Jinting Han people

Chapter 196 Battle of Jishan (4k)

Liu Xian stood at the front of the left army and had a relatively clear view. After Zhang Fang went out into the battle, he was about a hundred feet away from Liu Xian. Liu Xian could still vaguely see the figures and movements of the two men and cheered in his heart.

The fight between the two men lasted only a moment, but Zhang Fang's movements were indeed extremely concise and beautiful. At the moment the Hun shot the arrow, he saw through the opponent's arrow with just his eyes, and then pressed up with the back of his knife, easily blocking the arrow.

Then came a beautifully executed waist-slashing strike. The seven-foot-long sword must have weighed at least thirty kilograms, yet he managed to cleave the opponent in two with such a clean and swift stroke! While this was also due to the opponent's lack of heavy armor, it also demonstrated Zhang Fang's immense strength, understanding of the blade's tendons, and masterful control, all reaching a supreme level. Liu Xian honestly thought he couldn't do it himself.

Unexpectedly, a military officer at the camp gate is more powerful than himself!
But what Zhang Fang did next left Liu Xian dumbfounded. Although he couldn't see the details clearly, based on Zhang Fang's movements, Liu Xian could guess what he had done. He had actually eaten the other person's eyeball in public!

He wasn't the only one, as everyone who witnessed this couldn't help but tighten their reins, grip their weapons, and tense their bodies as if struck by an arrow. For a moment, the horses neighed, and the soldiers fell silent.

After Liu Xian came to his senses, the Xiongnu cavalrymen who were confronting Zhang Fang could no longer bear it and immediately turned their horses to flee. Zhang Fang had no intention of chasing them, but leisurely rode his horse in front of the formation and mocked them. After a moment of provocation, he raised his head and slowly rode his horse back to the formation.

At this time, the soldiers of the Jin army all regarded him as a devil and made way for him.

Liu Xian was shocked when he saw him return to the battle calmly.

He heard from Chen Shou that some of Cao Cao's generals enjoyed cannibalism, even including one like Wang Zhong who strung gnawed heads together and hung them around his neck. Chen Shou wasn't sure how credible this was, so he omitted it from the "Records of the Three Kingdoms." Liu Xian also believed it was a rumor, much like Sun Hao's fondness for peeling people's faces—people always want to spread bizarre rumors.

Unexpectedly, today, he'd actually encountered a real scene! Liu Xian suddenly remembered Zhang Fang's initial words about cooking up the refugees. It turned out he hadn't lied! The thought gave Liu Xian a chill.

But it must be said that this move was too intimidating on the battlefield. I'm afraid no one would want to be an opponent like Zhang Fang. From today on, Zhang Fang was indeed famous throughout the world.

Liu Xian then thought again: But for the rebels who are already in a desperate situation, will this kind of deterrence really be effective?
Looking over there, Liu Xian saw that the rebels were very excited. They were shaking their flagpoles, and the "Cang Wolf Chasing the Sun" flags were fluttering in the wind. Dozens of knights could be seen galloping in front of the rebels, and then the Huns began to shout to the sky, one wave after another like rolling waves.

Liu Xian realized this was a sign that the enemy was about to launch an attack. He immediately spurred his horse and rushed among his men, saying, "Prepare to fight! The rebels are coming!"

In this way, he woke up the soldiers who were a little absent-minded one by one, and the slightly loose formation became strict again. As soon as he walked back to the front of the formation, he immediately heard a horn sound that resounded through the sky.

The sound was desolate and melodious, like a giant beast blasting its horn in the sky, or as if a hole had opened between heaven and earth, letting in the waves of the Milky Way. Everyone present heard it, and then they saw it too.

Blue banners fluttered in the wind, and the footsteps of the advancing rebels echoed like thunder, accompanied by the crisp clink of armor. The sound of footsteps echoed across the mountains, causing the earth to tremble. At first, it was a gentle tremor, but as the enemy drew closer, the shaking grew like an earthquake, as if ready to explode. The rebels' brandished swords, in the sunlight, flowed like rivers of light, dazzling and dazzling.

Liu Xian waited for a moment for the central army's command, but found no movement. He couldn't help but wonder, was Sun Xiu planning to just wait for the rebels to attack? Or was he planning to attack directly?

As it turned out, when the rebels finally reached a distance of two hundred steps from the front line, the sound of drums finally rang out from the center. The drums rumbled like raindrops, and their meaning was only one: the whole army was attacking.

