Volume Two: Bandits of This Place, Chapter 108: Defense and Survival

On the first day defending Weinan Pass,
the general did not hold the line; instead, he led his troops out in a fierce charge. Kuisheng stood firm with his blade, cutting down many foes that day. Watching the hidden cavalry hastily retreat from the camp, he spurred his horse forward and laughed, “Where has Chu Ji gone? Has he taken to acting like a turtle now?”
The battle raged until dusk, with clashes, retreats, truces, and renewed fights cycling endlessly. Each side left behind corpses as provocations: “There are still men alive among us; if you’re capable, kill us all by dusk.”
...
On the second day defending Weinan Pass,
the general grew wiser, realizing the hidden cavalry had prepared defenses. He ignored any challenges from beyond the pass. Enraged, Chu Ji unleashed his true strength, filling the gate with bodies night after night.
Even the fiercest warrior of the Northern Territories was still but a mortal; facing treacherous terrain, victory required sacrificing more flesh and blood.
I heard the commander had gone north, where the terrain of Luoyou Mountain was far more perilous than standing guard at the pass wielding a blade.
...
On the third day defending Weinan Pass,
the general remained silent, and the shouting below the pass quieted considerably.
I could tell the provocateur’s voice had changed—likely the previous one was killed by a stray arrow. Comrades joked, still mocking the hidden cavalry as only dominant on horseback but no different from weaklings once on foot.
Though said lightly, it always took several lives—sometimes a dozen—to replace one elite hidden cavalryman.
Life here had become cheap; if the slaughter grew any more brutal, the bodies might as well be bundled and sold by weight—and no one would buy them.
...
On the fourth day defending Weinan Pass,
the general uttered a new term I did not understand.
So I spoke in my rustic way, pretending to be simple and asked him to explain again. Kuisheng General grew angry and kicked me out of the tent, perhaps thinking it too troublesome to explain things to a bumpkin.
As I left, the general wore a grim expression and, citing “this fellow is too stupid,” transferred me from the vanguard to the center of the formation. I knew he was thinking of my old mother back home.
But I left, and someone else had to take that place. The newcomer might not survive; I did not know if I knew him well or not.
Comrades often develop affection for a flag, so I stayed behind to do my duty.
...
On the fifth day defending Weinan Pass,
the hidden cavalry withdrew, vanishing with a cloud of dust.
Comrades laughed and praised the sunny day; finally, the heavens showed some mercy. I did not smile, my face fell, and no one’s teasing could lift my mood.
Kuisheng General did not smile either, frowning deeply. I saw a flicker of false hope in him, thinking Commander Lin had succeeded.
How could that be?
I admired the general because he would douse himself with a bucket of cold water.
This place was far from Anma City; even if Commander Lin had a clear path, he could not have arrived by now.
Moreover, Luoyou Mountain was shrouded in thick fog; I heard that Commander Lin once lost his way there, and I feared he might be lost again.
Dark clouds hung over the pass, cast down from the sun’s peak.
...
On the sixth day defending Weinan Pass,
the hidden cavalry launched a sudden strike—tricky indeed. This time, I truly saw through their offensive.
I heard the wolf pack’s leader had changed to Chu Ji, and they would become even more vicious. Unfortunately, the stones beneath our feet were made from our own ranks; so no one cheered. No matter how the slaughter came, no one begged for mercy.
Sishan was strange—the unfamiliar commander took over more than a year to reshape the army. He was not assimilated by us; instead, he tutored us.
“Who says we have no clothes? We share the same robe. The king leads the army; we repair our spears and halberds. We share the same hatred!
Who says we have no clothes? We share the same cloak. The king leads the army; we fix our weapons together. We work in unison!
Who says we have no clothes? We share the same armor. The king leads the army; we march side by side!”
That song was tongue-twisting; the general said it was a camp tune meant to be loud and stirring, to inspire courage. But I could hear sadness in it. When I told comrades, those less educated would laugh, “Lianhua, you’re pretending to know things again!”
Hmph, I refuse to stoop to their level!
But because of that, when a scattered detachment left the pass, countless men rushed out to rescue, exactly playing into Chu Ji’s plan.
The former defied orders by leaving the pass despite the general’s strict ban; the latter... the general originally said he went to save them but was restrained. Qi the elder captured him and led a group to charge under cover of night.
After this battle, we traded 108 lives for 7 living comrades and 13 corpses. The general called us fools.
Yet he himself donned armor, preparing to leave the pass.
When he returned, illiterate comrades said something deeply philosophical: “No clothes, no clothes, sharing the same armor—put simply, it means ‘left and right are men.’ So Lianhua was right, without women, how can one not be sad?”
Thus, we hummed the camp song, murmuring mournfully.
...
On the seventh day defending Weinan Pass,
Qi the elder had suffered. When tying up General Kuisheng, he was bitten once, stabbed thrice after leaving the city. Returning with a foolish grin, thinking he had cheated death, he found a large red patch on his back, almost turning his armor into a burial shroud. Underneath were three short arrows, none piercing his heart, totaling seven wounds.
He could not fight and was bored, so he took to teasing me.
