers to his left and right immediately bore the brunt of the enemy’s desperate offensive. Immediately seven or eight Shaoshuai soldiers fell to the ground. Clearly the battle was very intense.
Xu Ziling had no time to grieve for the dead and the wounded, all he knew was that he must vent his resentment to the enemies on four sides, eight directions. Once again the pomegranate stick flaunted its prowess; it rolled toward the enemy like the waves of the great river Yangtze, killing the enemy that they scattered in all directions.
As soon as anybody was within his pomegranate stick range, blood splashed and body flew, not a single one narrowly and luckily escaped.
Depending entirely on this powerful master’s leadership, the remaining four hundred or so Shaoshuai Army soldiers were able to break the enemy line into two sections, creating the most favorable situation for the other Shaoshuai Army unit under Xuan Yong’s leadership.
Arrows were still shot constantly from Shaoshuai Army’s entrenchment position toward the fleeing bandits, so that dead bodies continued to accumulate along the shore in total disorder.
One side was focused, while the other was in disunity.
Although the Cao Army was numerous, because the troops’ heart was in disorder, they quickly lost their number advantage. Cao Yinglong was unable to pull the wildly swelling water into a stream.
The thieves successfully crossed the river numbered approximately ten thousand men. When the ambush began, close to a thousand men plunged into the river, attempting to escape, but the Shaoshuai Army ambushing on both upstream and downstream mercilessly shot them with arrows.
It felt like the fierce fighting would never end.
Wherever they went, Xu Ziling and his men were like breaking dried twigs and pulling rotten weeds, so that the enemy left behind a mess dead bodies, everywhere they touched, it was frighteningly severed limb and blood; yet there were still countless enemies all around, so that Xu Ziling felt as if he was in an endless killing spree, as if he had fallen into an ant hole. As soon as his hand slowed down slightly, an enemy appeared in front of him, going all out, disregarding his own life, to counterattack. It was a fierce battle where either you die or I perish.
Suddenly the pressure was lightening up; turned out he had reached the riverbank. He saw the raging battle on the opposite bank was not less intense from the battle on this side.
Xu Ziling saw the enemy fleeing everywhere like a tide. His heart moved, he stuck the pomegranate stick into the ground, and then borrowing the power from the stick, he flew midair, while his tiger-eyes scanned the crowd.
He saw that the Shaoshuai Army under his leadership only had more than three hundred men left, while on the other side, Xuan Yong’s team was not much better. But they succeeded in defeating the opponent, so that no one dared to fight with them, and all he saw was fleeing enemies scattering in all directions.
A group of about a hundred enemies was running away, the leaders happened to be Cao Yinglong and Fang Jianding. Letting out a wild roar, Xu Ziling landed back to the ground, and led his men in full speed pursuit.