Chapter 318: Swinging the Blade to Sever Empty Flourishes

The movements of the Wuhuan people were clearly visible to Gongsun Xun as he stood on the hillside east of the Dalinghe, yet he remained silent. Clearly, he did not hold much hope for this kind of battle... This was not the era from his mother's stories where single combat decided everything. Although he had long witnessed and been equally shaken by the valor of Guan and Zhang, and even the ferocity of Lu Bu, he could guarantee that even with the courage of Guan and Zhang, it would be impossible for a dozen or so men, without supplies or a camp, to force back over a thousand.

Because men tire!

One could imagine that the disheveled Wuhuan chieftain across the river, who kept issuing orders, intended to use these dozen or so men to intimidate him. If these twenty white-clad Wuhuan riders lost, he would send another squad; if they lost again, he would send yet another... After several such rounds, he was determined to kill these men right before his eyes.

Pity the bones along the Dalinghe, still the beloved ones in spring chamber dreams... It is not that they cannot die — death is all too common in this age — but the question is: is it worth it?

So, was it worth it? Even if it meant that he, Gongsun Xun, could escape because of it, it would be worth it, right? But in the current situation, even if they all died, he still would not be able to escape, would he?

The fine, ox-hair spring rain continued to drift down gently. Unknowingly, the armor and cloak on Gongsun Xun were already soaked through, while the battle on the opposite bank had begun in an instant.

Looking carefully across the river, the Han troops coming to the rescue numbered only eighteen riders, all dressed in the common red straight-hem uniforms of the Han army with leather armor over top; only their leader wore a suit of iron armor... This was the standard equipment hastily issued when cavalry were selected for this campaign, so they were likely those Yan-Zhao wandering knights.

And facing them were twenty white-clad Wuhuan riders... their leader wore leather armor.

How to put it? Both men and horses on both sides were likely very exhausted, but the Han troops were especially so. However, the Wuhuan soldiers' equipment was markedly inferior. In this wave of head-on charges, the outcome was uncertain.

When the two groups first formed up and faced off, nearly everyone thought this way. But just a moment later, all speculation ceased, because a cavalry charge is a matter of an instant!

Speed, strength, sacrifice — these make shock cavalry both mighty and bloody!

The eighteen Han riders, charging from north to south, lost five men in a single pass. But the Wuhuan lost thirteen, including their leader in the leather armor! The Han troops then immediately discarded their lances, drew the standard ring-pommel sabers from their waists, turned back, and engaged in close-quarters slashing. The remaining seven Wuhuan men, clad only in white, could not resist and were almost instantly cut down to the last man.

The entire process took no more than the blink of an eye. The Han troops won cleanly and decisively, beyond all doubt, while the dead Wuhuan soldiers, their white clothes stained with blood, were especially glaring.

Even though it was expected, even though they knew this victory meant nothing to the overall situation, even though they understood that losing five men in the first clash represented a proportionally greater loss for this small Han force on the west bank and only underscored the Wuhuan's grip on the situation — such a crisp charge and slaughter still stirred the hearts of the Han troops on the east bank, the Wuhuan forces on the west bank, and the various mixed Hu tribes alike.

Even Gongsun Xun, inured to life and death though he was, could not help but turn his gaze and fix it upon the opposite bank.

West of the Dalinghe, only thirteen Han troops remained. Yet under the loud shouts of their leader, they methodically dismounted to reorganize. Some took the Wuhuan horses, which were better rested; those who had lost their lances in the charge seized the opportunity to pick up Wuhuan lances. Then the thirteen riders reformed their ranks and, lances raised from a distance, issued a challenge!

The disheveled Wuhuan chieftain's face turned livid as he once again looked toward a minor chieftain beside him: "Lord Gongsun the Grand General on the east bank is watching. Take twenty riders and do not disgrace us!"

"Twenty riders? Even if we win, it would still be a disgrace!" Who would have thought that this burly minor chieftain would suddenly flare up in anger and retort on the spot. "Guini, tell me yourself — against such warriors, and after they have already fought one bout, how could I, Qutou, take advantage of them? He has thirteen riders, so I will take thirteen riders too!"

