Chapter 32: Trapping and Slaying the Heroes

At a critical moment, Zhu Wen heard Liu Hanhong’s sarcastic mocking once more. A nameless fire surged in his heart; he wished he could entomb this incessant chatterbox in concrete and cast him under the Zhaozhou Bridge as a foundation pillar.

Yet, he had to maintain a facade of composure. "Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Besides, in this battle, we are not necessarily at a disadvantage."

As he spoke, the rhythmic sound of hooves echoed. A troop of cavalry emerged from behind the hills north of Dingfeng Mound, moving with the speed of lightning and the suddenness of a storm.

Descending from a height, they struck like a bamboo being split. This flying squad charged up the crest of Dingfeng Mound and dove down, smashing into the ranks of the Zhongwu Army soldiers who were busy stringing their crossbows, catching them completely off guard. Spears and sabers flashed like falling blossoms; in an instant, blood sprayed, and severed limbs danced in the air.

The leader, a man of massive stature with a dark blue face and a fearsome, imposing aura, rode a green-maned horse. He was Qin Yan, the young master of the Zhuhua Gang, serving under Wang Xianzhi.

Qin Yan let out a long whistle, his spear darting out like a dragon. He wielded the weapon with infinite variations, moving like Nezha stirring the seas or Erlang moving mountains. He carved a bloody path through the Zhongwu ranks, meeting no rival capable of resisting even a single blow.

"Brother Qin, a timely arrival!" Zhu Wen’s lips curled as he shouted aloud. "The difference in elevation put us at a disadvantage, and I feared our casualties would be too high. I had requested you to take a detour and strike their flank and rear, and you have shattered the cunning schemes of that scoundrel Wang Jian!"

Qin Yan looked toward Zhu Wen with a surprisingly friendly and eager expression. Back at the Assembly of Heroes, Qin Yan had once picked a fight with Zhu Wen, only to be cursed roundly for his trouble. But compared to the petty, narrow-minded men of the countryside, Qin Yan was a true hero—when they shared common interests, he held no grudges, nor would he sabotage a partner.

Seeing the forces of Wang Jian scattered in an instant, the rebel soldiers were greatly encouraged and cheered in unison. Qin Yan looked triumphant. "That whelp Wang Jian is nothing! Watch me ride in and out seven times to wipe these imperial lackeys clean off the map!"

However, Zhu Wen’s gaze had already fallen on his second brother, Zhu Cun, who was riding behind Qin Yan. Zhu Cun still wore his simple, foolish grin, as if the matter had nothing to do with him, yet the sight warmed Zhu Wen’s heart. If not for the fact that Zhu Cun was also from Songzhou and familiar with the terrain, how could Qin Yan have launched such a silent, lethal pincer attack on Wang Jian’s position?

Because he had to coordinate with the cavalry units under Wang Xianzhi, Zhu Wen had to attribute the credit to Qin Yan to curry favor with Wang Xianzhi’s army. Only a man as broad-minded and indifferent to glory as his second brother would accept such an arrangement without a word of complaint.

Liu Hanhong, who had been mocking him just moments ago, was left dumbstruck. He realized that Zhu Wen’s reputation for resourcefulness was no lie; even when caught in a sudden ambush, he had prepared a counter-move!

Though the Zhongwu soldiers were highly skilled and well-armored, they were thrown into chaos by the downhill cavalry charge. It took them great effort to reform their lines and drive back the small squad led by Qin Yan and Zhu Cun. Taking advantage of this precious opening, Zhu Wen had his men drag their horses from the mire, while he led the main force forward, reaching the dry ground at the base of the slope.

The rebel soldiers were filled with indignation, their desire for revenge burning like a wildfire, swearing to tear Wang Jian and his men to pieces.

"Damn those bastards! Let’s see where you run now!" a minor officer under Zhu Wen cursed. "Let’s rush them together and chop these dog-fed curs into meat paste to feed the pigs and dogs!"

Wang Jian, however, rubbed his hands together and said to the Zhongwu soldiers, "Oh dear, this is terrible. We’ve fallen for the scoundrels' trap today. What are we to do?"

