Jinting Han people

The first cavalry unit to go into battle was the one commanded by Gou Xi, the General of the Flying Cavalry.

As a former subordinate of the King of Qi, he not only escaped punishment afterward but was also allowed to remain in the army. The reason was simple: he was deeply versed in military strategy, possessed exceptional talent, and had insightful understanding of warfare. Sima Jiong greatly admired him and had once appointed him to command tens of thousands of troops. Although Sima Yi harbored suspicions about his background, he also couldn't let go of his appreciation for talent. Therefore, in this battle, he ordered Gou Xi to be the vanguard, the first to engage the Northern army, precisely to cut off their retreat and exert all his strength to win the victory.

Gou Xi was fully aware of this, but he was not afraid of his predicament; instead, he was excited about the impending battle. He wore a white military uniform, a light-colored two-piece armor, and carried a three-foot-long iron-ringed sword on his back. Upon hearing the central army's order, he smiled slightly, drew his sword, and stood as upright as a tiger. He promised the messenger, "Rest assured, General, I will surely carve a bloody path for the army!"

Having said that, he immediately waved his flag and led his troops into battle. In an instant, thousands of knights charged through the sunlight, like ferocious beasts across the overgrown wasteland atop the mountain. Fallen leaves and withered grass immediately fell, as if swept by a whirlwind. In addition, there were many puddles on the mountaintop. As the warhorses poured in, water splashed everywhere, mud flew everywhere, and amidst shouts and neighing, the vanguard pointed directly at the central army of the Northern Army.

This move greatly surprised the Northern army. They expected the enemy to charge towards the flanks, so why were they deliberately charging towards the recessed central camp? Weren't they afraid of being surrounded?
Seeing this situation, Qian Xiu, Shi Chao, and others on the left and right flanks were all eager to make a move, intending to take advantage of the enemy's weakness and lead their troops down the mountain to cut off their retreat. However, before they could make any move, orders came from the central command, instructing them to strictly maintain their formation and not to move rashly!
Lu Ji, the commander-in-chief of the central army, quickly realized Liu Xian's intention: he wanted to use a small number of cavalry as bait to lure the left and right flanks down the mountain to attack, thereby disrupting the Northern Army's formation. Once the Northern Army's overall formation was disrupted and they lost the support and obstruction of the mountains, the planned mountain attrition tactic would naturally fall apart. At this point, the Imperial Guards could then commit the majority of their forces to find breakthroughs and weaknesses in the melee. After defeating several enemy lines, they could then take the defeated troops and achieve victory directly in open field battle.

Such a decision requires absolute confidence in one's own troops. It is based on two premises: first, that the soldiers can fight against overwhelming odds; and second, that the general can make timely judgments and find the best opportunity and breakthrough point in the midst of battle.

Undoubtedly, given the quality of the Northern Army, Lu Ji was incapable of employing such tactics. However, he was far from being so easily fooled; to disrupt the entire formation just to swallow a mere few thousand cavalry would be unwise. Therefore, seeing Gou Xi leading his troops in a charge, he ordered the left and right flanks to remain still, instead commanding the central army to form ranks and meet the enemy, personally testing the might of the Imperial Guard cavalry.

The first to charge were Dai Yuan's troops. He had once been a notorious bandit and outlaw on the Yangtze River, but at Lu Ji's urging, he abandoned his evil ways, turned to literature, and embarked on an official career. Now, having joined Lu Ji in Hebei, he was highly valued. Seeing the imperial guards charging towards him, he was filled with righteous fervor and exclaimed, "To fight against such fine men is truly a life well-lived!"

He then ordered his men to advance and form ranks. The front-line infantry, wielding long spears, immediately raised a dense, impenetrable forest of arrows to block the horses. The rear ranks followed suit, raising their bows and arrows, aiming them at the spears. At the general's command, the Northern army unleashed three volleys of arrows, striking the charging Imperial Guard cavalry. Unfortunately, the arrows only caused a minor ripple, claiming the lives of a dozen or so riders, without even disrupting the overall formation.

