Amidst the sound of the battle drums, Yang Gongqing personally led his main forces of three thousand men out of the camp, swiftly entering the battlefield of the enemy’s camp on the plain west of Cijian, forming the situation where they were face to face with the enemy.
Just like Kou Zhong expected, Luo Shixin of the middle army immediately raised his banner, the drums and the bugles were sounded at once, the atmosphere grew tense. At the same time, on the two wings, Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin’s armies were also moving, carrying with them the overwhelming military strength superiority, like a wheel rolling over on a praying mantis, taking advantage while the Yang’s army has not steadied their battle formation, they rushed forth toward the luring enemy.
Both armies had infantrymen with spear and shield at the front, with the archers at the rear, followed by mobile cavalry. If the infantry could impede the enemy’s offensive, then the cavalry would be able to attack from any direction.
This moment the wings were spreading out at the same time to attack. By the time they were clashing with Yang Gongqing’s advancing army of three thousands men, Luo Shixin’s middle army would strike directly from the front, relying on superior number to smash Yang’s army in one move, and then they would proceed to force the defeated Yang’s army back into the camp, and they would then destroy the camp, and straight toward the city of Cijian; perhaps they would be able to capture Cijian just like that, as easy as blowing off dust.
They were not afraid that in this luring-the-enemy tactic Luo Shixin would not fall into the trap.
This moment, Yang Gongqing’s three thousand strong army stood outside the camp in squads of five soldiers each, arraying themselves in ranks, along the length and the breadth, adopting the crescent moon formation, where the halberd and shield wielders at the front and the bow and crossbow wielders at the rear. The crescent moon shape had its sharp points facing the opponent’s middle army. Except for Yang Gongqing and his eight generals conducting the troops from horseback, the rest were uniform infantry, all wielding big shields, which were taller than them. The bottom of the shields was shaped like a sharp awl, which could be inserted into the ground three chi deep. With the aid of spear, halberd, arrow, and dart, they were unafraid of the enemy’s warhorses smashing against them.
Two armies fighting each other, there were four crucial factors to victory, which were ‘troops disposition’, ‘momentum’, ‘changes’, and ‘power’, with ‘battle array’ at the top of the list.
In a two-person duel, which side has more brilliant skill would be able to score a victory. Two armies battling each other, the emphasis was the strength of physical cooperation, which dependent upon the method of troops disposition, to achieve ‘producing endless changes, either lying low or rising up, appearing to be whole but actually incomplete, appearing to be in disorder but is actually orderly; coming together becoming a troop formation, scattering around also becoming a troop formation, marching also becoming a troop formation, hence the enemy do not know why we are retreating, restraining they do not know why we are advancing’. Only then would they be able to put their strength in full display.
Therefore, on the battlefield, the key element was not individual courage and strength, but it depended whether the troops had ‘controlling power’, the commands from the high-ranking military officers became the crucial point of victory or defeat even more.
Yang Gongqing was a famous general, veteran of a hundred battles. As soon as he agreed to Kou Zhong’s plan, he immediately set aside the fear of the enemy’s overwhelming military strength, and put out the battle array most able to deal with the situation before his eyes, to unyieldingly and obstinately meet the enemy head-on.
Kou Zhong and Ma Chang’s cavalry took advantage of the gap while the enemy had not yet finished their deployment, to move out of the two exits from the camp’s left and right flanks, and positioned themselves as Yang Gongqing’s left and right wings, forming an advancing-could-attack-retreating-could-defend, brimming-with-mobility threatening force, coordinating well with Yang Gongqing’s full-defensive position like the sun and the moon corresponding each other, reflecting each other.
Kou Zhong led one thousand strong elite cavalry unit as Yang Gongqing’s right wing. His mind entered the Moon in the Well realm; he observed the Qin Army and the Cheng Army’s advance and approach with cold eyes. Guo Shancai, on top of Cijian’s city wall, ordered the city guards to get ready, with trebuchets and crossbow vehicles disposition in waiting. If the Yang Army was no match for the enemy, they would retreat back into the camp in an orderly manner, and then they would be able to put their huge supporting force in full display. But if they were beaten by the enemy and scattered in a great mess, naturally it was a different matter altogether.
The moment when the men and horses of the two sides were approaching each other, the atmosphere on the battlefield was like a stretched-taut bowstring, the battle could happen at any moment.
