Chapter 117: A Feint

Before Yang Xiaolin could finish his sentence, Maso Naifu returned from outside. Upon entering, he glanced casually at Yang Du before smiling and saying, "Mr. Xiaolin, I have good news for you. The Russian pursuers are still over a hundred kilometers away. At their current marching pace, you can rest for at least three days."

Hearing this, Yang Xiaolin realized there were undoubtedly Japanese spies within Kaiyuan. In their desperate attempt to seize interests in Northeast China from the Russians, the Japanese had calculated every move; their intelligence network was impeccable. Was there one of their agents in his own camp? The thought sent a jolt of alarm through him. He realized he must establish his own intelligence organization immediately; he could not afford to remain defenseless in this regard.

Maso Naifu sat down at the table. "I am very curious, Mr. Xiaolin, what do you plan to do next?"

Yang Xiaolin smiled, masking his inner apprehension. "Why is Mr. Maso so eager to know the answer ahead of time?"

Maso Naifu replied, "Mr. Xiaolin, you misunderstand. Personally, I would be more than happy to continue as a loyal spectator, watching your performance. However, I have other matters to attend to and must depart. Mr. Matsubara asked me to pass this message: he will provide the necessary support according to your plan. Furthermore, your success in defeating the Russians will determine when we arrange your meeting with Sun Yat-sen."

Yang Xiaolin seemed to grasp the implication. "Oh, is that so? I don't have a specific battle plan, but I can tell you this: I intend to continue heading north, dragging those pursuing armies along for a few more days. As for how long, that depends on how much patience the Russians have for chasing me. When they lose the desire to hunt me, this encirclement will naturally end."

Maso Naifu pondered this. He realized that although Yang Xiaolin had answered, it was essentially no different from saying nothing at all. Nevertheless, he did not press further, stood up, and said, "Very well, I will relay your exact words to Mr. Matsubara."

Maso Naifu left as abruptly as he had arrived. Before the night had even passed following that dinner, he was gone. As Yang Xiaolin watched his back disappear into the night after seeing him off outside the city, Kong Luodi suddenly remarked, "Commander, I suspect that little Japanese fellow had something urgent to return to."

Yang Xiaolin smiled. "There is certainly a Japanese intelligence agency in Kaiyuan. He reported the details of our battle to Matsubara, and now Matsubara must reconsider his stance toward us. They have been startled by us."

Kong Luodi also laughed. "No one expected you to defeat the Russian reinforcements. Will the Japanese, out of caution, decide to eliminate us prematurely?"

Yang Xiaolin considered this. "Not yet. At the very least, they will wait to see how our negotiations with Sun Yat-sen turn out."

Kong Luodi looked at Yang Xiaolin. Lately, he had felt increasingly like an outsider. Jin Dadao and the others could still lead troops into battle, but what could he do? Offer strategic advice? Yang Xiaolin’s thoughts were unconventional and far-reaching; Kong Luodi felt he could not help at all, especially after the arrival of Yang Du, which made him feel threatened.

"Commander, there is something I would like to discuss with you. I believe the method Yang Xizi suggested will not work. For him, accepting amnesty might lead to an official position, but the Imperial Court will never treat our brothers well."

Kong Luodi had not wanted to say this, fearing Yang Xiaolin would think he was slandering Yang Du or that he was petty and intolerant. But he truly believed it, and with Yang Du absent, he seized the opportunity.

Yang Xiaolin sneered upon hearing this. "Master Kong, Yang Du and I are not of the same mind."

Yang Xiaolin had not addressed Kong Luodi that way in a long time. Hearing this, Kong Luodi felt much more at ease. "As long as you are aware, Commander, I am relieved."

Yang Xiaolin patted his shoulder. "I will handle this. I brought Yang Du here to be my Wu Yong, not my Song Jiang! For now, don't say anything, and don't make a move against him. Amnesty? I will make sure he gives up that idea."

General Kuropatkin was in a state of utter misery. His entire force had been chasing Yang Xiaolin for over a month, yet they had failed to capture this band of bandits. He had to keep pursuing, however, because for the Russians, retreating meant defeat. General Kuropatkin could not accept the outcome of being bested by these bandits, and even if he could, His Majesty the Tsar certainly would not. Thus, he had no other choice.

