Jinting Han people

Although he had anticipated the enemy's movements, Zhang Guang was still somewhat alarmed when he actually saw them appear on the mountaintop behind him.

The terrain of Baishui River Valley is extremely treacherous. While it's still walkable at the foot of the mountain, the slopes rise sharply towards both sides, with numerous cliffs and boulders. Especially in winter, the rocks are covered in ice and snow, making it extremely easy to slip and fall. Climbing the mountain is incredibly difficult. Even when Zhang Guang and his troops were arrayed on the mountainside, their main force was only positioned halfway up. Yet these Chengdu soldiers managed to climb even above Zhang Guang's position, raising serious questions: how did they manage that?
The answer is simple: practice makes perfect.

In the years of fighting against Luo Shang, the Chengdu army frequently operated in the mountains. From Jiange to Jiangyou, from Wenshan to Qianwei, over the course of several years, they traversed at least three hundred, if not five hundred. Countless men fell off cliffs, their bodies reduced to a bloody pulp, forgotten and forgotten. But at the same time, many others learned to traverse the mountains. What seemed to others as insurmountable treacherous terrain, they could quickly find a viable path for, though it might be time-consuming and laborious, they ultimately achieved their goal.

Zhang Long found a path along the high mountain ridge. Using the rocks, bushes, and the wooden ladders and ropes they carried, they managed to build a narrow mountain path that could be climbed up nearly a hundred feet. After resting briefly, they circled around and finally appeared on the battlefield in front of the mountain. By this time, more than an hour had passed since the start of the battle.

Once their tracks were revealed, they advanced without hesitation, swooping down the hillside with incredible speed. The approaching men didn't shout; only the screeching of their boots crunching through the deep snow filled the air. Like a rolling black wave, they surged towards the imposing Hanzhong army formation.

Fortunately, Zhang Guang had made preparations for all of this in advance.

Upon seeing the enemy forces appear above, Wei Jun's troops had already formed ranks. As the Chengdu army charged in, the archers of the Hanzhong army began a continuous barrage of arrows. Facing the onrushing enemy, they didn't need to aim precisely; they simply maintained order and kept firing upwards. This time, they inflicted heavy casualties because the Chengdu army, for ease of movement, wore only leather armor and carried only cleavers; they hadn't carried many bows or arrows, let alone shields. Under the volley of arrows, many enemies fell to the ground like mowing grass.

However, the Chengdu army was extremely fast, and after only three rounds of arrows, the group had already reached them. They immediately went all out, splitting into more than a dozen columns and thrusting forward like wedges, struggling to break through the Hanzhong army's formation whenever they encountered it.

At this time, the Hanzhong army's defensive formation was a horizontal line, with only a few rows, but the formation was still relatively tight, and the clashing blades resembled a long forest. Unexpectedly, the enemy was so fearless, even more courageous than the enemy troops at the foot of the mountain, practically using their flesh and blood to clear a path through the blades. Many at the forefront were dismembered like puppets, but those behind continued to advance, allowing the enemy to break through in a very short time, with many men directly penetrating into Zhang Guangshuai's camp at the rear.

At this moment, the Chengdu army that had broken through split into two parts. One part stayed behind to encircle the pursuing Chengdu army, shouting as if they intended to annihilate the Hanzhong army caught in the middle. The other part continued downwards, charging directly towards Zhang Guang's location. Neither army had much room to maneuver, so they fought a chaotic battle, their hooves treading on the blackened snow.

Seeing the enemy charging towards them, Zhang Guang remained calm and composed under his command flag. He first said to his attendants, "Don't panic. I expected this. As long as we repel this wave of attacks, the enemy will be helpless, and that will be our victory."

Then he turned to his three sons who were with him and said, "Boys, do you dare to do something good?"

The eldest son, Zhang Wen, immediately drew his sword and stepped forward, shouting, "We will never bring shame upon you, sir!" Zhang Yuan and Zhang Jiong echoed his words. Zhang Guang said, "Good!" and they immediately led five hundred armored soldiers, splitting into three groups to charge towards the enemy.

Zhang Guang was a man of strict self-discipline, and he also trained his four sons in martial arts. Under his tutelage, none of them were easy opponents. Previously, on the Guanzhong battlefield, his eldest son Zhang Wen and second son Zhang Yuan had already beheaded several men. At that time, they were new to the battlefield and somewhat hesitant and uncertain, but this time, with experience, their courage had greatly increased. Seeing dozens of scattered soldiers charging towards them, the armored soldiers swiftly raised their blades and killed them almost as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

Zhang Wen then continued forward, relentlessly ramming into the enemy soldiers who had broken through Wei Jun's lines. Most of these soldiers were poorly positioned and had sustained some injuries, making them unable to withstand the counterattack from Zhang Wen and his troops. They quickly retreated.