The Wuhuan chieftain named Guini opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, he had nothing to say and could only allow this rather spirited warrior of his own tribe to personally take up a lance and ride out to battle.

Thirteen against thirteen. The Han troops were still arrayed from north to south, the Wuhuan still from south to north. Both sides steadied their lances, then accelerated, launching another charge along the banks of the Dalinghe.

That Qutou, burly of frame and equipped with a clearly modified standard-issue Han iron armor, let out a furious roar from afar at the iron-armored Han knight leading the opposing force — a display of imposing momentum. Yet at the same time, the charging lance in his hand suddenly lifted; he had actually changed his move mid-charge, switching from a thrust to a two-handed downward slash!

Only upon drawing near could one see that the iron-armored Han knight opposite was equally burly, with a countenance both imposing and extraordinary. What was more interesting was that, faced with Qutou's ferocious onslaught, he merely kept his mouth shut, held his lance steady in his left hand, and urged his horse forward with his right, striving ahead — a picture of cold composure.

In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, the two sides met and exchanged a single blow.

Qutou's long lance did not find its mark. Correspondingly, the iron-armored Han knight's lance did not find its mark either, because the two lances — one slashing, one blocking — clearly collided as the horses crossed.

Moreover, Qutou's arms immediately went slightly numb. Without a doubt, he had sensed the opponent's strength through the lance... However, Qutou was confident that the opponent would also have sensed his own force through the weapon.

But as the iron-armored Han knight ahead turned his horse after the exchange and came again with leveled lance, Qutou was just about to turn as well when he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his right ribs, which were not protected by his iron armor. Looking down, he saw that a bloody hole had appeared in that gap!

Qutou suddenly understood. The opponent had held a lance in one hand and a saber in the other! He had not only blocked Qutou's two-handed slash with just his left hand, but at the very moment their horses crossed, he had suddenly drawn his saber and stabbed Qutou in the right ribs.

As this realization dawned, before the piercing pain could fully spread, a chill came again to the back of his neck — clearly, that iron-armored Han knight had already ridden up from behind and finished him with a second strike.

The troops on both banks stirred into commotion once more!

Because in the clash of thirteen against thirteen, four Han troops had fallen, while the Wuhuan men had been completely annihilated.

The Wuhuan army on the west bank almost uniformly turned their gaze to their chieftain, Guini. The latter opened his mouth to speak but did not know what to say. Yet seeing that Gongsun Xun across the river also seemed to be looking in his direction, this Wuhuan commander on the battlefield was overcome with shame and fury.

"Nine against nine!" Guini finally said through gritted teeth. "Use only renowned warriors from the army, switch to good horses, strip off the armor, and wear only white... Do not disgrace us any further!"

Just as the Wuhuan army stirred with the movement of selecting their bravest warriors, an unexpected incident suddenly occurred on the opposite bank... The Qifen Heita, whom Gongsun Xun had earlier ordered released, suddenly took advantage of the Han troops' inattention and plunged into the deep waters of the Dalinghe. And indeed, just as he himself had claimed, he was exceptionally skilled in water. With a ring-pommel saber clenched in his teeth, he could still streak through the water at extreme speed. Seen from afar, he truly resembled a black otter, disappearing into the distance with each rise and fall.

The Han troops, mostly watching the battle across the river, had paid him no mind at all. Now, seeing him flee, they hurriedly reached for their arrows, but it was already somewhat too late. Moreover, his skill in the water was truly superb. Thus, as the few arrows that were loosed fell short, that Qifen Heita actually swam with ease to a certain spot on the opposite bank. And the place where he came ashore was held by a motley collection of tribal forces, who not only did not intercept him but even had men proactively step forward to receive him... Clearly, those must have been other tribes of the Twelve Heavenly Kings who had defected to the Wuhuan in this battle.

"As expected, they cannot be relied upon!" Xi Zhong said indignantly. "Hu curs and the like — none can be trusted!"

Gongsun Xun did not express an opinion. He merely continued to stare at the battlefield across the river, silent, expressionless, emotionless.

On the opposite bank, the third "fair fight" had already begun. Under the gaze of the various mixed Hu tribes, amidst the silence of the Han and Wuhuan armies on both banks, yet another charge was imminent.

