Fish Meat – Chapter 210
by Little PandaThe Fifth Year of Zhao Wu
Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (6)
Zhu Maosan, serving as vanguard, delegated enemy intelligence gathering to his subordinate commanders while focusing solely on combat and killing enemies.
Years of excessive drinking, feasting, and comfortable living had dulled his edge. With age, his physical strength wasn’t what it used to be, but he possessed one incomparable quality – exceptional tenacity.
For an entire year, he trained alongside young officers thirty years his junior, rising early for mountain runs and hunting expeditions, never missing a single physical training session. After a year, he shed considerable weight, becoming as vigorous as a wolf, appearing a decade younger. On the battlefield, he became like a mountain-splitting axe, helping Zhen Wenjun eliminate all evil spirits.
Zhen Wenjun led 250,000 troops rapidly approaching Runing, engaging in two major battles and several skirmishes with Chongjin, capturing Ruxian as a strategic point. After the army entered the city to rest, Zhen Wenjun sent a letter to Wei Tingxu, reporting her progress before taking a well-deserved rest to prepare for the road ahead.
Fifteen days passed in Ruxian without receiving Wei Tingxu’s reply.
In their last communication, Wei Tingxu said she was only 300 li [approximately 150 kilometers] from Runing, needing only to capture Yanxing to establish camp there for a city assault. By now, Wei Tingxu should have taken the small Yanxing. The distance between them was merely 400 li [approximately 200 kilometers], and fifteen days was enough time for messengers to make two round trips, especially with the Wei family’s trained carrier pigeons. How could there be no news for so long?
Could she be trapped in Yanxing?
Zhen Wenjun couldn’t comprehend it. Yanxing?
The autumn wind whistled, as last night’s gale had stripped all leaves from Ruxian’s trees. New supplies had arrived in the city, with the bustle of carriages and horses as preparations were made for the final battle.
Just as Zhen Wenjun mounted her horse, Bu Jie saw her and quickly pushed through the crowd to approach:
“General, where are you heading?”
Zhen Wenjun replied: “Scouts from Yanxing report that both access roads are blocked, making passage impossible for vehicles and horses. There are signs that information from within Yanxing city has been deliberately suppressed. These past few nights, a spider appears on the western wall during my sleep, and returns even after being driven away. I feel uneasy, sensing something has happened in Yanxing, otherwise Wei Zizhuo wouldn’t remain silent for so long.”
Bu Jie said: “Your humble servant may speak words the General won’t like to hear. Wei Zizhuo claimed the General’s mother travels with her and would bring about your reunion. However, this person who first held her under house arrest continues to use your mother to manipulate you, as the General must have noticed. Scouts have reported on Wei Zizhuo’s military formation, roughly estimating at least 300,000 troops. The Wei family and the Zhangsun family are determined in their joint attack. Wei Jing’an as vanguard has advanced like an unstoppable force, reaching Yanxing in just over a month, with Runing as the next target. Her reason for allying with the General is to divide Chongjin’s main force, making them vulnerable on multiple fronts to capture the capital. Not to mention the heaven-blessed talent Wei Jing’an and the low-profile Zhangsun family, even the Wei family’s various branches are full of capable military commanders. Wei Zizhuo possesses extraordinary strategy, so how could she fail at small Yanxing? The blocked thoroughfares and lack of scout intelligence seem designed to lure the General there. This Wensheng wishes to know if the General plans to go alone or lead troops?”
Bu Jie’s clever tongue gave Zhen Wenjun no chance to interject. Though not directly blocking her, his every word served to bind her feet.
“Wensheng, in your view, is this Wei Zizhuo’s trap?”
Bu Jie replied: “Your humble servant is merely making logical deductions, finding this situation rather unusual. The General knows Wei Zizhuo best and can judge whether it’s a trap or not.”
“If she meant to harm me, she could simply threaten me with Ah Mu’s life again. Why arrange to meet at Runing to capture the capital together?”
“I fear it might not be her trap, but someone else’s.”
In the past, Zhen Wenjun would have fearlessly gone anywhere alone, swift as the wind. But now she commanded an army, where one misstep could cost countless lives. Bu Jie’s caution made sense; she couldn’t be reckless.
Yet with concerns about the situation in Yanxing, where Wei Tingxu and Ah Mu were, how could she wait peacefully?
