The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 257 Iron Wall Encirclement, Annihilation of the Iron Falcons
"What did you say?"

At the military horse farm, inside the main tent of the Western Xia army, a commotion arose.

Wei Ming Shi'an suddenly stood up from his command post, his face filled with shock and disbelief, his eyes fixed on a scout kneeling in the tent.

The other generals all had the same expression, their eyes wide with shock.

"No way, absolutely impossible."

Is Li Anquan a good-for-nothing?

“This is an army of over 20,000!” Yeli Duowen, the garrison commander of Liangzhou, grabbed the scout from the ground.

His face was contorted in a ferocious expression, and he spat all over the other person's face.

They even forgot to use respectful terms for Li Anquan and instead cursed him as a piece of trash.

The scout also looked completely innocent, and said with a mournful face, "It's true, General."

"The barbarians from the northern frontier lured the prince's army to attack the city in the dead of night, then set fire to the prepared fodder, and together with our brothers, burned down the entire city of Shanle."

"More than 20,000 brothers, all gone."

"It was so tragic, waaaaaah~" the soldier said in grief and indignation. Recalling that scene still made him feel horrified.

The scout's words finally extinguished all hope in everyone's hearts.

They finally realized that Li Anquan's more than 20,000 troops were truly finished.

Moreover, the Northern Frontier Army in the central route advanced rapidly, plundering two batches of grain destined for the military horse farm, thus severing the main force of the Western Xia army from Liangzhou City.

At this moment, the main force of the Western Xia army, numbering over 40,000, was completely surrounded in the narrow corridor between the Qilian Mountains and the Yanzhi Mountains.

Isolated!

"Damn Li Anquan, he's going to kill us all."

"Does he even know how to fight? This is utter nonsense."

"Why did His Majesty appoint him as the deputy marshal in the first place? Now everyone is going to be implicated because of him."

"An incompetent general can lead to the downfall of an entire army."

The Western Xia generals in the tent seemed to be in an uproar, shouting and cursing loudly.

This matter concerns the outcome of the war, and the lives and fortunes of everyone involved. Let alone Li Anquan being a prince, they would have to bring down even the emperor.

As for the head coach, Wei Ming Shi'an, he also looked angry and desperate, feeling powerless all over, and slumped into a chair.

He muttered to himself, "Li Anquan."

"You have ruined the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty!"

At this moment, he was filled with regret, realizing that he had actually let Li Anquan take on the role of commander of the central army.

However, the real reason was that the barbarians of the northern frontier were too treacherous and cunning, and actually used such an inhumane method of burning the city.

"Alright, everyone shut up."

Wei Ming Shi'an's face was contorted with rage as he slammed his fist on the table.

The generals in the tent fell silent instantly, all looking at him obediently.

"Although the detachment led by Prince Zhenyi is gone, we are still here."

"The army of my Great Xia has not yet been defeated," Wei Ming Shi'an said in a deep voice.

After digesting the news of Li Anquan's defeat, he seemed to have transformed back into the invincible general of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Great Xia has not yet lost; it still has more than 40,000 troops under its command.

On the northern route, Tuoba Mayu still had 10,000 cavalry under his command.

How much food and rations does the army have left?

Wei Ming Shi'an looked at the general in charge of military supplies and asked.

"Three days later, a batch of 30,000 shi of grain was supposed to be delivered to our army, but it was intercepted by the cavalry of the northern barbarians."

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to transport more supplies," the general said with a worried expression.

"Currently, the remaining food and fodder in our army is only enough for the army for eight days."

Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent erupted in another uproar and began whispering among themselves.

Everyone's face was filled with worry and tension.

Eight days!

This timeframe felt more like a countdown to the death of the Western Xia army.

Eight days later, the food ran out. Were the soldiers to be forced to eat grass?

Therefore, the troops must be withdrawn.

Under normal circumstances, eight days would be enough for them to retreat back to Liangzhou City, but now they are surrounded by the northern frontier army one after the other.

Returning to Liangzhou City would be extremely difficult; even if it took twice as long, it might not be possible to get back.

"Gentlemen, our army has reached its most dangerous moment. If we are not careful, we will be doomed."

Wei Ming Shi'an's white beard trembled slightly, his cloudy eyes swept over the generals, and he spoke in a deep, weathered voice.

"Given the current situation, our army cannot afford to fight a short-term battle; we must prepare for a protracted struggle."

"Therefore, I have decided to withdraw the troops first thing tomorrow morning."

"Cook at midnight, break camp at dawn."

"We must also be vigilant and guard against surprise attacks by cavalry from the northern frontier during the chaos."

As soon as the words were spoken, the faces of the generals turned solemn, and they all shouted, "Yes, sir!"

They have already lost this war.

The most urgent task is to preserve this large army.

