Futile Devices Scans

He no longer had time to be angry. Turning around, he sprinted straight for the two new recruits standing night watch at the courtyard gate.

“You two! Notify County Commandant Liu and the north and south city gates! Stop construction immediately, withdraw the civilians, and put the gates on alert! Send ten archers to guard this courtyard and keep a close watch on the tunnel exit!”

He then ran back beneath the corridor and called to the soldiers poking their heads out of the rooms, “Brothers! The Xiao army may be approaching the earthen fortress. The fortress gate is only half built. If they discover people occupying the abandoned fortress and report back to the Xiao camp, we’ll be in serious trouble! There’s no time to summon archers from the city gates now. Are you willing to lend me a hand and help wipe out this group of Xiao bandits?”

Everyone present had been carefully selected by the Commander. Having been cooped up in this county for more than ten days, they were already restless and itching for action. Hearing there was a chance to kill enemies, they all shouted at once, “We’ll help!” “Commander Zhang, just give the order!”

The men rushed back into the rooms, waking their comrades, throwing on padded coats and boots, grabbing their weapons, and charging back into the courtyard.

Li Si, carrying a saber and bow, was the first to rush forward, only for Zhang San to seize his wrist.

“You’re injured. You’re not going!”

“The wounds have scabbed over. I can still fight.”

Zhang San tried to stop him again.

Li Si struggled fiercely and said urgently, “They’re my soldiers! I have to go!”

Zhang San knew he was right. In the end, he could only relent.

“Then go. But stay close to me.”

There was no time for further discussion. Zhou Qi led the way, Zhang San and Li Si took command, and the group climbed onto the rockery and descended one after another into the dry well.

⸻

The dozen or so farmers and farm women still lived inside the earthen fortress. During the day they worked alongside the people of Ant County constructing the fortress gate, building the inner barbican, and repairing the fortress walls. At night they continued sleeping within the fortress. Zhou Qi and Zhou Ba still took turns standing watch with everyone else. Whenever they spotted Xiao scouts passing on the opposite bank of the Fen River, they would signal for construction to halt and for the conspicuous scaffolds and tools to be hidden so as not to arouse suspicion.

Ever since the brothers had ended up in this abandoned fortress, they had been keeping watch for over a month. The longer they did it, the sharper and more skilled they became, until their vigilance bordered on artistry. Whether day or night, anything moving on either bank of the river—trees, grass, animals, or people—could not escape their notice. Whether it was rustling grass, bird calls, insect sounds, or the neighing of scout horses, they could detect something amiss.

They had built a small stone stove atop the expanded watchtower platform. It served not only to keep them warm but also to roast dried flatbreads and dried dates for a midnight snack. Before taking watch that evening, they had even dug up a nest of mole crickets and were happily enjoying their private feast atop the tower.

While munching away on the fragrant roasted insects, they suddenly heard faint sounds of shouting and combat carried by the howling wind.

Leaning over the battlements, they looked and saw a rider emerging along the upper reaches of the Fen River to the west, pursued by dozens of mounted soldiers.

The lone rider was fleeing at full speed. By sheer coincidence, just as he reached the stretch of river opposite the fortress, a stray arrow struck his horse in the hindquarters. The horse let out a scream and collapsed. The rider rolled across the ground several times in a miserable tumble, then apparently spotted the faint outline of the maze-like earthen walls on the opposite bank and judged it a possible refuge. He immediately ran across the ice toward the fortress.

The pursuing cavalry dismounted and followed him onto the river. Their noisy charge shattered the half-frozen surface beneath them, cracks spreading everywhere until the ice broke apart completely. Even the fleeing rider plunged into the water.

The river was not swift, so nobody was in immediate danger of drowning.

Thus the chase resumed in the water itself.

Leaving his younger brother to continue watching, Zhou Qi immediately dove into the tunnel to report the situation. The Boss had previously told him that sentries also stood night watch in the rear garden outside the tunnel. He had originally come looking for those sentries.

