Chapter Thirty-Three: Breaking the Siege

Yang Xiaolin watched as Zhang Zuolin disappeared into the darkness of the woods. He gathered his thoughts, turned to Tang Yulin, and said, “Brother Tang, let’s go fight the Russians together.”

Fighting the Russians was a stirring idea, one that could make the blood boil with excitement. Yet, to actually do it was by no means a simple matter.

Tang Yulin’s initial plan was to have Yang Xiaolin find a way to attack another Russian camp—ideally one near the Liao River. Feng Delin was currently surrounded in Gaojiatun, and rumor had it he had several thousand men with him, boasting over a hundred captains. The Russians had deployed twenty thousand troops to besiege him—more than they’d used in their offensives on Fengtian and Shengjing.

Feng Delin’s position was exceedingly perilous, though no one outside could say just how dire his situation was. Tang Yulin’s idea was to break through from the outside and rescue the thousands of brave men trapped by the Liao River. That would be ideal.

But Yang Xiaolin knew this plan was nigh impossible. The Russians weren’t fools. Ever since his attack on Ganzi Tun, the defenses around their camps had grown much tighter.

The Russians had withdrawn all outposts of fewer than five hundred men and burned the Chinese villages next to their camps to the ground. Any Chinese entering or leaving the Russian camps faced rigorous inspection. Yang Xiaolin had even heard the Russian command had banned all expeditionary troops from holding dances in the Northeast.

Even the Russian soldiers who once strolled the streets did so only in large groups. Finding another Ganzi Tun to attack would be like plucking a star from the sky.

So when Tang Yulin laid out his plan, Yang Xiaolin shook his head. “Brother Tang, forgive my bluntness, but such an idea is unrealistic now. We’d be risking our own lives for nothing.”

Tang Yulin looked at him, wondering if perhaps, having helped Yang Xiaolin drive off Zhang Zuolin, the man now intended to break his word.

Yang Xiaolin caught his meaning and smiled. “We can’t attack the Russian camps, but we can try something else.”

Tang Yulin’s expression relaxed. “What do you have in mind?”

Yang Xiaolin shook his head, took a deep drag on his cigar to steady his thoughts, and exhaled slowly. “I don’t know yet. Let’s rest here for the night and go to the Liao River at dawn. We won’t know what chances we have until we’ve seen for ourselves. How to break the siege at Gaojiatun will depend on the circumstances.”

Tang Yulin, seeing that Yang Xiaolin wasn’t backing down, was relieved and nodded. “Master Yang, I’m a rough man and never learned to read, nor do I know much about strategy. But Brother Feng has always treated me well. If you can help him break the siege, I’d give you my life.”

Yang Xiaolin laughed. “You give me too much credit, Brother Tang. I have admired Brother Feng for a long time. Even without your request, I’d help him if I could spare the effort. Enough with the formalities, or I might get angry.”

Tang Yulin was deeply moved. “Master Yang—no, Brother Yang—from now on, you are my friend for life!”

Yang Xiaolin shot him a glance. “Did you not consider me a friend before?”

Tang Yulin realized his slip and didn’t mind. He thumped Yang Xiaolin’s shoulder and burst out laughing. Yang Xiaolin joined in, then lowered his voice. “No matter what plan we use, there’s one thing we must do at once.”

“What’s that?”

“To break a siege, coordination inside and out is essential. We need to send a clever man into Gaojiatun to contact Brother Feng and work together from both sides. Only then will we have a real chance.”

Tang Yulin agreed. “You’re right. I’ll send someone immediately. Ma You!”

At his call, a man as thin as a monkey darted over from the rear. “Here, boss!”

Tang Yulin clapped the man’s shoulder. “Master Yang, this is the cleverest man under my command. He’s met Master Feng a few times—Master Feng should remember him. Whatever you need to say, tell him.”

Yang Xiaolin looked Ma You up and down, then remarked, “Cleverness alone isn’t enough. He must have courage, too. Brother Tang, is this man brave enough?”

Before Tang Yulin could answer, Ma You reacted as if deeply insulted. In the bitter cold, he yanked up his shirt, slapped his bony chest, and declared, “Master Yang, see this body? There’s nothing inside it—no heart, liver, spleen, stomach, or kidneys—only guts!”

Yang Xiaolin smiled. “Is that so? Good. And how’s your marksmanship?”

Again, Tang Yulin said nothing. This time, Ma You’s demonstration was even more direct. He stood more than ten paces from Yang Xiaolin in the darkness, whipped up his rifle, worked the bolt with lightning speed, and with a bang, shot the cigar in Yang Xiaolin’s hand clean in two!

The burning end fell to the ground, its ember blackened by the bullet’s heat. The piece left in Yang Xiaolin’s hand was barely a stub. Had Ma You’s aim been off by even the smallest margin, the bullet would have struck Yang Xiaolin’s hand.

Tang Yulin was clearly delighted with his subordinate’s performance and laughed heartily. “Brother Yang, this man—whether brains, courage, or skill—is one of my very best. You can trust him anywhere! Satisfied?”

But Yang Xiaolin’s face was grim. He strode over to Ma You, grabbed his collar, and waved the stub of the cigar before him. “Did you know that was my last one?”

Nevertheless, Ma You’s marksmanship pleased Yang Xiaolin, and he was chosen for the mission. In truth, shooting skill was secondary; so were courage and cleverness. What mattered most was luck, for whoever went would be risking his life. Yang Xiaolin could only hope fortune would favor Ma You.

Afterward, Tang Yulin led his men back to rest, while Yang Xiaolin made camp at the site where Zhang Zuolin had just been. The bodies of the militia were carried out and laid outside, and the bandits promptly lay down on the still bloodstained beds.

Their days on the run had left them living like wild dogs. Bloodstained bedding meant nothing; even a cold stone slab would suffice for sleep.

Yang Xiaolin, accompanied by Golden Saber Jin and Master Kong with a lantern, went from barrack to barrack, checking every man, tucking stray blankets to keep the wind from creeping in. Some bandits, light sleepers, stirred at the touch, but when they saw Yang Xiaolin, they were surprised beyond measure.

Yang Xiaolin would signal them to keep quiet for fear of waking the others. Many were moved, some so much their faces froze in astonishment. Yang Xiaolin would pat their blankets and bid them sleep on.

Checking on his brothers after they’d fallen asleep was a small thing, almost unnecessary. Yet no one had ever done it before. As Master Kong followed, lantern in hand, watching Yang Xiaolin’s casual care, he found himself thinking that perhaps Yang the Ghost, though a bandit, was a man worth following. In that moment, he resolved to stay by Yang Xiaolin’s side, come what may.