Last night, Qin Shubao, three men were not tooting their horn. The Tang Army was indeed well trained elite soldiers. Just by looking at the battle array method with which they were advancing, able to allow disposition of troops among disposition of troops, squads among the squads, the corners and lagging-behind parts linked together in good order and not in confusion, everybody’s pace was uniform, generating a magnificent army with thousands of men and horses momentum – it was enough to make the enemy’s guts trembling.
Amidst the sound of the battle drums, the enemy’s two forces advanced to a distance of two thousand paces. The bugle horn from the middle army showed that Luo Shixin’s middle army was beginning to move, corresponding to Qin and Cheng, two armies’ approach, increasing the pressure and threat toward the Wang Army.
Nevertheless, Kou Zhong remained calm without any fear. Since one sichen before daybreak, Li Shimin’s main forces were starting to arrive, during this same one sichen of time Luo Shixin’s vanguard army had begun to organize their perimeter defense to guard against the enemy’s surprise attack.
By now, it has been nearly three sichen; not only they lacked sleep, they had been working hard, plus they had not had any breakfast. Meanwhile, although Yang Gongqing’s troops took turn to dig the trenches and set up defenses, but the work was completed before the third watch of the night [23:00 – 1:00] last night, so they have had enough rest. Therefore, they were now the troops that had preserved and nurtured their spirit, and had eaten until they were full. Dealing with the other side’s weary-and-hungry-from-the-journey troops, as long as they could withstand their first round of offensive, as soon as the opponents lost their acute edge, he, Kou Zhong, would immediately seize the favorable situation.
Therefore, currently he used defense in place of offense, but when the time came, he would turn to offense in place of defense. It was similar to from ‘No Attack’ he changed to ‘Striking Strange’. The art of war and saber technique were really not two different things.
The drumbeats grew in intensity.
Qin and Cheng, two armies shouted in unison, from advancing slowly they changed into walking forward swiftly along with the rhythm of the drum, from both wings they charged toward the enemy. Immediately the wind and the cloud [fig. unstable situation] changed color, murderous aura filled the atmosphere.
When the two armies were rushing to more than eight hundred paces distance, the bugle horn was sounded again. From behind, a team of nearly two-thousand-man cavalry rushed out, circled around the outer side, and then from the outside they coordinated with the infantry to attack together, the rise and fall of the hoof beats rumbled over the whole plain, the momentum was terrifying.
Far behind the enemy ranks, Li Shimin’s main forces stopped the process of entering the camp to rest, they turned left to the plain in front of the wooden stronghold to set up their troops disposition. Only by looking at the rising high, flapping in the wind, flying commander banner, they knew that Li Shimin’s good self has arrived to boost the morale of the troops and horses from his side.
Throwing his head back, Kou Zhong let out a long laughter and said, “It’s time! Sound the horn!”
Ma Chang’s one-thousand-man cavalry responded to the bugle horn, they galloped toward Kou Zhong’s troops. The middle gate of Cijian city was opened wide, the drawbridge was lowered, Shang Zi’s defending troops rushed out. Inside the camp, defensive lines were set up around the arrow towers and around the trenches.
The shouting and killing noise intensified, the drumbeat turned urgent, the enemy troops changed from fast walk to running urgently, like two waves of tide, with shield-wielding soldiers at the front to cover, they charged and broke through enemy lines.
The enemy’s riders from outer left and right sides sprinted toward the flanks of their own infantrymen.
The theater of decisive battle over Cijian finally raised its curtain.
※ ※ ※
After nearly a sichen of Xu Ziling’s treatment using Long-Life Qi on Ling Longjiao’s injury, Ling Longjiao’s internal injury was completely healed. She just expressed her gratitude in low voice, and then she fell silent; apparently she had a lot of loads in her mind.
Xu Ziling cast his gaze toward Kuo Jie’s dead body lying face down on the ground. The one inflicting heavy injury was he, Xu Ziling, but the one killing him was Ling Longjiao, who struck back with hatred. Da Ming Zun Jiao people had done bad things to the extreme; Kuo Jie had only himself to blame, even his death could not wipe out his crimes.
By this time, he had already guessed Ling Longjiao’s lot in life seventy-, eighty-percent, he knew that she was unwilling to reveal the load on her mind to him, yet he could not help feeling pity. He asked, “Guniang has always been coming and going alone, your whereabouts is hidden, yet they must have real skill to be able to connect the dots. Guniang must double your vigilance against their follow-up moves.”
Ling Longjiao spoke coldly, “Only because they knew that I was going to see Kou Zhong that they were able to lie in ambush outside the camp to wait for me. Next time they can forget about getting this kind of opportunity again.”
