Chapter 921: A Stretch of Guangling River

At the eastern exit of Miyun Pass, where the terrain abruptly narrowed to a slender choke point, Xie Xichui leveraged this strategic advantage to repeatedly repel wave after wave of furious assaults from the Northern Mang cavalry.

The five hundred elite cavalry, specifically chosen from the Dragon Elephant Army as a suicide squad, had been completely annihilated. Combined with over 1,200 cavalry from Zhong Tan's forces who had charged out of the pass and fallen, the bodies of both soldiers and warhorses lay piled at the exit. They formed a gruesome natural barrier about half a *zhang* high, a tangled mass of human and equine corpses, slick with flowing blood.

This was perhaps the most unconventional barricade in military history; regardless of victory or defeat, the battle was destined for the annals.

The cavalry from the Fengxiang and Linyao Garrisons on the left and right flanks initially suffered fewer casualties. However, as the wall of corpses steadily grew, the relentless Northern Mang vanguard cavalry were forced to abandon frontal assaults, turning instead to the flanks to try and carve a path for their main forces.

Had Xie Xichui not received all the powerful crossbows and cavalry bows from Cao Wei's ten thousand cavalry, whose support horses were laden with an abundance of arrows, allowing concentrated volleys against the Northern Mang cavalry surging from Miyun Pass, it is likely that Zhong Tan's fearless elite forces would have already breached the defenses. Once the Northern Mang cavalry deployed a full battle line outside the pass, using Zhong's elite cavalry as a spearhead, it would undoubtedly have turned into an uncontested slaughter.

Xie Xichui's cavalry was a motley force, and its overall combat strength was not remarkable even within Liuzhou, making it incomparable to Cao Wei's cavalry, which was composed of seasoned Liangzhou border troops. Furthermore, the five hundred Dragon Elephant Army veterans, the only truly experienced fighters, were among the first to fall. This left Xie Xichui in a constant, precarious, life-or-death situation, unable to concede even a single step. In his arc-shaped defensive formation, any breach, if exploited by the Northern Mang cavalry, would inevitably lead to a total collapse. This was not about whether the young men from Liuzhou or the garrison cavalry were brave enough to die heroically; on the battlefield, it is often a contest of morale between opposing sides—when morale falters, defeat follows.

Fortunately, at this critical juncture, Xie Xichui displayed the exceptional talent of one of the "Twin Jade Disks of Western Chu." Like an astute tailor, he diligently mended and patched deficiencies, time and again deploying troops with pinpoint precision. If "performing a ritual in a snail shell" is typically a derogatory phrase implying futility in a confined space, then Xie Xichui single-handedly transformed it into a positive idiom, turning decay into wonder. One thousand strong young refugees dismounted and wielded spears, and an additional six hundred cavalry, temporarily detached to form a separate unit, each armed with light crossbows and cavalry bows. Under Xie Xichui's command, these 1,600 men had already plugged precarious gaps in the defensive line seven times, thereby preventing the Northern Mang cavalry from surging forth like a bursting dam. Throughout this period, almost every perilous moment was a testament to the cunning struggle between Xie Xichui and the Northern Mang commander Zhong Tan. The latter repeatedly concealed the true combat strength of his personal guards and escort cavalry, mixing them in with ordinary Mang cavalry before launching sudden charges, but each time Xie Xichui, anticipating the enemy's moves, accurately thwarted them.

Xie Xichui truly achieved with his still unfamiliar cavalry force what strategists most highly praise: the state of "complete command," as if directing one's own arm and fingers. This demanded that Xie Xichui have a thorough understanding of every detail on the entire battlefield, including the remaining light crossbow arrows, the physical toll on soldiers from continuous volleys of cavalry and infantry bows, the depth of the cavalry formations on both flanks, and so on. He also needed profound insight into the enemy cavalry's movements and to execute troop rotations without the slightest error, ensuring the defensive position remained robust while maintaining enough stamina for a prolonged battle.

Xie Xichui's command was impeccable. In this rock-solid defensive situation, the most immediate cost was that all five messenger cavalrymen had hoarse voices. Although Xie Xichui did not personally join the fray, his lips were cracked and his face pale.

Yet, Xie Xichui's eyes remained clear, bright, and sparkling.

This young military commander, who had been in the Northwest frontier for less than half a year, had already earned the respect of all the Northern Liang cavalry under his command.