But there were also brave warriors among them, such as Han Hou, Zhang Long's brother-in-law. He was a captain in the Chengdu army, wearing double-layered armor and wielding a cleaver. When he saw a group of young men in iron armor rushing towards them, he immediately shouted, "State your names! I, Han Hou, do not kill nameless nobodies!"

Zhang Wen immediately declared, "I am Zhang Mengchang, son of Zhang Guang, the Prefect of Xinping!" As soon as he finished speaking, he drew an arrow, nocked it, and launched it into the air. Han Hou, prepared, sidestepped and deflected the arrow with his sword. Zhang Wen then abandoned his bow and drew his sword, engaging him in combat. The two appeared to be engaged in a desperate duel, but as they drew near, they both simultaneously shifted their attacks to slashing. Han Hou aimed for Zhang Wen's wrist, while Zhang Wen slashed diagonally at his opponent's lower body.

Zhang Wen, being younger and less experienced in the arduous climb, moved faster. Before Han Jing's blade could fall, he dodged to the side, then slashed across Han's unarmored thigh. The blade grazed the wound, narrow but tearing flesh apart. Han Hou, in pain, immediately collapsed to the ground. Zhang Wen seized the opportunity, grabbing Han Hou by the back of the neck and decapitating him in a few strokes. He then threw the head into the enemy ranks, shouting, "Who else dares to challenge me?!"

Before long, someone shouted back, "I'll go!" Before the words were even finished, a tall, heavily armored Chengdu soldier rushed out, covered in blood, his once-brown armor now stained blackish-brown. He wasn't using a knife, but a four-foot-long sword. A Hanzhong soldier tried to intercept him, but with a swift turn of his sword, he accurately stabbed one of the men in the eye. With a slight flick of his wrist, the sword tip pierced the eyeball and pulled it out, startling those around him who took three steps back.

The man then announced his name: "Zhang Long, the Tiger General of the Great Cheng, is here. Who dares to fight me!"

It turned out that he was Zhang Long. Zhang Long's imposing presence startled Zhang Wen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He had never seen such fast swordsmanship before and knew that he was no match for him. At this moment, Zhang Yuan said from the side, "Brother, at worst, the two of us can fight one. Two fists can't beat four hands. Are we afraid of him?"

These words encouraged Zhang Wen, and the two brothers stepped forward again to meet the attack, coordinating their attacks from both sides. Unexpectedly, Zhang Long remained calm and composed. With a swaying gait, he not only blocked all their attacks but also seized an opening to launch a sudden counterattack, each move preemptive, putting considerable pressure on the Zhang brothers and displaying the demeanor of a true warrior. However, in reality, Zhang Long's inner state was not as calm as it appeared. While fighting, he was also assessing the surrounding situation, his heart filled with anxiety. The Hanzhong army's defenses were far more formidable than they had anticipated.

He had intended to break through the enemy's formation with a single charge, but in reality, Zhang Guang had already deployed his troops under the banner. This halted Zhang Long's offensive and inflicted heavy casualties. However, continuing the desperate fight was unbearable, and reaching the banner was impossible. This forced him to consider slowing down the attack.

But this is not something he can decide by choice; in fact, the pace of the attack on the front slope has already slowed down.

More than two hours had passed since the battle began. The sunlight was gradually dimming, and the snow on the ground absorbed the blood, evaporating a damp and cold aura that sent chills down the spines of the soldiers on the battlefield. Zhang Guang stood under his command flag on the high slope, witnessing the carnage unfolding both below and above the mountain.

The Chengdu army's offensive from below the mountain was beginning to wane. No matter what divine protection they might have, human stamina has its limits. The continuous assaults and the forced marches and feints across the mountains had finally exhausted them; it was truly remarkable that they had managed to hold on this long. Wei Jun's earlier assessment of the Chengdu army's astonishing endurance was not an exaggeration.

During the mountain offensive, even though the Chengdu army fought bravely, Wei Jun's troops, having been prepared beforehand, found it much easier to defeat the enemy climbing the snow-covered mountain, especially since the enemy didn't have many heavily armored soldiers. This second wave of attack weakened much faster than the one at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Guang calculated in his mind that the enemy should still have some strength remaining, and if they waited another half hour, their stamina would be depleted, and it would be time for their counterattack.

