Chapter 686
Guo Song Breaks Through
Just as Liu Lang had suspected, the Qi people had indeed set up an ambush. But the way they set up the ambush and the timing of their attack were completely beyond his expectations.
The Qi people meticulously planned this night raid. They scouted the Han army beforehand and concluded that the Han army was an extremely formidable opponent; a direct confrontation would be difficult for the Qi to win. To defeat the Han army, they would have to resort to ambushes or surprise attacks. Even so, however, success would be difficult to achieve. The Han army was disciplined, highly vigilant, and its scouts were far more frequent than those of the Qi army. Whether it was a surprise attack or an ambush, it would be easily detected beforehand, and the casualties would likely be minimal.
But Cao Yi was a strategist. He quickly realized that a simple sneak attack or ambush wouldn't succeed, but a surprise attack followed by a feigned defeat and then an ambush would create an opportunity. No matter how well-organized an army is, defense is only temporary, and the battlefield is ever-changing. Unless one possesses absolute superiority and the general can adapt to any situation, one must make decisions on the spot. What Cao Yi needed to do was to strike first and lure the Han army into chaos.
Therefore, in the past few days, the Qi people mobilized 20,000 troops, who secretly crossed the river downstream in batches under cover of night, bringing the garrison at Zishan to over 30,000. Then, taking advantage of the dark and windy night, when it was difficult for others to see their tracks, Cao Yi ordered Su Jun to lead 10,000 men in a night raid. Cao Yi did not expect Su Jun to cause much casualties; the important thing was to provoke the anger of the Han army during the battle, which would lure the Han army into pursuit and buy time for the Qi army behind them.
During this period, Qi army marshal Cao Yi led the remaining 20,000 troops out in full force and quickly hid in Lion Mountain between Zijin Mountain and Bagong Mountain, waiting for Su Jun to feign defeat and flee eastward, intending to ambush him.
So far, Cao Yi's plan has been quite ingenious. But the most brilliant part is that, faced with the pursuit of Du Zeng and Liu Lang, he refrained from using an ambush, suppressed the restlessness of his troops, allowed Su Jun's forces to continue their retreat, and then let Du Zeng and Liu Lang pass.
His decision was extremely unpredictable. First, he abandoned his allies to their deaths; second, he failed to ambush the enemy when they were clearly within reach, completely violating common sense about the battlefield. This was because what he wanted was not merely a few thousand Han soldiers, but, as Wang Mi had said, a decisive victory that would be etched into the Han army's memory.
Guo Song's force of ten thousand men advanced westward as a rearguard. Although they found footprints and hoofprints all over the road, since Du Zeng and Liu Lang had already passed safely, they assumed it was from the previous battle and did not suspect anything. However, if it were daylight now, they would discover that these tracks eventually entered Lion Mountain and formed an encirclement around them.
Seeing more Han troops enter the ambush, Cao Yi finally lost his patience and ordered his attendants to sound the horn signaling the attack. Immediately, troops from all over the mountains and plains emerged from the darkness, with cavalry as the vanguard. Braving the wind and rain, their horses' hooves trampled the increasingly muddy roads, grass and water splashing everywhere. The smell of withered grass mingled with the moisture, creating a pungent, suffocating stench.
Guo Song's troops were initially in a state of extreme relaxation. Almost instantly, the Qi soldiers, numbering in units of a hundred, cut the Han army into dozens of pieces. The Han army didn't even have a chance to fire an arrow before being forced into close combat, unable to fully utilize their advantages, and directly entered the most bloody stage of one-on-one fighting.
The first to directly confront the enemy was Guo Yang, Guo Song's cousin. He held the position of Commandant of the Army, located at the southernmost part of the force, and thus received the greatest impact. His communication with Guo Song was quickly severed. He led his troops to repel several Qi attacks, but his forces gradually dispersed, becoming increasingly intertwined with the enemy. His attempts to regroup were thwarted by wave after wave of Qi soldiers.
Seeing that he was surrounded by enemy cavalry, whose numbers far outnumbered his own, Guo Yang sensed that his chances of survival were slim. To support Liu Lang, he had specifically ordered his cavalry to carry three full quivers and follow him. However, in the chaos of battle, the cavalry panicked and were scattered. Only one follower with the quiver remained, and the knights around him were a mixed bag, not from a single unit. Their coordination in battle was poor, easily creating openings for the Qi to counterattack and further shatter their formation.
Even with the enemy's weapons at bay, Guo Yang continued to fire arrows. He was extremely confident in his marksmanship; five years ago, during the Brazil campaign with Li Ju, he had shot an arrow through both of Luo Shang's cheeks—a feat he was very proud of. Now, in this life-or-death situation, he fired arrows incessantly, targeting the faces of Qi soldiers. His aim was incredibly accurate, hitting his mark eight or nine times out of ten. Those struck by his arrows fell to the ground instantly, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
After shooting and killing more than twenty people, he finally alerted the Qi people around him. A Qi man who was eight feet tall saw this and did not choose to approach. Instead, he aimed at Guo Yang's location, quickly spurred his horse and galloped away. When he was still more than ten feet away, he suddenly raised his long handle and used the momentum of the horse to throw the spear. The spear flashed across the night sky like a black light and knocked down the attendant next to Guo Yang. His chest and back were clearly pierced.
