Chapter 783: Overturned!

After the people of Qian were taught a lesson by the Yan some years ago, their Emperor led the implementation of New Policies, raised the status of military officers, and rebuilt the state’s martial institutions. It genuinely brought a new atmosphere.

That included raising the standing of successful candidates in the military examinations. They even modeled a new training institution for martial men after the Imperial Academy. To avoid provoking too fierce a backlash from the scholar-official class, Yao Zizhan also took the position of Chancellor of the Academy.

Master Yao organized a group to compile textbooks as well. They did not begin from elementary enlightenment texts. Instead, they imitated *Zhengzi’s Art of War*, written in Marquis Pingxi’s early years, linking military principles together with actual battle examples.

Quite a few military officers contributed their opinions.

As for the scholars involved... you probably could not trust them to command a real army.

But ask them to become wise after the event and analyze battles once everything was over?

Their professional ability truly could not be underestimated.

Among the textbook’s chapters on cavalry, the most classic and celebrated case was the campaign five years earlier, when Prince Jingnan and Prince Zhenbei led Yan’s iron cavalry into Jin.

The matter of borrowing passage through Qian was brushed over in a single stroke.

That was not because Qian wished to hide its own humiliation.

The next part, where Yu Ciming, then Emperor of Jin, personally opened South Gate Pass, was likewise passed over in a sentence.

So were Yan’s deployment of sleeper agents throughout Jin and the many advance preparations that led to fortress gates being opened.

What the Qian scholars valued most in that entire campaign... was the moment Yan’s iron cavalry appeared silently behind the Helian-Wenren allied army while that army was attacking Yan.

That battle... was the true hammer blow that settled everything.

Afterward, the Yan cavalry fought for a thousand li over ten days, shattered virtually all the field forces of both clans, and caused more than half the cities and territories to submit at the mere arrival of proclamations.

The exquisite cavalry methods employed by the two Princes left the Qian scholars utterly entranced.

The textbook still had no final title.

There was talk that, according to custom, Yan’s new sovereign would soon begin using a reign era of his own.

Meanwhile, the Qian court and its Emperor also seemed to be considering changing the era name.

Once that happened, the textbook could be titled *The Martial Record of Such-and-Such Era*.

But one thing could already be predicted.

The supreme cavalry example inside that textbook... would soon go from one to two.

And the second stroke would belong to the man universally recognized as Prince Jingnan’s successor...

Marquis Pingxi.

...

Gou Moli had grown thinner.

He looked worn down too.

Ever since he was chosen as commander of the vanguard, he had been carrying a bellyful of resentment.

Three parts of that anger were directed at Marquis Pingxi for treating the family fortune like nothing, a man worth a thousand pieces of gold who still loved staking his entire household at the slightest opportunity.

The rest... was anger over why this damned job had fallen to him.

Why not send Liang Cheng?

Why not send Jin Shuke?

Why did it have to be him?

Did anyone know how miserable this was?

How exhausting?

They had driven forward the entire way, moving ahead of the army and opening a smooth route for the central force behind them.

And “route” here did not simply mean a road an army could march along.

It also meant concealment suitable for a great army.

Not making tens of thousands of men vanish into thin air.

Not hiding them in mountain gullies.

Rather... creating a gap in information between the common people, the local Chu garrisons, the court, and nearby county seats.

The common people might know.

But nearby Chu garrisons or county towns could not be allowed to know.

And even if they learned something, they could not be allowed to send that information upward immediately.

Ultimately... it created a strange effect.

Strategically, the army marched openly beneath Heaven.

Tactically... its movement was perfectly obscured.

The Chu garrisons along the Wei River knew the Yan had crossed there.

But they did not know exactly where the Yan were heading or what they meant to attack.

By instinct, they first strengthened all routes by which the Yan might advance toward Ying Capital.

Preparations for war began.

One urgent report after another, supposedly capable of traveling “eight hundred li,” flew upward.

As a result, throughout southern Chu a rumor was already spreading wildly:

Marquis Pingxi of Yan was leading an army to repeat Prince Jingnan’s old feat.

He was going to strike the capital!

Among the southern common people, anxious questions spread from mouth to mouth.

How far had the Yan dogs reached?

When would they reach us?

The court armies and local garrisons displayed remarkable initiative when it came to political correctness.

Troops shifted within the limits permitted to them.

