Chapter 29: The Rout of the Imperial Army

On a low dirt slope, two riders stood side by side.

"Assistant Magistrate, we should retreat. These rebels are too tough to crack. We’ve already suffered nearly two hundred casualties. If we keep this up, the soldiers themselves will collapse," said a Battalion Commander wearing a green bear-patterned robe, his face twisted in distress.

The Assistant Magistrate, surnamed Huang, sitting on the horse beside him, raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't be anxious, Commander Zheng. With the personal guards of our two households holding the rear, those soldiers can certainly charge one more time. From my observations, the archers among these rebels are already exhausted. If we just push a little harder and take them down, the rank on our official robes might just be due for an upgrade."

"Damn it!" Commander Zheng gritted his teeth and ordered those around him, "Tell the men to press forward. Stop dragging their feet behind like they haven't eaten a meal in days."

A small soldier ran forward to relay the order.

Assistant Magistrate Huang added, "The main force of these rebels is already surrounded by the Regional Commander. We won't get a chance to feast on the big prize, so we can't afford to lose these scraps."

"To hell with 'scraps'," Commander Zheng cursed. "What happened when we ambushed their main force? They collapsed at the slightest touch. Those mobs ran like headless flies the moment they saw government troops, tumbling straight into the encirclement set by the Regional Commander. But look at these 'scraps' of yours—a few hundred of them dare to form ranks and stand their ground against us."

"Don't be so impatient!" Huang soothed him. "What do a bunch of rebels know about formations? As long as we charge again, we will surely win."

"They're retreating! They're retreating! The rebel archers are pulling back!" a soldier ran over to report.

"I have eyes, you idiot," Commander Zheng snapped. "Go tell the men below, if they can't take down these rebels now that they’ve lost their archers, don't blame me for using military law when we get back."

The soldier grinned and said, "Don't worry, Commander, now that the enemy has no archers, our brothers will surely take them down."

Commander Zheng waved his riding whip impatiently. "Get lost, get lost! And hurry up and deliver my message!"

The soldier ran off to relay the order.

Assistant Magistrate Huang sighed, "It’s a pity all our archers are with the Regional Commander. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble and suffer so many needless casualties."

Commander Zheng’s face darkened. "Stop spewing nonsense. They were all my men who died; you only brought fifty-some personal guards."

Huang smiled and said, "Losing a few soldiers isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Commander Zheng glowered. "Are you saying it's a good thing my men are dead?"

"That depends on how you look at it," Huang replied. "When you report the deaths to the Imperial Court, you get a payout for compensation. You won't have to replenish the troops, and you can collect an extra share of military pay every month. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Now that you put it that way, it does make some sense," Commander Zheng said, stroking his beard. "Tell our men to step up the attack! Don't worry about casualties; once we wipe out these rebels, there will be plenty of rewards for you all."

***

A messenger ran down the slope.

"They’re routed! They’re routed! They’re routed!"

"I told you! Just one more charge and we would have..." Assistant Magistrate Huang’s words were cut short, as if his throat had been grabbed.

"Damn it! How could they be routed?" Commander Zheng slapped his thigh in fury.

Several soldiers dressed as personal guards were fleeing toward the slope on horseback.

"This—how is this possible!" Huang stood there, completely stunned.

"What the hell is 'impossible' about it? Run, damn it! If we wait until the rebels drive our own soldiers back into us, it will be too late!" Commander Zheng jerked his reins, turned his horse, and fled, escorted by his personal guards.

"My lord, we should run too!" a personal guard beside Huang said anxiously.

Huang watched the tide of retreating soldiers surging back. Some of the personal guards who had been at the back of the line were moving too slowly; they were caught in the middle of the retreating mob, unable to move forward or backward, forced to draw their swords against their own men.

The guard urged him again, "My lord, don't hesitate! Make a decision, or it will truly be too late."

"Defeated... just like that," Huang pulled the reins. "Retreat! Back to the Regional Commander."

Dozens of guards escorted Huang as they fled in the same direction as Commander Zheng.

***

"Damn, we actually won just like that." Chen Xunping still found it hard to believe what he was seeing.

Countless soldiers had discarded their weapons and banners, scattering across the hillsides. The drainage ditches on both sides of the official road were packed with soldiers trying to escape.

"They say the garrison troops are useless," Chen muttered to himself, "but this is just pathetic."

Liu Heng walked over, patted Chen Xunping on the shoulder, and said, "Enough, stop staring. Clean up the battlefield; we don't have time to waste."

Several squads of the new refugee recruits broke away from the spear phalanx to collect usable weapons and cotton armor. If they encountered any wounded soldiers, they ended their misery on the spot.

The remaining spear squads stayed in formation, with archers guarding the flanks, ready to reinforce at any moment.

***

"How did the Great Treasurer Shi get surrounded by such a pathetic group of soldiers? Even a little bit of resistance would have kept him from being trapped," Zhao Yutu whispered to himself, looking at the chaotic official road.

Yang Yuan, standing nearby, heard this and said dismissively, "Shi Yunhu is barely worthy of being compared to our Chief. Could he train refugees in ten days? Could he secure grain from Zheng Manor without losing a single man? He can't. Only our Chief can do those things."

"Can... can he really?" Zhao Yutu asked himself, following Yang Yuan's train of thought.

"Let me tell you, Shi Yunhu can't," Yang Yuan said. "Don't look at him as the Great Treasurer of the whole camp; when it comes to true capability, he's far behind our Chief."

Zhao Yutu looked up at the routed soldiers scattered across the mountains, bit his lip, and suddenly said, "I want to see Liu Heng. Take me to see Liu Heng."

Yang Yuan’s face darkened. "Zhao Yutu, remember your place. You are no longer some advisor; you are our Chief's prisoner."

Zhao Yutu grabbed Yang Yuan’s arm, urgent. "Take me to see Chief Liu! I have something important to tell him."

"Let go, I'll take you." Yang Yuan shook off Zhao Yutu’s hands and ordered someone to escort him to Liu Heng.

When Zhao Yutu arrived, Liu Heng was directing the new recruits in cleaning up the battlefield.

"Chief Liu, I have something important to discuss with you. Could you ask your men to step aside?" Zhao Yutu looked at Chen Xunping and Yang Yuan standing next to Liu Heng.

Liu Heng replied, "They are my brothers. Whatever you have to say, say it directly; there is no need to hide it from them."

"This..." After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Yutu gritted his teeth and said, "Chief Liu, I can see that you are more capable than Shi Yunhu. With just a few hundred men, you defeated over a thousand government—"

Liu Heng raised a hand to cut him off. "Speak your mind. No beating around the bush."

"Then I will be direct," Zhao Yutu said. "Does the Chief want to become an official? An official of our Great Ming Dynasty?"

"No," Liu Heng refused without a second thought.

Chen Xunping and Yang Yuan looked at Liu Heng in astonishment, and even Zhao Yutu, who had asked the question, wore an expression of total shock.