Jinting Han people

The Jiangzhou army captured Zhufeng Mountain in just one day, which greatly exceeded Li Ju's expectations.

He had previously thought Luo Shang was incompetent because he had fallen for the trap so easily. Normally, in such a situation, the army's morale would inevitably plummet, and then simply continuing to wear down the enemy step by step would naturally lead to their surrender. But now the reality was the opposite; after falling for the trap, the enemy's morale miraculously rose instead of falling, and the ferocity of their offensive and the thoroughness of their deployment were truly remarkable.

After hearing Guo Fang recount Luo Shang's methods for breaking the formation, Li Ju began to doubt himself: Could it be that he was the one who had fallen into a trap? Was the enemy using their navy as bait to lure him into fighting? Otherwise, it didn't make sense! It was completely illogical!
But upon closer examination, Li Ju realized that, despite his repeated reconnaissance, the enemy had indeed lost all its naval forces, except for a few transport ships. Given the battlefield's geography—both sides fighting along the river—a strong navy meant control of the initiative, making it impossible for them to be used as bait. The only explanation was that the enemy was a general adept at handling unfavorable situations. This realization struck Li Ju as absurd: he had never encountered such an opponent before, as it completely defied the common sense of military strategy.

Military strategy states: "The difficulty in military competition lies in turning the indirect into the direct, and turning adversity into advantage. By taking an indirect route and enticing the enemy with benefits, one can arrive first even if one starts later. This is the strategy of understanding the indirect and direct." This means that in war, one must learn to seize the initiative, overcome unfavorable conditions, and transform them into favorable ones. Even when in a passive position, one should strive to arrive first despite starting later.

Previously, Li Ju had taken advantage of Luo Shang's eagerness for quick success, executing a textbook example of a late-mover advantage, turning a disadvantage into a favorable one. But now, Luo Shang, who was on the defensive, had chosen to withstand all the disadvantages head-on and break through head-on, and was doing so quite well. This left Li Ju at a loss for how to deal with it, because it meant that his assessment of the battlefield might be wrong.

With inferior forces, he has no cost to make mistakes.

However, after careful consideration, Li Ju still intended to intercept Luo Shang according to the original plan. After all, he held the initiative, and as a general, under such favorable conditions, if he simply let Luo Shang leave, even if his subordinates didn't ridicule him, he himself would likely find it difficult to forgive himself. Now, with the timing, location, and popular support all on his side, the only disadvantage being a slight numerical disadvantage, he should continue fighting.

Thinking this, Li Ju summoned his generals and analyzed the battle situation for them, saying, "Although Luo Shang is not a skilled military commander, he is indeed a brave and fierce warrior. If we fight to the death with these people, our army will suffer considerable losses and may not be able to stop them."

After pondering for a moment, Chief Clerk Gou Yuan offered a suggestion: "My lord, instead of facing them head-on, why don't we just let them pass? After all, we have a navy. We can simply spend more time following them. Once Luo Shang is exhausted, our army can land and fight them to the death, chasing them down in a decisive battle. What do you think?"

Li Ju shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Although our army has a navy, General Gongsun hasn't captured Dianjiang City yet. It's only about 300 li from here to Dianjiang. Even if Luo Shang marches slowly, he'll reach Dianjiang in ten days. I'm afraid it will be difficult to wear him down in ten days."

"After he arrives at Dianjiang, Dianjiang is only about two hundred li away from Jiangzhou. If Luo Shang rests in Jiangzhou and then sends a fleet of ships from Jiangzhou to relieve the siege, even if it is only a few small boats, our army is not yet skilled in handling boats. In river battles, we are probably no match for them. We cannot take that risk."

After a moment's thought, he quickly came up with an idea and said, "The key to dealing with such ruthless characters lies in the rhythm of the battle. The reason they are fighting so desperately right now is mainly because we have blocked their path. If they don't fight bravely, they will not be able to survive."

"In that case, we might as well feign weakness, indulge their arrogance, and let them become complacent and think that we are powerless to resist. Once they relax, we can then launch a full-scale attack."

Therefore, Li Ju adjusted his strategy, instructing the garrison troops at the rear not to rush into a deadly battle, but to focus on delaying the enemy and blocking the roads. Once they had fired all their arrows, a brief melee would suffice, and then they should decisively withdraw before inflicting significant casualties. Since they possessed the advantage of a navy, they could retreat at any time. As long as they preserved their valuable forces, they could launch a counterattack at any time.

The fighting resumed early the next morning.

