One

by Atsushi Nakajima

In the autumn of the second year of Tianhan under Emperor Wu of Han, in September, Cavalry Commandant Li Ling was to lead five thousand infantry north. They advanced through the desolate hilly terrain where the southeastern end of the Altai Mountains merges into the Gobi Desert. After thirty days of heading north, a cold northern wind swept through, and they were overcome with the feeling of having come to this land as a lone army a thousand miles away. Upon reaching the foot of Mount Junji in the northern desert, the army finally set up camp. They had already deeply penetrated into the territory of the enemy Xiongnu.

Even though it was autumn, the northern lands were harsh. Alfalfa had withered, and the leaves of elm and willow trees had completely fallen. Except for near the encampment, it was difficult to even find trees themselves; the surroundings were a desolate landscape of sand, rocks, and dry riverbeds. There was no sign of human presence; occasionally, only antelopes seeking water in the vast fields appeared. Even seeing lines of geese crossing distant mountains hurrying south, none of the generals or soldiers were overcome with nostalgia for their homeland. Such was the extreme danger of their situation.

Against the Xiongnu, whose main force was cavalry, penetrating deep into the interior with only infantry and not a single cavalry unit was the height of recklessness. There were only five thousand infantry, with no support, and Mount Junji was fifteen hundred li away from Han's Juyan. It was an march that could not have been continued without absolute trust and devotion to Li Ling.

Every year, as the autumn winds begin to blow, large contingents of fierce invaders, whipping their Huma horses, appear on the northern borders of Han. Border officials are killed, people are plundered, and livestock are stolen. Wuyuan, Shuofang, Yunzhong, Shanggu, and Yanmen were among the areas that suffered damage almost every year. Except for a few years from Yuanshou to Yuanding, when it was said that there was no royal court in Monan due to the military prowess of General Wei Qing and General of Cavalry Huo Qubing, the calamities in the northern regions had been ceaseless for the past thirty years. Eighteen years had passed since Huo Qubing's death, and seven years since Wei Qing's death. Marquis Zhao Panu led his entire army to surrender to the enemy, and the fortifications in Shuobei built by Guangluxun Xu Ziwei were quickly destroyed. The only general capable of inspiring trust throughout the army was General Ershi Li Guangli, who had gained fame a few years prior by leading an expedition to Dayuan.

That year, in the summer of the second year of Tianhan, in the fifth month, as the Xiongnu invasion loomed, General Ershi led thirty thousand cavalrymen out of Jiuquan. He intended to defeat the Xiongnu Right Worthy King, who was targeting the western frontier, in the Tianshan Mountains. Emperor Wu considered having Li Ling in charge of supplying this army, but Li Ling earnestly pleaded to be exempted from that role.

Li Ling was the grandson of the renowned general Li Guang, known as the "Flying General," and was famous for his skill in archery from horseback. For several years, as a cavalry commandant, he had been training and drilling soldiers in Jiuquan and Zhangye in the western frontier. Nearing forty years of age and full of vigor, the role of supply was far too humiliating for him. The soldiers he had trained in the frontier were all brave warriors, each capable of fighting a thousand, and Emperor Wu somewhat agreed with Li Ling's wish to lead them against the Xiongnu. However, due to successive deployments, there were no surplus cavalry horses to allocate to Li Ling's army.

Nevertheless, Li Ling said he didn't mind. Although he thought it was indeed impossible, he believed it was better to risk his own life and venture into danger with his five thousand subordinates than to settle for the role of supply. Emperor Wu was greatly pleased by Li Ling's words, "to strike a large army with a small force," and granted his wish. Li Ling returned to Zhangye in the west, gathered his subordinates, and immediately set off northward.

Around that time, Lu Bo-de, the Commander of Strong Crossbows stationed in Ju-yan, received an imperial edict and set out to meet Li Ling's army. Up to this point, things went smoothly, but the subsequent developments became very difficult. Lu Bo-de was an old general who had previously served under Huo Qu-bing and was enfeoffed as a Marquis. Twelve years prior, as General Fubo, he had led an army of 100,000 to conquer Nan-yue. However, he lost his marquisate due to legal reasons and was now guarding the western frontier. In terms of age, there was a father-son difference between him and Li Ling, and it was unpleasant for the old general, who once held great glory, to follow in the footsteps of the young Li Ling.

