HMHSE - 93

Shan Zong was trapped in a long dream.

In the dream, it was a dark night from back then. After a battle, he was wearing black armor, propping his saber, and sitting on the wall of Youzhou city, watching the distant firelight gradually fade.

Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder. He turned his head and saw a grinning face.

“Are you upset, chief? What kind of a mess is this? Youzhou could have a battle at any time, but it had to be on your wedding day. You didn’t even get to spend time with your new wife before you were called here. You’ve only been back to Luoyang a few times in the last few months to gather troops. I’m afraid you didn’t even have time to warm your seat before you left each time.”

That was Luo Chong, wearing the black soft leather armor of the Lulong Army. His face had sharp angles, especially when he smiled like this.

A few months ago, Youzhou was suddenly attacked from outside the pass. The allied army of the Xi and Khitan, commanded by the Khitan noble Sun Guozhe, had broken into the pass. The nine prefectures and two counties under Youzhou’s jurisdiction were defeated one after another, and chaos ensued. Youzhou city suffered countless casualties.

Li Xiaogu, the military governor of Youzhou, reported that he was unable to resist and requested reinforcements from the court.

The Emperor secretly ordered Shan Zong to lead his troops to reinforce Youzhou under the title of “Flying Eagle General” of the imperial palace guards. It was the same day as his wedding.

Shan Zong turned the scabbard of his saber in his hand. He thought, what do you mean he didn’t spend enough time with her? He hadn’t even entered the bridal chamber yet. He said lazily, “Anyway, the war is over. We’ll be able to go back soon.”

Luo Chong put a piece of grass in his mouth and sat down next to him. “How is your new wife?”

Suddenly, several people gathered behind him to join in the fun. Even the usually steady Pang Lu came over with a water flask and sat down.

“Yeah, chief, tell us.”

When Shan Zong thought of Changsun Shen Rong, he first remembered the situation in Chang’an shortly after their engagement was settled when he was dragged to the street by Pei Yuanling.

The street was bustling in the spring. A carriage passed by. Curtains hung down around the carriage, and the person inside was half-hidden.

Pei Yuanling nudged him with his elbow and suddenly shouted at the carriage, “Ah Rong!”

The curtain was lifted, and the girl in the carriage tilted her head to look out. Her hair was like a cloud, her eyes were like stars, and she was a beautiful lady in a spring-embroidered robe with a refined and elegant air. She disappeared in a flash.

“How is she?” Pei Yuanling sighed, putting his arm around his shoulder. “That’s the treasure of the Changsun family that none of my Pei family’s disciples were good enough for, but you stole her away.”

Shan Zong looked at the carriage as it drove away. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I’m lucky.”

In fact, he had only seen her once before the wedding.

At this moment, he curled his lips and said the same thing. “I’m quite lucky.”

A burst of laughter erupted around him. “She must be a great beauty.”

“Let’s invite her to the camp one day for us to pay our respects!”

“The next time our Sixth Camp performs a great deed, we’ll ask the new wife to give us the reward!” It was the vanguard Zhou Xiaowu who was just fooling around.

Shan Zong recalled her appearance when she came to see him off before he left, when he changed out of his wedding clothes. She stood far away, watching him, but not getting close. He smiled. “She’s a high-born noble lady who’s been doted on. Do you want to scare her?”

“Of course not!” someone laughed. “The chief has made another great contribution in this battle. When you go back, the Emperor should give you land and a title. It’ll be a great wedding gift for the new wife!”

“Maybe you’ll be in charge of a territory as big as Youzhou and become a military governor! Or maybe you’ll command a protectorate and become a great protector-general!”

Shan Zong laughed recklessly in the night wind, full of youthful spirit. “If that happens, the whole army will be rewarded and promoted with me.”

There was a roar of cheers on and below the city wall. The whole army was excited. They were about to return to the capital, and everyone was overjoyed.

In the midst of the noise, a soldier ran over. “Chief, a secret order from the Emperor.”

Shan Zong’s smile disappeared as he took it.

________________________________________

“A secret order from the Emperor to retake Jizhou?”

In the camp tent, the cavalry commanders of various camps were gathered.

Bo Zhong, the cavalry commander of the First Camp, was the first to speak, looking surprised. “Didn’t we come to put down the rebellion in Youzhou? We’re about to return to the capital. Why are we going to attack outside the pass again?”

Shan Zong was sitting at the head of the table, wrapped in a thick cloak. He held the secret order in his hand, and in front of him was a map of the Youzhou area. In the upper right corner was Jizhou.

