Chapter Sixteen: Ambush

On this day, Murong Yan was convening a council with his generals. Suddenly, a scout rushed in, panic written across his face. “Report! Dire news! Fifty miles north, a troop of demon soldiers is approaching. Each one is ferocious beyond compare, burning, looting, and murdering along their path, heading straight for our Black Earth City!”

Murong Yan’s face contorted with fury. “Detestable! Outrageous! They slaughter my people, dishonor my women, and treat the Great Xia as if it has no men to defend it!”

He pressed further, “How many demon soldiers are there? Who commands them? What is their background?”

The scout replied, “There was no time to investigate further.”

Murong Yan’s expression darkened. “Go and spy again. Report back at once.”

“Yes, sir!”

Before the first scout had even left the hall, another burst in. “Report! More dire news! Seventy miles to the south, another force approaches, bearing the standards of the Great Xia. Swift cavalry, curved blades and long spears, all riding hard for Black Earth City!”

Murong Yan’s face changed. “Who leads this force? How many men?”

The scout answered, “Word is that it’s a man named Zhao Liang, leading not less than fifty thousand troops.”

Murong Yan’s heart eased slightly. “So it’s him! The treacherous cur—rather than defend the people, he sides with our enemies. He and I are sworn enemies from this day forward!”

And who is Zhao Liang? The chronicler reveals: this Zhao Liang is the current emperor’s brother-in-law and the lord of Golden Rooster City, styling himself the “Jade-faced Pan An.” At first glance, one might think the nickname implies great handsomeness. Not so! Though his complexion is fair, he is in fact sharp-featured, with a monkey-like face and a short, stunted figure. Lustful by nature and fancying himself a gallant, he bestowed this moniker upon himself.

Xu Zhihui, too, knew the man, and was well aware that he possessed little true ability. Eager to claim merit, Xu Zhihui stepped forward at once, volunteering to lead a force against Zhao Liang. Murong Yan cautioned him to take care, sending him out with more than a thousand soldiers.

When Xu Zhihui had gone, Murong Yan, recalling the enemy’s superior numbers, grew anxious that Xu Zhihui might be overwhelmed. He quickly ordered Ye Feng to lead a detachment to reinforce him.

Ye Feng soon caught up with Xu Zhihui and explained his mission. Inwardly, Xu Zhihui sneered: “What help could this pale-faced dandy possibly offer? No doubt he’s here to steal the glory and curry favor with my little junior sister!” Thus, he treated Ye Feng with cold indifference.

Ye Feng, for his part, was uncomfortable, but reminded himself that Xu Zhihui was both Murong Yan’s senior disciple and an important general among the righteous rebels. To quarrel openly would only undermine unity, so he swallowed his irritation.

He recalled that ten miles ahead, the road passed between two mountains with a gully in between—a perfect spot for ambush. He quickly shared this idea with Xu Zhihui.

Xu Zhihui nodded repeatedly. “Of course. I thought of that myself. Once they’re in the ravine, our hidden troops on both slopes will rise up, loosing volleys of arrows—we’ll annihilate the enemy!”

Ye Feng added, “For extra security, we should have soldiers lay sulfur, dry grass, and other combustibles in the ravine. When the time comes, we fire flaming arrows and ignite the gully. The enemy will have no escape, nowhere to hide.”

Xu Zhihui’s face clouded. “Brother Ye, do you think I haven’t thought of that? But the enemy advances swiftly and we left in a rush—there was no time to gather dry grass or sulfur!”

He spoke while spurring his horse. “Let’s survey the terrain first. If it’s as advantageous as you say, there’s no need for such elaborate measures!”

Realizing he’d said too much, he quickly lowered his head and urged his horse on, galloping ahead. The soldiers hurried after, but Xu Zhihui’s steed was too swift—they soon fell far behind.

Seeing Xu Zhihui’s arrogance and carelessness, Ye Feng could only sigh. Worried that Xu Zhihui might blunder into the enemy alone, he spurred his own horse to catch up.

