Moma Liangshan

Chapter 109 Archery Competition in a Desolate Village, Returning South to Jinzhou

Wanyan Huonü said, "This is simple. Select one person from each of the three armies, and then have them compete in martial arts. The loser will be responsible for the defense tonight." Wanyan Zhamu considered it briefly and thought it feasible, saying, "Left commander, middle commander, right commander, listen to my command!" Three burly men stepped forward and loudly replied, "Your subordinate is here!" Wanyan Zhamu ordered, "Each thousand-man unit must select ten soldiers within half an incense stick's time to prepare for the competition!" The three commanders replied in unison, "Yes, sir!" and then began selecting men from their respective units. Before half an incense stick's time was up, thirty soldiers had already lined up. Wanyan Zhamu was very satisfied and ordered again, "Left commander, select one warrior from the middle army to participate in the competition; middle commander, select one warrior from the right army; right commander, select one warrior from the left army. The time limit is half an incense stick's time!" The three commanders exchanged glances and began to select from their allies. This time, instead of choosing the best, they tried to select a weaker opponent for themselves. A moment later, three relatively weak soldiers were chosen to step forward. Wanyan Zhamu looked at the three and said, "The battle is intense, close combat is not advisable. Let's have an archery contest!" Then she looked at Wanyan Huonv and said, "You can arrange the rest." Wanyan Huonv thought for a moment and said, "Take three large torches and tie them to the courtyard wall. Archers will stand at a distance of thirty paces and shoot at the torch handles on command. Anyone who misses is immediately out of the game, and their assigned squad will be responsible for guard duty tonight."

Wanyan Zhamu was very satisfied and deliberately asked, "What if two people miss at the same time?" Wanyan Huonv replied, "Both are out of the game, and their respective squads are responsible for guard duty tonight." Wanyan Zhamu admired Wanyan Huonv's decisiveness even more and said, "What if all three miss at the same time?" Wanyan Huonv said, "Cancel tonight's celebration, everyone be ready for battle!" Wanyan Zhamu looked around at everyone and said, "Does everyone understand?" The soldiers shouted in unison, "Understood!" At this moment, three torches had been firmly fixed to the courtyard wall. Wanyan Zhamu herself stepped forward and shouted, "First arrow! Fire!" As soon as she finished speaking, three long arrows flew from the bowstrings and struck the three torches with an extremely close frequency. Seeing this, the soldiers cheered loudly and began to shout to encourage their archers. Wanyan Zhamu remained calm and continued to shout, "Second arrow! Fire!" The three archers, single-minded, drew their bows and fired. Exceptional form always yields better results, and as if repeating the first attempt, three arrows once again firmly embedded themselves in the torch. The watching soldiers grew even more excited, their shouts and cheers startling birds returning to their nests in the woods near the village. Wanyan Zhamu spoke, shouting, "Third arrow! Shoot!" The soldiers dared not be distracted in the slightest, concentrating entirely on drawing their bows and shooting. Wanyan Zhamu seemed unwilling to waste too much time, and began to increase the frequency of her shots, shouting in succession, "Fourth arrow! Shoot!" "Fifth arrow! Shoot!" "Sixth arrow! Shoot!" When the sixth arrow struck the torch handle, the frequency was no longer as uniform as before.

Wanyan Zhamu turned to Wanyan Huonu and said, "Having reached this point in the competition, do you have a better suggestion?" Wanyan Huonu replied, "As ordinary soldiers, they have already performed admirably. This humble general believes that the remaining three centurions can now participate!" Wanyan Zhamu nodded slightly and asked, "How will the centurions compete?" Wanyan Huonu took a bow and drew three long arrows simultaneously, saying, "Let's compete like this!" As soon as she finished speaking, all three arrows were released, striking the wooden handles of the three torches precisely. The cheers from the crowd grew even louder. Wanyan Zhamu stepped forward and shouted, "Left, center, and right centurions, step forward!" The three centurions, with quivers at their waists and powerful bows in their hands, stepped forward one after another. Wanyan Zhamu looked at Wanyan Huonu again and said, "You will give the orders!"

Wanyan Huonv raised her right hand, signaling for silence, and then shouted, "Left commander, step forward!" The left commander showed no fear, went to his firing position, and deftly drew three arrows, firing. A cheer erupted from the left troop. Before Wanyan Huonv could speak, the middle commander stepped forward, looked at Wanyan Huonv and the two commanders, and said, "Thirty paces is too far; I'll retreat five paces!" He then retreated five paces, drew his bow, and fired—all three arrows hitting their targets. At that moment, the shouts of the middle troop instantly drowned out the other two. The right commander remained silent, went to firing point thirty-five, and drew his bow. This shot was not easy for him; firing three arrows simultaneously required not only controlling the direction of all three but also sufficient arm strength. After some adjustment, the three arrows flew from the bowstring, striking the wooden handles of three torches. The right commander exhaled deeply and looked at the left commander. Left Commander had no choice but to fight. This time, Left Commander's steps seemed less agile and became heavier. He stood at the firing point thirty-five paces away, exhaled three times, and then took out three long arrows, nocked them on the bow, but did not immediately draw the string. Instead, he aimed beforehand using his left middle, ring, and little fingers as fixed points under no tension, and then slowly applied force until the bow was fully drawn, at which point he released the arrows.

