Chapter 682: Could Divine Troops Have Descended from Heaven?

The rain gradually weakened, but for the troops marching secretly through the darkness, every step still sank into mud.

"We can't advance any farther. Scouts are hidden ahead. They should be cultivators. We can't determine how many or what lies beyond them. If we keep pushing forward blindly, we'll be discovered too easily."

A cultivator flashed back from the front and stopped the column moving through the darkness.

Sun Gaotian, Right Commander of Zhang Hu's personal guard, asked, "How far are we from the grain depot?"

"About five li."

Sun Gaotian considered for a moment, then issued an order.

There was no need to keep skulking through the countryside anymore.

Five thousand men moved directly onto the official road, formed proper ranks, and marched openly toward the objective at an unhurried pace, no longer caring whether anyone saw them.

When they encountered a checkpoint and were challenged, cultivators flashed forward and silently killed the guards.

Not long after they passed the checkpoint, a Moon Butterfly swept out from the forest to illuminate them.

Plainly, a Song cultivator had sent it over to inspect the column.

A cultivator on Yan's side flicked a copper coin from his fingers.

The coin struck the Moon Butterfly and knocked it from the air.

A shout immediately came from the forest.

"Who goes there?"

Sun Gaotian answered, "River-defense patrol under Grand Commander Xu Laiping."

A figure flashed out from the trees to investigate personally.

Clearly the answer had not fooled him.

Two Yan cultivators immediately rushed forward together.

The two sides collided in combat.

After several sharp bursts of sound, the Song cultivator was quickly killed.

But the noise of the fight had been too obvious.

They were already close to the enemy's position. There was no hiding the disturbance now.

"Full speed ahead!"

Sun Gaotian drew his sword and shouted.

The five thousand troops broke into a run through the dark night.

Cultivators rushed ahead to clear the way, repeatedly clashing with Song cultivators who tried to stop them.

This was an important grain depot.

Thirty thousand troops guarded it, together with large numbers of cultivators.

Warning signals sounded one after another.

The defenders urgently assembled and established defensive positions.

As the Yan raiders approached, they began shouting at the top of their lungs, creating the impression of an enormous force charging with killing cries that shook the night.

The defenders could not tell what was happening.

The darkness was too deep, and they did not dare attack blindly.

They remained fully on defense and answered with volleys of arrows.

The Yan troops drew their own bows and returned fire.

Shooting from darkness toward illuminated positions gave them the advantage.

For a time, the two sides became locked in a standoff.

The Yan volleys were unusual.

Each archer nocked several arrows at once and sent them flying together. Accuracy hardly mattered. Their purpose was simply to send as many arrows as possible toward the enemy.

All the arrows carried by the thirty thousand men who had forced the river crossing had been concentrated in the hands of these five thousand.

Hearing the thunderous killing cries outside and seeing the dense rain of arrows, the commander guarding the grain depot became extremely nervous.

One-third of the grain supplying Song's two-million-man river-defense army was stored here.

If this depot were lost, his single head would not be enough to pay for the crime.

He immediately sent an urgent report.

Enemy attack on the grain depot!

...

Inside a residence in the Hukou sector of Song's river defenses, Grand Commander Xu Laiping lay fast asleep on his bed.

"My lord!"

Urgent knocking sounded from outside.

A junior officer hammered at the door and called out.

Xu Laiping woke with a start.

"What is it?"

"My lord, the grain depot in our defensive sector is under attack by a large force of Yan troops!"

Xu Laiping shot upright, ran barefoot to the door, and yanked it open.

The moment he saw the officer, he cursed.

"Bullshit! How could a large Yan force possibly appear inside our defensive sector?"

"My lord, there is no mistake. The grain commander sent an urgent report. A large attacking force has appeared, numbers unknown. The cultivators stationed at the depot have sent the same warning."

The junior officer offered the report.

Xu Laiping snatched it and read.

His expression changed dramatically.

He immediately demanded, "Any movement from the Yan army across the river?"

"None so far!"

Xu Laiping began pacing barefoot.

