Chapter 16: The Great Battle of Beiping, Shooting and Killing King Hui's Two Generals
In the autumn of 324 BC (the fifth year of King Huai of Chu), King Huai of Chu ordered Zhao Yang to lead an army of 100,000 men to set up defenses in the area of Xuchang (present-day Xuchang City, Henan Province). At the same time, he ordered Tang Mei to lead an army of 100,000 men to set up defenses in the area of Xiangyang and Nanyang. Meanwhile, he led a force of 200,000 elite soldiers (50,000 cavalry and 150,000 infantry) out of Fangcheng (Fangcheng County, Henan Province), proclaiming that they would punish the State of Wei for its unjust actions in 329 BC (the eleventh year of King Wu of Chu).
King Hui of Wei heard the news and immediately sent a message to King Xuan of Han, asking him to send 100,000 troops to join forces with Wei and attack Chu together. They would divide the land of Chu into two parts, Fang and Ye. At the same time, he personally led 200,000 troops (50,000 cavalry and 150,000 infantry) along with General Xi Shou to fight against the Chu army.
King Xuan of Han received the message from King Hui of Wei and immediately summoned his officials to discuss the matter. The king said: "Now, King Huai of Chu is leading 200,000 troops to attack Wei, seeking revenge for when King Hui of Wei took advantage of Chu's national mourning period to launch a surprise attack on their territory. However, since then, Chu has been very powerful and prosperous. Three years ago, King Huai of Chu defeated the Marquis of Shu at Xi Ba, and last year he defeated the combined forces of Qin and Shu at Bao Han (Hanzhong), killing over 190,000 enemy soldiers. The morale of the Chu army is high, and I'm worried that if we engage in battle with them now, we will suffer a defeat.
Although Wei is not as powerful as it was before, King Hui is still recognized as the leader among the feudal lords, and he is also our neighbor. We can't afford to offend him. If we don't follow his request, I'm afraid he will cause trouble for us in the future. This is a difficult decision, and I hope you officials have some good strategies to help me out of this dilemma."
One of the officials suggested: "The Chu army is too powerful, and we can't match their strength head-on. Your Majesty could lead 100,000 troops out of Xinzheng to respond to the situation, but don't engage in battle with the Chu army. Let Wei and Chu fight each other first, and when they are exhausted, we can take advantage of the situation and reap the benefits."
King Xuan of Han then led 100,000 troops out of Xinzheng.
In early August, the 200,000-strong army of Chu State's King Hui and the 200,000-strong army of Wei State's King met at Gu Chengyi (now ancient city town of Yuzhou City) and Po Hu (now Po Hu Town of Yuzhou City). King Hui of Chu rode his horse forward and said, "Are you not the King of Wei?" The King of Wei replied, "It is I." King Hui of Chu said, "You are the leader of the alliance of all the feudal lords under heaven. How can you take advantage of my country's mourning period to launch a surprise attack on my territory and seize my land? Is this the behavior of a hegemon?" The King of Wei replied, "What do you know? What is your territory? The mountains of Xian and the city of Xu are all part of the great Wei State. They were taken from me by your father, and I am just taking them back." King Hui of Chu said, "If that's the case, then today I will take them back from you!" The King of Wei replied, "I'm afraid you don't have the ability to do so." King Hui of Chu was enraged. Without saying another word, he spurred his horse and charged at the King of Wei with his spear. His black horse galloped like a wild wind, and in an instant, it arrived before the King of Wei. A dark shadow flashed towards the King of Wei, who raised his square heaven halberd to block it hastily. The King of Wei was also a man of great strength, known for his bravery in the alliance of feudal lords and his visit to Luoyang to inquire about the tripod. His square heaven halberd was wielded with divine skill, its power not inferior to that of Xizhou. This was a clash of strength against strength, hardness against hardness. The sound of their collision was like thunder, and sparks flew in all directions. King Hui's spear struck the fork of the King of Wei's halberd, deforming it. The King of Wei stumbled backward, his hands trembling slightly. King Hui saw this and thrust his spear forward again. The King of Wei raised his halberd to block it, but his left hand sank, and his long halberd tilted. King Hui swung his spear horizontally, and the King of Wei slanted