Jinting Han people

The current battlefield of Baishui Valley resembles an inverted "己" (ji) character.

The Hanzhong army occupied the western part of the front mountain, while the Chengdu army occupied the eastern part of the back mountain. The Baishui River, winding like a long snake across the river valley plain, flowed through the middle. At this time, the Baishui River had frozen into a layer of ice, gleaming grayish-white in the sunlight, indicating that it was thick enough for travelers to pass safely on.

Logically, the Hanzhong army should have already occupied the narrowest point of the valley. The Chengdu army should have first sent some troops to the valley entrance to probe the situation, assess the relative strengths of both sides, and then make further moves, giving both sides time to react and calculate. After a thorough understanding, a final decision should be made on whether to withdraw or engage in a decisive battle.

To the surprise of the Hanzhong army, the Chengdu army's decision was so decisive and ruthless! Chengdu army commander Li Li chose not to probe or make any challenges, but directly ordered the vanguard to march up the mountain, bypass the valley entrance, and change the column into a line, re-establishing their formation on the north side of the foot of the mountain!
In this way, the battle line between the two sides shifted from a small valley entrance to the entire foot of the front mountain. With the battle line so wide, it could no longer be a small skirmish; it was bound to be a large-scale battle, and might even be a decisive battle that would determine the fate of the nation.

Zhang Guang was known for his decisiveness and perseverance on the battlefield, but even he was somewhat surprised to see the Chengdu army make such a decision: were they really that confident? The valley between the front and back mountains was still in his hands. If the enemy's attack failed, he could cut them off, and the Chengdu army wouldn't be able to retreat, resulting in an immediate rout. However, risk and reward go hand in hand. If the enemy truly broke through his formation, he would also face an extremely embarrassing outcome.

Therefore, after seeing Li Li's idea, Zhang Guang immediately ordered the entire army to form ranks, and at the same time, while the Chengdu army was not yet in formation, he fired arrows at the enemy to kill them.

At the commander's order, arrows rained down. The soldiers at the forefront, seeing the enemy pass through the forest within range, showed no mercy. The dense rain of arrows was unleashed like locusts, then descended like dark clouds, quickly forming a black thicket on the snow. Between the arrows and the snow, clear streaks of crimson blood flowed, as if the wounded had taken root in the snow. Some, shot in the legs, lost their footing and tumbled down the hillside like tumbled stones; the Hanzhong soldiers occupying the valley swarmed forward and instantly hacked them to pieces.

Overall, however, the results were less than expected. This wasn't due to the Hanzhong army's poor archery skills; being situated in a mountain valley, they were largely unaffected by wind, allowing the Guanzhong people's superior archery skills to be displayed without hindrance. But the enemy's equipment surprised them:

After the arrows flew past, the enemy soldiers wearing rattan shields did not dodge, but instead crouched down behind their cowhide-covered rattan shields. The arrows thudded against the shields like targets riddled with arrows during archery practice, but few managed to penetrate the defenses and seriously injure the enemy.

What concerned the Hanzhong army even more was that these rattan shields were lighter than ordinary wooden shields, allowing the Chengdu army to maintain a considerable speed of movement while defending against arrow rain, traversing the hills behind the city. The battle line gradually lengthened. Initially, the two armies resembled two lines about to meet, but as time passed, they not only failed to connect but became two parallel lines about to intersect. The parallel section grew longer and longer, eventually stretching almost to the foot of half of the front mountain.

During this process, Guo Song asked whether they should take advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold and lead troops up the mountain to intercept them. Zhang Guang pondered for a moment and then decided against it. Currently, their own formation, arranged in a circular array facing the mountain, was the simplest and most effective defensive posture. Actively attempting to intercept them would not only be ineffective, but would also disrupt the entire army's formation. Given the enemy's superior numbers and their apparent expertise in mountain warfare, concealing any weaknesses was the more important option.

Zhang Guang then ordered all units to tighten their lines, making them even more compact. At the same time, realizing that a major battle was inevitable, he added an order for his soldiers to eat and drink as soon as possible to ensure they had the strength for the immediate battle.

He took a packet of cooked noodles, poured them into a bowl, added hot water, mixed them, and sprinkled some salt on top. As he ate, he pondered why the enemy dared to take such a risk. Did they have some different tactics? Seeing the enemy rapidly advancing on the mountain, Zhang Guang realized that their mountain climbing ability was extraordinary, far superior to his own. He wondered if the enemy was planning to exploit the mountain terrain.

