Chapter 693: Water and Fire Know No Mercy

The army was still climbing the mountain. Of the several Yan forces, Zhang Hu’s was the last to make its way up.

The troops streamed uphill while keeping a wary eye on the pursuers behind them.

As Gong Lince and Meng Shanming were speaking, someone suddenly began shouting from below.

“Marshal Meng! I want to see Marshal Meng! I want to see Marshal Meng...”

The two men turned.

A soldier was trying to push past the guards, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Such a thing was rare.

Gong Lince and Meng Shanming exchanged a glance.

Zhang Hu, standing nearby, asked one of his men, “Whose soldier is that? What is going on?”

He could tell the man belonged to his own force. Only Zhang Hu’s troops were here.

For some low-ranking soldier to cause a public disturbance and shout that he wanted to see Meng Shanming naturally irritated Zhang Hu.

Seeing that even Zhang Hu did not recognize him, Meng Shanming grew curious as to why an ordinary soldier would dare make such a commotion just to see him.

“Let him come over.”

Once Meng Shanming spoke, the soldier was immediately escorted forward. Two of the cultivators responsible for Meng Shanming’s protection quietly moved closer as well, guarding against any accident.

“This humble soldier greets the Marshal!”

The detained soldier lowered his head in salute. Being able to stand so close to Meng Shanming and speak to him directly clearly left him excited.

He was a young man in his early twenties, tall and somewhat lean, with an intelligent face and only a youthful trace of beard on his lip.

Meng Shanming looked him over, then waved to both sides, signaling the men holding his arms to release him.

With a slight smile, he asked, “What is your surname and name? What post do you hold? Why did you insist on seeing me?”

Zhang Hu glared at the soldier, his face dark with displeasure.

Was Marshal Meng someone just anyone could demand to see?

There were so many men in the army. If every one of them behaved like this, Meng Shanming would have time for nothing else.

Zhang Hu was about to flare up, but Meng Shanming raised a hand and stopped him.

Zhang Hu could only give one of his subordinates a look, ordering someone to investigate the soldier’s background.

The young man cupped his hands.

“This humble soldier is Lu Zheng, a Hundred-Man Commander. I rashly disturbed Marshal Meng because I truly have urgent military intelligence to report. That is why I dared offend propriety and ask to see you.”

“Urgent military intelligence?”

Meng Shanming was somewhat surprised.

“If it is urgent, then speak freely.”

Lu Zheng pointed toward the troops climbing the mountain and those already above.

“The Qunluo Mountains are densely wooded. This humble soldier believes the army truly should not camp on these heights. If the enemy uses fire, the blaze will certainly become fierce. The consequences would be unthinkable and could trap our entire army in a desperate position. I beg the Marshal to judge clearly!”

Zhang Hu nearly rolled his eyes.

He had known that a common soldier who understood nothing of the larger situation could hardly possess any real urgent intelligence.

Sure enough.

Idiot, he cursed inwardly.

Did they need you to remind them of that?

Gong Lince looked coldly down on Lu Zheng with the lofty expression of someone regarding an ant.

He knew Meng Shanming’s hidden killing move had already been launched and that every point of timing had been calculated.

How could they possibly still be here by the time the enemy got around to starting some fire attack?

Meng Shanming gave a slight nod.

He was patient.

“What you say is reasonable. I will remember your suggestion. But there is something I do not understand. Since you had this advice, why did you not report it to your superior? It could have been passed upward level by level. Why did you bypass your superiors and come directly to me?”

Lu Zheng replied, “It is not that I failed to do as Marshal Meng says. My superior said I was worrying needlessly, that those above would surely have considered the matter, and that it was not for small men like us to point fingers.”

“I know my superior’s words were reasonable. But when I saw the army still climbing the mountain, I truly became anxious and feared something might go wrong. That is why I rudely came forward with my advice. I beg Marshal Meng to forgive me.”

Meng Shanming nodded again.

“From the way you speak, you have studied?”

In these times, many ordinary soldiers could barely recognize more than a handful of characters.

Lu Zheng looked embarrassed.

