Chapter 153: Could He Be an Idiot?

Zheng Fan and A'Ming returned to the fortress.

The very next moment—

Green Willow Fortress entered full alert.

Even the mounted scouts normally sent out at night were all recalled.

The role of those scouts was to patrol the surrounding area and provide warning, allowing their comrades inside the fortress to sleep, rest, and go about their daily routines with some peace of mind.

But now, they had already determined that a sizable Qian cavalry force had marched north.

And its target was Green Willow Fortress.

With the fortress itself fully prepared the scouts outside no longer served much practical purpose.

Garrison Commander Zheng was accustomed to running a small business.

He counted every copper.

Rather than leave mounted scouts outside to be picked off or overrun better to bring them all home.

Along the battlements of Green Willow Fortress, soldiers stood with bows and crossbows ready.

Just in case, even the oil meant for repelling an assault had already been heated in huge iron cauldrons.

If this had been an exercise—

Green Willow Fortress would unquestionably have earned the rotating red banner for Advanced Combat Unit.

Oh, right.

The sign that normally hung above the fortress gate reading "Green Willow Fortress" had already been removed the moment Zheng Fan returned.

The cold wind screamed over the fortress again and again.

Not one soldier dared relax.

Because their commander had brought back more than warning of a possible Qian cavalry raid.

He had also brought the final calculation of their military merit from the recent campaign.

The families of the condemned great-clan soldiers would soon be freed from slave registration.

The barbarian soldiers would soon receive Yan household registration.

With those two pieces of good news driving everyone forward the shadow of a possible enemy attack no longer seemed quite so frightening.

Liang Cheng was directing the defenses and deploying the troops.

In truth, since the enemy had advanced here as cavalry, they almost certainly would not attempt a straightforward siege.

The situation should resemble Green Willow Fortress's own two attacks on Mianzhou City.

Scaling walls with ladders like ants was impossible.

The purpose was to catch the enemy unprepared.

In Liang Cheng's view now that everyone was already waiting in full battle readiness, unless the Qian commander opposite them had water in his brain, there was little chance he would order an assault against a fortress this strongly defended and with walls this high.

You got what you paid for.

Compared with the casually built wooden palisades surrounding other military stockades—

Green Willow Fortress was a genuine tortoise shell.

What surprised and pleased Zheng Fan was that the Blind Man had awakened.

After controlling Lady Daxi outside Mianzhou City, the Blind Man had severely overdrawn his mental power.

He had remained unconscious for two days.

Now he sat in a wheelchair with a hot towel draped across his forehead.

He looked strangely fragile.

"When did you wake up?" Zheng Fan asked.

"This afternoon."

After answering, the Blind Man coughed several times.

"We've run into trouble again," Zheng Fan said.

"It's all right."

The Blind Man remained calm.

"Master's luck is really something else."

Captured as a tongue then asked where his own home was...

"Mm.

"Heaven naturally protects kindhearted people."

"............"

The Blind Man.

Perhaps because he had only just awakened and his mind was still weak, the Blind Man momentarily failed to keep pace with the thickness of his Master's skin.

Zheng Fan then told him what happened while eating wontons during the day including the old fortune-teller and the down-and-out swordsman.

The Blind Man, Bei, asked, "Master didn't inform the Secret Intelligence Department?"

Zheng Fan shook his head.

"I intended to.

"But after thinking about it— forget it."

"Mm.

"Based on Master's description, those two have clearly surpassed the level of ordinary spies.

"Tall people should be left for tall people to handle.

"There's no need for us to interfere."

"Mm.

"That's exactly what I thought."

At that moment, beacon smoke began rising from Green Willow Fortress.

How many columns?

What color smoke?

What specific pattern meant what?

Truthfully nobody inside Green Willow Fortress knew.

If Qian's fortified-outpost system suffered from neglected manpower then Yan's system was simply broken from top to bottom.

Long-term strategic and psychological superiority had made the Yan people careless about such details.

Now that Qian cavalry had marched north they moved through Yan territory almost like fish through water.

Beacon smoke only truly worked if nearby fortresses and stockades relayed it onward.

There was deep learning hidden inside that system.

In complexity, it was no weaker than the signals and codes used by intelligence agents during the Second World War.

Unfortunately—

Green Willow Fortress's beacon smoke rose for a very long time.

And nearby not a second column appeared.

Since the war began, Yan had remained overwhelmingly on the offensive.

