Late Han Zhao Tang

News of Gao Shun's capture of Jiangyou quickly reached Jiange and Langzhong. Xu Kun, upon learning of the fall of Jiangyou and the large-scale Tang army entering Shu via the Zuodan Road, knew that there were no troops available in Langzhong. Therefore, he decisively transferred the garrison of Jiange and ordered Han Dang and Zhang Ren to lead troops south to prevent the Tang army from capturing Fucheng.

Generals Han Dang and Zhang Ren led over ten thousand troops, among whom Sun Ce had assembled the elite cavalry Jie Fan Army, commanded by Han Dang. Xu Kun's decision to send Han Dang with the Jie Fan Army south to intercept Gao Shun demonstrates the urgency of the situation!

The Tang army first marched out of Zuodan Road, obtained supplies at Deyang Pavilion, and then marched straight along the Fu River towards Fucheng. Meanwhile, Han Dang marched south from Jiange, which was nearly two hundred li from Fucheng. Based on their speed, the Shu army of ten thousand men would arrive in three or four days.

Therefore, after three days of rushing, the Tang and Shu armies met north of the Fu River, about 20 li from Fucheng.

Upon encountering each other, the two armies immediately deployed their troops into battle formation. The Tang soldiers knew they had penetrated deep into enemy territory and had no way to retreat, so their morale was high. The Shu generals knew the key to this battle and that their forces were inferior to the Tang army, resulting in more defeats than victories. Han Dang and Zhang Ren then offered generous rewards to motivate the Shu soldiers.

Han Dang looked at the officers surrounding him and said, "Since I followed the late emperor in raising an army, it has been twenty years. I have fought in countless battles and have received great kindness from him. Now that the country is in danger and may perish at any moment, are you all afraid of death?"

The group looked up ahead. In the distance, the fields stretched out before them, filled with Tang soldiers, their banners fluttering, their weapons gleaming. On either side of the infantry, dust billowed, and warhorses neighed. At a glance, the Tang army numbered no less than ten thousand, far outnumbering their own forces—a truly intimidating sight!
"Although I have not followed the lord for more than twenty years across three generations, I have been deeply indebted to General Bofu. How could I dare to betray him now that we are in danger!" Zhang Ren said, his fighting spirit strong, as he gripped his long spear tightly.

"To cling to life and fear death is not the act of a righteous person!"

With Zhang Ren leading the way, another person declared, "I come from humble origins and have received great kindness from the Sun family. I will repay that kindness with my life!"

"The enemy outnumbers us, and we have suddenly encountered them. There is no other way but to fight to the death!"

"Although the Tang army is brave, I dare to challenge them!"

Inspired by the environment, the crowd began to express their opinions, some even hinting at a willingness to die in battle.

Listening to the generous words of the crowd and looking at the Tang army formation, Han Dang was suddenly filled with emotion.

Born in Youzhou, he fought across the land, from the Central Plains to Jingchu and then to Bashu. Throughout his life, he often longed to return to his hometown. Now, burdened with the heavy responsibility of defeating the enemy, he wondered if he would ever have the chance to return to Youzhou to visit his family and friends.

"I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of dying in an inappropriate place!"

Han Dang sighed inwardly; he had only ever felt this way on his first battlefield experience!

"Please give your orders, General!"

Seeing that Han Dang remained silent, Zhang Ren urged him on.

Han Dang composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Boost the morale of your troops, and tell them that the Tang people are cruel and fond of slaughter. Those who bravely fight the enemy will be rewarded with money and rations after this battle. And those who capture enemy soldiers will be rewarded double!"

"As ordered!"

Han Dang gave a few instructions, and the officers and soldiers left one after another to quickly arrange their troops into battle formation. Considering that the two flanks were crucial to the victory or defeat, Han Dang handed over command of the main army to Zhang Ren, while he himself took command of the Jie Fan Army.

As the Shu army was deploying its forces, Gao Shun, as a general, climbed a high slope and looked at the dark mass of Shu troops before him.

"Our army is heading towards Fucheng. Xu Kun has mobilized elite troops from Jiange to march south. If we can defeat the enemy this time, the people of Shu will be terrified and will have no more usable soldiers!"

Gao Shun said in a deep voice, "Order all generals to penetrate deep into enemy territory, with no room for retreat. Only by fighting to the death to defeat the enemy can we achieve victory!"