In fact, the greatest difficulty for Gou Xi in leading his troops deep into the Northern army's center was not the enemy's attrition, but the morale of his own men. Everywhere he looked—left, right, and in front of him—were Northern army flags, and the dense, seemingly endless ranks of men created an incredibly frightening sight. An ordinary person, upon seeing such a display, would likely have already succumbed to fear before even engaging in battle.

But Gou Xi was not afraid. He had seen armies of this size before and knew that in the midst of swords and spears, the most important thing was unwavering confidence, like a mountain standing firm. Therefore, seeing that no enemy troops on the north and south peaks dared to move, he instead burst forth with astonishing courage, determined to make a name for himself in this battle. Thus, he ordered his younger brother Gou Chun, who was accompanying him, "You charge inwards, and I will respond from the outside."

Gou Chun understood immediately. He was as tall as a pagoda and as ruthless as a tiger or wolves. Knowing he would be facing danger, he didn't hesitate. In the blink of an eye, he led his eight hundred cavalrymen away from the main force, like a lurking venomous snake, suddenly attacking in another direction. When he changed his attack direction, he was only a few dozen paces from the Northern army, and in the blink of an eye, he was on the front lines.

Gou Chun's surprise attack came without warning, catching the Northern army off guard. Their formation was instantly torn open, and the cavalry swept through, leaving a trail of fallen soldiers. Gou Xi's troops, who had initially intended to charge the enemy lines, suddenly changed tactics mid-arrow range. Most of them reined in their horses and dismounted, transforming into archers who exchanged fire with the Northern army from the outside. Arrows flew back and forth between the two armies, supporting Gou Chun's internal charge.

Dai Yuan had intended to first halt Gou Chun's charge before engaging him in close combat, but Gou Xi's sudden change of tactics rendered all his previous arrangements futile. He had neither blocked the opponent's initial onslaught nor managed to draw him into a one-on-one fight. It was too late to make any further adjustments, and he could only watch helplessly as Gou Chun darted back and forth within the formation, gradually disrupting and breaking down their ranks.

Fortunately, just as Dai Yuan was beginning to falter, a second Northern army arrived, led by Hao Chang. Seeing that Gou Xi had abandoned his mobility, Hao Chao led his troops to flank the enemy from the side. He also divided his forces into two groups: one to rescue Dai Yuan and try to cut off Gou Xi's connection with Gou Chun's troops, while the other went straight to the enemy's flank and rear, attempting to fully utilize his numerical advantage.

The number of Northern troops surrounding Gou Xi quickly doubled, bringing the troop strength difference between the two sides to one to three. But even in such a situation of overwhelming odds, Gou Xi remained very calm and clear-headed, and his confidence in victory was not shaken in the slightest.

Gou Xi's reason for halting the main charge was to conserve strength and morale. He was merely the vanguard, incapable of breaking through the enemy's central defenses; his primary role was to disrupt their formation. Therefore, he didn't engage in fierce fighting, but rather waited for the enemy to encircle him, thus wearing down their morale and patience. He had reinforcements following behind, and given sufficient strength, he could launch a surprise attack on a weak point in the Northern army, easily escaping and regrouping. In this respect, he was not only extremely arrogant but also extremely intelligent.

Having grasped this point, Gou Xi reorganized his troops slightly. He used his bugle to order Gou Chun, who was engaged in battle, to retreat. Before the Northern army could react, they remounted and reorganized their cavalry into two groups, supporting and complementing each other. Then they turned and charged towards the gap between Hao Chang's two armies. Hao Chang guessed his intention and tried to regroup, but this was clearly no match for Gou Xi's cavalry. The Imperial Guard cavalry moved swiftly, sometimes south, sometimes north, sometimes splitting and sometimes regrouping, firmly grasping the initiative on the battlefield, constantly inflicting casualties and exhausting the enemy, disrupting their ranks.

