Xiao Shaojin rode to the prison cart carrying the body double of the Grand Preceptor.
The disheveled old man, seeing Xiao Shaojin, lunged at the bars like a madman. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale as wax.
"Bastard child!" the old man cursed. "The Heavenly Dao will not tolerate your reckless actions! Heaven will not let the Wu Tribe perish!"
Xiao Shaojin looked at him calmly. "What does Heaven have to do with me? No one can stop what this Prince wants to do. Not even the Old Man in the Sky."
The old man continued to scream curses until Xiao ordered a guard to gag him with a rag.
"Your Highness," General Yan Chuanzhi whispered, riding up beside him. "Why bring this fake to the battlefield? If he dies in the chaos, how do we explain it to the civil officials?"
"Explain what?" Xiao sneered. "He is a prisoner. Dead or alive, I owe those straw-bags no explanation. I have my reasons. Don't worry, Chuanzhi. Whether I succeed in my enlightenment today is not up to man. Just do your best."
Yan Chuanzhi nodded and ordered the army to speed up. He looked at the heavy black clouds over Wood Sheep Lake and prayed silently: Please, let there be no heavenly anomalies to shift the tide of battle.
Outside Yangtai Pass, General Xia Bin of the Winged Riders looked at the sky with dread.
He had 15,000 men, but 5,000 were from the Divine Fire Battalion. Their strength lay in firearms and gunpowder. Yangtai Pass was a small, old fortress; its main defense relied on the twenty cannon batteries of the Mountain-Shaking Army.
If it rained, his strongest weapons would become useless scrap metal.
"Troops!" Xia Bin ordered. "Divine Fire soldiers, prepare your broadswords and shields! If it rains, switch to infantry formation and support the flanks!"
Please, he begged silently. Let the damn rain wait.
"Order the 6,000 vanguard troops to attack!" Grand Preceptor Wu commanded from his tent beside Wood Sheep Lake. "Send 1,000 men in captured Border Army armor to trick the gate open. If that fails, use the siege ladders and battering rams!"
"Mobilize the 20,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry to break the pass with full force! Bring out the siege engines we built in the mountains! The remaining 20,000 will hold the rear. I will supervise the battle personally. Yangtai Pass must fall today!"
War drums began to thunder.
From the mountains north of the lake, a endless stream of Wu soldiers poured out. Massive siege engines rumbled down the slopes.
The old Grand Preceptor, supported by his guards, watched with satisfaction. "I spent a year secretly building these engines in the mountains. They are enough to take ten cities."
"With these, victory is certain," a guard said. "But sir, the front line is dangerous. Please stay back."
"My days of serving the tribe are numbered," the old man shook his head. "After today, I will rest until the end comes."
In the distance, Han Zhong's scouts saw the massive army deploying. He immediately sent riders to Xiao Shaojin.
"Five horses per messenger! Ride until the beast dies, then switch! Tell the Heir the enemy has split into two waves: 36,000 attacking, 20,000 in reserve!"
Meanwhile, General Xia Bin also saw the enemy movement. His instinct was to attack while they were still forming up, but his orders were to wait.
Just as he was debating whether to send a request to Jicheng, a Red Rust scout galloped into his camp, carrying the Prince's flag.
"General Xia Bin!" the scout shouted, not even dismounting. "Urgent order from the Heir!"
Xia Bin knelt on one knee. "Xia Bin listens!"
"Abandon Yangtai Pass! Move your 15,000 men to a position 30 miles northwest of Wood Sheep Lake and prepare for battle!"
"Abandon the pass?" Xia Bin was shocked. "The enemy has at least 30,000 men! If we leave..."
"The Heir has arrived at the southwest of Wood Sheep Lake," the scout interrupted, turning his horse. "General Zhu Yu has taken over the defense of the pass. Move out now!"
Xia Bin broke into a cold sweat. The Heir is here? And facing 50,000 enemies?
He gritted his teeth. "I hope Your Highness has a plan. If the Barbarians break through, I will die fighting to atone for this sin."
At Yangtai Pass, General Zhu Yu of the Eagle & Leopard Corps took command.
He placed giant crossbows and 3,000 archers on the high ground 30 miles behind the pass, along with hundreds of barrels of oil. He also hid his personal death-squad of 100 elites in ambush.
Then, he took 1,000 men to the pass wall.
