Moma Liangshan

Chapter 103 Wanyan Shahu, Two Armies Meet

In a clearing on Red Spring Mountain, two tigers were surrounded by dozens of soldiers wielding steel swords. The tigers huddled together, warily watching the surrounding crowd. Their roars echoed throughout the mountain, instantly rippled the once tranquil water. The soldiers showed no fear, only mocking laughter, as if these Jurchen soldiers saw these two kings of the jungle as mere prey. Not far away, Wanyan Zhamu and Wanyan Huonu, having witnessed the commotion, arrived together. The soldiers parted to allow Wanyan Zhamu and Wanyan Huonu to reach the innermost part of the human wall. Seeing the soldiers' excited expressions, Wanyan Zhamu said, "These two tigers are in their prime, their fur at its best. Why don't we skin them ourselves?" Wanyan Huonv was slightly surprised, but confident, and said, "If the general has such a refined taste, I will obey!" She then took two arrows from the quiver at a soldier's waist, trimmed the fletching with a short knife, and held them in her hands. Wanyan Zhamu smiled slightly, drew her sword, and stepped between the two tigers. The tigers were thoroughly enraged, their roars echoing through the heavens and earth once more. Their hot, bloody breath wafted towards Wanyan Zhamu's face, but she seemed to regard the beast before her as no match, remaining perfectly still. Suddenly, the tiger's head twitched, and a black ring shot from its mouth, landing in front of Wanyan Zhamu. At this moment, Wanyan Huonv also entered the arena and looked closely. She saw that it was a thumb ring unique to the Wanyan tribe. Clearly, these two tigers had recently hunted down a Jurchen archer.

The soldiers present remained unmoved. Wanyan Zhamu spoke, "I personally selected the elite troops, yet I still made a mistake!" Wanyan Huonu said, "Our campaign has been fruitful; some casualties are to be expected. This archer, lacking skill, perished in the jaws of a tiger—it's the best end for the weak!" In Jurchen tradition, the elimination of the weak on the battlefield or in the hunting grounds was considered a matter of course. The deaths of the weak, in the eyes of Jurchen women, were also a necessary way to prevent the weakening of the tribal bloodline. Their seemingly casual conversation thoroughly enraged the two jungle kings. A male and female tiger surrounded Wanyan Zhamu and Wanyan Huonu, head to tail. Wanyan Zhamu and Wanyan Huonu stood back to back, and Wanyan Huonu calmly said, "You deal with the female tiger, I'll deal with the male." Wanyan Huonu replied decisively, "Yes, sir!" With a clear division of labor, the two suddenly attacked, their iron fists striking the tigers' foreheads. Faced with the sudden attack, the tiger opened its blood-red maw and bit at the wrists of the two women. Wanyan Zhamu glanced at the surrounding soldiers, showing no sign of panic, and her fist, undiminished, struck the male tiger's nose. Wanyan Huonv swiftly defended, skillfully avoiding the tigress's sharp teeth. After a round, the roles reversed; Wanyan Zhamu and Wanyan Huonv occupied the outer perimeter, while the tigress and male tiger defended back-to-back. The male tiger, struck on the nose, was dizzy and its momentum had already diminished. Wanyan Zhamu looked at the wounded tiger and slowly drew her sword from her waist. Wanyan Huonv, fully focused, gripped the two pre-prepared arrows in her hands.

Just then, a soldier rushed in to report, shouting, "A large Liao army of about ten thousand has been spotted down the mountain, about ten li from the camp!" Wanyan Zhamu was slightly surprised and ordered, "Return to your posts and hold your positions at all costs; anyone who pursues them without authorization will be punished according to military law!" Upon receiving the order, the soldiers who had been watching picked up their weapons and scattered. Wanyan Zhamu and Wanyan Huonu, however, did not end their game and remained in their original positions, confronting the tiger. Wanyan Huonü said, "The Liao army outnumbers ours three to one; they've likely come prepared." Wanyan Zhamu nodded, saying, "Not only are they well-prepared, but they're probably also filled with boundless hatred!" Wanyan Huonü understood immediately, saying, "General, do you mean the Shu princess has successfully transformed the defeat outside Liaoyang's city gates into hatred between the Jin and Liao armies?" Wanyan Zhamu nodded, saying, "If not, how dare the Shu princess lead her army to attack?" Wanyan Huonü, still worried, said, "Our army has won two battles in a row, originally dealing a heavy blow to the Liao army's morale. Unexpectedly, this Shu princess is so difficult to deal with, possessing such methods to turn grief into strength!" Wanyan Zhamu smiled and said, "Are you questioning the original decision?" Wanyan Huonü quickly replied, "This subordinate wouldn't dare!" Wanyan Zhamu showed no sign of reproach, saying calmly, "I understand!" Suddenly, Wanyan Zhamu crouched down, attacking the tiger's lower body. The tiger roared and pounced on Wanyan Zhamu's face. However, Wanyan Zhamu's speed far exceeded the tiger's expectations. As the male tiger leaped to its highest point, Wanyan Zhamu suddenly rose and simultaneously thrust out her liedao (a type of stabbing technique). The chest and abdomen are the most vulnerable parts of the body, and Wanyan Zhamu's powerful strike pierced the tiger's chest in the blink of an eye. Once the liedao was in, Wanyan Zhamu immediately released her grip, allowing the wounded tigress to escape. However, unexpectedly, the tiger landed, took less than three steps, and then breathed its last.

