The wind and the rain fused all the scenery between the heaven and the earth into one entity. From the woods southwest of Little Longquan looking in the direction of the seaport, everything appeared hazy. Although the thunder and lightning have stopped, which somewhat reducing the heaven and earth’s prestige, but the grass and the trees, still straining to stand still in the wind, made people feel the violent side of nature.
Pulling Xu Ziling aside, Yin Xianhe spoke indifferently, “I want to ask Xu Xiong a favor.”
Inwardly Xu Ziling was greatly astonished; what could possibly make this haughty, had-no-regard-for-the-others to open his mouth to request help? He hurriedly replied, “Yin Xiong, just tell me, Xiaodi will definitely exhaust my strength to carry it through.”
Yin Xianhe was silent for half a day. Finally, he spoke with wooden expression, “I want you guys to let Zong Xianghua off.”
Xu Ziling was stunned, but he responded without the slightest bit of hesitation, “Leave this matter to me, I can guarantee that she would not receive any harm.”
This moment, on the other side, Kou Zhong and the others leaped from the treetop back onto the ground. After sharing what they learned from observing the enemy, Kou Zhong called out loudly, “Two Dage, why haven’t you come here to discuss battle strategy to overcome the entire Bohai? His Niang! I wonder if Yin Xiong speaks Tujue? Because Gunatai brothers don’t speak Han language.”
Ba Fenghan replied on behalf of Yin Xianhe, he said with a laugh, “Shaoshuai, don’t worry, any Han who mingle in the Shanhai Pass region would more or less understand a few Tujue words, to say nothing of Yin Xiong is able to move unhindered inside and outside the border; how could he not be proficient in our language?”
Kou Zhong muttered, “It’s not that I don’t know, but in one year, Yin Xiong only speaks a few words, I am afraid he is the only exception.”
Yin Xianhe’s face showed a weird expression; obviously he was not accustomed to be teased. He did not respond, only to Xu Ziling he spoke in low voice, “Xu Xiong is indeed my friend.”
Xu Ziling’s heart grew warm, knowing that for someone cold and detached like Yin Xianhe, because Xu Ziling did not ask the reason, but readily accepted responsibility on Zong Xianghua’s affair, he was quite grateful.
In a ruthless and callous war, to harm the opposite side’s high-ranking military officer in command was easier said than done, yet Xu Ziling agreed without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Xu Ziling patted Yin Xianhe’s shoulder, and then he walked over to Kou Zhong, Ba Fenghan, Gunatai brothers, Yuekepeng and Kezhuan. Coming to Kou Zhong’s side, he whispered in Tujue language, “Don’t make a fuss about nothing, Yin Xiongdi has ordered us not to harm even half a strand of Zong Yudaizhang’s [imperial chief?] hair.”
Except for Kou Zhong, everybody revealed an astonished look. There was a saying that to capture the thief, one must capture the king first. If they did not target the enemy’s commander-in-chief, how were they going to achieve a comprehensive victory in this battle?
Fortunately, Xu Ziling already said ‘Don’t make a fuss about nothing,’ otherwise everybody would voice their disagreement in chorus.
Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “Yin Xiong’s order, naturally Xiaodi does not dare to disobey. Although Bai Ziting is not righteous, we are not heartless at all. If the Mohe tribe is struck and collapsing, there is absolutely no benefit to Shiwei and Jushi.”
Yin Xianhe stood alone far away from everybody else. Amidst the windswept and battered by rain weather, he cast his gaze in the direction of the seaport.
Bielegunatai raised his hand to wipe the rain on his face. He nodded and said, “Shaoshuai speak out the contradiction in our, two brothers’ heart.”
Frowning, Yuekepeng said, “We don’t even have any idea where Zong Xianghua’s location is, how could we avoid the important and dwell on the trivial by not confronting her directly?”
Ba Fenghan smiled and said, “How could we not confront her directly? If we try to capture her alive, and then we hand her over to Yin Xiong to be dealt with, wouldn’t it be the same as fulfilling Yin Xiong’s wish?”
