Henan.
East of Luoyang.
Fuxi Mountain.
Deep within the mountains, a river had carved out a narrow passage over countless years. This place was known as Luanma Ravine.
At this very moment, the ravine was a scene of utter chaos.
Men and horses were packed together in frantic disorder. Swords flashed. Spears stabbed. Halberds rose and fell. Human shouts collided with the terrified neighing of horses, while blood sprayed across rocks and mud without restraint.
The vanguard of the Ming relief army was trapped inside Luanma Ravine.
Commander Liu Honglie, together with Deputy Commanders Ai Wannian and Liu Guozhen, had been completely encircled by more than one hundred thousand rebel troops.
Their fate had already been decided.
This devastating defeat was not an accident. In truth, it was entirely deserved.
These generals had badly misjudged their enemy. In their minds, the rebels were still the same trembling rabble from years past, peasants who would scatter the moment they heard an official title or saw a government banner.
With only three thousand men, they had boldly advanced toward Xingyang, believing they could pursue and suppress an army rumored to number three hundred thousand.
What they failed to understand was that the rebels of today were no longer the rebels of yesterday.
Years of nonstop warfare had forged their core forces into hardened veterans. These men had survived countless battles, accumulating brutal experience through blood and death. They no longer fled at the mention of officials or constables. Instead, they had transformed into a terrifying armed force, capable of unleashing violence as relentless and concentrated as machine gun fire against regular troops.
For government soldiers to imagine that three thousand could hunt down and defeat three hundred thousand under such circumstances was not courage.
It was madness.
And madness led only to one outcome.
Death.
Ten li away, deep within the forested slopes of Fuxi Mountain, Cao Wenzhao's Guanning Iron Cavalry was resting.
Suddenly, the calm shattered.
A fast horse burst into the clearing at full speed. The rider barely managed to dismount before collapsing to the ground in front of Cao Wenzhao.
"General Cao, save them!" the man cried out desperately. "I serve Deputy Commander Ai Wannian. General Ai and General Liu Guozhen went to Luanma Ravine to rescue Liu Honglie, but now they are surrounded. I beg the General to quickly send troops for aid!"
Cao Wenzhao raised his brow slightly.
"Very well," he said calmly. "I will go at once to rescue them."
The messenger's face lit up with overwhelming relief.
Before anyone else could speak, Cao Bianjiao stepped forward.
"Uncle," he said urgently. "The terrain of Fuxi Mountain is extremely dangerous. Ravines and rivers intersect everywhere. If we rush into Luanma Ravine without caution, we may end up surrounded ourselves."
Cao Wenzhao's expression darkened.
He was no inexperienced officer. He was a famous general, well versed in military strategy. Under normal circumstances, recklessly charging into terrain like Fuxi Mountain was something he should never do.
Yet watching his comrades being encircled and crushed, while he stood by doing nothing, was something he simply could not accept.
To witness allied forces besieged and refuse to help was no different from abandoning them.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
The Battle of the Hun River, in the first year of Tianqi, 1621.
Back then, the White Pole Soldiers and the Qi family army had fought desperately against the Manchu. Meanwhile, the Guanning Iron Cavalry under Governor Yuan Yingtai had hesitated, refusing to march to their aid. They had stood aside and watched as both armies were completely annihilated.
It had become an indelible disgrace in the history of the Guanning Iron Cavalry.
Cao Wenzhao's face hardened.
"Deploy immediately," he ordered. "Prepare for rescue."
"Uncle," Cao Bianjiao said anxiously, "the rebel army outnumbers us by more than a hundred times."
"Even so, we go," Cao Wenzhao replied gravely. "I will not allow another Hun River to occur because of my hesitation."
"Then we must scout first," Cao Bianjiao insisted. "We cannot fall into their trap."
Those words struck Cao Wenzhao like a spark.
"That's right," he thought. "I borrowed the reconnaissance hot air balloons from Sir Bai, yet I have not used them even once. If not now, then when?"
"Launch the reconnaissance hot air balloon," he commanded.
The soldiers moved swiftly.
Following the instructions taught by Bai Yuan, they assembled the equipment piece by piece. A brazier was lit, and as hot air rose, the balloon gradually expanded.
Before long, it lifted gently into the sky.
A literate scout climbed into the large wicker basket. His face was pale, but his eyes were steady as the balloon ascended higher and higher.
A thick rope hung from the balloon, with a thinner rope attached alongside it. The soldiers secured the thick rope firmly around a tree to anchor the balloon against the wind.
Cao Wenzhao watched silently.
Beside him, Cao Bianjiao stared upward and shouted, "Scout, what do you see? Speak quickly. What do you see?"
"Stop shouting," Cao Wenzhao said calmly. "He cannot hear you from that height. Bring the bamboo tube."
Cao Bianjiao immediately understood.
He took out a prepared bamboo tube, placed a written note inside, and tied it to the thinner rope. Then he tugged on the rope in a steady rhythm.
High above, the scout felt the vibration and quickly pulled the rope upward, retrieving the tube. After some time, the tube descended once more.
Cao Bianjiao opened it.
His face turned ashen.
"It's over," he said quietly. "Liu Honglie's forces, Ai Wannian's forces, Liu Guozhen's forces. They are finished. The rebels have also prepared a trap for us. Tens of thousands of troops are hidden in the mountain gullies beside Luanma Ravine. If we charge in, those hidden forces will surge out from all directions and surround us completely."
Cao Wenzhao's expression grew grim.
"The rebels are capable of such tactics now?"
"More and more border troops and garrison soldiers have joined them," Cao Bianjiao replied. "They bring experience and strategy. Recently, they have also acquired a large number of high-quality weapons. Merchants must be secretly assisting them."
Cao Wenzhao fell silent for several breaths.
Then he asked, "Do we have reinforcements?"
"Yes," Cao Bianjiao answered. "Governor Fan Shangzheng of Henan is coming with the Henan garrison troops, along with Sir Bai's militia. They are about five li behind us. They have also launched a large hot air balloon. Look."
Cao Wenzhao turned toward the northwest.
Far away in the sky, barely visible unless one looked carefully, was a tiny black speck.
That was Sir Bai's reconnaissance hot air balloon.
Cao Wenzhao lowered his head and spoke slowly and firmly.
"We enter the ravine. Reinforce the vanguard. Rescue as many as we can."
"Uncle," Cao Bianjiao said urgently, "the rebels have tens of thousands lying in ambush. We will be surrounded if we go in."
"We have reinforcements coming from behind," Cao Wenzhao replied.
"But they are weak," Cao Bianjiao argued. "Governor Fan Shangzheng's garrison troops are useless, and those militia volunteers are even worse."
"They do not need to be strong," Cao Wenzhao said. "They only need to appear. While the rebels focus on surrounding us, the sudden presence of troops behind them will make them believe they have fallen into my trap. Panic will spread, and once panic spreads, formations collapse. With our backs against the wall, we can turn defeat into victory."
Cao Bianjiao inhaled sharply. "That is far too dangerous."
Cao Wenzhao's gaze turned cold.
"If you fear danger," he said, "why be a soldier at all?"
He raised his voice. "Convey my order. The entire army advances immediately to reinforce Luanma Ravine."
"Yes, sir!"
The three thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry surged forward, charging toward Luanma Ravine.
Wait.
Something seemed off.
High above, the scout stared downward in disbelief.
His army was moving.
Without him.
"General," he shouted in panic, "you forgot me!"
Frantically, he extinguished the fire in the brazier, lowering the temperature and stopping the hot air.
"Oh, my balloon. My dear balloon," he cried miserably.
"Get me down now. Now. Now!"