Chapter 502: - Siege

Zheng Fan had no idea what Liu Ruqing was thinking. With war about to begin, Count Pingye was not yet so detached that he could direct a campaign with a beauty at his side, sleeves fragrant with perfume.

Once Liu Ruqing hurried away in some confusion, Zheng Fan turned back to Li Fusheng with a smile. “Don’t worry, Big Brother. In this battle, Little Brother will play support for you.”

“Ha! Excellent!”

Li Fusheng turned, picked up the wine bowl, poured out what remained inside, then licked the bottom clean with his tongue.

“Ah. I’ll drink properly once this battle is over.”

Then something seemed to occur to him.

“Back when we were campaigning, Li Bao and I used to sit together. At the time, you’d sent wine over from Shengle City, but drinking during wartime was forbidden by the iron discipline of the Zhenbei Army. So Li Bao and I each took a chopstick, dipped it into the wine, and sucked on it just to scratch the itch. That bastard Li Bao loved peeling garlic and eating it raw. He’d stink up the entire command tent.”

Zheng Fan fell silent. Li Fusheng was clearly remembering a comrade who had already died.

“Little Brother Zheng, for men like us who live on battlefields, dying on one is the best ending there is. I’ve committed too much slaughter in this life. I never expected to die peacefully in bed. But I’m not afraid of death either. Ever since I first put on armor, far too many good brothers have gone below ahead of me. When I finally join them, I won’t be lonely.”

“Big Brother, we’re about to march. Talking like this is unlucky.”

“Unlucky my ass. They’re only Savages. If that Savage King were still around, maybe I’d show them a little respect. The Savages now are nothing but a mob. Add my troops to yours and we can scrape together a hundred thousand iron cavalry. Why the hell would we fear them? A bunch of clay chickens and pottery dogs like these aren’t enough to make me worry about bad omens.”

Li Fusheng walked over and patted Zheng Fan on the shoulder. Then he suddenly lowered his voice.

“Last time Qian-girl passed out here, that was your doing, wasn’t it?”

Zheng Fan did not know whether Li Qian had written to Li Fusheng about it or whether Li Fusheng had guessed on his own.

But it did not matter.

Count Pingye nodded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“You’re all young. It’s normal for two people to rub each other the wrong way.”

Zheng Fan said nothing.

“Qian-girl is pitiful too. Same as the little Marquis in your residence. Being born as their children means they were never destined to live easy lives.”

Zheng Fan sighed.

“Enough. Let’s not talk about that. War is coming. We need to look like men about to fight one. Sieges are bound to be suffocating as hell. This time, I’m going to have my fill of fun out on the snowfields. Come, Little Brother Zheng. You know this place. Tell me how we should fight. We don’t have time to push too deep into the snowfields, but plowing through this eastern half near you shouldn’t be a problem. The people, livestock, and furs we seize will all be useful. You know as well as I do that Great Yan may look enormous now, but ever since we swallowed the Three Jin lands, we still haven’t caught our breath. Whatever we can scrape off the snowfields this time means a little less pressure behind us and another mouthful of food the common people can keep. Come, come. We agreed on this. I’ll lead the charge, but how we fight and how we arrange things is up to you.”

Zheng Fan nodded and smiled.

“My idea may take a few detours and cause a little trouble, but I think it should be worth it.”

...

Night gradually fell, and Sanghu’s migrating column began making camp.

The troops of the surrounding tribes still had not withdrawn. In fact, their numbers were steadily increasing. Fewer than thirty thousand had been present during the day. By nightfall, there were already forty thousand.

Warriors from tribes farther away had come hoping for a share of the feast.

Because Jin Shuke had sent men to warn them, no tribe dared attack first. But asking them to simply leave was equally impossible.

This was a scattered tribe of thirty thousand people. Everyone could imagine what would happen if a few tribal forces charged in together. After that, all that remained would be dividing up the captives.

To simply give up on prey like this was too painful.

Most importantly, the Yan force from Snow Sea Pass had been this same size during the day and remained the same size at night. Snow Sea Pass had sent no additional troops. If Count Pingye himself had come with seven or eight thousand cavalry, everyone might have dispersed. But a few hundred men? You really expect to hold all of us in check with that?

