Jinting Han people

Chapter 188: Bad Luck and Luck (4k)

Liu Xian hadn't expected that he'd accidentally attracted Hao San by simply checking out the situation. Hearing the endless clamor behind him, he didn't dare to be careless. He quickly led Lü Quyang, Xue Xing, and the others, and galloped back and forth on horseback.

This heavy rain that lasted for several days not only disrupted Hao San's plan, but also disrupted Liu Xian's plan.

He had crossed the river with the intention of using light cavalry to harass the Xiongnu army, exploring their strengths and weaknesses while hindering their advance. However, after the torrential rain, the Xiongnu were forced to postpone their crossing, and the original intention of harassing them was no longer there.

Logically speaking, the enemy had been unable to advance due to the heavy rain, and Liu Xian had won three consecutive battles. While not a huge victory, it was still enough to allow him to retreat to Xiayang with dignity. However, Liu Xian was not satisfied with this achievement. In the rain, he made a suggestion to his subordinates: since they were already here, why not go to the enemy camp and see for themselves?
This proposal was naturally opposed by most people. After all, it was too risky. Going into the enemy camp? Wouldn't that be putting one's life in danger? If they were discovered, they wouldn't know how to escape.

However, Liu Xian still overwhelmed them with his tough attitude. Indeed, on paper, it was completely unnecessary to take such a risk, or in other words, sending troops to see what was going on would be enough. But Liu Xian had reasons to go, because he was facing the first rebellious army since the Yuankang period, and he had many questions that needed to be answered:
How many people are there now? What are their customs? What is their morale? Who are their leaders? What are their plans? How did they form a team in the past? How do they maintain unity and cohesion now?

As an officer assigned to the Western Expedition Army, Liu Xian didn't need to understand some of these things. But from another perspective, these Xiongnu were the pioneers of the anti-Jin movement, his predecessors. No matter how clumsy these people were, they had at least taken the first step. Liu Xian was eager to see them in person, wondering if he could learn something from them, gaining experience for his future. At the very least, he could get a sense of how far he could go.

So on this day, he ordered most of his light cavalry to stay at Dongsheng Pavilion on the south bank of the Fen River, 20 miles from Linfen. He then took Lü Quyang, Xue Xing, and Zhang Gu with him to go directly to the foot of Linfen City to investigate.

They changed into the clothes of the Xiongnu captives, and with the cover of Lu Quyang, a Di people, they successfully sneaked in.

The result he witnessed was quite disappointing to him, or rather, the current situation was the worse of what Liu Xian had expected.

The Xiongnu's situation was not optimistic, or rather, extremely disorganized. Over a hundred thousand people scattered like fallen leaves outside Linfen City. While there was some intermarriage among the various tribes, they remained independent factions. Order was not maintained by many, and there were no military bugles, let alone uniforms or flags.

Most of them were undisciplined, joking and having fun as if they were on a picnic. Many soldiers even mingled with their wives and daughters. Liu Xian could even hear many people singing, though the lyrics weren't Chinese, and the melodies were cheerful. Sometimes, he could see some people kidnapping ordinary Han people as slaves, oppressing them for their own amusement, which made Liu Xian very annoyed.

Liu Xian quickly came to the conclusion: these people probably wouldn't amount to anything. The only two good things about them were their optimism about the future and the spirit of equality between officers and soldiers.

Liu Xian then pretended to be a mid-level officer, walking back and forth through the camp. Whenever he saw a single, undisciplined soldier bullying Han civilians, he would stop them, ask their names, and their rank. He would then chastise them for disobeying orders and bullying the civilians, beating them with a horsewhip. Along the way, he captured a dozen typical individuals. Because he exuded the aura of a superior, the Xiongnu people were unsuspecting of him and actually allowed Liu Xian to patrol the entire camp.

The only thing he hadn't anticipated was that the man finally caught drunk and assaulting someone turned out to be Hao Suo, the son of Hao San, the Xiongnu rear commander. As a result, everyone rushed over to watch the fun, and even attracted Hao San. This led to the scene Hao San had just witnessed.

When Liu Xian heard Hao San's voice ordering pursuit, he thought to himself that something was wrong. He whipped his horse as fast as he could and galloped back the way he came.

The camp behind them erupted in a clamor of voices and the beating of gongs and drums. The surrounding Xiongnu, in a panic, seized their bows and arrows and rode out of the camp in pursuit. Many of the Xiongnu ahead, bewildered and unsure of what was happening, watched in amazement as the Xiongnu galloped through the outskirts of Linfen. Their horses' hooves plunged into the mud, sending splatter everywhere and drawing cries of surprise from those around them.

Soon, the four of them dashed out of the Hun camp, but their pursuers were just as fast. With their sight clear, they began whizzing arrows into the night. In the darkness, Liu Xian and his companions had no idea how many arrows were hurled at them. They could only run forward, torches held high. On a rainy night, the darkness ahead was also complete, giving them the feeling of being pursued by ghosts.

