Jinting Han people

The news of Zhang Fang's entry into the pass naturally caused a hurricane in Guanzhong.

Certainly, in the eyes of the people of Luoyang, Zhang Fang was a ruthless killer, but in the eyes of the people of Guanzhong, he had given them a much-needed boost. Although in his early years, Sima Yi had risen to power in Guanzhong, winning over the hearts of the people and establishing a rule that only close relatives of the Sima clan could be sent to govern Guanzhong, it was clearly evident that since the founding of the dynasty, the refined scholars of Guandong, based on metaphysical discussions and poetry, had gradually risen, while the Guanzhong gentry, who relied on military prowess and scholarship, had gradually declined.

As evidence, during Jia Mi's period of power, among the renowned Twenty-Four Friends of the Golden Valley Garden, only four—Guo Zhang, Du Bin, Zhi Yu, and Wang Cui—were from Guanzhong. Du Bin and Zhi Yu were from Chang'an, Wang Cui from Hongnong, and Guo Zhang from the Guo clan of Taiyuan. Not a single one of these were prominent figures from outside Jingzhao (Beijing), let alone from Western Shu or Longyou.

Therefore, the decline of Guanzhong is undeniable. Furthermore, since the founding of the Jin Dynasty by Emperor Wu, Guanzhong and Longxi had experienced two major upheavals: the Tuoba Shujineng Rebellion and the Qi Wannian Rebellion. The court's mishandling of both events led to years of war and widespread suffering. Although these rebellions were eventually quelled, they further exacerbated the centrifugal forces within the Western Expeditionary Army.

When Sima Yong was appointed to govern Chang'an, the people of Guanzhong harbored immense hatred towards the imperial court. Zhang Fang's bloody massacre in Luoyang fulfilled the wishes of most of them.

Even though he was from Hejian, he enjoyed unparalleled prestige in the Kansai region.

After a series of defeats, the Western Expeditionary Army, which had been stagnant, was stirred up again upon receiving the news. Without waiting for Zhang Fang's arrival, they reorganized their troops and launched an attack on Liu Xian's forces. Although they were still unable to breach the defenders' fortifications, Liu Xian and his men felt the pressure increase significantly.

Meanwhile, upon learning of Zhang Fang's imminent arrival, Liu Xian also prepared to break camp and head west.

It was early September, the grass and trees were withered, and all things were dying. Only ten days remained until Liu Xian's planned three-month migration strategy. Regardless of how many immigrants had yet to enter Wudu, Liu Xian and his men should prepare to break camp and leave.

But how to safely retreat in front of more than 100,000 troops is a test.

It is important to understand that the most dangerous phase of warfare is not during a stalemate, but during a retreat. In a fierce battle, both sides are exhausted, and the victor may not necessarily gain a significant advantage. However, if the retreat is rushed, creating a break in the formation, the enemy can seize the opportunity to attack, and the army, eager to retreat, has no intention of resisting, making a rout highly likely. The victories of Huangfu Song at Meiyang and Cao Cao at Fengqiu during the late Han Dynasty are classic examples of this type of pursuit and annihilation warfare.

If Zhang Fang hadn't arrived, Liu Xian was confident that the morale of the Western Army had been shattered, and even if he swaggered away from Xianyang Plain, Chang'an wouldn't dare to harbor any covetous thoughts. But now, Sima Yong had actually reinstated Zhang Fang, so this final journey was destined to be anything but peaceful.

That night, he convened a military council, where the atmosphere was somber. After all, most of the generals had participated in the Battle of Luoyang, and to put it bluntly, they were all Zhang Fang's defeated foe. Even Wei Bo, Yang Nandi, and others who had never fought against Zhang Fang were affected by the oppressive atmosphere and spoke in hushed tones.

Seeing this, Liu Xian knew that many people were afraid, so he comforted them, saying, "Based on my understanding of Zhang Fang, he is a man who is rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside. On the surface, he does things in an unconventional way, but in reality, he is very cautious. Although I don't know why he entered the pass, in my opinion, he will not fight me immediately."

"What will he do?" Sure enough, upon hearing this, the generals' expressions immediately brightened considerably.

"Of course, we will preserve our strength and observe the situation." Liu Xian's judgment was not unfounded. He had made it very clear with Zhang Fang at the beginning of the year that as long as Zhang Fang remained under the command of the Prince of Hejian, if Zhang Fang killed Liu Xian, the outcome would be the same: the rabbit is killed after the hunt. Given Zhang Fang's personality, he would never make such a mistake. Therefore, Liu Xian could almost conclude that Zhang Fang would outwardly comply with Sima Yong's orders but inwardly defy them.

However, Liu Xian dared not be careless. He would never let Zhang Fang off the hook if he revealed too many flaws, so he still needed to make some careful arrangements.

After some thought, Liu Xian said, "The most urgent task is to fight a battle first, to break the current momentum of the Western Army and prevent them from pursuing us."