As soon as he met Li Ling's army, he sent an envoy to the capital to submit a memorial. The content was: "It is autumn now, and the Xiongnu horses are fat. A small number of soldiers cannot contend with their cavalry tactics. It would be better to spend the winter here with Li Ling and wait for spring, then sortie with five thousand cavalry each from Jiuquan and Zhangye." Of course, Li Ling was unaware of this. Emperor Wu was furious upon seeing this memorial. He believed that Li Ling had consulted with Bo-de before submitting it. He wondered why Li Ling, after making grand boasts in front of him, would suddenly become timid upon reaching the frontier.

Immediately, an envoy flew from the capital to Bo-de and Li Ling. The imperial edict stated: "Since Li Ling said he would attack a large army with a small force, you do not need to cooperate with him. If the Xiongnu have now invaded Xihe, immediately leave Li Ling and hasten to Xihe to block the enemy's path." The edict to Li Ling stated: "Proceed immediately to Mobei, scout from Junji Mountain in the east to the vicinity of Longle River in the south, and if there is no abnormality, follow the old path of Yehou to Shoujiang City and rest your soldiers." It goes without saying that there was a fierce interrogation questioning the meaning of the memorial submitted in consultation with Bo-de.

Aside from the danger of wandering through enemy territory with a small number of soldiers, the designated journey of several thousand li was extremely difficult for an army without horses. Considering the marching speed on foot, the pulling power of carts by human strength, and the climate of the Hu region heading into winter, everyone could clearly understand. Emperor Wu was by no means an incompetent king, but he shared common strengths and weaknesses with Emperor Yang of Sui and Qin Shi Huang, who were likewise not incompetent. General Ershi, the brother of his beloved concubine Lady Li, also once tried to withdraw from Dayuan due to insufficient troops, which incurred the emperor's wrath, and the Yumen Pass was closed to him. That campaign against Dayuan was conceived simply because the emperor desired good horses. Once the emperor made a pronouncement, no matter how selfish, it had to be absolutely carried out. In Li Ling's case, moreover, it was a role he had originally requested himself (and there was no reason to hesitate, only that the season and distance were unreasonable). Thus, Li Ling was to embark on a "northern expedition without cavalry."

They remained in the mountains of Junji Mountain for over ten days. During that time, scouts were dispatched daily to ascertain enemy movements, and the surrounding mountain and river terrain had to be meticulously drawn on maps and reported to the capital. The report was carried by his subordinate Chen Bu-le, who hastened to the capital alone. The chosen messenger bowed to Li Ling, mounted one of the fewer than ten horses, and, with a whip, galloped down the hill. In the dry, gray landscape, the army's officers and soldiers watched his figure gradually diminish with a sense of apprehension.

For ten days, not a single Hu soldier was seen within thirty li east and west of Junji Mountain.

Prior to them, General Ershi, who had launched an expedition to Tian Shan during the summer, had once defeated the Right Worthy King, but on his way back, he was surrounded by another large Xiongnu army and suffered a devastating defeat. It was said that six or seven out of ten Han soldiers were killed, and the general himself barely escaped with his life. That rumor had reached Li Ling's ears. Where was the main force of the enemy that had defeated Li Guangli now? The enemy army that General Gongsun Ao was currently defending against on the borders of Xihe and Shuofang did not seem to be the main enemy force in question, considering the distance and time. It was impossible for them to travel from Tian Shan to Henan (Ordos), four thousand li to the east, so quickly. It was thought that the main force of the Xiongnu must currently be encamped between Li Ling's army's stopping point and Jushui to the north. Li Ling himself stood on the mountaintop every day, looking in all directions, but from east to south, there was only a vast expanse of flat sand, and from west to north, only a series of hills with sparse trees. Although he occasionally saw the shadow of a bird, perhaps a hawk or a falcon, among the autumn clouds, not a single Hu soldier was visible on the ground.

At the edge of the sparse forest in the mountain gorge, military chariots were neatly arranged, and within them was a camp with a series of tents. As night fell, the temperature dropped sharply, and the soldiers broke off the scarce trees to make bonfires and warm themselves. Within ten days, the moon had disappeared. Perhaps because the air was dry, the stars shone with unusual beauty. Just above the dark mountain shadows, the Wolf Star shone every night, trailing a pale blue light diagonally.