As he spoke, Gao Shun pointed to the Shu army's infantry and cavalry and said, "The enemy cavalry is a relief force, a collection of elite cavalry gathered by Sun Ce from Shu. Therefore, if the enemy wants to break through our lines, they will definitely use cavalry to charge. I order Zhang Feng to lead the cavalry to hold them off. Zhao Fu will lead the elite troops to the front to hold the line and let the Shu soldiers charge. Guo Huai's troops will be the reserve. If the Shu army is defeated, we will press forward and pursue them!"

"promise!"

Gao Shun commanded 20,000 Tang troops, while the Shu army numbered only around 10,000, giving him a numerical advantage. Therefore, Gao Shun was not in a hurry to break through the enemy lines, but instead intended to use his numerical advantage to prolong the battle and wait for the Shu army to launch an attack.

If we rush into military action and confront the enemy head-on, wouldn't that be playing right into the hands of the Shu soldiers? If His Majesty were to find out about such a military campaign, he would surely send a letter of reprimand!

After all, the saying "one effort, then decline, then exhaustion" is true. Han Dang's willingness to fight to the death was based on sheer willpower. Once that will ran out, the Shu army's defeat was imminent.

After resting for a while, Gao Shun returned to the central army. Seeing that it was almost time, he ordered the infantry and cavalry to advance.

"Form ranks, advance!" the officer shouted hoarsely.

After finishing their flatbreads, the Tang soldiers rose and slowly advanced, staring at the banners before them. Spearmen, archers, and shield bearers formed alternating formations, marching forward in time with the beat of drums.

Zhang Feng led his cavalry on foot, with about three or four thousand cavalrymen on both flanks. Before the expedition, there were five thousand cavalrymen, but after six hundred li of losses, one-fifth of their warhorses were lost. Now, as the rear guard, they were led by Zhang Feng, who was skilled in riding and archery.

As the Tang army advanced, the Shu army sent 3,000 cavalry ahead, followed by nearly 10,000 infantrymen who marched slowly in formation towards the Tang army's square formation. Therefore, in terms of the proportions of the two armies, the Tang army was superior to the Shu army in both quality and quantity.

To put pressure on them, Zhang Feng led his cavalry out of the enemy lines, circling around the Shu formation. This drew out the Jie Fan army, and Han Dang led his cavalry to fight the Tang cavalry in the open fields.

The infantry of both armies advanced towards each other, but when they were halfway there, the Tang soldiers suddenly stopped and stood guard, waiting for the Shu army to advance.

At that time, the sun was blazing. The Shu army saw that the Tang army had stopped, but because they were facing the sun, they had no choice but to continue.

The drums thundered, and Tang archers rained down arrows upon the Shu soldiers. "Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The shield was covered with a dense barrage of arrows, and the shieldman huddled behind his shield, not daring to show his face.

There were also the screams of soldiers, the sounds of pain from bodies struck by arrows.

"shoot!"

Soon, the Tang archers returned fire, arrows crisscrossing in the air, the sound of them piercing the air ringing out in their ears.

The two armies advanced several dozen paces, and after several volleys of arrows, the Shu soldiers suddenly surged forward, charging at the Tang soldiers on the outer perimeter.

"kill!"

The Tang army used shields and spears to form a square formation, blocking the fierce attack of the Shu soldiers.

Swordsmen squeezed through the shields, thrusting their swords into the gaps to stab the enemy in the abdomen and arms. Meanwhile, spears, like icy vipers, plunged in and out, clashing fiercely with the Shu spearmen. The Shu soldiers fought for rewards, while the Tang soldiers, deep in enemy territory with no way out, withstood the pressure and fought to the death.

In an instant, blood splattered across the battlefield like rain, heads and severed limbs strewn among the fallen blades. Despite the ferocity of the battle, it could not halt the Shu army's charge, each soldier roaring and fighting fiercely!
After half an hour of fierce fighting, wave after wave of Shu soldiers charged, but they could not shake the Tang army's battle line. Meanwhile, squads of Tang soldiers kept arriving, holding the shield formation firmly and preventing the Shu soldiers from advancing an inch.

Finally, the morale of the Shu army gradually waned, and the troops slowly retreated.

Soon, the stirring drumbeats sounded, and the Shu soldiers charged the Tang soldiers again from their sparse formation. This time, the Shu soldiers were even more frenzied in the battle; the leading officer even took off his armor, grabbed a heavy axe, and attempted to break through the Tang formation with it.

