Jinting Han people

Chapter 266: Duel at Shanggui
A joint battle is a gamble. If you are not careful, you will lose everything. This is true for Liu Xian and also for Hao Duyuan.

As the old leader of the Tiele people, Hao Duyuan had been practically retired for the past two years. After Qi Wannian captured Qinzhou, he had led his people to settle in Tianshui, away from the fighting in Yongzhou. He helped stabilize Qi Wannian's rear, maintain liaisons with his people, and guard Liangzhou. While his achievements weren't particularly remarkable, maintaining a semblance of peace during such a chaotic era was a significant accomplishment.

But with the defeat of Qi Wannian and the Jin army's crossing of Longban, this peace was gone.

When the messenger arrived at Hao Duyuan's headquarters, demanding he muster his forces in Longyou to support Chencang, the various tribes of Tianshui, such as the Yu, Lei, Fan, and Dugu clans, were terrified and incredulous. However, Hao Duyuan remained calm, saying, "Is that so? Your Majesty has been defeated? I understand."

Hao Duyuan's composure temporarily calmed his men. They were slightly encouraged to think: Judging from Lord Hao's expression, things shouldn't be that bad. Indeed, victory and defeat are common in the military. This was just a temporary defeat. Liu Bang also had the defeat at Pengcheng!

But in fact, Hao Duyuan's calmness did not come from optimism about the future. On the contrary, it was because he was very clearly aware that failure was irreversible, so he accepted his fate very calmly.

The rebels hadn't established a truly reliable rule. While there was some basic order, its maintenance depended on Qi Wannian's personal prestige, which in turn depended on continuous foreign victories. This victory had to be maintained until he completely eliminated the Jin Dynasty's desire to attack, or at least until Qi Wannian occupied Guanzhong and Hedong. Only then would Qi Wannian have time to rectify internal politics.

After the failure in Niyang, Qi Wannian had already lost this possibility. All his subsequent struggles were nothing more than a means of delaying his demise or waiting for a miracle to happen.

However, Hao Duyuan did not expect that this day would come so soon.

When Pu Hong handed the news of the battle to Hao Duyuan, Hao Duyuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought, while the generals under his command were filled with righteous indignation.

Dugu Shi insulted Pu Hong's envoy in public:

"What exactly do you mean? If we don't agree, what will you do? Are you going to betray us and become the cattle and sheep of the Jin people again?"

Lei He couldn't help but complain:

"In times of crisis, we must unite! How can we lead the charge while you stand by and watch? The Hu people are looked down upon by the Jin people precisely because they are disunited!"

These words weighed heavily on the envoy, because it was indeed unreasonable to do so. However, Hao Duyuan was very open-minded and said to the envoy:

"I know you have your own difficulties. Go back and tell the Jin people in Linwei that I agree."

This answer was unexpected to everyone present, especially to the subordinate generals.

Regardless, the Jin army was undoubtedly stronger than the Hu people of Tianshui. Instead of engaging in battle, why not continue defending the city and stall for time? If they could attack through the narrow Chencang Pass, perhaps depleting their supplies and turning the tide!

But without waiting for his subordinates to argue and dissuade him, Hao Duyuan stood up, poured himself a bowl of yogurt, and waved his hand to send the messenger away.

Then he comforted his men and said:

"We are outsiders, how can we expect the locals to be on our side? The people of Lueyang have done their utmost to tip us off instead of selling us out to the Jin people. There is nothing wrong with them."

"There's no need to hesitate. There are many Han Chinese in Tianshui. If we tip off the enemy while defending the city, we won't have much chance of winning. You are all heroes who have come through thick and thin. Why not just fight it out with real swords and guns? Victory is victory, defeat is defeat. If we win, even the situation in His Majesty's place will improve. If we lose, we'll just die."

"If I die, I will have no regrets if I can be buried with you all."

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers were shocked by their leader's generosity and moved. They said in unison, "We are willing to live and die with you, sir!"

The reason why Hao Duyuan can be so indifferent to success, failure, life and death is because this is not the first time he has encountered such a situation.

Five years ago, he was a man of steel, arrogant, and felt that he was born to get what he wanted. So he killed countless people in order to fight for power and land, because this was the honor he deserved. But after being defeated and even nearly killed by Tuoba Yilu, Hao Duyuan's beliefs all collapsed.

