The Strategy of the White Tent King
 
Four or five days later, the White Tent King of Hor said, “So far, only the Ling army has launched attacks on us. We, the Yellow Hor, have not gone on the offensive yet. Today, no matter what, let one of our fierce Sinba warriors lead a small elite squad. They should sing bold songs on the far side of the river to provoke the Ling army into crossing the river, so we can destroy them all at once.”
 
After suffering several sudden assaults from the heroes of Ling, many Sinba warriors were now fearful and unwilling to risk their lives. However, Jiechou of the Riba tribe, still bitter about his previous defeat at the hands of Anu Sipan, stepped forward angrily. He declared in front of the White Tent King, “My king, I am willing to lead the charge and crush the pride of those little Ling warriors!”
 
Jiechou donned a green helmet and green armor, mounted his buckwheat-colored warhorse, “Great Roc,” and led 3,000 green-plumed warriors to the banks of the Yellow River. They marched back and forth along the riverbank, their armor glistening and green banners fluttering in the wind.
 
When they reached a narrower part of the river, Jiechou faced the Ling soldiers on the opposite bank and shouted, “Hey! Brave young warriors of Ling across the river! I am Jiechou, the courageous Sinba of the Riba tribe. Who dares to cross the river and fight me to the death?”
 
He then sang a provocative song:

I come from the great flatlands of Aqin,
At the foot of the White Azalea Mountain.
Among the mountain folks of the Riba tribe,
I serve as an advisor to King Daluwang, leader of 100,000 troops.
In the nine great strongholds, I am the most famous,
Among 900,000 soldiers, I alone was chosen,
To sit beside the White Tent King as his right-hand man!

 
A blazing fire can be doused with water,
A tall tree can be cut down with an axe,
A strong sheep can be devoured by a wolf,
A goat that flees far can still be bitten by jackals.
 
A bird that soars high can be caught by a hawk,
Even the toughest enemy will surrender to me, Jiechou!
If you speak of heroes, I, Jiechou, am the one to fear.
 
Young men of Ling on the other side of the Yellow River!
A little horse that runs too fast won’t last three days;
In a critical moment, it will throw its saddle and bridle.
A little dog that barks fiercely won’t last three days;
In an emergency, it will lose its chain.
You young men who act strong won’t last three days;
When you meet me, Jiechou, you’ll scurry back home!
 
You are greedy, yet you have no wealth.
You are beggars, and yet you are despised by all.
You claim to be soldiers, but your numbers are pitiful.
You claim to be women, yet you wear armor.
You claim to be men, yet you love to dress up.
What kind of warriors are you?
 
Children of Ling!
When the pale-faced man arrived on that day,
It just so happened to be the full moon of the fifteenth.
My people were observing a day of fasting.
We vowed not to kill that day,
We vowed not to ride horses that day,
We vowed not to shoot arrows that day,
And we offered all our weapons to the gods.
Not a single man stepped forward to fight,
And so he was able to act recklessly,
Causing hundreds of our sons to lose their lives!
 
Even though a thousand Hor soldiers died that day,
We did not consider it a loss.
Ling would not win without losing at least one hero.
When the Hor army loses a few, it is barely noticed,
But when the Ling army loses a few, it is obvious.
How can a few ever hope to defeat the many?
How can a sewing needle hope to triumph over a sword?
 
Today, who dares to come out
And face me, Jiechou, in a one-on-one battle?
 
There is an old saying from the Tibetan lands:
“A man who overestimates himself and waves his sword recklessly,
Will lose his head in a face-to-face fight.
A horse that overestimates itself and runs everywhere,
Will sweat and collapse when ridden too hard,
And fall while climbing a steep hill.
A dog that overestimates itself and barks to death,
Will tuck its tail and run when beaten,
Hiding in a doorway and crying loudly.
 
The Ling people overestimate themselves,
Setting up their little camps everywhere.
When challenged to battle, no one dares leave the mountains.
They just hide one by one in their white tents.”
 
How strange! You Ling people
Have developed bad habits in your homeland.
You boast loudly with ease,
But if you still don’t dare to cross the river,
Then the Yellow Hor will cross the river to come for you!
 
Danma Confronts Jiechou
 
In the Ling camp, Minister Danma saw that it was Jiechou who had come to challenge them. Knowing that Jiachao had assigned this opponent to him, Danma silently donned his protective blue armor, put on his lightning-proof helmet, attached a white-plumed banner, armed himself with a treasured bow and sharp arrows, and strapped on his red-hilted, green-sheathed sword. He tied up his silver-gray horse's tail, mounted his steed, and crossed the Yellow River like a demon racing across the plains, heading straight for Jiechou.
 
Meanwhile, in the Hor camp, spectators gathered from all directions like bees swarming out of a hive. Danma stopped at a distance where his voice could be heard and shouted, “Jiechou of Hor! Your luck has run out. I, Minister Danma, am here to claim your life!”
 
Jiechou smirked coldly and said, “You talk too much. Do you think my arrows cannot harm you?” He then fired three arrows in quick succession. The first arrow struck Danma’s white banner, the second arrow hit his saddle, and the third arrow struck the iron armor on the horse’s face, causing the horse to rear up and almost throw Danma off.
 