“I have already written to the Emperor. Jizhou has been taken for more than ten years. The enemy has taken deep root. Even the situation on this map may have changed. If we are to send troops outside the pass, it’s best to plan for the long term and act after we’ve made a decision. However, the Emperor heard from the Youzhou Military Governor that he had pursued the enemy to the vicinity of Jizhou and believed that the opportunity was rare. He ordered the Lulong Army to cooperate with the Youzhou army to pursue the victory and retake the old city.”

Luo Chong sneered. “That incompetent Youzhou Military Governor, with the army of nine prefectures and two counties in his hands, hasn’t managed to retake Jizhou all these years and was even beaten so badly by the outsiders. Now that our Lulong Army has put down the rebellion for him, he’s in a hurry to go out and take credit, and he’s even telling us to cooperate with him!”

Pang Lu kicked him. “Keep your dog mouth shut. Since the Emperor’s order has been given, just obey it.”

“Remember,” Shan Zong said, “this battle is a secret order. No news should be leaked before we leave the pass.”

“If we can’t even say it openly, how can we get military honors?” the cavalry commander of the Sixth Cavalry Camp shouted.

Bo Zhong laughed and cursed. “Are you going to get less? As long as we take back Jizhou and let the people there return to their homeland, that’s a meritorious deed!”

A cavalry commander taunted him. “That Sixth Camp of yours always talks about military honors, but when it’s time to fight, they’re always the first ones to charge and risk their lives!”

Everyone laughed and then clasped their fists and left.

They had to temporarily give up their reunion with their families and prepare to go back to the battlefield.

After everyone had left, Shan Zong remained seated, reading the secret order again.

Jizhou had been under enemy control for many years, and the situation was unclear. He always felt that this battle plan was a bit sudden. Youzhou should be recuperating at this time, not rushing to counterattack.

However, the Emperor’s order could not be disobeyed.

“Chief,” a soldier came in and clasped his fists. “Should we send a message back to Luoyang that we won’t be returning to the capital for now?”

He shook his head. “No need.”

With the secret order in hand, saying more would be useless.

Shan Zong stood up to prepare for battle. When he took off his cloak, he remembered that he was still newly married.

Half a year had passed in a flash, and he still wasn’t very familiar with his new wife. He had almost forgotten if he had even spoken to Changsun Shen Rong. He found it a little funny.

________________________________________

The lone moon hung high. The wind outside the pass was fierce. The army advanced to the border of Jizhou.

This area was currently under control.

As the highest commander of this battle appointed by the Emperor, Li Xiaogu, the military governor of Youzhou, was at the front of the formation on his horse. His armor was thick and heavy, completely covering his tall and strong body.

He shouted loudly in the moonlight. “This time, the army will be split into two. We will advance on the left and right lines. After clearing the remaining enemy soldiers along the way, we will join forces and strike directly at Jizhou!”

Shan Zong sat on his horse, wearing black armor and holding a slender straight saber.

Behind him, Luo Chong was whispering to Pang Lu. “Why should he be our commander?”

“Because he’s a high-ranking military governor with a lot of power,” Pang Lu whispered back. “He also got a head start by pursuing the enemy.”

Luo Chong sneered in disdain. “He was the one who was beaten so badly before.”

Shan Zong raised his hand, and the sound behind him stopped.

Li Xiaogu was from the royal family. The Emperor trusted him, otherwise he wouldn’t have secretly sent the Lulong Army to support him in putting down the rebellion. It was not surprising that he was appointed as the commander of this battle.

Moreover, Jizhou originally belonged to Youzhou’s jurisdiction. Retaking Jizhou was the duty of the Youzhou Military Governor. The Lulong Army’s role in this battle could only be to assist and cooperate.

A fast horse galloped up, reining in at the front of the formation. The face of the person in the thick armor was pale and his eyes were narrow. He looked at Shan Zong. “I’ll wait for your army to rendezvous with me on the left. We will launch a general attack at the agreed-upon time.”

He was Zhou Jun, a general from Yizhou under Youzhou’s jurisdiction. At this time, almost all of the nine prefectures had been defeated, but his area had resisted until the end and was in much better shape than other places, which was why he could participate in this battle.

He spoke in code. Only the participants knew the specific time and place of the rendezvous.

Shan Zong nodded.

As Zhou Jun was about to leave, he whispered, “Retaking Jizhou is a great achievement. I won’t give up the top credit. We’ll each rely on our own abilities.”

Shan Zong finally looked at him and smiled mischievously. “Do as you please. I’ve never had anyone give me anything in my life.”

Zhou Jun seemed to find him arrogant, and his face was a little gloomy. He rode away.

The army advanced, splitting into two routes, about to launch a surprise attack overnight.

Li Xiaogu sat in the rear with his troops and stopped Shan Zong, who was about to leave. “Young Master Shan, you don’t have to lead the army yourself. You have so many cavalry commanders under you, any of them is worth a thousand men. Just let them go.”

