Jinting Han people

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and more than a month had passed since the uprising began. It was time to prepare for battle once again.

The sky has been rather overcast these past two days, with a light drizzle in the air and damp ground, which doesn't seem suitable for fighting. After all, bowstrings are prone to getting damp in rainy weather, and the arrows shot from them will become limp and weak.

But Lu Zhi's determination to fight was unwavering. He sent a message to the generals who were about to engage in battle, saying, "The rain is unfavorable, both for our army and for the enemy. Moreover, under such circumstances, the enemy will surely think that our army dares not fight. If we do the opposite and catch them off guard, it will be even more effective."

So on the day of Renxu in April, the two armies assembled south of Chaoge City. After confirming that all 80,000 men had arrived, they marched towards Ji County again.

Liu Xian was in the right wing. As planned, he brought 20,000 Changshan troops, 10,000 Bingzhou troops from Liu Tun, 5,000 Ningshuo troops from Liu Hong, and some miscellaneous small units, totaling 40,000 men.

However, while Liu Xian was nominally the commander-in-chief of the northern route in this campaign, this was not actually the case, because Sima Yi insisted on accompanying the army.

Before the battle, Sima Yi said, "This great battle concerns the fate of the Jin dynasty; how can we not have members of the imperial clan present?"

The generals repeatedly tried to persuade him, but Sima Yi replied, "My Sima family rose to fame through military achievements and laid the foundation for our great cause. Do you all think that I am not worthy to be a descendant of Emperor Xuan?"

Having said that, naturally no one objected anymore. But a new worry arose: that Sima Yi would bypass the generals and give orders haphazardly.

Fortunately, Sima Yi was a very reasonable person. When he accompanied the army, he took the initiative to establish three rules, indicating that he would not interfere with the generals, but only supervise order. Therefore, Liu Xian agreed to the matter.

This was Sima Yi's first time participating in a battle of this scale, and he couldn't help but feel the excitement of youth. Along the way, he repeatedly said to Liu Xian:

"My lord need not worry about my safety; you must allow me to witness the battle at the front."

Although Liu Xian outwardly expressed his disapproval and advised him to take care, he inwardly admired the prince's leadership. With the prince personally leading the expedition, the morale of the entire army visibly soared, significantly increasing their chances of victory.

However, according to Liu Xian and Lu Zhi's plan, this battle is unlikely to be a tough one.

The army set off at dawn and, after three hours, traveled sixty li towards Ji County, arriving at the banks of the Qingshui River at noon.

As Lu Zhi had said, the enemy did not expect the rebels to dare to attack again. It was only when the vanguard reached Qingshui River that the enemy suddenly discovered it, and then mobilized troops from their camps to form ranks outside the city.

This gave the rebels some time to adjust and prepare. Neither the left nor right flanks of the rebel army crossed the river rashly; instead, they ordered their troops to rest and replenish their strength in place.

He summarized to Sima Yi: "The reason we suffered such a crushing defeat last time was not because of anything else, but because the generals did not cherish the soldiers' strength. Soldiers are human beings; they get thirsty and hungry. Without strength, they cannot fight on the battlefield. If a general does not keep this in mind and treats his soldiers like livestock, he will never win a battle."

As he spoke, the remains of rebel soldiers from a month earlier could still be seen where the army was stationed. Sun Hui had ordered his soldiers to strip these men of their armor and weapons, but left the corpses there. After twenty days, the bodies had begun to rot and stink, some even being devoured by wild dogs, their faces unrecognizable. The soldiers who went into battle were quite frightened by this sight.

Seeing this, Liu Hong saw it as a good opportunity to inspire his soldiers. He rode his horse through the ranks and rallied them, saying, "The Qing River flows gently. These traitors have humiliated the righteous men in this way. Do they think that good and evil go unpunished? No matter what abilities the traitors have, the spirits of our comrades are watching over us from heaven! We must win this battle! Otherwise, how can we face these heroic souls after we die!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt it made perfect sense, and their fear gradually subsided while their desire to kill the enemy grew stronger.

About half an hour later, the soldiers had recovered about 70-80% of their strength. After informing Lu Zhi, Liu Xian began to march from Huangqiao to the south bank.

Crossing the Yellow Bridge again, Liu Xian took the lead, immediately leading his main force to the south bank to set up their formation. Before this battle, he had repeatedly consulted intelligence from the previous Battle of Yellow Bridge: the enemy had over a thousand armored cavalrymen, and after their last victory, they were said to have plundered the equipment of several hundred more cavalrymen from the rebel army. Therefore, the greatest threat to the Zhao King's army was these nearly two thousand armored cavalrymen. If they could stop the attack of these cavalrymen, the rebel army could establish a foothold on the south bank.

Taking these factors into account, Liu Xian led a group of heavily armored infantry across the river in the first batch.