The Han troops, now reduced to only nine men, showed more than a little exhaustion. One of them clearly had an injured arm. Yet under the leadership of their commander, they remained full of spirit, showing not the slightest intention of backing down... The knights of Yan and Zhao, after all, possessed something of their own.

Suddenly, a Han White Horse Volunteer on the opposite bank sounded a horn across the river. Like a military order, it immediately spurred the third charge. The two sides collided, just as two clay pots shatter when struck together — brokenness, blood, mangled bodies. Everything that had been imposing and orderly an instant before was instantly reduced to nothing.

This time, five Han troops fell. But the Han leader was clearly outstanding in martial prowess. After easily killing the enemy directly before him, he turned back to rejoin the fray. With a lance in one hand and a saber in the other, thrusting left and slashing right, he once again slaughtered the Wuhuan men to the last.

However, in the chaotic melee after the charge, two Han troops were also killed outright.

In other words, after the third "fair fight," only two Han troops remained. But without a doubt, the victors were still the Han, for the Wuhuan had once again been completely annihilated.

And with almost no pause, the fourth "fair fight" arrived immediately. This time, the victors were still the Han, but beside that iron-armored knight, there was no longer a single man.

At this moment, a strange thing occurred. As the iron-armored Han knight dismounted and finished off a struggling Wuhuan warrior on the ground with a single saber stroke, a tremendous cheer arose from the riverbank in the drizzling rain. Yet the longest and most fervent shouts actually came from those mixed Hu tribes.

On the opposite bank, after the Han victory, a brief cheer had also arisen, but it quickly subsided into silence as the iron-armored knight mounted his horse and once again issued a distant challenge... For the situation before them still seemed to offer no help for Gongsun Xun's escape. Correspondingly, if this delay continued, no one knew when Wuhuan reinforcements would arrive.

And this warrior, who had now earned the recognition of everyone — including the Hu people — seemed destined to sacrifice himself in vain.

Within the military formation, under a pall of silence, the disheveled Wuhuan chieftain Guini was already stammering and at a loss. But by now, he was riding a tiger and could not dismount; he could only continue to reluctantly select warriors to send forth.

A moment later, a rider shot out from the white-clad army formation, but he was met head-on by the iron-armored warrior and unhorsed with a single lance thrust.

Another rider charged out, but this man had his lance parried aside by the warrior, who then finished him with a single saber stroke.

Immediately after, the Wuhuan did not send anyone out for a long while. Then, urged on by the allied forces around them, they stiffened their scalps and sent out one man. This man came bearing a bow and, speaking in the Han tongue of Youyan, demanded an archery duel... But just as his words fell, he was shot off his horse.

The cheers from the surrounding mixed Hu grew ever more urgent. Half in terror and half in helplessness, Guini this time actually sent out two men, drawing loud curses from the surrounding mixed Hu tribes. The Han knight paid them no heed, simply changed horses on his own, and directly met the challenge.

As the three riders crossed, one Wuhuan rider was immediately skewered off his horse. But the Han knight's own warhorse was directly stabbed by the other Wuhuan rider. The man tumbled and fell onto the riverbank. Struggling to prop himself up, he had just turned his head when he saw that the Wuhuan rider had already wheeled around and was charging back, shouting loudly from afar to bolster his own courage.

The Han knight still did not speak. He simply pulled a lance from the ground and hurled it head-on, flinging the rider bodily from his horse. Then, with composure, he seized the horse, stood by the riverbank, and once again raised his saber to continue the challenge.

Guini was dumbstruck. Ignoring the earnest pleas of his own tribesmen around him, he sent out five men in one breath. He also summoned a squad of several dozen white-clad riders with bows to oversee the battle from the north... Clearly, he was no longer prepared to sit idly by and watch morale drain away, and no longer even cared about Gongsun Xun's gaze from the east bank.

"Go ask him his name, and the names of his soldiers," Gongsun Xun had already been seething with emotion since the moment the man faced opponents alone. Now, he could finally endure it no longer... He was not made of wood or stone; even for one so accustomed to life and death, how could such a scene not move him? "Then tell him: you are all heroes of the realm. If I, Gongsun Xun, can escape this calamity, I will certainly provide for your wives, children, and parents as recompense... As for him, let him not throw his life away any further. I will speak with the Wuhuan and have them allow him to return south!"

