Chapter 69: The Invasion of the Tartars
For the next few days, Li Yi devoted himself to preparing for the wedding.
Yun Niang moved temporarily to another cave dwelling. Wang San Niang led the women to thoroughly clean Li Yi’s cave, awaiting Yun Niang’s arrival as his bride.
The day of the wedding soon arrived.
At dawn, villagers from all around gathered to celebrate the young couple. Li Family Village swelled with crowds; laughter and joy filled every corner.
Li Yi wore a bright red wedding robe, adorned with a tassel, much like a performer on stage, surrounded by women fussing over him.
Just as they were about to set out to welcome the bride, a galloping horse burst into Li Family Village.
Seated atop was Hong Chengchou’s personal attendant, who declared loudly, “The lord commands Li Yi to proceed to Yan’an Prefecture on official business, depart immediately without delay.”
The lively scene instantly fell silent.
Li Guo shouted, “Sir, my master is about to wed—how can he leave now?”
The attendant’s face was stern. “Since the minister has issued an order, it must be obeyed.”
Villagers murmured anxiously.
Li Yi, however, sensed something amiss.
He pulled back the impulsive Li Guo and stepped forward. “May I ask, where is the minister’s written order?”
The attendant, looking uneasy, handed over a document.
Li Yi did not hesitate; he tore it open, revealing a blank sheet within.
He tossed the white paper to the ground, smiling. “Please return and tell your mistress not to engage in such petty tricks again.”
The attendant, embarrassed, turned his horse and left.
At that moment, Li Zijing signaled the musicians to resume, and the village’s festive atmosphere returned.
Just as Li Yi mounted his horse to fetch the bride, another galloping horse arrived.
The rider, disheveled and frantic, shouted, “The Tartars are invading, the Tartars are invading! Everyone, run!”
The villagers stared in confusion, unable to react.
Li Zicheng roughly shoved his way forward, grabbing the rider’s reins.
“What Tartars? What’s happening?”
Someone handed the rider a bowl of water. He drained it, voice hoarse. “It’s the Tumet. Last year they suffered internal strife and disaster—this year, unable to survive, they’ve crossed the border to raid. The Yulin dispatch has sent word for everyone to hide quickly.”
The Tumet were the tribe beyond the Yansui border, nomads around the Hetao and Guihua towns.
The Tumet, ruled by descendants of Altan Khan, had declined since his death, but remained the largest tribe on the southern Mongolian right wing, now led by Boshuoketu Khan.
Hearing that Mongols had breached the border and begun raiding, the villagers were terrified.
In panic, tables were overturned, people fell to the ground.
The chaotic crowd scattered, trampling and colliding, filling Li Family Village with cries and curses.
Li Yi watched the turmoil, wondering how so many calamities could befall this day.
Seeing his fellow villagers running about like headless chickens, he tore off his tassel, climbed atop the high wall, and shouted, “Fellow villagers, do not panic!”
His resonant voice quelled the noise; with Gao Jie and others helping maintain order, calm was restored.
Li Yi looked upon the frightened faces and declared, “The Tartars’ invasion means they must pass through Sui Jin Town to attack Ganquanli. I will go to Sui Jin Town to investigate. If the Tartars launch a major assault, I’ll have someone lead you to hide in the mountains.”
His words reassured the villagers.
The wedding would surely not proceed.
Li Yi instructed his great-grandfather to distribute food among the villagers, then summoned Gao Jie and others.
“We’ve raised troops for moments like this. The Tartars’ incursion may lead to a bitter battle. Go find the able-bodied men, reassemble them, and then meet me at Sui Jin Town.”
Gao Jie hurriedly asked, “Inspector, where are you going?”
“I’ll scout Sui Jin Town first.”
Li Yi mounted his horse, ready to depart.
Li Zicheng arrived, leading his horse, and said solemnly, “Brother Yi, I’ll go with you, so we can look out for each other.”
Li Zicheng was skilled in archery and horsemanship; his assistance would be valuable.
The two rode eastward.
Passing by the government manor, its gates were closed. The Ai family’s retainers and militia stood atop the walls, eyeing Li Yi and Li Zicheng warily.
Outside, refugees clustered in the wild woods, whispering anxiously.
Li Yi rode to the woods and called out, “The Tartars have breached the border. They may come here to raid crops. Leave quickly.”
Hearing the Tartars were coming, the refugees scattered in chaos.
A few wise ones bowed to Li Yi, urging their companions to flee to the mountains.
On the main road, they saw villagers with carts and horses streaming south in panic. Several carts lay overturned, cries echoing.
Men carried children, strapped the elderly to donkey backs, tied ropes around women’s waists to follow behind. After a few miles, exhaustion overtook them.
The elders knew none could go far this way, so they gave up their seats for the children, supporting themselves with walking sticks as they followed, eventually disappearing from sight.
By the roadside, parents searched for children, children cried for their parents—a tragic scene of families torn apart, faces streaked with tears as they trudged away from the smoking horizon.
Li Yi felt compassion, but had no time to linger.
Northward, ten miles ahead, a dozen Tartar scouts attacked a group of villagers.
The scouts laughed, firing arrows into the crowd, then charged with curved blades and spears, slaughtering and looting.
Among them, a family of five was surrounded by three scouts.