So the tribes began sending representatives to Jin Shuke’s small camp, one after another, probing his intentions in every possible way.

Jin Shuke rejected no visitors. He met everyone who came and spoke with them all. But every hint from the tribal representatives was firmly rejected. He told them in unmistakable terms that the migrating Savage tribe was going to enter Snow Sea Pass.

At the same time, Jin Shuke knew perfectly well that while the tribal chiefs kept sending people to speak with him, those chiefs themselves were certainly negotiating among one another.

They had numbers, and in their minds this was an internal affair of the Savages. The rule of the snowfields had always been that stronger tribes swallowed weaker ones and grew from the flesh. The Yan might be powerful and able to fight, but they were still only inside Snow Sea Pass. They had not conquered the endless snowfields.

The stalemate continued until deep into the night.

...

A bonfire burned, the wood occasionally cracking softly. Sanghu wiped his saber. After a few strokes, he raised his head and looked at the Snow Wolf Royal Banner standing before him.

Nearby, his warriors had already wrapped themselves in fur blankets and lain down to rest. These were his most loyal and elite men. They were conserving their strength. If the slightest disturbance came from outside, they could seize their sabers, leap onto their horses, and fight immediately.

At last, the neighing of warhorses came from beyond the camp. Sanghu gripped his saber.

Trapped in the center, he had sent no one to try breaking out and scouting the outside. That would have been pure suicide.

So Sanghu had no idea that, farther out, a Yan force had appeared. It was only because of that force that his patchwork tribe had survived this long before tens of thousands of Savage warriors whose eyes had already gone red with greed.

Of course, it would only survive this long.

The tribal chiefs outside knew they might anger Count Pingye by acting. But first, if everyone committed the offense together, there was always that comforting sense that the law could not punish the masses. Second, Snow Sea Pass seemed chronically short of troops. After destroying the Naiman Tribe, it had not sent another major force onto the snowfields.

Most importantly, those tribal chiefs understood one thing.

They could bow their heads before Snow Sea Pass. They could even kneel in person and lick Count Pingye’s boots. That was only a question of face, and they did not care much about face.

But when it came to their own little piece of the snowfields, if a casual warning from Snow Sea Pass could force all these tribes to withdraw obediently, then had they not simply invited another “Savage King” back over their heads?

If that was the result, then what had been the point of everything before?

First they would eat this prize and divide the people.

If Snow Sea Pass held them accountable afterward, they could compensate Count Pingye with some cattle and sheep and give him face.

Was he really going to come at all of them by force?

With the Naiman Tribe’s destruction still fresh in memory, the chiefs had already used this opportunity to cut their palms, swear a blood oath, and promise to advance and retreat together on this matter.

External pressure could, to a certain degree, force internal groups to consolidate.

That law had never changed.

It was only that the snowfields now were no longer remotely comparable with what they had been when the Savage King still ruled.

Every warrior beside Sanghu rose at once, drew his saber, and mounted.

Yet just as Sanghu prepared to raise his blade and charge forward, the forces of the surrounding Savage tribes suddenly exploded into chaos.

...

Strictly speaking, it could not be called a mutiny.

But if one treated the loose coalition of Savage tribes as a single army, what happened next looked very much like one.

Just as the chiefs prepared to launch the coordinated attack they had agreed upon, a thunder of hooves suddenly erupted behind them, carrying the terrifying momentum of men who believed none under Heaven could stand in their way.

Every chief’s heart sank.

The Yan?

They had come?

Several chiefs immediately began cursing in Savage.

Why the hell had the damned Yan come neither early nor late, but at precisely this moment?

If they had arrived earlier, everyone could have kowtowed, turned around, and gone home.

If they had arrived later, everyone would already have eaten their fill, wiped their mouths, and returned to their dens.

But soon, the chiefs realized something was wrong.

Large formations of cavalry had not appeared only behind them, to the south.

Yan cavalry had also appeared to the north and west.

Every tribe had scouts outside. That much instinct they still possessed.

The reports those riders brought back almost made the chiefs lose their souls.

