The Battle of the Han River

In stark contrast to the mood in the King's Army, the Chu Capital rang with laughter and cheer.

In the Royal Palace, Xiong Dun said delightedly, "I never imagined that brat Ji Wan would actually fall for it. He isn't even as good as his father. His stupidity truly leaves me..."

Xiong Dun seemed to be searching for a word to convey his complicated feelings. Watching from the side, Xiong Lin ventured, "Astounded?"

"Astounded?" Xiong Dun paused, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Well said, Lin. Astounded is exactly right."

Xiong Lin smiled as he filled his own cup. Xiong Dun even called me Lin, just as he used to when we were children. My position in Chu, second only to the king, is more secure than ever.

With Xiong Dun in such high spirits, the atmosphere throughout the King of Chu Palace grew even livelier. Everyone discussed the great victory. After all, they had not defeated some Southern Barbarians, but the Son of Heaven's Six Armies!

Those were the finest troops in the realm, yet they had proved so easily beaten. Even the ministers who had initially worried about the King's Army's massive invasion felt somewhat relieved.

Xiong Dun was a born commander. He knew full well that this great victory had depended on a rare opportunity. They had won only because the Son of Heaven of Zhou had acted like a fool.

Judging by the reports from the front, those troops were indeed elite. Even under so many adverse conditions, they had managed to organize effective counterattacks. Xiong Dun reflected that, after such a crushing defeat, even the foolish Son of Heaven of Zhou ought to recognize his own limitations and stop interfering with military command.

The banquet ended with Xiong Dun announcing that he would levy troops throughout the country and personally lead the campaign.

Chu State's war machine sprang into motion. Every enfeoffed lord in the country had arrived at the Chu Capital with his own troops.

After a brief rest, Ji Wan personally led the army across the Han River. The Chu troops offered a little resistance before retreating, leaving Ji Wan feeling smug.

After their earlier clash, the generals who had initially looked down on the Chu army realized that it possessed real strength. It still fell short of the King's Army, but with Ji Wan now in command, they had no confidence whatsoever. To avoid dying amid a rout, they all began offering advice.

"Your Majesty, the Chu army is no weak force. Such a swift withdrawal must be a ploy to lure us deeper into their territory. We are unfamiliar with the terrain here. We must remain vigilant and send out more scouts."

Though Ji Wan thought them all useless fools, there were too many senior ministers present for him to rebuke them all. He waved a hand carelessly and said with some impatience, "I understand."

The Marquis of Han knew Ji Wan all too well. One look at his attitude told him that he had taken none of it to heart. After what had happened last time, he did not try to remonstrate. Instead, he quietly told Yu Boxiu, "Yu Bo, His Majesty probably hasn't taken their advice seriously. Assign scouts from your troops and be extremely careful. We absolutely cannot fall into another Chu trap."

"I understand." Yu Boxiu left at once. The other two commanders took the same measures. The Son of Heaven was unreliable; if they wanted to preserve their lives and fortunes, they could only rely on themselves.

This time, however, Xiong Dun had no intention of laying an ambush. He had never imagined that Ji Wan would dare command troops again!

Xiong Dun did not even conceal his army's movements, openly exposing them to the King's Army. He was ready to crush Ji Wan in open battle and win the war.

After this prolonged ordeal, the main forces of Zhou State and Chu finally met on a plain rarely found in the south.

It was called a plain, but much of its thorny undergrowth had yet to be cleared, leaving relatively little room to maneuver. That was precisely why Xiong Dun had chosen to fight here.

On this battlefield, the Zhou army occupied the northeast, while the Chu army held the southwest. Behind the Zhou army lay the Han River, with countless warships moored along its banks.

To the north and south stretched broad expanses of thorn bushes, scrub, and sparse woodland, threaded with many small tributaries of the Han River. Similar streams lay between the two armies. Even the deepest barely reached the knee, but the terrain was naturally unsuitable for chariots, so both armies consisted primarily of infantry.

The Zhou army had eighty thousand fighting men. Sixty thousand belonged to the Royal Domain Army, while the remaining twenty thousand had been brought by the feudal lords. A relatively high proportion of these troops wore armor: roughly sixty percent had a piece of half-body armor.

The Chu army had thirty thousand fighting men. Its strongest and best-armored force consisted of the fifteen thousand troops directly under Xiong Dun. Their armor was made from a plant unique to the south, exceptionally hard and resistant to sword cuts.

Only through years of accumulation had Xiong Dun gradually equipped his men with it. The other fifteen thousand belonged to Chu State's enfeoffed lords, and their fighting strength was about average for feudal troops.