Everyone prepared to defend the imperial city.

Everyone prepared for another defense of the new Ying Capital.

Meanwhile, the Yan army moving west naturally could not capture every city along the road.

In truth, anything that could be bypassed was bypassed.

Only when they needed to forage from the enemy did they delay briefly.

And even then... only briefly.

They swept through like locusts.

Nearby county towns trembled behind closed gates.

Only after the Yan army passed did they dare send men out to inspect the damage and ask which direction the enemy had gone.

One step late became every step late.

Under Marquis Pingxi’s orders, the Yan army advanced regardless of cost.

Its speed might have been only slightly slower than an “eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch.”

And once the movement speed of an army approached the speed of the enemy’s intelligence network... military information could no longer catch up.

Worse... the delayed reports reaching the Chu court were distorted by fixed assumptions.

Many Chu officials simply believed that because the Yan had burned their capital once, they might naturally come burn it a second time.

Other reports contradicted each other entirely on the direction of Yan’s march.

Add one more factor.

The army under Dugu Mu had entered the old zone of Qu Peiluo’s operations.

Relay stations and local infrastructure had been heavily damaged there.

The Fan Clan had also spent years infiltrating and arranging its influence throughout the region.

Its reach had long since extended far beyond Fan City itself.

So in Dugu Mu’s eyes, he was suppressing a rebellious clan within Chu territory.

But the practical reality was closer to marching through hostile foreign land.

There was no dependable local administrative network.

Military intelligence could only be transmitted by the army’s own fast riders.

Efficiency naturally suffered.

From beginning to end...

Dugu Mu received only two military reports from the east.

The first said the Yan were making trouble along the Wei River.

The second said the Yan had begun advancing.

The timing was vague.

The location even vaguer.

Because at that moment... the Chu court itself was still completely confused.

So in Dugu Mu’s judgment, Nian Yao’s previous march through Jin territory had enraged Marquis Pingxi of Yan.

Marquis Pingxi knew rescuing Fan City was impossible and would come too late anyway.

So he had simply started a fight along the Wei to vent his anger.

By the time the Chu court finally confirmed the Yan army’s actual direction... the news could no longer reach Dugu Mu.

Because...

Gou Moli had already arrived.

He arrived.

Then he hid.

The vanguard had started with more than five thousand men.

Battle losses along the way had been light.

But huge numbers had fallen behind.

Small detachments had also been sent out in every direction to intercept messengers.

By the time Gou Moli finally reached the outskirts of the objective... only a little over two thousand riders remained beside him.

A force that small... looked less like reinforcements than food being delivered to the enemy.

So Gou Moli endured.

He concealed his troops carefully.

And quietly watched.

The Chu army did not believe Yan troops could possibly appear here.

When you were catching mice inside your own house... would you seriously guard against the neighbor sneaking into your home with a kitchen knife raised over your head?

That would be worrying far too much.

So the Chu scouts were not especially active.

Relying on experience and superb command ability, Gou Moli successfully achieved the classic feat of hiding directly beneath the lamp.

“This time, I’ve truly broadened my horizons,” the Blind Man said.

“Oh?” Gou Moli sounded surprised.

“In the past, my understanding of cavalry was still basically: if you can win, fight; if you can’t, run, because the other side can’t catch you anyway. This time, the battlefield concealment really opened my eyes.”

“Mr. Bei is too polite. There’s a saying in all Xia: every profession has its own specialization. If I’d had someone like you holding down my rear all those years ago, heh-heh, Master probably would never have trapped me inside the passes.”

If the Blind Man had once been his subordinate...

Gou Moli might have unified most of the snowfields long ago.

While the two indulged in mutual flattery... a scout arrived with news.

“General! Mr. Bei! Fan City has been broken by the Chu!”

“Goddamned rotten luck.”

Gou Moli cursed.

Then he looked at the Blind Man.

“Mr. Bei, what do you think we should do now?”

“You’re the commander. Do whatever you think should be done.”

“We have to save them. If we don’t, then after the army Master brought all this way arrives, we can’t seriously make them start chopping trees and preparing siege equipment before attacking Fan City, can we?”

“What do you think should be done?”

Gou Moli dug a finger into his ear.

Pulled it out.

Blew on it.

Then asked:

“Mr. Bei, have you read *Zhengzi’s Art of War*, written by Master?”

The Blind Man nodded.

