Chapter 736: Waiting and Hope

The 3,500 Ghost Cavalry swiftly departed a battlefield strewn with corpses, leaving behind dense plumes of smoke from burning grain and fodder. This was already the fifth time the Ghost Cavalry had lit "wolf smoke" for Northern Mang outside Hulu Pass. Northern Mang's combat troops and auxiliaries had suffered as many as 14,000 casualties, and nearly 200,000 cattle and sheep were scattered. The northernmost reach of the Ghost Cavalry's hoof prints had actually extended into Longyao Province. They then rapidly moved south. The recent battle was no longer an offensive by the Ghost Cavalry, but an interception by Northern Mang, who had effectively sacrificed 2,000 mediocre light cavalry to pinpoint the elite Ghost Cavalry's location and thereby limit their maneuvering space. It was believed that Longyao Province's main cavalry forces would soon respond to the news.

During the retreat, Yu Luandao suddenly looked up and saw two birds of prey fiercely chasing each other in the sky. At the same time, Xu Fengnian drew an arrow from his quiver, drawing his bow to a full moon. The arrowhead slowly shifted with the rapid flight of the Gyrfalcon and the Northern Mang peregrine falcon. When the peregrine falcon was forced to descend and flee for its life, Xu Fengnian shot an arrow with a loud thud, killing it instantly. The immense momentum carried the falcon into the clouds, while the magnificent six-year-old Gyrfalcon ascended, piercing through the sky and swooping towards Xu Fengnian. It hooked its talons into the arrow-pierced peregrine falcon's carcass, gently dropped it, circled above its master's head a few times, and then vanished. Xu Fengnian discarded the peregrine falcon's body and returned the arrow to the quiver hanging on the left side of his saddle. Liang crossbows were well-made, but heavy crossbows often couldn't withstand the strain of a major battle and were easily damaged in large numbers. Although the light crossbows carried by each Ghost Cavalryman were more resilient in terms of usage than heavy crossbows, after five cavalry engagements and pursuits, both the crossbows themselves and the bolts were running low. Consequently, they had to switch to Northern Mang cavalry bows captured after battles. Both Xu Fengnian and Yu Luandao were now using iron-core bows bearing strong marks of Western Shu craftsmanship.

Yu Luandao looked around, his face etched with worry. If they hadn't been able to sustain themselves through battle, their cavalry unit would have truly collapsed, even without further Northern Mang reinforcements to encircle them. Their previous 500-li dash into Jizhou wasn't due to the physically robust cavalrymen being unable to endure it; even with two horses per rider at the time, the warhorses suffered terribly. Long-distance raids prioritized speed and surprise, but given the "long-distance" nature, while riders could endure with their resilient character, warhorses could not. Especially at this time of year, it wasn't the season for strong, well-fed horses, and their fat reserves were insufficient. Northern Liang's horse-management officials, not being deities, could not change this reality. After a brief rest, they immediately marched another 600 li to the area outside Hulu Pass. Fortunately, captured Northern Mang warhorses had largely mitigated the unseen attrition. However, after five continuous, large-scale cavalry engagements with insufficient rest periods, even with constant rotation of warhorses, the riders themselves were now struggling, constantly rushing "from one battlefield to another." The reason they hadn't yet shown significant fatigue... Yu Luandao subconsciously glanced at Xu Fengnian, clad in armor, beside him. Yu Luandao then withdrew his gaze, turning to look at the faces around him. The young commanding officer felt immense pride; for the Ghost Cavalry, initially 10,000 strong, to fight to this extent, even with Yu Luandao's reserved nature, he still felt a profound sense of accomplishment. Killing over 14,000 enemies was not remarkable; the Northern Mang cavalry escorting supplies and provisions were mostly second or third-rate border troops from the Southern Dynasty. Two of the cavalry battles, from engagement to conclusion, were outright massacres. However, disrupting most of the supply line between Longyao Province and Hulu Pass, and ultimately forcing the passive redeployment of at least ten thousand elite Northern Mang border cavalry, who were led on a wild goose chase by a few thousand Ghost Cavalrymen—this was the greatest achievement of Yu Luandao and the Ghost Cavalry.