It was at this moment that the Imperial Guards' second wave of attack arrived.

Following Gou Xi's troops was Zu Ti's force. Logically, he should have closely followed Gou Xi, intensifying the charge. However, this was not the case. Zu Ti did not immediately come to Gou Xi's aid, but waited for a while, observing the development of the battle from a distance. Although people often say that military situations are extremely urgent, Zu Ti remained remarkably calm, especially in such circumstances.

In Zu Ti's view, although the Northern Army had a large number of troops, it had several weaknesses: First, its morale was low; despite its superior numbers, it was unwilling to fight to the death. Second, its command was inflexible and lacked unity. Third, it was primarily an infantry force with few cavalry. Under these circumstances, Zu Ti made a counterintuitive judgment: if a war of attrition and protracted fighting ensued, the Northern Army would be the first to collapse.

It was with these considerations in mind that he rushed into the central army at the second moment to support Gou Xi. His arrival was just in time. Dai Yuan and Hao Chang's two forces had been fighting for a while without any success, and their morale had plummeted. After Zu Ti and Gou Xi joined forces, they suddenly broke through to the east, and the enemy could not even maintain their basic lines.

Lu Ji, on the mountain, clearly observed the situation. Although he was well aware that his troops were inferior in quality to the enemy, he still couldn't help feeling frustrated when he actually witnessed it firsthand. Fortunately, Lu Ji was somewhat prepared and quickly used his flags to order his two units to retreat back to the mountain for reorganization, while Zhuge Mei's and Ying Zhan's units took over, preventing the situation from deteriorating further. At the same time, he could also see that reinforcements from the Imperial Guards were arriving, and the offensive was intensifying. However, this support was not a desperate, all-or-nothing attack, but rather a rhythmic, wave-like pressure applied according to the situation at the front.

In this scenario, if the Northern Army dares not rashly commit its main force, it will instead fall into the rhythm of the Imperial Guards, forced to escalate its attacks as the Imperial Guards escalate. This will not only prevent it from defeating the enemy, but will also cause it to continuously fall into a disadvantageous position in the protracted fighting. If this continues, the morale of the Northern Army will inevitably remain low for a long time, and after the attacks escalate to a certain point, the low morale will exceed the bottom line, leading to a major collapse that could change the course of the war.

But would it be a better option to have the left and right flanks encircle the enemy beforehand? After witnessing the disparity in combat strength between the two sides, Lu Ji also found it difficult to make this decision. If the left and right flanks were to descend the mountain and engage in battle, the battle would undoubtedly enter the decisive stage. If the cavalry that had broken into the center of the army could not be eliminated as soon as possible, and the Imperial Guards were to cut them through, the outcome could probably be decided within half an hour.

Seeing this, Lu Ji couldn't help but marvel: Could the battlefield truly hone a person like this? His carefully devised battle formation still lacked flexibility, while Liu Xian's tactics were so agile and unrestrained. It seemed that Liu Xian's understanding of the way of war had truly been accumulated through countless battles, and was no longer on the same level as his own.

How can we break this deadlock? It's not time to decide the outcome yet; perhaps we should change our approach. Lu Ji bit his finger, staring into the distance, desperately trying to think of the most suitable way to change tactics.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Liu Xian, along with Sima Yi and the civil and military officials, were observing the changing formation of the Northern army in the distance. They stood on the south side of a mound covered by sparse woods, with the imperial carriage of the emperor and empress behind them. Liu Xian stood on the mound, his right foot resting on a boulder, quietly observing the battle.

