Chapter 981: Horseshoe Barricade

The two new post roads built in Luzhou by Beiliang were both horizontal, connecting to Liang and Ling provinces. This system was far less intricate than those within the three central provinces, a necessary compromise given Luzhou's vast territory. With only three garrisons for support, Luzhou bordered the powerful Gusai province of Beiliang. Therefore, constructing vertical post roads within Luzhou would only facilitate a deep southward advance by steppe cavalry, a move that would undermine border defenses. Indeed, even if the young princely ruler were to inexplicably lose his mind and recklessly engage in excessive militarization by building extensive roads in Luzhou, it is believed that the Qingcang City Governor's Manor, the Huaiyang Pass Protectorate, and Qingliang Mountain would all simultaneously revolt.

The plains to the right of Old Woman Mountain offered the most suitable terrain for cavalry operations, second only to the area outside Qingcang City.

Kou Jianghuai chose a sandy plain over two hundred li north of Old Woman Mountain for his third interception battle, following two major victories. Between this plain and the Old Woman Mountain's terrain lay a vast north-south corridor. On a map, it roughly resembled a woman's slender waist, yet it was not narrow or treacherous, nor could it be described as a winding goat path where ambushes could be easily set from the sides. On the contrary, the slopes on either side of the corridor were gentle, and its width remained consistently about one and a half li, allowing large cavalry units to gallop without hindrance. The corridor's "slender waist" shape was merely relative to the overall map of Luzhou. Consequently, from Liu Gui's cavalry advance in the first Liang-Mang War to Kou Jianghuai's three interception battles in the second war, neither side had taken an interest in this place, which had been nicknamed "Grasshopper Leg" by refugees.

However, as the massive force of fifty thousand Southern Imperial border cavalry rushed to reinforce the Old Woman Mountain battlefield, and just as almost everyone could see the northern entrance of this corridor, a contingent of Luzhou troops suddenly appeared in the middle of it, having waited for a long time.

After the urgent intelligence report from the scouting party, the Beiliang generals of the fifty thousand cavalry found themselves in an awkward dilemma. A unified force of Luzhou infantry had adopted a defensive posture, determined to hold the corridor. Numbering around fourteen thousand, their main strength comprised monk-soldiers from the Lantuo Mountain in the Western Regions, supplemented by two to three thousand local Luzhou troops. The bad news was that the corridor as a battlefield prevented cavalry from maneuvering to thin out the enemy's formation. The good news was that the arrayed infantry had no large anti-cavalry obstacles. The cavalry, with their overwhelming numerical superiority, believed that once they broke through the infantry's formation and forced a disorganized retreat, even twice the number of seventeen to eighteen thousand foot soldiers would not be enough to withstand their sabers.

For two decades of border conflict, the Southern Imperial cavalry of Beiliang no longer dared to underestimate the combat prowess of Beiliang cavalry or the strength of Yan Wenluan's Youzhou infantry. However, when it came to other forces, they genuinely held them in low regard. This was not blind arrogance but a deep-seated confidence accumulated over four centuries since the late Dafeng era, during which their steppe iron cavalry had repeatedly raided and plundered the Central Plains. Moreover, the true reason for the several Southern Imperial cavalry commanders' predicament was the strict orders from all levels of command—from the Beiting Royal Tent and the nearby Xijing Imperial Court to Supreme Commander Huang Songpu, who was currently embroiled in fierce fighting to the south. They were commanded to arrive punctually at the Old Woman Mountain battlefield to decisively influence the entire campaign and utterly annihilate all of Luzhou's field forces. Therefore, the fifty thousand cavalry could not afford the slightest delay! The problem facing these Southern Imperial military commanders was not merely whether to take a long detour. Even if they changed battlefields, the monk-soldiers, arrayed to repel horses in the middle of the corridor, could also retreat south quickly, allowing Beiliang cavalry to break through faster elsewhere. However, the cost of galloping an additional sixty li was something these generals from the Southern Imperial garrisons and passes could not afford. Furthermore, the military merit from defeating over ten thousand monk-soldiers from the Western Regions, especially with their commanding general, Xie Xichui, potentially being a prize worth a marquisate, was incredibly tempting.

