Taiheiki

Chapter 336 The King's Confidence

"My lord, it's time to depart!" came the guard's voice.

“Hmm!” Yu Wen nodded. He turned around, adjusted the sword at his waist, and as originally agreed, he and his accompanying guard would set off with the King of Funan to repel the invasion of the mountain people. Of course, his real mission was to monitor the progress of the war. In Wei Cong's overall plan, the invasion of the Gou-ting Kingdom, or rather the expedition, was seen as a catalyst to disrupt the political balance of the entire Mekong River basin. Then, Duan Jiong would lead the Jiaozhou troops to seize the most fertile areas around Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong Delta region.

For this plan to succeed, the most crucial factor is the timing of Duan Jiong's military campaign. If he arrives too early, the external threat won't be significant enough, and the city-states of Funan might not be willing to submit to the Han Dynasty, dragging the war into a protracted and arduous process. Furthermore, the local climate, with its six-month rainy season and six-month dry season, means that problems unresolved during the dry season will have to wait until the following dry season, ultimately leading to failure. If he arrives too late, the Gou-ting people might have already taken too much of the spoils. Therefore, the ideal time for Duan Jiong's campaign is when the Gou-ting people have defeated the main force of the Funan people, but haven't yet had time to invade their core territory. Duan Jiong can then appear as a protector, effortlessly absorbing the essence of Funan.

Yu Wen descended from the second floor. As the envoy representing Jiaozhou of the Han Dynasty, he too had received an elephant. Climbing onto its back, he looked down at the rows of foot soldiers on either side and suddenly understood the nobles of Funan. The feeling of looking down on ordinary people from the back of a behemoth weighing hundreds of stones was something that could not be experienced while sitting in a carriage. The nobles of the Han Dynasty would need to build a high platform to stand on if they wanted this feeling, while the nobles of Funan only needed to sit on the back of an elephant.

"After this is done, I'll also build myself a manor, a few elephants, and enjoy that feeling!" Yu Wen said to himself.

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The Ju-ting scouts had already reported, but Ying Feng wanted to see for himself. So the Ju-ting general followed him through a palm grove to a sandstone slope. "We're too close to the Funan camp here!" the general warned.

Ying Feng reined in his horse and looked at the Funan camp not far away. He skillfully estimated the number of enemy troops: "Ten thousand, maybe even more!" he said after a moment.

"Almost!" General Ju Ding looked at Ying Feng with admiration. This Han envoy was resourceful and courageous. He truly deserved to be an envoy sent by the Emperor of Han!

"This is a coalition of three neighboring city-states. They've dug trenches and erected palisades. There are bamboo spikes in the trenches, archers behind the palisades, and watchtowers. According to the scouts, the King of Funan's reinforcements should arrive within three or four days!"

"How many reinforcements will the King of Funan have?" Ying Feng asked.

“No fewer!” the general of the Gochō people replied. “The city of Funan is by the Tonle Sap Lake, where the land is the most fertile and the population is the largest. Now that the rice harvest is over, he can easily conscript 30,000 to 40,000 men to fight, and with reinforcements from neighboring city-states, there will only be more. Of course, the most troublesome thing is the elephants; that's what the Funan people rely on!” As he said this, his brows furrowed, clearly showing his great fear of the Funan people’s war elephants.

“War elephants are indeed a big problem!” Ying Feng had also witnessed the power of Wei Cong’s war elephants: “So what are your plans?”

"Just choose a favorable location!" The general of the Gou-chō people pointed around: "For example, a swamp, a depression filled with bamboo skewers, or fire. Elephants are very intelligent creatures. If you hurt them or frighten them, they will refuse their master's commands and may even turn around and charge into our ranks!" At this point, he laughed, revealing his white teeth: "Don't worry, we are not Han Chinese. We are very familiar with the tricks of the Funan people and know how to deal with them!"

"That's good!" Ying Feng laughed. "However, your army seems to be much smaller. The Funan people have at least 30,000 to 40,000, while you only have 20,000 at most. The rest were forcibly brought in from various city-states along the way!"