After more than ten days passed without incident, on the evening when they decided to finally leave this place tomorrow and head southeast along the designated route, a sentry, casually looking up at the brilliant Wolf Star, suddenly saw a large reddish-yellow star appear directly below it. While he was surprised, that unfamiliar giant star began to move, trailing a red tail. Then, two, three, four, five more similar lights appeared around it and moved. The moment the sentry was about to cry out, those distant lights suddenly extinguished all at once. It was as if what he had just seen was a dream.

Upon receiving the sentinel's report, Li Ling ordered the entire army to prepare for battle immediately at dawn the next morning. After going out and inspecting each post, he returned to his tent and fell into a deep sleep, snoring like thunder.

The next morning, when Li Ling awoke and went outside, the entire army had formed the battle array as ordered the previous night and was quietly awaiting the enemy. Outside the line of chariots, those with halberds and shields were in the front row, and those with bows and crossbows were in the back. The two mountains across the valley were still dim and silent, but a sense of something lurking could be felt.

The moment the morning sun shone into the valley, (the Xiongnu would not act until their Chanyu had first worshipped the sun.) countless figures simultaneously surged from the previously unseen peaks and slopes of both mountains. With a roar that shook heaven and earth, the Hu soldiers rushed down the mountainside. When the vanguard of the Hu soldiers approached within twenty paces, the first drumbeat echoed from the silent Han encampment. Instantly, a thousand crossbows fired, and hundreds of Hu soldiers fell simultaneously. Without a moment's delay, the halberd-wielders in the Han army's front line attacked the remaining, faltering Hu soldiers. The Xiongnu army was completely routed and fled back up the mountain. The Han army pursued them, taking several thousand enemy heads.

Although it was a brilliant victory, the persistent enemy would never retreat just like that. Today's enemy force alone must have easily numbered thirty thousand. Moreover, judging by the banners fluttering on the mountain, it was undoubtedly the Chanyu's personal guard. If the Chanyu was present, they had to be prepared for the inevitable arrival of eighty or even one hundred thousand reinforcements. Li Ling immediately decided to withdraw from this area and move south. Furthermore, he changed his previous day's plan of heading to Shouxiang City, two thousand li southeast from here, and instead chose to advance south along the same path he had taken half a month ago, aiming to return to the original Juyan Fortress as quickly as possible.

On the afternoon of the third day of their southward journey, a yellow dust cloud, like a cloud, was seen rising on the northern horizon behind the Han army. It was the pursuit of the Xiongnu cavalry. By the next day, eighty thousand Hu soldiers had already utilized the speed of their horses to completely surround the Han army from all sides—front, back, left, and right. However, perhaps having learned from their failure the previous day, they did not approach within close range. While keeping a wide distance from the Han army advancing southward, they shot long-range arrows from horseback. When Li Ling halted the entire army and had them form a battle formation, the enemy galloped their horses and retreated far away, avoiding close combat. If the Han army resumed marching, they would approach again and shoot arrows. The marching speed significantly decreased, and casualties steadily increased day by day. Like wild wolves trailing hungry and tired travelers, the Xiongnu soldiers persistently pursued them, continuing this tactic. They were slowly inflicting wounds, waiting for an opportunity to deliver the final blow someday.

After several days of fighting and retreating southward, the Han army took a day of rest in a mountain valley. The number of wounded had already become quite considerable. Li Ling called a roll of all personnel, and after investigating the extent of the damage, he decided that those with only one wound would carry their weapons and fight as usual, those with two wounds would still assist in pushing the war chariots, and only those with three wounds would be transported by litter. Due to the lack of transport capacity, all corpses had to be abandoned in the wilderness. That night, during an inspection of the camp, Li Ling happened to discover a woman dressed in men's clothing in one of the supply wagons. Upon searching every vehicle in the entire army, more than a dozen other women were found hiding in the same way. In previous years, when the bandits of Guandong were annihilated, their wives and children were pursued and relocated to the western frontier. Many of these women, struggling with poverty, became wives of border guards or prostitutes serving them as "hua ke" (Chinese guests). It was these women who had hidden in the war chariots and followed the army all the way to Mobei. Li Ling simply ordered the military officials to execute the women. He did not mention the soldiers who had brought them along. After the women, dragged out to a hollow in the valley, cried out in heart-wrenching wails for a while, the generals and soldiers in their tents quietly listened as the sound suddenly faded away, as if swallowed by the night's silence.

