Chapter 106

Chapter 106

It was said that Song Jiang divided his forces and advanced both by water and land, boats and cavalry moving together. The land forces were organized into three columns:

The vanguard consisted of twelve valiant generals leading ten thousand soldiers to charge the enemy and break their lines. Those twelve were:

Dong Ping, Qin Ming, Xu Ning, Suo Chao, Zhang Qing, Qiong Ying, Sun An, Bian Xiang, Ma Ling, Tang Bin, Wen Zhongrong, and Cui Ye.

The rear guard consisted of fourteen fierce generals leading fifty thousand soldiers as the reserve. Those fourteen were:

Huang Xin, Sun Li, Han Tao, Peng Qi, Shan Tinggui, Wei Dingguo, Ou Peng, Deng Fei, Yan Shun, Ma Lin, Chen Da, Yang Chun, Zhou Tong, and Yang Lin.

The central column was led by Song Jiang and Lu Junyi, commanding over ninety generals and a hundred thousand troops, marching toward Shannan.

Dong Ping and the vanguard forces had already camped five li north of Longzhong Mountain when a scout came galloping in with a report: "Wang Qing has learned that our troops have arrived. He has newly stationed two thousand fierce soldiers at the northern foot of Longzhong Mountain, under the command of the brave generals He Ji, Mi Sheng, Guo Gan, and Chen Yun, to defend that position."

Dong Ping and the others heard the report and immediately made plans. They ordered Sun An and Bian Xiang to lead five thousand men and conceal themselves on the left flank, and Ma Ling and Tang Bin to lead five thousand men and conceal themselves on the right flank. They were to wait for the cannon signal from the main army and then charge out together.

No sooner had these arrangements been made than the enemy forces were shaking their banners, beating their drums, shouting, and clashing their gongs as they came forward to challenge battle. The two armies faced each other, their banners and drums in full view. They formed their battle lines north to south, each side using powerful bows and crossbows to hold their positions.

From within the enemy's formation, where the gate-flag parted, the rebel general Mi Sheng rode out ahead of the others. He wore a steel helmet and armor of iron. His bow was painted with the image of a magpie, and his arrows were fletched with eagle feathers. His face was crisscrossed with purplish flesh; his eyes bulged like bronze bells. He carried a great long-handled mountain-splitting axe and rode a tall, curly-haired yellow horse. He shouted loudly: "You lot are nothing but petty bandits from the marshes! Why do you exhaust yourselves for the wicked and foolish emperor of the Song, only to come here and die?"

From the Song army's formation, the alligator-skin drums thundered to the heavens. "The Eager Vanguard" Suo Chao spurred his horse and charged out of the lines, roaring: "Rebel bandit risen without cause, how dare you spew such foul words! Wait and I'll split you with a hundred axe blows!" Brandishing his gold-inlaid axe, he galloped straight at Mi Sheng. Mi Sheng also raised his axe to meet him. The two armies shouted incessantly. The two generals charged into the heart of the battlefield, their horses crossing and their axes rising and falling. They fought over fifty bouts with neither side prevailing. That rebel general Mi Sheng was truly ferocious.

In the Song formation, "The Thunderbolt Fire" Qin Ming saw that Suo Chao could not gain the advantage. He brandished his wolf-tooth mace and spurred his horse out to join the fight. The rebel general Chen Yun came forward with a halberd to meet him. Amidst the shadows of battle and the thick of killing intent, the four generals fought on with great ferocity. Suddenly a cannon roared, and Sun An and Bian Xiang led their troops charging from the left. The rebel general He Ji divided his forces to meet them. Ma Ling and Tang Bin led their troops charging from the right, and the rebel general Guo Gan divided his forces to meet them.

From the Song formation, Qiong Ying spurred her horse into battle, secretly pinching a stone in her hand. She took careful aim at Chen Yun and let fly a single stone. It struck him squarely on the bridge of the nose. Chen Yun toppled from his horse. Qin Ming caught up and brought his mace down on his crown, smashing both his head and helmet to pieces.

