White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

In the third month of the tenth year of Tianyou (605 AD).

Gao Xingzhou arrived at the Jin army as both an envoy and a hostage, and met with Li Siyuan, the commander of this detachment.

Li Siyuan had a dark, iron-black complexion, a square nose, a wide mouth, and a thick, bushy beard like a halberd under his chin. He did not resemble the fair-skinned, bearded, deep-set-eyed, high-nosed Shatuo man that Gao Xingzhou had imagined. He was about twenty years older than Gao Xingzhou and exuded the dignified demeanor of a seasoned warrior who had been tempered by countless battles.

The death of Gao Xingzhou's father was inextricably linked to Prince Jin. Although Li Keyong had passed away, he had no goodwill towards Li Siyuan, the commander-in-chief who came from the Yi'er Army and was the head of the Thirteen Protectors. He bowed respectfully, briefly explained the situation, and left everything to be arranged without saying much.

In his mind, surrendering to the Prince of Jin was a choice made out of necessity.

Liu Shouguang was mediocre and foolish by nature. After imprisoning his father Liu Rengong and annexing his elder brother Liu Shouwen's Cangzhou Yichang Army, he became increasingly complacent and believed that the loss of power of his father and brother was the help of heaven. His debauchery and tyranny increased day by day, and he even used cruel tortures such as heating his father in an iron cage and scraping his face with an iron brush to control his subordinates.

His ambition swelled to an uncontrollable degree, and he finally usurped the title of emperor. Anyone who dared to remonstrate with him was thrown onto an axe, gagged, and minced into meat paste, which his soldiers then cut up and ate.

The state was named Great Yan, but was popularly known as Jie Yan.

Gao Xingzhou felt that his cousin had already done more than enough to defend Wuzhou for such a lord for over a month. (Note 1)

Li Siyuan took a liking to this young man who was seeking help alone, yet remained humble and composed. Upon hearing the general situation, he immediately provided Gao Xingzhou with horses for escorts, and they traveled day and night to Taiyuan to meet Prince Li Cunxu of Jin.

Li Cunxu was about the same age as Gao Xingzhou, and possessed a heroic and kingly demeanor. He readily agreed to Gao Xinggui's surrender in exchange for the request to rescue Wuzhou.

Gao Xingzhou did not delay for a moment and set off with the envoy that very day, riding back to Li Siyuan's army.

The reinforcements arrived as if fighting a fire, working tirelessly for six days and nights, traveling 1,800 li (approximately 650 kilometers) round trip, yet still full of energy.

Li Siyuan acted decisively; having received the order from the Prince of Jin, he immediately led his army to rescue Wuzhou.

Upon seeing the Jin army arrive in force, Yuan Xingqin lifted the siege and retreated eastward.

"Yuan Xingqin is now Liu Shouguang's only support. If we can capture him, Youzhou can be secured."

Gao Xinggui left the city, thanked them for their help, and suggested that they take advantage of the situation to pursue them.

Li Siyuan smiled and said, "Yuan Xingqin is not easy to deal with."

"My brother is skilled in martial arts and can defeat him."

Upon hearing Gao Xinggui praise his own brother, Li Siyuan's generals chuckled and booed disdainfully.

Yuan Xingqin was renowned for his bravery in Youyan. He conquered Da'an Mountain and helped Liu Shouguang imprison his father. In the Battle of Jisu, he captured Liu Shouwen on horseback, turning the tide of the battle and defeating a combined force of 40,000 Khitan and Tuyuhun troops. He and Shan Tinggui were known as the two great generals of the north.

Last year, when the Jin army clashed with the Yan army, Yuan Xingqin fought fiercely with the valiant general Xia Luqi. The soldiers all laid down their weapons to watch, but the result was still a draw.

Xia Luqi's abilities are well-known. He was originally a military officer in the Xuanwu Army of Liang State and an old friend of Wang Yanzhang. He was skilled in the Northern Overlord Six Harmony Spear and his skills were no less than those of Wang Tieqiang. Due to disagreements with his commander, he abandoned Liang and joined Jin State, where he repeatedly made military achievements.

Who is Gao Xingzhou? He is an unknown nobody. Even if he knows some martial arts, how can he be compared with Yuan Xingqin, whose strength is comparable to Xia Luqi's?

