Chapter 29

At noon, Yang Yuanqing found Chen Qing, who was having lunch. His meal was the same as the soldiers'—soft pancakes wrapped around cured meat, with a bowl of hot winter melon soup. However, Chen Qing had a large appetite and needed to eat two catties of flour-based food to fill his stomach.

Seeing his worried expression, Chen Qing smiled and said, "Why such a long face? Are you afraid I don't have enough lunch and want to add some bitter melon?"

"Alas! I have failed in my duty."

"What happened?" Chen Qing put down his hot soup.

"There was an eagle on the city wall, kept in a wooden cage. I didn't pay attention at the time, and when I remembered, the soldiers had already released it."

"You mean that eagle was a messenger eagle?"

Yang Yuanqing nodded, "I only realized later that it must have been the means of communication between Linyou County and Fengxiang County. The messenger eagle flew away..."

At this, Yang Yuanqing sighed deeply.

"Are you worried that the Jin troops will discover Linyou County has fallen and know we have returned?"

Yang Yuanqing nodded, indeed worried about this.

Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said, "It's normal for them to know. At the time, we were betting on the heavy snow blocking the roads, making it impossible for them to come. The snow has been heavy these past two days, and the roads should be blocked. We have a winter's time."

"But in fact, riding horses is still possible on the snowfield. I asked County Magistrate Wei, and he said it would take two heavy snowfalls to completely block the roads. Commander, we need to be prepared."

Chen Qing walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, then nodded, "We indeed cannot be careless. Send two men to monitor Qing Song Ridge. If the second heavy snowfall comes, have them return immediately!"

Qing Song Ridge is located twenty miles south of Linyou County, on the way to Linyou County. There is an abandoned Song army beacon tower there, but it can be re-established.

Yang Yuanqing agreed and turned to leave.

Chen Qing thought for a moment. He felt he couldn't underestimate the Jurchens' determination to capture him and needed to prepare in advance.

After a quick lunch, Chen Qing found Wei Qing and handed him a blueprint.

"This is... a cloak?" Wei Qing asked after looking at it for a while.

Chen Qing had indeed drawn a tactical cloak for winter combat on the snowfield. His main concern was whether it could be made in time.

"I hope to have a thousand white cloaks made within two days. Is that possible?"

Wei Qing thought for a moment and said, "Simple cloaks are easier to make. I can organize more women to sew them. There's plenty of fabric in the warehouse, and it will also give them a chance to earn some money."

"Better have them sew more winter clothes and shoes as well."

"I'll arrange for more people to be recruited immediately. It shouldn't be a problem to deliver a thousand white cloaks to the commander within two days!"

...

Yang Yuanqing's worries were not unfounded. The Jin troops had their communication system, usually relying on messenger eagles and secret codes in Jurchen script.

So even if the messenger eagle was still there, the situation in Linyou County would inevitably be exposed, as the Jurchen centurion who knew the secret code had been killed.

Wanyan Moli received a messenger eagle without any message. From the number on its leg, it was clear the eagle came from Linyou County.

This situation immediately made Wanyan Moli nervous. Wanyan Huonü had led his troops back to Jingzhao Prefecture, and Wanyan Zongbi had also come to Fengxiang Prefecture for inspection, leaving a gold medal. If Chen Qing's whereabouts were discovered, they were to mobilize immediately, at any cost, to capture him. This was a direct order from the Khan.

Wanyan Moli paced back and forth in his tent, anxious. Could Chen Qing have returned to Linyou County?

But Wanyan Huonü had clearly said they abandoned their horses, burned the military camp, and must have gone to Jingyuan Road. Could this be a ruse by Chen Qing, making Wanyan Huonü believe they went to Jingyuan Road?

Or perhaps nothing happened, and the message tube on the eagle's leg fell off halfway, which had happened before.

The deputy general, Zhehe, advised, "If the general feels something is wrong, why not send a messenger eagle back to inquire? See how the garrison in Linyou County responds?"

Wanyan Moli shook his head, "What if the response is fake? They could be impersonating the Jin general to deceive us..."

Zhehe understood the general's concern. If Chen Qing really returned and he took no action, the Fourth Prince would be furious.

"Why not send a cavalry unit to investigate first? If it's really Chen Qing, we can send a larger force later."

This was a good idea. Instead of guessing, it was better to send troops to investigate. Wanyan Moli immediately dispatched a two-hundred-man cavalry unit to Linyou County.

...

In the military camp, Chen Qing galloped on his horse. While riding, he turned sideways, drew an arrow, and controlled the horse with his legs. He quickly drew the bowstring, squinted, and released the arrow. It shot out like lightning, hitting the left shoulder of the straw dummy target a hundred paces away.

Outside the training ground, Xu Ning struck a small drum, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" three times.

A full score was five drum beats, and three beats indicated a pass.

Actually, it was already quite good. Chen Qing had only practiced for four days and already met Xu Ning's passing standard.

Chen Qing rode up and smiled, "Xu Master, I think this arrow should count as four drum beats!"

