Volume III: Heroes Fall in Silence, the World Grows Old Chapter 36: Shifting Tides III

Recently, I have been writing about many conspiracies, so let's switch to a lighter and simpler style to give myself a break. O(∩_∩)O.

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The Posuo Inspection Bureau is about three hundred *li* away from Gaizhou, connected by well-established relay stations via Kaizhou Station and other locations. The roads are smooth with no major mountains, hills, large rivers, or lakes.

Chen Hu gathered over a dozen guides and assigned them to various armies to lead the way before the troops. It was impossible for more than thirty thousand men to march together. For instance, Zhao Guo’s division had already left the city. Therefore, according to the predetermined plan, the various detachments acted separately with an appointed rendezvous to gather in southern Gaizhou five days later.

The overall battlefield situation was as follows:

Inside the city were more than twenty thousand men under Gao Jianu; south of the city were several thousand Japanese; Mao Jujing was positioned north of Gaizhou city; while the rebel forces of Zuo Li and others were entrenched further behind Mao Jujing, dozens of *li* away from Gaizhou at a place called the Haizhou Inspection Bureau, which was strategically located between Gaizhou and Liaoyang, choking the main north-south transportation route.

……

A few days later, the various armies arrived at their designated locations. Military law imposed severe punishments for missing the appointed time, often punishable by beheading, as delays directly affected the subsequent execution of military operations. Fortunately, as military reports came in from all fronts, Deng She felt relieved; there were no instances of tardiness. This success was owed to three factors: first, the distance was not far; second, the terrain of Liaodong was convenient and easy to traverse; third, the guides selected by Chen Hu were highly competent.

In Deng She’s central army camp, before the tents were even securely pitched, a messenger from Mao Jujing arrived.

Deng She had him brought in and observed him closely. The messenger looked travel-worn, his armor stained with blood—he had evidently encountered roving Yuan cavalry patrols along the way.

"Was the road unsafe?"

"Although Gao Jianu is turtled up inside the city, he has sent out numerous roving cavalry and scattered troops within a ten-*li* radius outside the walls to cut off our communication routes."

"What is the battle situation like?"

"For several days, clashes have occurred daily. Upon hearing of the General's arrival, Commander Mao was overjoyed and specially sent this humble subordinate to learn the General's plans and arrangements so our forces can coordinate accordingly."

This messenger was eloquent and flattered Deng She with high praise, implying that Mao Jujing was willingly taking on a subordinate role to obey Deng She's command. Deng She smiled and said, "Commander Mao flatters this general too much... Please take a look, honored messenger."

He unfolded a map, pointed to the vicinity of Gaizhou, and said, "Our army of over thirty thousand men is stationed in three locations. The left wing, commanded by General Chen Hu, is tasked with approaching and routing the Japanese; the central army is here; the right wing is under General Zhao Guo, which includes several thousand men from the divisions of Xu Ren and Li Jing. The central army combined with the right wing totals over twenty thousand men, forming our main force, with the objective of watching over Gaizhou.

"Honored messenger can surely see that all our troop deployments strictly follow the instructions given in Commander Mao's previous letter. Now that the deployments are set, we are merely waiting for Commander Mao to make his final preparations. Once he is ready, our left wing will launch its offensive against the Japanese. Meanwhile, the central army and right wing will press forward. Please assure Commander Mao that our forces will spare no cost to keep a tight watch on Gaizhou and ensure his breakout is a success."

After briefly outlining the plan in a few words, Deng She asked, "I wonder if Commander Mao is satisfied with this arrangement?"

The messenger was very satisfied, and his satisfaction represented that of Mao Jujing, for before he departed, Mao Jujing had clearly given him instructions. He replied, "Our division is ready to break out at any time; there is no need to delay for extra preparations. May I ask when the General intends to make a move?"

Trapped under the city walls for over ten days, rations in the camp were nearly exhausted, and Mao Jujing could wait no longer. Just before Deng She's arrival, many among his subordinates had begun volunteering to burn their boats behind them. Rather than sitting passively and dying beneath the city walls, they preferred to fight it out.

Mao Jujing had been indecisive and dared not take such a great risk, but Deng She's arrival was like a drowning man clutching a straw. A military commander must avoid hesitation at all costs. To be this fearful of wolves ahead and tigers behind meant it was no wonder he had previously suffered defeat at Daining against Zhang Jujing and Shijiaobao.

Deng She pondered for a moment and said, "General Chen Hu's forces have just arrived, and the troops have been marching for a long time. He needs a day of rest. The battle will commence the day after tomorrow... What does the honored messenger think?"

