Chapter 4

The sun rose from the east, its rays piercing through the thick clouds, heralding another clear day suitable for battle. Scouts from the Ji and You armies rode their horses around the Jie Bridge, appearing extremely fatigued after a day of intense fighting and night patrols. Some of them even tied themselves to their saddles and dozed off, their heads resting on the horses' necks. Occasionally, scouts from both sides would cross paths, but they maintained a tacit distance, only breathing a sigh of relief once the other was out of sight.

Under the urging of whips and spears, civilian laborers drove open carts to collect the dead bodies. Carts emerged from the morning mist, rolling over the lush green fields, the wheels creaking as they moved over the uneven ground. The battlefield, valleys, and hills were littered with headless corpses. Sometimes, the wheels would crush severed limbs or even half a head, splattering dark blood and white brain matter. Many of the laborers, seeing such a gruesome and terrifying scene for the first time, turned pale and some even vomited by the cart shafts.

On the north bank of the Pan River, dust and smoke rose as small units of cavalry engaged in fierce combat. Riders would fall from their horses, tumbling into the dust. The You cavalry aimed to reclaim their lost ground, each rider fighting fearlessly. They charged from east to west, galloping and firing arrows, shooting three arrows in succession from a distance of fifty paces. As they closed in on the enemy, they would draw their swords and thrust their spears, causing their opponents to fall from their mounts.

Compared to the You cavalry, the Ji army had fewer horses and was less skilled in archery and cavalry combat, placing them at a disadvantage in individual battles. However, their high morale from yesterday's victory balanced the scales.

More cavalry units from all directions joined the fray. After a long and intense battle, the cavalry from both sides spontaneously ceased fighting. They each retreated a hundred paces, allowing infantry and civilian laborers to enter the battlefield to collect the dead and tend to the wounded. Once the field was cleared, they resumed their charges. Occasionally, exhausted riders would withdraw, panting heavily and shouting encouragement to their comrades.

On a low hill to the northeast, a new unit of cavalry galloped up, reining in their horses. The flags on their backs fluttered, and the dozens of cavalrymen were arranged in a staggered formation, closely watching the ongoing battle on the plain.

From the flags, it was clear that this was a unit of the You army under Gongsun Zan's command. The highest-ranking officer was a hundred-man commander (bajiang), with a squad leader (duilv) as his deputy. The unit consisted of about fifty to sixty men. In the Han military system, a hundred men formed a unit (tun), led by a tunzhang, also known as a bajiang. Below him were squad leaders (duilv), and then decurions (shizhang) and pentarchs (wuzhang). Although a unit nominally had a hundred men, after accounting for auxiliary troops and laborers, a unit of fifty to sixty combat-ready soldiers was considered full strength.

This cavalry unit was part of the joint patrol force of the You and Heishan armies, with the main officer being the Heishan army's hundred-man commander Deng Tong, and the deputy being the newly appointed You army scout squad leader Ma Han.

"Such a deadlock!" Deng Tong pointed his whip at the battlefield and turned to Ma Han, "Brother Ma, you are a valiant warrior who can take the head of an enemy general amidst a thousand soldiers. Why not show your bravery and boost our morale?"

Deng Tong was in his early thirties, with a yellowish complexion and a black beard. He was lean but muscular, clearly agile and strong. Although he was a hundred-man commander, a rank higher than Ma Han, the Heishan army's status was far below the You army's. A Heishan army hundred-man commander was roughly equivalent to a You army squad leader, so his words were quite polite.

Ma Han saw no malice in Deng Tong's eyes, believing he genuinely wanted to see his skills. However, Ma Han knew his limitations. He was not skilled in mounted archery.

In fact, being able to stay on a galloping horse was already a significant achievement for Ma Han. This was thanks to his love of horseback riding when he was a gang leader. His private estate had two British thoroughbreds. With his amateur equestrian skills, riding should have been easy, but the horses provided to him had no stirrups. Not only his horse, but all the horses lacked stirrups.

On one side of the horse, there was a wooden mounting block, which only served to help the rider mount. Once on the horse, the rider's feet would be placed in two leather loops or ropes attached to the girth, providing a foothold. This, combined with the longitudinal stability of the saddle, allowed the rider to wield weapons and shoot arrows without falling off, but not to perform complex maneuvers like turning and shooting.

Ma Han immediately recognized that this was a rudimentary form of stirrup, with some basic functionality but far from perfect. Riding with these "rope stirrups" was extremely uncomfortable, and he could only perform about half of his usual riding skills.

