Chapter 552: Fierce Battle at Renqiu

Although Xu Shuyi possessed some knowledge, he was ultimately a civil official with no combat experience. His military knowledge came solely from books. Having learned about the importance of striking swiftly, he had already received intelligence that the Anxi Army was ahead. Eager and anxious that morale might falter, he decided to crush the Anxi Army in one decisive attack. He believed he had 30,000 troops while the enemy had only 10,000; with high morale, he could gather their forces and annihilate them.

What he didn’t realize was that in war, morale was not the only factor—physical strength was equally crucial. In prolonged battles, stamina was the key to determining victory. He had led his troops on a long march from Huazhou without rest all day, especially during the last 50 miles. Upon hearing that the Anxi Army was ahead, he ordered them to speed up, promising generous rewards to those who defeated them.

Although morale was high, the soldiers’ stamina was severely depleted—a fact Xu Shuyi failed to notice. His focus remained fixed ahead, where he saw a vast army of 10,000 cavalry quietly lined up on the road. Under the cold moonlight, they resembled a pack of wolves waiting for prey. Their terrifying aura made Xu Shuyi gasp in shock, feeling an inexplicable sense of panic.

He couldn’t help but look back at his own army. His 30,000 troops also seemed overwhelming, appearing to possess immense force, which slightly reassured him.

At that moment, his troops slowed down. Suddenly, one of his guards shouted, “Lord, look! The Anxi Army has attacked!”

Xu Shuyi hurriedly glanced into the distance. Indeed, the Anxi Army had launched an attack. Like a sudden thunderclap, the ground trembled slightly. The Anxi Army surged forward like a raging flood or ghosts in the moonlight, charging from five miles away.

Panicked, Xu Shuyi shouted in a trembling voice, “Do not panic! Prepare for battle!”

His soldiers began retreating, fear evident in their eyes. This was the Anxi Army! Its reputation had penetrated deep into everyone’s hearts, filling them with innate fear.

“Brothers, don’t panic! General Xu has ordered a reward of 50 guan for each Anxi soldier killed!”

He was a general in his thirties, tall and robust, with dark skin and a thick beard. His name was Yu Juyuan. He had originally been the commander of the 30,000 troops from Guanzhong. Li Hen handed over these troops to Xu Shuyi, and Yu Juyuan followed him to Henan. The Guanzhong troops were renamed the Bianhua Army, and Yu Juyuan was stripped of his command by Xu Shuyi. If it weren’t for fear of Li Hen’s retaliation, Xu Shuyi would have killed him long ago. Although Yu Juyuan escaped with his life, he was completely powerless, without troops or position, becoming a idle man. This time, when Xu Shuyi launched a surprise attack on Chenliu, he was worried that Yu Juyuan might cause trouble in Huazhou, so he took him along.

At that moment, seeing the critical situation and realizing that Xu Shuyi couldn’t command battles, Yu Juyuan stepped forward. He rode his horse through the army, his voice booming like a bell, reaching every soldier’s ears.

“Archers, move forward and get ready to shoot! Cavalry, stay behind and prepare to attack! Spearmen, form up!”

Most of these soldiers were from the Guanzhong Army and had been under his command before. After a brief moment of confusion, they instinctively followed his orders. Five thousand archers stepped forward, drawing their bows with arrows slightly angled upward, aiming at the Anxi Army charging forward on horseback.

Six thousand cavalry were also ready, holding back their horses, whose hooves kept pounding the ground. There were eighteen thousand spearmen in total, arranged in one formation, standing firm and ready.

A great battle was about to begin…

The 10,000 Anxi cavalry were divided into three groups, like three sharp spears, charging straight at Xu Shuyi’s Bianhua Army. The Anxi Army was well-equipped, all wearing bright armor. Each cavalryman had a warhorse from Bactria, armed with swords, bows, and spears. Even their shields were made of lightweight steel, covered with two layers of thick cowhide.

Although Xu Shuyi’s army was three times larger, the Anxi Army still chose to attack first without hesitation. The power of cavalry lay in their charge, using unstoppable momentum to break through the enemy’s defenses and disrupt their formation.

The arrows they faced during the charge would inevitably cause casualties, but dying on the battlefield was the fate of warriors. The Anxi soldiers were fearless, charging at the enemy forces with a determination to die.

Three hundred paces… two hundred paces… one hundred and twenty paces…

The Anxi army had reached range of the Bianhua army’s archers. Yu Juyuan stared intently at them, biting his lips tightly. He was well aware that the Anxi army’s armor and shields were far superior to those of the Tang army in the Central Plains—extremely sturdy. Although 100 paces was within shooting range, it was still a bit too far; arrows found it difficult to penetrate their defenses. The optimal range would only be when they closed to 70 paces. Otherwise, given the speed of the Tang army’s horses, they wouldn’t have time to load arrows at 50 paces. Even if they fired another round at 50 paces, it would still result in heavy losses among the archers.

Yu Juyuan resisted the urge to give orders, but Xu Shuyi screamed frantically, “Fire the arrows! Fire them now!”

