Novel The Great Game - The Young Master (Ch.308) [finished]

Happy Chinese Year to all!

It landed on a weekend, so no chapter this Sunday. It's literally going to be several days of pigging out, gambling playing games of chance and meeting up old friends.

 

Happy new year, don't lose all your money on gambling

 

I had a delicious meal. Thank you very much.
I realised again that I like your writing more than most of the things I've been reading all this time.

 

Thank you all for the CNY wishes! I'm back after an exhausting Chinese New Year, next chapter will be tomorrow (hopefully).

 

sleep well, eat well, write suppa well and have happy days

 

“See that kid? The one dreaming to serve his country. That Jarhead is me.”
--Anthony 'Swoff' Swofford, ‘Jarhead’

Chapter 89 – Collapse

General Ran Wei’s headquarters,
Wei

There was a cold smile on the brutal, handsome face of General Ran Wei as he read the latest report. Although Fei Yue’s command was independent from his, it did not mean that he was unaware of what was happening. One of the earliest things he did as he rose through the ranks was to put spies into the various factions of the Wei army, for Ran Wei’s ambition was to be the Grand Marshal of it all someday.


“You look happy,” an armoured woman remarked. She too had cold features, similar to the Wei general. Her long black hair was tied in a pony-tail, and there was an impressive scar running across her nose. Such a scar combined with her flaring brows and armoured attire gave her a wild outlook that brooked no nonsense. It wasn’t just her demeanour that commanded immediate respect, for this was Ran Bing, Ran Wei’s sister. She had loyally followed her brother through numerous battlefields, she was every inch the warrior he was.


“That fool Fei Yue split his forces into three in an attempt to surround the Wu forces,” Ran Wei told her.


Ran Bing frowned, causing the scar on her nose to deepen. “Since he outnumbers them, it does seem the logical thing to do. I would do the same, since General Huang Zheng is refusing to stand and fight.” Then she added, “That old man disappoints me, I expected more from the one they call ‘The Great Blade’.”


Ran Wei shook his head. “Then you will be defeated.”


His sister’s frown deepened. “Explain,” she demanded.


“It is true that Fei Yue’s seventy thousand is superior to Huang Zheng’s forty thousand, but what happens when you split seventy thousand into three?”


Enlightenment dawned on Ran Bing’s face. “I see! You mean to say that Wu’s forty thousand will still be one solid fist, and they can break Fei Yue’s fingers one by one since they are not united.”


Ran Wei smiled. “Knowing Fei Yue’s disposition, he surely would have kept a bigger portion of the army with himself, thus his flanking pincers would be weak, at most they would be twenty thousand strong each. Furthermore, he gave each wing such a large circuitous route and neglected to put a continuous line of communications between each; only giving them a date and place to gather. Forty thousand Wu soldiers against twenty thousand on each wing, this is much better odds, isn’t it?”


“But that means the Wu forces have to fight at one place and then quickly march to the other before Fei Yue’s main force arrives. Are the Wu devils really that capable?” Ran Bing asked.


“They don’t need to defeat Fei Yue himself,” Ran Wei pointed out. “Once they have crushed his two pincers, it will be Fei Yue who is demoralized. He will be frightened into retreating.”


“But once he retreats, Wu could then attack our cities directly,” Ran Bing said.


Ran Wei smiled cynically. “I do not think that Huang Zheng has any intentions of attacking our cities. Look at his movements, he has been marauding the countryside and scrounging for supplies. Our spies tells us that the bulk of their forces under Marshal Gao Fang are still in Tigertrap Fort, even though it has been nearly a month since their vanguard have marched into our country. What does this tell you?”


Ran Bing subconsciously thumbed the scar on her nose as her pretty brows furrowed. “You know I don’t like this sort of complicated matters. Just tell me already.”


“I heard that Gao Fang has a feud with Huang Zheng. If I’m not mistaken, this is a poorly veiled attempt from the marshal to get rid of him.”


Ran Bing’s eyes bulged. “He’s willing to sacrifice forty thousand soldiers just to settle a private matter?”


