Ch.296Downfall (6)

“We cannot delay any longer.”

I said this and got to my feet.

Munglig looked at me with a worried expression.

“What are you planning to do, brother?”

“I will lead the soldiers to Hubei Province.”

The emperor’s army was virtually disbanded.

Therefore, it wasn’t difficult to pressure the Song army that had fled to Fujian Province while remaining in Jiangxi Province.

Moreover, the emperor’s army was easy to deal with since they were poorly trained from the beginning.

Unlike the emperor’s army, the army led by Meng Gong was different.

That’s why I had to personally lead the army to Hubei.

“It’s dangerous.”

“Indeed. The commander is the one who has been constantly thwarting the Khagan’s strategies. Facing such a person alone is dangerous.”

“That’s precisely why I must go.”

Others might see this as recklessness.

But this wasn’t mere audacity.

It was a matter of my dignity and honor.

“As the ruler of the four seas, I have a duty to face my enemies directly rather than avoiding them.”

The duty to face enemies.

That was the virtue that the ruler of the four seas must possess.

If I broke this rule, I would no longer be qualified to rule the ulus as a warrior of the steppe.

Of course, no one would disparage the achievements I had made by mentioning this.

This was solely a promise between Yesugei and me.

I said this with a serious expression.

Hearing this, Munglig bowed and stood up.

“Please leave the rear to me, Khagan.”

I nodded at Munglig’s words.

Elunka looked at Munglig and me with regret.

“I should have spoken first.”

Elunka said this and turned his head.

There stood Benkei, who had already returned after completing his orders.

“But I still have a chance, Khagan.”

I nodded at Elunka’s words.

Then I raised my hand, pointed to the sky, and made the sign of the cross.

“In the name of God, I permit you to continue this glorious battle.”

There was a reason I specifically mentioned God’s name.

All battles were conducted in the name of God, Tengri, and the ancestors.

Therefore, as the red warrior who carries out divine authority on earth by following heaven’s will, I promised Elunka the immortal honor that could be obtained in battle.

Elunka put on his Cuman mask and raised both arms.

Then he shouted loudly like a howling wolf.

Wooooooo!

Hearing this beast-like sound from his mouth, Benkei responded by raising his spear.

“Glory be with us!”

At Benkei’s words, the other Tamma drew their swords as if they had been waiting.

Then they beat their armor or shields and shouted together.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Glory be with us!”

“Glory be with us!”

Elunka nodded at the Tamma’s shouts.

Then he shouted in a loud voice.

“The tall towers, prosperity, and peace of the Central Plains have been crushed by our hands.”

The splendid civilization of the Central Plains was no more.

Only terrible devastation remained on the battlefield.

“History will record us like this.”

Elunka caught his breath and continued.

“Slaughterers, massacrers, destroyers, bringers of death, bringers of pain… we will remain the most terrible fear to our enemies!”

After saying this, Elunka put on his Cuman mask.

Then he began leading the soldiers, including the Tamma, in the direction the emperor had fled.

“Make them tremble!”

As the cavalry charged forward, the ground shook greatly.

Death followed the soldiers like the wind.

* * *

I headed to Hubei Province, leading soldiers with Munglig.

Since we needed to move quickly, we had a higher ratio of cavalry than infantry.

Additionally, we had divided our forces, so we had fewer numbers than the Song army coming from Sichuan.

“Meeting us on the plains. Is it arrogance or confidence?”

After receiving the messenger’s report, I clicked my tongue.

The battlefield where we were now was one of the few plains in the mountainous Hubei Province.

On such plains, cavalry mobility increased, making our tactical deployment faster.

The enemy drew us here despite knowing this.

This could only mean that the enemy was confident in dealing with our cavalry tactics.

“His cautious tactical approach has completely disappeared.”

“Yes, you’re right. But this could also be a trap, so we must be careful.”

The enemy commander was Meng Gong, called the last great general of the Song Dynasty.

So we shouldn’t be complacent just because he provided a battlefield favorable to us.

This wasn’t just because of Meng Gong’s exceptional abilities.

The enemy possessed long-range firepower weapons that could intercept cavalry from a distance.

In such a situation, with numerical superiority, these plains might actually be advantageous for the enemy.

To explain, early cannons were large and had severe recoil.