Shan Zong reined in his horse. “The Lulong Army must be led by me personally.”

Li Xiaogu seemed surprised and laughed. “I see. You are indeed Young Master Shan.”

Shan Zong glanced at him and then specifically at the troops behind him. He turned and set off, waving his hand halfway.

A soldier rode forward. “Chief.”

He ordered, “Leave twenty thousand cavalry to hold the rear.”

Bo Zhong, who was beside him, saw this and asked in a low voice, “Chief, why did you change your strategy at the last minute?”

“Just in case,” Shan Zong waved his hand. In the darkness, several camps set off at once.

The cavalry camps began to move in an orderly fashion, following the predetermined routes to clear obstacles and thus seize the key routes of advance and retreat. They would then rendezvous with Zhou Jun’s army on the other side and launch a general attack.

Cavalry teams were sent out one after another, and the sound of their hooves thundered.

Shan Zong sat on his horse, watching, discerning the movements. His eyes scanned the left and right. Jizhou city was not far ahead. There were wastelands, hills, and marshes here, but they didn’t encounter the obstacles they should have.

In the moonlight, the cavalry camp passed without stopping. There were no fleeing soldiers, only the dust and sand that were blown by the wind day after day.

He suddenly ordered, “Retreat!”

Firelight suddenly appeared, and troops that had been in an empty area charged out.

A soldier rode back quickly to report. “Chief, we’ve been ambushed!”

A massive enemy army came from all sides, surrounding the direction of the cavalry camps.

A battle had already started in the midst of the tidal wave of soldiers.

Pang Lu charged forward. “It’s Sun Guozhe’s banner. The soldiers are not tired. It’s a heavy ambush!”

Luo Chong followed closely behind, killing his way back. “They’ve figured out our troops! Every path we have to take has people on it! Even the two cavalry camps you placed in the dark corners were ambushed!”

That meant it had been prepared in advance.

Shan Zong immediately drew his saber and rode his horse. “Send the troops from the rear to break out!”

The messenger waved the command flag and gave the order in the firelight of the battle.

The heavily ambushing enemy soldiers pushed the various cavalry camps towards one place, in a posture of wiping them all out in one go.

Suddenly, twenty thousand elite cavalry soldiers came from the rear, led by Bo Zhong. They charged in and broke open a gap.

The Lulong Army immediately broke out of the encirclement and retreated.

Perhaps they hadn’t expected this last-minute move. The pursuers cursed and chased relentlessly.

Shan Zong personally led the army to break out. When he was almost at the rear, he saw the Youzhou Military Governor’s army coming towards them.

The general leading the troops shouted, “By the commander’s order, we are here to support Young Master Shan!”

His eyes immediately turned cold. “To the side!”

Pang Lu rode with him to the side, asking, “Chief, why are we avoiding their support?”

“They’re not here to support us.”

Before Shan Zong could finish his words, the approaching military governor’s army raised their sabers at their people.

Sun Guozhe’s army from the rear and Li Xiaogu’s army from the front squeezed them in. He led his people to charge out from the side.

________________________________________

There was a surrounding city wall, connected to a barbican. This was not on the existing map. It was a new wall built by the enemy to block Jizhou city.

The enemy soldiers in the city were all dead. Now, it was full of Lulong Army soldiers who had broken out.

This was the only way to rendezvous, but it was now blocked. Outside were layers of surrounding enemy soldiers.

“They knew all of our battle strategies and routes! All the information we received was fake!” Luo Chong walked back and forth on the city wall, covered in blood.

“We don’t have enough food or water. We’ve been holding on for several days, and we won’t be able to hold on for long,” Bo Zhong said.

“Li Xiaogu, that bastard, actually attacked our people,” Pang Lu frowned, unable to understand.

Shan Zong sat with his saber, staring at the movements outside from a gap in the wall. “He and Sun Guozhe are working together. Now that their first attack failed, they will want us dead even more.”

Everyone seemed shocked and fell silent.

Suddenly, a horn sounded. The army outside was already pressing in.

“They’re attacking,” everyone immediately prepared for battle.

Shan Zong stood up. “If you can, charge out. The more people who get out, the more people who can come with me to get reinforcements.”

What came with his voice was a series of sharp, dark whistles and a rain of arrows from the sky.

________________________________________

The moon was dark and the wind was high. He couldn’t remember how long it had been, or how long he had been swinging his saber.

Shan Zong rode his horse and broke out of the encirclement.

The wind howled. When he got out, he realized it was the beginning of another breakout.

