Around Yanmen Pass, mountains rose and fell in endless succession, with thousands of peaks and countless ravines. It guarded the northern frontier against the outer territories while connecting southward to the Guanzhong region. Beacon towers responded to each other across vast distances, and strategic passes linked together – since ancient times, this had been a vital strategic location contested by military commanders.
After the Xiongnu Liu Jian established Western Liang, he occupied Yanmen Pass. Relying on this stronghold, he harbored great ambitions. In previous years, he had repeatedly plotted to march south and attack Chang’an, seeking to occupy the Guanzhong region. When these plans failed, he shifted his focus eastward. When his marriage proposal was rejected, he competed with Murong Ti for territory. The two sides clashed and fought several battles, each winning and losing in turn.
These two nations that had been mutually warring were now united through marriage alliance due to a common enemy.
Liu Jian, the Xiongnu who had been Emperor of Western Liang for several years, was far from foolish – in fact, he was extremely shrewd.
The territory he occupied extended not only beyond Yanmen Pass but also included parts of Bingzhou. He knew that Li Mu would inevitably turn his spear point toward him sooner or later. Now Murong Ti, whose calculations had fallen short of heaven’s will, had suffered a great defeat at Li Mu’s hands. Disgraced and humiliated, he had surrendered the Central Plains territory around Luoyang and actively sought an alliance, offering marriage as a gesture of goodwill. This would allow Liu Jian to both embrace a beautiful woman and combine their military forces to eliminate Li Mu, removing future threats. How could he miss such an opportunity?
Originally, when he had sought marriage with Murong Zhe, she had rejected him with disgust, making him a laughingstock. Now the Murong clan was seeking his favor, and Murong Zhe had fallen into Li Mu’s hands – she could only return through his help. How could mere words describe his satisfaction?
The previous loss of Luoyang was like losing a high-stakes gamble for Murong Ti.
That battle had not only cost him all popular support in the Central Plains and greatly diminished his prestige in the Yan state, but had also severely damaged his actual military strength.
Aside from an advance force responsible for delivering hostages, the main Yan army and corresponding logistics supplies were still on the road, unable to reach their destination.
Just at this time, Liu Jian received news that Li Mu had suddenly dispatched troops northward, seemingly heading toward Yanmen Pass – clearly targeting him. He hastily summoned his subordinates, and after deliberation, they settled on a strategy. On one hand, he sent a message to Li Mu claiming he would exchange Murong Zhe for the Eldest Princess and her son. On the other hand, he assembled his army in strict battle formation, waiting for the Northern Yan forces to arrive so they could join forces and swear to destroy Li Mu outside Yanmen Pass.
…
Li Mu led his army from Chang’an, heading north through Yongzhou into Bingzhou, marching directly toward Yanmen Pass.
In the deep autumn of the north, the closer they got to the frontier, the more the air filled with swirling sand and endless withered grass.
This northern official road connecting Chang’an, Yongzhou, and Bingzhou had been established in the early years of the Dayu dynasty’s founding. Along the route were distributed dozens of large and small prefectures and counties. In earlier years, these areas had been densely populated with bustling markets. But now, after repeated trampling by barbarian cavalry and slaughter and pillaging, the army saw sparse human habitation and desolate villages everywhere along their northward march. On the road, aside from occasional groups of refugees fleeing with their families, even the wild dogs were emaciated and dying by the roadside. The deathly stillness and extreme desolation were shocking to behold.
It wasn’t until half a month later, as they gradually approached Yanmen Pass, that more refugee figures appeared on the road.
Two years earlier, to consolidate Western Liang’s territory, Liu Jian had forced many people who couldn’t escape in time to relocate their entire families to Yanmen Prefecture to increase the population. They were made to build cities for him and serve as slaves. At that time, there were over ten thousand people, including not only Han Chinese but also civilians from the Di, Jie, Xianbei and other tribes. Over these two years, with deaths and escapes, only about a thousand remained.
