Chapter Fourteen: The Founding of King Chungmu

Outside the east gate of Songzhou City, the military camp of Song Wei’s forces.

Just as the Huang Chao army was holding a council of war, Wang Jian could not help but heave a heavy sigh as he watched the few scattered soldiers flee back to camp. His heart was bleeding.

Wang Jian was about thirty years old, with a bronze-colored square face, a broad nose, and a high bridge. His features carried a rugged, wind-swept air. His thick eyebrows resembled blades, and his forehead seemed perpetually furrowed, giving him an air of sternness that discouraged levity. A neatly trimmed mustache added a touch of ferocity, making him naturally imposing even without anger. Yet, when he draped an arm over his subordinates’ shoulders and laughed, he possessed an indescribable, rustic charisma that made people want to be near him.

"Commander Wang, Big Brother Wang Jian, Deputy Murong died such a miserable death..." the returning cavalryman wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face. "That madwoman, because he spoke disrespectfully, drained every drop of blood from his body before finally granting him a quick death..."

"It was our own carelessness. Had I led the charge myself, I would have liked to see if that madwoman could have withstood my Blood-Coagulating Divine Claws!" Wang Jian snorted coldly.

Wang Jian held the rank of Company Commander, commanding 150 men—more than the average. Because he was trusted by the Zhongwu Regional Military Governor, Cui Anqian, his men were the elite of the Zhongwu Army. Although Zhu Wen, as a Battalion Commander, had more troops, his men were not necessarily superior in combat.

Wang Jian’s thirty elite cavalrymen had originally routed Huang Chao’s grain transport troops in a single charge. Who would have thought that the seemingly frail woman general would suddenly go berserk, hacking and killing with such abandon? She caught Deputy Murong and his men off guard, slaughtering several of his best fighters before wiping out the majority of the unit. Only a few escaped. Having lost his entire investment, Wang Jian felt the sting of regret; he did not know how he would answer to Governor Cui Anqian upon his return.

Despondent, Wang Jian led over his black Hequ horse. The steed was pitch-black, broad-backed, and sturdy, appearing quite majestic, though it clearly looked ill and lethargic.

"The brothers haven't eaten well lately. I shall slaughter this old horse to give everyone a treat, and use the occasion to honor the spirits of our fallen comrades!"

With that, Wang Jian drew his sword, ready to strike the horse’s neck. A soldier stopped him: "Big Brother, you mustn't! This horse has followed you into battle for years. Even if we need to eat, there is no reason to kill it!"

Wang Jian sighed. "The horse is old. For the past two years, it has been sickly and stumbled often. I’ve consulted veterinarians repeatedly to no avail. Its time is clearly up; it is better to grant it a quick end."

Before the words had left his lips, his blade descended. The horse let out a mournful neigh as its throat was severed. Even in death, it looked at Wang Jian with an expression of disbelief, unable to understand why its master of so many years would kill it.

"No matter. Governor Cui values me, and I lack no coin. Buying another fine horse is a trivial matter; it cannot compare to the joy of you and me, brothers, eating meat and drinking wine together!"

He fetched clean water and set about skinning the horse himself. "You have all seen Big Brother’s handiwork before—prepare for your appetites to be whetted!"

As he butchered the meat and began to remove the entrails, a white, thread-like object shot out like lightning, startling everyone. They peered closer and saw a pure white creature, nearly half a foot long and as thick as a thumb, wet and sticky, writhing on the grass stained red with horse blood.

The men felt a wave of nausea, but Wang Jian reacted instantly, his blade flashing as he hacked the creature into pieces. "So it was you, you freakish worm, that harmed my beloved steed!"

It turned out the fine horse had been infested by such a large parasite; no wonder it had been sickly and short-lived.

A cavalryman had a sudden inspiration and shouted, "Big Brother Wang, this is no worm—it is a white serpent! When Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, slew the white serpent, he went on to achieve great things. With you slaying this white serpent, a title of nobility and a command of your own are certain. Those of us who have witnessed this miracle can celebrate; we shall wait for your rise to glory."