“Do you find it so strange? I am doing the same thing to Fei Yue,” Ran Wei said blandly.


“You mean you’re not going out to rescue Fei Yue?” Ran Bing asked, her eyes widening further.


“First, he would not appreciate my unsolicited help,” Ran Wei told her. “Second, the true battle is with Marshal Gao Fang. Once Fei Yue is defeated, the marshal will surely move, because he would not bear to see his rival to be covered in glory. We need to gather our strength for the decisive confrontation.”


“But we can’t just sit here! What if Fei Yue accuses you in front of the king later?” Ran Bing said.


“It doesn’t matter. Once Fei Yue is defeated, the king would have no choice but to turn to me.”


Ran Bing sighed. “I feel sorry for Fei Yue’s soldiers.”


“This is why we fought tooth and nail to promote ourselves, so that we did not end up being under an incompetent,” Ran Wei reminded her. “Once I become Marshal of Wei, I reform the forces and get rid of the likes of Fei Yue.”


Ran Bing’s eyes shone. “And then?”


“Then we shall sweep across the four states and unite the continent!”



Fei Yue’s northern wing,
Wei

A Wei sentry yawned mightily as he leaned on his spear. It was almost time for the evening meal, and the veteran was eager to return to his tent once his shift was over.


“Come on, don’t slack off,” his younger partner chided.


“Relax newbie, we’re days away from the meeting point. If the Wu devils are smart, they would have fled long ago, otherwise they would be trapped between our forces,” the sentry who yawned replied.


“You almost sound like you’re glad to be not fighting,” the younger soldier said accusingly.


“You’re damned right I am. Did I ever tell you about my hometown?” the veteran asked.


“Only like a million times,” his junior muttered.


The veteran chuckled at his partner’s reticence. “Why so grouchy?”


“All we have done is to march and camp, march and camp. We haven’t seen so much as a shadow,” the younger soldier complained


“Listen kid, this is the best part of army life. We get to eat and sleep without danger. I for one want this to continue. All we have to do is survive until the end of the fighting season, then you’ll get to go home to your mom and pop and make your chick swoon with your glorious return.”


“I just want to see some action,” the younger soldier muttered. Then he stood a little straighter, staring towards the horizon. “What is that?” he asked, pointing towards a silhouette in the distance.


“Kid, that’s eastwards. It’s probably General Fei Yue’s messenger to confirm our arrival,” the veteran said nonchalantly.


“There’s more of them now,” the younger soldier said, his voice tinged with alarm.


Their faces turned ashen when they saw the silhouettes became more numerous, and the cloud of dust that rose behind them became thicker. Before long, the sentries could make out a large banner in the midst of the silhouettes.


It bore the character for the word “Huang”. Soon they saw the mass was actually a body of cavalry, and it was riding at full speed towards them.


“Wu soldiers!” the younger sentry exclaimed in horror. He picked up a gong and banged it frenetically. All around the Wei camp, cries of alarm rose.


The veteran soldier remained rooted. “Why are they here? How are they attacking from behind us?” he asked, dropping his spear in shock.


“Come on, old man! Pick up your weapon!” the younger soldier urged.


The veteran shook his head. “It’s too late…” he whispered. The veteran backtracked a few steps, before turning around and broke into a run.


The younger soldier stared at him. Then he turned to see the Wu cavalry that was boring down towards him.


Then he too dropped his spear, turned and ran.


***


It was as General Ran Wei had predicted. Mere days before Fei Yue’s north and sound wings were to converge on the agreed meeting point, the Wu soldiers suddenly appeared and ambushed them. Each wing had just over twenty thousand men, while Huang Zheng kept his entire forty thousand men in a single column.


The Wei soldiers on the northern flank were just settling down to camp when Huang Ke’s cavalry suddenly appeared and led the charge. The Wei commander in charge of the northern wing managed to climb onto his horse, but before he could rally his troops, he was cut down by Huang Ke with his mountain-splitter axe. The Wei troops were routed and the camp was burned.