“To my shame, I was originally a scholar in Changzhou City.”

Meng Shanming smiled.

“Changzhou is still comparatively peaceful. You had the conditions to study there. Why join the army?”

“...”

Lu Zheng hesitated, seemingly afraid to answer.

Zhang Hu grew angry.

“If you do not dare speak, why did you make such a fuss about seeing the Marshal?”

Meng Shanming again raised a hand to stop him.

“Speak freely. Even if you say something wrong, I will not hold it against you.”

Lu Zheng first bowed, then answered honestly.

“Several years ago, I was talking with classmates when the subject turned to Great Yan marrying off a princess for a political alliance. I became so angry and heartsick that I could not sleep that night. I tossed and turned, feeling deeply that a scholar was useless in every way. So I cast aside the brush and joined the army!”

Those nearby could not help smiling.

So the fellow had enlisted because of a moment of youthful hot blood.

“For a ‘useless scholar’ to rise from the bottom ranks to Hundred-Man Commander is not easy,” Meng Shanming said, unable to hide his own amusement.

Then he looked toward Zhang Hu.

“One more man under you makes little difference, and one fewer makes little difference. Give me this Lu Zheng.”

“Uh...”

Zhang Hu froze.

What was this?

His eyes rolled once or twice as he looked Lu Zheng over again.

Someone Meng Shanming had taken a liking to?

His thoughts immediately became lively.

After a flicker in his gaze, Zhang Hu coughed dryly.

“Marshal, well... when moving brothers from the lower ranks, one should at least consult their immediate superior.”

Meng Shanming’s expression went flat.

“You truly have become a regional lord. Fair enough. I would not dare make things difficult for you.”

“Uh...”

Zhang Hu’s face immediately turned bitter.

This again.

He could not bear it.

“Marshal, that is not what I meant. I merely meant we should ask those below. Since you have put it this way, take the man first. I will explain matters to his superiors afterward.”

“Da’an,” Meng Shanming called.

“Here.”

Luo Da’an stepped forward from behind the wheelchair.

“This is my disciple, Luo Da’an,” Meng Shanming said by way of introduction to Lu Zheng. “From now on, follow him.”

“...”

Lu Zheng stared in shock.

Then delight exploded across his face.

How could he possibly refuse?

After thanking Meng Shanming repeatedly, he and Luo Da’an exchanged formal greetings.

Only now did Gong Lince and the others truly begin to pay attention to him.

Everyone looked at Lu Zheng differently.

They all knew Meng Shanming had his own eye for people.

No one understood why he had taken notice of this young man, but he must have seen something.

And everyone could imagine that with Meng Shanming’s support, the young man’s fate had just begun to change.

Was not Zhang Hu himself, the present Grand General and Provincial Inspector, originally nothing more than a horse groom?

Meng Shanming had raised him up with his own hands.

As for Zhang Hu, the look in his eyes was difficult to describe.

From time to time he glanced toward Lu Zheng, the corner of his mouth twitching as though he had just lost some precious treasure.

Lu Zheng was still a Hundred-Man Commander, with roughly a hundred men under him. He needed to go back and explain matters to them.

After he left, Gong Lince finally spoke.

“Why did that boy’s foolish little suggestion instead win Marshal Meng’s favor?”

Meng Shanming smiled.

“He is young. Young men have to grow slowly.”

“Back when Zhang Hu was raising horses, he came up with some novel feeding method. He ended up killing the horse and cried over it afterward.”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone fought to suppress their laughter.

Zhang Hu was mortified and fiercely glared at the subordinates who were trying not to grin.

...

Not far from the foot of the mountain, Wu Qunlie dismounted and stood scanning the ridges with a deep frown.

Scouts he had sent out kept returning with reports.

Nothing unusual had been found in any direction.

If anything changed, they should be able to withdraw calmly.

Yet precisely because everything looked so safe, something felt wrong.

A powerful sense of unease gnawed at him.

He wanted to order a retreat, but he could not withdraw lightly.

If he released the pressure and allowed Yan’s army to break free of its restraints, they would inevitably drive straight into the depths of Song.