If it were a sunny day, Liu Xian could immediately take advantage of his Flipping Feather Horse and quickly put some distance between himself and the pursuers. But in this situation, he was afraid of stepping into the mud and did not dare to accelerate blindly. He could only maintain a speed as fast as possible while carefully avoiding the mud. As a result, he was unable to put some distance between himself and the pursuers.

Liu Xianxin thought: At worst, we can compete in endurance. In this respect, Fanyu is unmatched by ordinary horses.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Xue Xing beside him suddenly shouted, "Lord! Oh no! My horse seems to have been shot by an arrow and can't run anymore!"

These words startled the other three people, and they all felt that something was wrong.

Liu Xian made a quick decision and said to Lu Quyang and the others, "Let's split up. You go find Bin Shuo immediately and have them set an ambush. My horse is good, and I can pull Ji Da around a few times. I'll come find you later."

After saying this, Liu Xian immediately turned his horse around, stretched out his hand and pulled Xue Xing hard, helping him to jump onto his back. Then he quickly ran southwest, drawing his bow and shooting arrows behind him as he ran. At the same time, he shouted:

"I am Liu Xian, the son of Anle! Who among you is a warrior? Come and fight to the death!"

The Hun pursuers behind were all stunned, and then they saw the four men running away in two groups. After a moment of hesitation, they thought that Liu Xian was riding a big horse and must be a high-ranking official, so they abandoned Lu Quyang and the others and chased after Liu Xian.

Liu Xian followed his own advice and led the group of Xiongnu people around, but after a few detours, he still hadn't shaken off the pursuers. On the contrary, he could see more and more pursuers behind him.

Xue Xing was quite nervous. He shot arrows at his back repeatedly, sometimes missing, sometimes hitting. But every time he hit someone, he found more pursuers filling the gap. And he could see signs that they were coming from all directions, not just behind him. This was exactly the hunting method used by the Huns. He couldn't help but say:
"County Lord, it seems like there are more and more pursuers!"

"I know!" Liu Xian replied.

"Then what do we do next?"

"A sudden counterattack!"

"what!"

Liu Xian drew his Zhaowu Sword, suddenly turned his horse's head, and rushed into the crowd behind him. The pursuers were caught off guard and watched as Liu Xian rushed into the crowd, his sword stabbing left and right, his hands flying like lightning, instantly killing and injuring three people.

In the firelight, blood splattered on Liu Xian's body and face, making him look like an Asura. The Xiongnu were thrown into disarray. They didn't dare to fight him in close combat, and for fear of accidentally injuring their companions, they didn't dare to shoot. Instead, Liu Xian rushed past them like a piece of paper.

By the time they regained their consciousness and tried to continue their pursuit, Liu Xian had already pulled away for quite a distance. He took the opportunity to drop his torch and dash into the reeds along the Fen River.

After running for a while, everything around them was quiet. Liu Xian said to Xue Xing, "Jida, get off your horse! We'll hide here!"

Xue Xing had been nearly petrified, and hadn't recovered yet. After hearing Liu Xian's command, it took him a long time to respond, groping for the saddle and leaping off. Liu Xian sheathed his sword and crouched down, pulling his horse to avoid being spotted by the pursuers.

Only then did the two of them have a chance to catch their breath.

In the distance, there were faint sounds of pursuers, and some fires could be seen, probably about a hundred people. The rain had become much lighter, but it still beat down on the two men. Liu Xian took out a canteen from his waist, drank some water, and handed it to Xue Xing, saying with a smile:
"I was willful for a moment, and caused Jida to suffer with me."

Xue Xing took the kettle, raised his head and drank all the water in it. At this moment, he only had admiration for Liu Xian in his heart, and said with emotion:
"You are the county lord. When you pushed back just now, didn't you feel scared?"

"How could that be? To be honest, I was terrified when I heard the sound of arrows and horse hooves." Liu Xian took the kettle back and smiled faintly, "But at this time, I will force myself to turn around and face it head-on. In that situation, you won't have time to be afraid. You will only think about what to do next."

"Once things are done, you will find that many of the obstacles you thought you could not overcome are actually just that, and they will be over once they are over." Listening to Liu Xian's teachings, Xue Xing admired sincerely:

"Mortals like us cannot compare with a celestial being like the county lord."

"Shh..." Liu Xian suddenly spoke to signal Xue Xing to be quiet. He turned around and heard some rustling sounds coming from not far away, which seemed to be from animals, but also seemed to be from people.

He looked towards the source of the sound according to the dim light of the fire at night, and saw the reeds swaying not far behind him, and then a huge black shadow emerged from it, about the same size as Fanyu, but with green eyes that emitted a ghostly light in the night.

While Liu Xian was still pondering what this thing could be, Xue Xing screamed in shock, shouting, "Ah! County Master, run! It's a tiger!"

As soon as the words fell, the shadow let out a terrifying roar, like thunder roaring across the earth, making the people around him tremble with fear. Liu Xian immediately realized that it was indeed a tiger!
This was the first time in Liu Xian's life that he encountered a tiger in the wild. Unexpectedly, the timing was so unfortunate that Liu Xian didn't even have time to take a look at the tiger's appearance. He could only continue to gallop on his horse.

