Jinting Han people

After a night's rest, the snow had stopped by daybreak. There was no sun or wind, but a dampness hung in the air, making the tents and curtains of the Han soldiers' quarters feel cold and damp. It was snowing weather, and people seemed to be shrouded in an endless veil of snow vapor, obscuring the hillsides, forests, fields, and roads.

This was actually not good weather for battle. After all, soldiers' hands and feet would become numb from the cold in the snow, greatly reducing their efficiency in wielding swords or drawing bows. However, firstly, time was of the essence, and Yang Nandi did not intend to linger here for too long; secondly, the impact of the weather was equal for both sides. Therefore, he decided to lead his troops out of the camp and order them to form ranks outside Yidao City.

The Han army occupied a small hill southeast of Yidao City, adjacent to the Yi River. It was said that Lu Xun had once strolled here, hence the local name, Lu Xun Slope. Lu Xun Slope was only three li from Yidao City. The higher part of the slope was densely wooded, while the lower part was covered with shrubs, withered grass, and scattered shallow pits and ditches. Yang Nandi cleared the area, built a command platform, and had his troops form a fish-scale formation.

Meanwhile, just as Yang Nandi had predicted, after burning the Jin army's supplies and provisions, the Jin army that had captured Yidao did not intend to defend the city. When they saw the Han army coming out of their camp and forming ranks, they also sounded the horns and ordered their soldiers to come out of the city and form ranks, making a show of being ready to fight the Han army in a fair and square manner.

From the high platform, Yang Nandi could see that the Jin soldiers, with their backs to Yidao City, had formed a tight, circular formation, about a mile thick. Except for a few officers, most of the soldiers wore leather armor, wielding ring-pommel swords in their right hands and small shields with arm guards in their left. They moved swiftly, breathing out warm breaths as they took their positions under the commands of their officers. Above them, hundreds of yellow dragon banners were now held aloft. It seemed that, at this point, the Jin army no longer distinguished between western and northern armies.

The Han army, however, was different; they were better prepared. Generally speaking, due to their forced march, they didn't carry much baggage, so most of them wore leather armor and carried ring-pommel swords, but they were better protected from the cold. Because Lu Zhi had considered the issue of winter warfare in advance, he had prepared 50,000 pairs of newly made yak wool gloves in the baggage transported last time, which now came in handy.

Before the Jin army, they not only raised Han banners with red backgrounds and black characters, but also banners with yellow backgrounds and blue borders depicting white horses riding clouds, representing the white horse god worship of the Qiuchi Di people. After the troops had finished assembling, under Yang Nandi's command, the Han soldiers suddenly shouted, like a muffled thunderclap in the sky, booming and echoing towards the opposite side.

This was a show of force. Although Yang Nandi had gained the upper hand earlier, he had never actually fought this Jin army before, so he wanted to use this opportunity to gauge their strength. However, after the shouts were heard, the enemy showed little disturbance or fear. Soon after, the Jin army responded with a loud shout, a shout full of vigor and soaring to the heavens, showing little sign of the distress caused by the burned supplies.

Upon hearing this, Yang Nandi's face turned serious. He thought to himself, the enemy not only had little food reserves but was also outnumbered, putting them in a dire situation, yet their morale remained high. This indicated that the enemy general was not someone to be trifled with and must enjoy high prestige among his soldiers.

As he pondered, unexpectedly, after the shouts from the opposite side, the sound of drums rang out again in the air. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a large cowhide drum standing on the city wall of Yidao, with someone striking it with a mallet. The powerful war drums were quickly followed by a series of intense orchestral sounds, the two blending together with a fierce and uplifting atmosphere that stirred the blood of the crowd.

Amidst the drumming and music, a cavalry force of nearly a hundred men suddenly charged out from the Jin army formation and headed straight for the Han army.

Upon seeing this, Yang Nandi's expression changed slightly, and he muttered to himself, "So fearless of death?" But he quickly regained his composure. The most important thing now was to prepare for battle. He looked down at Yang Songnu, his second son, below the platform. Yang Yi had already been on the battlefield yesterday and was resting. Now it was his turn, so he waved his hand and said, "Second son, go and meet the enemy!"

Just as the troops had finished lining up, Yang Yi, upon hearing the military order, dared not delay and immediately led a hundred cavalrymen to meet them. The two sides were very close, only a little over two li apart. In the blink of an eye, in the time it took for everyone to exchange a few words, Yang Songnu and the Jin army's cavalry had already clashed.

