CH 131

Liu Wei rushed out of his tent the moment the first thunderclap sounded, still unarmored. He gazed upon the vista splayed out before him in wonder and horror. What was this? Why were there lightning strikes? There were no storm clouds in the sky, no flashes of lightning. Why would the lightning land right in the middle of his camp?!

“It’s The Buddha’s divine wrath! Quick, quick, run for your lives!” and other such wailings reached Liu Wei’s ears. 

A shudder ran through his frame. The Buddha! Was it not the rumored bodhisattva who stood sentinel over Lu City?! Was this really punishment from The Buddha? But just then, an arrow, sharp and true, descended from the skies, giving the personal guard beside him a matching pair of holes. The smell of blood overwhelmed the pungent stench of smoke and woke Liu Wei from his daze. He roared furiously, “Enemy attack! It’s an enemy attack!”

He too feared deities, but no deity could aid his enemy so. Regardless of whatever tricks the enemy were pulling, this was still an attack on their encampment! They planned to rout them using the chaos!

The Chancellor himself had entrusted him with this elite cavalry!

His responsibility for leadership weighed heavier than fear of the unknown. Liu Wei drew his saber and yelled, “We’re being ambushed by the enemy, we must fight back!” 

Liu Wei himself was possessed of surpassing courage, but no one was listening to him. Some were prostrating themselves, chanting Buddhist prayers; some were scrambling about like mindless animals; his personal guard, ever loyal, wanted only to drag him along in their retreat. Even the most rational and even-keeled were merely trying to seize a horse so they could flee faster. 

This was no ordinary camp catastrophe, this was a colossal torrent pouring out from a breaking dam. No one could stop such a crazed stampede, not even their commander! 

“General! General, we must run! We can always round up the soldiers after we escape!!” another of his personal guards screamed frantically. 

But of course! There were still two thousand cavalry lying in ambush outside Huguan! Liu Wei tasted blood between his teeth, but he knew full well that in their perilous conditions, they truly had no option other than retreat. A pity, though, that by the time he’d made his decision, he’d already missed his only chance.

A current of wind was carrying the air of death straight towards him! Liu Wei hastily raised his saber, catching the blade of an oncoming saber. He saw, up close, a pair of haunting blue eyes, gleaming with chilling intensity and bloodthirsty killing intent.

“It’s you!” Liu Wei remembered. That Jie person! He’d best him in a competition at the Shangsi banquet last time. So this thunder-and-lightning night ambush was Liang Zixi’s wicked plot after all!

He had no time to say anything more, for he was forced to block another strike, then another, each blow fiercer than the last. Liu Wei was an excellent marksman and skilled martial artist as well, with the astonishing arm strength to match. But his opponent’s strange and vicious fighting technique soon numbed his arms and made his forehead bead with sweat. His personal guard? Where was his personal guard?

Boom — another thunderous explosion gave Liu Wei a full-body shiver. The next instant, he felt a searing pain in his throat. He saw his own body crash to the ground, fresh blood spurting into the empty space above his neck. And then there was nothing. His head rolled into some charred corner of the encampment, lifeless eyes still staring out madly from their sockets. 

Without so much as giving the dead Xiongnu commander a second glance, Yi Yan said to his soldiers, “Ignore those who’re kneeling for now. Chase the fleeing troops and scatter them!”

The soldiers acknowledged their orders and went, their faces red with excitement. All the Liang household troops had been seemingly infused with supernatural power by the display of sorcerous lightning they’d witnessed, filled with boundless strength and stamina. Their master had called down godly might to break the enemy encampment. As the bodhisattva’s chosen soldiers, it was only right that they eradicate every last one of their master’s heinous enemies!

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The sound of killing replaced the sound of thunder, ringing all the way to the top of Lu City’s walls. Liang Feng silently released a breath as he gazed upon the crumbling encampment. Finally, the battle was won! 

In a single night, the Xiongnu army positioned beside Lu City retreated more than a dozen kilometers, half their forces injured or deceased, their supplies and provisions lost completely. Furthermore, another few hundred of their number had begged mercy on their knees, bereft of any thoughts of resistance. Of the abducted commoners, some flew during the chaos, but yet more spoke prayers to buddha, tearfully hoping for the bodhisattva to save them.

That, however, was all secondary to the fact that there was a Xiongnu detachment lurking outside Huguan City!

“The Xiongnu still have two thousand cavalries?” Liang Feng frowned deeply upon hearing the news.

