Chapter 46: The Counterattack Begins (Part 5)
Marquis Yan stood on high ground, watching the common people gather below. Although he had repeatedly ordered them not to make a sound, the weeping of women still rose from time to time, lending the night an even more desolate air.
Zhao Yun, dressed in white as pure as snow, came galloping up before Marquis Yan on a white horse, silver spear in hand. He clasped his fist and said, “Marquis Yan, all the people have assembled according to your orders!”
Marquis Yan nodded, then said to several Xiliang officers beside him, “You will lead the army away together. This brother Zhao Yun will command in my place! Brother Zhao Yun’s orders are my orders. Anyone who dares disobey will be dealt with under military law!”
The officers clasped their fists in assent, then spurred their horses downhill to mobilize the cavalry under their command.
Zhao Yun asked incredulously, “Are you planning to remain behind personally and cover the retreat?”
Marquis Yan nodded. “It must be done.”
Zhao Yun frowned. “Your safety is of the utmost importance, Marquis Yan. How can you so lightly put yourself in danger?”
Marquis Yan laughed. “At present, I am the only one who can do this. Nor am I willing to leave my officers and my wife behind. They are merely a band of barbarians. If they wish to threaten me, they are still far from qualified!”
Zhao Yun was struck speechless.
A sudden thought occurred to Marquis Yan. Looking at Zhao Yun’s face, more beautiful than any woman’s, he asked curiously, “Brother Zhao, why are you so concerned about me?”
Zhao Yun froze. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. With a cold snort, she wheeled her horse around and galloped downhill.
Marquis Yan stared after her in astonishment and muttered to himself, “On the forums, people are always calling her Yunmei, Yunmei. Who would have thought she really was Yunmei?”
The words had scarcely left his mouth when Zuo Ci came riding up before him. He gazed deeply at Marquis Yan, clasped his fist, and said, “Marquis Yan, your heroic spirit is unrivaled beneath heaven. This old Daoist admires you beyond measure!”
Marquis Yan waved his hand and said with a bitter smile, “It is not heroism. I simply have no choice. Who told me to be Marquis Yan? If I were an ordinary man, I would have fled long ago. Why would I stay behind to make a spectacle of myself?”
Zuo Ci shook his head and said with a smile, “Even without that title of office, Marquis Yan, you would surely have done the same.”
Marquis Yan was stunned.
Zuo Ci knit his brows slightly. “Marquis Yan, if those barbarians do not act as you predicted, I fear that…”
Marquis Yan said calmly, “War is often little different from gambling. If I have truly miscalculated, then everyone can only pray for their own good fortune.”
Zuo Ci was filled with gratitude. He nodded, clasped his fist, and said, “General, take care.”
Meanwhile, the Xiongnu Left Worthy Prince had joined forces with the Wuhuan and Xianbei armies. Under cover of darkness, they had quietly entered the woods south of the town and concealed themselves, waiting for Marquis Yan and his people to emerge so that they could annihilate them in one stroke.
The great army had hidden itself and waited for half an hour when a tremendous roar of battle suddenly erupted in the east. It sounded as though thousands upon thousands of troops were charging into battle, and the glow of torches even illuminated the night sky.
The Left Worthy Prince and the others gazed into the distance, each filled with doubt and unease.
The Wuhuan King shouted, “What is going on? Weren’t the Han planning to break through to the south? Why has a great battle erupted in the east instead?”
The Left Worthy Prince could not help looking toward Zhao De beside him.
Zhao De pondered before replying, “This should also be a feint. Marquis Yan is, after all, a renowned general among the Han. He must have deliberately sent a force to launch a surprise attack from the east. First, he hopes to strengthen our belief that they intend to break through in that direction. Second, he hopes to test our army’s movements. If we lose patience and rush east to reinforce them, we may expose both our position and our intentions.”
The three barbarian kings suddenly understood.
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The Xianbei King frowned. “This Marquis Yan is truly cunning, like a fox upon the grasslands.”
The Wuhuan King gave a harsh laugh. Clenching his right hand as though seizing something, he said viciously, “However sly a fox may be, how can it stand against hunters such as us? Once Marquis Yan falls into my hands, I will humiliate him thoroughly.”
The commotion in the east grew louder and louder. The Left Worthy Prince and the others felt that Marquis Yan’s feint was almost too convincing, and their impatience steadily mounted. They could only hope that the enemy would emerge from the south as soon as possible.
As time passed, the thunderous sounds in the east gradually fell silent. Yet the south remained utterly still. Even the distant town had been swallowed by darkness.
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
Suddenly, hurried hoofbeats came from afar, breaking the oppressive silence.
The Left Worthy Prince and the other two kings immediately turned toward the sound. A lone rider was galloping toward them from the east.
Seeing that the rider made no attempt to conceal himself, the Left Worthy Prince felt displeased. He looked at the Xianbei King and said, “Your men are far too reckless! If he comes charging in like that and Marquis Yan sees through our trap, capturing him afterward will require much more effort.”
