Chapter 980: Wild geese fly south, iron hooves head north

On the vast plains north of Old Woman Mountain, horns wailed, their sound shaking the heavens.

Huang Songpu's direct lineage had twelve thousand cavalry, the Wanyan elite cavalry fourteen thousand, and the "Yi" character cavalry thirty-four thousand, including a rare five to six hundred heavily armored cavalry with both riders and horses protected. The Northern Mang cavalry, poised for battle, formed a continuous array stretching five to six li deep. Compared to the Northern Liang Liuzhou border army, which numbered just over thirty thousand cavalry on the main battlefield, Northern Mang's morale was equally high, and their forces vastly superior. Commander Huang Songpu did not deliberately seek to win by unconventional tactics. Although the battlefield here was expansive, this distinguished general, who had held the top position in the Southern Dynasty for over a decade, did not extend his front line to its fullest. He clearly had no intention of engaging in an unprecedented large-scale chaotic battle, nor did he divide his forces into left, center, and right formations like the Liuzhou border army. Instead, he placed his direct lineage as the vanguard, followed closely by the Wanyan elite cavalry, with the most numerous "Yi" character cavalry bringing up the rear. This layered progression maximized the weakening of Northern Liang border cavalry's ability to pierce formations, a strength derived from their superior armor. While ensuring the thickness of his own formation, this approach would also force the Liuzhou cavalry into a quagmire, reducing their repeated charges.

Conversely, the fact that the steppe cavalry, described in Spring and Autumn historical records as "fierce horsemen with iron hooves in the western borders and northern frontiers, clashing and galloping like wind, gathering and dispersing unpredictably, unstoppable in the Central Plains except by high walls and mighty passes," had to opt for such a stable formation for cavalry combat, itself underscored the exceptional combat power of the Northern Liang cavalry.

From the excellent vantage point atop Old Woman Mountain, where Kou Jianghuai and Chen Xiliang stood, they could overlook the battlefield. After the cavalry of both Liang and Mang armies launched their charges simultaneously, they crashed into each other like two rapidly breaching floods.

Chen Xiliang never considered himself a military strategist skilled in warfare. He harbored none of the passionate ardor for battle typically found in generals. In fact, this exceptionally talented second-generation Xu family strategist from Tingchao Pavilion harbored an instinctive scholarly aversion to the carnage of war. Confucianism advocated for self-cultivation, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, the essence of which lay in the words "governance and peace." Therefore, a world of great order and an era of peace were the true havens for scholars.

Chen Xiliang instinctively turned his head, seeing Kou Jianghuai, who held his horse with one hand and rested his hand on his saber, wearing a calm expression. Chen Xiliang was often compared to Xu Beizhi, who was also a strategist from Qingliang Mountain. This was similar to how the Western Chu court often debated, based on personal preference, whether Kou Jianghuai or Xie Xichui, the "Twin Jades of Great Chu," was the more masterful strategist. Within Northern Liang, among officials inside the pass and border troops outside, the Liuzhou Bieja, Chen Xiliang, and the higher-ranking transport commissioner, Xu Beizhi, were seen as having completely opposing strengths and weaknesses. The Northern Liang border army more readily recognized Chen Xiliang, who had personally experienced the first Liang-Mang Great War, believing he had truly inherited Li Yishan's mantle from Tingchao Pavilion and had a chance to reach a comparable level in the future. However, officials in the three prefectures, especially Liangzhou and Lingzhou where Xu Beizhi had served, held Xu Beizhi in higher regard, viewing him as the true pillar of Northern Liang, comparable to Li Yang's grand councilor Zhang Julu, possessing the caliber of a prime minister, a talent rare in any single dynasty. Chen Xiliang, they thought, probably only possessed the talent for a border regional commander or a central ministry's minister.