Although he’d anticipated they would surround the city to intercept reinforcements, he hadn’t thought Liu Wei would be willing to dispatch so many troops. Even after the camp catastrophe and the battle last night, they’d only left behind a few hundred bodies and about the same in prisoners, while around half their of number had scattered to the four winds. It would be troublesome if they were rallied by the other detachment.  

“Worry not, my lord. The runaways have likely had their spine scared out of them. Letting them go could actually benefit our aim to drive them away,” Duan Qin assured with shining eyes.

Last night, he’d overseen the Grand Administrator’s Mansion and informed the city at first chance of how the Heavens had destroyed the enemy encampment with thunder and lightning. Being one of Liang Feng’s confidants, Duan Qin knew, of course, the new Daoist temple’s true function, but it was the first time he’d seen the true potential of gunpowder for himself. What enemy couldn’t they repel with such a potent weapon? Within Shangdang, the rumors had already elevated his lord from bodhisattva to Medicine Buddha, and the story of how comets had rained from Heaven was comparable to that of the Battle of Kunyang in the era of Emperor Guangwu of Han.

The most important battle was the one of morale, and this was a real, genuine battle of morale!

“Registrar Duan is absolutely right! The priority now should be settling refugees and consolidating the counties. Allowing those ragged remaining troops to flee back to the Xiongnu royal court is of benefit to you, Your Excellency,” Cui Ji agreed. 

Unlike Duan Qin, Cui Ji had only learned of the truth of last night’s battle that morning. He did not begrudge this, however. On the contrary, it was a sign of His Excellency’s growing trust in him that he was informed at all. So it seemed that his grandfather had been wise to refuse Liu Yuan’s appointment. Thus, Cui Ji contributed his utmost effort to the battle.

May as well let things happen as they will and permit the defeated, fear-stricken soldiers to scamper home, for though they wanted to deal with the remaining two thousand troops, they hadn’t the ability to. If Liu Yuan wasn’t an idiot, then he wouldn’t immediately send another force. And he would have to think twice before future campaigns against Shangdang about how it would affect morale. That was more useful to them than the enemy forces’ complete annihilation.  

The fireworks, it appeared, had been far more effective than he’d anticipated. Primitive superstition in a primitive society was a devastating weapon to begin with, as the millions-strong Yellow Turban Rebellion and the generations-long persistence of the future White Lotus proved.

With that settled, Liang Feng nodded, “In that case, I will be going to welcome Boyuan back to the city!” 

Receiving the militia upon their victorious return was more like a pretense for the bodhisattva to make an appearance in the flesh. How could he pass up such a perfect opportunity?

※

The battle last night had gone smoothly, but it had been far from effortless. The Liang Estate’s primary forces numbered only one hundred fifty; that, plus the auxiliaries who had some combat experience, barely amounted to two hundred. With only so many foot soldiers, attacking an encampment of three thousand cavalries was a grueling endeavor, even with the enemy’s mass panic.  

Despite the arduous battle, the soldiers were not wearied in the least, still thrilled from the miracle they’d witnessed that night. Even the steadiest, most veteran, of soldiers had felt their blood burn ablaze with the bravery to battle unto death. Not to mention that Liang Feng’s household troops had received so many graces from him.  

And it was the household troops’ relentless fighting spirit that had given Yi Yan the confidence to let them give pursuit for over five kilometers. If their own had chased them for five kilometers, then their enemy would only have fled further, increasing the difficulty of regrouping those tired and defeated soldiers. That would slow the other detachment down if they came to provide reinforcement.

Moreover….. Yi Yan looked at the surrendered Xiongnu soldiers trembling in their bindings, it was possible the detachment hiding near Huguan wouldn’t dare attack at all. The cavalry of five thousand sent to besiege Lu City were likely testing the stability of the commandery. If it was a disorderly mess, then they would take it directly with military force; if the city was impenetrable, then they could conduct raids all over the place and withdraw before Sima Teng could come to provide aid. 

With that objective in mind, and having over half their forces defeated by “divine providence,” would they dare to risk another attack on the city? Their best choice was collecting their scattered troops and retreating to Lishi.   

Although he was of that opinion, Yi Yan nearly jumped with fright when he saw his lord exit the city in a carriage and approach the Xiongnu encampment. He quickly went over to him and knelt, “My lord, the enemy forces haven’t been fully cleared out yet, how could you endanger yourself so?!” 

Liang Feng smiled at the anxious, blood-splattered young man before him and supported him by the arm, “Boyuan, you crushed the enemy encampment in the night, fighting a hundred to one, eliminating the threat to Lu City in one fell swoop. My coming here is hardly worth mention.”