Below, the Wu vanguard was assembling. Ten siege towers and countless catapults aimed at the walls.
Suddenly, a group of about 600 "Border Guards" ran toward the gate, throwing away their helmets and armor in panic.
"Open the gate!" they screamed in Mandarin. "We were ambushed by the Wu Tribe!"
Zhu Yu laughed. What a joke. Even in defeat, the Youzhou Army never lost formation like this. These were clearly cannon fodder sent to trick the gate.
He drew his eight-picul bow, aiming at the leader.
"Which unit are you from?" Zhu Yu shouted down, feigning surprise.
"We are the Red Rust Army!" the leader yelled, head down. "We were hit on patrol! Open the gate, General!"
"Show me your Rotation Seal," Zhu Yu grinned.
The soldier froze. The Grand Preceptor hadn't given him a seal. "We... we lost it in the escape! Please, General! The Barbarians are right behind us!"
Zhu Yu pulled the bowstring to a full moon.
"According to military law: Losing the seal is treason. The penalty is immediate execution!"
TWANG!
The white-feathered arrow pierced the soldier's skull instantly.
"FIRE!"
A rain of arrows descended. Hundreds of the fake guards fell dead; the rest scattered, screaming in their native Barbarian tongue.
"General," a young adjutant asked. "How did you know?"
"Boy," Zhu Yu glanced at the rookie. "War is about Qi (Morale). Killing these fakes boosts the enemy's anger and morale. They were sent to die on purpose. Go enroll in the Military Academy after this battle. You have a lot to learn."
Zhu Yu looked out at the massive Barbarian army. He rubbed his hands together. Come on then.
Xiao Shaojin received Han Zhong's report.
56,000 men.
He stared at the map. The only place to hide that many men and build siege engines was the mountains north of the lake.
He had 30,000 men total. Only 7,000 were at the pass.
He swallowed hard, his throat dry. He drank deeply from his waterskin.
I have to trust Zhu Yu.
"Order Han Zhong to disrupt the siege troops when the attack starts," Xiao commanded hoarsely. "Yun Luo and Xia Bin will wait for my signal arrow to attack the rear. We will strike the rear ourselves to split their formation."
As he spoke, the war drums of the Wu Tribe shook the earth.
The black clouds descended like monsters clawing at the ground.
Xiao Shaojin watched from a hill. Catapults hurled burning oil at the pass. Battering rams smashed against the gates. Even from miles away, the roar of battle was deafening.
At the pass, Zhu Yu realized these Barbarians were different. They attacked with suicidal frenzy, ignoring the cannon fire that blew them apart by the dozens.
"Report! Five ladders on the west wall! Enemy climbing up!"
"Pour the oil!" Zhu Yu barked.
Defenders poured boiling oil down the ladders. The Barbarians fell back, screaming as they burned.
"Soak the whole wall!" Zhu Yu ordered. "Light it up!"
Just as the torches were raised...
CRACK-BOOM!
Thunder exploded overhead. White lightning tore the sky open.
A drop of rain hit Zhu Yu's cheek. Then another. Then a deluge.
A torrential storm slammed down, instantly extinguishing the fuses of the cannons and the fire on the walls.
Zhu Yu trembled with rage. The rain was heavy and cold, stinging his face. His best weapons—fire and gunpowder—were gone.
But he had to hold for another hour.
He drew his saber and grabbed a spear.
"All troops! Archers keep firing! Everyone else, draw blades! We fight them hand-to-hand!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Grand Preceptor Wu, soaked to the bone, laughed maniacally in the rain.
"Heaven helps the Wu! Order the rear guard to merge! All forces attack Yangtai Pass!"
"Grand Preceptor," a noble warned. "The terrain below the pass is narrow. If we bunch up 50,000 men there, we'll be vulnerable to a rear attack!"
"The pass is small!" Wu countered. "Their cannons and fire are useless now. Morale is everything! We will break the pass in one breath, then march day and night. We will be in River Mouth in a week! Attack!"
On the hill to the southwest, Xiao Shaojin saw the enemy formation shifting. They were bunching up, exposing their rear.
This is it.
He didn't let Yan Chuanzhi give the order.
Xiao Shaojin rode his black horse to the front of the Red Rust lines. He raised his sword, his small figure silhouetted against the storm.
He screamed in his high-pitched, childish voice, cutting through the thunder:
"MOUNTAIN CALL!"