Jinting Han people

Lu Ji never held any expectations that Meng Chao would be able to win. His true trump card, from the very beginning, was this Xianbei cavalry that had been borrowed from Pingzhou.

Since the date of the duel was set, Lu Ji had been pondering a way to break the deadlock. He knew that his cavalry was no match for the Imperial Guards, and the probability of victory in a direct confrontation was extremely low. Therefore, to achieve victory, he ultimately needed to use a surprise attack. Lu Ji quickly thought of taking advantage of the chaos to attack and seize the emperor. After all, the purpose of this southward expedition was ostensibly to rescue the emperor. Even if the battle was lost and the entire army was wiped out, as long as the emperor could be brought back to Ye City, it would all be worthwhile.

To achieve this goal, Lu Ji made meticulous arrangements. His pre-arranged formation, which isolated the left flank while reinforcing the right, had a specific purpose. On the surface, it appeared he wanted to concentrate superior forces to break through the enemy's left flank first, but in reality, he intended to use the left flank as bait to lure the Imperial Guards into a siege. With the Imperial Guards focusing their attack on the South Peak, they would naturally become less vigilant regarding the true movements of troops on the North Peak battlefield.

In addition, Meng Chao disobeyed orders and attempted to volunteer for battle, so Lu Ji ordered him to launch a flanking attack from the foot of the South Peak. With Meng Chao's troops and the more than 100,000 troops on the North Peak as double cover, Lu Ji could secretly mobilize the remaining cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the main force of the King of Changsha.

He was full of confidence in this attack. Although he was at odds with those scholars from Hebei, the one who commanded this cavalry was not any famous scholar from Hebei, but Qiao Zhiming, the Xianbei Protector-General from Pingzhou.

Although Qiao Zhiming was a Xianbei, his tribe had long been assimilated into Han culture and was well-versed in literature and poetry. Therefore, Qiao Zhiming understood the principles of loyalty and filial piety from a young age. After the deaths of his parents, he observed mourning for them, earning him the respect of the local people and considerable prestige among the scholars. Furthermore, he was tall and had practiced martial arts since childhood, making him a renowned warrior among the Xianbei tribes. In the first year of the Yongkang era, Sima Ying, following Lu Zhi's advice, recruited him to Ye City. Seeing his talent in both literature and martial arts, he greatly admired him. However, considering his Xianbei identity, he did not give him a high-ranking position, appointing him as a general but in reality, only a county magistrate.

After Lu Ji took power, Qiao Zhiming found himself isolated and helpless within the Northern Expeditionary Army, urgently needing to strengthen his control over the troops. Qiao Zhiming, a Xianbei, was well-versed in Xianbei tactics and had no foothold in Ye City, making him a natural ally for Lu Ji. Lu Ji immediately gave him important responsibilities, and with Lu Ji's full support, Qiao Zhiming returned to Pingzhou to recruit followers. Within two years, he had trained a 3,000-strong Xianbei cavalry force, renowned as invincible in the army.

At this moment, Lu Ji hoped to deliver the fatal blow himself.

Accompanying Qiao Zhiming were Yamen General Bu Xiong, Cavalry Commandant Zhang Yansuo, and their troops. Apart from the messengers and generals of each unit, almost all of the remaining 15,000 cavalrymen of the Northern Army were here.

At this time, Sima Yi only had about six thousand infantrymen left to protect the imperial carriage after Chen Zhi and Sima Yue's troops went to pursue Meng Chao's forces.

When Sima Yi saw cavalry charging towards him, how could he not realize he had fallen into a trap? And when he saw Sima Yue's troops illegally pursuing the routed soldiers from Nanfeng, he was so angry that he cursed, "Fools! Even if we're just going to claim credit, why do we need so many people? Do you think two legs can outrun four?"

He turned to Sima Yue to hold him accountable, but his military advisor, Miao Bo, said, "General, please don't worry. The Minister of Works has already personally gone to chase after them on horseback. I believe it won't be long before he can persuade these soldiers to come back."

How long he would be gone, and when he would be able to return, were things he could not know.

Time was of the essence. Although Sima Yi was furious, he had no time to reprimand them. His immediate priority was to order the remaining soldiers to regroup and form a solid line to stop the first wave of enemy cavalry charges. While organizing the line, the armored soldiers in the rear were busy loading arrows into their crossbows, as they had almost run out of arrows after attacking Meng Chao's cavalry.

Unlike longbows, crossbows, while capable of piercing armor, are extremely difficult to load. Because the crossbow string is specially designed, ordinary people cannot draw it with sufficient strength. Therefore, a hook inside the crossbow, along with a rope, is used to slowly draw the string fully, then a latch is used to secure it, and the arrow is loaded before it can be fired. This loading time is enough for an average archer to fire about thirty arrows.

