Break through Nanzheng, capture Xuchang and Hancheng
At this time, the cavalry of Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou had already escaped from Xixiang County, and Zhao Ying's light cavalry had chased to Baijia Dam. Although both sides were cavalry running, it was unknown how they did it, but the cavalry led by Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou ran slower, while Zhao Ying's light cavalry chased faster, and the distance between them got closer and closer. When they arrived at Chenggu County, Zhao Ying's light cavalry was about to catch up, Sima Cuo hastily ordered 3,000 Qin army cavalry, 2,000 Shu army cavalry, and 500 Shu army defenders to use the earth wall of Chenggu County as cover, blocking the attack of the Chu army cavalry, and ordering all soldiers to "advance and live, retreat and die", fighting to the death to cover up the withdrawal of Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou's 25,000 cavalry to Bao Han (Hanzhong City). Zhao Ying's large light cavalry arrived at Chenggu County, saw Sima Cuo standing with his sword, leading 5,000 cavalry lined up under the city, and waiting in a strict array. Zhao Ying ordered 10,000 Chu army cavalry to form a line, charging and killing Sima Cuo's 5,000 cavalry, while 40,000 Chu army cavalry divided into two routes, bypassing Chenggu County on both sides, and rushing straight to Bao Han (Hanzhong City) to capture Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou alive. Sima Cuo saw the situation and ordered 4,000 cavalry to intercept the Chu army cavalry in two routes, while he himself led 1,000 cavalry and 500 defenders to fight against Zhao Ying's 10,000 Chu army cavalry. Sima Cuo's 5,000 cavalry intercepted Zhao Ying's 50,000 Chu army cavalry, which was undoubtedly a suicidal move, but it could delay for some time, allowing Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou's 25,000 cavalry to run far away. It was just like this, knowing that it would be death, but only with death could he protect his lord, this was Sima Cuo's so-called "abandoning the pawn to save the general" plan. At Guquan County's Guleping, Sima Cuo's "abandoning the pawn to save the general" plan had already made 70,000 Qin and Shu allied infantry into ghosts under the knife and souls under the gun of the Chu army cavalry, in exchange for Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou being able to escape to this Chenggu County. Today, they had to abandon the lives of these 5,000 cavalry and 500 defenders to allow Qin Huiwen King and Shu Hou to run out of more than 20 miles. Alas! The allied army of Qin and Shu was indeed defeated like a mountain collapse, and their journey was exhausted.
Only to see Zhao Yue rushing over with his horse and gun, 10,000 Chu army cavalry also followed suit, Sima Cu knew that no one in the Qin and Shu armies could withstand Zhao Yue, so he had to ride his horse and raise his knife again. Unfortunately, the Chu army was too strong, Sima Cu's 1,000 cavalry were all scattered, and they didn't dare to fight anymore, so they turned their horses around and retreated back to the city of Gongyuan to defend against the enemy. However, only 200 infantrymen and 300 cavalrymen managed to rush back into the city, while the remaining 700 cavalrymen and 300 infantrymen were all beheaded. Zhao Yue did not order the attack on the city but instead ordered the Chu army cavalry to bypass the city and head straight for Bao Han (Hanzhong City). Sima Cu saw this and wanted to rush out again to hold back Zhao Yue, but was stopped by a general who said: "General, going out is like a moth flying into the fire, it's a waste of your life." Sima Cu painfully said: "I am willing to die for my country, if I can delay Zhao Yue's cavalry for more than 10 minutes, our king can run further away by more than 10 miles." The general replied: "General, your words are wrong! If you go out again, Zhao Yue only needs to send out 1,000 Chu army cavalrymen to kill you, and then he will still lead his troops to chase after our king. If you die, who will protect the king? If the king has any accidents, even if you die, you cannot escape responsibility." Sima Cu listened and said: "If it weren't for your reminder, I almost made a big mistake." He took 300 Qin army cavalrymen with him and hastily escaped from the back door, rushing towards the escape route of King Huiwen of Qin.
The allied forces of Qin and Shu, with 4,000 cavalrymen on both sides of the city, fought to the death against the 40,000-strong Chu army cavalry for just fifteen minutes. Although they were all killed in battle, these fifteen minutes were crucial for the cavalry. With this fifteen-minute delay, King Huiwen of Qin and the Marquis of Shu could flee more than twenty miles away, and the Chu army's cavalry would have to chase after them for a long time. The 200 Shu soldiers who stayed behind in the city were also annihilated by the approaching Chu infantry.
King Huiwen of Qin and the Marquis of Shu, escorted by 25,000 cavalrymen, fled to Bao Han (Hanzhong City), where 3,000 Shu soldiers were guarding. Just as they were about to enter the city to rest, a general rushed up behind them, shouting, "Your Majesty must not enter the city!" King Huiwen of Qin and the Marquis of Shu turned around to see Sima Cuo, covered in blood, arriving with 300 Qin cavalrymen.
