Chapter 127: No Turning Back

Kong Sheng was referring to one of the crossbows issued to the Tang military. There were many varieties of Tang crossbows, including arm-drawn crossbows, horn-bow crossbows, single-wood crossbows, large single-wood crossbows, bamboo-pole crossbows, large bamboo-pole crossbows, Fuyuan (Distance-Taming) crossbows, and winch-operated siege crossbows.

The Fuyuan crossbow had a range of about three hundred paces, the arm-drawn crossbow about two hundred and thirty paces, the horn-bow crossbow about two hundred paces, and the single-bow crossbow about one hundred and sixty paces. The range of the Fuyuan crossbow was comparable to the effective range of an M4 rifle.

As for the winch-operated crossbows—bed-mounted weapons that required dozens or even hundreds of men to draw—their range could reach over a thousand meters. If Wang Family Fort were equipped with such siege engines, a mere five or six hundred rebels would be of no concern; a single barrage would wipe them all out.

Hearing that there were no siege crossbows, Kong Sheng was clearly disappointed. He did not know that because of their high production costs, crossbows—especially large-scale ones—were strictly guarded treasures within the military, rarely seen, let alone outside of formal military installations.

The cold wind brushed against his face. Kong Sheng pulled his cloak tighter and shrugged, saying, "The only plan now is to take a desperate risk and fight outside the walls. Otherwise, once the rebels return with scaling ladders and scatter to surround the fort, Wang Family Fort will be in grave danger."

Kong Sheng was absolutely right. Two sides of Wang Family Fort were built against mountains, but two sides faced the open plains. If the rebels split their forces to attack from both sides, the limited manpower inside the fort would be stretched thin, inevitably leading to the tragic downfall of the citadel.

Li Xuan gritted her teeth. Charging out of the fort to face the rebels in a decisive battle was a desperate move, not to be taken lightly. Unless—

Li Xuan’s beautiful, slender willow-leaf brows suddenly arched. She let out a long breath, and a cold, resolute light appeared on her lovely face. Li Hu and Li Bao, who had been following her, felt their hearts sink; they guessed that the Princess intended to gather all available men to charge out of Wang Family Fort and abandon the stronghold.

Abandoning and retreating was not necessarily a bad strategy. But if they did that, the hundreds of elderly, weak, women, and children within the fort would be left to face a gruesome fate, and the wealth the Wang family had accumulated over many years would be looted clean by the rebels.

"Li Hu, Li Bao, quickly gather all the men and prepare to march! Once we charge out of the fort, do not get bogged down in combat; retreat to Huanggang and wait for further orders!" Li Xuan waved her hand, her voice high and sharp.

Kong Sheng was stunned, then immediately understood. He realized Li Xuan had made a snap decision to abandon the defense of the fort. While abandoning the fort was a rational move, the many innocent elderly, weak, women, and children within were helpless. Once abandoned and left to the mercy of the marauders, their fate would be too horrific to contemplate.

Kong Sheng frowned and said, "Princess, if we abandon the fort, the elderly, the weak, the women, and the commoners inside will all fall into the hands of the rebels."

Li Xuan swept a cold glance at him, thinking to herself that his words were useless drivel. If it were not a matter of absolute desperation, how could she have the heart to do this? But those who seek to achieve great things do not sweat the small details; compared to the protection of the grain supply and the overall interests of the main army north of the Yangtze, these people were, in fact, negligible.

Besides, if they did not act decisively, would it only be the people of this fort who were sacrificed?

Kong Sheng could not help but sigh softly. He knew Li Xuan’s choice was not wrong, but if he were in her position, making such a choice would be incredibly difficult. The reason was simple: he was, after all, a person from modern civilization. Forcing himself to watch hundreds of defenseless people head toward destruction was harder than suicide.

An Lushan’s rebels were of nomadic origin and naturally brutal. Once the fort was sacked, they would surely leave no survivors and would likely burn the place to the ground, burying all the captives within it.

As this tragedy loomed, Kong Sheng’s mouth twitched. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "Princess, grant me fifty of your bravest and most battle-hardened men, equipped with bows and *modao* (long-handled sabers). Let me lead them out to test the enemy's strength! If we are defeated, you can rally the remaining forces to cover our retreat, and we shall converge to break through the encirclement together!"

Li Xuan looked up at Kong Sheng, her expression complex and surprised.

Li Hu and Li Bao also looked at Kong Sheng, their eyes filled with intense admiration. They knew full well that Kong Sheng’s decision was motivated solely by his inability to bear the sight of the innocents being slaughtered. As an outsider, his willingness to step forward so gallantly commanded their respect.

"Princess, we are willing to follow Magistrate Kong out of the fort to fight the rebels to the death!"

Li Xuan’s expression shifted, and she nodded slowly. "Kong Sheng, very well. Whether this battle ends in victory or defeat, I shall be grateful for your courage today! Men, pass the order: beat the drums and mobilize the troops!"

Fifty riders formed up at the fort's gate. The riders on horseback carried horn bows and strange cowhide pouches on their backs, with arrow quivers at their waists and sharp *modao* in their hands. They sat upright on their horses with solemn expressions. This was the entirety of the elite combat force Li Xuan could muster, all of them veterans from the Northwest Army.

Kong Sheng donned a suit of armor; it was the first time in his life he had ever worn military gear. He carried the bright silver spear he had seized from the rebel general Tang Genshui and led his prized horse, Zhuifeng, as he walked slowly forward. Mu Changfeng, Wu Xian, and Wu Jie followed close behind, leading their own mounts.

Kong Sheng tested the weight of the armor on his body before swinging into the saddle. He rode forward to face the cavalry.

The soldiers looked with respect at the young man, a scholar by origin, who appeared so spirited and imposing. They held their *modao* high.