The next morning, the enemy approached closely for the first time in a while. The entire Han army engaged in battle with full force. The enemy's casualties exceeded three thousand, and the morale, which had been frustrated by days of persistent guerrilla tactics, suddenly surged. From the next day, they once again followed the path to Longcheng, and the retreat southward began. The Xiongnu reverted to their tactic of fighting from a distance.

On the fifth day, the Han army stepped into one of the marshlands in the flat sands. The water was half-frozen, the mud was deep enough to bury their shins, and a vast expanse of withered reeds stretched endlessly. A unit of Xiongnu, having moved upwind, set fire to the reeds. The north wind fanned the flames, and the fire, shining palely and losing its luster under the midday sky, approached the Han army with astonishing speed. Li Ling immediately ordered his men to set fire to nearby reeds, barely managing to defend against it. However, the difficulty of marching through the marshland was indescribable. After walking through the mud all night without a place to rest, the moment they reached the hilly terrain the next morning, they were ambushed by the enemy's main force, which had lain in wait. Men and horses were thrown into disarray, and a fierce battle began. To avoid the cavalry's furious charge, Li Ling abandoned his chariots and moved the battle to a sparse forest at the foot of the mountain. The intense volley of arrows from within the forest was highly effective. When they simultaneously fired their repeating crossbows at the Chanyu and his personal guard, who happened to appear at the front of the formation, the Chanyu's white horse reared up on its hind legs and stood still, and the Hu chieftain in his blue robe was instantly thrown to the ground. Two riders from the personal guard, without dismounting, scooped up the Chanyu from both sides, and the entire unit immediately surrounded him and retreated.

After several hours of skirmishing, they finally managed to repel the persistent enemy, but it had been an unprecedentedly difficult battle. The enemy corpses left behind once again numbered in the thousands, but the Han army had also suffered nearly a thousand casualties.

From the mouths of the Hu captives taken that day, we were able to learn a part of the enemy army's situation. The Chanyu was apparently surprised by the strength of the Han soldiers and, despite having an army twenty times larger than ours, suspected that there might be an ambush nearby, which was why he was advancing south day by day to lure us. The previous night, the Chanyu had voiced this suspicion to his generals, and although such a suspicion was indeed plausible, the main argument for war ultimately prevailed: if the Chanyu himself, leading tens of thousands of cavalry, could not defeat a small number of Han soldiers, it would be a matter of their honor. It was decided that they would advance forty to fifty li south, then fight fiercely, and only if they still could not be defeated after engaging in battle on the open plain, would they finally turn their troops back north. Hearing this, a faint hope of perhaps being saved arose in the minds of the Han army staff, including Commandant Han Yeon-nyeon.

From the next day, the Hu army's attacks became extremely fierce. It must have been the final fierce assault mentioned in the captive's words. The assaults were repeated more than ten times a day. While launching fierce counterattacks, the Han army gradually moved south. After three days, they reached the open plain. In the battle on the plain, the power of the doubled cavalry became decisive, and the Xiongnu tried desperately to overwhelm the Han army, but in the end, they retreated again, leaving two thousand corpses behind. If the captive's words were not false, the Hu army should now cease their pursuit. Although it was just the words of a common soldier, they didn't think it could be entirely reliable, but the staff officers were undoubtedly a little relieved.

That night, a Han military officer named Guan Gan deserted his post and defected to the Xiongnu army. He was a former delinquent from Chang'an who had been publicly insulted and flogged by Colonel Cheng'an Marquis Han Yan-nian the previous night for his negligence during reconnaissance. He took this action out of resentment. It is also said that one of the women killed in the ravine the other day was his wife. Guan Gan knew what the Xiongnu prisoners had confessed. Therefore, when he defected to the Hu camp and was brought before the Chanyu, he emphatically argued that there was no need to retreat for fear of an ambush. He said, "The Han army has no reinforcements. Their arrows are almost exhausted. Casualties are mounting, and their march is extremely difficult. The core of the Han army consists of 800 men each led by General Li and Cheng'an Marquis Han Yan-nian, but since they each carry yellow and white banners, if the elite Hu cavalry concentrates its attack there tomorrow, they will be able to defeat them." The Chanyu was greatly pleased, treated Guan Gan generously, and immediately rescinded the order to retreat to the north.

