In the dead of night, thin clouds obscured the waning moon, plunging the world into darkness, where no one could be seen more than thirty paces away. Mo Zidu discarded his heavy iron armor, donned the leather armor specially made for the Rong people, and quietly made his way towards the Ape Sorrow camp with three hundred warriors.
These three hundred warriors carried tinder on their backs, held short knives in their mouths, and used both hands and feet to slowly approach the Ape's Sorrow camp, relying only on the faint light shining through the clouds and following a small path they had asked the herb gatherers during the day.
In the darkness of night, the towering mountains resembled monstrous beasts eager to devour their prey, while the mournful cries of owls echoed from the cliffs, filling the entire world with a desolate and eerie atmosphere.
"This road is really difficult to walk!" Mo Zidu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked up, and realized that the herb gatherer during the day had only said that this path was difficult, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult. With the help of the grappling hook, they had only managed to climb halfway up the path in more than half an hour.
"Squeak—Wow!"
Just as he was sighing, a monkey's cry suddenly startled him. He looked in the direction of the sound and could only see the blurry shadows of a few pine and cypress trees on the cliff.
The lone ape was originally a male ape who had lost the battle for the monkey king's position. Because it was not accepted by the ape troop, it served as a sentinel at night. This cry immediately woke up the entire troop of apes, and the apes, being curious, began to cry loudly in a short while. The entire cliff was shaken by the echoing ape cries, which quickly traveled from one cliff to another.
"These monkeys!" Mo Zidu shook his head, cursing inwardly at the apes that had given him such a fright.
This sudden event greatly relaxed the three hundred warriors, and some even had smiles on their faces.
Amidst the cries of monkeys, another half hour passed before they approached the camp on the cliff. They only needed to hook their grappling hooks onto a rock or tree above to reach the back of the camp.
Mo Zidu's long-held anxiety gradually subsided. Once they reached the camp, his three hundred men could set it ablaze, and the large army that was already prepared would swarm in, allowing them to capture Yuan'erchou's camp.
"Kill!" A sudden, furious shout came from above. Mo Zidu looked up in horror, feeling a sharp pain before his eyes. The once dark cliff was now illuminated by lanterns and torches as if it were daytime. The word "bad" had barely formed in Mo Zidu's mind when a series of earth-shattering logs and rocks were hurled down from the cliff.
The Qing-Gui Army warriors were on a narrow, steep mountain path, with almost no room to turn around, let alone dodge. Under the onslaught of boulders and logs, the three hundred warriors were struck one after another, falling bloodied and mangled into the bottomless abyss.
Mo Zidu was also knocked down by the falling corpse of a soldier, tumbling down the cliff face. In his dizzying descent, he tried to grab onto something, but the wild grass and saplings he held onto snapped with the force of his fall. Mo Zidu was utterly devastated; long-forgotten events flashed through his mind. Although his head struck the rocks several times, his mind remained unusually clear.
Dong Cheng, who was waiting to provide backup halfway through Yuan'erchou, first saw a burst of flames on the hilltop, followed by incessant shouts of killing and screams. He assumed the sneak attack had succeeded and was overjoyed. He ordered, "Charge! Otherwise, Zizi will steal all the credit!"
The army charged towards Yuan'erchou's camp with shouts, but as they approached, they found no sign of fire. Before they could react, drums roared from the enemy camp, and a hail of arrows rained down from the plank road, felling even the fastest soldiers. Dong Cheng gasped, a sharp pain shooting through him. He knew his sneak attack had failed, and a forced assault would result in heavy casualties. He swallowed hard and ordered with difficulty, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
The thousand-odd Qing-Gui soldiers, who were acting as the vanguard, had no choice but to abandon the bodies of their fallen comrades and retreat. The Su soldiers in Yuan'erchou's camp did not pursue them, but only beat drums and shouted. In the chaos, many Qing-Gui soldiers lost their way and fell off cliffs to their deaths.