"Fight a battle? How?" Yang Nandi leaned over to look at the map and asked.

“Let’s pretend for now,” Liu Xian said, looking up into the eyes of his generals. “The Western Army should already know that we are about to withdraw. If we feign a retreat, will they just stand by and watch?”

"When faced with a tempting piece of meat, even tigers and wolves will naturally chase after it and take a bite."

“Then we’ll feign a retreat, stage an ambush, and break his teeth first!” Liu Xian said decisively, and then described his retreat plan.

"Then, taking advantage of Zhang Fang's absence and the Western Army's setback, we will retreat quickly to the west and create a large distance. For the first two days, we must march 100 li each day. On the first day, we will reach Huaili, and on the second day, we will camp in Wugong City. At that time, we will rest briefly, and each unit will take turns covering the rear, and then slowly proceed towards Chencang."

At this point, Liu Xian began to designate the person in charge.

He instructed Liu Shen and Zhang Guang, saying, "This ambush will be led by the Fenwu Army and the Zhaowu Army. I'll leave the task to you two, Brother Daozhen and Brother Jingwu."

After Liu Shen and Zhang Guang nodded, he said to He Pan, "Lord He, you are in charge of the relocation of the central army. After the military meeting, you should organize the supplies in the army and transfer them from the inner camp to the outer camp. Send all the wounded soldiers out according to the plan. After our ambush is over, you should lead the Yangwu Army and the Mingwu Army to withdraw."

"The rest of the Guangwu Army shall leave the camp in groups of three thousand men, and shall maintain order and not be more than three miles apart."

Finally, he said to Li Sheng, "Binshuo, send someone to inform Shi Hui to send 5,000 troops to clear the roads in advance and meet him in Mei County."

With that, Liu Xian's arrangements were complete. Everyone knew that time was of the essence, so they all busied themselves without stopping. That night, each unit deliberately set fire to their camps, and soldiers openly moved back and forth, carrying various supplies. Everyone was packing up bedding, clothing, weapons, and other equipment.

Seeing the large number of figures in the enemy camp, the Western Army became suspicious. Before they could send out scouts to find out what was going on, dozens of lightly dressed prisoners ran over and told them, "The enemy is packing their bags. They're leaving late tomorrow night."

The news was reported to the Western Expeditionary Army Command. The generals of the Western Army, already aware of Liu Xian's impending departure, had no suspicions. In the military council the following morning, they all volunteered to lead a surprise attack while the enemy retreated. Jia Pi opposed this, offering a suggestion to Sima Yong in front of everyone: "Your Highness, this is not a good plan. Since Liu Xian is retreating, he will naturally be worried about our pursuit. He will probably personally cover the rear. None of our soldiers are his match; a hasty attack would likely result in defeat."

Sima Yong asked, "Then what are your thoughts?"

Jia Pi glanced at the generals around him and slowly said, "We should send cavalry at full speed to ambush Liu Xian on his inevitable route and prevent him from retreating. Then, once Marshal Zhang arrives, we can attack him from both sides and inflict heavy losses on him."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yong found it quite reasonable and asked his generals, "Who is willing to take on this task?"

The generals exchanged glances, remaining silent. Clearly, they didn't want to be the first to stick their necks out. After all, if they were to pursue and lose, they could retreat at any time; if the enemy wanted to leave, they wouldn't turn around and chase them. But if they went around to the front, they would be blocking the enemy's path, a fight to the death. Although the rewards for success were high, the risks were equally immense. At least for the general responsible for blocking the path, it was a near-certain death.

Seeing this, Yan Ding calmly offered a defiant solution: "Yan Du's plan is good, but we must remember the principle of not pursuing a desperate enemy. Since our king has already sent Marshal Zhang into the pass, he will deal with Liu Xian. We should just do our best."

Seeing this, Jia Pi wanted to volunteer, but was refused by the Prince of Hejian. Realizing his plan was futile, he glanced around at the generals, retreated back into the crowd, and sighed, "There isn't a single man among them!"

These words caused everyone's expression to change drastically. Liu Can immediately wanted to volunteer, but before he could make a move, Liu Cong grabbed him. Sima Yong simply pretended not to hear and waved his hand, saying, "Then let's launch a night attack."

That night, the army moved out, and when scouts came to report that the first wave of troops had already left the camp and gone west, Zhang Fu led 40,000 troops out of the city to try to attack the enemy camp again.

As expected, the Weinan camp was now completely empty. The trenches and palisades that had once been the battleground where countless soldiers had perished were nowhere to be seen. The camp was a scene of utter devastation, littered with broken swords, tattered clothes, and even discarded arrow shafts. Further on, one could see the Wei Bridge spanning the Wei River. Unlike ordinary pontoon bridges, this was a pier-type bridge built during the Western Han Dynasty, standing like a colossal beast across the eastward-flowing Wei River, inspiring awe and fear.

