Jinting Han people

I don't know what time it was in the afternoon, but the sky was already quite dark, and with the dust and fog, it seemed as if dusk had arrived early.

On the battlefield outside Lady City, Ying Zhan's troops, though well-organized and of high morale, were clearly outmatched by Guo Mo's battle-hardened Han army in both tactics and perseverance.

After the initial skirmish, the Han cavalry used their momentum and mobility to first pierce through the Jin army several times, cutting it into several large pieces. Then they divided into three teams: one team constantly harassed and pulled the Jin infantry, expanding the battle line; another team besieged the weaker formations, scattering and defeating them; and the last team was responsible for dispersing the surrounding routs to prevent them from regrouping and rejoining Ying Zhan's ranks.

Despite having a relatively large force, Ying Zhan was unable to effectively utilize this tactic. Most of his soldiers, inspired by him, wanted to fight to the death, but in the ensuing battles, the pursuit only dispersed their formation, and they still couldn't catch up with the Han cavalry's speed. Meanwhile, the Han army, despite being outnumbered, consistently managed to create numerical superiority in localized areas, then, as easily as slicing a pear with a knife, swiftly dismantled that portion of the Jin army from their command structure.

If Guo Mo continues his offensive, Ying Zhan's troops will clearly not be able to hold out, and their local defeat seems inevitable.

Faced with this situation, Ying Zhan's determination to fight did not waver in the slightest. While doing his best to command his men to maintain formation, he encouraged the soldiers around him, saying, "Gentlemen, do not worry. I have already sent an envoy to contact the marshal. As long as we buy enough time for the marshal to regroup, we will have reinforcements. The enemy is nothing but a bunch of people, just showing off their power for a moment. Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good. If we persevere to the end, the royal army will still be victorious!"

He further emphasized, "Even if our army is defeated, I am not a coward who fears death. I am willing to live and die with you all! If you all go to the Yellow Springs, I will never live alone!"

Upon hearing this, the guards on the left and right were greatly encouraged. Several brave men slung their bows and arrows over their backs, grabbed their cleavers, and charged into battle with a shout. The rest of them also fought bravely, forming ranks and brandishing their spears, using their flesh and blood to forcefully stop the Han cavalry. Although there were increasingly signs of chaos elsewhere, Ying Zhan's main force remained as solid as a rock, and the Han army could not advance an inch.

As Ying Zhan had said, his task was not to defeat the entire Han army's pursuing forces on his own, but to buy time for the fleeing troops in other directions.

The Jin army still held a numerical advantage. Excluding the soldiers defending the camp, the Jin army besieging Yi'an numbered a staggering 120,000, four times the size of the Han army at Yi'an, and ten times the number pursuing the Han army. Their numbers were so great that the Han army couldn't handle the prisoners. If, while Ying Zhan was holding off the Han army, Wang Kuang and his men could reorganize the routed troops in the rear and launch a counterattack, even if they only had 50,000 or 30,000 troops, let alone 100,000, the force of their counterattack would be unbearable for the pursuing Han army.

In fact, because of the delay caused by ordering the soldiers, Guo Mo had already missed a decisive opportunity. Otherwise, he could have directly blocked Ying Zhan's forces at Furen City. Now, Ying Zhan's fierce battle in front of Furen City had given the Jin army a chance to breathe. At this point, Ying Zhan had attracted most of the Han army's attacks, greatly reducing the pressure on the other units, allowing them to reassess the battle situation.

The first to react were naturally Zhao You's troops, who were vying for control of the earthen mound. He had always believed that the Jin army's attack was misdirected and might lead to unforeseen circumstances, so he reserved some of his troops and did not commit them to the battlefield. After most of the Jin army had collapsed, he directly set up his formation with his back to the earthen mound, fighting against the neighboring Han army while guarding against his soldiers being swept away by the fleeing troops.

It was precisely because Zhao You's troops were close to the Han army's battlefield that the fleeing soldiers subconsciously avoided him, allowing Zhao You to maintain a sufficient organizational structure and prevent the situation from worsening. In contrast, the troops of Miao Guang, Han Song, and Zhang Luo, who were nearby, lacked resolve and were unprepared. Despite having better conditions than Zhao You, they were swept away by the wave of fleeing soldiers.

Seeing that Ying Zhan had drawn some of the pressure, Zhao You immediately understood Ying Zhan's intentions and was filled with admiration. However, he had to be wary of a counterattack from the Han army inside the palisade behind him, so he did not act rashly at first, but instead secretly analyzed the situation in his mind:
To support Ying Zhan, I can only muster a maximum of four thousand men. Perhaps I could integrate some of the routed soldiers, but as a native of Huainan, I am not familiar enough with the surrounding Southern armies, so the results are uncertain. Therefore, relying solely on my own forces is insufficient; I must find reinforcements.

