Chapter 34

Amidst the fierce and deadly battle that unfolded ahead, the 1,500 troops of the Jin army's central force remained motionless. Their position was quite far from Linghu Sheng's forces, with rugged mountains to their right and an endless reed marsh to their left, providing a relatively safe location.

Liu Kun, using his long and strong fingers, loosely held a horsewhip with a white jade handle, tapping it lightly on his left palm. Even as the cries of battle shook the heavens, the rhythm of his tapping remained unchanged.

At this moment, many of Liu Kun's generals were commanding their respective units, leaving only a few officers in charge of the personal guards and the military secretary, Xu Run, by his side. Xu Run was a civil official who did not need to be on the battlefield, but he insisted that he could not shirk his duty to maintain peace and order, showing some courage.

But he was, after all, just a scholar. Seeing the brutal and bloody melee unfold before his eyes, he was momentarily flustered: "My lord, who would have thought the barbarians would be so fierce! If we do not send reinforcements, I fear... I fear that General Linghu will not be able to hold out for long!"

"Not a single soldier can be moved rashly!" Liu Kun shook his head. "Our new recruits, though reorganized for several days, are still not ready for battle, so they must not be thrown into the front lines."

After a moment's thought, he added, "Order the armored cavalry to charge and scatter the enemy!" He then spoke to the messenger in a calmer tone: "Tell Ding Wen-hao and the others that today I will sit and watch their display of bravery!"

Several messengers galloped out of the formation, rushing to the right flank where the armored cavalry was stationed.

"My lord orders the armored cavalry to charge and scatter the enemy! My lord says, 'Today I will sit and watch your display of bravery!'" The messenger galloped up and shouted loudly.

"I shall have a good fight!" Ding Miao was delighted and immediately led the armored cavalry out.

One hundred and fifty cavalrymen charged out, and wherever they went, the barbarians retreated in terror, forming their ranks to await the attack.

But Ding Miao did not rush into the fray. Instead, he led his men to leisurely circle around the enemy who was fiercely attacking the Jin infantry.

This group of barbarians was numerous and extremely fierce. If not for this, they would not have put such pressure on Linghu Sheng. However, they were merely a hastily assembled mob, with no unified command and lacking discipline and resilience. When the armored cavalry loomed over their flanks and rear, some of the chieftains wanted to continue the fierce attack, while others wanted to secure their rear. The originally brave and advancing army had to split its attention.

Linghu Sheng, an experienced veteran, immediately sensed this. He promptly called for a counterattack, even dispatching all his personal guards. The Jin infantry, which had been struggling to hold the line, gradually stabilized and even began to gain the upper hand.

The armored cavalry had not yet truly engaged in combat, but merely circling the battlefield had already subtly changed the situation. Ding Miao, feeling triumphant, glanced at Lu Yao, who was holding his reins on the side: "What do you think?"

The remnants of the Bingzhou army had only joined the forces of Duke Yue Shi a few days ago, and despite not having achieved any significant accomplishments, they were included in the elite armored cavalry. Although Ding Miao was not a jealous person, he had his pride and would not accept anyone lightly. Lu Yao, of course, understood this. Hearing Ding Miao's question, he nodded calmly: "Indeed, it is excellent!"

"Then, General Lu, what do you think we should do next?" Ding Miao asked with a hint of testing in his tone.

"Although the enemy is in disarray, they outnumber us, so we cannot be reckless or get entangled in a prolonged battle," Lu Yao raised his long spear and traced an arc with its tip toward the enemy formation: "In my opinion, we should charge through this gap, aiming to break through their lines and emerge from the other side."

Ding Miao's eyes lit up. The gap Lu Yao pointed to was between the soldiers of different tribes. The barbarians, being crude, fought like a swarm of bees, with soldiers from different tribes mixing chaotically, making it difficult to find a weak point. However, at this moment, the two chieftains had differing opinions, and the soldiers instinctively huddled around their own leaders, creating a small gap in the otherwise tight formation. This was indeed the most exploitable weakness, and it matched Ding Miao's thoughts exactly.