“Lianhua, tell me, did we win this battle or was it a pyrrhic victory?”
Ha, he was truly a man who had failed basic literacy twice in Sishan. That question was, indeed... quite something.
“Qi elder, all this talk is nonsense. I do have one question I’ve wanted to ask—please tell me.”
“You wooden head, you can still think? Whatever, you’re idle, say it and I’ll listen.”
I blinked, trying to look simple: “Qi elder, why do the soldiers call you ‘big brother,’ but the generals call you ‘second brother’?”
“Because I have no shame. At three, I went around half-naked; by seven, I was sneaking peeks at Mrs. Wang bathing next door.”
“You truly are a model in Sishan.”
Qi General was honest. When bullying the weak, his expression was beyond words—no story could capture it in a hundred words.
But I must say, when charging into battle with his troops, no flowery language could describe or explain his bearing.
Unfortunately, my injuries were minor, and the urgency of battle allowed no afternoon’s rest.
...
On the eighth day defending Weinan Pass,
another deadly battle ensued. Chu Ji’s pace was relentless, aiming to give no respite, forgetting that countless brushes with death breed habit.
He attacked for only half a day before sounding the retreat.
For a long time afterward, no matter our loneliness, the enemy did not show themselves daily in battle.
Having suffered before, no one dared leave the pass.
One day, two days, three days... Chu Ji seemed to be plotting something. It was as if he wanted solitude to kill us, using silent loneliness to stain the border with blood, breaking many into cages, each watching the other like lab rats through bars.
At the peak, one comrade lost patience, shouting fiercely, begging, “Come on, come on! Fighting is better!”
No one scolded him, and no officer interfered, because he spoke what we all felt.
Humans are truly despicable.
...
On the eighteenth day defending Weinan Pass,
ten full days had passed without battle.
Many went mad, unable to believe they had escaped death’s grasp all at once. I didn’t believe it either, but time would provide the answer. Until then, all we could do was live each day as it came.
Thinking so was a small comfort.
No one left the pass; all understood that only by breaking Weinan Pass could one strike directly at Sishan’s gate. The surrounding terrain was a natural fortress—no one could pass.
But in our assumptions, we forgot one thing.
Luoyou Mountain’s terrain was even more treacherous. On that natural moat, Chu Ji’s 8,000 men defeated 100,000. Indeed, he did not plan to bypass Weinan Pass to strike Sishan’s gate, though he seemed capable of such.
He did only one thing: led the hidden cavalry to roam the wilderness behind, severing the pass’s supply line. Our renewed frontline opponents were the disorganized northern troops and Chu Ji’s two deputies.
We fought with ease, but none were happy. Hidden cavalry were invincible on open plains, which meant the heavens had played a cruel joke:
The mighty army at Weinan Pass would starve to death on this soil without Sishan’s supplies. Chu Ji would expend no further effort, elegantly finishing off the frog in lukewarm water, and then... we would be defeated, our troops marching to Sishan to pillage, abduct, and savagely celebrate victory.
General Kuisheng wanted to charge out, but he forgot the pass’s narrow terrain. Chu Ji’s deputies blocked every gap with their rabble, waiting for the day roles would be reversed.
He tried sending General Chen Ziliang from behind to eliminate the hidden cavalry, but he returned with many corpses and horrific wounds.
Yet the attendants said Chen Ziliang had defeated Chu Ji, but the hidden cavalry had also triumphed over us.
No one spoke. Some thought of Commander Lin, then shook their heads. A ridiculous rumor circulated in camp—that the one who tutored us had abandoned us and his comrades to survive alone.
I snorted at this. I preferred to believe Commander Lin had fallen on Luoyou Mountain.
No one feared seeing his corpse, for when hope is gone, death can bring release. Unfortunately, no evidence appeared, like rain from the sky forgotten by the wilderness.
...
“Just ahead is Anma City,” said a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat, dusty and travel-worn, like an outcast, speaking to a companion.
The other lifted his head. His face was pale, covered in gauze and dust, resembling a kiln worker with thick makeup.
“Eighteen days. Lucky to make it this far.”
The swordsman removed his hat and took a deep breath—this might be the last comfort he’d enjoy.
“No more dawdling. The north has been unsettled all along. I hear Anma City is reinforcing troops again—shows how fierce the battles ahead are.”
The swordsman was Lin Changtian, the one in gauze was Xu Yong.
“That doesn’t mean we can lose our minds. We must plan carefully. Truth be told, you’ve been lucky, avoiding trouble all along.” Xu Yong glanced around, whispering.
“Hmph, when we fought Zhang Yi, my unit perfectly avoided any Yishan enemies. That was nothing. But only Kuisheng’s troops, less than a few miles behind, got wiped out. I wondered if that was an awakened ability.” Lin Changtian paused, then said, “Plan what? You’ve never been to Anma City? Time’s short. We gamble.”
Xu Yong squinted, unable to guess what chaos this bold man intended to unleash.
“We’re fugitives, not guests in Anma City to be controlled.”
Lin Changtian grinned, his gaze deep and complex. When murderous intent quietly spread and rage surged, his thoughts became simpler.
Anma City, it’s time to settle the score!