So to project firepower on the battlefield, they needed support structures, and securing space for these structures was difficult.

Therefore, they were often installed on city walls.

But since we had completely destroyed the walls, they had no choice but to set up artillery batteries on the plains.

One might argue that fighting in mountainous terrain would be better for artillery fire.

After all, they could set up cannons at high points and target cavalry that had lost mobility.

But this wasn’t easy either.

This was because most cannons at that time were direct-fire weapons, not howitzers.

More precisely, they flew in a straight line and then dropped at the end.

In other words, it was difficult to fire effective shots against us, and it was nearly impossible to carry heavy artillery batteries up to high places.

So it seemed that Meng Gong chose the plains where he could attack us effectively, even if it meant taking some damage.

“Once again, we start with a numerical disadvantage, brother.”

Munglig said this while handling his sword.

I nodded at his matter-of-fact statement.

“Are you dissatisfied, Munglig?”

“Dissatisfied? Every time I’ve gone to battle with you, we’ve started at a disadvantage. This is just routine.”

Munglig joked as he said this.

At his words, I sighed and pointed to the approaching enemy army.

“Can you see them?”

“Yes, I can see them clearly.”

“Roughly how many do you think there are?”

“At least 700,000, I’d say.”

The distance from here to where the enemy was coming from was extremely far.

But we were Mongols, so we could easily see far distances.

Like an eagle eyeing its prey from the sky.

“700,000 is more than three times our forces.”

Munglig calmly said this and pointed behind us.

There, 200,000 troops of the ulus were waiting.

200,000 versus 700,000.

As Munglig said, as always, we started the battle at a numerical disadvantage.

“Three times sounds quite numerous.”

Munglig looked at me in disbelief.

“Sounds numerous? It IS numerous, brother.”

“Are you saying you can’t fight?”

Munglig put on his helmet and shook his head.

“Of course not.”

At his response, I smiled slightly and raised my hand.

The 200,000 soldiers behind me began to form their positions.

The three Kheshig units at the front, the wings supporting them, and the rear units completed their preparations.

As preparations were completed, an overall disc-like formation appeared, with convex top and bottom and elongated sides.

In modern terms, it was a horizontal deployment with high combat units placed at the front and back to reinforce the center.

“What will you do, brother?”

“Knowing that the enemy commander is formidable, we need to test their movements through a trial of strength.”

The “trial of strength” here meant hand-to-hand combat.

In normal situations, engaging in mounted close combat while at a numerical disadvantage would be virtually suicidal.

But this wasn’t a normal situation.

Moreover, the enemy might have already deployed their firepower weapons and completed their firing preparations.

In such a situation, moving horizontally to increase maneuver distance might actually make us better targets for the enemy.

So I planned to engage in close combat, where proper artillery fire would be impossible, even if it meant taking some damage.

“As I said before, this is a trial of strength. Observing the enemy’s movements takes priority over inflicting damage.”

“You don’t need to lecture me, brother. I understand.”

Munglig said this and naturally moved to the rear.

He would lead the Kheshig from behind and support my back.

After Munglig disappeared, I took a deep breath.

With my helmet on, I spoke to Yesugei.

“This could be the final battle, Yesugei.”

Yesugei told me not to speak such weak words.

I sighed at his words and replied.

“I’m already over fifty years old. It’s time for me to rest and watch my grandchildren play.”

Though I said this, the fighting spirit within me was already boiling, ready for battle.

Recognizing this, Yesugei smiled slightly and didn’t speak to me anymore.

“Yes, I’m sorry for lying.”

I drew my sword.

Seeing my sword, the Kheshig followed and drew theirs, and the soldiers behind raised their spears.

How will history remember me?

This thought suddenly crossed my mind.

I recalled what Elunka had said.

Slaughterer, destroyer, massacrer, bringer of death, and bringer of pain.

These were certainly not good epithets.

But all these epithets meant one thing.

Fear.

The ulus would surely become the fear remembered by history.

And I, as the ruler who led such fear…

“I reign.”

I put strength into my thighs.

The horse began to move forward gradually.

One step, two steps,

Charging, charging.

Charging!

CHARGING!

The wind wrapped around my body.

Arrows rushed toward me but couldn’t hit me.

“God protect me!”

This is predestined fate, Song Dynasty.

You cannot escape death.