Volume Two: The Battle of Hulao Pass Chapter Forty-Eight: Prelude to the Final Battle

Wang Wan was struck with terror and dared not look back. He kept his body low and urged his horse to accelerate. Suddenly, a lance descended from the sky, striking the ground just in front of his bay horse, barely half a foot from its head. The startled steed reared up, whinnying loudly and pawing the air, and Wang Wan, unprepared, tumbled from the saddle in panic.

At that moment, Yuchi Gong arrived, seized the reins of the bay horse, and called out, "Whoa! Whoa!" Perhaps the horse truly was a fine, well-trained beast, or maybe it sensed his formidable presence, for at his command, it immediately calmed and stood still. Yuchi Gong secured the reins, turned to pick up his lance, and, pleased that his goal had been achieved, was about to ride back toward the city gate when he saw Wang Wan staggering to his feet.

Yuchi Gong's original intent had been to kill him first and then seize the horse, but he was surprised that Wang Wan, a general, was so inept as to fall off his mount. He twitched his lance, ready to finish Wang Wan, but then reconsidered. This fellow’s armor was gleaming and well-kept, and he claimed to be some grand general. So be it—taking him alive would earn more merit than killing him. It seemed fate had spared his life.

Resolving to capture him, Yuchi Gong slung his lance and grabbed Wang Wan by his armor straps, lifting him as easily as a chick. Wang Wan, dizzy from his fall, struggled to rise, only to be seized by the burly black-clad man. Sensing danger, he tried to fight, but Yuchi Gong slapped his helmet with a resounding thud, and Wang Wan was struck by a force so great that his vision went dark and he lost consciousness.

Having captured the enemy general and seized the bay horse, Yuchi Gong rode back toward Hulao Pass. The hundreds of Xia soldiers, seeing their general taken alive, wanted to intervene, but feared the formidable black giant might slaughter them all, and hesitated to advance. Yuchi Gong rode past them, sneering, and raised his hand as if to brandish his lance, which so terrified the soldiers that they instinctively backed their horses two steps.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Yuchi Gong, delighted by his own display of might, laughed uproariously, ignoring the soldiers as he returned to Hulao Pass.

The Xia troops were left in confusion, unable to decide whether to pursue or not, and watched as the black giant entered the gate. With a sigh, they returned to their camp, hanging their heads in defeat to report to King Xia.

Yuchi Gong, having ventured out alone, defeated the enemy general and terrified hundreds of foes, then seized a fine steed and took his captive—all of which made him the center of attention and the embodiment of valor.

All this was witnessed clearly by those atop the city walls. Seeing Yuchi Gong return and the Xia army unwilling to interfere, Li Shimin laughed heartily, praising, "Ha ha ha ha! Jingde is truly a tiger among generals! Play the victory music! Open the gates wide—we shall greet him in formation!"

The Tang generals, seeing Yuchi Gong’s triumph, were greatly encouraged, their morale soaring while the Xia army’s spirit was dampened. They were both envious and a touch jealous.

Li Shimin himself came forward, taking a few steps to Yuchi Gong's horse and personally leading it, a gesture of honor.

Yuchi Gong dared not let his commander lead his horse. He flung Wang Wan to the ground, leapt from the saddle, saluted, and declared, "Old Hei has not failed his mission! I have captured an enemy general alive and seized a fine steed, presented to the Prince of Qin!"

Li Shimin paid no attention to the prized horse, but instead asked Yuchi Gong with concern, "Jingde, henceforth you must not be so reckless. How could you risk my beloved general for a mere warhorse? Are you injured?"

Yuchi Gong, moved by his commander’s regard, replied with a laugh, "The Xia army is nothing but clay chickens and straw dogs, not worth worrying about. Old Hei is unscathed!"

Li Shimin nodded and smiled, "Jingde, you went forth and returned victorious! This shall be counted as a great merit! The warhorse shall be yours!"

Yuchi Gong shook his head in refusal, "Old Hei said before, such a steed is fit only for the Prince of Qin. Your beloved horse was lost during the campaign against Song Jingang, and now you have no strong mount. This horse is perfect for you."

Li Shimin, unable to refuse and unwilling to disregard Yuchi Gong’s heartfelt gesture, accepted and personally led him back to camp for the celebration.