Though the battle had not yet arrived, as Xiongnu cavalry gathered at Yanmen Pass, these thousand-plus laborers, like startled birds, had already sensed the scent of war. Even if they didn’t flee, they would be conscripted as slave soldiers, with only death awaiting them. Starting half a month ago, these people began fleeing from the garrison towns where they had been temporarily settled. Many naturally died under Xiongnu blades, but some lucky ones escaped and traveled in groups toward Chang’an. When they encountered this northbound army and learned it was Li Mu’s Yingtian Army, they saw it as salvation and knelt by the roadside begging for help.
Li Mu ordered military physicians to treat the injured and sick refugees, and gave the others directions to Chang’an, treating barbarians and Han Chinese equally. On this day, they reached a pass called Shikou.
This place was only a few hundred li from Yanmen Pass. The garrison town Liu Jian had designated for the hostage exchange was located between Shikou and Yanmen Pass.
After the long forced march, the soldiers were exhausted. Li Mu ordered the army to temporarily make camp so the soldiers could rest, while he took several men, changed into civilian clothes, and went ahead to scout the terrain of the garrison town.
The garrison town had previously been a trading post on this ancient road, where merchants from all directions gathered to trade goods. It had once been bustling with traffic and constant flow of people. Later, due to warfare, it had fallen into ruin. In recent years, it had become a temporary settlement for those forcibly relocated here as slaves. Day after day, sand storms eroded the area. Now the city walls had collapsed and been buried by sand. The remaining yellow mud civilian dwellings inside the city that hadn’t yet been buried by sand were low, dilapidated, and utterly desolate.
That day when Gao Huan encountered Gao Qiao in the enemy camp, he knew that even if his uncle hadn’t yet rescued his aunt and her son, they must be nearby. This gave him considerable peace of mind. But thinking of the heavily guarded enemy and that his uncle was ultimately outnumbered, with no good news coming so far, he felt somewhat anxious. So when he learned Li Mu wanted to secretly scout the garrison town, he immediately requested to go along.
Several men spurred their horses and reached the destination in half a day. As they approached, they dismounted and proceeded on foot. From a distance, they could see long, strip-like objects hanging high at the town entrance, swaying in the wind. The wind carried a faint stench of rotting flesh.
Drawing closer, they could finally see clearly that the yellow mud walls and wooden stakes at the town entrance were covered with hanging corpses, and the ground was littered with bodies – hundreds of them. There were men and women, old and young. The smallest appeared to be only a few years old.
Judging from the tattered clothing remaining on the bodies, they should all be townspeople who had tried to flee in recent days but been caught and brought back by Xiongnu soldiers.
The corpses had already rotted and swollen, their faces horrifying. A flock of crows perched nearby, pecking at the rotting flesh. Seeing several living people approach, they let out strange cries and took flight, but continued circling overhead, unwilling to leave.
The air was thick with putrid stench, and the sight was like a living hell.
These several followers were all hardened warriors who had followed Li Mu through life-and-death battles and walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, but faced with such a scene, their expressions still changed slightly.
Gao Huan was also accustomed to battlefield slaughter, but in such circumstances, he momentarily couldn’t breathe. His stomach churned violently, and he couldn’t help retching several times. After steadying himself, he straightened up and said angrily, “These Xiongnu beasts! They must have known we’d come here and deliberately left these corpses to intimidate us! When we catch these Xiongnu, if we don’t tear them to pieces, it won’t satisfy the hatred in my heart!”
Li Mu surveyed the surroundings, passed through the corpses, and entered the now-empty town. After examining it thoroughly, he finally climbed the highest hill nearby, stood at the top, gazed around thoughtfully for a moment, then left the town without a word, leading Gao Huan and the others back.
At dusk, as they gradually approached the military camp, they saw a group of over ten refugees walking ahead on the road. Hearing hoofbeats behind them, they turned back, saw several horses approaching fast, and quickly moved aside.
