The Despicable Warlords of the Three Kingdoms

Beyond the Great Wall, at the edge of the vast mountains, one could look out toward the north and see the boundless grasslands stretching into the distance. The autumn wind howled, dark clouds roiled, and the withered grass, unable to withstand the strong winds, let out hoarse, mournful cries.

Suddenly, amidst the roaring autumn wind, the sounds of fierce battle could be heard. Upon closer listening, the clash of swords and spears, the shouts of men, and the neighing of horses could be faintly distinguished. A gust of wind swept through, and the whistling northern wind drowned out everything.

At the edge of the grasslands, at the foot of the mountains, a unit of Han soldiers stood in shining armor, neatly arrayed. About two hundred soldiers formed a formation, advancing and retreating in unison under the cover of their shields. Opposing them were nearly three hundred Xianbei cavalrymen. Despite the cavalry advantage, the Xianbei had gained little from their earlier assault.

The Xianbei had initially thought they could use the powerful impact of their cavalry to break the Han army's formation and swiftly kill the few Han soldiers. However, the Han army's volleys of arrows had caused the Xianbei to lose dozens of men before they even reached the formation. Even those cavalrymen who did reach the front found it difficult to break through the shield defense.

The failed tactic brought the strength of both sides closer. The Xianbei had to change their strategy. While mounted archery wasn't common in this era, some among them were skilled riders. The Xianbei quickly organized these men to use the mobility of their cavalry to shoot arrows at the Han soldiers while riding swiftly around them.

A group of Xianbei suddenly accelerated, charging from hundreds of meters away towards the Han formation, drawing a large arc as they swept past the front of the formation. As these cavalrymen moved swiftly, the Xianbei's arrows flew continuously towards the Han soldiers, causing casualties among them.

The Xianbei seemed to taste victory and divided their nearly three hundred men into three groups. The central group drew the Han army's attention, while the two flanks each had a hundred cavalrymen who launched periodic surprise attacks. The Han soldiers, caught between defending the left and right, as well as facing threats from the front, found themselves overwhelmed and struggling to cope.

Although the Han soldiers had the protection of their shields, their casualties continued to rise. The shield formation was currently the most effective method the Han army had to counter the grassland cavalry, but the disadvantages of infantry fighting cavalry were glaringly obvious. They could only defend passively and had no chance of launching an attack.

The commander of this Han unit was a tall, robust Han army Sima named Liu Zhan, who wielded a large saber. Seeing his soldiers continuously fall, Liu Zhan frowned. At this rate, the situation would become dire. The formation was growing thinner, and if the Xianbei cavalry launched another charge, the formation would undoubtedly be broken. At that point, the scattered Han soldiers would be slaughtered.

This couldn't continue; a solution was needed to escape this disadvantageous situation. After thinking for a moment, Liu Zhan realized there was no better option—he would have to charge into the fray alone.

He was the only one with a horse in the entire Han army. Sending infantry to attack was out of the question. With this in mind, Liu Zhan beckoned the military marquis, Gao Shun, to his side.

"Gao Shun, if this continues, we won't hold out for long. Once the formation is broken, the fate of these soldiers is obvious. The only option now is for me to charge out alone. You'll stay here and command the troops. When you see me intercept the Xianbei cavalry from the end of the formation, take advantage of the confusion to shoot down as many of the enemy as possible. Whether we succeed or not, we'll leave it to fate. I estimate it'll have some effect."

Although Gao Shun wasn't as tall as Liu Zhan, he was very sturdy. Recently promoted by Liu Zhan, the 19-year-old Gao Shun was highly skilled in martial arts and had been entrusted with important responsibilities, rising from a squad leader to a military marquis.

"This won't work, Sima Liu. Even though your martial skills are exceptional and no one can defeat you in a direct fight, facing three hundred cavalry alone will exhaust you, even if they don't manage to kill you. Besides, if your horse gets hit by a stray arrow, that could be truly dangerous. Without horses, how could we possibly rescue you?"

Gao Shun's concerns were valid. If Liu Zhan charged out alone, the enemy might not confront him directly but would likely rain arrows from a distance, keeping him occupied. However, Gao Shun's last statement, though pessimistic, turned out to be prophetic—things would end up going about as he feared.

"Gao Shun, look at the situation. Can we drag this out any longer? Every wave of the Xianbei's mounted archery is causing deaths. It's been nearly two hours, and the soldiers are exhausted. The problem is that we can't retreat until the enemy withdraws. They're cavalry—swift and nimble. We're infantry, and dragging this out is suicide. My mind is made up; follow orders!"

With Liu Zhan's determination clear, Gao Shun had no choice but to obey. He called two platoon leaders over, gave them new battle instructions, and prepared for the upcoming combat.

The Xianbei were becoming increasingly cunning. The three groups of cavalry moved in coordination: the central cavalry began moving first, followed by the right flank, and lastly, the left flank.