Chapter 55: Night Raid

"Heh!" Li Zhenggu forced a bitter laugh, his heart filled with desolation. He did not want to die, but what could he do? The earthen hill was little more than thirty yards high, and to the north, the mighty Yangtze River flowed ceaselessly, its rushing waters echoing and plunging Li Zhenggu's spirit even further into despair.

"Deputy Envoy Li is the backbone of this army; you must not lose hope. Tonight is the best chance for a breakout—let the troops rest first, and at the third watch, attempt to break through. There may yet be a sliver of hope," Gao Shensi said.

Li Zhenggu clenched his fist. However faint the hope, he would try. He gave orders: aside from thirty men to keep watch, everyone else was to rest.

Zhu Kuangye pursed his lips. Though he bore some resentment, he knew what mattered most. After a moment's thought, he walked to Li Zhenggu and said, "Commander Gao is gravely wounded. If we launch a surprise attack tonight, let me lead the vanguard."

Li Zhenggu nodded. "Very well, Commander Zhu. I entrust this to you."

The sun finally slipped below the mountains, its last rays fading from view. A crescent moon climbed the sky, casting a cold gaze over the land. Li Zhenggu had no desire for sleep; instead, he gazed up at the curved moon, his mood complex. Like Yang Lian, he found it strange—how had Qian Wenfeng known of today's retreat? Could there be a traitor? Yet, he had forbidden anyone from leaving after issuing the orders; how could word have leaked?

Lost in thought, Li Zhenggu yawned, sitting and leaning against a tree for rest. Tonight's breakout must succeed; failure was not an option.

The warhorses snorted softly. Ten miles from the sand hill, over two hundred Tang soldiers lay in wait.

"This is a sand dune, about thirty or forty yards tall. The routed Tang forces are hiding here. Though we don't know exactly who's inside, judging by the Wu-Yue troops, it's likely Grand Marshal Li is among them," Yang Lian said, drawing with a twig in the dirt.

He sketched the sand hill and the Wu-Yue army's temporary encampment, mapping them out to scale, analyzing as he drew.

"The number of Wu-Yue troops is unknown, but judging by the size of their camp, there must be at least a thousand," Yang Lian continued.

Chen Keyan narrowed his eyes, speaking softly, "A thousand Wu-Yue soldiers, with barricades—it will be hard to break through."

Lin Renzhao pondered, "If we plan thoroughly, there may be a chance."

Chen Tie snorted, "Even if Wu-Yue has a thousand men, I will slaughter them all."

"Don't be reckless," Yang Lian waved him silent. "The scouts report that the Wu-Yue troops intend to camp here, perhaps believing the Tang soldiers on the sand hill are trapped prey, or finding a night attack inconvenient. Either way, Wu-Yue isn't attacking for now."

"Their plan must be to attack tomorrow; otherwise, they wouldn't bother building barricades. A thousand is a formidable force, but not insurmountable," Yang Lian smiled, showing his white teeth.

Seeing Yang Lian's confidence, Chen Keyan asked, "Brother Yang, do you have a good idea?"

"I do, though it carries risks," Yang Lian replied.

"Please, share it," Chen Tie urged.

Yang Lian grinned slyly, "Along the way, we've passed many fallen Wu-Yue soldiers. You may not have noticed, but I've had men collect several sets of armor. My plan is to don these, sneak into the Wu-Yue camp, set fire to their barricades, and sow chaos. Then, our cavalry will charge out. Though our numbers are few, surprise might bring us victory."

Chen Keyan pressed his left hand to the ground, staring at the rough map and thinking, "This is a good plan."

"Brother Lin, what do you think?" Yang Lian asked.

Lin Renzhao stroked his chin, "It's our last chance."

Yang Lian glanced at the group; none objected. He went on, "We don’t need many infiltrators—just a dozen or so. Once inside, seize the chance to set fires. Brother Chen, if you see flames in the Wu-Yue camp, lead the charge without hesitation. If luck is with us, we may strike a decisive blow and turn the tide."

"Agreed!" The group nodded.

The troops received orders, ate flatbread, drank water, and slept in their clothes. Only twenty men patrolled the perimeter. Yang Lian, Chen Tie, Lin Renzhao, and the others rested as well.

The crescent moon climbed high and slanted westward, when sleep was deepest. Yang Lian and Lin Renzhao were roused, changed into Wu-Yue armor, and tied white cloths to their arms for recognition.

"Be careful, Brother Yang," Chen Keyan cautioned.

Yang Lian smiled, "Rest assured, Brother Chen. Victory will be swift."

