All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

Chapter 19 The Governor of Bingzhou

The first day of the first month of the twenty-fifth year of Zhengwu's reign.

This should have been the New Year's Day of the Song Dynasty, a day of firecrackers and family reunions. Thousands of miles away in Luoyang, the newly enthroned Zhao Yong changed the era name to Yongxi, granted a general amnesty, and officials paid homage at the imperial palace. The sounds of bells, drums, and music echoed along the palace walls, startling flocks of crows on the Luo River. In Chang'an, Zhao Kuangyin established the era name Jinglong, issuing proclamations to all directions, enumerating Zhao Yong's crimes of treason and usurpation, and calling upon all armies to defend the capital. The Guanzhong Plain was filled with the oppressive atmosphere of military preparation. But the empire was already fragmented, and war was imminent in the Central Plains. The soldiers and civilians on the northern border still habitually used the reign name of the late Emperor Zhao Ren, Zhengwu, as if simply calling out Zhengwu's name could preserve a semblance of dignity for this crumbling empire.

But this last vestige of dignity was utterly crushed by the iron hooves of the Xiongnu cavalry in the midst of a blizzard at dawn on New Year's Day.

The surprise attack on the Jiehekou camp on New Year's Eve ended with a great victory for the Yuanhai Xiongnu cavalry.

The central army's main banner was cut down, and General Zhou Bo was seriously wounded. The hastily assembled defensive formation collapsed completely, and the entire camp was utterly powerless to resist. Including soldiers, auxiliary troops, and laborers, the camp totaled four to five thousand men, who were instantly reduced to a scattered mess in this unexpected attack on New Year's Eve. The soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons, scattering and fleeing along the official road leading to Loufan County. In their panic, even the most basic organizational structure was completely broken. Officers could not find their soldiers, and soldiers could not find their comrades. The official road was filled with boundless panic and a chaotic rout.

Yuan Hai's cavalry did not rest for a moment. Under the cover of night and riding the wave of their great victory, they pursued the fleeing enemy for thirty miles. Hooves pounded the snow-covered official road, splashing snow mixed with blood as their iron hooves flew. The gleaming sabers swung repeatedly at the fleeing soldiers, blood splattering where the blades passed, blooming like glaring red plum blossoms on the white snow. Along the way, corpses lay strewn everywhere, limbs and severed bodies scattered about. Warm blood soaked into the snow, quickly freezing into ice in the cold wind, carpeting the thirty-mile official road from the gate of the border river camp all the way to the drawbridge in Loufan County.

Until they reached the drawbridge in the county town, the county magistrate of Loufan, leading the only remaining garrison of the city, erected a heavy shield formation below the city walls. Archers, in three ranks, took turns firing arrows, a hail of arrows raining down on the pursuing Xiongnu cavalry. They desperately helped the fleeing soldiers into the city, barely managing to halt the Xiongnu cavalry's advance. The cavalrymen circled the city three times, swaggering, emptying their quivers at the city walls, uttering arrogant shouts of the steppe. Seeing the city gates tightly shut and the defenses impenetrable, they turned their horses and rode away, leaving behind a trail of corpses, captured provisions, and weapons.

Only the ragged, terrified soldiers remained at the city gate, while the pale-faced defenders on the city walls, their bow-wielding hands trembling, stared at each other in bewilderment. No one dared to light the first firecracker of the new year. The wind and snow, carrying the stench of blood, swept across the city walls; the joy of New Year's Day had vanished completely.

The defeated general, Zhou Bo, finally managed to shake off the scattered pursuing cavalry at noon the next day, and stumbled and fled to the outskirts of Loufan County with his remaining troops.

His heavy iron armor was already slashed with several gruesome gashes, the plates curled up and stained with frozen blood. The spot on his chest where the black-armored knight had struck him with his spear was still throbbing with excruciating pain; every breath aggravated his internal injuries, carrying a rusty, metallic stench. Dark red blood still clung to the corner of his mouth. His once resolute, composed, and imposing face was now filled with exhaustion and dishevelment. His hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead, stained with blood and frozen snowflakes. His eyes, though sharp, could not conceal self-reproach and despair.

Behind him, fewer than thirty guards remained, all wounded, their armor tattered, many barely able to walk by leaning on broken spears. Gao Zidan and Han Xin were protected in the middle of the group. Gao Zidan's face was ashen, his lips bloodless, and he leaned weakly against Han Xin. It was only thanks to Han Xin's support and desperate protection that they made it to Loufan County through the blizzard.

The heavy city gates slowly opened, and the county magistrate led the garrison out to greet them. Upon seeing Zhou Bo's state, their faces changed drastically. They rushed forward to support their swaying commander, their voices filled with panic: "General! You're finally back! The brothers were nearly driven mad with worry!"

Zhou Bo pushed away the people's support, gritted his teeth, and straightened up, stumbling briefly before quickly regaining his balance. His gaze swept over the scattered, distraught soldiers below the city gate, then towards the border river mouth. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and he didn't even notice his fingernails digging into his palms and drawing blood. He had spent half his life on the battlefield, guarding the northern border for over a decade, fighting dozens of battles, large and small, against the Xiongnu, but he had never suffered such a humiliating and devastating defeat. Three thousand elite border troops, and the well-established border river camp built up over many years, had crumbled overnight.

