Chapter 31: The Scheme of Wang Jian

Fine threads of rain drifted and scattered, filling the sky. As dusk gathered, the heavens turned increasingly gloomy and overcast.

North of Songzhou, on a small hill known as Dingfeng Mound, the retreating forces of Wang Jian, who had been falling back in a panic, were finally caught by the cavalry led by Zhu Wen, who had been in hot pursuit.

Just as Huang Chao had previously observed, although Qi Kelang had set up a "Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse" formation to cover the retreat and obstruct the rebel army’s pursuit, the Taining Army’s combat strength was limited and insufficient to shield the entire force of Song Wei.

"You are surrounded by our forces and have no way to escape. You would do better to surrender early and save your lives!" shouted a minor leader under Zhu Wen named Huo Cun.

"Pah!" A junior officer with a dark, purplish face to Wang Jian’s left spat fiercely. "In the Great Tang, we have men who would rather face the executioner’s blade than submit to bandits!"

Another officer barked, "Indeed! Even if our heads are severed, it is but a scar the size of a bowl; you lot will find it hard to escape a bloody end yourselves!"

Within Zhu Wen’s camp, the eyes of the rebel commanders lit up. Wang Jian might not have held a high rank, but he was undoubtedly a big fish. He was a favored subordinate of a renowned minister of the age—Cui Anqian, the Jiedushi of the Zhongwu Army and Commander-in-Chief of the various circuits—and his men were the elite of the Zhongwu Army, each capable of taking on ten.

Furthermore, Wang Jian was known for his resourcefulness. Everyone knew that if he were allowed to grow, he would surely become a "rising star" of the Tang Dynasty. To kill him or force his surrender on the battlefield of Songzhou would undoubtedly rid the insurgent army of a formidable future enemy.

Although the enemy held the high ground, the hill’s slope was extremely gentle, posing no obstacle to a cavalry charge. Taking Wang Jian’s unit in one fell swoop seemed as easy as catching a turtle in a jar.

Yet, Wang Jian—a man with a bronze complexion, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a prominent nose, high cheekbones, and an imposing air—stood tall and proud. He looked down at Zhu Wen below the hill and offered a mocking smile. "Ah, so this is the recently rising 'Little Brother' Zhu Wen. A guest has arrived, and I have failed to welcome you properly. Erlang, bring the wine!"

He signaled to a young subordinate at his side. The soldier picked up a rake and overturned a patch of loose soil on the hilltop, revealing many round, wooden objects—they were massive barrels. Wang Jian’s men grabbed the barrels one by one and pushed them down the slope, where they rolled like balls.

The rebel commanders were bewildered. "Could it be that these barrels are filled with wine?"

"Giving us wine? How could there be such a good thing?"

"I have heard that in the far West, in the land of the Dashi, there is wine so strong it can be set aflame. But I have never heard of any wine in our Tang Kingdom that can be lit. If Wang Jian intends to attack us with wine-fire, has he lost his mind?"

The hill was not steep, and the barrels rolled slowly. While they caused the cavalry formation to scatter slightly, they did not trip a single man or horse. Just as the crowd began to think Wang Jian was making a fool of himself, the barrels burst open one after another, spraying a vast amount of liquid. It had no scent—it was merely clear water.

However, as the water gushed out and covered the ground, the expressions of the commanders began to change. The terrain at the foot of the hill was low and the soil soft; soaked by the massive volume of water, it instantly turned into a quagmire, much like a paddy field in the south.

Zhu Wen realized something was wrong. Previously, Qi Kelang had attempted to breach the embankments to flood the area around Yanwang City, turning it into mud to stall the rebel army’s progress. It was Zhu Wen who had seen through the plan and launched a preemptive strike on the Taining Army camp, causing Qi Kelang's scheme to fail. Yet, after his great victory, he had been so eager in his pursuit that he had not expected to encounter such a tiger blocking his path.

Moreover, the water from the barrels alone was clearly insufficient. Wang Jian’s order to roll the barrels down seemed only intended to disrupt the rebel formation. As the Zhongwu soldiers dug deeper into the loose soil, a series of small carts, painted with patterns of peace and good fortune and coated in tung oil, were revealed to the rebel commanders.

