Book One, Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Starry-Night Journey and a Plan to Face the Enemy

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During the previous raid on the ships, Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji had each brought only part of their personal retainers. This time, apart from leaving a small number behind to guard the mountain strongholds, they had mobilized nearly all the men from both of their territories. Before dusk, their various bands of followers came streaming from Tong Mountain and Phoenix Island, converging at the foot of the eastern slope of Mount Dapi.

Most were infantry; a little over two hundred were mounted. Altogether, there were more than two thousand men.

Once the men and horses had assembled, they did not stop to rest. Shan Xiongxin led the cavalry in front, while Xu Shiji brought up the rear with Li Shandao and the others. Together, they crossed the Yellow River.

Some crossed by the pontoon bridge, others by boat. By the time night fell, the more than two thousand foot soldiers and riders had all reached the far bank. They lit torches and continued through the night.

They marched until morning, passed Weinan, rested briefly, gathered up the stragglers, and then set out again. After traveling for most of another day, they reached Weicheng. Passing west of the county seat, they came upon a stronghold standing amid marshes and reeds more than ten li away. It was one of Wagang’s satellite forts in Weicheng.

The fort’s commander had received word of their arrival and came out to greet them.

The stronghold could not accommodate so many men. Some of Shan Xiongxin’s and Xu Shiji’s personal retainers entered the fort, while the rest camped outside.

Once they had taken their seats in the Hall of Brotherhood, Shan Xiongxin asked the fort commander:

“Brother Zhai, where have Luo the cur’s troops reached?”

“Flatten Wagang Township and capture Zhai Yuanshun alive.” It did not rhyme, but it had a certain ring to it.

Shan Xiongxin snapped angrily, “What a little cur! So arrogant, is he? Then let us see whether he captures our worthy brother alive, or whether we cut him down instead!”

Zhai Yuanshun said, “Brother Shan, in my humble opinion, this battle cannot be fought head-on.”

“Why not?”

“Then how do you propose we fight?”

Zhai Yuanshun replied, “I have thought of a plan that can win us victory.”

“Speak. What plan?”

“Brother Zhai, your proposal can only be called repelling the enemy, not winning a victory.”

Zhai Yuanshun said, “Does Brother Shan have a better plan?”

Shan Xiongxin had already been enraged that Qin Qiong had killed or wounded one or two hundred of his men. Now he and Xu Shiji had summoned nearly every follower from both their strongholds to meet the enemy. How could he possibly adopt Zhai Yuanshun’s plan and behave like a coward hiding his head in the sand?

He said, “I may be of modest ability, but I am still a capable hero. Let alone a thousand or so enemy riders and soldiers—even if there were three or five thousand of them, I could ride into their ranks with my horse and spear and come and go as I pleased! As I see it, Luo’s force numbers barely a thousand. We have three thousand men between us, and the advantage of familiar ground. Why hide inside the fort and do nothing but defend it? When they arrive, we should set our formations in the open and fight them properly. That is what a true hero ought to do!”

Though Zhai Yuanshun was also the commander of a satellite fort, and a kinsman of Zhai Rang, his standing and reputation within Wagang were inferior to Shan Xiongxin’s.

Shan Xiongxin turned to Xu Shiji. “Eldest Brother, what do you think?”

Xu Shiji replied, “What our worthy brother says is entirely reasonable. We have three thousand men, while Luo Shixin is merely a youth not yet of age, with barely a thousand troops. If we fear him so much that we dare not meet him in battle, word will spread and damage Wagang’s prestige, inviting the ridicule of heroes from every quarter. It will also make Zhang Xutuo look down on us even more. In time, he may attack our territory more frequently, leaving us no peace within the stronghold.”

Shan Xiongxin was delighted and was about to speak.

Xu Shiji continued, “But Brother Zhai is right as well. In armor, weapons, and battlefield discipline, our men are indeed inferior to Luo’s seasoned troops.”

Shan Xiongxin frowned. “Eldest Brother, what exactly are you suggesting?”

