Taiheiki

Chapter 252 Reed Marsh

"Then, aren't they afraid of being blamed by the imperial court? Also, if the Moth Bandits defeat us first, won't they have to deal with the Moth Bandits alone?" Nie Sheng asked, puzzled.

"Perhaps in their eyes and the imperial court's eyes, we and the Moth Rebels are birds of a feather?" Wei Cong smiled. "After all, I first killed Wang Gui, the county magistrate of Baqiu, and then abandoned my army and fled; later, I took advantage of the Moth Rebels' uprising to seize Jiaozhou. The imperial court recognized me as the governor of Jiaozhou, but it was only a last resort. If we could sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, that would be the best outcome!"

"How could the court think like that!" Nie Sheng exclaimed anxiously upon hearing this. "Without your words, given the circumstances at the time, Jiaozhou would have been ravaged by the barbarians long ago, and we wouldn't be where we are today!"

“Ah Sheng!” Wei Cong shook his head: “Don’t you understand? For the court, the barbarians are only a temporary problem, but my occupation of Jiaozhou is a long-term concern. If it weren’t for the bigger trouble of the Moth Bandits, the expeditionary force would have arrived long ago. So you shouldn’t be wondering how the court can think like this, but rather you should be thinking about how to deal with it!”

"I understand!" Nie Shengqiang suppressed his emotions and pondered for a moment: "In war, one wins by using both orthodox and unorthodox tactics! The enemy is numerous while we are few, so we can only use unorthodox tactics!"

"That's right. So, how do you think we should use the unusual?"

After looking at the map for a while, Nie Sheng suddenly pointed to a large shaded area to the west of the Moth Bandit camp and said, "If I remember correctly, this should be a swamp, right?"

"Indeed! This area is a vast expanse of lakes and swamps!"

"If we can cross this swamp, we can bypass the bandits' fortifications, penetrate deep into their rear camp, and catch them off guard, thus achieving a great victory!"

“The marshland is too shallow for boats to navigate, and too muddy for walking; it is difficult even for people to walk, let alone soldiers.”

After thinking for a moment, Nie Sheng said, "I will go and see for myself first, and then come back to report to my godfather!"

"Alright, then be careful on your journey!"

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The night was clear, and the water, illuminated by the moonlight, shone like a silver shield. Nie Sheng, accompanied by five or six attendants, arrived at the edge of the lake. This vast lake and marshland covered a considerable area, containing both lakes and swamps; this type of lake and marshland topography occupies a large portion of the land along the Yangtze River. Thick reeds and rushes grew along the shore; further away, where the reeds were sparser, various aquatic plants grew on the water's surface, their dense, slippery leaves intertwined like water snakes.

Clearly, crossing the lake by boat was impossible. First, the water was too shallow, and the boat would easily sink into the mud. Second, the treacherous water plants would entangle the oars and poles, trapping the boat as soon as it approached the shore. Nie Sheng decided to walk along the shore to see if he could find another path. He soon discovered that this path was also dangerous; the lakebed near the shore was full of mud, and sinking in could be two or three feet deep, sometimes even deeper. He walked for a long time but only covered a short distance, and he was exhausted.

"Sigh, isn't there any other way?" Nie Sheng sighed in frustration.

"My lord, do you intend to cross this lake?" a servant asked.

"Gu Gu, do you have a solution?" Nie Sheng asked in surprise.

“Hmm!” Gu Gu nodded: “A few years ago, I led troops to conquer a group of barbarians. Their lair was also in a swamp. At first, I didn’t know what to do with them. Later, a local old man taught me how to deal with them, and that’s how I wiped them out!”

"Oh? Tell me about it!" Nie Sheng asked with great interest.

"Please wait a moment!" Gu Gu went into the water and cut a large bundle of reeds. He trimmed the leaves and branches, leaving only the stems. Then he wove the reeds into two reed tags, each about two feet long and one foot wide, and fixed them to the soles of his shoes before going into the water.

"Look, my feet won't sink into the mud anymore!" Gu Gu waded back and forth in the water for a few steps. Sure enough, just as he said, the reed tablet under his feet sank slightly on the mud and he stood still. Unlike Nie Sheng, who had previously been in the mud and was in danger of drowning, Gu Gu did not sink into the mud.