Moreover, the Jin army has many fierce generals, and Li Siyuan has many brave men under his command. When did it become the turn of a surrendered general or hostage to fight?

Li Siyuan looked at Gao Xingzhou with great interest and saw that he was not arrogant because of his martial prowess, nor did he show any resentment because he was looked down upon, nor did he show any cowardice or retreat in the face of a powerful enemy. He was as calm as a rock and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for his talent.

He raised his hand to signal, and the generals immediately fell silent.

"Send word: Pursue Yuan Xingqin!"

Li Siyuan immediately joined forces with Gao Xinggui and pursued them for over two hundred li, reaching Guangbian Army.

Guangbian Army is located north of Guizhou, not far from the birthplace of the Gao family. It was established as Nüqi County during the Han Dynasty, Yuyi Town during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Longmen County during the Tang Dynasty. The Heihe River, Baihe River, and Honghe River run through it from north to south. It has always been an important border town and is the location of the famous Shanggu Cavalry.

Seeing that he could not shake off the pursuers, Yuan Xingqin deployed his troops here and led his cavalry to resist the attack.

Although the Jin army was numerous, Yuan Xingqin's seven thousand elite cavalry were not to be underestimated. If a bloody battle were to break out, the losses would be heavy.

Someone suggested, "Didn't Lord Gao praise his younger brother as being able to rival Yuan Xingqin? Let him have a one-on-one duel."

In the Spring and Autumn Period, a one-on-one duel was called "zhi shi" and in the Han Dynasty it was called "dou jiang".

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Xiao Mohe killed Hu with flying arrows; during the Sui Dynasty, Shi Wansui killed a Turkic warrior; and in the early Tang Dynasty, Yuchi Jingde seized a spear on the battlefield, and Xue Rengui pacified the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows. All these examples illustrate this principle.

This trend flourished at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and the martial spirit of fighting alone spread throughout the East and West, becoming a consensus between the Han and non-Han peoples, reaching its peak at this time.

One reason for this was that with numerous regional warlords of similar strength, a full-scale war, even if victorious, would be a Pyrrhic victory, allowing the warlord to reap the benefits. Duels between generals could determine a winner without significantly weakening their own forces, thus becoming a common practice.

Furthermore, when regional military governors mobilized large armies, they also had to guard against attacks on their bases and running out of supplies, making them ill-suited for prolonged warfare. Commanders often adopted a strategy of quick victory, sending their most valiant generals to duel on the battlefield. The victor would pursue the fleeing enemy, while the vanquished would be routed. The outcome was immediately clear, decisive, and direct, becoming the unanimous choice of both sides.

The commanders of the vassal states would examine the bravery and skills of their subordinates on the battlefield, and even personally participate in the fighting, adding a unique touch of romantic beauty to the brutal battles of the late Tang Dynasty.

Li Siyuan glanced at Gao Xinggui, but did not immediately appoint a general. Instead, he asked, "Who dares to fight Yuan Xingqin?"

Below the tent, on the left and right, stood more than ten officers and soldiers, several of whom were eager to try, yet also somewhat hesitant.

Rashly requesting to fight, even if it means losing one's own life, is a minor matter. It could damage morale and even lead to the defeat of the entire army, and the person responsible would be deeply guilty and cannot escape blame.

For example, last year, Yan general Shan Tinggui led more than 10,000 elite troops to meet Jin general Zhou Dewei at Yangtougang. He chased after Zhou Dewei alone with a spear, but Zhou Dewei dodged to the side and struck him down from his horse with a fierce blow.

In that battle, the Yan army suffered 3,000 beheadings and lost 52 generals, including Li Shanhai. The morale of the Yan people was shattered, which indirectly led to Gao Xinggui's surrender. (Note 2)

A single duel could almost determine the outcome of the Jin-Yan rivalry, so it was not to be taken lightly.

Although the generals were exceptionally brave, they doubted their own abilities and believed they would be no match for Xia Luqi, and most would be unable to defeat Yuan Xingqin, with whom they had fought several fierce battles and were evenly matched.

