One knows one’s own affairs best. The Tubo people thought every ship was packed with escorts, but the Ninth Princess knew perfectly well that nine out of ten were civilians in disguise.
The escorts numbered only one thousand in total, and Dazhuang had taken half of them away.
Once battle began, each ship still needed men to operate the heavy crossbows and trebuchets, as well as to watch for spies among the civilians.
The only ones who could actually fight on shore were the initial three hundred.
“If we truly cannot hold, there will still be time to demolish the bridge,” Jin Feng said.
“Will we have enough time?” the Ninth Princess asked.
“Absolutely,” Jin Feng replied with complete confidence.
The Ninth Princess was about to ask where his confidence came from when a scout came galloping up. “Sir, the enemy has reached Rabbit Valley!”
“How many?” Jin Feng asked at once.
“Three thousand!” the scout answered.
“Exactly as we expected.”
Jin Feng and the Ninth Princess exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
Zhang Liang’s eyes lit up. “Have they all entered the valley?”
“Half have entered!” the scout replied.
“Half…” Zhang Liang turned to Jin Feng.
Seeing Jin Feng’s small nod, he shouted to the side, “Heizi, light the smoke!”
“Yes, sir!”
An escort threw the torch he had prepared into a brazier.
A thick column of black smoke shot into the sky!
Moments later, a black smoke column rose more than ten li to the north.
Then another, more than twenty li away.
…
Inside Rabbit Valley, Mima had led all three banners of Tubo troops into the gorge.
“Sir, look over there. Smoke!” His adjutant pointed at the distant column and said, “Could the Dakang forces have spotted us?”
“Unless the Dakang troops are fools, of course they spotted us,” Mima said. “Tell the men at the rear to be careful. Don’t fall into a Dakang ambush!”
“Yes, sir!” The adjutant galloped off.
Mima stared at the smoke, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
The next instant, dozens of heavy crossbow bolts flew from the woods on both sides of the valley, straight into the Tubo ranks.
“Watch out for attack!”
The adjutant roared as he rode back and forth.
But Mima suddenly relaxed.
The slopes of Rabbit Valley were gentle, and all nearby trees had long been cleared. Any ambush would have to be set hundreds of zhang away.
That distance was beyond trebuchet range. Only heavy crossbows could reach.
Even then, after travelling hundreds of zhang, the bolts had lost almost all power.
Normally they could skewer several men like candied hawthorn, but now most killed only one or two before falling harmlessly.
“Cidan called them an elite force? Bullshit!”
Mima’s eyes were full of contempt.
He had three thousand seasoned veterans. He would dare fight even twice their number.
“All men, prepare for combat!”
Mima gave the order calmly.
The Tubo soldiers immediately drew their long swords and eyed the slopes warily.
Yet five full minutes passed with no further movement on the hills.
Instead, a faint rumbling came from the north.
“Not good! The Dakang troops are deliberately distracting us because they’re afraid we’ll stop them destroying the bridge!”
Mima shouted, “Everyone, move out at once! Fastest speed through Rabbit Valley!”
At his command, the Tubo army resumed its westward charge.
Soon Mima emerged from Rabbit Valley.
No one had hindered them.
The first thing he saw was the river filled with ships of all sizes, just as Cidan had described, dozens of them.
But where Cidan had said every deck was crowded with black-clothed men, Mima now saw every ship completely empty.
“S-sir… look… quick, look!”
His adjutant slapped Mima’s arm, his voice shaking.
“What?” Mima turned impatiently.
The next second, his heart seemed to stop.
His pupils shrank to pinpricks!
On the river to the north, a wall of water was racing towards them!
Now Mima understood where the earlier rumbling had come from!
“All men, find high ground at once!”
His scalp prickling, Mima roared and turned to flee back into Rabbit Valley.
The other Tubo infantry did the same.
But they had barely run halfway when the towering flood arrived.
Before the might of nature, men were little different from ants.
Three thousand Tubo soldiers had no chance even to struggle. The flood swept them away in an instant.
On the river, the ships large and small bobbed violently in the torrent. Had Jin Feng not warned them in advance and had the boatmen secure the vessels, they would long since have been carried who knows where.
Even so, two smaller boats were capsized by the waves.
Atop the hill, Zhang Liang watched below, trembling with excitement.
Jin Feng had long told him that war is a matter of life and death. One must use every possible force and do everything to destroy the enemy’s fighting strength.
He had also heard from Mancang that in the north Jin Feng had once used water to stop the Dangxiang people and win victory.
But hearing was one thing. Seeing with his own eyes the flood roaring down, swallowing everything, was another shock entirely.
Zhang Liang was still relatively composed. Qing Mulan was jumping up and down in excitement.
The Ninth Princess’s eyes shone with awe, her lips bitten white.
She had heard that Jin Feng was a brilliant commander, but he had only fought one proper battle before, and she had lacked a clear measure.
She had always thought his command ability was roughly on par with Qing Huai’s.
Yet after helping Jin Feng plan this entire operation and now witnessing him direct the battle, she finally understood: Jin Feng was far, far superior to Qing Huai.
Qing Huai excelled at jungle warfare. He had once led the Dangxiang around the mountains like walking dogs, wearing them down until they collapsed. The story was legendary in the army.
But the Ninth Princess knew that battle had been hard-fought. The Iron Forest Army had suffered heavy casualties.
Today’s situation in Xichuan was far more perilous than Qing Huai had ever faced.
If Qing Huai and the Iron Forest Army had been here today, even if they won, it would have been a pyrrhic victory.
Yet Jin Feng had merely seized the bridge to lure the Tubo troops, then breached an upstream dyke. Without losing a single man, with a laugh and a gesture, three thousand elite Tubo infantry were annihilated.
Compared to Jin Feng, Qing Huai was not even in the same league.
Jin Feng’s standing in the Ninth Princess’s heart rose another notch.
She turned to look at Jin Feng, a resolute glint in her eyes.
A man like Jin Feng would be terrifying as an enemy.
No matter the cost, she had to maintain good relations with him.
Whatever the price!
“With this, the Tubo forces must be finished, right?”
Qing Mulan looked excitedly at Rabbit Valley now submerged by the floodwaters.
“Even if a few lucky ones survived, they can no longer affect the overall situation,” the Ninth Princess said, gathering her thoughts before turning to Jin Feng. “Sir, what next?”
“Next, it is our turn to counter-attack!”
Jin Feng glanced at the sky and said, “Brother Liang, send the smoke!”
Soon another column rose into the air.
This time, the smoke was red.
