Chapter 121: Give the Order

Under the cover of night, the imperial army stretched out in a long formation along the mountain path, inevitably becoming trapped and intercepted.

To the front, the main body of the rebels blocked the road. Behind, the elite troops under Wang Wenxiu pursued relentlessly. In the center, a sharp whistle signaled the men of Feng Rang’s elite unit to surge forward from the hillsides and fields, unleashing a volley of arrows that tore the imperial formation apart.

Liu Chengzong did not join the pursuit. Instead, he led the Han brothers and his other veteran soldiers to a hillside behind the rebel lines, waiting for the imperial troops to scatter so they could pick off the isolated soldiers with precision archery.

This strategy had occurred to him moments earlier when he saw the imperial soldiers who had challenged him to shoot them in the face. He intended to build a dedicated team of sharpshooters in the future—feeding them well to hone their craft during peacetime, and during battle, embedding them into the front ranks to specifically target flag-bearers and junior officers, thereby dismantling the enemy’s morale from the grassroots level.

Before long, scattered imperial soldiers broke out of the formation, but before they could reach the hillside, they were intercepted by Feng Rang’s men. Some were pinned to the ground and forced to surrender, while others who resisted were cut down.

The terrain outside the village was unsuitable for a large-scale deployment. Soon, the imperial forces were fractured into smaller groups that tried to break out in waves, only to be cut off mid-stride by the rebels converging from all sides. Some fought to the death, some fled in confusion after being routed, and others threw down their weapons mid-battle, claiming they were simply too exhausted to continue.

There were many such men—hardened soldiers, but this day had been far too long for them. From Jiulian Mountain to Jiapao Mountain, and through forty miles of rugged terrain, the troops were already utterly exhausted. Before they could rest, they were subjected to repeated rebel assaults; they were truly at the end of their tether.

Standing in formation to resist a charge was one thing, but once they were forced to run and engage in combat with Liu Chengzong’s border troops—both sides clad in sturdy armor and wielding heavy weapons—it was difficult for either side to kill the other without using armor-piercing arrows. But after a while, they simply ran out of energy.

Just then, a small squad of over a dozen men broke through the encirclement and reached the mountain path at the foot of Liu Chengzong’s hill. Amidst the dark night and howling wind, they could not clearly see who stood before them. They only knew that the pursuers were close behind and they were in a panic, yet they still maintained a formation. Liu Chengzong suspected there was an officer among them.

He exchanged a glance with the Han brothers. "An officer is trying to break out. Kill them at all costs."

The three of them focused on targeting the faces of the group and loosed their bows, while Zhong Bao led several retainers down the slope to block their path.

Liu Chengzong harbored thoughts of recruiting border soldiers, but regarding the officers, he knew better than to bother. Ordinary border soldiers, often left without food or clothing, might maintain a shred of morale if they could kill a few rebels to improve their lot; when the war ended, they would just be happy to survive. Many had parents who had already starved to death and wives or children who had been sold, leaving them with nothing to lose. The promise of a full meal was a powerful temptation for those who had lost the will to fight. After all, there was no hope for a better life on the imperial side, so joining the rebels at least meant a few square meals before they died.

But any officer above the rank of centurion—unless they had committed an unforgivable crime—was generally impossible to recruit. Liu Chengzong was very clear on this. After all, he didn't even have a patch of territory to his name. A defecting officer’s family would have no protection, no chance of promotion, and no hope of bringing glory to their ancestors. On the contrary, joining the rebels would endanger their families, cost them their official ranks and stipends, and might even make their ancestors rise from their graves in fury. At least dying in battle meant a pension.

If he were in their shoes, Liu Chengzong would have secretly contacted the rebels if he wanted to revolt, but if he didn't, he would rather die in battle for the sake of his ancestors than surrender to a rebel force that could vanish into thin air.

The three of them fired several arrows, dropping two men. Then, Zhong Bao and his men moved in with sabers, shields, and spears to block the path. The skirmish lasted only a moment, and in the confusion, the imperial squad collapsed.

Liu Chengzong heard someone shout, "The General is dead!"

The three of them were overjoyed, though they looked at each other in bewilderment, not even sure whose arrow had struck the target.

Liu Chengzong shouted from the hillside, "Your General is dead! Will you not surrender? Lay down your weapons and you shall live; resist, and you will surely die!"

Upon hearing this, the remaining eight or nine border soldiers looked at one another. Starting with the first man, they threw down their weapons one after another, the sound of metal hitting the ground ringing out. Only one man gripped his saber, unable to decide, and charged toward Zhong Bao, shouting defiantly. He never even got close to Zhong Bao before an eight-foot short spear pierced his throat. He died in an instant.

Once they had all discarded their weapons, Liu Chengzong jumped down from the slope and pointed at the corpse, asking, "Which one of you was the General, and what was his name?"

A prisoner pointed to a corpse with a heavy arrow through its throat. "The General was Liu Guozhen, a Qianzong (Major) of the Shenmu Battalion."