On the left flank, Sun An fought He Ji for over thirty rounds before Sun An swung his sword and cut him down from his horse. On the right, Tang Bin also stabbed Guo Gan to death.

Mi Sheng saw his companions faring poorly. He parried Suo Chao's gold-inlaid axe, wheeled his horse around, and fled. Suo Chao, Sun An, Ma Ling, and the others drove their troops forward in pursuit, slaughtering the enemy as they went. The rebel forces were utterly routed.

The generals chased Mi Sheng. Just as they rounded a bend in the mountain, a rebel force of ten thousand men lay hidden in the forest behind the mountain. The rebel generals Geng Wen and Xue Zan burst from the trees with their troops and joined forces with Mi Sheng, turning back to charge. Mi Sheng led the way.

From the Song formation, Wen Zhongrong, eager to distinguish himself, leveled his spear and rode out to engage Mi Sheng. After fighting more than ten rounds, Mi Sheng swung his axe and hacked Wen Zhongrong in two. Cui Ye, seeing Wen Zhongrong cut down, was filled with fury. He spurred his horse forward, brandishing his sword, and charged straight at Mi Sheng. The two generals fought over six or seven rounds before Tang Bin rode up to lend aid. Mi Sheng, seeing someone coming to help, let out a great shout and with a single axe stroke cut Cui Ye down from his horse, then turned to engage Tang Bin in battle.

In the Song formation, Zhang Qing and Qiong Ying saw that two of their generals had fallen. The husband and wife rode out together, side by side. Zhang Qing took a stone and flung it at Mi Sheng. But Mi Sheng had keen eyes and quick hands. He deflected it with his axe, and with a loud clang the stone struck the axe blade and sparks flew as it was knocked to the ground.

Qiong Ying saw that her husband's stone had missed and quickly hurled one of her own. Mi Sheng saw the second stone coming and ducked his head. With a clang it struck his bronze helmet.

In the Song formation, Xu Ning and Dong Ping saw that both stones had missed. They rode out together with their horses side by side, combining their strength to charge. Mi Sheng saw that all the generals were coming at once. He parried Tang Bin's spear, wheeled his horse, and fled. Tang Bin pressed hard in pursuit, but the rebel generals Geng Wen and Xue Zan both rode out to intercept him, allowing that scoundrel Mi Sheng to escape.

The generals killed only Geng Wen and Xue Zan, scattered the enemy troops, and captured many horses, drums, armor, and suits of mail. Dong Ping ordered his soldiers to gather the bodies of Wen Zhongrong and Cui Ye and bury them. Tang Bin, seeing that two of his companions had fallen, wept bitterly and personally oversaw their burial with the soldiers. Dong Ping and the other nine generals had already stationed their troops at the southern foot of Longzhong Mountain.

The next day, Song Jiang and the two main armies arrived and joined forces with Dong Ping. Song Jiang was deeply grieved to hear that two of their generals had fallen. After performing the proper funeral rites in their honor, he consulted with Wu Yong on a strategy for taking the city. Wu Yong and Zhu Wu climbed a ladder to the top of a cloud to survey the terrain of the fortress. When they came back down, they told Song Jiang, "This city is too well fortified. Attacking it would be pointless. We should make a show of attacking while we wait for an opportunity." Song Jiang gave orders to prepare siege equipment on one hand, while on the other, he sent out scouts to gather intelligence from all four directions.