Following yesterday's victory, the morale of the Jiangzhou army soared. Although Luo Shang was not personally supervising the attack on Maohuoshan, all their generals were energized and ready to fight on the front lines. Their tactics remained the same as before: a three-pronged attack, with the eastern and northern routes besieging the passes, and the southern route intercepting any possible reinforcements from the Hanzhong army. Furthermore, to counter the traps dug by the Hanzhong army, they had prepared bamboo rafts in advance, allowing them to easily cross the obstacles.

These methods, though old-fashioned, were indeed effective. Compared to the heavy losses of the first day, when they reached the wooden palisade, they paid a much lower price and were much faster. In the Hanzhong army, the general guarding Maohuoshan was Qian Tao, a military advisor under Li Ju. Following Li Ju's strategy, he prepared a large amount of oil and rolling logs beforehand. When the Jiangzhou army arrived, he lit the oil-soaked logs and pushed them down the slope to delay their advance. Once they ran out of oil, they set fire to the palisade themselves, pushing the remaining logs in, creating thick smoke. They then took the opportunity to abandon the palisade and join the waiting naval forces.

This did cause some trouble for the Jiangzhou army, temporarily halting their advance, but only temporarily. Although autumn is dry, the hilltops were mostly bare after the construction of the fortifications, making it unlikely for a large fire to occur. Without prolonged close combat, the Jiangzhou army suffered few casualties; they only waited in place for about half an hour longer before achieving their objective and capturing the second pass.

In the evening, Li Ju personally rode his horse across the river to observe the military situation of the Jiangzhou army. At that time, the Jiangzhou soldiers were having their meal. When they saw someone spying on them from the other side, they immediately shouted and laughed at him, clearly mocking him.

But Li Ju remained unmoved. While observing the enemy's formation, he instructed his men to quietly cross the river in warships to the other side and set off a large smoke signal at the stern of the Jiangzhou army. Li Ju intended to create the illusion that the Hanzhong army was about to cross the river and launch a flanking attack.

As expected, upon seeing this, a commotion instantly broke out in the rear of the Jiangzhou army. However, their reaction was swift. Li Ju estimated that about half an hour later, infantrymen lined up to check behind them, and the soldiers in the vanguard also seemed to have become alert, gathering together to await orders from their superiors. Once they realized that the smoke signal was a false alarm, they returned to normal.

Seeing this, Li Ju returned to Anhan and instructed his generals, "The time is not yet ripe; let's wait a little longer." So on the third day, the process was the same, even easier. In less than two hours, the Jiangzhou army seized Tiantai Mountain.

That evening, Li Ju used the same tactic again. The Jiangzhou army's rear reacted normally, able to form ranks and counterattack within about half an hour. However, at the Jiangzhou army's front, the soldiers' reaction was clearly extremely relaxed. They probably believed that the battle in the rear was unrelated to the front, or perhaps they thought it was just a delaying tactic by the Hanzhong army. In any case, these men were not on high alert; some were even idly relieving themselves by the river and humming tunes.

Seeing this, Li Ju naturally smiled.

He quickly rode back to the city and decisively issued the order: "Tonight we will cross the river. I will personally lead the team. You all follow me on a night raid!"

Late that night, the warships anchored at Wuma Mountain quietly sailed ten miles north, transporting three thousand men to the east bank under cover of darkness. Li Ju led his men up Wuma Mountain under cover of night. From the summit, they looked out over the Jiangzhou camp. Several miles away, they could see the campfires burning brightly like stars in the darkness, stretching for miles along the riverbank. The sight sent a chill down everyone's spine, but Li Ju remained calm. He said to his entourage, "It's still early. Let's eat first. Once we have enough strength, we can get back as many men as we need!"

Having said that, he set an example by stopping his horse by a stream, taking out a flatbread from his pocket and beginning to chew it raw, occasionally taking a sip of water. Beside him, besides Gou Yuan, Jian Tao, Guo Fang and other people from Hedong, were also newly recruited people from Bazhou, such as Li Xing, Huang Ke, Zhao Fu and others; the group gathered together.

After a meal in the night breeze, the group's fatigue subsided somewhat. Li Ju led a hundred or so cavalrymen in front, followed by several thousand soldiers, stealthily advancing. As they moved forward, everyone feared encountering enemy scouts or sentries. But as it turned out, everything was just as Li Ju had predicted. The enemy's vanguard was completely lax; they hadn't expected that the weak garrison would dare to come down the mountain and approach.