Ma Han had tried mounted archery before, but he was terrible, hitting the target only one in five or three in ten times. However, during his years in the Guatemalan jungle, he used a crossbow more often than a gun. In that region, one could carry a crossbow openly but not a gun. When visiting local tribes, he could not carry weapons, but he still needed a means of self-defense, so the crossbow became his best choice.

As a former gang leader, Ma Han was very strict with his weapon proficiency. His motto was: "In any dangerous moment, the best companion to protect your life is the weapon in your hand."

When he was a low-ranking thug, his only protection was his fists, so he trained himself to be a human weapon. As a gang leader, he no longer needed to fight with his hands, so he focused on guns and became a sharpshooter. In the Guatemalan jungle, his formidable fists were reduced to one, and his gun became a crossbow. In just three years, he became a marksman, hitting clay pigeons at a hundred yards without fail, and even hitting them at fifty yards while moving in the opposite direction.

Due to his single arm, Ma Han used a specially designed large military crossbow with a lever to draw the string, which was very efficient. The crossbow could hold ten arrows in a magazine, allowing for rapid firing. With practice, even a one-armed person could use it effectively, though the range was shorter than a single-shot crossbow.

Ma Han's horsemanship was decent, and his crossbow skills were top-notch, but he had never combined the two. More frustratingly, the weapon hanging from his saddle was a bow, not a crossbow. Using a bow was more difficult and less accurate than a crossbow. With his crossbow skills, Ma Han estimated he could hit any moving object larger than a clay pigeon from eighty yards (seventy meters) away, but any further was uncertain. On horseback, hitting a moving target at thirty meters was a challenge.

Seeing the cold glint in Deng Tong's eyes behind his smile, Ma Han knew that as his superior, Deng Tong had the authority to order him to charge. Since he had not done so, Ma Han could not be ungrateful. More importantly, since he had joined the You army, especially the scouts, mastering mounted archery was essential for survival and promotion. Since he had been given a second chance at life and was back in his youth, he had plenty of time. With determination, perseverance, and talent, there was nothing he couldn't learn or master.

Being young was truly wonderful!

Ma Han felt a sense of determination, as if he were a young gangster again, ready to fight. His blood began to boil, and he drew his bow, raising his arm and shouting, "Who will join me?"

Immediately, seven cavalrymen galloped forward, responding in unison, "I will go! I will go!"

Hoofbeats thundered, and eight riders kicked up a cloud of dust, charging towards the battlefield.

On the hill, Deng Tong's narrow eyes squinted, his gaze sharp.

As soon as the eight riders appeared on the battlefield, they caught the attention of the Ji army cavalry. A dozen riders immediately charged to meet them. At a distance of fifty paces, both sides simultaneously drew their bows and fired, the arrows crossing in mid-air and striking their targets.

Most cavalrymen could fire arrows while charging, but the accuracy was low, especially against small, scattered groups. After two rounds of arrows, only three enemy riders were hit, while two of Ma Han's riders fell.

Ma Han fired two arrows. The first was a test shot and missed; the second hit a rider's helmet but at an angle, causing it to fall off without harming the rider. Now, with thirty paces remaining, there was time for one last shot.

If Ma Han wanted to, he could use rapid fire, shooting arrows in quick succession. The problem was not in drawing the bow but in aiming. He needed to improve his accuracy.

The bowstring was drawn, and the arrow was ready. Ma Han focused on the rhythm of the horse's gallop, waiting for the best moment to release. This prolonged aiming, similar to using a crossbow, greatly improved accuracy but was extremely tiring. A normal cavalryman could only fire about twenty arrows before needing to rest. If he aimed for too long, he would run out of strength after ten arrows.

Ma Han, however, had no such problem. He could draw the bow all day without his arm trembling. He needed only accuracy, and because he spent several times longer aiming than others, his shots were more precise.

Swoosh! The third arrow was released, targeting an armored enemy officer. Thud! The arrow struck the officer's neck guard (a leather collar).

Ma Han's arrow was aimed at the enemy's neck, but due to a miscalculation, the officer's horse leaped at that moment, and the arrow hit the collar instead.

The officer, hit in the collar, swayed but managed to stay on his horse. He broke the arrow shaft with a strong pull, eyes blazing with fury, and charged at Ma Han with his spear.

