Chapter 50: The Sound Reaches the Clouds, the Smoke of War Fades (Part 1)

"Is this Anyuan Fort?" Han Gang crossed a short bridge over a tributary of the Gangu River and looked at the fort that appeared ahead, somewhat disbelieving his eyes.

Wang Shunmin knew that almost everyone who saw Anyuan Fort for the first time would have the same reaction as Han Gang. He smiled and said, "A five-hundred-step fort, a nine-hundred-step city. Anyuan Fort is a solid five-hundred-step fort."

"Only one step from north to south, and two hundred and forty-nine steps from east to west, adding up to five hundred steps. Can this be called a fort?"

Of course, Han Gang was exaggerating a bit. A fort would never be built in a straight line. However, Anyuan Fort was indeed narrow from north to south and wide from east to west. The entire fort was about fifty to sixty steps from south to north, and the east-west length was three times the north-south width, roughly forming a flat rectangle. The fort walls extended down from the western hilltop, all the way to the riverbank of the Gangu River, blocking the official road.

"A fort like this is hard to defend..." The eastern side of Anyuan Fort was the Gangu River, and the southern side was a tributary. The two rivers converged fifty steps southeast of the fort, which could serve as a moat. However, if the Tangut people were to attack, they would only come from the north.

"Brother, you're wrong." Wang Shunmin, who rarely had the chance to teach Han Gang, smiled and explained, "Anyuan Fort can't be judged from the outside. Once inside, you'll see. It's actually divided into upper and lower forts. The upper fort is on the hill, and the lower fort is in the valley. The lower fort is easier to breach, but taking the upper fort is difficult. Not only because of the terrain, but also because there are several twenty-zhang deep wells inside, which took half a year to dig and never run dry. There's no fear of the enemy cutting off the water supply."

"Ah, I see!" Han Gang nodded in agreement. It made sense. After so many years of war and the construction of hundreds or even thousands of forts, the Song people wouldn't waste resources on a fort that couldn't be defended. Anyuan Fort's current structure must have its reasons, and it couldn't be judged by a casual glance.

As they spoke, the group had already reached the fort. After passing the inspection, which was ten times more detailed than in Fugang City, Han Gang and the convoy were finally allowed into the fort.

As Wang Shunmin had said, Anyuan Fort was divided into two parts. The partition between the two forts was no less in height and thickness than the outer walls. The upper fort on the western side followed the slope, while the lower fort on the eastern side was flat. The lower fort housed the camp and the administrative offices, while the upper fort contained the military stores and grain depots, with watchtowers much more numerous than in the lower fort.

At this moment, Anyuan Fort was bustling with people. The five-hundred-step fort was packed with soldiers and civilians. The main road connecting the north and south gates was crowded, and Han Gang's convoy was barely moving.

"I wonder how many people are in the fort now?" Han Gang looked back, seeing the red banner with the character 'Liu' flying high on the fort wall. "The thousand soldiers from Fugang City shouldn't be enough to crowd Anyuan Fort like this."

"There are also people from Dalong Fort. One-third of the merchant caravans participating in the trade in Qin Prefecture go to Dalong Fort."

Dalong Fort was to the west of Anyuan Fort, seventy li west along the tributary of the Gangu River. It was named after the nearby Longzhong tribe, meaning "reaching Longzhong." Thirty li north along the main Gangu River was Gangu City.

"The Xiang family's caravan must have returned from Dalong Fort, right?" Han Gang remembered what Zhao Long had said. "The Xiang family was in Fugang City yesterday, but these people only arrived at Anyuan Fort today."

Wang Shunmin smiled coldly. "Who can match the intelligence and information of the Du Lianxia family?"

He then asked Han Gang, "Brother, should we continue to Gangu City or stay here at Anyuan Fort?"

Han Gang didn't answer directly but asked, "Why doesn't Liu Zhicheng from Fugang City lead his troops to continue north to Gangu City?"

"Anyuan Fort is within the defense zone of Fugang City, so it's fine for Liu Zhicheng to stay here. But Gangu City is under the command of Zhang Laodu. Without orders, who would dare to cross the boundary?"

Wang Shunmin, born into a military family and raised in the army, knew all the ins and outs of military affairs. He sneered, "This is just an excuse. In an emergency, if Liu Zhicheng led his troops to reinforce Gangu City, even Li Xiang would praise him. Now, by stopping at Anyuan Fort, he's just seeking safety. By doing nothing, he won't make mistakes. If Liu Zhicheng stays at Anyuan, the fall of Gangu City won't be his fault. But if he leaves Anyuan and takes a step towards Gangu City, it means he has already sent troops to reinforce Gangu City. If he fails to save it, he will be punished."