As Li Mu passed this group of refugees, he glanced back at two people at the rear of the group and suddenly slowed his horse, stopping.
Seeing him stop, Gao Huan also reined in his horse and followed his gaze. He saw two men walking barefoot, carrying shabby belongings, following the others with lowered heads. They wore ragged clothes, their skin darkened and roughened by the sun, with sorrowful expressions. They looked no different from the other refugees they had encountered on the road these days.
Gao Huan was somewhat puzzled.
Li Mu watched the two men approach. When they reached him, he ordered his followers to stop them and said coldly, “You’re Wugan’s men, aren’t you?”
He spoke in the Xiongnu language.
Wugan was the commander Liu Jian, Emperor of Western Liang, had sent to guard Yanmen Pass. He held the position of Left General of Western Liang, with two commanders of ten thousand cavalry under him, plus multiple commanders of thousands and hundreds. He was one of Liu Jian’s capable generals.
During the previous war between Western Liang and Northern Yan, Murong Ti’s famed “invincible” armored cavalry had been defeated by Wugan’s forces. This time, Liu Jian had sent him as the vanguard to exchange hostages with Li Mu, showing his trust in him.
When the two men were stopped, both showed bewildered, frightened expressions. They immediately knelt and kowtowed repeatedly. One of them pleaded bitterly, “We’re both Han Chinese! We were forcibly captured by the Xiongnu to do hard labor. Our families are all dead. We’ve only just managed to escape. We don’t understand the Xiongnu language and don’t know what the officer is saying.”
Li Mu looked at Gao Huan beside him and continued in Xiongnu, “Kill them!”
Most Xiongnu had appearances similar to Han Chinese. With their hair bound up, different clothing, and learning to speak Chinese, they could easily blend in among Han people and be difficult to identify.
Gao Huan understood this principle. But he really couldn’t see how these two differed from the other refugees, and didn’t know why Li Mu was certain they were Xiongnu spies. However, seeing his serious expression and decisive tone, though puzzled, he reflexively dismounted and placed his hand on his sword.
Before drawing it, he hesitated and looked at Li Mu again.
Li Mu kept his eyes fixed on the two men whose faces were gradually changing color and shouted, “What are you waiting for! Kill them!”
Gao Huan shuddered, responded affirmatively, and no longer doubted. He immediately stepped forward.
Just as he drew his sword, the two men exchanged glances, suddenly threw down their burdens, turned and ran. Their movements were agile and lightning-quick, but they couldn’t outrun the two arrows that whistled after them.
The arrows were shot by Li Mu.
One man was struck in the back, the arrow piercing through his chest. He fell dead on the spot.
The other man – the one who had been protesting his innocence – Li Mu seemed to deliberately spare his life, shooting only through his knee. After a scream, the man fell but rolled several times and actually got up again, limping away with his injured leg. His path was blocked by Gao Huan and several companions.
Li Mu ordered his followers to interrogate the man.
Accompanied by screams, the man soon confessed under torture. He admitted he was indeed one of Wugan’s subordinates, actually a commander of a thousand cavalry. Because his appearance resembled a Han Chinese and he could speak Chinese, he had been sent to infiltrate the refugee groups. Originally planning to scout Li Mu’s army details, he hadn’t expected to be caught before reaching his destination. He also revealed that Liu Jian had instructed Wugan to use false hostages during the exchange to see if they could deceive Li Mu. Since the Han mother and son were extremely useful, they really didn’t want to release them. As Wugan’s confidant, he knew this secret.
Gao Huan was furious. Seeing Li Mu didn’t stop him, he killed the Xiongnu spy with one sword stroke and said, “Brother-in-law, we must be extremely careful then and not fall for their trick!”
Li Mu frowned slightly, turned to look in the direction of the garrison town they had come from, pondered for a moment, and said, “Sixth Brother, do you have confidence in what your father-in-law said about being able to rescue your mother-in-law?”