As the cavalry moved south, Xu Fengnian, whose injured Ghost Cavalrymen had earlier been escorted away by Fan Xiaochai and Mi Fengjie, said softly, "Our bowstring is drawn too taut."

Yu Luandao nodded, "The difficulty now is finding a place to stop. Since the two young generals from the east, known as the 'Nabo' of autumn and winter, have also set out with their armies, retreating east is no longer an option. Moreover, the Prince mentioned that intelligence reports indicate Yang Yuanzan has ordered Hong Jingyan to withdraw half of the Rouran Iron Cavalry from Hulu Pass to block our southward route."

Yu Luandao looked to the west. Go west? That was the northern front of Liang Province, where Northern Mang's main army, commanded by Grand King of the Southern Court Dong Zhuo himself, was attacking Hutou City. The combined forces totaled 700,000. Going there would truly be walking into a trap, offering themselves as heads and military merits to the Northern Mang barbarians. Forget the remaining 3,500 cavalry; even 35,000 cavalry would be insufficient for Northern Mang to encircle and destroy without support from their own main army. Even if Yu Luandao encountered the two Nabo generals or Hong Jingyan's Rouran Iron Cavalry, he would not head west, even if it meant his entire Ghost Cavalry unit fought to the last man.

Xu Fengnian also gazed westward, seemingly waiting for someone.

Xu Fengnian was waiting for Song Diao'er, the bandit leader. This man, with his thousand young bandit recruits secretly fostered by Huangfu Ping, might not change the overall situation in Youzhou, but he could at least provide a breather for Yu Luandao's Youzhou cavalry. The Ghost Cavalry were currently like an exhausted martial arts grandmaster; if they could catch a second wind, they could fight again. If they couldn't even manage that, they would simply burn out. Xu Fengnian didn't mention it, not because he was planning a surprise for the cavalry, but because he didn't dare to have too high expectations for Song Diao'er, with whom he had only met once. If it weren't for the Northern Liang masters lurking within Song Diao'er's bandit group to keep him in check, Xu Fengnian wouldn't even have allowed Song Diao'er to come and lead them. Putting himself in Song Diao'er's shoes, to whom would a thousand bandits not pledge allegiance? Northern Mang currently held the upper hand, and if Song Diao'er turned traitor and offered the 3,500 Youzhou cavalry as a token of surrender, Yang Yuanzan, who was exasperated by Yu Luandao's cavalry, would likely not begrudge him a myriad-man commander position. In fact, in Xu Fengnian's view, it would be strange if Song Diao'er, originally from a Southern Dynasty aristocratic family, had no ulterior motives and remained entirely loyal to Northern Liang from start to finish. As for the truth, Xu Fengnian could only judge after meeting Song Diao'er's messenger. If Song Diao'er dared not come himself and was not with the group, then Xu Fengnian would have to consider this chess piece as having changed sides. In that case, Yu Luandao and the cornered Ghost Cavalry would be doomed to fight to the bitter end against the two Nabo generals or the Rouran Iron Cavalry. Xu Fengnian, for his part, would then single-handedly track down Song Diao'er. Since he had allowed Northern Liang and Huangfu Ping to help Song Diao'er establish a bandit force dominating the region beyond the pass, Xu Fengnian could also reclaim it himself.

Giving hope only to disappoint is worse than saying nothing at all from the start.

Xu Fengnian asked, "How many of Fan Fen's scouts are left?"

