Jinting Han people

Li Xiong had been waiting for this moment for a long time. After making the appointment with Luo Shang, and even before the battle outside the city officially began, he had been watching from the city wall. The night was particularly hazy in the firelight, making visibility extremely poor. But when a winding and distinct plume of red smoke rose slowly from this indistinct darkness, Li Xiong felt a surge of energy. Immediately afterward, the sounds of fierce fighting could be heard for miles around.

Several of Li Xiong's trusted followers waited there with him. Seeing the fighting outside the city, their spirits were lifted, and the dejection they had felt from their recent setbacks vanished instantly. They urged Li Xiong to join the battle, saying, "Your Highness, what are we waiting for? This is the perfect opportunity to fight!"

In fact, at the corner of the city wall, countless armored soldiers were fully prepared and ready to go. They gathered on the street at the city gate, densely packed like ants in a line, all waiting for Li Xiong's orders.

Li Xiong was also excited, but he knew he needed to be calm and composed at this moment. So he suppressed his joy and waved to everyone, saying, "Don't panic, let me observe the enemy's formation."

Although Luo Shang had arrived as promised and engaged the Hanzhong army in battle, this did not mean that Li Xiong should immediately send troops to respond. In a sense, war is a precise mathematical exercise. Li Xiong needed to first determine the opponent's influence on the battle situation, and at the same time calculate how and from where he could break through to achieve better results.

He then carefully observed the Hanzhong army's defensive formation below the city. Due to the large number of troops that had been diverted to deal with Luo Shang, the Hanzhong army below the city was no longer sufficient to surround Chengdu from three sides. Therefore, they further contracted their lines, defending only the south and west of the city. The south of the city, being the closest to the battlefield, was particularly fortified. Roughly calculated, the ratio of troops in the south to those in the west was three to one.

From a purely strategic perspective, breaching the western defenses would be simpler, but the problem is that even success wouldn't help Luo Shang or change the overall course of the battle. If Luo Shang were repelled, they would still be besieged in Chengdu, facing certain death. However, a direct attack on the Hanzhong army south of the city would be difficult due to their advantageous terrain, making a breakout unlikely. What to do? Attack the junction on the southwest flanks? Or perhaps take a detour from the east?
Li Xiong quickly made up his mind. At this critical moment, he couldn't afford to be complacent. Detours would be a waste of energy; the enemy could easily change formations. What he needed to do now was to disrupt the enemy's formation as much as possible. Moreover, judging from the current situation, the enemy was likely to have deployed their most elite troops at the junction of the west and south sides of the city, while their main force, despite its numbers, might not be as strong. Therefore, Li Xiong decided to fight a desperate battle with his back to the river, launching a direct assault on the Hanzhong army along the waterway.

He immediately pointed in the direction of the attack and ordered the men: "Grand Tutor (Li Xiang) will defend the west, Grand Protector (Li Shi) and Minister of Works (Li Yun) will cover the rear, and the rest of you will follow me in the attack. I will personally lead the attack!"

After everyone agreed, Li Xiong emphasized again: "This battle is a battle for the survival of our army. Gentlemen, do not have thoughts of survival, but must be prepared to die! As long as we can win this battle, what does it matter if I die? There are always deaths in war, but as long as our descendants can still bring glory to our ancestors, it is all worthwhile. A true man should be upright and fearless in the face of death! Come, bring me my True Lord Banner!"

Then, a long-absent banner bearing the image of the True Lord of Peace suddenly appeared atop the city wall. The soldiers inside were initially astonished, but then cheered loudly, all captivated by their lord's charisma. The city gates opened abruptly, and the defending troops poured out in droves. Without hesitation, they rushed towards the densest concentration of enemy forces in the south, launching an unwavering attack on the Hanzhong army camp.

Just as Li Xiong had said, he ordered his guards to hold high the banner of the True Lord of Peace, and personally led the troops, with almost all the veteran soldiers gathered around him. He himself led the only thousand or so armored cavalry in the country, fully armed, tall, and wielding long spears; they were all warriors handpicked from among thousands. Behind him were also more than a thousand heavily armored longsword bearers, wearing iron helmets, iron collars protecting their faces and necks, clad in thick armor, and wielding long swords, advancing in dense formation.

Behind these men was the entire Chengdu army, which had been mobilized to its full strength, leaving no soldiers to guard the city. Li Shi led his troops at the rear, also serving as a supervisor; anyone who tried to escape would be stabbed to death and beheaded as a warning.