Instead, he had found the Boss himself, holding Young Master Li in his arms…

Truly worthy of being the Boss! He and Young Master Li had practically been glued together since the day they met. After only a few days they were already this affectionate! There were so many good men sleeping in the rooms, yet the two of them had slipped outside in the middle of the night to be lovey-dovey together. No wonder storytellers at the market were always saying that heroes loved beauty as much as they loved the realm.

⸻

Zhou Qi ran through the tunnel carrying a torch. Unable to resist, he secretly glanced backward.

The Boss was running while still holding Young Master Li by the wrist, probably worried that his injuries would slow him down and lending him a helping hand.

Aiya, how doting.

Seeing Zhou Qi’s suggestive look, Zhang San cursed, “What are you looking at, you fool waiting to get hacked apart?! After we finish killing bandits, I’ll deal with you!”

Zhou Qi shrank his neck and ran even faster.

⸻

Emerging from the tunnel, the group headed straight for the new fortress gate.

The new gate stood beneath the watchtower between the earthen fortress and the maze, but it was only half completed. In other words, if the pursuers successfully passed through the maze, they could enter the fortress without any obstruction.

The younger brother, Zhou Ba, came running down from the watchtower the moment he saw Zhang San and hurried after him.

“Boss! They’ve crossed the river and are trapped inside the maze. From the sounds in there, that fellow they’re chasing is already fighting them inside!”

“Did you get a good look at the man being chased?” Zhang San asked.

“I did before he entered the maze. He’s the only one wearing a Great Xuan topknot. All the others wore hats and two braids—they’re definitely Xiao bandits. I counted carefully. There are more than thirty of them!”

Zhang San immediately issued orders.

“Leave three spearmen and axemen to guard the fortress gate. Two archers take positions above the gate for support. Everyone else comes with me!”

After several days of drilling the troops, Li Si knew their capabilities well. A quick gesture toward the crowd split off five men to remain behind.

Leading the rest, he moved to follow Zhang San into the maze.

Yet Zhang San grabbed his wrist again, still unwilling to let him fight while wounded.

“You take your bow and stay on the gate.”

“I can use a saber.”

Before Zhang San could argue further, Li Si hurriedly said, “There’s no time!”

Unable to persuade him, Zhang San finally let go. Turning back to the others, he warned, “Rescue the Great Xuan man. Kill all the rest on sight. Don’t let a single one escape! The paths are complicated. Stay close together and don’t get separated!”

⸻

The group charged into the maze. Beyond several walls came the intermittent clash of blades, carried to them on the screaming night wind.

Zhang San had traversed the maze once before and vaguely remembered the direction of the entrance. But after leading everyone through several narrow passages, they arrived at a fork where two routes stretched left and right, impossible to distinguish.

“Split into two teams!” Zhang San ordered.

He knew only he and Sisi had been through the maze before, meaning they should logically divide their forces and lead separate groups. Yet he could not stop thinking about Sisi’s injuries and wanted him close by.

Reaching for Li Si again—

Li Si nimbly dodged backward. Before Zhang San could catch him, he had already taken seven or eight men and dashed down the other route.

Zhang San did not even have time to say be careful.

All he could do was shout, “Send two more men after him!”

Then he turned and led his own group away.

⸻

After running through only two more passages, Zhang San encountered the fleeing Great Xuan man.

The moon shone brightly that night. Though the earthen walls lining the passage blocked much of the light and obscured facial features, the man’s tall build and Great Xuan topknot were still visible.

A heavy scent of blood hung around him.

His steps staggered.

The single-edged saber in his hand was becoming difficult to wield. What had once been held in one hand now required both.

Three Xiao soldiers had cornered him and were closing in when a rush of wind suddenly struck from behind.

One of the Xiao soldiers had no time to react.

Leaping forward, Zhang San brought his blade down in a vicious overhead strike.

Half the man’s head and shoulder flew away.

Blood sprayed across the Great Xuan man’s face.