Yet at this moment its reaction was sluggish and feeble, like some ancient man nearing the end of his life.

Zheng Fan was almost certain that the Qian cavalry force still had not encountered a meaningful encirclement or serious threat.

Faced with a sudden situation like this, most regional military commanders would instinctively remain in place and defend while waiting for support.

It was one method of preserving strength.

Mm.

Garrison Commander Zheng was doing exactly the same thing.

Of course, Garrison Commander Zheng had reasons.

And excuses.

Through a unique set of circumstances, he knew the Qian force's intended target was Green Willow Fortress.

So his official reasoning was that he would remain behind strong defenses, draw the enemy's attack, and allow friendly units to counter-encircle them.

Of course, that was only the excuse.

In the middle of the night, even knowing the Qian force had penetrated alone until he knew their exact strength and fighting ability, Zheng Fan had no intention of throwing his precious cavalry into a night battle.

Military merit was tempting.

But if carelessness got his own men wiped out he would still be the one feeling the pain.

On the battlements, Zheng Fan held a warmed wineskin and took small sips simply to keep himself warm.

Liang Cheng stood beside him.

His gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the walls.

With Liang Cheng nearby, Zheng Fan felt extremely safe.

And only Zheng Fan and the Demon Kings knew inside Green Willow Fortress, a true killing weapon still slept.

That weapon was inconvenient to reveal in public.

Better not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

But at the very least it could save their lives.

The freezing wind continued to blow.

Zheng Fan's eyelids began drooping.

He was sleepy.

Outside everything remained quiet.

No one knew how many more military stockades that Qian force had already destroyed.

Nor whether some General had chosen to "sacrifice the family for the nation," ignoring the damage to his own strength and leading troops out to destroy the enemy.

"Master, there's actually something I've been wondering for a long time," Liang Cheng said.

Imitating Zheng Fan, Liang Cheng sat down with his back against the battlement.

"Say it."

Zheng Fan held out the wineskin.

Liang Cheng reached to take it.

Zheng Fan suddenly pulled it back.

Then laughed.

"I forgot you aren't afraid of the cold."

If zombies feared cold electric blankets would sell out in Sanya.

"Master.

"The Jingnan Army's reaction is too strange."

This was Liang Cheng's observation.

Ever since the fighting began no.

Strictly speaking, it was not even from the beginning of the fighting.

The first time Green Willow Fortress had gone wandering through Qian territory, Tian Wujing had led ten thousand Jingnan Army iron cavalry south and escorted Zheng Fan's little detachment back.

Afterward, the Marquis of Jingnan went to Yanjing.

Once he returned, he issued the formal order to begin hostilities against Qian.

But aside from forcing these small regional commanders to repeatedly raid south not a single Jingnan Army soldier had gone back into battle.

Zheng Fan nodded.

"At first, I thought the Marquis of Jingnan was waiting.

"Waiting for us regional commanders to provoke the Qian until they were furious.

"Waiting for the Three Frontier armies to send elite forces out to wipe us out.

"Then the Jingnan Army would strike like thunder and swallow Qian's field elites.

"That would clear the road for the march south.

"We regional commanders, put plainly— would be tactical bait.

"Preparation for the larger strategy."

Liang Cheng said, "But Grand Commandant Yang of Qian has continued defending without coming out.

"No matter how much he's provoked, he refuses to move.

"And Qian has now transferred several of its strongest armies north as well.

"They've formed a complete iron-barrel defense."

"Exactly.

"I don't really understand it either."

"In truth, surprise attacks by small detachments like these don't affect the larger situation very much," Liang Cheng said.

He paused.

Then continued.

"No matter how many military stockades that Qian cavalry force breaks tonight, and no matter how many regional commanders it crushes— it cannot change the strategic reality.

"Yan is attacking.

"Qian is defending.

"Put simply, the reason this Qian force came north is probably the same as why Green Willow Fortress went south twice before.

"The purpose is mostly to boast of victory and raise morale.

"And since they openly asked where Green Willow Fortress was, then their target is clearly us.

"We swept away several thousand Wolf Native Troops outside Mianzhou City last time and humiliated them.

"So this is probably their response— courtesy demands reciprocity.

"But once daylight arrives, this force will still withdraw quickly.

"They can't hold a single stockade."

Once dawn came and communications recovered from the sluggishness imposed by darkness the various Yan Generals would have no choice but to respond.

At that point, it would no longer be a matter of preserving their private strength.

It would become a question of national honor.

The nature of the matter would change entirely.

