Chapter 961: Western Chu's Twin Gems (Part 2)

A chilling autumn wind blew.

Kou Jianghuai, the General of Liuzhou, sat tall on his horse, squinting as he gazed north.

He and Xu Longxiang had previously sworn a military oath to the Protectorate General's office: to effectively block the North Mang western army at least three times before Huang Songpu’s large army advanced to Qingcang City. The charge by ten thousand cavalry ten days prior, in terms of mutual casualties, had not offered the Dragon Elephant Army any significant advantage. North Mang’s six thousand vanguard cavalry might be considered elite Southern Dynasty border troops, but Liuzhou was different from North Mang’s western army. Liang Province could not possibly redeploy forces from elsewhere for reinforcement. This meant that on the 'gambling table' of Liuzhou, Kou Jianghuai only had the silver already on the table, and even a single copper coin less was a reduction. However, North Mang’s Huang Songpu could continuously draw funds from his home, possessing enough capital to 'gamble for pleasure' with small stakes, knowing that one decisive victory would seal his success. Thus, Kou Jianghuai’s earlier probing undoubtedly held a deeper meaning: to tighten the already taut nerves of Huang Songpu, North Mang’s meritorious veteran general, and then to decisively wager on a major gamble, exploiting Huang Songpu’s moment of laxity between tension and relaxation. Furthermore, while Liang Province’s rangers were exceptionally skilled, they ultimately couldn't bypass so many of Huang Songpu’s scouts to gather specific details about the North Mang encampment. Kou Jianghuai could only use the Dragon Elephant Army to gain this intelligence at the cost of lives. He had mentally prepared for a stern refusal from Xu Longxiang and Li Mofan, but surprisingly, neither raised an objection. In fact, Li Mofan, who was highly adept in military affairs, personally led ten thousand Dragon Elephant cavalry to charge the formation. Afterward, Kou Jianghuai stated bluntly that given Huang Songpu and the Longguan army’s incredibly crude encampment, the deaths of three thousand Dragon Elephant soldiers were not worthwhile.

At that time, Xu Longxiang squatted beside the giant black tiger, merely grinning without a word. Li Mofan, covered in blood, looked somewhat grim but did not direct his anger at Kou Jianghuai, the General of Liuzhou.

Kou Jianghuai closed his eyes, rapidly visualizing the North Mang western army’s camp layout: a hundred and fifty thousand troops divided into five large camps. Commander Huang Songpu’s thirty thousand personal guards were encamped in the center, a mix of cavalry and infantry. The direct lineage troops of a certain first-tier noble clan from Longguan formed a separate camp. Though only twenty thousand cavalry, their combat strength was considerable. They were typical 'Old Man’s Soldiers' of North Mang, almost all armored, and several hundred elite riders even had fully armored horses, showing the embryonic form of heavy cavalry. Crucially, they were responsible for their own upkeep and logistics, undoubtedly a spearhead for breaking formations. Next were forty thousand cavalry assembled from three second-tier noble families. These three camps were positioned on the front line. The two camps behind them consisted of forty thousand troops drawn from six or seven border garrisons of the Southern Dynasty, along with a logistics camp that had emerged in North Mang only in the last two decades. According to the reconnaissance of Li Mofan’s Dragon Elephant Army during their charge, there were roughly one hundred and twenty wagons, totaling about eight hundred *shi* of grain and fodder, and around fourteen hundred *shi* of black beans for warhorses. However, since North Mang cavalry traditionally carried their own supplies when raiding the southern passes, and large numbers of mares accompanied them on every major march, this logistics camp was only meant to be used should the army besiege Qingcang City, far from the Southern Dynasty border, and face a protracted siege, serving merely as a contingency.

Historically, nomadic cavalry raiding the Central Plains borders, especially in autumn, rarely faced fatal supply issues. In contrast, Central Plains cavalry, even at the peak of their national power, required the entire nation’s strength to support their fragile supply lines whenever they launched a northern offensive. The Central Plains monarch who truly changed this awkward situation was Emperor Zhao Li, the old emperor of Liyang who unified the Central Plains. His two decisions forged the current might of Central Plains cavalry. One was his refusal to relocate the capital to Guangling, asserting that the monarch must defend the nation’s gate, thus keeping the old Tai’an City as the capital. Simultaneously, he established a bold national policy: providing unstinting support to the Liangliao border armies, even investing the vast tax revenues from Guangling and Jiangnan into Liyang’s northern defenses. The second decision was allowing Xu Xiao, whose achievements eclipsed his lord’s, to lead his troops out of the capital, granting him a princely fiefdom in the northwest—a region abundant in fine horses—to directly confront North Mang!

