Chapter Forty: The Bed Crossbow Begins to Fire

Li Fude and Pang Zhong originally believed that Geshuhan and Yang Xi had stationed them at Hantong Pass solely to defend the city to the last man, holding their ground until every soldier had fallen. Li Fude dared not disobey Yang Xi's orders, and Pang Zhong, disheartened by his recent defeat at Lingbao, sought redemption. Having witnessed several of Li Fude’s successes, Pang Zhong yearned for a glorious victory to erase his shame, even contemplating a heroic sacrifice to reclaim his reputation. Though the two generals approached their duty with different motivations, both were prepared to lay down their lives, albeit with varying degrees of resolve.

When the eve of battle arrived, they received new orders from Yang Xi, and to their surprise, these instructions were not what they expected. Yang Xi commanded them to inflict as much damage as possible upon the rebel forces while minimizing their own casualties, and to retreat to Sui Tong Pass when the time was right. Regardless of their earlier intentions, both generals were moved by this command; they would not be forced to exhaust their strength in a futile stand at Hantong Pass, but merely to delay the rebels and hold them back. Should resistance become impossible, they were permitted to withdraw to the stronger Sui Tong Pass.

They did not know what the final outcome would be, but the sense of abandonment vanished with Yang Xi’s message. Pang Zhong and Li Fude had already observed the rebels’ approach and swiftly ordered their troops to prepare for battle.

The western gate of Hantong Pass required no defense, for it led to Sui Tong Pass. The northern gate faced the Yellow River, with only a small strip of land by the city wall, barely wide enough to set up scaling ladders; moreover, with the river in flood and the rebels unlikely to attack from that direction, the focus was placed upon the eastern and southern gates, each defended by a thousand men under Li Fude and Pang Zhong respectively. The remaining few hundred soldiers served as reserves, ready to reinforce whichever front suffered the greatest losses. With the orders given, every soldier hurried to the ramparts, arrows nocked and bows drawn, waiting for the rebels to enter range, ready to unleash a volley upon them at the signal.

On the towers, large crossbows were loaded with long bolts, prepared to strike the rebels at a distance before they drew nearer. Pang Zhong lamented the dilapidated state of Hantong Pass and the scant number of troops under his command. Had the city been properly fortified, and had they ten thousand men, he could vow that not a single rebel would set foot upon the ramparts. But now...

Pang Zhong was anxious. Yet all he could do was resist with all his might, holding the city until nightfall, or even longer.

Every minute the rebels were delayed meant more time for reinforcements to arrive.

Though the sun was now slanting westward, the heat lingered, and the bricks of the ramparts burned under its glare, making it unbearable for those stationed on top.

Luckily, the mountain behind the city had begun to shield most of the sunlight from the towers, and the occasional breeze eased the oppressive heat. It was better than the morning and midday, when the heat was truly stifling.

Tong Pass stood between the Yellow River and Mount Hua; in the midst of water and mountains, the noonday sun was fierce, but as soon as it set, the summer heat dissipated swiftly, leaving shaded areas relatively cool.

The rebels had not attacked Tong Pass during the morning or midday, sparing the defenders some hardship.

But this did little to lift Li Fude’s spirits, for he knew the most brutal battle was yet to begin.

“General Li, the enemy is approaching quickly!” a junior officer standing beside Li Fude said in a low voice, his eyes fixed with apprehension on the rebel troops advancing toward Hantong Pass. “General, with so few men, can we really hold this place?”

“Silence! Whether we can or not, we must defend it. If you utter such nonsense again, I will not hesitate to punish you!” Li Fude barked. He himself harbored the same doubts; the rebels were advancing swiftly.

He had hoped that, after their ambush, the rebels would pause to regroup, having suffered heavy losses. Perhaps a day’s respite would allow his troops to savor their victory and recover. After marching day and night for hundreds of miles, the soldiers were exhausted and badly needed rest.

He’d believed they might finally sleep soundly tonight, but that had proven a mere dream—the rebels launched their attack again before dusk.

When dawn broke tomorrow, how many of their two thousand men would remain to fall back to the grander Sui Tong Pass?

There was little time left to ponder, for the rebels drew ever closer; now it was possible to distinguish mounted troops from those on foot. The battle was about to commence.

After suffering fire attacks, the rebel forces withdrew only ten miles or so, resting at a bend of the Yellow River. Perhaps An Qingxu or Cui Qianyou had realized the Tang army’s bluster was merely a ruse to slow their advance. Thus, before the fires had fully died, they ordered their troops forward, preparing to assault Tong Pass.

The speed of the rebels' renewed assault astonished all the Tang commanders, including Yang Xi.

Though only a few small ambushes had delayed the rebel attack by nearly a day, it was no insignificant achievement. They had slain thousands of rebels, revived the morale of the Tang army, and restored a spirit that words alone could not convey, while also dampening the enemy’s confidence.

This was precisely the effect Yang Xi had hoped for, and now the outcome surpassed his expectations.

Li Fude and Pang Zhong both glanced back toward Sui Tong Pass, three miles behind. On the towering eastern gate, Yang Xi’s imposing figure could faintly be seen. Pang Zhong, looking back repeatedly, seemed always to glimpse Yang Xi standing proudly atop the pass, watching over them. This stirred his emotions, and moved Li Fude deeply.

None could know that Yang Xi’s almost severe vigilance gave the defenders at each gate a sense of purpose—especially those at Hantong Pass. They felt they had not been forgotten.

“Order the troops: prepare for battle!” Li Fude and Pang Zhong relayed their commands again. Every soldier nocked an arrow, and those manning the crossbows loaded thick bolts and tested their draw, readying for action. These crossbows atop Hantong Pass had claimed countless rebel lives in the past months; today, they would once more show their might.

“General, the enemy is within range of the crossbows!” a lookout rushed to Li Fude atop the gate tower, reporting loudly.

“Give the order: crossbows, fire!” Li Fude commanded calmly.

As his command rang out, the massive crossbows creaked ominously as several soldiers strained to wind them. At the officer’s signal, “Loose!” a volley of long bolts flew from the ramparts, whistling through the air in graceful arcs toward the rebel vanguard three hundred paces away.

At the same time, on the southern gate, Pang Zhong ordered his own crossbows to fire.

And thus, the battle began.