Ch.149Expedition (6)

Wanyan Husha stood atop the Juyong Pass with his eyes wide open.

He nodded at the scout’s report of spotting a small Mongol cavalry unit.

“Judging by their small numbers, they appear to be sentries.”

The adjutant standing right beside him bowed respectfully.

“It seems the advisor’s assessment was correct.”

“Indeed. As he said, they appear to be troops positioned to guard something.”

Wanyan Husha believed the small Mongol cavalry unit was serving as sentries protecting something important.

This made sense because they weren’t a large-scale force.

If it had been a large army, they could have been viewed as forces directly attacking Juyong Pass.

In that case, they would naturally move with siege weapons and wouldn’t need to move so stealthily.

The very idea that a large force could move stealthily was absurd to begin with.

In any case, the small force was moving cautiously as if patrolling the area, which confirmed the advisor’s assessment.

“Order the cavalry to arm lightly and assemble inside the fortress. When the signal is given, they are to charge forward and intercept the enemy’s siege weapons.”

The adjutants nodded at Wanyan Husha’s command.

The commander’s order followed a very standard tactical approach.

The enemy’s patrol cavalry was small in number.

Therefore, the most effective strategy was to gather a large cavalry force and charge at once to neutralize the enemy’s siege weapons.

This would effectively deprive the enemy of their siege equipment.

Building siege weapons was a time-consuming process.

So neutralizing them once would make it impossible for the Mongols to attack Juyong Pass with siege weapons for quite some time.

“We will follow your orders, Your Excellency.”

“We will assemble the troops as the general commanded.”

The adjutants who received Wanyan Husha’s orders moved quickly.

Soon, the cavalry units under the governor’s command assembled in front of the gate.

Seeing this, the governor drew his sword.

Then, pointing toward where the enemy trebuchets appeared to be, he shouted loudly.

“Open the gates!”

“The general’s order has been given! Open the gates!”

“Move quickly!”

Creeeeak.

The massive gates of Juyong Pass opened with a loud noise.

As soon as the gates opened, the Jin cavalry that had been waiting behind charged forward.

“Charge!”

“Let’s destroy the Mongols’ siege weapons!”

The Jin cavalry rushed out of Juyong Pass with the force of a powerful wave.

Left alone, Wanyan Husha gazed at a spot far from Juyong Pass.

“You’ll pay the price for defying the Great Jin.”

* * *

While Bulqa was busy “fishing” against Juyong Pass, our main force had already reached the vicinity of Yaho Ridge.

We planned to deploy our forces here to attack Yaho Ridge.

“Elunka.”

“I await your command, Khagan. I am ready to serve.”

“Lead the Tamma over Yaho Ridge as planned. When the signal is given, attack the rear of Yaho Ridge.”

Elunka bowed at my words.

He then headed toward where the Tamma was stationed to prepare.

I watched Elunka and Muqali, who was assisting him, walk away, lost in complex thoughts.

“I hope the enemy falls into the trap Bulqa has set.”

In truth, we hadn’t yet received any definitive report from Bulqa.

So we had no idea whether the enemy had dispatched forces to intercept our trebuchets or not.

Yet our forces were about to launch an attack on Yaho Ridge.

The reason was simple.

We had to cross Yaho Ridge no matter what, even if we suffered casualties as in the original history.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, we had to break through Juyong Pass to reach the Jin capital, Zhongdu Daxingfu.

If we couldn’t break through Juyong Pass, our forces couldn’t reach Zhongdu.

So we had to cross Yaho Ridge even if it meant taking casualties.

Someone else might wonder why I was so concerned about this.

As mentioned earlier, minimizing casualties was crucial.

If our losses were too great, it would hinder our conquest of the Jin Dynasty.

But I couldn’t afford to waste time being too fixated on reducing casualties.

So I had no choice but to launch the attack on Yaho Ridge regardless of whether Bulqa’s trap succeeded or not.

“If the enemy falls into the trap, our casualties will be reduced. If it fails, our casualties will increase.”

Taking Yaho Ridge was a foregone conclusion.

As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, it was only a matter of how many casualties we would suffer.

“Sigh…”

I took a deep breath and made the sign of the cross.

Then I drew my sword.

“All forces! Prepare for battle!”

At my command, 90,000 Mongol cavalry drew their swords.

They exuded a fierce aura as if they would crush the enemy at any moment.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Let’s trample the enemy!”

“It’s time for revenge against the Jin!”

The spirit of the Ulus cavalry reached the heavens.

Standing before them, I pointed to our objective.

“Chaaaarge!”

With those words, I charged forward at the front.

Then Munglig and the Kheshig beside me let out a roar like bears and shouted loudly.