These infantrymen were not only heavily armored, but each also carried a wooden stake and a wooden shovel. As soon as they crossed the river, Liu Xian ordered Zhuge Yan to lead the infantrymen to drive the stakes into the ground and begin digging trenches. The soil was soft and wet, so they dug quickly, forming a simple chevaux-de-frise on the spot.

Following Liu Xian, the second group to cross the river was the Victorious Crossbow Battalion, which he had been training diligently during this period. They stood behind the barricades and began to inspect the bows, arrows, and swords. In fact, Liu Xian had already asked Lu Zhi for a batch of crossbows, which were all set up here.

After these basic preparations were made, the rest of the army began to cross the river normally.

After crossing the river, Sima Yi immediately went to Liu Xian's side, looked at the Zhao King's army on the opposite side, and showed a strange expression.

Seeing this, Liu Xian couldn't help but smile and ask, "Your Highness, is there something you don't understand?"

Sima Yi asked, "This is really strange! I saw the Prefect set up his formation here from the other side of the river, and I also saw that the enemy army seemed to have finished assembling. I was worried that the enemy army would come to charge and force us to retreat. But I didn't expect that the enemy army would not move at all. What is the reason for this?"

Liu Xian laughed and explained, "That's because the enemy is arrogant now, and arrogance makes them prone to greed!"

"Greed?" Sima Yi pondered.

“Yes.” Liu Xian pointed to the yellow dragon banners of the Zhao King’s army in the distance and said leisurely, “They are very greedy now. They think that we don’t have enough people to kill!”

Indeed, that was the case. Sun Hui remained standing on his horse, gazing into the distance like a monkey, and asked with dissatisfaction, "Why are they taking so long to arrive?"

His comical appearance made Sun Mao want to laugh, but he managed to hold it in and replied, "Marshal, perhaps the other side learned their lesson last time and wants to play it safe!"

Sun Mao then asked, "In that case, Marshal, should we take the initiative to attack? Otherwise, if we wait until they have all crossed the river before we attack, it may not be as easy as last time."

Sun Hui was actually getting impatient, but the situation was different now, and he dared not act unilaterally. Instead, he hesitated and said:
"Then let's ask the other two for their opinions first!" It turned out that after the Battle of Huangqiao, Sun Hui had been busy reporting his achievements to the Luoyang court. Sun Xiu, upon hearing of the great victory in Hebei, was overjoyed and immediately bestowed upon his son the title of Duke of Changshan. However, he also knew that the victory was not Sun Hui's doing, but rather the work of Xu Chao and Shi Yi, so he also bestowed upon them the titles of Duke of Zhangwu and Duke of Qinghe respectively. Furthermore, he granted them the authority to act independently, allowing them to disregard Sun Hui's orders. Now, if Sun Hui wanted to launch an attack, he would have to ask their opinions instead.

The messenger sent to Xu Chao's troops returned quickly and reported: "The Duke of Zhangwu's idea is that the enemy army is very cautious this time. Attacking them while they are crossing the river will only result in a small victory. We might as well let them attack first, and then we can strike back and repel their attack. Then we can pursue them and achieve great success!"

The soldier sent to Shiyi returned shortly afterward, bowing his head and saying, "The Duke of Qinghe said that you should just observe their actions and not worry about anything else. Just follow what they do."

This message immediately ignited Sun Hui's anger. During the Battle of Huangqiao, he was filled with fear and naturally didn't care about Shi Yi's opinion of him. But now, after winning battles one after another and no longer fearing for his life, Shi Yi's various acts of contempt towards him became intolerable.

He knew that the soldier must have omitted some of the foul language, and Shi Yi's original words must have been even more offensive. He couldn't help but curse, "That heartless bastard! Without my father's help, how could he be so rich and powerful today? And he dares to give me attitude!"

Seeing this, Sun Mao hurriedly advised from the side, "Marshal, the war is the most important thing. After this battle is over, you will return to the capital victorious. With Sun Zhongshu in charge, is there anything you can't do? After all, he is indeed a good strategist. Even if you want to hide your good bow, you should wait until the birds have flown away first!"

That was indeed the case, so Sun Hui suppressed his anger and continued to wait for the enemy troops on the north bank to cross the river.

About 25 minutes later, the right wing army, including the Changshan army, had completed its assembly, while the left wing army, including the Zhengbei Army, was still crossing the river, but most of it had already crossed. It was now 25 minutes past 11 PM.

Just as Sun Hui was getting a little bored, a rider suddenly rushed out from the left flank of the army and headed straight for the front of Sun Hui's army.

The knight was tall and strong, resembling a pagoda. Even when he was two hundred paces in front of the Zhao King's army, he still appeared extremely brave. Then he shouted to Sun Hui's troops, "Alas, you traitors! Does anyone dare to come out and fight?"

Sun Hui looked slightly bewildered, but Sun Mao quickly explained, "Marshal, the enemy wants to send out a duel to dampen our morale!"