"Buzz!"

After the second volley of arrows took over a hundred lives, the two armies were about to engage in a fierce battle.

The valiant axemen charged forward, but suddenly a Tang soldier in the front ranks took out a crossbow and fired an arrow at the attackers, halting the Shu army's offensive.

After all, even the bravest warriors, undaunted by death, can only be put to use in battle. Now, suddenly being attacked by crossbow bolts at close range has greatly dampened the morale of the axemen.

The morale of the Shu army waned slightly, while the Tang army stood ready for battle. That row of shield walls once again became an insurmountable barrier for the Shu soldiers.

The second charge against the Tang formation failed, and the Shu soldiers retreated slightly to regroup.

At the same time, Tang soldiers were mobilized. Under Gao Shun's command, two thousand heavily armored infantrymen set off, secretly switching positions behind the shield bearers in the front row.

With three drumbeats, the Shu soldiers charged into the Tang formation three times.

The first two drumbeats had exhausted the Shu soldiers' strength, so the attack they launched was not as threatening as before!
After a long and fierce battle, the Shu soldiers could not withstand the casualties and gradually retreated to drink some water and eat something to recover their strength.

Taking advantage of the Shu soldiers' withdrawal, the Tang army's drums resounded, and two thousand armored soldiers marched forward, passing the shield bearers, and quickened their pace of attack.

Seeing the Tang soldiers attack, the retreating Shu soldiers had no choice but to turn back and form ranks under the command of their officers. The exhausted Shu soldiers had lost their desire for money, rations, and rewards; they only had the thought of ending the battle or returning home safely.

"Kill!"

Two thousand armored soldiers reorganized their formation and, taking advantage of the Shu soldiers' disarray, launched a final attack with overwhelming force.

The drums thundered, and all the Tang soldiers, under the command of the flag, charged after the two thousand armored warriors.

The third drumbeat will wear down the enemy; the fourth drumbeat will rouse them to fight!
The Tang soldiers, who had been resting and preparing for battle, first used javelins to scatter the Shu formation, then charged into the enemy lines with swords and spears. In an instant, a fierce melee broke out, and the Shu soldiers were routed.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang ordered his men to beat the drums and counterattack, while he himself led his personal guards to supervise the battle, trying to stop the retreating vanguard.

Many Shu soldiers retreated along the way, and he ordered his men to kill the defeated soldiers, barely managing to stop the retreat. However, as Zhang Ren advanced, military law was no longer sufficient to stop the retreating soldiers, and Zhang Ren even saw the figures of Tang soldiers charging forward.

Zhang Ren was furious and wanted to lead his personal guards in rebellion. However, the surging Tang army rushed up, drove back the Shu soldiers around him, and isolated Zhang Ren and his troops.

Zhang Ren wielded his long spear, sweeping down several men in succession. A Tang soldier, exceptionally strong, seized the opportunity amidst the chaos to grab Zhang Ren's spear shaft and pull it down forcefully. Zhang Ren was momentarily unable to retract his spear, and in the next instant, several spears thrust towards him.

Zhang Ren discarded his spear and drew his sword, parrying and blocking the incoming spears. However, one man's bravery could not match that of many. Under the siege of the Shu army, Zhang Ren roared in grief and anger and died in the chaos of battle.

Zhang Ren died, the vanguard retreated, and at this moment the Shu formation almost collapsed!
Soldiers who had reached their physical limits retreated in disarray; some surrendered to the Tang soldiers, while others hid in the countryside.

Seeing the infantry retreat, Han Dang was filled with grief and indignation. He led his cavalry, disregarding the Tang cavalry's pursuit and interception, and attempted to charge straight into the Tang infantry formation in an effort to turn the tide of the battle.

Seeing this, Zhang Feng led his personal cavalry in a diagonal attack on Han Dang's troops, cutting them in half and engaging them in a fierce melee. The Shu soldiers retreated, allowing the Tang infantry to surround them and help the cavalry hunt down the Shu cavalry.

Han Dang could have fled, but he chose to die with the army to repay the kindness shown to him by the Sun family for three generations. In the ensuing chaos, he was killed by Zhang Feng's cavalry.
By evening, Han Dang and Zhang Ren were defeated and killed. The Tang army swept away the remnants, and Gao Shun took control of Fucheng, cutting off the connection between Shu and Langzhong and Jiange! (End of this chapter)