Jinting Han people

Chapter 223: Battle of Xiaolei Pavilion (4k)

Ten days passed in a flash. As soon as the sun rose on that day, Niyang's military bugle sounded.

When the bugle sounded, most people were still confused, but then the sound of dense drums rang out under the sky. The rumbling sound of the drums drove away everyone's sleepiness like a raging wave, and everyone knew that it was time to send troops as agreed.

The drumbeats originated south of Niyang City, evidently the gathering place. As the crowd hurried over, they easily spotted the prefect, Liu Xian. He was dressed in military uniform, seated on a raised wooden platform. Eight military drums stood around him, and behind him, eighty or so white tiger banners were planted on the ground. In the sunlight and the spring breeze, the banners rustled, resembling the white tiger's fangs and claws, amplifying its majesty.

It was not just the temporary county soldiers who came. It was already late autumn and the people had nothing to do. When they heard the trumpets and drums, they all came to watch, resulting in people everywhere on the city walls and outside the camp, including civilians, scholars, Hu people, Han people, both men and women. The city was almost empty and the spectators were like a wall.

Under the pressure of such widespread gazes, the county soldiers couldn't help but want to maintain their dignity and self-respect, holding their heads high and chests puffed out, trying their best to march in a better formation.

This was especially true for the generals who were appointed by scholars. Since it was a pre-arranged arrangement, Zhu Qiu and the others had all arrived in Confucian robes, ready for an outing. But upon reaching the parade grounds, they suddenly changed their minds and quickly donned their military uniforms and caps. Even someone as frail as Fu Xi did the same.

Perhaps people are all vain. This time, these three thousand new recruits put on their best marching performance in the past ten days. During this time, Liu Xian had only had them practice marching and following the drums and flags, and hadn't taught them anything more complicated.

It's certainly not difficult to just march in formation without practicing formations, but He Ganlin, standing by, was still worried. He whispered to Liu Xian, "Master, I'm afraid we can't win any battle with just these people, right?"

Liu Xian replied, "Why would I expect them to fight? They're just dragging them out to scare people. The ones who will really see blood are you and me."

Liu Xian had devised his plan ten days in advance. He first threatened that those who did not send troops would be subject to military law, then pretended that the deployment was just a show and that they were not prepared to fight the enemy. This combination of soft and hard tactics finally frightened the northern soldiers into agreeing to send troops.

This is just the first step of the plan.

Now the second step is to use the sound of drums to summon the people and put pressure on the scholars and soldiers. At least it can ensure that they will not go to the battlefield with a relaxed attitude.

After the soldiers gathered, Liu Xian stood up and said passionately:

"My lords, Tiefu was forced by the Xianbei to leave his homeland and flee south to Liangshan. How miserable was he? The emperor was benevolent and righteous, and he saw no guilt in the common people's suffering, and he did not care about the old hatred between the two countries, so he lent them land to appease them. Who could have imagined that the traitor was so ambitious and determined to rebel? With his greedy and cruel men, he attacked our mighty army, wreaked havoc for a while, and destroyed the people's farming season. How can this hatred and resentment be forgiven?"

"Zhang Guang, the commander of the Northern Land Commandery, is my sworn brother. He is a brave warrior, thrifty, and unwavering in his duties. Even in times of crisis, he maintains his integrity and benevolence, extending his generosity to his fellow soldiers. Trapped on Lonely Mountain by Qiang bandits, he remained steadfast for months. I am marching out today for no other reason than to rescue them! I beg you all to lend me a hand! According to military law, if you kill one enemy rank, you will be rewarded with a piece of cloth. If you capture the bandit leader, you will be rewarded with a hundred pieces of cloth. If you break through the enemy lines, you will be rewarded with a hundred pieces of cloth. If you cut down a flag or kill a general, you will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of cloth!"

Under the heavy reward, the soldiers were excited and shouted, "Kill the bandits! Kill the bandits!"

Liu Xian then broke his arrow in public, pointed his sword to the sky and swore, "I will never return to the city until I defeat the thieves!"

