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Li Min laughed heartily, pointing his long sword at the panicked soldiers hastily forming ranks on the opposite bank of the Ying River. "Is this what they call an ambush?" he scoffed. "No barricades, no crossbows—just a few spears and short blades. What use are they?"
The main reason for his confidence was that Li Min had already seized a number of warhorses from Dong Zhuo's army. Having tasted this sweet victory, he found it hard to resist going for more. Though some of the captured horses were injured, after some rest and recovery, seventy or eighty would still be fit for battle. If he could take possession of the hundred or so horses now resting behind the enemy's infantry lines, he could assemble a cavalry force of nearly a thousand…
Scattered cavalrymen could at best fight one against two or three, but when organized into formation, they could take on one against five—or even more. During the Han Dynasty, the more cavalry a commander had, the stronger his army became. The difference in combat effectiveness between a few hundred cavalry and a thousand was nearly exponential.
Watching the exhausted enemy riders dismount and observing that the opposing infantry lacked any archers, Li Min concluded that once his forces crossed the river and crushed these five or six hundred men, the already-fatigued cavalry would be trapped like turtles in a jar…
The thought made his heart itch with impatience, and he immediately ordered his troops to ford the river and pursue.
Though the enemy on the opposite bank had only five or six hundred men in formation, this was nothing like a chase. In a pursuit, the fleeing side only needed to outrun their pursuers to avoid death, while the pursuers faced little risk unless their horses stumbled.
But a pitched battle was entirely different. Engaging in formation meant a fight to the death—for both sides.
No matter the advantage, blades and spears cared little for superiority. Even the winning side could not guarantee zero casualties. In the Han Dynasty, where medicine was scarce, even a minor wound could lead to fatal infection.
Though Li Min's men believed they would ultimately triumph, the first wave of attackers would inevitably fall on the banks of the Ying River, staining its waters red. The fruits of victory would never be theirs.
Their purpose was to use their flesh and blood to tear apart the enemy's formation. The sooner they broke their foes, the greater their own chances of survival.
Li Min was not foolish enough to send his limited cavalry charging across the river. Instead, he first ordered his arriving infantry to form squares, positioning archers by the riverbank to prevent enemy attacks during the crossing. Once the infantry had secured the opposite bank, they would make way for the rest of the army…
Perhaps out of fear, lack of archers, or some other reason, the five or six hundred Dong Zhuo troops—arranged in a distant line—showed signs of unrest but did not move to stop Li Min's forces from crossing.
Li Min's infantry soon waded through waist-deep water, enduring the biting wind as they spread out to clear space for the next wave.
Then came the second wave. Dong Zhuo's troops seemed to consider attacking, advancing a dozen steps before halting. Their uneven movements left their formation crooked and chaotic…
Seeing this, Li Min pointed at the disorganized enemy and said to Zhang An, "Do you see? Their formation is broken. One strike, and they will collapse!" He then ordered his cavalry and archers to cross the river.
The wind howled, and though the river was shallow, the icy chill of wet clothes gnawed at the men.
Knowing this, Li Min wasted no time. He commanded his vanguard to engage while dividing his eight hundred cavalry into two flanking detachments, preparing to encircle the enemy…
War drums thundered. Li Min's front-line shield bearers marched five steps, slammed their shields into the ground, then lifted them again in a rhythmic advance. Their battle cries echoed along the Ying River, their synchronized footsteps shaking the earth.
Dong Zhuo's troops seemed to despair. Already outnumbered, they now faced encirclement. Their formation grew increasingly disordered…
When the two sides were barely a hundred paces apart, Dong Zhuo's men suddenly let out a collective roar—and scattered in full retreat. The cavalry, who had been hiding behind the infantry, scrambled onto their horses and fled in chaos.
Li Min's front-line troops, ready for a bloody clash, were momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.
Even the usually cautious Zhang An was speechless. The battle had turned into another chase…
What followed was predictable: Dong Zhuo's small force fled toward the mountains, pursued by Li Min's men. Stragglers were cut down, their heads becoming prized trophies.
This time, Li Min's cavalry reaped even greater rewards than before. Spotting a lagging enemy soldier, a rider would charge forward, slash him down, dismount, and casually sever the head to hang from his horse's neck before chasing the next target…
The infantry could only watch enviously, sprinting desperately to claim whatever they could before the battle ended—even scavenging discarded armor, weapons, and banners along the way.
Li Min followed with the central army, advancing until they rounded a small hill. Suddenly, thunderous drums boomed, followed by a mighty roar. A banner rose beside them, bearing the words: "General of the Household—Xu."
Xu Rong sat astride his horse beneath the banner, watching Li Min's overextended forces with an impassive expression. With a wave of his hand, the air filled with the sound of ten thousand wasps taking flight—a sky-darkening hail of arrows rained down on Li Min's central army.
Then, from behind the hill, rows of Xiliang cavalry emerged, brandishing sabers as they charged downhill, hacking left and right. They split Li Min's central army in two…
Li Min shouted frantically, ordering his men to form up and resist. But only those nearby could hear him, barely managing to cluster together and raise trembling weapons. The rest of his army, now in complete disarray, had no hope of hearing his commands.