The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 56 A Battle of Wits and Courage on the Battlefield

Because of the dense forest on the mountain, the range of the bows and arrows was limited, and they could only attack from specific locations. Therefore, in this round of surprise attack, only about twenty people on the other side fell.

Although not many people were killed, it caused some panic among the enemy troops.

The enemy troops below clearly did not expect their identities to be discovered so quickly, and that they would attack so resolutely without any hesitation.

The enemy general, the one in black armor, was also very decisive. As soon as he saw the battle taking place on the mountain, he quickly gave orders.

Based on his observations, he now knew how to respond if a battle broke out in this location.

When the main road is blocked, the only way to achieve anything is to attack the hilltop from the slope in front of you; otherwise, you can only be attacked.

In addition, the place is relatively small, so even five hundred people together cannot move around freely.

So he immediately divided his men into two groups. One group served as a reserve, retreating to stay out of the arrow's range. The other group, led by him personally, took all the shields, discarded unnecessary items, and prepared to launch a probing attack to assess the mountain's defenses.

The black-armored general made arrangements quickly, and his soldiers were quite obedient. By the time the second volley of arrows came down, he had already made the arrangements.

After more than a dozen men fell to the ground amidst the arrows, the black-armored general led his soldiers into the forest.

Once inside the forest, the arrows fired by Tu Chengyu's side became less lethal, giving the enemy a chance to catch their breath.

The enemy rushed into the woods, adjusted their ranks slightly, and then attacked down the hillside.

Because this hillside had been repaired by Gao Chong and his bandits, it started as a slightly steep, gentle slope, which the enemy could easily climb using the trees in the forest.

But in the last one or two meters, the gentle slope was dug away, leaving a steep slope that recedes rapidly, like a low wall suddenly appearing.

Although there are trees at the bottom of the steep slope that can be used for leverage, it is not so easy to get up if there are people interfering on the slope.

Given such a favorable location, how could Tu Chengyu's people not make preparations?

Originally, Quan Wenwei suggested to Tu Chengyu that when the enemy approached, our side should use spears and arrows to fire in unison, using the steep slope to hold back the enemy and exhaust their strength, and then send out the troops ambushed on the high slope to launch a surprise attack, which would surely repel the enemy.

However, this approach has two drawbacks. First, spears have a short range, making them easy targets for the enemy. Second, bows and arrows are scarce, and if used here, it would be impossible to suppress the enemy's reserves.

Since the goal is to deplete the enemy's stamina, Tu Chengyu felt that there was something much more useful than a spear.

That was the wolf-tooth rake, an important weapon in Qi Jiguang's army. It was said to be made of bamboo and its main purpose was to harass the enemy and delay their attack.

This advantage of the wolf-tooth rake is exactly what Tu Chengyu and his team need.

Moreover, there is plenty of bamboo on this mountain, and a few people can cut down a lot of it. Even if the enemy damages or takes it away, there will be no loss.

Tu Chengyu explained the purpose of making a wolf-tooth spear from bamboo to the two of them, and Quan Wenwei and Su Xuanbao's eyes lit up.

Su Xuanbao personally led a group to cut down a lot of bamboo, selected some soldiers with strong arms, and gave each of them a few long bamboo poles so that they could familiarize themselves with how to use them in advance.

So when the black-armored general led his suicide squad, dodging arrows and rushing over the gentle slope, preparing for a desperate fight before the final steep section, they saw countless bamboo poles with branches and leaves raining down from above.

These bamboo poles, while not particularly lethal—at most causing a scratch on the face, posing virtually no harm to armored soldiers—could easily obstruct their vision and completely block their path.

What disgusted the people below even more was that these bamboo poles were no obstacle. At most, swords and knives could only cut off a few branches and leaves. Even if they risked being stabbed and managed to snatch the poles, the other party could immediately replace them with new ones.

Thus, the enemy's first wave of attacks, which came with great force, was blocked by a few bamboo poles less than ten feet away from Tu Chengyu and his men's defensive line.

Naturally, the enemy was unwilling to accept this situation, and they quickly organized a second wave of attacks.

This time, the enemy also made adjustments. The black-armored general divided his men into small teams of seven or eight, and then each team was spaced a distance apart. This way, the soldiers would not have to face so many bamboo poles at the same time when attacking.

Meanwhile, the first two or three people in the squad can focus on dealing with the bamboo poles, clearing space for the people behind to attack.

You know what, this method actually works to some extent.

Because at the time, in order to confuse the enemy, all the branches and leaves of these bamboos were preserved, so that not too many bamboos could be squeezed into one place, at most two or three.

The enemy can then send out men with round shields specifically to deal with the bamboo poles, forcing them aside and opening a passage for those behind.

At this point, another drawback of the long bamboo poles became apparent: because they were so long, they immediately lost their effectiveness once the enemy got close. Thus, at the cost of exhausting the vanguard, the enemy forced aside the bamboo poles and finally approached the last, steep defensive line.

