Chapter 50: A Deed of Merit

Night had already fallen. In the grand camp of the Southern Tang army, the supply division was preparing dinner, and the entire camp bustled with activity, the aroma of steamed rice wafting through the air.

Li Zhenggu’s expression was grave. Just a moment ago, Gao Shensi, commander of the Shenwu Army, had hurried to report that two scouting parties sent out earlier that day had not returned. Both missing squads belonged to Zhou Hongzuo’s third command of the Shenwu Army, including two junior officers and four sub-commanders.

Though there had been no major engagements with the Wuyue forces in recent days, skirmishes between scouts had been fierce. The Tianxiong Army had suffered around thirty casualties, while the Shenwu Army had lost a dozen or so. Death and injury on the battlefield were commonplace, but today’s missing patrol was different. Yang Lian, in particular, was one of the men whom Prince Qi had repeatedly entrusted to Li Zhenggu, and as a staunch supporter of the prince, Li naturally favored Yang. Moreover, Yang had left a deep impression on him over the past days—not merely because his name matched that of the late crown prince of the previous dynasty. Yang was energetic, decisive, and never hesitated in action—if properly nurtured, he would surely become a great general.

Li Zhenggu had been given this command primarily to draw Wuyue’s attention and force them to shift their troops north to Suzhou, thereby easing the pressure on the Tang forces in Min. Thus, he proceeded with grand displays and slow marching, making sure the whole world took note. Of course, he could not speak openly of the emperor’s orders, and kept them to himself. Additionally, he had accepted Prince Qi’s charge to mentor Yang Lian, helping him earn military merit in preparation for future service to the prince. These intentions, however, remained a private secret between Li and the prince.

Yet now, Yang Lian, Lin Renzhao, Chen Tie, and others had gone out and not returned. Could it be that they had encountered the Wuyue and met with disaster? The thought darkened Li Zhenggu’s face.

To be honest, Li Zhenggu could afford not to care about Yang personally, but he could not afford to disregard Prince Qi. After all, the emperor was considering making the prince the imperial heir, and if that day came, Li’s future would be bleak if he had offended the new sovereign.

His face stony, Li Zhenggu stood up and said, “These soldiers are the pride of our Tang. If they have truly gone missing, I fear the Wuyue are behind it. Commander Gao, Commander Zhu, send out scouts at once. No matter what, their whereabouts must be discovered.”

Gao Shensi, who had his own concerns given Yang’s connection to Prince Qi, cupped his fists and replied, “As you command.”

Zhu Kuangye, though dissatisfied, kept it hidden. In his eyes, such a fuss over a mere junior officer was unwarranted. In truth, his resentment stemmed from Yang’s actions in prior days.

Li Zhenggu began, “Commanders—”

He had not finished when an attendant burst in, breathless. “General, they—they have returned!”

“What? Who has returned?” Li Zhenggu, caught off guard, did not react at once.

Gao Shensi frowned in disbelief. “You mean Yang Lian, Lin Renzhao and the others have come back?”

The attendant, too winded to speak, could only nod vigorously.

Without another word, Gao Shensi strode out, with Li Zhenggu quickly following, a weight lifting from his heart as he realized Yang Lian had finally returned.

Zhu Kuangye snorted, a faint smile on his lips as he strolled out to watch the coming spectacle.

Within the Southern Tang camp, Yang Lian advanced step by step, gripping a long saber. The wound on his shoulder was so deep the bone was visible, the gash wide and bleeding freely despite the bandages, staining them crimson—a harrowing sight.

Gao Shensi hurried over. “You’re hurt!” he exclaimed.

“It’s nothing,” Yang Lian answered through gritted teeth, determined to endure the pain, for he was a man.

Li Zhenggu arrived and was startled by Yang’s battered state. Behind him, Lin Renzhao, Chen Tie, and the others were also wounded, blood staining their bodies in several places. Some had to support each other as they limped along, leaving a trail of blood that reddened the ground.

Zhu Kuangye, upon seeing their condition, felt a surge of satisfaction. A pity, though, that Yang Lian, despite such injuries, had not been killed by the Wuyue. Still, with his men returning in such a state, surely Li Zhenggu could no longer shield him. Zhu glanced at Yang again, a trace of schadenfreude in his eyes.

Leaning on his saber, Yang Lian saw Li Zhenggu and Gao Shensi and said, “General, Commander Gao, I was dispatched on patrol and encountered the Wuyue army en route.”

Li Zhenggu, hearing Yang’s steady voice despite his injuries, breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s all that matters. Quickly—fetch the surgeon to tend to these men.”

Yang reported, “General, today Lin and I led a party of twenty. Six were killed in action, three seriously wounded, the rest lightly injured.”

