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The brave often die by blade and weapon; the wise often perish by stratagem. Li Le possessed neither bravery nor wisdom. Even his escape was sloppy and half-hearted. He was soon trapped by Fei Qian's forces to the north and Xiangling's infantry to the south on the eastern bank of the Fen River, finding no way to heaven nor earth.
Caught between north and south, this White Wave force quickly lost its will to fight, kneeling and begging for mercy.
Li Le, with some personal guards, attempted to slip away amidst the chaos along a side ridge but was spotted by Huang Cheng, who gave chase on horseback. Li Le couldn't outrun him nor fight him off, and was captured on the spot.
Immediately, Li Le and the other White Wave commanders, large and small, were bound and sent back to Yong'an, locked in the dungeons. The ordinary rank-and-file soldiers were placed under guard by Zhang Lie's troops below Yong'an City.
Cui Hou and Zhang Lie remained in Yong'an to handle arrangements and related matters. Fei Qian, Huang Cheng, and the Commandant from Xihe, after a brief reorganization, jointly led their troops towards Pingyang.
However, on this march to Pingyang, Fei Qian had an additional person by his side: Xu Huang.
During the Three Kingdoms period, it wasn't unusual for members of influential families to serve different lords, engaging in mutual conflict and alliances. Throughout the wars, even blood brothers kept clear accounts, showing no leniency due to family ties. Interestingly, this behavior was very much in line with the contemporary Han Dynasty's values and was considered praiseworthy.
The Zhuge family played this game most audaciously. Three brothers, three locations, each assisting a different lord. But in the end, they all seemed to have played themselves into ruin...
Such was the nature of loyalty to one's lord.
But Xu Huang seemed to have always been alone. Even into the late Three Kingdoms period, there were no records of Xu Huang marrying into any prominent family or binding himself to any political faction, maintaining his own integrity throughout.
When Fei Qian learned Xu Huang was coming, he personally went to greet him. Seeing Xu Huang had no mount, Fei Qian immediately offered his own horse. Therefore, when Fei Qian invited Xu Huang to join him in marching south to subdue the remaining White Wave forces on the western bank of the Fen River, Xu Huang naturally accepted gladly.
Glad he was, but he wasn't much for conversation.
Xu Huang!
This was Xu Huang! Proud, almost akin to Lord Guan. What in the world was one to do?
Fei Qian's mind raced with calculations. But having been in the Han Dynasty for quite some time now, he knew winning a person's loyalty was somewhat like wooing a girl in his past life...
Having wealth and influence naturally added points. Add a decent appearance and a little flirtation, and things could flow smoothly. But if one lacked in some areas and fell short in others, digging the canal to channel that "living water" wasn't so easy. Fei Qian wanted to invite Xu Huang to serve under him, but he felt the timing wasn't quite right and dared not broach the subject rashly, lest he leave Xu Huang with an impression of being rash and lacking judgment, which would be disastrous.
Fortunately, they could march together to Pingyang, which gave Fei Qian some comfort. Unfortunately, Xu Huang was naturally taciturn. He basically only answered when asked and could go half a day without uttering a word, leaving Fei Qian thoroughly frustrated...
Huang Cheng looked up at the sky and said, "Lord Fei, shall we make camp today?"
Fei Qian turned to Xu Huang. "Gongming, what do you think?"
Xu Huang bowed slightly with clasped hands. "I defer entirely to the Lord's decision."
Right.
That was how it was.
Fei Qian sighed mournfully in his heart but couldn't say anything. Just as he was pondering, a squad of horsemen galloped up from ahead. Among them was Ma Yue.
"Zidu, what's the situation at Pingyang?" Fei Qian beckoned Ma Yue closer and asked.
Ma Yue shook his head. "The White Wave ant-bandits are attacking fiercely... Yesterday, I took advantage of their carelessness and charged into their rear camp. But our forces were too few; I dared not engage for long..."
Fei Qian asked again, "What about the Xiongnu?"
"No interception," Ma Yue said. "They didn't even send out scouts."
Everyone's gaze focused on Fei Qian. Should they not make camp and charge straight over, seeking a quick victory through speed? Or first set up camp, rest for the night, and march tomorrow, seeking victory through steadiness?
