Cold winds swept the land of Hebei. That evening, outside Leling, a fierce and bloody battle broke out that caught both sides somewhat unprepared.
What happened was actually very simple.
Although the Righteous Army had received ample news through the two sides that had not been sealed off, learning that the Exorcising the Dragon Army was coming to their aid in force, the weather was so cold and their food would run out within days. What ordinary person would stake his life and fortune on some reinforcements? So, as the cold wind blustered that night and the ice on the Horse-Face River froze especially fast, many among the Righteous Army were finally tempted to seize the chance to flee.
No one knew who started it or who thought of the idea. Large numbers of Righteous Army soldiers, in strings, clusters, and groups, lashed mats, reeds, ropes, and planks together and laid them over the ice of the Horse-Face River as something resembling a floating bridge, attempting to escape by night.
But at the same time, the government troops in the Southern Camp happened to be relocating that evening. When the two sides met, the Righteous Army assumed the others had come to stop them, and naturally fighting erupted.
Then the government troops sent men from the Northern Camp to reinforce them, while the Righteous Army also attempted a rescue. A chaotic battle unfolded along the inner side of the Horse-Face River.
Frankly, this battle put the government troops at something of a disadvantage... not that they failed to gain the upper hand, but it was a winter night, pitch-black at the end of the month, with cold winds howling. Their proper advantages could not be brought into play at all. There were no formations, no effective command, and they had