Enraged, Danma fired a vulture-feathered arrow that pierced Jiechou’s chest and exited through his back. He then fired a second eagle-feathered arrow that struck Jiechou’s horse in the chest, killing it instantly. Both Jiechou and his horse collapsed to the ground. Finally, Danma fired a third arrow, which hit twenty Hor soldiers, causing them to fall off their horses, while the rest of the soldiers fled in panic. Victorious, Danma returned to the Ling camp.
 
Chaos in the Hor Camp and Dapan’s Ruthless Rampage
 
At this time, the Hor camp fell into chaos. Meiruze, leading a group of Black Tent warriors, charged forward, but upon recognizing that it was Danma, they turned their horses and retreated back to the camp.
 
Five or six days later, Dapan rode his warhorse, “Smoke Surge,” like a god of death descending upon an unassailable fortress. His spear, adorned with three red ribbons, shone brightly as he crossed the Yellow River with ease, as if galloping on flat ground. With a sweep of his spear, he charged into the Sinba camp and slaughtered over a hundred red-plumed warriors. He then stormed into the Black Tent camp, killing another hundred riders.
 
Dapan killed so many that the tip of his spear became clogged with blood. Unable to use the blade, he flipped the spear around and began striking soldiers to the ground with the shaft. Not a single Sinba dared to challenge him. After massacring hundreds, Dapan returned to the Ling camp. By then, he was so drenched in blood that he fainted. His clenched teeth were locked shut, his hands were stuck to the blood-covered spear, and his feet were glued to the blood-soaked stirrups. He looked like a butter lamp made of red dough.
 
Hor’s Debate on Defense and the Building of the Wall
 
That evening, the Hor officials gathered in the main tent to discuss how to defend against or counterattack the Ling army. Most suggested retreating under the cover of night, but Dochin objected, saying, “Why not cross the Yellow River and surround the Ling camp? We could slaughter them one by one like sheep!”
 
No consensus was reached. Meiruze said, “If we retreat, our army of 1.2 million will be in disarray. The front will have moved far ahead while the rear hasn’t even started moving. The enemy will seize the opportunity to attack us, and we’ll suffer greatly. Anyone who suggests retreating is a coward.
 
As for crossing the river to attack, the king must lead the charge, with us Sinba warriors ensuring discipline from the rear. But Dochin’s idea is too simplistic—unless we can crush the Ling army into a single mass of flesh, we won’t be able to slaughter them like sheep. Right now, no one dares to engage them head-on, so how can we even talk about capturing them alive?”
 
Tangze then proposed a defensive strategy: “Let’s stop talking about crossing the river. All we need to do is defend the camp and wait for the right opportunity to fight back. To secure the camp, I suggest this: before dawn, connect all the tents and have everyone bring stones and turf to build a wall around the camp. Leave one large gate to the east and one to the west, making the wall as tall as a building. With such a wall in place, unless birds descend from the sky or water comes up from the ground, no one will be able to break through. The eastern gate can be guarded by Dochin and me, while the western gate can be defended by Meiruze and Gongjie.”
 
The officials agreed that the wall was necessary. That night, under the leadership of Meiruze, Tangze, Dochin, and Zaqing, the soldiers worked together to build a high wall, using five large stones and three blocks of turf per person. The wall stood three fathoms tall and one fathom wide, with gates on the east and west and smaller openings at the corners for water, firewood, and horse access. At each corner, altars were built to honor the white, black, and multicolored demon gods. The wall bristled with swords, spears, arrows, and lances, shining brightly under the moonlight.
 
With their defenses complete, the Hor officials felt secure, and even the soldiers were confident that the sturdy wall could withstand any attack from the Ling army. Everyone praised Tangze’s suggestion as the best plan.
 
Senda Storms the Hor Camp
 
After some time, one day, the invincible general of Ling, Senda, rode his warhorse “Thousand Mountain Surge.” His white helmet plume fluttered in the wind, his white armor was tightly secured with ropes, and his massive blade shimmered like a rainbow. The flag on his back swayed as he moved, and like a bird spreading its wings, he crossed the Yellow River with ease.
 
Arriving at the eastern gate of the Hor camp, Senda stopped where his voice could be heard clearly. He shouted, “Yellow Hor foxes! All you do is hide behind your walls of stone and turf, using urine and filth to build your so-called kingdom. How shameful! If you plan to defend, go to Yaze City, where you can at least live in peace without dragging others into misery. Hiding behind walls and pretending to be heroes—I will turn these walls into a sea of blood and fulfill your White Tent King’s wish for death!”
 
Without hesitation, Senda leapt from the eastern gate into the camp. The Hor camp erupted in chaos, with shouts and screams filling the air. The warriors of the Garwa division at the eastern gate tried their best to resist him but were unable to hold him back. Blood flowed like summer rain as countless soldiers fell, and panic spread among the ranks.
 
At that moment, Dochin swung his unbreakable lasso over his head and threw it toward Senda, the iron hook catching Senda’s arm. But Senda calmly drew his blade and cut the lasso in half. Pretending to charge back through the eastern gate, he suddenly turned and stormed out of the western gate instead.
 
Senda crossed back over the Yellow River and returned to the Ling camp. His horse and armor bore only a few minor scratches, like those left by fingernails, as he emerged virtually unscathed from the battle.