The new soldiers and the strong men raised their troops and shouted: "Defeat the bandits and return!"

The people around also shouted: "Defeat the thieves and return!"

The soldiers who led the troops all changed color when they saw this situation. They realized at this point that they had been tied to a pirate ship by Liu Xian, and it was impossible for them to stop fighting and withdraw their troops.

Then came the public flag-giving ceremony. According to the normal military system, one flag should be given to every hundred men, but Liu Xian wanted to intimidate the Qiang people and bluff them. Therefore, he reduced the number to fifty men per flag. This resulted in dozens of flags being raised in the army, creating a sense of awe and majesty.

Liu Xian finally took his Eight-Character Peaceful Banner out of the package, hung it on the highest flag in public, and shouted, "Let's go!"

The Malan Qiang were naturally aware of such a large-scale incident, especially since Liu Xian had sent troops to the Malan Qiang two days ago to challenge them to a duel, saying, "If you are brave enough, why not lead your troops to Xiaolei Pavilion? We can face each other in a fair fight."

The Malan Qiang took in some of the Hu people who escaped from Niyang, and had long been extremely wary of Liu Xian. However, considering the strong defense of Niyang City, they did not dare to attack. They hesitated and wandered between Malan Mountain and Niyang City, not knowing where to go.

Hearing Liu Xian's initiative to challenge them to a fight, their leader, Ma Yu, was hesitant to make a decision. Qina, a retired official who had come to seek refuge, said, "This new governor has only gained the support of some of the Jin nobles and recruited some refugees. He's too young to be trained in battle. He's just bluffing. Your Excellency, if you rally your forces to fight, you'll surely win!"

After thinking for a moment, Ma Yu felt that this was indeed the case, so he agreed to fight with Liu Xian.

On this day, they received news that Liu Xian was mobilizing his troops to march out. He left behind a thousand men to continue besieging Liangyuan, while four thousand men advanced directly to Xiaolei Pavilion as agreed in advance.

Compared to the narrow Malan Mountain Road, Xiaolei Pavilion was indeed a rare piece of flat land. Or rather, the terrain between the hills was relatively flat, not too high or too low. The width of nearly three miles was at least enough for the two armies to deploy here.

The Jin army arrived ahead of the Qiang. By the time the Qiang could see them, they saw the ground golden under the brilliant sunlight. The Jin flags flew high, their ranks tightly packed and orderly. A gust of wind blew, and the low-hanging white tiger banners suddenly unfurled, revealing the claws hidden within. But the Jin army below remained motionless, like a vast expanse of silent ice and snow.

When Ma Yu saw this scene, he couldn't help but look back at the soldiers under his command. They had not yet had time to form a battle line. They had been confronting Zhang Guang in the loess for two months. Everyone was covered in dust and dirt, and seemed to have lost a lot to the Jin army in terms of spirit. He couldn't help but feel a little worried.

He summoned the retired official Qina and pointed at the Jin army across the way, saying, "You told me last time that the Jin army was just a bunch of refugees, mixed with a few retainers from the noble families, and that they didn't have much fighting power. But now I see a tightly knit military formation. The Jin army has steely steel in its soldiers. How can they expect such an easy victory?"

Retired officer Qina was also a little confused. He had nothing to say to Ma Yu's questioning. Looking at the army formation opposite, he touched his head and muttered to himself:
"Could it be that this Governor Liu knows witchcraft? Can he even create soldiers by throwing beans?"

Of course, Liu Xian couldn't just throw beans and make them into battle; he was just putting on an act. On the way here, he had already promised the scholars that they didn't have to participate in the battle, but only needed to follow the soldiers behind, pretending to fight and beating drums to cheer them on.

In reality, the Jin army was running low on armor. Aside from the nearly 400 men from Hu Mogen and He Ganran, who Liu Xian had brought with him from Xiayang, there were only 400 sets of armor left. Liu Xian could only have the frontline soldiers wear armor; at least that would give the appearance of being fully armored.