Everyone present, from generals to soldiers, was a skilled archer. Every move of the Left Commander had already foreshadowed the outcome, and as expected, two out of three arrows hit their mark. The Left Army was defeated, and a profound sense of desolation washed over them. The soldiers, as agreed, went to keep watch. However, just as the soldiers were about to leave, the Left Commander suddenly shouted, "A bet is a bet, and I have no argument; but my defeat is not due to a lack of skill!" With that, he drew his bow again from his forty-pace firing position. This time, it wasn't a three-arrow volley, but a three-arrow burst, each arrow deafening and unstoppable, striking its target precisely. The force was so great that it shattered two of the torches. A hush fell over the scene. Wanyan Zhamu spoke, saying, "Firing three arrows at once is not your forte; firing three arrows in succession is the essence of your archery. Although Commander Zuo was defeated, he was not at fault, so there's no need to worry!" Defeat is defeat, and although it was due to bad luck, he ultimately missed out on tonight's revelry. Zuo's men silently departed.

Under Li Cangbai's escort, Wang Hao left Liaoyang Prefecture, and the agreement between him and the princess of Shu began to be secretly implemented. Li Cangbai accompanied Wang Hao, silently observing the young man from Song. Li Cangbai didn't know what a Song envoy should look like, but he was certain that an ordinary Song envoy would not look like the young man before him. Liaoyang Prefecture had been through many wars and changed hands many times, and Li Cangbai had witnessed almost every battle. If it weren't for this young man, the current arrangement of the attack and defense of Liaoyang Prefecture would not have occurred. "Why was so much silver sent to Jinzhou? Why lure the remaining people of Liaodong south? Is the real reason really as Her Highness the princess described?" Questions began to linger in Li Cangbai's mind.

Wang Hao had always held a favorable impression of Li Cangbai, this northerner. Seeing him deep in thought, he asked, "General Li, is something on your mind?" Li Cangbai was startled by Wang Hao's question and asked, "Young Master Wang, were you afraid when you entered Liaodong?" Wang Hao paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "How could I not be afraid? Once I crossed the Great Wall at Zhendongkou, I discovered traces of Jurchen activity. The Jurchens rose up between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, and had no prior dealings with the Song Dynasty. Now that they have penetrated deep into Liao territory, they must be engaged in murder and arson. If I were unfortunate enough to encounter them, I would most likely meet a 'death before the mission is accomplished' end!" Li Cangbai thought this made sense and said: "Young Master Wang, have you ever regretted this?" Wang Hao became increasingly interested in Li Cangbai, saying, "Once a decision is made and acted upon, who can give us a chance to regret it?" Li Cangbai pondered for a moment and said, "There's no medicine for regret in this world!" Wang Hao countered, "Since you know there's no medicine for regret, why bother with something so pointless?" Li Cangbai showed admiration and said, "Young Master Wang's level of understanding is truly admirable!" Wang Hao didn't feign modesty, saying, "Anyone who can comprehend my level of understanding is certainly not an ordinary person!" At this moment, Li Cangbai completely understood why the Princess of Shu valued Wang Hao so much!

The one million taels of silver were eventually exchanged for one hundred thousand taels of gold. The reason, again, was the excessive weight; at least until the Jurchen cavalry had completely withdrawn, it would be difficult for Wang Hao and his men to transport the one million taels of silver to Jinzhou. To transport the one hundred thousand taels of gold, Li Cangbai requisitioned one hundred slow horses, each capable of carrying one thousand taels of gold. At the same time, Li Cangbai mobilized one hundred and twenty soldiers to escort them along the way. Including Wang Hao's entourage, the entire procession stretched for nearly a mile.

Unlike Wang Hao and his group who traveled at a leisurely pace, Gao Que had hastily set off two days prior, escorted by twenty cavalrymen to Jinzhou. Li Cangbai's map was remarkably accurate, and his predictions of the Jurchen cavalry's movements were spot-on. Gao Que indeed found no trace of the Jurchen cavalry along the way. Regarding the Shu princess's seemingly impulsive arrangement, Gao Que remained filled with questions: "What did Her Highness discuss with Wang Hao? Why, contrary to her usual practice, did she only summon me and the newly promoted Li Cangbai? Did Xiao Shan already know about Her Highness's arrangements, or was he deliberately kept in the dark?" All of this left Gao Que perplexed about his current mission. However, the Shu princess's arrangements were indeed beneficial to the people and had no adverse impact on the situation in Liaoyang Prefecture. Gao Que gradually realized that he understood this nineteen-year-old princess less and less; her royal lineage always gave her a level of thinking and courage that was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Unable to fathom the deeper meaning behind the Shu princess's arrangements, Gao Que only wanted to complete his mission as quickly as possible and return to Liaoyang Prefecture in the shortest possible time. On the morning of their departure from Liaoyang Prefecture, Gao Que demanded that they must travel 400 li per day, or march through the night. Because of this inviolable principle, Gao Que finally arrived at Jinzhou City four days later.