The military tent fell silent. The generals turned their gazes to Li Siyuan's side, where the two men, like the two generals Heng and Ha, stood. If they went out to fight, even if they couldn't win, they probably wouldn't lose.

Before the two men could step forward, the last man in the line stepped forward – it was Gao Xingzhou!

Gao Xingzhou was well aware of Yuan Xingqin's abilities, and he believed that having mastered the entire family's spear technique, his skills were no less than Yuan's. Moreover, this battle was initiated because of the Gao family; how could he remain silent and push the heavy responsibility onto the allied forces that came to their aid?

However, many of the Jin generals were unwilling to gamble their army's victory or defeat on this unknown, newly surrendered young man, and some dissenting voices immediately arose.

Li Siyuan gestured to stop the discussion, his eyes gleaming with amusement: "Back then, Gao Siji, the White Horse Silver Spear, fought a great battle against Wang Yanzhang, the Iron Spear, and everyone was terrified. If you could learn seven or eight tenths of your father's skills, you could indeed put up a fight—how do you think you compare to Yuan Xingqin?"

Gao Xingzhou neither made any grand pronouncements nor showed any humility or humility, but answered frankly: "Words are no proof; we'll know once we're on the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, Li Siyuan laughed heartily: "In that case, I'm eager to meet you."

Without hesitation, he agreed immediately.

He patted the shoulder of the person beside him: "Twenty-three, take him to pick out a set of fine armor and a warhorse."

The man answered in a deep voice; he was the same officer who had first met Gao Xingzhou and was wielding a giant axe.

Gao Xingzhou observed that he was over seven feet tall, with a square face and imposing appearance—the Tang dynasty ruler was more than a quarter longer than the previous dynasty's measurement; in the Three Kingdoms period, he would have been a nine-foot-tall man comparable to Guan Yu. (Note 3)

Stepping out of the tent, the man glanced sideways and said in a defiant tone, "Newcomer, you're quite something. You dared to accept a task that neither Shi San'er nor I would have taken on so easily. Should we praise your skill and daring, or just your ignorance and recklessness?"

Gao Xingzhou thought to himself that this man and this so-called Shi San'er must both be capable generals under Li Siyuan. It was indeed a blow to their military pride that they had volunteered to take on such a crucial task at the front lines.

Having dealt with soldiers for over a decade, he knew their temperament well and said bluntly, "I have no intention of showing off or stealing the limelight. If the general is unhappy, I will apologize at the dinner table after the battle if we win."

He then smiled and said, "If we are unfortunately defeated and lose my life, I'm sure the general's anger will subside."

Seeing that he spoke so frankly, the man felt embarrassed instead: "I'm not a petty person, of course I hope you can win."

He added, "Don't think we're cowards. Yuan Xingqin was able to fight that monster Xia Luqi to a draw. You'd better be careful when you face him."

Gao Xingzhou thanked him for his concern. He and Yuan Xingqin were both in the Yan army, so he naturally knew how formidable this man was. However, being a warrior, he found it a great pleasure to fight against a powerful enemy, and his caution and fear were inevitably mixed with a touch of excitement.

The burly man asked curiously, "My godfather watched Gao Siji fight Wang Yanzhang in battle years ago and was full of praise. I was still young then. Was Wang the Iron Spear really as powerful as the legends say?"

Gao Xingzhou, who was unable to witness his father's last battle and left with a lifelong regret, calmly replied, "I also want to know the answer to this question."

As the two were talking, they arrived at the First Battalion of the army.

With the discerning eye of Gao Xingzhou, a man from a family of generals, he immediately recognized that this was probably the most elite force among the 30,000 Jin troops.

The camp was located right next to the commander's tent, with a separate area enclosed, much more spacious than the compact infantry camp. At a glance, there were no fewer than a thousand warhorses in the camp.

Before Emperor Mingzong Shengde and Emperor Wuqinxiao, Li Siyuan, was nicknamed Li Hengchong, and his 500 cavalrymen were called "Hengchong Du".

The man, whom Li Siyuan called Twenty-Three, pointed to the camp: "This is Hengchongdu."

He then pointed to himself with his thumb and announced his name again: "I am Li Congke, the Commander of the Charge!"

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Place Name Comparison

Guizhou: present-day Huailai County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province

Guangbian Army: South of present-day Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province