The next day, as Li Ling and Han Yan-nian urgently shouted for them to descend, the most elite of the Hu army attacked, aiming for the yellow and white banners. With that momentum, the Han army was gradually pushed from the plains into the western mountains. Finally, they were driven into a mountain valley far from the main road. From the mountaintops on all four sides, the enemy rained down arrows. Even if they tried to retaliate, their arrows were now completely exhausted. The 500,000 arrows, 100 carried by each person when they left Zhelu, had all been shot. Not only arrows. Half of all the swords, spears, lances, and halberds in the entire army were broken or chipped. They had literally broken their swords and run out of arrows. Nevertheless, those who had lost their halberds cut off chariot spokes and carried them, and military officials defended themselves with short swords. As the valley became narrower and narrower, the Hu soldiers began to throw large stones from the cliffs at various points. This increased the casualties of the Han army more effectively than arrows. With corpses and stones, further advance became impossible.

That night, Li Ling, lightly dressed in a short-sleeved tunic, told everyone not to follow him and went out of the encampment alone. The moon peeked out from between the mountain gorges, illuminating the corpses lying in the valley. It had been dark when they retreated from the position at Junji Mountain, but the moon was beginning to brighten again. The moonlight and the frost-covered ground looked as if they were wet with water.

The officers and soldiers who remained in the encampment understood from Li Ling's attire that he intended to scout the enemy camp alone, hoping to confront the Chanyu. Li Ling did not return for a long time. They held their breath, listening to the sounds outside. The sound of a huqin echoed from a distant mountaintop. After a while, Li Ling returned to the tent without a sound. He uttered a single word, "No," and sat down on the low bed.

"It seems there is no other way than for the entire army to be cut down," he said after a while, to no one in particular. Silence fell over the surroundings. Eventually, one of the military officials spoke, recounting how Zhao Panu, the Marquis of Ye, had been captured by the Hu army years ago, and when he returned to Han several years later, Emperor Wu had not punished him. Considering this example, he suggested that if Li Ling, who had terrified the Xiongnu with such a small force, were to escape back to the capital, the Emperor would surely know how to treat him.

Li Ling interrupted him, saying, "Leaving my own fate aside, if we had dozens of arrows now, we might be able to break out of the encirclement. However, in this situation where we don't have a single arrow, the entire army will simply be captured by dawn tomorrow. But if we break through the encirclement tonight and each of us scatters and runs like birds and beasts, some might reach the frontier and report the military situation to the Emperor. Our current location must be in the mountains north of Han Mountain, but it's several days' journey to Juyan. The chances of success are slim, but now there is no other way."

The generals also nodded in agreement. Each soldier and officer of the entire army was distributed two sho of dried provisions and one piece of ice, and ordered to charge towards the enemy. Then, the Han banners were torn down and buried in the ground, and all weapons and chariots that might be used by the enemy were destroyed. At midnight, drums resounded, and the soldiers were roused. The sound of the military drums was mournful. Li Ling, along with Han Yan-nyeon, mounted their horses and, followed by more than ten brave warriors, took the lead. They intended to break through the eastern mouth of the canyon and then run south after reaching the plain.

The early moon had already set. Taking the Huns by surprise, two-thirds of the entire army successfully broke through the back entrance of the canyon as planned. However, they were immediately pursued by enemy cavalry. Most of the foot soldiers seemed to have been killed or captured, but several dozen individuals who seized enemy horses amidst the chaos spurred those Hun horses and fled south. After shaking off the enemy's pursuit, Li Ling counted the number of his subordinates who had fled across the faintly white sandy plain visible in the night, confirmed that there were indeed over a hundred, and then returned to the scene of carnage at the canyon entrance.

He had sustained several wounds on his body, and his armor was heavily soaked with his own blood and the blood of others. Han Yan-nyeon, who had been beside him, had already been killed in battle. Having lost his subordinates and his entire army, Li Ling no longer had the face to show the Emperor. He re-gripped his halberd and once again plunged into the chaotic battle. In the darkness, amidst a melee where friend and foe were indistinguishable, Li Ling's horse stumbled forward, perhaps struck by a stray arrow. At that moment, as Li Ling drew his spear to strike an enemy in front of him, he suddenly received a heavy blow to the back of his head from behind and lost consciousness. As he fell from his horse, Hun soldiers piled upon him, ten and twenty deep, attacking him.