Chapter 133 - Nine Years

At the third hour of the afternoon, the sun began to set.

Hu Helu was having his meal. As the commanding general who had launched a surprise attack on the Northeastern camp of Liubei, he hailed from the Longjiao Tribe and was in his early forties, right in the prime of his life. After A'muer took charge of the four tribes, not only did Hu Helu become his adopted son, but he also became one of A'muer's most capable generals. Coincidentally, it was Hu Helu who led the troops that Xiao Chiye ambushed in the East Mountains nine years ago.

Hu Helu was hot-tempered and narrow-minded but very astute, knowing when to advance and when to retreat in battle. Guo Weili had suffered losses at his hands before, and the two had exchanged insults and spittle more than once in front of the troops. The reason why A'muer had transferred him to the southeast was twofold: first, because Tudalongqi had fallen, and second, because he was exceptionally skilled in guerrilla warfare. He had once trapped Guo Weili's troops in a marsh for an entire day and night, routing the main force and dampening the morale of the permanent camp.

"Oso and Riya have instructed me to treat the Liubei craftsmen well, but these people refuse to submit. Keeping them around is just a waste of food," Hu Helu said in Bashan dialect as he picked the meat off his lamb bone and spoke to his deputy general. "I want to take all the equipment and grain here away and kill these craftsmen. There are still some of Longjiao's men on the eastern side who can temporarily store Oso and Riya's supplies."

"Before you left, Oso and Riya specifically told you not to harm the craftsmen," said Ba Yin, the deputy general, a dark-skinned man who was no spring chicken but had yet to be promoted due to following Hu Helu. Facing Hu Helu, he advised, "Oso and Riya place great value on this group of craftsmen. You shouldn't provoke them."

Hu Helu tossed the dagger in his hand onto the tray, grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his hands, then stood up and peered through the gap in the hanging tent curtain.

"But they have provoked me," Hu Helu said, bending slightly as he looked at the craftsmen bound in the open space outside. "You can understand the language of the Great Zhou as well. They called me 'Pushihe,' a butcher of the East Mountains, and even cursed my mother."

Ba Yin replied, "They've been exposed to the sun for four days now without food or water. Even the falcons of the Liao Ying Tribe would need to eat meat by this point. The military tactics of the Great Zhou state that if you want them to submit, you must make them fear and respect you. You've already made them fear you, so next, you should give them water, food, and then release them. Then, with a kind and gentle demeanor, show concern for them, and they will be grateful to you and also to Oso and Riya."

Hu Helu stroked his short stubble and followed the advice. However, the water he sent was overturned, and the curses continued until the ninth hour of the night. Hu Helu couldn't sleep, so he decided to abandon the Great Zhou's methods and use his own. He ordered his men to strip the craftsmen who had spoken out like they were skinning sheep and hang them on poles in front of the open space.

"Xiao Fangxu is left famished amidst the battlefield," Hu Helu declared, standing on open ground and gesturing to his own stomach in the Grand Zhou tongue, "How can one possibly fight while hunger gnaws at their core? You all are so plump, I say we dry you out and send you over—problem solved, satisfaction doubled."

Hu and Lu disciplined the captives with whips, deeming craftsmen incapable of warfare worthless in their eyes. They even viewed sparing them as a burden, believing that only by swiftly eliminating them could they be rid of the problem for good. They hung the head of Sa San's camp commander on the watchtower and slaughtered the captured warhorses. If it weren't for his fear of Amar, he would have had no intention of staying at Sa San's camp to await orders. Having seized the camp, all he desired was to charge forward, becoming the first among the Twelve Border Clans to breach the Northeast Grain and Horse Route.

The third quarter of the Hour of the Ox, when all sounds in the universe subside into utter stillness.

Yesterday, the Liao Ying detachment that had attempted a stealthy assault on General Bian Bo's camp proved unsuccessful, causing Hu He Lu to erupt in fury. As punishment, the Liao Ying contingent was denied both food and sleep, compelled to stand watch through the night. The soldiers stationed atop the watchtower, their exhaustion palpable, struggled to keep their eyes open against the weight of drowsiness.

In this tranquil night, only the gentle breeze whispered through the heavens. The soldiers on the watchtower rubbed their eyes, relying on the faint glow of torches to discern the rustling grass in the distant camp. The walls of Sand Three Camp were built high and sturdy, and from their vantage point, the watchtower offered no view of the happenings below. A yawn escaped the soldier's lips as he heard the susurration of the wind.

