Chapter 568: Outwitting Nan Zheng (Part 1)

Although the city walls of Baocheng County were sturdy, their layered structure made them resemble a domino chain. Once one section collapsed, it triggered severe cascading failures, causing what seemed impenetrable walls to crumble in an instant. The Anxi army surged into Baocheng County like a tide, with hundreds of warhorses charging at full speed, sweeping through the darkness like a storm, and reaching the breach first.

At that moment, the defenders of Baocheng County were still immersed in extreme panic and confusion. The shock caused by the thunderous attacks was akin to the collapse of heaven and earth. The Anxi cavalry rushed into the city first, their horses galloping wildly as they slashed and killed. Heads were severed, chests pierced. Against the ferocious Anxi army, any resistance was futile. The defenders were terrified beyond measure, kneeling down and surrendering one after another. Those who resisted were killed on the spot. The cavalry continued their rapid advance straight to the south gate of Baocheng County. By then, the defenders hadn’t even had time to open the gates and flee before the Anxi cavalry arrived in a flash, taking control of the south gate.

In one corner of the city wall, General Yang Wei trembled with fear. All traces of his prudence had vanished, replaced only by timidity and weakness. The Anxi army’s deadly siege weapons had paralyzed him completely; he didn’t even have the courage to shout for surrender. He tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse. All he could do was shake violently.

“Surrender! We surrender!”
His personal guards, aware of Yang Wei’s fear, began shouting. Their cries became the final domino to fall. The city gates opened, and the drawbridge was lowered. Groups of defenders, armed with spears and crossbows, rushed out. In moments, nearly two thousand of them gathered, kneeling on the ground and begging the Anxi army for mercy. Fear filled every heart; many were shaking so badly they could barely stay kneeling, collapsing completely on the ground.

Li Siyeh rode forward, squinting at these surrenderers. At that moment, he suddenly lost interest in Baogu City and respect for the Hanzhong army. An army that lacked even the courage to resist was not worthy of facing the Anxi army. He waved his hand, leaving the task of dealing with the prisoners to his subordinates, and led his troops through Baocheng County, continuing southward toward Nan Zheng.

Although the Anxi Army blocked news of Baocheng’s fall, Li Huan in Nanzheng learned of its capture almost immediately, which filled him with panic. He couldn’t know the details of how Baocheng was taken, but he knew it was a strongly fortified city. The fact that such solid walls could be conquered overnight filled him with inexplicable unease. His only comfort was the military disparity—he had 30,000 troops and a strong city to rely on, while the enemy had only 40,000. As long as he held the city firmly, using normal attack tactics, the Anxi Army would never be able to take Nanzheng within half a year; they might even be forced to retreat to Guanzhong. This was the plan Li Huan had been counting on. But the Anxi Army’s overnight capture of Baocheng shattered his illusions, making him realize that Nanzheng might not be as secure after all.

Standing on the city wall, Li Huan gazed anxiously northward. Baocheng was about sixty li away from Nanzheng. Yet yesterday at the fourth watch, some of his soldiers heard noises coming from Baocheng’s direction, resembling thunder. But the sky here had been clear and cloudless last night, and so should have been in Baocheng—so where did the thunder come from? Was it really thunder, or something else?

Li Huan dared not think further. He had long heard that the Anxi Army possessed a highly powerful weapon called “heavenly thunder,” whose explosion sounded like thunder and could be heard a hundred li away. Could it be that the Anxi Army used this weapon last night?

Filled with worry, Li Huan was even more concerned about the 10,000 troops stationed in Xingdao and Gucheng counties. Whether they could withdraw safely depended on his judgment. He had assumed the Anxi Army would take the Han River route and thus deployed heavy forces in those two counties. Unexpectedly, the Anxi Army took the Luobao trail, rendering his plans useless.

Now, with 10,000 troops deployed outside, his forces were severely scattered. If he recalled them, he feared there wouldn’t be enough time. If he left them outside, he worried that his 20,000 troops wouldn’t be able to withstand the Anxi Army’s fierce attacks. Li Huan felt trapped, unable to move forward or backward, filled with anxiety yet powerless to do anything.