In a night of howling cold winds, Zhen Wenjun and Zhu Maosan led 200 light cavalry, using the winter wind as cover, secretly departing for Yanxing in the dead of night.
The broken suspension bridge had been repaired. Zhen Wenjun’s group split into two routes, wary of ambush, allowing them to support each other from front and rear.
They safely passed through the forested area most likely to harbor ambush troops and entered the riverbank. Following the shore slowly, by the last watch [ๆฎๆด | cรกngฤng | last period of night watch, near dawn] they reached Yanxing’s outskirts. Logically, they should have seen torch light on the city walls, but looking around, all was pitch black without a trace of the city. Could the strong wind have extinguished the torches? But the wall torches symbolized the city’s life and served as signals. Their complete absence made Zhen Wenjun hold her breath, uneasy.
A young soldier suddenly dismounted, pressed his ear to the ground, and after a moment looked up, saying, “General, there’s a large army approaching from three li [approximately 1.5 kilometers] ahead! It sounds like tens of thousands!”
“Tens of thousands?” Zhu Maosan’s beard stood on end. “Are they coming toward us?!”
“Doesn’t sound like it. They seem to be heading toward Yanxing city.”
Zhu Maosan said: “Meimei! Perhaps they knew we were coming and are moving troops to catch a turtle in a pot [็ไธญๆ้ผ | wรจng zhลng zhuล biฤ | idiom meaning to trap someone in an enclosed space]. I fear Yanxing is a tiger’s den and wolf’s lair, we shouldn’t go!”
As Zhu Maosan spoke, the surrounding light cavalry nodded in agreement.
Zhen Wenjun said: “If there were truly an ambush force, would they give you a chance to detect them? They would have already set traps, striking unexpectedly whether from within the city or the wilderness. Why would they allow thundering hooves of countless horses to make such detectable movement?”
After Zhen Wenjun finished speaking, everyone nodded again.
“I fear something major has happened in the city…” Zhen Wenjun’s breath caught, “Could Chongjin have discovered Zizhuo’s action plan and set a trap in Yanxing?”
With this thought, Zhen Wenjun delayed no longer, leaving with the words “Wait for me here. If I haven’t returned after one shichen [two hours], return to Ruxian and follow Wensheng’s orders!”
Zhu Maosan barely managed an “Ai!” before Zhen Wenjun had galloped a hundred bu [็พๆญฅ | bวi bรน | approximately 150 meters] away. The cold wind whipped the fur on his leather cap wildly from side to side, much like his worried heart.
Outside Yanxing city, heavy troops indeed stood guard, surrounding the small county city in three inner and three outer layers. As Zhen Wenjun reached the city’s edge, she saw an army charging through a cloud of dust, engaging the defending forces face to face, blade meeting blade, with battle cries and thundering hooves shattering the night.
Zhen Wenjun couldn’t immediately distinguish the two sides, but seeing how the surrounding forces were blocking exits to prevent escape, she was almost certain Wei Tingxu was trapped inside! Ah Mu was in there too!
Charging on horseback into the enemy formation, she cut down numerous foes with strikes to left and right. After cutting off one soldier’s helmet, she saw his young face was clearly Yu people, and the other side was undoubtedly Wei family troops – why were two Yu armies fighting here in Yanxing? Who were the besiegers?
Despite her doubts, her hands showed no hesitation. Zhen Wenjun had commissioned her family’s forge to craft an exceptionally light and agile horse halberd. When wielded, its striking force had the weight of a thousand jun [ๅ้ | qiฤnjลซn | ancient measure of great force], its defense unbreakable, its fork striking swift as lightning like the death-dealing trident of a sea god. In the chaotic nighttime battlefield, an ethereal white light flowed among the troops, leaving spraying blood and fallen bodies in its wake.
A voice called out in surprise from behind: “My lady!”
Hearing a man’s voice, Zhen Wenjun turned after unseating another opponent, recognizing him as one of Wei family’s shadow guards, who had long served at Wei Tingxu’s side. She remembered him well from his frequent intrusions whenever she received secret messages or needed to meet contacts – an annoying yet memorable presence.
“My lady, look out!” he shouted, pointing behind Zhen Wenjun as a gleaming blade swung at her neck with full force. Yet the long sword stopped suddenly when just an inch [ไธๅฏธ | yฤซ cรนn | approximately 3.3 cm] from her neck.
