[Water Margin] Hu Sanniang with her delicate hands - Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The aftermath of the secret conversation in the wooden hut had yet to settle when a sudden military action pulled all plans and thoughts back to brutal reality.
The Imperial Court did not retreat because of the loss of Dongping Prefecture. Instead, they mobilized more troops, led by the renowned general “Great Saber” Guan Sheng. The forces were divided into two routes: one aimed directly at the main Liangshan stronghold, and the other headed for Dongping Prefecture, where Hu Sanniang was stationed. The intent was clear: to remove this wedge driven deep into their territory.
The military situation was dire. The war drums reverberated across Liangshan once more. Inside the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, the atmosphere was solemn. Song Jiang and Wu Yong quickly deployed their forces. Song Jiang would personally lead the main force to counter Guan Sheng’s main army, relying on the natural defenses of the marsh. The pressure on Dongping Prefecture once again fell upon Hu Sanniang and her troops.
“Third Mistress,” Song Jiang looked at her with a heavy gaze. “Dongping Prefecture is the gateway of our Liangshan, absolutely crucial. Guan Sheng has dispatched his subordinate, ‘Well-Wooded Rhino’ Hao Siwen, with five thousand elite troops. Their momentum is formidable. Your unit has only recently been reorganized and numbers only about fifteen hundred. This battle… is extremely perilous. If the situation becomes untenable, preserving your strength is paramount. You may abandon the city and retreat to the main stockade.”
Though his words feigned concern, Hu Sanniang could not mistake the underlying meaning. If she won, she would naturally be the one who turned the tide. If she lost, whether she died defending the city or retreated, it was acceptable, as long as the Imperial forces were consumed. She was still a pawn that could be sacrificed at any moment.
Hu Sanniang inwardly scoffed, but her expression remained stern: “I understand, Brother. I will do my utmost to defend Dongping Prefecture and not fail your trust!”
There were no boastful words, only a calm promise, yet it carried an undeniable resolve.
The deployment was complete, and the leaders left to execute their orders. As Hu Sanniang was about to depart, Dǎlǐbō, accompanied by a Liao envoy, approached her.
“General Hu,” Dǎlǐbō’s expression was normal, as if the secret conversation had never happened. “The military situation is urgent. I wish the General a swift victory.” She spoke politely, but her gaze met Hu Sanniang’s for a fleeting moment, conveying a hidden meaning known only to the two of them.
“Thank you for the Princess’s good wishes,” Hu Sanniang slightly bowed her head.
The moment they passed each other, Dǎlǐbō’s sleeve seemed to unintentionally brush against Hu Sanniang’s wrist, and an extremely small, hard object quietly slipped into Hu Sanniang’s sleeve pouch.
Hu Sanniang’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained impassive, and she quickly departed.
Upon returning to Dongping Prefecture, the enemy’s advance scouts were already visible on the horizon. The Imperial army’s formation was dense and well-organized, teeming with killing intent, far superior to the likes of Dong Ping. Hao Siwen commanded cautiously. He was not in a hurry to attack the city but proceeded methodically, establishing camps, cutting down trees, and manufacturing siege equipment. He clearly intended to use his absolute numerical advantage to steadily conquer this troublesome outpost.
Hu Sanniang stood on the city wall, looking at the continuous enemy camps and the busy Imperial soldiers outside. Her heart was heavy. Given the huge disparity in forces, a stubborn defense was by no means a good strategy. Abandon the city? Aside from the potential implications of Song Jiang’s hint to “preserve strength,” the strategic location and symbolic significance of Dongping Prefecture meant that its abandonment would be a fatal blow to Liangshan’s morale.
She had to hold the city, and she had to win decisively to truly secure her position in this tumultuous situation.
That night, she dismissed her attendants. In the Prefectural Yamen’s study, she retrieved the object Dǎlǐbō had covertly slipped into her sleeve. It was not the wolf’s head token, but a tiny copper tube sealed with wax. She crushed the wax seal and poured out a roll of extremely thin silk cloth.
Unfurling the silk, she saw a detailed map of Hao Siwen’s camp deployment, drawn with ink lines as fine as hair! It included the locations of grain and supply storage, the main central tent, the distribution of troops in each camp, and even the gaps in several hidden patrol routes!
In addition, there was a small line of text in the corner of the silk: “Hao is cautious, but his vanguard, Suo Chao, is fire-tempered and prone to reckless ambition. The western side is dense with woods and suitable for an ambush.”
This was no longer just intelligence; it was almost hand-in-hand tactical guidance!
