Chapter Forty-Three: Suspicion and Probing

Unlike Li Guang and Wei Qing, who stood atop lofty heights, Qin Cheng was positioned on a prominent hill as well, yet he remained within the boundaries of the “battlefield.” As the actual commander of this military exercise, Qin Cheng could hardly afford to be a mere overseer. Although many plans were already set in motion, the situation on the field was ever-changing. It was Qin Cheng’s first time leading troops into combat, so caution was paramount.

Behind Qin Cheng, several mounted messengers and a flag signalman waited patiently for orders.

“Relay to General Li Xi and General Ji Zhu: engage your troops in battle!” Qin Cheng commanded in a clear voice.

“Yes, sir!”

The messenger acknowledged the order, and the flag signalman began to wave the large command banner. In the autumn wind, the flag snapped loudly.

On the Old Horse Plain, two cavalry units advanced from opposite directions, galloping towards each other, their speed steadily increasing. The once silent plain was suddenly filled with the resounding thunder of hooves, as if a thousand drums had been struck at once. The earth trembled slightly beneath the pounding hooves, scattering countless birds from the woods. The tranquility of the plain was shattered, replaced by an awe-inspiring tumult.

Ji Zhu and Li Xi, commanders of the opposing cavalry forces, led a thousand horsemen each, charging at the front of their ranks. The distance between them shrank rapidly as their troops advanced.

“Attack!” Ji Zhu raised his long blade and cried out to his soldiers.

“Attack!” Li Xi on the other side brandished his blade forward, roaring fiercely.

The pounding of hooves and shouts surged, blades sliced the green grass, sending it flying into the air, only to be trampled again by the horses behind.

Qin Cheng sat atop his horse on the hill, gazing solemnly at the two converging cavalry units below. To command thousands of troops in battle—this had been Qin Cheng’s dream before he crossed worlds, and now, at last, he approached the fulfillment of this lifelong ambition.

His steed seemed to respond to the moment, letting out a loud whinny and rearing up, lifting Qin Cheng high. The sudden movement startled him; his riding skills were not exceptional, and he nearly lost his seat. Yet as he surveyed the two thousand cavalry below, a surge of pride filled his heart.

A line of poetry came to Qin Cheng’s mind: Who dares to stand with blade and horse? Only I, General Peng!

As the two cavalry units drew near, Wei Qing’s eyes showed confusion.

“Does General Wei believe this battle led by Young Commander Qin to be ordinary?” Li Guang noticed Wei Qing’s puzzled expression and chuckled.

“Two armies charge, first with arrows, then blades; they pass through each other, turn their horses, and repeat the formation,” Wei Qing recited as if reading from a book. “The armies are already close—does Young Commander Qin have any other tactics?”

“Not so.” Li Guang laughed heartily, finding amusement in keeping Wei Qing guessing. “Has General Wei not observed that the equipment of the two armies differs?”

“How could I not notice? One army is uniformly equipped with fine weapons, the other’s gear is mixed and uneven. I simply do not understand the purpose behind such an arrangement,” Wei Qing replied.

“This arrangement is not my own, but Young Commander Qin’s. As for its purpose, I can tell you this: the army with uniform equipment is the enemy; the mixed equipment is ours,” Li Guang answered ambiguously.

“Oh? Why such an arrangement? Is our Han army’s equipment inferior to that of the Xiongnu?” Wei Qing’s curiosity deepened.

Li Guang laughed again, pleased with Wei Qing’s bewilderment. He thought to himself that Qin had certainly piqued Wei Qing’s interest as intended. “If, in this exercise, our mixed-gear soldiers can defeat the enemy’s well-equipped troops, do you not think that when Han cavalry faces Xiongnu cavalry for real, victory will be less elusive?”

Wei Qing paused, then understood Li Guang’s meaning, and was greatly astonished. “Incredible! Who is Young Commander Qin, to make such daring arrangements?”

“Patience, General Wei—let us observe what happens next,” Li Guang replied, having teased him enough.

Ji Zhu’s mixed-gear cavalry was now only three hundred paces from Li Xi. In just a few breaths, they would clash. Suddenly, a deep horn sounded.

Ji Zhu heard the horn, flashed a mocking smile at the approaching Li Xi, raised his blade overhead, spun it clockwise, then feigned three chops to the left front, right front, and directly ahead.