Upon entering the city, Zhou Bo didn't even have time to drink a sip of hot water before immediately issuing a series of orders, his voice hoarse yet still carrying an unquestionable authority.

He first ordered the four gates to be closed, the entire army to be on high alert, the number of sentries on the city walls to be doubled, archers to take turns on duty day and night, and the braziers on the city walls to be kept burning day and night, ready to be deployed at any time, in order to prevent the Xiongnu cavalry from taking advantage of the situation to attack the city. He then mobilized the people in the city, with all able-bodied men going up the city walls to help with the defense, and women and children preparing logs, stones, hot water and molten gold overnight to repair the city's defenses damaged by stray arrows. At the same time, he sent out several elite scout teams out of the city in batches, one team going deep into the city to find out the movements of the Xiongnu cavalry, and another team gathering the scattered and fleeing soldiers along the main road. He strictly ordered that all wounded soldiers who were still alive should be brought back to the city for treatment.

He knew better than anyone that if the border river mouth were lost, the western gate of Jinyang County would be completely wide open, and Loufan County would become the first line of defense against the Yunzhou army's southward advance. If Loufan were to fall as well, the Jinyang Basin would be indefensible, and the entire heartland of Bingzhou would be exposed to the iron hooves of the Yunzhou cavalry, plunging Bingzhou into peril.

But reality was far crueler than he had imagined.

Within three days, he sent out scouts wave after wave, gathering back only a little over two thousand defeated soldiers. Most of these two thousand were soldiers who had lost their weapons or suffered minor injuries, along with many unarmed auxiliary troops and laborers. Their original military organization had long been completely dismantled, and their weapons were almost entirely gone. Many of them were terrified by the night raid and could barely hold their swords, making them practically useless in combat.

Along the thirty-mile official road from the border river mouth to Loufan County, the ground was littered with the corpses of the Bingzhou army, all slain. Crushed armor, broken spears, scattered arrows, and charred fragments of tents mingled with the blood-stained snow, a horrifying sight. Many bodies were mutilated by wolves; the cold wind whipped up swirling snowflakes, carrying the lingering stench of blood, completely drowning out the festive spirit of the New Year. Some daring civilians secretly went out of town to collect the bodies, but upon returning, they vomited uncontrollably and remained indoors for three days, too afraid to venture out—a testament to the battlefield's devastation.

Along with the brutal battlefield, what also devastates people is the immense psychological impact.

Gao Zidan finally couldn't hold on any longer.

In the month or so since he transmigrated, he had witnessed life and death, and fought countless battles. From his desperate escape from Xiang Yu's pursuit to his survival against the snowstorm by the Yongming tribe, he thought he had long since hardened his heart and become immune to the carnage of the cold weapon era. But the night raid on New Year's Eve, and the Jiehekou camp that had turned into a living hell, completely shattered the psychological limits of a modern person.

The flying flesh and blood in the firelight, the crushed bones under the hooves of horses, the inescapable screams and wails, and the carnage of men and horses stumbling wherever the black-armored knight's lance passed—these nightmares, like maggots clinging to his bones, echoed repeatedly in his mind, day and night. Even with his eyes closed, all he saw was a sky full of blood, and all he heard were the dying screams.

On the day he entered the city, he began to vomit and have diarrhea uncontrollably. He vomited up everything he had eaten, and even drinking a sip of warm water would make him vomit for a long time. By nightfall, he developed a high fever, his whole body was burning hot, his consciousness became blurred, and he fainted. He kept muttering words that no one could understand, sometimes screaming in terror, sometimes muttering to himself, as if he were floating in a stormy sea.

Han Xin stayed by his bedside without leaving for a moment, running all over the county town before finally finding an old doctor. After taking his pulse, the old doctor only said it was due to fright and a cold, prescribed some fever-reducing medicine, and then shook his head and left. Han Xin stayed by the stove, brewing the medicine without leaving for a moment, but most of the medicine was vomited up after being fed to him. So he used a clean cloth soaked in snow water to wipe Gao Zidan's burning forehead again and again, doing the most clumsy but most painstaking physical cooling. Day and night, he held the sword at his waist, guarding the door, keeping watch for any movements outside the city, and worrying about Gao Zidan's condition. His usually calm and resolute face was full of unconcealed anxiety and haggardness, and the bloodshot eyes became more and more pronounced each day.

Meanwhile, in the meantime while Zhou Bo was busy reorganizing the city's defenses, he had already written a letter of apology, which was sent by express messenger on horseback to Jinyang to be presented to Ji Guang, the governor of Bingzhou.

In the document, he meticulously described the causes and consequences of the Yuanhai tribe's Xiongnu cavalry's attack on New Year's Eve and the defeat of the army at the Jiehekou camp, including battlefield casualties and enemy movements. He did not conceal anything, nor did he make any excuses, nor did he use the excuse of being lax on New Year's Eve or the enemy's sneak attack. He took all the blame upon himself, requested to be relieved of his post as General of the Central Army, stripped of all his honors, and left to Ji Guang's disposal.