He sighed, "It's hard for us military men to get promoted. We risk our lives to climb a few ranks. But demotion is easy. A few mistakes can drop us several ranks. Some have even been demoted from Chongyi Shi to Xiaoyong Shi in one go. Without orders, who would willingly put themselves in danger?"

"Both sides are the same..." Han Gang also sighed. The more you do, the more mistakes you make. It's better to wait for orders. A thousand years ago, a thousand years later, bureaucrats are the same. Human nature doesn't change, and neither do human feelings... Fortunately, this is the case, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to make a name for himself here.

"What should we do?" Wang Shunmin asked, "Should we continue to Gangu or stay at Anyuan for now?"

Han Gang pondered.

Not going to Gangu immediately and staying at Anyuan to wait for news is a ready-made excuse. It would take at most one or two days to get a result, and it would be safer. Besides, he had already seen several supply convoys from Fugang City, all of which had no plans to go north. If everyone is the same, no one will complain. Even if Chen Ju causes trouble, Wu Yan and Wang Hou have enough reasons to help him.

Thinking of Chen Ju, Han Gang's lips curled into a slight, contemptuous smile. Now that he had offended Xiang Bao but was on good terms with Wang Shao's son and had the merit of the battle in Pei Valley, his reputation would surely reach the desk of the governor, Li Shizhong. Regardless of how Li Shizhong felt about him, he wouldn't tolerate a clerk bullying a scholar with a good reputation. A few days ago, Chen Ju was a powerful figure, but now he was no longer a concern.

Returning to the question of whether to go or not. If they arrived at Gangu City on schedule, it would indeed be risky, but the rewards would be substantial. With Gangu City in danger and all the generals retreating, no one dared to help. But now, a clerk leading thirty people with military supplies to Gangu City would be a glorious feat. It would also earn the favor of the third-ranking military officer in Qin Prefecture, Zhang Shouyue, which would help counter any attacks from the Xiang family.

Han Gang smiled to himself. They had already reached Anyuan Fort, only thirty li away. How could they not push through? Instead of relying on Wu Yan and Wang Hou to save him, he should use his own efforts to make Xiang Bao and Chen Ju dare not touch him!

He raised his head and looked north. The sun was setting, and the smoke still rolled. He turned back, and dozens of trusting eyes awaited his decision.

With a laugh, Han Gang turned and led the way, "Let's go! To Gangu!"

The night was as dark as ink.

Under the moonless sky, there was no light around. The only light came from the torches held by the laborers, which illuminated the ground enough to keep the convoy on the official road. The rest of the night was as dark as the stars.

Walking on the uneven official road, the laborers were all intimidated by Han Gang and had no complaints about his decision, nor dared to complain.

When they left Anyuan Fort, they were delayed by the gate officer, and the convoy's progress was almost two hours slower than expected. They should have arrived at Gangu City before dusk, but it was now almost the ninth hour, and they still hadn't seen the city.

After nightfall, the cold wind in the valley became even more piercing, seeping through their clothes. Lying on the carts, their bodies quickly turned cold as ice, and even the wounded had to get off to walk and warm themselves.

Wang Shunmin sniffed and moved closer to his beloved horse. The cold wind had numbed his body, and he silently cursed the gate officer of Anyuan Fort's north gate, but he lacked the energy to speak. However, his right hand still firmly held his war bow. The Xinbo tribes in the valley were unstable, and once they left the city, he would grip his long bow tightly. Even with his left hand controlling the string due to his injury, Wang Shunmin was confident he could shoot all the arrows in his quiver into the vital points of any bandits.

Han Gang walked behind Wang Shunmin. The mountains on both sides of the valley blocked most of the night sky, leaving only a long strip of darkness visible. The night in the Song Dynasty was different from a thousand years later. In his time, even at midnight without stars or moon, the sky still glowed with the light from the ground. But now, except for the dim torches and sparse stars, there was no other light. It was the purest, darkest black.

As the convoy moved forward, the darkness ahead was constantly dispelled by the torches, while the darkness behind was covered by the surrounding darkness. The creaking of the carts and the footsteps echoed monotonously in the valley, as if the whole world had been reduced to just their group. Only the occasional sharp cry of a night owl reminded them that other creatures still existed.

From Anyuan to Gangu, it was only a thirty-li road. How much longer would they have to walk?

Looking down at the road illuminated by the torches, Han Gang took one step after another. The road ahead was pitch black, and after walking for a long time, they still hadn't reached Gangu. His mood gradually sank. In the darkness, the suppressed emotions rose from the bottom of his heart, making his mind turbid.

Han Gang couldn't help but think about whether his decision at Anyuan Fort was correct, whether Gangu City was still in Song hands, and even about his parents and Han Yunni, who had sought refuge at his uncle's house in Fengxiang. Each time, although his reason told him there was no problem, he couldn't help but think of the worst-case scenario.