General Akberil was right; the pre-battle deployment had been flawed from the start. He should never have mobilized such a massive army to catch this annoying rat, and having done so, he should not have treated the campaign as a mere exhibition for the Russian military.

But it was too late now. Prolonged marching had exhausted the soldiers, and even the international journalists who had come to watch General Kuropatkin’s "performance" had lost all hope for the Russian spectacle.

When the encircling army reached Kaiyuan, Kuropatkin saw the very thing he dreaded most: all the coal mines had been sabotaged by Yang Xiaolin, the railway tracks had been torn up, and all Russian-owned businesses in Kaiyuan had been burned to the ground. When it came to pillaging, the bandits were experts.

Looking at the devastation left for him, Kuropatkin’s expression was cold as frost. After his lips trembled for a long moment, he suddenly roared, "Someone tell me, where is 'Yang the Devil' now!"

The sudden shout made everyone around him flinch. No one answered. Kuropatkin glared at Zeng Qi, who had been following him, but Zeng Qi remained silent, pretending not to notice the gaze.

Behind Kuropatkin stood the group of international journalists. They were no longer permitted to stand near the General, so upon hearing his roar, they whispered to each other, "Mark, do you know why the General is angry again?"

Mark shrugged. "How would I know? But if I were Russian, I’d be angry too. Look at this city; everything burned was Russian property!"

Just then, General Akberil walked past them with a Russian officer. The officer looked terrified; he was the commander of the reinforcement unit that had been ambushed by the bandits. Out of four thousand men, only a thousand had escaped, and he did not know how to explain this to the General.

Following General Akberil to the front of General Kuropatkin, he braced himself and gave a standard Russian military salute. "Reporting to the Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Doroshenko of the Third Army of the Russian Far East Corps reports for duty!"

Kuropatkin was furious, but a smile appeared on his face. "My dear Lieutenant Colonel Doroshenko, I would like to ask, where is your army?"

Doroshenko kept his head bowed, not daring to meet Kuropatkin’s eyes. "Reporting to the Commander, my unit was shamelessly ambushed by Chinese bandits early the day before yesterday. We suffered heavy losses and are currently resting outside the city."

Kuropatkin walked up to him. "Tell me, Lieutenant Colonel, why are you not resting inside the city?"

The officer’s face turned pale, then blue; he could not utter a word. Kuropatkin grabbed him by the collar in a rage. "Were you scared off by those bandits? You still had over a thousand men! If you had stayed to hold your ground, those bandits could never have taken Kaiyuan! When I arrived today, I should have been able to catch their trail! But because of your cowardice and incompetence, the bandits occupied this place without firing a shot, destroying our mines and our railways! We have lost our chance again. Lieutenant Colonel, I will send you to His Majesty the Tsar’s military tribunal. Just wait!"

The Lieutenant Colonel was indignant, feeling that if the Commander himself, with over ten thousand men, could not stop "Yang the Devil," why should he be expected to? If the Commander had been capable, the bandit would never have reached Kaiyuan.

Although he did not say it, his expression made his thoughts clear to Akberil. Akberil stepped forward. "General, this is not his fault alone. If we must assign responsibility, I believe the greatest failure of this battle lies with our command headquarters for not realizing how formidable the enemy was!"

Kuropatkin said nothing more, pushing the Lieutenant Colonel aside. "Very well, let us not assign blame for now. But I must remind everyone: if we fail to win this battle, we will all be punished! Every single one of us!"

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Now, can anyone tell me where 'Yang the Devil' has gone?"

The Lieutenant Colonel whispered, "He went west."

Kuropatkin was stunned. "West? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

The Lieutenant Colonel kept his head down. "General, you never gave me a chance to speak."

Kuropatkin wanted to kick him again, but he suppressed his rage. "Orderly! The map!"

A military map was spread out before him. General Kuropatkin’s finger found Kaiyuan, then traced a path westward. His brows furrowed tightly. "West, and further west are nothing but rugged mountains. What does he hope to achieve by going into the mountains?"

General Akberil watched for a while, his face suddenly changing color. "Oh no! He is going to attack Fengtian!"

The remark left Zeng Qi, who was sitting nearby, so shocked he nearly fell to the ground.