Volume Three: Heroes Silent, Heaven and Earth Age Old - Chapter 20: The Choice (Part II)

The sudden upheaval at Mount Dongmou struck like a pebble casting a thousand ripples. When the news reached Liaoyang, Guan Duo sat in silence for a long while. He had never fully trusted Nahachu; yet now that the crisis had actually arrived, he could not help but feel caught off guard.

Fortunately, he had not staked his entire life and fortunes on that empty, deceitful surrender pact; he had long since prepared contingency measures. That very afternoon, military orders were dispatched to Deng She's camp.

The order read: "The Tatars are cunning. Taking advantage of the emptiness within our city, thirty thousand men have attacked the mountain. However, both Liaoyang and Guangning are close to Shenyang. While Nahachu seeks to exploit the emptiness of our Liaoyang, he must also guard against our forces striking at his own unguarded rear. Therefore, this old man asserts that to avoid fighting on two fronts and giving us a chance to strike straight at the dragon's lair, the Tatars attacking Mount Dongmou number only these thirty thousand. Nahachu will certainly not dare to dispatch reinforcements.

"In other words, though the Tatars appear menacing, their momentum cannot be sustained. This old man has already issued strict commands to the Gaizhou front to accelerate and intensify the speed and scale of their offensive, striving to conclude the battle within a few days and return to reinforce Liaoyang. Please inform Pan Mei's detachment that no matter what, they must hold their ground to the death without retreating; after ten days, there will surely be a turning point. Once the battle of Gaizhou is over, our army is very likely to seize this opportune moment while the Tatar main force is away to capture Shenyang in one stroke. If this battle is won, Pan Mei's detachment and yours shall claim the foremost merit.

"Though this old man unworthily holds the post of Pingzhang, I often feel ashamed, knowing I am no fine chancellor; though you gentlemen are merely commanders, you are young, promising, and truly capable generals. Though the moon is bright, it will eventually sink; though the sun is faint, it will ultimately rise. The moon is this old man; the sun, you and Pan Mei? With the Holy Emperor above, how can we dare not strive to excel!

"This old man has already transferred five thousand men from the detachments of Xu Ren and Li Jing to set out from the city today and rendezvous with you by the Taizi River. The day of the rendezvous shall be the day of our expedition. Additionally: This old man hears that you intend to move the Shuangcheng troops across the Yalu River and maneuver them toward Mount Dongmou. In this old man's view, this is truly a most inappropriate and inferior strategy.

"The role of the Shuangcheng troops should not be spent on rescuing Mount Dongmou. Mount Dongmou is merely a scab on the skin; Shenyang is the heart and viscera. When a fierce tiger leaves its cage, does it care for lambs? This old man has already ordered Zheng Sanbao and Chen Hu not to act rashly, and to wait for the day when the battle of Gaizhou is finished—that will be the time for them to prance their horses and display their might when we attack Shenyang."

Having read the military order, Deng She remained silent for a long time.

Guan Duo's intentions were expressed with utmost clarity. The entire directive conveyed three layers of meaning: First, everything remained under control, so there was no need to panic; second, for the sake of the Young Ming King, he and Pan Mei must fight diligently, for they were like the rising sun and would surely become renowned throughout the land; third, it rejected Fang Buzhen and Deng She's proposal, firmly forbidding any rendezvous with the Shuangcheng troops.

Deng She had no objection to the first two points, but regarding the third—at such a critical juncture, Guan Duo's defensiveness and vigilance toward Shuangcheng remained unabated. Although Deng She understood, he could not help but feel a sense of self-preservation anxiety.

Fang Buzhen furrowed his brows; frankly, he was somewhat dissatisfied as well.

Ever since Deng She entered Liaoyang, Fang had been constantly by his side, witnessing everything Deng She did. Leaving aside Deng She's personal attitude toward him—even while knowing Fang was Guan Duo's planted spy, Deng She still shared meals with him, played chess during leisure hours, treated him with respect and courtesy, and conversed jovially—just looking at Deng She's attitude toward Guan Duo, it could not be described as anything less than reverent. To say he followed every instruction to the letter would be no exaggeration. In the present situation, it was glaringly obvious that deploying the Shuangcheng troops was the optimal choice, yet Guan Duo deliberately abandoned this option in favor of the inferior strategy of reinforcing from Liaoyang. Fang glanced sideways at Deng She and thought, "Is he not afraid of breaking his heart and chilling his spirit?"

This single thought revealed the difference between Fang and Guan Duo. Or rather, it showed why Guan Duo was Guan Duo, and why Fang Buzhen could only ever be Fang Buzhen.

Thoughts were thoughts, but what had to be done still had to be done. Fang Buzhen said, "Lord Pingzhang's analysis makes profound sense. Laozi says: 'Misfortune may be the hiding place of fortune; fortune may be the stalker of misfortune.' The crisis before us may not necessarily fail to become a great opportunity for the future. General, what is your view?"

