Chapter 8: Battle Of Pingnan
Historical records state that on the 29th of the 10th month in the 23rd year of garrisoning the heavens, Ting Marquis Wu Hanluan of the Da Yao Dynasty, in the Chilian Mountain Range, intercepted and killed over six thousand from six Snake People Tribes in rebellion, achieving a great victory.
In fact, in this battle, the Snake People Troops that Wu Hanluan truly blocked from the mountains numbered only one thousand eight hundred. This amount was exactly the main force from the able-bodied young men of three Snake People Tribes.
The statistic of six thousand included the elderly and weak from Snake People Tribes killed in prior and subsequent raids and sweeps, and even the Snake People heads from those who came to harass and were cut down in Wu Fei’s granary camp over those few days, all categorized into head count and reported.
The reason for such reporting? Because head count fetches a high price. Heads from village massacres would inevitably draw discussion from the Confucian and Legalist gentlemen in the Imperial Court.
This is similar to Xuan Chong’s previous life: the reimbursement for buying cups, if mixed into the laboratory beaker category, is easier to reimburse than as reception teacups. Because research funding sounds more reasonable than reception expenses.
Digressing, the high value of head count heads indirectly reflects that the chaos on the border ultimately requires a field battle to settle once and for all.
…The specific situation of the underground battle is as follows…
Standing from the Wu Family Army side looking toward the enemy, one could see the Snake People heads crowded together. These Snake People, though chaotic, moved with no slow speed. Just like a bucket of very wild eels encountering “left zero right fire,” scattering in explosion-like chaos.
Wu Hanluan eyed all this, calculating that killing them all would secure ten years of peace in the Southern Border! — Snake People need time for their eggs to hatch.
Armored crossbowmen holding shields sat in a row on the high slopes on both sides of the tunnel, using foot-stirrup loading to arm their Five-Stone Heavy Crossbows, and the Wind Riding Pattern on the arrow shafts mounted on the crossbows was also activated. Arrow shafts pasted with Wind Riding Pattern talisman paper have no resistance in flight and can easily fly one hundred eighty paces.
The Da Yao Dynasty has firearms. At this moment, the four heavy cannons pulled by oxen behind the Wu Family Army line were the finest firearms. But muskets had not eliminated bows and crossbows. Because the range of arrows engraved with Wind Riding Pattern was farther than projectiles propelled by gunpowder.
Firearm bullets, however, cannot be engraved with Wind Riding Pattern—not only because bullets are too small and time-consuming, but also because the runes that can withstand the bursting flames in the gun barrel require expensive purple copper to craft. — Even high-quality talisman paper is costly, let alone purple copper refined to pure without impurities?
Thus, firearm range is one hundred paces, while crossbow bolts can reach one hundred sixty paces.
…The first to complete battle formation seizes the initiative…
These armored crossbowmen, confirming the Snake People vanguard collapsed and retreated from the sharp arrows back to their main body, stood up and advanced forward, maintaining formation.
At the same time, on the ceiling of this underground grotto-heaven, stalactites began secreting rock water, interfering with the climbing Snake People with the slippery liquid, forcing them to fall.
When the crossbowmen formation was still three hundred paces from the Snake People main group.
Boom! A violent roar echoed in the grotto-heaven, flames burst from the palm-thick cannon wall of the heavy cannon, bombarding the projectile toward eight hundred paces away.
In the Snake People Army Corps, amid the python tribe monster soldier formation, three python soldiers had their bodies shattered on the spot by the ricocheting cannonball, broken into two halves spurting blood. The upper bodies clawed at the ground with hands, while the lower bodies hung in the lime water shallow river beside the cave, spreading bloodstains.
The Snake People’s commander could no longer rally the troops and could only let his clan kin confidants lead the entire chaotic group surging forward.
Calling the Snake People’s side command a “commander” is actually flattering them.
Because a commander must know how to command troops. What level does a primitive tribe like the Snake People have? Their word carries weight by virtue of big fists or witchcraft.
Every combatant on the Snake People side, though ignorant of the Yao People’s battle formation before them, knew that not following the boss forward now meant getting blasted apart by cannons.
If the Snake People’s “hiss hiss” panicked voices became tsunami noise, it would be a race to outrun companions.
Wu Hanluan gazed at the chaotic swarm of snakes surging toward his crossbow shooting zone, and couldn’t help stroking the Winged Tiger’s mane.
On the other side of the position, Xian Daoren, receiving Wu Hanluan’s flag order, stood on the dharma altar. As the ritual completed, a power began covering the weapons of the frontline armored halberdiers, with cold glowing lights like special effects emerging at the sharp edges of the weapons.
This was a group magic enhancing the halberd weapons’ sharpness and armor-piercing ability, akin to sharpening all spearheads on the battlefield—not fast, but shiny.