“Follow the Khagan!”

“God, Tengri, and our ancestors protect us!”

“Follow Gurkhan and slaughter the enemy!”

Countless Ulus cavalry began to follow.

I was leading an army of 90,000 at the front of these brave cavalrymen.

With my brothers fighting alongside me, my blood was boiling.

Because of this, there was no room for fear in my body.

At that moment, I saw the enemy forces before me.

They looked no different from terrified field mice.

Cutting down such mice was an easy task.

“Don’t block my path!”

With these words, I swung my sword.

The Jin soldier in front of me immediately lost his head.

Other Jin soldiers were thrown into confusion at this sight.

One tried to take out a whistle to call for help.

Seeing this, Munglig took out the spear attached to his saddle.

He hurled it straight at the throat of the Jin soldier holding the whistle.

“Gack.”

Munglig’s spear, carrying his tremendous strength, pierced right through the soldier’s neck.

The soldier collapsed like a broken doll.

“Show no mercy to the Jin soldiers!”

At my words, the Ulus cavalry began to rampage.

Every time their crescent-shaped, wave-patterned Ild swords reflected light, the screams of Jin soldiers echoed.

* * *

“Jin cavalry are coming this way!”

“A large force of Jin cavalry is approaching!”

Reports from the cavalry scouts kept coming in.

Bulqa slapped his knee and laughed loudly.

“God, Tengri, and our ancestors are watching over us!”

The Jin had fallen into the trap.

Now Bulqa had only one thing to do.

“All cavalry, prepare for battle against the Jin cavalry. Meanwhile, the Kerik should retreat to the rear.”

The infantry Kerik had a slower retreat speed.

So Bulqa planned to engage the Jin cavalry to ensure their safe withdrawal.

Of course, since this was a strategic retreat battle, he had no intention of engaging the Jin aggressively.

“Once the Kerik have completed their retreat, we will also cease fighting and withdraw.”

The hundred-commanders leading the cavalry nodded.

Thus, Bulqa’s cavalry prepared to meet the approaching enemy.

After confirming this, Bulqa turned to look at his adjutant and son, Jurchin Sechen.

“Show me in this battle if you have what it takes to lead our tribe.”

“I will not disappoint you, Darughachi. I will live up to your expectations.”

Jurchin Sechen bowed, drew his sword.

Then he adjusted his posture, glaring at the enemy.

At that moment, the Jin cavalry appeared before the Ulus cavalry.

As the enemy appeared, Jurchin Sechen raised his sword high and howled like a wolf.

“Brothers! The Jin lackeys have appeared! Attack!”

Buuuuuuu.

Along with Sechen’s words, the sound of horn trumpets echoed.

And the Ulus cavalry charged straight at the enemy cavalry.

“For the Khagan’s honor!”

“Feel the wrath of the Ulus!”

“God, Tengri, and our ancestors protect us!”

The Jin cavalry was greatly surprised when the Ulus cavalry charged.

This was because the atmosphere felt as if they had fallen into a trap.

The Ulus’s momentum was reaching the heavens, enough to make them think this way.

That’s why the Jin cavalry couldn’t help but be flustered.

“D-don’t panic! The enemy is fewer in number than us!”

The Jin adjutant calmed the confused soldiers with these words.

Then he pointed at the Mongol soldiers and gave the order to charge.

“Proud soldiers of Great Jin! Show these arrogant Mongol soldiers a lesson!”

The Jin cavalry regained their composure at the adjutant’s words.

The soldiers who regained their senses charged straight at the Mongol soldiers.

“We outnumber them!”

“It’s impossible for those lowly Mongols to defeat us!”

“For the glory of Great Jin!”

Seeing the Jin army with low morale, Bulqa judged this battle to be worth fighting.

So he abandoned his plan to fight moderately and retreat, deciding instead to commit fully to the battle.

Thus, the Ulus and Great Jin cavalry clashed.

It was the moment when a cavalry-versus-cavalry melee battle unfolded.

The melee was a contest of strength against strength.

This was because both sides fought while maintaining tight formations.

In such conditions, there was very little room for tactics to come into play.

So rather than technique or tactics, individual capabilities and weapon quality had a tremendous influence on determining the outcome of the battle.

In other words, this battle was essentially about determining which country’s cavalry was superior.

Therefore, neither the Ulus nor Jin intended to back down.

This was because both nations had developed based on nomadic cultures.

It was a battle where cavalry pride was at stake.

So both sides fought with their lives on the line.

“Die! You lowly Mongol!”

“It’s time to show these stupid Jin who the true rulers of the steppe are!”

Ulus and Great Jin.

A battle for cavalry pride had begun.