Guo Yang was shocked by what he saw. He hurriedly tried to adjust his position and fire again, but the second spear flew in, piercing the horse's neck and belly in an instant, narrowly missing Guo Yang. Wounded by such a severe injury, his mount let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground, convulsing and trembling. Guo Yang was also thrown about, completely disoriented and disoriented, his body feeling as if it had been broken apart. He tried to stand up, but his body wouldn't obey him.
Such scenes were common in various Han army units. No matter how arduous the battles these soldiers had fought or how glorious their victories had been, the enemy's swords had no memory; they were cold, cruel, and indiscriminate. Many Han army formations collapsed beyond repair in this way.
By this time, several Qi soldiers had surrounded Guo Yang, seemingly about to kill him on the spot. Unexpectedly, a well-organized volley of arrows flew from the air, instantly turning the Qi soldiers into pincushions. Those Qi soldiers behind looked up and saw a hundred-strong Han cavalry unit charging towards them. They were stunned, and without needing orders from their superiors, scattered like birds and beasts. The reason was simple: the enemy was not only still organized, but also fully armed and armored cavalry; no one wanted to invite such trouble.
These armored cavalry did not pursue further, but quickly joined up with the remaining troops under Guo Yang and helped him up from the ground. Guo Yang, feeling lighter, slumped onto his horse, finally regaining some consciousness. Looking up, he saw that it was Guo Song himself. His young face was now filled with a serious expression. While directing the armored cavalry around him to form ranks, he quickly asked Guo Yang:
"Fifth brother, how many whistling arrows do you have left?"
Guo Yang was taken aback. Whistling arrows were used for communication, and each unit was equipped with dozens of them. But given the current critical situation, what was Guo Song's purpose in asking this? However, as a subordinate, he had no time to hesitate or doubt. He could only quickly check his quiver and answer directly, "There are about thirty left."
Guo Song frowned slightly upon hearing this, but quickly made up his mind and handed over a quiver, instructing, "Here are fifty-three whistling arrows. Give them all to Fifth Brother. Please estimate the time and shoot one arrow into the air every incense stick's time."
After saying this, he reorganized his troops and ordered the knights beside him to blow the ox horns. At the same time, the horns of the Qi army also sounded. The horns of both sides clashed in the night sky, rising and falling, but it was difficult to distinguish the difference between the two. Then Guo Song signaled Guo Yang to shoot an arrow.
Guo Yang suddenly realized that Guo Song intended to use this method to inform the entire army of his location and order the scattered units to regroup. However, this was an extremely dangerous move, as it was tantamount to informing the Qi people of his position as well, which would inevitably lead to the fiercest attack. He hesitated slightly and asked, "Isn't this too risky?"
Guo Song decisively replied, "I have been in the military for nearly ten years and have even fought in the Battle of Mangkou. Why would I be afraid of such a battle? Fifth Brother, please don't say anything more!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Yang abandoned his hesitation and immediately fired an arrow into the night sky. After a sudden whistling sound, Guo Song's main force began to move south, engaging the oncoming Qi army in direct combat. The Qi people were completely unprepared for Guo Song's actions. They assumed that under such circumstances, the Han army would surely have lost their courage and at most form ranks to put up a stubborn resistance. They never expected that he would dare to launch a counterattack.
They saw the Han army, densely arrayed, wielding spears and charging forward relentlessly. They didn't flinch at the enemy, remaining motionless like statues, their spear tips gleaming coldly, moving like shooting stars. They displayed a spirit of "it's either you die or I die." The Qi army, however, had come to take advantage, their morale and formation extremely loose. They were almost instantly routed by Guo Song's main force, allowing him to easily pass through and reach the rear of the first wave of Qi soldiers.
At this point, if Guo Song had headed west, there was a high probability that he would have escaped alive. However, he did not do so. Instead, he ordered Guo Yang to continue shooting whistling arrows and charge directly into Lion Mountain.
Originally, Guo Song's main force was not particularly conspicuous amidst the chaotic crowd on the plains, but their location became clearer once they entered the mountains. To intimidate the Han army below, the Qi people lit numerous torches in Lion Mountain, illuminating the mountainside. Guo Song planted a large Han banner on the slope halfway up the mountain and launched a charge against the Qi army on the summit, firing whistling arrows.
In this scene, the Qi and Han armies below the mountain could see everything.