The messenger naturally had no objections. The two then discussed the details step by step, setting the exact times for each action down to the very hour. The two armies were far apart, with roving Yuan cavalry active in between; once combat began, messengers and military reports could not possibly travel freely. "Fighting by appointment" was precisely what this meant.

Once the date was settled, official matters came to a temporary close.

As Guan Duo's trusted confidant and right-hand man, Mao Jujing inevitably maintained close contact with Liaoyang and might possess military intelligence unknown to Gaizhou. No matter how tense the situation in Gaizhou was, it remained a peripheral conflict; the core was still in Liaoyang. Deng She asked, "How is the situation in Liaoyang now?"

Instead of asking whether the messenger knew, he asked directly for the details. Anyone sent to negotiate battle schedules on Mao Jujing's behalf must hold a high position within Mao's army and would certainly be aware of vital military secrets.

True enough, the messenger was in high spirits and made no concealment, saying, "To inform the General, the situation in Liaoyang is truly grim. Just the day before yesterday, Nahachu concentrated his artillery and bombarded a corner of the city, actually collapsing a section of the wall. If the Administrator himself had not personally overseen the defense, the city would almost have fallen."

In siege warfare, concentrating artillery and trebuchets against a single corner of a city wall was a tactic frequently employed ever since the advent of artillery. Deng She had also used this trick when attacking Shuangcheng.

He frowned. Liaoyang was too far away, and scouting communications were inconvenient. The news he received often arrived several days late, and he had truly been unaware of this latest intelligence. A breached city wall was extremely perilous. He asked, "What about the directions of Liaoxi and Guangning? Have the two Administrators, Liu and Pan, sent any reinforcements?"

Looking gravely concerned, the messenger replied, "The Tatars in Liaoxi have counterattacked, so Administrator Liu cannot spare himself. Shuo Sijian's large army is stirring restily; it is said that one of their detachments has already attacked Shangdu. Our forces left to guard Shangdu number only around ten thousand, and their future looks bleak. Administrator Pan in Guangning dares not act rashly either. Just two days ago, he dispatched a reinforcement force of six or seven thousand men, which is currently stationed thirty *li* west of Liaoyang city."

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Deng She understood Pan Chen's feelings. With an army of one hundred thousand camped right at one's doorstep, no one would dare act rashly. The slightest carelessness would mean more than simply losing Guangning; it would drag Liaoxi and Liaoyang down with it. For the Red Turbans, Guangning, Liaoxi, and Liaoyang formed a tripod—lose any one of them, and it would collapse. This was perhaps one of the reasons why Guan Duo had never excessively pressured Pan Chen for reinforcements.

"That being the case, the savior of Liaoyang rests entirely upon Commander Mao alone," Deng She paced and asked, "How is the morale in the army?"

"Morale is high. The craftiness of the Tatars and the shamelessness of the rebels have filled our three armies with fury; everyone is eager to eat their flesh and sleep on their hides." The messenger spoke with righteous indignation. Naturally, he would not speak ill of his own army, adding, "As long as the General routes the Japanese and holds Gaizhou, within a single day our army will surely smash the Haizhou Inspection Bureau, execute Zuo and Li, and use their heads to mourn our fallen and wronged soldiers."

"Good, very good."

Deng She clapped his hands and said, "Bring wine, to see off our brave warrior."

Bi Qianniu brought over a jar of wine and poured a bowl each for the messenger and his dozens of subordinates. Under the scorching sun, amidst fluttering banners and gleaming weapons, everyone drank it down in one gulp. The messenger shattered his bowl in farewell, leaped onto his horse, and the party kicked up billowing yellow dust as they rode far away into the distance.

Deng She watched them depart for a long time until Bi Qianniu asked, "General, what are you thinking about?"

"He didn't ask us to go along and join the forces to rescue Liaoyang."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Of course it was good, as it showed Mao Jujing knew how to behave. Yet Deng She felt a faint sense of detachment and polite estrangement from it. To be sure, he and the Liaoyang Red Turbans had never been as close as fish and water, but they had never been like this either—completely treating each other like outsiders. After all, they came from the same roots.

Deng She muttered softly, repeating a phrase the messenger had used: "Your forces... Your forces."

He took a couple of steps, then reconsidered. Perhaps the messenger was right in his phrasing. It was simply because Deng She himself harbored the thought of watching the tigers fight from the top of the mountain to reap the fisherman's profit that his guilty conscience made him feel estranged from the other side.

"We were quite estranged to begin with," he laughed self-deprecatingly, concluding that his skin was simply not thick enough and his heart not dark enough. He mused that he needed to reread the *Records of the Three Kingdoms* several times to properly study the ways of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

Military banners fluttered, and soldiers moved like ants.