And then the tone of her voice turned gentle, she cast him a glance, and then said, “Can we go into the woods to continue talking?”
Her voice carried a bit of beseeching overtone, so that Xu Ziling could not bear to brush her off, he nodded his head to indicate his agreement.
The two sat down at the edge of the dense forest, leaning against a tree. The scorching sun outside the forest was like fire illuminating the mother earth, but they were hiding under the dense shade, enjoying the cool and moist air of the forest.
Ling Longjiao broke the silence, but she was speaking absent-mindedly, “How could it be so coincidental?”
Xu Ziling knew she had a load on her mind, and that she was hesitating whether she should reveal everything to him, thereupon he said, “I was going to see Kou Zhong, and Guniang had just seen him, therefore, we came across each other.”
Ling Longjiao revealed a both-mentally-and-physically-exhausted expression, which provoked his pity. Lightly shaking her small cicada head, she said, “This is not a coincidence, rather, it was dictated by fate, because Niang in another world bless and protect me. Ay! I wonder if falling in love could be very hard, love could be very exhausting!”
Xu Ziling was shaken inwardly. He replied, “On this, my personal experience is not deep, I do not have the ability to answer this question for Guniang.”
Ling Longjiao’s beautiful eyes looked deep into his eyes, she spoke solemnly, “I want to tell you something, but only you alone may know, you are not allowed to tell Kou Zhong.”
Inwardly Xu Ziling was shocked again, realizing that the man she took a fancy to was precisely that kid, Kou Zhong.
Smiling wryly, he nodded his head and said, “If it is Guniang’s private matter, is it all right if Xiaodi is excused from getting involved?”
Ling Longjiao’s two eyes turned slightly red, she hung her head down, and then with voice as tiny as a mosquito’s she said, “You already guessed who that person is! I feel that he likes me a little, but even if he does, so what? He is engaged to the Song Family’s Xiaojie, and Song Family has always rejected foreign tribes. For this reason, no matter how much pain I have to suffer, I definitely must not give him any trouble, to cause damage to his grand undertaking. Originally I still did not want to leave him, but now that Wang Shichong is inciting evil cult’s traitors to come and kill me, I already made a clean break [orig. two segments with a single cut] with Wang Shichong, so I must leave immediately.”
Hearing that, Xu Ziling was dumbstruck. This was the first time he heard a woman revealing her inner feeling, acknowledging frankly that she was in love with another man. Furthermore, he deeply felt that her secret love inflicted contradictions and pain upon herself! Yet she was so delicate, pretty and adorable; he could not help feeling deeply sorry for her. He asked, “How did Guniang know that Wang Shichong incited people to come and kill you?”
Ling Longjiao spoke with hatred, “The day before yesterday Wang Shichong and I had a big argument, I have always regarded him … ay! I don’t want to talk about it! He is the only one who knows clearly where I am. Remembering Niang, I did not argue with him. I am very tired, I just want to rush back home immediately and no longer pay attention to anything.”
And then she rose up to her full height, smiled and said, “Kou Zhong and you are the best Han people that I have ever met, you are true heroes and real men. You have to watch for Da Ming Zun Jiao, I hear that among their new generation of people finally there is someone who mastered and understands thoroughly the ‘Yu Jin Wan Fa Gen Yuan Zhi Jing’ [lit. completely resisting ten thousand methods of origin of wisdom scripture], and has been conferred the rank of Yuanzi of the new generation. You and Kou Zhong have become their archenemy. Based on their usual style of conduct, they might employ thousand ways, a hundred plans, by fair means or foul, to harm you. After saying this, I feel much more comfortable! Thank you! Tell Kou Zhong I am going back to Qiuci!”
Finished speaking, she floated into the depth of the forest.
Xu Ziling stood up and called out, “Who is Da Zun?”
Ling Longjiao replied, “It’s Huihe man by the name of Xiugusidu, the proud disciple of ‘Mo Wang’ [Devil King] Zheluo, who stole away the Persian’s Ming Zun Jiao’s secret canon and fled to the east, also the first person in the eastern evil cult to see through the Zhi Jing [wisdom scripture]. If you come across him, you must never underestimate the enemy and being careless.”
Looking at her sweet, fair, and graceful, petite figure disappearing into the depth of the forest, Xu Ziling sat down dejectedly. The taste of bitter longing, he knew better than anybody else.
※ ※ ※
Leading more than a dozen young generals under his command galloping out from inside the city, conducting most of his men stationed at the camp to rush out along the southern wing, lining up the shield and arrow troops disposition to face an attack from the enemy riders dashing over from other side – has enabled Yang Gongqing to concentrate his force to cope with the enemy soldiers charging from left and right, two ways.