He froze in shock.

By then, several soldiers behind Zhang San had arrived and engaged the remaining two Xiao troops. Seizing the moment, Zhang San asked urgently,

“Are you from the Great Xuan army?”

Exhausted, the man gasped,

“Prefecture… Zhou… She family…”

Prefecture Zhou lay west of Kuiyuan, beyond the Lüliang Mountains. The She Family Army was one of Great Xuan’s most famous hereditary military forces, having guarded Prefecture Zhou for generations.

The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Zhang San’s heart jumped.

He already had a guess about the man’s identity.

But this was no time for discussion.

Quickly supporting the wounded man, Zhang San pushed him toward the rear.

“You two! Escort General She back!”

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp gust of wind cut through the air behind him.

Clang!

Spinning around, Zhang San intercepted a saber strike aimed at his head.

More Xiao soldiers poured into the passage from the far end, clashing with Zhang San and his men.

⸻

Zhang San had earlier sent two extra men with Li Si, and now two more were escorting General She back.

Only five soldiers remained at his side.

Yet more than twenty Xiao troops had come charging down the passage.

Each of them was battle-hardened, and they outnumbered the Great Xuan soldiers four to one.

Hearing muffled cries of injury from his comrades, Zhang San’s heart sank.

Throwing himself forward, he planted his body at the very front.

With a powerful charge, he drove the Xiao soldiers backward several paces, buying the Great Xuan troops precious breathing room. The five soldiers behind him hurriedly formed a makeshift barricade across the narrow passage. Meanwhile, the two escorting General She finally managed to get him away.

But then the Xiao troops surged forward together and slammed Zhang San backward again.

The battle devolved into chaos.

The Great Xuan soldiers were at a disadvantage, growing increasingly overwhelmed. Zhang San kept hearing the sounds of his comrades being wounded.

The corridor was dark and cramped. Friend and foe blurred together.

His martial skills could not be fully employed here.

He could barely even swing his saber.

More than twenty men shoved, grappled, and fought in the confined passage, the entire battle descending into disorder.

Then, amid the chaos—

A whistle sounded overhead.

On the narrow crest of the earthen wall nearly a zhang high stood a tall, slender figure.

His robe snapped in the cold wind.

His bow was drawn into a perfect full moon.

Looking up in the midst of battle, Zhang San’s heart pounded wildly.

He really can fly.

At that moment, he no longer resembled a little colt.

He looked like an immortal descended from heaven—

bringing the moon itself down with him.

⸻

Li Si’s whistle drew every eye toward him.

Then he shouted:

“Count off!”

The Xuan soldiers under his command had been drilling with him every day, so at once voices rang out one after another: “One!” “Two!” “Three!” “Four!” “Five!” Zhang San had no idea what was going on, but he followed along with a shout of “Six!”

Following the sound, Li Si released his bowstring. Whoosh! One of the Xiao soldiers in the crowd who had failed to call out his number dropped immediately! In the darkness he could not strike a vital point, but the arrow hit the man in the shoulder and back. The Xiao soldier cried out in pain and lost his strength, and the surrounding Xuan soldiers seized the chance to hack him down on the spot!

The Xuan soldiers were fired up, roaring out numbers while desperately forcing the Xiao soldiers around them farther away to give Leader Li room to shoot. “One, one, one!” “Two, two, two!” “Three, three, three!” “Four, four, four!” “Five, five, five!” “Six, six, six!”

Li Si released several more arrows in rapid succession with a series of whoosh whoosh whoosh sounds. Xiao soldiers fell one after another among the crowd, and the two forces gradually became separated within the narrow alleyway…

Seeing that the two sides were no longer tangled together in a chaotic melee, Li Si shouted again, “Form a defensive formation!”

The Xuan soldiers immediately gathered together and formed ranks. The tallest man stood at the front with a saber in hand. Lacking a shield, he and Zhang San used their own bodies and horizontal blades as shields. Behind them stood two men swinging their sabers to either side, while the final two searched for openings to thrust with long spears. With blades and spearpoints all directed outward, they resembled a giant hedgehog in the narrow alley.