The purple-faced officer beside him lost his previous air of martyrdom, saying sheepishly, "Captain Wang, we are about to meet a disaster. We might as well surrender; it’s the only way to keep our heads..."

Wang Jian shrugged with a nonchalant air. "Fight if you can, surrender if you can't—that’s the way of the world. Hey, you lot on the other side! If we throw down our weapons and surrender, how will your commander treat us?"

Before Zhu Wen could answer, Huo Cun, boiling with rage, roared, "You killed so many of my brothers just now! Now that you are weak, you act like cowards, begging for mercy? Is there anyone more shameless in this world?"

It was no wonder Huo Cun was furious; since joining Huang Chao, Zhu Wen’s battalion had never suffered such losses! Moreover, many of the fallen had been with Huo Cun as bandits in Tongshan for years. The soldiers urged Zhu Wen, "General, do not accept their surrender! It must be a trick. Let us advance and leave none of them alive!"

Hearing this, Wang Jian sighed loudly. "Brothers, the scoundrels won't let us surrender to save our lives. What shall we do? As the saying goes, of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is best. Let’s save our necks, throw down our armor, and flee!" His soldiers echoed his sentiment, tearing off their armor and casting it to the ground.

Seeing Wang Jian’s men, previously so arrogant, now acting so timid, Zhu Wen’s men were incensed. Without waiting for orders, they charged up the slope.

Huo Cun shouted, "Do not pick up their armor! They are discarding it to slow our pursuit. Do not fall for the trick!"

The Zhongwu soldiers also feigned a retreat. Only Zhu Wen felt a faint sense of unease. Yet, just as he was about to intervene, a chorus of curses drifted on the wind.

"The disciples taught by that salt-thief Huang Chao have no more stature than this. A thief is a thief, like a rat that can never take the stage!"

A soldier can be killed, but not insulted—especially not when the insult was aimed at the mentor Zhu Wen respected! Even a clay figure has a spark of fire, and Zhu Wen was in the prime of his youth, at the height of his blood-hot temper.

A monstrous rage surged from his spirit to his crown. Zhu Wen’s eyes burned, and the words of caution he intended to speak transformed into: "Brothers, bring me the heads of those loud-mouthed rascals, and I shall grant you a great reward!"

At that very moment, Wang Jian pulled a rope hidden in the twilight and the tall grass. A series of snapping sounds echoed, followed by the screams of the vanguard as they plummeted from the slope into a massive pit. Pre-set spears and blades impaled the charging soldiers, blood flowing like a river.

Wang Jian had covered the pit with wooden planks and rigged a mechanism. The Zhongwu Army had passed over it safely earlier, but as the rebels pursued, Wang Jian triggered the trap. The vanguard was wiped out; only Huo Cun, quick-witted despite his wounds, managed to leap out and scramble back to the lines. The rest were either dead or dying, impaled on the blades at the bottom.

Wang Jian turned and laughed wildly, "You have fallen into my snare!"

He leaped, using a dying soldier in the pit as a stepping stone, driving a spear through him with the force of his jump. Now light as a swallow without his armor, Wang Jian cleared the pit and charged directly at Zhu Wen.

He counted on his fingers as he ran:

"If you were kittens or puppies, one flood would have finished you. But for big fish, three steps are needed."

"First, the water attack forced you to abandon your horses and choose a predictable landing point."

"Second, the feigned surrender provoked your contempt and anger, leading your vanguard into the trap."

"Third, with your vanguard trapped, your commander is exposed. My men, having shed their armor, are nimble enough to step over the corpses of your men, clear the pit, and take your head. Zhu Wen, heaven must truly favor me to have lured a big fish like you!"

At this moment, even a strategist as cunning as Zhu Wen felt his face go pale. He had never imagined that such a small hill could be manipulated by Wang Jian to such a degree—a feat nearly equal to the triple-encirclement tactics of Qi Kejirang.

The world is vast and filled with shadows; who is the hunter and who is the hunted? Today, Wang Jian’s prey was the head of Zhu Wen.