Where should they look? Zhao You immediately thought of the troops under Hou Tuo and Wang Wan who were originally monitoring the dike. They had more than 8,000 men, and were not only fully organized, but also far from the battlefield, making them less susceptible to attacks from fleeing soldiers. In addition, they had not participated in the battle before, so joining the battle now would be a good opportunity to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and might even have a surprising effect! With this in mind, he made up his mind and sent his second son, Zhao Yin, to make contact.

Hou Tuo and his men were stationed in a pine forest northeast of Yi'an City. They were shocked to see the main force in the south suffer a major defeat. However, because they were too far from the battlefield, they did not know the details. The dikes not far away were full of Han army flags, which seemed to be ready to attack at any time. Therefore, they dared not make any rash moves and remained in place to form ranks, intending to wait and see how the situation developed.

At this moment, Zhao Yin arrived and informed them of the Han army's counterattack in the city and Ying Zhan's desperate resistance, requesting that they send troops to support Ying Zhan. Hou Tuo and the others hesitated. Hou Tuo pointed to the forest of Han army banners on the dike and said, "The marshal ordered us to monitor and guard against the enemy troops on the dike. What if we act without authorization and attract the enemy's pursuit?"

Zhao Yin was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. He analyzed the situation and said, "General, what time is it! If the enemy still had any troops, they would have already pressed forward. Why would they have waited until now? There are definitely not many people here! This is a matter of life and death for our army. My husband is already prepared to go up and fight to the death. If you are still hesitating here, the country will perish!"

Seeing Hou Tuo still hesitant, Zhao Yin grew impatient. Being a young man, he was full of youthful vigor and courage. Suddenly, he drew his sword and approached Hou Tuo, holding the gleaming ring-pommel blade to Hou Tuo's neck. He said, "The court sent us here with troops, are we just here to stand by and watch?! If you hesitate any longer, do you think you can survive alone? Cowards! If you don't go now, I'll kill you all!"

This was the first time Hou Tuo had encountered such a situation. Seeing Zhao Yin's fierce and unreasonable demeanor, he dared not resist and could only repeatedly say, "Well said! We'll fight! We'll fight!" Only then did Zhao Yin put down his sword with satisfaction and say to him, "General, my master is a respected veteran general who would never harm anyone. If you save people, it will be a great achievement, and being ennobled as a marquis or duke will be easy. But if you remain unmoved, won't you be held accountable by the marshal afterward? You should have thought clearly about the pros and cons."

So the two made an agreement: Zhao You would fight ahead first, while Hou Tuo and his troops would circle around to avoid being discovered by the Han army at the dike, and then reorganize some of the routed soldiers to serve as reinforcements for Zhao You's forces. Zhao Yin completed his mission and naturally left happily. However, once Hou Tuo, Wang Wan, and others had left, and as they led their troops slightly south, his thoughts began to waver again.

Hou Tuo and his men bypassed the dike and saw that the south was filled with the routed Jin army, while a considerable number of Han soldiers were still driving them away as if they were cattle and sheep. They were terrified and shook their heads repeatedly, saying to their subordinates, "The royal army has such a numerical advantage, yet it was defeated head-on by the King of Han. This shows how brave the Han army is! Zhao You is really senile. We couldn't win when our frontal forces were well-organized, how can we win when we are routed?"

Wang Wan shared the same opinion. He said with lingering fear, "We've already lost this battle. Why should we go up there and die? It would be better to retreat sooner rather than later."

That's what he said, but Hou Tuo hesitated for a moment and slowly said, "But I did promise Zhao You that we would fight. If I don't fight, what if he comes after me later? We come from a bad background and can't afford to offend anyone!"

Hou Tuo, like Li Yun, was a refugee from Yongzhou and a remnant of Wang Ru's faction. However, he was adept at cultivating relationships. Upon surrendering, he not only handed over all his gold and silver but also sent Wang Kuang several beautiful maids, thus winning Wang Kuang's favor and being appointed as the Commandant of Shayang. But his past as a rebel could not be erased; he was ultimately considered inferior, especially when facing a meritorious veteran like Zhao You.

But Wang Wan chuckled inwardly, "What's there to worry about? If Zhao You doesn't go, what right does he have to criticize you? If Zhao You does go, isn't he just like a moth drawn to a flame? He's doomed! Just tell the Marshal that you were held back by the Han army on the dam, and it was already difficult enough for your entire army to return safely. After your crushing defeat, would the Marshal dare to make an example of you?"

Hearing this, Hou Tuo smiled. He said "okay" twice, and without further hesitation, ordered his troops to abandon their supplies and run straight to their main camp.