He was the one who had written it down from memory.

“Stratagem Twenty-Nine of *Zhengzi’s Art of War*: Flowers Bloom on the Tree!”

“So you prepared for this in advance? Is that why you ordered men two days ago to collect vines and dead branches?” the Blind Man asked.

“Always prepare for the possibility. That great philanthropist Qu has already done well enough. Now it’s time for us to give him a hand.”

...

“Flowers Bloom on the Tree” was essentially similar to making a show of strength greater than one truly possessed.

Once translated into concrete operations, the first thing it reminded the Blind Man of was Zhuge Kongming’s Empty Fort Strategy.

Gou Moli was not copying anyone.

He was simply a true master of war arriving at the same answer in another world.

Dead branches were tied behind the horses.

Each bunch looked like a giant broom.

When the charge began, every rider shouted as loudly as possible.

The storm of dust.

The roaring voices.

And most importantly... the sudden appearance of several small detachments that had already been hidden nearby.

Together, they created the impression that ten thousand... perhaps tens of thousands... of Yan cavalry had appeared directly over the Chu army’s head in the blink of an eye.

The Chu camp collapsed immediately.

Most of the men remaining inside were auxiliary troops and laborers.

Their morale was far worse.

And because the Chu army had intended to take Fan City in one final push today, almost every elite had already been sent forward.

Most of the men still wearing armor inside the camp were wounded or sick.

The camp simply exploded.

Gou Moli personally rode at the front.

Not to kill.

To control the speed of his horse and guide the direction of his men.

He wanted the false majesty of “thousands upon thousands” to last as long as possible.

He watched the Chu troops in camp flee toward the front.

Watched disorder begin spreading through the forward formations.

A tiny expectation rose in Gou Moli’s heart.

Stars... grant me one chance.

Let the Chu collapse like a rolling pearl curtain.

...

“Ten thousand? Tens of thousands of Yan cavalry? How could they suddenly appear right in front of my eyes? And appear from here?”

Dugu Mu cleared his throat.

His gaze darkened.

He handed his personal sword to his grandson, Dugu Nian.

“A’Nian. Take Grandfather’s personal guard battalion and stabilize the line. Any man who retreats without orders beyond the commander’s carriage... kill without mercy.”

“Grandfather...”

“Why aren’t you moving!”

“Yes!”

Dugu Nian led Dugu Mu’s personal guards away.

Under the old Pillar of State’s orders, the formation changed.

Dugu Nian began beheading routed soldiers.

Gradually... the army stabilized.

The old rear became the new front.

The two wings of the center spread outward.

The remaining troops filled the middle.

A new defensive formation took shape, preparing to meet the Yan.

One could only say... the Dugu Clan’s private troops were no rabble.

They were well trained.

And Dugu Mu remained standing atop his commander’s carriage, constantly issuing orders.

So the “rolling pearl curtain” Gou Moli had prayed for... never appeared.

“The Stars really are damned liars. When I get back this time, I’m officially converting to Buddhism. The temple’s closer to home anyway.”

Fengxin City had just built one, hadn’t it?

The Blind Man reined in beside Gou Moli.

Zhuge Liang’s Empty Fort Strategy required staying still and making the Wei army hesitate.

Gou Moli’s version was more difficult.

His side had to move.

The Chu side did not.

Very soon... the mystery would collapse on its own.

The Chu rout stopped.

Their cavalry began moving out to encircle and probe this suddenly appearing Yan force.

At last... the truth about the Yan riders reached Dugu Mu’s commander’s carriage.

“Pillar of State, the Yan cavalry opposite numbers only a little over two thousand,” an Assistant General reported.

“Heh. They must have been hiding nearby all along. Once they saw the city fall, they couldn’t endure it anymore. They’ve got some brains. If someone other than this old man were holding the line here, another army in the middle of a siege might genuinely have been frightened into collapse.”

“Pillar of State, you believe this Yan cavalry had been hidden here in advance?”

