Chapter 71: The Commander Crosses The River
“Breakfast is ready!”
The next day, when Xiao Yi was woken, it was already bright. Seeing Guo Xin and Zhang Mantun sleeping on either side of him on the communal bed, he felt much more at ease.
Although he slept soundly, he dreamt of being beheaded by Chen Guang Sui, which made him uneasy.
“Are we crossing the river?”
“Soon, the laborers are building a pontoon bridge. We achieved merit in capturing the city, so we can rest a little longer.”
“Where is Commander Chen?”
“He got up early this morning and is gathered with the old sisters, whispering about something.”
Xiao Yi looked outside and saw Chen Guang Sui surrounded by several soldiers from Chan Prefecture. It seemed he was being asked to stand up for Xu Sheng.
As he got up to go over, he could still vaguely hear complaints.
“If you don’t step forward today, will his blade fall upon us tomorrow, and the General won’t intervene?”
Others might have pretended not to hear, but Xiao Yi did not shy away. He said, “As long as you do not violate military law, his blade will not fall upon you.”
“That’s a nice thing to say. If his blade doesn’t fall, will you strangle him with a bowstring?”
“Perhaps you want to contend for power with the Commander and deliberately eliminate Old Xu.”
Xiao Yi offered no further explanation. If they believed that plundering civilians was a matter of course, there was no point in discussing it.
At the kitchen, a large pot sat there, with a horse ladle beside it, but no one was stirring it.
The Nian Battalion seemed to be divided into two factions, diametrically opposed.
“Damn it, is no one hungry? Hurry up and eat breakfast!”
Li Rong strode in from outside, cursing. Seeing the atmosphere, he said, “What’s wrong? Can’t stir the pot with the same ladle?”
Chen Guang Sui said, “Deputy Commander Xiao was unwilling to let it go last night. I cannot handle this.”
“Two lives, two orphans. This is not a matter of me letting it go.”
“Enough,” Li Rong spat. “This stench has been lingering all night, and you’re all here trying to make a stink of it early in the morning.”
Chen Guang Sui said, “This stench was not released by your subordinate.”
Xiao Yi said, “It was released by Xu Sheng, carrying the smell of corpse rot.”
“If you don’t slit his throat, how could you smell the rot…”
“All of you, shut the hell up!”
Li Rong slammed his saber onto the desk with a thunderous crash.
“Can’t I control two monkeys? All of you listen to my orders! Xiao Yi, take a troop of cavalry and get to the east gate, await General He’s orders; Chen Guang Sui, do not speak, stay put!”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi received the order and turned back, commanding, “Second, Third, and Fifth Battalions, arm yourselves immediately and depart with me.”
The Fifth Battalion was under the command of Lu You and Wei Liang, so they naturally obeyed without question. The third Battalion’s Captain, Xu Sheng, had been killed by him; Fan Ji, the deputy commander, had only managed to win over half the men. The two captains of the Second Battalion were both Chen Guang Sui’s men, but Xi Gou, Hu Deng, and Wu Gouzi led a faction that obeyed the order.
Thus, out of a force of over 120 men, more than thirty immediately rose.
Guo Xin saw this and shouted, “Tie Ya, carry the banner.”
“Right away!”
Several soldiers, remembering Guo Sanlang’s distinguished status, stood up to arm themselves.
However, there were also murmurs of dissent.
“Are they stupid? The Commander’s subordinates are elite soldiers, and they treat us well. Following them means less profit.”
“If they don’t deduct reward money, I don’t need profit. Marshal Guo ordered from his time in the Yellow River that civilians were not to be disturbed. This profit won’t last.”
“How do you know that?”
“Old Hua told me last night…”
In the end, forty-six men armed themselves and awaited orders.
Hua Nong frowned and picked up the military register to call the roll, but Chen Guang Sui snatched the register away and shouted, “The General ordered you to go, and you’re still dawdling here?!”