Evidently Kou Zhong has already fully restored his usual fighting spirit and confidence. His pair of eyes flashing, he looked at the big stone fort located between them and the docks, the emblem of Little Longquan’s safety and control and power; he said, “I originally thought to take advantage of the moment while the enemies are blind and deaf because of the heavy rain to launch surprise attack and strike swiftly, capturing the Little Longquan in one move, so that even if Bai Ziting’s military strength is a hundred times our strength, this moment where the Wolf Army is pressing down on their territory, he would be helpless to deal with us, and would not dare to attack us. At that time, if we want Bai Ziting to kneel on the ground and call us Daye [big master], he could only obediently do our bidding. But now naturally we must change our strategy. Ha! I got it!”
Bugunatai cheerfully said, “With Shaoshuai here, there is no problem that cannot be solved.”
Bielegunatai smiled and said, “Since we cannot capture the thief by capturing the king first, perhaps we should control the enemies by capturing their ships first?”
Everybody immediately agreed.
Kou Zhong laughed and said, “Biele LaoGe indeed knows my heart. The enemy force is around a thousand, a thousand five hundred, we are only half of the enemy’s strength. Although with troops appearing suddenly and surprise attack we could grasp it and victory is assured, it would be difficult for us to avoid injuries and deaths. Zong Xianghua is the high-ranking military officer that Bai Ziting put in an important position, she should have some real skill. On top of that, there are Ma Ji and the martial art masters from the Gaoli side. If we could only achieve victory tragically, we would not be able to withstand Bai Ziting’s counterattack, in the end the spoils of war could only be presented back with both hands. Therefore, we must avoid the important and dwell on the trivial by letting Zong Xianghua sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat, we only capture Ma Ji, that muddled-egg to dispose of the matter.”
Xu Ziling spoke indifferently, “Don’t forget that those three big ships came from Gaoli; they could be Gesuwen’s ship, or could be Gaoli King’s men’s.”
Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong said, “That is another problem that gives us headache; we must not kill Xiao Shiyi’s [young martial aunt] men, otherwise Fu Dashi will never forgive us.”
Hearing that, Bielegunatai and the others were at a loss. After Xu Ziling explained it to them briefly, Kou Zhong said, “If we could control Gaoli’s and Ma Ji’s several big ships, also attack and occupy the stone fort, Zong Xianghua’s army could only retreat, there is no other way.”
Xu Ziling said, “Leave the docks to Fenghan Xiong, Yin Xiong, and me. If we have about a hundred brothers who are proficient in water skill, we could catch them off guard, the enemy will definitely be taken in. On the stone fort, you must be careful. If the enemy detects our presence first, we would have to pack our food and leave before we finish eating.”
Yuekepeng smiled and said, “On that, Xiaodi can make some contributions. How about more than a dozen sets of Mohe army uniforms? This is our prop to assassinate Funantuo.”
Kou Zhong was pleased beyond his expectations; he said, “Heavy rain plus disguise, how could the enemy not fall into the trap? This matter should not be delayed, when the heavy rain stops, it will be our turn to suffer hardship.”
The moment everybody, each man was making preparation, Kou Zhong pulled Xu Ziling and took him toward Yin Xianhe. When they reached his side, Kou Zhong explained the plan of attack to Yin Xianhe, saying, “I wonder if Die Gongzi agrees with this arrangement. If Die Gongzi shook your head, Xiaodi will think of something else.”
His gaze fixed on the stone fort in the wind and the rain, Yin Xianhe spoke heavily, “What if Zong Xianghua is inside the stone fort, taking shelter from the rain?”
Kou Zhong unhurriedly replied, “Xiaodi will personally capture her, and then I’ll hand her over to Yin Xiong to be dealt with.”
Heaving a sigh, Yin Xianhe said, “That is a way within no way. I always thought Shaoshuai is that kind of person, who disregard everything in striving for the world, but now I know that my assessment is wrong!”
Kou Zhong wanted to seize this opportunity to ask about his relationship with Zong Xianghua, but in the end he restrained himself, and left to deal with other things.