Hu Sanniang clutched the silk, which was light as air but weighed a thousand pounds in significance. Her heart pounded. Dǎlǐbō’s intelligence network had infiltrated this far? Had her support for Hu Sanniang reached the point of risking exposure of her covert operatives?
This bond was too great, and too alarming.
But at this moment, she had no time to ponder the deeper implications. The military situation was urgent, and this intelligence was a godsend!
She immediately summoned her trusted commanders, Hu Cheng, Instructor Chen, and Zhao Mang. Based on the silk drawing, she redeployed the defense and set a plan to lure the enemy deep and ambush them for annihilation.
The next day, Hao Siwen indeed proceeded cautiously, not rushing to attack. However, his vanguard, “Vanguard Suo,” Suo Chao, could not restrain himself. Several times he led small groups of cavalry to challenge the city, his words extremely arrogant.
Hu Sanniang acted according to her plan, ordering only the archers and crossbowmen to hold the line, refusing to engage, thus feigning weakness. Simultaneously, she secretly ordered Hu Cheng to lead several hundred of the most elite soldiers, carrying fire-starting materials, to sneak out of the city at night. Following the route indicated on the silk, they quietly made their way to an ambush position in the dense woods near the Imperial army’s grain and supply storage.
Another day passed. Suo Chao’s challenges were fruitless, and his frustration grew. Although Hao Siwen strictly ordered no rash action, Suo Chao, presumptuous in his bravery and seeing the Liangshan defenders “cowardly,” privately led over a thousand cavalry in the evening, circling to the west of the city to attempt a surprise attack on what he thought was a weak defensive point!
And the route he chose for the surprise attack was precisely the western area that was densely forested, advantageous for concealment, but also extremely suitable for an ambush!
Everything was within Dǎlǐbō’s prediction!
When Suo Chao’s cavalry plunged deep into the dense woods, Hu Cheng, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately launched the attack! Rolling logs and large stones crashed down from both slopes, and fire arrows shot like locusts towards the dry grass and trees in the forest, and Suo Chao’s cavalry!
Instantly, the woods were ablaze, with shouts and neighing horses, turning into utter chaos! Though Suo Chao was brave, he was in a deathtrap, his forces unable to deploy. He was immediately surrounded!
On the city wall, Hu Sanniang saw the fire break out in the woods, knowing Hu Cheng had succeeded. She immediately ordered the signal torches raised!
Instructor Chen and Zhao Mang, who had been long prepared inside the East Gate, led the main cavalry force. They suddenly burst out of the city gate like a burst dam, charging straight for the slightly disorganized main Imperial army formation, which was reeling from Suo Chao’s encirclement!
Hao Siwen had not expected the Liangshan defenders to dare to launch an offensive, nor had he anticipated Suo Chao’s unauthorized movement and encirclement. He hastily engaged, but his formation was already broken. The Liangshan troops, having been suppressed for days, were now like tigers released from a cage, fighting fiercely without fear of death. Especially the newly attached soldiers led by Zhao Mang, eager to prove themselves, fought with reckless abandon!
In the melee, Hu Sanniang personally led a squad of dark-armored elite cavalry, striking like a sharp blade directly into Hao Siwen’s central army! Her Sun and Moon sabers whirled like wheels. Where she passed, men and horses tumbled! Her goal was clear: to seize Hao Siwen’s command banner!
Hao Siwen saw his banner faltering and his morale shattered. Seeing that Suo Chao’s unit was virtually annihilated, he knew the cause was lost. With a deep sigh, he had no choice but to order a retreat.
The Imperial army was routed, abandoning armor and losing heavily, with severe casualties. Hao Siwen barely escaped with his life and retreated miserably back to his main camp.
Dongping Prefecture was safe once again! And it was achieved with a brilliant defensive counter-attack that severely crippled an Imperial force far superior in numbers!
The news of the victory spread, shaking the Liangshan stronghold once more!
Yet, no one knew that on that battleground, amidst the fires and the line between life and death, the key to victory, besides the bravery of the officers and soldiers, lay in that one roll of silk from the Northern Princess, and the jade flask that she kept close to her skin, as if possessing some kind of magical power.
Hu Sanniang stood alone on the city wall, which was thick with smoke and bloodstains, looking toward the direction of the Imperial army’s retreat. In her sleeve, she tightly held the now-empty copper tube.
The jade flask was warm, and the smoke of battle had not yet cleared.
The invisible thread between her and Dǎlǐbō, in this sudden fire of war, seemed to have intertwined even more tightly, and become even more… inseparable.