Gao Huan was startled, then immediately replied, “Naturally!”
Li Mu nodded, “I also trust your father-in-law.”
Having followed Li Mu for several years, Gao Huan had accompanied him on military campaigns, eating and sleeping together. From the initially somewhat impetuous noble youth, he had gradually become a deputy general under Li Mu’s command. His understanding of Li Mu had grown daily. He immediately asked, “What does brother-in-law mean by this?”
Instead of answering, Li Mu asked him, “Do you know the purpose of this campaign?”
Gao Huan immediately replied, “To annihilate Murong Ti and this Xiongnu Liang state! Even if they’re lucky enough to survive, they won’t dare or be able to advance south again in the future!”
Li Mu said, “What you say is correct. My army has traveled far to get here. The purpose of this battle is to annihilate the allied forces of these two states, not merely defeat them. If you were the commander, how would you deploy troops?”
Gao Huan hesitated, then seeing Li Mu’s encouraging gaze, gathered courage and said, “Barbarian cavalry are excellent, especially in such open terrain where their power is even greater – they can’t be underestimated. To annihilate the enemy, first, when facing them directly, we must achieve decisive victory. We can only win, not lose – this way our army’s morale will soar while crushing the enemy’s confidence. Second, we need rear attacks and ambushes, striking from front and back simultaneously to catch them off guard and achieve victory.”
“Brother-in-law, am I right?”
After speaking, he looked at Li Mu with anticipation mixed with slight nervousness.
Li Mu smiled slightly and nodded, “What you say matches my thoughts exactly.”
Gao Huan showed joy and relaxed, then heard him continue, “So this time, during the hostage exchange, we needn’t expose their deception.”
Gao Huan was startled again. Li Mu motioned him closer and spoke to him in low tones. Gao Huan’s eyes gradually brightened.
“To boost morale, Wugan will certainly bring elite cavalry as backup during the exchange. If we can turn their plan against them and completely annihilate this vanguard elite force in one stroke, our chances of winning this battle will be even greater.”
“This subordinate is willing to take on this mission. I can sign a military order – if I fail, I’m willing to die as apology!”
Gao Huan immediately knelt on one knee and formally requested the assignment.
Li Mu told him to rise and gazed at this young, spirited face before him. After a moment, he nodded, “I had exactly this intention. You’re the Eldest Princess’s nephew – sending you is logical and will dispel the enemy’s suspicions. As a precaution, I’ll send someone else to gather intelligence about your mother-in-law.”
This was the first time Gao Huan would independently command such an important battle. He suppressed his excitement and nodded solemnly.
The followers had already disposed of the two bodies and returned from the roadside. Unable to contain his curiosity, Gao Huan asked, “Brother-in-law, those two men earlier looked no different from ordinary people to me. You only passed by them – how did you know they were spies?”
Li Mu replied, “Although the refugees along this route include able-bodied men, none were like these two. Though they appeared raggedly dressed, their muscles were solid and powerful, and their lower bodies were especially stable. Another thing that confirmed their identity was that both men had bow-legs and walked with splayed feet.”
Gao Huan suddenly understood and exclaimed, “Of course! Xiongnu start riding horses as children. Especially cavalry spend more time on horseback than on ground all year round. Over many years, many develop legs like this! If only one of those two men had been like this, it might have been coincidence, but both being the same way – there was definitely deception!”
Li Mu laughed, “Exactly. That’s why I became suspicious and had you kill them. After testing them once, they revealed their true nature. Today’s luck was quite good – we gained something. Let’s go back to camp now and immediately summon people to finalize detailed plans. Speed is essential, delay inadvisable. Prolonging this would give Murong Ti and the Xiongnu forces a chance to unite, and second, if those two men don’t return, it might arouse Wugan’s suspicions.”
Gao Huan’s admiration for his brother-in-law was complete. He quickly took the reins of Wuzhui from a follower and respectfully helped Li Mu mount, then followed closely behind as they galloped toward the military camp.