Taiheiki

Chapter 20 Mandarin Duck Formation

"These things may not look good, but that doesn't mean they're useless! Fifth Deck!" Zhao Yannian shouted. The man spat, walked to a wooden stake used to tie a horse, drew his ring-handled sword, and slashed down with one hand, instantly severing half of the forearm-thick stake. He nodded to Wei Cong and retreated into the ranks.

"Beautiful!" Wei Cong, having expended considerable effort in close combat since his time travel, naturally knew how difficult this downward strike was. In reality, Eastern and Western martial arts looked similar in form, relying on the same few strikes over and over again. The secret lay in the application of force. Diwu Deng, with just one hand grasping his sword, and without even observing his power or posture, had managed to sever the horse stake with a single strike. Even if he had two hands, he might not have been able to do the same. This demonstrated that Diwu Deng not only exerted immense force, but also struck with the perfect alignment of his blade when it struck the target, resulting in such powerful impact. On the battlefield, shield in one hand, sword in the other, a single strike like this would effectively render even an armored foe ineffective. He could even sever his opponent's spear and hand, demonstrating his extraordinary ability.

"Diwu Deng was the first to ascend the battlefield when the Yonghe Qiang Rebellion was quelled!" Zhao Yannian whispered, "Warriors who have slain Qiang and Hu people are granted unchangeable titles!"

"That was so long ago! It's no big deal. Even the Fifth Master sold himself into slavery!" Diwu Deng said with a wry smile, "Now I'm just a useless piece of trash. This knife can only chop wood. I'm grateful that you, Master, think highly of me and give me a meal. Otherwise, I'll starve to death on the streets!"

"The fifth ascent?" Wei Cong asked. "I heard the Wuling barbarians are in rebellion, and the court will surely be recruiting soldiers. With your martial arts skills, why don't you apply?"

"My dear, I'm already forty-three years old. I'm old! Even though my moves are pretty good these days, they won't last long!" Diwu Deng sighed. "On the battlefield, it's all about who has the most stamina. An old soldier like me can only be put at the back and used at the critical moment. But we have no relatives or friends with the general, so he doesn't trust us at all. Why would he keep us last?"

After hearing Diwudeng's explanation, Wei Cong finally understood. Veterans like Zhao Yannian and Diwudeng possessed great martial arts skills and experience, but their physical strength was failing. If you put them on the front lines, they wouldn't even be able to defeat the young recruits. However, using them in the back row as a reserve was incredibly effective. The problem was, a commander would always keep his most trusted troops at the back. Even if veterans like Diwudeng were skilled, the general didn't trust them.

"Is it the same with you guys?" Wei Cong asked.

The remaining few people remained silent. Wei Cong sighed, "You guys escort me to Wancheng first. If you come back safely, I will make arrangements for you!"

The men exchanged glances, and Diwu Deng asked carefully, "Like him?" He pointed at Zhao Yannian.

"If you are willing, of course, he came before you, so you naturally have to obey his orders!" Wei Cong said.

"If I could have porridge like last night every day and two sets of clothes for winter and summer, that would be enough!" Diwu Deng said with a smile, "You can take this life!"

"Is that enough?" Wei Cong asked curiously, "You don't have parents or children to support?"

Wei Cong's question caused the men to fall silent. Zhao Yannian coughed and said, "My dear, there's no need to worry. They don't have these troubles."

"Trouble?" Wei Cong stared at the men in front of him in amazement. He finally realized the strange feeling he had when he first saw them—despair. Yes, despair. These men no longer cared about anything, not even themselves. They no longer had the same connection to society that ordinary people had. War was like a rough hand, tearing them from their families and villages and throwing them into the army. Ten, twenty, or even longer years later, when they returned from the army, they were shocked to find themselves alone. Their wives, parents, children, brothers, and friends had all left them, leaving them with only their swords and worthless titles. In their eyes, perhaps even being alive was a trouble?

"Yannian, everyone has parents, how can this be a problem?" Wei Cong said, "Besides, if we don't have children, who will take care of us when we're old? You guys are still young, marry a widow, have two children, and there will be someone to take care of you when you're old!"

The men looked at each other, seemingly unable to understand the meaning of Wei Cong's words. Wei Cong sighed and said, "Come with me to see the new weapons prepared for you!"

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"Is this the new weapon you prepared for us? No, it's too heavy and too inflexible. It won't hit anyone unless the opponent stands there stupidly!"

Diwu Deng curiously fiddled with the thing in his hand. It was a bamboo about three meters long. The branches at the front were completely preserved. There was a narrow spear tip at the end of the bamboo, flashing with cold light.