Deng She smiled and said, "Lord Pingzhang's vision is far-reaching; I admire it deeply. Let us follow his military order. I shall immediately issue another directive to Chen Hu and Zheng Sanbao, ordering them to stay put and wait." Looking up at the sky as the sun gradually sank, he continued, "Liaoyang is several tens of li away. At a fast pace, Generals Xu Ren and Li Jing should arrive around midnight. Long-distance marching requires rest; tomorrow morning, our army will set out for Mount Dongmou. What does Master Fang think?"

Deng She's depth of character and magnanimity filled Fang Buzhen with admiration. "Let it be as the General says," Fang replied.

In charge of logistics and grain provisions, Fang Buzhen withdrew first to make preparations for breaking camp and marching. Seeing him walk away, Bi Qianniu leaned in close and whispered, "General?" Deng She glanced at the kneeling figure of Li Guixiang huddled in the corner, raised a hand to stop him from speaking, and said instead, "You should withdraw as well. Order the three armies to make preparations for battle."

The so-called battle preparations meant, on the one hand, sharpening weapons and feeding the horses, and on the other, holding grievance-recounting assemblies. Bi Qianniu accepted the order and withdrew. What he wanted to say, even if unsaid, Deng She knew well: being isolated here with an army was far too dangerous. With the current crisis so pressing, to disobey Guan Duo's command—with external threats still unresolved—would invite internal rebellion, and the safety of Liaoyang could well be imagined. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold; if Liaoyang fell, the fate of Shuangcheng could likewise be foreseen.

Perhaps it was precisely by seizing upon this point that Guan Duo dared to issue such a military order. Both men were continually probing each other's bottom line; for the time being, Deng She seemed to have the lower hand. However, Deng She had his own calculations. With the additional five thousand men from Xu Ren and Li Jing, twenty-five thousand men fighting thirty thousand might be hard-pressed to win, but the chance of a crushing defeat was slim, and for him, there would be no real loss. That was the first point.

Second, Chen Hu's army was no more than a hundred li away from him. Should the situation deteriorate to an irremediable stage—such as Shenyang sending reinforcements or a disastrous defeat at Mount Dongmou—at that juncture, a rendezvous with them could still be fully achieved without the slightest problem.

In short, the situation remained unclear, and success or failure hung in the balance; there was no need to tear faces open with Guan Duo at this moment.

At the very least, there was this: Chen Hu's previous military report stated that under the guise of clearing out Mongol strongholds along the river, the operation to plunder and relocate Han civilians was proceeding smoothly. There were gains every day, ranging from a hundred-odd people to nearly a thousand at most. Gathering little to make much, by now the total number of relocated residents was roughly seven or eight thousand.

From this perspective, not deploying Chen Hu's troops actually had its favorable side. Of course, this advantage was built upon the foundation that Deng She was confident he could ensure personal safety without mobilizing that force.

Having figured out the gains and losses, Deng She felt a slight ease in his mind. Yet, trapped within a spider's web for so long, the urge to "lead a hundred thousand troops and sweep across the world" involuntarily welled up in his heart. Glancing again at the kneeling Li Guixiang, she kept her head bowed, exposing her fair neck. Her loose women's gown could not conceal her exquisitely curved body, her tender thighs and the swelling of her breasts faintly visible.

Deng She knew that beneath her skirt, she habitually wore nothing at all, making it convenient whenever the mood struck him to lift the skirt and make use of her. "Truly a qualified human doll." At this thought, recalling the incredible pleasures he had reaped from her, a sudden surge of depraved heat erupted within him.

"Come here."

Out of habit, like a little dog, Li Guixiang crawled over along the floor. As she moved, her round, soft buttocks rose and fell beneath her skirt. Deng She stood up from behind his desk and commanded, "Turn around."

Obediently, Li Guixiang turned her back and elevated her hips. Deng She lifted her skirt, bunching it up around her slender waist. Her bare buttocks were white, tender, and perky—truly the most beautiful part of her body. "Whose daughter are you?" Deng She asked on a whim, a trick he had learned from Luo Guannu, discovering that such dialogues invariably heightened his excitement.

"This slave is the daughter of Minister Li."

"Who are you now?"

"I am the General's doll." This phrase was not taught by Deng She; she had known it innately. When she first uttered it, it had greatly surprised and excited Deng She. No matter who had trained her, every word of hers always managed to scratch the exact itch.

Deng She caressed her buttocks. The hair on her lower parts had been shaved completely clean; a tiny, delicate chrysanthemum was ruddy and tightly puckered. He had been with her many times and knew her body inside and out; even puppets possessed their own individual traits, and Deng She knew—perhaps due to a natural preference—that Li Guixiang seemed to especially relish being taken from behind. Every time he did so, her reactions were always uniquely different.

"Who am I?"

"The General is slave's daddy."

Deng She parted her petals and thrust his way in. Li Guixiang sprawled flat on the ground