Having issued the order for Chen Hu to attack the day after tomorrow, Deng She walked out of the commander's tent and climbed to a high vantage point to look into the distance. The blue sky was boundless, white clouds drifted like cotton, and across the wide-open plains, a tiny speck representing Gaizhou's city wall could be seen in the distance, looking dark like a sesame seed. He turned his head to look northward, comparing the map with what the messenger had said, roughly estimating the position where Mao Jujing's troops were stationed, though they were too far away to see anything.

He Guangxiu ran over panting, looking up from below and shouting loudly, "General, a messenger reports that General Zhao's division on the right wing has encountered small scouting parties of Tatars. If we ignore them, they come; if we engage them, they run. General Zhao asks for instructions: should he pursue them or not?"

Such a minor matter was not worth making a fuss over; it would be stranger if the Yuan cavalry did not come to harass them. Judging their intent, it was nothing more than probing for strengths and weaknesses. Coming and going repeatedly to provoke them was clearly meant to test the capability of the commanding general.

"It's just a tactic to test the commander," Deng She said dismissively. "Pass the order to General Zhao: pay no attention to these few Tatars. Tell him to step up camp construction, rest his troops, and quietly await General Chen's offensive the day after tomorrow."

"General Chen's division has fewer than ten thousand men, General. There are several thousand Japanese, and they fortified their camp early and solidly. Should we send a detachment from the central army to reinforce them?"

Deng She smiled contemptuously and said, "The Japanese are mere bandits who understand nothing of military formations. Their capture of Jin and Fuzhou was purely a matter of luck, seizing a good opportunity. When have they ever experienced major field battles? Never mind a few thousand, add a few thousand more, and they still wouldn't be a match for our elite Tiger Army. General Chen's division alone is enough."

Deng She's judgments had rarely been wrong, but this time things turned out contrary to expectations.

The combat effectiveness of the Japanese was truly formidable, far exceeding expectations. While they were indeed inept at troop formations and tactical deployment, every single individual was fierce and fearless of death. Chen Hu launched fierce assaults repeatedly throughout the half-day without success. Although they killed many of the enemy, as the saying goes, killing a thousand enemies costs you eight hundred of your own. Facing such crazed opponents, the Shuangcheng troops suffered heavy casualties of their own.

"Damn it, I finally understand what that phrase means today," said Yang Wanhu, watching the battlefield filled with battle cries after Chen Hu's delays prompted Deng She to lead his generals to observe the front lines personally.

"What phrase?"

"A dog driven to a wall will leap over it, and even a cornered rabbit will bite."

He Guangxiu was speechless; it was far too fitting.

The Japanese camp was set up in front of a small hill, separated from the Red Turban camp by several miles of open wilderness, and the fierce battle unfolded right in the middle. Banners fluttered to obscure the sky on both sides, drums rolled like thunder, and arrows and stones rained down. The Japanese wore no uniform; they were dressed in a hodgepodge of attire, screaming *ya-ya* and wielding long swords, spears, and polearms like a surging tide, wave after wave throwing themselves forward.

He Guangxiu rubbed his eyes. "Are we attacking them, or are they attacking us?"

Having lost Jin and Fuzhou with no retreat route, and unlike the Red Turbans or Yuan soldiers, the Japanese were foreigners on foreign soil with no external reinforcements and no internal support. Numbering only a few thousand with a language barrier, even if they had originally been wolves, they had now been transformed into lambs thrown into a tiger's den. Their fear and terror could well be imagined.

When facing death, people either grow soft or go mad.

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Deng She sighed, "Struggling so desperately, do they think reinforcements will still appear? Gao Jianu is not stupid; how could he not understand the principle of besieging a city to strike at reinforcements? As for Nahachu, he is merely using them and has likely discarded them as abandoned pawns long ago."

He gave the order: "Raise the 'No Quarter' boards."

In the frontline army, following Deng She's command, more than ten flagpoles were erected, flying white flags several meters long with bold black characters reading: "Surrender and be spared." The Japanese might not speak Chinese, but those among them with any education would certainly recognize Chinese characters. Deng She selected some loud-voiced soldiers—regrettably none who knew the Japanese language—and had them shout loudly on the battlefield to urge the enemy to surrender.

Blood gushed everywhere, and corpses littered the field.

The Japanese did not slow down their momentum in the slightest despite the raising of the "No Quarter" boards. Deng She frowned as he watched. The Red Turbans on the left flank had attempted a fire attack, but it was thwarted by the Japanese. Large piles of firewood burned fiercely about a mile away from the Japanese camp. Black smoke and charred grass debris drifted with the wind, quickly blanketing the entire battlefield. Smoke obscured the sky, and Yang Wanhu covered his nose and coughed twice.

