Jinting Han people

Chapter 202: An abrupt end (4k)

The situation on the battlefield was still in favor of the Huns.

Zhang Guang's troops were ultimately outnumbered. No matter how brilliant their tactics, they could only hold off an equal number of enemies, especially when they were cavalry. Cavalry's greatest advantage wasn't its invincibility on the battlefield, but its ability to escape and regroup even after a temporary defeat.

Now that most of the cavalry had crossed the first col, the first cavalry unit had achieved their tactical objectives and began to withdraw from the battle with Zhang Guang's troops. They had no desire to continue fighting, and although they had paid the price of over two hundred corpses, Zhang Guang was unable to stop them as they left.

Of course, the Huns also left behind 400 cavalrymen to continue fighting with Zhang Guang's troops.

However, the addition of this new force undoubtedly put great pressure on the Jin army guarding the second col. The Jin army was already outnumbered, and now it was even more powerless. The shaky fence was overturned in an instant.

By this time, hundreds of Xiongnu had already rushed to the fence to fight. The Xiongnu behind them had enough strength to shoot at the fence and to the left and right. The Jin army retreated to avoid the arrows, further increasing the space for the enemy to penetrate.

Liu Xian saw this from a distance, his right hand gripping the hilt tightly, as if ready to draw the Zhaowu Sword. The soldiers around him were all wearing iron armor, rubbing their hands in anticipation. Once Liu Xian gave the order, they would rush down and fight the Xiongnu.

By this time, the second batch of crossbows had finally been loaded. Zhang Gu organized his soldiers, gathered four hundred crossbow triggers, and fired a volley of arrows at the largest gap. Even though the Huns were clad in gleaming iron armor, the sudden impact of the iron curtain sent blood and flesh flying everywhere. Over thirty Huns were pierced like a sieve, falling to the ground with bloody holes in their bodies, their blood gushing out in a gushing puddle.

This volley of crossbows successfully repelled this wave of the Hun's attack. Zhang Gu seized the opportunity and led dozens of soldiers into the Huns, cutting them into several groups and surrounding them, then beheading them. At the head of the group was an eight-foot-tall man, unmistakably the Hun leader. Trapped in the thick of the encirclement, blood streamed from his head, and his vision was a blur of blood-red. He could see nothing but the gleaming reflections of armor and ironware. Seeing him wielding his sword in vain, a final struggle before his death, Zhang Gu struck him in the back of the head with a fierce blow, sending him sprawling to his death on the blood-stained muddy ground.

The Huns in the distance were getting restless. They could see that the attack was not going well, which caused a commotion among the crowd.

Liu Xian also stared at the opposite side nervously. The life and death of this battle would most likely depend on whether he could block the next attack!

Suddenly, the Xiongnu horns blew, and hundreds of cavalrymen leaped towards the fence opening where the fighting was taking place. The dismounted knights at the gap saw the cavalry charging and retreated to the sides, making way for the middle to pass through.

The gap was narrow, only wide enough for two horses to pass. Few Xiongnu remained inside the fence, and they retreated to the side of the gap, relying on the arrows and spears of their companions outside the fence for support. Once the Xiongnu cavalry squeezed in, they rushed forward with whips drawn. The ground, repeatedly trampled by countless people and stained with blood, had become a thin layer of wet mud.

The horses skidded slightly on the wet mud, sending blood and mud splattering everywhere. Even so, they still put immense pressure on the Jin army. A dozen cavalrymen quickly ground to a halt in the Jin army, attacked from both sides. Some fell, but more cavalry followed. From a distance, it looked like a small breach in a dam, holding back the torrent while also failing to prevent the water from slowly pouring out through the breach.

As dozens of cavalry entered the gap, their horses spun back and forth in the mud. Once they were running, the Jin army struggled to deliver a fatal blow, buying time for more cavalry to enter. The hundreds of dismounted knights who remained fighting in the gap took the opportunity to work together to further destroy the stockade, allowing more cavalry to enter. Finally, the Xiongnu knights, swords raised, launched a series of short charges against the exhausted Jin troops, stabbing, trampling, or driving them back.

After this brief stalemate, the balance of victory seemed to tilt back towards the attackers. Approximately two hundred Xiongnu cavalry had crossed the second col and attacked the crossbow machine. Unable to withstand the attack, the Jin army abandoned the machine and retreated. Meanwhile, more and more Jin troops were huddled together, gradually showing signs of disarray.

Liu Xian knew that this could not be allowed. Since the other party had moved, he should move as well.

He immediately turned to Li Ju beside him and said, "Shihui, let's kill them!"