Two days later Huang Zheng swung down towards the southern wing and repeated the same. This time Sunli took first merit, she led the charge into the enemy camp and personally slew the commander there with one thrust of her spear. No one doubted her mettle thereafter, for when she returned all could see that her black scale armour was splattered by the blood of the Wei soldiers that she had personally killed.


It was said that when General Fei Yue received news of the destruction of his two wings, he collapsed in shock and had to be helped to bed by his aides.

Fei Yue sought to divide and conquer,
Alas, it only made Huang Zheng was stronger.​

 

First, thanks for the chapter

 

Thanks!

 

Thank you very much, sensei

 

Thanks for the chapter.

 

Interesting... very interesting. Keep this up.

 

Thanks for the chapter

 

“Silver tuna tonight!”
--Marv Merchants, ‘Home Alone’

Chapter 90 – Blood spilled at night

Marshal Gao Fang’s headquarters,
Tianxin City,
Wu

Marshal Gao was distracted. There was a single decorative flower on his desk, and this simple item caused his mind to wander as he gazed at it.


For the past few weeks, he had tried to find opportunities to visit Madam Li privately. But Cao Tianyun’s scheme meant that there were innumerable amount of people thronging the Huang residence, and whatever plans he had of harassing Madam Li behind closed doors were spoiled. Every day, there were people seeking an audience with her to ask for financial assistance and work. Once, he went through the commoner’s custom of queueing to see her, but he soon found himself dazed and unable to bear the commotion and hubbub. He thought of using force to disperse the crowd, but that would only invite criticism and ridicule from the public.


On other days the Huang residence became a regular place for tea parties where women compete in the arts. Matrons from prominent and rich families brought their daughters to promote themselves socially. Some had powerful relatives elsewhere in the country and the marshal did not want to make himself into a laughingstock by barging into a women-only event.


It was as if the entire city was conspiring to keep Madam Li away from him.


To add to his vexations, he has been virtually flooded with reports from Huang Zheng. Every single village and township that he had attacked was reported back. Every single skirmish, every single maneuver was meticulously written down and sent for his perusal. At first he was suspicious and thought that Huang Zheng was making them up, but the sheer level of detail and the factual way the reports were written soon dispelled that notion. The general even had the amount of supplies used and seized from the Wei population areas recorded. A zealous bureaucrat or some future historian might appreciate such dreary paperwork, but to Marshal Gao Fang the missives were needling reminders of Huang Zheng’s pesky existence.


Far from being surrounded and annihilated by Wei as the marshal had hoped, Huang Zheng managed to confound the enemy by moving erratically and rampaging through the countryside, rather than attacking the walled cities directly as per the usual customs. The marshal had thought of ordering Huang Zheng to launch a direct and suicidal attack, but with the general’s name on everyone’s lips these days it could very well backfire on himself. The marshal had no wish to be accused of directly causing the death of a hero.


The thirty days limit was coming up soon, and the marshal could only wish fervently that some sort of calamity would visit upon Huang Zheng in Wei.


“Is there something troubling you, my lord?” a voice interrupted his dark musings.


Marshal Gao Fang turned his gaze away from the flower and saw that it was a smiling, handsome fellow who had spoken.


When Lord Fang La returned to the capital after the disastrous attempt to seize military authority from Huang Zheng, he brought along Nangong Xie with him. Nangong Xie was quick to use his connection with the prime minister’s nephew to ingratiate himself into the elite circles of the capital city. When the marshal made known of his plans to temporarily base himself in Tianxin City for the invasion of Wei, Prime Minister Tong Xuan quickly recommended Nangong Xie as his observer and representative.


Marshal Gao did not care for this man, there were salacious stories surrounding him. Something about an ivory idol? But he also knew that Nangong Xie too disliked the Huangs, and for that reason the marshal had tolerated his presence.


“Nothing to do with you,” the marshal said curtly.


“My lord, I have seen you go to the Huang residence multiple times, and each time you have returned with a displeased demeanour. Are you looking for something?” Nangong Xie asked.


