Jinting Han people

Chapter 752 The Battle of Jianye: Engagement

The Qi army's drums began to beat again, the black oxhide war drums resounding like rolling thunder across the Jianye Plain. The banners of each unit were raised in succession, and the soldiers lifted their long halberds and spears from the ground and slowly moved forward.

At the very front of the Qi army's central ranks stood approximately ten thousand elite, fully armed soldiers. Their armor was the culmination of years of Qi conquest, amassed through the plunder of various counties and mansions. While the armor varied greatly in style and appeared somewhat incongruous, it contained all the essential components. They wore iron helmets, gleaming iron armor or double-layered iron armor, and their lower armor skirts were lining and strapped to their shoulders. They also had hand guards and leggings for their hands and calves.

However, the Qi people differed in their choice of weapons. Most carried a ring-pommel sword in one hand and a round shield for blocking arrows in the other; these were the main infantry warriors, but not the Qi's elite force. In the very center of the Qi vanguard, it was clear that the first wave was divided into three groups.

A group of men were dismounted cavalrymen under Chen Wang Gaoliang, each wielding a lance in one hand and a cleaver in the other. They also carried bow and quiver pouches at their waists, and were accompanied by several attendants armed with bows, arrows, and shields. Each dismounted cavalryman and their attendants possessed the natural ability to form small formations, with the attendants providing cover while the cavalrymen engaged the enemy, a tactic they had always been successful in.

Another group consisted of several hundred men, the vanguard of King Zheng Xu Miao. They were not only tall and imposing, but their weapons were also quite peculiar. One looked like a long hammer, about thirteen feet long, but instead of a halberd tip, the hammerhead was a heavy, three-sided iron tube made of wrought iron, with sharp spikes on its edges. It was easy to foresee that if such a weapon were swung, even if the spikes failed to pierce the armor, the weight of the hammerhead would be enough to severely injure the opponent's internal organs. If it did pierce the armor, the opponent would likely be immediately incapacitated. The Qi people named this weapon the "Spike Staff," and the army that used it was called the Jianjie Army.

Another group was the peasant army, personally trained by Wang Mi and led by General Ran Long. These men were also brave warriors, but they did not carry shields, their armor was thinner compared to the other units, and their weapons were all broadswords. Notably, they had many talismans affixed to their bodies, and the soldiers were chanting incantations, clearly praying before battle, hoping that under the protection of the Heavenly Venerable, they could smoothly enter the celestial realm after death.

This tradition arose because they were among the few devout followers of the Celestial Masters sect among the people of Qi. Wang Mi used the doctrines to educate his followers, claiming that they were blessed by Heaven and would not only be invulnerable to swords and spears on the battlefield, but would also enjoy a life of luxury in the afterlife. As a result, these followers were often fearless and repeatedly achieved great feats on the battlefield, but they also suffered heavy casualties. Almost every two or three battles, the original members of the sect would be wiped out.

Before Ran Long set off for this operation, Wang Mi specifically summoned him and asked, "Are your injuries from a few days ago still bothering you?"

During the last Han army charge, Ran Long, overconfident, hastily engaged Qiao Deng in battle and was stabbed, nearly spilling his intestines. Fortunately, Qiao Deng managed to stuff them back in and wrap them tightly with a cloth, preventing a serious injury. However, he has only been recovering for almost ten days, and now, with another battle looming, Wang Mi is worried, hence this question.

Ran Long shook his head first, then touched the wound on his waist, enduring the stinging pain and sneered: "I suffered a small loss last time. That scoundrel is no better than me. He just caught me off guard. As long as the marshal gives me a pot of good wine, I will be invincible on the battlefield!"

Wang Mi was very pleased to hear this, so he offered Ran Long a cup of wine. Unexpectedly, Ran Long complained that the wine was too little and asked for a large cup the size of a washbasin. He then held it with both hands and drank it heartily in front of everyone. While he was drinking, the Taoist priests around Wang Mi began to chant scriptures and pray for Ran Long.

But Ran Long didn't believe it. After finishing the wine in his large cup, he nonchalantly said to Wang Mi, "Since ancient times, only the brave and strong have won in battle. I've never heard of winning by reciting scriptures. Even if Laozi himself descended to earth, he would probably have to dismount and join the fight. Marshal, these scriptures are for the dead; don't recite them for me now." With that, Ran Long struck the ground with his long spear, bowed to Wang Mi in farewell, then turned and chased after the troops.