Thinking this, he rose and looked again towards the enemy forces further east of the back mountain. The dense foothills blocked his view, making it impossible to see their movements. However, he could vaguely make out that a considerable number of troops remained at the foot of the back mountain, showing no intention of expanding the battle line with the vanguard. This gave Zhang Guang confidence; he thought to himself, "It seems the enemy is planning a flanking attack over the mountains."

This is indeed a method, one that most people would not have anticipated. After all, crossing mountains is extremely physically demanding. In this era of cold weapons, how could one fight without physical strength? Therefore, most people would not attempt this risky move. However, these Chengdu troops were experienced in crossing mountains and had better endurance than ordinary people, so they could consider it as a tactical option.

Thinking this through, Zhang Guang crossed his arms and quickly made up his mind. He then ordered the soldiers beside him to send Wei Jun's troops in the westernmost part of the mountain up the mountain. This would serve two purposes: firstly, to guard against a possible flanking attack by the enemy, and secondly, to act as a reserve force to provide support to the soldiers guarding the foot of the mountain as needed.

During the time that Wei Jun's troops went up the mountain, Li Guo had also urged the Chengdu army to complete its second formation and begin hand-to-hand combat with the Hanzhong army.

It must be said that not only the fighting spirit of the Chengdu army, but also their quality, exceeded the expectations of the generals in Hanzhong.

From the very beginning of the battle, these Chengdu soldiers were fearless and their formations and coordination were extremely well-practiced. They were well aware of their disadvantage in having fewer lances and that they could not engage in prolonged thrusting duels, as this would inevitably lead to heavy casualties. Therefore, some soldiers were willing to exchange wounds for wounds, risking being stabbed or having their hands severed, to forcibly grab the lance shafts of the Hanzhong soldiers and then order their comrades to approach and strike. This quickly caused heavy casualties on both sides, and the battle lines crumbled and reformed like bubbles.

First to charge were Guo Mo's troops, with his brother-in-law Lu Jia on the left and his third brother Guo Zhi on the right. Facing them was Wen Shuo's force under Li Guo's command. Wen Shuo wore two layers of thick armor, wielding a long sword in each hand. He frantically thrust left and right at the flying spears and swords of the Hanzhong army, taking advantage of the falling enemies in front of him to charge into the enemy ranks. His followers followed closely behind, forming a wedge-shaped formation that pierced the Hanzhong army. Seeing him charge, the Hanzhong army unleashed a barrage of blades, attacking him from three sides. Wen Shuo, however, ignored both sides, leaving two scratches on his armor, focusing only on charging forward relentlessly. Anyone who tried to stop him was stabbed to death by his sword. His strength was immense; many were pierced through the chest or abdomen, and within a quarter of an hour, he had killed several men with his bare hands.

Seeing that the battle line seemed to be wavering, Lu Jia, who was closest, quickly ordered his elite followers to push forward. At the forefront was Lu Jia's cousin, Lu Tu, who attempted to swing his long axe at Wen Shuo. However, facing the powerful axe blow, Wen Shuo nimbly dodged the attack. The axe was heavy, and although Lu Tu had considerable strength, he was slow to pull it back. In that split second, Wen Shuo swung his blade upwards, instantly slicing across Lu Tu's face.

Fortunately, he had an iron helmet and a helmet, so Lu Tu's face was covered in blood but he was still alive. A comrade named Ma Ming tried to block him and seize the opportunity to counterattack, but Wen Shuo didn't even look. Just as the blade in his right hand was retracted, the blade in his left hand swept across the other man's neck like a butterfly. He then grabbed Ma Ming and pulled him over. Blood splattered everywhere, and he was beheaded to show off his merit.

Seeing his cousin retreat with his face covered in blood, Lu Jia was filled with resentment and raised his long spear, ready to rush forward to avenge him. At this moment, everyone realized that Wen Shuo was a formidable threat and must be a fierce general of the enemy. They surrounded him, and blades rained down on him, striking his armor with a continuous clanging sound.

By this time, Wen Shuo had killed about ten people, his body soaked in blood, whether from enemies or himself, it was unclear. He staggered and collapsed to the ground. The surrounding soldiers, thinking him dead, abandoned him and went to find other opponents. Lu Jia approached him, intending to behead him first to avenge himself. But Wen Shuo, lying on the ground, braced himself against the ground, suddenly half-kneeling and rising to his feet. With a horizontal slash of his left hand, like a torrent, he severed Lu Jia's arm along with his long spear. Then, with a long howl, he stumbled back to his own side.