Xu Shiji said, “On the road to Weicheng, Second Brother Li and I discussed a plan. Since you were leading the cavalry at the head of the column, we had no chance to consult you. I shall now present it to you. Whether it can be used or not, I leave to you and Brother Zhai to decide.”

Shan Xiongxin looked down into the hall and found Li Shandao among the many leaders.

Those entitled to sit inside the hall were all commanders of at least battalion rank.

Li Shandao was currently only a company commander. He had been admitted because of Xu Shiji’s favor, and his seat was at the very end.

Shan Xiongxin nodded toward Li Shandao, then turned back to Xu Shiji. “Eldest Brother, what is this plan?”

“It is this: Luo Shixin prides himself on his valor. Now he has brought more than a thousand picked troops to invade our territory, and he is certain to underestimate us. If so, why not use his contempt against him and win the battle? When his troops arrive tomorrow, we shall form up outside the fort and meet them. But first, we will conceal strong bows and powerful crossbows in the reeds near the fort. After a brief clash, we will pretend to be defeated and retreat, luring him into pursuit. Once he reaches the ambush site, our archers and crossbowmen will fire together. Then the men who pretended to retreat will turn back and attack. No matter how fierce Luo Shixin may be, by then he will have no choice but to flee in confusion. Victory will be ours.”

With only the thousand or so foot soldiers and cavalry under his command, Luo Shixin might not necessarily have looked down too severely on Shan Xiongxin and the others. But Qin Qiong’s great victory not long before—and, before that, the fact that Zhang Xutuo’s forces had defeated Wagang at least twenty or thirty times, preventing its heroes from advancing even half a step northward—made it very likely that Luo Shixin would indeed underestimate the satellite fort at Weicheng.

Shan Xiongxin pondered for a while before asking, “What if he does not fall for our plan and avoids the ambush?”

“If this plan fails, what harm is there in making another afterward?”

Shan Xiongxin agreed. “Very well. We shall first try Eldest Brother and Second Brother Li’s plan. If it succeeds, so much the better. But if it cannot be used, then we shall follow my plan and defeat him in a proper battle formation! He is nothing but a yellow-haired child. What is there to fear?”

Thus the matter was settled. When Luo Shixin’s troops arrived, they would meet them according to the stratagem Xu Shiji and Li Shandao had devised.

That day, Zhai Yuanshun ordered oxen and pigs slaughtered. Xu Shiji’s and Shan Xiongxin’s followers ate and drank their fill, restoring their strength.

That same day, clerks from the Weicheng county temple who were acquainted with Zhai Yuanshun came to the fort to inquire why Shan Xiongxin’s and Xu Shiji’s men had arrived. After learning that they had not come to plunder Weicheng but to fight Luo Shixin, the clerks returned reassured. There was no need to dwell on the matter.

They waited for two days.

On the morning of the third, Luo Shixin’s army arrived.

Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin selected roughly a hundred archers and crossbowmen from among their three forces and ordered them to lie in ambush in the reed marsh not far from the fort. They then instructed Zhai Yuanshun to defend the stronghold with his own men and provide support. After that, the two of them led their followers out to meet Luo Shixin.

They followed a narrow road winding through the marshes and reeds for seven or eight li. Then the view suddenly opened before them, revealing level ground.

A short distance ahead, four or five li away, a body of troops had taken up position.

The enemy had already formed its battle array. Five or six hundred infantry, most of them armored, stood in the center in a square formation. On either side were one or two hundred light cavalry. Behind the flanks of the infantry formation stood more than a hundred heavily armored horsemen.

Banners snapped above the infantry. Bright pennants fluttered among the light cavalry.

Yet what drew the eye most strongly was the hundred or more armored riders. From the hindquarters of every ironclad warhorse rose a brightly colored standard, standing in vivid contrast to the painted horse armor covering each animal beneath the brilliant sunlight.

The infantry sat on the ground. The riders of the light and heavy cavalry had not mounted but sat beside their horses, which likewise lay resting on the earth.