"Truly, great minds think alike!" Ding Miao laughed and shouted, "Brothers, follow me!"

The armored cavalry's charge, though not a surprise, was even more formidable. Six hundred iron hooves trampled the ground, creating a thunderous roar!

On the other side of the battlefield, on a gentle slope, Liu Jing watched the dust and chaos of the front lines, his jaw clenched and his face grim. After successfully rallying the entire army's morale, as the commander, he did not need to lead the charge. He merely moved his cavalry forward a hundred paces and stopped. The thousand or so Xiongnu infantry and cavalry surrounding him listened to the intense battle cries, eager for the next order, but Liu Jing did not give it, his eyes occasionally twitching.

The Xirong, Jie, and other mixed tribes had long been in awe of the Xiongnu Great Chanyu's reputation and were easy to command. This fate was sealed for them to be used as expendable forces. Liu Jing had planned to use the numerical advantage of the mixed tribes' infantry to overwhelm the enemy's infantry and then use the Xiongnu cavalry's archery skills and mobility to defeat the enemy's heavy cavalry. However, this Jin army surprised him again. With over three thousand mixed tribes' infantry, they had a numerical advantage but could not gain the upper hand!

This Jin army not only had heavily armored cavalry but also crossbowmen with powerful crossbows and well-trained spear infantry. This was only part of their forces. With just this "part" of their forces, the Jin army had easily killed his deeply trusted nephew and eliminated three hundred elite light cavalry, and they were now holding their own against the three thousand barbarian warriors... while the main force of the Jin army remained completely unmoved! Liu Jing thought repeatedly, his sweat pouring down his face.

Liu Jing, a renowned and brave general with years of battlefield experience, had great confidence in the combat capabilities of the Xubu tribe's cavalry. If he personally led the charge, he might break the deadlock. However, if his own elite forces suffered further losses, how would he maintain his position among the powerful Xiongnu chieftains and nobles?

Compared to this, it was better to withdraw in time. The tribe's strength was still largely intact, and the losses were just some worthless mixed tribes. As long as he returned to Jinyang and defended the city, the Jin people would not be able to do anything to him...

Liu Jing was known for his unpredictable moods. With his nephew missing in action and the battle in a stalemate, no one dared to speak. Finally, a commander could no longer bear it and rode up to Liu Jing, asking, "Great General..." Before he could finish, Liu Jing lashed him off his horse with a whip. The blow was so severe that it almost gouged out the commander's eyes. The commander screamed in agony, struggling on the ground, but no one dared to help him.

Just as everyone was silent, the sound of iron hooves thundered again. The Jin army's heavily armored cavalry charged again, moving from right to left, crashing into the ranks of the mixed tribes' infantry.

If the two armies were facing each other head-on, the infantry could form a tight formation to counter the cavalry, and even the most elite heavy cavalry would be doomed if surrounded by a large number of infantry. However, at this moment, the soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle with the Jin spear infantry, with almost no protection on their flanks!

The armored cavalry charged with the force of a thousand-pound hammer, shattering everything in their path. The lightly armored infantry, without even leather armor, had no means of defense. Thousands of soldiers were cut down, and a bloody path was carved through their ranks.

For a moment, the Xiongnu forces seemed to be in a dire situation. The Xiongnu commanders surrounding Liu Jing all showed signs of shock, but Liu Jing's face lit up, and he shouted, "Soldiers, our opportunity has come! Prepare to fight!"

The commanders looked at each other in confusion. The front lines were clearly unfavorable, and anyone with eyes could see it. Why was the Great General so happy? Was he so heartbroken by the loss of the vanguard that he had lost his mind? They exchanged glances but, remembering the fate of the last person who spoke, no one dared to provoke Liu Jing.

They did not dare to speak, but Liu Jing insisted on talking to them. He suddenly pointed to a subordinate commander and said, "Wuhe, tell me, what is the current situation?"