Their first reaction was disbelief.

Where had Snow Sea Pass found this many Yan troops?

Worst of all, Yan cavalry had appeared to the north.

That meant they had circled around in advance.

At this very moment, the Savage coalition had probably been wrapped inside one enormous ring of Yan cavalry.

The tribal chiefs who had gathered outside gave no second order beyond retreat.

Each immediately led his own warriors away.

The loose alliance shattered almost the instant it had been formed.

Tens of thousands of Savage warriors became headless flies.

And the two sides had not even truly clashed yet.

Sanghu’s warriors stared around in confusion, with no idea what was happening. Sanghu, however, began to smile. He had guessed it: the Yan army had arrived.

But he was not smiling because he had been saved.

He was smiling because these fools truly were as stupid as they had always been.

When the Savage King was still there, the Savage army had dared fight decisive battles against the elite cavalry of the Situ Clan.

Several of those great battles had involved ambushes and surprise attacks prepared in advance, but the Savage warriors themselves had still dared charge and fight.

After entering the passes and seizing huge quantities of weapons and armor, they had even dared charge head-on against the Yan.

Before every battle, the Savage King would stand upon a platform and roar his speech.

It was as though he truly poured the light of the Stars into every warrior’s body and made them fearless.

Even in their final disastrous defeat, the Savage army had lost only after deliberately charging straight into the elite cavalry led by Tian Wujing.

They had never collapsed on first contact.

Because one Savage King had once appeared, the flock of sheep spent a brief period under the illusion that they too were wolves.

Then the dream ended, and they woke to discover, stunned, that they were still sheep.

The collapse of the tribal coalition was only the beginning.

Soon, Yan cavalry made contact with the Savages.

To the south, the Yan were unstoppable.

To the north, the Yan were unstoppable.

To the west, the Yan were still unstoppable.

Most importantly, the Yan were numerous in every direction.

Some Savage chiefs fled with their clansmen while wondering how this could possibly be happening.

Even if every Yan soldier inside Snow Sea Pass had come out, there should not have been this many!

...

“Damn it, this is boring. Boring as hell. What kind of battle is this? We haven’t even charged their line and they’re already running?”

Li Fusheng was visibly dissatisfied.

This was not the fight he wanted.

He had shamelessly begged Zheng Fan for the right to lead the charge, only for the enemy to leave the stage before he could even appear on it.

This was not war at all.

It was herding sheep.

“Little Brother Zheng, with enemies like these, every time you write memorials to His Highness, Yingdu, or the court, you still complain about how difficult and thankless it is to defend the frontier against the Savages?”

Zheng Fan smiled.

“The child who cries gets candy.”

There was little Zheng Fan felt any need to hide from Li Fusheng.

The Blind Man had once said that people with mental illnesses were often very pure.

“Still, the Jin troops are doing pretty well this time,” Li Fusheng said, puzzled. “Their momentum came right up. Back when we were fighting them, we only had to break one stretch of the line and the rest collapsed right after it.”

“Jin men don’t need mobilization when they’re fighting Savages.”

In truth, the cavalrymen of the Three Jin lands had never been bad.

Unfortunately, a sudden strike from the rear had shattered their main force, after which relentless pursuit completely broke their formations and crushed their spirit.

But once they faced Savages, the Jin soldiers’ confidence returned instantly.

For centuries, except for the brief years when the Savage King rose, Jin had been the one pressing the Savages into the dirt whenever it pleased.

Once that kind of psychological superiority had been established, it affected both sides profoundly.

“Little Brother Zheng, I see you’ve left one side of the bag open. What, are you really herding sheep?”

“Yes. Drive them east.”

The war, or more precisely, the chase, continued.

If viewed from high above, one would have seen a black sea rolling eastward, wrapping around a mottled mass in the center.

At that moment, Jin Shuke came before Sanghu.

Sanghu asked:

“The King is with you, isn’t he?”

Jin Shuke shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Sanghu asked again:

“Can I see the King?”

“That, I don’t know either.”

“You Yan are no different from them. You only threaten me with death?”

“Come with me.”

Jin Shuke turned and walked away. Sanghu’s warriors immediately stepped forward to stop him, but Sanghu shoved them aside.