“Begone, I have no use for you,” the marshal snarled in reply, covering his embarrassment with an outburst of anger. Despite his infatuation with Madam Li, the marshal still had some sense of shame and was not about to admit it to the scholar.


Nangong Xie smiled. He knew the rumours, but there was no reason for him to antagonize the marshal. Instead, he said, “I have heard that General Huang has a very rare treatise of war written by an ancient sage. It is said to be the source of his military might. As the marshal of our country, it wouldn’t be strange for you to borrow it.” ‘I know what you want.’


The marshal nodded slowly, appreciating the lie that Nangong Xie was spinning. “Yes, you are right. But they have refused my request,” he said. ‘What are you going to do about it?’


“I am a little familiar with the Huangs. Do you want me to approach them on your behalf?” ‘Do you want me to take action?’


The marshal arched an eyebrow in question. “Oh? You would do this?” ‘Can you?’


“I can have some mutual acquaintances to persuade the madam to come see you,” Nangong Xie said. ‘I know certain people, I can arrange for them they to bring her to you.’


“Really?” the marshal demanded, sitting up a little straighter. Then he frowned and said, “But I don’t want anyone to be inconvenienced. I do not wish to cause a public incident over a book.” ‘Don’t make a mess.’


Nangong Xie bowed. “Of course. I’ll make sure you have what you want in your hands this very night.”



The Huang residence,
Tianxin City,
Wu

Night. The moon was hidden by the clouds, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the Huang residence. A group of men dressed in black were gathered in a nearby dark alley.


“Grab the women, kill anyone who discovers us,” one of the shadowy figures said. The others nodded in silent acknowledgement.


Marshal Gao had no way of knowing, but Nangong Xie had taken his tacit approval to accomplish his own desires. The Handsome Scholar reasoned that since he was reaching into the pot to grab the pickle, he might as well go elbow-deep for the best pickings. Marshal Gao can have Madam Li, but Nangong Xie wanted Cao Tianyun and Liu Yuchun for himself.


Soundlessly the men scaled the walls into the Huang courtyard. It was an expansive residence with carefully tended gardens and trimmed lawns, and that meant plenty of dark shadows to hide. From their hiding place, they spied patrols of maids and servants walking around in pairs, each carrying a lantern and a gong. In addition, there were stationary guards at every visible doorway.


The hearts of the dark-clad men grew cold when they saw all these security measures, this was not going to be the easy kidnapping job they thought it was. This was no ordinary household, this was almost like a military camp! Even if the sentries were just maids and ordinary servants armed with nothing but sticks, it would still be a challenge to accomplish their task without alerting the residence.


The men looked at each other warily, wondering if they should proceed. Even their leader was having doubts, and he was about to call the job off when fate intervened. One of the pair of maids wandered too precariously close to their position. The men reacted quickly without waiting for their leader’s order: they clamped their gloved hands over the mouths of the maids and dragged them into the bushes to slit their throats. It was not unusual for them, it was a tactical disabling action that they have done many times.


However, having maids that wander around with a gong was unusual. None of the men managed to prevent the maids from tossing their gong away, it fell with a tremendous crash that shook the souls of the thuggish men. They barely had the time to stare at each in aghast before cries of “Alarm! Alarm!” went up.


Almost immediately the sound of thunderous running feet filled the air. More torches arrived, illuminating the night and leaving no place for the would-be kidnappers to hide. They were quickly surrounded by nervous servants brandishing wooden sticks, and the kidnappers were cut off from the avenue of retreat.


They did not even have the time to cut the throats of the two maids that they had taken, they could only unsheathe their short swords and daggers and held the two maids as a shield. It was an effective deterrent, the servants that were surrounding them did not know what to do.


“Yu-er? What’s going on here?” a childish voice demanded sleepily. All eyes turned to see that it was Zhao Hongqi who was rubbing her bleary eyes. She had recognized one of the maids that was being held by the kidnappers, it was Huang Ming’s personal serving girl Yu-er.