"This is quite good!" Liu Jiu picked up a round shield and fiddled with it. "It's light and large, and can easily cover the entire body. But it's a bit too big. In fact, a round shield doesn't need to be this big. Can this thing block powerful crossbows and spears?"

"Wow, there's a crossbow!" Wen Sheng picked up the crossbow and said, "So powerful! It's the Que Zhang crossbow. What's this iron fork for? Is it also for the crossbowman?"

Seeing the weapons on the weapons rack, several veterans picked them up with familiarity and offered their assessments. Wei Cong remained silent, simply standing by with a smile. However, Zhao Yannian's expression changed slightly when he saw Diwudeng criticizing Zhuzi, clearly recalling something from the past.

"It seems you've been prepared!" Diwu Deng put down the bamboo. "Actually, your efforts are unnecessary. With just these few swords, we should have no problem dealing with the thieves on the road."

"Really?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"I can see you're very interested in military matters, but you've never fought in a war!" Diwu Deng pointed to the bamboo on the shelf and said, "Take this bamboo, for example!"

"It's called a wolf whisk!"

"Call it what you will! Is this a spear? But it's too short. The spears on the other side are longer and lighter. What good are these branches? They'll kill you! And these cards, some of them are too big, so light—"

"Whether it is useful or not is not determined by words, but by actual practice!" Wei Cong said with a smile: "Why don't we give it a try and then we will know whether it is useful or not!" "Try it, how do we try it?" asked Diwu Deng.

"Zhao Yannian and I, plus one more person, you can pick three people out and we'll know after a competition," Wei Cong said with a smile.

"My dear, are you going to die too?" Diwu Deng laughed. "Swords and spears have no eyes. This is no joke!"

"Replace the steel sword with a wooden one and remove the spear head." Wei Cong said to the maidservant beside him, "Go call Wang Shou and tell him I have something to ask him!"

A moment later, Wang Shou arrived. Wei Cong explained the competition plan and said, "I'll use the wolf whisk, you hold the rattan shield and short knife, and Zhao Yannian uses the spear. The three of us will take on the three of them. Let's have a competition!"

"Yes, sir!" Wang Shou responded, and the three of them took their weapons. Diwudeng and the others exchanged glances. Chen Qi and Li He stepped forward and said in unison with Diwudeng, "Please forgive us for any offense!" The three of them took their spears, cut off the spearheads, and stood shoulder to shoulder.

Wei Cong and his two companions formed a single column—Wang Shou, sword and shield in front, Wei Cong in the back, and Zhao Yannian at the rear, their figures slightly staggered. The three from Diwudeng, also veterans, saw the enemy's frontal defense was tight, so they distanced themselves laterally, attempting to circumvent Wei Cong's weak spot from either side.

"Forward!" Wei Cong shouted, and Wang Shou lunged forward, followed closely by Wei Cong. Seeing this, Diwu Deng instinctively stabbed Wang Shou with his spear, but was deflected by Wang Shou's rattan shield. He quickly retracted his spear and stabbed again. Chen Qi and Li He rushed from either side, but Wei Cong swept his wolf-whip, and their spears became entangled in branches. Just as they were about to draw their spears, Zhao Yannian had already thrust forward. Unable to dodge, they dropped their spears and retreated. Forced by Wang Shou, who was holding a knife and shield, the two unarmed men raised their hands in surrender.

"You lost!" Wei Cong laughed.

Diwu Deng looked around. He only had one man left and was definitely no match for the three on the other side. He said unconvincedly, "You won this time, my lord. But it was only the first time we saw your strange weapon, so we suffered. If we fight again, we won't lose."

"Okay, let's do it again!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

The three men hadn't expected Wei Cong to agree, so they each grabbed their weapons. Fearing Wei Cong might resort to the same old trick, Diwu Deng shouted and lunged forward with his spear, followed by Chen Qi and Li He. However, Wang Shou's rattan shield was large enough to easily block one side, and with Wei Cong's wolf-whip, they couldn't penetrate it at all. Zhao Yannian, hiding behind the two, stabbed quickly and fiercely, and with the wolf-whip blocking his view, he often couldn't see the spear until it was right in front of him. After two rounds of fighting, Chen Qi was shot in the leg and retreated to the side. Li He was slow to react, and Wei Cong's wolf-whip entangled his spear, forcing him to drop his weapon and withdraw from the fight. Diwu Deng was left holding his spear, facing the three men.