The sound of drums from Luo Shixin’s middle army changed again, not only the entire army increased their speed forward, two thousand strong cavalry rushed out from the rear even more, to cut the middle section of Kou Zhong’s cavalry unit. If Kou Zhong’s cavalry unit were cut off, it would become head-and-tail-difficult-to-look-after-each-other situation. Since the enemy had double military power, it could easily turn into total defeat of the whole army.
Both sides unleashed their marvelous schemes, just like martial art masters facing off against their adversary, relying not only on the strength of the military force, but also whose strategy was more superior.
The sound of shouting and killing shook the entire battlefield.
From Yang Gongqing’s troops disposition, a thousand arrows were shot at the same time, flitting across the vast sky, like flying locusts filling the whole sky and cover the land, shooting toward Qin and Cheng, two armies. The remaining nearly one thousand defending troops in the camp pushed the trebuchets behind Yang Gongqing’s battle formation, waiting for action after having accumulated power. As soon as Luo Shixin’s middle army entered their shooting range, more than a dozen stone throwers would be able to bring enormous casualties to the enemy, because the huge rocks, weighing several dozen jin each, were not something that shields and armors were capable to withstand.
Kou Zhong took the lead, one by one powerful arrows were shooting like a string of pearls from the Piercing the Sun Bow. The arrows did not even miss a hairsbreadth, they pierced the enemy’s armor, those who got hit produced a spurt of rain of blood and fell backward from the horseback, as if they were swept by the wind.
Both his saber technique and his archery skill were cultivated in the battlefield until they reached the realm of success. Saber technique [dao fa] was the art of war [bing fa, lit. soldier technique/method]; returning to the battlefield was like a fish returning to the ocean, like a bird soaring into the clear sky.
His mind was as tranquil as the moon in the well, he completely grasped the situation as far away as every corner of the battlefield, he knew even more clearly that if the enemy riders, which were only more than nine hundred paces away, managed to intercept him, then when Luo Shixin’s middle army of two thousand strong cavalry charged over, surely they would be able to cut his own troops and break them away.
The crucial point was whether his own troops could rout the enemy’s troops in a short time, whether they could break through the opponent’s intercept, before Luo Shixin army’s cavalry cut them, to charge toward the empty space on the enemy’s right side, and then the would be able to directly threaten Li Shimin’s main forces at the rear.
The enemy’s riders blindly returned the arrows in Kou Zhong’s direction, yet the arrows could only reach a little more than half the distance between the two sides before losing momentum and fell down to the grassland; however, already more than a dozen of them hit by the arrows and fell to their death.
Kou Zhong hardened his heart. When the distance between two sides was only about six hundred paces, he swiftly released arrows toward the enemy riders again, immediately men fell face up, horses flipped over, implicating the enemy’s riders charging from behind so that one after another the horses stumbled and threw their riders into chaos.
The cavalry’s front formation broke down in disorder, the effect rippled like a wave and spread to the entire troops disposition, so that they were no longer in formation, but scattered to both sides.
Seeing how formidable their commander-in-chief was, how divine his archery skill, only relying on one person’s strength he was able to inflict heavy losses on the opponent, which could only be compared to celestial soldier, heavenly general, immediately the cavalry following behind Kou Zhong’s morale received a big boost. Their momentum like a rainbow, everybody on horseback bent his bow and put on an arrow, the enemy barely entered their shooting range, the arrows were released at the same time like rain, so that the disorderly enemy became even more utterly defeated.
Kou Zhong reached into his quiver and found it to be empty. He had two quivers each on his left and right, a total of four quivers, one hundred and twenty arrows were all shot. With a roar he pulled the Moon in the Well, which fame shook the area inside and outside of the Great Wall, squeezed the horse’s belly with his legs, and bravely and irresistibly it leaped over a dead warhorse on the battlefield, and charged straight into the enemy’s cavalry formation.
On the battlefield, all those luring the enemy and confusing the enemy tricks were just child’s play and a joke, each saber chop was about efficiency, meeting force with force, strong power and fast saber would win.
‘Dang!’
An enemy was hacked by him, the person, as well as the spear, were thrown off the horseback, shaken by his heavy technique that he died on the spot, unable to withstand even one move from him.
Kou Zhong unleashed his saber technique, he chopped everybody in sight, under his hands, not a single one could survive. Following behind him, his men matched his no-stronghold-he-cannot-overcome momentum, they fiercely charged straight into the enemy riders losing their battle formation, killing the enemy that they suffered a crushing defeat and scattered everywhere to evade.