Wuhe, a trusted and brave warrior, was as afraid of Liu Jing as the others. Hearing Liu Jing's question, he broke out in a cold sweat and had no choice but to lower his head and say, "The front lines are very intense... The Jin cavalry is fierce, but we have more numbers. As long as we fight to the death, we will eventually wear them down." This was a vague response to appease Liu Jing.

To his surprise, Liu Jing laughed loudly, "Wuhe is right! Look!"

He pointed his whip at the battlefield and shouted, "Although the Jin cavalry is fierce, they are too few. Once they penetrate our lines, their speed is limited."

Everyone followed his whip to see, and indeed, as Liu Jing said, the mixed tribes' soldiers, after a long struggle with Linghu Sheng's spear infantry, were gradually losing morale. However, the Jin cavalry's charge had rekindled their fierce and brutal nature.

They had lived on the grasslands for centuries, drinking blood and eating raw meat, living like beasts. Only in recent years had they been summoned by the Xiongnu Great Chanyu to the Han people's world. They had engaged in battles, plunder, and rape, enjoying everything they could. Now it was time to repay the Great Chanyu's favor with their blood and lives! The mixed tribes' soldiers roared in unison, rushing forward in waves, using their bodies to stop the horses and fighting to the death with the Jin soldiers.

A Jin armored cavalryman swung his sword, cutting a Jie soldier in half from shoulder to waist. Blood, organs, and bones splattered, covering the ground with a bloody mist. Another Jie soldier seized the opportunity to pounce, grabbing the Jin soldier's armor and dragging him off the horse. The Jin cavalryman, undaunted, killed the second Jie soldier with his sword. But in the next moment, more mixed tribes' soldiers rushed forward, hacking and stabbing, turning the Jin cavalryman into a bloody pulp.

Without a doubt, every step forward by the Jin cavalry resulted in the death of at least ten mixed tribes' soldiers. However, with the mixed tribes' soldiers fighting to the death, their advance gradually slowed.

This situation, as Wuhe had predicted, meant that even if the Jin cavalry and spear infantry could eliminate all the mixed tribes' soldiers, they would suffer unimaginable losses.

"Using cavalry against infantry is indeed a sound military strategy. But the Jin cavalry is too few! This small number can be used as a surprise force, but not as a decisive weapon!" Liu Jing spoke loudly, his face almost glowing.

He was, after all, one of the most renowned generals of the Xiongnu Han state. Though he was not well-versed in literature, he had a deep understanding of military tactics. He continued, "If the Jin general were me, Liu Jing, he should have moved the main force of the central army to join the vanguard, breaking through the mixed tribes, then driving them to attack our central army, and finally flanking us with the cavalry... In that case, we would have been in serious trouble!"

"But the Jin did not do that! They are using their precious armored cavalry in a war of attrition with the mixed tribes!" Liu Jing clenched his fists, his face twisted. "Why?"

His gaze swept over the subordinate commanders. "Why?"

"There are only two reasons!" Liu Jing extended his short, thick fingers and waved them. "Either the Jin leader is a cowardly rat... or the forces in the Jin central army are all weak and cannot fight! That's why the Jin leader placed his central army so far behind the front lines... He doesn't dare to fight!"

Liu Jing laughed maniacally, like a wild beast roaring. "The Jin think they can defeat us with that small force at the front. Their central army is hiding behind the reed marsh, thinking they are safe..."

Wuhe immediately understood and raised his arm, shouting, "Great General, let's go and kill him!"

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" The commanders all roared in unison.

"Wuhe! I will give you... hmm... five hundred elite soldiers. Can you cross the reed marsh and kill that Jin official?" Liu Jing calculated for a moment and then asked sternly.

"Of course I can!" Wuhe shouted, rolling up his sleeves. "In the name of the great Modu Chanyu, I will kill all the enemies and wash your military flag with their blood!"

A short while later, five hundred Xiongnu soldiers bypassed the main battlefield and headed toward the reed marsh.

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