Chu State implemented enfeoffment thoroughly and was particularly steadfast in enforcing the Xia Rulers, Yi People Policy. In that era, this policy was extremely progressive, allowing Chu State to raise so many troops from its corner of the realm.

On the surface, the disparity in troop numbers was enormous, leaving the two sides seemingly incomparable. Xiong Dun thought otherwise.

First, the two armies faced different circumstances. He already occupied the battlefield's only high ground. Although chariots could not be used, he had stationed archers there, along with rolling logs, rocks, and even large numbers of livestock, enough to deliver a devastating blow to the Zhou army.

Moreover, the Chu army occupied the southwest, with its own territory behind it, so supplies were no concern. It also held a strongpoint to the south near the Han River, making it impossible for the Zhou army to circle around and attack its rear.

The Zhou army faced precisely the opposite situation. Chu troops could bypass the forest and travel along the Han River by boat to attack their supply route. The Zhou army would have to commit large numbers of troops to keeping that route open.

Otherwise, once their supply route was severed, they would have no choice but to take their ships back to the five states on the opposite bank.

Finally, there was the battlefield itself. Eighty thousand troops could not deploy there. Most would be crammed together; once the vanguard engaged, the rear ranks would not even be able to see the enemy. Chu could rotate its troops, while Zhou could not. Its vanguard could only keep charging.

To Xiong Dun, the initiative lay entirely in his hands. He could fight however he pleased. Even if he decided to stop fighting and withdraw, he could cover his army's retreat into the cities. Then he could simply refuse battle and let the Zhou army taste that same stifling frustration.

Ji Wan sat in his great carriage at the center of the army, with the Grand Banner of the Son of Heaven of Zhou beside him. Looking over the orderly ranks, he once again smiled with confidence.

The two armies advanced slowly, the atmosphere growing heavier as the distance between them narrowed. Their archers began steadying their breath and focusing their minds. Then both armies halted just beyond bowshot.

Xiong Dun rode out from the Chu ranks, clad in thick armor, and shouted toward the Zhou camp, "Ji Wan, did your crushing defeat not teach you a lesson? Today I will capture you and take you back to Chu State. Then I will choose a Princess of Zhou for you to marry. Having the Son of Heaven of Zhou State as my son-in-law would be a fine thing indeed."

As soon as Xiong Dun finished, the entire Chu army obligingly erupted in mocking laughter, shouting in unison, "Capture Ji Wan alive!"

When a lord was humiliated, his retainers were bound to die for him!

The nobles and ministers immediately clamored to begin the battle and teach Xiong Dun a lesson.

"Traitor! Carry me to the front!"

Ji Wan's face turned livid with rage. He shoved aside the minister in front of him and moved from the center toward the vanguard.

At the front, Ji Wan stood atop his great carriage, giving him a commanding view from above. Drawing his sword, he shouted at Xiong Dun, "Xiong Dun, when the Sage King twice carried out his great enfeoffments, your ancestor was still a mere Prime Scholar. The Former King made your ancestor a feudal lord. What an immense favor that was!

"Yet rather than repay the Zhou State, you raised troops without authorization to plunder its vassals. You even usurped the title of king, casting aside the entire system of rites and music established by the Sage King. It would defy all reason if Heaven did not punish a traitor like you."

Xiong Dun showed no anger at Ji Wan's abuse. He merely sneered. "You brat Ji Wan, all you can do is twist right and wrong. The Sage King once judged King Wu's overthrow of the old order, saying, 'I have not heard of a ruler being murdered, only of a lone tyrant named Zhou being executed.'

"The Sage King also said that bloodline determined precedence among feudal lords, but ducal rank should be granted on merit.

"How many meritorious deeds has Chu State performed for the Zhou State? How much wealth do we present to Luoyi every year? How respectfully have we treated the Son of Heaven!

"Even if the Sage King were alive today, he would praise Chu State as one of the All Xia states that honored the Rites of Zhou.

"But how have you and your father treated a loyal servant of the Zhou State?

"You scorn and humiliate us at every turn, slandering us as a barbarian state ignorant of propriety.

"For such conduct, if the Sage King were alive, the first person he would chastise would be you, a tyrant like Jie and Zhou.

"Since you call Chu State barbarian, today I shall use the blades of Chu's finest soldiers to ask you, tyrant like Jie and Zhou, whether Chu State belongs among the All Xia states!"

No one had expected Xiong Dun to denounce Ji Wan openly before the armies as a tyrant like Jie and Zhou. The feudal lords who had accompanied Ji Wan all changed color.