Then he said to Cai Fang and Sun Xi beside him, "Don't hesitate! Everyone follow me!"

Finally, he drew his Zhaowu Sword, roared to the sky like a tiger, and shouted, "To die is honor, to live is shame! Kill!"

Fanyu leaped into the air, tracing an arc like a yellow swan, then soared lightly down the steep slope of the platform. The hundreds of knights and soldiers who had been around him now felt their blood rush to their chests. Following him, they rushed to the front line, roaring like a gust of wind. The white tiger banners they held, with the ferocious white beast baring its fangs and claws on a black background, fluttered in the wind under the starlight.

Liu Xian himself charged forward like an arrow from a bow, charging against the Xiongnu's attack. The Jin soldiers, who had been unable to resist, were emboldened by the sight of their commander joining the battle. They turned around and charged in the direction of their commander.

Although the Huns were prepared, they were still unprepared and shocked by such a fierce and decisive counterattack.

Liu Xian collided head-on with a Hun, the sword blade piercing his chest. The man hurriedly tried to turn. With a dull thud, like piercing a cowhide drum, the sword sank directly into the horse's belly. The sudden inertia of the horse's sudden stop sent Fanyu's front hooves soaring into the air. The Hun on horseback was terrified, and before he could retaliate, Fanyu's beast-like front hooves pounced, knocking him and his horse down. The Hun wasn't injured, but he was already foaming at the mouth, stunned by the deafening roar.

Li Ju followed suit, leaping to Liu Xian's left rear and unsheathing his ring-handled sword, he slashed through the iron spears that threatened to attack him. He then unsheathed his longbow, which he had slung over his shoulder. At such close range, most would use swords, but Li Ju's archery was even faster! He barely needed to aim, pulling out five arrows in one hand. Within a breath, he unleashed five armor-piercing arrows in succession, striking five enemies in different directions.

At a distance of more than ten paces, even iron armor was no defense against his arrows. Five arrows easily punched five bloody holes. The surrounding Huns were all terrified and sought shelter from his sharp attack.

Sun Xi followed closely behind, protecting Liu Xian on the right. Then there were Cai Fang, Lü Quyang, and so on. Together, they practically pushed back the raging Xiongnu force. Seeing this, the surrounding soldiers rushed forward even more courageously, their cheers resounding through the air. The soldiers beating drums under the mulberry trees were also greatly inspired, waving their drumsticks with all their might, creating an even more powerful melody in the air.

By this time, it was already past 2:30 AM. Liu Xian had already successfully led the Jin army to repel three waves of Xiongnu attacks, holding out for over an hour. The sky was no longer dark, and the stars had disappeared without a trace. Only a hazy moon still hung in the sky. In a few moments, it would probably be dawn.

The Xiongnu had already left nearly a thousand mutilated corpses at the fence, and with those killed by Zhang Guang, the casualties were heavy. Generally speaking, when casualties approached one or two out of ten, the morale of the army would fall to a point of near collapse.

And now, they were acting just like that. Liu Xian had already killed more than a dozen men that night. While taking a short break, he looked out and saw that the Xiongnu at the fence were still attacking, but their movements had become sluggish, and they were constantly panting. They were probably doubting their chances of victory, and also doubting the fighting itself.

A wise leader would have realized by now that it was time to withdraw. Continuing would only lead to a crushing defeat. But if they gave up, the enemy would likely be unwilling to accept the defeat. They had been so close to victory, just one step away from breaking through the Jin army's encirclement. If they retreated, they wouldn't know where their next chance would come from.

Liu Xian felt somewhat relieved. He felt that, having reached this point, the enemy had no choice but to retreat. Things seemed to be progressing as he had anticipated. At least some of the Xiongnu cavalry had already retreated, exhausted, and some were even heading south, away from the camp. Liu Xian saw this as a sign of internal discord and a debate over whether to stay or leave.

This scene was not only seen by Liu Xian, but also by most of the Jin army. They all came to the same conclusion and appropriately relaxed the pressure on the Xiongnu, hoping that this would allow the Xiongnu to leave as soon as possible. In fact, it was not just the Xiongnu, the Jin army was also somewhat exhausted.

At this moment, a Xiongnu knight, holding a banner, broke away from the group and ran towards the front of the fence. Liu Xian felt relieved: the Xiongnu could no longer hold out and were about to order a retreat.

But he immediately sensed something was amiss, for he noticed a sudden commotion among the Huns across from him. Following the knight's appearance, the Huns first appeared startled, then gradually agitated. Some rushed forward, and within a few moments, the remaining Hun knights, like ignited torches, burst into flames.