Zhao Hongqi’s sudden appearance distracted the servants, and the leader of the kidnappers seized the small window of opportunity.


“Grab her!” he yelled, pointing at Zhao Hongqi. His men shouted loudly and frightened the servants and maids who could only step back in fear.


Just as it seemed that the half-sleeping girl would fall into their hands, a crossbow bolt flew through the air and struck the chest of the closest kidnapper. The man shrieked before tumbling lifelessly away. His sudden death stunned the rest of the kidnappers, and they saw that his killer was yet another female.


It was Liu Yuchun, and in her hands was a crossbow-like weapon. The men were indeed familiar with crossbows, but the one in her hands was slightly different: it had a wheel crank on top. Military crossbows required physical strength, soldiers had to pull with both feet holding the weapon down. However, this addition meant that even women and young children could operate the weapon, all they needed to do was to turn the crank to ready the crossbow.


On Earth, the crossbow in Liu Yuchun’s hands was called the cranequin. Huang Ming had drawn up the design and given it to her to build. It was one of the strange implements that he had requested of Liu Yuchun, urging her to try improve on his rough sketch herself so that the Huangs could better protect themselves while the men were away.


She was delighted by her craftsmanship and had trained in its use extensively. When she pulled the trigger and launched the bolt that killed the kidnapper, she did so without thinking; acting on impulse when she saw the men was about the grab hold of Zhao Hongqi. The enormity of what she had done now slammed into her: Liu Yuchun was panting heavily, her eyes were frantic and her hands trembled at the sudden realization that she had actually killed someone.


But by now, Zhao Hongqi was fully awake and aware of what was happening. She snatched a wooden stick from one the servants and twirled it above her head. It whistled ferociously through the air, proving that the girl was adept in its use. Eventually she brought it down and pointed at the slack-jawed kidnappers who were still reeling at the death of their comrade.


“This place, I protect! Protect with my life! You evil-doers! Die!” she roared.


Fearlessly she lunged forward and stabbed the stick towards the throat of a kidnapper who was holding one of the maids hostage. The man could not evade in time, he died with a whimper as his windpipe was crushed by the thrust. The freed maid quickly scurried away.


Zhao Hongqi continued to attack. She swung her stick mightily and smashed the kneecap of another man, causing him to howl hideously in pain. In the commotion, Yu-er who was the other hostage suddenly drew a dagger from her sleeves and stabbed at the thigh of her kidnapper, causing him to scream and drop his own weapon. She then ducked and rolled away into safety, just like how she had learned from Zhao Hongqi before.


Seeing that the kidnappers no longer had any hostages, the other servants quickly rushed forward with their sticks. With their longer reach and bigger numbers, it was easy for them to subdue the rest of the kidnappers. Soon the men were captured and tied up.


Then Madam Li and Cao Tianyun arrived. Cao Tianyun went over to comfort Liu Yuchun, gently prying the crossbow away from her shaking hands.


Madam Li motioned for her daughters-in-law to withdraw, and she smiled at Zhao Hongqi who was standing proudly with her bloodstained wooden stick. She was not affected by the carnage at all, she placed one foot on the corpse of dead kidnapper, like a hunter showing off a kill.


“What big rats we have caught,” Madam Li said coldly as she glared at the bound kidnappers.


The eyes of the kidnappers shook with fear.


This was no ordinary household!

Black hands plot a grievous scheme,
They sneaked in like a bad dream.
But the evil-doers made a wrongful assumption,
Thinking that it was an easy abduction.
The men of the house were absent,
But who knew that maids could be so valiant?
The plot was defeated by the women warriors,
And now they are all the sorrier.​

 

Thanks for the chapter, it was unexpected that they would try an abduction :x

 

What can you expect from the Handsome Scholar? Not a good tactical decision, that's for sure.

 

is there anything like a female romantic interest....??

 

Well

Spoiler

he got married, but you can't really say that the romance is the most important part

 

aww no alert. Thanks for the chapter!

 

thats all right...as long as it is present...i will read the story.

 

Welcome, hope you will at least find parts that you will enjoy.