Some individuals are born for the battlefield, destined to carve a name into the bloody annals of history that future generations could never overlook.

Ye Baikui, the military strategist of the Spring and Autumn period, once was such a figure; Chen Zhibao, the White-Clad War Sage, always was; and Xie Xichui would be too.

In fact, Zhong Tan, the Northern Mang cavalry commander, who was halted beneath the mountain wall inside Miyun Pass, had personally witnessed this bloody battle with exceptionally rapid casualties on both sides. Although he wished he could personally chop off the young Northern Liang commander's head, he had to admit his deep admiration for the man's military tactics. As the new generation's military pillar, strongly supported by the entire Zhong clan of Northern Mang, and the eldest legitimate son of General Zhong Shentong, Zhong Tan was distinctly different from his uncle Zhong Liang, who was a martial arts grandmaster. Zhong Tan had no interest in the martial world from a young age; even as a youth, his gaze was always fixed on the Liang-Mang border, time and again poring over maps of the two nations' border situation with his father by candlelight. The arrogant and conceited Zhong Shentong once confided in young Zhong Tan, saying that on the Liang-Mang battlefield, figures like Yan Wenluan of Northern Liang or Yang Yuanzan of their own dynasty were undoubtedly worthy generals, capable of commanding independently, but still fell slightly short compared to individuals like Chen Zhibao, Dong Zhuo, and Chu Lushan. To gauge whether a military commander could become a pillar of the nation, one looked at two things: first, their ability to flawlessly execute both offense and defense in a specific battle, with impeccable tactics; and second, their ability, in battles deciding the fate of the nation, to maximize troop effectiveness, achieving a "more troops, more benefit" outcome. On the premise of comparable combat strength, having one thousand soldiers could kill fifteen hundred enemies, and one hundred thousand armored soldiers could kill two hundred thousand enemies. Then, when one commanded a million iron cavalry, that was the time to rule the world.

A deputy general from the Zhong clan, his armor stained with blood, rode up to Zhong Tan after leaving the battlefield outside the pass. He casually snapped an arrow embedded in his iron armor and panted, "My lord, give me another five hundred suicide cavalry, and I will surely break through the Northern Liang formation!"

Zhong Tan withdrew his thoughts, looking towards the distant battlefield. He shook his head and said, "Most of our Zhong family's sons have already fallen."

The deputy general, red-eyed and astonished, having personally charged into battle twice, looked around and realized that the direct lineage cavalry of the Zhong clan had indeed suffered astonishing casualties. In this engagement, Zhong Tan had held nothing back, unhesitatingly using the Zhong clan's cavalry as the vanguard for a rapid breakthrough. Had he not been so ruthless and decisive, the five hundred elite Dragon Elephant cavalry of Northern Liang would certainly not have been the first to die. The 1,200 Northern Mang cavalry piled alongside the Dragon Elephant cavalry corpses were exclusively Zhong clan private cavalry. At that point, the Northern Mang cavalry was on the verge of success; it was precisely the suicidal actions of the five hundred Dragon Elephant Army desperadoes, who fought to kill the warhorses, that precariously succeeded in blocking the smooth advance of Zhong's subsequent cavalry. After this, Zhong Tan repeatedly attempted breakthroughs with two to three hundred elite Zhong clan cavalry each time, but each time, the Northern Liang commander blocked the impending potential gaps.

"If this were anywhere else," the deputy general said bitterly, "even another five thousand Liuzhou cavalry wouldn't be enough for us to cut down!"

Zhong Tan, whose direct lineage cavalry had suffered heavy casualties, smiled bitterly and sighed, "Indeed. It's just unfortunate that this is the very end of Miyun Pass; there's no way to advance or retreat."

The deputy general, who had never considered retreating, heard this strange statement and asked in utter bewilderment, "My lord, why can't we retreat? Besides, this battle still has a long way to go. Winning will be difficult and might cost us another three or four thousand men, but we're certainly not at the point of retreating, are we?"

Zhong Tan glanced back, then turned his head again to look outside the pass. "Even you know that the Northern Liang forces outside the pass alone are destined to lose," he said. "So why is that Northern Liang commander still fighting to the death without retreating? From Miyun Pass to the Fengxiang and Linyao Garrisons, it's flat terrain, perfect for cavalry to gallop freely. Why would Northern Liang insist on defending this particular spot to the death? It's obvious so many lives will be lost; is it merely for the sake of exchanging casualties?"

