Failings

At General quarters, commanders Yan, Chu and Yang are present along with Chen and Superintendent Wan. They are discussing the plan of action from now on. General Guoqiang suggests : "We will make use of smoke throughout the length of the walls, to draw out the enemy. Infantry will use smoke bombs at the foot of the fortification and mislead the enemy into fighting themselves. Cavalry will fire up the pits to create thick smokes, that the enemy cannot see through it. Arches will launch showers of arrows on the top of the towers. We will only engage in combat after the horn is blown.

Commander Chen : "When shall we attack?"

General Guoqiang : "When the wind is still."

Commander Yan : "If the wind is strong the cover of smoke will be useless."

Superintendent Wan : "We'll have to go along the way the wind goes for this attack."

General Guoqiang : "Men, make preparations, and be ready as soon as the sky is clear and not windy, we will attack right away."

Two days later the wind was not roaring in the evening. That is when the Tianxia army acted upon the plan. Everyone in the camp had already made preparations. In the evening in the cover of the dark, the smoke bombs were launched at the towers from all around. Confusing the enemy soldiers. Like planned, the pit erupted in fires, the archers were ready to launch. But the inevitable happened. The fires from the pit never raged into long heights or casted heavy smokes. They were put out almost immediately. The smoke bombs only blinded the enemy army but they did not attack each other. When the wind blew, it cleared the little smoke. That is when things got clear. The enemy counterattack very cleverly. As if they already knew. They had water and sands ready to put out the fire in the pits. As soon as the fires subsided, a full-fledged combat took place. Tianxia engaged in battle, but it was strange that the enemy purposely startgised to hit only at the hilt and the weak points of the weaponry. As if they were well aware of the weak weaponry. Seeing his men not being able to fight fair. Guoqiang retreated back with his troops. This was a crashing defeat.

A week later a surprise attack was launched on Guoqiang's camp. In the board daylight, Shenzhou army's cavalry attacked. Going berserk. No army stages a surprise attack so openly and in the bright of the day. They just attacked couple of soldiers, as if teasing and testing the waters. This was humiliating to Guoqiang's army. But this confirmed Guoqiang's suspicion. He had been suspecting that there was a leak not only in the court but also in the army. They knew that the weaponry was faulty, they knew before hand that they were to attack with smoke and create fire pit. They knew the position of their camp, and attacked it without damaging much. These all was getting on Guoqiang's nerves, how he wished to end all of it by slitting the throat of General Gu of the enemy army. But he knew better that he was just a marionette. Someone more powerful was pulling the strings.

Almost every afternoon Yan would hear the call of white wagtail bird. He kept telling himself he was hearing things and would dismiss the sound. That day Yan and his men along with Superintendent's guards went to the forest to collect essentials for the camp; food and wood for arrows and fire. Call of the wagtail bird could be heard in the distance.

Commander Yan : "Do you hear that?"

Soldier Yi : "What is it Commander?"

The forest is silent again, "Nothing," said Yan. He was sure he heard wagtail bird, but it is not native to this land, so he did not dwell on it. They return back to the camp. Suspicious activity was happening and they are not aware off it.

General Guoqiang : (quietly) "Yan, I have task for you, send Qin to General Han, tie this message."

Commander Yan : "Yes General."

Qin was General Guoqiang's falcon. The message the bird was to deliver was for soldiers dispatchment from Han's army, promptly before the next attack. General also raised two hunting dogs size of a human, named Huang and Tao. He had trained them himself.

He decided to have one more attack to make sure that indeed there was a leak in the army. So he asked only five soldiers to infiltrate, Shenzhou army. The five were to go to the northern beacon tower and steal the weaponry. General himself hid in the dark, in the forest at a vantage point to view the events unfold. There he saw the enemy soldiers centre their attention on the northern beacon tower. Yan had taken the five soldiers to the southern beacon tower, without informing them beforehand. There, they dusted gun powder on the stock. And from his hide spot, General Guoqiang carefully launched an arrow that was torched, to rattle the enemy. The southern beacon tower stocks erupted in fire. There was commotion and the five soldiers along with Yan slipped away.

Meanwhile at the other end. Chu and Yang along with fifteen men took advantage of the commotion and sneaked to steal weapons from the northern beacon tower. They were only half way through when a horn was blown and Shenzhou army returned to their position. Chu, Yang and their men were making an escape with whatever they got their hands on. When the enemy soldiers lashed out. Huang and Tao were also in the field. They attacked any enemy soldier mercilessly, leading the Tianxia army retreat safely. Before Shenzhou army could hurt the dogs, a torched arrow, leapt from the sky and plunged into the ground, right in front of the Shenzhou soldier. A sharp whistle and the dogs returned to their master, while the arrow set the ground on fire with a trail of gun powder and two bombs detonating.