These Huns, who were already depressed to the extreme, seemed to have squeezed out all the potential outside their bodies from the darkness. They suddenly burst out and followed the knight who rushed out first, launching another army-wide frenzy towards the Jin army.

The sound of horse hooves rang out again like spring thunder, and the earth was shaking and trembling.

At this moment, a red light flashed from the horizon with a bloody sneer. The first rays of the rising sun illuminated the high heavens, driving away the darkness of the earth. But in this blurred world, there seemed to be a force, like the peak of a raging wave, ready to immediately cause the rocks to collapse and the earth to crack, sinking the ground beneath our feet!

After Liu Xian was confused for a while, an idea exploded in his mind: No, the knight who escaped from the battle with the flag was probably the enemy's commander Hao San. He was making a desperate move, betting his life, to win this battle!
Not only Liu Xian was not expecting this change, but neither were Li Ju, Li Sheng, Xue Xing and others around him. They all thought that the war was about to end and had relaxed, but they did not expect the situation to take a sudden turn for the worse and they had to fight a life-and-death battle again.

Liu Xian immediately rode his horse to the center of the crowd and shouted, "Keep your spirits up! This is the enemy's last stand! If we can survive this, we will win!"

He wanted to boost morale in this way, but before he could finish his words, the Huns shouted in unison: "Chase the sun! Chase the sun!"

The overwhelming sound seemed to shake the invisible pillars of heaven, completely drowning out Liu Xian's voice. Thousands of cavalry, led by their leader, pressed forward towards the Jin army with unwavering determination.

The Huns who were in front of the stockade made way, allowing this amazing wave to rush over unhindered.

At the moment of collision, the world seemed to be quiet.

The fences that had been holding up for a long time had already reached their limit. The Huns rushed over recklessly at this time, and the fences broke like paper. Then the cavalry tore through the Jin army's line like a sharp knife, like a wave hitting the beach, submerging all the pebbles.

Liu Xian knew it was unlikely he'd win. It was incredible that someone could stir up morale so close to collapse under such circumstances. But even so, he wasn't about to admit defeat. He'd already prepared himself to die on the battlefield, but at the same time, he didn't believe anyone could kill him.

He casually stabbed a charging Hun knight to death and said to the two hundred or so men he could still command, "Let's go! Go defend the flag and drums! At worst, we'll fight this bunch!"

The more turbulent the waves were, the more motivated Liu Xian became.

Now he is going to defend the flags and drums and tell all the Jin troops present that he is still here!

Liu Xian led his guards at a rapid pace toward the flag and drum, constantly driving back the Xiongnu cavalry that was surrounding them. Amidst the fighting, he spotted a middle-aged man in the crowd, looking weary but holding the Cang Lang Chasing the Sun banner. He wore red armor and possessed a distinguished presence. Under the morning glow, the two locked eyes, their gazes instantly fixed on each other.

This was a familiar face, and his figure was similar to that of the Hun knight who had escaped from the battle.

Liu Xian realized something and perked up. He immediately pointed at him and shouted to Li Ju beside him: "Shihui, that man is Hao San, the commander of the Xiongnu rear!"

Li Ju's eyes shone when he heard this. He knew that as long as they eliminated this man, they would win. Now Hao San was two hundred steps away from him, within the range of his arrow.

Without hesitation, he clamped his legs against the horse's belly, drew another arrow from his dwindling quiver with two fingers, and, with his eyes narrowed slightly, aimed behind the man's face. He feinted, adjusting the bow's direction so it looked like he was going to shoot the man on the right first, but then quickly returned to his position and, with a bang, released the arrow, shooting straight at the target.

The arrow hit its mark, but not the man's face, but his flank. The red-armored man's limbs suddenly weakened, like a tree struck by thunder. Soon, his hands dropped, and he dropped the flag to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, he fell off his horse and disappeared in the crowd.

At the same time, Liu Xian suddenly heard a familiar voice speaking to him from a distance: "County Master Liu, see you again today. I'll show you my hard-trained archery skills!"

In the blink of an eye, an arrow came out of nowhere, passed through the crowd of people, and hit Liu Xian's chest without any deviation, penetrating through his armor.

Liu Xian first felt a collision, then his vision went dark and his whole body felt weak. Amid the exclamations of his guards, he suddenly fell on the horse's back and lost consciousness.

Before he fell into a complete coma, he could still hear the sound of drums in his ears, and in front of his eyes was a mixture of green and red colors of grass and blood, which became blurry and dreamy because of the flying horses' hooves.

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(End of this chapter)