At that time, he was completely disheartened because he found that what he had worked so hard to obtain was so vulnerable in the hands of others that he couldn't even resist. This made him wonder: What is the meaning of human struggle?
After reuniting with Qi Wan, Hao Duyuan watched his former subordinates roaming around Guanxi and making a great name for themselves. He felt even more that the world is impermanent, and then realized that people are actually powerless to their own destiny.

The ultimate goal of life's struggles is emptiness, just as the ascetics from the Western Regions preached. Victory or defeat, in reality, is of little consequence in this world. The only thing we can control is the attitude we adopt throughout our lives. The myriad things we encounter in this world are merely causal factors that confuse our emotions.

After understanding this, Hao Duyuan would be able to face Qi Wannian's failure again with a calm mind. Failure is actually not a big deal. As long as you have a clear conscience, then your life in this world will not be in vain.

It was with this mentality that Hao Duyuan came to Shanggui to keep the appointment.

On the appointed day, the rebels and the Jin army arrived at the plain north of Shanggui one after another.

In fact, from Linwei to Shanggui lies a narrow basin sandwiched between two mountains, no more than four or five miles wide but hundreds of miles long. Cypress, poplar, birch, and apricot trees dot the mountainside. It's Mid-Autumn Festival, and the leaves are already covered in autumn. Fallen leaves accumulate on the mountains, and when a mountain mist blows, they scatter and cascade down onto the basin, like a heavy rain.

In such a terrain, there wasn't much room for tactical maneuvers; it was just head-on, face-to-face combat. The one with better equipment, a stronger physique, higher morale, and a stronger fighting spirit would prevail.

Sun Tzu believed this violated the principles of the art of war, believing that deception and deception were the key to victory. But that's precisely what a duel is: less a war than a pure contest. People always yearn for an upright, absolutely fair fight, as if that will elevate them. But as this sentiment grows, the victory achieved through such means acquires a unique power, drawing even greater conviction.

After the two armies arrived, at first glance, it seemed that the Jin army had a better chance of victory. After all, with the power of the entire empire behind them, the Jin army's equipment and armor were undoubtedly much better than those of the Hu people. Moreover, due to their previous victories, their morale was also higher.

When Hao Duyuan saw this scene, he suddenly felt an idea. He thought that many things in the world were unnecessary. Why go to such great lengths and waste the blood of soldiers? Why not use a more direct method?

This idea intoxicated him, and he rode his horse to the middle of the two armies and sent someone to shout to the Jin army:
"Is General Liu here? Can he meet with Hao Duyuan?" "Yes!" After a response, Liu Xian's figure emerged from the Jin army, and then he quickly rode his horse and led several followers to Hao Duyuan.

The two looked at each other and couldn't help but feel that time flew by.

Liu Xian tightened the reins. He found that Hao Duyuan before him was completely different from what he remembered. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's been a few years since we last met. Master Hao has aged a lot!"

Hao Duyuan smiled and said, "You're not young anymore, but that's not a bad thing. You look quite energetic."

Liu Xian stroked his temples, shook his head, and sighed, "There's no need to say such things. Lord Hao called me, what are your thoughts?"

Hao Duyuan said slowly, "I think if we start a war like this, regardless of the outcome, there will probably be many casualties. If you agree, how about we try another way to decide the outcome?"

Liu Xian became interested. He smiled and said, "Oh? I wonder how Lord Hao will decide the outcome?"

"I remember you're a master swordsman. How about we duel in public? The living will win, and the dead will admit defeat. How about that?"

The moment these words were spoken, their followers were in an uproar. What era was this? How could a duel between commanders decide the outcome of a battle? Both men were under immense political pressure. Could they withdraw their forces if they lost the duel? That was absolutely impossible.

But Liu Xianchu understood Hao Duyuan's intentions as soon as he heard them. He felt that his chances of winning were slim, and rather than sacrifice his men's lives in vain, he would rather give Liu Xian an explanation with his own head, and in this way, he could also save most of his men.

This was a decisive and difficult-to-evaluate decision, but it undoubtedly impressed Liu Xian. He reached out to suppress the objections of those around him and nodded, "I agree. Do you have any other requests?"

Hao Duyuan shook his head slightly and said, "No, I believe you can treat them well."

"Also, don't think I'm doomed."

After the conversation ended, the two men led their men back to the main formation to announce their commander's decision to challenge him to a duel. Of course, there were many voices of opposition, mostly from the generals, but the soldiers, upon hearing this, felt that their commander was an unparalleled hero and cheered with pride.

