The Child Emperor - Chapter 153: “Reeds” of the Frontier

The dark night amplified the sounds and shadows from the other side, deepening suspicions and fears. The wilderness below the mountain seemed to be filled with Xiongnu warriors, howling like a pack of wolves without end.

Ninety-plus Chu soldiers on the hillside all paled. Facing enemies ten times their number, they had no means of retreat, and reinforcements wouldn’t arrive for at least two days. No one knew how to persevere.

The howling from below suddenly intensified, countless arrows rained down, leaving eerie shadows on the ground illuminated by firelight. They looked like heavy arrows fired from ballistas. Many in the first row raised their shields. Du Chuanyun was uneasy too, but he cast a glance at the Weary Marquis, and especially at the veteran general Fang Daye.

Fang Daye had arrows nocked but hadn’t drawn the bowstring, standing still without even looking up at the sky, his gaze fixed on the figures below.

So Du Chuanyun remained still as well.

Those arrows were just a bluff, falling to the ground halfway. They did not cover the sky as feared, and numbered only about a dozen in total.

Fang Daye suddenly drew back the bowstring, and the soldiers in the rear rows followed suit, their arms trembling slightly, unable to find clear targets, so they aimed at the burning fire pits.

Han Ruzi gripped his sword, loudly commanding, “Except for General Fang, no one is to shoot arrows without my order!”

The men obeyed, but none spoke in response.

The Xiongnu war cries gradually died down, and a clear voice came from below the mountain, “Chu people, calm down. I am a messenger from the Xiongnu, not a warrior.”

After a while, a horseman rode into the range of the firelight, arms outstretched to show he wasn’t there to challenge.

Han Ruzi said to the adjutant beside Du Chuanyun, “Ask him his purpose.”

The adjutant nodded, shield protecting his chest, took a few steps forward, and loudly demanded, “Who goes there, state your name.”

The Xiongnu man who spoke Chinese didn’t give his name, constantly scanning the area above, “Which general leads your troops?”

The adjutant glanced back, then shouted, “Speak if you have business, or…” He wanted to provoke a fight but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

The Xiongnu man chuckled, “The identity of the general doesn’t matter. I’m here to tell you, the Xiongnu army has surrounded you. Surrender now and you may escape death, otherwise…”

Fang Daye shot an arrow, grazing the horse’s side, startling it, kicking up its hooves, almost throwing the rider off.

The Xiongnu messenger lay low on the horse’s back, then turned and fled.

Moments later, Xiongnu cavalry roared in, passing the fire pits, charging halfway up the mountain.

Fang Daye drew his bow, his archery vastly different from Jin Chuiduo’s. His movements were slow and deliberate, his posture with the bow not standard due to his long arms. He resembled a youth who had just picked up a bow and arrow shooting at a rabbit several steps away. But his arrows were long-ranged and powerful, surpassing ordinary soldiers and even Jin Chuiduo in strength.

From his elevated position, his arrows flew straight for a hundred paces, each hitting its mark, either man or horse.

Yet the Xiongnu cavalry kept charging, even as the veteran general shot three arrows, dozens of riders already reached within fifty paces.

Han Ruzi, despite having some battle experience, faced the Xiongnu for the first time. He still felt nervous, a stifling sensation in his chest, as if Meng E poking him with a finger. Since Fang Daye released the first arrow, he had wanted to order a counterattack, but he understood not everyone possessed the skills of the veteran general. He had to wait.

The longer he waited, the stronger the sense of suffocation grew in his chest.

Arrows from the Xiongnu also came, some even reaching above the heads of the Chu soldiers. The first row held their shields up. Han Ruzi directed the men while Fang Daye kept shooting arrows. The soldiers in the rear maintained their formation, exposing their upper bodies.

We can’t wait any longer. Han Ruzi commanded loudly, “Fire!”

The second row of soldiers released their arrows, followed by the third row.

Dozens of arrows flew out, though their accuracy was lacking, the momentum was something Fang Daye alone couldn’t create.

The Xiongnu retreated, leaving behind two dead horses, and the wounded and dead were taken away.

Fang Daye’s belly swelled again, sighing, “The Xiongnu may seem fierce on the surface, but deep down, they fear death. Most of their charges are just bluffs, luring the enemy into battle. As soon as someone gets hit, they retreat. But now it’s too dark, and the rear can’t see the situation ahead, so they’ve become bolder.”

Hollow laughter echoed in the ranks. Although they repelled the Xiongnu’s attack, they couldn’t feel joy.

The Xiongnu quickly launched a second attack, seemingly with more men, but they were very cautious. The riders all lay flat on their horses’ backs. When they felt they were close enough, they rose to shoot, then immediately ducked down.

Fang Daye hit two horses, and the dismounted riders quickly jumped onto their comrades’ mounts.

Among these attackers, several arrows flew quite far, hitting two Chu soldiers. Han Ruzi had to order arrow fire earlier than expected.

The Xiongnu were repelled again, with no casualties among the riders except for a few horses.

Even without Fang Daye’s explanations, everyone understood the Xiongnu’s tactics: to wear out the Chu army’s strength and arrows with their tactic of wheeling around, and then rush in to end the battle.

With nearly a thousand Xiongnu cavalry, they could keep attacking in rotation. The arrows of the ninety-plus Chu soldiers, however, were not endless. Their only advantage was their elevated position and that they were shooting from a standstill. Their range was generally farther than the Xiongnu.

After five rounds of attack, neither side suffered casualties, but nearly half of the Chu army’s arrows were depleted.

