Ch.146Expedition (3)

“The Jin Dynasty’s 350,000-strong army has gathered at Juyong Pass,” reported Elunka, who was leading the Tamma.

I nodded and mounted my horse.

“350,000…”

The Jin Dynasty was certainly no easy opponent. Despite their land being devastated by Yellow River floods and facing financial difficulties from the lavish gifts they’d given us, they could still field an enormous army of 350,000 men.

And this wasn’t even their full military strength. At its peak, the Jin Dynasty was a military powerhouse capable of fielding an army of one million men.

In the medieval era, nations that could field armies of one million were extremely rare. The Jin Dynasty was one of those few.

So even in their weakened state, they could still deploy 350,000 troops.

By comparison, the Ulus forces barely exceeded 110,000.

In pure numbers, we were outnumbered by nearly three to one.

However, there were several factors to consider. One crucial point was that most of the Ulus forces were cavalry.

We had 90,000 skilled nomadic horsemen. While nomadic cavalry couldn’t be directly compared to European knights, in terms of individual combat skill, each nomadic rider was comparable to a knight.

So, with some exaggeration, the Ulus could be considered a crazy nation fielding 90,000 knights.

Of course, this was somewhat of an overstatement. Still, the combat effectiveness of nomadic cavalry was undeniably superior.

We had also incorporated new technology into our nomadic cavalry—the curved saber known as the Ild.

With its curved tip, it was easy for horsemen to wield. Its cutting power was exceptional, capable of inflicting damage even against heavily armored cavalry.

These curved sabers were made from Damascus Steel, renowned for its elasticity and hardness. Because of this, our nomadic cavalry’s combat effectiveness arguably surpassed that of knights.

“The Ulus cavalry will win.”

Hearing my words, Elunka smiled and nodded. He too had no doubt about our victory.

With these thoughts, I gripped my horse’s reins and slowly moved forward.

The Darughachi lined up before me bowed their heads, showing reverence.

“We behold the great Gurkhan.”

“Lord of the Four Seas.”

“God watches over the Khagan.”

I raised my hand in response to their salutations and turned to Bulqa Khan standing on my right.

“Darughachi Bulqa.”

“Command me, Gurkhan blessed by the divine.”

“You lead the fastest soldiers. Take your forces and attack the villages near Juyong Pass.”

“I receive the Khagan’s orders.”

Following my command, Bulqa immediately gathered his troops and rode toward Shanxi Province, where Juyong Pass was located.

The Ulus’s basic tactics were always similar. First, we sent fast light cavalry to attack the areas surrounding fortresses, making supply difficult.

This naturally created refugees. These refugees caused confusion, which we used to gather information about the surrounding terrain.

Based on this intelligence, the Ulus prepared its next tactical move.

If the enemy chose to garrison their fortress for a siege, we would use trebuchets to devastate their stronghold. If they came out for a field battle, we would deploy cavalry using feigned retreats to deceive and overwhelm them. If they divided their forces to attack our rear, we would concentrate our forces to intercept their divided units.

We were also capable of responding flexibly to various other situations.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, since unifying the steppe, the Ulus had been growing rapidly. Since this growth was based on conquest, all Ulus warriors had military experience.

The conquests of Western Xia and Western Liao were proof of this.

Of course, there had been many mistakes along the way. But by recognizing and improving upon these errors, the Ulus had developed battle experience that no other nation could match.

After Bulqa departed, I turned to the other Darughachi and gave each their orders.

The Darughachi then led their soldiers according to my commands. Only two Darughachi remained before me.

I addressed them:

“In this war, you must prove your worth to me.”

The two young men nodded at my words and listened attentively.

“Chilaun, you will assist Munglig. Muqali, you will assist Elunka.”

With that, Chilaun went to Munglig, and Muqali approached Elunka.

I had my reasons for only including these two in this war. Jebe was already assisting Temujin, and I didn’t think Jelme had yet developed the ability to lead an army.

Unlike the previous two, Chilaun and Muqali were somewhat older and more capable. For this reason, I intended to test their abilities in this war by making them deputies to Munglig and Elunka respectively.

“Munglig will command the right wing of the central army. Elunka will command the left wing.”

“We receive the Khagan’s orders.”

“The Gurkhan’s will is our will.”

With this, the organization of the main force was complete. All that remained was to face the Jin Dynasty.

