The two platoon leaders agreed and led their men in a desperate resistance. The general, judging from his voice, was very young, but skilled and brave in battle, leading several hundred men straight into the heart of the enemy. He carved a clearing in the previously narrow space, allowing his main force to enter the battlefield. The Xiongnu army numbered only 3,000, while the Xiongnu appeared to have at least 5,000. Fighting on flat ground was disadvantageous for the Xiongnu. However, the young general, while fighting, constantly assessed the situation and issued new orders, gradually turning the tide of battle.
After observing for a long time from halfway up the mountain, Xiang Yu nodded in praise, saying, "This man is both wise and brave; he is a first-rate general."
I asked, "How does it compare to you?"
Xiang Yu laughed and said, "There's no comparison, we're not the same style. It's good that this man can use military tactics flexibly, but I only believe that the brave will win when they meet on a narrow road. When ambushed, the worst thing is to hesitate. If I were him, I would only need to take the lead and charge into the enemy's territory, and the enemy could be defeated within half an hour. The way he fights while also worrying about his soldiers only makes him miss the opportunity to win the battle."
Yu Ji covered her mouth and laughed, "Your Majesty, you are mistaken. Not all armies are the same. Everyone in our army knows that Your Majesty is brave and invincible, so they will naturally be victorious in every battle if they follow you. But if other armies run forward without the commander's order, how can their subordinates understand what he means?"
Xiang Yu smiled slightly: "That's true."
I exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, sister-in-law is quite the expert!"
At this moment, the young general had also rushed to the center of the enemy ranks. He held a long sword in his hand, his movements swift and cold, and even the rugged Huns could not withstand him. In the blink of an eye, he had cut down several more of them. The more I looked at this man, the more familiar he seemed. Looking at his long sword again, a name almost slipped out of my mouth.
Just then, a fierce general among the Xiongnu soldiers, seeing his men fall from their horses one after another, flew into a rage and swung his spiked club fiercely at the young general. The young general remained calm, deftly parrying the attack with his sword. Suddenly, for some unknown reason, his body jerked on his horse, as if he had suffered some extremely painful injury, and he stumbled. The Xiongnu's spiked club was about to strike his head when he desperately tilted his head to the side, causing his helmet to fall to the ground, revealing a head of long, black, flowing hair…
I finally jumped up: "Sister Mulan!" At the same time, Xiang Yu also shouted: "It's Mulan!"
I said in annoyance, "No wonder she looked so familiar. I recognized her from her sword."
Even now, we can't clearly see this person's face. But back when Mulan fought alongside us against Lei Laosi, we were quite familiar with her figure and mannerisms. Add to that her long hair, and it's definitely Mulan. As for why she suddenly lost her grip during the fight, well, that goes without saying—poor Mulan's stomach ailment flared up again.
Mulan's helmet fell off, and the Hun soldier, seeing an opportunity, swung his club again. Mulan's stomach ailment flared up suddenly, the pain almost causing her to spasm. She clutched her stomach with one hand and barely managed to use her other hand to parry the enemy's blows with her sword. Although she wasn't injured, she finally fell from her horse. Her men, unaware of what had happened, erupted in uproar, and the Huns seized the opportunity to regain the initiative on the battlefield.
Although Xiang Yu and Hua Mulan often bickered and argued, the five of them plus two others had a very deep bond. At this moment, he had already mounted his horse, spear in hand, and shouted, "Black Tiger!"
The burly man in black armor stood up, lifting his meteor hammer: "Here!"
"I order you to lead 5,000 men down the mountain to ambush those soldiers from behind. Remember, do not let a single one escape!"
I thought to myself that Black Tiger was really unlucky to follow Xiang Yu; he had to do all the hard and tiring work all by himself.
But when Black Tiger heard that there would be fighting even in a different location, he excitedly replied, "Yes, sir!"
Xiang Yu then said, "500 guards, mount your horses and prepare to charge with me."