Two hours after Baocheng County was attacked, Li Huan received the latest intelligence: the main force of the Anxi Army had appeared about twenty li northwest of Nanzheng City, setting up a large camp with extremely strict defenses. His scouts could not approach to gather information. Judging from the scale of the camp, there were no fewer than 50,000 soldiers. Li Huan could also roughly figure out Anxi’s strategy—they had set out from Chang’an and arrived in Nanzheng in just three days and nights, during which time they had also captured Baocheng County. Such speed and physical exertion would be beyond even the strength of immortals. Thus, Li Huan had deduced seven-tenths of the Anxi Army’s intentions: they were likely resting in camp to regain strength for another attack on Nanzheng. But how long would they need to stay? One day or two? This was extremely important to Li Huan, as it determined whether his 10,000 troops could return safely.

Although the Anxi Army had set up its main camp north of Nanzheng, there was still a cavalry force of 13,000 men under the command of General Zhao Chongjie, who headed straight from Baocheng County toward the southeast of Nanzheng. They moved swiftly and discreetly, evading the patrols of Nanzheng’s scouts, climbed a ridge, and rushed east along a rough, uneven riverbank path.

……

In addition to their own scout teams, the Anxi Army also had a falconry unit, which functioned as scouts as well. Their main role was counter-reconnaissance—eliminating the enemy’s scouts to keep their own movements hidden. However, the Anxi Army had only three such units: one under Li Qing’an, one in Li Guangbi’s Longyou Army, and the other in Li Siyue’s Hezhong Army. This time, as Li Siyue’s large army was dispatched to the Central Plains, his falconry unit followed as well, numbering about 500 men. Their official designation was the Second Scout Battalion of the Hezhong Army.

Today, to carry out Li Siyue’s strategy and ensure that the Anxi Army’s movements remained secret—otherwise, his plan would fail—this falconry unit would play a crucial role.

Next to a dense forest, a small squad of Hanzhong Army scouts arrived on horseback. There were about twenty of them. They had originally been on patrol south of Baocheng County but were temporarily reassigned to the Han River route the previous night. Their task was to investigate whether there were any Anxi Army ambushes along the Han River route.

After traveling all the way, they found no signs of the Anxi Army. Following the rule of reporting every fifty li, they had already sent a message via carrier pigeon to Nanzheng City, reporting that everything was safe. Now, they would continue patrolling eastward, eventually reaching Gucheng County.

This scouting party was highly experienced. As they approached the dense forest, they would pay attention to changes in the flocks of birds there, and while on the road, they would observe whether there were dense hoofprints. From those hoofprints, they could even determine whether the warhorses were those from Jiannan or the tall horses from the Western Regions.

Next to the trees flowed a small river. In late autumn, the water level was low, exposing much of the riverbed, which formed a natural path for marching. Despite their caution, this scouting party could not match the more experienced scout falconers of the Anxi army. Gradually, they fell into the intricate trap set by the falconers.

In the dense forest, five hundred falconer scouts had been waiting for a long time. Hidden among the trees, they seemed to blend in with the forest itself. They remained motionless, even unnoticed by the birds, but their specially crafted poisoned crossbows had already locked onto the twenty scout soldiers and their warhorses from all directions.

When the Hanzhong army’s scouting party approached the forest, they turned and headed east along the riverbed. At that moment, a shrill owl cry was heard—the signal to attack. Birds took to the sky in panic, and five hundred poisoned crossbows fired like lightning, resembling swarms of wild bees returning to their nests. The twenty scouts and their warhorses let out agonized screams before falling dead, none surviving.

A short while later, the falconers buried the bodies and erased all traces. Instead of staying on the riverbed, they crossed the shallow water and headed east. The current stirred up muddy waves, but it soon cleared again, leaving no trace behind.

…

An hour later, Zhao Chongjie’s army arrived thirty li east of Nanzheng, the very place where the falconers had annihilated Nanzheng’s scouting party. He then received intelligence from the falconers: an army of about five thousand from Hanzhong was ten li away, likely the defending forces of Gucheng County. But Zhao Chongjie was more concerned about whether his own whereabouts had been exposed. He asked, “Have the falconers encountered any enemy scouts?”

The messenger scout bowed and reported, “The falconers have destroyed two of the enemy’s scouting parties—one was a forward outpost of Gucheng County’s defenders, and the other was a scouting party sent by Nanzheng. Both enemy scouting parties have been wiped out; not a single one escaped.”

“Well done!”

Zhao Chongjie praised them and added, “Have the falconers intensify their search. Above all, we must prevent Nanzheng’s scouts from discovering our whereabouts.”

“As ordered!”

The scout bowed and turned his horse away. At that moment, Zhao Chongjie gazed at the distant river valley. Close combat was imminent, and it was time for him to take action.