"Ghosts and demons... Where did a large Yan force come from? No movement across the river. Then they must be trying to cut off our army's grain."

He suddenly turned back, pulled a command arrow from the holder on his desk, and tossed it to the junior officer.

"Carry my order. Tell Xu Gui to personally lead one hundred thousand troops to reinforce the depot at once. Tell him that if the grain depot is lost, he can bring me his head!"

"Yes!"

The junior officer took the command arrow and ran off.

Xu Laiping hurriedly began dressing, still muttering.

"A large force crossed the river without being discovered? How is that possible? Damn it, where did those Yan troops come from? Did they fall out of the sky?"

He was anxious as well.

If the grain depot fell, he was not sure his own head would remain attached either.

By the time he finished dressing and strode outside, generals and cultivators were already arriving.

Xu Laiping ordered the river defenses strengthened, then climbed onto a raised platform to watch the troop movements.

The Hukou sector headquarters held three hundred thousand men in total.

Two hundred thousand were deployed along the front line.

The one hundred thousand reserve troops now rumbled out of camp in force.

Torches wound into the distance like a great dragon of fire as the army hurried away.

Yan cultivators hidden nearby watched carefully.

After estimating the number of troops that had departed, they withdrew immediately and hurried to an ambush point ten li away.

There they met Guo Xianfu, Left Commander of Zhang Hu's personal guard, who was waiting with twenty-five thousand men.

The cultivators reported, "As expected, the Hukou sector's one hundred thousand reserve troops have left camp to reinforce the grain depot."

Guo Xianfu said heavily, "Good. Send word to Sun Gaotian immediately. He may withdraw at any time. Report this to the Grand General as well."

Two Goldenwings were soon released.

They vanished into the night in different directions.

...

Inside the central command tent of the Changzhou encampment along the Dongyu River, Meng Shanming sat upright with his eyes closed, quietly conserving his strength.

Zhang Hu and the other generals stood in two lines wearing full battle armor.

The tent was utterly silent.

Even Gong Lince and the other cultivators could only stand to one side.

From time to time, they looked at one another, then toward Meng Shanming.

No one knew what he was waiting for.

Gong Lince did not ask what mystery Meng Shanming was playing at.

He was afraid the question would only make him look ignorant.

Time passed little by little.

The rain outside had weakened, but everyone inside could clearly hear the steady dripping of water.

Suddenly footsteps approached.

A junior officer hurried into the tent and handed Zhang Hu an urgent report.

Zhang Hu read it, immediately stepped forward, and placed it on the desk before Meng Shanming.

"Marshal, everything went smoothly. Just as expected, with the night dark and the rain falling, the grain-depot defenders did not know the enemy's true strength and did not dare come out recklessly. The Hukou sector's one hundred thousand reserve troops have been successfully lured away!"

Gong Lince listened without understanding much of anything.

This side had refused to reveal the detailed battle plan until the very last moment.

Meng Shanming's eyes snapped open.

Bloodshot and sharp, they swept toward Gong Lince.

"Sect Leader Gong, this battle concerns victory or defeat across the entire war. I ask you to command every cultivator to obey Zhang Hu's deployment. There must not be the slightest error. Anyone who disobeys is to be beheaded without pardon!"

Gong Lince nodded.

"Rest assured. Anyone who refuses to cooperate will answer to me first!"

Bang!

Meng Shanming suddenly slammed a palm onto the table.

The abrupt sound nearly made even the composed Gong Lince jump.

Meng Shanming's voice sank like iron.

"Tonight we break Song's Dongyu River defensive line. Officers and soldiers alike must act with one heart. Anyone who disobeys an order is to be beheaded without pardon!"

"Yes!"

With a crash of armor, every general turned toward him, cupped his hands, and answered in one voice.

Meng Shanming raised one hand and pointed toward the black night beyond the tent.

His bearing was fierce, his words ringing and decisive.

"Cross the river!"

"Yes!"

The generals accepted the command together.

Zhang Hu strode out at the head of the officers.

Before long, the camp erupted into motion.

Torches appeared everywhere as the army prepared with great speed.