Before battle, men sat and horses lay down to conserve their strength. There was nothing strange in that.

The strange thing was that, despite clearly seeing Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji leading more than two thousand men toward them in a furious advance, the thousand or so foot and mounted soldiers under Luo Shixin’s command remained seated. Their attitude was plainly insolent, their contempt unmistakable.

Shan Xiongxin saw it from afar and cursed, “Luo the cur is far too arrogant!”

But their own formation had not yet been completed, so he forced himself to endure it for the moment.

Amid the beating of drums and gongs, their commanders’ banners waved and directed the deployment. The more than two thousand followers under Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji struggled to form ranks. They arranged themselves into two square formations, Shan Xiongxin’s force on the left and Xu Shiji’s on the right. Li Shandao’s company stood at the extreme edge of Xu Shiji’s formation.

The two formations faced Luo Shixin’s troops from a distance of a little over three li, but less than four.

Wang Xuda, Chen Jing’er, Luo Zhong, Qin Jingsi, and the others gathered around Li Shandao, staring tensely toward the enemy.

The battle had not yet begun, but sweat was already running down Luo Zhong’s face. His throat felt dry. He opened his water flask, drank several mouthfuls, swallowed hard, and asked, “My lord, how are we supposed to fight once it begins?”

Li Shandao was nervous as well. A few days earlier he had spoken boldly to Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, saying that he wanted no office and only wished to obtain tribute for the stronghold. But soliciting tribute was one thing; fighting government troops was another entirely. And this army’s commander was Luo Shixin.

His men had only just begun training. They had not even learned proper signals and drum commands. Now they were expected to fight Luo Shixin? Moreover, when the formations had been arranged, Li Shandao had observed the deployment of the other groups. Their followers were no better than his own company. How could such men contend with a fierce commander like Luo Shixin and the hardened troops under him? In a direct engagement, they would certainly be outmatched.

For now, all he could do was hope that the plan to lure the enemy in would succeed.

Yet before Wang Xuda and the others, Li Shandao had to maintain his composure.

He suppressed the pounding in his chest and said with forced ease, “We have far more men than they do, and the ambush has already been laid. We are certain to win this battle. Once the fighting begins, do not panic. Simply follow the orders of Commander Xu and Lord Shan.”

Drums sounded from the enemy formation.

As everyone watched, the infantrymen who had been sitting on the ground slowly rose with the drumbeats and began to dress their ranks.

The light and heavy cavalry, however, remained seated. None had risen, and none had mounted.

Before long, the enemy infantry had roughly restored its formation.

It could hardly be called disciplined. At first glance, it looked surprisingly similar to the formation on their own side—somewhat loose and careless.

Wang Xuda had come from the government militia. Though he had never fought in a battle, he had seen enough to understand the usual procedures of militia warfare. Lowering his voice instinctively, he said, “My lord, they are about to send someone out to challenge us.”

Just as he predicted, a military clerk who was perhaps a squad captain led about fifty infantrymen out from the enemy formation. They advanced toward this side, traveling roughly half a li before stopping two or three li from the front of the Wagang formation.

The squad captain drew his sword and raised it. The fifty or so infantrymen behind him shouted in unison:

“Bandits, do you dare come out and fight?”

They shouted it three times.

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Luo Zhong asked, “What are they doing? Fifty men, and they dare challenge us?”

Wang Xuda said, “Ah, Fourth Brother, you do not understand. This is called shaking the foundation of the formation. When two armies face each other, it is like two strong men fighting. One side must reveal a weakness before the other can win. How does one make a weakness appear? By shaking the foundation. Look at them. They have sent out only fifty men to challenge us. If they win, that is one thing. But if they lose and their defeated soldiers flee back to the formation, its foundation will be shaken.”

Luo Zhong asked, “Then does that mean we cannot accept the challenge?”

“We cannot refuse forever, either. If we do not respond for too long, morale will fall, which will harm us.”

