After the feast, Wu Tong asked:
"Elder Chief Fei, Elder Song Ren said you were on a secret mission from the Alliance Leader. Might we lend our aid?"
The old Beggar Chief Fei laughed heartily:
"The Yan army's momentum is fierce; our Tang forces have lost more than they've won of late. The Alliance Leader learned that Yan troops plan to ambush a Tang grain convoy. Thus I hurried here to lend my strength."
Liu Yun said:
"Elder Chief Fei, tomorrow we shall accompany you—perhaps we can be of help!"
Fei nodded:
"Very well. Rest early, for tomorrow we march to aid the Tang army."
The Next Morning
At dawn, Wu Tong and Liu Yun rode with Fei and the Beggars' Sect disciples to Apricot Blossom Village, there to await the Tang convoy. At the village gate they encountered the Tang troops. A Tang officer stepped forward:
"Elder, do you have urgent counsel?"
Fei replied:
"I am Fei Jin, Chief of the Beggars' Sect and Deputy Leader of the Rebel-Crushing Alliance. By order of the Alliance Leader, I come to aid the Tang army. Ahead, the Yan troops lie in ambush."
The officer bowed:
"I am Captain Wei Cheng of the Tang army. Grateful for your aid! How might we avoid this ambush?"
Fei said:
"The pass ahead is where they wait. Better the Tang troops detour through the rapeseed fields—longer, but safer."
Captain Wei bowed again:
"Thank you, Elder. Even if the Yan chase us, it is better than marching into their trap."
Wu Tong then called out:
"I am Wu Tong, Lord of the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness. Fear not pursuit, Captain. With the Beggars' Sect at your side, the Yan will pay dearly for every step."
Wei clasped his hands:
"With your aid, our supplies will surely reach the front lines."
Thus the convoy moved, detouring through golden fields of rapeseed.
The Ambush
After an hour's march, hoofbeats thundered from behind, angry shouts ringing out. Captain Wei's brows rose as he turned. Yan cavalry stormed forward, a black-armored commander at their head, spear in hand, his eyes sharp as knives. He cried out:
"Cowardly Tang dogs, skulking through the fields! Cut them down to the last man!"
The Yan cavalry spread in formation, charging. Wei Cheng roared:
"Tang soldiers, to battle positions!"
Shields locked, spears bristled like a forest. Archers took high ground. At his signal, volleys of bolts hissed through the air, striking the Yan vanguard. Screams and horses' cries filled the field as several riders toppled.
Yet the Yan rear pressed on with ferocity. Wei shouted:
"Spearmen, hold!"
The spear line thrust forward. Steel clashed with flesh; horses impaled, men overturned, battle cries shaking the fields.
Chief Fei raised his cane:
"Beggars' Sect, kill!"
The Beggars' disciples swarmed, wielding dog-beating staves, sabers, and daggers, striking from flanks and cover, their blows cunning and swift. The Yan, though brave, were ensnared between Tang discipline and Beggar fury.
Wu Tong, brandishing the Crouching Dragon Saber, charged like a thunderbolt. Wherever the blade fell, foes scattered. Seeing four expert Yan riders surge forward, he vaulted high, saber whirling. In an instant, they were knocked from their saddles. Spotting the Yan captain afar, Wu Tong thought: Strike the head to fell the body.
With a cry he spurred his horse. The Yan captain met him head-on, spear flashing. Saber and spear clashed in sparks. Wu Tong parried, countered with three cuts. The first two the captain evaded, but the third sheared away his helmet. Stunned, he wheeled his horse and cried:
"Retreat!"
The Yan sounded the gong to withdraw—disciplined even in defeat, retreating in order, unlike a rabble in rout.
Aftermath
The Tang, long battered in recent campaigns, dared not pursue. They too sounded the gong to regroup. Captain Wei approached, bowing deeply:
"Our convoy was saved only by your aid. The Tang army owes the Beggars' Sect and Lord Wu boundless gratitude."
Fei answered:
"To defend home and country is the duty of all righteous men."
Wu Tong said firmly:
"Loyalty and righteousness are our hall's creed; for the nation's sake, this is but our duty."
Wei replied:
"Beyond this hill lies the Tang camp."
Fei urged:
"Let us hasten, lest the Yan return."
By dusk they reached the encampment. The Tang soldiers welcomed them into tents for rest. Soon General Guo Xin, Commander of the Light Cavalry, entered, bowing:
"I, Guo Xin, pay respects to the heroes."
All clasped fists in greeting.
The general said:
"Had it not been for you, today's supplies would have fallen to the enemy. On behalf of the Tang, I thank you."
Chief Fei and the assembled heroes declared with one voice:
"With the Crown Prince enthroned at Lingwu, the realm unites. At the court's call to suppress the rebels, we, the righteous, must answer!"
Wu Tong, moved, cried:
"Chief Fei's virtue is unmatched, his heroism known to all!"
Guo Xin added:
"Word of Wu Tong's deeds has spread from the halls of state to the wilds of the jianghu. The Crouching Dragon Saber has shaken the south and north of the Tianshan. Your loyalty shines before Heaven and Earth!"
Wu Tong, a man well-read in the classics of Confucius, Mencius, and the Hundred Schools, had through fate risen to lead the Hall of Loyalty. His gaze hardened with resolve, his voice like a bronze bell:
"The realm is in chaos, villains ravage the land, the people suffer. Since I have entered the Hall of Loyalty, I must live by loyalty. Only then can I face Heaven above and men below without shame."
As the saying goes: "Immortals are but mortals of steadfast heart; only when the mortal will does not waver may one transcend."
The heroes were stirred to their core by Wu Tong's thunderous words. Even Liu Yun, by his side, felt pride well within—proud to have such a husband, worthy of love and respect.
General Guo Xin nodded again and again, declaring:
"Your loyalty and courage inspire awe. Since fate has gathered the heroes of the realm here, I have ordered a banquet this very night. Let us drink deep together!"