Wen Ze, the leader of the personal guard Volunteers beside him, upon hearing this order, hurried to the riverbank and shouted loudly:

"Comrades on the west bank, leave your names here for the eighteen riders! The Lord Marquis will surely reward you heavily in the future! As for you yourself, sir, you may return south! The Wuhuan shall not pursue!"

A stir ran through the Wuhuan army on the west bank. Guini had a mind to order his men to immediately shoot this man dead with arrows, but he did not quite dare to truly provoke Gongsun Xun at this critical juncture... Moreover, the mixed Hu were in an uproar, pressing forward to clamor and praise that warrior. Guini even saw people among the surrounding tribes pointing at him from a distance and speaking loudly and vehemently, which made him all the more afraid to take the risk.

And so, in the end, he had that squad of archers withdrawn.

With this action, the riverbank fell silent as a wilderness, save for the drifting sound of the fine, drizzling rain. Whether on the east bank or the west, every faction waited for the iron-armored knight holding the ring-pommel saber to speak... Not just Gongsun Xun — even Guini himself, in his heart, wanted to know the origins of this awe-inspiring Han knight who stood so imposingly before them.

"Is the Lord Marquis humiliating us?!" West of the Dalinghe, the moment that iron-armored warrior opened his mouth, the people on both banks were stunned into momentary silence.

The reason was not only that this taciturn Han army rider's voice was unexpectedly so loud that it shook the riverbank, but more importantly, the rhetorical question itself was truly shocking... even Gongsun Xun was abruptly frozen where he stood.

"We came from our villages, shirking not the thousand-li journey, to serve under the Lord Marquis's banner, casting aside life and death — was it for some reward or fame that we sought?!" The man still held his blade motionless, only turning his head to look at the figure on the hillside across the river as he sternly demanded. "The realm is in turmoil, chaos rises on all sides, the common folk have no place to settle. Only the Lord Marquis, in Guangyang, practices benevolent governance, pacifying and sheltering the refugees of You and Ji provinces — those who rely on this to survive number in the hundreds of thousands. Is such benevolent governance not enough for us to lay down our lives once for the Lord Marquis? If the Lord Marquis truly asks, we eighteen men have but one answer: today's death is not dying for the Lord Marquis, but dying for the Lord Marquis's past resolve and benevolent governance that did not forsake the world... only this!"

With these words, the man, not even holding a spear, single-rider and single-blade, charged straight ahead toward the five Wuhuan riders. The five Wuhuan riders scrambled to meet him, but he struck one down on the spot with a single slash, then seized the fallen man's spear. With a spear in one hand and a blade in the other, like a mad tiger, he relentlessly pressed the remaining four riders back.

Yet even in this desperate fight, this man still possessed a martial intent of effortless control, both offensive and defensive. He proceeded to kill three more, forcing the last of those handpicked Wuhuan warriors to bear it no longer and turn and flee.

And that Han army iron-armored rider, caring for nothing else, simply pursued and killed as he went.

A nearby mixed Hu tribe, seeing these two men heading straight for their formation, was momentarily stunned as well, and the entire tribe actually wheeled their horses around and fled in panicked avoidance.

At the same time, Gongsun Xun on the east bank first felt a sense of loss, then immediately was overcome with shame and indignation. Without another word, without any encouragement, he simply drew his own broken blade from his waist and, in silence, rode first into the river, wading toward the opposite bank.

Xi Zhong let out a long sigh, then actually drew his own long sword for self-defense and was the first to follow. At this sight, the mere hundred-odd White Horse Volunteers on the east bank naturally all followed suit, while the remaining hundred-odd mixed Hu, after a moment of hesitation, gritted their teeth and closely followed behind.

On the west bank, Gui Ni was already overwhelmed by that mixed Hu tribe's unauthorized evasion. Having barely managed to shout them to a halt, he turned his head only to find that the opposite bank was seizing the moment to advance. So he hurriedly shouted orders, summoning the surrounding tribal riders up to the shallows to block them.

