Grand Marshal Gao Raises Three Routes of Troops; Huyan Zhuo Deploys the Linked-Armor Cavalry

There is a poem that says: In youth I took leave of my parents and left my native place; I rode my warhorse with blade and spear to the battlefield. I cut off my hair to use as cord to mend my broken armor; I tore down a battle flag to bind my bleeding wounds. When hunger came in battle, I once ate the enemy’s flesh; when thirst came, I drank the enemy’s blood. When at last the realm was at peace and there were no more wars to fight, I faced the bronze mirror in sorrow—my temples had turned white. These eight lines speak especially of the hardships of a military man. Since ancient times it has been said: behind one great general’s fame lie the bones of thousands upon thousands of soldiers. That saying is no lie. Now Grand Marshal Gao asked Huyan Zhuo, “Whom do you recommend, general, to serve as vanguard?” Huyan Zhuo replied, “I recommend Han Tao, commander of Chenzhou. He is from the Eastern Capital, passed the military examinations, and wields a jujube-wood lance. Men call him the Hundred-Victory General, and he can be the chief vanguard. Another is Peng Qi,......