Qiao Daoqing Raises a Fog to Take the City; Little Whirlwind Hides Cannon to Strike the Bandits

Now to speak of Yang Zhi, Sun An, and Bian Xiang, who were pursuing Xi Sheng. They pursued him to the edge of Yique Mountain, but did not expect that bandit troops were hidden in ambush behind the mountain slope. Ten thousand cavalry suddenly charged out and fought a great battle with Yang Zhi and his men. Xi Sheng took the opportunity to escape and fled back into the city with the remnant of his beaten troops. Sun An fought with desperate courage and killed two bandit commanders, but in the end could not overcome the enemy’s greater numbers. All of that force of more than a thousand heavily armored cavalry was driven by the bandits into a deep valley. The valley was surrounded on all four sides by steep stone cliffs, with no other way out. The bandits brought wood and stones and blocked the mouth of the valley. They returned to the city and reported to Gong Duan, who sent two thousand soldiers to guard the valley mouth. Even if Yang Zhi, Sun An, and the others had grown wings, they could not have flown out. Let us set aside for now the fact that Yang Zhi and his......