The General of North Wind's flag fluttered in the strong wind, reaching its highest point. The sun was also at its zenith, casting an anxious mood over the retreating troops of the Shu state as they hastily withdrew.
About a mile south of the wall that was being destroyed by General Dian Man's troops, Wei Yan's two thousand soldiers were hurriedly forming their formation, doing so while simultaneously advancing slowly towards the south.
Although the formation was not good, and could even be described as rather disorganized, Wei Yan had no time to worry about it. Standing on his horse, he gazed towards the north, where his camp used to be within a cupping of incense. The worry in his eyes grew even more intense.
Wei Yan, of course, did not want to waste time. However, he could not abandon the troops alone and flee.
He knew in his heart that once the Wei cavalry reached his side, without the protection of an orderly formation, his two thousand soldiers would likely be scattered instantly. It was unlikely many would be able to hold out and escape back to Duanshan Pass.
At this moment, as one of the few experienced generals in the Shu Han army, the Battle of Changle Passway, which occurred twenty years ago when Wei Yan was barely thirty years old, left an extremely deep impression on him. At that time, he was one of the few remaining horses left by Liu Bei's side.
Together with Wu Ban's forces, there were less than ten thousand soldiers. If cavalry had blocked our retreat and infantry had pressed in from the Wei army, we would have been in danger. If we could retreat to the original land to the east of Duan Shan Pass, our infantry force could be saved almost completely!
At this moment, the Shu army was divided into three sections.
At this moment, the Shu army was divided into three sections. Ma Dai, who led 5,000 foot soldiers, had already lined up south and advanced nearly three miles. Wei Yan's division numbered around 2,000 foot soldiers and was almost two miles away from the fortifications. Wu Ban's division numbered more than 2,000 foot soldiers but had disintegrated into small groups of just a hundred or so. Under the threat of mounted soldiers approaching in the distance, they were unable to form an orderly formation on the battlefield and became scattered like stars. This marked the true rout of their escape.
The General of Purification in the Shu state, Wu Ban, was riding at the head of his ten-plus riders along with his personal guards. He was charging towards Wei Yan's unformed formation.
Wei Yan was in great haste.
It was not that Wu Ban's 2,000 soldiers were particularly valuable; what was truly valuable were the General of Purification Wu Ban himself. Ten days ago, when Deng Zhi died, Zhuge Liang had already ordered criticism of Ma Ju and had trained him to dare not make any changes to the arrangements that Zhuge Liang had personally approved.
Even I, who am less favored than Ma Yu, do not know how to explain to Lord Zhuge if Wu Ban were to die before me. Not to mention that Wu Ban has a powerful cousin, Wu Yi, who is currently rushing to Lueyang for support from the south.
Just as Wei Yan was looking towards Wu Ban's direction and waving his flag to signal Wu Ban to come closer, the cavalry of Cheng Xi's forces had already headed south, rushing out from the gate in the fortifications that Dian Man's forces had torn open.
The sound of hoofbeats and cries of battle filled the fields, coming swiftly and fiercely towards the south like the north wind of winter at this time.
In the face of the threat posed by the thousands of mounted soldiers, both Ma Dai's and Wei Yan's divisions were filled with fear, and Wu Ban's division was even more devastated.
Wei Yan had originally intended to wait for Wu Ban, but now he no longer had the time to help him. Instead, he ordered his own formation to immediately advance southeastward, crossing the river on the other side. Although Wu Ban was important, he was not more valuable than Wei Yan's 2,000 soldiers!
After crossing the small river, and another thirty zhang or so before reaching the foot of the mountain, Wei Yan had a chance to hide behind the mountain's cover to shield against the cavalry's charge. This allowed him to move southwest towards Wang Ping and Zhaoyun's camp unhurriedly.
If things go awry, he could always retreat to the mountain to take refuge!