By his estimation, there were about fifty thousand enemy soldiers, the same number as the Lulong Army, but they were prepared and had no losses. Now, there were also tens of thousands of Li Xiaogu’s troops.

Before he acted, Shan Zong saw Li Xiaogu’s troops. They were not in the state of being unable to resist that he had reported to the court.

He had troops, and many of them, yet he still allowed the enemy to invade in large numbers and trample Youzhou.

So the so-called pursuit to Jizhou was just a play he and Sun Guozhe had put on together.

The number of people who broke out with him became fewer and fewer. From the corner of his eye, Sun Guozhe’s figure on horseback flashed by. His hair was shorn and braided. He seemed to be looking at the barbican in the distance, as if looking at a turtle in a jar.

Firelight flickered ahead, and the Youzhou banner appeared. Shan Zong was on his horse, and his eyes grew darker.

The military governor’s army, in a horizontal line, blocked the way, as dark and pressing as a tide.

He raised two fingers behind him, lowered his body, and held his saber at his side.

Only twenty or thirty people broke out with him, but they understood instantly. They scattered to the left and right, rode at a fast gallop, and charged forward.

The blocking team was scattered in one go. In just a moment, they gathered again to chase them.

But that moment was enough for Shan Zong to charge straight to the rear and pull Li Xiaogu down from his horse.

Li Xiaogu fell off his horse and hadn’t even reacted when he was picked up.

The person on horseback held him up in front of the horse with one hand and pointed the tip of his saber at his neck with the other. “Tell your men to retreat!”

The people around them were in a panic. No one could have predicted that he could take a general straight out of a thousand-man formation.

Li Xiaogu’s back was against the horse, and his face turned blue. “Young Master Shan, don’t be impulsive. Killing a military governor is a serious crime!”

Shan Zong said coldly, “Retreat.”

“I am fighting Sun Guozhe. Why should I retreat?”

“Retreat, or not?” Shan Zong’s saber tip had already drawn blood on his neck.

Li Xiaogu finally realized that he might be serious and said in a panic, “I advise you not to mess around. The Emperor values you so much that he even talked about making you the military governor of Youzhou. Don’t ruin your future!”

“What?” Shan Zong’s eyes were pitch black. He lowered his body and pressed the saber against his neck. “Is that why you betrayed the country?”

Li Xiaogu’s face turned from pale to green, then flushed red. He said urgently, “I didn’t betray the country. I just planned one step ahead. Anyway, the court can’t tolerate me anymore! I’ll show you a clear path. Your troops might as well follow us. When we negotiate with the court, a large army will be assembled. By then, when I’ve replaced this court, it won’t be considered a rebellion anymore!”

Shan Zong clenched his jaw. As expected, they were working together.

In the distance, dozens of fast horses galloped towards them, charging into the standoff. A pungent smell of blood rushed into the sky.

Luo Chong, who was leading the way, had blood dripping from his left eye. Someone behind him had a leg covered in blood, but no one paid attention.

They dismounted, all of them holding their sabers. They stood with their backs to Shan Zong, protecting him from all sides.

“Chief, they can’t hold on much longer over there!”

Shan Zong pressed the tip of his saber against his neck. “I’ll only say this one last time. Retreat.”

Blood flowed from Li Xiaogu’s neck. He glanced at the distance and suddenly showed a sly smile. “You don’t dare to strike now. Your soldiers have surrendered. You might as well surrender to me.”

In the distance, firelight was burning fiercely, and the sound of fighting could be heard.

The black banner that was used to guide reinforcements above the barbican slowly fell. The two dazzling gold characters “Lulong” sank into the darkness.

Someone was shouting in a clumsy Han accent, “The Lulong Army has surrendered! The Lulong Army has surrendered!”

Shan Zong’s blood instantly froze. He gripped his saber tightly and squeezed out each word through his teeth. “Then I have no choice but to treat you the same way I would Sun Guozhe.”

He drove his saber in, and the people around him were horrified.

The fallen Li Xiaogu’s eyes were still wide open in disbelief.

“Your military governor is dead. Are you not going to retreat?” Shan Zong raised his cold, grim eyes.

Immediately, the Youzhou banner fell, and the army scattered like frightened animals.

Luo Chong closed his left eye, half of his face stained with blood. “They couldn’t have surrendered!”

Pang Lu panted. “We can’t go back! The road is blocked!”

Another person rode up quickly. He had already lost an arm and was slumped on his horse, still trying to hold on. “Chief, there’s no way out! The enemy is coming this way!”

Shan Zong glanced in the direction of the barbican. It was dark, and he couldn’t see anything.

He suddenly dismounted, drew his saber, and picked up the bloody head. He then flipped back onto his horse. “Back to the pass! I will definitely bring them all back!”