The crossbowmen then fired the first wave of pouring arrow rain at the charging Snake People.
The Snake People leader only felt a massive black cloud of sharp arrows bearing down, then found himself nailed to the ground, subsequently trampled by other Snake People.
These Snake People charging at the forefront, shot down by the arrow rain, though not dead, staggered up by pulling out arrowheads and twisting their bodies. But in this process, the charge momentum broke. These tribal Snake People are not front-line successors; they charge together with their tribe’s braves. When the tribe’s braves fall, they “care” for the brave’s condition; if the brave can stand, they charge together again.
This works for street brawls, but now it’s a great war of thousands. When the front ranks halt, they pile up with the rear Snake People, and at that moment, the second round of cannon fire targeted this “knotted” Snake group, cannonballs tearing in, flesh and bone scattering in splatters, instantly chilling Snake People morale, slowing the charge speed further.
With the second wave of crossbow bolts taking out the Snake People front brave team, that group began to rout. But soon, a powerful Snake Person entered the routing Snake People team from the rear, and the Snake People reformed and continued charging.
The Snake People cluster, in the dynamics of front wave retreat and rear wave surge, closed in on the Wu Family Army position.
One hundred paces, eighty paces, fifty paces—each step forward littered with Snake People corpses. Finally, in the last ten paces, the armored crossbow soldiers completed the final volley; within ten paces, heavy crossbows needed no aiming, reaping a whole rank of Snake People like a scythe.
The Snake People, holding breath for close combat, had their final ferocity stunned.
After this round of shooting, the halberd formation in the center of the crossbowmen square advanced with big steps from the line, protruding in a “convex,” then the line became multiple “pin” characters linked.
The halberd soldier square was the “mouth” at the top of the “pin” character. This “mouth” rapidly turned into a straight line at the top under drum and flag orders.
Halberds crossed and swung like a shredder, holding back the Snake People charge wave. The leading powerful Snake Person individual deflected one, two, three halberd thrusts with stone weapons, but ultimately had his head pecked by the fourth halberd and fell to the ground.
As the leading Snake Person was engulfed in the front wave’s blood tide, the subsequent human long weapon battle formation like a meat grinder repeatedly entered from the flesh and exited with flesh.
…Ha, zha (exertion shouts), puchi (weapon into flesh sounds), gradually unifying in rhythm…
On Wu Fei’s side, the temporarily conscripted farmer soldiers’ clustered red tassel spear thrusts were the simplest field battle skill, trainable in three months. Wu Hanluan’s halberd soldiers’ killing techniques required three years to forge. The “thousand days” in “raise troops for a thousand days” refers exactly to this.
After half a shichen of melee.
The halberd soldiers, after contacting the enemy, quickly repelled the first wave, and as these Snake People fled, heard “buzz buzz” sounds from behind—this was the Wu Family Army crossbowmen, rested, now shooting.
Fleeing Snake People, backs turned with twisting tails, were especially conspicuous. Especially those patterned tails, flashing like barber shop spiral lights when twisting. If not aim now, when? Crossbow bolts like they had eyes chased and shot, hit Snake People sprawling on the ground, stretching long.
Some earth-yellow tailed Snake People were lucky; though they lost in mating to those colorful patterned ones, now they escaped this mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
When routing Snake People fled in panic seeking narrow karst caves on the side of this underground cave battlefield to hide, to escape. They would confusedly crawl awhile, find the forward cave mouth shrinking. Then try to turn back but find the path came from blocked too. Most of these fleeing Snake People starved trapped in underground dead ends.
…The scales of victory tilted unreservedly toward the Wu Family Army…
With cannon ammunition expended, Wu Hanluan eyed the Snake People rout gap, rode his Winged Tiger charging in. Like a knife twisting the wound, enlarging the defeat.
As the tiger’s roar terrified the last resisting Snake People in the front array, Wu Hanluan rode the flying tiger toward that Snake Person sorcerer attempting ritual, hand rose knife fell, beheading that old Snake Person wearing deer antlers pretending to be Azure Dragon.
When Wu Hanluan returned to the formation carrying the Snake head, the recovered troops shouted “ten thousand victories.”
Under the commander main tent, Xian Daoren offered congratulations: “The Wu Family military family’s valor passed down generations.”
Wu Hanluan looked at this “heterodox path supernatural person” who surrendered to him and chuckled: “Thanks to the officers and soldiers giving their all!”
Xian Daoren: “General, the Young General there also won a great victory; not only is the Great Warehouse safe, but also beheaded 357 heads.”
Wu Hanluan pondered slightly: “What does the Master say?”
