[Water Margin] Hu Sanniang with her delicate hands - Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
The battle outside the East Gate appeared to be a rout for the Liangshan vanguard. Hu Sanniang led her army in a seeming “defeat” and retreated, with Dong Ping and his cavalry in close pursuit. The cries of battle shook the sky, and dust flew everywhere, drawing everyone’s attention.
Simultaneously, at Luoyan Marsh on the west side of the city, at the edge of the quiet and treacherous swamp forest, the one hundred elite soldiers led by Instructor Chen had approached the heavily guarded manor as silently as lurking leopards.
The manor’s outer walls were high, but as Hu Cheng’s reconnaissance had reported, the focus of the defense seemed to be more on concealment than robust open-field defense. Several perimeter sentries were quickly eliminated by the advance scouts led by Hu Cheng, using crossbow bolts and short blades before they could even react.
Instructor Chen signaled, and the squad divided into two groups. One group skillfully scaled the high wall using grappling hooks and ropes; the other, led by Chen himself, sought a weak point in the manor’s defense, preparing for a quick assault.
Inside the walls, the scene was indeed picturesque: pavilions, towers, small bridges, and flowing water, all arranged with extreme elegance, completely at odds with the dangerous environment outside. However, the faint sounds of women weeping and men shouting could be heard coming from within.
“Hurry! The General is coming back soon! Keep these women secure!” a steward’s voice urged anxiously.
The advance scouts who had scaled the wall immediately pinpointed the source of the noise and pounced on the main building like shadows. Although the private soldiers guarding the manor were capable fighters, the sudden attack, combined with their distraction by the massive battle at the East Gate, caught them completely off guard, and several were instantly subdued.
“Enemy attack! Intruders!” The alarm finally wailed frantically.
But it was too late! The other group, led by Instructor Chen, had already smashed through a side door and rushed into the manor like ferocious tigers descending a mountain! Caught in a pincer attack, the resistance within the manor quickly crumbled.
Inside the main building, several kidnapped women huddled in a corner, watching the rushing Liangshan soldiers in terror. The steward’s face was ashen as Hu Cheng grabbed him by the collar.
“Speak! Where are the people Dong Ping kidnapped being held? Are there any ledgers or correspondence?” Hu Cheng demanded fiercely.
The steward was terrified out of his wits. He stammered, pointing towards an inner chamber: “In… in the hidden compartment of the study… also… the cellar in the back courtyard… two more who just arrived are locked there…”
Instructor Chen immediately led men to search and indeed found correspondence in the hidden compartment of the study detailing Dong Ping’s friction with his superiors, along with evidence of his embezzlement of military funds and the frequent kidnapping of civilian women! More importantly, in the back courtyard cellar, they rescued two women, family members of local gentry, who had just been abducted and had not yet been harmed.
“Withdraw!” Having secured the key evidence and witnesses, Instructor Chen was not interested in fighting. He immediately ordered a retreat. The men, carrying the seized letters and the rescued women, quickly evacuated the manor, retracing their steps, and vanishing into the dense forest. The entire operation was clean and decisive, taking less than half an hour from the start of the attack to their withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Hu Sanniang, in her fighting retreat, had lured Dong Ping nearly twenty li away from Dongping Prefecture. Estimating that Instructor Chen should have succeeded by now, she suddenly reined in her warhorse, her dark armor reflecting a cold light in the sun.
“Dong Ping! Look where you are!” she shouted.
Dong Ping, intense in his pursuit, looked around at her words, and his heart plummeted! The terrain here was narrow, unfavorable for cavalry deployment. On the slopes on both sides, several hundred Liangshan ambushers had appeared out of nowhere, bows drawn and arrows nocked, blocking his retreat!
He had been tricked!
Dong Ping was both shocked and enraged. He finally realized that Hu Sanniang’s earlier retreat was entirely a ruse to lure him out!
“Despicable wretch!” Dong Ping roared, raising his spears, intending to fight to the death.
“Despicable?” Hu Sanniang sneered, her voice carrying sarcasm through the helmet. “How does that compare to you, Dong Ping, kidnapping civilian women, setting up a private villa, embezzling military funds, and framing your superiors?”