That's correct. The small river here and the one to the southwest, eight li away from Lueyang's northern wall, is actually the same one. Due to the geography of Longyou with its mountains and limited flat land, Lueyang is located in a plain between mountains with a small river running through it.
The generals Zhang He and Chen Ping outside of Lueyang city naturally knew that the small river was called Qing Shui. To the Shu Han commanders like Wei Yan and Zhao Yun, this river, which was nearly half frozen and dry on the surface, with its deepest part not even reaching knee-high, was not taken seriously by anyone.
However, in this chaotic battle, a nearly dry river became Wei Yan's lifeline.
The riverbed was still scattered with some snow, and the bits of stone and thin ice were mixed in between. Wei Yan led his personal guards at the rear, pushing his troops to cross the river as quickly as possible. In the chaos, some soldiers fell to the ground, but the formation did not stop even for a moment.
As for Wu Ban, let him seek his own fortune!
Zhao Yun's camp was in the west, and Wei Yan led his troops to cross the river southeastward only to escape the cavalry charge.
A little to the north, Wu Ban was hunched over on his horse, constantly pushing forward. Only ten or so of his personal guards were by his side. Upon seeing Wei Yan head southeast instead of southwest across the river, it was clear that this arrangement was meant to preserve their formation.
For a moment, Wu Ban hesitated, pulled back on the reins and slowly stopped on the riverbank, turning his head northward.
"General, hurry up! We won't make it if we don't leave now!" urged his personal guards.
But Wu Ban did not respond. Seeing the Wei troops rushing towards him from behind without any signs of chasing his division, but instead heading straight southwest, he stood still.
Wu Ban understood that the reason the Wei army in front did not choose to pursue and kill his division was certainly because the commander-in-chief of the Wei army had ordered him to cut off communication between the Han forces in the west and east.
Compared to this strategic goal, some killing and injury seems less important. For a moment, Wu Ban seemed to doubt whether this Wei army did not pay attention to him because his official position was too low.
Wu Ban chuckled to himself and shook his head. How could he blame the Wei cavalry behind this group for not caring about him? In a situation where two armies are competing for the upper hand, his head is certainly not the most important target.
As Wu Ban hesitated whether to cross the river like Wei Yan in the east to seek a way of survival, he was astonished to discover that from the direction of Zhao Yun's camp to the west, there was a smaller group of cavalry charging towards the Wei army!
It turns out to be their own mounted army coming to the rescue! Overjoyed by this, Wu Ban personally grabbed the flag from his guards and held it aloft, leading the way to cross the river eastward.
The scattered soldiers of the Shu army running around the battlefield, seeing their general had already crossed the river, also rushed towards the other side of the river.
Cheng Xi led his troops from north to south, saw a detachment of Shu cavalry charging towards him from the west, and instead of being angry, he laughed and immediately ordered the flags to slightly veer westward, directly facing off against them!
It was General Jiu Fu's division.
In terms of infantry combat, there is still a chance for a stalemate and the outcome may not be apparent in an instant. On the other hand, when cavalry charges head-on with their riders and horses moving at full speed, the massive momentum of their movement propels their weapons forward. It is not just about bravery and courage but also about countless hours of rigorous training in the military camp that shapes a rider's skill.
The 1,000 cavalrymen led by Jiu Fu had been in service for only about five years. Although they had once fought in the southern regions alongside Zhuge Liang and had not yet experienced such a large-scale battle against the Wei army.
In contrast, Cheng Xi's 3,000 cavalrymen had much more experience in battles, better training in formations, and their soldiers were much more composed than the Shu cavalry.
The stronger side would quickly secure victory, while the weaker one would face only death by speed.
The two cavalry forces from Wei and Shu, one of 3,000 and the other of 1,000, quickly decided the outcome in an instant.
Even after the first collision, the Shu cavalry lost half of their number, which accounted for half of their total. The long spears, driven by the speed of the horses, aimed directly at the armor of the opposing riders.