"Brothers, I am Kong Sheng, a scholar from Jiangning. His Majesty the Emperor granted me the status of a Son of the Emperor's Student, and the court appointed me Magistrate of Songcheng County in Suiyang, Henan. Now, the rebels surround our city. If we do not ride out to fight, the hundreds of elderly, weak, women, and children in this fort will be slaughtered."

"Therefore, we must ride out and fight to the death! I ask you all to follow my commands!"

"Fight to the death!" The angry roar of the fifty riders pierced the clouds, shaking the entire fort.

Li Xuan stood by the roadside with a solemn expression and waved her hand: "Bring the wine! A toast to their courage!"

A soldier walked forward with a cup of wine and stood before Kong Sheng’s horse. Kong Sheng took the cup, downed it in one gulp, and then smashed it hard against the ground. He raised his spear high: "Open the gates! Follow me and charge!"

Mu Changfeng sat on his horse, his brows tightly knitted. In his view, Kong Sheng was, after all, a civil official and a scholar; such matters of leading a bloody battle should be left to professional warriors. There was no need for him to risk his own life.

The fort gates were opened slowly.

Kong Sheng rode out, and the biting cold wind rushed to meet him. In that instant, his mind was remarkably clear. He knew his decision today was not rational—it was perhaps even foolish—but he did not regret it.

In this life, no matter what goal one struggles for, there are always untouchable, soft scales—things one will strive to protect at all costs. For the sake of the hundreds of lives in this fort, Kong Sheng felt that even if he were to perish at the hands of the rebels, it would be a death worth dying.

Where righteousness leads, there is no turning back!

The fifty-odd riders galloped out with solemn determination.

The fort gates were closed and barred once more.

Nearly everyone in the fort climbed the walls, gazing at the fifty-odd warriors who had charged forth with such righteous resolve, kicking up a rolling cloud of dust on the plains. Many were moved to tears.

Fifty against five hundred—what a disparity in strength! And what a generous and tragic sight it was!

Li Xuan stood motionless on the wall, the cold wind blowing through her disheveled hair. She did not know when her disguised headscarf had been lost, but she remained unaware, her eyes fixed on the scene outside. Her tense, uneasy gaze followed the trajectory of Kong Sheng, armored and charging on horseback, stretching far toward the south.

Two crystalline tears gradually slid down her cheeks. Her heart trembled, and her long eyelashes fluttered as she let out a faint, long sigh.

Kong Sheng rode Zhuifeng, far in the lead, with Mu Changfeng, Wu Xian, and Wu Jie close behind. The three had already reached a secret consensus: if things went awry, regardless of whether Kong Sheng wished it or not, they would escort him away from the battlefield and head straight to Henan to take up his post.

The rebel camp was about a mile away. Because the terrain was flat and the view open, the approach of Kong Sheng’s fifty riders had long since alerted the rebel leaders. However, the rebels did not take them seriously; dozens of men charging at them was no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot—it was nothing but a death wish!

The rebel leader led over a hundred cavalrymen to form a line, blocking the path of Kong Sheng’s charging force.

Just as Li Hu, Li Bao, and the other riders thought Kong Sheng would lead them in a single, desperate charge into the enemy camp, Kong Sheng suddenly pulled on the reins, brought his horse to a halt, and raised his spear high.

The two leaders and their fifty riders arrived with a roar, then had to brake halfway, forming a line behind Kong Sheng.

Li Hu frowned, thinking to himself that Kong Sheng was a scholar after all and lacked tactical expertise. If they had utilized their speed and courage to charge in one go, they might have had a chance. Now that they had stopped abruptly, the momentum was lost, and regaining it would be harder than anything.

But since this expedition was led by Kong Sheng, they dared not voice any dissent that would disturb the morale of the troops.

"Listen to my command!" Kong Sheng roared: "Half of you prepare for combat, half of you prepare for volley fire!"

The rebel leader was a bearded man in his thirties. He pointed his spear from afar and laughed wildly: "Are you dozens of riders coming out of the city just to die?"

Kong Sheng exhaled deeply and looked up at the azure sky. The sky of the Great Tang was so blue, without a trace of haze, and the air was so fresh that it felt invigorating to breathe into his lungs.

His deep gaze fell upon the rebel commander, but immediately shifted to the "worksite" behind the hundred-plus rebels, where dozens of carpenters and commoners were being forced by rebel soldiers to continue making scaling ladders. They did not regard Kong Sheng’s fifty riders as any threat at all.

Kong Sheng understood clearly that with only fifty men, no matter how brave they were, they could not break through a formation of five hundred. The only plan now was to strike at the worksite, burn the half-finished scaling ladders and other equipment in the ensuing chaos, and then retreat. That would achieve their goal.

Seeing that Kong Sheng and his men had no intention of charging, the rebel commander frowned and gave the order to lead his hundred-plus men to intercept them.

Kong Sheng stood tall in his saddle, his expression calm.

Fifty meters!

Thirty meters!

Twenty meters!

As the rebels closed in, Li Hu and Li Bao shouted anxiously: "Magistrate Kong, shall we charge? Otherwise, we will surely be overrun by the rebels!"

Kong Sheng gave a cold smile and suddenly roared: "Follow the plan! Li Hu, Li Bao, lead half the men to flank them! Wu Xian, Wu Jie, follow me! Charge!"

Li Hu and Li Bao led twenty-odd riders without hesitation, immediately turning their horses to charge toward the flank. Their maneuver left the oncoming rebels stunned and confused—were they trying to escape?

But because they were moving at such a high speed, it was difficult for them to adjust their formation.

And just then, Kong Sheng spurred his horse, leading the remaining twenty-plus men in a roar as they charged straight into the front of the enemy line.