Liu Xian heard the drumbeat and immediately shouted, "Raise your shields! Forward!"

Before he finished speaking, the soldiers in the front row had already raised their shields, turned their gazes towards him, and followed Liu Xian's steps forward. Of course, it wasn't just Liu Xian's troops; the entire Jin army marched forward, slowly but resolutely, forming a solid human wall and pressing forward against the oncoming crowd.

It was noon, the sun shining brightly overhead, and the people under the sun finally launched their first wave of attack.

The first thing that came was, of course, a hail of arrows. Even before either side had even reached the target, many had already drawn their bows, ready to fire. It was unclear who fired the first arrow, but the rest followed in quick succession, like an unexpected downpour.

Many arrows missed, piercing the grass or shields. But others struck both sides' helmets, collars, shoulders, arms, chest plates, the horses' chests, and legs. Some arrows failed to penetrate armor, merely piercing flesh. But others struck with the ferocity of hawks and hawks, knocking knights from their horses and sending their horses careening.

The rain of arrows would even penetrate the gaps between the horse's legs, pass through the horse's tail, pass through the rider's armpits, and fly towards the target behind.

This is when both sides have the most arrows, so no one would even deliberately aim at a specific enemy. Instead, they would nock their bows and aim directly at a moving target in front of them, whether it was a person or a horse, and immediately release an arrow. Then they would bend down and reach into the quiver on their backs to take an arrow. At this time, the arrow would be ready for the person behind them to shoot.

So, as soon as the first wave of arrows was fired, the second wave would catch up. Even the arrows shot by the soldiers themselves would collide in the air, like birds chasing each other.

The dense barrage of arrows clung together, crackling between the two armies. The rebels had more men but less armor, while the Jin army had fewer men but more armor. The resulting casualties seemed roughly equal. Those struck by arrows fell to the ground like dead branches in a rainstorm. The soldiers in the rear tried desperately not to step on their comrades, but it was obvious that this was inevitable.

Liu Xian also raised his shield. Within a few moments, two or three volleys of arrows rained down, leaving his shield pierced by more than ten arrows, and Fanyu, who was standing at his crotch, was also struck by three arrows. Fortunately, Liu Xian had previously draped Fanyu in horse armor, complete with an iron faceplate and breastplate. The three arrows merely struck the armor, scratching it before falling to the ground.

But the rain of arrows lasted only a quarter of an hour. At this time, the two armies finally collided in close combat. People were so close that they could hear each other's breathing, and the arrows dared not be so rampant.

Then the men brandished their swords, fighting face to face. Their blows slashed against armor or flesh, creating a clanging sound or unbearable howls of pain.

Blood quickly dripped from the walls, gathering into undercurrents that seeped into the soil beneath the still-unripe grass. The scene quickly descended into chaos, and Liu Xian could clearly see the human wall of his men twisting, tearing, and expanding amidst the fighting. He led dozens of his own cavalrymen back and forth across the battlefield to provide support. Seeing a disadvantage, he would swiftly rush over, briefly repelling the rebel charge and helping his men regroup. This cycle repeated itself.

Soon, corpses began to pile up on the ground, one, two, then dozens, and as time went by, hundreds...

Overall, the Jin army still had the upper hand. After all, whether in experience or equipment, the Jin army had an overwhelming advantage over the rebels. Therefore, the rebels often had to sacrifice three or four lives to save one life of the Jin army.

Although the number of rebels is far greater than that of the Jin army, if this situation continues, the morale of the rebels will inevitably collapse first.

But even so, Liu Xian still felt a little tired after this battle.

It wasn't that he was afraid of war. In fact, since his first murder at the age of fifteen, Liu Xian's men had already taken over thirty lives by the time he turned twenty-four. On the battlefield, he often felt like a fish in water, as if he was born for war.

But he had never fought such a dull battle.

The more serious the matter, the more one needed to rack their brains and use their wisdom. However, the current situation made Liu Xian feel helpless and depressed. There was no plan, no strategy, and he was leading people to fight each other on a flat ground.

Sun Xiu really didn't know how to fight. If he were the commander-in-chief, he would definitely place the heavy cavalry on both wings. When the rebels attacked, he would use the cavalry to encircle the two wings and launch a surprise attack from behind. The enemy only had light cavalry and infantry, who could not withstand the attack at all. If he directly broke through the enemy, the outcome would probably be over.