The Jingnan Army stood in the rear suppressing everything.

The Yan Emperor had only recently trampled down the great clans.

Centuries-old aristocratic houses had vanished into dust.

Was the court really unable to deal with a single small regional commander?

In the past, soldiers especially Generals usually had the backing of one great clan, perhaps even two.

Moving against any one of them was difficult.

Every issue turned into endless wrangling.

That was no longer true.

Zheng Fan took another sip of wine.

Then said, "What you mean is— why has the Marquis of Jingnan only issued orders?

"Why hasn't he sent the Jingnan Army south?

"No.

"Even if the Jingnan Army simply remained stationed in Nanwang City and maintained direct pressure over the frontier— our Great Yan's regional commanders could never be this scattered."

If the Jingnan Army were still camped at Nanwang City if Marquis of Jingnan Tian Wujing himself still resided there then even in the middle of the night, who would dare hide behind the excuse of preserving strength?

Even Zheng Fan would have to grit his teeth, take seven or eight hundred cavalry, ride out to locate the Qian force, intercept them, attack them, and bleed them.

As long as the tiger kept its eyes open the monkeys in the mountains would scramble desperately to perform.

But now, the tiger looked as though it had fallen asleep.

"In truth, I don't know why either," Zheng Fan admitted honestly.

There was no reason for him, as "Master," to play mysterious games with his own subordinates.

Who didn't know who they were?

"But A-Cheng— try lifting your thinking a little higher.

"I know it's unfair to you.

"Green Willow Fortress only has this many men.

"But imagine that you had fifty thousand Jingnan Army troops and two hundred thousand Zhenbei Army cavalry in your hands.

"What would you do?"

Liang Cheng shook his head.

"Master, that's difficult to imagine.

"Too many political factors are involved."

Liang Cheng did not understand politics.

Or rather he was too lazy to play politics.

At his core, he had always been an extremely proud person.

Zheng Fan nodded.

He took another sip of wine and said nothing.

Sigh.

It was freezing cold.

And he was still stuck sitting on a battlement standing watch.

Damn annoying.

Originally—

Zheng Fan had imagined returning after delivering the severed heads and settling everyone's military merit.

Everyone in Green Willow Fortress would be in high spirits.

Then he would tell them about the fifteen hundred barbarian troops.

The Demon Kings would be happy too.

After that he could enjoy a long hot bath.

Then ask the Fourth Lady to wear white stockings tonight.

Sigh.

He had already written the entire script in his head.

And that damned Qian cavalry force had ruined it.

Zheng Fan rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand and breathed out.

At that moment, a stir suddenly ran along the battlements.

Liang Cheng twisted sharply and looked through the crenellations into the darkness.

At the same time, he said to Zheng Fan, "Cavalry approaching!"

...

Several layers of blood had dried across Zhong Tianlang's silver armor.

Whenever fighting began, he liked charging at the very front.

Naturally, the blood staining his armor belonged to Yan soldiers.

When they first entered Yan territory, they had destroyed a relatively small fortress.

Afterward, they rode deep into the interior.

Unfortunately, the Silver-Armored Guard agents who were supposed to guide them never appeared.

For a time the force became somewhat lost.

A commander losing his way was entirely normal.

History was full of famous generals who had lost their way.

And Zhong Tianlang was not truly lost.

He remembered the road home.

The problem was that Yan's irregular, disorganized system of new military stockades and old fortresses made it difficult to identify his target.

Even local Yan civilians would have struggled to distinguish the countless camps that had sprung up like mushrooms after rain over the past few months.

Which one was which?

Where was each one located?

It was genuinely difficult.

Fortunately—

Zhong Tianlang's luck had been excellent.

He took the risk of seizing two tongues on the main road.

And they actually told him where Green Willow Fortress was.

He smashed through Green Willow Fortress.

The commander named Zheng Fan at least had some backbone.

Rather than surrender or allow himself to be captured the man committed suicide.

Even now, Zhong Tianlang remembered the way "Zheng Fan" had glared at him before dying.

That look fully revealed the fury in the Yan barbarian's heart.

And the hatred of dying with unfinished business.

At least he had been a man.

Unfortunately, Zhong Tianlang could not leave him an intact corpse.

He cut off his head.

Then, under cover of night, he smashed three more Yan military stockades in succession.

The defenses of those stockades were all extremely loose.

He possessed overwhelming numerical superiority.

With darkness concealing his approach and a sudden charge breaking them was not difficult.