In no time, Ye Feng drew abreast of Xu Zhihui. Together, they arrived at the gully. Ye Feng led the way; as they advanced, the light dimmed and the air grew colder. The wind howled past his ears; a narrow path wound through brambles ahead. Unlike usual, Ye Feng felt a strange excitement.

Suddenly, a clatter sounded overhead. “Careful, Brother Xu!” Ye Feng cried out, urging his horse in front of Xu Zhihui. Pebbles and dust rained down from above, covering Ye Feng’s face and hair, blinding him for a moment.

After a while, Ye Feng brushed away the dust and looked up. Sheer cliffs rose sharply where the stones had fallen; the two walls pressed close, leaving only a narrow strip of blue sky.

“Brother Ye, this place is truly treacherous—a perfect spot for an ambush! But how do we reach the summit and set our hidden troops?” Xu Zhihui asked, excitement in his voice.

“Let’s wait for the rest of our men to catch up,” Ye Feng replied honestly. “Once we’re out of the gully, the ground levels out and a narrow path leads straight to the top.”

The two halted their horses. Soon, banners fluttered as their troops caught up.

“Follow me into the mountains!” Xu Zhihui called out gleefully, unable to contain himself, and spurred his horse forward.

“Wait, Brother Xu!” Ye Feng rushed ahead, grabbing Xu Zhihui’s bridle. “Our men are exhausted. Let’s rest a moment—it won’t hurt.”

“Lazy men always have excuses!” Xu Zhihui grumbled, eyeing the panting soldiers with annoyance. He jumped off his horse and sat down on a rock.

It took some time for the soldiers to catch their breath, the wind drying the sweat on their brows. Xu Zhihui mounted up first, shouting, “Brothers, time to get to work!”

He then turned to Ye Feng. “Brother Ye, please lead the way.”

Ye Feng cupped his fists. “Brother Xu, it would be discourteous to refuse.” He took the front, leading the way. Truth be told, since entering Black Earth City, Ye Feng had studied the terrain thoroughly and knew the area well.

Soon, they emerged from the gully and reached the path that led to the summit. The mountaintop was broad, scattered with trees and boulders. Ye Feng and Xu Zhihui organized the troops, cutting wood, moving stones, preparing rolling logs and heavy rocks, and readying bows and arrows.

Well-prepared, they lay in ambush, waiting for the enemy.

After more than an hour, dust rose in the distance. A mighty army approached, winding like a river. As they drew near, their formation was neat, weapons gleaming, and upon the commander’s banner, the character “Zhao” blazed in bold strokes.

Ye Feng sucked in a cold breath. Judging by their bearing, this was no rabble. There must be capable men among them; caution was needed.

Xu Zhihui, however, could not contain himself. He nudged Ye Feng, his voice trembling with excitement. “They’re here! The dog officers come to die!”

Ye Feng hushed him and whispered, “Don’t panic. Let’s see what they do.”

The enemy force halted just short of the gully. From their ranks, a general clad all in white—helmet, armor, horse, and a silver spear—rode out to the command banner and spoke with the main commander. The latter nodded repeatedly and dispatched two small soldiers to scout ahead.

Again, Ye Feng drew a sharp breath. He’d heard Zhao Liang was an ignorant fool, relying on his imperial connections, but today he showed caution. If the scouts reached the summit and discovered their ambush, all their efforts would be for naught. Worse, if the enemy simply surrounded the mountain and refused to attack, with no water on the heights, they would be trapped themselves. They’d try to steal a chicken and lose the rice instead.

Cold sweat broke out on Ye Feng’s brow.

Xu Zhihui could wait no longer. Drawing his sword, he shouted, “Let’s kill them!” and prepared to leap from hiding.

Ye Feng held him back. “Wait, Brother Xu. Let me go and take a look.”

Crouching low behind the tall grass, Ye Feng crept down the slope. The two scouts soon ascended, blades drawn, feeling their way along the path, slashing at the undergrowth as they went.