Without him saying a word, the 500 ugly guards had already mounted their horses. These guards were essentially the commander's personal guard company, and I had seen many of them before. Most of them were battle-hardened elites selected from the Jiangdong army; only 500 were chosen from hundreds of thousands of men. I had witnessed their prowess during the Battle of Julu. However, back then, Xiang Yu only brought 100 guards against Zhang Han's 100,000-strong army of 30,000, but this time he brought them all, showing how desperate he was. The 500 guards mounted their horses, brandishing their swords; the horses were like dragons, and the men… each one uglier than the last.
Over there. Mulan fell from her horse, tumbled to her feet, and brandished her sword again. But having lost her horse and suffering excruciating pain in her body, she stumbled and staggered through the chaotic ranks, every second filled with danger. I cried out anxiously from the mountaintop, "Sister Mulan, hold on a little longer, we're coming to help you..."
Xiang Yu said, "Don't shout. Do you want to reveal her secret that she is a woman?" After saying that, he led the way and rushed down the mountain.
I quickly shut my mouth. In my panic, I had forgotten all about it. Besides, Mulan doesn't recognize us yet; even if we called her, she wouldn't acknowledge us.
Yu Ji asked in surprise, "So that general was actually a girl?"
Seeing her eyes darting around, I quickly raised my hand and said, "Don't bother, sister-in-law. It's true she's a girl, but she's already said that Brother Yu can only be a friend. Don't go running off to play matchmaker again."
Yu Ji spat, "Do you think I'm so eager to play matchmaker for the King?" Then she sighed softly, "Actually, what woman would willingly push her husband into another's arms? It's just that I've never been pregnant before. But now it's different..."
I sighed deeply: "Why didn't my wife ever mention trying to get me to date other girls before she got pregnant?"
Xiang Yu, leading 500 elite guards, charged down the mountain with lightning speed. Those fighting on both sides below were completely taken aback; the ambush on the mountain was something they had never expected. In any battle, both the Xiongnu and Mulan would scout the terrain. The 3,000 Xiongnu hiding in the forest was already a considerable feat, one reason why their numbers were small. The mountain was bare; whether anyone was hiding was immediately obvious. Both sides had likely already scouted the area. So, at this moment, they almost forgot about the battle, staring blankly at the mountain. Xiang Yu led the charge with imposing grandeur, followed by 500 ruthless warriors, while 50,000 Chu soldiers cheered and shouted on the mountain. The Xiongnu soldiers and Mulan's forces were both terrified, all thinking the same thing: if these people were coming for them, then they were truly doomed!
It's like two people drinking, and they've already had about 70-80% of their drinks. Then another person drinks two jin (1 kg) of alcohol. Who do you think would drink with them?
Xiang Yu shouted, "General Hua, don't panic! I'm here to lend you a hand!" His revelation of his identity immediately invigorated Hua Mulan's men. In the blink of an eye, Xiang Yu arrived on horseback, his spear flashing as he smashed the Xiongnu general, along with his staff, into two circles. With a flick of his wrist, he pierced several more Xiongnu soldiers, leaving gaping holes in their bodies. Hua Mulan seized the opportunity to tie her hair up and said, "Thank you. General… are you from our ranks?"
Xiang Yu said, "We can talk about these things later. Let's clear the battlefield first."
Hua Mulan drew her sword and mounted her horse: "That's right—my lads, follow me and kill all the Rouran invaders!" I just remembered now that the ones fighting against Hua Mulan were the Rouran, or in some books they're simply called the Xiongnu, but the nature of them is pretty much the same.