At both the eastern and western strategic border strongholds in Liyang’s vast northern territory, the nation’s most elite cavalry were heavily garrisoned. Furthermore, Jizhou, in the central region, boasted natural defenses, and the veteran general Yang Shenxing had once cultivated the 'Unrivalled Under Heaven' Jinan infantry. How could this merely be to contend with Liang Province’s Yan Wenluan? The reason was simple: Jizhou’s border defense simply didn't require a large cavalry force, so even if Yang Shenxing had a particular fondness for cavalry, he could only adapt to the situation.

Kou Jianghuai, resting with his eyes closed, subconsciously pressed his palm against the hilt of the Liangdao saber at his waist, slowly twisting it. According to intelligence, the North Mang encampments were incredibly crude: hastily dug, three concentric ditches around the camps, and the flimsy fences behind them could practically be blown over by the wind. Wooden poles were tied with hemp ropes, their knots completely haphazard. The passages between the camps, which should have been orderly and solemn with no unauthorized movement between them, were instead chaotic with people coming and going, utterly without discipline. Previously, several hundred elite vanguard cavalry under Li Mofan had advanced all the way to within one hundred and fifty paces of North Mang’s main camp, personally witnessing the right two camps in a state of disarray, leading to severe congestion and chaos on the camp roads. Not to mention the Liang Province border army, whose military discipline was second to none in Liyang, Kou Jianghuai believed even the Western Chu army would have managed better than North Mang. Of course, this did not indicate weak combat strength in North Mang’s cavalry. On the contrary, precisely because the North Mang steppe was accustomed to the rapid, lightning-fast maneuvers of cavalry, they found it difficult to internalize the nearly cumbersome Central Plains military habits as Central Plains generals did. If any Central Plains army were to confront North Mang’s hundreds of thousands of iron hooves, who would have the leisure to investigate the flaws in North Mang cavalry’s encampment? They could only rely on natural chokepoints or fiercely defend major cities. Even if they dared to engage in open-field combat outside the city, they could only rely on heavily armored infantry forming defensive arrays with chevaux de frise, and massed archers and crossbowmen to inflict casualties on enemy cavalry. Kou Jianghuai’s meticulous efforts were all based on one premise: that Liang Province’s iron cavalry, even against numerically superior North Mang cavalry, dared to fight, were capable of fighting, and could fight to win!

Kou Jianghuai suddenly opened his eyes and sneered, “Since the decline of Da Feng, your steppe cavalry have repeatedly raided the northern passes, bullying the Central Plains for over four hundred years, treating great cities and strategic passes as nothing! How swift you are, coming and going like the wind!”

Behind Kou Jianghuai, ten thousand cavalry began to advance, neither fast nor slow. These ten thousand cavalry were exceptionally peculiar, and their aura was particularly magnificent.

In the main tent of North Mang’s central army camp, Huang Songpu stood armored, his hand on his saber, calm and composed. He looked at the dozen or so commanders of ten thousand within the tent, whose ages varied greatly. Among them were trusted confidantes he had personally promoted, spokesmen for several major Southern Dynasty Longguan noble families, and young, rising military officers with simple backgrounds who had climbed to their current high ranks through military merit. Huang Songpu spoke in a deep voice, “All thirty thousand Dragon Elephant troops from Liuzhou have appeared this time. They probably know they can’t hold Qingcang City and are unwilling to expose Qingyuan Garrison, Liang Province’s western gate, right before our eyes, so they intend to stake everything on one throw—which simplifies things for us! All of you are seasoned veterans, so I won’t nag you with trivialities. Just remember one thing: we have an absolute numerical advantage, and we must utilize it well. Apart from the rear logistics camp staying put, the other four camps must swiftly break camp. The cavalry formations must not be stretched too long; ensure mutual support and absolutely no unauthorized aggressive advances. For this campaign in Liuzhou, the Grand Administrator gave us four words: 'A small loss is a victory!'” Huang Songpu looked at everyone, then cupped his fist to the north and declared, “Gentlemen! I, Huang Songpu, am nearing seventy. Even the Southern Court King resigned back then. Had the war not gone unfavorably, I would not be here today. I have no more desires in this life. But among you, the oldest is barely fifty, and the highest-ranking is only a Southern Dynasty third-rank official! After Liuzhou is captured, regardless of how His Majesty rewards the one with the greatest merit, I invite them to take my Grand General title first!”

