Volume Three: Silent Heroes as Heaven and Earth Age - Chapter 38: The Settled Outcome (Part II)

A cool breeze stirred the clouds in the sky, and tiny, icy droplets felt as if they were landing on his palms. When he truly reached out to catch them, however, there was nothing at all. Although he had been in Liaodong for over a year, Deng She was still unaccustomed to the weather here; winter arrived far too early, while spring came far too late.

Most of the soldiers in the army grew up in the north, and with a considerable number being locals from Liaodong, there was little need to worry about their cold tolerance. Yet, there were still a few Jianghuai men who had joined the northern expedition in its early stages.

Deng She noticed that among the soldiers passing before him, twos and threes could already be seen wrapping their sleeves around the shafts of their spears and halberds rather than gripping them directly with their bare hands. He frowned and issued an order: "Pass the word to the three armies: no one is to wrap their weapons with their sleeves. Once the blades are warmed, they must be grasped by hand."

"Last year was a warm winter. General, this year surely won't be much colder," Bi Qianniu remarked.

During the previous winter, the Red Turbans had captured Shangdu on a clear day that was as warm as spring. Deng She nodded. "I hope so." He turned his gaze once more toward the northern wilderness, where the sounds of cannons and drums had gradually faded into silence. "Send two scouts to commander Mao's position to take a look," he instructed.

Inside Gaizhou City, flames lit the heavens.

Yang Wanhu commanded the trebuchets, artillery, and heavy crossbows, unleashing a first wave of bombardment that blanketed the area. Striking the sturdy city walls, stone chips flew in all directions, and the Yuan soldiers atop the battlements lost their footing, scrambling for cover and flattening themselves against the ground.

On the ramparts, various artillery pieces had also been emplaced. Under the coercion of their officers, the gunners braved the arrows and stones to return fire. Amid the thick darkness of night, both sides traded blows, arrows and rocks intersecting in mid-air.

Deng She spurred his horse to the frontlines to personally inspect the progress of the various units. Seeing that everyone was gradually preparing and that the city was now thoroughly besieged, he gave the order: "Cease the bombardment for now. Tell the cavalry divisions to stay alert and be ready for combat at any moment."

Following the command, the Red Turban artillery fire thinned out first, and shortly after, the cannons upon the city walls also ceased their counterattack. After all, gunpowder and projectiles were scarce commodities for both sides in this Liaodong region; everyone wanted to spend their resources only on the most critical moments.

Three or four Yuan generals, clad in bright armor and helmets, crowded onto the watchtower amidst an entourage of guards, pointing and gesturing as they observed the Red Turban formation. Deng She glanced at them briefly before withdrawing his gaze. Outside the city at the frontline, various obstacles were now piled before the troops; for the sake of absolute security, some thousand-man commanders had even begun mustering men to use the dirt excavated from trenches to build earthen walls.

Generally speaking, laying siege to a city was always a last resort. As Sun Tzu stated: "The highest warfare is to attack the enemy's strategy; next is to attack their alliances; next is to attack their soldiers; and the lowest is to besiege a city. Siege warfare is undertaken only when there is no alternative."

Sun Tzu enumerated the evils of a siege: preparing large siege engines took a long time; building earthen mounds to assault the walls took even longer. If a commander could not restrain his impatience and ordered his soldiers to swarm the walls like ants, even if a third of the troops perished without the city falling, that was the disaster brought by a siege.

These words made profound sense, and the disadvantages of sieges were not recognized by the Han people alone. The Han people valued strategic offense, subduing the enemy without fighting; the Mongols were no different. Wherever the military might of Genghis Khan reached, those who did not surrender immediately suffered various forms of retaliation after the city fell, often resulting in a massacre. By inflicting intense psychological pressure on the enemy, they frequently induced surrenders without a fight.

The tactics of the Mongols shared a single continuous lineage. Looking at the present situation, the Battle of Xuzhou a few years prior—where Sesame Li resisted to the bitter end—resulted in the slaughter of Xuzhou and the complete extermination of women and children. According to brothers in the army hailing from the Xuzhou region, even the foxes in the city walls and the mice in the altars had vanished, with no human life seen to this day.

Fortunately, Zhang Shicheng’s Gaoyou had not been breached back then; otherwise, one could easily imagine its fate.

The intensity of such massacres stemmed precisely from the myriad difficulties of siege warfare. Thus, the most commonly employed siege tactic was nothing more than encircle and guard—besieging a city until its defenders exhausted their ammunition and food, driving them to cannibalism, ensuring they had no choice but to surrender. This was also why some thousand-man units in Deng She's army had spontaneously taken to building earthen walls.