During the lull in the attack, Fang Daye sighed heavily, as if dissatisfied with something. He swayed a couple of times and said, “I’m tired.”

Han Ruzi immediately ordered someone to bring several unused saddle sets, piled them up beneath Fang Daye’s buttocks. The veteran general leaned on them and sighed heavily again, “Zhang Tianxi, Luo Yinghua… you all shoot with me. The rest of you, try to conserve arrows and find ways to protect yourselves. Move those hit to the rear.”

Fang Daye named five people. He never turned back, yet he knew whose archery was slightly better. He rarely talked to others, so him suddenly calling out names startled everyone.

The chosen five adjusted their positions, standing behind Fang Daye. The others temporarily put down their bows and shielded themselves with their shields. Besides this, they had no other means of self-preservation.

Fang Daye slowly turned his head and said to Han Ruzi, “The Xiongnu will eventually switch to infantry. You figure out how to deal with it.”

“If cavalry can’t break through, infantry wouldn’t be able to either right?” Du Chuanyun, who had not been involved in the fighting, began to get excited when he heard that infantry was entering the fray. He looked at the flag and shield in his hands, not sure which one to discard later to draw his sword. “The Xiongnu also have infantry?”

“They do,” Fang Daye replied coldly, lowering his head, the bow and arrows resting on his legs, as if he was about to sleep.

Han Ruzi had never seen Xiongnu infantry, but he immediately understood the veteran general’s meaning. “I’ll figure something out.”

The Xiongnu came again. They had mastered the rhythm of their attacks, knowing where to threaten the Chu troops on the mountain, forcing the enemy to expend arrows, and then swiftly turning their horses’ heads for a safe retreat.

But this time, the arrows they faced were fewer, yet surprisingly accurate. Six arrows came, and one or two always hit either a man or a horse.

The Xiongnu quickly retreated. After testing once more, they realized the Chu army was conserving arrows. So when they attacked again, they charged to within thirty or forty paces. For someone who was already afraid, the enemy seemed like they were almost within arm’s reach. Du Chuanyun forcefully planted the flag into the ground, drew his waist sword, and the others prepared themselves, thinking they were about to engage in close combat.

The Xiongnu seemed to have the upper hand, but they were reluctant to risk close combat. After shooting a batch of arrows, they retreated once again.

Fang Daye and the other five archers managed to shoot down five Xiongnu warriors, but more than a dozen of their own fell. The distance was too close; shields couldn’t protect their whole bodies.

The dead and wounded were dragged to the rear, screams echoing incessantly. Those remaining grew even more fearful. A noble youth behind Han Ruzi muttered quietly, “We’re doomed, absolutely doomed this time…”

Fang Daye didn’t give up. Methodically, he nocked another arrow. Whenever the enemy wasn’t charging up, he appeared despondent, almost sleepy. Even when the Xiongnu pressed closer, he remained calm. If he hit someone, there was no elation.

Han Ruzi didn’t want to give up either. Despite being tense from head to toe, his fighting spirit remained undiminished.

As the night deepened, moonlight spilled across the land, unusually bright. The Xiongnu below reminded Han Ruzi of the reeds along the banks of Guaizi Lake, swaying in the wind. Only, the “reeds” of the northern border moved faster and were more ferocious.

“Almost there,” Fang Daye lifted his head, gazing into the distance. “The Xiongnu’s patience is almost spent. They should be sending infantry.”

Han Ruzi turned, rallying more than thirty of his soldiers. “Follow me. If the Xiongnu use infantry, we’ll use ‘cavalry.’”

“Do we charge down?” Du Chuanyun’s eyes lit up. Half a day of fighting, yet he hadn’t swung his sword once. He felt frustrated.

“The horses shall charge, not the men,” Han Ruzi had already devised a plan.

Over a hundred horses grazed on the slope behind, paying no attention to human conflicts. They only flicked their tails impatiently when the shouting grew too loud.

Han Ruzi and his men gathered the horses together, remaining in the rear to avoid tipping off the enemy.

Du Chuanyun still had to protect the flag. Like Fang Daye, he sighed heavily, thinking he probably wouldn’t have a chance to distinguish himself.

The Xiongnu cavalry came two more times, but with fewer numbers and insufficient pressure, showing signs of perfunctoriness.

As the moon reached its zenith, an odd formation appeared at the foot of the mountain. It looked like a group of infantry steadily advancing, yet resembled a massive creature wriggling forward.

The fires below had long gone out. The “monster” reached the foot of the mountain. The Chu troops finally saw clearly. It was a group of shield-bearing infantry, not only blocking the front but also covering overhead. The soldiers at the front could only peer outward through gaps, slowing their pace significantly.

No number of arrows could break through this shield formation.

“The Xiongnu indeed have infantry. I thought they only knew mounted archery,” Du Chuanyun, reminded of the warning, was still somewhat surprised.

“They didn’t before. After surrendering to the Chu empire for so many years, they must have learned. They’re just reluctant to use them,” Fang Daye’s voice was as heavy as that of a long-term patient. After a pause, he continued, “Using past tactics against the Xiongnu in battle would be disastrous.”

This was exactly what Han Ruzi feared. Chai Yue was clever, but his knowledge of the Xiongnu came solely from records during the Martial Emperor’s reign. Although he and Grand General Han Xing were in agreement, using such tactics to counter Xiongnu nobles who had settled along the river for decades might have significant flaws.

But this wasn’t the immediate problem. He had to break through the Xiongnu’s shield formation with the horses. If this battle failed, it would truly be a rout. As for what he was to do after exhausting the horses, he had no idea.

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