Inside and outside the city, the two sides were merely observing each other. The formation of ranks would have taken only a few moments, and the shouts exchanged were simply a test of morale. At the time, there seemed to be no immediate indication of battle. However, the sudden change was unexpected. Although the Han army reacted promptly, they were psychologically unprepared. Yang Songnu's attack caught them completely off guard.

Yang Songnu was only in his early twenties. Although young, he was incredibly brave. Although his father had chosen him at the last minute, catching him somewhat off guard, he quickly recovered. His first reaction was to try and engage the charging cavalry in close combat. He would first use arrows to wear down their morale and slow them down, and then engage them in close-quarters battle.

But it was clear that Yang Songnu's movement was temporary, while the Jin army's movement was premeditated. The leading Jin general didn't even glance at Yang Songnu; they had already formed their sharpest wedge formation. The bravest warriors were positioned on the flanks, while those skilled in archery and horsemanship were in the center. As the enemy approached from the flanks, swords and spears were raised, while the central army drew their bows, unleashing a hail of arrows. The Jin general completely ignored Yang Songnu's troops who were trying to engage him, spurring his steed and charging through the oncoming arrows, instantly piercing through the hail and crashing into the army behind him.

Seeing this, Yang Nandi couldn't help but change color again, and in his heart he praised: What courage!
Next to face this cavalry force was Deng Ding's troops. Deng Ding was one of the refugee leaders Yang Nandi had gathered in Hanzhong in his early years, and he was quite brave and strong. Seeing the enemy general charging forward without hesitation, he felt a surge of ambition and immediately spurred his horse, brandishing his spear, to block his path, and loudly proclaimed, "Wait, general! Dare to leave your name?"

The Jin general glanced at Deng Ding without speaking, but the pressure he exerted on Deng Ding was immense. His eight-foot-six-inch frame, mounted on his horse, made him appear like an iron tower. His horse was also exceptionally magnificent, jet black, and moved with the agility of a flying dragon. At that moment, he slightly pulled on the reins, and the cavalry changed direction slightly, galloping straight towards Deng Ding. To Deng Ding, it looked like a giant boulder hurtling towards him!
The two men were originally only a few dozen paces apart, but the Jin general arrived in an instant. In that single breath, the man, wielding a seven-foot-long sword, swung it fiercely at Deng Ding. Deng Ding, anticipating the sword's trajectory, parried with his long spear. Unexpectedly, when the two weapons clashed, the Jin general's blade sliced ​​through Deng Ding's spear shaft as easily as if cutting through hot cheese, slicing right between his eyes and splattering his brains.

Seeing that Deng Ding's head had been split in two, the enemy general finally slowed down slightly and then declared in his army, "Dare to ask my name, Du Zeng? This is what will happen to you!" The Han army then realized that the person who came was none other than Du Zeng's troops from the Jin army.

Du Zeng was the most famous warrior in the former Southern Expeditionary Army. It is said that he was exceptionally brave from a young age, and could even swim in water while wearing heavy armor. During the reign of Sima Xin, the Prince of Xinye, through Liu Hong's administration, and Wang Dun's pacification of Zhang Fang, he was always chosen to lead the vanguard in every battle. Although the overall situation on the battlefield was sometimes good and sometimes bad, he personally never lost, and was therefore known as the number one warrior in Jingzhou.

At this moment, he cooperated with Zhou Fang, who ordered him to lead the only hundred cavalrymen in the army to charge into the enemy formation. He did not hesitate at all and plunged into the Han army's formation. He was truly invincible and swept through the enemy ranks.

Even Yang Nandi, witnessing this, was moved, thinking to himself: What a fine man! The title of the number one warrior in Jingzhou is truly well-deserved. This scene is comparable to Qiao Deng's charge into battle three years ago!
But to Liu Lang, who was watching from below the stage, this was not good news. The Jin army must have been planning to seize the initiative. Seeing that Du Zeng's charge was effective, most of them followed suit and charged directly along Du Zeng's route.

Because the Han army had misjudged the Jin army's strength, their formation was already somewhat chaotic. In particular, Deng Ding's troops at the forefront, having lost their leader, were showing signs of disorder. If Du Zeng were allowed to drive them back towards his side, and Zhou Fang's army followed suit, the entire Han army would likely lose order! Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel anxious and restless.

However, Yang Nandi, as the commander-in-chief, was not alarmed. Seeing the enemy's formation, he remained calm and quickly gave orders from the watchtower. He ordered the right wing to make a large-scale flanking maneuver to the right front to slow down the Jin army's attack from the rear. At the same time, he ordered the central army to spread out and quickly change the tight fish-scale formation into a looser goose-wing formation. This would weaken the impact of the Jin army's charge and give the routed soldiers some time to regroup.