Then, Zhao Youjun suddenly charged out from the east, catching the pursuing Han army off guard. The force driving the fleeing soldiers was Zhuge Yan's; his cavalry was small, and seeing a Jin army suddenly appear and engage in a desperate battle, they were immediately driven back. But after he regrouped and surveyed the enemy's forces, he was furious to find their numbers small. He yelled at his men, "What kind of tactics are these? Who are these Tom, Dick, and Harry who managed to defeat us? If word gets out, won't we be a laughingstock?"

He immediately dispatched his general, Lü Poluo, to fight, and the enemy army that had suddenly attacked was routed. Lü Poluo was from the Lü clan of Lueyang, the nephew of Lü Quyang, and was only twenty years old. Although he was a Di person, he dressed no differently from ordinary Han soldiers, wearing red-lacquered iron armor over white military uniforms, a short sword at his waist, the armor extending past his knees, and boots. He also had more than fifty mounted followers, all dressed similarly.

When Liu Xian led the people and soldiers of Hedong into Shu, the Lü clan of Lueyang, though optimistic about Liu Xian, felt the undertaking was fraught with danger and did not immediately follow him south, only providing some financial and material support. Unexpectedly, the King of Han's victories in recent years were unstoppable, successfully restoring his kingdom, leaving the Lü clan deeply regretful. Fortunately, it wasn't too late to mend their ways. After learning from Lü Quyang that the King of Han was preparing to continue his eastern campaign, they quickly headed south, selecting several hundred able-bodied men from their clan to join the army. Knowing that Zhuge Yan was deeply trusted by the King of Han, they used Lü Quyang's connections to have these clansmen serve under Zhuge Yan, hoping to gain merit.

Since the start of the Eastern Expedition, Lü Poluo and his men had only been on the offensive, without fighting any significant battles. Now that they finally had a chance to launch a major attack, he knew this was a rare opportunity and said to his people, "I have never seen such a great victory as today. If we cannot achieve merit in such a battle, how can we face our elders when we return? Come with me and fight! Let these sheep see what we are capable of!"

Having said that, he tossed the long spear to his cousin, Lü Shibao, instructing him to follow behind on the left. He then ordered a member of the clan to raise a large red flag with black inscriptions. This flag was unique because it was not inscribed with Chinese characters, but with Sanskrit characters twisted like snakes. This was because the Lü clan of Lueyang were devout Buddhists, and thus simply used Sanskrit from Buddhist scriptures as their flag. The flag signal was "Paramita," meaning "to reach the other shore."

Under the banner of the Boluomi, Lü Polu spurred his horse into battle, charging east and west, shooting left and right, and specifically choosing the strongest soldiers of the Jin army to fight. Soon after entering the fray, he ran into Zhao You's eldest son, Zhao Gong. Zhao Gong was the vanguard of Zhao You's elite troops, commanding a rare breed of cavalry in the Jin army, capable of directly confronting the Han army. He repeatedly scattered several columns of Han soldiers, only to run into Lü Polu and his entourage charging towards him.

At that moment, a westerly wind swept across the ground, raising dust with the sound of hooves from both armies. Caught in the dust, the two armies hurtled towards each other in an instant, closing the distance to less than a few feet. Almost simultaneously, both men drew their bows, aimed, and fired. The two arrows crossed paths, flying towards each other. Unfortunately, Zhao Gong was facing a headwind, and the sandstorm was strong on his side, causing his arrows to miss slightly, grazing past Lü Poluo. Lü Poluo's arrow, however, came with the wind, fast and sharp, striking Zhao Gong's left shoulder in a split second, causing him to groan. Fortunately, the arrow was not fatal.

But by this time, the two were less than ten feet apart. At this distance, how could Lü Poluo let him escape? Using the momentum of the two horses passing each other, he suddenly reached out with his left hand, wrapped his left arm around Zhao Gong's waist, and pulled him out of the stirrups. He then abruptly reined in the horse with his right hand. Using the momentum, he pressed Zhao Gong onto the horse's back like a predator grabbing its prey. He then swiftly grabbed the arrow shaft from Zhao Gong's left shoulder wound, twisted it forcefully with his right hand, and Zhao Gong immediately fainted from the pain. His cavalrymen, who had never witnessed such fierce equestrian combat, were momentarily stunned.

Having captured a formidable enemy general, Lü Poluo's prestige grew even stronger. She repeatedly swept through the Jin army, prompting the Han army behind her to launch an attack. Zhao You's troops, already exhausted from fighting for a long time in front of the palisade, found no reinforcements as agreed upon after a brief battle with the Han army, causing their morale to plummet further. After struggling to hold out for another half hour, the soldiers no longer knew the point of continuing, nor did they know who would desert first. However, with someone setting an example, their fighting spirit completely vanished, and their troops were finally overwhelmed by Zhuge Yan's forces once more, flowing away like a river, never to return. (End of Chapter)