“If the Yan wanted to kill me, they wouldn’t need to go through this much trouble.”

All around them, there were Yan cavalry as far as the eye could see.

With that, Sanghu followed Jin Shuke away until they reached a tent.

Jin Shuke did not enter. He simply stood outside with his arms folded.

Sanghu hesitated for a moment, then lifted the tent flap and stepped in.

Inside, he saw a man with a terrifying saber scar across his face sitting on a rug in the middle of the tent.

Beside that man stood a tower-like giant carrying a pair of enormous axes. When he saw Sanghu enter, he gave him an honest, almost foolish smile.

Gou Moli spoke first. “Sanghu.”

Under his clothes, many chains were wrapped around his body.

More precisely, the Savage King had been locked in the middle of the tent.

Beneath the rug, the chains were attached to an enormous iron ball.

Sanghu smiled, then dropped to his knees before the man and bowed low. “My King.”

Gou Moli smiled too, and this time the happiness was genuine.

“My King, it is good that you are still alive.”

“I am living fairly well,” the Savage King answered. “I surrendered to the Yan.”

“This subordinate understood that the moment I saw Your Majesty’s letter.”

“Sanghu, do you still believe in me?”

Sanghu shook his head.

“No. I truly don’t. The Yan really can’t be beaten.”

“If you can’t beat them, join them.”

“My King is wise.”

Gou Moli sighed. “I have let it go.”

“This subordinate has let it go as well.”

Gou Moli pointed south.

That was the direction of Snow Sea Pass.

“I asked Count Pingye for a small official post. He refused.”

Sanghu shook his head. “Stingy.”

“No, no. Count Pingye told me that nominally he has seven Commands beneath him, but only the First Command remains vacant. The soldiers and civilians of Snow Sea Pass all think that Command is being reserved as the central force he will personally lead in the future. But Count Pingye told me this: if I help him take Zhennan Pass, he will give the First Command to me.”

Sanghu said:

“This subordinate knows little about matters like this. But from the way my King speaks, it sounds like very good news.”

“It is. If I help him take Zhennan Pass, then with Zhennan Pass in the south and Snow Sea Pass in the north, if he holds both gates and has enough time to develop, it will be like half the old Situ Clan has been resurrected in his hands. At that point, he really will have the nerve and the capital to keep me as his dog.”

Sanghu nodded.

Gou Moli wanted to lift a hand and pat his forehead, but the chains were too heavy and his arm would not rise, so he merely said:

“But I imagine we’ll have to fill a great many lives into that breach. Lives of our Sacred Race.”

Sanghu laughed.

“That’s fine. Lives of the Sacred Race aren’t worth much anyway.”

The Savage King raised his head, lowered it again, and licked his lips. “Yes. They aren’t worth much.”

...

By the time dawn began to pale the sky, Li Fusheng, who had spent most of the night riding, looked like an eggplant beaten by frost.

He had no energy at all. Military reports kept arriving from ahead.

The Savage forces wrapped up by the Yan army had been driven into the two previously abandoned fortresses to the east.

The Savages had nowhere else to retreat, so they could only use the two forts once built by the Situ Clan on the snowfields as temporary shelter. At the same time, every tribal chief sent representatives to plead with Count Pingye, shouting that they knew they had been wrong and begging him to leave them a road to survival.

Count Pingye listened deeply to their opinions and expressed profound sympathy for their suffering.

Then he had them all beheaded.

Riding his Pixiu, Count Pingye came up beside Li Fusheng.

The Pixiu beneath Zheng Fan gave the Pi Beast under Li Fusheng an imperious snort.

“Big Brother, perk up.”

“Little Brother Zheng, what exactly are you planning?”

They could have ended everything last night.

Count Pingye pointed behind him.

Li Fusheng turned. One arrow tower after another was being pushed toward them, along with battering rams, trebuchets, and siege equipment of every kind.

Li Fusheng’s eyes immediately lit up. They even began turning red again.

“This... this is...”

Count Pingye nodded and said lightly:

“We’ll use them to practice siegecraft.”

[End of Chapter 502]