After retreating to the camp and taking stock of the troops, Dong Cheng felt a pang of sorrow. Apart from the more than 300 soldiers he led in the main attack, only five of the 300 warriors responsible for the sneak attack survived. Even Mo Zidu, his loyal deputy general who had followed him through thick and thin, had died in battle, and his remains could not even be recovered.
"Governor, please accept my condolences." Zhang Fang could not help but show his grief. "Although General Mo is dead, he still lives on. The most urgent task is to avenge him and take down this Yuan'erchou camp."
Dong Cheng waved his hand, signaling him to leave. He sat alone in the tent, propping his forehead with his hand, and remained silent for a long while. Since surrendering to Li Jun, he had never been so distressed. Moreover, Mo Zi, who had always shared joys and sorrows with him, was no longer by his side, and his wife was at home awaiting childbirth. Zhang Fang, the scholar, had no one to turn to, so how could he not feel lost and helpless?
The next morning, when the generals arrived at the central command tent, they found that Dong Cheng had not left. Zhang Fang was about to speak when Dong Cheng stopped him, saying, "This morning we received a report that the enemy had anticipated our surprise attack, but they did not expect us to climb up from the back mountain. However, our surprise attack last night startled the monkeys on the back mountain, which made the enemy prepared for the attack."
The generals exchanged bewildered glances. This sneak attack, which had initially seemed highly likely to succeed, had been utterly ruined by a single, seemingly insignificant factor. Dong Cheng raised an eyebrow: "If it weren't for these damned monkeys, our army would have already captured Ape's Sorrow Camp, and Mo Zidu and his men wouldn't have perished. To avenge our fallen comrades, and to vent my own anger, all soldiers, heed my command!"
The generals were alarmed, thinking that Dong Cheng was about to order a strong attack on Yuan Erchou's camp. However, Dong Cheng glanced at everyone and slowly said, "Capture every single monkey in the nearby mountains alive. Remember, I want them alive, so that I can properly prepare them."
The generals were taken aback. If they stayed in the stalemate between the two armies for another day, their morale would drop. Moreover, after their recent defeat, Dong Cheng did not devise a plan to defeat the enemy, but instead ordered these soldiers to do the work of hunters. How could this not make the generals uneasy?
Zhang Fang's expression also changed. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned from surprise to joy and said, "Since the commander has given the order, everyone should go and capture them immediately. The sooner we capture them, the sooner we can avenge the fallen soldiers!"
The generals wanted to say more, but seeing that Dong Cheng already looked tired, they had no choice but to leave the central command tent.
When news of the Qing-Gui army's capture of monkeys reached the Ape's Sorrow camp, the soldiers couldn't help but burst into laughter. Dong Cheng, once a renowned general of the Su state, had fallen to such a state. Amidst the laughter and curses echoing from the mountains, the Qing-Gui army, filled with shame and humiliation, captured every monkey they could find in the surrounding area. In no time, over a thousand monkeys were screeching and screech throughout the Qing-Gui army camp, the entire camp reeking of monkey odor.
After Dong Cheng had taken stock of the monkeys, he ordered his men to shave all the fur off the dozen or so strong male monkeys and dress them up like thunder gods using cinnabar, indigo, and black ink. He also tied a cloth bag containing sulfur, pine resin, and other tinder to the backs of the remaining monkeys. Only then did the generals realize that Dong Cheng had a deeper purpose in capturing the monkeys.
Zhang Fang laughed heartily and said, "These monkeys helped the enemy army of Yuan'erchou's camp once, so let them help us today. I think the weather is just right today. What do you think, Commander?"
"Hmm." Dong Cheng nodded with a deep expression. The moonlight was like silk that night. After Zhang Fang led his soldiers to the Yuan'erchou camp, this was the first time the Qing Gui army had appeared here since the failed raid that day.
