Chapter 41: Shi Pu

Zhao Huai'an, who had long admired such warriors, heard the cheers from ahead and promptly asked Zhou德兴 at the front:
"Old Zhou, who is that cavalry general in the red cloak from the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army?"
Zhou Dexing wore a complicated expression. Watching the Yanzhou-Haizhou cavalry general charging forward once more amidst a flurry of sparks, he shouted back to Zhao Huai'an:
"That is Shi Pu from the Xuzhou Xinhua Army. Because he charges into enemy formations without fearing death, the army calls him the 'Life-Dashing Lad'."
Zhao Huai'an understood. Since his subordinate Zhou Dexing originally hailed from the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army, Zhao Huai'an had a fair grasp of this particular military prefecture.
He knew their primary jurisdiction lay around Yanzhou and Haizhou, and they had always been closely aligned with the neighboring Xuzhou Xinhua Army. Thus, upon arriving in Xichuan, the two forces invariably operated as a single unit.
Hearing that Shi Pu was a stalwart of the Xuzhou Xinhua Army, he could not help but praise:
"Qingzhou and Xuzhou have produced many heroes since ancient times; truly so."
At this, Zhou Dexing felt even more awkward, yet watching Shi Pu fighting in the thick of battle, he had nothing to say.
However, Zhao Huai'an's praise seemed like a jinx. Just as he looked up at Shi Pu again, the situation on the battlefield shifted.

More than a dozen elite cavalrymen, led by Shi Pu, surged forward like dragons, preparing to cut back through the same path into the enemy's riverbank formation.
The timing they chose was excellent—just as the Nanzhao vanguard's Wangzhuzi crashed into the militia's defensive line, becoming detached from their rear support.
Whipping in from the left flank, they quickly vanished from Zhao Huai'an's field of vision.
Listening to the heaven-shaking shouts ahead, Zhao Huai'an could not resist drawing his saber, wanting to cheer Shi Pu on.
He found that he was beginning to enjoy this adrenaline-pumping sensation.
Suddenly, however, the agonizing neigh of a warhorse rang out from the frontline, and the next moment, Zhao Huai'an saw Shi Pu charging back alone toward the right in a sorry state.
At this moment, Shi Pu retained none of his former swagger. Amidst the wails echoing from the battle array, he wrapped his cloak tightly around himself and fled toward his main force.
Behind him, a squad of Nanzhao Wangzhuzi surged forward, waving their swords and spears in cheers as they watched Shi Pu make his pathetic escape.
Before Zhao Huai'an could fully react, he saw the Nanzhao troops on the frontline hoisting the severed heads of the Xinhua Army troopers, striking their weapons against one another, and shouting endlessly.
What, what, what?
Was Shi Pu defeated just like that?
Watching Shi Pu, who had escaped with his life alone, vanish into the ranks of the adjacent Yanzhou-Haizhou Army, Zhao Huai'an's previous respect vanished completely!

Ever since the two armies shook their banners and beat their drums to engage in battle, the twelve-li-wide front along the Baishu Water had dissolved into a tangled mass of slaughter.
Countless shield-and-pike formations surged forward, meeting countless swords and halberds thrusting back. Neither side employed any tricks; it was simply a matter of stabbing and thrusting straight ahead with all their might.
Some brave warriors rushed forward with shields, creating momentary gaps, only to be met the very next second by a forest of halberds and spears that turned them into human colanders.
Both sides screamed and cursed along the line, using the ugliest language to vent their terror and bloodlust.
Men constantly fell, and others constantly stepped over them, jumping back up from the riverbed.
Some were merely knocked down by those behind them, only to be trampled immediately by countless heavy boots while halberds hacked blindly from above amidst endless shrieks. Some men remained standing, yet urine still streamed down the insides of their thighs from their breeches.
Blood and wails were everywhere; the stench of feces and urine mingled with the reek of blood hung heavy over the entire battle line.
This was the primary frontline directly before Zhao Huai'an, where the Great Tang militias were madly thrusting and stabbing at the opposing Nanzhao forces. It was precisely at this moment that Shi Pu, leading a dozen Xinhua Army horsemen, struck once more.
Behind him, hundreds of men were shouting, "The Life-Dashing Lad, Third Master Shi!", "The Life-Dashing Lad, Third Master Shi!"