When the court troops under supervision learned they were actually going to cross the river now, and that their own men would lead the assault, objections immediately arose.

One general hurried over with several men and found Zhang Hu, who was directing the troop movements.

"Grand General Zhang, the river has risen violently and the current is extremely fast. Crossing on wooden rafts under conditions like these is surely too dangerous."

Too dangerous?

What about those tens of thousands of my brothers?

Was their crossing not dangerous?

Zhang Hu's eyes widened.

"A great battle is about to begin, and you dare bargain with me?"

The general gave a bitter smile.

"Grand General, you misunderstand. I am not bargaining. I am offering sincere advice. The current is fierce and the night is black. This is not a suitable time to cross. If we truly must cross, why not wait until daylight?"

Shing!

Zhang Hu drew his sword.

Cold light flashed.

The blade drove straight through the man's chest.

Blood sprayed.

The general's eyes widened.

One trembling arm rose and pointed at Zhang Hu.

The men who had accompanied him, including the cultivators at his side, were all startled.

None had expected Zhang Hu to draw his sword and kill a man after only a few words, especially a senior general of the imperial court.

Bang!

Zhang Hu kicked the impaled officer backward and tore the sword free.

He brandished the bloodied blade and shouted, "The great battle is upon us. Carry out military orders immediately. Anyone else who bargains will end the same way!"

A cultivator from the dead general's side immediately erupted.

"He was a senior general of the imperial court! Even if he were to be punished, the court should approve it. How can you slaughter him at will?"

Zhang Hu turned toward the cultivators around him and said coldly, "What do all of you say?"

Cultivators of Yan's three major sects stepped forward at once.

They shouted the protesting cultivator down and ordered him to cooperate immediately. Otherwise they would show no mercy either.

Soon the riverbank was packed with moving men.

Large numbers of wooden rafts were dragged upstream.

The current was too strong for a direct crossing.

They intended to use the river's speed, rowing diagonally downstream toward the opposite bank in the Hukou defensive sector.

Troop after troop boarded the rafts.

The moment men climbed aboard, every torch was extinguished.

They waited for the command.

Once underway, they needed only row toward the lights burning on the opposite bank.

...

River Defense Governor-General Wu Qunlie was also asleep in his quarters.

He was deep in a pleasant dream when violent pounding on the door woke him.

Sitting up and clutching his quilt around him, he called, "Come in."

A general pushed open the door and hurried inside.

"My lord, scouts report unusual movement at the concentration point of Zhang Hu's troops across the river. It appears they intend to attack under cover of night."

With such immense forces confronting one another, neither side could avoid sending scouts across the river to watch the enemy.

They might not be able to approach closely, but observing broad movements from a distance was still possible.

"Zhang Hu? Choosing a time like this to attack? Has he lost his mind...? Meng Shanming is over there..."

Wu Qunlie was muttering to himself when those last words suddenly made him jolt.

He threw off the quilt, jumped from the bed, and began pacing barefoot across the floor.

At that moment another cry came from outside.

"Report!"

"Come in!"

A communications officer entered and presented an urgent dispatch with both hands.

"My lord, an urgent report from Xu Laiping, commander of the Hukou sector. The Hukou grain depot has been attacked by a large force of Yan troops. He has already sent one hundred thousand troops to reinforce it!"

Wu Qunlie sucked in a sharp breath.

"How could a large Yan force appear inside our defensive line? Could divine troops have descended from Heaven?"

He snatched the report and read it.

Only then did he learn that Xu Laiping was equally baffled about where so many Yan soldiers had come from.

Thinking again of the sudden movement among Zhang Hu's troops across the river, Wu Qunlie strode barefoot to the river-defense map and stared at it.

Another report came from outside.

It was another message from Xu Laiping, stating that Zhang Hu's troops on the opposite bank also appeared ready to attack.

That was useless information.

Wu Qunlie's side had already learned it first.

He waved the messenger away and continued staring at the map.

Then he barked, "Send scouts immediately. Find out whether there is any movement from Xu Jingyue's, An Xianzhao's, Su Qitong's, or Xin Mao's forces across the river!"

[End of Chapter 682]