The sharp tips of the spears quickly tore through the defense of the armor, penetrating their bodies while spewing blood and steam. Or the long spears were directly driven into the gap between the breastplate and helmet, piercing through the neck of the mounted knight on top of them.
This scene was repeating endlessly. It was clear that more Shu cavalry knights were falling, collapsing to the ground and being trampled by the hooves of the oncoming cavalry. Even if they did not die immediately, their fate would be sealed by the hooves.
The two cavalry forces separated, and the Wei army's losses were only around 200 riders.
Cheng Xi seemed to have expected such a result, and his expression did not show much change. Riding at the head of his formation, he slowly turned his horse's head and ordered his personal guards to wave their flags.
The cavalry on the flanks moved forward first, followed by the cavalry in the center, forming a v-shaped formation to charge towards the remaining 500 riders of Jiu Fu's division.
At this moment, Jiu Fu's face was pale as snow, with little to no color in his cheeks. He had originally only wanted to follow Zhao Yun's orders to cover up and retreat slightly for Wei Yan's and Wu Ban's divisions that were retreating southward.
Jiu Fu, who boasts a bright future, had not even the slightest thought of dying here!
Life and death hang in the balance of a single thought.
Jiu Fu's heart wavered, and he lost all desire for battle. The western route was blocked by Cheng Xi's division, and he was unable to break through the Wei army's cavalry. In a desperate situation, Jiu Fu had to act like Wei Yan did earlier, and choose to escape southward by crossing the river voluntarily.
Seeing that the Shu cavalry were crossing the river southeastward, Cheng Xi stopped his horse slowly and stood there in a daze for a moment.
This is a mountainous plain that extends from southwest to northeast, with the area north of the small river much larger than the area south of it. Wei Yan, Wu Ban, and Jiu Fu have all crossed the river. Cheng Xi now felt that if he pressed too hard, the Shu army would either set up an array against the mountains to resist or would directly ascend onto the not very steep mountains on both sides.
Cavalry can't climb up the mountain either...
After understanding the key to the situation, Cheng Xi chuckled derisively, made a decisive decision, and led his troops southwestward to cut off the western side of Ma Dai's force as it was moving towards Zhao Yun's camp.
The 3,000 horsemen led by Xiahou He also arrived on the battlefield. Compared to the chaotic scene after Cheng Xi's unit's attack, it was much clearer now. Since Cheng Xi had already turned west, Xiahou He's unit also turned east and crossed the river to pursue the scattered Wu Ban unit.
The battlefield situation is constantly changing, and no one has the ability to foresee everything.
Wei Yan, who was personally blocking the Wei army at the camp, managed to lead his soldiers to the southeastern bank of the river, where they found a way to survive by relying on the mountain terrain.
Wu Ban also made a quick decision and crossed the river to the east, although he was still being chased by Xiahou He's unit, he temporarily ensured his own safety.
Jiu Fu, who lost 500 riders in just one charge, also crossed the river and fled towards Wei Yan to escape the most direct threat from Cheng Xi's unit.
On the other hand, the 5,000 soldiers of Ma Dai's unit, who were originally at the rear and farthest from the battle, were first blocked by Cheng Xi from retreating, and then surrounded by Sun Li's unit chasing after them.
Sun Li's career path was quite extraordinary.
He first served as the governor of Xuzhou and Lanyang districts, leading the district troops to participate in the southward campaign. He was noticed by the emperor at a grand review ceremony outside Shoushun City.
Afterward, he was transferred to Luoyang, where, during a hunting expedition south of the city, he bravely stood in front of the emperor to face a ferocious tiger. This act gained him great fame in Luoyang.
Later, the emperor personally ordered him to be summoned to serve as a general in the central army.
To be honest, Sun Li was fighting in the southern part of Anhui at the time, leading district troops in mountainous terrain against Wu troops, with his troops not being strong and he not holding a key position.
Today is entirely different.
With 3,000 elite cavalry at hand, any general would feel confident.
