Jinting Han people

As the Northern Expeditionary Army opened the city gates and left the pass, the Imperial Guards' scouts heard the commotion.

It wasn't that the Union Army hadn't taken measures to conceal themselves; they had done everything they could to minimize their impact—not carrying torches, not arguing with each other, and even walking stealthily. But these were still the footsteps of two hundred thousand men. Even if each footstep was as light as a falling leaf, those two hundred thousand leaves falling to the ground would still create a wave that couldn't be ignored.

Therefore, the scouts at the foot of Mangshan Mountain felt the earthquake from hundreds of paces away. As the tremors grew stronger and dark shadows swept across the night, they realized what had happened. They immediately turned their horses around and galloped back to the Imperial Guard camp after half an hour on the mountain road. They then reported to Sima Yi: "The rebel army launched an attack in the middle of the night, opened the gates, and came out in full force, heading straight for Mangshan Mountain."

Sima Yi had been waiting for this day for a long time. Upon hearing the news, he immediately rose from his couch, his expression cold and silent. After a short while, he threw his sword to the ground and shouted, "We have been raising troops for this day! The survival of our state depends on today!" He then ordered his troops to quickly light fires, cook food, eat, and prepare for battle.

At the turn of the day, when it was still dark, the Imperial Guards had already left their camp and formed ranks.

He appointed Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, as commander-in-chief, leading generals such as Yang Xuanzhi, Song Hong, and Wang Hu on the right flank, deploying them along the southern peak to protect the emperor and empress. The central army, comprised of troops led by Liu Xian, Gou Xi, Zu Ti, and Linghu Sheng, was positioned on the central slope as the vanguard, ready to engage the enemy immediately. The left flank was commanded by Sima Yan, the Prince of Wu, though he was blind; it was effectively commanded by Ji Shao, Liu Tun, and Man Fen, who positioned themselves with their backs to the northern peak, forming a pincer movement with the central right flank. The remaining troops served as reserves, positioned at the rear to support the vanguard as needed.

The 70,000-strong army, with its north side connected to Beifeng and its south side connected to Changgu, stood in a majestic formation facing east, ready to await the northern army.

Meanwhile, the Northern Army was also making tense deployments after they went up the mountain.

Lu Ji, after studying tactics for the past few days, concluded that the key to victory in this campaign lay not in a direct confrontation. This southward expedition, excluding the garrison at Hulao Pass, boasted a force of 200,000. However, the cavalry, particularly the cavalry, numbered only 27,000, fewer than the Western Army, not to mention the soldiers' combat quality. Therefore, a direct confrontation would be no match for the Imperial Guards. Lu Ji deliberately chose to fight at Mangshan to mitigate this weakness.

The area they occupied on the eastern side of Mangshan Mountain was high on three sides, resembling a small basin. Lu Ji ordered his army to form a natural pocket formation around the mountain. In this way, any enemy attempt to break through head-on would inevitably result in them being trapped and having little chance of escape. The wiser approach would be to launch successive attacks from the left and right flanks.

In this battle, the Northern Army was like hundreds of sheets of paper soaked in water, while the Imperial Guards were like a single, sharp arrow. The arrow was indeed sharp and could easily pierce through a layer of paper, but with each layer it passed, its power diminished. In the end, the cavalry's advantage could not be fully utilized, the infantry could wear down the enemy to the greatest extent, and the cavalry would inevitably be exhausted and unable to fight any longer.

The specific battle plan was as follows: the left wing was jointly led by General Qian Xiu and General Shi Chao, with more than 60,000 men under the command of Dong Hong, Wang Yan, Li Yi and others; the right wing was led by Li Yi, the governor of Ji Province, with more than 70,000 men under the command of Gongshi Fan, Wang Chan, Jia Leng and others; and he himself personally led the central army, along with the central army advisor Wang Yan, military advisor Shao Xu, and Lu Dan, the commander of the Pingbei Army, and several other units, totaling nearly 70,000 men.

Lu Ji deliberately moved the central army northward, closer to the right flank, while isolating the left flank. His intention was to use the left flank as bait to lure the Imperial Guards into launching an attack on it. However, this was only the basic arrangement; Lu Ji had his true trump card up his sleeve and did not intend to reveal it easily.

Just as they were lining up their troops, Junior Commander Meng Chao sent someone to discuss the matter. He said to Lu Ji, "Grand Commander, my unit has 10,000 cavalrymen, all of whom are the elite of the army. Why haven't they been deployed?"

Lu Ji was furious upon hearing this. As Meng Jiu's younger brother, Meng Chao had been assigned the most elite cavalry of the entire army by the Prince of Chengdu, leaving Lu Ji with no recourse. Logically, such an elite force should have been kept as a reserve, to be used as needed after the decisive battle began. But now it seemed that Meng Chao had volunteered for battle beforehand, and if Lu Ji refused, he would absolutely not obey Lu Ji's orders afterward.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Go and tell Governor Meng to set up his troops at the southernmost point. When our army starts fighting, he can bypass the enemy from the bottom of the mountain and go straight to the rear of the enemy, catching them off guard. If he succeeds in defeating the enemy, the enormous credit will be his."

