Zhao Hanzhang mounted her horse. She led the Zhao Family Army cavalry, while Beigong Chun led the Western Liang Army, and together they pursued eastward.
Prince Donghai had brought too many people and too much baggage, moving slowly. Many common people and family members were abandoned along the road, yet they dared not scatter in all directions because the Xiongnu army was pursuing the main force. If they dispersed into the fields, no one knew if they might accidentally encounter the Xiongnu troops. So even when they fell behind, everyone desperately fled eastward.
To escape with their lives, noble ladies and young masters scrambled together with commoners and soldiers in complete disarray. At this moment, no one cared about distinctions of status.
In the chaos, Wang Huifeng’s ox cart had fallen behind. She only caught up when they stopped at the camp to rest. Lady Wang Si was just about to leave the tent with her sword when she saw her. Her eyes immediately reddened. “Elder Sister, I was just about to search for you…”
Wang Huifeng hurried forward two steps and embraced her, hands trembling as she consoled her: “It’s alright, it’s alright. Where is Father?”
Lady Wang Si wiped away a tear and said, “At the Prince’s tent.”
Wang Huifeng immediately headed toward the Prince’s tent, but she was stopped before she could get close. Wang Yan quickly came out.
Seeing that his daughter had been found, he breathed a light sigh of relief and nodded. “Good that you’ve returned. Go accompany your younger sister. She’s been terrified by the journey’s hardships.”
Wang Huifeng pressed her lips together and asked, “Father, the troops are unsettled. We must have the Prince come out to restore military morale and boost the soldiers’ spirits. That Shi Lei has only fifty thousand men, while we have over two hundred thousand. As long as morale is rallied, we can certainly repel the enemy.”
She continued, “If we keep fleeing in this chaotic manner, I fear all two hundred thousand of us will become nothing but fish on the chopping board.”
“I know. You go on now, I will handle restoring morale.”
Wang Huifeng let out a breath, bowed in acknowledgment, and withdrew. Halfway back, she couldn’t help but pause, her expression changing slightly.
“Elder Sister, what’s wrong?”
Wang Huifeng grabbed her sister’s hand tightly, her lips trembling slightly. “Just now, Father said… he would restore morale?”
Lady Wang Si nodded. “Yes, why?”
Wang Huifeng’s lips quivered, and after a long moment she shook her head. “Nothing. Let’s go back.”
Returning to their tent, Wang Huifeng also had someone bring her a sword. She said to Lady Wang Si, “Keep a sword on your person. Even if we cannot fight the enemy on the battlefield, at least in the end we can choose our own fate, rather than suffer humiliation.”
“How could it come to that? We have over two hundred thousand people, and that slave Shi Lei has how many?” Lady Wang Si swung the sword in her hand, her gaze fierce. “Though I’m not as formidable as Hanzhang, I’m not someone who can be bullied at will.”
Wang Huifeng nodded, but remained deeply worried. She suspected that Prince Donghai had died.
Prince Donghai had indeed died. His carriage had overturned during the escape. At first he seemed unharmed, but he was already gravely ill, and this shock left him both frightened and enraged. He suddenly lost consciousness.
His condition in the carriage was already critical.
That’s why they had no choice but to stop and camp at this location. Just moments ago in the main tent, Wang Yan and the others had just seen off Prince Donghai.
Prince Donghai died with great unwillingness. He never imagined he would die not in Luoyang, nor in Donghai Commandery, but out here.
And in such a humiliating manner.
So before dying, he clutched tightly at Prince Xiangyang’s and Wang Yan’s hands, saying to them: “It was Gou Xi who forced me to this end. You must avenge me, you must avenge me!”
Wang Yan said nothing, but Prince Xiangyang’s tears streamed down his face as he directly agreed, “Your Highness, rest assured. I will certainly kill Gou Xi to avenge you.”
Wang Yan thought to himself: Even Prince Donghai couldn’t kill Gou Xi—what makes you think you can?
There were too many things to criticize, so he simply said nothing at all.
Prince Donghai breathed his last in unwillingness, unable even to close his eyes.
Wang Yan sighed and closed his eyes for him, stopping Prince Xiangyang who was about to wail loudly. “Absolutely no loud mourning at this time. The Prince’s death from illness must not be spread outside.”