He initially mistook the sounds for the rustling of wind through grass, but soon they grew denser, resembling an encroaching tide by his ear.

The soldier's keen senses pricked up, and he crouched behind the parapet of the watchtower, scanning beyond the camp. It was too dark to see clearly, but suddenly a row of arms emerged from the battlements, followed by a line of men somersaulting over the wall. Both parties looked up, startled.

The soldiers of the Lofty Eagle Tribe reacted swiftly. Amidst their mutual astonishment, they immediately blew their long whistles. The sound echoed throughout Sand Three Camp, rousing Huo Helu, who had just lain down, to promptly put on his boots.

Huo Helu pulled back the tent flap, ready to mount his horse. Ba Yin intercepted him, saying, "We don't know the enemy's situation yet. Charging out blindly might lead us into an ambush!"

Huo Helu hesitated for an instant, but in that moment, a rain of arrows erupted from the city walls. His anger flared, and he shoved Ba Yin aside, declaring, "The Borderless Camp is full of cowards. The Northern Iron Cavalry doesn't have its elite stationed here. They're attempting a night raid to disrupt my plans. Mount up, the horses of Northern Li won't be able to outrun ours!"

"The orders from Ersu and Ri have not arrived!" Ba Yin tugged on Huo Helu's reins, speaking hastily. "How strange! The Bianbo Camp may indeed be devoid of troops, but they dared to launch an offensive, so they must be well-prepared! Huo Helu, this is a trap! We shouldn't leave the San Sha Camp – they won't be able to breach this fortress!"

Huo Helu spurred his horse forward, dragging Ba Yin along unsteadily. He pointed his whip at Ba Yin menacingly and said, "You've gone mad from reading their books! To hell with defending the camp – we're eagles of the chase on the grasslands, and staying here is what will lead to our defeat!"

The scaling party numbered no more than five hundred, but they had commandeered the battlements' longbows, preventing the responding Biansha soldiers from climbing up. Huo Helu's sharp eyes had already caught sight of the ropes on the walls and the unfamiliar soldiers still climbing into the city.

"These aren't the Northern Iron Riders," Ba Yin shouted as he vaulted onto his horse, chasing after Huo Helu. "These aren't the Northern Iron Riders!"

But Huo Helu didn't care who the enemy was. He had fought Guo Weili, one of the elite of the Northern Iron Riders, on the border of Tudalong Banner, and later defeated the San Sha Camp in the southeast. He was a divine general favored by Gedalel Tian, and he believed that his invincible legend was right before him. He felt that he could match Zhao Hui's main force in battle.

The heavy gate of the camp groaned open, and Huo Helu charged out with his elite troops. But instead of a gentle night breeze, what greeted him was a flaming arrow.

Dry grass had been laid on the path outside the camp, and a fire broke out, though it didn't spread too far. Dense smoke followed, completely blocking Huo Helu's path. Choked by the smoke, Huo Helu couldn't continue riding, and the Biansha cavalry lost formation in the haze. Unable to see the way ahead in the darkness, Huo Helu suspected an ambush and turned his horse around, leading his cavalry off the path and into the grasslands.

But after only a short gallop, their horses suddenly sank into the ground. The Khumus Department's small ponies were fast, and those in front were thrown off balance, tumbling to the ground. Those behind couldn't stop in time and collided with them, causing everyone to fall in a heap.

Huo Helu rolled into the grass and saw the freshly dug pit for trapping horses, along with iron stakes. He recognized these stakes – they had once been set up around the San Sha Camp but had somehow been quietly moved under his feet.

"Retreat!" Ba Yin called from behind. "It's an ambush!"

Hu Helu scrambled to his feet when he heard a sudden roar. Tan Taihu, who had been lying in ambush, drew his sword and charged forward, followed by over a thousand imperial guards who emerged from the sea of grass to engage the Biansha cavalry on the ground.

Tan Taihu had dreamed of fighting the Biansha cavalry his entire life. He didn't recognize Hu Helu, but he knew those horses. Amidst the clashing blades, the grim aftermath of Zhongbo's devastating defeat flashed before his eyes. True to his name, Tan Taihu was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, forcing Hu Helu to retreat with a single ferocious charge.