The deputy general's heart trembled. He looked towards the narrow path behind the Northern Mang cavalry and murmured, "My lord, didn't those grand figures in our Western Capital court all claim that the Liuzhou campaign was insignificant? If Northern Liang deployed so many troops in Liuzhou, wouldn't they neglect the defenses beyond Liangzhou Pass?"

Zhong Tan took a deep breath and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "It was only after encountering this army that I realized Northern Liang has gone mad, ultimately choosing Liuzhou as the decisive point for the second great Liang-Mang war."

Zhong Tan pointed his saber tip outside the pass and laughed grimly. "It doesn't matter. As long as we can break out of Miyun Pass, Northern Liang's desperate gamble will end in a crushing defeat!"

Zhong Tan ordered in a deep voice, "All Zhong clan cavalry, charge with me!"

Two chiliarchs, who had long been eager for action, saluted with clasped fists, acknowledging the order.

The deputy general hesitated, then cautiously asked, "My lord, are you truly going to lead the charge yourself?"

Zhong Tan laughed heartily, "I will personally confront that Northern Liang commander!"

Instinct told this Northern Mang *Xia Nabao* that killing that Northern Liang general would be more significant than killing ten thousand Northern Liang cavalry!

Inside Miyun Pass, ten thousand cavalry galloped like thunder.

The cavalry commander leading them was Cao Wei. The ten thousand cavalry behind him had already changed mounts multiple times, leaving a trail of exhausted support horses continuously collapsing in the pass. Many warhorses foamed at the mouth, and several hundred even collapsed and died on the spot.

Cao Wei's ten thousand cavalry stretched out into an extremely long formation. This kind of long-distance charge, utterly disregarding horse stamina and formation, would on any other battlefield surely provoke a furious outcry from a general; it was practically treating warfare as child's play!

Ten thousand cavalry flowed eastward like a surging river.

At this moment, Miyun Pass resembled the Guangling River.

Constantly, exhausted warhorses' legs would give way. The highly skilled cavalrymen's only recourse was to steer their horses slightly, trying to fall to either side of the marching path. The dismounted troopers, not bothering about the fate of their beloved mounts, quickly remounted other warhorses and continued their charge.

Fortunately, most of the spears, cavalry bows, and light crossbows had been handed over to Xie Xichui's cavalry, which to some extent reduced the burden on Cao Wei's warhorses and support horses.

Cao Wei muttered to himself, "Xie boy, don't you dare think of making me pick up your corpse! If you can't hold on and let those Northern Mang barbarians ambush us outside the pass, along with those Ranthar Mountain monk soldiers trailing behind me eating dust, then my ten thousand cavalry will also be finished in this godforsaken place!"

They charged all the way.

Cao Wei felt every subtle breath of his own was as clear as thunder, even drowning out the sound of horse hooves.

This meant his ten thousand cavalry were nearing their physical limits.

It also meant that such utterly exhausted cavalry had, in fact, lost the ability to repeatedly charge and break formations.

Cao Wei was gambling that Xie Xichui would not only hold the exit of Miyun Pass but also that Xie Xichui's cavalry could severely cripple the main force of Zhong Tan's cavalry.

This was quite an unreasonable gamble.

Cao Wei silently thought to himself: "Xie, I know this is hard, but... you're Xie Xichui, one of the Twin Jade Disks of Western Chu!"

They approached the easternmost end of Miyun Pass.

Cao Wei, who had been muttering "Let me hear something, there *has* to be something," suddenly burst into hearty laughter, almost to the point of tears.

Cao Wei, who could now hear the sounds of fighting ahead, abruptly reined in his horse. He turned and roared, "Change horses! Armor up!"

Soon, Cao Wei gave a wry chuckle, "Heh, at this point, what good is changing horses?"

The extremely stretched-out ten thousand cavalry gradually came to a halt, then every man donned his armor and drew his saber.

In the Western Regions, far from the central plains, this Northern Liang force of ten thousand cavalry, led by Cao Wei, seemed to emerge out of nowhere. Their brief halt for rest was like the Guangling River, which had suddenly become still.

But after the stillness came a surging eastward flow!

Cao Wei raised his Liang saber high, galloped forward, and shouted with all his might, "Kill!"

This was the Battle of Miyun Pass.

Later generations hailed it as the greatest cavalry battle since the Spring and Autumn period.