Driven to the verge of psychological collapse, the militias wept bitterly upon hearing these cries:
"Master Third, save us!"
"Master Third, save us!"
Before the eyes of countless witnesses, Shi Pu in his red cloak pierced into the rear of the Nanzhao Wangzhuzi formation, his heavy cavalry lance slicing off heads one after another.
Because Shi Pu had chosen his moment impeccably, he and his men rode across the riverbank gravel like ghosts entering an empty domain.
Just as it seemed this so-called Nanzhao elite force, the "Wangzhuzi," was about to suffer a crushing defeat at the river's edge, a sudden gong sounded, and the archers who had hitherto remained concealed within the battle group rushed out.
In an instant, the Xinhua Army cavalry detachment suffered a devastating blow, and seven or eight riders tumbled from their saddles.
Yet they were not dead yet; the iron armor they wore provided sturdy defense, though their mounts had fallen beneath the rain of arrows.
Because Shi Pu had charged too fast, he escaped the worst of the arrow volley. Turning back to look, he saw a pile of fallen men behind him, the grounded Xinhua Army troopers shouting his name.
Yet the next moment, Shi Pu pressed his body tightly against his horse's neck, fled forward without once looking back, and broke out of the riverbank area before the Nanzhao forces could close their lines.
Following that, the thirteen Xinhua Army horsemen trapped on the riverbank had their heads severed, their armor stripped off, and their bodies tossed into the river channel.
When the militias fighting at the edge saw that all the friendly cavalry who had charged in had their heads cut off, their morale instantly shattered.
Militia unit after militia unit wept and fled in rout toward the rear. Even though the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army deployed a unit of disciplinary executioners to press the battle, the rout could not be stemmed.
Zhao Huai'an's position was in the fourth array; by now, the first line of river defense had collapsed, and the chaos quickly spread to the second array.
Logically speaking, the militia line in this array was well-ordered, equipped with bows, crossbows, shields, and pikes, and should have been steadfast.
Yet the armored Nanzhao "Wangzhuzi," sweeping along the fleeing militia rabble, crashed directly into the formation. Before the bows and crossbows could even be utilized, the line was hacked straight through.
At this moment, the ferocity of the Nanzhao "Wangzhuzi" left a deep impression on Zhao Huai'an.
The collapse of the militia line was so severe that the five hundred Yanzhou-Haizhou troops, previously kept merely as supervisors, could no longer sit still. If they did not sortie now, the chaos would soon engulf their own main camp.
Thus, amidst blaring horns, the Yanzhou-Haizhou soldiers, clad in earth-yellow military uniforms, charged forward.
As a battle-hardened regional regular force, the five hundred Yanzhou-Haizhou troops were organized by squads into ten tactical groups.
When the chaotic militias and Nanzhao soldiers closed to within one hundred and fifty paces, the five hundred Yanzhou-Haizhou soldiers raised their bows and crossbows, loosing a dense volley obliquely into the air.
Yet the vast majority of those shot down were merely the militias; shielded by these human targets, the Nanzhao soldiers sprinted rapidly to within fifty paces.
At that exact moment, another banner wave rippled through the Yanzhou-Haizhou ranks. The soldiers who had just held bows and crossbows cast them aside, drew longbows from their backs, and nocked armor-piercing arrows.
Five hundred arrows flew forth in a flash, and the Nanzhao "Wangzhuzi" tumbled to the ground one after another at the fifty-pace mark.
Their rhinoceros-hide armor was utterly incapable of repelling the sharp armor-piercing shafts; rank after rank of armored vanguard troops fell, piling the corpses into thick layers.
By this time, the Nanzhao archers trailing in the rear had also sprinted up, loosing their own arrows on the run.
However, of the five hundred Yanzhou-Haizhou troops, fully sixty percent wore iron armor. They stood at the very front of their respective tactical groups, bearing the brunt of the arrow fire.
Even as comrades fell continuously around them, the remaining Yanzhou-Haizhou soldiers calmly loosed their own arrows.
After two volleys of arrows, the Nanzhao "Wangzhuzi" finally fought their way to within twenty paces.
At this juncture, the armored troops stationed at the very front of the Yanzhou-Haizhou line—their vanguard shock squads—stepped forward. As the rear archers discarded their bows and joined the fray wielding sabers and clubs, they began a fierce counter-charge.
The Yanzhou-Haizhou troops marched with measured strides, slamming into the oncoming Nanzhao forces, and the two sides locked in a desperate life-and-death struggle right along the third battle line.
Watching from the rear, Zhao Huai'an was dazzled and mesmerized. This was his first time witnessing tactical combat executed by a structured military formation.
Faced with the ferocious Nanzhao troops, the Yanzhou-Haizhou soldiers were remarkably calm. Everything proceeded strictly according to the manual, unhurried and backed by profound tactical experience.