“Pass on my orders! The light cavalry shall advance at full speed, while the heavy armored troops can fall behind.”
……
Xingdao County and Gucheng County are both located to the east of Nanzheng, connected by the Han River. Gucheng County is about a hundred li away from Nanzheng, while Xingdao County is about 150 li away. Since the Anxi Army did not take the route along the Han River, the 10,000 troops of the Hanzhong Army stationed in Xingdao County and Gucheng County had to withdraw to Nanzheng immediately. Li Huan issued the order to withdraw last night, sending it to the two counties via messenger pigeons. The troops in both counties set out almost simultaneously, but due to the 50-li distance between them, the defenders of Xingdao County were delayed, allowing those from Gucheng County to reach the territory of Nanzheng first.
Five thousand soldiers marched in formation on the north bank of the Han River. The Hanzhong Army was far inferior to the Anxi Army—they had very few horses, with only a few hundred warhorses among the five thousand soldiers, most of whom were infantry. The 80-li journey meant the five thousand soldiers would have to walk for almost a whole day.
At noon, the five thousand Hanzhong soldiers returning from Gucheng County had arrived in a valley about 40 li east of Nanzheng. By this point, the troops were utterly exhausted. There was a small river in the valley with crystal-clear water. Upon seeing it, without waiting for orders from their officers, the soldiers rushed forward, squatting by the river to wash their faces and drink water. Seeing that they couldn’t stop them, the officers simply allowed them to rest for an hour. More soldiers rushed to the riverbank, and the noise filled the entire valley. But just then, many soldiers stood up in surprise—they felt the ground shaking and the river water trembling, as if there had been a minor earthquake. The soldiers looked at each other, unsure of what was happening. Suddenly, one soldier pointed in terror at the distance and shouted, “Look! What’s that?”
All the soldiers stood straight up, their eyes filled with fear. Three li away, a vast army of black cavalry appeared—warhorses galloping fast, swords and spears like a forest, like a black tidal wave. Their murderous intent was like an impact wave sweeping toward the five thousand Hanzhong soldiers by the river.
The Hanzhong Army was stunned. Suddenly, they realized what was happening and turned to flee. The five thousand soldiers fled in disarray, cursing the scouts who had led them astray and blaming their parents for giving them only two legs. They rushed eastward in panic. The riverbank was filled with fleeing soldiers, who abandoned their helmets, armor, weapons, belongings, and anything they could throw away. Everyone had one thought: escape! Escape from the Anxi Army’s massacre…

But how could they outrun the Anxi cavalry? In an instant, the retreating Hanzhong army was caught up by them. The cavalry swept through the defeated troops like a storm, forcing some to kneel and surrender while others were slain. One soldier thrust his spear at an Anxi cavalryman, but the cavalryman deflected the spear with his own blade and split the soldier’s head in two. The Hanzhong commander screamed in desperation, “Don’t flee! Form up for battle! Form up!” Before he could finish speaking, a wolf-toothed arrow whizzed past and struck him in the face. The commander let out a agonized cry, fell off his horse, and was beheaded by an approaching Anxi cavalryman, whose head was then raised high. A hundred paces away, Zhao Chongjie, the Anxi army’s general, calmly put down his bow and sword. Drawing his blade, he shouted, “Brothers, cut off their escape route! Let none get away!” The Anxi cavalry moved like wind and lightning; their horses trod through the water, splashing wildly. Another group of cavalry rushed down the mountain slope. The tall, heavily armored Anxi cavalrymen, armed with bows and swords, charged with fierce momentum and quickly overtook the fastest-running Hanzhong troops, blocking their escape. The Anxi cavalry surrounded the defeated Hanzhong army from both sides, with cries of battle filling the air. At this point, the only way to survive was to kneel and surrender immediately—any hesitation or attempt to flee would result in merciless slaughter by the Anxi cavalry. The riverbank was filled with surrendering soldiers, while many dead bodies rolled into the river, turning its clear waters red with blood. In less than an hour, the entire 5,000-strong Hanzhong army that had come from Gucheng County was annihilated. A lieutenant rushed over and bowed to Zhao Chongjie, reporting, “General, according to their roster, there were 5,340 men in total. 1,140 were killed, 4,200 were captured alive—none escaped!” “Good!” Zhao Chongjie turned to ask a soldier, “Has the heavy armor unit arrived?” “General, the 1,000 spear soldiers have arrived and are waiting five li away.” Zhao Chongjie nodded. At that moment, a bound Hanzhong army officer was brought forward. He was also a lieutenant, around thirty years old, tall and strong, with a thick beard. His name was Su Yu, a Han from Liangzhou whose mother was Qiang. He had joined the army in Chang’an ten years ago and was now the deputy commander of this 5,000-strong Hanzhong army. His commander had been killed by Zhao Chongjie’s arrow. He had fallen off his horse while trying to flee and was captured by the Anxi cavalry. Though captured, he still wore a furious expression and spat, “If you’ve got guts, fight me head-on! What kind of army is yours, relying on ambushes?” Zhao Chongjie sneered and gave a signal to the soldiers beside him. “Unbind him!”