The Japanese remained as fierce as mad tigers. Amidst the thick smoke, the sounds of screams and slaughter merged into one. Where white blades flashed, brilliant splashes of crimson stunned the eye; dark, heavy iron bludgeons struck unseen, spinning to fling out chunks of white brain matter; long spears and thick axes collided with dull thuds that made one's heart palpitate.

In the center of the battlefield, where the smoke was densest, a Japanese warrior in a black robe was unstoppable, flesh and blood flying and severed limbs scattering wherever he passed. Deng She narrowed his eyes, tracking his figure intently. After watching for a moment, he saw him kill anyone he encountered, seemingly unable to tell friend from foe.

"The Japanese have gone blood-mad, General. Should we pull back and regroup for a moment?"

Deng She did not answer, but Chen Hu was burning with fury. Ever since he became a bandit leader, he had never suffered such humiliation. With all the generals of the three armies watching under broad daylight, how could he fail to handle a mere few thousand Japanese? He flatly refused, "Retreat? Absolutely out of the question! Though the Japanese are fierce, it is merely the desperation of impending death. As long as our army deals them another heavy blow..." He said to Deng She, "This subordinate guarantees the Japanese will rout."

The sun was gradually sinking westward. According to the agreed time, Mao Jujing would begin his breakout early tomorrow morning. In other words, the Japanese before them had to be dealt with before nightfall.

Deng She did not mind Chen Hu overstepping his authority. Agreeing with Chen Hu's view, he looked around and asked, "Who is willing to go forward and make a charge?"

Yang Wanhu was the first to jump out, but Deng She shook his head and passed over him. The infantry Yang Wanhu commanded were of little use here. Instead, he pointed to a cavalry chiliarch: "Take five hundred men, charge from left to right through those bastards."

The cavalry was stationed on a high ground on the left flank, and the five hundred men sprang into action upon receiving the order. They galloped down the slope into the battlefield littered with corpses. Caught off guard, the Japanese were instantly plunged into the smoke by the charging horsemen, who rode right through it and out the other side. Then, wheeling around, they split into two groups, sweeping in a slanted arc like two torrents of iron merging into one for a third charge against the battle array.

When they plunged into the smoke, only the roar of hooves could be heard, with the gleaming armor of their upper bodies faintly visible. When they emerged from the smoke, every man's blade and spear tip was dripping with fresh blood, and the quickest among them even had human heads dangling beside their saddles.

Lacking cavalry, the Japanese quickly fell into disarray. The commanding Japanese general tried desperately to rally them, but to no avail against the repeated cavalry charges. Seizing the opportunity, Chen Hu led his troops in a counterattack. The Japanese could finally hold out no longer, and after a little more than half an hour, leaving behind hundreds of corpses, they retreated back to their camp in front of the hill.

"If they're this clueless about warfare, what opportunity would our cavalry have to shine if they just cowered in their camp?" He Guangxiu commented with a professional air.

"If they retreated into the camp, how would I handle it?"

"First with artillery and archers, then elite troops storming the camp."

Deng She smiled. "We shall do as General He suggests." Fierce though the Japanese were, they numbered only a few thousand—a mere itch of a skin disease. Therefore, although the Red Turbans had suffered a temporary setback, Deng She was not overly worried. Now that their vanguard had been shattered, victory could be anticipated soon.

Once again, his judgment proved wrong.

The artillery fired for a quarter of an hour, archers covered nearly half of the Japanese camp, and the vanguard launched two assaults, yet not once were they able to approach the enemy's wooden palisade gates. The Japanese were entirely trading lives for lives, acting like unkillable cockroaches—ignoring tactics and strategy, with one falling only for another to take his place. Yet not all Japanese were fearless of death; Deng She witnessed with his own eyes two or three fleeing Japanese soldiers being mercilessly beheaded by their own supervising officers.

Encountering such an enemy, He Guangxiu was utterly broken: "Incomprehensible." Deng She could only sigh: "Commendable spirit." Chen Hu was so ashamed and enraged that he threw off his cloak, picked up his long spear, and declared he would enter the fray personally.

Deng She would naturally not let him take such risks. Pulling him back, he raised his head to look at the sky, where dusk was approaching. He made his decision: "Order: The whole army falls back, surrounding the camp without attacking. For now, we let them be; we cannot delay our coordination with Commander Mao's operation."

Though reluctant, Chen Hu had no alternative. Xu Ren, who had been following quietly at the side without speaking—having been sent by Zhao Guo to report military matters to the central army and tagging along when Deng She came to Chen Hu's division—suddenly spoke up.

"This subordinate has a method that might break the camp."

"Oh?"

"Tunnels."