Volume III: Heroes Fall in Silence While Heaven and Earth Age - Chapter 19: The Choice I

On the fourth day of Deng She's camp construction, across the Taizi River.

A scout spurred his horse close in a flurry of haste, and the ferry-crossing soldier stepped forward to meet him, asking, "What has happened?" Without answering, the scout leaped from his saddle, bounded onto the boat, and simply urged, "Quick, quick, quick."

Deng She's camp construction had reached its fourth day. Across the Taizi River, a scout rode up frantically on horseback. The ferry guards came forward to meet him, asking, "What is the matter?" Without answering, the scout vaulted off his horse, leaped onto the boat, and urged relentlessly, "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

The soldier dared not ask further. A brief moment later, as they crossed the river, before the boat had even come to a steady halt, the scout scrambled ashore and sprinted all the way. As he neared the main gate, he unfurled the small flag in his hand, waving it high and shouting, "Extreme emergency! Critical military intelligence. Brothers at the gate, open up at once!"

Whenever there was crucial military intelligence, scouts were permitted to gallop within the camp. As he rushed through the main gate, a horse was already brought forward. The drumming of hooves instantly shattered the quiet of the military encampment. Countless soldiers poked their heads out to look, while officers of all ranks fixed their gazes toward the commander's tent.

Not long after the scout entered the commander's tent, the war drums before the tent began to beat. The drumbeats were muffled and rapid, rolling across the sky above the grand camp like a sudden crash of thunder.

The soldiers exchanged whispers: "A gathering of generals?" Someone remarked, "It seems there is a battle to be fought." Experienced officers knew that a gathering of generals was invariably followed by a roll call of troops. Those not qualified to proceed to the commander's tent hurriedly disciplined their subordinates, forbidding any clamor or disorderly movement, as low reprimands rose one after another.

When the drum for gathering generals sounded, anyone failing to arrive by the third drum would receive one hundred strokes of the staff.

Deng She took his seat in the hall, with Bi Qianniu, who was temporarily serving as the provost marshal, standing by his side with his hand on his saber. Personal guards and attendants raised their spears and halberds, lining up opposite each other, each with a stern expression and chest puffed out. An atmosphere of stern awe filled the tent. Deng She said in a deep voice, "Open the commander's tent."

Bi Qianniu relayed the order: "Open the commander's tent."

Two guards at the tent entrance, one on the left and one on the right, pulled back the obstructing tent curtains and exerted force simultaneously, opening the doors of the commander's tent. It was precisely noon, and the sunlight outside was dazzling and brilliant, instantly flashing a vast expanse of white.

When the first drum ceased, the nearby officers—all those of the rank of centurion and above—had arrived in full. When the second drum ceased, the distant officers—all those of the rank of centurion and above—had arrived in full. When the third drum ceased, the officers stationed outside the camp and along the river—all those of the rank of centurion and above—had all arrived.

The commander's tent was very large, easily accommodating several dozen people without the slightest problem. The officers lined up in order of their respective chiliarchs and stood firm. Deng She glanced over them and said, "Call the roll."

Bi Qianniu relayed the order: "Call the roll." A designated roll-call officer, holding the roster of military officers, opened it and called the names one by one according to order. The officers whose names were called stepped out of the ranks and acknowledged. Dozens of names were called out quickly, and the roll-call officer reported back: "A total of sixty-four officers of the rank of centurion and above, all present."

Bi Qianniu relayed: "Reporting to the Grand General, a total of sixty-four officers of the rank of centurion and above, all present."

Deng She nodded, his face as calm as water, majestic without showing anger. He spoke softly, "Clear the area."

Military secrets were to be discussed inside the tent; within a hundred paces outside the tent, no one was permitted to stand. Bi Qianniu turned and shouted the command: "Clear the area!" The personal guards and attendants, both inside and outside the tent, all withdrew, forming a circle around the commander's tent at the prescribed distance, guarding it firmly.

"Bring in the scout."

Bi Qianniu personally led the scout out. The scout knelt and prostrated himself on the ground, first kowtowing to Deng She, then rising to face the assembled officers. Deng She was concise and to the point, directly bringing up the main topic: "Gentlemen, the enemy situation in Liaoyang—correction, Shenyang—has changed. For the specific details, let this brother explain it to everyone."