Lu Jia charged forward on horseback, pulling off his robe to wrap his severed arm. The cut was so clean that Lu Jia himself felt no pain. At that moment, his son, Lu You, came running, his face streaked with blood and tears, clutching his severed arm and weeping bitterly. Lu Jia flew into a rage, kicking his son to the ground and gritting his teeth, "What's the use of crying if you're not going to fight? That man isn't dead yet!" Hearing this, Lu You got up without a word, picked up a long sword, and charged forward again.

When the Chengdu army saw Wen Shuo rushing back covered in blood, they assumed he was seriously wounded. However, after resting for about half an hour, leaning on his ring-pommel sword and drinking some water, he charged back into the Hanzhong army's ranks, holding off their attacks for several rounds. The Hanzhong soldiers were terrified, asking each other, "Is this man truly immortal? Or is he protected by divine power? How can he not feel pain or fear?" Someone in the Chengdu army boasted triumphantly, "This is Wen Shuo, the fiercest general in our Grand Tutor's army! He is protected by demonic soldiers!"

It turns out that Wen Shuo was known for his reckless fighting style. He often said to his comrades, "If a man cannot kill the enemy and is not injured by others, what difference is there between him and a useless person?" After he became a follower of the Celestial Masters sect, Qingcheng Mountain appointed him as the Left Chief Qi Libationer of Zhenheming, saying that he could invite the Supreme Central Qi Right Commander General to protect him. Therefore, in the Chengdu army, Wen Shuo was known as the "Ghost General".

However, overall, strong generals like Wen Shuo were few and far between. Most Chengdu soldiers were weaker than the Hanzhong army in terms of combat strength. The Hanzhong army was superior in both strength and equipment. Even in terms of combat experience, the Chengdu army was actually more seasoned, but youth had its advantages. The attacks of a few elite troops were quickly countered by the Hanzhong soldiers after they were rotated out and exhausted.

Thus, the Chengdu army failed to achieve a significant breakthrough, resulting in a stalemate. Due to excessive physical exertion, many soldiers were rotated to the rear to rest, giving everyone time to recover the wounded and take down the enemy. However, like two wild beasts locked in a fierce struggle, neither side could break free, and the fighting at the foot of the mountain continued.

However, if things continued this way, it would undoubtedly be what Zhang Guang wanted to see. He held the advantage of terrain, attacking from below against those attacking from above, so there was nothing to fear. Even if the enemy outnumbered them and launched wave after wave of relentless attacks, the front maintained by the Hanzhong army remained unbreakable. In time, the enemy would exhaust their strength, and his side, positioned on higher ground, could launch a counterattack and rout them instantly.

However, the morale of the Chengdu Army had not yet shown any significant decline. At the foot of the mountain, some dying enemy soldiers were pulled back by their Chengdu comrades. They held their comrades' hands, covered their eyes with their other hand, and chanted something. These people were actually reciting the *Xiang'er Zhu*, helping to guide the souls of the dead to the celestial realm. They concluded by saying, "May your merits be fulfilled, may you ascend to the celestial realm, join the ranks of immortals, and enjoy eternal bliss."

Those who were dying, who were in excruciating physical pain, found peace in hearing these words. They closed their eyes, used their last breath to recite Taoist scriptures, and then, in a fading, silent state, their breath vanished without a trace. After speaking, the talisman hidden on the deceased's chest was taken out and burned. It seemed that with the wisp of smoke, the soul ascended to the heavens.

This ceremony effectively maintained the morale of the Chengdu army. Even though more and more soldiers died on both sides and arrows rained down from above, there was no sign of them collapsing for the time being.

But Zhang Guang was thinking further. He observed that the frontal assault had been ongoing for nearly an hour, and with no progress made, the enemy was becoming increasingly frantic. This completely illogical scene only strengthened his conviction. However, Zhang Guang didn't know the enemy's speed; he could only wait and ponder when their second attack would arrive.

The answer has finally been revealed.

It was late afternoon, the sun at its fiercest, when three thousand warriors clad in black armor appeared one after another on the ridge of the mountain behind Zhang Guang, rising like a dark cloud against the glistening snow. They first gathered in formation, rested briefly, then charged down, swords raised high. At first glance, they resembled a dark cloud overhead; upon closer inspection, they sounded like rolling boulders. (End of Chapter)