* * *

A man stood at Juyong Pass, carefully examining what would soon become the battlefield.

“The mountainous terrain will make it difficult for the Mongols to attack,” the man said.

His aide nodded in agreement. This man was none other than Wanyan Husha, the Military Governor of Shanxi.

Having received the emperor’s order to lead an army of 350,000, he had immediately headed to Juyong Pass. He had been staying here, personally surveying the pass and its surroundings.

“You are correct, Your Excellency. Most of the Mongol forces are cavalry. It would be impossible for them to attack across the mountains.”

“What is the enemy’s strength?”

“We haven’t received accurate information yet, but we estimate around 110,000 troops.”

As mentioned before, the Jin Dynasty had not yet recovered from the disaster. Because of this, their normally operational intelligence network wasn’t functioning properly.

With Wanyan Husha’s orders to reorganize and deploy intelligence units, there were limitations in gathering information.

Wanyan Husha knew that the Mongol army’s main force consisted of cavalry. While cavalry was powerful on flat plains, they couldn’t gain speed in mountains and would struggle to inflict significant damage.

This meant the cavalry would have to dismount and fight as infantry. In other words, the Mongol army would find it difficult to utilize its strength—the mobility of its predominantly cavalry force.

With his extensive military experience, Wanyan Husha understood this well. For this reason, he planned to make full use of his numerical advantage.

“I will divide the soldiers and position them in the mountains.”

The Jin forces numbered 350,000. He intended to divide these troops and position them in the mountains near Juyong Pass.

One of his advisors cautiously expressed opposition to Wanyan Husha’s plan.

“Positioning in the mountains would effectively counter the enemy cavalry. However, it also creates the risk of our forces being defeated in detail.”

In military tactics, dividing forces was always a delicate matter. Splitting troops offered the advantage of attacking the enemy more effectively but carried the risk of being defeated in detail.

In short, dividing forces was a double-edged sword. Used well, it benefited one’s own army; used poorly, it benefited the enemy.

Therefore, it was natural for the advisor to express such concerns.

“Particularly around Juyong Pass, the mountains are rugged. While dividing our forces and positioning them in the mountains would effectively block the Mongol cavalry, communication between our own units might be difficult.”

The rugged mountains meant the enemy couldn’t easily approach. Conversely, this also meant that the Jin forces, divided in these mountains, faced similar challenges.

Of course, since the Jin were in a defensive position, they wouldn’t suffer major losses if they maintained their positions and repelled the Mongol attacks.

However, as the advisor mentioned, if they were defeated in detail, they would need to request help from other units. In such a situation, poor communication between units would inevitably become a significant problem.

“Your point is valid, but our forces are more than three times the size of the Mongol army. It would be difficult for us to be defeated in detail.”

An aide countered the advisor’s opinion and continued with additional explanation.

“Even in the worst-case scenario, if we are defeated in detail, we can retreat to Juyong Pass to regroup. The Mongols would be powerless against this.”

Most of the advisors and aides nodded in agreement with this statement. The Jin had Juyong Pass as a stronghold. Even if they suffered losses, they could return, recover, and reorganize their forces.

“However…”

The advisor tried to object, but the aide was quicker.

“To suggest that the Mongol forces might cross the mountains and launch a surprise attack on our forces is an exaggeration. With our army of 350,000, even if Yue Fei himself were to return, it would be impossible to penetrate our lines and infiltrate our rear.”

The advisor had to remain silent. As the aide said, it was impossible for the Mongol army to target the rear of Yaohu Ridge, where 350,000 troops were stationed.

However, not all of the 350,000 troops were infantry. For this reason, they couldn’t actually control the entire Yaohu Ridge. Even considering this, it was absurd to think of breaking through Yaohu Ridge, where hundreds of thousands of infantry were stationed, to attack the rear.

To achieve such a breakthrough would require excellent mobility. But the Mongol army’s main force, cavalry, couldn’t gain speed in the mountains.

In short, the idea that the Mongols could strike the Jin’s rear and defeat their forces at Yaohu Ridge in detail was simply impossible.

The internal consensus thus aligned with Wanyan Husha’s opinion. He nodded and stood up.

“It seems we’ve reached a consensus.”

The advisors and aides nodded in agreement with Wanyan Husha’s words—all except the advisor who had expressed opposition.