While Song Jiang and his men were deliberating on how to take the city, let us turn to Mishi. He had fled with only two or three hundred cavalrymen to the city south of the mountain. The general defending the city was Duan Er, Wang Qing's brother-in-law. When Wang Qing learned that the Song court had sent Song Jiang and his army, he appointed Duan Er Grand Marshal of the Eastern Pacification and ordered him to garrison the city. Mishi went to pay his respects and reported to Duan Er how Song Jiang's soldiers were fierce and his generals brave—how five of their generals had fallen and their entire army wiped out. He begged the Grand Marshal for troops to avenge them. Since Mishi had been dispatched by Wang Qing, he spoke of "borrowing" troops. Duan Er was furious. "Though you are not under my command, I have the authority to execute you for the crime of losing your army and your generals!" He ordered his soldiers to bind Mishi and behead him. But a man stepped forward from among the staff and said, "Grand Marshal, calm yourself. Spare this man." Duan Er looked and saw it was Zuo Mou, an advisor whom Wang Qing had assigned to his staff. "How can I spare him?" Duan Er demanded. Zuo Mou replied, "I have heard that Mishi is a fierce warrior who killed two of Song Jiang's generals in succession. Song Jiang truly has strong soldiers and brave generals. We can only defeat him with cunning, not brute force." "What do you mean by cunning?" Duan Er asked. Zuo Yong said, "Song Jiang's provisions and supplies are all stored in Wanzhou, and they are transported from there. I have heard that Wanzhou's defenses are weak. The Grand Marshal should secretly send trusted agents to the garrison commanders of Jun and Gong prefectures, set a time for them to attack from two directions against the south of Wanzhou. Meanwhile, we will select elite troops here, put General Mishi in command—let him redeem himself through merit—and send them swiftly to strike the north of Wanzhou. When Song Jiang learns of this, he will fear for Wanzhou and certainly withdraw his army to relieve it. We can then seize the moment of their retreat and send out our elite forces from two directions to strike them. Song Jiang can be captured." Duan Er was a crude country bumpkin who knew nothing of military strategy. But when he heard Zuo Mou's plan, he followed it at once and immediately sent messengers to Jun and Gong prefectures to coordinate the attack. He then mustered twenty thousand troops under the command of three generals—Mishi, Que Zhu, and Weng Fei—and sent them out through the city's west gate in the dead of night, with banners furled and drums silenced, all making their way quietly toward Wanzhou.

Meanwhile, Song Jiang was in his camp pondering how to take the city when the naval commander Li Jun entered the tent and reported, "The naval fleet has been moated at both the Han River and the Xiang River to the northwest of the city. I have come to receive your orders." Song Jiang kept Li Jun in his tent and shared a few cups of wine with him. Then a scout arrived and reported that the enemy in the city had sent troops to attack Wanzhou. When Song Jiang heard this, he was greatly alarmed and immediately consulted Wu Yong. Wu Yong said, "Prefect Chen and General Hua are both men of courage and resourcefulness. We need not worry about Wanzhou. But this is exactly the opportunity we need to break this city." He then whispered a plan to Song Jiang at length. Song Jiang was overjoyed. He gave secret orders to Li Jun and twenty infantry commanders including Bao Xu, who led two thousand foot soldiers. That night, they secretly followed Li Jun and departed.