In order to increase the momentum, Liu Xian handed the military drum to Fu Xi and others, asking them to beat the drums from behind to cheer him on when Liu Xian fought later.

It was precisely because of these arrangements that the Jin army seemed extremely powerful in the eyes of the Qiang people.

This was exactly the effect Liu Xian was aiming for. He had already planned it out: to frighten the Qiang so much that they wouldn't dare rush in with their entire army. At this point, if Liu Xian only sent out a small force to challenge, the Qiang army would err on the side of caution and respond with a proportional number of troops. As long as he could repel one or two of the opposing lines, making them timid, he would be victorious.

Even with all these plans, Liu Xian only had a fifty-fifty chance of winning. If the enemy didn't fall for his trick, or if he showed weakness, it would be a complete joke. The group behind him couldn't possibly put up a hard fight; the slightest misstep would likely cause them to disperse like a stream of water.

With this mood, Liu Xian had good luck.

Just as they were about to attack, both sides seemed to hear a faint, almost unnoticeable noise. At first, they thought it was the rustling of fallen leaves, but gradually, something shifted to a different tone: it sounded like pebbles rolling down the hillside. Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw a hundred or so dark figures gradually emerging from the southern slope, where the sky met the sky—the skyline. From a distance, they looked as small as ants. But they paused briefly, as if to survey the situation, before finally revealing themselves completely on the slope.

There were actually more than a hundred cavalrymen. They did not carry any flags, but were wearing iron armor, which soon reflected a dazzling halo in the sunlight, making it difficult for people to see their appearance.

Both sides who were about to fight were stunned, and there was also some confusion, not knowing where the reinforcements were coming from.

But there is no doubt that for the two armies that both lack cavalry, this cavalry is enough to change the situation on the entire battlefield.

Then, this cavalry rushed towards the Jin people without hesitation.

This further heightened tension within the Jin army, who assumed the Qiang had invited reinforcements from the Tiele people, seeking to seize the opportunity to attack the Jin army. Fortunately, the cavalry's formation was not strictly ordered, and the foremost knight even broke away from the group and charged towards the Jin army alone, which partially dispelled the hostility.

Liu Xian saw the man coming from afar and couldn't figure out who he was. Just as he was puzzled, he heard the other party excitedly say:
"Brother, long time no see!"

Liu Xian was overjoyed when he heard the voice, it turned out that the person who came was his sworn brother Li Ju!

He immediately rode up to meet them, laughing loudly in front of the soldiers of both armies, and then they walked side by side to a place, and in the bright sunshine, the two gave each other a big hug.

"Shihui, why are you here?"

"I heard about my brother's name the day before yesterday, and finally arrived today!"

Li Ju had previously participated in the Battle of Meiyang with Yongzhou Governor Jie Xi, but after the defeat, he volunteered to cover the rearguard. This was a dangerous assignment, but because so many soldiers had fled, the Tiele people were unwilling to provoke Li Ju's troops, who remained in formation. Instead, they spared them and pursued the disorganized fleeing troops, miraculously allowing Li Ju to survive.

After the battle, Li Ju attempted to return to Chang'an, but discovered the Tiele people had occupied the Wei Bridge, blocking his path. With nowhere else to turn, he saw the defeated troops surrounding him from the Battle of Meiyang, and deeply ashamed of his own defeat. He sought to maneuver around Wugong and Shiping, gathering the defeated troops while simultaneously crushing the surrounding rebel forces. Over the course of half a month, he had gathered over 2,000 men.

The day before, he had led his troops to the vicinity of Chiyang, attempting to solicit supplies from the local nobles. Unexpectedly, he learned from the local scholars that Liu Xian had recaptured Niyang. Overjoyed, he could not contain his excitement and eagerly led his cavalry to Niyang. The two thousand soldiers he had gathered were on their way and would arrive in two days.

Li Ju wasn't the only one ecstatic. A thunder of ecstasy resounded deep within Liu Xian's heart. After the Battle of Meiyang, he had been deeply worried about Li Ju's fate. Now that he saw that Li Ju was safe and had received such a great gift, it was like a broken arm had been restored out of thin air.

