Chapter 26: Seeking a Path Where None Exists

A muffled "boom" tore through the night.

The stone shattered into powder. A wave of air, thick with dust, washed over them. Hu Dayong was knocked to the ground, his ears ringing. He opened his mouth wide, and after a long moment, he finally choked out:

"What the... hell!"

A commotion erupted from the barracks behind them. The explosion had been so loud it jolted everyone awake. Some men rushed out bare-chested, brandishing sabers; others scrambled to pull up their breeches as they ran. Zhang Xiaonian even charged out butt-naked, clutching his armor.

They had expected a night raid by the Tatars, but upon seeing the scene before them, they all froze in place.

Stone dust hung in the air, shimmering under the moonlight. Hu Dayong and Lin Chuan stood before a pit a foot deep, wearing eerie smiles. Lin Chuan stared at the scorched earth at the bottom of the crater, his brows relaxing slightly.

Judging by the results, this gunpowder was acceptable. Less than a pound of it had created a pit this deep. If they were to use a stone mine packed with five pounds of explosives, it would likely blow a Tatar cavalry unit to the heavens. However, the fuse still needed further refinement. If the timing of the explosion could not be controlled, the stone mine would struggle to reach its full potential.

...

Back in his room, Lin Chuan spread a sheet of rice paper on the table and began to sketch. Improving the fuse wasn't overly difficult—it was merely a matter of adding more phosphorus to the cotton thread, or perhaps encasing the fuse in a reed tube to prevent moisture. The real trouble lay in the ignition mechanism for the mines. Given current technology, they would have to rely on manual ignition for now. Only by developing matches or a similar instant ignition method could he create true landmines.

The sketches grew more detailed. The oil lamp flared several times, but Lin Chuan was oblivious. It wasn't until he heard birds chirping outside the window that he realized the sky was already beginning to brighten. He set down his brush and rubbed his aching wrist. Gazing at the dense lines and annotations on the paper, a smile finally touched his lips.

Though it was still just talk on paper, he at least had a direction. He would start by testing the simplest tripwire mechanism, using hemp rope as the trigger connected to the mine’s fuse. As for an instant ignition device, he would need to put his head together with blacksmith Zhao.

He had barely slept for two hours on the kang when—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Someone was pounding on the door.

Lin Chuan leaped up and pulled it open.

"Commander, we have trouble!" Hu Dayong was drenched in sweat. "Some provincial troops have come to seize the mine! They’ve already reached the mountain pass!"

Lin Chuan’s eyes sharpened. He grabbed his long saber and bolted outside. When they reached the mine tunnel in the back hills, they found forty or fifty provincial soldiers wielding blades and clubs, driving away the laborers. At their head stood a company commander in a brocade robe, accompanied by a petty officer with a bulbous, red nose.

It was the same credit-stealing scoundrel who had been whipped publicly by General Chen after the battle at Willow Village.

"Stop!" Hu Dayong drew his waist saber and led his men forward.

"Audacious!" The red-nosed petty officer, seeing a squad leader charging them, barked, "Stop them!"

With a roar, dozens of provincial soldiers swarmed forward.

"You lowly squad leader, don't you know to kneel when you see Company Commander Liu of the Second Provincial Guard?" The red-nosed officer remembered the day he had been forced to kneel and grew furious.

"Kneel to your grandmother!" Wang Tiezhu stretched his neck and cursed. "Open your dog eyes and look! You have a company commander, and so do we!"

He didn't need to remind them; everyone had already seen Lin Chuan approaching behind them.

"Oh, hello there, Officer. Do you remember me?" Lin Chuan cupped his fists with a smile.

The red-nosed officer froze, then fury welled up in his heart. How could he forget this face? A month ago, at Willow Village, this fellow had stood up to him and caused him to lose face in public...

"There is a path to heaven, but you choose not to take it..." The red-nosed officer drew his saber and pointed at Lin Chuan. "...and no gate to hell, yet you insist on knocking!"

His voice suddenly stalled. Lin Chuan, smile undimmed, strolled toward him with his saber in hand.

"And no gate to hell... you insist on coming?"

The red-nosed officer looked at Lin Chuan’s military tunic and identification badge, his eyelid twitching. "You... you... how..."

"How did I become the Company Commander of Iron Forest Fort?"

"Company Commander of Iron Forest Fort?" the provincial commander beside him frowned. "Iron Forest Fort is a tiny watchtower. By military regulations, only two squads are stationed there. How could there be a company commander?"

"May I ask the commander's surname?" Lin Chuan asked with a smile.

