Chapter 72: The Vanguard
On the south bank of the Yellow River, the land was silty.
The horses’ hooves sank into the sandy layer, splashing snow-white sand with each pull, making it difficult to gain speed.
Xiao Yi glanced at the sky; the sun was in the southeast, directly in his face, but offered no warmth.
He had now learned to tell the time during the day, murmuring, “Around the quarter mark of the si hour.”
Guo Chongwei should be stationed at Chenqiao Posthouse now, eighty li away.
Calculating in his mind, Xiao Yi stopped prioritizing speed. As a general, he now valued safety more.
“Everyone, be careful of the waterlogged ruts and prevent the horses from stumbling!”
“Understood.”
“Xi Hou, take a few men to scout ahead.”
“Understood…”
After much effort, over ten li, they entered the rammed-earth official road and sped up.
They rode their horses until noon, resting them on the earthen mounds of Qingling Ridge. Each person gnawed on hu bing, drank some wine mixed with ginger juice, and warmed their bodies, stiffened by the wind during their ride.
Xiao Yi had traveled this road before. He skillfully led the team across the shallow icy surface of the Yellow River’s old course, after which the official road became even smoother.
At the shen hour, the sun moved westward.
“Hua Nong, you’re almost at your father-in-law’s house.”
“Then Chenqiao Posthouse isn’t far!”
This was precisely the time when people ate their second meal, and smoke from cooking fires could be seen in the distance ahead.
Old Pan suddenly raised his hand and pointed, shouting, “Commander, a green banner signal! Our men!”
Xiao Yi followed his gaze and saw a small green flag planted on an earth fort by the side of the official road.
“Slow down, follow protocol.”
“Whoa!”
The group reined in their horses. Two soldiers ran out from the earth fort. Upon seeing the banner that Tang Jin held high and verifying Xiao Yi’s command token, they dismounted.
“Greetings, Commander Xiao. General Guo is at Chenqiao Posthouse, six li ahead. Recently, Southern Army scouts have been probing the vicinity, so Commander Xiao should be careful.”
“Thank you.”
As expected, after another two li, between the outpost and Chenqiao Posthouse, there was dense woodland alongside the official road.
Hoofbeats sounded from the south; it was Xi Hou and his men returning.
“Report—”
“Commander, we encountered Southern Army scouts. They were flying yellow banners and are likely Taining Army scouts!”
It was remarkable that Xi Hou, despite his lack of education, could remember the banners and battle cries of different factions.
Xiao Yi knew that the Military Governor of Taining Army was Murong Yanchao, a royal general highly regarded by Shi Hongzhao.
The Shi father and son always dismissively called him “Yan Kunlunnu.” Initially, Xiao Yi thought it was a servant, but later learned he was the younger brother of Gaozu Emperor Liu Zhiyuan, from the same mother but different father, making him a sort of uncle to Liu Chengyou.
This man had no record in the Shi Residence’s study, yet many scandalous deeds attributed to him circulated, such as his greed and violent temper. He had once privately sold wine and accepted bribes. He had bullied the Military Governor of Tianping Army, Gao Xingzhou, to the point that Gao Xingzhou stuffed feces in his mouth to express his rage.
It was also said that Murong Yanchao had recruited two thousand bandits as his retainers, known as “wild and fierce mountain men,” who were ruthless killers.
Indeed, five dark figures emerged from the woods to the west of the official road ahead, appearing exceptionally ferocious.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
From over a hundred paces away, the Southern Army scouts unleashed a volley of arrows at the Nian Battalion and then galloped away.
Guo Xin was furious and said, “It’s only five of them, chase them!”
“No.”
Xiao Yi immediately refused.
Although he lacked experience, he had seen many scenarios and sensed something was amiss.
Old Pan said, “The commander is right, we mustn’t chase. This is a common tactic for scouts; a few men feign an attack from the front, while others circle around from the rear. Once we are spread out, they will shoot at our horses, break our formation, and perhaps try to seize the banner.”
“Damn it!” Tang Jin cursed, “They think they can have their way with me.”
But as the Nian Battalion didn’t pursue, the Southern Army scouts continued to harass them, suppressing their speed, which was very annoying.