"Really? Let me try too!" Nie Sheng quickly imitated Gu Gu and made two reed shields, which he tied to the soles of his shoes. He walked around the mud three times and, sure enough, no longer sank into it. Seeing this, he was overjoyed: "Good, good! Gu Gu, you've done a great service this time. Don't worry, when we get back I'll report your merit to my godfather, and he'll reward you handsomely!"

"Thank you very much, sir!" Gu Gu bowed humbly. "Everything is at your disposal!"

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Upon returning to Queyue Fortress, Nie Sheng excitedly reported his plans to Wei Cong, strongly advocating that he personally command the attack. Before Wei Cong could speak, Wen Sheng immediately objected: "This plan is extremely dangerous. Young Master, you must not go personally. Send a general instead!"

"It is precisely because of the danger that I must go!" Nie Sheng said urgently. "The enemy outnumbers us. It is not the way of a general to let the soldiers risk their lives while he hides in a safe place!"

"This—" Wen Sheng was speechless for a moment. Wei Cong patted Wen Sheng's shoulder reassuringly: "Sheng'er is right, just as you said. But you must be careful. If it doesn't work out, just come back!"

"Here!"

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The third day was a full moon, and Nie Sheng chose to act that night. He selected five hundred strong men, and in addition to the reed shields on each man's feet, he prepared fifty reed rafts to transport the soldiers' armor, weapons, bows, crossbows, and incendiary devices. Around dusk, at the very spot where he had tested the waters before, Nie Sheng, wearing his reed shield, was the first to step into the mud, followed closely by his guards and soldiers. After walking for about an hour, through the thickets of reeds, Nie Sheng saw scattered campfires on the distant bank—the Moth Bandits' camp. Nie Sheng raised his right hand and whispered, "Wait!" He stopped. At this distance, he could even see the Moth Bandits' night sentries and scouts. In fact, the Moth Bandits' camp stretched all the way to the edge of the marshland, with the nearest sentry only thirty or forty paces from Nie Sheng. The movement of men and horses across the swamp was unlikely to escape the notice of the passing sentries.

A moment later, a lake breeze blew, and the reeds rustled against each other. Nie Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. With so many of them traversing the muddy terrain, no matter how careful they were, someone would inevitably slip and fall, splashing water that would be heard by the sentries on the shore, potentially attracting the enemy's attention. But now, with the wind blowing and all the reeds rustling, even if someone slipped and fell, the sound of the water would be masked. Nie Sheng took another deep breath and whispered, "Keep going!"

After walking a while longer, Nie Sheng noticed movement ahead, but it didn't seem to be coming from the reeds along the bank. He saw a dark object floating on the water. Could it be some kind of wild beast? Nie Sheng drew his blackened ring-handled sword, ready to fight to the death, but then he smelled a terrible stench. He realized then that it was a floating corpse.

"Damn it!" Nie Sheng pushed the floating corpse aside with his cane and warned the people behind him in a low voice.

"I should have passed the Moth Bandits' camp by now, right?" Nie Sheng wondered to himself, not knowing how much time had passed. He straightened up and looked towards the shore, only to find scattered campfires. Just as he was about to take out his water bottle for a sip, he suddenly felt something touching his leg. Looking down, he saw the moonlight shining on his ankle, revealing a swollen and completely distorted face with a strange smile.

"What a ghost!" Nie Sheng used his cane to turn the corpse over, letting the horrifying face be submerged in the water. Then he continued forward. The reeds ahead grew increasingly dense, forcing him to use his ring-handled knife to cut them, clearing a path for himself and the soldiers behind him. Half an hour passed, then an hour, but Nie Sheng's steps did not falter. He grew increasingly exhausted, and the water's depth became unpredictable, sometimes only ankle-deep, sometimes waist-deep. With the help of his guards, Nie Sheng was able to escape, feeling drenched in sweat.

But after walking for so long, he still couldn't see the shore. Nie Sheng became frightened. "What's going on? Am I going around in circles? Could it be that I'll only realize I've been wandering in the mud the whole time when it gets light? Am I possessed by a ghost?"