But when he turned his head again, he saw that iron-armored rider, the fierce warrior, without a word, had already killed the fleeing Wuhuan rider and was charging straight for his own command position. In alarm, he once more shouted orders to send a squad of men to intercept.

Yet before he could catch his breath, suddenly, alerted by a subordinate beside him, Gui Ni finally saw clearly that it was Gongsun Xun himself crossing the river on the opposite bank, and right in front of him at that. He was instantly stricken with terror... It was truly not that he was timid, but as one of the rare high-ranking nobles among the Wuhuan, he knew very well in his heart that if Gongsun Xun truly died here, everyone in the entire Liaoxi region, including Qiuliju, would have his head... So, in haste, he again urgently ordered those mixed Hu not to loose arrows, and instead sent his own most directly commanded White-Clad Wuhuan riders forward to engage in hand-to-hand combat, striving to capture Gongsun Xun alive!

Orders were contradictory, the entire west bank was thrown into chaos. Left with no choice, Gui Ni could only abandon dealing with that Han army warrior behind him and personally lead the main Wuhuan cavalry force forward, seeking to kill the other Han soldiers while doing his utmost to capture or trap Gongsun Xun alive.

"Why must the Grand General go to such lengths?" Having finally reached the shallows and seeing Gongsun Xun still struggling forward in the river water, Gui Ni pushed aside the surrounding mixed Hu tribal chiefs, knelt down unbidden, and pleaded from afar. "The Grand General's person is worth a thousand pieces of gold. How about waiting on the opposite bank for our Chanyu to come invite you personally? Why personally brave arrows and bolts?"

To this, Gongsun Xun merely pointed his blade at him in reply.

Gui Ni, helpless, could only remain kneeling where he was, then turned his head and shouted orders for the surrounding White-Clad Wuhuan and the many mixed Hu riders to all discard their bows and draw spears, preparing for hand-to-hand combat on the riverbank... However, as the many weapons were drawn or raised, suddenly, amidst the blades, behind Gui Ni, a standard-issue Han army ring-pommel blade came down from above and, with one stroke, beheaded Gui Ni as he turned his head still speaking!

The event was sudden. On the shallows position, the chaotic White-Clad Wuhuan and the many mixed Hu tribal soldiers turned their heads in unison, only to see a dark-faced mixed Hu youth holding a blade, panting heavily, yet standing proudly before Gui Ni's corpse on the riverbank. He shouted a challenge to the surrounding dumbfounded mixed Hu men: "In Liaoxi, is it not General Wei who rules? Is General Wei ruling not better than Qiuliju ruling? Our Qifen clan recognizes only the Gongsun clan, and knows no Wuhuan Chanyu!"

Before his words ended, a voice, already very close, rang out from the river: "I, Gongsun Xun, swear by this river: the hundred clans of Liaoxi, regardless of origin, those who follow me today to kill Wuhuan shall not have their pasts investigated! Those who follow the Wuhuan to kill me shall have their clans exterminated!"

Almost in an instant, chaos erupted upon the riverbank.

————I am the dividing line of malicious protagonist-torture————

"When Xun campaigned against the Wuhuan, he was once blocked at a river mouth by several thousand Hu riders with only a hundred riders. Over ten Han army riders, seeing Xun's white horse from across the river, disregarded life and death and charged straight into the Hu cavalry formation, making seven charges in and out, until only one rider remained. At that time, rain fell from the sky. Xun, seeing this, was moved and sighed heavily across the river: 'Heaven's mandate is indeed not with me. You, sir, are a hero with the bearing of a bear or tiger — why be buried alongside me? I will speak with the Hu riders; you, sir, may leave on your own.' The Han rider, from afar, laid his blade across his arm and answered: 'The realm is in tumult, the people suffer the misery of hanging upside down. Only the General has taken in a million refugees across You and Ji provinces — where benevolent governance lies, is this not Heaven's mandate? Moreover, if Heaven's mandate is not with you, sir, then with whom? I beg you, sir, speak no more of this.' With these words, he took up his blade and charged again. Xun, stirred by valor from across the river, silently held his blade in his teeth and floated across the river to join the battle." — Records of Late Han Heroes, Wang Can

(End of Chapter)