Chapter 277: Ten Thousand Fires Urgent

"The mine shaft has other exits. If you want to trap them like turtles in a jar, it's perfect for that," He Lingchuan said, pointing at Jiao Tai. "He knows where the mine exits are."

Zeng Feixiong was overjoyed. Cupping his fist, he said, "Many thanks, Young Master!"

The title stung He Lingchuan. He waved his hand. "Go, thank me after you've secured the merit."

Zeng Feixiong also knew time was short, so he continued to hurry towards the mine, still guided by Jiao Tai.

While the two were talking, He Chunhua took out a blank sheet of paper. In his haste, he didn't bother to grind ink, simply bit his fingertip, and used his blood to write a dozen or so characters.

He Lingchuan asked, surprised, "Father?"

He Chunhua remained silent. He swiftly took out the Imperial Seal, stamped it with blood, then folded the paper. From his storage ring, he pulled out another item—a grey pigeon.

Everyone was surprised. On closer inspection, they realized it was actually a mechanical bird.

He Chunhua opened a hidden compartment, placed the blood-written message inside, and the mechanical bird flapped its wings twice. Its small eyes lit up. Then Steward He tossed it into the air, and it fluttered its wings, flying eastward.

He Lingchuan let out a long sigh of relief. "So you brought this with you! That's wonderful!"

Mechanical birds were the masterpieces of puppeteers, but few puppeteers could create one capable of flying tens of miles; it required extremely precise construction. This particular one was originally the masterpiece of a skilled artisan under Hong Qianxiang, the "rebel leader." When the rebel army was defeated at Woling Pass, Wu Shaoyi left with several such mechanical birds. Later, when Wu Shaoyi surrendered, he offered the mechanical birds for military use. He Chunhua had been shrewd. This time, when he led his men out to suppress the enemy, he specifically brought a mechanical bird, just in case.

Now, "in case" had arrived.

He Chunhua's expression was solemn. "I hope it arrives in time!" Birds flew much faster than swift horses. If it could warn Xinhuang before Hong Chenglue launched his surprise attack, their side might avoid losses.

Needless to say, He Chunhua then ordered the remaining troops to turn east and gallop back to Xinhuang at full speed.

He Lingchuan gradually understood these matters: his father thought that since the army had been brought this far, it wouldn't be right to return without some achievement, so he simply ordered Zeng Feixiong to raid the mine. The bait Hong Chenglue threw out was quite appealing and not difficult to seize. Furthermore, even if Xinhuang's grain supplies were burned, at least he would have captured enemy general Baili Qing.

On the way, He Chunhua asked for a detailed account of the events. Hearing that Mao Tao had died in battle, he couldn't help but sigh. "He was also an old comrade who traveled with you. Does he have a family?"

"No."

He Chunhua hummed in acknowledgment. "That's good too." He was now burning with anxiety, wishing he could sprout wings and fly back to Xinhuang, with no mind to comfort his son. Xinhuang had a garrison, and the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion also assisted in its defense. But Hong Chenglue was at least half a step ahead of them, and he was cunning. He truly had no idea if they would make it back in time now. Driven by ambition, he had ultimately been careless.

***

At the abandoned mine.

Inside the low, flat-roofed house, Baili Qing slowly woke up. It was already dark, and he was terribly thirsty. He mumbled, "Water..." A nearby personal guard quickly gave him water. Soon, two generals hurried over, delighted. "Lord Baili, you've finally woken up!"

"How long was I asleep?"

"Almost an entire day. Your wound is recovering well."

Baili Qing looked at his severed arm, a bitter smile on his face. What good was a well-healing wound when his hand was gone? However, he had heard that some secret medicines could regenerate severed limbs.

Half a roasted chicken lay on the table. A general picked it up and smiled. "I'll go heat this up. Hong Chenglue brought it over to show his respect."

"Where's General Hong?" Baili Qing glanced outside; there didn't seem to be many people moving about.

"Our scouts in Bailu Town were captured, so the Xiazhou army is coming here. General Hong took men to lure them away."

Baili Qing was moved. "The mine has been exposed? Why didn't you move?"

"Well..." The two generals exchanged glances. "Your injury was too severe. Moving rashly earlier, we were afraid that..."

"Nonsense!" Baili Qing struggled to sit up. "Order an immediate evacuation. General Hong said, where do we meet?"

"Xinqiao Village."

"Get the military doctor to change my dressing." Baili Qing saw that his tourniquet was already soaked through.

"The military doctor went with General Hong."

Baili Qing was startled. "What did you say?" The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong. He had only lost an arm; how could he have slept straight through an entire day? Medicine, he had been drugged.

"How many men capable of fighting are left in the camp?"

"General Hong left fifty men."

Baili Qing slammed the table in anger. "That scoundrel is truly vicious!"

The two generals were still bewildered. Baili Qing urged them repeatedly, "Quickly, order the evacuation! Get me a stretcher, hurry!"

Just as his subordinates were about to comply, several screams suddenly rang out from outside. The two rushed to the door and looked out. Several waves of arrows flew from the mountain forest, and flames shot into the sky!

The Xiazhou army had arrived.

***

At Xinhuang, the grain transport camp.

It had been dark for a while. The camp was brightly lit, but looking out from it, almost the entire town of Xinhuang seemed plunged into darkness, with very few households having their lights on.