The Xiao soldiers charged forward but could not break through. Several were struck by Li Si’s arrows from atop the high wall, and others were knocked over by the “giant hedgehog” formation.

When the Xiao soldiers began retreating, Li Si shouted again from the wall, “Assault formation!”

At once, the two spearmen at the rear strode forward and thrust ahead. Protected by Zhang San and another large soldier, they drove the Xiao soldiers into disorder. The two sabermen behind them immediately followed up with killing blows. The “giant hedgehog” seemed to grow a pair of bull’s horns as it rampaged through the alley!

The tide of battle gradually turned. Xiao soldiers fell one after another, leaving bodies strewn across the ground. The remaining dozen or so Xiao soldiers realized the situation had turned against them. With a sharp whistle, they spun around and fled toward the exit of the maze.

“After them!” Zhang San shouted. Everyone immediately gave chase, cutting down Xiao soldiers as they pursued them.

–

With wind beneath his feet, Li Si ran along the tops of the high, narrow walls while keeping pace with Zhang San below. Zhang San raised his voice and asked, “Where are the others?”

Li Si replied, “There are still seven or eight Xiao bandits over there! They’re fighting them right now!” Earlier, when he had encountered the Xiao soldiers in the other alley, he had seen there were only a few of them and immediately realized the majority were on Zhang San’s side. He had therefore left the other comrades behind to kill the bandits while he climbed onto the wall tops using his comrades’ shoulders and hurried over to help Zhang San.

Zhang San saw that the maze exit was already ahead and that the dozen fleeing Xiao soldiers had escaped outside. He shouted urgently, “Don’t let a single one get away!”

The Xuan soldiers charged after them, and soon fighting broke out again on the shallow riverbank. But the Xuan soldiers were too few in number to surround them completely, while the Xiao soldiers cared only about escaping and had no desire to continue fighting. Nearly ten Xiao soldiers still managed to plunge into the water and swim toward the opposite bank.

Without a second thought, Zhang San dove into the river. Ignoring the bitter cold of the icy water, he swam after them with all his strength. The other Xuan soldiers followed him into the water as well.

Li Si arrived at the riverbank last. He had already used up all his arrows during the chaotic battle and could no longer shoot at the Xiao soldiers in the water. Covered in wounds, he could not enter the freezing river either, so he circled toward a section where the ice had not been broken, intending to cross the river the old way by running across the ice and intercept the Xiao soldiers when they reached shore.

But just as he crossed the river, Zhang San, still struggling in the water behind him, roared angrily, “Si… Envoy Li! Don’t go alone!”

Li Si paused with saber in hand and hesitated over whether he should listen. In terms of killing enemies on the battlefield, he had duties upon his shoulders and should not fear death like this. Yet this situation was different from the previous times when he had refused to obey. He was wounded now. If he went alone and failed to defeat the Xiao bandits, he might be injured or killed himself, make Brother Xiao worry, and still allow the enemy to escape.

While he hesitated, the three fastest-swimming Xiao soldiers had already crossed the river, mounted their horses, and begun fleeing upstream along the Fen River. The moment Li Si saw them on horseback, a thought flashed through his mind!

That’s right—the horse!

Immediately he turned around, put his fingers into his mouth, and released a sharp, piercing whistle!

The whistle cut through the freezing wind, passed through the maze, and reached the fortress. As though answering his summons, a similarly piercing neigh suddenly rang out from within the fortress!

A towering black warhorse smashed through the stable door and leapt out! It was none other than the magnificent steed General Sun had left behind!

Its four hooves seemed to ride the clouds as it bounded gracefully over the trenches crisscrossing the Fortress grounds, rushed through the fortress gate, and plunged into the maze! Then, as though completely familiar with the route, it galloped through the maze at full speed, navigating every fork in the path even more accurately than Zhang San and Li Si. Before long it burst from the maze and raced straight toward the river!