"Light the fire!" Zhang Fang signaled to his soldiers to set the cloth bundles on the monkeys ablaze. The monkeys, burning with pain on their backs, scattered and fled. However, the Qing-Gui army released more than ten monkeys dressed like ghosts. These monkeys, also ablaze, charged at the troop with mournful cries. The soldiers shouted again, and the monkeys, afraid to flee down the mountain, instead climbed up the cliff.
The name "Ape's Sorrow" doesn't actually impress these monkeys who spend their days leaping between cliffs. What takes a human an hour to climb, the monkeys do in moments. The cloth bags they carry are cleverly designed; most of the monkeys survive the leaps and reach the top. The Su soldiers on the mountain had already been alerted by the monkeys' cries and shouts, but they never expected hundreds of burning monsters to leap down from the mountain. Arrows, rolling logs, and boulders were useless against the monkeys, who were now burning madly. These monkeys swept over the soldiers' heads, landing on the rooftops of the mountain camp, and in moments, spread the fire to the camp.
Dong Cheng looked up at the mountain and saw flames soaring and golden snakes dancing wildly. The cries of humans and the mournful howls of apes mingled together. His expression changed several times in the firelight. This method of burning was too bloody. It was not his original intention, but in order to avenge Mo Zidu and to take down the Ape Sorrow Camp, he could not care about anything else.
"I, this disloyal and unjust subject, was destined to be punished by Heaven. One more killing or one less doesn't matter," he thought to himself. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, "Charge!"
"Kill!" These soldiers, who had been pent up for days, channeled all the humiliation of being teased by the monkeys into a bloodthirsty rage, charging along the plank road towards the Ape's Sorrow camp. Inside the Ape's Sorrow camp, chaos reigned due to the fire monkeys; monkeys leaped and bounded everywhere. The camp, situated on a steep cliff, had few soldiers to begin with, unable to kill all the monkeys or extinguish the raging fire. When the Qing-Gui army reached the camp gate, the gate, already half-burnt, suddenly burst open, and dozens of disheveled soldiers rushed out, their clothes tattered, faces covered in dust, and still some flames burning on their bodies. Upon seeing the Peace Army, they immediately raised their hands and knelt, shouting, "We surrender! We surrender! We can't take it anymore!"
The Qing-Gui soldiers who rushed up the mountain hadn't expected this turn of events. The hundreds of monkeys, writhing in pain after reaching the top, were acting like madmen, attacking and biting anyone they saw. These monkeys were far more agile than humans, and although the soldiers killed many with their weapons, they themselves were also torn to shreds. Coupled with the fires raging everywhere and the deafening sounds of battle, the soldiers' morale plummeted, and they were unable to mount any effective resistance. A few clever ones even opened the gates and surrendered.
The fall of the camp gate left the officers and soldiers without their last line of defense. But even more dangerous to the rushing Peace Army soldiers were the frenzied monkeys. After several soldiers who charged in were scratched by the monkeys, Dong Cheng ordered, "Block the gate! Don't go in! Wait until the fire is out!"
The camp of Yuan'erchou was reduced to ashes overnight. The only thing that could stop Dong Cheng's army from advancing eastward was the iron chain across the river. This iron chain had been secretly forged by the Su Kingdom over the past two years. Even with Zhuo Tian's abilities, he hadn't received any prior warning. Only after the deed was done did he realize that a Yue man had offered Wu Shu this "iron chain across the river" plan, preventing anyone from going up or down, effectively cutting the Liu River, which originally allowed for a thousand miles of flowing water, in two, in preparation for the Heping Army's attack. Since traveling by boat was the fastest and most energy-efficient way for the army to advance, if they couldn't break through this barrier, the army would have to detour for at least twenty more days along mountain roads. Therefore, the next morning, when discussing the advance again in the camp, the generals debated how to remove these iron chains.
