The scouts of the Northern Army were capable of holding their own in the desert against the fierce warriors of the Desert Barbarians. How could the scouts of the Qian Army possibly compare? Moreover, the Qian people hadn’t expected the Yan people to bypass the three border regions and arrive here directly, capturing Chuzhou City with lightning speed. Such isolation couldn’t possibly cut off all news. Some information would undoubtedly still get out, but in this era, information transmission itself suffered from inherent delays. Simultaneously, an army on the march would find its ability to receive timely information greatly diminished.
In short, a confluence of these factors led this Qian Army of 30,000 men to stumble, almost like a savior, right into Chuzhou City.
Presumably, the commander of that army must have realized something was amiss. Even the most foolish officer understood the necessities of a march: dividing forces into vanguard, main body, and rearguard; dispatching scouts to widen their field of vision; and even sending men ahead to Chuzhou City to notify them to prepare for the main army’s passage that night. Then, they must have discovered that neither the men sent to Chuzhou City nor the dispatched scouts had returned. Sensing trouble, the commander’s instinct likely prompted him to head towards a nearby county town that could offer support.
"Heh, I’m not some cat to be toyed with. Did they think I’d abandon the chase just because they dangled a little bait?" Li Fusheng continued, "Issue the order: full speed ahead!"
Zheng Fan understood the intention: to intercept the enemy before they reached Qing Mountain County. Cavalry could only display its maximum combat effectiveness and gain the greatest advantage in open terrain. Although Zheng Fan had never been to Qing Mountain County, county towns in this era invariably had walls. If the Qian Army were allowed to enter such a town, even if its walls weren’t particularly high or formidable, it would still pose a significant problem for the Northern Army. The choice of a large-scale tactical leap was precisely to avoid getting bogged down attacking the Qian people’s Zhongcheng in the three border regions. If they were to besiege a city, it had to be the imperial capital of the Qian State. When attacking the imperial capital, no amount of casualties, no number of Yan men’s lives lost, would be considered a waste.
At Li Fusheng’s command, the entire army accelerated, no longer conserving their horses’ strength.
Finally, a messenger from the vanguard reported that they had spotted the enemy’s formation. Li Fusheng immediately ordered the two leading guerrilla generals to lead their troops in a flanking maneuver, to encircle the enemy and cut off their advance towards Qing Mountain County.
"Heh, we’ve caught them." Li Fusheng was in high spirits. He had, in fact, been slightly worried that they might not catch the Qian Army before it entered the town. The Northern Army had one major weakness: their profound lack of experience in siege warfare. They had practically none. After all, apart from the Royal Court’s seat, the Desert Barbarians possessed hardly any fortified settlements.
Eventually, the main army contingent also arrived.
Zheng Fan observed that the enemy’s formation was surprisingly orderly. Despite being composed mostly of infantry, they showed no signs of panic when faced with the advancing cavalry. Spearmen were positioned at the front and on both flanks, with shield-bearers in the center. Further back, there were likely crossbowmen and archers. The enemy’s few cavalry units were held in reserve at the rear. This was what Zheng Fan, a novice on the battlefield, could discern. Although he had participated in several battles, Zheng Fan had only ever commanded assaults on small forts or city gates. Even in the battle that routed the Wolf Land Soldiers, it was Liang Cheng who had personally directed the forces, while Zheng Fan had merely acted as a cavalryman following orders. Nevertheless, Zheng Fan sensed something unusual about this Qian Army. A single glance at their formation told him it was designed to counter cavalry.
"My lord," Liang Cheng said, "the enemy appears to have divided their 30,000-strong army into three sections, arranged in a triangular formation. This arrangement allows for mutual support, and with sufficient arrows, they can also provide covering fire for one another."
Zheng Fan could only see the foremost ranks, but Liang Cheng had already grasped the entirety of the enemy’s disposition. It was akin to the difference between the bird’s-eye view one has watching a football match from a central camera or on television, and the limited perspective of a player on the field. An excellent commander could observe such details and thereby achieve a seemingly "clairvoyant" understanding of the situation.
Li Fusheng glanced at Liang Cheng in surprise. "Direct Thief!" he exclaimed. "Who is this Qian commander? He certainly knows his business when it comes to warfare." He then pointed at Liang Cheng. "Do you know what he’s aiming for?" he asked.
"To hold their ground and wait for reinforcements," Liang Cheng replied.
"Exactly. Hold their ground and wait for reinforcements." Official source ıs N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Because the advance cavalry units had caught up with the enemy in time and also outflanked them to cut off their rear, the Qian commander had chosen to form up and wait where they stood. The enemy commander chose not to attempt breaking through the nearly 6,000 Yan Army cavalry to reach Qing Mountain County, even though the county seat was not far ahead. Their own forces were predominantly infantry, making a swift breakthrough against cavalry difficult. More importantly, the Qian commander must have realized that the two Yan Army cavalry units which had appeared and cut off his rear were merely the vanguard; more Yan Army cavalry were undoubtedly galloping towards them. If he initiated an attack, his advancing troops would be vulnerable to a counter-charge from the arriving Yan Army cavalry. For an army primarily composed of infantry, having their formation shattered by a cavalry charge would be an unmitigated disaster!