Ever since the last reorganization of the army, he had consistently maintained strict military discipline. Through continuous and unremitting efforts, he had truly achieved a state where orders were obeyed and prohibitions enforced. The intelligence that the enemy situation in Shenyang had changed could hardly be described as unimportant, yet not a single officer spoke up. At most, those who were familiar with one another exchanged glances.

The tent was dead silent, and the scout said, "Reporting to the Grand General, reporting to all the generals, this humble one arrived in Shenyang during last night's shift change. I lay in ambush outside the city for a night, and at dawn this morning, I saw unusual movements among the Tartars. A force of over thirty thousand men marched out of the East Gate and advanced toward the direction of Dongmou Mountain."

With that, he offered another bow, and Deng She waved his hand to dismiss him. He drew his saber and instructed Bi Qianniu, "The map."

Bi Qianniu produced the map and hung it on the back wall. Deng She stepped forward with his saber, glanced at it roughly, waved his blade toward the location of Shenyang, and said, "Here is Shenyang." Moving eastward along the map, he pointed to Dongmou Mountain and continued, "Twenty li east of Shenyang lies Dongmou Mountain, where General Pan is stationed with fifteen thousand men." Then, turning southwestward from Dongmou Mountain, following the lower reaches of the Taizi River, he stopped at a spot marked with an encampment symbol and said, "Thirty li southwest of Dongmou Mountain; forty li from Shenyang. By the banks of the Taizi River is where our army is located, with five thousand men."

He withdrew his saber and, with a crisp *clack*, sheathed it. Turning back around to face the others, he asked, "Yesterday I received military intelligence from Liaoyang that the offensive on Gaizhou has already begun. At such a critical juncture, the Tartars have suddenly made this move; their intention is not aimed at Pan Mei, but assuredly at Liaoyang. Where should our army go from here? With over thirty thousand Tartars having marched out of the city and our army numbering only five thousand, should we go to rescue Pan Mei? Or should we fall back to Liaoyang? If we rescue Pan Mei, how shall we rescue him? I have summoned you all here to discuss these two matters."

He walked back to his position, lifted his cloak, and sat down while resting his hand on his saber, saying, "If you have any thoughts, please feel free to speak your minds openly."

Deng She's first reaction upon receiving the scout's report was not panic, but rather a long breath of relief. He had been constructing his camp by the banks of the Taizi River for three or four days, and the battle of Gaizhou had also commenced; if there had still been no movement whatsoever from Shenyang, that truly would have been uncanny. What was bound to come would eventually come; it was always better than something that was supposed to come stubbornly refusing to show up. At the very least, it gave people a sense of relief.

As for countermeasures, to be honest, he had not yet formulated a definite plan. Hong Jixun, Wen, Chen, Zhao Guo, Zhang Daier, and others were not by his side, and there were far too few people to brainstorm strategies. One man's plan is short, while two men's plans are long; therefore, he made a prompt decision and simply summoned all the generals to pool their collective wisdom. In fact, speaking of pooling collective wisdom, this was inherently one of his strengths.

Heiguangxiu was the first to speak. Stroking the fake mustache on his lip, he said, "General, the enemy is numerous while we are few. As the General stated, our army has only five thousand men, whereas the forces exiting Shenyang number over thirty thousand. Moreover, Shenyang is only twenty-odd li away from Dongmou Mountain, and reinforcements from within the city can arrive in half a day. Even if our army went, it would simply be marching to our deaths."

Deng She asked, "What is your view?"

"Fall back to Liaoyang... As the General also said, Naha'u attacking Dongmou Mountain's intent is surely Liaoyang. For our army, the best upper strategy is none other than holding firm by relying on the city walls."

One person hesitated and said, "What the Chiliarch of He says makes sense, but, General, Commissioner Guan sent us here precisely for us to act as a support to Dongmou Mountain. If we retreat without a fight—?"