Standing atop the main camp's watchtower, Li Ju was greatly surprised to see Li Xiong's formidable force. Although he had made thorough preparations, he underestimated Li Xiong's resolve for a decisive battle. He hadn't expected Li Xiong to deliberately position himself in such a dangerous location, launching a preemptive attack on his strongest position. He had stationed a considerable number of garrison troops there, under the command of Fu Chang; though numerous, how could they possibly withstand Li Xiong's ferocious army?

Therefore, Li Ju hurriedly mobilized his troops, sending Wei Jun's forces to assist Fu Chang in defense. At the same time, he ordered Liu Shen's troops in the west of the city to attack the Chengdu army coming out of the city from the flank, in order to force Li Xiong to slow down his offensive.

It must be said that the offensive personally launched by Li Xiong was truly ruthless. They were well-equipped, fought fearlessly, and had their lord encouraging them. Braving a hail of arrows, they crossed the dug-out river channel. Once the two armies clashed, the Hanzhong army defending this side was no match. Many Guanzhong soldiers, skilled in long-range archery, used the wooden palisades in front of them to shoot many armored soldiers to death in the river. However, the enemy did not retreat, forcibly tearing open a gap and charging into their ranks.

These knights, wielding long spears, slashed and thrust left and right within the army, their horses galloping freely, leaving others no match. Especially the troops of Sikong Li Huang, who served as Li Xiong's bodyguard, often broke their spears when thrusting at the enemy with excessive force. Simultaneously, the enemy would be pierced by the broken spears, letting out a scream of fatal pain. Within just a few rounds, the garrison soldiers before them were scattered and defeated.

When Wei Jun led Wei Gai and others to the rescue, they were greatly surprised to see Li Huang's troops moving swiftly and decisively, scattering the Hanzhong army in the area. Wei Gai said to Wei Jun, "Uncle, I didn't expect there to be such brave warriors among the rebels. I must behead one of them to break their morale." After Wei Jun nodded, he spurred his horse forward, leading over a hundred cavalrymen, engaging the enemy in a long, serpentine battle. He himself, without pausing, charged straight towards Li Huang.

Seeing several enemy light cavalrymen charging towards him with spears, arriving in the blink of an eye, Li Huang knew they were no ordinary warriors. Turning his horse around was too late, so he took a risky gamble: he stopped his horse and planted his spear in the ground. As Wei Gai drew near, Li Huang aimed at the direction the enemy general was coming from, and with a sudden movement, narrowly avoided the fatal thrust.

At that moment, the two horses collided. Because they were too close, the long spears could not be used. In that split second, Li Huang actually grabbed the spear shaft with his left hand, pressed it down hard, and snapped the shaft in two with a crack!
He grabbed Wei Gai's left arm with his right hand, then picked up the broken spear and was about to stab him, but Wei Gai dodged quickly, and he missed twice in a row. Wei Gai turned around and drew a short knife from his waist, trying to stab the other man in the chest, but he also missed the opening. This gave Li Huang another chance. He used the broken spear tip in his hand to plunge it into Wei Gai's neck, and slashed downwards with force. Blood spurted out, and then Li Huang cut off his head.

Wei Gai was Wei Jun's nephew and a renowned warrior in the Hanzhong army. His death at the hands of Li Huang naturally shocked the troops, causing a wave of instability. Wei Jun, seeing this, was both anxious and furious. It was already broad daylight, and gazing at the banner of the True Lord of Peace not far away, he knew Li Xiong was personally leading the attack. If they couldn't hold him off, a rout was imminent! Thinking this, Wei Jun made a desperate decision and prepared to personally engage in battle. Unexpectedly, before he could act, a rider suddenly appeared beside him, blocking his way, and said, "Don't be hasty, let me try."

Turning around, they discovered it was Li Ju! He, as the commander-in-chief of this place, was also going to personally take to the field!

Li Ju's face remained calm as he pointed to the Chengdu army, which was swaggering in the distance, and said to Wei Jun and the others, "Li Xiong has personally taken to the front lines, so how can I stand aside? Now is the time, as my brother said, to see who is more willing to fight to the death."

Having said that, he drew his sword from his waist, just as he had promised, and rode forward on light cavalry. Behind him, thousands of infantry and cavalry followed like a torrent, their footsteps rolling through the muddy water, relentlessly filling the gaping wound. Among them were the elite troops of Hedong, personally trained by Li Ju, including Guo Song, Guo Fang, Jiang Ba, Duan Xiu, and Gou Yuan; almost all of them were now present.

Thus, at this very moment, the two most powerful forces in Li Ju's and Li Xiong's armies finally clashed without any cover.