Li Ju said with a smile, "I just arrived in Niyang and heard that you, brother, are here to fight the thieves. How can I be left out of this matter? I will definitely take the thief's head as a gift for your promotion!"

Liu Xian was also very happy. With the addition of over a hundred cavalrymen, the balance of the battlefield had completely tilted in his favor. There was no need to hesitate any longer. He pointed to Liangyuan in the distance and said to Li Ju:

"Shihui, Brother Jingwu is right there! Remember two years ago, the three of us turned the tide in Hedong and killed Hao San. Today, the three of us are gathered here again. Isn't this heaven's will? I will fight the enemy together with you!"

After saying this, he shouted to Fu Xi and others behind him: "Beat the drum! Kill the bandits!"

The drums roared like thunder and lightning, and Hu Mogen blew the attack horn. Amidst this stirring music, Li Ju led his fully armed armored knights to attack the Qiang people.

Li Ju was the Yamen General of the Western Expedition Army. Yamen, meaning the commander's gatekeeper, typically led the most elite soldiers, adorned with the army's finest armor, to protect the commander. The knights under Li Ju's command were genuine Yamen soldiers, not only clad in iron armor but also their mounts, which were adorned with armor. Charging across the plains, they were like beasts of iron, one man outmatching dozens, and a hundred men rivaling thousands.

At this time, when the Qiang people saw these iron cavalry coming towards them, they were all panicked and terrified.

Liu Xian followed closely and led the Xiayang Hu soldiers to charge forward. Holding red-tasseled spears, they continued to tear apart the formation of the iron cavalry, forming a rolling wave.

Those nobles who were originally prepared to watch from the sidelines could no longer sit still, because the moment the two armies met, they judged that their side had an overwhelming advantage.

No one would refuse to be a hero of victory, so the remaining people also joined the battlefield with cheers. Even though they had not received much training and did not have much suitable armor, their actions and shouts were enough to make the Qiang army even more defeated.

This was Liu Xian's most successful battle so far. An hour later, the plains of Xiaolei Pavilion were covered with blood, and beheaded corpses were scattered everywhere, but there were very few Han corpses among them.

Some Qiang tried to escape into Malan Mountain, but Zhang Guang, realizing Liu Xian's victory, immediately led his troops down from Liangyuan, blocking the escape route. The remaining Qiang had completely lost their will to fight and laid down their weapons in surrender to the Jin army.

When the soldiers tiredly but happily handed the heads of Ma Yu, retired official Qina and others to Liu Xian, Liu Xian encouraged them with a few words and turned to Fu Xi and said:
"Brother Wugen, please help me keep a record of my achievements!"

"A book of merit?"

"Yes, count the heads. After you finish writing, bury all the bodies. Don't build a memorial. There is still a lot of time to come..."

After saying that, he immediately went to see Zhang Guang who was walking towards here.

The two hugged each other again. It was a strange feeling. He and Zhang Guang didn't have much friendship or common language, but after only three battles, they seemed to be good friends.

Zhang Guang laughed and said, "Haha, Huai Chong, I didn't expect to see you again. That night when you sent someone to shoot the arrows, I thought I had read it wrong..."

Liu Xian said, "Brother Jingwu, I was so sorry when you left without saying goodbye last time. I didn't expect that when I see you again today, you've become thinner."

"One careless moment has allowed the three states to fall into such ruin. I am deeply troubled! How can I not become emaciated?"

Zhang Guang sighed and asked:
"Huai Chong, stop joking. I've been trapped here and haven't received any news for a long time. What's the current situation in Guanzhong? Is there any news from the court?"

"The situation in Guanzhong is still very bad. As for the imperial court..."

Liu Xian was also somewhat bewildered. Coming alone to the north, he could still get some information from Chang'an, but he knew nothing about Luoyang. Logically, Luoyang had already known the outcome of the Battle of Meiyang for half a month. How had Jia Mi, Zhang Hua, and the others discussed the situation?

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(End of this chapter)