Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 903 - 746

Chapter 903: 746

On the early eighth day of the seventh month, the various tribes of Mongwu moved en masse on the western bank of the Aruhun River and near Beluga Lake of Lingbei. Groups of Mongwu knights picked up their bows and sabers, mounted their warhorses, and marched towards the direction of the Aruhun River.

They gathered together like streams into a river, forming a vast, surging black tide.

Originally, the hearts of the Datan and Wala tribes were filled with panic, their morale was low, and grievances were abundant.

But as this endless stream of brave Mongwu warriors converged on the western bank of the Aruhun River, their previously uneasy hearts suddenly found peace.

Such a sight had not been seen on the northern steppe for a long time.

Hundreds of thousands of Mongwu warriors, like an ocean, with their warhorses snorting fiercely and galloping unrestrained, while the curved sabers and chain mail reflected tiles of cold light.

The Qianhu’s banner and Wanhu’s flag were raised high, one after another, without end in sight.

Even the most pessimistic and timid person would be filled with noble ambition and infinite confidence upon seeing this scene.

This power must be invincible, unstoppable—

Those Jin People who had invaded the grasslands were once but slaves under their iron hooves.

The Khan of Wala, Yecian Chrolus, was filled with confidence. He stood on the top of a hill, watching the fully-armed Mongwu brave warriors march below, feeling a surge of pride and lofty aspirations.

At the same time, impatience was also hidden in Yecian’s eyes.

The general beside him, Alachien, was explaining, "Our military strategy involves first breaking their arms, then crushing their main force. The Jin People’s Runes flintlock rifled guns are indeed terrifying, just like the strong crossbows of the Qin and Han dynasties.

Back then, without stirrups and horseshoes, the General of Han, Li Ling, could traverse the steppe with five thousand infantrymen, and wherever his powerful crossbows pointed, no one on the grassland could rival him. However, in the end, due to exhaustion of arrows and scarcity of provisions, he was forced to surrender to the Xiongnu. As long as we can defeat their cavalry, it is just a matter of time before County Prince Fenyang of the Jin will be reduced to Li Ling’s situation, or at the least, the Jin Army can be pushed off the grasslands."

With these words, Alachien used his reins to point towards the east, "Our ninety-three thousand cavalry are all skilled or even expert horsemen, the Jin People are no match for us in any way. So, as long as we have enough food, once we cross the Aruhun River, it doesn’t matter where the battlefield is, we Mongwu’s will surely emerge victorious!"

The Dasiming listened intently, nodding slightly.

She took the upcoming great battle on the Mongwu steppe very seriously. So, after rushing here this time, she didn’t hesitate to challenge Yecian Chrolus’s imposing manner in order to inquire about his tactics, to find out whether the Mongwu truly had a chance at victory.

The Dasiming never expected the Mongwu to defeat Li Xuan in battle; she only hoped that they could use the combat methods of their ancestors to deplete the strength of the Jin Dynasty, keeping Jin’s elite troops tied up on the steppe.

However, Yecian Chrolus, the Khan of Wala, was actually willing to risk it all.

The Dasiming could not help but pay attention, because at this time, the forces that could contain the Jin People, to restrain that County Prince Fenyang, were becoming fewer and fewer.

The Mongwu on the steppe was the force that Dasiming relied on most heavily. She had invested millions of cattle and sheep in them, and had also provided Yecian with weapons and armor sufficient to arm two hundred thousand herdsmen.

If the Mongwu also suffered a defeat, it would be another heavy blow to Jinque Palace.

Yet Alachien’s explanation made her heart pound, sensing that it still held considerable feasibility.

The surging tide-like Mongolian Iron Cavalry, the thousands of banners and large standards, also gave her a certain degree of confidence.

Hundreds of years ago, the Mongolian Iron Cavalry once swept through the world, unrivaled under heaven!

Now, the Khan of Wala, Yecian Chrolus, has gathered ninety-three thousand of the steppe’s finest cavalry to fight a decisive battle against the Jin, there should be no reason for failure.