Were these the troops of a Great Tang military prefecture?
It was said that the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army was not even the strongest; the Zhongwu Army, to which old hands like Old Li belonged, had always surpassed all other forces. If the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army was this ferocious, wouldn't the Zhongwu Army be capable of flying to the heavens?
No wonder old hands like Old Li carried themselves with such unbridled arrogance.

With the participation of the five hundred Yanzhou-Haizhou troops, the situation on the western battlefield quickly stabilized. Meanwhile, on the eastern front, the Baoyi and Muyi armies had also secured their footing on the opposite shore.
They formed massive formations on the southern riverbank, fiercely resisting the counter-attacks of the Nanzhao forces.
The situation seemed to be turning in favor of the Tang army.
Zhao Huai'an could not see the big picture; he only saw more and more Nanzhao troops appearing on the opposite side. Because the western river channel was no longer guarded by militias, the Nanzhao forces across the water were continuously pouring in reinforcements.
In this short span of time, Zhao Huai'an had already spotted banners of four or five different military designations appearing across the river. Lacking any major combat experience, he could still guess that the situation was turning ominous.
He turned to ask Chen Fahai, only to see the former Shence Army officer frowning as he gazed toward the west of the battlefield.
Zhao Huai'an looked along that direction and saw nothing, prompting him to ask:
"Old Chen, what are you looking at?"
At this moment, Chen Fahai was gripping a standard-bearer's spear while an attendant beside him shouldered a crimson banner. Standing right beneath the red flag, Chen Fahai's brows were locked tightly together.
Hearing the commander's question from behind, Chen Fahai hurriedly turned and replied:
"Commander, I'm worried enemy forces will appear on our western flank."
Zhao Huai'an bit his lip, pondered for a moment, and shook his head:
"Don't think too much about that for now. Look ahead—can the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army still hold out?"
Before Chen Fahai could answer, Lu Zhongyuan, standing beneath the black wolf-totem banner, spoke up. His very first words were:
"Commander, we need to make plans early!"
Zhao Huai'an froze for a second before realizing that Lu Zhongyuan was subtly hinting that they should run away.
Damn it, he, the commanding officer, hadn't even uttered a word about fleeing, yet this military rogue was already thinking of slipping away.
Ignoring Lu Zhongyuan entirely, Zhao Huai'an turned instead to Zhou Dexing, who stood beneath the cyan bear-totem banner. Since Zhou was a veteran of the Yanzhou-Haizhou Army, his assessment would actually carry reference value.
Zhou Dexing glanced at the Yanzhou-Haizhou troops ahead, seeing that the third echelon previously held in reserve had already been fed into the line. His expression was equally grim. Cupping his fists toward Zhao Huai'an, he said:
"The Yanzhou-Haizhou Army is likely about to break. Although their combat prowess is formidable, their numbers are simply too small. The real key to this battle depends on the Xichuan Army; they boast a force of up to eight thousand, deployed right on the left flank of the Yanzhou-Haizhou troops. If they dispatch forces to reinforce us, this battle is still winful."
The moment Zhao Huai'an heard this, he knew things were completely screwed.
Relying on Yan Shihui was about as reliable as expecting a breeding sow to climb a tree.
Just at that moment, a horseman suddenly galloped out from behind the Yanzhou-Haizhou lines, racing toward the fourth array where Zhao Huai'an and his men were stationed.
Guo Congyun, who was also mounted, squinted as he spotted the approaching rider and remarked:
"The Yanzhou-Haizhou Army is going to make us enter the fray!"
Sure enough, no sooner had his voice fallen than the rider bypassed all other arrays and made a beeline straight for Zhao Huai'an's position.