During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a general named Li Ling, the grandson of the famous "Flying General" Li Guang. A true scion of a military family, his martial skills were unmatched, especially in horseback archery. However, having yet to achieve any merit, he remained underappreciated, and the emperor only granted him the position of "Commandant of Cavalry."
Once, Emperor Wu of Han sent him to transport weapons and provisions for the Ershi General. Li Ling was unhappy and didn't want this minor task, so he asked Emperor Wu for a chance to lead troops and fight the Xiongnu in real battle. Emperor Wu said, "I have no cavalry to give you."
"I don't need cavalry, just 5,000 infantrymen, and I will surely win a victory to report to you." Li Ling spoke with full confidence.
Emperor Wu of Han admired Li Ling's courage and placed 5,000 infantry under his command. Li Ling marched north for thirty days until he reached Mount Junji, where he set up camp between two peaks.
When the Xiongnu Chanyu saw Li Ling approaching with hostile intent, he immediately dispatched 30,000 cavalry to surround Li Ling's Han army. Li Ling arranged his formation according to the terrain, leading thousands of archers with orders to await the drumbeat as their signal.
Seeing the Han army was outnumbered, the Xiongnu charged with fierce war cries. Li Ling gave the order—war drums thundered, a thousand crossbows fired as one, and enemy soldiers fell with each twang of the bowstrings, their casualties beyond count. The Han forces pressed their advantage, pursuing and slaughtering, securing a resounding victory.
The next day, the Xiongnu Chanyu rallied another 80,000 cavalry, once again encircling the Han army. At this point, Li Ling realized that defeating a larger force with a smaller one was no longer possible, and that continuing to fight the enemy head-on would lead to the complete annihilation of his troops.
Unfortunately, a military officer under Li Ling's command named Guan Gan chose this critical moment to defect to the Xiongnu, revealing all of Li Ling's troop details to the Chanyu and even offering strategic advice, leaving Li Ling trapped in a passive position.
Trapped between two mountains, the Han army faced encircling Xiongnu forces on the heights. To survive, soldiers had to shoot arrows in all directions. In the fierce battle, arrows fell like rain—half a million were spent in a single day! Casualties mounted, and worse, the arrows were exhausted. The army could no longer fight.
Li Ling realized they must break through the encirclement, but after racking his brains, he found himself at a loss. So he ordered the soldiers to cut down all the army's banners. Gathering the remaining troops, he said to them:
"If we had a few dozen more arrows, we might escape. Now unarmed, when dawn comes and we fight again, we'll be captured with our hands tied. Better to scatter like birds and beasts now, perhaps we can save our lives and return to report to the Son of Heaven."
That night, Li Ling ordered each soldier to take two liters of dry rations and a large block of ice, then scatter for their own survival. Li Ling himself and his deputy Han Yannian galloped in another direction, with thousands of Xiongnu in hot pursuit. Han Yannian was killed in battle, and Li Ling was captured alive.
Thinking back to how he had boasted before Emperor Wu of Han, Li Ling felt utterly ashamed, sighed to heaven, and said, "I have no face to see the Emperor again!"
Forced by circumstance, he surrendered to the Xiongnu.
After the Han soldiers scattered in all directions, more than four hundred of them managed to flee back to the Han border fortress.
Later, the idiom "like startled birds and beasts" came to describe a situation where people scatter in panic, fleeing in all directions like frightened animals.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Li Ling"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "如鸟兽散" came to describe a situation where people scatter in panic, fleeing in all directions like frightened animals.