Xiao Yi did not argue with Chen Guang Sui and ordered, “Eat breakfast.”
“Yes!”
Everyone received the order, with Guo Xin and Zhang Mantun being particularly loud.
They wolfed down their food, finishing more than half the pot of millet porridge and all the dried meat, like a whirlwind. They departed with half the provisions and horses.
It was like a family splitting up.
“Haha, the Nian Battalion’s large banner is here!”
Guo Xin spurred his horse, waved the flag, and said cheerfully, “To form our own army, I feel even more exhilarated.”
Xiao Yi, however, frowned, knowing that exhilaration was temporary. Losing Chen Guang Sui’s experience and elite soldiers meant a far greater loss of strength than simply half.
They galloped out of the east gate and saw the military formation assembling under He Fujin’s large banner from afar.
They also rushed towards the large banner.
“Riding cavalry, left wing, twentieth commander’s deputy commander Xiao Yi leads his troops to await orders!”
He Fujin saw Xiao Yi and Guo Xin and, without concealing his displeasure, knitted his brows and gestured for them.
“General.”
“You two are still in the army.”
“Yes,” Guo Xin said. “My father ordered us to gain experience.”
“Two ignorant little monkeys. I both want you to learn a lesson, and yet I fear you might suffer a great one all at once.”
“General He, whatever the military order, you may issue it.”
“Wait.”
After a while, a lone rider galloped from the military formation. The rider was extremely tall and held aloft a brightly colored banner, attracting everyone’s attention.
“Hoo!”
The rider galloped to He Fujin, reined in his horse, and shouted in a booming voice, “Greetings, General He! I am Tang Jin, an escort cavalry guard, ordered to carry this banner to the vanguard. I request the General to escort me across the river!”
“Xiao Yi receives the order!”
“Here!”
“Lead your unit to escort the banner and remain under Guo Chongwei’s command.”
“Yes!”
Tang Jin scratched his head and muttered, “Escort? Why escort?”
“Let’s go.”
The contingent immediately set off towards the Yellow River.
On the road, Xiao Yi sized up Tang Jin. He was tall and robust, similar to Zhang Mantun, with the same thick, stiff beard. However, the upper half of his face was very different, with high, prominent eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a high-bridged nose, resembling a Xiongnu.
Tang Jin also immediately noticed Zhang Mantun. He glanced at him and muttered, “You’re quite robust too, but much uglier than me.”
“Your mother’s foul mouth!”
“My mother doesn’t fart. My mother died long ago; her bones have turned to ash.”
Lu You said, “Alright, alright. You two are like a half-pound to an eight-ounce.”
“More tall and mighty than you, a kitchen slave,” Tang Jin retorted sharply. “I was as tall as you at seven years old.”
Lu You’s face fell. He cursed under his breath but dared not make a sound.
Zhang Mantun straightened his back and said, “I’m even taller than you, barbarian.”
“It’s your horse that’s tall, big idiot. Don’t crush it.”
“You dog barbarian, why is your mouth so foul?”
“I am forthright; you are full of hot air.”
“Your broken backside is still farting, and I am a Coachman Officer. What about you?”
“We are escort guards; we don’t care about your petty official title.”
Guo Xin listened to their bickering with great amusement, wishing he could sit on his horse backward. He laughed, “Tang Jin, how about you join our Nian Battalion? We have an opening for a captain.”
Fan Ji was greatly alarmed and quickly turned, looking at them nervously.
“Little monkey, I am an escort guard. I can’t possibly be in your…” Tang Jin looked up and said, “This flag is truly pathetic. What does it say?”
“It’s the Twentieth Commander. Can’t you read?”
“I don’t know how to read. You’re still a Commander? You don’t even have half a battalion. Scattered about, all new recruits.”
Zhang Mantun angrily cursed, “Foul mouth, you’re shitting again.”
“The shit I excrete isn’t this watery,” Tang Jin said earnestly. “If you encounter the Southern Army, don’t blame me if I don’t protect you. I have to protect this banner.”
