Chapter 25: The Xiongnu Attack

Under the moonlight, at the onset of night, the minor Xiongnu king Liu Hetu led several dozen cavalrymen at a slow pace, followed on foot by more than two hundred herdsmen.

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he had followed Yufuluo in leading the Xiongnu volunteers to assist the Han court in quelling the unrest. However, following a coup within their own borders, the noblemen of the Xiutu-Ge Xiongnu faction declared independence. Unable to return home, Yufuluo’s group could only petition Emperor Ling to dispatch troops to suppress the rebellion. The matter dragged on until the Emperor passed away and the realm fell into chaos. After drifting between various factions, Yufuluo only managed to return home and ascend the throne as the new Chanyu after the self-proclaimed Chanyu died of old age.

Last year, the Right Worthy Prince Liu Qubei raised an army to protect the throne. During his absence, Chanyu Yufuluo passed away due to illness, and his younger brother, Huchuquan, succeeded him. Liu Bao, the son of Yufuluo, became the Left Worthy Prince, and with the subsequent reorganization of internal Xiongnu affairs, Liu Hetu’s status plummeted. Huchuquan was a man of stern character, favored by the Xiutu-Ge nobility. Consequently, Liu Hetu intended to move further south, breaking away from Huchuquan’s control.

Only by leveraging external forces could he safely lead his followers in this migration. Liu Hetu felt neither awe nor hesitation regarding the prospect of attacking the Huben—the Imperial Guards. Having followed the late Chanyu Yufuluo, what great scenes had he not witnessed? With the Han Emperor reduced to his current state, what was there to fear? Liu Hetu only wanted to complete this task successfully before considering his next move.

After traveling more than ten *li*, the vanguard cavalry waited by the roadside, and he urged his horse forward. His son and son-in-law, who had been scouting ahead, approached while holding torches. His son, Liu Ping, looked up and said, "Father, these Huben are unprepared. They were planning to join forces with the garrison Commandant Ma Ying and the North Bank Cavalry Commandant Xu Huang to attack the Jishan bandits, likely for training purposes. Ma Ying and Xu Huang did not agree; there are currently about six hundred to seven hundred men in their camp."

His son-in-law, Song Qian, added, "There is no movement from the garrison or Jiangyi. However, there are over thirty boats along the bank, requisitioned during the day to transport grain for Xu Huang. It is said they are to be used again tomorrow."

"Are the boats on the south bank?"

"Yes, all on the south bank. Even if Xu Huang wanted to assist now, crossing the river would be difficult."

"Excellent."

Liu Hetu turned to his son, Liu Ping: "What of the scouting toward Xinwen?"

"I did not dare to go deep. I have stationed my third brother at Zijin Mountain to monitor the main road. If a large force moves north, he will light a fire and produce smoke!" Liu Ping hurriedly added, "My third brother has over twenty men there, and I have strictly instructed him to retreat immediately after lighting the fire."

"Good. I only feared that Li Le would violate our agreement."

Liu Hetu turned to his son-in-law: "You take your men ahead. Once I initiate the attack here, you are to light fires and surround Jiangyi to harass the garrison, so they will not dare to move lightly."

"Understood!" Song Qian replied loudly. He was well aware that the Huben ranks were filled with the sons of powerful local families who maintained close ties with the garrison officers.

Their goal was never to kill, but to abduct and coerce the powerful families of Hedong into yielding, tacitly allowing them to migrate south of the Fen River for grazing. The drought that began last year had affected all Xiongnu tribes, though the Fen River basin in Pingyang was somewhat better off. In the Xiongnu tribes of Wuyuan, Xihe, and Shangjun, vast herds of livestock had died, and grain harvests had failed. The strength of these tribes had been so greatly diminished that when they went out to raid, many herdsmen and slaves could only follow on foot.

As the night wind blew, a Xiongnu scout crept close to the Huben encampment, observing that the gates were closed and unguarded. The campfires on either side of the gate were dying, and no one came to add fuel. In the center of the camp, a blazing fire burned in the open drill yard, where dozens of men sat eating and drinking. Smaller fires burned in the various sub-camps, providing dim illumination. After scouting, the scout bowed low and retreated. Other scouts checked the sides; this was, after all, a permanent camp built of rammed earth, not a makeshift site in the wilderness. The effectiveness of the perimeter reconnaissance was limited, as much remained obscured by the lack of light.

As the scouts returned one by one, Liu Hetu, Liu Ping, and a dozen kinsmen and tribal warriors gathered together. Liu Ping felt anxious; these were, after all, the Han Huben, sons of Hedong's powerful families.