But in comparison, the soldiers of the Jin army are more confident. After all, Hao Duyuan is old, while Liu Xian is strong and healthy. No matter how you look at it, Liu Xian has a better chance of winning.

So the two armies took the initiative to shorten the distance between them, and the soldiers on both sides displayed their flags, leaving an open space of about 700 steps.

Liu Xian rode out of the army again, having taken off his heavy armor. He was only wearing a cloth suit with a layer of chain mail on the outside. He entered the venue lightly equipped with the Zhaowu sword in his hand.

Hao Duyuan was similarly armed, except his weapon wasn't a lance or a ring-handled sword, but a long-handled broadsword. The handle was seven feet long, the blade three feet long. Combined with his towering stature, he truly commanded awe. Only then did anyone recall that he was once one of the most renowned leaders of the Shuofang Tiefu.

The two men rode their horses and circled on the grass for a while, while the surrounding Jin and Han people stood and stared, watching the fight with bated breath.

A resounding neigh followed, and the two men, both on fine horses, spurred their horses into a gallop. Hooves flew, leaves swirled, and their figures darted towards each other like two arrows. Suddenly, a resounding sound of metal clashing echoed, startling the onlookers, who thought the outcome had been decided. But after the two horses had crossed paths and left, both men remained seated.

"Is it a draw?" Meng Ping, who was at the front, was a little disappointed. Everything happened too fast just now, and he didn't even see the two people's moves.

"No." Li Ju was a sharpshooter, and his eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, so he could see very clearly. He explained in a low voice:
"Brother pretended to stab the opponent's chest, but actually stabbed his wrist. Unexpectedly, the opponent was the first to strike, and with a head-on blow, he broke his sword's path. The sword was powerful and heavy. In the confrontation, brother must have suffered a lot. This move was won by the opponent."

As they spoke, the two men galloped a short distance before turning their horses almost simultaneously and charging back. As they drew closer, they spurred their horses even faster, as if hoping to use their momentum to pierce the other. The two horses crossed each other so quickly that everyone's heart leaped to their throats.

However, this time there was silence, and the two horses quickly separated again.

One horse ran more than ten steps and then stopped motionless, while the other horse turned its head and looked at the other horse from a distance.

Li Ju was overjoyed upon seeing this and exclaimed, "What a great move! The Lord is fighting fast with speed. He is superior in both skill and horsepower. He stabbed the thief Hao in the waist with his backhand!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw blood oozing from Hao Duyuan's waist, clearly badly injured. The Jin people cheered, believing the outcome was decided, while the Hu people turned pale, unsure what to do.

But to everyone's surprise, Hao Duyuan only paused for a moment to catch his breath before his horse, which had been standing still, suddenly leaped and charged towards Liu Xian again. Liu Xian, bracing himself, spurred his horse forward once more. As the two horses drew close, they spun in circles, evidently engaged in a struggle. The clanking of weapons clashing echoed endlessly.

Liu Xian sensed the opponent was about to deliver a fatal blow, but when he looked up, he saw Hao Duyuan raising his broadsword, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. Almost instinctively, he thrust the Zhaowu sword's handle inward. The sharp blade pierced through his chest without stopping.

The Jin army cheered again, but Liu Xian secretly thought it was bad news. He realized at that moment that this was a deliberate weakness on the other side. Hao Duyuan was determined to die, and all he wanted was to trade his life for his own. The two sides were too close now, and the sword overhead was about to swing down, leaving him no room to retreat.

But even so, he immediately pulled his hand back and tried to grab the falling hilt of the knife. A silver swallow flew through the air, and Liu Xian felt a weight in his hand. His head and neck subconsciously tilted to the side, and he felt a strong wind passing through his body, but it eventually stopped.

Hao Duyuan's blade sliced into Liu Xian's left cheek, leaving a gash. His strength was exhausted. Liu Xian pushed the handle away, and Hao Duyuan fell to the ground.

He was almost beheaded! Liu Xian touched the bleeding wound and looked at Hao Duyuan on the ground with lingering fear. He didn't know when a cold sweat had broken out on his back. But he also learned a little experience: in front of those who face death calmly, flaws are also traps.

The commanders fought a duel, and all the rebels in Tianshui surrendered, as previously agreed.

(End of this chapter)