Chapter Thirty-One: Another Unexpected Turn

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Yet Luo Fang sensed that something was amiss.

“Brother Xue, the Northern Barbarians are swift as the wind to begin with. Their smaller detachments move even faster and with greater flexibility.”

“Unless we can find some way to lure them into the remote, impassable mountains, there’s no chance of trapping them. But can you think of such a method?”

The Northern Barbarians had only two purposes at present.

Either they concentrated their forces to attack a major city, or they went out raiding.

Whatever their goal, they would never voluntarily plunge into the depths of the mountains.

Were they supposed to invent some legend, claiming that an immense treasure lay buried somewhere in the mountains?

The Northern Barbarians might be reckless, but they were not fools!

Xue Chengqian laughed. “Chief, have you forgotten what season it is?”

“Though the Northern Barbarians are born to the grasslands and more accustomed to bitter cold than we are, even this sort of harsh winter is difficult for them to endure. What’s more, they have horses and livestock to care for.”

“To remain out for any length of time, they must also find shelter from the cold. So I expect they will send small cavalry detachments to spend the night in villages and towns they have conquered!”

Luo Fang approved of his reasoning.

They then used Old Liu’s account of the order in which the refugees had been driven into the mountains to estimate where the Northern Barbarians might be stationed.

In the end, they selected several small villages, including Dayu Village, as their targets. They first sent the sharp-eyed Song brothers and several other capable men to scout the area.

They also brought Old Liu and several refugees from Dayu Village over to question them about the situation.

But the report brought back by the Song brothers was quite unexpected.

“Chief Luo, there really aren’t many enemy troops stationed in Dayu Village—only a little over two hundred cavalrymen. The village is small and cannot accommodate any more soldiers.”

“However, several cavalry detachments passed northeast of Dayu Village within a short period. The scale of those movements was no small matter!”

Everyone was feeling somewhat disappointed when Old Liu offered a suggestion.

“If you gentlemen want to attack Dayu Village, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Oh? Elder Liu, please tell us more.”

Xue Chengqian was remarkably modest.

Although he had accurately predicted the Northern Barbarians’ movements several times, and his analysis of them had been sound, Old Liu and the others were locals. They naturally understood the area far better than he did.

Old Liu explained, “The Northern Barbarians have been gathering troops over there for some time. It seems they began by encircling Dongping City from the north.”

“Dongping City? It still hasn’t fallen to the Northern Barbarians?”

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Luo Fang was astonished as well.

He knew something about the many cities along the northern frontier.

Dongping City naturally could not compare with Wangjiang City, but he was familiar with its general circumstances.

Old Liu sighed. “The governor of Dongping, Lord Wei, is a fine official. More remarkable still, he is both a scholar and a warrior.”

“Before this, Lord Wei was the only one who dared send troops outside the city to fight the Northern Barbarians. Thanks to Dongping’s army, the Northern Barbarians were delayed, and we were able to remain in our villages for a while longer.”

“Though Lord Wei has now been forced back behind the city walls, with him personally commanding the defense, the Northern Barbarians won’t find it easy to take Dongping!”

A young man beside him hurriedly added, “I escaped from the southeast. Before I fled into the mountains, I think I ran into reinforcements sent by the imperial court. They drove back the Northern Barbarian cavalry and fought their way into Dongping City!”

Luo Fang and Xue Chengqian’s eyes lit up.

Hearing their account, they could not help revising their impression of the unfamiliar Lord Wei.

Especially when they compared him with Lu Xiaoyuan, the governor of Wangjiang City.

Had this Lord Wei been guarding Wangjiang, their circumstances would surely have been vastly better.

Xue Chengqian said half in jest, “An official with that kind of courage is someone we ought to keep an eye on. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to work with him someday.”

No one took his words particularly seriously.

Though they had been granted the title of commandant by the imperial court, they had only a handful of men under them. How could a city governor possibly take notice of them?

