132 Ju Yi Battles Yue Jin

Yue Jin was a man of extremely impetuous temperament, and his style of warfare was recklessly aggressive. As soon as he led his fifty thousand troops into the fray, he immediately launched a series of fierce and relentless assaults.

When Ju Yi arrived at the right flank, the Yuan army was already in total disarray. If Yue Jin were allowed to continue his onslaught, it was feared that the Yuan army's main camp would soon be under direct threat. Upon his arrival, Ju Yi immediately reorganized his troops and established successive lines of defense to withstand Yue Jin’s charge.

Just as soldiers are the courage of their commander, a commander is the courage of his soldiers. Upon seeing Ju Yi, the Yuan soldiers finally found their backbone. After shoring up the defensive lines, Ju Yi looked at Yue Jin, who was leading the charge ahead, and pointed his finger, asking, "Is that man the Cao army general, Yue Jin?"

Upon hearing the question, a deputy general immediately replied, "Reporting to the General, that is indeed Yue Jin."

Ju Yi carefully observed the battlefield. There was a significant gap between Yue Jin’s cavalry and his infantry. This indicated that Yue Jin was a man of extreme rashness; he was so focused on leading his cavalry in a wild slaughter that he had completely ignored whether his infantry behind could keep up.

"A great general, yet he only cares about his own bloodlust. Such recklessness—watch as I devise a trap to capture him!" Ju Yi remarked to those around him.

Hearing Ju Yi’s intention to capture Yue Jin, his deputy generals were skeptical. They thought to themselves: Yue Jin is a renowned general in the Cao camp, and we are currently at a disadvantage; how could it be so easy to capture him? It would be enough of a struggle just to hold the line, let alone capture the enemy commander.

However, regardless of whether his officers believed it or not, Ju Yi had already begun his deployment.

"Where is the messenger?" Ju Yi shouted. A messenger immediately responded, "The messenger is here."

"Pass the order: our center is to feign defeat, while the left and right wings are to move in for a pincer attack," Ju Yi commanded. After sending the messenger, he turned to his deputy, Su You, and ordered: "Su You, I am entrusting all twenty thousand of my troops to you."

"Once I have surrounded Yue Jin’s cavalry, you are to lead your forces out immediately and wedge yourself firmly between his cavalry and his infantry."

"Half an hour—you must hold them for at least half an hour!"

Su You bowed and said, "Understood!"

Though Su You accepted the command, he still wondered privately if Yue Jin would actually fall for such a ruse. Following the order, the Yuan center feigned retreat, and Yue Jin, blinded by the perceived success, pushed even deeper into their formation. At this moment, he failed to notice the pincer movement closing in from the left and right flanks.

This was where the gap between Ju Yi and Yue Jin became apparent. Although both were famous generals of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, Yue Jin, while fierce and always the first into battle, was merely material for a vanguard commander.

Ju Yi, however, was different. He remained calm and composed in command, a rare talent for strategy. Within Yuan Shao’s camp, Ju Yi might not have ranked at the top in terms of raw personal martial skill, but when it came to commanding a battle, he was second to none. Even Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were later slain by Guan Yu, could not compare to him.

In the Battle of Jieqiao, his eight hundred elite "First-to-Ascend" troops had shattered Gongsun Zan’s three thousand White Horse Volunteers—a feat not easily accomplished by ordinary men. This was not just a victory of the weak over the strong; it was a victory of infantry over cavalry.

Ju Yi watched the battlefield closely. Seeing that Yue Jin had indeed charged in as recklessly as anticipated, he ordered his men, "Bring my command flag and hoist it."

Because the Yuan army on the right flank had been at a disadvantage, Ju Yi had not displayed his command flag upon his initial arrival. Hoisting the flag would have signaled to the Cao army that he, Ju Yi, had arrived on the right, which might have prompted the Cao army to launch a massive assault on the center. Moreover, when you are already at a disadvantage, displaying your commander's flag risks having the enemy charge specifically to slay the general and seize the banner.

Why, then, did he not display it initially, only to do so now? He had not hoisted it at the start because he had not yet gauged the strength of the Cao army. Now, he felt he had a clear grasp of their troop distribution. Furthermore, if he could capture a general of Yue Jin’s stature alive, the morale of the Yuan army would inevitably soar, while the Cao army’s would plummet. This shift would likely force the Cao army to abandon their offensive for the day.

Ju Yi had made up his mind: capturing Yue Jin would buy at least one more day of time. If he could drag it out for another day, that would make it the fourth day, bringing them within arm's reach of the five-day promise.

With a wave of his hand, Ju Yi ordered the flag raised, using himself as bait to lure Yue Jin into the trap.

On the other side, as soon as Ju Yi’s flag was hoisted, the Cao army noticed it immediately.

"General, look!" a deputy pointed toward the flag.

Yue Jin fixed his gaze and saw it was indeed Ju Yi’s banner. His temper flared instantly. He thought to himself, Yuan Shao has already fled in disgrace, yet you, Ju Yi, dare to show off? You want to block us? Do you think you can? If nothing else, I must take your head today.

With that thought, Yue Jin pointed his spear toward Ju Yi and roared, "Brothers, follow me! Kill Ju Yi and seize the banner!"

At his command, his cavalry charged toward the flag, shouting, "Kill Ju Yi, seize the banner!"

Yue Jin had started with fifty thousand men, of which about ten thousand were cavalry; after the intense fighting, only seven or eight thousand remained. He led them in a ferocious charge.

Yet, Ju Yi was not intimidated by a mere seven or eight thousand cavalry. As for cavalry prowess, were Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteers not fearsome? Yet in the Battle of Jieqiao, they were crushed by Ju Yi’s eight hundred elite soldiers. Moreover, this was a trap he had laid specifically for Yue Jin.

As Yue Jin’s cavalry charged blindly toward the banner, Ju Yi issued his final command. His deputy, Su You, led the twenty thousand troops to wedge themselves firmly between Yue Jin’s cavalry and his infantry, successfully cutting them off. Simultaneously, the troops from the left and right flanks closed in on the cavalry.

"This is bad!" the deputy warned, "General, we have fallen into a trap!"

Even a fool could see it now. But having already entered the jaws of the trap, retreating was not so simple. Gritting his teeth, Yue Jin lashed out, "Forget whether it is a trap or not! Ju Yi’s flag is right there! Kill him and seize the banner, and whatever schemes he has will be in vain!"