Hearing this, Deng She was torn between laughter and tears. The pressing priority was not capturing the city, but covering Mao Jujing's breakthrough. Building earthen walls wasted too much military labor. Shaking his head, he thought, "Although these officers have learned conventional tactics from Luo Guoqi's lectures on military law, they ultimately lack adaptability."

Many of them had been promoted from junior officers or even ordinary soldiers; under the command of capable commanders, they fought with fierce valor, but true strategic talents capable of standing alone were extremely scarce. Aside from Wen, Chen, and a few others, counting through the newly promoted officers yielded only Zhao Guo and Zhang Dair; even if the pool were widened, Zuo Li and Chen Paizi barely qualified for mention.

Deng She immediately issued an order: "There is no need to build walls..." Before his voice could fade, drums sounded thunderously within the city. The Yuan soldiers on the battlements let out a shout, and a large banner was hoisted atop the ramparts. Deng She hastily looked over and saw that the flag was painted with a gyrfalcon.

He had long heard that Gao Jianu commanded a cavalry force renowned among all units for its fierce bravery, known as the "Noble Birds" or the "Gyrfalcon Army." It was plainly evident that Gao Jianu was deploying his trump card in a first attempt to break the siege. The drumming inside the city startled the three armies, and the Red Turban cavalry stationed on the high ground raised their banners in response. They hung lanterns from the poles so they could be clearly seen in the night, seeking Deng She's instructions. Deng She waved his command flag, signaling them to prepare.

The frontline infantry units halted their trench-digging and pulled back, while the fresh troops who had been waiting for a long time were called forward. Amidst the beating of drums, the blowing of horns, the waving of colorful banners, and the shouts of men and neighing of horses, the army rapidly shifted into battle readiness.

Yet the drums within the city beat incessantly for a solid half-hour without the gates ever opening or the Gyrfalcon Army emerging. Deng She realized the truth: the sons of bitches! Having spent all day hunting birds, he had almost been pecked in the eye by one. This was precisely the same harassment tactic he had once used against Qing Qianxing's forces.

"Damn it... they're toying with us." Bi Qianniu also caught on, looking at Deng She. "General?"

Knowing it was a feint did not mean one could lower their guard. Deng She said, "Advance the cavalry, and let the infantry continue their frontline preparations... Tell Bi Qianniu to fire another round of artillery."

Three times this happened; within the span of over an hour, the city used drumbeats to harass Deng She thrice. Such a tactic, seemingly simple and futile, could not be underestimated. For one thing, it disrupted the enemy's normal deployment; for another, as the saying went, "every rustling leaf and cry in the wind seemed like an enemy soldier," and the morale of the troops had grown somewhat restless.

"How should we respond?"

In warfare, everything hinged on morale. After a brief pause, Deng She said, "Order He Guangxiu's unit of eunuchs to go out and hurl abuses."

By this time, the sky was growing faintly bright, heavy clouds blanketed the heavens, and vast armies confronted one another above and below the city. One or two hundred eunuchs swarmed out, their shrill voices shouting foreign-accented Han Chinese in mismatched dialects and off-key pitches, hurling a chaotic torrent of insults.

Two or three of the more shameless ones, getting into the spirit of the insults and ignoring the cold, simply stripped off their trousers to bare their naked bottoms and withered, earthworm-like genitalia, pointing and gesturing wildly as they screamed: "You Tatars are just like this thing! Without your balls, all you can do is beat drums!" Another shouted, "Gyrfalcon, Gyrfalcon, cracked eggs with no whites!"

The Red Turbans roared with laughter, while the Yuan soldiers' morale was crushed. Seeing Deng She nod in satisfaction, He Guangxiu felt immensely pleased and loudly encouraged his subordinates. Had he not been mindful of his status as a military commissioner, he would likely have rushed out onto the battlefield himself.

A dozen fast horses approached from the north. The wind whipped the riders' noses into a bright red. Before even reaching the army, they leaped from their saddles, displaying small flags and Mao Jujing's token of authority before being led by the soldiers before Deng She.

"Reporting to the Great General, Commander Mao has sent us subordinates to deliver a message."

"Speak."

"At the fifth watch sharp, our unit broke camp; by now, the vanguard is about to reach the walls of the Haizhou Inspection Agency. Commander Mao instructs us to inform the Great General that within a two-day limit, or three days at most, we will surely capture Haizhou, seize Zuo Li, and slaughter the rebel army."

"Go back and tell Commander Mao to set his mind at ease. Within three days, not a single Tatar in Gaizhou will leave the city."

"Understood!"

"I am here to offer my premature congratulations to Commander Mao on achieving immediate success and winning victory on the first strike."