Short of grain, Yan’s troops would almost certainly resort to burning, killing, and pillaging.

Liao Nanqing, who had taken men to inspect the other side, came galloping back.

After his defeat at Hukou, he had almost no troops left beneath him and could no longer form an independent force. He now served at Wu Qunlie’s side.

After reporting what he had seen, Liao Nanqing offered a suggestion.

“My lord, this place is suitable for a fire attack. Once a fire starts, we can burn them until not a scrap of armor remains!”

Wu Qunlie shook his head slightly.

“What kind of man is Meng Shanming? He is standing inside those mountains himself. How could he fail to know that?”

Even saying that, Wu Qunlie still could not make sense of matters.

Everything the enemy was doing felt strange.

Liao Nanqing said, “Whether he knows or not does not matter. We can simply attack with fire and see how he responds. Our purpose is harassment anyway.”

“If anything changes, we can withdraw immediately. We lose nothing by trying and need not be overly cautious.”

“My lord, all the Yan forces have already entered the mountains. This is the perfect moment.”

“We should order every force to launch a fire attack at once. If we can annihilate Yan’s army, what does it matter if the entire Qunluo Mountains are burned to ash?”

“Mm.”

Wu Qunlie nodded, finding the argument persuasive.

“Good. We will do it. Someone! Notify every force immediately. Prepare lamp oil and every other flammable material as quickly as possible.”

“Yes!”

The communications officer accepted the order and left.

But while they were still gathering materials for the fire attack, the horses throughout the army gradually became restless.

Hooves stamped chaotically.

Neighs rose without end.

The animals became increasingly difficult to control.

Their abnormal agitation unsettled Song’s soldiers as well.

Wu Qunlie himself stared around in growing alarm.

He knew the horses must have sensed something before the men did.

Then he looked toward the Qunluo Mountains.

Birds were bursting into flight everywhere.

A faint rumble reached them.

Then came what sounded like the roar of water echoing through the valleys.

Wu Qunlie suddenly realized something.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

“Retreat! Retreat at once!”

He roared and ran desperately toward his horse.

Boom!

A wall of water rounded the valley ahead.

The colliding torrent threw up violent waves as it thundered toward them, the flood compressed between the mountains as though it meant to smash apart everything before it.

At the sight of that sudden horror, Wu Qunlie’s army collapsed into complete panic.

The formation dissolved instantly.

No one cared about equipment or baggage anymore.

Men threw everything aside, turned, and ran.

Generals vaulted onto their horses and tried to flee, but amid the chaotic mass of soldiers they could not gain any speed.

Behind the scrambling army, the rolling flood caught them with terrifying speed.

Whole swaths of men vanished beneath it.

Others were flung into the air by the current.

Crowds of people were swallowed in sheets like ants before a wave.

Terrified screams and wails rose everywhere.

Once the flood rushed beyond the mountains, its forward momentum gradually slowed and spread outward in every direction.

Even then, it was more than enough to engulf the scattering soldiers.

And it was not only Wu Qunlie’s own force.

All around the Qunluo Mountains, the former Song river-defense armies suffered almost the same calamity at nearly the same time.

The overwhelming majority of Yan’s officers and soldiers had known nothing about the plan beforehand.

Standing on the heights, they stared at the merciless scene of water and fire below.

The sight of floodwaters battering the mountain slopes was shocking beyond words.

Only now did the soldiers understand why they had been ordered up the mountain.

Behind Meng Shanming’s wheelchair, Lu Zheng stood beside Luo Da’an with astonishment written across his face.

Gradually, understanding dawned.

He looked at Meng Shanming sitting calmly in the wheelchair.

Then he looked at Luo Da’an beside him, equally unruffled by the sudden disaster below.

Shame washed over him.

So it had not been because his suggestion was good that Marshal Meng had noticed him and kept him.

He had truly thought far too highly of himself.

How humiliating!

Meng Shanming had just given him a vivid lesson.

Only now did Lu Zheng understand his own ignorance.

Only now did he understand how small he truly was.

[End of Chapter 693]