At this time, the Luo Army’s reinforcement cavalry was still rushing over from seven hundred paces away. Due to the enemy and us, two sides’ cavalry were in a melee, they could not release arrows and could only rush over for close-ranged hand-to-hand combat.
Ma Chang was Yang Gongqing’s trusted lieutenant, a veteran of a hundred battles; upon seeing this, he knew that Kou Zhong’s one-thousand-man cavalry had enough power to deal with the everything-broken-and-in-disorder enemy’s riders, hurriedly he led his one thousand men to leave the main army and changed direction to meet the Luo Army’s reinforcement cavalry.
This moment Kou Zhong reorganized his formation, they no longer pursued and attacked the fleeing-in-disorder enemy’s riders, but also changed direction to attack the reinforcement cavalry.
Luo Shixin, in the middle army overseeing the general situation, was shocked; he never thought that under Kou Zhong’s command, the enemy troops could be this valiant. If he let Ma Chang’s cavalry meet his army head-on, Kou Zhong could come again to strike squarely in the middle, and then his own military force might suffer the same fate as the previous team, and it would affect the entire battle situation. Thereupon he hurriedly issued his order, the middle army changed from offense to defense, they stopped advancing. The bugle horn sounded again, ordering the cavalry to withdraw the middle formation.
Upon seeing this, Yang Gongqing, who was unable to fight Qin Army and Cheng Army’s all-out attack – was greatly delighted. The trebuchets, which were originally going to face Luo Shixin’s middle army’s attack, changed their target. They began to launch the stones toward the enemy troops attacking from both sides.
Human life on the battlefield became not worth half a penny; on both sides, men were continuously either losing their lives or wounded, but nobody paid any attention, the battle continued heartlessly.
Looking at the enemy riders returning to their own formation, Kou Zhong cried, ‘What a pity!’ inwardly. If the situation continued to develop like a moment ago, perhaps he would be able to inflict heavy losses to the Tang Army on the battlefield. This moment Ma Chang came to his side, their cavalry regrouped.
Ma Chang excitedly said, “We immediately return to our army division and launch pincer attack, certainly we can kill the enemy to be in a sorry state [orig. falling flowers, flowing water].”
Kou Zhong watched Qin Shubao’s main forces, which were carrying fierce offensives toward Yang Gongqing’s troops defending their position outside the camp – with rapt attention; he smiled and said, “Old Qin is indeed proficient in the art of war. Don’t look at how they appear to be disregarding everything in violent assault against Yang Gong, the fact is that he already made adequate preparation; he could divide the majority of his force at any moment to face our attack. And if we dare to attack them, as long as they could hold out for a short time, Luo Shixin would lead the main forces from the rear to press down on us, I am afraid in the end it would be you and I who would run away back to our camp.”
Ma Chang observed the enemy ranks carefully; he nodded in agreement and said, “Shaoshuai is indeed cool-headed; their troops at the rear are indeed starting to pull back their formation.”
He had not even finished, the bugle horn sounded again, Qin and Cheng, two armies started to slowly pulling back in an orderly manner, the dead and wounded were carried away, and Luo Shixin’s middle army was moving forward to push on, while the two teams of cavalry reorganizing their formation split up to both sides. If Yang Gongqing seized the opportunity to pursue and attack, or perhaps Kou Zhong wanted to launch surprise attack by cutting in the middle, Luo Army had enough capacity to cope.
On the horseback, Kou Zhong, whose troops disposition took position on the north side of the battlefield, stretched his limbs and spoke calmly, “Today’s fighting is finished. This battle will greatly arouse our troops’ morale, while also teach Li kid not to dare to regard me, Kou Zhong, as nothing.”
Ma Chang watched the retreating enemy with full attention, he submitted cheerfully, saying, “If we really could assassinate Wang Shichong and have Shaoshuai in his place, Li Shimin will undoubtedly lose this battle.”
Smiling bitterly, Kou Zhong said, “Assassinating Wang Shichong in Cijian, you must be joking! Luoyang’s defending generals are all his people; everything will have to wait until we get back to Luoyang. Ay! I hope we won’t have to come back to Luoyang to solve everything. If we could ruthlessly repress Li Shimin in here, his grand plan of punitive expedition to the east will be done for, I am afraid he won’t even be able to protect his king [prince] position. If Li Yuan, in his anger, send Li Jiancheng in his place, the world will be mine, Kou Zhong’s!”