Xian Daoren: “I heard the Young General there also encountered witchcraft. Though turned danger to safety, it was still precarious.”
Wu Hanluan frowned: “This time arranged him to guard the city, so no supernatural person assistance.”
Xian Daoren said: “General, I have a junior sister, cultivating magic for ten years, her evil-breaking techniques no less than mine. If the General needs, I can send a letter, dispatch her to come aid our army pacify the south.”
Wu Hanluan paused slightly, gaze fixed on this Xian Daoren who contributed much in battle before him. — This gaze darkly implying “what do you intend?”
This southern border expedition was to respond to the Imperial Court’s current decree, and also to temper the Wu Family’s next “Military Master.”
Wu Hanluan’s evaluation of Wu Fei’s performance in this southern expedition: overall exceeded expectations. Neither arrogant nor impatient, calm in crisis. Passed the trial! Mm, Wu Fei has quite good aptitude!
…Wu Hanluan: This child seems not only tough in eight characters, but also has killing intent…
Military Strategist cultivation of heirs requires the heir to gradually gain recognition from the generals during trials. This is a complex process.
In contrast, for noble families’ arrangements for girls, just bestow title, select a suitable matching family, done in one step. Relatively simple and quick.
Noble social stratum inheritance: women inherit titles, men inherit connections.
That is, in Wu Fei’s current southern campaign process, every problem encountered is actually a test, examiners not just Wu Hanluan, but more the Wu Family Army generals.
That is, grain shortage, camp besieged, subordinates disobeying orders—these even if circumstantial, if Wu Fei uses them as excuses not to act, equals forfeiting.
But as long as matters are handled through, even if some filth inside, shows general talent; as for those “unmentionable things,” war is perilous, on this dangerous battlefield, priority is ensuring survival, not becoming moral paragons—unmentionable things, then no one mentions!
Before this southern expedition, everyone in the army called Wu Fei “little sparrow”; now in the camp, the generals all call him “Young General.”
The camp generals see it in their eyes, confirm he (Wu Fei) is the Wu Family Army’s reliable heir, hence Xian Daoren mentioning this “junior sister” has some intent to attach.
Wu Hanluan recalled just sending his nephew “Snake maids” as playthings for the young man bored in camp. Now stuffing another female cultivator, is it too cheap for this nephew? Young ah, can he hold firm?
However, this Daoist priest’s proposal has irrefusable reasons; according to the battle report from the Great Warehouse, in Wu Fei’s next phase needing to stand alone, his camp indeed needs a “sorcerer supernatural person.”
Wu Hanluan originally planned to send his own son studying Dao, Wu Hengyu, to aid Wu Fei.
For Wu Family disciples, family brothers are always most reliable; generals encountering strange matters, just one letter to the sect gate, fellow clan brother cultivators will come down the mountain with sword to help.
But now, Wu Fei’s growth speed in Military Strategist path slightly faster than cousin brother Wu Hengyu’s learning speed on the mountain.
The tiger tail whipped the back, the jolt awakening Wu Hanluan; facing Xian Daoren’s “good intentions,” Wu Hanluan raised hand in fist salute: “Then trouble the Immortal Elder.”
……
At the Great Warehouse, Wu Fei, receiving news of his uncle’s great victory at Crimson Serpent Mountain, sighed in relief.
Xuan Chong (Wu Fei) muttered: “Finally stable, these days I ate poorly, slept uneasy.”
Then, as if remembering something, Xuan Chong suddenly flipped over, sat up straight, and asked the System: “Battle done, task completed. Any rewards?”
System: “No rewards.”
Xuan Chong: “Not giving cultivation manual? You said, preserve primal yang, morning swallow dew, evening gazing at stars. Give me a dharma gate damn it, don’t just recommend that ‘Broadcast Gymnastics’ and ‘nutritional meals’.”
System: “Who promised you a cultivation manual.”
Xuan Chong: “You clearly—”
At this moment, blue light flickered in Xuan Chong’s pupils, tone somewhat irritable.
Yet in this instant, the blue light was suddenly pulled from the pupils. Xuan Chong suddenly confused. Then lowered head thinking: “That, when did the System promise a cultivation manual? Could it be I dreamed it. Mm, too much pressure these days, lots of dreams.”
Xuan Chong calmed and asked: “How many academic credits do I have?”
System: “You now have 3.2 academic credits. Spend 1 academic credit to exchange for cultivation manual? Friendly reminder: stepping into the immortal gate will unlock many required courses. Each required course has an exam.”
Xuan Chong lowered head pondering carefully, haggling. This expression like having saved pocket money, at a store eyeing dazzling goods, debating impulse buy.
Xuan Chong finally gritted teeth and spat three words: “No exchange.” Silently thought in heart, I am Leopard Head, zero spending.