“Probably some hidden card left by that boy Qu Peiluo. For all we know, the riders waving Yan banners and wearing black armor may not even be Yan. They could simply be Qu Peiluo’s own troops in disguise. That brat from the Qu Clan wants to gamble one final time with this old man. Unfortunately... fortune... how could it ever favor a rebel without sovereign or father? Pass the order. The cavalry on both wings will continue circling and enveloping. The front advances. Eat this cavalry force for me. Also notify the troops already inside the city. Control the walls for now. No need to rush the cleanup inside. Stabilize first. I suspect another force may be hidden nearby besides the one in front of us. Do not let the remnants inside Fan City break out and escape under escort. His Majesty’s enthronement is near. Qu Peiluo and Fan Zhengwen are congratulatory gifts the Grand General and this Pillar of State reserved for His Majesty long ago. Forget it. Offer surrender first. Send word inside. If they bind themselves and surrender, this old man guarantees in the name of a Pillar of State of Great Chu that one thread of blood from each family will be spared and confined. Sending two live men to the capital to congratulate His Majesty on ascending the throne... now that has the proper festive air.”

“Yes!”

...

“Mr. Bei, look...”

“I’m blind.”

“Tsk.”

Gou Moli laughed.

“The Chu army is pressing over.”

“And?”

“Two roads. Either we plunge straight into them now, or we withdraw.”

“Qu Peiluo and Fan Zhengwen do not seem worth both of us throwing away our lives for.”

“I was thinking the same.”

Gou Moli nodded.

Then ordered:

“Withdraw. Slowly.”

The Yan army began retreating.

The Chu pursued.

Cavalry circled.

Infantry pressed forward.

Atop the commander’s carriage, Dugu Nian had already handed the personal guards back and returned to his grandfather’s side.

“Grandfather, what is that Yan force doing?”

Clearly... even Dugu Nian could see that the Yan did not seem determined to flee.

“To keep us hanging here and give the remnants inside Fan City a little more hope and a supposed chance.”

“These Yan really have enormous nerve.”

“They’re probably not Yan. Why would Yan men risk themselves this hard for two dogs? That Marquis Zheng should be a man who knows how to calculate profit and loss. Pass the order. No more circles. Recall the patrol riders and scouts. Combine them into another cavalry force and block that enemy at the riverbank ahead.”

“Yes!”

Gou Moli wanted to circle.

But Dugu Mu was no fool.

The surrender demand inside Fan City needed time anyway.

Dugu Mu did not mind spending a little longer playing here and wrapping a perfectly round dumpling.

After waiting... and waiting...

Dugu Mu finally found an opportunity.

The Yan had also grown careless.

Near a riverbank, another Chu cavalry detachment appeared and blocked their flank.

“Up the slope.”

Gou Moli gave the order without hesitation and led his men uphill.

Chu lands were full of mountains.

So the Chu liked calling small hills “slopes.”

Their standard for what counted as a mountain was much higher than elsewhere.

Once the “Yan army” climbed the slope...

Dugu Mu ordered the place surrounded.

Then he sent men up to demand surrender.

The terms were far more generous than those offered to Fan Zhengwen and Qu Peiluo inside Fan City.

All previous offenses forgiven.

High rank.

Rich rewards.

“Grandfather, why offer them so much?”

“They used a bluff, dragged branches behind horses, and swelled their numbers with dust. Their commander has a brain. While retreating, the troops remained orderly. Their quality is excellent. And to protect their master, they were willing to throw away their own lives and come to the rescue instead of fleeing directly. That shows loyalty. A man like that is worth this old man recruiting personally. Besides, if Chu wishes to continue resisting Yan, we must invest more effort into cavalry. His Majesty will appreciate talent like this.”

...

“Oh? Mr. Bei, the Dugu Pillar of State wants us to surrender.”

“Do you want to?”

“Listen to you. This dog is absolutely loyal to Master.”

Then Gou Moli ordered the soldier beside him:

“Tell the man demanding our surrender that we need a little time to consider.”

“Yes, General.”

...

“Grandfather. Another delaying tactic?”

“Yes. But I can give the commander opposite some face. This old man will give him half an hour.”

Half an hour had not even begun to pass.

More precisely... the words had barely left Dugu Mu’s mouth.

From the east... hoofbeats suddenly sounded again.

Dust rolled across the horizon.

Black Dragon Banners.

Double-Headed Eagle Banners.

They snapped in the wind.

Black-armored riders galloped forward.

Their lances stood upright.

Their long sabers gleamed coldly.

Everything... was exactly the same as before.

This time... the Chu army did not panic.

Instead, many men laughed.

Dugu Nian laughed too.

“Grandfather was right. Another force really was hidden here. Is this the only trick these Yan know?”