Old Liu continued, “That’s why the Northern Barbarians won’t be paying much attention to Dayu Village. Instead, the Northern Barbarians stationed there must support the forces attacking Dongping City.”

Whiskers Wang objected, “Even so, it proves that a large Northern Barbarian army is nearby. If we recklessly charge in, then even if we succeed, the Northern Barbarians could send a cavalry detachment as soon as they received the news. We’d have nowhere to run!”

Old Liu smiled.

“The reason I say you can attack Dayu Village is that, once the fighting is over, you’ll have somewhere to flee!”

“Dongping Village lies east of Dayu Village, and Mount Baguzi lies to the west. The Northern Barbarians all ride tall horses and cannot enter Mount Baguzi. Once you withdraw there, you’ll be safe!”

Xue Chengqian was overjoyed!

Helping Old Liu had indeed been the right decision. Thanks to the locals, they had learned something extremely valuable.

Although a large army was nearby, its attention was being drawn toward Dongping. And with a safe retreat route available, what did they have to fear? They would take Dayu Village, seize the spoils, and make a triumphant beginning!

The other men were reassured as well.

Still, to be safe, they parted from Old Liu and first took a wide detour, arriving at Mount Baguzi ahead of time to familiarize themselves with the terrain.

Just as Old Liu had said, the mountain pass there was treacherous and highly unfavorable to cavalry.

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Once they entered the mountain paths, they could vanish easily among the ridges. Even if the Northern Barbarians were blinded by rage and charged into the mountains regardless of the cost, they would never find a trace of them.

The Song brothers soon returned with even better news.

Whether it was because the Northern Barbarians had spent so long marching freely through Liang territory without suffering a single surprise attack, or because they relied on the fact that their main army was not far away, they had let down their guard completely.

After nightfall, everyone was still eating meat and drinking wine. The horses had been tethered together outside the village, and there was not even a single sentry on watch!

Since the Northern Barbarians had chosen death for themselves, Xue Chengqian naturally had no intention of showing mercy.

The hundred-odd elite cavalrymen they had trained were all left far outside the village.

Fearing that anything might go wrong, they dared not let the sound of hooves wake the enemy. Their task was simply to pursue the survivors or provide support after the battle.

Xue Chengqian and Luo Fang then personally led the infantry into the village.

As this was their first battle since completing their training, they took every precaution. Yet the entire operation proved far easier than they had imagined.

The Northern Barbarians were ferocious, their physiques far stronger than those of ordinary Liang soldiers.

But that did not include Northern Barbarians who were dead drunk, fast asleep, and completely unprepared!

They had spread themselves among the various courtyards. Xue Chengqian and Luo Fang personally led the first attacks, eliminating many of the Northern Barbarians in their sleep.

Only at the very end did several dozen of them hear their comrades’ cries of alarm. Roaring furiously, they drew their blades and stormed out of the courtyards, causing a little trouble.

But there were simply too few of them, and they were scattered among the houses that had once belonged to the villagers. They could not form any effective coordination.

When Xue Chengqian and Luo Fang heard the sounds of fighting and led men over to reinforce them, they suppressed the remaining enemy with ease.

“What a satisfying slaughter!”

“Chief! Only a dozen or so of our brothers were wounded. Not one was killed, and we cut down every Northern Barbarian in the village!”

After the battle, Whiskers Wang and the others shouted their delight.

“Enough shouting! Gather up all the weapons. We need to drive the captured horses back to Mount Baguzi immediately!”

Luo Fang cursed him with a laugh, though he was not truly anxious.

They had planned everything carefully, and the Northern Barbarians had been far too careless. The operation had been swift and discreet. The main Northern Barbarian army could not possibly have been alerted, and they had ample time to drive the horses back to Mount Baguzi.

Yet at that very moment, the Song brothers, who had been stationed outside the village as sentries, came running in, panic-stricken.

“This is disastrous! Northern Barbarian reinforcements have already fought their way here!”

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