Still, Dasiming soon looked at Lord of Baihu Palace, Shi Tianze, with an inquiring glance.

This was a famous general from the heyday of Mongwu, deeply knowledgeable about Mongwu battle tactics, and the Dasiming had firm faith in his military capabilities.

Shi Tianze pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, "There should be a seventy percent chance of victory, inflicting heavy losses on the Jin Army, driving them from the grasslands is no problem, but completely annihilating County Prince Fenyang’s forces is unlikely."

Shi Tianze could see that both Yecian and Alachien were displeased with his straightforwardness, yet he spoke frankly, "The Jin Army under Li Xuan is different from that of the Six Paths Bureau Colonel, Li Ling. Li Ling’s army was without external support, trekking a thousand miles without ammunition or provisions.

But now, Li Xuan has numerous fortifications along the line from Xuanfu to Ulan Bator, not only occupying various water sources but also possessing adequate provisions. Unless the Khan can find a way to break their infantry square formations, their main forces can withdraw without an issue."

This is very difficult. During Emperor Tai of Jin’s second northern expedition, the ’King of Zhongshan’, Xu Tiande’s vanguard cavalry advanced rashly and were defeated south of Beluga Lake, losing over ten thousand men. Yet, in the end, the Jin’s main infantry formation was still able to retreat from the northern steppe unharmed.

The Mongwu tried everything they could but were unable to take even one of the Jin’s infantry squares.

Shi Tianze does not believe that Li Xuan’s command would be much worse than that of ’King of Zhongshan’, Xu Tiande.

However, Dasiming already showed a delighted expression; she thought that even a minor victory in the north and pushing the Jin Army off the grasslands would be a tremendous victory for Jinque Palace.

This would not only greatly deplete the strength of the Jin Dynasty but could also shake the prestige of that scourge Li Xuan.

"In that case, our Jinque Palace is willing to support the battle!"

Dasiming tilted her delicate chin up, "Our Jinque Palace is willing to further assist the Khan with fifty thousand pieces of chain mail crafted in the Western Region, eighty thousand sharpened knives, and three thousand damascus knives, to enhance the Khan’s authority."

At this time, the financial power of Jinque Palace was still treading with difficulty.

However, there is still a substantial stockpile of weapons on East Island, all collected and stored by Jinque Palace over its generations.

The primary losses from the previous fire were the provisions. Most of the arms stockpile was preserved.

Therefore, Prince Yi, Yu Jianshen, never lacked armor and weapons other than firearms.

Yexian immediately restored his smile, the unexpected color on his face fading away, "Then, I’ll thank Dasiming greatly! My Mongolian boys are just in need of armor and blades, and I will not stand on ceremony. This time, we also rely on the power of Heaven Palace to checkmate Jin’s Yu Jie and that Lord Tushan."

Dasiming gave a slight nod, "This Palace is here precisely for that, Khan can rest assured, Jinque Palace will never allow Yu Jie or that monstrous beast to run amok!"

When mentioning Lord Tushan, a shadow flickered in her eyes.

Dasiming had originally intended to use this demon fox to sow chaos in this man’s backyard, to dismember Li Xuan’s network.

But now the fox demon had broken contact with Jinque Palace, seemingly subdued by Li Xuan, serving him wholeheartedly.

This harbored anger in Dasiming to this day, hating that demon fox to the bone.

※※※※

At the same time, in Ulan Bator.

Li Xuan’s banners had already been raised high, the desolate sound of military horns echoing between heaven and earth.

As soon as Shiwei and Datan tribes started raising their armies, Divine Blood Azure Phoenix had already detected it.

Li Xuan deduced that Yecian Chrolus had resolved to lead his troops eastward, intending to have a decisive battle with his forces.

Yet he was unruffled, on one hand gathering his troops from the front, on the other organizing various war equipment, then on the night of the ninth of July, he held a grand feast to reward the entire army.