To fight or not to fight? The answer was clear: Fight! Both for public duty and personal gain, the Southern Imperial cavalry of Beiliang felt compelled to engage in a major battle within this corridor to reap significant military honors. The eighteen jade-buckle belts of Xianbei style recently bestowed by the Emperor upon the Wanyan family served as the best example of such coveted rewards.

With great merit awaiting them, and their physical and morale at their peak, could fifty thousand cavalry truly fail to break through an infantry formation of just over ten thousand?

On the infantry side of the corridor, Xie Xichui, clad in iron armor with a combat saber at his waist, sat on horseback, gazing northward. A strong wind brushed his face, and he could almost smell the scent of blood. This deputy general of Luzhou, renowned as one of the "Twin Jades of Great Chu," now had resolute eyes and a steady expression.

Cao Changqing once privately evaluated the prominent military officials and ministers of the current dynasty with Empress Jiang Si, finding most to be unremarkable. However, when speaking of his favored disciple, Xie Xichui, he uncharacteristically showered him with praise, particularly emphasizing the eight characters, "Using troops on the battlefield, turning stone into gold," as being of the greatest weight. He then added what seemed like an aside: "Xie Xichui's tenacity surpasses even Kou Jianghuai's."

Xie Xichui slowly closed his eyes. This young man, whom even the young Liyang Emperor desperately wished to recruit into Taian City, was now a refugee from the fallen Great Chu, yet he served as a general for Beiliang.

Great Chu was once invincible for two hundred years during the Spring and Autumn period, relying on three key strengths to defeat its enemies: sturdy armor and powerful bows, long lances and great halberds, and a disciplined military command system. At the peak of the Jiang imperial house's power, Great Chu had so thoroughly defeated Liyang and Dongyue to its north that they were left utterly helpless, like a strong man punching a child. Even as Great Chu's military might began to wane, and Liyang, situated in a northern corner of the Nine Kingdoms of the Spring and Autumn period, began to prioritize the development of cavalry, the entire Central Plains remained convinced that Liyang's cavalry, even with its growing scale, would gain no advantage against Chu's heavy armored infantry, which was lauded as the most powerful in history—until the Battle of Jinghe, where one hundred and twenty thousand halberdiers were annihilated. The three successive battles at Jinghe proved that on suitable battlefields, heavy armored infantry, no matter how numerous, if unsupported by sufficient cavalry, could only await their demise. They might not necessarily lose, but they would certainly not achieve a great victory. That classic cavalry-infantry battle, whose historical significance was far overshadowed by the Battle of West Leibi in later records, was intentionally or unintentionally downplayed by Liyang historians and strategists. Firstly, the actual casualties across the three battles were relatively few, only thirty thousand. Secondly, the Xu family army, which achieved a decisive victory through combined cavalry and infantry tactics, chose to ruthlessly bury over eighty thousand surrendered soldiers alive to prevent any future complications in crucial subsequent battles. Additionally, the old Liyang Emperor Zhao Li had dispatched a distinguished veteran general and two imperial relatives from the Zhao clan to participate in the joint operation. Thus, after Zhao Dun ascended the throne, out of deference to his ancestors, he found it inconvenient to heavily publicize the event. However, the Battle of Jinghe profoundly impacted the victorious Xu family. During a visit to the battlefield with his subordinates, Xu Xiao knelt down and intently observed a Great Chu halberdier's excellent iron armor. Despite sword slashes and spear thrusts, it remained largely intact. He sighed and remarked, "The man is dead, but the armor is still whole. If I had armor like this, how many fewer people would die? We cannot remain this poor."