Yu Luandao replied bitterly, "Of the original veteran scouts, fewer than sixty remain. Over 800 cavalrymen have successively replaced them, barely maintaining the number of 400 scouts. So, it can be said that Commander Fan's unit has suffered the heaviest losses. There's nothing that can be done; when fighting outside the pass, scouts are inevitably the first to die." Yu Luandao pursed his cracked, bleeding lips, a faint smile appearing on his face. His voice hoarse, he said, "But we haven't fought these battles for nothing. The combat strength of these 3,500 cavalrymen has improved significantly compared to before we left Youzhou. As long as we can catch our breath and fully recover, we would dare to claim victory against Hong Jingyan's Rouran Iron Cavalry with an equal number of troops. Before this, who in Youzhou, known only for its infantry, would have such a thought? If these 3,500 men can return to Youzhou alive, it will certainly greatly benefit the entire Youzhou war effort."

Deputy Commanders Shi Yulu and Su Wenyao both looked uneasy, not daring to speak. They feared Xu Fengnian might misunderstand their commander's words, mistaking them as the Ghost Cavalry complaining about their precarious situation.

Yu Luandao suddenly chuckled, laughing heartily, "With all the trouble we've stirred up, not only have Longyao, Hexi, and the three Juzi provinces been severely weakened and suffered great losses, but the northern grasslands will probably also have to make further sacrifices. Those Great Xiti tribes, which Tuoba Pusa painstakingly suppressed, might be stirring again. They originally objected to attacking Northern Liang first. In the eyes of these opportunistic fellows who don't 'release the hawk until they see the rabbit,' no one wants to chew on a place that's all hard bone and no fat. How could it compare to attacking the sparsely defended Jizhou? Once past Jizhou, it's the fertile Central Plains, thousands of li of rich land, countless gold, silver, and people to plunder until their hands ache. Or attacking Liang and Liao would also work; a permanent solution. As long as Gu Jiantang is defeated, it's a direct march south, bringing troops to the city gates. Our trip to Hulu Pass, regardless of how many enemies we killed, will certainly make Dong Zhuo and the Taiping Ling, who are adamant about conquering Northern Liang before seizing the Central Plains, gnash their teeth in anger. Perhaps they're stomping their feet and cursing right now?"

Su Wenyao was inspecting the arrows bundled in his quiver, one by one. All had dense, hard wooden shafts and heavy arrowheads. Though there were subtle differences compared to Northern Liang arrows, they were generally of the same type. These "close relatives" were diametrically opposed to many bow and arrow types found within Liyang territory. The latter prioritized range, firing speed, and adhered to the ancient military treatise's concept of "three strikes against the enemy." This wasn't necessarily a wrong path for the latter; it was simply that inland battles mostly involved infantry against infantry, and their advance speed was naturally slower compared to cavalry charges. The former, Liang-Mang arrows, even with the exceptional strength of northern warriors behind them, still aimed solely for "armor penetration and death." In fact, Northern Mang cavalry initially did not take this extreme path. It was only during twenty years of confrontation that they were heavily influenced by Northern Liang's superior iron armor. Otherwise, with Northern Mang's superb horsemanship and archery, they could often wear down and kill most other Liyang border troops from a distance, like flying a kite.

Su Wenyao casually discarded two arrows with hairline cracks in their shafts. Hearing Commander Yu Luandao's humorous remark, he chuckled softly and looked up, saying, "Those Xiti aren't truly foolish either. They know that without conquering our Northern Liang, all talk of passing through Jizhou to plunder the Central Plains or marching all the way to Tai'an City is empty. How many of us Ghost Cavalry are there? Yet we've already thrown their supply lines into disarray. If all of Northern Liang's border army were left unchecked, would they even have their Southern Dynasty anymore? They might even have their Northern Mang royal court smashed by us. But logic is one thing; every person wants to do less and gain more. Northern Mang's nobles want to attack Jizhou and Liaodong, and I, Su Wenyao, would be absolutely thrilled if they did! How many fewer people would die in Northern Liang then?"

Shi Yulu nodded and said gravely, "That fat Dong and Taiping Ling truly deserve to die!"

Fan Fen, the chief scout, galloped up and reported to the generals, "There are 800 cavalry thirty li to the south. Their armor is superior to the Northern Mang cavalry we encountered earlier. They should be a vanguard unit withdrawn from within Hulu Pass. If we continue south, we'll encounter at most two or three more small groups of 'bait' cavalry like these, and then we'll quickly meet the Rouran Iron Cavalry."