"That's enough. Apart from the war elephants, the Funan army is nothing!" The general of the Gou-ting people said confidently. "We Gou-ting people are born warriors, while the Funan people are all rice farmers. One Gou-ting person can take on a hundred Funan people!"

"The enemy has spotted us, General!" the guard shouted, pointing into the distance. Following his finger, one could see soldiers carrying spears pouring out of the Funan camp and running towards them.

"Look, they run like sheep, while my soldiers are agile and warlike goats!" the general laughed smugly. "Would you like to see the difference for yourself?"

"No need!" Ying Feng smiled. He found the other person's confidence amusing, especially since he knew more than the other person in many ways.

When Ying Feng returned to his camp, the sky was overcast and a strong wind had picked up. The trenches surrounding the camp were half-dug, and the woods were filled with Ju-ting soldiers, slaves captured from various city-states along the way, who were cutting branches from trees and sharpening them into stakes. The Ju-ting people wouldn't rest in an undefended camp. Officers were supervising the progress of the work. Seeing all this, Ying Feng suddenly felt that the Ju-ting general's confidence wasn't entirely unfounded.

In the Gou-ting camp, the reed shelters were neatly arranged. Due to the warm climate, most armies in Southeast Asia did not have the habit of carrying tents for sleeping outdoors. Soldiers usually built shelters for themselves using easily obtainable plants such as reeds and banana leaves, which was actually more comfortable and less strenuous than tents. Next to the Gou-ting camp, there was another camp, at least five times the size of the Gou-ting camp, chaotic and disorderly. There were no trenches, no reed shelters, no sentries, and the horses were not lined up. The owners of the horses or mules slept under their animals to prevent theft. Goats, sheep, and hungry dogs roamed freely, mingling among the people.

These were auxiliary troops conscripted by the Gou-ting people from the defeated cities along the way, far exceeding the Gou-ting army itself. This is the source of the "100,000-strong army" mentioned by the Funan scouts. However, their fighting spirit and combat strength were no match for the Gou-ting people; they were cannon fodder, bait, porters, and wings for bluffing. Whenever they besieged an enemy fortress, the Gou-ting people would drive them to fill in the trenches, remove obstacles, and exhaust the defenders' arrows and stones before finally sending their own men into battle.

Back at his lodging, a hut or shack made of banana leaves and bamboo, with reed mats and blankets on the floor, most locals lived in similar dwellings. Ying Feng felt he couldn't ask for more during the march.

"My men drove those Funan people back!" The general of the Gochō people entered the reed hut with a whooshing sound. He sat cross-legged on the reed mat according to his people's custom, grabbed a handful of dried fruit from the earthenware jar on the table and stuffed it into his mouth. While chewing, he mumbled, "I think a night raid tonight might be a good plan!"

"A night raid tonight?"

“Yes! I just checked carefully. There’s a gap on the left side of the enemy camp. The fence there is poorly constructed. If we drive those scum over there, it shouldn’t be difficult to open a gap. That way, we can give the Prince of Funan a taste of his power before he arrives!”

"Do you think those people can find a way in at night?" Ying Feng asked, frowning.

"Even if we fail, there won't be any loss!" the general laughed. "My father told me that soldiers can't be idle during a war, or all sorts of trouble will arise!"

“You are the general of the Ju-chō people, the one who gives orders.” Ying Feng smiled noncommittally: “But I’ve never seen that line in military strategy!”

"You're too serious!" The general of the Ju-ting people laughed. "You Han people are just like that, too serious. You always want to look up answers in books. That's how war is, people will always die."

After speaking, the general summoned his men, and they gathered together, loudly discussing the details of the night raid. Ying Feng couldn't understand what they were saying, only that their voices were very loud, as if they were arguing. About an hour later, the military meeting ended, and the officers left the thatched hut to prepare for their respective units. The general, smiling, asked Ying Feng, "Would you like to come with me tonight?"

At midnight, silence enveloped the land. Ying Feng donned a leather armor and followed the general of the Ju-ting people out of the camp. They stood on a high ground, overlooking the enemy camp. The waiting was the most agonizing part; the darkness obscured most things, and he could only stand there idly, which made Ying Feng feel increasingly powerless.