The Marquis of Han was especially furious, inwardly cursing Xiong Dun for his complete lack of discretion. Even if it was true, how could he say it in front of everyone?

Before Ji Wan could answer or give an order, Xiong Dun roared, "Take this arrow!"

He drew an enormous bow from his horse. An ordinary man probably could not even draw such a weapon, but in the massive Xiong Dun's hands, it looked perfectly suited to him.

The Zhou generals were horrified. Was Xiong Dun actually planning to shoot the king?

A full hundred and fifty paces separated them!

Anyone who could strike a willow leaf at a hundred paces was already a world-renowned Master Archer. Could Xiong Dun really shoot a man from even farther away?

But faced with that powerful bow and Xiong Dun's imposing figure, no one dared gamble. The Marquis of Han yanked Ji Wan down, preventing him from remaining upright atop the carriage.

A tremendous sound rang out. Xiong Dun's arrow really did fly toward Ji Wan's carriage. The guards aboard it and those below hurriedly raised their shields.

Even after traveling a hundred and fifty paces, the arrow punched straight through a soldier's Large Shield and passed through his body. The arrowhead protruding from him had even warped slightly.

"Hiss!"

Everyone sucked in a cold breath. Ji Wan trembled in terror, no longer daring to think of answering the insults. His voice shook as he hurriedly said, "Help me to the rear. Don't use the great carriage. Xiong Dun is sure to shoot again."

This time, he was right. Xiong Dun loosed three arrows in rapid succession, killing three men outright!

The Chu army's morale surged. Remembering the days when they had followed Xiong Dun on his undefeated campaigns in every direction, they howled for a fight to the death against Zhou.

The Zhou army, meanwhile, was utterly aghast. After Ji Zhao's reforms, the Zhou Dynasty no longer placed its faith in spirits and gods in every matter as the Shang Dynasty had. Yet something like Xiong Dun's feat, beyond ordinary imagination, still took on a mysterious aura.

Shooting an arrow over a hundred and fifty paces and piercing both a shield and a man exceeded their conception of human strength. It reminded them of King Wu in the dynasty's legends, a war god just like this.

Having terrified the Zhou army with three arrows, Xiong Dun lowered his face guard. Rather than retreating, he pointed his sword forward and shouted, "Charge! Crush the Zhou army!"

As banners waved, the Chu army surged forward. The Zhou troops seemed to awaken from a dream, hurriedly raising their weapons and advancing. Yet the sight of the Son of Heaven losing all courage to fight after a single arrow from Xiong Dun remained etched in their minds.

The sacred Son of Heaven!

The supreme sovereign blessed by Heaven!

How could he be inferior to the rebel leader facing them?

That question haunted every soldier in the Zhou army. Sacred authority was difficult to establish, but a single incident could be enough to topple it from its pedestal.

Xiong Dun stood at the center of his army, constantly adjusting his battlefield deployment according to what he saw and what his messengers reported. He skillfully dispatched reserve units one after another, keeping the entire Chu line as steady as a rock.

Chu had fewer men, but Xiong Dun keenly detected problems in Zhou's troop movements. Orders clearly were not flowing properly. He immediately suspected that Ji Wan had appointed no overall battlefield commander. He watched the fighting closely, waiting for a weakness to emerge.

Heaven rewarded the determined. A weakness soon appeared in the Zhou army. Its poorly coordinated command structure had left a vulnerable point in its defenses. The opportunity would vanish in an instant, and a commander of Xiong Dun's caliber would not miss it. He immediately prepared to lead his guards in a charge.

These were Chu's three thousand finest troops. Every man was broad and heavy, with thick layers of fat on his body. Nor did they wear ordinary leather armor. They wore leather underneath, a layer of bronze armor over it, and tough vines wrapped around the bronze, leaving no gaps in their protection.

An ordinary soldier would find even standing exhausting in such equipment, let alone fighting. Yet these men could charge in it. Beyond his own courage and martial prowess, these fierce warriors were the reason Xiong Dun had never suffered defeat.

"Victory!"

Xiong Dun roared.

"Victory!"

Countless muffled voices answered from beneath vine face guards.

Thud, thud, thud!

Heavy footfalls thundered. The Zhou troops, already somewhat confused as they relieved one another, saw these mighty warriors charging toward them. They instinctively raised their great shields, while spearmen thrust their weapons through the gaps. The spearheads struck the enemy's thick shields, and a tremendous force immediately bent them back.

"Hold formation!"

The Zhou State troops were elite as well. Several junior officers realized that this Chu unit was no ordinary force. They immediately halted the changeover and began organizing their soldiers.