The messenger lowered his head, stealthily glancing left and right, hesitating and refusing to leave immediately. Catching the drift behind the words, Deng She smiled slightly. "Does Commander Mao have any other orders?"

"Perhaps the Great General does not know, but among our forces is the younger brother of General Zheng Sanbao. There is a letter for him that must be presented directly to General Zheng."

This so-called younger brother was merely a pretext. Deng She laughed heartily and said, "General Zheng, along with Generals Xuren and Li Jing, is currently with Zhao Guo's army on our right flank. You have come to the wrong place."

As it turned out, Zheng Sanbao had been disgruntled by Deng She's favoritism and knew he could play no meaningful role in the central army. Since they had already reached the city walls and were no longer afraid of Deng She washing his hands of the matter, he had simply gone with Fang Buzhen straight to Xuren's army. At least there, they were among their own people.

Upon hearing this, the messenger's face flushed. Deng She said, "Come, I shall issue you a military pass and have two men lead you there."

He called for Bi Qianniu, selected two personal guards, and had them escort the messengers away.

"General, I fear there may be deceit in this."

"Commander Mao is simply uneasy with us, afraid that we might retreat without a fight and fail to contain Gao Jianu. It's human nature; nothing to make a fuss over."

"If it's merely that, it's no great matter; what this subordinate fears is whether the letter might contain words instigating or enticing Zheng Sanbao to abandon our army."

Deng She dismissed the notion with a light laugh—that was utterly impossible. To Mao Jujing, having Zheng Sanbao stay put was far better than having him leave. Staying meant he could at least supervise the troops of the twin cities; if he left, how could Mao comfortably leave his back exposed to someone with whom he had little friendship? Besides, even if that were truly the case, he was more than happy to be rid of the baggage that was Fang Buzhen and Zheng Sanbao; it would be for the best.

The abuse hurled before the city walls gradually subsided.

Outside the city, the Red Turban battle formations were taking shape; inside, the Yuan military deployments were settled. The saying went: "Attacking is the means of defense, defending is the strategy of attack, and both alike lead to victory." Those skilled in defending a city never relied solely on passive defense; attack was an indispensable method.

Amidst the clouds, the morning sun rose; against the gloomy dawn, red garments stood out against black walls. Weapons gleamed with blinding light as the city gates suddenly flew open.

Hundreds of Yuan cavalrymen shouted battle cries while the artillery upon the ramparts roared once more. Arrows and stones fell like rain, and hooves pounded heavily. If the city wall served as a bow and the gate as a bowstring, then this cavalry was the arrow; Gao Jianu, acting as the archer, had loosed his first wave of offensive.

Many of the eunuchs lingering in the middle of the battlefield had not retreated, and they instantly plunged into chaos. Gao Jianu's objective was clear: not to break the formation, but to slaughter the eunuchs. You cursed us fiercely? We'll butcher you!

When the eunuchs had first taken the field, hundreds of infantry guards had accompanied them to prevent any sudden Yuan raids. At that crucial juncture, the commanding chiliarch shouted at the top of his lungs: "Raise shields! Level spears and halberds!" The supporting Red Turban cavalry thundered across the ground, still a thousand meters away.

The Yuan cavalry was already upon them.

The frontline Red Turban infantry unleashed a volley of arrows, but the distance was too close; the Yuan soldiers and the eunuchs' guards were nearly intermingled, making accurate aiming impossible. After a stray wave of arrows accidentally wounded two or three of their own, Yang Wanhu saw that the situation was turning sour and hastily ordered a halt to the shooting.

Deng She's command flag swung: "Rescue the cursing eunuchs at all costs, and slaughter every last Tatar who came out of the city."

When two armies confronted one another, they did not press directly against the city walls; an empty, unmanned zone lay between them. Gaizhou possessed a moat outside its walls, and after taking two looks, Deng She saw that the enemy's drawbridge had not been raised. He promptly ordered the charging cavalry to pivot and seize that drawbridge, or at the very least, use fire arrows to burn it and cut off the Yuan retreat.

The focus of the battlefield shifted rapidly. No longer bogged down by the skirmish between the hundreds of Yuan cavalry and the Red Turban infantry in the center, attention turned entirely to the battle for the drawbridge.

Naturally, Gao Jianu would not sit idly by. Since he had dared to send cavalry out of the city, he had already anticipated the possible moves of the Red Turbans and devised countermeasures. Artillery and catapult bombardments covered the area first, followed by hundreds of infantrymen pouring out of the gates to form ranks behind the bridge, releasing volleys of arrows to block the approaching Red Turban cavalry while pouring water over the bridge to neutralize the threat of fire arrows.

War always arrived with sudden abruptness and ended with unexpected anticlimax.