Prince Donghai was advanced in years and had begun building his tomb and coffin two years ago. The tomb aside, the coffin had been brought along with the army.
This proved convenient now—he could be placed directly in it for burial. Apart from Prince Donghai’s trusted confidants, no one knew he had died from illness.
“That Shi Lei is pursuing us relentlessly. We cannot linger here long. I’ll go restore order among the troops and we’ll depart immediately.”
But with over two hundred thousand people—soldiers, officials’ families, servants, and common people all mixed together—their speed was extremely slow. They couldn’t move even fifty li in a day. Meanwhile, Shi Lei was pursuing with light cavalry. The reason he had paused along the road, giving them an extra day to flee, was first to rest, and second to wait for Liu Yuan’s other forces to arrive.
Over two hundred thousand people! Even on the wide official road, they stretched for several li, not to mention all the baggage and goods they carried.
So Shi Lei decided to divide his forces and surround them, cutting them off before killing them.
Shi Lei’s main objective was Prince Donghai, so he directly bypassed the endless trailing columns behind, circled around from the side, and cut them off from the front.
The front section—that was where most of the Dajin court was located. Nobility like Prince Xiangyang and scholarly officials like Wang Yan were all at the front.
Zhao Hanzhang and her forces were also pursuing with light cavalry and soon caught up with the tail end, just as Wang Zhang was leading his army to attack.
Zhao Hanzhang and her troops reined in their horses from afar, watching the Dajin soldiers and civilians on the official road fleeing desperately, naturally also seeing the billowing yellow dust approaching from the opposite direction.
Trapped in the middle, the Luoyang common people dragging their baggage and families to escape were struck with terror. Unable to bear it any longer, they directly dropped the baggage in their hands, dragged their families, and ran for their lives. “Run! Run! The Xiongnu are coming!”
Baggage instantly littered the ground everywhere. Everyone stumbled and rushed forward.
Zhao Hanzhang and her forces didn’t act rashly, but instead glanced at the stretching columns and frowned. “Completely disorganized, without the slightest preparation. The front and rear cannot coordinate. Once the rear is attacked, the front won’t be able to come to their aid. I fear the fleeing masses will crush them.”
Beigong Chun also nodded. “If the Commander wishes to rescue them, we must separate them, scatter them into the fields, then we can block the Xiongnu army.”
Fu Tinghan said, “Making them separate is easy, but if they scatter in a routed state, it will also be difficult to preserve their lives. Moreover, it’s not good for either our offense or defense.”
“Then have people guide them.” Zhao Hanzhang said, “Use cavalry to lead them in an orderly withdrawal from the battlefield.”
Beigong Chun was stunned. “How do we lead them?”
Zhao Hanzhang replied, “Simple—use flags to guide the way. The only question is how to avoid the area where we’ll be engaged in battle with the Xiongnu.”
Fu Tinghan said, “Leave that to me. Give me fifty men to command.”
Zhao Hanzhang immediately agreed. “Very well.”
Seeing the approaching yellow dust growing closer, Zhao Hanzhang mounted her horse and selected fifty men for Fu Tinghan. She then ordered, “All troops, hear my command! Intercept the Xiongnu and allow the people to evacuate!”
“Yes!”
Beigong Chun and Zhao Hanzhang kicked their horses’ bellies and led their armies in a galloping charge. The people on the official road were so frightened their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground, but this force swept past them along the side, charging toward the surging enemy army approaching from the opposite direction.
Someone among them could read characters. His eyes widened as he pointed at a flying banner: “Zhao! The Zhao Family Army! We’re near Yuzhou—this is the Xiping Zhao Family Army. It’s Zhao Hanzhang! Zhao Hanzhang has come to rescue us!”
“Elder Brother, look—behind them is the Western Liang banner!”
“It’s General Beigong! It’s the Western Liang Iron Cavalry! We’re saved! We’re saved!”
Watching the chaotic, scattering masses, that person immediately shouted loudly, “It’s the Zhao Family Army and the Western Liang Army! We’re saved!”
He scrambled to his feet, gathered his breath from his dantian, and sang out in a resonant voice: “The great horses of Liangzhou, unmatched throughout the land. The owl-banners of Liangzhou dispel bandits; the owl-banners flutter, striking fear into men!”
—