Xu Ziling spoke in low voice, “Let’s go find Old Ba first to discuss appropriate attack strategy. As long as we can catch Ma Ji, we could uncover the mystery of the wolf-bandits and the Anle tragedy.”
Xu Ziling, Ba Fenghan, Bugunatai, and more than eighty Shiwei warriors proficient in water skill hid at the other side of the harbor. They only had to swim across about half a li distance to reach Ma Ji’s and the Gaoli people’s four big ships.
The wind and the rain were still going strong, in the Little Longquan’s seaport, the waves were high, the sea was raging. Moored at the piers, over twenty big ships and the other nearly fifty mid- and small-size boats were tossed around by the waves like toys without the power to move independently.
No one was in sight at the piers, everybody was hiding inside any shelter with roof over it. Although there were guards in the coastal watchtower, but all were hiding in the lower levels to take shelter from the rain.
Yin Xianhe, in Tujue language, spoke in low voice, “I am sure Ma Ji is not on board.”
Xu Ziling, Ba Fenghan, and the others nodded in agreement. On land, Ma Ji was accustomed to live in luxury, although sometimes he might travel by boat, but it was limited to the calm river and lake. Something like the angry waves and the ocean surging up violently before their eyes, he absolutely could not stand it; therefore, he must have hid somewhere on shore.
Ba Fenghan said, “Those who can get off the ship must have left to take shelter from the wind and the waves, therefore, after we climb on board, we should not encounter too much of a resistance. In this way, we might as well be a bit stringent to our own requirements. While the enemy are unaware, we seize control of these four ships first, and then go ashore to look for Ma Ji to give him bad luck.”
“That shouldn’t be any problem,” Bugunatai cheerfully said, “My brothers and I are best at sudden attack. Furthermore, everybody is only thinking about hiding inside the cabin to avoid the rain; as long as we seal all exits from the ship, using the ten-thousand-jun-thunderbolt-momentum, we subdue everybody remaining on the ship in one move. Even if someone shout in time, it will be hard for his voice to alarm the people on shore.”
Ba Fenghan said, “The wind is blowing from the direction of the sea. Because these four ships carry heavy load, they are extremely deep into the water. If we unfold the sail and steer the ships away from the pier, we risk being turned over by the wind and the waves. Therefore, we only have to seize control over the spoils of war, in concert with the action on the other side. If we could defend the four ships firmly, we could make the enemy lose their mind, then the opposite side will be under our control.”
“Remember not to harm anybody as much as possible,” Xu Ziling reminded them.
Bugunatai laughed and said, “Xu Xiong, don’t worry, my brothers have prepared horse rope; they are equally expert in catching people or catching horses, it is very suitable. Go!”
Everybody entered the water and rapidly dove toward the target.
Kou Zhong, Yuekepeng, Kezhuan, Bielegunatai, and more than thirty Shiwei Clan and Jushi elite warriors, wearing Mohe soldier attire, reined their horses waiting patiently in the forest, calculating the time.
Bielegunatai said, “The stone fort’s main defensive force is on the eight arrow towers on the upper level. As long as we could press our way nearby, we could pounce up the stairs and then from the staircase we attack into the fort, with all our strength we control the only entrance and exit of the stone fort. At that time the stone fort will be in our hands.”
Kezhuan said, “Shaoshuai, be careful, I hear Zong Xianghua’s swordsmanship is brilliant, you must not underestimate the enemy.”
Bielegunatai laughed and said, “If you have seen Shaoshuai beheading Shen Mohuan within six saber strikes, you would not have been this worried.”
Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “Underestimating the enemy is a big taboo in the art of war; not only me, but everybody must be careful. It’s almost time! Brothers! Proceed according to plan.”
Everybody flew onto the horseback at the same time. Like a gust of wind they rolled out of the forest, entering the howling wind and torrential rain outside the forest at full speed. Behind, the more than four hundred Shiwei and Jushi warriors, divided into two groups, also pushed forward to occupy favorable attack position, ready to provide assistance to the raid.
Kou Zhong galloped at the head of the line, the Thousand-Li Dream’s strong legs were like flying, carrying him toward the stone fort.
