Chapter Thirty-Four: Wang Jian Withdraws

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Meng Kai snorted and wiped the blood from his face. “I charged straight ahead and went for that old bastard Song Wei. I failed to take his miserable life, but I drove a whole volley of spears into his belly. The old dog is advanced in years—he probably won’t live another year or two!”

Then he added bitterly, “It’s just a shame that I lost several of my brothers!”

Both sides stared in astonishment, clicking their tongues. If Meng Kai’s words were true, then in this battle the imperial forces had not only lost two high-ranking commanders, Song Jue and Kou Qianzhi; their supreme commander, Song Wei, had also been gravely wounded and might not live much longer.

But Meng Kai, still clad in heavy armor, moved with astonishing ease. He leapt into the air, heedless of the fact that, while borrowing force from the ground, he had missed his footing and crushed one of his own soldiers who had been too slow to dodge. His only concern was rushing to Zhu Wen’s aid.

Before he even arrived, the Eight-Trigram Xuanhua Axe came crashing down with the force of Mount Hua being split in two, using the momentum of Meng Kai’s descent to strike directly at the pitch-black Six Harmonies Staff in Wang Jian’s hands.

Wang Jian was horrified. He raised his staff to block the blow, sank his waist, and let his legs absorb the force. Yet with a tremendous clang, he was still driven back several paces, gasping for breath.

“You’re Wang Jian, are you?” Meng Kai sneered. “Not bad. You truly are a remarkable man. No wonder even my master thinks highly of you.”

Wang Jian gave two mocking chuckles. “Meng Juehai, the ‘Divine Axe Who Opens the Heavens,’ disciple of Huang Jutian. It seems your reputation is well deserved after all!”

As a shrewd man, Wang Jian naturally understood that there was no point in continuing the struggle. He waved a hand. “You’re lucky to be alive today. Brothers, withdraw!”

He clasped his fist toward Meng Kai and Zhu Wen. “The green hills remain unchanged, and the waters continue to flow. We shall fight again another day!”

The lightly equipped elite troops of the Loyal Martial Army leapt one after another into the concealed pits, crossing them as easily as level ground. In an instant, they withdrew like a receding tide, moving with the agility of apes before vanishing into the darkness. Clearly, there was no hope of catching them.

Only Qin Yan, who had been screening the battlefield with a detachment of cavalry, was unwilling to let them escape. He led a small squad of light horsemen in an attempt to cut them off, but Wang Jian thrust his staff diagonally from the side with brisk precision, striking Qin Yan squarely in the groin. Qin Yan let out a squeal like a slaughtered pig and tumbled backward from his horse. A nearby rider reined in sharply and hauled him up. It appeared that one of his testicles had been ruined.

“You filthy bastard! You despicable scum! How dare you use such a low and underhanded trick? You’ll die a miserable death! Sooner or later, someone will turn you into turtle soup… Aaargh!”

Qin Yan’s shrill cries of pain mingled with his furious curses beneath the night sky. Yet Wang Jian, the culprit himself, had already disappeared across the open plain.

From afar, Zhu Wen watched the figures of Wang Jian and the others vanish into the darkness.

This small battle at Dingfeng Hill had been the first clash between two future warlords of a chaotic age. The future Founder of Liang and the future Emperor of Shu would both wish to kill the other, never imagining that their fates would remain entangled for so many years.

Covering the wound on his body with one hand, Zhu Wen looked toward Meng Kai, gratitude rising in his eyes. “Once again, I owe my life to you, Senior Brother. I am ashamed beyond words…”

Meng Kai patted him on the shoulder. “You’re not as tough as I am, so take better care of yourself. If anything were to happen to you, Red Smoke would be heartbroken.”

After a pause, he added, “Don’t be fooled by your junior sister’s bold and spirited nature. She can be very softhearted at times.”

“Is that really true, Senior Brother? You truly inflicted a grievous wound on that old bastard Song Wei?”

“Could it be false? When have I ever lied?” Meng Kai replied with absolute certainty.

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Upon hearing this, all the commanders grew jubilant. They crowded around him, praising him from every side, saying that killing Song Wei would shake the entire realm and that the righteous army’s glorious future had arrived at last.

Only Zhu Wen wore a faintly troubled expression.

Meng Kai understood what he was thinking. “Junior Brother, I know what’s on your mind.”

“Song Wei is old and timid. If he had not been appointed supreme commander of the campaign against the rebels, the righteous army might never have reached its present strength. You’re worried that if the old dog dies and a more formidable man replaces him, he will be even harder to deal with.”

There was truth in those words. The other three great commanders of the Tang Empire might not possess Song Wei’s seniority, but each was decisive as a thunderbolt and as uncanny in the art of war as a demon or deity. Had any one of them been appointed supreme commander from the beginning, the righteous army might already have been utterly annihilated.

“But the old dog is, after all, a famous general of the Tang Empire. Killing him would have an enormous impact. And our discipline and fighting strength are no longer what they were two years ago. Today we defeated Marshal Qi Kelrang. Why should we be unable to defeat the other three great commanders of the Tang tomorrow?”