Yu Juyuan quickly turned around and shouted, “Lord, we can’t fire arrows now!”

“Damn you!” Xu Shuyi cursed, pointing his sword at him. “When did I give you command over the army? Speak again, and I’ll cut you down!”

Yu Juyuan gritted his teeth in anger and ignored him. Xu Shuyi ordered again, “Fire the arrows! Those who disobey will be executed!”

The drumbeat signaling the start of shooting rang out. Military orders were absolute, and the Bianhua army’s archers fired their arrows. In an instant, 5,000 arrows formed a cloud like dark clouds under moonlight, blocking the moonlight as they flew toward the Anxi army 100 paces away.

The arrows were aimed at the Anxi army’s left wing, which was leading the charge. At that moment, 3,000 Anxi cavalrymen raised their round shields and crouched behind their horses’ necks. Their shields were mainly meant to protect the horses.

A series of “click!” sounds could be heard as arrows rained down on the Anxi cavalry. As Yu Juyuan had predicted, from 100 paces away, the arrow rain could hardly penetrate the Anxi army’s light steel shields, nor could it easily pierce their bright armor. Yet, despite the thickness of their armor, over a hundred soldiers were hit, falling off their horses, or their horses were struck, collapsing and knocking their riders off, who then died under the horses’ hooves…

By the time the Bianhua army’s archers finished their first round of shooting, the Anxi cavalry had closed to 60 paces. Still unaware of the danger, Xu Shuyi shouted again, “Beat the drums! Shoot more!”

“We can’t shoot any more!”

Yu Juyuan roared in desperation, “Archers, retreat quickly! Cavalry, charge forward to fight!”

This time, Yu Juyuan ignored Xu Shuyi’s murderous gaze. He rushed into the archers’ formation and shouted at the soldiers, “Brothers, retreat quickly!”

But at that moment, the drums for archery sounded again—one command to retreat, another to shoot—leaving the soldiers at a loss. Those closer to Yu Juyuan began to retreat, but the archers farther away, unable to hear the orders, continued to draw their bows and shoot at the Anxi army. Although many soldiers gave up this time, still over three thousand arrows were fired. The Anxi army had already advanced to forty steps away. The arrows, with their great force, pierced through armor, causing hundreds of casualties among the Anxi forces. The cavalry at the forefront were thrown to the ground, horses cried out in pain, soldiers screamed in agony, blood flew everywhere, and chaos ensued in their ranks.

Xu Shuyi laughed triumphantly to the sky. Just then, a deep horn sound suddenly came from afar, echoing in the moonlight. It was Li Sheng, the commander of the Anxi army, personally blowing the horn to launch the attack. The left wing, which had just fallen into chaos, immediately stabilized its formation, like a tornado sweeping across the land, rushing fiercely toward the Bianhua archers.

Thirty steps might give other cavalry some time, but for the Anxi army, which had the best warhorses in the world, it was but the blink of an eye. Only then did the archers realize the Anxi army’s speed was extraordinary. Many of them screamed in terror. Xu Shuyi’s face turned pale with fear as he realized he had made a stupid mistake—retreating was no longer possible.

The more than 2,500 cavalry in the left wing rushed into the archers’ formation like a violent storm. They swung their swords, slicing heads off, and thrust their spears, piercing through bodies. In an instant, corpses lay everywhere and blood flowed like rivers. The Anxi army’s brutal slaughter scattered the archers in panic. At that moment, the right wing of the Anxi army also arrived. Together with the left wing, they acted like two sharp knives, squeezing the archers until blood flowed in rivers.

Xu Shuyi was stunned and forgot to order his cavalry to attack. Just then, some of the Bianhua army’s cavalry units took the initiative to attack without waiting for orders. Yu Juyuan led 2,000 cavalry at the forefront to confront the Anxi left wing. Yu Juyuan was more anxious than anyone else. The defeat of the archers would have a severe impact on the entire battle, especially in a night fight. He could see that the Anxi cavalry was highly adapted to night battles and had been thoroughly trained for them. Although their army was large, it lacked experience in night fighting. A strong combat ability and excellent night combat skills were enough to offset their numerical advantage.