But in the blink of an eye, it became difficult for Mulan to find another enemy to kill. Those 500 ugly guards killed with the skill of a butcher in a meat processing plant, each slash and hook a deadly blow. Moreover, each of them had ulcers on their faces, blue and fanged, making even the fierce Hun soldiers look at them as if they were ghosts—this is probably the origin of the later trend of armies wearing tactical camouflage on their faces; concealing themselves was one aspect, but the main purpose was to intimidate the enemy. The difference was that the camouflage of Xiang Yu's men could not be washed off…
The Xiongnu, already few in number, were overwhelmed by Xiang Yu's army and unable to retaliate. They crumbled instantly, fleeing in the opposite direction of the path. As they ran, those behind heard screams of agony from those ahead. Before they could even react, a chain hammer the size of a pumpkin came crashing down—Black Tiger was already waiting there. Wielding his meteor hammer, he single-handedly blocked the path, spurring his horse up like a lawnmower. Within five meters, before anyone could even see his face, they were smashed into a kaleidoscope of colors. The 5,000 men behind Black Tiger stood with their arms crossed, bored and helpless, only able to watch.
Thus, with forces from both sides combined, the 3,000 Xiongnu soldiers suffered heavy casualties, leaving only a few hundred survivors. Terrified, they raised their weapons above their heads and uttered in broken, stuttering Chinese, "We surrender, we surrender..."
Before Mulan could even respond, Xiang Yu waved his hand, and 500 guards drew javelins from their backs and hurled them, impaling hundreds of Xiongnu men and horses in a chain. I couldn't help but shudder and say from the mountain, "Ruthless."
Hua Mulan looked displeased. She said, "General, I am very grateful for your help, but shouldn't you have asked for my opinion before killing them? You might have been able to get some information out of me."
Xiang Yu looked at Hua Mulan with a smile and said, "We've finally met on the battlefield—oh, you need intelligence? There's always some that haven't died yet..." He glanced down and poked a Hun soldier who was crawling on the ground with his intestines spilling out with his spear, and said cheerfully, "Quickly, this is it. Hurry up and ask, he'll be dead in a bit."
Hua Mulan glared at him, dismounted, and asked the Hun soldier a few questions in a low voice before ending his suffering with a sword.
Xiang Yu asked, "Did you get any information from them?"
Hua Mulan ignored him and shouted to her men, "Our whereabouts have been discovered by the Rouran. We cannot advance alone. I have decided that we will retreat 20 li and wait for Marshal He's main force."
Xiang Yu placed his spear across his horse's back, crossed his arms, and shook his head, saying, "This isn't right. Logically speaking, you've already wiped out their ambush troops, and now is the perfect opportunity to catch them off guard. Why are you retreating?"
Since the person before her had done her a great favor, Mulan couldn't be too impolite. She forced a smile and said, "I haven't yet asked this general's name? And which unit do you belong to?"
Xiang Yu said, "Oh, we are not a regular army, we are bandits."
A commotion arose among Mulan's men; bandits were, after all, not friends with the government army. Looking at our group, we certainly did resemble bandits. I'd thrown Xiang Yu's golden armor into the river; he was only wearing civilian clothes. Judging from his massacre of surrendered Xiongnu soldiers, he wasn't a graduate of a formal military academy, but his ferocity and skill in battle were undeniable. If this guy really turned against us, it would be a real headache.
Hua Mulan, however, had a keen eye. She could tell at a glance that Xiang Yu and his men were all seasoned professional soldiers, but since they were unwilling to reveal their names, she didn't press them. Northern Wei wasn't exactly a peaceful era; it was normal for heroes to rise up. She might have encountered some patriotic bandits… She clasped her hands in a fist salute and said, “Thank you again. Farewell.”
Xiang Yu asked in surprise, "You really don't intend to do as I say?"
Hua Mulan had already taken several steps, but upon hearing his words, she was still indignant and turned around solemnly, saying, "General, perhaps you are right, but war is not a game, nor is it something to be done for the sake of grand achievements. I have to be responsible for the thousands of soldiers under my command!"
Xiang Yu was immediately displeased, waving his hands and shouting fiercely, "How is this being ambitious? How is this being ambitious? Taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and launching a surprise attack, do I need to teach you that?"
Hua Mulan said with a stern face, "Anyway, after fighting so many battles, I've been taught that in war, one should always be cautious and act according to one's capabilities. According to you, even if I succeed in a surprise attack with these few thousand men, so what? The Rouran army has 100,000 men. Do you think we can wipe them all out with just these few men?"