For the first time, both sides clearly saw each other's faces, and the battle entered the stage of close combat.

However, the enemy had climbed the hill twice in a row and had little strength left. They were unable to break through the formation of long spears and short swords and were defeated for the second time.

Although they repelled two enemy attacks in a row, the people on the mountain dared not relax at all, because everyone knew that these two attacks were just probes to see the strength of the mountain's defenses before the real attack would follow.

Taking advantage of the enemy's momentary lapse in concentration, Quan Wenwei walked over from behind and stood next to Tu Chengyu, saying, "Your Highness, the enemy has figured out our defensive strategy and will definitely go all out to find a breakthrough to attack us."

Tu Chengyu said nonchalantly, "With all these preparations, what breakthrough can they possibly find?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness's arrangements are naturally fine, but have you ever considered that Your Highness is the enemy's weak point?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu turned to Quan Wenwei and asked in surprise, "How did I become their breakthrough point while I was hiding in the back?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Although Your Highness is behind the soldiers, you are not too far from the battleground and are still within the enemy's attack range. When the enemy attacks again, they only need a short crossbow to easily wound Your Highness. And Your Highness is the heart and soul of our army. If you are wounded by the enemy, it will inevitably cause chaos in the army, and the enemy will take the opportunity to attack. This is the breakthrough I am talking about."

Tu Chengyu felt that Quan Wenwei's words were much more agreeable this time, but he still had a question: "The enemy doesn't recognize me, so how can they be sure of my identity?"

Quan Wenwei replied, “Although Your Highness is quite tall and dressed like a soldier, from other perspectives you might be mistaken for an ordinary soldier. However, Your Highness has a youthful appearance, and if the enemy sees you, they will inevitably have some suspicions. Furthermore, there may be people in the enemy army who recognize Your Highness, so we must be careful.”

Tu Chengyu felt that this was indeed something to be wary of. Although he was bold and liked to take risks, if he knew that the enemy was going to attack him and did not make any preparations, then it was not boldness, but foolish recklessness.

Tu Chengyu said to Quan Wenwei with satisfaction, "Quan Wenwei, you are very good, you have thought things through very well."

Quan Wenwei humbly replied, "Your Highness is too kind. I was hiding in the rear and only happened to notice the enemy general subtly observing Your Highness, which is why I thought to remind you."

Upon hearing Quan Wenwei's words, Tu Chengyu broke out in a cold sweat. The enemy had already noticed him. If they had arrows at that moment, he would be seriously injured even if he didn't die.

Fortunately, the enemy hadn't expected that this prince, who was only ten years old, would personally come to the battlefield and like to be so close to the combat zone. They were only thinking about close combat and finding weaknesses in the mountain defenses, and hadn't brought any bows or crossbows at all.

Now that they know, they will inevitably bring crossbows and find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu felt that Quan Wenwei must have come up with a strategy, so he asked, "What should I do next?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "Let's turn the tables on them. Your Highness will act as bait to lure the enemy into the net. Then we'll do this and that."

Quan Wenwei, like a gossipmonger, leaned close to Tu Chengyu's ear and whispered something.

After Quan Wenwei finished explaining his plan, Tu Chengyu listened with a broad smile. He now felt that Quan Wenwei was indeed useful. Perhaps he was quite disgusting as an opponent, but as a teammate, he was quite easy to use.

Next, Tu Chengyu followed Quan Wenwei's plan. He hid behind the pavilion, changed his clothes, and then appeared before the soldiers as Prince Su, dressed in armor.

The soldiers had already received their instructions, so they showed no surprise at seeing the suddenly disguised Prince Su. They continued their preparations methodically under Su Xuanbao's command.

While preparations were underway on the mountain, the enemy forces below were not waiting either. The enemy general in black armor was adjusting his formation for the next surprise attack based on the two previous attacks.

Meanwhile, the black-armored general was also filled with regret. He had seen Tu Chengyu's portrait before, so he recognized Tu Chengyu after the second attack broke through those bamboo poles. Unfortunately, at that time, he was only thinking about engaging the enemy in close combat, and finding it inconvenient to carry bows and crossbows, he ordered his soldiers to abandon them.

Such a good opportunity, and we just let it slip away. I wonder if that person will realize what's happening and hide now.

Just then, the soldier on guard duty ran down and said to the black-armored general, "General, that person has appeared again?"

The black-armored general stood up in surprise and asked, "Really? You didn't see wrong?"

The soldier said, "Judging from his build and clothing, it's that man, except he's wearing an extra layer of armor."

The black-armored general asked, "Where is that man standing?"

The soldier replied, "We've moved to a different location, but it's still not far from the battlefield."

The black-armored general clenched his fists twice in delight, saying, "That's good, that's good. As long as he's still on the front lines, wearing armor doesn't matter."

(End of this chapter)