Chen Xiliang paid little heed to these undercurrents of public opinion among the Northern Liang elite, a reflection of his inherent character. Although he hailed from a humble background in Jiangnan Dao and once lacked even the qualifications to sit alongside renowned scholars in refined discussions, Chen Xiliang was more open-minded than many officials in the Li Yang court who seemed to rise to prominence overnight through imperial examinations. People often half-jokingly told him that Xu Beizhi harbored a competitive spirit, and even Governor Yang Guangdou bluntly advised him that a gentleman's decision to contend or not depends on the timing, warning him that he absolutely could not genuinely avoid all contention and simply give way. Regarding the "Twin Jades of Great Chu" who were now both leading troops in Liuzhou, Chen Xiliang admitted he had a slightly better impression of Xie Xichui, who arrived later in Liuzhou. He and Xie Xichui, one a scholar and one a warrior, shared similar humble origins from the common populace. Furthermore, Xie Xichui, compared to the arrogant Kou Jianghuai, a scion of a prominent Guangling Dao family, better embodied the scholarly ideal of a gentleman like jade; interacting with him was like bathing in a spring breeze. Kou Jianghuai, by contrast, always felt like the blazing midday sun in summer – dazzling, yet also harsh to the eyes.

Despite this, the deeper their acquaintance, the more Chen Xiliang genuinely admired Kou Jianghuai. He recalled reading history in his youth, particularly the passage: "One who does not become unduly joyful in victory, nor despondent in defeat, who has thunder in his chest yet a face like a placid lake, such a one can be appointed a great general." He had always yearned for such a quality. Standing on Old Woman Mountain now, Chen Xiliang looked at Kou Jianghuai's resolute profile and felt the sentiment, "A true master of military strategy should indeed be like this."

Kou Jianghuai, without turning his head, suddenly spoke: "If I win this great battle, but Xie Xichui dies in combat, then for me, Northern Liang will have won, but I will have lost."

Chen Xiliang, having been immersed in officialdom for many years, naturally understood the hidden meaning. He asked, puzzled, "If that is the case, why did General Kou agree to General Xie's generous offer to go north?"

Kou Jianghuai smiled, a look of self-evident truth on his face, and slowly said, "During the Spring and Autumn period, did you know how many cavalry were truly deployed in the Battle of Xileibi? In fact, even with continuous reinforcements, it was less than 140,000, far fewer than the 40,000 to 50,000 infantry reinforcements often seen later in the war. This was partly because both nations' forces were heavily depleted before that 'idiotic' battle, and the cavalry had already suffered massive casualties early on, and also because the territory of Guangling Dao was simply not suitable for large-scale cavalry concentrations. So, it's not just Xie Xichui and I, but even Cao Changqing, or rather, everyone who wages war in the Central Plains, has a deep-seated desire: to engage in a proper cavalry battle against the steppe cavalry, who are renowned as invincible since the Great Feng Dynasty. No reliance on treacherous passes, no desperate defense of mighty cities, just on the flat battlefield, horse against horse, saber against saber."

At this point, Kou Jianghuai paused briefly, releasing both the reins and the saber hilt from his hands, then suddenly clenched his fists and slammed them together forcefully. "Head-on collision, a proper charge!"

Kou Jianghuai's eyes burned with fervor. "And! Our Central Plains cavalry will achieve a great victory!"

Even for Chen Xiliang, a scholarly official who detested the bloodshed of war, hearing these words inevitably stirred a wave of profound emotion.

Kou Jianghuai extended an arm, pointing towards the battlefield at the foot of the mountain where the two armies were about to collide. "Look, a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity lies before Xie Xichui and me. I want to win, and he wants to win, so no matter why or for whom, we cannot lose. However, Xie Xichui is more ruthless; he is willing to pay the price of his life for this great battle. I am not as ruthless as he is; I am only willing to bear the cost of a dim future in my career in Northern Liang. A ruthless hero values success or failure, but a true hero does not fear death. Perhaps in future historical records, Xie Xichui will receive more praise than I."

Chen Xiliang was speechless.

On the battlefield to the right of Old Woman Mountain, the battle involving a hundred thousand cavalry was spectacular and brutal.

To intensify the piercing of enemy formations, the central force among Liuzhou's three cavalry divisions, comprised of young peasant migrants, launched an accelerated charge with six thousand "Direct Charge Battalion" riders, surging ahead of the original front line.

In the first wave of attack, Huang Songpu did not deploy his truly iron-armored heavy cavalry, keeping them hidden outside the main battlefield. Instead, the veteran general himself, once an official holding the title of Southern Court King, still led his direct elite cavalry, charging at the forefront.