Luo Zhong asked anxiously, “Then what should we do?”

“The best response is to choose our most elite men and send them out. So long as they defeat the enemy, it will be the enemy formation whose foundation is shaken.”

As they spoke, the government soldiers issuing the challenge advanced another half li, then stopped and shouted three times again:

“Bandits, do you dare come out and fight?”

A moment later, they advanced another half li and shouted once more:

“Bandits, do you dare come out and fight?”

By then, the small government detachment had reached the midpoint between the two armies. In fact, it stood somewhat closer to the Wagang position.

Wang Xuda glanced around at the followers and frowned. “Oh dear. If we still refuse to answer, morale will collapse.”

At the front between the two formations, where Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji stood beneath their command banners, Shan Xiongxin’s flag suddenly moved. A man led more than a hundred followers out to meet the challenge.

Gao Chounu, who was tall, recognized the leader first. “Second Brother, it is Third Brother Fei.”

Li Shandao swung himself onto his horse and watched from the saddle as Fei Junzhong led his men into battle.

Fei Junzhong wore armor and carried a long spear. Riding at the front of his followers, he shouted from afar:

“You filthy bandit birds, stop your boasting! I have come to fight you. Prepare to die!”

Of the more than one hundred followers, only three or four were mounted. The rest advanced on foot, raising swords, spears, and cudgels as they shouted.

The opposing government soldiers spread out and formed a defensive square, every man holding a spear. Together they shouted:

“Bandit death row dogs! Come and fight! Come and fight!”

The gazes of more than three thousand men on both sides fixed upon the open ground between the formations, waiting to see the two elite detachments clash.

Within the Wagang ranks, more than two thousand followers waved their weapons, stamped their feet, and shouted loudly to encourage Fei Junzhong.

But just as Fei Junzhong and his men reached the front of the opposing detachment, before the fighting had even begun, a rider suddenly burst out from the flank of the main government formation more than a li away.

Dust billowed and wind roared. In the span of a few breaths, the rider had crossed the distance. Before Fei Junzhong could react, the mounted warrior gave a thunderous shout and thrust his long lance.

Fei Junzhong tried to turn his horse aside, but he was too slow. The lance struck him in the chest. Even though his armor protected him, the blow carried tremendous force, and he was knocked from his horse.

The shouts from the Wagang ranks abruptly died away, while cheers erupted from the government formation.

The mounted warrior rode after Fei Junzhong, intending to strike him again with his lance. But he had used too much force, and the shaft snapped. He had no choice but to discard the broken weapon and draw a saber instead.

That brief delay saved Fei Junzhong. His followers charged forward desperately and managed to hold back the mounted warrior and the government soldiers rushing in behind him. They dragged Fei Junzhong away and retreated in panic.

The two sides had not even truly engaged, yet Fei Junzhong had already been knocked from his horse and his detachment had already been defeated!

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. Only then did Li Shandao, watching from horseback, cry out, “Good heavens!” He added, “Third Brother Fei is one of Lord Shan’s bravest warriors, yet that rider knocked him down with a single thrust. Could that be Luo Shixin himself?”

At the front between the two armies, beneath the command banners of Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji, Shan Xiongxin cursed, “Those filthy bandits used a sneak attack!”

He was about to spur his horse forward to receive Fei Junzhong when another man flew into a rage and, without waiting for orders, led his own followers into the attack.

It was Wei Yasha.

When the mounted warrior saw Wei Yasha leading his men forward, he stopped pursuing Fei Junzhong’s retreating followers. Holding his saber across his saddle, he laughed several times and said, “You worthless cur, do you know the name of this commandant? I am Chen Daogong, your father’s master!”

He then led the infantry detachment back toward his own formation.

Among the commanders under Luo Shixin, two were especially renowned. Chen Daogong was one of them.

When Wei Yasha learned who he was, he became even less willing to let him escape. He led his followers in relentless pursuit.

Xu Shiji realized that something was wrong and turned pale.

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