Wang Jian paused, then said solemnly, "Mind your words! I am but a common soldier; how dare I compare myself to the Emperor of Han? But that this is a good omen is beyond doubt. Once I rise to power, I shall surely set up incense and honor the spirits of Deputy Murong and all our fallen brothers!"

The men showered him with flattery. Wang Jian chatted with them about their families and promised to resolve their troubles in the future, leaving them all in high spirits.

Soon, the horse meat was prepared and hung over charcoal. Golden droplets of fat, like beeswax, dripped into the fire with a sizzling sound. Wang Jian applied his secret seasonings, and the camp was soon filled with a mouth-watering aroma. The men shared the meat and wine, finding the roasted horse to be devoid of gamey odor, tougher than beef, more delicious than lamb, and cooked to absolute perfection. They praised his culinary skills incessantly, forgetting the grief of losing twenty of their brothers.

...

Having achieved a minor victory against the armies of Song Wei and Qi Kerang in their initial skirmishes, Huang Chao felt a touch of pride. Clad in light armor and accompanied by the now-recovered Zhu Wen, he walked out of the camp with a high, steady stride, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the vast expanse of Songzhou.

In the fields, the waves of wheat, turning from green to yellow, rolled in the wind like a sea, nearing maturity.

The wheat on both sides had been pre-ordered by the warring factions as military rations at very low prices. While this hardly covered the farmers' costs, it was better than outright plunder. Compared to the An-Shi rebels of the past, both the imperial and rebel armies, despite their occasional looting, acted with a degree of restraint.

Huang Chao observed the undulating landscape with care; for a commander, understanding the terrain was paramount. Only by grasping the three-dimensional layout of the battlefield could one formulate correct strategies—a task requiring intelligence gathering and the seasoned wisdom of a general, which no ordinary advisor could replicate.

"Qi Kerang did not use his full strength in the skirmishes these past few days," Huang Chao muttered to himself.

His eyes, burning like torches, fixed upon a patch of barren red earth. It looked no different from the rest, but Huang Chao stared intently, clearly having noticed something.

"There must be a tunnel here!" Huang Chao barked. "Since Qi Kerang has been feigning weakness, he is likely resorting to his old tricks. Fortunately, I have studied the arts of Feng Shui and topography; I can spot the subtle differences in the ground where tunnels have been dug."

"Liangyu, return to camp with me at once. I must have the men dig trenches around the perimeter to guard against the Taining Army launching a surprise attack from tunnels. Position spearmen and swordsmen to intercept them!"

"As you command," Zhu Wen replied simply.

He looked up at the vast sky, a boundless, endless expanse of azure. The midday sky was clear and crystalline, like an interweaving of tears and blades. Even on the eve of a major conflict, the battlefield was as calm as the sky itself, yet the most intense of symphonies was already brewing beneath this veneer of peace.

The embers of ambition flickered within Zhu Wen, though not yet enough to make his blood boil. The Daxia Longque blade on his back gave a low hum, but this time it was exceptionally soft, like the purring of an animal.

The image of that massive white tiger suddenly appeared before Zhu Wen’s eyes again. But at this moment, the beast—representing the hunger for slaughter within him—appeared to be in a deep slumber. Under the midday sun, it lay curled up and lazy, its long whiskers rising and falling with its breath, looking almost adorable.

...

Two towering earthen mounds rose before the Taining Army’s camp. Countless figures swarmed like ants, adding shovelfuls of earth and stone to their sides and summits. The builders were the "Five Virtues Battalion," the legendary engineering unit under the command of "Snow Marshal" Qi Kerang.

The Five Virtues Battalion was divided into Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth divisions, comprised of master craftsmen from across the ten circuits of the Tang. The Metal division excelled in weaponry and armor, the Wood in fortifications, the Water in aquatic siege tactics, the Fire in incendiaries, and the Earth in earthworks and tunneling. Though these technicians did not fight on the front lines, their mastery of the five elements was worth a thousand soldiers.

It was the Earth division’s masters who were directing the construction. Because the mounds were directly in front of the Taining camp, the rebel army was powerless to stop them. Once the mounds were complete, the large bed-crossbows and trebuchets mounted atop them rained giant bolts and boulders down upon the rebel positions like a waterfall. Some bolts flew over seven hundred paces, pinning themselves deep into the rammed earth walls of Yanwang City.