But by the time the Xianbei cavalry came into view, the distance between them was already too close. The vanguard of the Xianbei cavalry was less than a mile away from this first reorganized line of defense. They had deliberately slowed down earlier in order to accelerate quickly at this moment. They knew that the faster they charged, the easier it would be to break through the enemy lines. So a group of men kept urging their horses forward at full speed.

Their footsteps kicked up thick dust, which flowed over the trees on the mountaintop, obscuring the sky like clouds. A muffled rumble, like thunder, echoed through the valley, winding along the ridge, growing ever closer. This imposing presence instantly instilled fear in the Imperial Guards. Although they had shown the same expression when facing Meng Chao's troops not long ago, their current unpreparedness clearly revealed their genuine fear.

The Xianbei cavalry, clad in heavy armor, found several weak points in the formation, split into several columns, and swiftly penetrated them. Due to the disorganized formation and the fear instilled in the imperial guards, the Xianbei cavalry, charging through the enemy lines, moved as if they were in an empty field, heading directly for the second line of defense.

Of the armored soldiers here, less than a third had properly equipped crossbows, and they didn't have time to form a dense volley. Therefore, Qiao Zhiming tore a hole in the defenses after suffering only minor casualties. Even so, after more than a dozen of his men had been killed, Qiao Zhiming looked at the powerful crossbows on the ground, still shaken, and lamented to his men, "This is a cage for eagles! How can we soar if we don't destroy it?"

He immediately ordered that, before the Imperial Guards could regroup, they should focus their attacks on the armored soldiers wielding powerful crossbows. At the same time, his cavalrymen continued to pour into the battlefield. Tens of thousands of cavalrymen deployed into formation. Although their weaponry was inferior to that of the Xianbei cavalry, they formed a large, unfolding net that seemed to be gradually surrounding the mound where the emperor was located.

Qiao Zhiming's intention was very clear: he wanted to wipe out Sima Yi's main force in one fell swoop. He would first remove the Imperial Guard's henchmen, rendering them incapable of resistance, then cut off their retreat route, leaving them with nowhere to go, and finally annihilate them in one fell swoop.

Sima Yi saw this clearly; he knew that staying here would likely lead to certain death. There was only one way out: to seize the opportunity when the encirclement was loose and lead his troops in a breakout. However, he only had about eight hundred cavalrymen with him. The Emperor, Empress, and the imperial relatives and nobles who had accompanied the army were all here. What should he do? He glanced at the battle situation on South Peak. Liu Xian had not only led his troops to occupy the summit but was also charging down from the top. Wherever the Anle banner passed, the Northern army soldiers were routed, utterly defeated. It seemed the outcome of the battle on South Peak was already decided. Sima Yi immediately had an idea: if he led his troops to join them, there was still a chance to turn the tide.

But Sima Yi immediately faced a new dilemma: his position was too large a target. If the imperial carriage moved, it would inevitably attract the enemy's attention, leading to a large-scale siege. What should he do? The answer quickly emerged: he could use the imperial carriage as a feint to draw the enemy's attention, while the remaining personal guards escorted the empress and emperor to break through the encirclement. As long as the emperor and empress were safe and the army's morale remained intact, everything else would be fine.

Time was of the essence, so he immediately began to make arrangements. Sima Yi planned to risk his life to personally protect the imperial carriage, and as for the officials and nobles around him, apart from a few members of the imperial family, all the others would be left behind to make it seem more realistic.

Upon hearing this order, the members of the imperial family were overjoyed, while the officials dared not speak out in anger. Only the empress hesitated. After being helped onto her horse, she finally asked in doubt, "General of the Cavalry, can't the Duke of Xingjin accompany us?"

The Duke of Xingjin refers to Yang Xuanzhi, the Empress's father. Yang Xuanzhi was a timid man. When he heard that there was a chance to break through and escape, he was overjoyed at first, but then he remembered that he was not good at riding a horse, and his face turned bitter. Before Sima Yi could reply, he said, "What would I do? Would I be a burden? Your Highness should leave as soon as possible. It's better to run faster with His Majesty than anything else."

Then the group parted ways. Sima Yi, leading the imperial carriage and canopy, slowly descended the mountain from a prominent position to the north. The imperial guards, still engaged in the melee, saw the emperor's carriage moving behind them and heard the continuous sounding of horns, knowing this meant a desperate fight. They encouraged each other, saying, "We can't retreat any further! The emperor and His Highness are right behind us! Victory is just around the corner, how can we let it all fall apart here!" So they raised their long spears and fought back with all their might.