Without hesitation, Wanyan Huonu gripped her arrow and thrust it towards the tigress's eyes. The tigress turned, her tail lashing out like a whip towards Wanyan Huonu's face. Wanyan Huonu defended again, hastily Xieingyun Chu っ Jin 4 swell car curtain 10 Bo Jiao Yu Xuan Zhan Ga Nai Zhi He Xi Bu Xi ね Hu Hao Xuan Dong Wu Fu Miao Nan Di h Huan Chu 5 Nao Bi Wu Me Ping 3 Du Chu Xuan Zhan Ga Shun Huai Meng Zhi Zhang Mu Bin Chu Hui Ю Mei Tang Ke Ping 5 Nao Bi Di 4 Ping 6 Chang Si Po Fen Cang Yu Xuan Zhan Ga Ye Pang Xi Wo Bo Xin Mian Jiao Suan m Xuan Zhan Ga Ы Xi Lan Luan Wu Mei e Lang She Qiu Wei ハ Xu Ping 14 Ping 15 Lu Xuan Zhan Ga Ping Kui Bei Mo Ban Jiao Qi Huan Song Kui Gua Γ Ci Lan ァ m Xuan Zhen^ The mother shook her head slightly, picked up a fist-sized blue stone, and smashed it into the tigress's blood-red mouth. At the same time, Wanyan Huonu's arrow pierced the tigress's right eye once more. Blinded and with her blood vessels damaged, blood gushed from the tigress's eyes and nose. Moments later, her life force was exhausted, and she could no longer see.

Wanyan Zhamu seemed completely unconcerned about the impending battle, saying, "Tell me your insights from this battle!" Wanyan Huonü replied, "As long as strength and speed are enough to overwhelm the opponent, tactics and techniques will be insignificant." Wanyan Zhamu shook her head slightly, saying, "Only by simultaneously overwhelming the opponent with strength and speed, coupled with appropriate tactics and techniques, can we achieve the greatest victory with the least cost!" After a brief pause, she continued, "The Jurchens are invincible if they number less than ten thousand, but invincible if they number ten thousand! This is a symbol of the Jurchens' strength, and also proof of their small population. Ample food and warm clothing allow us to support more people, but years of war are constantly consuming the lives of our men. Only by using strong bodies to bear boundless wisdom can the Jurchens become an immortal overlord!" Wanyan Huonü listened intently to every word of instruction, then knelt on both knees, saying, "This humble general swears to follow the Great Ancestor Emperor and the General to the death, and to fight for the establishment of the immortal hegemony of the Great Jin Dynasty!"

With this kneeling, from this day forward, Wanyan Huonü is considered to have become a disciple of Wanyan Zhamu. The two carried the tiger onto a rock next to the hot spring, and soon, trickles of blood flowed down, staining half of the pond red. Holding a skinning knife, Wanyan Zhamu began to work busily, her head bowed. After a long while, she spoke, "The best hides aren't made by arrows piercing the eyes or poison seeping into the flesh, but by a sharp blade cleaving open the belly, killing with a single blow." Wanyan Huonu, her face full of admiration, replied, "The chest and abdomen are the tiger's weakest points, the places to skin and cut, yet also its most heavily guarded areas. The hunter, knife in hand, quickly moves under the tiger's belly as it leaps, then flicks the tip upwards, piercing straight for the heart. I've considered this method, but my skill is insufficient!" Wanyan Zhamu's tiger-killing was as skillful as a butcher carving up an ox. As the sharp knife sliced ​​across the tiger's spine to its tailbone, the entire tiger's skin was completely stripped away. Wanyan Huonu grabbed the tiger's tail and pulled upwards with a sudden force, exposing the naked flesh to the air, yet the majesty of the king of the forest remained. Pulled by Wanyan Huonü, the tiger's drooping head rose high. Wanyan Zhamu switched to a steel knife and swung it down forcefully. The tiger's head separated from its body, and the remaining blood gushed from its neck, staining the other half of the pond red. Wanyan Zhamu's reputation for killing and skinning tigers resounded throughout Changbai Mountain. Hundreds of pounds of tigers could be skinned before the blood had even congealed under his sharp knife. Wanyan Huonü slammed the tiger's head down, and brain matter spurted from the severed neck, landing on the grass. Wanyan Zhamu took some pre-prepared preservatives, stuffed them into the tiger's head, and said, "Next spring, another top-quality tiger skin!"

After everything was completed, Wanyan Huonü asked, "Was the large contingent of Liao soldiers arriving as expected, General?" Wanyan Zhamu shook her head and said, "Completely unexpected!" Wanyan Huonü, puzzled, asked again, "Yet General commanded with composure, showing complete confidence!" Wanyan Zhamu replied, "The situation in battle is ever-changing; anything can happen. A qualified general must remain calm under pressure and make the most correct choice in any situation." Wanyan Huonü pondered for a moment and said, "Will this approach ensure our army's invincibility?" Wanyan Zhamu smiled calmly and said, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Do your best and leave the rest to fate!" Yan Huonu looked slightly disappointed, thinking to herself, "Is there really no invincible general in the world?" Wanyan Zhamu seemed to see through her thoughts and said, "When arranging troops, remember to avoid arrogance and impetuosity. Every step must be based on reality, but your vision must be forward-looking! The Shu princess is leading three times the strength of our troops, intending to use the hatred of her soldiers to inflict heavy damage on our army. The climate of Hongquan Mountain is mild, and our army is well-rested. When her main force arrives in a hurry, we only need to hold our ground and withstand the cold weather. Even if it cannot destroy the Liao army's morale, it will weaken their combat power. As for us, we can fight if we can, or we can retreat north at our leisure!"