They shook hands, and Yang Lian led Chen Tie, Lin Renzhao, and a dozen others into the night. The ten-mile trek was neither short nor long. To avoid detection, Yang Lian dismounted when they were five miles from the Wu-Yue camp.

From hiding, Yang Lian and Lin Renzhao observed the Wu-Yue troops. After a day of battle, they were surely exhausted; few torches burned, meaning fewer patrols. Yang Lian examined the scene, grabbed a handful of mud, and smeared his face black.

"Go!" he whispered, rising and heading toward the Wu-Yue encampment.

The group rose, some supporting each other as if wounded.

The Wu-Yue camp was quiet. As Yang Lian drew near, he saw many patrolmen asleep. He motioned silently, amused—heaven had granted them this opportunity, and he would seize it.

As they drew closer, everyone's nerves tightened.

Yang Lian squinted, moving quietly. He saw the Wu-Yue barricades were crudely built, perhaps because the Tang troops were considered trapped and the Tang army would need time to respond. From Changzhou to here was at least two hundred miles; even if the defeated troops fled to Changzhou and reported, the garrison would need a day or two to react.

Who would expect Yang Lian to take such a bold path, leading two hundred men in a surprise raid?

Finally, they neared the camp. Yang Lian signaled, about to approach the barricade, when a man appeared a few steps ahead, demanding, "Who are you?"

Yang Lian smiled, pointing at his armor, "Who do you think we are?"

The man saw their Wu-Yue armor and did not raise an alarm, though he wondered how this group had appeared.

Yang Lian spoke before he could answer, "Ah, we chased the Tang soldiers here, but fell into their ambush. Many of our men are dead or wounded. It's truly vexing."

The man seemed suddenly enlightened and laughed, "So that's it. If you'd followed General Gu, this wouldn't have happened."

Noticing Yang Lian's blank look, he added, "Do you know General Gu? He's the grandson of the former Commander of Martial Valor." His manner implied that not knowing the Commander would be foolish.

Former Commander of Martial Valor? Yang Lian was taken aback. A name sprang to mind—if his surname was Gu, he must be related to Gu Quanwu. Gu Quanwu was a famous general of Liangzhe; Qian Liu's Wu-Yue state was built on his efforts. He was the main force against Yang Wu, and except for a narrow defeat to Yang Wu’s famed general Li Shenfu, Gu Quanwu was undefeated—Tai Meng lost Suzhou at his hands; Tian Jun lost Jiaxing; Qin Pei, the Tiger Slayer, surrendered after being cut off from supplies and lost Kunshan, giving Wu-Yue control south of Suzhou.

Yang Lian squinted. A heroic father begets a heroic son—he wondered how much skill this Wu-Yue commander, Gu Quanwu’s descendant, truly possessed.

The man saw Yang Lian lost in thought, about to mock him, but sensed something was wrong and was about to speak when Lin Renzhao darted forward, covered his mouth, and slit his throat with a knife.

"Quick!" Yang Lian whispered. A dozen Tang soldiers grabbed torches from the Wu-Yue camp and scattered to set fires, killing many sleeping Wu-Yue troops along the way. Yang Lian glanced around, soon spotting a tent much larger than the others—surely the commander's. He took up his blade and rushed over.

The Wu-Yue soldiers slept deeply; the sudden blaze startled them, the roaring flames stinging their eyes. Some, unaware, stepped from their tents only to be cut down, their heads rolling, eyes wide open.

Yang Lian charged toward the main tent. As he approached, someone lifted the curtain, about to exit. Yang Lian wasted no words, swinging his blade and killing him, pushing the corpse aside as he strode in.

"Who are you?" came a furious shout from within.

On the soft couch, a man hurriedly sat up. Yang Lian saw him, his lips curling in a slight smile, and attacked with his blade. The man sensed danger and dodged, but Yang Lian pressed the attack relentlessly, leaving no room for resistance.

As they fought, another rushed in, shouting, "General, disaster! The Tang army is here!"

The commander named Gu was stunned, about to speak, when Yang Lian’s long blade struck. He raised his arm to block.

"Ah!" Gu cried out, blood spraying as his arm was severed. He clutched the stump, howling in pain.

"General!" the soldier shouted, about to charge.

Before he could finish, Yang Lian’s blade swung again, striking Gu’s shoulder, then with another blow, severing his head.

"General!" the soldier’s eyes filled with rage. His commander dead, as a personal guard he was responsible—military law was strict; his only fate was death. Red-eyed, he threw himself at Yang Lian—if he must die, at least he could take Yang Lian with him.