frightened whinnies drifted out of the basin.
'Look!' said Shengti. 'They're not breaking off!'
He was right. The barbarians had ridden through two volleys of arrows and were continuing their charge. Batu's stomach knotted just as if he were standing with his men.
'Shall we attack?' asked Ching Tung. He had already turned away from the scrying basin and was moving toward the door.
Noting that none of the riders were drawing their swords or lances, Batu grasped Ching Tung's shoulder. 'No!'
As Ching Tung turned to face him, Batu continued, 'They're only testing our formation's discipline. If they had intended to finish the charge, they would have drawn their melee weapons by now.'
Ching Tung's eyes flashed. He started to say something spiteful, but the thunder in the scrying basin suddenly died. The resulting quiet drew all eyes back to the pool. The generals saw that the enemy horsemen had reigned their mounts to a halt at fifty yards. Batu would have given ten thousand silver coins to know how many more barbarians lurked out of the scrying basin's view. It was a question he knew would not be answered. Kwan's wu jen had already explained that his spell had a range of only two miles.
Another gray blur flashed over the field as the barbarian riders fired in unison. The Shou archers, who had been drawing swords and preparing to meet the charge, were not prepared for the attack. Dozens of arrows struck their marks with quiet thuds. Over a hundred men cried out and fell to the flurry.
Batu's troops were well disciplined, however, and a volley of Shou arrows answered a moment later. Another wave of terrible screams and whinnies followed, and the general from Chukei could almost smell the odor of fresh blood.
For several minutes, gray clouds of arrows flew back and forth as the two lines traded volleys. At such close range, arrows penetrated armor as easily as silk. Hundreds of Batu's men fell. Some remained silent and motionless, but most writhed about, screaming in pain and grasping at the feathered shafts lodged in their bodies.
After every volley, a few Shou survivors threw down their weapons and turned to flee. Without exception, they were met by officers who cut them down with taos, single-edged, square-tipped swords. Batu disliked seeing his officers dispatch his own men, but he detested watching soldiers under his command turn coward and flee. As far as he was concerned, those who dishonored him by running deserved to perish at the hands of their own officers.
Another Shou volley struck the barbarian line. Hundreds of men fell from their saddles or leaped away as their wounded horses dropped thrashing to the ground. Batu noticed that behind the enemy line, no officers waited to cut down cowards. There was no need. Despite the heavy casualties, not a single barbarian panicked or fled.
'The barbarians outnumber our archers two-to-one,' observed Shengti. 'Why don't they finish their charge?'
'Because they are unsophisticated savages who have never faced soldiers as disciplined as those in the Army of Chukei. They are frightened,' Minister Kwan responded, gracing Batu with a commending smile.
Despite the compliment, the old man's rationalization alarmed Batu. If Kwan could not see that the enemy was as well disciplined as any Shou army, he was not fit for his position.
'Minister Kwan,' Batu asked, 'was the Army of Mai Yuan not disciplined?' He inclined his head slightly, trying to make his point seem a genuine question.
'The enemy took Mai Yuan by surprise,' Kwan responded, an edge of irritation in his voice. 'General Sung could not have known they would breach the Dragonwall.'
'If I may,' Batu responded, taking pains to keep his face relaxed and to conceal his growing vexation, 'I would suggest that if the barbarians surprised Mai Yuan, they can also surprise us. It would be a mistake to underestimate their sophistication or their bravery.'
The wrinkles on Kwan's brow gathered into an angry gnarl, and he glared at Batu with his cloudy eyes. 'I can assure the young general that I would make no such mistake.'
As Kwan spoke, the enemy cavalry wheeled about and rode for the far side of the field. When his officers showed the proper restraint and did not pursue, Batu breathed a sigh of relief. From the behavior of the barbarians, the young general suspected the horsewarriors were trying to lure his men into a trap.