Xu Ning shook his head, "I told you to aim for the vital points, but you only hit the left shoulder, so that's a deduction of one and a half beats. Also, your aiming time was too long, so another half beat is deducted. I told you, a good shot is when the arrow is released as soon as you see the target. Strictly speaking, your shooting posture and horse speed are not perfect, so another half beat should be deducted. I'm giving you three beats to save face."

"But compared to yesterday, I've improved a lot. I hit four out of five arrows!"

Xu Ning still shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I only look at the result, not the process. Also, you should practice shooting with your left hand. If you can't shoot with both hands, you won't reach the second level."

"Alright! Let's try again."

At this moment, Yang Yuanqing galloped over, shouting from a distance, "Commander, the beacon tower is smoking!"

Chen Qing's face changed. The Jin troops had indeed arrived.

...

Chen Qing quickly walked to the city wall and looked south. In the distance, a column of smoke rose, a warning from Qing Song Ridge. One column of smoke indicated the enemy force was less than five hundred, about twenty miles away.

The number was small, likely just a reconnaissance mission, which was within Chen Qing's expectations. He immediately ordered, "Execute Plan One!"

On the vast snowfield, a small black dot appeared, moving slowly. The thick snow made it difficult for the horses to gallop. As the black dot approached, it turned out to be a two-hundred-man Jurchen cavalry unit.

The Jurchen cavalry moved slowly along the official road, using the trees on both sides as reference points. For cavalry, the official road was crucial, as the thick snow could hide sharp stalks that could pierce the horses' hooves.

The centurion leading the unit kept looking back at a mountain ridge to the southeast, where a column of smoke rose.

They had been discovered by the Song army's beacon tower, indicating that there were indeed Song troops in Linyou County.

But...

The centurion knew he couldn't report back based on just the smoke. The general would kill him. He had to reach the city, confirm the flags and soldiers on the wall, and complete his reconnaissance mission.

"Centurion, we are still ten miles from the county. Will the Song troops come out to fight?" a Jurchen decurion asked loudly.

The centurion sneered, "I would welcome them to come out. Don't worry! Once the smoke rises, they will definitely close the city gates and wait for us on the city walls with their bows."

"The centurion is right!" another Jurchen decurion laughed. "The snowfield is white all around. If they appear, we will spot them immediately. No need to worry!"

The centurion looked up at the low, dark clouds, which made him uneasy. He shouted, "Speed up!"

The snow was two feet thick, and the cavalry moved slowly in formation along the official road.

Five miles from the county, the city was faintly visible. The low, gentle slopes on both sides were covered in snow.

But if you looked closely, you would notice the snow on the slopes was slightly different, with some wrinkles and undulations. Upon closer inspection, you would see soldiers lying in ambush, holding crossbows and spears.

The opposite slope was the same, with four hundred Song troops lying in wait, wearing white cloaks and blending into the snow. It was hard to spot them unless you looked closely.

Eight hundred Song troops on the slopes aimed their crossbows at the Jurchen cavalry, targeting the soldiers, not the horses, waiting for the order to shoot.

Yang Yuanqing watched the Jurchen cavalry on the official road. He waved his hand, and the rapid sound of a wooden clapper echoed, "Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Eight hundred crossbow bolts rained down on the Jurchen cavalry, catching them off guard. The powerful bolts pierced their iron armor, and over a hundred cavalrymen fell from their horses, screaming. The Jurchen cavalry fell into chaos.

"Charge!"

Yang Yuanqing shouted, and eight hundred Song troops picked up their spears and charged onto the official road.

The centurion was hit by two arrows but not in vital spots. He endured the pain and shouted, "Retreat!"

The remaining eighty Jurchen cavalry turned their horses and fled. The centurion, riding fast, led a dozen cavalrymen out of the Song troops' encirclement. The rest were surrounded and stabbed by countless spears...

But the centurion and a dozen cavalrymen had not gone a hundred paces when a Song cavalry unit, about a hundred strong, suddenly appeared, blocking their path. The leading general wore iron armor, a phoenix-wing helmet, and wielded a mixed-iron spear. It was the commander, Chen Qing.

The centurion shouted in despair and turned to flee into the snowfield. Chen Qing pursued, drew his Dingshanyuan bow, and pulled an armor-piercing arrow. He drew the bow to a full moon and released the arrow, which hit the centurion's left rib. The centurion screamed and fell from his horse.

Chen Qing rode up and saw the centurion struggling to get up. He swung his spear and impaled him in the snow.

The remaining cavalrymen were surrounded by Song cavalry and killed, as were the Jurchen cavalry on the official road. None escaped.

Yang Yuanqing galloped over and saluted, "Report to the commander, the two-hundred Jurchen cavalry have been completely annihilated. No prisoners were taken. We captured one hundred and seventy-seven horses, along with armor, weapons, and some valuables."

Chen Qing looked at the low, dark clouds and ordered, "Cut off the heads of the Jurchens, burn the bodies, and bury them on the spot. Also, send someone to inform the two men at Qing Song Ridge to return to the city immediately."