Chapter 442
Chapter 442
With a butcher's knife at their necks, the hundred artisans worked at a feverish pace. By the next day, a dozen trebuchets were fully assembled. Zheng Tuo ordered all soldiers with rashes and smallpox to rest in the barracks. He then personally led five thousand troops out of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate, escorting the dozen trebuchets. The terrain here was rugged, with only a single path leading out from the fortress walls, making it impossible to deploy his troops in a wide formation. The seven-to-eight-meter-wide road could accommodate two trebuchets at most, and there was no room for five thousand soldiers to line up.
Zheng Tuo personally led a thousand elite soldiers to guard the trebuchets from behind. After the dozen trebuchets were in position, the soldiers worked with all their might to set them up. The path through the rugged terrain was narrow, making every step of the process arduous. Now, with all the trebuchets finally deployed, the moment had come to crush and slaughter the enemy forces mercilessly. Shen Lang's army was densely packed in the pass ahead; a single hit from a massive boulder would cause mass casualties.
"Prepare to fire!"
At Zheng Long's command, all the trebuchets underwent final adjustments. Strong men heaved hundred-jin (50kg) boulders onto the trebuchet platforms. Just as they were about to launch, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air from Shen Lang's army. Immediately after, with a great cry, they scattered and swiftly retreated. In an instant, Shen Lang's forces had moved out of the trebuchets' range, pulling back to occupy a lower section of the pass.
Zheng Long cursed at the sight.
"Damn it! Main force, advance three hundred paces! Pack up the trebuchets!"
The Zheng clan's army advanced three hundred paces. The dozen trebuchets were moved with them, set up once more, and loaded with massive boulders, ready to fire. But once again, Shen Lang's army scattered and retreated further down the pass. This pattern repeated several times until Zheng Tuo and Zheng Long were about to explode with rage. Shen Lang's army seemed to be toying with them, waiting until the exact moment they had laboriously set up all dozen trebuchets and were ready to fire before immediately pulling back. They spent five or six hours like this, attempting to fire the trebuchets four or five times, but never once managed to launch a single stone.
The Zheng clan's army had wasted an entire day, only to be openly mocked by Shen Lang's forces. The dozen trebuchets were set up and packed away again and again, a tedious and exhausting process. Still, in the end, Zheng Tuo had achieved his goal. By repeatedly forcing them to retreat, he had pushed Shen Lang's army out of the extremely narrow pass and into a wide, open area. Now, Zheng Tuo's twenty thousand troops could engage in a large-scale battle to encircle and annihilate the enemy.
However, night had already fallen, making it disadvantageous to fight. Zheng Tuo ordered his five thousand troops to make camp where they were. The main army from the distant fortress descended in continuous waves, and soon all of Zheng Tuo's forces were gathered in the wide area at the foot of the mountain. In the end, a grand total of fifteen thousand troops had assembled, giving them an absolute advantage over Shen Lang's two thousand cavalry. Their cavalry numbers alone were double Shen Lang's. They could attack Shen Lang as soon as day broke. Zheng Tuo's four thousand cavalrymen slept with their spears as pillows, ready to give chase the moment Shen Lang's army tried to flee. Night was not ideal for battle, but it was also not easy to escape.
Zheng Long said,
"Father, don't you think Shen Lang will flee tomorrow?"
"I would rather he fled. It would allow our Zheng clan to escape this smallpox crisis."
The advantage of the Qiang cavalry was their skill in mounted archery. Their disadvantage was that their warhorses were small; though they had great stamina, their charging speed was not fast. In contrast, the main cavalry of the State of Yue rode large horses, giving them a very fast charge. This meant that in a short-to-medium distance charge, Zheng Tuo's main cavalry had the upper hand. Showing their backs to the Qiang cavalry would be extremely disadvantageous. That was why Shen Lang's Qiang cavalry consistently maintained a considerable distance from Zheng Tuo's army.
A stream of bad news arrived from Zheng Tuo's main camp. The smallpox outbreak had suddenly intensified today. While there were only about three hundred cases yesterday, the number had exploded to over a thousand today. Furthermore, the army physician reported to Zheng Tuo that even more cases were expected tomorrow. They didn't know the incubation period of the smallpox virus, but they generally understood its progression. What was even more frightening was that some of the army physicians themselves had been infected. At this rate, no matter how much Zheng Tuo announced that the disease wasn't life-threatening, the sheer contagiousness would cause fear to spread throughout the army.
Just then, a loud voice erupted from Shen Lang's camp.
"Soldiers of Zheng Tuo, you have smallpox! You've all caught smallpox!"
It was Big Dummy's voice. Then, two thousand men shouted in unison.
"You have smallpox! You have smallpox!"
In an instant, Zheng Tuo's army fell into chaos. Some soldiers had already suspected they might have smallpox and feared they would die a meaningless death. Now, hearing Shen Lang's army shout it out loud, they trembled with fear and terror. Zheng Tuo was utterly shocked.
*'That bastard Shen Lang, how did he find out?'*
During the daytime maneuvers, Zheng Tuo had only brought healthy-looking soldiers, so there was no way Shen Lang could have known they had smallpox. From Shen Lang's camp, Big Dummy shouted again.