More than three quarters of Batu's archers, over seven hundred and fifty, lay wounded or dead. As military protocol dictated, every third survivor tended to the injured, dragging those who could not walk away from the battle line. The other survivors stood ready, prepared in case the enemy suddenly returned. The number of casualties unsettled Batu, for the heavy losses reflected too well on the accuracy of the enemy bowmen. Nevertheless, he was also proud of his troops' bravery and discipline.
As the barbarian cavalry rode out of the scrying basin's range, Kwan pointed a wrinkled fingertip at the bowl. 'Do you see, General Batu?' he asked. 'There is no need to worry about the barbarians. They are frightened of your archers, and with good reason.' The old man pointed to where the enemy horsewarriors had stopped and traded arrows with the Shou archers.
What Batu saw disappointed him. Dozens of injured barbarians were limping or crawling out of the field. Dazed and wounded horses hobbled about without direction. From beasts and riders too injured to move came a torpid chorus of groans and wails, and nearly two hundred enemy warriors did not move at all. Still, Batu estimated the invaders' casualties at under five hundred, less than two-thirds of his own. His men had not even given as good as they'd received.
'Your archers have been too devastating,' Kwan continued, ignoring the scrying basin. 'Send a runner. This time, your archers must let the barbarians complete the charge.'
Batu's jaw dropped, for the minister was wasting what remained of his limited supply of archers. 'Perhaps the minister's eyes are not as sharp as they once were,' Batu said, barely able to keep his voice from trembling with anger. 'Or he would have noticed that my archers did not stop the last charge, and could not stop the next one if the enemy walked their horses into battle!'
Kwan's response was measured and cool. 'My eyes are sharp enough to know when we have the enemy in our grasp. Your pengs are a tribute to your discipline,' the minister said. The term he used could mean weapon, common soldier, or both, reflecting the opinion that soldiers were weapons. 'They deserve the empire's praise,' Kwan added. 'But if we send reinforcements now, my young general, the barbarians will smell our trap and flee. Without horses, we'll never catch them.'
'The enemy's nose is sharper than you think,' Batu retorted. 'He has already smelled the trap, and he is stealing the bait while we watch.' Batu looked at his fellow generals. 'If the horsewarriors are such fools, wouldn't they have committed themselves by now?'
Neither general answered. They were unwilling to contradict the logic of their young peer, yet unwilling to support him. The Minister of War disagreed with Batu, and the older generals knew it would not be prudent to contradict their superior. As the two men looked away, Batu recognized their caution and realized that he could expect no help from them. He wondered if they would prove as unsupportive on the battlefield.
For a moment, the minister regarded Shengti and Ching Tung thoughtfully. Finally, turning back to Batu, he said, 'It is possible that you are correct, General. If there is not enough bait, the rat may smell the trap. So we will increase his temptation.'
The concession surprised Batu, and he wondered if it should have. Although it was apparent that the minister lacked battlefield experience, it was equally obvious that only a shrewd politician could have reached such a high post. It seemed to the young general that Kwan had interpreted Shengti's and Ching Tung's silence for what it was. Batu allowed himself the vague hope that Kwan's supervision would not result in a disaster after all.
While the young general considered him, Kwan studied the scrying basin. Finally, the old man pointed a yellow-nailed finger to where the end of the archer's line met the river. 'General Batu, take your army and reinforce your archers,' the minister said. 'Anchor your line here, at the river, and deploy as if expecting a frontal attack. Leave your western flank exposed.'
A knot of anger formed in Batu's heart. He openly frowned at the minister, hardly able to believe what he had heard. 'If I do that, the barbarian cavalry will ride down the line and drive my army into the river.'
'Exactly,' Kwan said, pulling his gray lips into a thin smile.
Shengti studied the scrying basin for a moment, then said, 'A brilliant plan, Minister! The sloppy deployment will lure the enemy into full commitment. As the barbarians roll up Batu's flank, my army-along with the Army of