Yu Luandao offered a mirthless smile, his handsome face filled with long-suppressed aggression. He said grimly, "Never mind whether they're Rouran Iron Cavalry or not for now. Bait that isn't eaten is wasted, so let's use these 800 cavalry for a warm-up meal! Shi Yulu, Su Wenyao, let's follow the old rules!"

There are tactics for fighting an enemy of just 800 cavalry, and tactics for fighting 8,000 enemy cavalry. Now, with only 3,500 Ghost Cavalry at Yu Luandao's disposal, everything had to be managed with "frugality and skill," because ultimately, the Ghost Cavalry's enemies, besides the overt Northern Mang cavalrymen, also included the Ghost Cavalry "themselves." Yu Luandao had to account for all potential attrition, including his own soldiers' physical strength, morale, and their warhorses, bows, and crossbows. Currently, the Ghost Cavalry's horsemanship and archery were at their peak. However, any prolonged, sustained engagement would also lead to irreversible consequences. This meant the Ghost Cavalry could only fight "three-axe" battles: quickly eliminating the enemy with the fewest charges, swiftly withdrawing from the battlefield, and promptly entering a safe area for rest. After receiving the intelligence from Fan Fen, the main Ghost Cavalry force began to deliberately slow down. Their frontline formed three layers: Su Wenyao, who had "bottomed out" in the previous battle, led 1,000 cavalry in the vanguard; Yu Luandao commanded over 1,000 cavalry in the center; and Shi Yulu's 1,000 cavalrymen, escorting numerous army horses, brought up the rear. Fan Fen's 400 scouts, riding the strongest horses, initiated the first charge, making a "sweeping maneuver" on the left flank to prevent any enemy from escaping.

Yu Luandao's plan was to leverage their numerical advantage, divide their forces into multiple simultaneous charges, aiming to eliminate the 800 cavalry in three passes. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not allow his subordinates to charge back and forth repeatedly. The Ghost Cavalry's warhorses couldn't endure it, and even the sufficiently resilient cavalrymen couldn't either. Abandoning heavier, more destructive but cumbersome weapons, they primarily engaged in light cavalry clashes with sabers against sabers. Even with each side resolved to die, the bodies left on the death line where the two forces converged and intertwined would not have been too numerous. However, under Yu Luandao's instruction, except for the battle outside Jibei Silver Condor City, in all six major and minor battles outside Hulu Pass, Youzhou light cavalry were ordered to kill during their charges. The cost of such orders was killing and being killed; few were lightly wounded and could fight again, while many were severely wounded and died. The most covert and ruthless aspect of Yu Luandao's tactics was that, beyond securing victory easily from the outset, few wounded Youzhou cavalrymen left the main army after battles to retreat eastward. Shi Yulu and Su Wenyao knew this, as did the other colonels and captains, but no one objected or voiced any doubts.

No matter how stirring the frontier poems, they could not fully express the cruelty of a battlefield where everyone was forced to contemplate throwing away their lives.

Each Youzhou cavalryman had three horses; which warhorse didn't carry the saber of a fallen comrade?

Even the iron-hearted Yu Luandao, who was meticulous about details, could not bring himself to forbid this kind of extra burden.

Outside the as-yet-undeployed battlefield, a five-man squad of Northern Mang horse herders, on five horses, galloped swiftly south, away from the 800 cavalry, attempting to deliver crucial intelligence to the main army in the south that they had encountered the Youzhou cavalry.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous black dot appeared from the rear flank, bypassing the main battlefield. This figure moved like lightning, far outstripping the galloping warhorses.

He swept in a semicircle, blocking the path of the five riders, his feet kicking up clouds of dust from the sandy ground.

The five horse herders were momentarily stunned by the bizarre sight before them: a slender child stood a hundred paces ahead, a Northern Liang saber strapped diagonally across his back.

