Chapter 12: Chen Jun Driven to Madness

After soothing the warhorse beneath him, Zheng Dali spat fiercely onto the ground. Just moments ago, he had tested his mettle with a small assault on the vanguard of the Chen army, scoring a minor victory and slaying more than a dozen foes. Naturally, these casualties were counted toward his military achievements, faithfully recorded by the accompanying scribe and to be used as proof for future rewards.

On the Wei side, since they had struck first and taken the advantage of surprise, their losses were negligible. Except for a few unlucky soldiers who had their faces scratched by branches at the roadside, not a single man was hurt—Zheng Dali and his men had won a resounding triumph. This first encounter greatly reduced the fear in the hearts of the Wei soldiers present; one by one, they flexed their muscles and rubbed their hands together, eager for another round.

To speak plainly, the foes they had just killed were as good as acres of fertile land to them! “General, I never thought fighting at night in the darkness could be so effective,” one Wei soldier said with a laugh. He had shot an enemy dead with a single arrow—ten acres of prime land in his grasp. How could he not be thrilled?

“Indeed! We’ve dared to tug at the whiskers of an army ten thousand strong, and they can do nothing to us,” another chimed in, clearly elated by their good fortune.

But Zheng Dali knew now was no time to be dreaming of victory. Though they had gained the upper hand in the recent skirmish, all they had done was kill a handful of men—a drop in the ocean for an army of nearly ten thousand. So long as the Chen force remained, both Wei Wuji and Zheng Dali’s own position was still perilous.

He quickly spoke to steady his men: “Comrades, we’ve succeeded in our surprise attack, but all we’ve done is kill a few. It’s far too soon for a celebration!” He reminded them, “Don’t forget, our mission is to draw the Chen out, to lure them into the ambush set by the Young Lord.” Then, in a slightly reproachful tone, he asked, “Have the Chen been drawn out yet? Don’t rejoice too soon.”

At Zheng Dali’s words, the self-satisfaction faded from their faces, replaced once more by grim resolve. When he saw his men shake off their fanciful triumph, Zheng Dali felt relief. Though he was not well-schooled, he understood well enough that pride leads to defeat.

Turning his attention to a new worry, Zheng Dali fretted over the fact that the Chen had not pursued them. In truth, he had expected to be chased, but the Chen did not play by the rules. For Zheng Dali, this meant he would have to provoke them again, to tug at their whiskers once more. But a second attempt, once the enemy was on their guard, would be far more dangerous. With greater danger came the likelihood of more casualties, and Zheng Dali could not guarantee that his force would survive long enough to draw the Chen out. It was possible that his makeshift unit would collapse before then.

After a short rest, seeing that his men had regained their strength, Zheng Dali gave the order: “Ready yourselves—we’re going to prod the Chen once more.” With a grim chuckle, he added, “Let’s see if they’re tigers, or just the sickly cats the Young Lord spoke of.”

Upon his command, the soldiers followed Zheng Dali as he stealthily led them toward the Chen lines. “Military merit!” was on every man’s mind now. Kill one, and ten acres of land would be theirs, all clearly recorded by the scribe. The Wei soldiers were full of anticipation.

But before they had gone far, Zheng Dali’s party encountered a Chen scout. Fortunately, Zheng Dali made a quick decision—his men loosed a volley of arrows that brought the scout down. Had the man escaped, Zheng Dali’s entire band might have been wiped out without ever knowing how.

This incident served as a stern warning to the Wei soldiers: tonight’s business was not so simple after all.

When they crept near the Chen vanguard again, they found the enemy had indeed bolstered their defenses—every man on high alert. “This won’t be easy,” Zheng Dali thought with a sigh. “We can only shadow them for now, waiting for an opportunity.”

Night marches are inevitably slow, lest the troops become scattered or lose their formation; the Chen did not move any faster than infantry. This offered Zheng Dali some relief, at least—they would not lose track of their quarry.

After following for several more miles, Zheng Dali grew impatient. How long were they to continue like this? To hell with it—best to strike first and worry later. “Listen up—approach quietly. Each man loose three arrows, then withdraw.”