It’s not that he was afraid of the tiger. The noise in the reeds immediately attracted the Huns who had already lost their target, and they immediately surrounded him from the north.

But the problem was that the Huns were on the official road and Liu Xian was in the reeds. Liu Xian was asking for trouble. Even if Fan Yu had extraordinary leg strength, he couldn't make full use of it at this time.

At this speed, Liu Xian and Xue Xing would be caught up in about a quarter of an hour.

In a hurry, Liu Xian asked, "Jida, do you know the depth of the water?"

"Know a little bit."

"How deep do you think the water is here?"

"It should be six or seven feet, I'm not sure."

After receiving this answer, Liu Xian immediately tightened the reins, prompting Fanyu to leap into the water. With the sound of splashing water, the two of them slowly drifted downstream for a distance before gradually stabilizing. When the pursuers arrived, they saw that they had already far away from the river bank, with only the horse's head and the human's head exposed above the water.

One Xiongnu wanted to show off his prowess and also jumped into the Fen River. However, he was not good at swimming and suddenly jumped into the rapids. He was swept away by the current and fell off his horse into the water. His companions on the shore quickly picked up a branch to pull him out.

At this moment, a sharp-eyed middle-aged man stepped out of the crowd. He pulled two arrows from his waist. The arrowheads were flat and sharp, with side edges on both sides. They were hunting arrows used to kill wild beasts. He calmly drew the bowstring and shouted into the river, "Slow down, County Master Liu! I am Tai A Gu, the young commander of the rear guard. I have two arrows to give you!"

After saying that, he drew his bow and shot two arrows. One arrow whizzed away and hit Xue Xing's turban. Xue Xing felt his head sink. The arrow pierced through his hair, cut off the hair on his bun, and fell into the river.

His scalp felt cold and his heart was pounding like a hammer.

But when he turned his head, he saw an arrow hit Liu Xian's left shoulder, and blood was gushing out.

But Liu Xian seemed to feel no pain, without even a groan, still holding the reins tightly, kicking the horse's belly with his feet, and staring at the opposite river bank.

Even though the horse had been running all night and was now stuck in water six or seven feet deep, it still had strength. It paddled hard, struggling to swim to the other side, and finally stepped on the pebbles at the bottom of the river and carried its master on its back to the shore.

Under Xue Xing's shocked gaze, Liu Xian simply pulled out the arrow and turned to Tai A Gu on the other side, shouting, "Excellent archery! I'll remember you! Unfortunately, if you had gone two inches to the right, I would have been dead! Better go back and practice more!"

The Huns by the river just watched Liu Xian throw the arrow on the ground, then let out a long roar towards the sky and ran away as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Liu Xian escape, everyone sighed deeply. At the same time, they were also impressed by Liu Xian's unrestrainedness. So much so that when Tai A Gu turned back to report to Hao San, he said: "Such a hero among the people of Jin is indeed not to be underestimated."

Meanwhile, Liu Xian continued running south despite the blood loss and heavy rain. After running for about two miles, he asked Xue Xing, "Jida, are there any pursuers behind us?"

Xue Xing turned his head to listen, then said, "County Master, there shouldn't be any more."

"That's good!" Liu Xian sighed deeply, then reined in his horse and said, "Then help me stop the bleeding! It hurts!"

Xue Xing had been keeping an eye on the wound on Liu Xian's shoulder, but since Liu Xian remained silent, he was too embarrassed to look. The two men dismounted again, and Xue Xing lit a fire and approached. He peeled back the clothes and saw that beneath the bloody mess, the arrow wound was deep enough to reveal the bone. He quickly took out a tinderbox, lit a fire, and used his sword to heat it red before proceeding to treat it.

"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much!"

The blade made contact with Liu Xian's wound, producing a sizzling sound. Liu Xian couldn't help but cry out, nearly fainting from the pain. But at least Xue Xing finished the job.

Xue Xingqi said, "I thought the county lord would never cry out in pain!"

Liu Xian laughed and said, "That's because we can't lose the battle in front of the enemy. Who wouldn't cry out in pain if they were injured?"

Xue Xing also laughed upon hearing this. He had been feeling a bit frightened, but Liu Xian's screams of pain had completely erased any of that. He sighed, "Perhaps this is just bad luck. What a rotten day."

Liu Xianze said, "How could that be? I actually saw a wild tiger today! This is my first time!"

The implication was that this was a lucky enough thing to offset all the bad luck. Xue Xing laughed dumbly, but after Liu Xian finished laughing, he frowned again because of the pain from his wound, so he lay down under a fir tree to rest for a while.

Xue Xing watched him dozing off and thought: The county lady looks pretty good when she frowns.

After Liu Xian recovered for a while, the two mounted their horses again and returned to Dongsheng Pavilion to reunite with their old subordinates. Lu Quyang and Zhang Gu also arrived early.

The rain was still falling, and at the same time, the vanguard of the Western Expedition Army had entered Longmen Ferry.

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(End of this chapter)