Having fought many grueling battles, Liu Hetu was accustomed to this and warned repeatedly: "Do not hold back. Our goal is to capture them and force their fathers and brothers to yield. Living men are useful, and corpses are useful too."

The tribal warrior Lidang had already donned his helmet—a bronze piece that was a family heirloom. It was topped with three vibrant pheasant feathers, giving him an arrogant appearance, yet his expression betrayed concern: "If we kill too many, even if they agree to our southern migration, they will seek revenge."

Observing the others, Liu Hetu stood by his position: "If we hold back, the fighting will drag on, and both sides will surely suffer heavy casualties. Have no doubts; fight with all your might. Cut down their brave leaders, and the rest will settle themselves."

"Yes!" The group responded, rising one by one to gather their weapons.

Liu Hetu mounted his horse and gestured with his whip. There was no sound of drums or horns; the leaders, kinsmen, herdsmen, and slaves moved forward on foot. Under the moonlight, a dozen Xiongnu men crouched and moved forward, lifting the two wooden gate panels to move them aside.

"Light the fires!" Liu Ping commanded in a low voice. As the torches were lit, Liu Ping shouted: "Sound the horns! Raise the fires and take the camp!"

Two horn-blowers beside him blew with all their might. Lidang led ten riders in a direct charge at the gate, followed by ranks of infantry brandishing swords, spears, halberds, and torches, all shouting and howling.

"Kill!" Lidang led the charge, spear in hand, heading straight for the campfire in the drill yard. The yard was roughly a hundred paces square. Just as his horse reached full speed, he saw several men aiming crossbows at him.

Lidang did not dodge; he did not believe that in the dark, and in such haste, they could hit him.

Zhao Ji fired his crossbow, not bothering to check the result, and immediately handed it to Yang Ji at his side. With his left hand, he grabbed a composite bow handed to him by another villager, and with his right, he nocked an arrow for rapid fire. A dozen spearmen and shield-bearers also stepped forward, casting short spears.

Dozens of arrows and bolts brought down only three riders. By the time Lidang reached the drill yard, the volley of short spears descended. He had no time to turn or dodge, so he could only swing his spear with all his might, luckily deflecting one short spear. At this moment, his excitement faded, and fear flooded his soul. Before he could turn his horse, Zhao Ji drew his bowstring to eighty percent and sent an arrow into Lidang’s throat.

Without checking the outcome, Zhao Ji fired five more arrows in quick succession, seeing the mass of Xiongnu infantry charge into the drill yard, at which point he discarded his bow. By then, the running Xiongnu began to fire arrows, and the Huben soldiers lying in ambush behind the low walls of the side camps rose up, stabbing with spears, throwing stones, or firing crossbows.

Several arrows landed beside Zhao Ji. An archer at his side was hit in the shoulder and retreated into the crowd. Zhao Ji picked up an iron halberd, held it in both hands, and roared: "Beat the drums!"

The hesitant drummer finally struck his waist drum, and Zhao Ji stepped forward, shouting: "Kill with me!"

They could not allow the main body of Xiongnu infantry to reach the drill yard; they had to be contained so that the ambushers in the side camps could inflict maximum casualties! The camp layout was simple: the gate faced south, shaped like the character 'jia'. The upper 'tian' section was the drill yard, the middle vertical line was the passage, and on either side were rows of barracks forming sub-camps.

As the Xiongnu suffered continuous losses, their command was bound to falter, making quick reactions difficult. Without time for explanation, Zhao Ji led the heavy spearmen and shield-bearers forward to meet the enemy.

A Xiongnu rider, already wounded, saw the two banners on Zhao Ji’s back and pulled his reins to turn, attempting to charge from the flank. Before he could build up speed, a short spear pierced his back, and he fell from his horse. Wei Xing, having thrown his spear, vaulted over the low wall: "Quickly, kill the thieves with me!"

In the few seconds he stood on the wall, several Xiongnu archers who had rushed into the drill yard turned and fired at him. Wei Xing was hit in the chest but only staggered; he jumped off the wall, raised his spear, and charged into the fray toward a small group of Xiongnu.

In the neighboring sub-camp, Wang Zhi took a deep breath, struggling to calm himself. His commander of troops stepped forward, asking urgently: "Shall we defend, or join the battle?"

"Battle!" Wang Zhi drew his sword. "Once we repel the Xiongnu, I will settle my score with Pei Qi!"