If they failed to curb the unstoppable momentum of the Anxi army now, they would surely suffer a crushing defeat. Although Yu Juyuan knew that Xu Shuyi would not spare him afterward, to save his comrades’ lives, he had no choice but to take the risk.
Yu Juyuan swung his spear and roared as he led two thousand cavalry to confront the Anxi army’s left-wing cavalry. Only then did the commanders of the other cavalry units wake up from their stupor. Without waiting for drum signals or orders, they ordered their troops to charge and confront the Anxi cavalry.
Six thousand cavalry against six thousand cavalry—billows of yellow dust filled the air, the night was dim, and only silhouettes could be seen. Warhorses spun like carousel horses, and the sounds of battle cries shook the heavens…
Xu Shuyi stared at Yu Juyuan with a cold gaze, gripping his sword hilt tightly, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Hundreds of steps away, Li Sheng held his sword horizontally, watching the fierce battle ahead. The cold moonlight illuminated his face, casting a faint glow on his marble-like cheeks, which only emphasized the coldness and ruthlessness in his eyes.
Behind him, four thousand cavalry were arranged in a formation, perfectly disciplined. With extensive combat experience, Li Sheng recognized the enemy’s formation—archers, cavalry, and spearmen lined up in sequence. He quickly changed his tactics, stopping the charge of his four thousand central cavalry, intending to use them against the enemy’s nearly twenty thousand spearmen.
At this point, Li Sheng’s sharp eyes had identified the enemy’s weakness: poor command. The enemy archers were in disarray due to poor coordination, and their cavalry had attacked without orders. What did this imply? It meant there were two commanders.
Li Sheng narrowed his eyes, eager to know who was opposing Xu Shuyi. But with dust swirling across the battlefield, all he could see were dark silhouettes in the chaos. Then, an idea struck him, and he quietly ordered one of his generals to lead a thousand men away under the cover of darkness.
Suddenly, Li Sheng ordered, “Pass my command—the left and right wing cavalry should retreat!”
“Woo—woo!”
The sound of retreat horns rang out, and the left and right wing cavalry immediately switched to a retreat strategy, fighting their way back, like receding waves. In no time, they had withdrawn completely. Seeing this, Xu Shuyi was overjoyed and immediately ordered, “The entire army must pursue and utterly destroy the Anxi army!”
Yu Juyuan, however, shouted frantically, “No pursuit! No pursuit!”

He saw clearly that the Anxi army was not retreating at all. They clearly had the upper hand, yet they suddenly withdrew—there must be something wrong. Moreover, the enemy still had four thousand cavalry not yet deployed. How could this be considered a retreat? Although Yu Juyuan also didn’t understand why the enemy had withdrawn, one thing was certain: pursuing them would lead to defeat. If they chased after them, their cavalry and infantry would be separated and annihilated by the enemy.

Yu Juyuan led his cavalry in fierce battles against the Anxi army and had established prestige among his troops. In contrast, Xu Shuyi ordered his archers not to retreat, resulting in heavy losses among them and nearly the destruction of his entire force. The cavalry commanders all understood that the Anxi army had withdrawn because they had the upper hand. Under such circumstances, how could they pursue them?

The drums for pursuit kept beating, but not a single cavalryman moved; they all obeyed Yu Juyuan’s orders.

Suddenly, Yu Juyuan noticed another cavalry unit appearing three li west of the retreating Anxi army, with flags fluttering in the wind—seemingly numbering in the thousands. Shocked, he immediately realized that reinforcements for the Anxi army had arrived. These ten thousand Anxi soldiers alone had already made them unable to fight, and now with reinforcements, their defeat was certain.

Anxiously, Yu Juyuan turned his horse and rushed to Xu Shuyi, bowing urgently and saying, “Lord, the enemy’s reinforcements have arrived. If we don’t withdraw now, we will suffer a crushing defeat!”

By this time, Xu Shuyi hated him deeply, wishing to swallow him whole. Now, hearing him urge him to retreat, Xu Shuyi saw his chance. He gave a signal to his bodyguards, who rushed forward and pulled Yu Juyuan off his horse, pressing him to the ground. Xu Shuyi pointed at him and cursed, “This villain dares to undermine our troops’ morale! Bring him here—behead him!”

“Lord, you can’t kill me!” Yu Juyuan struggled desperately, but he couldn’t overcome the strength of dozens of men. They held him down, pulling his hair forward to expose his neck. With no bodyguards to help him, a single sword strike severed his head.

Silence fell over the Bianhua army. Thousands of people watched helplessly as Yu Juyuan was killed; many couldn’t bear to look and turned away.

Xu Shuyi’s anger still burned unbeknownst. With a furious shout, he ordered, “Use his head as a drumstick and beat the drums to launch an attack!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The terrifying drumbeats sounded again. This time, without Yu Juyuan’s interference, military orders became even more binding than mountains. The cavalry had no choice but to shout and spur their horses to chase after the Anxi army. The infantry behind them also followed, but as foot soldiers, they could hardly keep up with the cavalry. In moments, a distance of five or six li separated the two armies.

At that moment, the Anxi army stopped retreating. Li Sheng rode at the forefront, staring coldly at the pursuing cavalry. He knew that the man who should have been skilled in battle must have been killed.

“All troops, prepare! Charge again!”

He drew his sword, raised it high, and shouted loudly, “Let them taste the might of the Anxi cavalry! Kill!”

“Kill!”

The Anxi cavalry charged once more. This time, they showed no hesitation at all. With fierce determination, ten thousand cavalry charged like a tidal wave at the stunned five thousand enemy cavalry.

……

It was a night battle that took place in September of the first year of Qingping. Li Sheng led ten thousand cavalry to defeat Xu Shuyi’s thirty thousand Bianhe troops. Most of the thirty thousand soldiers were killed, eighteen thousand were beheaded, and nearly ten thousand surrendered. Xu Shuyi managed to escape back to Huazhou with barely more than two thousand men, while the Anxi army suffered fewer than a thousand casualties.