Meanwhile, the rebel generals Mi Sheng and their forces had already reached Wanzhou, and scouts stationed along the road brought the news to Wanzhou. Prefect Chen Guan ordered Hua Rong and Lin Chong to lead twenty thousand troops out of the city to meet the enemy. The two generals had just marched out of the city when a swift scout rode in with a report: "Mi Sheng has joined forces with rebels from Junzhou. A Junzhou force of thirty thousand has arrived ten li north of the city." Chen Guan then dispatched Lü Fang and Guo Sheng to lead twenty thousand troops out of the north gate to engage them. Before an hour had passed, another urgent dispatch arrived: "The rebel leaders Ji Sansi and Ni She from Gongzhou are leading thirty thousand troops and advancing on the west gate." Everyone looked at each other in dismay. "We only have Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen in the city with ten thousand troops, most of whom are old and weak. How can we defend against this?" It was then that "The Scholar with Magic Hands" Xiao Rang spoke: "Sir Prefect, have no fear. Xiao has a plan." He raised two fingers and said to the assembled officers: "Do thus and thus, and the rebel horde can be defeated." Everyone from Chen Guan downward nodded in approval. Chen Guan issued orders for Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen to select five thousand strong soldiers and conceal them inside the west gate; they were to hold their positions until the rebels retreated, and only then launch their attack. The two generals departed to carry out the plan. Chen Guan then instructed the old and weak soldiers that they need not man the walls but should instead lower all the banners and flags. They were to wait for the signal of a cannon from the west gate tower, then raise all the banners at once. They were to move about within the city but must not go outside the walls. Once all dispositions were made, Prefect Chen ordered the soldiers to carry wine and food up to the west gate tower and set out a feast. Chen Guan, Hou Meng, and Luo Jian then ascended the tower, laughing and chatting as they drank merrily. They ordered the soldiers to throw the city gates wide open and wait for the rebel army to arrive. After some time, the rebel generals Ji Sansi and Ni She, leading over ten lieutenant generals, came charging boldly toward the city. They saw the gates wide open and, on the tower, three officials and a scholar seated amid a profusion of flowers, drinking and making music in grand style. On all four sides of the city walls, not a single banner or flag was to be seen. Ji Sansi was suspicious and hesitant to advance. Ni She said, "The city must be prepared for us. We should retreat quickly and not fall into their trap." Ji Sansi was hastily ordering a withdrawal when a cannon boomed from the tower. The shouts shook heaven, the drums shook the earth, and countless banners could be seen moving back and forth along the walls. The rebel soldiers, already unsettled by what their commanders had said, now saw this display within the city and fell into disorder without a fight. Inside the city, Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen led their troops charging out, and the rebel army was utterly routed, abandoning drums, banners, weapons, horses, and armor in vast numbers. Over ten thousand were beheaded. Ji Sansi and Ni She were both killed in the chaos; the surviving soldiers scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives. Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen, victorious, withdrew their troops back into the city, while Prefect Chen and the others had already returned to the command headquarters. On the northern route, Hua Rong and Lin Chong had already killed the two generals Que Zhu and Weng Fei and scattered the rebel forces. Only Mi Sheng himself had escaped. They were marching back in triumph and were about to enter the city when they received word that two more rebel columns had arrived: the western column had already been routed thanks to Xiao Rang's brilliant stratagem; the outcome of the southern engagement involving Lü Fang and Guo Sheng was still unknown. Upon hearing this news, Hua Rong ordered his troops to hasten south. Lü Fang and Guo Sheng were locked in fierce combat with the rebel generals. Lin Chong and Hua Rong drove their forces into the battle, and the rebels were scattered like falling stars and drifting clouds, cut to pieces in every direction. Great numbers were killed and captured. On that day, over thirty thousand of the rebel troops from the three columns were killed, with countless more wounded. The dead lay strewn across the fields, and the farmland ran red with blood. Lin Chong, Hua Rong, Lü Fang, and Guo Sheng all withdrew their troops into the city and, together with Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen, proceeded to the command headquarters to report their victories. Chen Guan, Hou Meng, and Luo Jian were all overjoyed, praising Xiao Rang's brilliant strategy and the heroism of Hua Rong and the other generals. The generals humbly murmured their disclaimers. Prefect Chen ordered a grand banquet to reward the officers and men and to give thanks to the army. He recorded the merits of Xiao Rang, Lin Chong, and the others, and the city was closely guarded. But that is another matter.