"I am surnamed Liu."

"I suppose Commander Liu hasn't heard," Lin Chuan said. "Iron Forest Fort has been promoted to a garrison post. Per regulations, it now stations a full company. Coincidentally, I am that commander."

Commander Liu’s expression shifted. He whispered to the red-nosed officer, "Didn't you say there were only two squads?"

"I... I..."

"What? If there were only two squads, does that mean you are free to bully us?" Lin Chuan’s gaze turned cold. "This is the first time I've heard of provincial troops acting wildly on border territory! Men—"

"Sir!" more than twenty soldiers responded in unison.

"Form ranks!" Lin Chuan ordered.

"Clang!"

The sound of armor and steel blades rang out like thunder. The glint of their weapons forced the provincial soldiers to retreat again and again. Beads of sweat broke out on Commander Liu’s forehead. He had been hired with a handsome sum by the wealthy Mr. Zhang to help reclaim the mine, but he hadn't expected to run into such a tough opponent.

According to the *Border Military Regulations*, while a garrison company commander held the same rank as a provincial company commander, the border troops were stationed in dangerous areas year-round and held significantly more real authority. The provincial soldiers behind him also subconsciously took three or four steps back. These pampered soldiers, who usually only threw their weight around in the city, had never seen the discipline of the border guard. The red-nosed petty officer looked pale as a sheet.

"Commander Lin..." Commander Liu forced a smile. "Is... is there some misunderstanding here? This mine is the property of Mr. Zhang..."

"May I ask, Commander Liu! Are you acting on orders from the provincial command today, or did you take Mr. Zhang’s silver?"

"This..." Commander Liu was momentarily speechless.

"The border troops have been locked in bloody battles with the Tatars and are in urgent need of iron," Lin Chuan stepped forward. "General Chen personally ordered me to requisition this mine. What, does Commander Liu have an opinion on that?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Commander Liu’s face changed dramatically. "So it was General Chen’s intention. It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

"A misunderstanding is best!" Lin Chuan sneered. "Otherwise, blades have no eyes, and it would be a shame to damage our harmony."

"Yes, yes! A shame to damage our harmony!"

The red-nosed officer whispered, "Sir! What about Mr. Zhang..."

"Shut up!" Commander Liu backhanded him, sending him stumbling. When he turned back to Lin Chuan, his face was filled with obsequious smiles. "It’s all a misunderstanding. We’ll be leaving now, right away!"

The provincial soldiers, as if granted a reprieve, turned and scrambled down the mountain. Hu Dayong watched their pathetic retreat and muttered, "Commander, these people are up to no good!"

Lin Chuan snorted coldly, "I’d like to see what other tricks Mr. Zhang has up his sleeve!"

...

In the back hall of the county office, Mr. Zhang sat at a table, drinking with Magistrate Qin. A plainclothes runner hurried in and whispered a few words.

"What? Commander Liu retreated?" Mr. Zhang’s expression changed, and he slammed his palm on the table. "Useless!"

Magistrate Qin sipped his tea leisurely. "Why be so angry, Brother Zhang?"

"Magistrate Qin, you are certainly calm!" Mr. Zhang said coldly. "You’ve taken plenty of silver. What, at a time like this, you’re just going to watch the show?"

The secretary to the side hurried forward to smooth things over. "Calm your anger, sir. The magistrate already has a plan."

"Oh?" Mr. Zhang raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."

Magistrate Qin was also taken aback. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the secretary give him a wink. He caught the hint and said, "Secretary, you explain it!"

"Yes!" The secretary snapped his fan open. "Your concern, sir, is that the mine has been occupied. To solve this, one only needs to deal with Iron Forest Fort."

"Easier said than done!" Mr. Zhang sneered. "The provincial troops already returned in defeat. What else can be done?!"

"If this road is blocked, why not try another one?"

"What do you mean? Speak plainly!"

"Sir, the Green Goat Mountain... doesn't it have a road as well?"

"Green Goat Mountain?" Mr. Zhang blinked. "You mean, let Yuan the Third and his men cause trouble?"

"Not exactly," the secretary shook his head. "Green Goat Mountain is our territory, and the terrain is treacherous... If the border troops were to suffer an 'accident' while suppressing bandits, and twenty or thirty of them were lost, it would be a common enough occurrence."

"You mean..." A cold light flashed in Mr. Zhang’s eyes. "Lure the snake out of its hole?"

Magistrate Qin finally realized and clapped his hands, laughing. "It seems... we must prepare a generous gift for Commander Lin."