The cold-faced child charged head-on towards the five riders. When he was twenty paces from the lead rider, the elusive child had already dodged four arrows. He leaped high, catching the last arrow mid-air that was aimed at his chest. With a punch, he struck the head of the warhorse of the horse herder who had drawn his saber. The horse's head exploded, its forelegs broke, and the entire animal was almost flipped backward by the single blow. The squad leader, thrown forward, was then struck in the chest by another punch from the child with the saber, sending him crashing into the horse herder behind him. The third rider fell dead, an arrow thrown by the child having pierced his throat. The horse herders on either side, having narrowly escaped, dared not linger in battle, spurring their horses forward.

The child turned and sprinted furiously. Catching up to one of the horse herders, he gripped the warhorse's tail with both hands. His feet planted firmly, he pulled the galloping warhorse to an abrupt halt, its tail tearing off. The horse neighed in agony, desperately accelerating forward.

The child took a single stride, drew alongside the warhorse, and casually swept out a punch, striking the horse's abdomen. The Northern Mang scout on its back, along with the horse, was sent flying sideways. The horse herder, whose feet hadn't left the stirrups in time, was fatally crushed by the horse's back as it skidded to a halt.

The child's movements showed no hesitation. He quickly caught up to the last, terrified horse herder. Bending down, he gripped each of the horse's hind legs, twisted his feet, and spun the warhorse, its hooves off the ground, in a full circle in the air before flinging it forcefully away.

The horse herder, thrown from his horse, struggled to get back on his feet. The child approached him, drew the Northern Liang saber from his back, plunged it heavily into the Northern Mang barbarian's chest, then withdrew it and returned it to its sheath. The child said calmly, "Big guy, that's the three hundred seventy-ninth."

Commander Fan Fen and his 400 scouts, who arrived shortly after, witnessed this scene from a distance. They did not approach to speak, but instead began to array themselves to the north. Fan Fen, after leading a warhorse to the child, patted the Northern Liang saber at his waist and chuckled softly, "Little General, how about when I die, my saber goes to you too? I'm not greedy; just kill fifty Northern Mang barbarians for me then."

Yu Dilong hopped onto the horse, standing with the saber on his back and his hands tucked into his sleeves. The blood-stained child rolled his eyes.

The Youzhou cavalry now affectionately nicknamed the child, Yu Dilong, "Little General."

Two days earlier, Yu Dilong was supposed to be assigned by Xu Fengnian to escort sixty wounded cavalrymen retreating eastward. However, the child stubbornly refused. Even with Xu Fengnian's angry expression, the child simply held the warhorse carrying the "big guy's" relic, a set of iron armor, and with the Northern Liang saber on his back, he neither spoke nor moved. Later, a lightly wounded colonel voluntarily requested to leave the main force and personally escort the wounded. Before departing, he told the child, who had been a terror in several previous battles, that he owed him the military merits for fifty Northern Mang barbarians. Only then did Xu Fengnian implicitly allow Yu Dilong to stay. The child was probably truly awestruck by Xu Fengnian as his master. Even though he remained with the army, he dared not reappear near Yu Luandao and the others. Alone with his horse, he forlornly stayed at the very end of the cavalry column, never speaking to anyone. Except when going out with Fan Fen's scouts to gather intelligence, he remained solitary, silently following behind the main army.

On the main battlefield, the 800 Northern Mang cavalry were almost completely wiped out after three consecutive charges. The seventy to eighty scattered light cavalry who tried to flee were also hunted down and eliminated by Yu Dilong and Fan Fen's 400 scouts. All Northern Mang cavalrymen who had not yet died were finished off by the Ghost Cavalry clearing the battlefield.

Xu Fengnian used his iron spear to kill a Northern Mang centurion whose eyes were filled with resentment just before he died. He then gently looked up towards the west, where over a dozen riders, seemingly observing from a distance, appeared far outside the battlefield. Xu Fengnian's heart sank. In his line of sight, he did not see the familiar figure.