At his command, the soldiers lowered their voices and crept forward. Just as the Chen sentries were about to spot them, a sudden rain of arrows whistled through the night. A few seconds later, having fired their three arrows apiece, Zheng Dali and his men mounted their horses and sped away, leaving behind several corpses and more than a dozen wounded, groaning on the ground.

“Who dares to provoke me? Tired of living, are you?” The angry shout came from Wang Gushan, the vanguard commander, as he rode forward, cursing. Had Wei Wuji been present, he would have marveled at how much Wang Gushan resembled Zheng Dali—they could both be summed up in four words: “Villainous countenance.”

Having lost over a dozen men to the earlier ambush, Wang Gushan was already seething. After being berated by his superior, his anger only grew. He had held himself in check before, but now his patience was at an end.

“Someone, carry my order—have Captain Wu take his men and slaughter those cowards!” Wang Gushan thundered.

“Hold!” his lieutenant barked, stopping the messenger. “Withdraw for now,” he said, signaling with his eyes and seeing no objection from Wang Gushan.

“What do you mean by this?” Wang Gushan demanded.

“General, we cannot pursue. Have you forgotten General Zhang’s instructions? The army must not act rashly, lest we fall into an ambush,” the lieutenant said earnestly. “You already angered the general at the bridge today. Disobeying orders again will only bring you harm.”

But this only fanned Wang Gushan’s rage. Still, he knew he could not defy Zhang Yunliang outright. If he angered him further, things could become dire indeed.

“Very well, we’ll do as you say. Have the wounded sent to the medics,” Wang Gushan muttered after a moment’s silence, his voice low.

Only then did the lieutenant’s anxiety subside. If Wang Gushan acted recklessly and disaster struck, he too would be implicated, for their fates were now bound together.

…

In the darkness beneath the forest canopy, the night’s ordeal was far from over for Zheng Dali. His task remained an arduous one.

So, after a short time, Zheng Dali led his men once more in an assault against the Chen vanguard. After each had loosed three arrows, they vanished into the night like a gust of wind.

“This is outrageous. They go too far…” Wang Gushan’s furious roar echoed again among the Chen ranks. “Calm yourself, General. These are but skulking cowards, not worth your anger…” His lieutenant did his best to soothe him, eventually persuading Wang Gushan to stand down once more.

After two successful raids without consequence, the Wei soldiers’ courage swelled again, and even Zheng Dali began to grow stubborn. “I refuse to believe I can’t draw you out!” he muttered through clenched teeth. “Let’s go—one more time!”

With Zheng Dali in the lead, they charged toward the Chen lines. “Sickly cat, sickly cat—show some claws if you dare!” he prayed inwardly.

But after each volley of arrows, the result was always the same—no pursuit. Seeing this, Zheng Dali and his men became bolder. Since the Chen would not retaliate, they launched yet another ambush, and then another. Each time, Zheng Dali returned disappointed, only to try again.

After the seventh successful raid, Zheng Dali withdrew his men once more. This time, a hysterical roar erupted from the Chen vanguard.

“Outrageous, outrageous! Do they take me for a sickly cat just because the tiger does not bare its fangs?” Wang Gushan bellowed atop his warhorse, so fiercely that the beast neighed in fright.

“Please calm yourself, General…” The lieutenant looked on helplessly, at a loss for words. Yet he could not deny that these ambushers had gone too far.

Wang Gushan cut him off, his face flushed, breathing hard. “Calm myself? They’re shitting on my head and you want me to calm down? The Wei are formidable, but I am not to be trifled with!”

Ignoring further remonstrations, Wang Gushan spurred his horse and shouted to his men, “Brothers, follow me! Let’s slaughter those bastards!”

His shout sent the Chen troops into a frenzy. To kill those insolent Wei had been their pent-up desire for some time. They answered in unison, “At your command, General!”

The lieutenant hurried to intercept Wang Gushan. “General, you mustn’t! General Zhang’s orders—” But before he could finish, Wang Gushan roared, “Out of my way!” and punched him off his horse.

Thus, Wang Gushan led his own detachment into the unknown darkness of the night.