A pale, slender hand laid on his still bloodstained arm without reluctance. Yi Yan’s eyes brightened, “This victory would’ve been impossible if not for your brilliant plan, my lord.”

The true cause of victory was a tightly kept secret. By coming out to greet him, he was pushing most of the credit onto him. Yi Yan knew his lord trusted him, but each time, he found that his lord had given him more than he could’ve ever wished for.

“This is when a general meets a mind of equal measure; both are indispensable.” Liang Feng smiled dazzlingly.  

By then, the Liang household troops were all kneeling, some calling him “master,” some calling him “my lord,” and some even bursting into prayer. The battle had instilled in them the conviction that they’d given their fealty to the one most favored by Heaven. The bodhisattva and the one standing beside him, their commander, invincible and undefeatable as a yaksha, were the ones who could bring them hope and prosperity!

Still holding Yi Yan’s arm, Liang Feng raised his voice, “In this battle, all of you displayed remarkable valor. The citizens of this city, the people of this land, only live because of you. You do honor to the name of the Liang Estate’s Bravesage Battalion!”

His praise was more moving to them than any reward of coin. Without hesitation, the troops cheered as one, “Glory to our lord! Victory to the Bravesage Battalion!” 

The oft-used rallying cry of the Liang Estate’s militia resounded throughout the air! The soldiers, savage as wolves and fierce as tigers, knelt at the feet of the beautiful, black-robed man, as pious as the most pious of believers, as docile as the most docile of servants. And it seemed as if even blood and fire would bend the knee for that jade-like man. 

Amidst the tidal roar of cheers, the surrendered Xiongnu drooped their heads, while the recently rescued commoners wept and sang praise to their bodhisattva. Everyone bent down to the dust like wheat in the wind, prostrating in worship. 

Yi Yan alone stood unmoving beside Liang Feng.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been looked to as the only savior, but having so many people kneel before him, begging and pleading, made him tremble all the same. Liang Feng subtly tightened his grip on Yi Yan’s arm. Even if he had to lie and cheat to build his fame, he would continue down his path. The blood of the innocent spilled before the city had not yet dried. And there were still more, waiting for him to bring salvation. No matter what, he had to continue!

Yi Yan lowered his eyes, hiding the tumultuous emotions within, “My lord, you’ve been toiling the entire night, it’s time to take a rest.” 

Rest was important, yes, but far more important to him was getting his lord away from this dangerous environment.

Liang Feng unwound a bit at hearing his suggestion, “When it comes to toil, you’ve done far more of it than I. Clean up the battlefield first; make arrangements for the warhorses and refugees. We must shore up our defenses in case the Xiongnu detachment returns to attack the city.”

Whatever their predictions, they had to prepare for the worst. So, they needed to mop up the mess outside the city as soon as possible.

Yi Yan nodded, then asked, “There are more than six hundred and seventy captured soldiers. Are they to be buried alive?” 

Liang Feng frowned, “It’d be such a waste to kill the prisoners. Keep them for now. Make sure they’re restrained, and let them go hungry for a while until their strength is spent. I’ll decide what to do about them after the enemy retreats.”

Their insufficient manpower meant there was a certain amount of risk in sparing the surrendered soldiers, but that was over six hundred units of labor! Plus, these surrenderers had  had their guts scared out of them by the “miracle.” It’d be such a shame to kill them just like that. There was so much to do and not enough people to do it. Even having them build roads or dig mines was better than outright killing them. 

Yi Yan didn’t question his lord’s orders. He nodded and acknowledged. Then, he drew up a protective detail to escort his lord back to the city. Watching them recede into the distance, Yi Yan raised his hand, grasping his own wrist.

“Commander?” 

“Tie up the surrendered and continue clearing the battlefield. We’ll return to the commandery city within two hours!” Yi Yan ordered, lowering his arm as if nothing had happened.

The author has something to say:

The Battle of Kunyang is one of the mind-blowing legends left behind by our comrade, “the chosen one,” Liu Xiu. The Book of Later Han, “Annals of Emperor Guangwu” records: “In the night, shooting stars struck enemy camp; in the day, the clouds were as mountains; when the camp fell, the soldiers fled without regard for distance, and in exhaustion, were captured.” Liu Xiu summoned meteors to strike the enemy encampment, then demolished Wang Mang’s 420,000 with his 3,000 troops. Haha, although the Book of Later Han hasn’t been written yet, and it probably exaggerates a lot, it’s entirely possible that the enemy army met with extreme weather conditions, plus there are definitely plenty of legends about it, and so that’s why comrade Duan made the connection.  

(there may be errors in the translation of classic Chinese)