Jinting Han people

When Qiao Zhiming led his troops in a surprise attack on the imperial carriage, Liu Xian had already successfully torn apart all the enemy lines on the South Peak. When the Anle Banner was raised on the summit of the South Peak, the various factions led by Gou Xi, Zu Ti, Linghu Sheng, Huan Yi, and others, who had been fighting fiercely behind the main army, all came to join him. More than 30,000 cavalrymen gathered on the summit of the South Peak, their horses flowing back and forth like a torrent, a truly magnificent sight.

The original plan was for the cavalry to rest briefly here, then launch a high-ground attack on the enemy, engulfing the fleeing left flank of the Northern army and annihilating their main force. However, when Qiao Zhiming's cavalry appeared on the battlefield, Liu Xian instantly realized that the original plan was probably no longer feasible. If the Northern knights were allowed to seize the emperor, the outcome of the battle at Nanfeng would be insignificant.

With just a few thoughts, he immediately decided to change the battle plan and said to Zu Ti beside him, "Shizhi, we will split our forces into two groups. You will lead the main force to relieve the siege of Ji Gong, and I will lead six thousand cavalry to return and rescue the emperor."

Zu Ti disagreed, saying, "Why bother? Perhaps the General of Chariots and Cavalry can hold out a little longer, and we can cut off the enemy to the northeast. Wouldn't that end the enemy army?" As long as Sima Yi can hold out on the front, the cavalry from the south can attack from the flank, cutting through the northern army like cutting tofu. Perhaps, they can capture the entire army of 200,000 in one battle. But once such an opportunity is lost, who knows when it will come again?

This was a tremendous temptation, one that would entice any warrior. But Liu Xian had long understood a principle: the moon wanes after it is full, and water overflows when it is full. Forcing a complete victory when there is no certainty of success will only lead to utter defeat. Everyone on the battlefield is a gambler, but the wisest gambler is one who knows when to be content.

The Northern army's left flank has completely collapsed, but its right flank remains formidable, and breaking through it will still take considerable time. In contrast, the main camp is highly likely to be breached. If the main camp is rescued and this wave of the Northern army's offensive is repelled, then, in effect, the Northern army will have no means of winning. If Lu Ji remains rational, he should withdraw his troops, meaning that victory in this battle will already be theirs.

Therefore, Liu Xian made up his mind and said, "There's nothing more to say, it's settled then. Shizhi, time is of the essence, there's no time to hesitate!"

Having said that, Liu Xian took the lead, leading his army along the path he had come from towards the imperial carriage and canopy. Gongsun Gong and the others were slightly taken aback, but then quickly followed, shouting and urging them to hurry after him.

The mountain road was now completely unobstructed. Although the path down the mountain was steep, it was precisely at this moment that the experience of the Songzi Camp knights was on full display. These veteran riders, such as Gongsun Gong, had long since mastered the art of being one with their horses. With just a spur of the horse's belly and a pull of the reins, they could communicate with their beloved horses. Their steps were sometimes heavy and sometimes light, but their speed never decreased, as natural as flowing water.

This meant that the journey up the mountain, which would normally take half an hour, was completed in just a quarter of an hour, and they were back on the flat slope. Liu Xian quickly reorganized his troops and saw that three or four hundred men had gathered around him. Guo Mo and Zhuge Yan had also caught up. He immediately said to Zhuge Yan, "You go to the left, I'll go to the right. We'll split up and attack from both sides. We'll be invincible." So he divided his men into two groups and continued to return to their main camp to provide reinforcements.

The Northern Army soldiers underestimated Liu Xian's speed in returning to reinforce them. Furthermore, Liu Xian had left in such a hurry that he forgot the Anle Banner on the hilltop, making his route inconspicuous and offering no resistance. Guo Mo, wielding his long spear, charged ahead, slaying the unsuspecting, scattered cavalry with unstoppable force. He encountered over twenty cavalrymen along the way, felling them all, thus leading to the rescue of the Emperor and Empress.

When Liu Xian and his three hundred cavalrymen returned to their original position on the mound, they could see that all the cavalry, including the Xianbei cavalry, were in a very scattered state. Liu Xian had returned too quickly and his numbers were too small, so they could not notice this small change on the battlefield.

In fact, Qiao Zhiming's attention was entirely focused on besieging Sima Yi. Sima Yi had occupied a high ground and was standing on his imperial chariot, directing his soldiers in an extremely dense formation, with people packed tightly together, arm in arm. Those on the outer perimeter were constantly thrusting their spears, not giving the Xianbei cavalry any chance to charge.

At the same time, he knew that even so, it would be difficult to gain an advantage in close combat. Therefore, he ordered the armored soldiers in the rear to put down their crossbows and instead use longbows to fire arrows continuously, trying to force the enemy back with a barrage of arrows in order to buy time.

But now, the army was showing signs of a complete rout. Seeing their forces completely surrounded and with no idea where reinforcements were, the soldiers' morale plummeted. The Xianbei retaliated with arrows. Compared to the armored Jin soldiers, their archery skills, honed in the wilderness, were faster and more accurate. They didn't need many arrows; even against heavily armored opponents, the Xianbei could find weaknesses and strike vitals. The arrows even flew back towards the imperial carriage, striking many high-ranking officials.