Beside a limited amount of alcohol, there was an ample supply of all kinds of meats, and during the feast, various delicacies collected by Li Xuan’s staff team ensured the soldiers reveled until nearly the Hour of Zi.

Then, when the next day’s banners with ’County Prince of Fenyang Li’ were erect in the army, cheers of ’Long live the County Prince’ and ’His Highness is invincible’ thundered from all the Jin Army camps around Ulan Bator.

After that, rows and rows of well-disciplined red armies emerged from the camps, energetic and high in battle spirit, marching westward.

"The morale can be put to use!"

Shang Hong stood by Li Xuan’s side, his expression relaxed and content, watching hundreds of thousands of the Jin Army’s troops marching in formation: "The art of using soldiers is about knowing when to be strict and when to relax; Your Highness truly understands this principle."

Just by observing the unified will and morale of these 430,000 troops, he knew that Jin held a great advantage in this battle.

At this time, Shang Hong was actually worrying about his colleagues and compatriots back in Beijing.

Since the County Prince of Fenyang had led his troops beyond the Great Wall, the waves of opposition and criticism in the court had grown stronger and stronger.

This was all rooted in the catastrophe of Tumu Fort and the failure of Emperor Taizong’s five northern expeditions. Many scholars worried that Jin might suffer another major setback. Even if they won by chance, it would be of little benefit to Jin.

At first, Shang Hong agreed with their thoughts but by the end of June, the advantages of the Jin Army had become increasingly clear.

He had written to persuade them but instead was met with rebukes in their replies, accusing him of being bewitched by the County Prince of Fenyang and neglecting his duty as Guanjunrongshi to monitor the army.

Shang Hong was troubled; he didn’t care about being scolded by his colleagues but was worried that after this dazzling victory, the County Prince of Fenyang would use it to purge the court.

At that time, the more those people opposed him, the more likely they would face a purge.

But now, in the entire court, those who had the courage to directly criticize the County Prince of Fenyang’s mistakes were becoming fewer and fewer.

However, Li Xuan was unconcerned with Shang Hong’s worries, speaking indifferently, "This prince didn’t think too much, it’s just that the troops have traveled thousands of miles and have been stationed in MoBei for nearly a month, inevitably weary. Before a decisive battle, it’s best to let them relax and be happy for a couple of days."

At this moment, these 430,000 Jin troops were under his command, moving unhurriedly along the Tula River westward.

When Li Xuan first entered the grasslands, he could cover hundreds of miles in one day.

But now, the Jin Army might travel less than eighty miles a whole day.

This slowness had its advantages, as it maximally preserved the integrity of the Jin Army’s basic composition and organization, maintaining the force at its peak state of combat readiness.

Li Xuan knew the Mongol’s marching speed was extremely fast, and no matter how much they hurried, they wouldn’t be able to prevent Mongwu’s army from crossing the Aruhun River.

The place Li Xuan envisioned for the decisive battle was not Aruhun River but the eastern bank of the Tula River, at a place called ’Podi Mountain.’

’King of Zhongshan’ Xu Tiande once defeated the main Mongwu forces here, forcing them to flee towards Beluga Lake of Lingbei.

Although it was later proven that Mongwu’s defeat was a feigned retreat, preparing to lure the enemy deeper.

However, Li Xuan had surveyed the local terrain and found that the terrain there was flat, higher in the east and lower in the west, indeed advantageous for infantry combat, especially for firearms.

Moreover, this river had a large meander, forming a bend like the character ’几’, meaning in this battle, they could utilize the terrain to encircle and annihilate the enemy on a large scale, potentially repeating Fan Guang’s victory at Jiesheng Ridge, where he utterly defeated Wuliangha Black Wolf Cavalry.

Then two days later, on the eleventh of July, Li Xuan’s 430,000-strong Jin Army arrived at Podi Mountain as scheduled.

And just as the Jin Army began to deploy along the mountain, to their north, an overwhelming tide of Mongwu cavalry slowly advanced with a suffocating momentum.