His cavalry, seeing the signal, split left and right, accelerating towards the flanks, while those behind charged straight forward, forming a horseshoe-shaped formation.

Only three hundred paces separated Ji Zhu and Li Xi. The sudden change left Li Xi no time to adjust his orders; his flanks were quickly seized by Ji Zhu’s vanguard. Thus, volley fire became meaningless, and as expected, Ji Zhu’s flanking cavalry would encircle Li Xi!

Li Xi was an experienced veteran; from afar he could not detect anything amiss, but now, up close, he immediately noticed something: Ji Zhu’s flanking cavalry was equipped unusually lightly—only bows and blades, no spears or halberds! This meant Ji Zhu’s vanguard moved much faster, which, while negligible in ordinary times, could be fatal during a cavalry charge.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…” Ji Zhu’s flanking cavalry began firing arrows, raining them into Li Xi’s ranks.

“Accelerate, break through!” Outmaneuvered by Ji Zhu, Li Xi could not risk an exchange of fire, lest he be encircled. His only way out was to break through the low end of Ji Zhu’s horseshoe formation and open a path.

“Attack!” With mounting casualties, Li Xi roared and led his men into the fray.

The horn sounded again—deep and resonant. Li Xi turned to see Qin Cheng standing atop the hill.

Qin Cheng’s face was expressionless as he observed the battle, issuing orders decisively at critical moments.

“Attack!” Amid the shouts, Li Xi’s cavalry charged the enemy.

At the vanguard, Li Xi’s expression was grim. He had intended to break the enemy’s line, but as they engaged in close combat, he discovered the enemy cavalry wore heavy infantry armor, their horses protected as well! Their weapons included not only blades but also spears, halberds, and axes—perfect for cavalry melee. They even wielded wooden clubs, sweeping down rows at a time!

Looking at his own troops, all wore light cavalry leather armor, with no protection for their mounts. Though their weapons were of fine cavalry standard, in this melee, striking the enemy caused little harm, while a blow from the enemy could be fatal.

Li Xi was blocked by the armored cavalry, unable to break through, and soon was surrounded by Ji Zhu’s light cavalry flanking forces.

Wei Qing, watching from the high ground, was utterly astonished. Never had he imagined cavalry engagements could be fought this way. The “mixed” army he had just scorned had swiftly encircled the enemy, beginning a rout.

Li Guang was quite pleased with Wei Qing’s reaction. Seeing the exercise draw to a close, he could not delay explanation any longer, lest he spoil the effect. So he explained, “In this exercise, General Li Xi’s side represents the Xiongnu, General Ji Zhu’s side the Han. The key to Xiongnu cavalry charges is archery and horsemanship. General Ji Zhu split his forces: one light cavalry unit, changing formation in battle to envelop the enemy’s flanks and rear, using archery to disrupt and suppress the enemy; one heavy cavalry unit, armored and heavily armed, reducing the impact of Xiongnu arrows and maximizing close combat advantage, countering their superior horsemanship. The two units cooperate—if the commander seizes the right moment, the Xiongnu can be decisively defeated!”

As Li Guang spoke, he pointed out the forces on the field to help Wei Qing follow the action.

Wei Qing listened intently, deeply shaken by the effectiveness of the tactics, afraid to miss a single detail. When Li Guang finished, Wei Qing exhaled, then asked, “May I ask, General Li, are the ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ cavalry simply light- and heavy-armored horsemen?”

“More or less, but not exactly,” Li Guang mused. “These terms were first mentioned by Young Commander Qin; I only know the basics. If you wish to understand fully, you should ask him directly.”

“Young Commander Qin?” Wei Qing was surprised. Recalling all that had happened, he felt a complex mix of emotions and was momentarily lost for words. Finally, he could not help but ask, “General Li, was today’s exercise also devised by Young Commander Qin?”

“Indeed!” Li Guang stroked his beard with a satisfied smile, unconcerned by Wei Qing’s astonishment—he himself had been surprised before. “To be frank, in the entire garrison of Qiansang City, only Young Commander Qin possesses such insight. I am not one to exaggerate; he is truly a rare genius.”

“…”

“Whoo… Whoo…”

As the heavy horn sounded again over the Old Horse Plain, the grand exercise led by Ji Zhu and Li Xi’s two thousand cavalrymen finally ended.