“Brother Xiao! Hurry and cross the river!” Li Si shouted as he continued pursuing the fleeing Xiao soldiers.

Leaving the other comrades behind to continue fighting several Xiao soldiers in the water, Zhang San swam desperately across the river first. The moment he crawled ashore, he heard a neigh behind him—the steed had already taken a detour across the ice and was waiting for him on the bank.

With a leap he landed on its back. There were no stirrups to step into and no reins to pull. He could only clamp his legs tightly around the horse’s sides and bend forward to hug its neck. “Good horse! Chase them!”

The horse neighed loudly and carried him after Li Si. After only a short distance, they caught up to him. Stretching out an arm, Zhang San snatched Li Si up onto the horse behind him.

Seated behind Zhang San, Li Si wrapped his arms tightly around Zhang San’s lean and powerful waist and pressed his face against his back. One in front and one behind, the two of them lay low against the horse’s body, both pairs of legs gripping its sides tightly. In the bleak, bitter wind, they clung close together and endured the violent jolting of the ride side by side.

–

The thousand-li steed carried both men without the slightest sign of strain, galloping like the wind beneath the moon. Before long they caught up to one of the fleeing Xiao soldiers.

There was still some distance between them. Zhang San carried no spear and could not reach the man with a slash. He therefore switched to a reverse grip on his saber and, without the slightest reluctance, hurled the treasured blade he had shamelessly pestered Wang Xu into giving him as though it were a giant throwing dart!

Thud! The massive “throwing dart” pierced through the Xiao soldier’s back and into his heart. The man gave a muffled groan and tumbled from his horse.

Zhang San did not even stop to retrieve the blade. Bending low once more to hug the horse’s neck, he shouted, “Good horse! Keep chasing!” Then he freed one hand and slapped Li Si’s thigh behind him. “Give me your saber too!”

Li Si was somewhat reluctant to part with the Imperial Saber he had inherited from the Commander. It truly was an excellent blade, the finest he had ever used. Moreover, it was a narrow-bladed saber. If it fell with a corpse and struck a rock, it might snap. Brother Wang had been right—Brother Xiao really was far too prodigal.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but Zhang San pinched his thigh hard again. “Hurry up and give it to me!”

Li Si’s face flushed red from the pinch. Dragging his feet, he finally drew the Imperial Saber and shoved the hilt into Zhang San’s hand. Seeing that they were about to catch the second-to-last Xiao soldier, Zhang San straightened up and raised the saber, preparing to throw it—

But the Xiao soldier heard the wind behind him. Twisting around atop his horse, he drew his bow and shot a swift arrow!

Zhang San had already thrown the saber and no longer had time to dodge. Fortunately, Li Si suddenly tightened his grip around him and pulled him sideways!

The Xiao soldier was struck from his horse by the Imperial Saber Zhang San had thrown! At the same moment, Zhang San and Li Si also tumbled from their horse. Though they avoided the arrow, they hit the ground hard!

Li Si landed underneath and took the full impact of the fall! His vision went black at once, and under the crushing pain he immediately lost consciousness!

Protected within Li Si’s arms, Zhang San was unharmed. Seeing him collapse unconscious, Zhang San was horrified. He quickly felt beneath Li Si’s nose and found that he was still breathing.

Anxiety consumed him, but there was no time to waste—one final Xiao soldier had already fled far into the distance. Gently patting Li Si’s cold face, he said, not knowing whether Li Si could hear him, “Sisi! Wait for me!” Then he carefully laid him flat on the ground.

After sprinting a few steps, he reached the Xiao soldier he had knocked from his horse. The man still struggled on the ground with the Imperial Saber buried in his back. Zhang San stepped on his back, yanked the saber free, and slit his throat, granting him a swift death.

Then he picked up the bow and arrows the Xiao soldier had dropped, mounted the magnificent steed once more, and rode off alone in pursuit of the final fleeing Xiao soldier.

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