A young soldier on duty at the West Post yawned and said to a passing comrade, "There's no sign of life here; it's like a ghost town. We might as well have camped out in the wilderness; at least we could have hunted something for a bite to eat."

Yawns were contagious, and his comrade couldn't help but yawn too. "Didn't you hear these bumpkins say they've eaten all the birds and beasts nearby? Alright, stay alert, I'm leaving."

The young soldier was startled. "Hey, don't leave me alone!" His partner had died yesterday in the Xunzhou people's sneak attack. "I've been on duty for five hours; I'm dead tired!"

"I still have things to do. Everyone's gone, so who else is going to do it?" His comrade waved and turned to leave. "If you want to blame someone, blame the schedule maker for not arranging it properly and putting you on solo duty."

The West Post was on the outermost perimeter of the entire camp, and the young soldier found it inevitably boring to be there alone. The spring night wind was gentle, and as it blew, he leaned against the wall and dozed off.

Just then, a drab grey object descended from the darkness and landed in front of him, twitching a few times. But the young soldier was sleeping so soundly, even emitting a faint snore, that he was oblivious to the activity in front of him. No one came over to this spot for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, three people passed by the West Post. The one leading them was Elder Liang of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion. He spotted the grey shape on the ground at a glance and stopped. A disciple stepped forward and picked it up, letting out a surprised "Eh? What's this?" He had thought it was a dead pigeon, but it was cold to the touch, clearly an artificial creation. A mechanical messenger pigeon? There were claw marks on its back, likely from a night owl that had attacked it as prey. This also explained why it hadn't flown all the way to Wu Shaoyi; its components were probably damaged.

Elder Liang took it, fiddled with it casually, and the hidden compartment on the pigeon's belly opened, revealing a note inside. Then, Elder Liang quickly rushed into Wu Shaoyi's tent with the note and the mechanical bird!

Wu Shaoyi was reading under the lamp when he heard the tent flap open with a whoosh. Before he could demand an explanation, Elder Liang slapped the two items onto his desk. A matter of utmost urgency!

Wu Shaoyi's face changed dramatically at a glance. He slammed the table and stood up. "This is outrageous! Immediately prepare for defense!" With He Chunhua absent, he was the highest-ranking commander of the entire camp.

Wu Shaoyi issued several urgent orders. A few drumbeats sounded within the camp, and the soldiers guarding the camp quickly got up. Most people had been busy all day and had fallen into a deep sleep after dark. Waking up now, they were still a bit disoriented, but hearing the drums, their hearts were filled with alarm. Wu Shaoyi ordered his subordinates to prepare for battle, move all the cheval de frise to the camp entrance, and stand ready. Elder Liang, meanwhile, led his disciples in setting up formations. Such military formations were highly effective in resisting large-scale attacks, such as arrow volleys and fire attacks.

However, they had only set up the second formation when the sound of hurried hooves rang out from outside Xinhuang town. These people were riding in the dark without torches, and they were charging straight towards them, clearly with malicious intent. With a grim face, Wu Shaoyi ordered the camp's archers to immediately unleash a volley of arrows. Strike first to gain the advantage. He had suffered a great loss at Hong Chenglue's hands last night, losing his camp, his grain, and his men. Now, Hong Chenglue had actually chosen to launch a second sneak attack while he was still in the camp – this was truly intolerable! This time, both old and new grievances would be settled together!

***

He Chunhua was burning with impatience. His force of over a thousand men also rushed back with all their might, with several warhorses even stumbling and breaking their legs along the way. This was a main road, despite not having been maintained for many years.

Just as they rounded a bend, a whistling arrow shot "bang" from the mountain directly above, exploding into a large red firework in mid-air. There were people on the mountain! He Lingchuan's heart tightened, but He Chunhua paid no heed, only urging everyone to keep moving forward. This spot was about a li from Xinhuang town, the necessary western route for entering and exiting the small town. Evidently, Hong Chenglue had specially placed scouts on this mountaintop to monitor the movements of the government troops. For those like He Lingchuan who immediately realized the implications, their hearts tightened, because this meant Hong Chenglue's forces had already reached Xinhuang! The enemy was still a step ahead.

As they approached Xinhuang town, although there were raging fires ahead, He Lingchuan felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing shouts and curses. The sounds of fighting and shouting meant the camp had not yet been completely overrun. It seemed the camp could still be saved.

Sure enough, when He Chunhua led his army into Xinhuang town, the fires inside the military camp had not yet been extinguished, but Hong Chenglue's forces were no longer there—they had retreated eastward after seeing the firework signal from the western mountaintop. Wu Shaoyi and Elder Liang led their remaining troops in a fierce pursuit of the retreating enemy.

Seeing He Chunhua's return, the grain transport soldiers cheered excitedly. He Lingchuan glanced around and found the main camp in complete chaos. After the camp raid last night, the grain carts had been spread out, but dozens of them were still burning, and the fires had not yet been put out. There were signs of battle everywhere; one could encounter a human or horse corpse every dozen or so steps.

He Chunhua dispatched a team to help extinguish the fires and save the grain, while he himself led the army eastward to reinforce Wu Shaoyi. The numerical disparity between the two sides was vast, so there shouldn't have been any suspense. He Lingchuan did not follow, instead remaining at the camp to help.