Fei Qian pondered for a long time, then said to Xu Huang, "Gongming, how is your horsemanship?"
Xu Huang's steady face betrayed no expression. "Reporting to the Lord, it is passable."
"Good! Zidu, Gongming, you two each take two hundred cavalry, on the left and right flanks. Shuye will command the vanguard. I will lead the center and rear armies. We march south immediately to annihilate the White Wave at the Fen River and achieve complete victory!"
×××××××××××××××
On the battlefield, under the gazes of onlookers filled with shock or joy, north of Pingyang City, amidst the churning dust cloud, rows of dark figures flickered in and out of view...
A short while later, orderly ranks emerged from the dust. Row upon row, column upon column. Swordsmen and shield-bearers marched at the front, their half-man-high large shields painted with ferocious faces. Spearmen followed closely behind, their forest of spearpoints gleaming coldly. Cavalry guarded the flanks, advancing unhurriedly, protecting the formation's sides...
Why do orderly military formations always exert such a powerful, awe-inspiring force?
Because whenever one sees a neatly arrayed army marching forward, ordinary people feel as if they are about to face not individuals, but this entire mass of soldiers. They can't help but feel a sense of dread.
Especially the poorly trained White Wave soldiers. Under the psychological pressure of such a formation, waves of unrest rippled through their ranks.
The White Wave's entire combat focus was on the side facing Pingyang City. While there were some chevaux de frise and traps in the rear camp, those were only meant to defend against Ma Yue's hundred-some cavalry. Facing Fei Qian's mixed-force army of multiple types, those obstacles were practically child's play, offering little use.
Yang Feng made a decisive decision. He ordered all troops attacking Pingyang to withdraw and prepare to defend using the camp's wooden walls. Though the camp the White Wave Army had set up wasn't much, it was still better than being exposed on open ground with no cover.
Moreover, if he could just slow down the advance of these attacking troops, the Xiongnu cavalry stationed northwest of Pingyang could deliver a heavy blow to them...
He still had a chance!
"Anyone causing disorder will be executed!" Yang Feng roared loudly, doing his utmost to organize his troops to huddle within the camp for defense...
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Inside the Xiongnu camp, the man in the black robe, with his personal guards, rushed to Yu Fuluo's tent. He wanted the Xiongnu to send out troops and coordinate with the White Wave Army. That way, they still had a fighting chance. Otherwise, though the White Wave camp might seem to have many people, most were commoners. The White Wave Army alone certainly couldn't withstand the attack!
As long as the Xiongnu were willing to send troops, the roughly four thousand newly arrived soldiers wouldn't be able to change the current situation.
Although Hu cavalry weren't as formidable as Han cavalry—unable to achieve combat ratios of one against three in small engagements or one against five in large formations—the three thousand-plus Hu cavalry under Yu Fuluo's command were at least equivalent to four or five thousand infantry!
This was unquestionable. If Yu Fuluo sent out his troops, the outcome of this battle was still unknown.
Seeing Huchuquan standing before the tent, the black-robed man said urgently, "Quickly have the troops assemble and exit the camp, prepare for battle! It'll be too late if we delay!"
Huchuquan also nodded repeatedly but said, "This matter still requires the Chanyu's order... Why don't you go in and tell the Chanyu yourself?"
The black-robed man, suspecting nothing, immediately nodded. He lifted the tent flap and walked in. The light inside was dim. The black-robed man's eyes couldn't adjust immediately. When he could see, he discovered the bed platform was empty—no one was there!
Suddenly, the black-robed man sensed a fierce gust of wind behind his ear. By the time he tried to dodge, it was too late. He was struck hard on the back of the head by Yu Fuluo wielding a scabbard and collapsed unconscious.
Yu Fuluo smiled, stepped on the black-robed man, fetched some rope, and tied him up securely in a few moves. Then he drew the blade from its wolf-fang-wrapped scabbard, placed it against the black-robed man's neck, dragged him out of the tent, and shouted loudly, "Anyone who dares move, I'll cut his head off first!"
Outside the tent, the black-robed man's personal guards were already surrounded by Yu Fuluo's soldiers. Seeing their master captured, they looked at each other for a moment, then lowered their hands and gave up resistance...