Sun Xiu placed his cavalry in the center of the army, which is understandable; it was for his own security. But in reality, if a real battle broke out, the cavalry in the center wouldn't be able to take advantage of their mobility, as they would be surrounded by enemies on both sides. It was a completely useless move.

But considering the private discussions of Li Han, Beigong Chun, and the others, Liu Xian couldn't help but sigh. This was the downside of a lack of harmony between superiors and subordinates. They knew someone had made a wrong decision, but they didn't step up to correct it. But since everyone had decided to give Sun Xiu a hard time, he couldn't stand out.

It was just a momentary disagreement, but it resulted in a great deal of unnecessary losses. Liu Xian looked at the soldiers fighting bloody battles before him, and the growing number of corpses at his feet, and thought to himself, if Zhang Gui were still the commander-in-chief, this battle would probably have been won by now.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun gradually moved westward. The two sides in front of them gradually felt tired, and the intensity of the fighting began to rapidly decrease. Seeing this, Liu Xian ordered the soldiers in the back to take the opportunity to replace them, allowing the soldiers in the front to rest slightly in the back and eat some dry food to replenish their energy.

At this point, the generals under his command couldn't help but complain to Liu Xian. Even the usually taciturn Li Sheng couldn't help but kick the dust and say, "Commander-in-Chief, what an incompetent fight! What kind of stupid battle is this? Knowing that the enemy has more men, why do you still have to fight them like this?"

These words startled Liu Xian. He looked back at his soldiers and saw that they all looked indignant. Only then did he realize that changing generals at the last minute was even more dangerous than he had anticipated.

Not only the top generals, but also the mid-level officers and soldiers at the bottom were dissatisfied. If the battle was going smoothly, it would not be good enough. But if it reached a stalemate, the soldiers' resentment would quickly be vented on the commander.

It seems that I have overestimated my own morale and I am not sure I will win this battle.

Liu Xian quickly comforted everyone, saying, "Be patient. After a while, the Xiongnu will probably be unable to bear it anymore and will retreat. Let's go back to camp and rest well, and fight again tomorrow."

But as he said this, Liu Xian was also asking himself in his heart: Can the Huns really not stand it?

Logically speaking, if the battle continued like this, with soldiers fighting soldiers and generals fighting generals, it would be unbearable. But the enemy was not a wooden man. Liu Xian did not believe that the other side would fight such a hopeless battle without any preparation in such a desperate situation.

Moreover, this battle was initiated by the enemy. The party that holds the initiative will not be unprepared.

Thinking of this, a sense of vigilance arose in Liu Xian's heart. He once again rode his horse to the front line to inquire about the rebels who were still fighting with him.

After so long of fighting, Jishan was littered with corpses, bloodstains, and a strong stench of blood. The Xiongnu still in the front lines no longer had the killing intent in their eyes, but instead showed a strong sense of fear. Their attacks were also much less intense than before, becoming more sparse and scattered. It seemed as if they wanted to leave, but were forced to stay put due to some mission.

What was the enemy's offensive like? Liu Xian looked around, hoping to get a glimpse of what was happening. But apart from the battlefield in front of him, the most he could see was Bai Yun's army not far away, which was in a similar situation to his own. Beyond that, he could see nothing.

The battle was still going on, with shouts and cries of killing everywhere, covering the entire battlefield. However, Liu Xian could feel that there must be some mystery and secret that he had not yet seen through.

He began to imagine himself as the enemy commander: If he were the rebels, how would he respond upon learning that the Jin army was attacking? What methods could he use to turn the tide of the battle?

Liu Xian pondered this, thinking, "This is really difficult!" Although they have the advantage of numbers, in reality, numerical advantages can only be utilized when the two sides are of similar level. The Xiongnu don't even dare to outflank the rear. What can they do? Try to scare Sun Xiu?
But when he thought of this, a flash of inspiration came to his mind, which made him suddenly enlightened, but at the same time he felt a little ridiculous. He felt that this was indeed a method, but also felt it was very bizarre. He couldn't help but think in his heart that even if the other party knew that his side had changed generals, with Zhang Fang and Li Ju in the central army, Sun Xiu would not be able to withstand it.

The answer was revealed a quarter of an hour later.

Sun Xiu, the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition Army and the chief secretary of King Zhao, could not withstand the offensive pressure of the Huns and simply abandoned his army and fled.

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(End of this chapter)