"Would you like some wine?" The general of the town sat down.

"This is not the time for drinking!"

"It's just a little mead, it won't make you drunk!" The general of the Ju-chū people laughed and took a sip. "You're still too serious. We're all just mortals, and all mortals must die!"

Just as Ying Feng was about to retort, he suddenly heard the sound of bronze drums in the night sky. Before he could react, the general of the Ju-chō people had already stood up, dropped his wine bottle, and shouted, "It's starting! It's finally starting!"

Under the cover of darkness, clusters of firelight rose from a corner of the Funan camp, and the sound of bronze drums, like the roar of elephants, echoed through the night sky. The Funan camp was also filled with chaotic noise, like a disturbed hornet's nest.

"We've got it! We've got it!" the guards around shouted.

"Did you win?" Ying Feng asked doubtfully.

"We're about 70-80% sure now! Listen, the commotion in the Funan camp is getting bigger and bigger!"

Ying Feng was skeptical, but as time went on, the fire spread throughout the Funan camp, reaching the central part of the camp, and he clearly came to believe what the Gou-cho general had said.

"You're really lucky!"

"The gods always favor the brave!" General Gochō laughed. "If they dare to launch a night attack on us first, victory may be theirs!"

At dawn, the victors cleaned up the battlefield. According to the report from the Gou-chō people, the Funan army of over ten thousand men had been routed. The Gou-chō people had killed about a thousand and captured more than three thousand prisoners. The Gou-chō people had lost a total of seven or eight hundred men, but they were mostly cannon fodder and casualties. Their own army suffered very light losses, probably less than a hundred men.

"Very good, now that fool King Funan knows who his enemy is!" General Ju-ting laughed. "Clean up the battlefield, distribute the spoils and prisoners to the soldiers, and then continue the advance!"

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"What? The allied forces of the three city-states of Pengsha have been defeated? Damn it—" The King of Funan turned pale with the bad news brought by the messenger: "How could this be? My men were supposed to arrive in just two days!"

"It was a night attack. The Gochō people launched a night attack. They used prisoners of war to fill in the trenches, and then—"

"No need to say anything more! You crow that brings bad news!" King Funan glared fiercely at the messenger kneeling on the ground, his eyes flashing with malice, which made the messenger tremble all over.

“Your Majesty, this is not the messenger’s fault!” the prime minister said. “Besides, if you kill the messenger who brought bad news, then no one will dare to tell you the truth!”

"Alright, you're right!" The Prince of Funan suppressed his anger. "Get out of here, you lucky crow! What should we do next, Prime Minister?"

"Let's set up camp immediately. There's no need to advance any further! With the loss of these 10,000 men, our strength is not much greater than theirs. It's better to stay here; more reinforcements will arrive, and our soldiers will increase every day!"

"You're right! Let's do it this way!" King Funan let out a long sigh. The prime minister's words suited his tastes, and he somewhat regretted leaving the capital. These brutal and savage mountain people deserved to die! They forced him to leave the capital, to leave his comfortable life, and to endure arduous marches and battles. He was Vishnu's shadow, born into the human world to rule and enjoy a life of leisure and comfort, not to suffer like this.

"If only the Han people could fight for us!" the King of Funan suddenly said.

"Huh?" The prime minister thought he had misheard and looked completely bewildered.

"I mean, if only the Han people could help us deal with these mountain people!" the King of Funan sighed. "Their armor is so good, and their bows and crossbows are so powerful; they would surely help us defeat these wretched mountain people!"

"But if that happens, Your Majesty's rule will be unstable! Who knows if the Han people will seize your throne?"

“I am Vishnu’s shadow on earth. My rule and kingship are bestowed upon me by the gods. How can the Han people change the will of the gods?”

The prime minister was speechless. The old man, who had served two generations of Funan kings, suddenly felt that even his wisdom was flawed. Yes, a king is a king because of the will of the gods. The gods created this world, all things—birds, fish, beasts, and humans—so a king's rule cannot be achieved by human power. This statement sounds logically sound and flawless, but is it really true?

(End of this chapter)