The Yuan cavalry was on the verge of crashing into the Red Turban infantry formation when Yang Wanhu's rescue force, still hundreds of meters away, had yet to arrive. Suddenly, a gong sounded from the city walls. The Yuan cavalry wheeled around, bypassing the arrayed Red Turban infantry, loosed two parting volleys of arrows that brought down seven or eight eunuchs, and retreated back inside before the Red Turban cavalry could reach the drawbridge.

Bi Qianniu stared in dumbfounded amazement: "Those Tatars... what was the meaning of that?"

"Merely contesting morale," Deng She said with a smile. From the start of the battle until now, the two sides appeared to have engaged in true hand-to-hand combat only once, but in reality, secret struggles and skirmishes had already occurred three times.

First, Gao Jianu used harassment to test them; second, Deng She countered with verbal abuse; and coupled with this third instance, Gao Jianu sortied to slaughter the eunuchs. The objective of all these actions was simply to boost their own side's morale. In any engagement, there was only attack and defense. Attacking meant more than assaulting walls or breaking formations; it required psychological warfare to strike at the enemy's mind. Defense meant more than preserving walls or securing formations; it required safeguarding one's own fighting spirit.

Break their will, and you may attack; guard your own spirit, and you can defend. Wu Qi's four strategic foundations placed spirit above all else; this was precisely the principle.

Deng She waved his command flag, ordering the infantry and cavalry to fall back to their main lines. Recalling the brief skirmish just past, he analyzed Gao Jianu's actions. He asked Bi Qianniu, "Gao Jianu's intent was to kill the eunuchs and break our morale; why did he hastily retreat after killing only seven or eight? You must know that we had only a few hundred infantrymen in that formation, which were by no means a match for his hundreds of cavalry."

"The General used the tactic of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' by threatening his drawbridge; he was afraid the drawbridge would be lost, so he hastily retreated." Having frequently heard Deng She lecture on "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" over the past few days, Bi Qianniu had picked up the phrase.

Deng She laughed in spite of himself. "Let me ask you this. My cavalry had not yet arrived, but his infantry had already sortied from the city and was pouring water over the bridge. Clearly, Gao Jianu had anticipated this long ago and knew I would seize the opportunity to capture the bridge, didn't he?"

Bi Qianniu thought carefully for a moment and replied, "Yes." He remained puzzled. "As the General said, since Gao Jianu was prepared, why did he retreat without a fight?"

"Yesterday, he sent a small detachment to harass Zhao Guo's unit in an attempt to test the caliber of our commanders; today, by using those eunuchs, I've managed to observe his caliber as well."

Aside from hard power, military preparations before battle required two things: first, morale; second, assessing enemy generals. Bi Qianniu asked, "What did the General see?"

Deng She threw his head back and laughed heartily. "To take precautions before the army even leaves the city shows strategy; to make preparations yet lack the courage to fight shows cowardice. Abundant in cunning yet lacking in resolution, devoid of bravery yet fond of deceit—he is merely a petty opponent and nothing to worry about."

His words quickly spread through the three armies, reviving the soldiers' morale.

Was Gao Jianu truly such a man? At least judging by surface appearances, Deng She's assessment was spot on. The Yuan cavalry had returned to the city, and both sides temporarily lowered their flags and silenced their drums, each busy with their own tasks. Seizing the opportunity, Deng She expedited his schedule, inspecting the camps one by one to boost morale and press forward with the siege preparations.

Taking Yang Wanhu and several others with him, he ascended the watchtower to overlook the layout and condition of Gaizhou City. Within the city, the residential wards were orderly and strict, with armored Yuan soldiers shuttling between them, running to transport various military supplies.

After examining the scene closely and forming a mental tally, Deng She asked, "Have you found any locals from the surrounding areas?"

Yang Wanhu replied, "Mao Jujing has besieged the city for a long time, and human habitation outside the walls is scarce. We sent three or four squads of soldiers, but they only managed to find two or three frail elders."

"Bring them to my tent; I wish to question them about the local geography and customs."

While they were speaking, the scouts previously dispatched to Mao Jujing's army returned, shouting their reports from beneath the watchtower. Deng She stopped lingering and descended from the watchtower. The scout knelt on the ground and said, "Commander Mao's vanguard has already begun the siege of Haizhou."

***

1. Wu Qi's four strategic foundations, with spirit (morale) taking precedence:
"There are four foundational aspects to warfare: the first is spirit, the second is terrain, the third is timing, and the fourth is material strength... Knowing these four allows one to serve as a general."
Spirit can be understood as morale. "Among Wu Qi's four foundations, spirit takes precedence for no other reason than that it enables every man to fight for himself, rendering his sharpness irresistible."