This was originally the only way for Chang'an to connect with the Wei River to the north, but it had been occupied by Liu Xian's camp for two months. The Western Army fought several bloody battles but could not recapture the Wei Bridge. The once easily crossed Wei River had become an insurmountable barrier. Standing on the Wei Bridge again, the soldiers recalled the battles of the past two months, and were filled with emotion. On the opposite bank of the Wei River, they saw an enemy force carrying torches, slowly retreating from their camp. It seemed to be the last force to leave, hurriedly catching up with the main force carrying torches to the west.

At this moment, the fire dragon of Weibei meandered, and outside the dark camp, there seemed to be twinkling stars everywhere. These lights formed a long, winding line, stretching continuously from east to west, just like the countless small oil lamps placed on the Wei River by monks to celebrate Buddha's birthday.

The Westerners exclaimed upon seeing this, "The enemy is moving so fast! They've already basically left their camp?" They then thought, "This is the last battle. Let's finish this battle as soon as possible and rest!"

Before Zhang Fu could give the order, Lü Lang took the lead, leading dozens of cavalrymen across the bridge. Seeing this, the remaining soldiers rushed to follow, for in their eyes, pursuit was the easiest and least risky task. They charged into the dark camp, using their torches to light their way, their hearts filled with the urgency of someone rushing to a market. The crowd surged down the Wei Bridge like a waterfall; in less than a quarter of an hour, thousands of people had densely packed down.

But they didn't notice that in the dark, shadowy corners, hidden by rags, cowhides, and straw, hundreds of assassins huddled together. These assassins, dressed in black, clutched their sheathed ring-pommel swords, listening intently to any sounds outside. They held their breath, like stubborn stones embedded in the night, afraid to make the slightest movement.

After the Western Army at the forefront clashed with Liu Xian's troops, four horns sounded in the night sky. These elite warriors immediately drew their swords and appeared like ghosts before the unsuspecting Westerners. The Westerners panicked; their columns, preparing to engage the enemy, were thrown into disarray in an instant, torches falling to the ground. They didn't know what had happened, only that they had been ambushed. In the darkness, unable to distinguish friend from foe, they even began attacking each other.

At the same time, the Fenwu Army, like a long snake dancing in the night, rapidly surrounded Xianyang. They whirlwind-like cut the uncommanded Westerners into pieces, and the Zhaowu Army followed up, annihilating the scattered Western soldiers one by one.

Yang Nandi's cavalry, divided into two large groups, galloped at an astonishing speed to the flanks of the Weibei camp. They then threw torches at the piles of firewood and fodder that couldn't be moved, and soon the camp was ablaze, the smoke and fire illuminating the sky. This firelight, instead of illuminating the situation, exacerbated the chaos. To avoid the onslaught of the Fenwu Army, the disorganized Westerners scrambled to cross the bridge, pushing back their comrades who were preparing to fight. Some even jumped from the Wei Bridge into the Wei River to avoid being trampled.

In the end, the Western Army's final pursuit vanished as quickly as morning dew within an hour. Seeing the Western Army regroup its routed troops in the southern camp, Liu Xian, standing tall and imposing before them, resumed his westward journey at a leisurely pace.

Before dawn, they caught up with the main force ahead, and despite their exhaustion from the fighting, they ate the dry rations they carried, numb yet determined, and continued forward. According to the original plan, they were to travel two hundred li (approximately 100 kilometers) in two days without any chance to rest.

However, the atmosphere in the army was still relaxed because they had won another victory, which was very likely the last battle of the year.

Unfortunately, this relaxed atmosphere did not last long. As Liu Xian sat on his horse, dozing off, someone came from behind to report that a cavalry force had appeared behind them, carrying the banner of the Western Expeditionary Army, and was less than four miles away.

Liu Xian was startled by the words, and his drowsy state immediately vanished. He knew who had come, but he couldn't help but think to himself, "They came so fast!"

He immediately roused himself and led a dozen or so riders to the rear to assess the situation. Sure enough, he saw over a hundred light cavalry following behind, and further back, a sizable cavalry force.

Some of them were holding banners high, indicating that besides the White Tiger Banner of the Western Expeditionary Army, there were also some large banners with black backgrounds and red borders. Upon closer inspection, they depicted a winged tiger, baring its fangs and claws, its blood-red mouth exposed to the sky, seemingly both a provocation and a mockery.

"It's Zhang Fang's wolf riders!" Meng He, who was accompanying them, exclaimed in surprise, and the others also showed fear.

Although Zhang Fang called himself the Tiger Army, to those who participated in the Battle of Luoyang, his army was always a pack of wolves and jackals.

Liu Xian's expression remained extremely calm. He gripped the hilt of his Zhangwu sword and said to Zhuge Yan, "Nan Qiao, go and inform Liu Yongzhou to halt his troops and form ranks on the spot." (End of Chapter)