Chapter 91: The Tiger Descends the Mountain

In the Jin camp, confusion had set in completely. Whistles shrilled all around them, and in the pitch-black night, under the cold rain and sleet, they could not tell east from west or north from south. In their bewilderment, blades had already found their throats.

Flashes of lightning split the dark, and with each burst more bodies appeared on the ground: Jin soldiers strewn in disorder, some not yet dead, still letting out pained groans.

“The demons are here to kill!” someone cried out. That single shout terrified the already panicked Jin troops. Ghosts and spirits had always carried an air of mystery through history; under ordinary circumstances, people might not have believed in them, but when fear tightened its grip, the human mind was fragile indeed.

In an instant, the Jin camp descended into chaos. Men scattered and fled in all directions, and no command could restrain those now ruled entirely by fear.

The heavy rain continued for about an hour.

By daybreak the next morning, the entire Jin camp was littered with the corpses of braided-hair Jin soldiers. Wanyan Chang ordered a count, and for that one night alone, the casualties had reached more than five thousand.

Wanyan Chang was furious. The real battle had not even begun, and yet the Jin army had already suffered nearly twenty thousand losses. He had hoped to use this war to vindicate himself, but instead he had stumbled yet again.

“Pass down my order: assemble every unit and follow me in attacking Shunchang City!” he said, word by word, each syllable squeezed out from between his teeth. By then he was already burning with rage.

“General, our warhorses suffered widespread diarrhea last night, and the cavalry is temporarily unable to take part in the siege,” said Wang Shuo, the left vanguard.

Wanyan Chang now hated Liu Qi in Shunchang City to the bone, and that hatred had spilled over into his feelings toward all Han people. Hearing Wang Shuo’s report, he answered with a dark expression, “What, without horses, you can’t fight? All of you, attack the city.”

Wanting to curry favor with Wanyan Chang, Wang Shuo offered earnest advice at this moment. “Grand Commander, our army made a long forced march yesterday and both men and horses are exhausted. Then last night we were ambushed by the Song troops, and the soldiers did not get enough rest. It would be better to recover for another day and attack after everyone has regained their strength.”

There was nothing wrong with what he said; ordinarily, Wanyan Chang would certainly have taken the advice. But now he was in no mood to listen. He needed a victory too badly, needed it to prove himself.

At Wang Shuo’s words, Wanyan Chang could not help saying coldly, “Do you mean to say this commander cannot defeat that Liu Qi?”

Wang Shuo was startled and only then realized he had chosen the worst possible moment to speak. He hurriedly dropped to his knees. “Grand Commander, spare me! That was absolutely not my intent!”

Wanyan Chang gave a cold laugh. “Hmph, that is exactly what you mean. Men, drag out this rebel who is stirring disorder in the ranks and give him fifty strokes!”

“General, have mercy! I truly meant no such thing, General—” Wang Shuo knelt on the ground in desperate plea, but the personal guards gave him no further chance. Two of them hauled him up and marched him straight outside.

Soon Wang Shuo’s miserable screams came from beyond the tent. The fellow truly had no backbone; even as he cried out in agony, he kept begging loudly for mercy.

Several Jin officers had also intended to speak up, but seeing Wang Shuo’s fate, they all obediently shut their mouths. Better to fight if they must fight; if they could not win, they could withdraw. That was still better than being beaten with boards right now.

Big Fei returned to the city with a thousand elite Song troops from the Chong camp and received a grand welcome from Liu Qi.

“Well done. I have already submitted a memorial to the court, recommending you be appointed as Commander of the Capital Guard. Big Fei, now that is the proper way to do things,” Liu Qi said with clear satisfaction.

Big Fei had always been a man of the jianghu, valuing loyalty and vengeance, skilled in martial arts, and never fond of the restraints and rules of military life. It was only because Liu Qi had once saved his life that he agreed to serve under him. In both assaults by the Chong camp, Big Fei had led the charge and played a decisive role in Liu Qi’s victories over the Jin army.

Big Fei grinned. “I don’t care much about being a general or not, but killing those Jin dogs last night—that was truly satisfying.”

Liu Qi knew Big Fei’s temperament well and said no more. Instead, he ordered fine wine and good dishes to be brought out for them. After eating, they should hurry back to rest; they had fought through the whole night, so during the day they could finally take a break.

“Grand Commander, having suffered such an insult, if nothing unexpected happens, Wanyan Chang will surely lead the main force here today. We should make preparations early,” Wei Nan said to Liu Qi.

Liu Qi nodded. “Rest assured, I arranged everything long ago. Scouts just reported that most of the Jin horses have already been poisoned. Their cavalry is effectively gone. With only those sixty thousand infantry left, the Jin army holds no advantage over us at all.”

Wei Nan nodded. “Grand Commander is wise.”

Liu Qi waved a hand. “It is all thanks to the strategist’s fine plan.”

Wei Nan smiled and replied modestly, “I am only a scholar, good for speaking strategy with my mouth. The ones truly deserving credit are the soldiers who shed blood on the battlefield.”

“Once the Jin army has been repelled, I will certainly petition the court and reward everyone according to merit. The strategist’s contribution has been immense; that credit cannot be overlooked,” Liu Qi said with a smile.

“Report!” At that moment, a messenger ran up from afar and knelt before Liu Qi. “Report to Grand Commander: the Jin army has finished assembling and is now making a rapid march toward our Shunchang City. They can arrive in half an hour.”

“Good, let them come!” Liu Qi clapped his hands hard. “Pass down my order: all cavalry assemble and follow me out of the city to meet the enemy!”

The messenger took the order and withdrew.

Liu Qi donned his armor, took the lead himself, and commanded five thousand Song cavalry to form battle lines outside Shunchang City, waiting in full readiness for the Jin army to arrive.

“Brothers, are you afraid?” Liu Qi asked.

“No!” the five thousand riders roared. After yesterday’s battle, fear of the Jin army had already left their hearts.

“Good. The Jin cavalry no longer has horses. That is the same as breaking both their legs. What is there to fear from a cripple with no legs?” Liu Qi joked.

The Jin army marched swiftly, and in the blink of an eye they had reached Liu Qi’s front.

“Brothers, glory and rank are to be won right now. Charge with me!” Liu Qi shouted, spurring his horse forward first and leading the attack.

“Kill!” The remaining five thousand cavalry charged like five thousand savage tigers, howling as they rushed at the Jin troops.

Behind the five thousand riders came thirty thousand infantry, following close behind, each one as if drenched in blood-hot fervor, charging forward with wild determination.