[Water Margin] Hu Sanniang with her delicate hands - Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
The military pledge made before the mobilization dais was like a ladle of cold water poured into a boiling pot of oil, instantly creating an uproar across Liangshan. Astonishment, doubt, ridicule, and even a faint sense of anticipation mingled in the air. Everyone could see this was a death trap—Song Jiang and Wu Yong intended to kill her with a borrowed knife—yet Hu Sanniang had audaciously accepted, even striking a posture of martyrdom.
Hu Sanniang paid no heed to the noise. After receiving the order, she returned to the sub-camp assigned to her and immediately summoned all her troop leaders—including her former retainers Hu Cheng and Instructor Chen, as well as the provisional head of the two hundred newly attached soldiers, a former imperial officer named Zhao Mang.
The atmosphere in the tent was tense. Her old retainers wore worried expressions, while the new recruits had shifty eyes, clearly harboring insubordination and contempt. Zhao Mang, in particular, was burly with a fierce, scarred face. He stood with his arms crossed, squinting at Hu Sanniang, making no effort to hide his arrogance.
Hu Sanniang sat at the head of the table, still in her dark armor, the helmet placed aside, revealing her cold, clear face. She calmly surveyed the group and got straight to the point:
“The military order has been issued. We march on Dongping Prefecture in three days. We are the vanguard, and the danger is known to us all. I won’t waste words; I will only establish three rules.”
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating force.
“First, immediate and strict obedience. My orders are iron law. Violators will be executed.”
“Second, no harassing the populace, no indiscriminate killing of the innocent. Violators will be executed.”
“Third, those who flee in battle or undermine morale will be executed.”
The three pronouncements of “executed” struck everyone’s heart like three heavy hammers. A complete silence fell upon the tent, and even Zhao Mang somewhat restrained his casual demeanor.
“Instructor Chen.” Hu Sanniang called his name.
“Present!” Instructor Chen quickly stepped forward.
“You are responsible for drill formations, especially the coordination between the old and new soldiers. I want them to learn at least the most basic synchronized defense within three days.”
“Hu Cheng.”
“Present!”
“You are responsible for taking inventory of supplies and equipment, and inspecting the horses, ensuring everything is correct.”
Finally, her gaze settled on Zhao Mang: “Leader Zhao.”
Zhao Mang curled his lip and grudgingly bowed: “Present.”
“Your two hundred men will be divided and incorporated into various teams, to be uniformly commanded and drilled by Instructor Chen. If your men are difficult to manage, you handle them yourself. If you fail to handle them, or if you indulge and cover for them, I will deal with you according to military law, along with them!”
Zhao Mang’s face changed. He jutted out his neck and protested: “Third Mistress! My brothers are men who have faced death before, and they have their own ways. If they’re split up, how can they fight? Besides, asking them to take orders from a manor retainer’s instructor, I fear…”
“Fear what?” Hu Sanniang interrupted, her eyes suddenly sharp as blades. She leaned slightly forward, and a killing aura honed on the battlefield, mixed with the coldness of her dark armor, instantly permeated the space. “Is it fear that they’ll be hard to manage, or fear that… without you, Zhao Mang, they won’t follow orders?”
Zhao Mang was struck where it hurt, and awed by her presence. His face flushed red, momentarily speechless.
“I am not negotiating with you,” Hu Sanniang sat back, her tone reverting to calm but becoming even colder. “This is a military order. Obey, and you live. Defy, and you die. Choose for yourself.”
Zhao Mang looked at Hu Sanniang’s eyes, which were utterly calm but seemed capable of freezing bl00d. He glanced at the menacing Sun and Moon sabers near her hand, finally gritting his teeth and bowing his head: “This subordinate… obeys the order!”
“Very good,” Hu Sanniang stood up. “Each of you prepare. Tomorrow at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the troops will be assembled for drill on the field. Latecomers will receive twenty strokes of the cane.”
Everyone responded with solemn affirmation and exited the tent.
Over the next three days, this hastily assembled vanguard experienced unprecedentedly strict training. Hu Sanniang, clad in her dark armor, personally supervised the drills daily. She spoke little, but where her gaze fell, no one dared to slack off. Instructor Chen followed orders, mixing the old and new soldiers and repeatedly drilling basic offensive and defensive formations and flag coordination. Naturally, it was chaotic at first, with frequent clashes and friction.