“……”
The forty-eight-man contingent, escorting the banner, rushed to the Yellow River. A magnificent scene unfolded before them.
The north wind, carrying flurries of snow, swept across the Yellow River. The frozen earth on the riverbanks had been trampled into mud. The assembling army was forming into square formations.
Team after team of laborers, carrying thick timbers on their shoulders, arrived incessantly.
“Heave! Heave!”
Amidst the shouts, groups of tens pushed empty ferry boats into the river, serving as the base for the pontoon bridge.
Xiao Yi surveyed the scene. On the wide expanse of the river, over ten ferry boats were lined up. Laborers stood on the boats, pulling thick hemp ropes taut.
The Yellow River seemed unwilling to be conquered, roaring. Waves pushed the bridge planks against the boats, making crashing sounds, and the hemp ropes rubbed, making rustling noises.
Further in the distance, people were like ants.
Xiao Yi, having just joined the army, was in the midst of this grand spectacle and for a moment didn’t know what to do next.
It was Old Pan who said, “Commander, I’ll go and scout the procedures at the crossing.”
“Good. The rest of you, rest here.”
“Yes.”
In less than a moment, Old Pan returned, saying, “Commander, I’ve managed to borrow three transport boats, and two sampans for the provisions.”
“Let’s depart,”
Xiao Yi commanded in a low voice. Following the previous procedure of crossing the river with Chen Guang Sui, he ordered the soldiers to blindfold the horses.
However, his experience was still far from sufficient.
Furthermore, last time it was the elite soldiers of Chan Prefecture; this time there were many new recruits, so there were even more things to pay attention to.
Old Pan leaned over and reminded him, “Commander, wait a moment. The wind and snow are heavy today, and the waves on the river are high. We need to remove the saddles from the horses and cover them with coarse cloth. If their fur gets wet and freezes into ice lumps, they’ll get sick tomorrow.”
“Fortunately, there’s Old Pan… You all follow his instructions.”
“Yes.”
“I see these men are all green. Let’s find another ferry boat. I’m afraid someone might fall into the water.”
“Alright.”
Xiao Yi understood and took out money from his luggage, instructing Old Pan to bribe the ferrymen.
The new army’s journey was much more difficult than that of seasoned troops.
As everyone made preparations and led the horses to the riverbank, Old Pan had already borrowed another small boat. Two men on the boat held long bamboo poles and hemp rope nets.
“Anyone who can’t swim, take off your armor. If you fall in the water, I can’t fish you out.”
Tang Jin heard this and silently took off his armor.
Zhang Mantun saw this and grinned mockingly.
Before departing, Old Pan checked everything again and shook his head. “Commander, these green recruits are far inferior to the elite soldiers of Chan Prefecture. You need to teach them to untie their bowstrings and put them in their quivers, wrapped in oil paper, otherwise, they’ll get damp. The saddle ropes must be tied in double knots, otherwise, they’ll come undone with a tug. If the horse kicks on the river, the rider will feed the turtles; the helmets must either be removed or tightly fastened, as the wind is strong on the river…”
The last time Xiao Yi came, he heard Chen Guang Sui issue over a dozen orders for dismounting, and he thought those men were also called elite. Today, he realized that elite soldiers could pay attention to hundreds of details themselves, leaving the general to only check for minor oversights.
And with the unit he led, his subordinates were all oversights.
After a while, the people on the rescue boat became impatient. Then, Tang Jin also grew anxious and shouted, “Can you guys do it or not? I’ll go myself. We should have arrived by now.”
Zhang Mantun immediately retorted, “Foul-mouthed barbarian, are you in a hurry to reincarnate?!”
Finally, everything was ready.
They divided into three teams of sixteen men each. Old Pan and Tang Jin escorted the banner at the front, Xiao Yi and Guo Xin in the middle, and the last boat was led by Zhang Mantun.
Before boarding the boat, Old Pan had Hua Nong wave the flag and gave instructions to the boatmen.