Yang Wanhu let out a huff and said, "He told us to act as support, not to throw our lives away. We only have five thousand men while the Tartars have thirty thousand; how can we rescue them? Shenyang dispatched its troops at dawn, so by now they must have already reached the foot of Dongmou Mountain, and perhaps both sides have already engaged in battle. General, if we go now, what role can we possibly play? This humble one believes Old He's words are sound; retreating early is the only upper strategy." He slanted his gaze at the person who had spoken earlier and said, "I refuse to believe that even if we retreat without a fight and return to Liaoyang, Commissioner Guan could actually do anything to us. He surely can't bite off our privates, can he?"

Deng She pondered in silence. If he withdrew back to Liaoyang, Guan Duo might not do anything to him, but was a retreat truly the best choice?

Bi Qianniu said, "General, this humble one believes that the army should indeed retreat, but how we retreat needs to be carefully considered."

"Oh?"

"Leaving aside Commissioner Guan's military order, that Pan Mei is, after all, the adopted son of Commissioner Pan. If we do not rescue him and he finds out about it, I'm afraid it won't be very easy to explain, would it?"

"What do you mean?"

"It might be better to dispatch a flanking force immediately to Dongmou Mountain, firstly to observe the enemy situation, and secondly to provide an account to both Commissioner Guan and Commissioner Pan."

Having served closely by Deng She's side, Bi Qianniu knew more of the inside details and considered matters not merely from a military perspective. What he spoke of was precisely what Deng She was concerned about. Deng She nodded in appreciation: "Well said. We do indeed need to give Commissioner Pan an account." He thought for a moment and said, "The general direction is temporarily set. We cannot engage in throwing eggs against a rock or walking straight into a death trap; the army must definitely retreat, but not right now."

He gazed at the map once more. Just as he was pondering, a commotion arose outside the tent. He frowned and asked, "Who is making a din outside the tent?"

Bi Qianniu went out to check, wore a peculiar expression upon his return, and reported, "Reporting to the General, it is actually Official Fang Buzhen who has arrived."

As Yao Haogu's confidant, Fang Buzhen also had some inkling of the inner workings of Guan Duo's dealings with Shenyang. Ever since the camp was established by the Taizi River, it had remained calm and peaceful for many days in a row. His guard had dropped, and his scholarly nature had surfaced; whenever he had nothing to do, he would go out for a stroll, appreciating the scenery, visiting waters, and searching for literary verses.

He was not a military officer, so he was not among those summoned, nor had anyone gone to inform him. Having just returned to the camp and heard the news, he had rushed over immediately. Who inside the tent did not know that he was nominally a supply officer, but in reality a nail planted in the camp by Guan Duo? Hearing Bi Qianniu's words, they all exchanged glances.

The clamor outside grew increasingly fierce, and Fang Buzhen was shouting: "I am a supply officer, how am I not a military officer?! What? Only those of the rank of centurion and above are qualified? What rank is a doggone centurion anyway? What rank is my official position? Why am I not qualified? Wahahaha, you fellow, quickly make way for this official! If you delay even a moment, be careful lest this official give you a piece of my mind!"

Deng She groaned inwardly. He had been too engrossed in pondering military intelligence and had completely forgotten about this fellow. With no other choice, he had no option but to issue the order: "Invite Official Fang in." He thought to himself, *Anyway, the decision not to retreat immediately has already been made. If he really insists on us marching to Dongmou Mountain to take the brunt of the force, at worst, we'll just put on a more convincing act.*

Fang Buzhen straightened his headwear and robes, strode in with his head held high, cast a sidelong glance at the generals in the tent, and gave Deng She a long, deep bow, saying, "This humble official has returned to the camp and heard that the General has summoned the military officers. I wonder what matter this is for?"

Deng She coughed and said, "Official Fang, please take a seat." There were many people in the tent, and apart from Deng She, none had seats. Deng She inviting him to sit was a gesture of special courtesy. Bi Qianniu brought over a seating mat, and Fang Buzhen showed no modesty, sitting down without the slightest politeness, his eyes fixed squarely on Deng She, waiting for his reply.