The attacking Northern knights were startled when they saw the imperial carriage approaching. They wondered: Is the emperor personally leading the campaign? If we accidentally hurt the emperor, will we commit a grave crime? As a result, some of them became hesitant and subconsciously reduced their strength.

With this shift in momentum, the battlefield situation changed slightly. The Northern army, facing the imperial carriage, began to show signs of weakness and exhaustion. Seeing this, Qiao Zhiming had no time to worry about anything else and immediately mobilized troops from surrounding areas to strengthen the offensive against the imperial carriage. As a result, the battle lines in other areas became somewhat weaker.

At that very moment, under Liu Yu's leadership, a group of cavalrymen, protecting the emperor, empress, and princes in the center, launched an attack on the besieging troops east of the southern peak. The northern army, caught off guard by the presence of cavalry, was momentarily disoriented, allowing the cavalry to break through their defenses. Immediately, the besieging troops realized something was amiss: why weren't the cavalrymen around the imperial carriage? They immediately realized there was a big fish here, and with loud shouts, more cavalrymen closed in, attempting to re-encircle the group.

Logically, at a normal riding speed, once he broke through, the pursuers wouldn't have been able to react in time. The problem was that Sima Zhong was too heavy, preventing his mount from going fast, and those around him couldn't abandon him; they had to accommodate him. As a result, although he had successfully broken through, more and more pursuers gradually gathered around him, and even the knights who had besieged the imperial carriage realized something was wrong and began to change direction and give chase.

Finally, someone bypassed the Jin army cavalry's obstruction from the side, galloped forward along the front of the battle line, and then suddenly turned his horse around, blocking the path ahead. Now, it was impossible for the emperor and his entourage to turn their horses and escape.

The horses' heads and tails were entangled, and the riders swung their weapons at any enemy within reach. Yang Xianrong saw a Northern Army knight brandish his ring-pommel sword at an Imperial Guard knight. The Imperial Guard knight, whether stunned or for some other reason, instinctively raised his right hand to block, but his right arm broke off, striking him and splattering blood onto his face. The Imperial Guard knight seemed oblivious, looking around blankly, then suddenly cried out a woman's name—whether it was his lover or his daughter, it was unclear. The words had barely left his lips when the enemy's merciless blade struck his face, piercing his cheek and right eye, and he fell from his horse.

Is this death? Watching this scene, Yang Xianrong couldn't help but feel a pang of unease. She now had a more tangible understanding of life and death, finally realizing how fragile and precious life truly is. She also finally understood what Liu Xian meant by "frivolous."

Yang Xianrong couldn't help but look back towards the imperial carriage. She saw the massive Northern cavalry charging like tigers and wolves, sweeping left and right, shooting arrows at horses and riders, and using long spears and cleavers to kill infantry. Arrows rained down like autumn leaves, seemingly aimlessly carried by the wind, flying in all directions. Each person struck by them was like an insignificant speck of dust, dying casually in this world of indiscriminate, flying arrows.

What a terrifying scene! In this world, human life is as cheap as grass, and loss is so easy. What is the purpose of everyone's life? Before Yang Xianrong could figure this out, she noticed that the cavalry had almost stopped. The Northern Army cavalry, near and far, had almost surrounded them in ten layers. She felt fear once again: Was her life going to end here?

Fortunately, this situation didn't last long. Further east, someone let out a long howl towards the sky, like some kind of ghost, startling the northern knights on the outer perimeter. Everyone looked in that direction and saw a nine-foot-tall man, wielding a long spear in one hand and a cleaver in the other, charging forward on horseback, hacking and slashing wildly. He was covered in blood, his helmet was missing, and his hair was disheveled, yet no one could withstand a single blow from him. Behind him, dozens of armored cavalrymen, dressed similarly, followed closely.

These men, seemingly exhausted from long battles, staggered and stumbled, yet they managed to break through the dozen or so encirclements. The Northern knights, seeing this, were utterly astonished, exclaiming, "Where did these monsters come from?" They quickly avoided their attacks, and the Emperor and Empress were once again freed.

The burly man drove away the surrounding soldiers, and then another man rode up behind him, praising him side by side: "Yuan Xiong, you are truly amazing! You are like Guan Yu reincarnated!"

The burly man was none other than Guo Mo, and standing beside him was none other than Liu Xian, the Duke of Songzi. He looked back at the crowd and saw that the Emperor, the Empress, and the princes were all there. He first breathed a sigh of relief, and then, noticing that Sima Yi was not present, he hurriedly clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, please wait here for a moment. Reinforcements will be arriving soon. I will go and relieve the siege of the General of the Cavalry first, and then I will return."

Having said that, he led the Songzi camp at breakneck speed, heading towards the imperial carriage at the end of the yellow dust. (End of Chapter)