Chapter Thirteen: Schemes on the Battlefield

In the heat of the battle, Li Guogui, one of Red Lady's lieutenants, rushed over to her side, gasping for air. "Red Lady, we cannot keep fighting like this!" he cried. "There are too many imperial troops. They are swarming us from every direction, at least six thousand strong. We only have four thousand men, and they aren't made of iron—after fighting for so long, they are utterly exhausted!"

Nearby, Pan Yong was panting heavily. Having traded his weapon for an iron spear at some point during the fray, he led a group of armored infantry, struggling to hold back the relentless waves of imperial soldiers. Under this pincer attack, Red Lady’s forces were clearly at a disadvantage and had lost the ability to mount an offensive; she was now forced into a defensive posture.

Seeing her two top commanders in such a state, Red Lady knew the situation was dire. Yet, she recalled Li Yan’s confident, unwavering demeanor from just days before. Though she held onto her faith in him, a flicker of doubt began to take root.

"A commander must never show hesitation!" She shook herself from her thoughts, met the anxious gazes of her men, and commanded in a firm voice, "Keep fighting!"

To the south, under Li Yan's command banner, many eyes were turned toward him. Wu Yi, a veteran commander who was close to Red Lady’s division, questioned him directly: "General Li! The imperial troops have received reinforcements. Red Lady is besieged by three strong enemy forces and cannot hold out much longer!"

Li Yan simply smiled, saying nothing, his eyes fixed on the imperial center.

In the imperial center, Liu Zeqing had returned. Seeing that Liu Zhen’s forces had indeed charged forward exactly as Zhu Cilang had predicted, he laughed heartily. "Good, good, good! That Qin Xia has truly been blinded by the prospect of merit; he actually thinks he can defeat Red Lady with such a small force. Heaven is truly granting my wishes!"

"Liu Kui, raise the black flag!" Liu Zeqing ordered his personal guard commander. Shortly after, a dark, ink-colored banner was hoisted high above his ranks.

Seeing this, Li Yan finally smiled. "We have won half the battle."

His officers were baffled, unable to grasp the meaning of his words. Li Yan laughed and explained, "I have received confirmed intelligence. In this battle, Liu Zeqing has no intention of risking his life. The only ones who will fight to the death like Cao Wenzhao are the troops on the left and right flanks. The right flank is already tied down by Red Lady and will have no strength to spare. As for the two thousand imperial soldiers on the left, they are nothing more than craftsmen who were holding hammers just ten days ago!"

The officers were overjoyed. If Liu Zeqing wouldn't fight for his life, they truly had half the battle won. Now, with Li Yan’s troops still fresh and the enemy left with only a rabble of untrained recruits on the flank, victory was within reach.

"General, you are brilliant!"
"We are at your command, General Li!"
"General, give the order! Let me lead the charge against the center!"

Fired up by the prospect of victory, the officers waited as Li Yan shouted sternly, "All officers, hear my order!"

"We obey!" they roared in unison. After Li Yan’s recent reorganization, the military discipline was sharper than ever.

"Qin Daluo, Jiang Bu, Shi Jiulang," Li Yan called out, looking at his officers. "Each of you will lead one thousand elite soldiers. Your objective is the two thousand new recruits on the enemy’s left flank. At the very least, you must ensure that not a single one of them manages to reinforce the center!"

"Understood!" The three men were delighted; compared to Liu Zeqing’s four or five thousand seasoned troops, the two thousand recruits were far easier targets and a surer path to merit.

Li Yan then turned his gaze to a young man in mountain-pattern armor who bore a slight resemblance to him. "Li Nian! Take twelve hundred of our finest armored infantry and follow me to strike the imperial center!"

"I obey," Li Nian replied, his expression steady.

Li Yan nodded and looked toward the veteran Wu Yi. "General Wu, lead your troops behind me. Once we break the Shandong Brigade in the center, you are to pursue Liu Zeqing. If he retreats ten miles, pull back your men and return to camp. I will take the rest of the force to strike the right flank and rescue Red Lady!"

"I understand!" Wu Yi replied with a grin.

"Good!" Li Yan laughed. "Attack!"

Qin Daluo, Jiang Bu, and Shi Jiulang were the first to move, quickly selecting their best men. With three thousand soldiers combined, they surged toward the left flank. Meanwhile, the most imposing sight was Li Nian’s twelve hundred armored infantry. This was Li Yan’s greatest achievement over the last two years—the core force that allowed him to maintain control and earn his accolades.

As this disciplined, battle-hardened unit advanced, the tide of the battle began to shift.

High on the small hill, Zhu Cilang was no longer to be seen. Having returned to his center, Liu Zeqing certainly didn't care where the Prince had gone. But after the left flank had moved out, Zhu Cilang had appeared there himself. With him were the artillery centurion Liu Quan and Li Jun, whom he had met at the Imperial Martial Academy. Together, they were directing over three hundred men in operating ten cannons.

Originally, Zhu Cilang’s artillery unit had only four Falconet guns and one Red-coat cannon. But after Si En arrived from the capital in Linqing, not only were all of Zhu Cilang’s men fully armored, but they also received five more cannons: three Falconets and two Red-coat cannons.

Under normal circumstances, the old artillery squad could never have managed ten cannons at once. Fortunately, taking advantage of the priority recruitment rights during the military expansion, Liu Quan and Li Jun had brought in a large number of clever, quick-witted new recruits. With these men to handle the heavy labor, the artillery unit finally gained the capacity to field all ten cannons at once.

As Li Jun stood up and offered a formal salute, Liu Quan said excitedly, "My Lord, the artillery is prepared!"

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded. Had a keen observer been watching, they would have noticed that where the two thousand infantry had just departed, ten dark, gaping muzzles now stared down the battlefield.