To Zhou Bo's utter surprise, as the days passed, the Yuanhai tribe's anticipated pursuit of victory never materialized.

The Xiongnu cavalry, having occupied the main camp at the border river mouth, seemed to be nailed there. Apart from sending out a small number of scouts to patrol around the border river mouth and intercept their scouts, they not only did not march south to attack Loufan County, but they did not even attempt to send a troop to probe the city.

This is very unusual.

Zhou Bo stood atop the city wall of Loufan County every day, facing the biting cold wind, gazing towards the boundary river mouth, his brow furrowed, his doubts deepening, a chill creeping down his spine. He summoned the county constable and the few remaining officers to the county government hall more than once, but they looked at each other, none of them able to offer a clear answer.

He knew all too well Li Longji's ambitions in Yunzhou. This man had been operating in Yunzhou for years, establishing a separatist regime, recruiting soldiers, and harboring ambitions to march south and contend for the throne. However, due to the terrain and military strength of Bingzhou, as well as pressure from the imperial court, he had never dared to act rashly. Now that Zhao Ren was dead, with two emperors on the throne and the Central Plains in chaos, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to march south.

He sent Yuan Hai's troops to launch a surprise attack on Jiehekou precisely to open a passage for his southward advance. Now that Jiehekou has been breached, the gateway for his army to advance unimpeded has been opened. How could he possibly remain inactive, merely guarding a single camp at Jiehekou and wasting this excellent opportunity?

This is completely inconsistent with Li Longji's style of doing things, and it also completely contradicts the basic logic of a surprise attack.

He dispatched several waves of elite scouts in succession, attempting to penetrate deep into the area around the border river mouth to investigate the situation inside the camp. However, each time, they were repelled by the Xiongnu cavalry on the periphery, resulting in the loss of many men. In the end, he only obtained a vague result—the border river mouth camp had indeed been occupied by the Xiongnu cavalry, and there were Xiongnu scouts everywhere inside and outside the camp. However, the exact number of troops, the identity of the commander, and whether the main force of the Yunzhou army was still inside were all unknown.

Three more days passed in this tense atmosphere of vigilance and endless doubt.

On the afternoon of the seventh day of the first lunar month, the deafening roar of horses' hooves suddenly echoed on the official road outside Loufan County, and even the ground trembled slightly.

A cavalry force of several thousand men, carrying the black banner of the Governor of Bingzhou, marched along the official road in a grand procession. The banner fluttered in the wind and snow. The knights were all clad in bright armor, their military bearing was impeccable, and their ranks were perfectly aligned. The sound of their horses' hooves was steady and powerful, without the slightest disorder. This formed a stark contrast with the remnants of the Bingzhou army who had suffered a crushing defeat at the border river mouth.

Ji Guang, the governor of Bingzhou, personally went to Loufan County, Yanmen Commandery.

The heavy city gate slowly opened, and Zhou Bo, who had already taken off his armor and was only wearing a plain undershirt, led all the civil and military officials of Loufan County to kneel respectfully at the city gate to welcome Ji Guang's arrival.

He was a defeated general, having suffered a crushing defeat at Jiehekou, losing the western gateway to Bingzhou. Whatever the reason, the blame lay entirely with him. Dressing in mourning clothes and pleading guilty was the only thing he, as a defeated general, could do.

Ji Guang's carriage slowly came to a stop at the city gate. The curtain was gently lifted by a servant, and a middle-aged man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a refined face but sharp, eagle-like eyes, stepped down. He stood tall and straight, and even in a remote border town, he maintained his composure, showing no sign of panic. He looked at Zhou Bo, who was kneeling on the ground in plain clothes, pleading for forgiveness. There was no anger or reprimand on his face; he simply waved his hand calmly and said indifferently, "Get up. We'll talk inside the city."

Zhou Bo's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stood up, bowed his head, and followed Ji Guang into the county town without saying a word. The common people and soldiers along the roadside all stood with their heads bowed, not daring to look directly at the highest authority in Bingzhou.

Inside the main hall of the county government office, Ji Guang, along with his staff and subordinates, left Zhou Bo behind to discuss matters.

The hall was deathly silent, save for the faint crackling of the charcoal fire burning quietly in the bronze stove. Outside, the wind and snow lashed against the windowpanes, their howling echoing through the air, emphasizing the eerie stillness. Ji Guang sat in the main seat, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip. The steam obscured his features, but couldn't conceal his sharp eyes. He looked up at Zhou Bo, who stood bowed below, and finally spoke.

He didn't accuse, reprimand, or even mention the slightest fault for the defeat at Jiehekou. He didn't ask about casualties, defenses, or enemy movements. He simply looked at Zhou Bo and asked a question that shocked Zhou Bo completely, something he hadn't expected, like a thunderclap in his ears:

"Zhou Bo, do you know who really fought us in this battle?"