"My Lord, we are approaching the Huai Si Depression," a deputy general of the White Wave Army pointed ahead to General Murong Kang of the Yan dynasty.
"Huai Si Depression? The barbarian place names are truly peculiar," Murong Kang mused, gazing forward.
Murong Kang had led five thousand elite White Wave soldiers to Guangling Commandery, ostensibly to aid in the battle but in reality to oversee it. Meanwhile, Murong Bole led the main army in attacking Guangling Commandery, besieging it for over four months without success. Murong Kang thus held Murong Bole in contempt, having sent numerous unfavorable reports to the Yan court, and intended to showcase his own formidable fighting prowess.
Scouts had reported that the Xia reinforcements arriving from the northwest of Guangling Commandery numbered only two to three thousand, mostly local militia. Murong Kang decided this rabble would serve as an excellent appetizer and training exercise, a feat he could later boast about to Murong Bole and Murong Huiying.
The elite cavalry under Murong Kang, the five thousand White Wave soldiers, actually took their name from the Han dynasty, specifically from the forces of Guo Tai and others among the Yellow Turban remnants during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han. Guo Tai and his group had risen in rebellion in Baibo Valley, Hedong Commandery, in Sili, and their forces were known as the White Wave Army. Murong Kang's five thousand White Wave soldiers all rode white horses and wore white cloth tied to their helmets, symbolizing their readiness for a fight to the death at any moment. These five thousand White Wave soldiers, having followed Murong Kang through numerous campaigns, were indeed an elite unit within the Yan army.
"The barbarian place names are strange, and the people are equally strange," the deputy general remarked.
"How so?" Murong Kang inquired.
"Like the Xia army and people of Guangling Commandery, knowing they were outmatched, yet they stubbornly defended the city. In the end, did they not still suffer defeat and death?" the deputy general chuckled.
The Xianbei employed warfare differently from the Xia, especially when operating beyond the frontier. If a single attack failed, they would retreat swiftly, and if they failed to gain an advantage, they would slip away without engaging in prolonged conflict. Furthermore, the frontier was largely a vast grassland with few cities or fortifications, making the concept of a desperate defense of a city or fort almost nonexistent.
"Defeat and death? That's not necessarily true," Murong Kang dismissed with a sneer. "Over two hundred thousand troops, besieging a mere Guangling Commandery for four months, and still unable to capture it! This truly diminishes the might of our Great Yan. Did you not witness it this morning? Guangling Commandery was already in ruins, its defenders mere remnants, yet they still couldn't take it. It's utterly laughable!"
"My Lord speaks wisely!"
"If the army were under your command, it would surely capture the city of Guangling immediately!"
"Indeed, indeed!" A chorus of flattery erupted from the White Wave generals, showering Murong Kang with praise.
Suddenly, the sound of horses and panicked cries filled the air. "Not good, the barbarians are attacking!"
At that moment, everyone heard a great commotion, followed by chaos in the front ranks of the White Wave Army, with shouts and neighs of horses. An express rider galloped towards Murong Kang and reported, "My Lord, the barbarians are attacking the front lines!"
"How many men?" Murong Kang asked, surprised.
"About fifty horsemen," the scout replied.
"Fifty riders?" Murong Kang was both angered and amused, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Fifty men against five thousand elite White Wave soldiers? They wouldn't even be enough to whet the White Wave Army's appetite.
"Kill them all, leave none alive!" Murong Kang ordered. "Let's go and see!" He waved his hand, urging his white lion horse forward and galloping towards the front lines. The White Wave generals and their personal guards followed closely, spurring their horses.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians!"
"Stop him, stop him!"
"Ouch, these barbarians are fierce!"
Even before Murong Kang reached the front lines, chaos had erupted, with men and horses falling. A young Xia general in red robes was leading fifty horsemen in a charge. Though outnumbered, the Xia forces acted like a sharp blade, cutting through the Yan army's vanguard with lightning speed. Under the leadership of the young red-robed general, the fifty riders first sliced the Yan vanguard into two sections, from left to right, preventing them from reinforcing each other. Wherever the fifty Xia riders struck like a sharp sword, they inflicted grievous wounds, causing men and horses to tumble. The young red-robed general was particularly ferocious, riding a pure white steed, clad in a crimson battle robe and chainmail, wearing a helmet with a horned crest and a red tassel trailing behind. In his hand, he wielded a zhang-eight iron halberd, capable of thrusting, chopping, smashing, and slicing.
The fifty riders under the young red-robed general charged into the Yan ranks with immense power, irresistible to anyone in their path. The Yan vanguard was in disarray. The cavalry attempted to loose arrows, but the soldiers were entangled, and the enemy was too few. Firing arrows now might hit their own men before the enemy. Indeed, several Yan cavalrymen loosed arrows, but due to the swiftness of the Xia cavalry, they ended up shooting many of their own comrades.
"Kill!"
"Kill him!"
The principle of capturing the leader first applied. Three Yan generals, seeing the ferocity of the young Xia general, were angered and, brandishing their weapons, charged together to capture or kill him, believing that the fifty riders would then collapse.