The Qi people were astonished that someone would be so bold as to charge the marshal's main force up the mountain. The Han army, on the other hand, finally saw their commander's location. Their previous despair at being ambushed by the Qi army was now replaced by a clear target and hope. Without any orders from their officers, the Han army's counterattack intensified immediately. A significant number of Han soldiers converged on Lion Mountain, showing no hesitation even in the face of the overwhelming rain of arrows from the Qi army. Like a stream flowing through a crevice in a rock, they naturally converged.
This convergence came at a heavy price. While the Qi forces had no intention of fighting them to the death during their breakout attempts, they would occasionally launch surprise attacks on the flanks—a stray arrow, a sudden charge—and the Han soldiers caught in the crossfire would be caught and fall to the ground. They could only desperately resist the approaching Qi forces before dying, hoping to take their enemies with them. Often, a force of about a hundred men would emerge from the chaos of the Qi army with nearly half its men dead or wounded. The vanished men disappeared like dew seeping into the mud.
Guo Song's troops, who were going up the mountain, were certainly aware of this predicament, but he still wanted to turn the tide. If they could break through the Qi army's main camp on Lion Mountain, occupy the high ground, and then launch a counterattack downhill, there would still be a chance for everything to turn around.
But this was a difficult plan to execute. The armored cavalry, already weakened by their mountainous position, had lost their inherent impact. Meanwhile, the Qi forces had seized the strategic high ground, able to unleash a barrage of arrows from above, more than ten times the number of Guo Song's main force. The arrow shafts were so densely packed that they collided in mid-air, making a crackling sound. Even Guo Song's elite armored cavalry were quickly riddled with arrows, their bodies riddled with dozens. Even those who survived were unable to sustain prolonged combat due to the excruciating pain. Once someone succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed, they were no longer able to rise and retaliate.
Guo Song led his troops to break through two lines of Qi army defenses, but Cao Yi's main camp on the mountaintop was still dozens of feet away. On flat ground, this distance would only take a few breaths, but at present, it was completely unreachable.
In the midst of the battle, an arrow flew overhead and struck Guo Song in the neck. The arrow pierced through his armor, barely touching his throat, already drawing blood. Had it been a fraction deeper, it would have been fatal. Guo Song pulled out the arrow, feeling dizzy and his wound throbbed with pain. His attendant, unable to bear watching any longer, urged him, "Commander, if we fight to the death here, our entire army will be wiped out. What else can we do but retreat?"
Guo Song had indeed reached his limit. Although he was extremely unwilling, he understood that the situation would not change because of his personal will. Looking back down the mountain, he saw that a considerable number of Han soldiers had gathered at the foot of the mountain, enough to form a force to charge out. He sighed and said to his men, "I never thought that our army's first defeat against Qi would be at my hands."
These words cast a shadow of sadness over everyone present. Guo Song was renowned in the army for his undefeated record, having never suffered a single defeat since joining the ranks. This sudden defeat would undoubtedly affect his reputation and future prospects. However, he quickly regained his spirits and declared forcefully, "But precisely because of this, gentlemen, you must be spurred on by shame! We must act as the vanguard, opening a path to survival for our soldiers!"
Having said this, he turned his horse around and galloped down the mountain, snatching the Han banner that had been planted on the mountainside. He raced to the foot of the mountain, passing by like the wind without stopping, and then, as the vanguard, charged straight at the Qi army blocking his way to the west. Seeing this, his followers were already filled with fervor and spurred their horses to catch up, following closely behind without regard for their own lives. They rode side by side, brandishing their swords regardless of the enemy before them.
Before them stood several layers of Qi troops, who had been hunting with arrows. Upon seeing the Han army suddenly break out, they immediately switched to wielding spears and swords, inflicting heavy wounds on many. However, perhaps because the Han soldiers fought in a line, though staggering and covered in blood, they remained seated on their horses, managing to clear a path. The Han troops behind them, without hesitation, followed their commander who was personally clearing the way.
Under the Qi army's surprise attack, the Han army had lost its normal command structure and was simply continuing to fight towards a common goal. When someone in the vanguard shouted, the Han soldiers blindly and recklessly joined in, a stark contrast to their usual silence. This startled the Qi soldiers, who saw many Han soldiers with their helmets missing, disheveled hair, and covered in blood, yet still shouting wildly at the sky like ghosts, their fighting spirit undiminished. They assumed they were possessed by some mountain spirit and, being superstitious, scattered and made way for them.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Guo Song felt a sudden opening in front of him. There were no enemy soldiers around, only the west wind blowing in his face, which dispersed the yellow dust kicked up by the horses' hooves and dried the sweat on his face. The shouts of the Han army naturally disappeared like the receding tide.
Guo Song knew he had successfully broken through the encirclement. Before he could even rejoice at his narrow escape, grief overwhelmed him once more as he looked around. During the breakout, more than half of his trusted men had perished. Yet, shoulder to shoulder, they leaned on each other, their bodies stiff and upright, even though they had bled to death, refusing to fall from their horses. (End of Chapter)