He fixed his gaze on Zhang Long, who was fighting with his two sons, and thought to himself that if he could completely annihilate the mountain tribe and kill this man, it would be a fair outcome of the battle.

Thinking of this, Zhang Guang felt somewhat smug. After all, his troop deployment played a significant role in their victory. If he hadn't made preparations beforehand and anticipated the enemy's hidden second attack, the Chengdu army might have seized an opening and caught them off guard. Now, having rested and prepared, he had successfully blocked Zhang Long's offensive, making victory a matter of course.

As they pondered, a messenger rode up from the chaotic battlefield, his expression flustered, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Urgent report! Urgent report!"

After passing through the crowd and heading straight to the commander's flag, the envoy dismounted and scrambled to Zhang Guang's side, wanting to say something, but before he could speak, he choked on his breath and had to lie on the ground panting to catch his breath.

Upon hearing the words "urgent report," Zhang Guang was startled. He looked at the person who had arrived and recognized him as a soldier under Guo Song's command. He quickly asked, "What happened?"

The messenger, after catching his breath for a while, finally said, "General, a band of rebels has bypassed to the west and is about to launch an attack on our army."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guang abruptly stood up, casually slashing his sword to the ground. His blood ran cold, his face flushed red and then paled, before he exclaimed in a hoarse voice, "How is this possible? They flew here?!"

The enemy has split into two groups, one attacking from the north head-on, and the other flanking from the east by climbing the mountains. This is already quite an achievement. But now, Guo Song has sent a messenger to say that the enemy has also dispatched another force, circling around the mountains to the west, intending to launch another attack. This is completely illogical. Does Li Li truly possess some kind of sorcery?
Li Li certainly didn't possess any magical powers; his military tactics were simply based on one key principle: meticulousness and thoroughness. Ordinary military commanders often exhibit a tendency towards laziness, believing that since it's a life-or-death struggle on the battlefield, and everything should be done in one fell swoop, tactics should be simple and direct. But Li Li was different. He preferred to formulate more complex tactics, making his soldiers more tired. However, it was precisely this complexity and fatigue that allowed him to strike when unprepared, often gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.

This time was no different. His three offensives sounded very simple: Li Guo led the main force to extend the battle line and launch a fierce attack on the front, which was the first offensive; Zhang Long forcibly climbed the mountain and pulled the general's camp from the slope, which was the second offensive; Fei Hei took the opportunity to infiltrate behind Li Guo's troops, hiding in the mountains, making a large detour until he appeared on the west side, and then launched an attack, which was the third offensive. But while it sounded simple, it was difficult to execute. Putting oneself in their shoes, who would be willing to walk so many treacherous mountain paths when they were already prepared to risk their lives? Especially two of them? When facing life and death, people often lack patience.

Now, Zhang Guang belatedly realized that his formation, though called a circular formation, was actually a semi-circle arrayed around the north side of the front mountain. The west side, being close to Yinping and not engaged with the Chengdu army, had been left undefended. But now, an army suddenly appeared, breaking through this opening—wouldn't it be like a tidal wave, unstoppable and overwhelming? Total annihilation would be the least of his worries.

Thinking of this, Zhang Guang broke out in a cold sweat, filled with fear. But this fear was fleeting, quickly replaced by rage. Zhang Guang was not angry at the other party's cunning, but at having fallen into their trap and even feeling fear. Falling into a trap is a disgrace for a general, but to be utterly helpless and afraid is even more disgraceful.

Zhang Guang was a man of great self-respect. Others might not believe in the saying "It is an honor to die rather than a disgrace to live," but Zhang Guang held it firmly in his heart. He would never allow himself to suffer such shame! This made him quickly make up his mind, and he said, "The situation is in the hands of Heaven, but planning is up to man. The Marshal has entrusted me with a heavy responsibility, how can I fail him?"

"So what if another army comes from the west? What's there to be afraid of? Watch me break through the eastern encirclement first, then rout the western bandits!"

Having said this, Zhang Guang drew his ring-pommel sword from the ground, then mounted his horse and galloped down the mountain through the snow. Several of his close followers reacted quickly, grabbing their swords and spears from the snow and running after their commander. The last eight hundred or so armored soldiers, who had stood frozen in the snow for so long, saw their commander's unwavering resolve, and their initial fear transformed into a burning desire for battle. Ignoring their officers' orders, they drew their weapons and surged down the mountain with Zhang Guang like a tidal wave. (End of Chapter)