From that point onward, the Xu family, who after even the most brutal battles would demand only military merit and no silver, began to extensively and privately hoard equipment, gold, and silver whenever they captured camps or cities. The countless accusations of embezzlement from Liyang's censors were by no means unfounded, and "Man-Slayer" Xu Xiao never denied them. Especially toward the end of the Battle of West Leibi, Xu Xiao took a rebellious step that consumed most of the goodwill between the Xu and Zhao families. He issued a secret order to his cavalry general Xu Pu and his two adopted sons, Chen Zhibao and Yuan Zuozong. The three collaborated successfully, allowing the Xu family to secretly gather ten thousand troops. They were the first to break into West Chu's capital overnight, even before Liyang's designated forces, and subsequently extensively plundered all the treasures and gold that could be moved in crates. Xu Xiao's infamous and much-criticized saying, "Shit is easy to pass, but not good to eat," originated after this plundering. When the Liyang military dispatched envoys with troops to demand accountability, "Crippled Xu" directly stated, "The goods are already in my belly. If you want them, I can only shit them out for you. Do you want to eat it?" It is said that the old Emperor Zhao Li was exasperated and amused upon hearing the report, and ultimately, Xu Xiao only symbolically and grudgingly returned a portion of the spoils to the imperial army, letting the matter drop.

After being enfeoffed as a prince and dispatched to the northwestern frontier, Xu Xiao's obsession with the advantage of superior equipment only intensified. Rather than saying Beiliang's iron cavalry was unmatched under heaven, it was more accurate to say their entire military's superiority was unparalleled.

For twenty years, the illicit trade of ironware to the Beiliang steppe persisted along Liyang's extensive border, despite repeated prohibitions. The Liangliao border armies, who benefited from half the nation's tax revenue, constantly engaged in covert activities that were extremely difficult to stop. This situation only changed when Chen Zhibao briefly served as Minister of War and Gu Jiantang left the capital to personally oversee the northern front. The close cooperation between these two most powerful military figures finally succeeded in curbing the trade. Even within the Beiliang border army, known for its strict military law, several high-ranking officers were executed on the spot for involvement, with the scope of implication reaching from influential families within the passes to powerful generals outside, and from garrison commanders to small and large beacon towers. Each such incident often resulted in nearly a hundred heads being lost.

Steppe cavalry traditionally lacked armor but not warhorses. Beiliang had greatly improved in this regard after the old empress ascended the throne, propelled by the momentum of Hongjia's flight north. Across the nation, from iron smelting techniques to military equipment, improvements were evident. However, certain deep-rooted aspects of nomadic culture, even after twenty years of exposure, remained difficult to change. For instance, the Qiang cavalry, a light cavalry force renowned throughout Beiliang's Southern Imperial court and considered, along with Hong Jingyan's Rouran iron cavalry, as the "most extreme light and heavy border cavalry," was previously annihilated in northwestern Luzhou. With the empress's foresight and the importance placed by the Southern Imperial Xijing court, how could they lack the resources and resolve to equip ten thousand Qiang cavalry with excellent gear? Yet, that Qiang cavalry force steadfastly maintained its light cavalry doctrine of leather armor, fast horses, short swords, and short spears. This cannot simply be dismissed as a matter of Beiliang cavalry's traditionalism; rather, it was largely a result of circumstances shaping their heroes.

The thud of Beiliang cavalry hooves grew heavier, amplified by the natural echo of the corridor. Combined with the Beiliang warriors' triumphant shouts, confident in their impending victory, the sound was like thunder exploding on flat ground, immensely powerful.

Xie Xichui suddenly opened his eyes, drew the Liang saber from his waist, and roared, "Form ranks! Repel horses!"

To repel the fifty thousand Beiliang cavalry with his infantry formation, Xie Xichui not only had the five thousand strong bows and crossbows allocated from the Luzhou Governor's Manor but had also requested a thousand *modao* from the Liangzhou border army. The *modao* originated in Southern Tang during the Spring and Autumn period. Weighing over fifty jin (about 30 kg), it was forged from fine iron and could only be wielded by the military's top elite soldiers and strongmen. In the sixteen border towns of Southern Tang, with over seventy thousand troops, there were only some two thousand *modao* wielders. Their combat prowess was so formidable that the entire Southern Tang nation lauded them as the "King of Melee," believing that a formation of ten thousand *modao* soldiers guarding the national gate could repel one hundred thousand invading iron cavalry. After Gu Dazu, Southern Tang's foremost general, followed the then-Beiliang Crown Prince Xu Fengnian to Beiliang, he was exceptionally appointed as the infantry deputy commander. With the young prince's vigorous support, he petitioned the Mo School's Juzi to forge new *modao* for future distribution to the Beiliang border army. Compared to the fifty-jin *modao* of Southern Tang's strongmen, the Beiliang version, fitting the more robust physique and greater strength of Beiliang men, was even heavier and was fittingly named "Saber Sixty" by Mo School's Juzi Song Changsui. Unfortunately, production began only just before the first Liang-Mang War, and to date, only over a thousand have been successfully forged. Moreover, they were rarely put to use on the battlefields outside Liangzhou, so Xie Xichui requested all of them.