Deng She said, "A moment ago, a scout returned with reports that the Tartars in Shenyang have shown some unusual movements." He repeated the scout's words one by one. Upon hearing this, Fang Buzhen was greatly startled and blurted out, "That Naha'u—" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something was amiss and hurriedly swallowed back the second half of the sentence. He sprang abruptly to his feet and said, "Once the Tartars arrive, Dongmou Mountain will inevitably be lost! Once Dongmou Mountain is lost, Liaoyang's strength will be isolated; if Liaoyang is isolated, then our Liaodong is in peril! Instead of rushing to send rescue, why is the General still holding a military council here? Though this humble official is a scholar, I still know that speed is precious in war."

Without waiting for Deng She to reply, he pressed on: "Has the intelligence been sent to Liaoyang?"

Deng She replied, "At the very moment the report was received, I already dispatched men to Liaoyang to inform Lord Commissioner." Fang Buzhen said, "Splendid, absolutely splendid." He looked around the surroundings and asked, "With a great battle imminent, why are you gentlemen not hurrying back to your camps to prepare, and instead standing about here?"

Yang Wanhu curled his lip, spat on the ground, and said, "The General has not yet given an order, yet a mere supply clerk like you dares to speak presumptuously on military secrets?"

"You!" Fang Buzhen pointed a trembling finger at him in fury.

Deng She smoothed things over and laughed, "Official Fang, do not be impatient. Troops will certainly be sent out, and Dongmou Mountain must definitely be rescued; however, the Tartars have a massive army of over thirty thousand, while our army has only five thousand. How to effect a rescue requires careful deliberation. Master Sun Tzu said: 'He who wins a battle in the temple before it is fought has calculated much... Much calculation leads to victory, little calculation leads to defeat, and how much more so for one with no calculation at all?' To march and wage war hastily before one has any certainty is a major taboo in military strategy."

Fang Buzhen suppressed his anger, sat back down indignantly, and asked, "Then what is the General's intention?"

"General Pan captured Dongmou Mountain nearly ten days ago; by now, the inner and outer trenches and fortifications must have long been securely constructed. Calculating the forces, General Pan's command numbers fifteen thousand men; the Tartars attacking the mountain are merely twice his number, so I can assert that Dongmou Mountain can be guaranteed safe for a short period."

"A short period? How short?" Fang Buzhen asked quite earnestly.

Deng She thought for a moment and said, "As long as Shenyang does not dispatch reinforcements, Dongmou Mountain will come to no harm for at least three days."

"Three days?" Fang Buzhen still held considerable trust in Deng She's judgment. After all, his reputation preceded him, and judging by his past achievements, he could be considered a renowned general. "What if Shenyang sends reinforcements?"

Deng She's train of thought gradually became clearer as he said, "I believe the likelihood of Shenyang dispatching reinforcements is not high."

"Why?"

Deng She smiled slightly and said, "Dongmou Mountain is twenty li from Shenyang, and it is not far from Liaoyang either. If Official Fang were in the Commissioner's position, faced with Shenyang repeatedly dispatching troops, what countermeasure would you adopt?"

Fang Buzhen understood instantly and said, "Firstly, we would also send reinforcements to engage the Tartars in a field battle at the foot of Dongmou Mountain, entangling the Tartars' main force; secondly, we could mobilize main forces from places like Ningyuan—correction, Guangning—and even withdraw from Gaizhou to strike directly at Shenyang while its city is empty, destroying this tumor of a threat."

"Precisely. Compared to Gaizhou, the threat from Shenyang is greater. If Naha'u dares to do this, the Commissioner will certainly not let slip this opportunity. Therefore, I believe the probability of Naha'u sending out further reinforcements is very low."

"Even if the probability is low, within three days, our side in Liaoyang will likely not have time to dispatch a force of reinforcements. You must know that apart from the troops attacking Gaizhou, there are only two or three tens of thousands—correction, two to three thousand—no, two to three tens of thousands of men left in the city; they are barely able to protect themselves and have no surplus strength."

Before coming, Fang Buzhen had received a secret order from Guan Duo: once there was any change in Shenyang, he must demand that Deng She fully support Dongmou Mountain. As long as Dongmou Mountain was not lost, Liaoyang would be safe. The more he thought, the more anxious he became. Three days would pass in a flash, and seeing Deng She sitting calmly and unmoved, he said, "General, matters have reached this point. Delaying by a single day adds another day of danger; what are you still waiting for?"