Zhen Wenjun’s horse halberd vertically blocked the opponent’s determined sneak attack, as she spun and kicked his cheek, shattering his teeth to fragments.
Landing steadily back in her saddle, just as the Wei family shadow guard was about to speak, Zhen Wenjun’s eyes flashed sharply as she hurled her horse halberd toward him. Before the guard could react, a scream came from behind him – the halberd had pierced through an attacker’s chest, pinning him to the ground.
Sweat beaded on the shadow guard’s forehead as Zhen Wenjun dismounted to retrieve her weapon, asking: “Where is Zizhuo?”
“The Young Lady has been under attack and trapped in the city for five days. We received news and brought troops back for rescue!”
“Brought troops back?!”
“Yes! The Second Young Master leads the vanguard, the Zhangsun family commands the main force in the middle, and the Young Lady escorts the Son of Heaven at the rear! We were supposed to rendezvous outside Runing ten days ago, but after waiting and waiting without seeing the Young Lady, we discovered something had happened! She’s trapped in Yanxing! I led the rapid response troops here first, with the main army following!”
The two fought their way through the chaos, cutting a bloody path toward the city.
Zhen Wenjun was greatly surprised – Wei Tingxu was always cautious, how could she be trapped in tiny Yanxing? Who in this world could trap her?
Learning that the new emperor was among them made Zhen Wenjun more anxious. Clearly, besides Chongjin, many others didn’t want the new emperor returning to Runing.
Small Yanxing proved as secure as a pot of golden soup [ๅบ่ฅ้ๆนฏ | gรน ruรฒ jฤซn tฤng | idiom meaning impregnable]. The Wei family’s first wave of infantry gradually gained advantage, with cavalry and siege engines launching an urgent assault on the city.
Just as the enemy forces were nearly decimated and the Wei family launched their fierce attack, thunderous battle cries emerged from the darkness.
Indeed, a great army had been waiting!
The advancing enemy formation remained perfectly ordered. Archers launched ten thousand arrows in the first wave. For those who survived the arrow rain, worse awaited. Front-rank soldiers wielded long mo dao [้ๅ | mรฒ dฤo | type of Chinese glaive], kneeling on one knee while leaning back for balance, thrusting upward to pierce charging horses’ heads. After the coordinated mo dao strike, long shields provided protection. The cavalry suffered heavy losses repeatedly – as horses were killed and riders fell, they faced shield-bearers wielding bone-crushing iron clubs.
Clearly the enemy was well-prepared and couldn’t be met head-on. Zhen Wenjun ordered a retreat.
But the soldiers only responded to war drums and horn signals, not recognizing her. Zhen Wenjun’s warning couldn’t be conveyed in time, resulting in heavy casualties under the fierce attack.
Meanwhile, Zhen Wenjun noticed swaying black shadows on the city walls.
Those were unlit fire oil bombs! The defending forces moved with well-trained precision, likely having prepared escape routes. According to the shadow guard, with reinforcements approaching, these fire oil bombs remained unused – surely waiting for the Wei family’s army to fall into their net!
Once the fire oil bombs were launched, total annihilation would come in an instant.
Zhen Wenjun finally understood why Wei Tingxu was trapped here.
Such devastating and expensive weapons as fire oil bombs, typically reserved for major fortresses, had been deployed in this small place.
Tiny Yanxing must have a powerful figure pulling strings behind the scenes.
Zhen Wenjun found the shadow guard and instructed him to prevent the frontal assault at all costs, while sending someone to alert the rear forces. Meanwhile, during the chaos, she cut off a piece of skin and stripped off battle armor, quickly disguising herself as a wounded soldier, using blood to cover any flaws in her hastily made skin mask.
The enemy lines advanced quickly, and after cutting down a portion of Wei family’s main force, one group of wounded soldiers retreated as another took their place. Zhen Wenjun moved among the wounded through the camp. Her thorough knowledge of battle formations helped her avoid mistakes even in haste, preventing any suspicion.
The city gates soon opened, and the wounded were allowed to enter under cover.
So they weren’t surrounding the city to keep people in – they had already occupied this place to deceive the reinforcements!
Upon this discovery, Zhen Wenjun, now in enemy territory, grew more anxious. For the first time in many years, she felt deeply unsettled.
And this time, the source of her fear was someone other than Wei Tingxu.
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