Meanwhile, after Duan II had sent Mi Xiong and the other troops out of the city, on the following night he stood on the city wall watching the Song army. It was now mid-August, just before the full moon, and the nearly full moon shone as bright as daylight. Duan II saw the banners and flags in the Song army stirring chaotically and slowly retreating northward. Duan II said to Zuo Mou, "I suppose Jiang Song knows that Wanzhou is in danger and is therefore withdrawing his forces." Zuo Mou said, "That must be it! We should quickly marshal our armored cavalry and sally forth to strike them." Duan II ordered the two generals Qian Bin and Qian Yi to assemble twenty thousand troops and pursue the Song soldiers. The two generals obeyed the orders and set out. When Duan II looked to the west, he saw only the Xiang River outside the city, a stretch of water gleaming with moonlight, flowing gently up and down, shimmering above and below. The three or five hundred grain boats of the Song army were also gradually poling their way northward. Duan II had been in the habit of plundering for a long time, and tonight seeing so many grain boats with no warships guarding them, each boat manned by only six or seven sailors poling along, he ordered the west city water gate to be opened. He commanded the naval commander Zhu Neng to lead five hundred warships out of the city to seize the grain boats. When the Song soldiers on the boats saw this, they hastily beached their boats, and the sailors all leaped ashore. Zhu Neng had his warships row forward, but from within the hulls of the Song boats came the sound of a single gong, and out darted a hundred or so small fishing skiffs. On each boat two men rowed while three or four others carried round shields, javelins, broadswords, and short weapons, charging forward as swiftly as flying. Zhu Neng ordered his sailors to fire catapults and flaming arrows at them. The men on the fishing skiffs could not withstand the assault; they raised a cry and all leaped into the water. The bandit troops were victorious and seized the grain boats. Zhu Neng ordered the sailors to pole them into the city. But no sooner had one boat been brought inside than orders came from within the city that each boat must be searched before being allowed in. Zhu Neng told his soldiers to search the boat that had first been brought in. A dozen or more soldiers boarded the boat and tried to lift the deck planks, but they seemed to be made of a single solid piece of wood and could not be budged in the slightest. Zhu Neng was greatly alarmed and said, "We must have fallen for a treacherous scheme!" He quickly ordered axes and chisels to be used to pry it open. "Don't bring in any of those boats outside yet." But before he had finished speaking, three or four grain boats from outside, with no one poling them, seemed to drift in on the current, as if carried by a favorable wind, and floated into the city on their own. Zhu Neng knew at once that they had fallen for a plot. He was trying to get ashore when more than a dozen men emerged from beneath the water, each with a knotweed-leaf blade clenched between their teeth. They were the eight heroes: Li Jun, the two Zhangs, the three Ruans, and the two Tongs. The bandit soldiers tried to stab them with weapons, but Li Jun gave a whistle, and from inside four or five of the grain boats, the hidden infantry leaders pulled out the pins, pushed open the deck planks, with a great shout each seized short weapons and rushed out. They were Bao Xu, Xiang Chong, Li Jun, Li Kui, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, Jie Zhen, Jie Bao, Gong Wang, Ding Desun, Zou Yuan, Zou Run, Wang Dingliu, Bai Sheng, Duan Jingzhu, Shi Qian, Shi Yong, Zhen Ling, and twenty other leaders, along with over a thousand foot soldiers. They all sprang into action at once, rushed ashore, and hacked down the bandits. The bandit troops could not resist and fled in all directions. Zhu Neng was killed by Tong Wei. The sailors on the warships, both inside and outside the city, were mostly killed by Li Jun and his men, and the river ran red. Li Jun and his men seized the water gate. Then Bao Xu and his band of tigers escorted Ling Zhen as he launched the Heaven-Shaking Mother-and-Child Signal Cannon, while others set fires and killed men in every direction. The city erupted into chaos in an instant—brothers calling to brothers, fathers searching for sons, sons seeking fathers, wailing that shook the heavens. Duan II heard the commotion and hastily led troops to respond, running straight into the band of Wu Song, Liu Tang, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, and Wang Dingliu. Duan II was stabbed in the leg with a broadsword by Wang Dingliu and captured alive. Lu Zhishen, Li Kui, and more than ten other leaders fought their way to the North Gate, scattered the defending soldiers, opened the city gate, and lowered the drawbridge. At that moment, Jiang Song's troops, hearing the Heaven-Shaking Mother-and-Child Cannon sound from within the city, wheeled around and charged back. They ran straight into the troops of Qian Bin and Qian Yi, and a fierce battle ensued. Qian Bin was killed by Bian Xiang. Qian Yi was struck down by Ma Ling and trampled into mashed flesh by men and horses. Of the thirty thousand armored cavalry, more than half were killed. Sun An, Bian Xiang, Ma Ling, and others led their troops straight through, entering the North Gate. The various generals scattered the bandit soldiers and seized the city. They invited Commander Jiang to lead the main army inside.