The strong man brandished his hoe, cursing the scouts, his wife trembling beside him with a firewood knife.
They shielded their two children and aged father.
Hooves thundered, arrows flew amid swirling dust.
Under relentless attack, the man was struck in the shoulder; blood mixed with sweat as he charged the scouts in desperation.
The scouts awaited this moment.
One sped past, his spear piercing the man’s chest.
His wife screamed in despair, rushing forward with her knife, but was quickly snared by a rope. The scouts laughed, dragging her with their horses, trampling her, leaving only a mangled corpse.
The old man clutched his grandchildren, trying to flee, but could not outrun the horses.
“Move aside!”
A furious roar sounded—Li Yi charged in like a thunderbolt.
The Tartar scouts never expected anyone would dare oppose them.
In confusion, Li Yi’s Tiger Fang spear flashed coldly, piercing a scout’s chest.
His horse neighed, carrying him forward.
A scout rushed to meet him.
Li Yi’s face was grim; legs pressed to the horse’s sides, his spear knocked aside the enemy’s weapon and sliced through the scout’s neck.
Hot blood sprayed, and Li Yi, spear in hand, killed four scouts in quick succession.
The remaining scouts, terrified, fled.
Li Yi pursued them for a mile, but his horse was lacking; he had to give up.
Back at the scene, Li Zicheng was collecting Tartar heads.
Seeing Li Yi return, he praised, “Brother Yi, your bravery is remarkable. These Tartar scouts are not easy to deal with.”
Li Yi had no mood for praise; he nodded, then approached the old man carrying his grandchildren.
“Elder, where has the main force of the Tartars reached? How many are there?”
The old man wept bitterly. “They’ve reached Jiahe Fort in the north, at least three hundred strong.”
“Where did they break through?”
“From the eastern wall of Guide Fort. Our village was nearby; we barely escaped, but the Tartars pursued us. Half the village is dead—the rest are fleeing south.”
“Didn’t the government troops send any to halt them?”
The old man, face full of hatred, replied, “When the Tartars broke in, they shut the gates and hid like cowards.”
Li Yi sighed.
Without the troops to resist, countless villagers would suffer.
Even Ganquanli might not be safe.
The old man, with his grandchildren, knelt by the corpses of his son and daughter-in-law, wailing in grief. He then made the children kneel and pay respects before fleeing south.
He wished he could bury his son and daughter-in-law, but with the Tartar forces so close, there was no time.
Li Yi pressed two taels of silver into the old man’s hands and continued north with Li Zicheng.
North of Sui Jin Town lay Jiahe Fort, garrisoned by a unit of government troops.
Li Yi and Li Zicheng hurried, soon spotting Jiahe Fort in the distance.
Its gates were shut; the two-zhang-high walls kept the Tartars, lacking siege equipment, at bay.
Three hundred Tartars rode around, shouting and firing arrows at the walls, herding villagers toward the gate.
The villagers pleaded for the soldiers to open the gates and let them in.
But with Tartars outside, the poorly armored officer atop the wall dared not open the gate.
Impatient, the Tartars charged the villagers, slashing wildly, then roped the young and able-bodied, herding them toward nearby villages.
“How come there are only three hundred?” Li Yi wondered.
Li Zicheng explained, “The main force of government troops is held back by rebels and cannot fight outside the city. The Tartars must have split up to raid. This group is only part of their force.”
“So a group of Tartars is no more than three hundred?”
Li Zicheng nodded, “The main troops are around Fugu. The Tartars won’t linger—they’ll raid and flee. If we hold Sui Jin Town, we can block their path to Ganquanli and Mizhi County.”
Li Zicheng, well-versed in the main road routes, sketched a simple map on the ground for Li Yi.
With the situation clear, they returned to Sui Jin Town.
Upon entering, they found Gao Jie and others already there with the able-bodied men.
Over a hundred militia rested, gasping for breath, gripping their weapons—fear and excitement mingled on their faces.
“Master, how far have the Tartars reached?” Li Guo, leading Gao Xiaojia and other young companions, asked anxiously.
Li Yi frowned, “Who told you to come? The Tartars will soon reach here. Go back to Li Family Village at once.”
Li Guo pouted, “We’re part of the militia—we can fight. Don’t underestimate us, Master.”
The boys behind him all stood tall, their eyes burning as they looked to Li Yi.
Li Yi pointed at their wooden training weapons and laughed, “You plan to fight with these?”
The boys blushed.
With weapons scarce, they had only a few spears—most were wooden training tools.
Li Yi went to his horse, took out captured spears and curved blades, and handed them over.
“If you have the courage, I’ll let you stay. Li Guo, take your group and escort the fleeing villagers to Mizhi County. Maintain order—don’t let chaos erupt. Can you do it?”
Li Guo lifted his head, determined. “We can do it.”
“If there’s trouble, watch your backs. Now, off you go.”
Li Guo snorted and led the boys away.
Li Yi watched their backs, shaking his head with a smile.
The Tartars in the north would soon reach Mizhi County; swift decisions were needed.
Li Yi called his trusted subordinates into the room to confer.
He took a blank sheet and, based on Li Zicheng’s earlier description, drew a simple map.
Around the table stood Gao Jie, Gao Laoshi, Liu Zongmin, Li Zijing, Liu Dayong, and Li Zicheng.