Xiao Yi took out his bow and arrows and said, “Maintain your formation. Fan Si, accompany me to shoot them down.”
“Understood.”
The two moved calmly. When the Southern Army scouts approached again, after releasing a volley of arrows, they suddenly kicked their horses and charged forward.
Wuzhui galloped forward, and Xiao Yi held the Zhe wood short bow he obtained from the Huazhou arsenal.
He nocked an arrow, aimed instinctively, and fully drew the 40-jin bowstring. Simultaneously, he charged to within fifty paces of the Southern Army scouts.
“Hum.”
The bowstring emitted a pleasing, faint vibration.
The iron-ribbed arrow shot out like a meteor with a “swish.”
Almost at the same time, Fan Si also loosed an arrow.
Ahead, a Southern Army scout managed to rein in his horse to turn and flee, but an arrow struck his neck, blooming red, and he fell to the ground. Another’s warhorse was hit, crying out as it fell, throwing its rider to the ground.
“—”
The remaining three were greatly alarmed and fled on their horses.
Someone from the Nian Battalion immediately moved forward, pierced the arm of the fallen Southern Army soldier with a spear, and captured him. The left ear of the corpse was then cut off for merit.
Xiao Yi and Fan Si exchanged a look. “Your arrow was more accurate,” Xiao Yi said.
“The commander’s tactics are brilliant; capturing one person will allow us to extract intelligence.”
“I just wasn’t confident in my ability to hit a person.”
Fan Si lowered his head, scratched his neck, and whispered, “I was afraid my archery would be surpassed by yours, so I put in extra effort to practice.”
“Then I must practice more.”
Guo Xin rode forward and said, “You two were too hasty. Why didn’t you call more archers to shoot down all five rats together?”
“No need,” Xiao Yi said. “Didn’t Ming Gong send the banner through Tang Jin precisely to let the Southern Army see it?”
“Oh.”
Guo Xin understood immediately. “So that’s how it is. The dog emperor will probably be scared to death when he sees the marshal’s banner arriving at Kaifeng City.”
…
Before the shen hour had passed, and the sun had not yet set, the banner was proudly erected at Chenqiao Posthouse.
Xiao Yi, who had passed by without entering last time, finally entered this time upon his return.
The entire posthouse was now surrounded by a military camp. On either side of the camp gate stood two three-zhang tall wooden posts, from which hung banners. In addition to the Northern Army’s banners, there was also a “Banshee Flag,” indicating that hostilities were imminent and urging travelers to take detours.
Passing through the camp, the posthouse had three courtyards. The outer courtyard covered about ten mu and could accommodate five hundred cavalry in formation. To the east of the courtyard, thirty horse stables were neatly arranged. The middle courtyard was requisitioned as quarters for the guard soldiers, and Xiao Yi and his companions were assigned to one of the communal beds. The inner courtyard housed Guo Chongwei’s main command tent, with the banner hanging from a flagpole erected high outside the tent. Next to it was Guo Chongwei’s large banner, inscribed with “Vanguard Pacification Commissioner.”
Behind these were the granary and water cellar, which were heavily guarded.
“General Guo has not yet returned from inspecting the camp. Commander Xiao may rest and dine first.”
The quartermaster soon brought food: hu bing, cooked mutton, and millet porridge. The provisions were quite good.
As Xiao Yi ate, he looked outside. Soldiers were resting in batches, some cleaning their weapons; others feeding the horses; or sitting around eating hu bing. The entire post area was orderly, with no hint of clamor.
Not long after finishing, the sound of neat, dense hoofbeats approached.
Rushing out of the camp gate, they looked up. To the south of the official road, hundreds of black-clad cavalry were galloping forward in a neat square formation.
Despite their speed, the cavalry maintained a tight formation. At the front were elite soldiers wielding long pikes, in the middle were scouts armed with bows and crossbows, and at the rear were lightly armored soldiers to maintain order.
They rode into the camp gate and stopped in front of the posthouse.
The leader, a man with a stern face and no hint of a smile, was precisely Guo Chongwei.
Guo Chongwei must have received the news. He glanced at Xiao Yi and directly asked, “Has the prisoner been interrogated?”
“Not yet.”
“Tingrang, you and Xiao Yi will interrogate him. Report to the main tent once you’re done.”
“Understood.”