Two soldiers used long knives to cut the ropes binding him. Zhao Chongjie asked again, “What kind of bow?”
“A four-stone bow!”
“Not bad, but far inferior to my family’s general.”
Zhao Chongjie turned around and ordered, “Give him a four-stone bow, three arrows, and a horse.”
A soldier handed Su Yu a bow and three arrows, along with a horse. He was at a loss and asked, “W-what do you want to do?”
“Don’t you say you’re not convinced? Then let’s have a contest. Let me tell you—I rank only 48th among the archers and horsemen of the Anxi Army. If you can’t even beat me, stop boasting.”
With that, Zhao Chongjie turned and galloped a hundred paces away. The surrounding soldiers dispersed, and thousands of cavalry formed a large circle. A hundred paces away, Zhao Chongjie shouted, “It starts when the drums stop. There’s no mercy in arrows—life and death are in the hands of fate!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…”
The intense drumming began. Su Yu took a deep breath, mounted his horse, adjusted his shooting angle, drew an arrow, nocked it, and his bow curved like a full moon as he narrowed his eyes to aim at Zhao Chongjie a hundred paces away.
At that moment, Zhao Chongjie also had an arrow on his string. His claim of ranking 48th was actually very modest; in reality, he was considered the fifth-best archer in the Anxi Army. Among the army, which valued archery and horsemanship highly, he was considered a master archer. He used a five-stone bow, had immense strength in his arms, and could hit three consecutive arrows at a hundred paces with perfect accuracy.
The drumming grew louder before suddenly stopping. The moment the drums ceased, Su Yu’s arrow was shot first. With great force, it flew straight at Zhao Chongjie’s throat. Zhao Chongjie swayed, disappeared from his horse, and hung sideways on the saddle. Three consecutive arrows were shot like lightning, one faster than the next. The first arrow reached Su Yu’s chest instantly, forcing him to dodge to the right. The second arrow hit his face as its tip whistled past. He saw a small black dot suddenly enlarge, with a glint of cold light—there was no time to dodge. He closed his eyes, ready to die. With a crack, the arrow struck his helmet, its tip grazing his scalp, causing searing pain. Before he could react, the third arrow hit his horse’s neck. The warhorse raised its front legs and neighed loudly, knocking Su Yu to the ground.
All three arrows were shot in an instant. Many people didn’t even see what happened, and Su Yu was already fallen, hit by arrows. At that moment, Zhao Chongjie rode over, dismounted, helped Su Yu up, and said with a smile, “It was just a child’s play. General Su, don’t take it to heart. If it were a weapon fight, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be your match.”

Su Yu was filled with shame; he admitted his defeat wholeheartedly. Such archery skills were unheard of even in the Hanzhong Army, let alone the Jiannan Army. Only Gao Xianzhi was said to be an excellent archer, but he was merely a mid-level officer, not to mention Li Qingan, who was reputed to be the best archer in the world.

Seeing Zhao Chongjie comforting him in this way, Su Yu was deeply moved. He stood up, knelt on one knee, and clasped his fists, saying, “Although I, Su Yu, am a rough man, I still know that birds choose good trees to perch on. I am willing to serve the Anxi Army. Please, General Zhao, take me in!”

Zhao Chongjie was overjoyed. This was exactly what he wanted—a deputy general who surrendered to the Anxi Army willingly. He immediately helped Su Yu up and said, “The Anxi Army always rewards based on military achievements and enforces strict military discipline. If General Su performs outstandingly, even if he isn’t part of the core forces, he can still be promoted. One day, his achievements will surely surpass mine.”

Su Yu nodded inwardly. He had long heard that the Anxi Army had strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments. Seeing the demeanor of a great general in just an ordinary mid-level officer today, he couldn’t help but feel deeply impressed. He wished he had gone straight to join the Anxi Army back then.

After securing the deputy commander of the Hanzhong Army, Zhao Chongjie immediately ordered, “Send orders to the first and second battalions to escort the prisoners back to the main camp. The rest of the soldiers should immediately organize their troops and get ready to set off!”