In cavalry combat that eschews feints and skirmishing tactics, a cavalry charge into formation is a direct exchange of lives.

The six thousand riders of the Direct Charge Battalion, forming the tip of a wedge formation, gradually reduced their front line width as they accelerated, then crashed with a thunderous impact into Huang Songpu's twelve thousand well-ordered direct elite cavalry.

The iron hooves of Liuzhou pierced the enemy formation like a massive wedge cleaving a mountain.

Including the Direct Charge Battalion, a total of ten thousand Liuzhou cavalry charged desperately.

The deeper they pierced the formation, the easier it would be for the two Dragon-Elephant armies on the flanks of the wedge formation to tear through the Northern Mang cavalry's depth.

Huang Songpu's layered deployment of vanguard, middle, and rear forces demonstrated astonishing effectiveness in this straightforward collision.

The twelve thousand cavalry led by the veteran commander were first-rate, battle-hardened border elites, inherently superior to the Liuzhou border cavalry composed of young peasant migrants.

Both sides advanced about five hundred paces before clashing. Liuzhou cavalry were continuously thrust from their horses. Of the first two thousand riders at the tip of the Direct Charge Battalion's wedge, five or six out of ten were instantly killed. Those who fell from their horses amidst the continuous impact of such a thick cavalry formation often couldn't even hope to impede the Northern Mang enemy cavalry; Northern Mang riders didn't even need to deliberately cut heads, their warhorses simply charged straight over.

The fourteen thousand Wanyan elite cavalry did not immediately follow Huang Songpu's direct lineage troops. Instead, they intentionally maintained a distinct gap of six to seven hundred paces between the two forces, allowing Wanyan Yinjiang's well-conditioned family private army to launch a second charge.

When the remaining seven thousand or so Liuzhou cavalry had carved through Huang Songpu's cavalry formation, they directly confronted the Wanyan elite cavalry, who had accelerated to their maximum speed.

One side's speed and momentum were diminishing, while the other's morale was at its peak. The outcome of the clash was obvious.

The fourteen thousand Wanyan elite cavalry, wielding lances and spears, galloped furiously, delivering an incredibly powerful and heavy impact from their charging warhorses.

Five hundred Liuzhou border cavalry were killed on their horses in a single pass, in one swift encounter.

The Wanyan cavalry in the rear even had the leisure to seize the opportunity to bend down slightly and pierce with a spear those unfortunate Liuzhou cavalrymen who had fallen to the ground.

By the time this Liuzhou cavalry force, having broken through formations twice, finally encountered the most numerous "Yi" character cavalry, they had already suffered extremely heavy casualties.

Fortunately, their sacrifice significantly reduced the pressure on the Dragon-Elephant armies on both flanks.

Whether flying north or south, the lead goose always bears the heaviest burden.

Battle formations, like geese in flight, are no different.

The "Yi" character cavalry, assembled by the Southern Dynasty's aristocratic families, despite having the thickest and deepest formation, paradoxically posed no great threat to the Liuzhou cavalry. When facing the Dragon-Elephant armies, which had sustained fewer casualties, they clearly suffered significant disadvantages.

It was merely an exchange of battlefield positions.

On both the Liang and Mang sides, corpses lay strewn across the field, both men and horses.

However, both cavalry formations still maintained relatively stable structures, meaning the next charge would result in even more deaths, more easily.

Chen Xiliang stood on the mountaintop, silently observing the brutal collision.

Judging solely by the Old Woman Mountain battlefield, if this situation continued, the ultimate victor would only be Northern Mang.

Kou Jianghuai remained indifferent throughout.

If not enough men died here, Northern Mang would not feel that victory was within easy reach, or Huang Songpu might realize the situation was unfavorable. In that case, the final encirclement at Old Woman Mountain would utterly fail to trap Northern Mang's main force. After all, this was not Youzhou's naturally advantageous Hulu Pass, nor were there fearsome troops like the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the two Northern Liang heavy cavalry units to block the retreat.

Kou Jianghuai turned his head to look southeast.