The Zhongwu soldiers pressed down on the bamboo levers of the carts, and clear water was pumped out, spraying toward the bottom of the hill like white dragons. These were water-pumping carts used for firefighting, capable of spraying over a dozen zhang. Clearly, Wang Jian had hollowed out the hilltop to store large quantities of water. Now, by flooding the area, he intended to turn the ground below into a swamp.

Judging by the preparations Wang Jian had made on the hilltop, he could have retreated long ago; he had clearly stayed behind on purpose to cover the army, showing immense courage.

"When Commander Song refused to heed my warnings, I had already prepared for the army’s defeat. Choosing this spot has truly proven useful," Wang Jian said, his voice turning sharp. "Brothers, follow me and charge!"

Before anyone knew it, Wang Jian’s men had changed into light, flexible wooden clogs. With swords at their waists and spears in hand, they shouted "Kill!" in unison and charged down from the top of Dingfeng Mound. They did not immediately rush into the mud to engage; instead, they raised rows of large, heavy crossbows. Arrows flew like locusts, raining down into the insurgent ranks and causing men and horses to fall in an instant.

It is said that "infantry formations should be dense, and cavalry formations should be sparse." The rebel cavalry was naturally not as tightly packed as infantry, but in the midst of the mud, the heavy horses could not gallop, making them easy targets for the crossbowmen.

The rushing water also caused the horses to lose control. Wang Jian’s men were elite soldiers capable of both long-range and close-quarters combat. They fired their heavy crossbows from the hillside, shot longbows at the bottom of the slope, and then, wearing wooden clogs, advanced into the mud with short spears and Mo Dao blades, coordinating tightly to hack and stab.

The rebel cavalry, mired in the mud, were nearly immobile. With their formation scattered and unable to resist, many fell to the blades and spears of Wang Jian’s elite soldiers in the blink of an eye.

"Do not be afraid!" Zhu Wen shouted. "In this muddy terrain, the enemy cannot move fast even with their wooden clogs! Everyone, dismount quickly, protect your horses, and form a circular formation to meet the enemy!"

Huo Cun added, "The camp commander is right! We are no longer the commoners who once cut wood for weapons and raised banners on poles; we are a hardened insurgent army, experienced and well-armored. As long as we do not lose our resolve, what is there to fear in such a formation? The outcome of the Songzhou campaign is already decided. The likes of Wang Jian are serving tyrants and defying heaven; they are only courting their own destruction!"

Zhu Wen had offered the strategy that broke Qi Kelang’s plan, led the surprise attack on the Taining camp, and personally cut down the deputy commander, Kou Qianzhi. He was already credited with the primary victory at Songzhou, and the men held him in high regard. Huo Cun also possessed genuine military talent, adapting to the situation with sharp, accurate analysis, and he used the victory at Songzhou to bolster his side’s morale.

The soldiers, initially panicked by the sudden turn of events, were spurred on by the words of Zhu Wen and Huo Cun. They dismounted, formed back-to-back circles, and turned their weapons outward to protect their horses, engaging Wang Jian’s men.

Since the mud was not deep—not a true swamp—they would not sink entirely if they braced themselves. Though fighting in the mire made it difficult to exert force, Zhu Wen’s side had the advantage of numbers, and they fought to a stalemate. The rebel horses also carried bows that could be used for counter-fire; even if the bows were weaker, they could suppress the enemy’s fire. Furthermore, in the chaos of close combat, the crossbows were less effective, and the advantage Wang Jian had painstakingly planned was gradually neutralized by the rebel soldiers.

Seeing that he could not break the stalemate, Wang Jian gave the order. A gong sounded from the hill, and the Zhongwu elite, clogs clicking, retreated in formation through the mud. It was clear they intended to return to the slope, reform their ranks, and after using their crossbows to wear down the rebels again, launch another charge.

"Young Master Zhu, I have always heard you were resourceful. How is it that one who hunts geese all day has been pecked in the eye by one today?"

A low voice sounded beside Zhu Wen. It was Liu Hanhong, a wandering knight from Yanzhou who had started as a legal advisor and was now under Wang Xianzhi’s command, known as the "Invincible Iron Tongue."

These hundreds of cavalrymen were, of course, not just Zhu Wen’s men. During the grand banquet held when Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao joined forces, Liu Hanhong had already caused trouble for Zhu Wen. Now that Zhu Wen had achieved such a great feat, this man clearly despised him even more. Though he dared not speak loudly enough to ruin morale, he still took the opportunity to stir up trouble.