The collar was a vital area, and being hit there should have been fatal. Yet, the officer not only remained on his horse but also counterattacked. Was the opponent too strong, or was the bow too weak?

Ma Han had estimated that the bow was a seventy-pound (sixty kilograms) bow, equivalent to a Han dynasty stone, the standard for cavalry. Even with this standard bow, the arrow only pierced the collar and caused a minor injury at thirty paces. No wonder ancient generals could continue fighting even after being hit by multiple arrows.

After the third round of arrows, both sides lost one rider. Ma Han's group had five riders left, while the enemy had nine, nearly double.

On the hill, an officer of the You army, a squad leader, was about to lead his five men to assist but was stopped by Deng Tong, "Ma Han is a valiant warrior who can capture flags and slay generals. Do not interfere with his glory."

"But the enemy has many riders..."

"Only a few cavalrymen. From the flag, it seems the enemy has a battalion commander (a middle-ranking officer in the Han army) who saw our numbers and personally led the charge. This is a great opportunity for Ma Han to earn a significant victory. If you send reinforcements, the enemy will retreat, and Ma Han will blame you rather than thank you."

The squad leader thought about it and realized it made sense, but something still felt off. Before he could decide, the cavalry from both sides had already crossed paths, and the outcome was clear.

Ma Han had arrived the day before and did not recognize the flags of generals, colonels, or battalion commanders. He knew that those with flags were usually low-ranking officers like himself. Higher-ranking officers had attendants carrying their flags. The officer he had shot had an attendant with a flag, indicating he was at least a hundred-man commander and a priority target.

Hoofbeats echoed, and blades flashed as the You and Ji cavalry charged, their weapons clashing. The sound of metal on metal and the thuds of riders falling to the ground were deafening.

Cavalry battles required not only skill but also numbers. Being outnumbered meant each rider had to face multiple attacks. If they could not adjust their defense in time, they might block the first attack but not the second. Or, they might slay an enemy one moment and be struck down the next.

Ma Han's situation was particularly dangerous. He was targeted by a furious enemy officer, who had three attendants: one carrying the flag and two with spears protecting his flanks. As they charged, Ma Han faced a "pin" formation of three attacks from the left, right, and center.

There was no time to shoot. Ma Han hung his bow on the saddle, quickly put on a cavalry round shield on his left arm, and drew his sword, throwing it with a sudden motion. The sword spun like a wheel, slicing through the chest of the right attendant, embedding itself up to the hilt. The attendant screamed in agony and fell to the ground.

The left attendant was already close, thrusting his spear. With a loud crack, the wooden shield shattered under the iron spear tip, and the two riders passed each other.

Despite blocking the attack with his shield, Ma Han's left arm went numb, and he nearly fell from his horse. He had no time to check his arm for injuries because the most critical attack was coming from the front.

The enemy officer's spear was as long as twelve feet, but this attack was even more fierce and precise. Ma Han believed that if the officer had not been hit by his arrow earlier, the attack would have been even more powerful. However, with only one opponent left, Ma Han could focus all his energy. As long as he gave it his all, no one could stand against him.

Time seemed to slow down. The sounds of battle, the shadows of horses, the glint of swords, and the fluttering of flags all became background noise.

The midday sun bathed the battlefield in golden light, and two riders, seemingly clad in golden armor, charged at each other. Just before impact, the rider without a weapon suddenly grabbed the spear, and the spear-wielding rider was lifted off his horse, drawing a deadly arc in the air before crashing to the ground with a bone-cracking thud, audible even to Deng Tong on the hill.

Ma Han quickly reined in his horse, turned around, and galloped to the fallen enemy officer. He showed no emotion as he reversed the spear and pointed it at the officer's throat.

The officer, bleeding from his mouth and nose, convulsed and struggled to speak, "Who... who killed me?"

"Ma Han."

"Ah... come on, give... give me a... quick death..."

Thud! The spear pierced the officer's throat, and blood spurted out.

Suddenly, a wave of panic spread through the battlefield, "Battalion Commander Mei is dead! The You army killed Battalion Commander Mei!"

With the shock spreading like a tidal wave, the Ji cavalry scattered in all directions.

On the hill, Deng Tong was stunned, while Ma Han's scout unit erupted in cheers.

This was Ma Han's second day in the chaotic era of the Three Kingdoms, and after Qu Yi, he had slain another general—Mei Yuanjin, a battalion commander and fierce warrior of the Ji army.