Ran Long's actions were quite presumptuous, drawing criticism from Wang Mi's followers, but Wang Mi waved his hand to suppress it. He truly admired Ran Long, praising him in public: "There's no need to argue with him. Ran Ya's sect is possessed by spirits and cannot be judged by ordinary standards."

In short, the Qi army's vanguard this time consisted of its most elite troops, with six or seven out of ten of its most capable and courageous warriors included. The remaining troops remained in the central army, some as reserves to be deployed to the battlefield as needed, and others to guard the Han troops within the palace walls. After all, the scene of Liu Lang and his men charging in and out of the Qi army's ranks three times in the previous days still instilled fear in the Qi people.

The Qi army garrison stationed here was led by Wang Yan, the Qi general of the Flying Cavalry. Wang Yan, also a former Yamen general, was the foremost warrior in the Qi army before Wang Mi acquired Ran Long, having fought alongside Wang Mi across the Central Plains and accumulating numerous military achievements. Wang Mi still valued Wang Yan, which is why he entrusted him with this important task. Therefore, he specifically instructed him: "Liu Jingming is Liu Xian's eldest son, renowned for his bravery in the army. Now stationed deep within our territory, he could cause trouble at any time. However, he is still young and inexperienced. If he ventures out, you must devise a plan to kill him to prevent future problems!"

Wang Yan had promised Wang Mi beforehand, "Please rest assured, Marshal, Liu Lang is nothing more than a small dragon. He can cause some trouble when people are not careful, but when he encounters our army, we will never let him command the wind and rain again!"

Su Jun's troops, originally guarding the city walls, were now reassigned as the second echelon after the vanguard. They had suffered heavy losses in the battle against Liu Lang's forces and thus were no longer the vanguard, but they remained the backbone of the Qi army. Wang Mi instructed him to observe the vanguard's performance and then rotate them when the vanguard was exhausted, aiming to crush the Han army in one decisive blow.

Su Jun knew today's battle was no small matter. Clad in double layers of iron armor, a sword in his left hand and a spear in his right, he stood like an iron tower. Even without engaging in combat, he rallied his troops, shouting, "A true man who seeks wealth and honor must fight to the death! Even if flesh and blood fly before our eyes, and souls are scattered, we must fight to the bitter end! We will never yield to anyone!" With that, he raised his arm and led his soldiers to cheer on the vanguard. It was at this moment that the Qi vanguard clashed with the Han army. Amidst a deafening roar, thunderous footsteps, and relentless, thunderous drumbeats, the Qi people launched their attack on the Han army, who stood atop the mountain. Under the powerful roar of this battle, the people seemed to have been thoroughly cleansed, attacking the Han army with reckless abandon. The deaths in the clashes between the two armies were like insignificant ripples carried away by the wind.

The Han troops responded with shouts in return, even though seasoned veterans knew that shouting wouldn't bring victory. But shouts were the best way for new recruits to overcome their fear and gain courage; morale and fighting spirit could sometimes be directly reflected in the shouts. Therefore, they might as well use this method to stabilize morale.

The Qi army's first target was indeed the position previously held by Zhuge Yao's troops. Gao Liang's forces, sent to probe the enemy, had their eyes on this prize from the start, intending to break through the Han army's lines and achieve their first major victory of the war. However, when they officially began hand-to-hand combat, they were inevitably surprised to find that the Han army here was completely different from the previous ones.

These newly recruited Han soldiers were not only physically strong and determined, but also remained calm in the face of the Qi army's onslaught. What was most remarkable was their exceptionally fine equipment. They wore iron armor on the outside and chainmail on the inside. The ring-pommel swords they used were clearly made of high-quality steel, as could be heard from their sound. The arrows in their quivers were mostly armor-piercing arrows, and they even wore iron masks on their faces. Their cost far exceeded that of ordinary elite troops, which was simply unbelievable.

It turned out that Wei Yi, seeing that Zhuge Yao's troops were extremely unprepared for the Qi cavalry raids, made a last-minute decision to transfer Shen Chong's troops to the front lines, while Zhuge Yao's troops were moved to the second rank. His reason for doing so was simply that he valued the elite strength of Shen Chong's troops.

It should be noted that Shen Chong came from the Shen clan of Wuxing. Although the Shen clan was relatively unknown during the Sun Wu period due to Sun Quan's suspicion and suppression, they were not idle during this time. With no hope for an official career, the Shen clan simply turned to commerce, engaging in trade with the states of the South China Sea. As fate would have it, every cloud has a silver lining. Over the decades, while many prominent clans declined in power due to the turmoil of the two palaces, the Shen clan unexpectedly escaped the various political upheavals within Sun Wu and instead grew stronger. After the fall of Sun Wu, because they had little connection with the Sun regime, they received strong support from the Luoyang court and rose to become the leading financial power in the Wu region.