With this final blast, over five thousand soldiers on the plain turned their gaze towards Qin Cheng, standing before the command horn, his horse motionless beneath the autumn wind, beside the maples and battle flag.

No one had anticipated such an outcome before the cavalry exercise began. Even Ji Zhu had followed Qin Cheng’s instructions without knowing the full plan. The improvised horse armor and wooden clubs were only suitable for exercises; on a real battlefield, they’d likely fall apart before meeting the Xiongnu. Nonetheless, today’s exercise demonstrated the power of these innovations, and with improvement, equipping and categorizing cavalry in future would be an excellent choice.

Now, the five thousand troops of Qiansang City—especially the senior cavalry commanders—looked at Qin Cheng with new eyes.

When the horn fell silent, Qin Cheng turned his horse and rode towards Li Guang.

“Greetings, General, General Wei,” Qin Cheng saluted from horseback.

Li Guang nodded. “Today’s exercise, Qin, you did not disappoint me.”

“Qin, your talent is admirable,” Wei Qing also saluted, sincerely.

Qin Cheng returned the gesture. “Today’s cavalry exercise is complete. Would you like cavalry to engage mixed troops next, General?”

His words were a formality—after all, Wei Qing had made this request earlier, though now he recognized that only cavalry could match cavalry, and Han horsemen could indeed defeat the Xiongnu.

“If you and the soldiers are willing, I would be delighted,” Wei Qing replied decisively.

Qin Cheng had hoped to be thorough but found Wei Qing even more so; he had unwittingly trapped himself, and could only look to Li Guang for guidance.

Li Guang was helpless but could not refuse Wei Qing’s request. “Since General Wei asks, Qin, please direct another round.”

“Yes, sir!” Qin Cheng answered, riding back to his post.

There were few cavalry in Qiansang City, only two thousand left. These could be divided for cavalry-versus-cavalry exercises, but splitting them further for engagement against over three thousand mixed troops was impossible. Reluctantly, Qin Cheng chose half his force. Fortunately, he had anticipated Wei Qing’s request and prepared accordingly, sparing himself embarrassment.

Cavalry versus mixed troops was straightforward; the Han army was accustomed to such tactics, having fought the Xiongnu this way for sixty or seventy years. Demonstrating to Wei Qing that mixed troops could not withstand cavalry was even easier, since the Han had rarely won against the Xiongnu in that time. The tactics were the same as in their last battle, but lacking the terrain advantage, the outcome could not be replicated.

The exercises concluded by noon, though cleanup would take much longer. Afterwards, Qin Cheng accompanied Wei Qing and Li Guang back to the garrison. This time, Wei Qing was not withdrawn but engaged in lively discussion. Qin Cheng and Li Guang spoke freely where appropriate, guiding Wei Qing toward their desired perspective. Wei Qing, intrigued by Qin Cheng’s cavalry tactics and the man himself, was in high spirits, discussing at length, unaware he was already playing into their hands.

That day, Wei Qing lingered until dusk before departing, telling Li Guang that he had gained much and would record it, and would report to the emperor upon his return to Chang’an.

Finally, as if compelled by fate, Wei Qing added, “Tomorrow I have other matters, so I won’t trouble you generals further.”

Hearing this, Qin Cheng was momentarily perplexed. He had expected Wei Qing to return early for further discussion, given all they had covered and more to explore. Why would he not return?

The answer came the next morning.

After the last great battle, Li Guang had written in his report to the court of Qin Cheng’s achievements: defending the yellow banner, slaying the Xiongnu Left Bone Commander, and devising the plan to entrap the Left Wise King. Yet when this report reached Liu Che, he harbored doubts. Otherwise, when Wei Qing petitioned for Qin Cheng’s promotion, his account omitted the stratagem against the Left Wise King.

The reason was simple: Qin Cheng was an ordinary man, without family or background, a border settler who likely never received formal education. It was plausible he possessed martial valor enough to slay the Left Bone Commander and defend the banner, but to claim he engineered a plan that destroyed three thousand Xiongnu cavalry with minimal losses seemed outlandish, impossible. Thus, Liu Che grew suspicious.

Throughout history, emperors are prone to suspicion, and Liu Che was no exception. He had begun to question Li Guang’s motives, though his doubts were slight, barely perceptible.