his halberd to parry. King Hui struck again, and the King of Wei wielded his halberd to kill him. The sound of their collision was like thunder once more. The King of Wei's square heaven halberd was knocked open, showing that its power was not as great as King Hui's spear. Suddenly, King Hui let out a loud cry and thrust his spear downward with all his might. The King of Wei hastily raised his halberd to block it horizontally, but the force of the blow shook his horse, causing it to whinny loudly. Clang! Clang! Clang! King Hui struck three times in succession, forcing the King of Wei and his horse to retreat five steps. With a whooshing sound, King Hui's long spear pierced through the defensive line of the King of Wei's halberd and reached his side. The King of Wei let out a loud cry, broke into a cold sweat, and hastily raised his halberd to block the spear. He lifted it high, but King Hui struck again with all his might. The sound of their collision was like thunder once more. The King of Wei's hands were shaken, and his square heaven halberd flew out of his grasp, falling to the ground with a clang. Some soldiers from the Wei army rushed forward, picked up the King of Wei's halberd, and saw that it had been split open. There were bloodstains on the handle, and it was clear that the King of Wei's palms had been shaken and split open. The King of Wei was so frightened that he forgot about the pain in his hands and hastily spurred his horse to flee back to his army. Not bad! He could still fight ten rounds with King Hui, which was more than what Qin Wenhuiwang could do. King Hui saw this and clamped his legs together, pursuing him closely. He raised his spear and thrust it forward. The three men who came were the brave general Xizhou of the Wei army, wielding a large knife, and two other generals of the Wei army, wielding long spears. Actually, King Hui did not really want to kill the King of Wei but wanted to capture him alive. On the Chu side, the sound of their battle cry was like thunder. When Zhaoyi saw that Xizhou and the two generals had killed their way out, he let out a loud cry: "You cannot bully us with your numbers!" He then spurred his horse forward, wielding his spear to kill the approaching generals.
King Hui of Chu saw the situation and swept his long spear to the left and right, making a "ding" sound. This was the sound of spears colliding with each other. Two Wei generals on the left had their spears knocked away three steps, while the main general, Xi Shou, had his large knife knocked away half a step.
At this time, Zhao Ying arrived and caught Xi Shou's knife. In an instant, five people formed two groups, with King Hui of Chu fighting against two opponents using only long spears. King Hui's spear struck to the left, and the Wei general on the left raised his spear to block hastily. However, the spear suddenly swept to the right, and the Wei general on the right saw this and quickly raised his spear to parry.
A "ding" sound was heard, which was the sound of spear handles colliding with each other. The Wei general on the right was almost knocked off his horse, and his spear nearly flew out of his hand. The Wei general on the left saw this and stabbed forward with his spear. King Hui used the recoil from his previous strike to deflect the spear to the left and then counterattacked.
The Wei general on the left hastily dodged and raised his spear to block, but King Hui's spearhead pressed down and swept forward, almost hitting the Wei general's chin. The Wei general was frightened and quickly retreated backward.
King Hui was about to attack when the Wei general on the right struck with his spear. King Hui swung his spear to the right, striking the Wei general's spear handle. The impact shook the Wei general's hands, causing them to bleed, and he retreated three steps along with his horse.
King Hui raised his spear and struck to the left with great force. The Wei general on the left raised his spear to resist, but it was knocked to the ground with a "ding" sound. His palms were also shattered, and he retreated several steps along with his horse. King Hui took advantage of this opportunity to strike again, hitting the Wei general's throat.
The Wei general fell off his horse and died. The Wei general on the right raised his spear to rescue him but was struck by King Hui's spear. His long spear flew out of his hand, and King Hui followed up with another strike, hitting the Wei general in the heart. The spearhead pierced through, and the Wei general's head split open.
In just five rounds, two high-ranking generals of the Wei army were killed by King Hui's spear.