However, for Qiao Zhiming, Sima Yi's tenacity had exceeded his expectations. Under such encirclement, ordinary generals would have long since given up hope, either laying down their weapons and surrendering or simply committing suicide to prove their loyalty. But this Prince of Changsha dared to put up a stubborn resistance, showing no regard for his life as a prince.

Therefore, Qiao Zhiming repeatedly ordered cavalry to be brought in for an encirclement, while also instructing his men to loosen the encirclement slightly, giving the besieged Imperial Guards a glimmer of hope. As the saying goes, the net of heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it; perhaps letting these men break through and struggle to their deaths within its net was a better option.

But when he redeployed his troops and spread out the battle lines, it was the perfect opportunity for the Songzi Battalion to charge.

Liu Xian observed the battle situation ahead and was overjoyed to find that the enemy had spread out in several ranks. Looking back, he saw that Gongsun Gong and his troops were almost catching up. He then turned to Guo Mo and asked, "Yuanxiong, can you still charge?"

Guo Mo was stuffing his mouth with dry rations. The battle had been going on for over four hours since morning, and it was now afternoon. Guo Mo carried seven or eight steamed buns, two pieces of dried beef, and two jugs of water. He would sneak in a bite whenever he got tired of fighting. The bun he was currently stuffing was the last one. Hearing Liu Xian's question, his mouth was so full he couldn't answer. He finally managed to take out his water jug ​​and swallow the food. He shrugged and replied, "My lord, they're just petty thieves. What's wrong with that?"

So Liu Xian circled around the Northern army's flank, moving from their east to their west. Without orders, the Northern cavalry watched as Liu Xian bypassed them and entered a jujube grove, unsure of who to report to. A quarter of an hour later, Liu Xian settled into his position and began calculating a path to break through the enemy's formation. At this moment, a great commotion finally broke out on the eastern side of the Northern army. The reason was that Gongsun Gong's main force had arrived and was forming ranks.

Faced with a cavalry force of this size, Qiao Zhiming could not ignore it. He diverted some of his troops to entangle the enemy and prevent them from hindering his offensive. However, the troop movement further weakened his lines.

A golden opportunity! Liu Xian spotted a clear path in the crowd, leading directly to the heart of the enemy lines. He immediately spurred his horse out of the jujube grove, leading his three hundred cavalrymen without looking back into the enemy ranks. The Xianbei cavalry were similarly equipped to the Songzi camp, wearing black-lacquered iron armor and helmets with black iron shields. In a direct confrontation, it would be difficult to determine a victor. However, their lines were currently disorganized, and a significant number of them were reinforcing the eastern flank, unaware of the situation on the western side. At this moment, the Songzi camp cavalry charged into the enemy ranks, their gleaming swords and spears flashing with a cold light, their faces contorted with rage, like reapers rising from the earth. Even though some Xianbei cavalry fought bravely, they dared not engage the Songzi camp in direct combat, and were thus easily dispatched one by one.

Qiao Zhiming was shocked to see this and asked in surprise, "Where did these thieves come from?" He wanted to fight back, but the surrounding defenses were too weak. They could still do something against the infantry, but they were no match for the cavalry. Therefore, he had no choice but to retreat to the north.

But with this retreat, the cavalrymen who were preparing to fight Gongsun Gong also panicked upon seeing their commander's banners retreating. Gongsun Gong seized the opportunity and led his men in pursuit. These Xianbei people had no will to fight and turned tail and fled. In an instant, the northern army cavalry that were besieging Sima Yi's troops erupted in a deafening roar, sweeping away the surrounding cavalry and forming an even larger torrent that collapsed all the way north.

At this moment, more than ten thousand infantrymen were coming to meet the Northern Army cavalry, but they ran headlong into the surging torrent and were swept away, turning back to flee. The torrent grew larger and larger, eventually rushing past the main camp of Li Yi, the governor of Ji Province and commander of the right wing.

In just half an hour, the 30,000 troops led by Qiao Zhiming, Bu Xiong, Zhang Yansuo, Li Yi, and Wang Changwen were all routed and fled.

In this situation, Shao Xu's troops, who were right behind Li Yi's troops, were about to be attacked by these people. Seeing the chaotic wave in front of him, he knew that if it was not stopped, it might engulf the entire army. He decisively said, "Any soldier who is within a hundred paces of the fleeing troops, kill him without mercy!"

Shao Xu's troops occupied a valley entrance on the north peak, a route through which most of the fleeing soldiers needed to pass. Shao Xu, however, had his men hold the position and unleashed four volleys of arrows at the fleeing soldiers, killing hundreds before slightly halting their retreat. The soldiers dared not run towards Shao Xu again, instead groping their way down the slopes on either side or along the steep cliffs. In this chaos, more were trampled to death by their comrades; the valleys were littered with corpses, and the number of discarded weapons and armor was considerable.