The young red-robed general, Min Wuyan, showed no fear. Gripping his halberd tightly with both hands, he met the charge. He first let out a mighty roar and swung his halberd towards the head of a Yan general. The Yan general hastily raised his saber to block, but Min Wuyan's blow was immensely powerful. The crescent-shaped blade snapped the enemy's saber haft in two, and its momentum continued, smashing the general's head into his chest. The Yan general's body swayed on his horse for a moment before toppling from the saddle.
After killing one Yan general, Min Wuyan again gripped his halberd with both hands and, with lightning speed, thrust it at a Yan general charging from his right. Min Wuyan's halberd moved like a dragon, piercing through the Yan general's chest and impaling him. With a roar, he flung the general several paces away. Min Wuyan's martial skill was superb, his aura like a surging rainbow. He had instantly killed two Yan generals, causing the third charging general to falter. He feigned a slash, ducked low on his horse, and avoided Min Wuyan. As their horses passed each other, they were out of the range of long weapons. Just as the Yan general let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped danger and intending to return to his own lines and hide among the crowd, Min Wuyan swiftly lowered his halberd, drew his bow, and turned to loose an arrow.
With a "whoosh," Min Wuyan's arrow flew like a meteor, striking the Yan general's back. The general's iron armor could not stop the arrow, which pierced through it. The Yan general cried out in agony and fell from his horse.
"Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians!"
Min Wuyan's prowess was so great that all who faced him fell instantly. His fifty cavalrymen were greatly emboldened, their courage soaring. Wielding their sabers, they followed Min Wuyan, charging through the Yan ranks as if no one could stop them.
"Who is this man? Like Lu Fengxian of the Three Kingdoms!" Murong Kang, who had just arrived, exclaimed in astonishment, turning to ask those around him. From that moment on, Min Wuyan acquired the moniker "Little Fengxian," which spread among the Yan people.
"State your name, general!" A Yan general, eager to curry favor with Murong Kang, bravely rode forward and shouted.
"Min Wuyan of Hedong!" Min Wuyan replied loudly before continuing his charge.
"Min Wuyan of Hedong?" Murong Kang suddenly felt a surge of admiration and ordered, "Do not shoot him with arrows, capture him alive!" Murong Kang's order greatly aided Min Wuyan and his fifty riders, allowing them to charge and retreat through the Yan ranks with no one able to stop them.
"Chase him, chase him!"
"My Lord wants him alive, don't let him escape!"
Min Wuyan and his fifty riders had fought fiercely within the Yan ranks, then broke out from the right. The Yan army, unwilling to let them go, shouted and pursued, provoking Min Wuyan's fury. He turned back to fight again, charging into the Yan ranks once more. Caught off guard, the Yan army was again pierced through from right to left by Min Wuyan's force. After Min Wuyan led his men out of the Yan formation, the Yan army, fearing another charge, formed their ranks. However, Min Wuyan then led his men away, charging up a slope, and quickly disappeared into the woods.
"Charge up there!" Murong Kang, furious, ordered his troops forward, wanting to capture this "Lu Fengxian of the Three Kingdoms."
"My Lord, the mountain is high and the woods are dense, beware of a barbarian ambush!" A Yan general, sensing danger, shouted to dissuade him. The enemy numbered only fifty riders. They had charged through the Yan ranks twice, exploiting the Yan army's surprise and confusion. The best approach would have been to send a hundred riders to engage them. Now, to capture these mere fifty, the entire army was charging up the slope. If the Xia army had set up an ambush using the cliffs and forests, the losses would outweigh the gains. Furthermore, cavalry were best suited for open terrain; in dense forests, they were less effective than infantry.
Murong Kang, a seasoned "veteran" general, was suddenly enlightened by the Yan general's reminder. He then dispatched a flag bearer with about a hundred cavalry to ascend the slope. Murong Kang had two objectives: first, to capture Min Wuyan, and second, to ascertain the Xia army's strength and see if there was indeed an ambush in the dense forest ahead. As for whether these hundred cavalrymen would be lost, Murong Kang was indifferent.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians!"
"Ah!" In less than half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, shouts of battle and dying screams echoed from the mountainside woods. Those waiting below, Murong Kang and the other Yan soldiers, exchanged glances, their faces etched with four words: "There is indeed an ambush."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians! Slay the barbarians!"
Just as Murong Kang hesitated whether to send reinforcements, the sound of drums and horns suddenly blared from the mountain. Simultaneously, countless banners waved in the mountain woods, covering the entire mountaintop. Then, something, be it men or objects, rolled down the mountain, kicking up dust like dragons, charging towards the White Wave Army from above. The earth trembled and the mountains shook, giving the impression that there were at least a hundred thousand Xia troops on the mountain.
"Go!" Murong Kang cast a hateful glance behind him, then whipped his horse and fled in disarray. His five thousand White Wave soldiers crowded around their commander, galloping into the distance. On flat ground, cavalry had the advantage. If they couldn't win, they could flee with the speed of wind. For infantry to annihilate cavalry on the plains was as difficult as ascending to heaven. If the Xia infantry pursued, the Yan army might even turn back and counterattack.