“Junior Brother, you’re meticulous by nature and often think too far ahead. But when the carriage reaches the mountain, a road will appear. Why not drink while we still have wine tonight?”

The bright, steady gaze of Senior Brother Meng Kai dispelled the doubts in Zhu Wen’s eyes. “You’re right, Senior Brother. I was worrying needlessly.”

“Tonight, none of us leaves sober!” Meng Kai hooked an arm around Zhu Wen’s. “At dawn tomorrow, I must hurry to Haizhou and fulfill Commander Kou’s final wish. If I delay and word gets out, allowing that mad bandit to hear of it and escape, how could we face the dead below?”

Meng Kai’s deputy, Peng White Tiger, immediately tried to dissuade him. “General, you must not. You risked your life to ambush that old bastard Song Wei, and you are still wounded. Besides, the aftermath of the battle at Songzhou has yet to be settled. How can you abandon the army and place yourself in danger?”

“Hahahahaha!” Meng Kai laughed with sweeping confidence. “White Tiger, you’ve followed me all these years and still don’t truly know me. I may act like a raging fire, but when have I ever made a mistake? A man must act according to his true convictions. Commander Kou was our enemy, but he was also a hero. If we promised to complete what he left unfinished and then broke our word, how could our hearts ever be at peace?”

“My mind is made up. You need say no more.”

Zhu Wen knew that this senior brother acted with uninhibited boldness and heroic loyalty, yet was also meticulous and thorough. He had inherited the true teachings of their master, Huang Chao, and was no reckless fool who relied on courage alone.

Meng Kai’s unfettered passion infected him deeply. Slapping his chest, Zhu Wen laughed aloud. “Exactly! Tonight, none of us leaves sober!”

They drank and sang throughout the night, raising cups and exchanging toasts in celebration of their victory, until they were drunk senseless.

“This heiress commands you to accompany me somewhere tomorrow night. I have something to do.”

Duan Hongyan dragged Zhu Wen away from the feast and into a corner. With her hands on her hips, she glared fiercely at him.

“What is it?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Then why should I go?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Answer me quickly. Are you going or not?”

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“Why are you so angry? Is it that time of the month?”

Before he had even finished speaking, a sudden burst of pain shot through his abdomen, and Zhu Wen doubled over, clutching his waist.

He had no idea why he had been punched. Stars swam before his eyes, and through them he saw his junior sister smiling sweetly at him, a trace of cunning and triumph in her gaze.

“Oh dear, does it hurt? Did I hit you too hard? Here, let me rub it for you.”

She crouched down as well and placed her left hand on Zhu Wen’s stomach with exquisite gentleness. Her slender fingers moved in slow circles, applying precisely the right amount of pressure. The pain vanished at once, replaced by a soft, tingling sensation wherever she touched him.

With her right hand, she took out a scarlet headband. It was the one Zhu Wen had lost on the battlefield when the Azure Dragon knocked off his helmet; she had cleaned it thoroughly. She tied it around his forehead, gathering up his disheveled hair.

“Your headband was lost, so I picked it up for you. Now we’re even.”

A flash of understanding crossed Zhu Wen’s mind. “You did that deliberately back then?”

“Hee-hee…” Duan Hongyan smiled. “Little Junior Brother, do you really think I’m such a petty woman that, simply because you rescued me on the battlefield, I would accuse you of meddling?”

“It’s just that you’re always so lukewarm toward me, unlike everyone else. I wanted to see what expression would appear on that fair face of yours if you were refused for once.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve wanted to punch you like that for a long time. If our relationship were close enough that I could punch you in the stomach without making you angry, then what excuse would you have for refusing when I invited you out?”

Toward the end, her voice grew increasingly soft and elusive. Her parted red lips breathed out waves of wine-scented fragrance, and her eyes grew hazy, intoxicating anyone who looked into them.

…

By dawn the next day, Meng Kai had completely sobered up. Without the slightest hesitation, he mounted his horse, left the camp, and galloped toward Haizhou.

The battle was over. The soldiers of the righteous army cleared the battlefield, gathering an incalculable quantity of baggage, grain, fodder, and weapons. After counting the enemy dead, they found that more than eight thousand had been slain, while their own losses numbered fewer than two thousand. It was an unprecedented and overwhelming victory.

The army’s might would surely shake the realm even more profoundly from that day onward.

Song Wei and Qi Kelrang had fled, but several other commanders, including Lei Yinf u, the supervising military judge of the Zhaoyi forces, withdrew too slowly with their five thousand men and were forced to retreat into Songzhou City. Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi divided their forces, established camps, and encircled the enormous city so completely that not even a drop of water could pass through.

Thinking that Songzhou was also his hometown, Zhu Wen could not help feeling melancholy.

There had once been someone inside the city who mattered greatly to him—at the very least, someone who had been a close friend.

Of course, that person was no longer in the city. Zhu Wen had no idea where they were now. Nor did the city hold anything else that he felt compelled to remember.