“In the past, the Qinggui canal transport had to pass through here,” Zhang Fang said. “Originally, the Liu River was narrow and shallow in the Zhanyang section, with many hidden reefs. One or two out of ten passing ships would encounter accidents here. Later, according to legend, a descendant of Gongshu Pan, the greatest craftsman of the Yue people, named Gongshu Di, spent twenty years and countless sums of money to blast away these reefs. He also carved a peerless Buddhist Buddha statue out of the mountain outside Zhanyang City to pray for divine protection for passing ships. Governor, you were born in the north, so you haven’t seen this Buddhist Buddha statue yet, have you?”
Dong Cheng shook his head slightly, a rare look of longing on his face, and said, "I often hear Buddhist monks talk about Buddhist teachings. The Buddha vowed that he would not leave the world until all people in the sea of suffering were saved. I have great respect for this spirit of saving the world and helping all beings."
The generals were quite surprised to hear that the two men were not discussing how to solve the problem of the iron chain, but instead talking about the scenery on both banks of the river. After a while, Zhang Fang said, "When Gongshu Zhai dredged this waterway, he saved countless lives. He could never have imagined that more than a thousand years later, a Yue man would come up with a plan to forge this iron chain that blocks the great river. 'The predecessors build houses, and the successors tear down walls,' it is truly lamentable."
Dong Cheng couldn't help but frown slightly. He had long known that Zhang Fang liked to keep things mysterious, which was also an important reason why Zhang Fang could not enter officialdom in Su. No superior would like someone who always speaks in riddles. But Dong Cheng's composure was far better than it was a few years ago. He simply said, "Brother Zhang, why don't you just reveal your plan?"
Zhang Fang chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed. He said, "This iron chain is too thick to break, but in the Five Elements, iron chains belong to metal, and metal is the element that overcomes metal..."
"It will definitely be a fire!" someone among the generals blurted out. They had just used the fire monkey strategy to burn down the camp of the monkey, and now they were going to use fire to break the strategy of the iron chain across the river.
“But setting fire to the river is a bit troublesome,” Zhang Fang said slowly. “I have a plan in mind; let the Commander-in-Chief see if it’s feasible.”
The next day, Dong Cheng ordered the felling of trees in the mountains to build rafts. Large piles of firewood were then stacked on the rafts, which were set ablaze before being launched downstream. The rafts drifted downstream, but when they reached the iron chain blocking the river, they were stopped. The fire burned beneath the chain for half a day before melting the massive iron chain into molten iron. The plan that the nameless Yue man had presented to Wu Shu was also melted into molten iron amidst the raging flames on the rafts, disappearing into the river.
two,
The wars among the nations of Shenzhou have lasted for a millennium. In the past, every ten to twenty years, a major war would erupt, engulfing all the nations. In these wars, nations were born or perished; vast territories crumbled, while smaller states rose to power. Countless drops of blood flowed into rivers and lakes, countless bodies fertilized the plains, and countless bones formed mountains. In recent years, the bloodshed on Shenzhou has intensified. Wars that previously occurred every ten years or so now happen every few years, sometimes even several times a year.
While Li Jun was attacking the Su Kingdom and preparing for a major battle with the allied forces of the Su and Lan Kingdoms, Liu Guang had also deployed his troops. He appointed Xue Wenju, skilled in city defense, to lead a large force to guard the important southwestern town of Shitai, and appointed Han Chong as general to guard the southeast. On the one hand, this strengthened the defenses along the border with Yuzhou, and on the other hand, it created a stalemate with Xue Wenju, revealing a readiness to march south and fight Ling Qi of the Huai Kingdom at any time. The number of clashes between the two sides on the border increased sharply, and ministers frequently asked Liu Guang if he was preparing for a decisive battle with Ling Qi, to which Liu Guang remained silent.
On the surface, he feigned an intention to invade the south, but in reality, he used Ma Jiyou as the vanguard, leading his own army of 100,000 men, and selected another 100,000 elite troops he had trained over the years to provide support. He also arranged for provisions and was ready to launch a surprise attack on the Hong Kingdom.