King Huiwen asked, "Why can't we enter the city?" Sima Cuo replied, "Bao Han is located on a plain, with its back to the Han River, and there are no natural defenses. The 50,000-strong Chu light cavalry, led by Zhao Ying, is already twenty miles away. If Your Majesty enters the city, Zhao Ying's army will surround it as soon as they arrive, and when King Huai of Chu arrives, we will be trapped and unable to escape."
King Huiwen asked, "What do you think we should do?" Sima Cuo replied, "For now, our only option is to abandon Bao Han and retreat. Your Majesty can lead the army to Lü Yang (County), and if the Chu army pursues us, we will abandon Lü Yang and defend Longnan. Once we reach Longnan, we will be safe. The Marquis of Shu should lead his troops to cross the Han River and defend Nan Zheng (present-day Nan Zheng County)."
King Huiwen said, "Good!" Sima Cuo then led 15,300 Qin cavalrymen to escort King Huiwen as he fled to Lü Yang, while the Marquis of Shu led 10,000 Shu cavalrymen and 3,000 soldiers who had been guarding Bao Han to cross the Han River and defend Nan Zheng.
When Zhao Ying's Chu cavalry arrived at Bao Han, King Huiwen had already passed through Mian County and was fleeing to Lü Yang, while the Marquis of Shu had also crossed the Han River and was heading towards Xin Zheng (County). Zhao Ying then led his army into Bao Han, waiting for King Huai of Chu's arrival before deciding what to do next.
The next morning, King Huai of Chu led 30,000 cavalry and 50,000 infantry to rush to Fancheng. Another day later, the third batch of 50,000 Chu troops also rushed to Fancheng to gather supplies. After arriving in Fancheng, King Huai of Chu observed the surrounding terrain with Zhao Yu and said: "Lüyang (County) originally belonged to Fancheng, and it is a plain, not far from Fancheng (Hanzhong City). It is a fortress that blocks the Qin army from entering the Fancheng Plain. We cannot let the Qin army occupy it. The Nan Zheng (County) on the other side of the river has three sides of mountains and one side of water, with a high and steep terrain, and we cannot let the Shu army occupy it. My opinion is that you and I each lead an army, take advantage of the enemy's recent defeat, and strike before they can stabilize their footing." Zhao Yu said: "Your Majesty! I had this intention, and I was waiting for your decision." Therefore, King Huai of Chu ordered Zhao Yu to lead 20,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry to quickly cross the Han River and occupy Nan Zheng (County), while he personally led 30,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry to attack Lüyang (County). The remaining Chu army stayed in Fancheng (Hanzhong City) and prepared to respond at any time.
Qin Huiwen King arrived in Luoyang yesterday and rested for a night, calming down from the shock. This morning, he got up and said to Sima Cuo with a sigh: "I didn't expect that I would suffer such a great defeat as soon as I became king." Sima Cuo said: "It's not my incompetence, Your Majesty was surprised." Qin Huiwen King said: "It's not your fault, nor is it your mistake. I didn't expect Chu Huai King to be so brave and the Chu army to be so strong."
Just after Qin Huiwen King and others finished their breakfast, a horse rushed in to report: "Report to Your Majesty! Chu Huai King has led his troops to Bao Han (Hanzhong City), and a large number of soldiers are marching towards us." Upon hearing the report, Sima Cuo said to Qin Huiwen King: "Your Majesty should lead the army to flee to Longnan (City) quickly. I will stay here to defend the city and fight a decisive battle with the Chu army."
Qin Huiwen King grasped Sima Cuo's hands and said: "Your arm injury has not healed, and your strength is not good. You are not a match for Chu Huai King. Don't sacrifice your life in vain here. I would rather give up this city than lose you, the famous general. Take the soldiers and horses to follow me to Longnan (City) quickly." Therefore, Sima Cuo followed Qin Huiwen King to abandon the city and flee to Longnan (City).
Chu Huai King led his troops to Luoyang (County), saw that Qin Huiwen King had abandoned the city and fled to Longnan, and ordered 3,000 infantrymen and 2,000 cavalrymen to garrison Luoyang (County). He himself led the main force back to Bao Han (Hanzhong City).
Here is the translation:
Furthermore, Zhao Yu led 40,000 cavalry and infantry to cross the Han River and advance on Nanzheng. When the King of Shu heard the news, he immediately ordered the city gates closed and personally led 13,000 cavalry and infantry to defend the city walls to the death. Zhao Yu led 40,000 Chu soldiers across the Han River and arrived at Nanzheng, arraying his troops and challenging the enemy to battle. The Shu army neither came out to fight nor surrendered. Zhao Yu had no choice but to order his soldiers to prepare battering rams and cloud ladders to attack the city.
