Chapter 22: Amidst the Trembling Clouds (Part One)

At this moment, Yunzhong City stood as it had been rebuilt during the Tianbao era, now serving as the county seat of Yunzhong County. Yet among the people of Mayi Commandery, it was still simply called Yunzhong City.

Compared to the grand capital of Pingcheng, abandoned in the Northern Wei period, Yunzhong City now spanned no more than five or six li in circumference, its layout much reduced from former days.

But for a frontier military stronghold, bigger was not always better. The larger the city, the more soldiers required, and the more blind spots in its defenses. Yunzhong City’s current size suited perfectly the two to three thousand core soldiers of the Heng’an Eagle Command, and such small but sturdy, well-manned cities were the most vexing obstacles for attacking armies. Time and again, when the Turks raided south, they would bypass the Eagle Command at Heng’an, unwilling to assault it.

During last year’s campaign, when the combined forces of Hedong and Mayi resisted the Turks, after the main host intercepted the enemy’s onslaught, Heng’an’s Eagle Command used Yunzhong City as a base for constant sorties, setting the Turks’ rear in flames. As the Turkish army faltered and retreated, they even managed to reclaim countless Mayi folk who had been seized. That battle left the Turks unusually quiet for a year, and made this small city a thorn in their side.

Being a small city, Eagle Command’s soldiers were everywhere within its walls.

Since the tenth year of the Daye era, Heng’an’s Eagle Command had been on permanent duty here, treating Yunzhong City as their home. Every alley and lane was effectively part of the barracks. At the call of the military authority, every household’s men would emerge with spears and armor, gathering into a fighting force.

On ordinary days, one might see only a few patrols along the walls, a squad or two at the gates. But at a sign of trouble, be it beacon fire or unrest within the city, a crack force would assemble in an instant!

Now, as the steppe Tatars gathered for trade, the city’s defenses were even tighter.

When Xu Le and his company burst through the city gate, before them was a barricade: a row of thick wooden stakes driven into the earth, before which stood a line of cheval de frise, and in front of that, a trench bristling with caltrops.

Behind the barricade were wooden watch posts, projecting a man’s height above the fence, each with a platform for four or five crossbowmen.

Upon entering, they faced this interior line of defense, passage granted only by stout planks laid over the trench.

The city walls’ defenses appeared almost casual, but should an enemy, disguised as a trader, attempt to storm the gate, they would find themselves trapped between the wall and the wooden barricade, with a hail of arrows raining down from above—no place to hide, no room to maneuver, and in moments, all would be lost.

True fortress defense was never just about repelling the enemy outside the walls; that was the amateur’s way. The true art lay in the use of layered obstacles to draw the enemy in, then annihilate them with devastating force. The more who entered, the fewer who survived—this was how attackers’ morale was truly crushed.

Now, with the alarm sounding on the ramparts, Xu Le’s party saw archers atop the watch posts, bows drawn taut, and Eagle Command soldiers flooding out from behind the barricade, shouting as they pulled back the planks from the trench.

Beyond the barricade were the city’s homes. On the rooftops, townsfolk had gathered, wide-eyed at the unfolding drama.

This time, Song Bao and his companions had learned caution. The young heroes raised their voices, shouting, “We’re locals from Mayi! Set upon by the Eagle Command of Heng’an! We’ve come to appeal to Liu the Hawk—ask him if he still cares for the people of Mayi!”

Song Bao raised his hand and called out, “I am Song Bao, the Iron Flying Swallow! Has anyone in Yunzhong heard of me? I swear every word is true—if there’s a single falsehood, may I be reborn as a beast and never find release!”

A voice from the watch post called out in surprise, “Indeed, it’s Song Bao, the eldest Song!”

The people of Mayi were known for their valor and love of heroes; when war came, many young men joined the Eagle Command with bow and blade. Liu Wuzhou had once been the famed leader of local heroes, and the likes of the Zhu and Guo clans were renowned in Mayi. Even now, many bold men joined the Eagle Command for the sake of Liu Wuzhou’s name.

Song Bao’s name, the Iron Flying Swallow, was well-known throughout the commandery—swift horse, long spear, agile and bold. Some among the Eagle Command recognized him.

Many on the watch post lowered their bows, and someone shouted, “Song Bao, dismount and come over! Tell it to our commander yourself!”

Song Bao’s eyes reddened as he pointed back to the Eagle Command troops pouring down from the wall, the dust cloud behind them growing ever nearer. “If I fall into their hands, I’ll die for sure!”

In the brief moments of shouting back and forth, Eagle Command troops had already reached them, led by a sweating officer who bellowed, “By order of the commander, seize them first, but do not harm their lives!”

Then another voice called out, “These are my men—Yuan Si’s!”

Xu Le had been sitting his horse, halberd at his side, watching Song Bao’s heated exchange with the soldiers, amused at how the Iron Flying Swallow’s endless chatter and trouble-making was finally good for something. At that shout, he turned to see the pursuing troops, faces twisted with rage, burst into Yunzhong City.

At their head was Yuan Junwei, the rising star of Heng’an’s Eagle Command, his face streaked with sweat and dust, eyes almost sparking with fury.

Clustered around him were his men, breathless from the chase. Those who could be sent out as ambushers were all the subordinates of his brother, Yuan Junzhang, who enjoyed Liu Wuzhou’s trust. These men felt themselves a cut above the rest, and many had followed Liu Wuzhou to Goryeo. Now, having been played for fools by these traveling merchants, they were humiliated in their own city, and wished nothing more than to devour the lot of them.

Yuan Junwei’s gaze locked on Xu Le, who grinned back, showing eight white teeth. That air of composure only made Yuan Junwei’s fury blaze higher. He roared at the officer coming down the wall, “Out of my way!”

With a jerk of his head, his dozen or so guards surged forward like wolves, swords and spears at the ready, looking set to slaughter them all.

The townsfolk, clambering up to watch from rooftops behind the barricade, shouted in alarm, “They’re all our own people! Don’t kill them!”

But Xu Le just smiled and said to Han Yue beside him, “Stop them, but don’t hurt anyone. The bigger the commotion, the better!”

Han Yue wheeled his horse to meet them. Ahead, Song Bao gritted his teeth, yanked his reins, and turned as well. “Han Yue, let me help you!”

At this point, indeed, the greater the uproar, the better. The other young heroes all followed suit.