Liu Chengzong looked at the massive wound caused by the arrowhead and smiled at the Han brothers. "Let's see whose arrow it was. You’ve done a great service."

He had initially wondered if he had killed the general himself, but he didn't use that type of arrowhead. The brothers pulled out the arrow and inspected it. The elder brother patted the younger one and said, "General, this is my brother's arrow."

"Good. Then let Shiyou go and recruit them. Show them some authority!"

Han Shiyou smiled, cupped his hands in salute, and ran toward the village.

Only then did Liu Chengzong ask the captives, "Your General was an officer of the Shenmu Battalion; how did he end up mixed up with Li Bei?"

He knew of the Shenmu Battalion; its commander was Ai Wannian of the Mi-zhi Ai family.

The prisoner explained, "General Li had no troops when he took office, and since he needed to mobilize, he borrowed a unit from the Shenmu Battalion. We are all soldiers from Shenmu. General Meng was also borrowed to serve as a commander."

Liu Chengzong was surprised. "So both the Meng brothers are here?"

The surname Meng was quite rare, especially among soldiers. In Liu Chengzong’s mind, the only high-ranking officer in the Yansui region with that surname was Meng Ruhu.

"General Hu is not here. Only General Meng, stationed at Hequ with General Li."

After gathering more intelligence from the prisoners, Liu Chengzong ordered their weapons collected and led his team into the village.

As they walked, Zhong Bao approached with a three-barreled hand cannon. "General, look at this. This is likely the thing that wounded my brother."

Three-barreled cannons were not rare in Shaanxi. Cao Yao usually used an older model, and Liu Chengzong had played with them too, but this one felt far more finely crafted and was longer. The barrel of the one Cao Yao used was about a foot long, but this one was three inches longer.

Liu Chengzong then inspected the powder flask; its specifications were also different from Cao Yao’s, with variations in powder capacity and shot weight. It had clearly been modified.

He told Zhong Bao, "Hold a torch to it."

Under the light, the inscription on the barrel was clearly visible: "Manufactured by Yulin Guard, Second Year of Chongzhen," and the craftsman was named Zhang Qile.

A new model for this year.

Liu Chengzong pointed to the inscription. "This craftsman certainly has a fine skill for making cannons."

With a large family and at least seven sons, the craftsman’s father must have been happy. If they shared their techniques within the family, they could likely overcome any technical difficulties they encountered.

Since the barrel was longer, the body was naturally heavier. Liu Chengzong weighed it in his hand, returned it to Zhong Bao, and asked, "Do you know how to use firearms? If not, just give it back to Squad Leader Cao."

With their commander dead and surrounded, the remaining border soldiers quickly surrendered. Even if a few resisted, they were no match for Liu Chengzong’s veteran troops.

What surprised Liu Chengzong was that the rebel soldiers, who usually moved in groups of a hundred, were busy collecting the bodies of their own comrades after the battle. Those who weren't doing that simply sat in the fields to rest; not a single one went to strip the armor from the dead imperial soldiers.

Upon asking, he learned that Shang Tianhou had previously given orders not to touch the bodies of the border soldiers.

This was truly impressive. In Liu Chengzong’s experience, perhaps no other rebel leader he had met, including Gao Yingxiang, possessed such control. "Where is your leader?"

As he stood at the village entrance asking, he saw Shang Tianhou approaching with a group of men. Upon meeting, he gave Liu Chengzong a firm hug. "We finally won."

Liu Chengzong said in surprise, "You... did you take off your armor?"

He wasn't referring to the armor, but to the fact that Shang Tianhou had bathed. Not only was he clean, but he had also changed into clean clothes.

Shang Tianhou turned around in front of him, gesturing with his thumbs. "How about that? Did you finally realize today that I, Liu Jiusi, am a handsome fellow?"

He laughed heartily, then turned serious. "I didn't just bathe; I also ate half a catty of meat and drank two bowls of wine. These were real, hardened border troops—the kind that drove Old Huihui into the deep desert. Nobody told me you were coming. If I had to meet my ancestors, I didn't want to look like a mess."

Shang Tianhou shook his head. "I was already lining up my troops when I realized you were coming. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with the bath."

The remark initially struck Liu Chengzong as funny, but upon reflection, he couldn't laugh. Among all the leaders, perhaps only Shang Tianhou had the qualifications to consider how to truly annihilate an imperial force. When he had sent word for Shang Tianhou to block this unit, Shang Tianhou had prepared himself for total destruction, even death.

The grim reality made him offer a hollow laugh. He changed the subject and asked, "What are your casualties?"

"I haven't finished counting yet. I was just looking for you about that. Can you get hold of medicine in Yanan? I've already lost over forty men..."

As he spoke, a small rebel soldier ran up and whispered something in his ear. Shang Tianhou looked up and said, "Now it's over sixty dead, and over three hundred wounded. If we have medicine, half might survive. Without medicine, the wounded will all die."