A young soldier stepped out from behind Guo Chongwei and acknowledged the order.
After Guo Chongwei, with five hundred men, passed by like a flowing stream, the soldier bowed to Xiao Yi. “Vanguard Scout General, Liu Tingrang, greetings, Commander Xiao. Please.”
“Please…”
To Xiao Yi’s surprise, Liu Tingrang did not resort to severe torture. He simply had the prisoner stripped and left in the freezing cold while he and Xiao Yi sat by the fire, warming wine.
Xiao Yi observed that Liu Tingrang was only in his early twenties, quite composed, and lacked the typical belligerence of soldiers. There was an aura of integrity about him.
Neither of them paid attention to the prisoner, and they chatted briefly.
“My courtesy name is Guangyi, from Fanyang, Zhuozhou. I come from a military family…”
Having said that, Liu Tingrang saw that the time was right and turned to the prisoner, beckoning him over.
“Yes, yes.”
“Have some wine to warm yourself up. I’ll ask you, where is Murong Yanchao’s main command tent? I’ve just returned from the south, and you know the consequences if you lie.”
“I wouldn’t dare. The Marshal… no, Murong Yanchao is stationed at Qili Shop. They set up camp today, three li west of Chigang, with the main forces behind them.”
“Tell me what you saw.”
“Yes, yes. Outside the most prominent tent on the summit of Chigang, there was a large black battle standard with the character ‘Hou’ written on it. They set up camp today and are still digging trenches. I haven’t been inside.”
Xiao Yi thought, indeed, a scout speaks clearly.
Liu Tingrang nodded, took out a sheet of rough paper from his embrace, and quickly jotted notes with a charcoal pencil. He then asked, “What about the east?”
“Fifty paces to the east is a camp flying a banner with the character ‘Yuan’ on it, connected by a wooden bridge. They claim the entire camp has tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, but in reality, they don’t. They are divided into cavalry and infantry; the cavalry tents are in the west, and the infantry tents are in the east.”
“You’re lying to me? Isn’t that the Jinshui River?”
“I wouldn’t dare lie. Next to the Jinshui River is a camp flying a banner with the character ‘Wu’ on it. There are two thousand Zhengzhou soldiers; half are guarding the water wheels, and the other half are guarding the supply route.”
…
Half an hour later, Xiao Yi and Liu Tingrang entered the main command tent together.
Guo Chongwei was standing before a large map, holding a red brush, his brow furrowed, occasionally making a few strokes on the map.
“General, the interrogation is complete,” Liu Tingrang said. “It can be cross-referenced with our reconnaissance intelligence.”
“Read it.”
“Murong Yanchao personally leads the vanguard, stationed at the top of the earthen mound three li west of Chigang. This place is called Qili Shop, overlooking the flat ground between Chigang and Liu Zibei, serving as a strategic point for cavalry charges.”
“Mmm.”
“Hou Yi’s main command tent is at the summit of Chigang; Yuan Xi leads the Imperial Guards surrounding them; Wu Qianyu’s two thousand Zhengzhou soldiers are divided between guarding the Jinshui River water wheels and the southern supply route.”
“Mmm.”
“Liu Chongjin is to the north; Zhang Yanchao is to the west…”
Liu Tingrang continued to read, while Guo Chongwei was a man of few words. Sometimes he would pause to modify the map, sometimes he would ponder silently, and sometimes he would add a few strokes.
Finally, Guo Chongwei stopped his movements, let out a long sigh, and murmured.
“Twenty to thirty thousand troops.”
Before him, the Southern Army’s troop strength was clearly visible.
Xiao Yi gazed at the map. It was densely drawn, and its meticulous and intuitive annotations made him feel as if he could see the armies gathering, banners like a forest, and horses neighing.
He could even sense a hint of chaos within it, as if he saw Liu Chengyou, his eyes red, recklessly gambling his troops and committing them all.
This was the fourteenth day of the eleventh month. Guo Wei had only begun his campaign three days prior, and he had already returned to Kaifeng.
The army had crossed the Yellow River from Huazhou and could reach the city walls in one to two days, acting with lightning speed. The Southern Army’s forces had also been amassed.
The decisive battle was being rapidly pushed forward, on the verge of breaking out…