Such a distance was not enough to bombard the rebel camp inside the city directly, but the psychological deterrent was staggering. If the rebel army tried to sally out again, they would be met with crossfire from the mounds.

"Two days ago, when the enemy emerged from tunnels, we dug deep trenches and easily repelled them," Meng Kai said during the council. "I never expected these two earthen mounds to spring up overnight."

"The mounds and the tunnels are being used in tandem, covering each other and distracting us like a two-headed snake. It forces us to never let our guard down at either front. Furthermore, the earth excavated from the tunnels is being used to build the mounds," Huang Chao assessed. "Qi Kerang is famous for his siege craft; it requires a precise understanding of the landscape down to the last inch."

"At this rate, sallying out again would be highly unfavorable for us!" Meng Kai said. "I wanted to go out and settle the score with that old thief Song Jue, to avenge our junior brother..."

Huang Chao interrupted him: "Since it is the Snow Marshal Qi Kerang we face, how could he let us win another battle so easily?"

Everyone turned their gaze to Huang Chao. This brilliant salt merchant from Shandong had never let them down; even with a foe as powerful as Qi Kerang, the men still placed their hope in him.

Huang Chao, however, merely said nonchalantly, "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and we are certainly no rabbits. Qi Kerang is still holding back, which is the suspicious part."

Many of the generals, including Huang Chao’s nephew Lin Yan, gasped.

If this was not his full strength, then how terrifying was the Snow Marshal?

Huang Chao continued, "Qi Kerang uses the mounds to suppress us and the tunnels to harass us, but we have countermeasures for both. These are merely posturing tactics, not decisive strategies. Moreover, the enemy, unlike us desperate souls, have families back in the Taining region. If the troops are away too long, homesickness will sap their morale. Therefore, Qi Kerang must have another way to deal with us."

Hearing this, Lin Yan and the others breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Huang Chao had a plan.

"Duan Hongyan, report what you have discovered!" Huang Chao commanded.

Duan Hongyan stepped forward. "East of Mengzhu Marsh, within the dense forest, there are traces of shadowy enemy activity. I feared being detected and did not venture further into the woods."

"East of Mengzhu Marsh?" one of the generals said. "That forest runs along the North Bian River. Could it be..."

Huang Chao stroked his short beard and laughed. "Just as I suspected!"

"The summer waters are rising. Songzhou’s terrain is higher in the north and lower in the south. The greatest disadvantage of Yanwang City is its low-lying position, making it susceptible to flooding."

Meng Kai exclaimed, "So, those tunnels leading toward our camp are intended to channel the water!"

"And the enemy is working in the forest not only to hide the work of breaching the North Bian River embankment but also because the dense woods prevent our chariots from charging..."

"Hahaha..." Huang Chao laughed. "Juehai, the fact that you thought of this shows great improvement. You are not just good for fighting and killing anymore—a student worth teaching!"

Zhu Wen, who had been contemplating in silence, realized it was time for him to speak. He touched his chin and said, "Master, I have something to say, if I may."

"Speak freely."

"I am a native of Songzhou. In my view, although the North Bian River is full of water, even if the embankments were completely breached, flooding Yanwang City into a lake would be quite difficult."

Huang Chao nodded decisively. "Exactly."

"Not enough to flood our camp?" Lin Yan asked. "If Qi Kerang miscalculated, then shouldn't we ignore it?"

Huang Chao shook his head. "The Bian River flooding, while not enough to submerge our camp, would leave the ground over a foot deep in water. Men and horses would be bogged down in the mud, and our supplies and grain would rot. It would force us to abandon our position for higher ground."

"And during such a relocation, morale would inevitably plummet."

"Qi Kerang wants to use the flooding to force us out of the advantageous terrain of Yanwang City, then attack us while we are in disarray. The heavy crossbows and stone throwers on the mounds would then suppress us while we are exposed in the open," Duan Hongyan added.

"Precisely," Huang Chao barked. "Generals, follow me! We march out of the camp toward the North Bian River to attack the Taining Army and stop them from breaching the embankment!"