Liu Chengzong was amazed—what a talent! Forty plus twenty, he calculated it in his head instantly. This would be simple for someone who had studied or was a wealthy merchant, but Shang Tianhou had never been to school and was quite poor.

How to describe Shang Tianhou’s poverty? It was a look that screamed destitution. In Cao Yao’s words, "This man couldn't even pay for a drink in the city." If he didn't pay, a kind-hearted innkeeper might let it slide. Otherwise, if he stood at the counter and slammed down fifty coins, the shopkeeper would likely report him for using stolen money. Yet he could calculate so quickly.

Liu Chengzong then realized: this guy was a gambler.

The topic was heavy. Liu Chengzong sighed, "The casualties are severe."

"Look on the bright side, there's no other way." Shang Tianhou didn't seem sad, shaking his head. "If they hadn't followed me, they wouldn't have lived this long. I treated them well while they were alive, and death is fate... How are your casualties?"

"One dead, sixteen wounded. Two of them probably won't make it."

Liu Chengzong’s words made Shang Tianhou tilt his head, stretching his neck and squinting with a deeply puzzled expression. "Three men? You're upset over three men? You look so regretful—and here I was trying to cheer you up!"

Liu Chengzong shook his head. "The one who died was called 'A Piece of Meat.' Just a few days ago, I raided a cargo team from the Prince of Qing’s estate headed for Gansu. He was a flag-soldier from the estate who surrendered. He didn't really want to follow me, saying that joining the rebels meant he was just a piece of meat on my chopping block. So I just started calling him that. We didn't even know his real name, and now he's gone."

"It seems being elite has its downsides; you get to know everyone." Shang Tianhou replied, "I’m different. I only look after their food and drink. I don't get to know them until they die. Then I dig their graves and look after their parents and children."

Seeing the conversation grow even heavier, Liu Chengzong tried to talk about something more pleasant. "I asked your men, and they said you ordered them not to touch the imperial soldiers' bodies or loot. Why?"

"Waiting for you to divide it, what else? Your men are strong. If you don't divide it, do you expect me to?" Shang Tianhou looked at him as if to say, 'You don't seem very bright.' He rubbed his hands together. "So, how do you plan to divide it?"

Liu Chengzong hadn't actually considered it. He felt that Shang Tianhou had more men and had contributed significantly. If not for the thirty squads of a hundred men each that Shang Tianhou had led in waves, the battle wouldn't have been so easy for them.

"Since you're leaving it to me—my men are elite, and your men put in the most effort—I think we should split it equally. My men need to refill their quivers, and you can pick the rest first. Whatever is left over will be mine."

Liu Chengzong paused, then added, "But the three hundred-plus prisoners are all mine... It’s not that I don’t want to give them to you, but I’m afraid they’ll kill you to claim a reward."

In Liu Chengzong’s view, the weapons and armor were what Shang Tianhou needed most. His own men were obedient, a reflection of the gratitude the peasant army felt toward Shang Tianhou. The leader and his soldiers were good people, and good people needed armor to survive. In Shaanxi these days, everyone was accustomed to life and death, but there was still a long way between seeing strangers die and seeing one's battle-hardened comrades perish. To the prisoners, Shang Tianhou’s simple, naive sense of justice wouldn't be enough to hold them.

Conversely, for Liu Chengzong, weapons and armor were not the most important things. His five squads of border troops were already fully armed, and besides, his mule camp currently lacked mules; even if he gave all the armor to him, his men had no hands to carry it. What he lacked were talented people—people who mastered combat skills and were familiar with military affairs. Although he also needed to guard against the prisoners, they posed less of a threat to him than they did to Shang Tianhou.

"Give... give me half?" Shang Tianhou was overjoyed, his words stumbling as he made a gesture of pulling things toward his chest. "Are you serious?"

He clapped his hands and stepped closer. "You're giving me the prisoners? You are much more generous than King Hengtian or King Gao Chuang. I originally thought you’d just give me some silver. Don't worry, since you’re so righteous, I definitely won't pick all the good stuff!"

Heaven knows, Shang Tianhou hadn't expected Liu Chengzong to give so much. Li Bei’s elite forces were still in the valley to the east, and Shang Tianhou had fought this battle with his life on the line just to fulfill his duty as a fellow rebel. In this day and age, aside from Wang Jiayin, Gao Yingxiang, and the defeated Zuo Guazi, who else had the strength to defeat the imperial army and secure fine weapons and armor? Who wasn't short of arms?

He had let Liu Chengzong divide the spoils, just to see what and how much he could get. With over three hundred casualties, getting thirty sets of armor would have been generous. Just seconds before Liu Chengzong said they would split it equally, Liu Jiusi had been thinking that if he got a couple of hundred taels of silver, he would just pack up and return to Fuzhou, hold a fort, and stop playing this game with them.

But... Liu Chengzong had given too much.

In the next second, Shang Tianhou was ready to offer his loyalty. He made a chopping motion with his hand and said, "Give the order, General Liu! What do you want the brothers to do next!"