At this time, King Hui of Chu led his main force back to Bao Han (Hanzhong City) and ordered 20,000 infantry to cross the river and attack the city. The King of Shu saw that he was in a desperate situation and could only lead his army to escape from the rear mountain. However, behind Nanzheng were the steep mountains of Mount Song, and while soldiers could climb over the mountains, war horses could not climb over cliffs. More than 10,000 war horses were unable to escape.
The King of Shu had wanted to order his soldiers to kill the war horses so that they would not fall into the hands of the Chu army, but it was already too late. The sound of killing filled the air as the Chu army attacked from both the west and east wings, with 50,000 Chu soldiers advancing on the villages of Zhan Dou, Guo Jia Ying (west of Nanzheng County), Xia Jia An, and Xi Ma Xiang (east of Nanzheng County). The King of Shu could only lead his army in a frantic retreat over the mountains.
Zhao Yu led the Chu army into Nanzheng and saw that the Shu army had already escaped over the cliffs. He ordered his soldiers to cut off the ropes used for climbing, block the roads behind the mountain, and left 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry to guard Nanzheng. He then led his main force across the river back to Bao Han (Hanzhong City).
Here is the translation:
Up to this point, the ten-day Battle of Baohan ended with a complete victory for the Chu army and a defeat for the Qin-Shu coalition. The battle included Han Yin, Shi Quan, Cheng Gu, and Nan Zheng, among others. The decisive battle that determined the outcome was the initial Battle of Han Yin.
In this war, the Chu army killed 195,000 soldiers from the Qin-Shu coalition, including 85,000 from Qin and 110,000 from Shu. They also captured 35,000 horses, 190,000 sets of armor and weapons, and a large quantity of grain and carts.
As a result of this war, King Hui of Chu expanded his territory by over 400 miles from Ankang City to Lüyang County, gaining control of the ten cities (counties) of Baohan (Hanzhong City), Han Yin, Zi Yang, Zhenba, Ning Shan, Shi Quan, Xi Xiang, Cheng Gu, Nan Zheng, Ning Qiang, and Lüyang.
King Huiwen of Qin had declared himself king at the beginning of the year, seeking to dominate the Central Plains and replace King Hui of Wei. However, he was defeated by King Hui of Chu in the Battle of Baohan and forced to flee in disarray, barely escaping capture by the Chu army.
From then on, whenever King Huiwen of Qin heard the names "Hanzhong Prefecture" and "King Hui of Chu", he would be filled with fear.
Thereafter, King Hui of Chu changed the name of Bao Han to Han Zhong Prefecture, with a jurisdiction spanning over 700 li from Lüeyang County to Fang County. The Yong Prefecture was abolished and its governor was reassigned to Han Zhong. The prefectural seat of Yong Prefecture was moved from Xunyang to An Kang, which became a subordinate administrative division under Han Zhong Prefecture. A banquet was held in Bao Han to reward the troops for three days.
King Hui of Chu raised his wine goblet and addressed all the officers: "The Han River is the ancestral land of my people of Chu. In ancient times, our ancestors migrated along the Han River down to Jinghan. Therefore, we are both Jing and Han. Today, we have returned to our ancestors' homeland, which has now been restored to me, King of Chu. This place is not Bao nor Zheng but Han. I want to establish a prefectural seat here to revive and glorify the ancestral home. As this is the middle reaches of the Han River, from today on, it shall be officially renamed Han Zhong Prefecture."
The Chu soldiers cheered with raised long spears: "Han Zhong Prefecture!" "Han Zhong Prefecture!"
Three days later, King Huai of Chu appointed Liu Xiang (originally named Liu Yang, father of Liu Bang's great-grandfather) as the Grand General, leading 100,000 Chu troops (40,000 cavalry and 60,000 infantry) to garrison Hanzhong Commandery, and settled the wounded soldiers in Hanzhong for recuperation. Liu Xiang received the order and issued a decree: 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry were stationed in Hanzhong, with 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry from each of Lüeyang, Ningqiang, Nanzheng, Xixiang, and Zhenba, and the remaining 10,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry were stationed in Hanzhong, distributed among Mianxian, Hanzhong, and Chenggu. 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry were stationed in Ankang, with 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry from each of Zhen'an, Ziyang, Zhenping, Fangxian, and Yunxi, and the remaining 10,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry were stationed in Ankang, distributed among Hanyin, Ankang, and Xunyang. Liu Xiang ordered the soldiers to open up wasteland for farming, practice martial arts, and not slacken. King Huai of Chu made all the arrangements, and then led his 150,000-strong army (50,000 cavalry and 100,000 infantry, having recruited over 70,000 new soldiers from Ankang to Hanzhong due to their successive victories) back to Jingzhou in a grand manner.