Just as Nie Sheng hesitated about whether to stop and find a new path, he suddenly heard a strange sound ahead. He quickly raised his right hand to signal the people behind him to stop. After confirming that his men had stopped, he held his breath and looked out through the gaps in the reeds. He saw a small boat, not much bigger than a bathtub, paddling through the reeds. There were two teenagers on it, one holding a long pole and the other holding an oar, seemingly trying to salvage something in the water.

"Why come to the lake to search for things at night!" a boy complained. "It's scary!"

"Nonsense, can't you see there's a war going on?" another boy said while using a long pole to scoop up water chestnuts and other food. "What if someone sees you out during the day and shoots you dead with an arrow?"

Nie Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around, patted Gu Gu on the shoulder, pointed to the boat, and made a grabbing gesture. Gu Gu nodded, led two of his men over, and quickly captured the two unfortunate children.

How far are we from the shore?

“Not far, about 15 minutes!” Gu Gu replied while washing his ring-handled sword with water. “Of course, I’m referring to the time it takes to row. Their campsite is right there; once we land, it’ll be the bandits’ rear camp!”

"Thank God!" Nie Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and encouraged everyone, "Keep pushing, we'll be on shore soon, then we can eat and rest!"

When Nie Sheng and his group reached the shore, there was less than an hour left until dawn. He ordered everyone to eat their dry rations and then rest in the reeds. After setting up the sentry posts, he, exhausted, immediately fell asleep. When he woke up again, the sun was high in the sky, and the scorching sun had completely dried his clothes. Only swarms of mosquitoes hovered overhead. He then realized that his face had been bitten countless times and was numb. He swatted at them a few times, stood up, and saw that he was surrounded by endless reeds.

"My lord, listen!" Gu Gu leaned closer. Nie Sheng listened intently and could faintly hear shouts of battle.

"That's a feint by my godfather to draw the moth thieves' attention!" Nie Sheng said. He yawned, "How much time do we have before we move out after dark?"

"About three hours left!"

"Then I'll sleep a little longer!" Nie Sheng rubbed his eyes. "These damn mosquitoes are killing me!"

"This ointment is pretty good! Would you like to try it?" Gu Gu took out a bamboo tube from his waist. Nie Sheng took the tube and found that it contained a light green ointment with a pungent smell. He applied some to his face, and sure enough, the mosquito bites were not so severe.

"Everyone, hurry up and apply this!" Nie Sheng scooped out a piece and applied it to his exposed skin, laughing, "Let's endure for another three hours, and after dark we'll teach that moth thief a lesson!"

As the last rays of sunset faded on the horizon and night fell, Nie Sheng led his soldiers out of the reeds. Each soldier was covered in mud, their limbs and faces bristling with mosquito bites. But they were all in high spirits, their eyes filled with a burning desire for victory.

"That's the bandits' old camp over there. May the gods protect us!" Nie Sheng said to the soldiers.

"May the gods protect us!" the soldiers responded in unison.

Everyone could hear and see the commotion coming from the camp not far away. Yes, this was the Moth Bandits' old camp. Thousands upon thousands of supply wagons, tents packed tightly together. The air was filled with the clamor of voices and the neighing of cattle and horses. Because tents were scarce, most of the Moth Bandits used reed huts as their shelters. In fact, reed huts were much more comfortable than tents; the only problem was that they were also much more flammable. Because the Moth Bandits were so numerous, they had even cleared a large patch of reeds closest to the camp, leaving a bare, white expanse that looked quite jarring.

"Everyone, tie a white cloth around your left arm as a marker!" Nie Sheng said. "Divide into ten teams, use fire as a signal to attack the enemy camp!" He paused slightly at this point: "The enemy outnumbers us; those who are cowardly and retreat will die, while those who are bold and courageous will live!"

"Those who retreat in cowardice will die, those who boldly advance will live!" The deep voice echoed above everyone's heads. Nie Sheng nodded: "Let's each do our own thing!"

Nie Sheng led a group of men stealthily toward the enemy camp. Not far away, by the lake, a bonfire burned fiercely, reflecting a blood-red hue onto the water. Two soldiers with spears stood guard beside the fire, yawning and scanning the lake. Nie Sheng took a horn bow from his back, drew it taut, aimed at the man on the left, and released it. A soft click was heard, and the soldier clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, the man on the right was also hit by two arrows, but he still had time to let out a shrill scream that carried far into the night sky.

(End of this chapter)