Zhu Kuangye stepped forward. “You had twenty men and horses. Why engage the Wuyue in such a deadly fight and lose so many?”

Yang Lian narrowed his eyes, casting a cold glance at Zhu, but replied with a smile, “As soldiers, we must be brave and press forward—how could we shrink from death?”

Zhu scoffed, taking a step closer. “Insolence!”

“And what do you mean by that, Commander Zhu?” Yang Lian arched his brow, his tone even.

“I am a commander, and you are but a junior officer. How dare you act with such impudence before me?” Zhu, sensing Yang’s misstep, sought to press his advantage, hoping to score a victory even if Li Zhenggu tried to intercede.

“Commander Zhu, you put on quite an air. Remember, though you command the Tianxiong Army, I, however humble my rank, serve in the Shenwu Army—we are not connected in any way. If you wish to discipline me, become my commander first,” Yang Lian retorted coldly.

“Furthermore, as soldiers, we are bound to return wrapped in our horse’s hide—such is our honor. Or do you, Commander Zhu, take issue with these words?”

Gao Shensi, hearing this, glanced at Zhu and said, “Yang Lian, you have done well. A soldier ought to give his life for his country, not cling to life and fear death. If all were cowards, the nation would soon be lost.”

Zhu Kuangye’s eyes flashed with anger. He, too, had years of battle behind him and had claimed many heads. Yet today Yang and Gao Shensi had publicly slighted him. He roared, “As scouts, your first duty is to bring back intelligence. If everyone acted as rashly as you did, how would news ever reach us? Should anything important arise, would it not be lost?”

Gao Shensi dismissed him with a snort, unwilling to argue further. After all, both men were colleagues and pillars of Li Zhenggu’s campaign—there was no need for open discord.

Yang Lian smiled coldly, then strode to his horse and pulled down Fan Mengling, tossing him to the ground. “General, this man is Fan Mengling, adviser to Qian Wenfeng, military governor of Central Wu.”

“Oh?” Li Zhenggu’s interest was piqued. An adviser’s rank was not high, but he would hold secrets. If Qian Wenfeng had sent him out, there must be a reason.

Gao Shensi laughed, shooting a look at Zhu, who was visibly shocked, which pleased him all the more. “Yang Lian, you have rendered great service. My early support for you was not in vain.”

Li Zhenggu circled Fan Mengling like a butcher inspecting livestock. “Since you are Qian Wenfeng’s adviser, you must know much about Suzhou. I trust you understand what I want.”

Fan Mengling turned away, ignoring him.

Yang Lian smiled faintly. “General, this man is quite stubborn. If you trust me, leave him to me—I will have him talking in three days.”

Fan Mengling snorted, his hostility toward Yang Lian equally clear.

Li Zhenggu nodded. “Since you captured him, he is yours to deal with.”

“Thank you, General,” Yang replied.

At that moment, the surgeons arrived to tend the wounded. Yang insisted they see to the others first, disregarding his own injuries. Li Zhenggu and Gao Shensi would not allow this, and after some back and forth, an elderly surgeon came to treat Yang.

The blood at the wound had clotted, but Yang had only wrapped it in coarse cloth. When the old surgeon removed the bandage, he was startled—a chunk of flesh had been gouged out, exposing white bone beneath, a gruesome sight even for one who had treated many wounds.

As the surgeon prepared to clean the wound, Yang asked for some spirits. The bottle had been brought from Jinling. Gritting his teeth, Yang uncorked it and poured the burning liquor over the wound. Pain lanced through him, but he clenched his jaw and made no sound.

“What are you standing there for? Clean the wound!” Yang barked, the movement tugging at the injury and forcing a hiss of pain from his lips.

The surgeon, finally recovering himself, hurried to clean the wound, mixing a bit of coarse salt with the well water to disinfect it. After cleansing, he applied medicine and tightly bandaged the arm. Only then, sweating profusely, did he finish, offering Yang further instructions before departing.

Yang’s arm ached, and it would take at least a month for the wound to heal, but fortunately it was not his dominant hand, so the effect was limited. Though he looked dreadful, covered in blood, most of it was not his own, and aside from the ghastly wound and exhaustion, he was otherwise unharmed. After being cleaned up, he looked far better.

After resting for half an hour, Yang’s spirits revived. Li Zhenggu sent over a jug of wine and some dishes as a reward. Yang called for a subordinate to invite Lin Renzhao, Chen Tie, and the others, ordering more food. They ate and drank together, the mood surprisingly cheerful, all thoughts of fallen comrades pushed aside. War always brought death; grief was fleeting, and the future demanded their attention.

After the wine, weariness overtook them all, and they soon fell into a deep sleep.