Chapter 4: Wuling (IV)

Beneath the lush starry sky stretched vast fields of fertile land. A gentle breeze swept over the grass, the gray stones, the soil, and the tips of hair, bringing a cool sensation. The wilderness at night was utterly silent, a mysterious land where pilgrims knelt in reverence. Meanwhile, the military camp, ablaze with flames, resembled a dark gray taboo beneath the Bodhi tree, disturbing people’s minds to the point where they longed to rush forward and reduce it to ashes.

Five hundred paces away from the camp, hidden in a dense forest, lay five thousand soldiers.

“Commander, this is that military camp. Our men have already gathered information about its defenses. There are several sentries in each corner tower to the north, and piles of firewood are stacked at the gate. It seems impossible to charge straight through on horseback. Further inside are the rebel camps where they rest. That general is a half-baked commander; his camp layout is chaotic—perfect targets! All we need to do is add a spark to set the entire camp ablaze.”

Xian Yu Cheng pointed at the camp across and explained in detail. In his view, capturing this camp didn’t require the commander’s intervention at all. He could lead five hundred cavalry straight in and destroy the rebels’ supply base. The thought that the rebels would retreat from outside Ningling City due to a lack of supplies after that night filled Xian Yu Cheng with joy.

“How many sentries are there in the camp?”

Li Kuo, however, showed no joy. Frowning, he asked in a low voice, staring at the corner towers not far away.

Xian Yu Cheng was clearly puzzled by Li Kuo’s attitude. After a brief pause, he replied, “Commander, there are only about a thousand people in total in this camp. There are probably less than two hundred on patrol at night, and they’re divided into groups of fifty, patrolling in four directions.”

Li Kuo nodded. “In that case, order the entire army to stand by and launch an attack at midnight!”……

Midnight was the time when people were most sleepy. Even the most resolute soldiers would struggle to resist the pull of sleep. Moreover, these rebels were nothing but street ruffians—how could they be resilient?

Apart from the few soldiers stationed in the corner towers, all the other warriors were fast asleep.

Xian Yu Cheng led three hundred archers, moving silently on hands and knees. They stopped when they were fifty paces from the gate.

The sentinel in the corner tower, perhaps sensing some movement, rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched his neck to look down. Scanning the darkness, he saw nothing but emptiness. Muttering under his breath, he pulled out a wine gourd from his waist and drank deeply.

“Damn it, when will this miserable time ever end? It’s all fighting and killing every day. Is Old An really that capable? Why hasn’t he taken Ningling yet?”
The sentinel gulped down the liquor and sighed, “Damn it! Why bother with so many worries? As long as I have liquor to drink, meat to eat, and women to fuck, isn’t that enough?”
Just as he was about to turn and go downstairs for his shift, a loud noise suddenly came from above, followed by darkness as he collapsed.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Several arrows shot through the air, knocking down the sentinels on the watchtower. They didn’t even have time to shout for help before dying tragically and heading to the Bridge of Sorrow.
“Charge!”
Xian Yu Cheng waved his hand sharply and shouted loudly.
The archers quickly drew their bows and drew their swords, rushing toward the gate of the fortress.
“Clang! Clang!”
They slashed at the wooden plugs, and in moments, the gate was torn down. Immediately afterward, Xian Yu Cheng led his men inside, swiftly moving aside the crooked piles of deer sticks and wooden fences in their path.
“Shh!”
Xian Yu Cheng placed two fingers on his lips and whistled, and instantly, thousands of cavalry rushed out of the darkness, heading toward the gate.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
The sentinels still asleep on their mats finally woke up, grabbing the nearest knives and stepping forward to defend.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
More and more rebel soldiers woke up from their sleep, rushing out of their tents while pulling up their pants, shouting in panic. As part of the logistics force, they had never experienced actual combat against the enemy, so it was no wonder they were in chaos under such sudden circumstances.
But Li Kuo, who led the thousand cavalry, felt no pity at all. Even though they had faces similar to his own, they were traitors to the Tang Dynasty the moment they joined the rebels.
“Charge! Burn all the provisions!”
Li Kuo drew his black sword and rode at the forefront, like an arrow piercing straight into the heart of the rebels.
“Charge! Keep up with the commander! Follow the commander!”
His bodyguards shouted and followed closely behind. They were all veterans of the Copper Army Camp and knew their commander’s habits well. His specialty was to break through the enemy’s formation and seize their leaders, thereby paralyzing the enemy completely. At this moment, their task was to closely follow the commander and eliminate any threats in his path.
“Charge! Trample them!”
Dou Qing wielded a silver spear, stabbing left and right, killing several enemy soldiers in an instant. The silver tip was covered in blood, turning dark.

“For the Great Tang!”
Li Kuo swung his sword with all his strength, severing a rebel’s head, and shouted loudly, “For the Great Tang! Take back what belongs to us! Defend our homeland!”
By this time, Zheng Hanlin had already rushed out of the central tent. After asking a few of his trusted subordinates, he realized that the sounds of horse hooves and fighting came from the front camp, and the glowing flames made it clear—this was no dream!
Since it wasn’t a dream, they had to find a way to deal with it. Zheng Hanlin drew the brilliantly shining sword at his waist and shouted, “Don’t panic! Gather around me!”
“Everyone, don’t panic! Gather around the general! Everyone, don’t panic! Gather around the general!”
His personal guards repeated Li Hanlin’s words loudly, and soon many panicked soldiers gathered under Li Hanlin’s command.
“Stop them! Stop them from charging over!”
Watching the flames get closer and closer, Zheng Hanlin felt an inexplicable sense of dread and instinctively stepped back a few steps, giving orders to the soldiers beside him.
Those soldiers thought following their general would keep them safe, but instead, they were pushed forward as shields. But what could they do? He was the general—his orders, whether reasonable or not, had to be obeyed!
Retreating meant death; charging forward might still offer a chance of survival!
Dozens of rebels armed with long black spears rushed forward under Zheng Hanlin’s command, facing the flames, facing death…
“Throw the torches!”
Turning sideways, Li Kuo threw a torch onto the pile of grain, shouting loudly.
The enemy camp was already ablaze. All he had to do was add more tung oil and kindle more flames to ensure the fire wouldn’t stop!
“Throw the torches! Throw them!”
Dou Qing, Li Sheng, and others joined in with fierce shouts, throwing their torches forcefully.