Suddenly, a black snake slithered out of the grass—a full two meters long and thick as a wrist, glossy and swift. With a cry, the two scouts bolted in terror.

When the snake had gone, they caught their breath. “Brother, let’s stop running and at least take a look up there.”

“The hell with that! I nearly died of fright. Let’s just report back and say there’s nothing on the mountain.”

“That’s not wise. If there really is an ambush and we report otherwise, the marshal will punish us!”

“Fool! If there is an ambush and we go up, we’ll be the first to die—how will we live to report it? If we say there’s nothing, and there is, the marshal will be too busy to bother with us!”

The logic was irresistible. “You’re right, brother. There’s nothing here but rats and snakes. We’re just scaring ourselves.”

With that, they turned and descended.

Ye Feng rejoiced and quickly returned to his hiding place. The scouts reported back, and the white-armored general remained cautious, suggesting to Zhao Liang that shield-bearers be sent into the gully first.

Ye Feng secretly admired such prudence—this was a difficult foe.

As the enemy entered the ravine in force, Xu Zhihui, unable to wait, shouted, “Archers, loose! Release the logs and stones!”

Though Ye Feng tried to stop him, it was too late. He could only issue a remedy: “You, soldiers—block both ends of the ravine with boulders. Don’t let a single one escape!”

At his orders, the troops acted swiftly. Trees and stones rained down like a storm, sealing both ends of the ravine tight. Within, chaos reigned as rocks and logs battered the trapped soldiers.

Cries and screams filled the air. Arrows whistled down, each shot finding its mark and reaping lives by the score.

“Shield-bearers, protect the marshal!” the white-armored general bellowed.

With a great rush, the shield-bearers clustered around the command banner, protecting a general who was now shaking with terror, calling out, “General Xiao, save me!”

But the white-armored general paid him no heed, standing his ground, silver spear whirling, batting aside arrows and rolling logs alike. As he looked up, he caught sight of Ye Feng hurling a stone from above.

“You little wretch, dare to ambush me!” In a flash of rage, he leapt skyward—light as a swallow, swift as lightning, dodging arrows with uncanny speed—and lunged straight at Ye Feng.

The marshal below screamed in terror, “General Xiao, come back!” His face was ghostly pale.

The shield-bearers, calm and methodical, withdrew with their charge to a safe spot beneath a rocky outcrop—a dead angle where arrows could not reach and falling stones bounced harmlessly off the walls. Even the few rocks that made it to the shield formation lost much of their force, injuring only one or two, quickly replaced by others.

Ye Feng watched as the white-armored general, fearless and valiant, soared towards him, trailing a stench both pungent and strange—a demon’s aura! He started in alarm. Was this a demon general?

Yet the man’s face was smooth as jade, his brows like swords, his eyes bright as stars, and his bearing heroic. Ye Feng’s admiration grew. How could such a dashing figure be a demon?

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the enemy general was upon him, bellowing, “Your life is forfeit!” The silver spear thrust for Ye Feng’s chest—swift and deadly.

Ye Feng shouted, “Well struck!” Drawing his twin whips—the very weapons of Wu Renfu—he met the attack.

With a thunderous crash, sparks flew as if lightning split the sky, the sound painful to every ear. Ye Feng staggered back three steps from the force, while the white-armored general, too, tumbled through the air and landed on the ground.

No longer daring to duel Ye Feng, the general mounted his white horse and cried, “Brothers, follow me—break out!” Spear held high, he led the charge to the blocked ravine mouth.

There, seeing the way barred, he brandished his spear and struck. With astonishing strength, he hurled aside boulders and logs, clearing a path in moments.

“Brothers, the way is open—follow me!” he called, leading his men out of the ravine.

*****

The author is new—please support this story! If you enjoy it, add it to your favorites. Remember to add it to your bookshelf! And please, vote with monthly tickets and send flowers. Special thanks to readers who give rewards!