The Biansha cavalry were accustomed to battling the formidable Northern Iron Riders, but the imperial guards' superiority quickly became apparent. They didn't adhere to the Northern Iron Riders' tactics. In the darkness of the grass, their blades struck with stealthy precision. Without their horses, Hu Helu's elite troops found themselves at a disadvantage against the shorter swords of the imperial guards. The intimidating weight of the Northern Iron Riders was gone, and the guards' blade speed matched that of the Biansha's curved swords while standing on solid ground.

However, Hu Helu soon realized that this detachment was thinly spread, unable to form a proper encirclement around him. Though Tan Taihu fought fiercely, it was purely out of passion; these soldiers had no reinforcements in this vast wilderness, and their ambush consisted solely of the horse traps.

Fury burning in his heart, Hu Helu slashed down one warrior, pushed back against Tan Taihu, and shouted, "Turns out you're just a bunch of rats!"

Wounded, Tan Taihu kicked aside Hu Helu, wiped the blood and sweat from his face, and continued his relentless assault. The more they fought, the more convinced Hu Helu became that the enemy had no backup; otherwise, help would have arrived long ago.

After a fierce battle lasting nearly half an hour, Tan Taihu retreated in disgrace. Without horses, they could only dash hastily through the grass.

Hu Helu was now in the grip of a killing frenzy and refused to let Tan Taihu escape. He promptly rallied his horses and led his men in hot pursuit. Swinging his curved sword, he cursed indistinctly in the night wind, his anger undiminished by the imperial guards' mockery. He was determined to sacrifice them to his blade.

With an injured arm, Tan Taihu ran without looking back. Gasping for breath like an ox, he stumbled several times along the way. Hu Helu relentlessly pursued him, and Tan Taihu couldn't outrun the horses. In no time, the cavalry was right behind him.

Hanging onto his sword and clutching his almost-severed buttock, Tan Taihu, drenched in sweat, yelled into the empty expanse of grass, "My ancestors, forgive me!"

At the horizon, war drums suddenly boomed, shaking the heavens and earth, causing everyone's ears to ache. Huo Helu, sensing the situation was amiss, promptly pulled on his reins, leading his cavalry to survey their surroundings. Amidst the grass, countless figures had risen, concealed by their grass rings in the night, so numerous that Huo Helu couldn't count them all at once.

Hu Helu's horse stomped restlessly, its hooves kicking up dust. He gazed ahead, where torches were being lit one after another, stretching from where Tan Taihu was running to a point beyond Hu Helu's line of sight, like a lengthy dragon. The rhythmic pounding of drums filled Hu Helu with a sense of urgency. He instantly realized that he had fallen into a trap – the main force of the Northern Liang was here, and their numbers far exceeded his own.

"Retreat," Hu Helu pulled at the horse's reins, urging urgently, "Fall back!"

Hu Helu's horse picked up speed, and he heard the galloping of another steed alongside him. Langtao Xuejin took the lead, charging at the forefront of the crowd, miraculously catching up.

Hu Helu turned his head, and his heart skipped a beat; he nearly believed it was Xiao Fangxu. But Xiao Chiye was taller than Xiao Fangxu. Amidst the dusky night, Hu Helu could clearly see a pair of eyes that were utterly different from Xiao Fangxu's, filled with breathtaking greed.

Hu Helu felt a chill run down his neck, suddenly overwhelmed by the illusion that he could not escape this gaze. Sharp fangs loomed just inches away, and to shake off this oppressive sensation, he spurred his horse forward with great force. It all came back to him: nine years ago in the East Mountains, he had been bitten by this wolf cub, losing a battle with a then dirt-covered young man despite having vastly outnumbered him.

The horse, now in pain, galloped wildly, disrupting the loose formation of the cavalry.

Hu Helu caught sight of San Camp and wanted to call for Ba Yin's aid, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the world spun around him, and his head tumbled onto the grass.

Xiao Chiye had already charged into the cavalry, his ferocious saber slicing through the air and leaving droplets of blood in its wake. The splattered blood stained his cheeks, and as he pulled on the reins, he wiped the blood from his face with the thumb of his ring-clad hand.

Hu Helu's horse continued to run, its riderless body bouncing off its back and tumbling to the ground in front of the camp, spilling a pool of blood.