“Watch carefully. The black flag means proceed, the yellow flag is for left and right. A long whistle means stop, a short whistle means speed up. Once on the river, shouting won’t be heard.”
“Understood.”
“Those red banners on the river are marked routes by the water officials, indicating slow currents. Do not go to places marked with black banners; that is the King of Hell’s vortex.”
“Understood.”
Xiao Yi led his Wuzhui Horse onto the transport boat and glanced at the fifteen men under his command.
On the boat, without Old Pan, he would be solely responsible for their lives.
“Arrange the horses properly, don’t panic. If you panic, they will become chaotic… Liu Wa, shorten the reins.”
When the boat had traveled about halfway, Xiao Yi noticed that one horse’s saddle strap had loosened, entangling its legs, causing it to nervously thrash about, making the boat sway. He quickly went over to untangle it.
Before long, a wave hit, tilting the boat.
Xiao Yi immediately ordered the soldiers to shift their weight to stabilize the boat and calm the horses.
“Neigh!”
Suddenly, he heard a horse neigh. He turned to see that on the boat behind them, a bundle of straw had fallen onto the deck. It had swollen with water and entangled a horse’s legs, causing the startled horse to rear up. This instantly caused chaos, making the third boat sway violently. At the edge, a figure was thrown overboard.
“Someone fell in the water!”
Xiao Yi stepped to the boat’s railing and shouted towards the forward rescue boat.
However, the wind and waves drowned out his voice.
He immediately grabbed a whistle and blew a long, loud blast.
“Rescue boat! Someone fell in the water, save him quickly!”
“……”
He looked and saw the fallen figure being swept into the current marked by the black banner, disappearing instantly.
Xiao Yi stood there, stunned.
This was the first soldier under his command to die. His full name was Luo Mao. He knew that if Chen Guang Sui had led the team today, it would have gone much more smoothly.
Lacking experience, he had ultimately learned a lesson.
Standing on the Yellow River for a while, Xiao Yi’s eyes regained their decisiveness and calm. He would naturally not be overwhelmed by this difficulty.
“Make a note: Luo Mao will be awarded battle loss compensation, with three piculs of millet given to his family monthly. I will add another picul from my salary.”
“Yes.”
In less than half an hour, the transport boat finally docked at a shallow beach on the south bank.
“Damn it.”
Zhang Mantun, with a ferocious expression, wanted to find trouble with the two men from the rescue boat as soon as he landed, cursing, “Scoundrels! If you don’t save people, I’ll twist your heads off.”
“Tie Ya! That’s enough!”
Xiao Yi stopped Zhang Mantun and walked towards the rescue boat.
“Commander Xiao, we had no choice. When a large army crosses the river, deaths are common…”
“A pontoon bridge is also being built downstream. If the body can be found, please return it to his family. His family lives in Huangyang Lane, Huazhou City. Anyone named Luo will know. I will send someone to provide compensation, and there will be a generous reward.”
“Alright, Commander Xiao, rest assured.”
“I heard that your Twentieth Commander is newly established. For you to remember the name and address of that new recruit, and to offer such compensation, the Twentieth Commander will surely make a name for itself sooner or later.”
Xiao Yi knew the other party was offering a few conciliatory words and had nothing else to say.
He looked back. The Yellow River still flowed. The pontoon bridge was beginning to take shape, and encampments had been established on the south bank. The soldiers and civilians on both banks were busy. It was expected that the main army would cross the river today and rendezvous with Wang Yin.
However, the Nian Battalion had to proceed to the vanguard ahead of schedule.
“Form up!”
“Hurry up. We must reach the vanguard’s encampment within three hours.”
“Let’s go, have some hot soup at the camp.”
“Depart.”
“Giddy-up!”
Tang Jin raised the banner high, and Zhang Mantun, as if in a competition, also raised the Nian Battalion’s large banner.
Forty-seven horsemen galloped south.