By now it was the fifth watch. Jiang Song issued orders for his soldiers first to put out the fires and forbade them from harming the common people. At dawn he posted proclamations to pacify the populace, and all the generals came to present their trophies of merit. Wang Dingliu brought forward the bound Duan II, and Jiang Song sent soldiers to escort him to Prefect Chen for disposition. Zuo Mou was killed in the melee. Many of the subordinate officers and generals were killed, and over ten thousand soldiers surrendered. Jiang Song ordered cattle and horses to be slaughtered to reward the three armies, recorded the meritorious deeds of Li Jun and the other generals, and sent Ma Ling to report the victory to Prefect Chen and to gather intelligence on the bandit forces. Ma Ling obeyed the orders and returned after two or three hours, saying, "Prefect Chen was overjoyed upon hearing the report. He has already prepared a memorial and sent a man to present it to the court." Ma Ling also told of how Xiao Rang had repelled the enemy. Jiang Song was alarmed and said, "What if the bandits see through it? After all, it was a scholar's plan." Jiang Song distributed grain from the local granaries to relieve the people affected by the warfare. After all military affairs had been settled, Jiang Song was discussing with Wu Yong a strategy for attacking Jingnan Prefecture when he received a dispatch from the Bureau of Military Affairs forwarded by Prefect Chen, which stated: "The western capital is overrun by bandits who are raiding the counties belonging to the Eastern Capital. Jiang Song and his men are ordered to first pacify the Western Capital, and then attack Wang Qing's stronghold." Prefect Chen also enclosed a private letter remarking on the absurdity of the Bureau of Military Affairs.

Having fully understood their intentions, Song Jiang and Wu Yong immediately deliberated on the deployment of troops: one force would attack Jingnan, while the other would strike Xiling. At this, the vice commander Lu Junyi and the surrendered generals from Hebei all volunteered to lead troops to Xiling to assault and capture the city. Song Jiang was greatly pleased and assigned twenty-four officers and fifty thousand cavalry and infantry to Lu Junyi to lead on the expedition. The twenty-four officers were:

Vice Commander Lu Junyi

Vice Strategist Zhu Wu

Yang Xu, Xu Ning, Suo Chao, Sun Li, Shan Tinggui

Wei Dingguo, Chen Da, Yang Chun, Yan Qing, Xie Zhen

Xie Bao, Zou Yuan, Zou Run, Xue Yong, Li Zhong

Mu Chun, En Shī

Surrendered Generals from Hebei

Qiao Daoqing, Ma Ling, Sun An, Bian Xiang, Shan Shiqi, Tang Bin.

Lu Junyi took his leave of Commander Song Jiang that very day and led his officers and troops toward Xiling to begin the campaign. Song Jiang ordered Shi Jin, Mu Hong, Ou Peng, and Deng Fei to lead twenty thousand troops to garrison the city of Shannan. Song Jiang said to Shi Jin and the others: "Should enemy forces arrive, you must hold fast to the city and defend it." Song Jiang then led his numerous officers and eighty thousand cavalry and infantry toward Jingnan. What they saw was a torrent of spears and sabers flowing like water, and the men and horses moving swiftly as if swept by the wind. It was just as the verse describes:

"Banners unfurled—a sheet of crimson clouds across the sky;

Blades and sabers spread—a thousand leagues of white snow."

How Jingnan was to be attacked will be told in the next chapter.