Hearing this, Sun Hui felt even more at a loss. Although he had been in charge of the army for two months, he had been just getting by every day and had no idea what kind of warriors he had under his command.

Fortunately, he didn't have to make things difficult for himself. Just two breaths later, a rider flew out from Xu Chao's formation on the east side and stopped a hundred paces in front of him. He said in a mocking tone, "A defeated general who wants to die should first state his name!"

Everyone recognized him; it was He Gui, the commander under Xu Chao who had distinguished himself in the Battle of Huangqiao.

The man slowly spurred his horse forward, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and said, "I am Ping Xian from Bingzhou. Remember that."

He Gui chuckled and said, "Another nameless general I've never heard of."

As soon as they finished speaking, without saying another word, the two immediately spurred their horses to a spot and began their duel in full view of everyone.

Before the battle, He Gui was brimming with confidence. He had served in the Imperial Guard for nearly ten years, and in terms of strength, he had never lost to anyone. A 12-foot-long lance would be difficult for an ordinary person to lift, but he could not only use it normally, but also wield it with ease. This could only be achieved through years of hard work and honing his strength. During the Battle of Huangqiao, He Gui was invincible, which made him consider himself a first-rate master, capable of defeating anyone he faced.

Therefore, upon closing the distance, He Gui intended to show off his skills. Instead of using the quickest thrust, he swung his lance in a wide arc, intending to strike down from above the moment the two horses crossed paths, aiming to subdue his opponent in one blow.

However, just as the two horses drew near, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of Ping Xian's eyes and saw that the other man was showing a contemptuous smile.

Pingxian remained calm and composed, gently raising his lance to meet He Gui's swing. What should have been a devastating blow turned into a mere groan as Pingxian effortlessly parried He Gui's attack.

He Gui felt as if he had bumped into a wall. His hands were burning hot and his forearms were trembling slightly, but his opponent remained calm and quickly rode away.

Was it an illusion? Or was he just putting on a brave face? This question lingered in He Gui's mind as he launched a second attack. This time, he exercised a bit more caution and resorted to the simplest and most direct tactic—a thrust.

This thrust requires the most skill. As the saying goes, no matter how things change, the principle remains the same. In the end, in melee combat, the longer the better. The thrust is the move that best utilizes this principle. A steady, accurate, and ruthless thrust is also the most effective way to kill the enemy.

Seeing the two riders clash again, He Gui finally unleashed his long-prepared thrust. But after the spear was thrust out, his opponent neither dodged nor evaded, instead extending his left hand and forcefully grasping the spear shaft. In that mere few inches, in the blink of an eye, Ping Xian had actually managed to grab it. And once he had grasped it, his left hand acted like an iron clamp, blocking the spear in front of He Gui, rendering him unable to move.

Pingxian gave another mocking smile, then exerted force with his left hand, twisting it slightly, and He Gui couldn't hold onto the spear, allowing Pingxian to snatch it away. Next, the two horses drew closer, and Pingxian threw down the spear, lowered his head, and suddenly stretched out his left arm, passing it between He Gui's hands, grabbing his right shoulder, and using the momentum of the warhorse, he threw him off the saddle.

He Gui felt the world spin, his feet left his feet, and he couldn't grab anything with his hands. He was thrown violently onto the muddy ground. As he was reeling from the fall, Ping Xian raised his lance high and hurled it at He Gui. The lance pierced through his armor and chest, pinning him to the ground. In excruciating pain, He Gui couldn't even make a sound. He could only struggle on the spot like an earthworm for a few moments before dying from the agony.

Both armies were greatly shocked by this scene. They were not shocked by the outcome of the one-on-one duel, after all, in the face of life and death, it is normal for anyone to win or lose. But the leisurely manner that Ping Xian displayed in the cavalry duel was extremely rare, as if in his eyes, any opponent was no match for him.

In the silence, Ping Xian slowly rode his horse to He Gui's corpse, casually drew his long spear, pointed it at the Zhao King's army, and said calmly, "Who else dares to fight me?"

Zhao Wang's army fell silent. Ping Xian chuckled and asked twice more. Seeing no one answer, he rode back to the rebel army and bowed to Liu Yuan, saying, "My lord, Ping Xian has not failed in his mission."

Liu Yuan stroked his beard and laughed, patting the saddle and saying, "You did a good job! Now the whole world knows about the heroes of Bingzhou."

The rebel army, as if waking from a dream, raised their arms in unison and shouted, "Victory! Victory!"

This victory in the duel swept away the gloom of the previous defeat, and the soldiers regained their confidence in winning. Therefore, their cheers were as fervent as the heavens and earth. Upon hearing this, the entire Zhao army was terrified.

Liu Xian, amidst the crowd, couldn't help but exclaim to Li Sheng, who was cracking his whip beside him, "What a fine man! To fight like this is the only way to live a worthwhile life!" (End of Chapter)