The Xianbei King frowned as well, watching the rapidly approaching rider. He muttered, “I gave them strict instructions. How could they…”
The Left Worthy Prince snorted coldly.
A moment later, the rider reached the three kings. He immediately reined in his horse, tumbled from the saddle, and cried urgently, “This is bad, Your Majesty! The enemy—the enemy has broken through to the east with tens of thousands of civilians!”
The three kings stood frozen, but soon recovered from their shock.
The Left Worthy Prince strode forward, seized the rider by the collar, and hauled him into the air. He roared, “Nonsense! How could that be possible?”
The rider cried out anxiously, “It is true! Not long ago, they suddenly burst out upon us. Several thousand of our men tried to hold them back, but we could not stop them at all. Our forces were scattered! Then they escorted tens of thousands of Han civilians and fled straight toward the east!”
Upon hearing this, the Left Worthy Prince shoved the rider away and turned toward Zhao De, who stood there at a loss. He shouted, “Zhao De, did you not say that Marquis Yan was creating a diversion in the east in order to break through to the south? How is this completely different from what you said?”
Zhao De was terrified. He stammered helplessly, unable to form a coherent reply.
The Wuhuan King said irritably, “He is merely a eunuch among the Han. How could he possibly predict the movements of Marquis Yan? It is laughable that you actually listened to him, Left Worthy Prince.”
Enraged, the Left Worthy Prince raised his lance and thrust it at Zhao De.
Zhao De was aghast and tried to evade, but there was nowhere to escape. The lance pierced straight through his chest. He let out a scream and died on the spot.
Zhao De lay in a pool of blood, his fishlike eyes opened wide, his face frozen in terror and incomprehension.
The Left Worthy Prince spat on Zhao De’s corpse and said to the other two kings, “They cannot have gone far. We will pass through the town at once and pursue Marquis Yan!”
The two kings nodded together.
At once, horns began sounding throughout the woods to the south.
More than a hundred thousand barbarian troops emerged from the forest and surged toward the town ahead. Passing through the town was the most convenient route for pursuing Marquis Yan’s army; otherwise, they would have to take a considerably longer detour.
The countless cavalry moved like a surging tide.
Before long, several thousand cavalrymen serving as the vanguard reached the town walls. They flung countless grappling hooks onto the wooden battlements and began climbing. At the same time, many barbarian warriors carried crude battering logs toward the town gate and began ramming it.
Then countless torches suddenly flared atop the walls, which had been shrouded in darkness. Figures of Han soldiers appeared throughout the town that should have been deserted.
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The barbarian cavalry were stunned.
At that moment, powerful arrows came whistling down, sending the unprepared barbarian horsemen tumbling from their mounts.
Before the cavalry could recover, the town gate suddenly opened.
A thunderous battle cry erupted. Xu Chu and Dong Yuan led a thousand mounted warriors surging out of the town.
They plunged into the barbarian ranks and hacked furiously at the enemy, cutting down a broad swath of troops.
The several thousand men in the vanguard were thrown into panic. They turned hastily and fled.
Xu Chu and Dong Yuan led their cavalry in a follow-up assault, charging directly into the foremost Wuhuan formation.
The Wuhuan army had already been thrown into disarray by the fleeing vanguard. Unable to resist the attack, they were completely overrun by the thousand cavalrymen under Xu Chu and Dong Yuan.
The cavalry stormed through the Wuhuan ranks as though there were no one there at all.
The Wuhuan army was thrown into utter chaos. Casualties mounted heavily, and everyone was left dazed and bewildered, not knowing what to do.
The Xianbei and Xiongnu hurried forward to provide aid.
Then the deep tolling of a metal bell rang out from within the town.
Xu Chu and Dong Yuan immediately halted their charge. They led their troops swiftly back into the town, and the gates were closed soon afterward.
The brief battle came to an end.
The Wuhuan King flew into a rage. He immediately ordered the entire army to assault the town.
Using their shields for protection against the Han arrows, they quickly pressed up to the foot of the walls. They then threw grappling hooks upward and caught them on the battlements.
Before long, countless Wuhuan warriors clamped steel knives between their teeth and climbed the ropes toward the top.
Zhao Yun led the Xiliang cavalry entrusted to her by Marquis Yan, escorting tens of thousands of civilians out of the encirclement. They quickly turned south, preparing to cross the Yellow River and flee to Luoyang.
Just then, a tremendous roar of battle came from the town behind them.
Zhao Yun could not help reining in her warhorse and looking back toward the town. Her delicate brows drew together slightly, and deep concern appeared in her eyes.
Zuo Ci, riding beside her, also looked toward the town and sighed. “This Marquis Yan is truly worthy of admiration. The land itself is fortunate to have such a man. I misjudged him before.”
As he spoke, he turned toward Zhao Yun and smiled. “There is no need to worry. Marquis Yan is a renowned general of this age, and the soldiers under his command are seasoned veterans who have fought a hundred battles. Their courage is irresistible. He will certainly escape safely.”
Zhao Yun nodded. Remembering her own responsibility, she had no choice but to turn her horse around and continue south with the main body.
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