When they were about a mile away from the enemy camp at Tiantai Mountain, Li Ju figured there was no need to hide any longer. He mounted his horse and ordered his men to sound the horns in public. The sound of the horns, like a muffled rumble from the ground, instantly shattered the tranquility of the night.

The Jiangzhou army's camp wasn't empty; there were indeed some patrolling soldiers. However, they were extremely relaxed and completely unprepared for an enemy attack. For a moment, they stood frozen in place, only realizing their mistake when over a hundred cavalrymen were already upon them like a whirlwind. They then shouted warnings throughout the camp. But it was too late. Li Ju and his hundred-odd riders encountered almost no obstacles, carving a path through the camp and leading directly to the summit of Tiantai Mountain.

The soldiers on the mountaintop were fast asleep when they heard the sound of hooves outside their tents. Before they could even don their armor, they were killed by Li Ju and his men the moment they peeked out. By the time Li Ju had established a foothold on the mountaintop, his soldiers had followed closely behind, and the majority of the Hanzhong army surged into the Jiangzhou army camp like a tidal wave. Li Ju, who had occupied the mountaintop, led over a hundred cavalrymen down to provide support. Wherever enemy troops formed ranks and resisted, Li Ju led his cavalry to charge, breaking through every potentially threatening point, then quickly riding back up the mountain, repeating this cycle of attack and destruction.

Although Li Ju's forces were small, the confined battlefield made it difficult for the rear troops to provide timely reinforcements. The Jiangzhou army's hope for a comeback rested on the vanguard itself. After all, the vanguard numbered over ten thousand, giving them a numerical advantage. If the vanguard's commander, Zhang Luo, could halt the retreat and seize a small piece of territory, it might be possible to turn the tide of the battle.

When Li Ju reached the summit of Tiantai Mountain for the fourth time, he looked around and saw over a hundred cavalrymen in iron armor and helmets appearing on the north slope. They were urging their horses upwards with whips in hand, galloping directly towards Li Ju. In the firelight, he could see a purple-white horse among the riders, its four hooves snow-white—a very rare and prized steed.

Li Ju pointed at the knight riding the purple horse and said, "This man must be an important general. When he gets close, we'll shoot him with armor-piercing arrows and then behead him at close range!"

After saying that, he first held a horse bow in his hand, with a specially made armor-piercing arrow in his mouth, and with his other hand he grabbed the reins, stopping the horse and waiting at the top of the mountain.

Once the enemy cavalry reached the mountainside, Li Ju shook the reins, and together with Jiang Ba, Gou Yuan, and others, spurred their horses down the slope, galloping straight towards the enemy. The horses reached an astonishing speed quickly upon dismounting, leaving the enemy breathless. Li Ju saw this as well, but his skill and daring were such that even on the downhill, he dared to loosen the reins, gripping the horse's flanks with his legs, and amidst the jolting motion, he aimed at the enemy general and unleashed a powerful arrow.

The Jiangzhou cavalry also attempted a counterattack at the same time, but the difference between shooting upwards and downwards is enormous, not to mention the disparity between archers. Li Ju's armor-piercing arrow, like a flash of cold light, instantly swept past the already weakened enemy arrows, and with a thud, like a stone hitting the surface of water, it struck the center of the Purple Horse Knight's breastplate, knocking him to the ground.

The Jiangzhou knights around him were shocked, and those on both sides rushed to his aid. However, their concern led to chaos, and their formation lost its order. After firing two more volleys of arrows, the Hanzhong knights engaged in close combat. Without anyone to command them, how could these hundred-odd Jiangzhou cavalrymen be a match for Li Ju? After a brief battle, as the wounded general succumbed to his injuries and lost consciousness, the knights scattered like fallen petals.

The general that Li Ju shot and killed was Zhang Luo, the Prefect of Ba Commandery and General of the Vanguard.

With Zhang Luo dead, the vanguard of Jiangzhou was left without organization, making a rout inevitable. The Jin troops retreated relentlessly, eventually forming a massive collapse that forced even the awakened central army that had come to their aid to retreat. Although Luo Shang continuously urged the fleeing soldiers to be cut down, attempting to stop the rout, the effect was minimal. Li Ju then raised smoke signals behind them, the effect of which was self-evident.

The following morning, the Jiangzhou army retreated a full thirteen li (approximately 12 kilometers). Li Ju, with fewer than four hundred casualties, killed over three thousand men that night and recaptured Tiantai Mountain and Maohuo Mountain, pushing the battle line back to where it was two days earlier. (End of Chapter)