"The enemy situation is unclear; we cannot afford to be anything less than cautious."

"Does the General feel that these five thousand men of yours are not enough? Are the ten thousand men under Zheng Sanbao and Chen Hu by the Yalu River not considered men? The Tartars have thirty thousand men, and they have no reinforcements; our army combined with Pan Mei's fifteen thousand makes a total of thirty thousand, which happens to be an even match in strength. Moreover, we hold Dongmou Mountain in our hands; with forces coordinating from within and without, mere Tartar barbarians can be swept away as easily as spitting!"

Could Deng She not have thought of Chen Hu? It was simply that he was unwilling to rashly turn his own elite troops into cannon fodder for Guan Duo without a clear grasp of the situation. Since Fang Buzhen had brought it up, it was awkward to avoid discussing it, so he smiled and said, "The Yalu River is a hundred-odd li away from our army; even if we unite in a campaign, we must first establish contact before we can speak of it."

"Then has the General made contact?"

"The messenger set out from the camp long ago, traveling together with the envoy sent to Commissioner Guan." As Deng She answered Fang Buzhen, he recalled Fang Buzhen's earlier startled exclamation. The very first words out of his mouth had been "That Naha'u..." rather than first considering the danger facing Dongmou Mountain. Tasting those words carefully, there seemed to be a hidden mystery within them.

He subconsciously looked toward the map and suddenly thought of a suspicious point. Ever since receiving the news of Shenyang's troop movement, almost everyone had subconsciously judged that Naha'u's intention must lie in Liaoyang. This judgment ought to be correct, and anyone with discerning eyes could see it. With Liaoyang's main army marching out of the city, this was indeed a heaven-sent opportunity to take advantage of an empty stronghold.

Herein lay the problem: why had Naha'u timed this so perfectly? How did he know that Guan Duo was going to attack Gaizhou? Naturally, the mobilization of Liaoyang's troops could not be concealed from Naha'u's eyes, but connecting this with the earlier event where Pan Mei easily took Dongmou Mountain, looking back now, it was extremely suspicious. It did not look like a clash between two armies, but rather as though Naha'u had handed it over on a silver platter.

Savoring it now, could Naha'u's original purpose have been to dissolve Guan Duo's vigilance so that he would feel secure in marching his troops out to attack Gaizhou?

Deng She could not figure it out. Turning his thoughts further, although Liaoyang's main force had marched out, there were still two or three tens of thousands of personnel in the city, and grain supplies were ample; even if besieged, holding out for a period of time would be no problem at all. How could Naha'u be so certain that he could capture Liaoyang? Gaizhou's Gao Jianu had only two or three tens of thousands of rabble; wasn't he afraid that Mao Jujing would swiftly pacify them and lead his main force back in full strength to reinforce? By that time, it would be just as Fang Buzhen had said: coordinating from within and without, mere Tartar barbarians could be swept away with a spit.

How could he be so confident?

Deng She still could not figure it out; there were doubts and suspicions on all fronts. The only thing that could be ascertained was that Naha'u must have a backup plan. He recalled a saying: *To lie silently at the bottom of the abyssal depths, but move with the force of the nine heavens.*

"What did the General say?"

Deng She snapped back to his senses. He faintly smelled the scent of a conspiracy. He changed his mind: amidst the clouds of doubt, to ensure the safety of his own side, he must unite with Chen Hu as quickly as possible before making further plans. He said, "I said: 'He who excels in attack moves from above the nine heavens; he who excels in defense conceals himself below the nine earths.' General Pan can be considered someone who excels in defense, yet the perilous crisis at Dongmou Mountain cannot brook further delay. Where is Yang Wanhu?"

"This humble one is here."

"Immediately select and dispatch a thousand men to head to Dongmou Mountain, inspect the enemy situation, and inform General Pan that our army will surely come to his rescue. As soon as the dual-city forces of Chen Hu and Zheng Sanbao arrive, I will dispatch the army."