Chapter 66: Battlefield Deployment

Wenxi's Nanshang is the area closest to the county seat.

Even if you stood atop the earthen walls of the Nanshang township, you could clearly see the silhouette of the county town.

Because the county seat was situated in the southern part of the county, the so-called Nanshang consisted of only a single township, unlike the other three townships which each governed multiple smaller settlements within their borders.

Aside from the townships, there were numerous ancient cities of varying sizes.

Having passed down through the Spring and Autumn period, the Warring States, and the two Han dynasties for over a thousand years, Hedong was certainly a place with no shortage of ancient fortified sites.

Those with larger populations served as townships; those with smaller ones functioned as ordinary rural hamlets.

It was mid-afternoon, around four o'clock.

The vanguard of the Brave Tigers arrived at the county town, only to find the gates tightly sealed.

No matter how Hu Ban shouted and called out beneath the city gate, there was no response from the ramparts, not even a shadow of a person to be seen.

Shortly afterward, Zhao Ji arrived, still flanked by the two battle banners reading 'General Who Conquers the West of Han' and 'Governor of Liang Province,' maintaining the ruse of Li Le's forces.

Hu Ban hurried over in a trot to welcome him: "Commander Zhao, a disturbance has occurred within the city, and to this point, no one has responded."

Chang Mao, who had walked over alongside Hu Ban, asked: "Not a soul is seen moving atop the walls. Should we send men to scale the ramparts?"

Zhao Ji observed the aged watchtower sixty or seventy paces away, then turned his head and asked, "What is the Cavalry Officer's view on this?"

Cavalry Officer Wang Qi was a veteran of large-scale military campaigns. Although he had merely been a minor cog in those massive armies back then, he had nonetheless witnessed major spectacles.

Wang Qi reined in his horse, circled in place to observe for a moment, and wore a grave expression: "Commander, Han Xian may have already laid an ambush. Either within the city or outside it, they will wait for an opportunity to catch our forces in a pincer movement."

"What makes you say that?"

"A hunch."

Wang Qi pointed his riding crop obliquely toward the city gate: "If the Commander were to advance, ambushers would immediately rise up and unleash a volley of bows and crossbows—what would happen then? If we abandon the county town and head straight for Nanshang, ambushers could pour out from the city while Han Xian's troops press in from the south, catching us in a two-pronged pincer. Combined with feigned forces striking from the west, our army would inevitably fall into chaos."

Zhao Ji turned his gaze toward the western mountain range, where rows of cypress trees intertwined, presenting a lush green sight before his eyes.

"Then the entire camp shall rest. I want to see what tricks this county town has up its sleeve."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Jia Tong, who had just caught up: "How does a full army rest sound to you?"

Jia Tong frowned: "Does Commander Zhao intend to head straight for Nanshang?"

"Indeed. With over five hundred cavalry moving south in such grand fashion, no matter how undisciplined Han Xian's army is, his scouts will have noticed. We are now less than seven or eight miles away from Nanshang; I refuse to believe he will not come. If he does not come, our forces will rest and then go hunt him down. We must surround him in Nanshang before nightfall today!"

Having said this, Zhao Ji looked at the others: "I am going to test whether there are ambushers in the city. Commander Chang, lead a detachment of cavalry to patrol outside the south gate. If any courier cavalry attempt to head south from the city, intercept and kill them. If Han Xian's cavalry charges from the south, fall back here and do not engage in combat."

"I will go myself!"

Chang Mao accepted the order, turned toward his horse, selected a squad of rested vanguard cavalry, and skirted around the city toward the south.

***

Zhao Ji picked up a painted bow, tied a silk message scroll to an arrow shaft, and after having the others withdraw, he spurred his horse forward to within fifty paces of the city gate. He drew his bow and loosed a single arrow, which embedded itself firmly into a pillar of the watchtower, yet no one came forward to retrieve it.

Just as he turned his horse's head to retreat, a shout suddenly rang out from the battlements: "Shoot!"

A row of archers and crossbowmen rose from behind the merlons near the watchtower and let loose a volley of arrows toward Zhao Ji. The distinctive golden armor he wore bore unique markings, successfully drawing out the hidden ambushers.

Zhao Ji was struck by several arrows, and his mount was also hit in the rump, carrying him in a mad gallop for thirty or forty paces before the Brave Tigers intercepted and stopped him.

"Commander?"

"Squad Leader!"

More than a dozen men cried out anxiously. Only after his horse came to a complete halt did Zhao Ji leap down and burst into laughter: "Just as the Cavalry Officer predicted, this city has already been seized by the rebels."

Hu Ban stepped forward to pull the arrows from the cloak on Zhao Ji's back, breathing a sigh of relief only after confirming Zhao Ji was uninjured: "A-ji, you must not recklessly put yourself in danger again."

"It's of no consequence. Had I not gone, they would have remained in hiding. It's good to have found out now."

Unbothered, Zhao Ji turned to Han Shu and said, "I'll grant you a fine set of armor later; you can handle this sort of task next time."

Han Shu, still shaken, managed a forced smile upon hearing this: "Understood!"

Had Zhao Ji been wounded by the ambushers just then, his fellow townsmen among the Brave Tigers would have beaten him up before any other Brave Tigers could, merely to save him from being beaten to death by outsiders.