Since Meng Chao refused to obey orders, Lu Ji simply ordered him to leave the battlefield and open another front. This way, if Meng Chao could exert pressure on the flank, that would be good; but even if he lost, at least it wouldn't disrupt Lu Ji's plans for the main battle or demoralize the army. This was the safest arrangement Lu Ji could think of for Meng Chao at the moment.

As expected, after the envoy returned, Meng Chao was very satisfied and readily agreed to Lu Ji's arrangements.

After a series of military orders were relayed, about half an hour had passed. Following their commander's commands, the soldiers continued to move up the mountaintop, and the surrounding darkness slowly began to give way to a pale light. Looking up at the sky, a clear blue background was faintly visible. It seemed that after several days of autumn rain, today would be a sunny day.

It was just dawn, but the clouds on the eastern horizon were already tinged with a blood-red hue. Northern scouts reported that the enemy's formation was complete, stretching east to west, as immovable as a rock. Hearing this, Lu Ji felt uneasy. He thought: With our formation still in disarray, if the enemy were to launch a direct attack, could we hold them off?
Fortunately, it was too dark at this time, and the Imperial Guards, unable to see the Northern Army's specific movements, did not attack immediately but continued to wait in place. This allowed the Northern Army to complete their formation in the last minute.

The wind had died down atop Mount Mang, the air was fresh, and the dark clouds on the mountainside stretched across everyone's heads like a city wall. But a crimson glow could be seen gradually encroaching on the dark clouds, slowly brightening the sky above the army. Although they couldn't distinguish the shadows of their companions, they could clearly see the great rivers and the Luo River on either side of Mount Mang, their waters shimmering with a purplish-blue light.

Finally, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining brightly between the two armies; dawn broke.

At that moment, more than ten cavalrymen broke free from the Imperial Guard's formation and galloped straight towards the Northern Army. Both armies saw this clearly and were immediately startled, wondering: What are they trying to do?
Soldiers with experience in attacking Zhao speculated: "Oh, this is probably just a provocation! The heroic figure of the Xiongnu general Ping Xian, who single-handedly led the charge and killed the enemy general in three rounds during the Battle of Huangqiao, is still unforgettable. Who could the Imperial Guards possibly send this time?"
The knights galloped for two miles, stopping only when they were about two hundred paces from the front of the Northern army. Then one of them shouted loudly to the Northern army: "I am Liu Xian, Liu Huaichong, the General of the Guards, Grand Master of the Three Departments, and Commandant of the Capital Region. May I ask if Lu Shiheng is here? My old friend has come. Would you please come out and see me?"

These words caused an uproar among the soldiers of both armies. The Imperial Guards had not expected that their commander would abandon his own lines and stand before the enemy. The Northern Army was equally surprised that Liu Xian would be so audacious as to dare to shout at their own troops; wasn't he afraid of being killed?
The generals of the Northern Army were all deeply moved, especially the officers of the central army, such as Zhuge Quan and Ying Zhan, who all advised Lu Ji: "Grand Commander, Liu Xian actually dares to come looking for death! If we don't kill him now, when will we?"

In their view, as long as they could take this opportunity to kill Liu Xian, the enemy army would be without a commander, their morale would be greatly dampened, and victory would be within their grasp.

But Lu Ji sternly refused, saying, "Absolutely not!"

"Liu Xian rides a magnificent steed named Fanyu, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. Once he gets going, even arrows can't catch him! Can you kill him? If our army launches a surprise attack on the front lines, not only will we lose face and fail to kill anyone, but we'll also appear incompetent. What will the entire army think of us then? Don't forget, Liu Xian has also commanded our troops and led them to victory!"

A commander's image is crucial to the morale of the entire army. How can a soldier win a battle if he believes his commander is unrespectable? Back then, Yang Hu and Lu Kang, facing off in Jingzhou, inquired about each other's health, a model of gentlemanly friendship. Lu Ji naturally wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics in such a situation. He quickly made a decision, saying to his eldest son, Lu Wei, "Wencai, select ten or so riders as your attendants; let's go meet them!"

Upon hearing this, the generals blushed, still disagreeing with the decision. However, Lu Ji's words made them appear petty, so they remained silent.

Therefore, Lu Ji led a small cavalry force, along with Lu Wei, Dai Yuan, and eighteen other riders, to leave the battle formation and meet with Liu Xian.

This was supposed to be a gentleman's journey, but after separating from the army, gazing at Liu Xian standing in the distance under the rising sun, many old memories surfaced in Lu Ji's mind, suddenly reminding him of something: the last time the two met seemed to have been four years ago, in that ordinary little tavern in Luoyang. Liu Xian had just successfully assassinated Jia Mo and was sharing his joy of success with him when he suddenly mentioned wanting to take advantage of the situation to eliminate Sun Xiu… And since that parting, the two had never seen each other again.

Thinking of this, shame welled up in Lu Ji's heart, and he felt an impulse to turn his horse around and run away to avoid seeing him. But at this moment, hundreds of thousands of people were watching him on the magnificent Mangshan Mountain. Lu Ji could not retreat. He had to move forward and show the demeanor of a commander.