Everyone in the tent immediately showed intense excitement.

In the Central Plains, the emergency deployment of a vast army of hundreds of thousands would never be ready for battle in a short time. But North Mang cavalry were different. When the commanders of ten thousand hastily returned to their respective camps, the sonorous sound of massive horns echoed from the four great camps. However, because the appearance of thirty thousand elite Liuzhou cavalry was so unexpected and their advance so swift, the formations of the three front camps were still slightly behind, losing some initial advantage.

Cavalry charges require a considerable distance to build up the immense penetrating power derived from the warhorses’ weight and speed, as well as the terrifying destructive force delivered by the cavalrymen’s sabers and iron spears. Furthermore, when both sides have sufficient time to launch a charge, if one can manage to collide at the peak of its momentum, while the other, due to overexertion, becomes slightly exhausted, the latter will suffer greatly. The varying combat strengths among the different camps were immediately apparent at this moment. Huang Songpu’s personal elite cavalry were the quickest to organize, fanning out in successive layers of front lines along the central advance. The direct lineage troops of the first-tier noble clan from Longguan followed closely, but several hundred of their top-tier elites, equipped almost as heavy cavalry, did not appear. The cavalry assembled from several Southern Dynasty second-tier noble families were in disarray. Although they showed no fear of battle, with a major engagement imminent, such disorganized morale and spirit could easily affect the horses’ pace.

The reason cavalry is cavalry: warhorses are paramount! Chen Zhibao, the former Protector-General of Liang Province, had always derided the undisciplined North Mang cavalry as 'infantry on horseback'! In Liang Province, however, every warhorse, every Liangdao saber, and every long spear seemed imbued with the old rules accumulated by 'Man Butcher' Xu Xiao throughout his military career. On the battlefield, regardless of their merits or seniority, military officers were strictly forbidden from unauthorized use of halberds or lances, from wearing gold or silver armor without permission, and from advancing alone beyond the front lines!

The vast, endless expanse of yellow sand. Liang Province’s iron cavalry advanced like a surging tide on the Guangling River. Huang Songpu, already armored and mounted, gazed into the distance, tightened his grip on his iron spear, and subtly let out a breath. Fortunately, four hundred scouts were still spread out around the perimeter. Otherwise, if this Liuzhou cavalry had silently advanced another three *li*, they likely wouldn’t have had such a leisurely opportunity to emerge from their camps and form ranks, and might have incurred several thousand more cavalry casualties.

Huang Songpu turned his head and glanced. The current situation was acceptable, though still somewhat rushed, especially with his right-wing cavalry finding it difficult to keep pace with the central and left wings. However, North Mang cavalry had a long-standing tradition: thirty thousand cavalry formed one army. That is, on the battlefield, three commanders of ten thousand leading thirty thousand cavalry would form a field main force, capable of handling all emergencies. Whether to fight or withdraw, how to fight, how to withdraw, who would lure the enemy, who would disrupt the formation, who would pierce the formation, or staggered rearguard actions, as well as mutual cover between heavy and light cavalry—all these were deeply ingrained in their minds. If Liang Province’s cavalry were like strict private tutors, then Central Plains cavalry were innately clever market ruffians. In Huang Songpu’s view, both had reached the zenith of their respective combat strengths; there was no inherent superiority on the battlefield, only the speed of the commander’s response!

Huang Songpu raised his iron spear high, squeezed his horse’s flanks, and roared, “My lads, follow me to crush Liuzhou and seize Liang Province!” Grand General Huang Songpu led the charge. All commanders of ten thousand, commanders of a thousand, and commanders of a hundred in North Mang’s western army camps followed suit. Fearlessness was by no means exclusive to Liang Province! In North Mang’s eyes, the Liyang troops of the Central Plains, seemingly far off in the heavens, were nothing. Only the Liang Province border army, right before them, was worthy of fighting North Mang’s iron cavalry! The first Liang-Mang war mostly consisted of sieges, and North Mang indeed broke through Tiger Head City in Liang Province, and Wohong City and Luanhe City in You Province. The main cavalry forces of both Liang and Mang likely felt it wasn't a satisfying enough engagement. Then came the second Liang-Mang war. From the Miyun Pass in the Western Regions, to present-day Liuzhou and the Southern Dynasty’s heartland, and eventually beyond the passes of Liang Province, cavalry battles were incessant! Both sides, grand and ferocious, would fight to the death on horseback!