With every sentence she spoke, Dong Ping’s face grew paler! How did she know these secrets?!
“You… you are slandering me!” Dong Ping was inwardly terrified.
“Whether I am slandering you or not, you know in your heart.” Hu Sanniang said no more. She raised her Sun and Moon sabers, “Fire!”
Arrows rained down from the slopes! Dong Ping’s cavalry immediately fell into chaos, men and horses tumbling. Dong Ping waved his double spears to fend off the arrows. Though valiant, he was overwhelmed.
Hu Sanniang seized the opportunity. She urged her warhorse forward, rushing into the chaotic formation like a dark bolt of lightning, aiming directly for Dong Ping! Her double sabers turned into two swirling vortexes of death, striking at his vital points!
Dong Ping’s mind was already in disarray, and cornered, his martial prowess was significantly compromised. After barely fending off a dozen more bouts, Hu Sanniang’s saber slashed his arm. Bl00d flowed freely, and the other saber followed instantly, resting against his neck!
“Bind him!” Hu Sanniang ordered coldly.
With their commander captured, the remaining cavalry had no will to fight and surrendered en masse.
Hu Sanniang, escorting the bound and ashen-faced Dong Ping, gathered the surrendered soldiers and returned triumphantly to the main camp. By this time, Instructor Chen had also safely returned with the seized correspondence and the rescued women.
The news reached Dongping Prefecture, and the garrison instantly fell into utter chaos! Their commander was captured, the evidence of his crimes was irrefutable, and their morale was completely shattered. Before Hu Sanniang could order an assault on the city, the faction of generals loyal to Dong Ping’s superiors seized the opportunity to take control of the situation. They immediately sent envoys out of the city, offering to surrender the city in exchange for Liangshan sparing the populace and severely punishing Dong Ping.
Without a drop of bl00d spilled, Dongping Prefecture was taken!
When the victory report reached the main Liangshan stronghold, the whole place was astonished!
No one had expected that Hu Sanniang could actually take a major city like Dongping Prefecture with such a weak force, and in such an unusual manner! Capturing Dong Ping alive, obtaining evidence of his crimes, and exploiting the internal conflicts to force the garrison’s surrender! This was no longer just martial prowess; it was the ultimate display of strategy and courage!
Song Jiang received the victory report and remained silent for a long time before sighing to Wu Yong: “This woman… possesses such capabilities!”
Wu Yong paused the hand holding his fan, his eyes complex: “It is indeed unexpected. It seems we… underestimated her before.”
Meanwhile, inside the former Prefectural Yamen of Dongping Prefecture, now Hu Sanniang’s temporary headquarters, she had removed her dark armor and changed into clean, casual clothes. She sat alone by the lamp, looking at the stack of letters recovered from Dong Ping’s villa, and the jade flask resting quietly beside them.
The star chart patterns on the flask’s surface had faded, becoming smooth once more.
Without Dǎlǐbō’s precise intelligence and the guidance of the star chart, she would have never been able to break the deadlock so smoothly. This debt of gratitude was immense.
She picked up the jade flask, tracing the cool surface, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts. Dǎlǐbō’s figure, those light brown eyes, the star chart in the moonlight, the aid in a time of crisis… scene after scene flashed in her mind.
What position did she truly hold in the heart of this Liao Princess? A pawn worth investing in? An interesting diversion? Or… something else?
She could not see through it, nor could she fully comprehend it.
But one thing was certain: after this battle, her status at Liangshan would be vastly different. She was no longer the defeated general who could be easily manipulated or even sacrificed, but a capable leader who had achieved an extraordinary feat and commanded a force (even if still patched together).
While this brought her greater autonomy and a stronger voice, it also meant she would be drawn deeper into the internal power struggle within Liangshan, as well as the intricate future relationship with the Liao Kingdom.
The path ahead seemed wider, yet also more complicated.
She carefully put the jade flask away, keeping it close to her skin. Whatever Dǎlǐbō’s motive, she would remember this helping hand offered in her desperation.
Outside the window, the sounds of the Dongping Prefecture populace recovering from the ordeal and the commands of the Liangshan soldiers taking over the city defense could be heard.
A new game of chess had begun.
And she was no longer the piece that could only wait passively.