So he restrained his emotions, straightened his back as much as possible, and ran towards his old friend.

The sky brightened further, the clouds parted, and the golden sunlight shone brightly, making the small puddles on the hillside, which hadn't dried up, gleam and sparkle. Lu Ji stepped over these puddles and finally reached within ten paces of Lai Qi. Lu Ji looked up and immediately saw Liu Xian in the crowd. His first thought was: Liu Xian has aged considerably.

Liu Xian was a mature man beyond his years. Although he was ten years younger than Lu Ji, he was extremely calm in both temperament and speech. If it weren't for the recklessness of a martial artist he still possessed, one would hardly guess that he was a young man. Now, perhaps due to excessive worry, Liu Xian's temples were already showing signs of gray, and he was much thinner than before.

In Liu Xian's eyes, Lu Ji had also aged considerably. Though his old friend's eyes still shone, his cheeks were sunken, his eyes deep-set, carrying a somber, unhealthy hue. This inevitably reminded him of their first encounter years ago at the literary gathering in the Golden Valley Garden, where Lu Ji stood out among the scholars, composing poems with such spirit and wit!

But now, those who were once inseparable friends have become like strangers. They said they would grow old together, but in the end, it all came down to a life-or-death struggle on the battlefield.

When Liu Xian saw Lu Ji again, he thought he could remain calm. He had already forgiven too many people, so one more wouldn't make a difference. In terms of the pressure from opponents, Lu Ji was far inferior to Jia Mi and Sun Xiu. Therefore, he felt that letting go of the past and calmly discussing politics would be a simple matter.

But he overestimated himself, because in Liu Xian's thirty years of life, only Lu Ji had ever made him so admired. When he realized that the other had betrayed him, he felt the pain of having wasted his life, and even couldn't help but belittle himself. He could never forgive this betrayal.

Fortunately, he was able to conceal his anger. Apart from gripping the reins tightly with both hands, he showed no other expression. He simply stared at Lu Ji with impatience, trying to find some emotion in him.

Facing Liu Xian's piercing gaze, Lu Ji lowered his eyelids and asked, "What brings Lord Songzi here?"

Liu Xian gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then said calmly, "I have come to inquire of you on the Emperor's orders. The Prince of Chengdu has usurped the throne, defied the Mandate of Heaven, and raised an army to advance on the Emperor. Now that the Emperor is before us, we hope you will repent and surrender. In this way, the state will not pursue past events but will only blame the Prince of Chengdu. Are you willing to obey?"

Liu Xian certainly didn't think that these words would make the Northern Army surrender, but promoting one's own legitimacy, suppressing the enemy's righteousness, and eliminating their fighting spirit were also an indispensable part of the war.

Lu Ji naturally understood Liu Xian's intentions, and he immediately retorted: "Then please ask the Duke of Songzi to report to the Emperor that the King of Changsha's unjust rule has aroused the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, and troops have been raised on all sides. We have come here with troops not for our own selfish desires, but for the survival of the nation. If the King of Changsha surrenders now, we will still spare his life, and you gentlemen will naturally be safe and there will be no need for this battle."

"Otherwise, with my million-strong army of iron cavalry and golden spears, a single mobilization would be enough to crush the enemy to dust. I urge you all to consider this carefully!"

After he finished speaking, the soldiers of both armies fell silent. After the two men looked at each other, Liu Xian gripped the hilt of his sword and slowly said, "It seems that we can only decide the outcome on the battlefield."

Lu Ji nodded slightly and sighed, "Nothing in the world is like this."

Only blood can wash away hatred, only death can end pain. After exchanging a few words, the two men turned and rode away.

Before they said goodbye, they both felt they had a thousand words to say, but after they met, neither of them said anything. Because they both realized that it was too late to say anything, and it would be meaningless.

Liu Xian then led his men back to the emperor and empress's carriage and said to Sima Yi, "Your Highness, I have seen the enemy's formation clearly, and we can attack now."

"Where should we attack?" Sima Yi asked.

"Lu Ji spread out his flanks and used the central army as an ambush, in order to force us to attack his flanks first."

Which flank should we attack first?

"Attack the central army!"

Liu Xian pointed to the Northern Army in the east, just as the sun was rising and shining on everything. He slowly said, "These soldiers of the Northern Army, despite their large numbers, have not seen a real battlefield, nor do they know what a truly strong army is."

"On the real battlefield, those true warriors are protected by gods, and their tactics are beyond the imagination of the ignorant."

"They will see it today."

Soon, yellow banners fluttered in the wind, and the drums of the Imperial Guards thundered like lightning. Then, the crisp sound of armor cutting through the air joined the sea of ​​drumbeats. Thousands of cavalrymen, spears raised high, were charging eastward with all their might.

As a thousand riders surged forward, it was as if mountains were collapsing; the thundering hooves shook the very earth and hearts, as if the legendary apocalyptic war, destined to destroy the world, was about to begin. (End of Chapter)