"I won again this time. Do you want to try again?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

After two consecutive defeats, Diwu Deng and the others began to see the trick. Wen Sheng said, "The three opponents' weapons are perfectly coordinated. The three of us are all using spears. We only have offense but no defense, so we're naturally outmatched! If we want to win, one of us must hold a rattan shield!"

"That's right!" Diwu Deng said, "I'll be the swordsman later, and you two will hold the spears!"

The plan was finalized. Diwu Deng took his sword shield, while Li He and Chen Qi continued to wield their spears, facing off against Wei Cong and the other three. However, this time, they suffered an even more disastrous defeat. Wei Cong launched a wolf-whip down on his head, and Diwu Deng instinctively blocked it with his rattan shield. However, the wolf-whip was much heavier than the spear, and the shield was immediately pressed down, exposing half of his body. Zhao Yannian's spear pierced his shoulder, and even though the spearhead was gone, it still made him scream in pain. Seeing this, Li He and Chen Qi knew they were no match for the remaining two, so they had no choice but to admit defeat.

In this way, the two sides clashed seven more times. No matter how the Fifth Deng and his men changed weapons or discussed tactics, they never won a single battle. Their best result was the last one, when they injured Wang Shou alone. This was probably because Wei Cong had exhausted too much energy using the wolf spear and could no longer wield it.

"No more fighting, no more fighting!" Diwu Deng dropped his weapon and said, "Young Master, your wolf spear is truly formidable. We are no match for it!"

"That's right!" Wen Sheng sighed, "But if we're going to set up a large formation on flat ground, spears, bows, and crossbows are still better!"

"You're right. However, if we're in a narrow, winding area like a mountain, forest, or lake, that's where this formation comes in handy!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "And this formation isn't just composed of three people, it's actually composed of eleven. Because their attack, defense, advance, and retreat are like the wings of a mandarin duck, I call it the Mandarin Duck Formation!"

"The Mandarin Duck Formation?" Diwudeng and the others all looked curious. Wei Cong then briefly described the formation: a team consisted of a leader, ten soldiers, and a cook. Four of the four soldiers carried spears; two held saber shields, one of which held a long shield that could be inserted into the ground to resist incoming attacks. Another held a smaller round shield for easy movement, along with three short spears for throwing. Two held wolf-whip spears; the remaining two held crossbows and iron forks for protection.

When marching, the shield bearers were in front, followed by the wolf-whip spears, then the long spears, with the crossbowmen bringing up the rear. When encountering the enemy, the shield bearers would plunge the iron tips of their shields into the ground to stabilize the formation. The soldiers holding the round rattan shields would lean forward and throw their javelins behind their shields, luring the enemy out of their advantageous defensive positions. If the enemy advanced, the shield bearers would retreat behind their own shields, while the wolf-whip spears advanced to sweep the enemy to the ground, allowing the long spearmen to strike them. The final crossbowmen, while firing, protected the rear and guarded the flanks. If necessary, they could also pick up their spears to support their comrades in front, forming a second line of attack. If the terrain was wide enough, the eight men excluding the crossbowmen could be arranged in a horizontal formation, with the long spearmen, shield bearers, and wolf-whip spears arranged in staggered rows, and the crossbowmen in the rear, forming a two-line formation to engage the enemy.

"So there are so many different moves!" Diwu Deng smacked his lips in amazement. "Luckily, I didn't encounter this Mandarin Duck Formation on the battlefield. Otherwise, I would have been in such a terrible state!"

"My lord, this Mandarin Duck Formation seems to be very strict in disciplining its soldiers!" Zhao Yannian said, "Each soldier has his place. If anyone dares to advance, they will be harmed!"

"Well! This Mandarin Duck Formation is to block and assist each other. On the battlefield, a tiger cannot defeat a pack of wolves. Even King Xiang cannot defeat a few people alone?" Wei Cong nodded with satisfaction. If even Zhao Yannian could not see this, he would be just a brave man.

Everyone nodded silently upon hearing this. If the Han people considered the greatest warrior in the world to be the Overlord of Western Chu, who battled Emperor Gaozu for supremacy, then even Xiang Yu, with his unparalleled strength and unparalleled courage, ultimately perished under the siege of the Han army on the banks of the Wu River, his body mutilated. Could your martial arts prowess, no matter how great your strength, truly surpass Xiang Yu?
"We've all served in the military and know the rules!" Diwu Deng said, bowing. His attitude was much more respectful now. "We will obey the rules. Please give us your instructions, sir!"

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(End of this chapter)