After all, apart from the new recruits later recruited from Liangzhou City, the rest of this army consisted of the elite forces of the Great Xia Dynasty.

If all the losses are incurred here, the Great Xia Dynasty will suffer a severe blow.

At the same time, Li Xiao, in the Northern Frontier Army, also received the battle report from Shanle City; in fact, he received the news even earlier than Wei Ming Shi'an.

"Bang~"

He slammed his hand heavily on the table, but it was out of excitement.

"Haha~"

"Good, Luo Meng fought a brilliant battle."

"With fewer than a thousand casualties, they annihilated more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry of the Xia Kingdom."

"He is already a qualified commander."

Li Xiao laughed heartily and stood up, pacing back and forth in the tent.

Victory in the Battle of Hexi is in sight.

Luo Meng did a fantastic job in Shanle City.

Although the plan was proposed by Li Xiao, the actual implementation was entirely carried out by Luo Meng.

The loss of just over a thousand of their own soldiers was exchanged for the defeat of 20,000 Western Xia troops, a truly exhilarating victory.

Even among the more than a thousand casualties, the vast majority were still vassal soldiers of the Gaochang Kingdom.

The actual northern frontier soldiers suffered fewer casualties, so after this battle, the Hexi campaign could be considered largely won.

"Order all units to keep a close watch on the main force of the Xia army and make sure they do not escape back to Liangzhou City," Li Xiao commanded.

Despite the main force of the Western Xia army launching a fierce attack on the military horse farm for so many days, they still failed to capture the main force in the northern frontier.

Hoping that the Western Xia army would fight a desperate, do-or-die battle? The possibility is too low.

Wei Ming Shi'an's defining characteristic is his steadiness, his extreme steadiness.

Therefore, he will likely take this opportunity to try to get rid of the Northern Frontier Army's entanglement and lead his army back to Liangzhou City.

……

Compared to the abundant water and grass of the military horse farm and the fertile fields of the Ganliang Oasis, the entire northern route north of Ganjun Mountain appears extremely desolate.

Even in the sweltering summer, the land is still mostly barren sand and desert, with only a few places showing some green grass and ditches.

The further north you go, the more desolate it becomes.

Now, a great battle between two cavalry legions has broken out in this desolate Gobi Desert.

"Brothers, kill them!"

"A reward of three strings of cash will be given for each head taken."

"Kill all those barbarians from the northern frontier."

Tuoba Mayu brandished his spear, roared loudly, and led his 10,000 troops in a fierce charge against the Northern Frontier Army.

The standard of three strings of cash as a reward originated from the Northern Song Dynasty.

The Northern Song Dynasty was wealthy, and the reward for a single enemy head was three strings of copper coins. However, in practice, the distribution was not always precise, and some soldiers were lucky to receive even one string.

In comparison, the heads in the Northern Frontier were worth two strings of cash each. Although it was less, the reward money was substantial.

Anyone who dares to embezzle will face Li Xiao's dagger.

Under the premise of fairness, the fighting power of the soldiers in the northern border region is naturally formidable.

The Western Xia dynasty naturally adopted the standards of the Northern Song dynasty perfectly, even down to the culture of corruption.

However, at the forefront of this charge was the elite cavalry unit of Western Xia, the renowned Iron Falcons.

All of them were armored cavalry.

Moreover, these soldiers were not ordinary people; they were all sons of various nobles and tribal leaders of Western Xia.

No one dared to embezzle their reward money.

Driven by the allure of family glory and the prospect of promotion and wealth, a thousand Iron Falcons surged across the Gobi Desert like a torrent of steel, raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sky, as they charged toward the Northern Frontier Army.

"fire."

When the Iron Falcon was about 500 meters away from the Northern Frontier Army's formation, the Tiger Cannon began to unleash its power.

"Boom boom boom~"

Shells rained down on the Iron Falcon Army like meteors, the continuous explosions making everyone's eardrums ache.

As the iron nails flew everywhere, the warhorses within a two-zhang radius instantly let out a shrill neigh.

Although the warhorses were armored, it only protected vital parts. Those warhorses that were wounded in the abdomen or legs thrashed about in pain, or lay down on the ground, throwing their riders off their backs.

The wounded cavalrymen rolled and howled in pain in pools of blood, only to be mercilessly trampled by the out-of-control warhorses that followed.

The Iron Falcons' proud chain of cavalry was thrown into chaos, with severed horse legs, shattered shields, and broken limbs tangled together.

Upon seeing this, Tuoba Mayu's face contorted with rage, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Those despicable barbarians from the northern frontier dare not fight me, Iron Falcon, head-on like a warrior, and instead resort to these shameless tactics."

Tuoba Mayu roared in fury, shouting, "Brothers, the barbarians from the northern frontier are right in front of us! Charge!"

"kill!"