The battlefield was already showing signs of chaos, with shouts of battle and the incessant sound of war drums, accompanied by dust rising from the mountaintop, making it difficult to discern the superiority or inferiority of the forces. Most importantly, the left and right flanks of the Northern army remained unmoved, their banners fluttering like a forest, greatly shocking the nobles who were new to the battlefield. They whispered among themselves, believing that their side was at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, when they observed the two commanders-in-chief, Liu Xian and Sima Yi, they found their expressions calm, showing no surprise or unease. Everything seemed perfectly normal, as if they had everything under control, which reassured the officials. Even the emperor stared wide-eyed at the two, trying to imagine what they were thinking. Of course, he could only glimpse the grim and cruel power within him; he couldn't imagine anything else.

A gust of wind blew by, and Liu Xian adjusted his hood before finally speaking. While observing the enemy's formation, he commented to Sima Yi, "Lu Ji is very composed! Our army has already pushed in more than 10,000 men, and all four cavalry units have charged in, yet he still orders the two flanks to remain still. He truly has the style of his father and grandfather."

Sima Yi touched the scar on the bridge of his nose and sneered, "He won't stay calm for long. I don't believe he can sit still even if we let another ten thousand people in!"

Although the specific situation in the distance was unclear, judging from the advance of the battle lines, the initiative remained with the Imperial Guards. Especially after Zu Ti, Linghu Sheng's and Song Hong's troops also joined the battle, which greatly accelerated the advance of the vanguard.

However, this does not mean victory, because the disparity in troop strength between the two sides is too great, and the Imperial Guards clearly have no room for error.

Liu Xian pointed to the South Peak and slowly said, "Our army has more than 30,000 cavalry, and nearly half of them have already been deployed. If he can't hold out and waits until our vanguard is exhausted, even if we win later, our casualties will probably be considerable."

He then suggested, “Your Highness, if he still doesn’t move in three quarters of an hour, we will change our formation as planned. The morale of his central army is already low. If we fight for a while longer, they will be unable to support their left and right wings. The left wing, which was already isolated, is now even more helpless. Our army may be able to outflank the enemy’s left wing, seize the South Peak, and force them into the northern mountains. In this way, once the enemy’s left wing collapses, it will affect the entire army, and our army can win this battle.”

This was a pre-arranged strategy, but while such an attack might capture an entire army, it wouldn't guarantee a complete victory. Sima Yi hesitated, wanting to wait and see if the enemy would reveal a greater weakness.

As I was deep in thought, the enemy's drumming in the distance seemed to have changed.

Liu Xian and Sima Yi quickly looked up and saw that the right wing of the Northern Army had moved! The troops of Jia Leng and Gongshi Fan, stationed at the North Peak, openly led ten thousand men down the mountain to form ranks. They did not directly engage the vanguard of the Imperial Guards, but instead moved slowly across the flat ground, sealing off the gap between the two flanks with unstoppable force. At the same time, the remaining right-wing army did not follow them down the mountain, but instead advanced slowly and steadily westward along the mountain path, actively attacking the left wing of the Imperial Guards.

Sima Yi immediately asked, "What is the meaning of this bandit army's actions?"

Liu Xian concluded, "Lu Ji has finally figured it out. Rather than planning a counterattack after our army's morale is exhausted, it's better to take the initiative. He plans to stretch the battle lines, cut the battlefield, and force our army to fight independently."

Sima Yi was overjoyed upon hearing this. Although this change was not the most ideal for the battle, the enemy had at least abandoned their defensive formation, which allowed the two armies to escape a stalemate. This was a change that favored the Imperial Guards. He drew his sword and then encouraged his soldiers, saying, "My army is full of brave and courageous men. How can they possibly stand against us?"

Then the war drums thundered again, and the left-wing imperial guards, under the watchful eyes of the emperor and his ministers, slowly advanced eastward to meet the enemy. By this time, it was already broad daylight; the rising sun hung high in the east, slowly ascending. Looking up, they could see the sunlight bathing the northern army soldiers equally, their armor reflecting dazzling patches of light, creating a radiant sea of ​​light on the mountaintops. (End of Chapter)