“Did the general not just send men to set bonfires thirty zhang away?”
Wu Zhe clearly had not taken the matter to heart, replied casually.
“But they are singing outside the camp. At thirty zhang the sound can still reach us.”
Danzhu said irritably, “This will disturb the army’s morale.”
“Then place a row of bonfires every thirty zhang, keep placing them until our main camp can no longer hear anything.”
Wu Zhe stroked his beard and said, “If the general is still uneasy, extend the bonfires all the way to the foot of Great Python Slope, then dispatch two cavalry units to patrol constantly. The moment any Da Kang soldier dares come down from Great Python Slope, chase and kill them at once!”
“Yes, sir, that is an excellent plan!”
Danzhu’s eyes lit up.
Previously they had also sent cavalry in pursuit, but as soon as our riders left camp, the Da Kang soldiers extinguished their torches and vanished into the darkness.
Fearing an ambush, the cavalry could only ride back.
If they lined the entire area between Great Python Slope and the camp with bonfires, would that not solve the problem?
Danzhu hurried out of the command tent and ordered his personal guards to arrange bonfires all the way to the foot of Great Python Slope.
“Sir is truly brilliant. He has easily broken the enemy’s trick.” Danzhu returned to the tent feeling much relieved. “Jin Feng is unlucky to have met sir.”
“The tactic of exhausting the enemy is itself a sign of timidity,” Wu Zhe remarked offhandedly. “It is mostly used when one side is weak and afraid. Breaking it is not difficult.”
“That makes sense. If Jin Feng were truly confident of defeating us, he would not resort to such lowly methods. He would simply send troops to attack!”
Danzhu nodded. “I will place bonfires right up to the foot of Great Python Slope. If one of them comes out, I will kill one. Let us see what he does then.”
“Jin Feng is a man of many cunning schemes. General, do not underestimate him!” Wu Zhe frowned. “Judging from Jin Feng’s past battle records, he cannot possibly fail to understand this principle. Therefore I suspect his exhaustion tactic is merely a diversion. He must have another objective.
For example, at Golden Horse River, he appeared to be seizing the bridge, but in reality he was luring General Sangji to send troops to the rescue, thereby allowing him to help Meng Tianhai seize Hat Mountain!”
Once Wu Zhe pointed it out, Danzhu grew worried too. “Where does sir think he intends to strike this time?”
“This old man cannot guess,” Wu Zhe shook his head.
“Then we can only order every unit to heighten vigilance,” Danzhu said.
“General, against an enemy like Jin Feng, the best method is to put yourself in his shoes.”
Wu Zhe walked to the campaign map, hands clasped behind his back. “If the general were Jin Feng, using an exhaustion tactic as a smokescreen, where would you actually plan to attack?”
“If I were Jin Feng…”
Danzhu also approached the map, stared at it for a while, then pointed with several fingers. “Here… or here. Both are possible. Yet that does not feel right either. Our scouts say Jin Feng is a hollow noble without even a fief. He has only a bodyguard agency, now serving as guard to Chen Wen’er. Where would he find the troops to attack elsewhere?”
“The general must not forget Chen Wen’er,” Wu Zhe reminded him. “She is a Da Kang princess. Whoever she orders to mobilise the armies around Xichuan would dare disobey?”
“If that is the case, things become troublesome.”
Danzhu stared at the map, brows tightly knit.
…
Outside the Tubo main camp, Tubo soldiers drove captured Da Kang civilians to carry bundles of firewood and place them on open ground.
With many hands, in only half a shichen the ground was covered with bonfire piles.
One pile every fifty paces, stretching all the way from the Tubo camp to the foot of Great Python Slope.
Though it did not make the night as bright as day, Da Kang soldiers could no longer sneak close to the edge of the Tubo camp.
Following Wu Zhe’s advice, Danzhu also sent two fifty-man cavalry units to patrol back and forth below Great Python Slope.
Sure enough, once the bonfires were lit, the Da Kang side finally quietened down.
Danzhu and Wu Zhe discussed until midnight yet still reached no conclusion.
This was Da Kang territory, after all, and as a member of the imperial family, the Ninth Princess commanded far too many resources.
After seeing Wu Zhe off, Danzhu returned to his tent, yawned, and lay down on the bed.
This night had been exhausting. The Da Kang people had kept him awake until midnight. Now at last he could sleep properly.
Not long after lying down, Danzhu was snoring.
This time no one sang in his dream. He dreamt he had won a great victory and was warmly welcomed back by Gada. They drank together in the palace.
After drinking, Gada even summoned his most favoured concubine to dance for them.
Danzhu had met this concubine several times. She was the daughter of a great tribal elder, her status equal to Chen Wen’er’s.
Yet this concubine better matched Tubo tastes in beauty and was called the most beautiful girl on the plateau.
Danzhu had once wanted her for himself, but Gada discovered it and took her away.
He had regretted it for a long time.
It was not the first time he had dreamt of her.
In a dream of one’s own making, of course he was the centre. At first Gada Zanpu was there too, but at some point Gada vanished, leaving only Danzhu and the girl.
The girl danced the unique dance of the plateau, and as she danced she came into his arms.
She even said she would sing a song to praise Danzhu’s great achievement this time.
Danzhu nodded eagerly, full of anticipation.
The girl parted her red lips and suddenly belted out at the top of her voice, “Unity is strength! This strength is iron, this strength is steel!”
Danzhu jolted awake in fright.
“Heavens!”
Now whenever he thought of his goddess, all he could picture was her singing “Unity is strength”…
His dream goddess had been utterly ruined by one song.
Danzhu clutched his forehead. A myriad alpacas seemed to thunder through his mind.
All wish to sleep had vanished.
He was about to call a guard for water when the tent flap was thrown open.
A personal guard rushed in. “General, something has happened!”
“What now?”
Danzhu felt his head would explode.
Ever since Jin Feng appeared, nothing but trouble.
“The cavalry units have been ambushed by Da Kang forces!” the guard reported.
“Which cavalry units?” Danzhu asked.
He had not slept properly all night and his mind was still foggy.
“The ones sent to patrol below Great Python Slope,” the guard answered.
“What?” Danzhu was shocked. “Casualties?”
Although Tubo bred horses, years of constant warfare had severely depleted their stock. Cavalry were extremely precious.
“All one hundred brothers were killed. The horses were taken too!”
The guard answered cautiously while stepping back a few paces.
“Damn it!”
Danzhu roared and kicked the table over.
The guard, foreseeing this, had retreated just far enough to avoid it.
Remembering Wu Zhe’s warning not to lose his temper, Danzhu forced himself to calm down and asked, “What happened?”
“We do not know. No brother escaped.”
The guard continued, “The messenger said he saw several flashes of white light in the west, like lightning, followed by sounds of fighting. By the time reinforcements arrived, only our brothers’ bodies remained. The horses had all been led away by Da Kang troops.”
“White light like lightning?”
Danzhu’s brows knitted tightly together.