"The food and water sources in Su Nan's fortress were all contaminated with the smallpox virus. The number of infected will only continue to grow! You've all eaten the food and drunk the water from the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate, so you will all be infected! Do you know about the smallpox epidemic that ravaged the Qiang Kingdom? And do you know who cured it? It was I, Shen Lang! Brothers of Zheng Tuo's army, do you want to live? If you want to live, it's very simple. Take off your armor, drop your weapons, and walk over to my side. I will give you the miracle cure and heal your smallpox."
Big Dummy had truly accomplished a difficult feat, memorizing such a long speech without a mistake. Zheng Tuo's side desperately refuted the claim.
"Brothers, don't fall for Shen Lang's tricks. What you have is not smallpox, just a common rash. If it were truly smallpox, why would I, Zheng Tuo, not be afraid? Why wouldn't I run?"
Hearing this, Zheng Tuo's army felt slightly reassured. But a moment later, Big Dummy's voice rang out from Shen Lang's camp again.
"Zheng Tuo and Zheng Long were vaccinated long ago, so of course they aren't afraid of smallpox. Everyone in the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate has been vaccinated, so they will never be infected. Brothers of Zheng Tuo's army, your commander, Zheng Tuo, has hidden the truth and refuses to treat you. He wants you all to die!"
Zheng Tuo's army, already filled with dread, became even more frightened and confused upon hearing this. Then, from Shen Lang's camp, two thousand men shouted in unison.
"Smallpox, smallpox, smallpox!"
Zheng Tuo couldn't take it anymore and roared.
"All cavalry! Mount up and slaughter that bastard Shen Lang's army!"
Zheng Long tried to stop him.
"Father, it's difficult to fight at night."
"You think I don't know that? If we don't fight now, we won't be able to fight at all!"
Just as Zheng Tuo said, the army was steeped in fear. They had to fight now, while they still had a shred of morale left. If they waited until tomorrow, when the smallpox outbreak worsened, they wouldn't be able to put up a proper fight.
Just as Zheng Tuo's cavalry finished assembling, Shen Lang's side lit countless torches. The Qiang cavalry all mounted their horses and began to flee frantically.
"After them! Chase them down!"
At Zheng Tuo's command, four thousand of his cavalry gave chase with wild abandon. Their warhorses were truly massive, and their charging speed was incredible. But riding at night, they couldn't see the path clearly and couldn't push their horses to their top speed. Besides, Shen Lang's cavalry was already a good distance away. Although Zheng Tuo's cavalry gradually closed the distance, their horses began to tire, and their speed slowed. In contrast, the ever-insolent Shen Lang, seeing Zheng Tuo's cavalry slow down, also reduced his pace, consistently maintaining a set distance. And his two thousand men shouted in unison again.
"It's smallpox! Smallpox, smallpox!"
Most of the four thousand cavalrymen had not yet shown symptoms of smallpox, but their bodies were already infected with the virus. Shen Lang's side repeatedly shouting "smallpox" created a powerful psychological suggestion. Many started to feel itchy. When they scratched themselves, they found actual rashes and were scared out of their wits.
After a brief rest, Zheng Tuo again ordered his cavalry to charge the enemy. But Shen Lang's cavalry fled once more, and they still couldn't engage in battle. And so, one side chased while the other fled, repeating the pattern. Like a game of tag in the dead of night, they pursued for a hundred *li* without a single proper fight, leaving both armies utterly exhausted. However, Shen Lang's army maintained its morale by taunting their opponents, while Zheng Tuo's cavalry, filled with anxiety, saw their morale plummet to the point of collapse. As dawn approached, Shen Lang's army suddenly stopped toying with Zheng Tuo's cavalry and charged off in a specific direction.
Zheng Long asked.
"Father, should we give chase?"
Zheng Tuo shook his head.
"We can't pursue them any longer. Dawn is about to break."
When the sun rose, many of his cavalrymen would discover the pox on their faces and be consumed by the terrifying realization that they had smallpox. At that point, the soldiers' morale would completely shatter.
Zheng Tuo said in a trembling voice.
"Let's go. We're turning back, now!"
Of course, Zheng Tuo was reluctant to turn back. He had suppressed so much rage throughout the night.
*'Shen Lang, you damn bastard. One day, I will tear you to shreds!'*
"All troops, return to the barracks!"
At Zheng Tuo's command, the four thousand exhausted cavalrymen slowly turned back toward their camp. A short while later, day broke, and the cavalrymen saw that each other's faces were covered in pox.
"You have it too! You too!"
"Gods. There are so many on your face."
"It's smallpox. This is smallpox."
The incubation period had passed, and a great many men had broken out with smallpox. Zheng Tuo shouted.
"Return to the fortress for treatment!"
Just then, sharp, strange cries came from their rear. Shen Lang's Qiang cavalry was charging toward them like madmen. And they were charging much faster than expected. It was because Shen Lang's cavalry had all switched to large horses, like those ridden by the Yue cavalry. Shen Lang had already prepared a camp nearby, where over two thousand warhorses used by the Yue cavalry were waiting. Although the Qiang warhorses were small, they were numerous, so it was common for one rider to handle two horses—riding one while leading another into battle.
"Die, die! Smallpox, smallpox, smallpox!"
Two thousand Qiang cavalrymen madly pursued them from behind. Watching them, Zheng Long asked urgently.
"Father, what should we do? Should we turn and fight?"
Zheng Tuo looked at his cavalry. Their warhorses were already spent, and the soldiers' morale had all but collapsed. But he absolutely could not show his back to the enemy.
"Turn and face the enemy!"