The Xiongnu commander hurriedly ordered a retreat. Just as his troops were scrambling to turn their horses around to flee in every direction, the third and fourth waves of archers from the Zhao State army—along with the elite Divine Archer Battalion—let loose another volley of over five thousand arrows. Without question, this cut down more than a thousand Xiongnu soldiers, leaving fewer than fifteen hundred of the enemy still mounted.
The bodies of fallen men and horses severely hindered the survivors' escape. Many soldiers were tripped up or trampled to death in the chaos—a sight too gruesome to behold. The air was filled with the rhythmic wailing of men and the frantic neighing of horses, composing a tragic symphony of war.
At that moment, another wave of arrows harvested the lives of another thousand Xiongnu soldiers. The Xiongnu commander, leading fewer than three hundred survivors, attempted to scatter and flee, but the third and fourth battalions, lying in wait on either side, had already closed in. They formed three impenetrable triangular formations, tightly surrounding the remaining three hundred men.
Chapter 118