In addition to the *modao*, there were also a thousand long lances (*bu shuo*). These lances were even more expensive and rare than the *modao*, to an astonishing degree. It was an iron rule, since the very inception of the *ma shuo* (horse lances), that only sons from military families could effectively use them. Firstly, both horse lances and infantry lances were extremely long and exceptionally difficult to wield; ordinary cavalrymen using them would only be adding a superfluous flourish. Secondly, their craftsmanship was incredibly time-consuming and exquisite, with a saying that it took at least three years to forge one lance. They had always been the most sought-after treasures by cavalry generals throughout the Central Plains dynasties, even harder to find than a thousand-gold steed. The eight hundred infantry lances (presumably the number of *bu shuo* in this battle, not the full 1000 acquired) were gathered personally by order of the young princely ruler, a number that nearly drained the Xu family's coffers. It would have been a mere fantasy if not for Beiliang's military law, which forbade cavalry generals from presuming to use lances (implying commoners), coupled with Xu Xiao, who, accustomed to hardship and terrified of poverty, intentionally amassed a large number of long lances from military armories and the populace during the later stages of the Spring and Autumn conflicts.

Within the corridor, this Luzhou infantry force, composed of Lantuo Mountain monk-soldiers, stood firm in their anti-cavalry formation. At the very front, lances bristled outwards, their cold gleam like snow! Three hundred men formed each horizontal line, arrayed in three ranks. The first rank knelt, holding their long lances angled forward. The second rank held their long lances horizontally, pointing forward. The third rank rested their lances on the shoulders of the soldiers in the front rank, similarly angled forward. In front of the three ranks of bristling lance tips, forming a protective forest, were actually two rows of robust monk-soldiers, their hands and shoulders pressed firmly against massive shields.

Behind the lance formation, positioned to repel horses, were four ranks of tall monk-soldiers, two hundred men per rank, wielding the "Saber Sixty" *modao*. With battle imminent, these eight hundred *modao* wielders sat and rested. Even when the Beiliang cavalry sounded their charge horns, the *modao* wielders were forbidden from rising or drawing their sabers until ordered by their commanding general, to ensure maximum preservation of their strength. Should all the lance-wielding monk-soldiers fall, these eight hundred *modao* monk-soldiers would then advance like a wall. Gu Dazu had once boldly declared, "Before my Southern Tang *modao*, both man and horse shall shatter!"

Behind them were two thousand Luzhou border soldiers accompanying the monk-soldiers, along with three thousand additional Lantuo Mountain monks, all equipped with five thousand strong bows and crossbows. In an infantry formation facing cavalry, it was truly these five thousand archers and crossbowmen, though positioned at the rear of the formation, who would be the primary force to initially impede the cavalry charge.

After ordering the formation to repel horses, Xie Xichui did not remain mounted at the very rear of the infantry array. Instead, he dismounted and walked past the archers and crossbowmen, took the shield hanging from his saddle, and then, holding a saber in one hand and a shield in the other, he stood at the very front of the formation composed of the remaining monk-soldiers.

The Beiliang cavalry roared like thunder, while the Luzhou infantry formation stood silent as a mountain. In this nameless corridor, life and death would be decided. Later historical records, whether elaborately detailed or briefly summarized, would, without exception, ultimately define this battle with the concise verdict: "Six battles, six repulsions." These four characters alone are sufficient to convey the sheer ferocity of the battle!