Beside them, Hu Ban's expression remained one of lingering fear and trepidation; had Zhao Ji and Pei Xiu not persuaded him to stay, his head might well be hanging from the city gate right now.

Zhao Ji nocked another arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at the city wall eighty paces away. On the opposite side, a bearded military officer clad in silver-plated armor pointed his right arm directly at him: "Little thief, do you dare come back!"

Unfortunately, the distance was too great for Zhao Ji to hear clearly, though it evidently was nothing pleasant.

He loosed an arrow, which struck the man squarely in the hand, causing him to instantly clutch his arm and shriek in agony.

The archers and crossbowmen near the top of the wall immediately ducked down for cover. Zhao Ji nocked another arrow and observed the ramparts. A moment later, seeing someone stretch out an arm to grab the arrow-letter stuck in the pillar, he loosed another shaft. It pierced straight through the back of the hand and nailed it fast to the watchtower pillar.

Immediately, someone stood up to pull out the arrow. Seeing that this man wore no helmet, only a cloth hood, Zhao Ji loosed yet another arrow that struck the fellow in the back of the neck, sending him pitching forward onto the battlements.

The skilled archers among the Brave Tigers also stepped forward with their bows, taking aim at the city wall, leaving only the rebel soldier with the arrow-pierced hand wailing endlessly.

Before long, a few more rebel soldiers stood up, holding shields to block incoming fire while covering a companion attempting to retrieve the arrows.

Seeing no further opportunity, Zhao Ji lowered his bow: "Rest, everyone. Tell Chang Mao to maintain strict vigilance."

"Understood!"

Two Brave Tigers turned their horses southward, while Zhao Ji returned his arrows to the quiver, led his men back fifty paces, and began feeding their horses and eating dry rations.

Almost simultaneously, a plume of smoke and fire rose from the southern side of the watchtower, signaling an alarm.

Before Zhao Ji could finish his second flatbread, several Brave Tiger horsemen galloped in from the south, riding straight up to him: "Commander Zhao, enemy infantry and cavalry are charging from the south, numbering around seven or eight hundred in total, though the cavalry among them is only a hundred or so."

"Since Han Xian has arrived, order Chang Mao to fall back slowly and draw close to the imperial highway."

***

Zhao Ji turned to Jia Tong: "Wenzhen, combine forces with Chang Mao and lead four squads of cavalry to circle around from the west. Wait for the right moment to join the battle, striking their flanks and waistline. Do not linger in protracted combat; your primary objective is to break through their formations. If the rebel infantry formation proves resilient, harass them with mobile mounted archery rather than engaging in close combat, and wait for a favorable turning point."

"Hoh!"

Jia Tong strode away quickly, followed closely by the two squad leaders under his command and one squad leader from Chang Mao's forces.

Zhao Ji then looked toward Cavalry Officer Wang Qi: "Cavalry Officer, take command of your own unit and hold this position. If the rebel forces within the city sally forth, simply entangle them. Preserving the lives of our officers and men is paramount."

Wang Qi countered: "If the rebel troops inside the city launch a fierce breakout, how should we respond?"
"Struggle to entangle them to the best of your ability to prevent us from being caught in a pincer attack. I will lead the remaining six squads to meet Han Xian head-on, with the objective of taking him down with a single arrow."

With that, Zhao Ji looked toward the remaining six squad leaders and Jing Chun: "Wenqing, serve as my deputy and oversee the rear guard. If the rebel forces have feigned troops in the western hills, leave one squad of cavalry on alert. If those decoy forces attack, simply engage them in a delaying skirmish."

The so-called entanglement meant breaking the Brave Tiger cavalry down into decentralized small units of three to five riders to wage chaotic, dogfight-style skirmishes.

The Brave Tiger cavalry had undergone no intensive collective training, let alone large-scale mounted combat drills, and understood little of complex tactics and coordination.

Even Zhao Ji himself understood very little of it, but he understood hunting and basic mathematics.

Spread the army out as much as possible to widen the front of attack.

The larger the battlefield, the slower the transmission and feedback of command and dispatch information on Han Xian's side would be.

The Brave Tigers were entirely mounted; even if the tactical situation turned unfavorable, they only needed to retreat and regroup.

In contrast, Han Xian's cavalry barely exceeded a hundred men, consisting primarily of infantry with very few seasoned veterans, most having been recruited only recently.

Even if their morale remained stable, their level of training was low, and they lacked refined weaponry.

Since Han Xian dared to separate his infantry from his cavalry, Zhao Ji dared to charge straight in with his four directly subordinate cavalry squads.

Once Han Xian's hundred-odd horsemen were routed, the threat posed by his remaining infantry would drop infinitely, reducing the situation to mere mopping-up and negotiation.

He swept his gaze across the four squad leaders: "When we make contact shortly, two squads will lead in front and two will follow in the rear, charging directly at the enemy cavalry while firing with bows and crossbows. If they cluster together without dispersing, we will wheel around and charge fiercely with spears and halberds!"

"If the enemy cavalry breaks formation and gives chase, engage them in a free-for-all melee!"

"If my battle banner falls, simply retreat northward."

"Otherwise, no one is permitted to stray more than three miles from the banner!"

Staring at these eager, high-spirited young men, Zhao Ji smiled: "Do not be nervous. Once Han Xian dares to show his face, I will let him taste my true might!"

"Hoh!"