How could he accomplish his commitment to Shang Xiufang, to put an end to this conflict, which could raze Longquan to the ground and burn all living thing to charcoal? He no longer had the slightest bit of confidence, he could only take it one step at a time, to raise the bargaining chip in his hand as much as possible, to make Bai Ziting sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat. Relying on his influence on Tuli, he wanted to reach mutually acceptable peace talk.
Ay! What kind of difficult-above-difficult matter was this?
Song Shidao and Shuwen and so on were still in Bai Ziting’s hands; on top of that, there were still the gratitude and grudges entanglement with his young martial aunt, as well as the shady relationship between Bai Ziting and Da Ming Zun Jiao, while Huyan Jin, Du Xing, and the others were on the sidelines, and Gesuwen was probably lying down in ambush somewhere, and Funantuo’s influence, and so on, which would complicate the matter in a hurry, which were even more difficult to solve. And tomorrow morning was precisely the deadline that the Tujue demanded of Bai Ziting to present the treasure. He only had half a day plus one night of time.
His promise to Shang Xiufang was really not a decision made on a whim; rather, he knew that it was Xu Ziling’s wish. Therefore, no matter how difficult, he simply must try to achieve it.
The sound of hoof beats alarmed the soldiers guarding the stone fort. They only saw the guards on two of the arrow towers appearing and looking in their direction.
Yuekepeng sped up to pass Kou Zhong. Using Han language, with a little bit of Mohe Longquan local accent, which he imitated just enough to sound authentic, he shouted loudly, “Tujue Wolf Army’s coming! Da Wang’s order! Prepare for battle immediately!”
The bell tower, which was located right in the middle of the upper level of the stone fort, immediately sounded the alarm.
When the bell sounded, Xu Ziling’s side had just put the four target big ships under control. Due to the unexpected alarm, they did not dare to move lightly to look for Ma Ji to settle the account; they could only stay on board to quietly watch for any changes.
Amidst the howling wind and torrential rain, which made everything mixed together and blurry, even with Xu Ziling’s, Ba Fenghan’s and the others’ eyesight, they still could not see clearly the situation at the stone fort nearly half a li away. They could only guess that the enemy’s warning bell would make the operation on Kou Zhong’s side not proceeding smoothly [orig. with tail wind, flowing with the current].
The army camp, located north of the docks, was like a beehive as the soldiers sprang into action, men and horses rushed about to line up in formation, rapid, quick, without confusion, a clear sign that Mohe army was indeed the elite brigade of the northeast prairie.
By the time the bell rang for the tenth time, the bugle horn sounded, the first squad of one hundred cavalrymen galloped out of the camp, heading in the direction of the stone fort. Watching this, everybody knitted their brows.
Bugunatai made prompt decision; he leaped down and shouted loudly, “Bugunatai of Mengwu Shiwei is here, little thieves of Mohe, quickly come out to receive your death.”
On the ships, his men shouted together, their voices spreading throughout the seaport area, momentarily even the sound of the wind and the rain could not cover it.
On the camp side, as the Mohe soldiers heard it, they were thrown into confusion. Only this moment did the imperial bodyguards on duty on the watchtower realized that the four ships have fallen into the enemy’s hands. Hastily they also sounded the warning bells on the watchtower.
‘Dang! Dang! Dang!’
The sound of the bells rose and fell in succession, the sound traveled far to Little Longquan on the opposite side, sending it into the nightmare of enemies in front and behind them.
The guards from the army camp dispatched only a small team to provide assistance to the stone fort, while the rest galloped entirely toward the piers on this side. Obviously the commanding generals, after weighing the severity of the matter, still considered recapturing the four ships to be their top priority.
The divine light in Bugunatai’s pair of eyes flashing, he thundered, “Brothers! Prepare to meet the enemy head-on!”
The numerous Shiwei warriors pulled their bowstrings with arrows at the ready, they all shouted in response.
Ba Fenghan took out the Shooting the Moon Bow, he roared in laughter and said, “Coming one, we kill one, coming two, we kill a pair!”
‘Whoosh!’