Once, two newly attached soldiers started a fight over an argument, involving several others, nearly causing a camp riot. Hu Sanniang arrived quickly. Without a word, she ordered the ringleaders seized on the spot and severely punished them with eighty strokes of the military cane, until their skin was torn and they were on the verge of death. Zhao Mang pleaded on their behalf, but was forced back by Hu Sanniang’s cold gaze.
“If this happens again, regardless of the reason, all involved in the disturbance will be executed! Their immediate commanders will be equally culpable!” Her voice echoed across the drill field, carrying a bl00d-soaked severity.
Under this display of thunderous authority, the atmosphere in the camp was instantly sobered. Neither the old retainers who had held onto a sliver of hope nor the arrogant new recruits failed to realize that this woman commander was absolutely not making empty threats. She might not bring victory, but she definitely had the ability to send them to the King of Hell first by strictly enforcing military law.
During breaks, Hu Sanniang would personally instruct in mounted archery. She combined the grassland archery techniques taught by Dǎlǐbō with Central Plains tactics, simplifying them for her cavalry. Though the time was short and they couldn’t become elite, it showed them a different kind of combat strategy, subtly kindling a unique sense of anticipation in their hearts.
That night, the moon was bright and the stars sparse. Three consecutive days of high-pressure training had left Hu Sanniang physically and mentally exhausted. She removed her dark armor, clad only in a single inner garment, and paced alone in a secluded area behind her tent. Tomorrow they were to set off, the fate of the road ahead unknown. Heavy pressure weighed on her heart like a boulder.
She instinctively took out the jade flask from her bosom. In the moonlight, the star-like silver patterns on the flask’s surface faintly reappeared, clearer than before. Beside the motif of the watchful eye, there seemed to be a few additional fine lines, winding in a certain direction, forming an extremely simple… star chart?
What was Dǎlǐbō trying to hint at? The direction of Dongping Prefecture? Or… the path to survival?
Just as she was concentrating on the details, a faint sound of footsteps came from behind her.
Hu Sanniang instantly became alert. She concealed the jade flask in her bosom, spun around abruptly, her hand already on the saber hilt.
In the moonlight, Dǎlǐbō’s figure quietly appeared. She was still in her practical black attire, like a phantom in the dark night.
“It’s you?” Hu Sanniang sighed in relief, though her hand remained on the saber hilt, her eyes full of questions. This place was secluded, but it was still the Liangshan military camp. Could she really come and go so freely?
“Just came to see you,” Dǎlǐbō approached, her gaze falling on Hu Sanniang’s tired face, her tone unreadable. “Three days of preparation, your methods are sound. It seems that armor wasn’t worn in vain.”
Hu Sanniang remained silent. She knew that her every action had likely not escaped those eyes.
“The garrison commander of Dongping Prefecture, surnamed Dong, named Ping, is called ‘Double-Spear General.’ He is brave and skilled in battle, and… he is lecherous,” Dǎlǐbō suddenly changed the subject, her voice dropping lower. “This man is not monolithic; he has long-standing grudges with his superiors. Defeating the enemy may not require frontal assault alone.”
Hu Sanniang’s heart shook violently! Dǎlǐbō was revealing crucial military intelligence to her! She was even… pointing out a possible direction to break the deadlock! This went far beyond the scope of a simple “friendly relationship”!
“Why are you telling me this?” Hu Sanniang looked directly at her, trying to discern the meaning in her light brown eyes.
Dǎlǐbō met her gaze, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smile that was both mysterious and unrestrained in the moonlight: “I told you, I cannot bear to see a bright pearl covered in dust, and even less, an eagle’s wings broken. The map was to show you the road. As for whether you dare to walk it, and whether you can walk it…” She paused, her eyes scanning Hu Sanniang’s tightly clenched fists, “That depends on your own capability.”
She stretched out her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing Hu Sanniang’s knuckles, which were slightly pale from gripping the saber hilt. The touch was quick, like a dragonfly skimming the water, instantly withdrawing. The sensation was cold but carried a strange, comforting power.
“Remember that star chart,” she said finally, looking deeply at Hu Sanniang. She said no more, turning and melting into the night, disappearing from sight.
Hu Sanniang stood alone, her fingertips seemingly still retaining that cold touch. She took out the jade flask again, holding it up to the moonlight, carefully discerning the simple star chart. Her heart was tumultuous.
Dǎlǐbō, who are you exactly? A princess of the northern kingdom, a mysterious ally, or… the invisible hand stirring destiny?
The road ahead remained perilous, but she seemed to have gained a vague guide in her hand. The unyielding spark in her heart burned even more fiercely because of this star chart and this touch under the moonlight.
Tomorrow, the army marches.