Even so, the resistance Yan soldiers offered after being surprised still astonished Zhong Tianlang.

He had grown up in the Western Army.

The enemies he had faced from childhood were Northern Qiang tribes or native chieftain forces in the southwestern mountains.

When those enemies were struck by night raids, they often collapsed completely.

Then came slaughter.

Bodies everywhere.

But these Yan soldiers so long as they had a blade in hand and no path of escape often chose to fight to the death.

Because of that, Zhong Tianlang's own force had suffered noticeable casualties as well.

Back in the Western Army, when he heard that the commanders of Qian's Three Frontiers had been so thoroughly suppressed by Yan that they barely dared raise their heads—

Zhong Tianlang had felt contempt.

After personally fighting the Yan even though every engagement had ended in victory he gradually understood something.

These Yan barbarians truly were not easy prey.

Most importantly the men he had faced were only Yan's miscellaneous frontier forces.

Those scattered regional commanders with their individual stockades were not Yan's true elite.

The Jingnan Army of Yinlang Commandery had not appeared even once.

And the Zhenbei Army the force that made all three eastern states deeply wary had not yet marched south either.

After this experience, Zhong Tianlang understood why his father had begun digging trenches and building fortified camps the moment he reached Mianzhou City.

It had been extraordinarily wise.

The Yan were arrogant.

And their fighting strength genuinely was formidable.

For now, the Great Qian could only use methods like this to wear away Yan's arrogance.

Then, using this war between states as an opportunity rebuild Qian's military.

Fortunately—

Yan was poor.

Yan's land was poor too.

As a commander, Zhong Tianlang knew he should not indulge thoughts like that.

Yet they kept circling through his mind anyway.

Still he was young.

And youth was meant to burn hot.

At the very least, this raid had allowed him to vent a breath of anger for the Great Qian.

It had shown the Yan that the Great Qian also had men with blood in their veins!

It was getting late.

Zhong Tianlang did not dare remain here any longer.

He ordered the army to begin returning south.

The vanguard reported that a Yan fortress lay ahead on their route.

This one was exceptionally well constructed.

Practically a small city.

Zhong Tianlang rode forward with his personal guards.

The moment he saw the fortress ahead his heart gave a slight jolt.

The walls were high.

Below them were trenches.

Visible barricades.

The upper defensive levels were clearly divided.

The corners projected outward.

The design looked somewhat strange.

But Zhong Tianlang saw its brilliance at a glance.

No matter which direction you attacked from you would suffer fire from three sides.

And the fortress was obviously newly constructed.

"Everyone says Yan's iron cavalry is unmatched beneath Heaven.

"But from the look of things—

Yan also has men who know how to defend."

The labor and money used to build this fortress had come from the Sixth Prince.

But its design belonged to the Blind Man.

The Blind Man had used the principles of later European fortress construction.

Back in Zheng Fan's original world's history, when Koxinga recovered Taiwan, he had found Dutch fortresses built in this style extraordinarily difficult to deal with.

Zhong Tianlang understood perfectly well that this fortress combined with the dim silhouettes of soldiers visible atop its walls was not something his current force could chew through.

Still perhaps there was a certain admiration between heroes.

After smashing several military stockades in a row, he had finally encountered an enemy willing to put real thought into defensive construction.

Zhong Tianlang urged his horse forward.

On the tip of his spear he carried Deng Ziliang's severed head.

Then he shouted toward the fortress, "Yan dogs!

"Green Willow Fortress has already been destroyed by your Grandpa Zhong!

"The head of Green Willow Fortress's Garrison Commander Zheng Fan is right here!

"For now—

I'll leave your heads sitting on your necks!

"When your Grandpa Zhong has time in the future—

I'll come collect them!"

A long time passed.

The fortress ahead remained silent.

No one answered.

Seeing Green Willow Fortress utterly quiet—

Zhong Tianlang smiled.

He turned toward several officers beside him.

"Looks like killing Zheng Fan— the Yan officer with the greatest reputation and military merit in recent days really did crush their morale!"

In truth, after Zhong Tianlang shouted the soldiers atop Green Willow Fortress's walls looked at one another.

You look at me.

I look at you.

Then everyone looked toward their own Garrison Commander who was sitting right there on the battlements drinking wine.

Then together they looked back toward the Qian general shouting beneath torchlight outside.

At that moment, everyone shared only one thought.

That Qian general down below...

Could he be an idiot?

(End of Chapter)