Dugu Mu did not answer immediately.

The commander’s carriage stood at the highest point in the army.

Higher ground meant farther sight.

Dugu Mu was old.

But nowhere near the point of blurred eyes.

His gaze swept eastward like a hawk.

His archery was excellent.

His eyesight naturally remained excellent too.

The cavalry force stopped.

It stopped atop a slope.

Only two ranks of riders.

At most several hundred men.

The hoofbeats fell silent.

The dust began to settle.

Then... shouts rose from the Chu formation.

“Come on!”

“Motherfucker, if you’ve got guts, charge down here!”

“You think your grandfathers grew up scared of tricks?”

“Come on! Come down, grandson!”

The Chu officers did not stop their men from shouting.

They had attacked the city for days.

They had attacked again today.

Then they had spent so long surrounding the cavalry on the slope.

The soldiers were exhausted already.

Right now... they were surviving on one last breath of morale.

So the officers let them vent.

“Grandfather, that Yan force probably saw we weren’t reacting and stopped by itself.”

Suddenly...

Dugu Mu grabbed Dugu Nian by the shoulder.

The old body shuddered several times as though an arrow had struck him.

He had seen it.

On the slope... one man in black armor rode forward on... on a Pixiu.

A Pixiu.

Not a Pi Beast.

A genuine Pixiu!

Only four Pixiu existed in Yan’s army.

One should have followed Tian Wujing west.

One should remain at Prince Zhenbei Residence after Prince Zhenbei’s death.

One belonged to the First Prince.

But Yan’s First Prince should be in Yanjing overseeing the defenses of the capital region.

He could not possibly be here.

Which meant... only one man remained.

And when that man appeared here... it meant...

...

Marquis Pingxi sat atop his Pixiu.

The beast was tired.

But when it saw the warhorses around it still holding their necks stiffly upright, it felt too embarrassed to open its mouth, let its tongue hang out, and pant.

Beside Marquis Zheng rode Liang Cheng, Jin Shuke, and naturally the Sword Saint.

Siniang rode behind Zheng Fan.

Fan Li was on foot, carrying his twin axes and panting without the slightest concern for appearances.

A’Ming’s face remained pale.

But he had come with the army all the same.

“This Marquis truly didn’t expect the Dugu Pillar of State of Chu to be this polite. I came all this distance and he actually put aside his dignity to meet me in open battle. Oh, right, Siniang. I remember Chu should have four great Pillars of State. The one in front belongs to the Dugu Clan. I’ve met the Shi Clan’s. I’ve met the Qu Clan’s. What was the surname of the last one again?”

“Master, Xie.”

“Mm. Good. Remind me later. Once I collect one Pillar of State surnamed Xie, the set will be complete.”

Siniang smiled.

“Yes, Master.”

Everyone laughed.

At this moment... if one raised the viewpoint higher... higher still... one could see behind the earthen slope beneath Marquis Zheng... dense ranks of black-armored cavalry.

So many that no end could be seen.

They were the finest troops beneath Marquis Pingxi Residence.

The true direct-line elite.

The entire army stood in silence.

Waiting for their Marquis’s command.

Marquis Zheng looked around at the Demon Kings.

Then said:

“It’s my favorite moment again.”

Fan Li, still panting, shouted:

“Show-off.”

“Come on, Ah Li. Get to the front. You charge first in a moment.”

“Mm...”

Fan Li scratched his head.

Raised his axes.

And walked to the front.

“A pity we didn’t bring a painter this time.”

“Master, don’t worry. This servant will remember it in my head. Once we return, I can embroider the scene.”

“Oh. Good. Thank you. All right... I’m starting.”

The Demon Kings all moved their horses aside.

They left Marquis Zheng enough space.

The Sword Saint watched this.

He truly could not understand what the hell they were doing after riding themselves half to death for so long.

Then... the Sword Saint silently turned his reins too.

He moved a little farther away.

It looked less like he was making room... and more like he simply did not want to stand too close right now.

This time Marquis Zheng did not draw Wuya.

Instead... he spread both arms wide.

Stretched lazily and shamelessly.

Then released a long, comfortable sigh.

Afterward...

“Forget it. My condition’s not good today. I’m not feeling it. Let’s keep things simple.”

Then... he casually lifted one hand.

Pointed forward.

And said flatly:

“Charge.”

[End of Chapter 783]