Yuchi Gong turned to see Li Mingyu standing nearby, grinning and winking at him. He chuckled, strode over, and patted Mingyu’s head, praising, "Good lad! That song truly stirred the spirit! Old Hei owes you for this!"

Li Mingyu, his throat hoarse from excitement, responded with a fist salute and a triumphant expression.

Leaving aside the Tang camp’s celebrations, let us turn to Dou Jiande. Upon learning of the defeat, he was furious, his anger boiling over.

Originally, he intended for the duel before the main battle to suppress the Tang army’s morale. But instead, he suffered a loss, with Wang Wan, who boasted of his bravery, failing to capture even a single Tang soldier, losing both the prized horse and himself as a captive—a complete disgrace.

Three hundred defeated Xia cavalry, heads bowed and hands tied, knelt in a row before the main army, with Dou Jiande’s guard standing behind them.

Seeing this, the soldiers feared the worst and cried out for mercy. Dou Jiande’s anger only grew as he listened to their pleas, having already been briefed on the events and deeply resenting their cowardice.

With a steely face, he declared, "You feared the enemy and failed to advance, missing the opportunity and causing our army to suffer its first setback. Execute them all, to uphold military discipline!"

His guards drew their blades in unison, and flashes of steel were followed by geysers of blood as three hundred headless corpses fell to the ground.

In an instant, the front of the Xia army was littered with corpses and rolling heads.

Even after this gruesome punishment, Dou Jiande’s fury was unquenched. He saw his soldiers anxious and demoralized, whispering among themselves. Sensing the decline in morale, Dou Jiande’s eyes flashed with anger as he rebuked his commanders, "What are you all good for? Do you not know to maintain strict discipline? Have you all forgotten the Seventeen Prohibitions and Fifty-Four Executions? Spread my order: any further complaints or comments about this battle will be punished by decapitation and their heads displayed!"

The Xia generals, terrified, realized the king’s wrath was genuine and hurried to restore discipline.

Those with fiery tempers lashed out at the whispering soldiers with horsewhips, shouting, "You fools! The king’s order: any more complaints about this battle, and you’ll lose your heads! If you want to keep your head for your next meal, keep your mouths shut!"

After this crackdown, the Xia soldiers, fearing the law and confronted with a heap of bloody heads, dared not speak further. Yet their morale had plummeted, and it would be nearly impossible to restore it.

Dou Jiande clenched his teeth, suppressing his anger, and ordered his commanders, "Send word: immediately begin constructing siege equipment and send men to cut off the source of the Si River! After noon, the army will advance to storm the city! Tiger Gate must be taken before sunset! If not, bring me your heads!" With that, he swept his sleeves and stormed off.

Previously, Dou Jiande had assumed his hundred-thousand-strong army would overwhelm the Tang forces, who would surely cower and avoid battle. He thought a single charge would suffice to seize Hulao, and so he brought only scaling ladders, leaving behind heavy siege engines, as they were cumbersome and slowed the march.

Now, seeing Tang morale rising instead of falling, he realized this would be a bitter struggle and began to regard the Tang army with greater respect. Still, even though the Tang had won a lucky victory, facing a hundred thousand troops was like eggs against a stone, a mantis trying to stop a cart.

The Tang’s initial triumph naturally boosted their spirits. Li Shimin, standing atop the gate, saw the Xia army begin felling trees and chiseling stone to build siege engines, relying on their numbers to attempt to dam the river and assault Hulao.

Li Shimin scoffed, "Has Dou Jiande lost his mind? The terrain before Hulao is so narrow—even if he builds rams and towers, how can he bring them to the gate? The Si River is more than ten yards wide, a tributary of the Yellow River, not so easy to dam! Ha ha ha! It seems the defeat has enraged him! The Art of War says: ‘One must not wage war in anger, nor send generals to battle when enraged.’ Even this basic principle escapes him! This gives our army yet another advantage!"

He then ordered the Tang soldiers to rest and prepare, waiting for the enemy to exhaust themselves, and led his commanders down from the gate.

Gathering his trusted advisors in the command tent to discuss strategy, Li Shimin first asked his two counselors—later famed as "Fang’s schemes, Du’s decisions"—Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui, "Xuanling, Keming, what plans do you have to defeat the enemy?"

Fang Xuanling, wise and resourceful, had already considered the matter and stepped forward, replying, "Commander, I have three strategies—upper, middle, and lower—for breaking the enemy."