However, Shao Xu managed to stabilize the rout. Liu Xian led his troops to join Gongsun Gong, and looking north again, the army formation on the northern peak was tight and orderly, completely unaffected by the retreat of the vanguard. Although the soldiers' armor was not the best, their morale was high. Such a formation was not something the Songzi camp, which had been fighting hard all day, could break through.

Having achieved his goal of relieving the siege, Liu Xian, after some deliberation, chose not to continue charging but instead retreated.

Meanwhile, Zu Ti was quite disappointed after Liu Xian left, but he wasn't one to dwell on things, and quickly rallied his spirits. Seeing Liu Xian's banner still there, he simply took it and began commanding the troops. He summoned generals such as Gou Xi, Liu Kun, and Zhu Dan, and discussed with them, saying, "The enemy's left flank has been breached, while our losses have been minimal. The enemy also has few horses. Although they lack heavy cavalry to clear the way, sweeping away those infantrymen in Pinggu is more than enough. As long as you all don't go up the northern peak and pursue the enemy relentlessly, we will be like a swift wind sweeping away fallen leaves. How can we not be victorious?"

They reorganized their troops and divided their ranks on the mountain, finally completing their preparations just as Liu Xian attacked Qiao Zhiming. It was nearly late afternoon; in about an hour, dusk would fall, and the sky was already darkening. As the routed Northern army on the South Peak scattered and fled the battlefield, the clamor subsided. Dust billowed in the north wind, carrying a faint, earthy smell. The knights raised their yellow dragon banners, and the thousands of banners rustled like flowing water.

The troops under Jia Leng and Gongshi Fan at the foot of the mountain had already received a warning. While dividing the battlefield, they were also receiving their comrades, such as Qian Xiu, who had been driven down the mountain. However, their eyes remained fixed on the South Peak. When they saw the flags standing like a sea of ​​clouds on the South Peak, they immediately realized that something was terribly wrong. But they had nowhere to retreat, because the road behind them had been occupied by Lu Ji's central army. They could only grit their teeth and face the charge of the Jin army cavalry.

But clearly, the soldiers lacked confidence. When a tidal wave of sound began to rise from the hillside, their faces turned panicked. It was the Western Army cavalry warming up before their charge down the hill. And when they actually saw the fully armed horses and riders, they were stunned. They couldn't believe that they, without the advantage of terrain, could defeat these cavalrymen who were positioned high above them.

Gou Xi was once again at the forefront. Leading three thousand cavalry, he glanced at the Northern army soldiers like a wooden statue, then swiftly mounted his horse and charged downhill. Their charge, fueled by a death-defying spirit, raised towering clouds of yellow dust, like surging, towering waves sweeping down the slope, terrifying onlookers. In moments, they had swiftly penetrated the vast and loosely packed Northern army ranks.

Behind them, Imperial Guard knights continued to climb to the summit, quickly gathering about three thousand riders. As the second wave, they also rushed down. Then came the third wave, the fourth wave... Each wave of Imperial Guard cavalry, in a column formation, snaked through the Northern Army's ranks, then, guided by the Anle Banner on the South Peak, quickly circled back, alternating charges.

At this point, the Northern Army, driven down the mountain, was entangled with the supporting Northern Army, fighting independently. Although the men carried bows and spears, they were unable to form a defensive formation. Under the rapid, sweeping attacks of cavalry columns like eagles, they were quickly routed by wave after wave of cavalry charges. The military commanders could not find their captains, the captains could not find their generals, and the generals did not know how to report to the commander-in-chief. The Imperial Guards' cavalry were charging around everywhere. Apart from the soldiers still forming ranks on the North Peak, the remaining soldiers had completely lost their will to fight. Even the troops of Cai Mo and Wang Chan, who were unable to defeat Ji Shao's forces, showed signs of retreat.

Seeing that Qiao Zhiming's attack on the west had failed and the infantry on the east were in complete disarray, like fish on a chopping block, Lu Ji knew that the battle was lost and there was no possibility of fighting again. Continuing to fight would only result in the destruction of his troops as well.

So he sounded the retreat, abandoning the army that was being constantly surrounded and ambushed on Mount Mang, and led the remaining troops in a slow retreat, descending the mountain from the North Peak and withdrawing from the battlefield. Seeing this, the remaining Imperial Guards had no intention of pursuing, but instead continued to roam the summit of Mount Mang, occupying all the valley entrances at the North Peak as well. They formed a massive encirclement on Mount Mang, within which at its peak, 80,000 Northern troops were trapped.

The Imperial Guards fought from dusk till late at night, only ceasing their brutal attack when no one dared to resist anymore. Post-battle statistics showed that as many as 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 escaped, and the remaining Northern Army surrendered, with 18 high-ranking Northern Army generals, including Qian Xiu and Dong Hong, captured.

However, the Imperial Guards also suffered heavy losses. The cavalry lost about two thousand men, and the infantry in the main force and on the left wing also lost more than seven thousand men. In Qiao Zhiming's charge, more than ten nobles were also killed by arrows.

This was a glorious victory, but it was not the end to completely eliminate the threat from the Union Army. (End of Chapter)