The powerful arrow from the Shooting the Moon Bow swiftly flew across the more than a thousand paces distance, and hit the closest guard on one of the watchtowers, piercing his chest. The guard screamed and fell down the watchtower.
Immediately the Shiwei archers’ morale was greatly aroused; they cheered in unison.
Arrows and darts penetrated the wind and the rain, each one was aimed at the charging enemy, as if it was another gust of unruly wind and rain in the storm.
Xu Ziling paid close attention to Yin Xianhe. He saw him, with wooden expression, running his eyes over the pier area, watching at the people rushing in and out of the shipyard and warehouses in a flurry to check on the situation; knowing that he was looking for Zong Xianghua’s beautiful figure, he sighed inwardly.
In this fiery moment where bloody battle was about to start, his mind flew far away into the Central Earth, into a small valley, the place that he had never set foot on, hence he could only imagine. The ship he was on was bobbing up and down on the ocean, which connected him with the Great River of the Central Earth. If he wanted to, he could set sail and steer the boat south along the coastal area, straight toward the secluded forest in the small valley, where Shi Qingxuan lived in seclusion, shunning the world.
Since leaving Chengdu, he had been downhearted; he strived hard to suppress his love to Shi Qingxuan. He did not want to think about her, he did not dare to think about her. But in Longquan, his spirit suffered the longing toward Shi Feixuan, like a flood bursting through the dike. Not only it ignited his fiery love toward Shi Feixuan, it also stirred up his longing and affection toward Shi Qingxuan.
When Shi Feixuan was still here, his heart and spirit were entirely focused on her, the memory of Shi Qingxuan was only like floating cloud over the sky. Shi Feixuan finally left him, while also exhorted him three, four times to look after Shi Qingxuan, so that his heart, which has become like cold ashes toward Shi Qingxuan, has once again ablaze. Not to mention there was also the Tianzhu Xiao, wrapped tightly in oilcloth, which Shang Xiufang entrusted to him to be presented to her.
Loss is the same as gain. Would he be the person who never strive and fight for his own happiness?
‘Whoosh!’
A powerful arrow flitted across on the top of his head. Xu Ziling came to his senses, only to see the pier was completely covered by Mohe warriors rushing up the ship to attack violently; despite the fact that they were suffering a crushing defeat under the Shiwei warriors’ net of arrows, they were still dashing on bravely with no thought of personal safety, charging over, one fell, the next followed.
The bloody cruel war dragged him back from the depth of the tender, full-of-ecstasy world because of Shi Qingxuan.
Bai Ziting was right, the heavy rain was indeed advantageous for defense but not for offense. Even if the opposite side had many times the number of men and horses, it was difficult to carryout an all-out attack.
Xu Ziling shouted loudly, his pair of fists shot out together, striking two Mohe warriors, who had just pounced on the ship, sending them down the seawater.
“Ma Ji is over there!” Yin Xianhe shouted loudly.
Xu Ziling raised his leg to kick another enemy into the air; casting a glance, he saw Ma Ji and more than thirty of his men galloped out of the army camp, heading north. They must have seen that the situation was not good, hence they wanted to escape to the wilderness.
Ba Fenghan shouted, “Ziling and Yin Xiong go after Ma Ji, leave the situation here to me and Bugunatai.”
Xu Ziling and Yin Xianhe pounced onto the pier, throwing the enemy’s troops disposition in great chaos, believing that these two went down the ship to strike back. After knocking down more than a dozen enemies like cutting melon and slicing vegetables, the two flipped over to seize two warhorses and pursued in the direction where Ma Ji had fled.
In the wind and the rain filling the whole sky, the sudden and violent attack on Little Longquan was in full swing.
One after another the other large and small vessels moored on the shore left the dock in order to avoid bringing disaster to the fish in the moat. The porters, who had been transporting the goods on and off the ships, could only hate their Die and Niang for giving birth to them with only one pair of legs; those who could get on the boat got on the boat, those who did not have time to get on the boat had no choice but to flee into the woods nearby.
The bugle horn sounded again, the sound of battle cry and the wind and the rain mixed together.