x Undaunted, the Chinese infantry closed ranks, with men holding
spears and shields in the front and crossbowmen behind. Wave after
wave of charging Xiong-nu attacked this formation, but the Chinese
held together, with the crossbowmen slowly but steadily shooting
down the enemy cavalry. Finally, the Xiong-nu broke off, leaving
WKRXVDQGVRIWKHLUGHDGRQWKHEDWWOH¿HOGx Li Ling than organized his men in a mobile defensive formation
and began the long march back to the Chinese border. Another army
of at least 30,000 Xiong-nu now joined in and, for nearly a week,
swarmed around the beleaguered Chinese, but with a stubborn
series of rear-guard actions, Li Ling held them off and approached
the frontier with about half his force remaining.x Now the Chinese had to traverse a narrow gorge, and the Xiong-nu
were able to block the route and roll boulders down on the Chinese,
¿QDOO\EUHDNLQJWKHLUIRUPDWLRQ2QO\RIWKH&KLQHVHPDGH
it safely across the border. At the last minute, Li Ling either was
captured or voluntarily defected to the enemy, among whom he
lived for the rest of his life.Cotterrell, Chariot.
Peers, Soldiers of the Dragon.
Portal, ed., The First Emperor.
Sawyer, Ancient Chinese Warfare.
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