Li Ju, riding a pure white mare, spurred his horse on its flanks and galloped relentlessly towards the enemy. His target was Li Huang, whom he intended to defeat first to establish his authority. Li Huang, already exhausted from the fighting, had been resting with his retinue when he saw several more riders galloping from the south. Judging by their armor and clothing, they seemed to be of high status. He chuckled and remarked, "Quite a few are going to their deaths." With that, he picked up a long spear from the ground, ready to fight the newcomers again.

This time, seeing that Li Ju held a sword but no spear, he adopted the simplest method: he gripped the spear shaft with his arm and used the horse's momentum to thrust the spear forward. But in Li Ju's eyes, Li Huang's movements were too slow. He barely slowed down; his white horse swept past him like a gust of wind. Only in the brief moment of bending down to dodge the thrust did he draw his sword with lightning speed. Even while drawing the sword on horseback, the force in his hand did not diminish in the slightest. The blade severed the spear shaft and flashed across Li Huang's neck, like a streak of light disappearing in an instant.

Li Huang did not feel any pain at first, but after riding his horse a few steps, he felt a wetness on his neck. When he touched it, he found that blood was flowing out in large gulps. Then he lost all strength and fell backward off the horse.

As one of the six dukes of Chengdu, Li Huang's death should have been a momentous event, but no one had time to cry out. After Li Ju charged into the enemy ranks, first came the chaotic flow of the cavalry, followed by the roar of the infantry, without a moment's pause, like the white spray of a waterfall falling from the sky. The Hanzhong army that followed clashed with the enemy forces without stopping.

Similarly, the soldiers of the Chengdu army had no interest in pondering who had died, how they had died, or even how many more would perish. They only heard someone behind them shouting, "Charge! The brave will prevail!" Then the banner of the True Lord of Peace fluttered, and they marched forward. In this state of mind, people were filled with excitement; they forgot everything, forgot death itself. They didn't know if the Immortal Hall truly existed, but at least they knew that someone beside them was willing to live and die with them.

In an instant, blades and arrows flew, the clanging of metal against metal was deafening, even drowning out the wind overhead. The battle lines became completely distorted and unpredictable. Battle lines collapsed and reformed constantly; death occurred almost every breath. In this chaotic battle, Li Huang's death was truly insignificant. People only had time to consider how to kill the enemy before them, and it was certain that important figures from both the Chengdu and Hanzhong armies had perished in the process. The only question was whether anyone would notice, until the battle ended.

Such a thunderous battle undoubtedly intensified the fighting in the south. Luo Shang was overjoyed to see Li Xiong going all out. He had initially hesitated, wondering if the other side would simply stand by and watch. Now, all his concerns were gone, and he finally decided to launch an attack on the left wing to further escalate the conflict. At the same time, he ordered the remaining troops, including Qiao Deng's, to take over the left wing and await his signal. Once Liu Xian's left wing was drawn out, Qiao Deng's troops would arrive first.

Judging from the current situation, Liu Xian's initial assessment was somewhat flawed. Despite the long-standing animosity between Jiangzhou and Chengdu, they completely set aside their past grievances and cooperated almost perfectly in the face of Liu Xian's immense threat.

However, Liu Xian's overall strategy remained unchanged. Even as Luo Shang finally began to contest the western front, and Huangfu Zhong, stationed on Liu Xian's western flank, joined the battle, Liu Xian had a clear understanding of the situation. In terms of the intensity of the offensive, Li Xiong had already exhausted all his resources. Although Luo Shang still had reserves, they weren't many enough. Their offensive was nearing its peak; if they could weather this storm, the enemy's attack would weaken over time. Liu Xian, on the other hand, clearly had more reserves. Considering the overall situation, Liu Xian still had more resources at his disposal.

In particular, more than two hours have passed since the start of the battle, and the sun has already risen in the clear blue sky, but Liu Xian's most relied-upon weapon for victory—two thousand armored cavalry—has not yet been deployed to the battlefield.

He was waiting for a decisive moment, not just to win, but to achieve a resounding victory—to capture Luo Shang alive. Before that, he needed to pinpoint Luo Shang's location. Therefore, he instructed Li Xiu to describe Luo Shang's appearance and attire in detail and relay this information to the generals of the vanguard, intending to ascertain his position within the army before capturing him in one fell swoop. However, with the war continuing, he had yet to receive any such information.

At noon, Luo Shang finally couldn't hold back any longer. He dispatched Qiao Deng to launch the first decapitation strike against Liu Xian. (End of Chapter)