In any era, changing formations on short notice is always a risky tactical maneuver. However, Yang Nandi's willingness to act in this way was not without reason. It was, after all, snow-melting weather, and the air was bitterly cold. Cavalry might charge quickly, but infantry, with their stiff limbs, couldn't maintain their speed. Even though the distance seemed short, there was still considerable time before engagement.

Secondly, the Han army itself has always been known for its discipline. Liu Xian's command was not without fierce generals, such as Guo Mo, Wen Shuo, Mao Bao, and Huangfu Dan. Even he himself had been a duelist in single combat. However, influenced by Meng Guan, Liu Xian emphasized maintaining the discipline of the main force, adaptability of battle formations, and strengthening the army's execution capabilities in battle. This left a similar mark on all Han armies, even the Qiu Chi army.

Just after Yang Nandi gave the order, the attacking Jin army was surprised to find that the Han army's lines had already undergone a significant change as soon as they approached. The once solid defensive line had, within a mere quarter of an hour, turned into loose, water-soaked sheets of paper. The Jin army had initially intended to break through the enemy lines in one fell swoop with a dense offensive, but the enemy lines retreated steadily without showing any sign of collapse.

Zhou Fang, who was directing operations from the city wall, could see that as the Han army's central force retreated, its flanks were quietly spreading forward, like a pair of large hands trying to embrace them. Seeing this, he was startled and thought to himself, "The enemy army's discipline is surprisingly good?"

Zhou Fang came from a military family in Eastern Wu. Although he was not well-known before, he had been immersed in military studies since childhood and had a deep understanding of military strategy. He knew just how difficult it was to train an army to such a level. At least throughout the four reigns of Eastern Wu, excluding Sun Jian and Sun Ce, there had never been an army like this since Sun Quan. Even he himself, who ate, lived, and suffered alongside his soldiers, could only bring a force of about a thousand men to this level. This was because it not only involved the quality of the generals but also required a strong emphasis on the training of the rank and file—it was no easy feat.

It was at this moment that he saw another cavalry unit rush out from Yang Nandi's main force, attacking in the direction of Du Zeng's charge, while the Han army was gradually stabilizing. This cavalry unit was even smaller, only a dozen or so men, but after their leader engaged Du Zeng in battle, they were evenly matched for a time.

Zhou Fang didn't know that the man was Wen Shuo, the King of Han's personal bodyguard, nor did he know who would win between Du Zeng and Wen Shuo if the battle continued. But he understood that the current battle was developing unfavorably for his side. An ordinary, mediocre general might have harbored a sliver of hope: since they had already won an initial battle, why not let Du Zeng continue trying? Perhaps he could break through the Han army's central camp and achieve a great victory. But Zhou Fang understood that this battle was a matter of life and death; his primary task was to accomplish his own mission, not to consider temporary gains or losses.

Therefore, Zhou Fang decisively changed the drumbeat, switching from a vigorous, fast-paced rhythm to a slow, heavy beat, each beat slower than the last, giving Du Zeng the order to retreat. Du Zeng, caught off guard by the fierce battle, was startled by the sound. Wen Shuo seized this fleeting opportunity, thrusting his spear into Du Zeng's chest, piercing his armor. Du Zeng took the blow, but instinctively grabbed Wen Shuo's spear shaft, then kicked Wen Shuo's horse in the side. The horse lost its balance and fell to its knees, Wen Shuo also falling. Immediately afterward, Du Zeng severed the spear shaft, pulled out the spearhead, and led his men in a hasty retreat.

The exchange between the two was incredibly swift and decisive. After they separated, most of the surrounding soldiers didn't even have time to react. By the time Du Zeng led his men back to the main Jin army, Wen Shuo had already staggered to his feet. He had lost half the battle, but he refused to accept it and couldn't help but stamp his foot, thinking to himself, "What a pity! If I had a horse of equal quality to his, I would never have let him go!"

Du Zeng arrived quickly and left just as fast. After he returned to the main Jin army force, the Jin army immediately contracted its formation and retreated at a leisurely pace. The Han army didn't have many arrows with them at this time, and if they pursued them to the city walls, they would likely suffer losses. Therefore, Yang Nandi did not order a pursuit, but instead ordered each unit to maintain its formation to guard against another Jin attack.

However, based on the day's battle, Yang Nandi knew he had encountered a formidable opponent, and annihilating them would be far more difficult than he had imagined. Yet, the more this was the case, the more relaxed he became. After descending the platform, he laughed with his trusted confidants, "The bandits are truly cowards; they dare not even engage me in a major battle. Their defeat is inevitable." (End of Chapter)