Even now, the wealth of the Shen family of Wuxing surpasses that of the traditional four prominent families of Wu County. The Shen family is so wealthy that they can mint five-zhu coins in the Jiangnan region, which locals call Shen Chong five-zhu coins or Shen Lang coins. When traveling in Yangzhou, these Shen Lang coins can be readily spent on merchant caravans registered under the Shen family's name, and their circulation is even greater than the large coins issued by Sun Quan.

Having been suppressed for so many years, the Shen family no longer cared about the amount of money they had; no amount of wealth could buy them respect. Now, Shen Chong's generation was determined to secure a place for themselves in politics. So Shen Chong spent a fortune building an army, filled with carefully selected warriors, equipped with top-notch armor and weapons, comparable to the imperial guards of Luoyang.

At this moment, Gao Liang's troops collided with Shen Chong's forces, feeling as if they had struck an iron wall. Leading the charge was Du Fa, the Jianchang County Commandant under Shen Chong. As previously mentioned, Du Fa wore two layers of iron armor, wielding a long spear in each hand, and a face shield, revealing only his bloodshot eyes. This made him completely unafraid of the Qi army's arrows and thrusts. Relying on his thick armor, he actually withstood the Qi army's offensive and led his soldiers in a counterattack. The Qi army hadn't anticipated this situation; their position was unstable, and their formation was not solid enough. As a result, like waves crashing against a dam, several breaches were breached.

Seeing this, the Qi soldiers behind him wanted to make amends, so they charged at Du Fa's troops from three sides, their blades striking simultaneously, but they barely penetrated their armor. Instead, Du Fa seized the opportunity to sweep across the opposing force with his horse spear, instantly killing a large number of them. After repelling more than a dozen Qi soldiers in this way, the shafts of his two long spears were cut off. He then reached out to his subordinates to demand the spears back, repeating this several times, forcing the determined Qi soldiers to retreat repeatedly.

The Qi soldiers, realizing they had encountered a formidable opponent, summoned Commandant Guan Shang to break the stalemate. Guan Shang, seeing the situation, said to his men, "These bandits are clad in such heavy armor that a direct confrontation will be difficult. We should attack their lower body!" The Qi soldiers immediately put this into action. Those in the front drew the Han soldiers' attention, while those on the flanks stabbed at their legs and limbs. This tactic proved effective. The stabbed Han soldiers lost their footing and fell to the ground. Because of the weight of their armor, they could not rise to retaliate and were quickly subdued and beheaded by the surging Qi forces.

After losing about twenty men, Du Fa realized he had been too hasty and quickly led his troops back into the enemy formation. He figured that if they could straighten out their ranks, with the support of his comrades, they wouldn't expose any weaknesses. But Gao Liang, not far away, wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. Seeing that Du Fa hadn't returned, he immediately ordered two elite forces to encircle him, determined to create a breach in the Han army's formation.

The Qi men were faster. Zang Xi, the gatekeeper, cut off Du Fa's retreat before he could react. He then reversed his broadsword, using the unsheathed blade to deliver a powerful blow to Du Fa's waist. Even the armor plates couldn't withstand the sudden blunt force. Du Fa couldn't catch his breath; his eyes rolled back, and he felt his ribs break. But in his dying moments, he thought: even if I die, I'll take one last person down with me! Suddenly, a surge of strength arose within him, and as he fell, he grabbed his enemy's arm and pulled Zang Xi down. Caught off guard, Zang Xi was dragged to the ground, collapsing onto Du Fa's back. Before he could even process what was happening, Du Fa slit his throat with a short sword.

This was just a small moment in this long battle. The Qi army continued to charge at the Han army, while the Han army defended and occasionally launched counterattacks, repelling the enemy's offensive. Soldiers on both sides fought to the point of being bloodied and mangled. But the generals on both sides were used to this situation. They were simply calculating the limits of both sides and the next move based on the changes in the battle lines and the number of troops deployed.

The two sides quickly reached a consensus. After observing the situation in the central army, Wang Dun said to his men, "If the Qi people's skills are limited to this, then victory in this battle will surely belong to our army."

Wang Mi made the same judgment. He bit his finger and pondered for a moment, then ordered his soldiers, "Have the ships from Mufu Mountain move closer and pick up Ran Long's troops to Qingliang Mountain. Give them a fierce attack on the enemy's flank. I want to see how many elite troops the enemy has, and how they can withstand it!" (End of this chapter)