The Tiger Cannon's damage to the Iron Falcons was ultimately limited. After another round of shelling, which killed dozens of Iron Falcons, Tuoba Mayu was getting closer and closer to the Northern Frontier Army's formation.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Wei Xuan, standing at the front, roared and ordered his cavalry to retreat immediately, pulling the Tiger-Slaying Cannons on horse-drawn carts and fleeing. Seeing this, Tuoba Mayu burst into wild laughter.

"The barbarians of the northern frontier are nothing special."

In his view, the people of the northern frontier had only won so many battles because of the power of their gunpowder weapons.

In reality, the northern barbarians are no different from the Naiman and Kereit people.

They're all a bunch of cowardly rats who bully the weak and fear the strong.

The biggest difference between the Western Xia cavalry and the steppe cavalry was that the Western Xia cavalry had a very high rate of armor wearing, so in the process of direct combat, the Western Xia cavalry dared to beat anyone except the Jin Dynasty's Iron Pagoda.

If the barbarians of the northern frontier really dared to fight Iron Falcons head-on, they would truly be courting death.

Tuoba Mayu considered the act of turning around and running away as perfectly reasonable.

"Brothers, kill them!"

Tuoba Mayu brandished his spear and roared loudly.

He led his army to continue pursuing the defeated troops in the northern frontier.

As the pursuit intensified, the Western Xia cavalry's formation gradually began to break apart, the distance between them widened, and the Iron Falcon's warhorses slowed down, their stamina being greatly depleted.

Just as Tuoba Mayu was about to let the Iron Falcons rest while he continued to lead the light cavalry in pursuit,

Suddenly, from the large army on the left side near Ganjun Mountain, came screams of agony and the neighing of warhorses.

"What happened?" Tuoba Mayu asked in shock.

He quickly turned his head to look, but was shocked and cried out, "Northern Frontier Cavalry?"

How did they end up there?

At this moment, a monstrous storm was raging in Tuoba Mayu's heart.

Suddenly, a large contingent of northern frontier cavalry appeared on the hill to the left.

Holding high the white-based, red-bordered sun and moon battle flag, they flipped it over from the other side.

The cavalry, numbering in the thousands, covered the hills and their battle cries shook the heavens.

The ferocious aura was like a snowfield before an avalanche, and the cold air rushed straight towards the Western Xia army formation along the blades.

Some of the Northern Frontier soldiers were firing crossbows at long range.

"Kill~"

Da Hu drew his cavalry saber and shouted sharply.

The soldiers under his command roared and gripped their spears, charging down at the Western Xia soldiers from their high vantage point.

Directly ahead, Wei Xuan and Li Donghe reined in their horses, exchanged a glance, and shouted in unison.

"The Xia cavalry have been surrounded by us."

"Warriors, follow me and charge back!"

Wei Xuan, clad in armor and gripping a spear, roared loudly.

He devised the plan, which involved using the combined forces of Wei Xuan and Li Donghe's two commanders of ten thousand men as the main force, feigning defeat and pretending to flee.

In this process, the Western Xia army's formation was continuously lengthened, exhausting their warhorses' stamina.

Waiting for Da Hu to lead his army in the final strike.

"Kill~"

Wei Xuan and Li Donghe led their troops in a counterattack.

At this moment, Tuoba Mayu's expression changed drastically: "Damn it, we've fallen into a trap."

He had no idea that this was a trap, and that a cavalry unit from the northern frontier was hiding there.

To make matters worse, the ambush also included an armored cavalry unit.

The other Western Xia soldiers were also thrown into a panic by the scene before them, and someone shouted, "We're surrounded!"

"The barbarians from the northern frontier are also coming to attack."

"How to do?"

The speed of the Western Xia cavalry's warhorses gradually decreased, and fear appeared on the faces of the soldiers. Even the hooves of the warhorses were pounding the yellow earth restlessly.

Tuoba Mayu was well aware that retreating at this moment would lead to the collapse of his army, so he roared with a ferocious expression.

"Don't panic. There's nothing to be afraid of in the barbarians of the Northern Frontier. Come with me and charge!"

"Kill~"

The scorching sun baked the Gobi Desert into a barren wasteland. The black iron armor of the five hundred armored cavalrymen of the Northern Frontier Army gleamed coldly, like moving steel fortresses, as they galloped and roared across the land.

At this time, the Western Xia cavalry were exhausted and their morale was low. Faced with the well-rested Northern Frontier cavalry, they were immediately put on the defensive.

"Boom~"

The next moment, sandstorms raged across the Gobi Desert, and the battlefield gradually transformed into a black, white, and red infernal hell. Shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and the dying wails shook the distant Yardang landforms, causing them to buzz.

After a long while, the Western Xia cavalry left behind a field of corpses and retreated from the battlefield in a sorry state.

The northern cavalry pursued them relentlessly until the Western Xia army fled to the top of the mountain before giving up.

"Damn those barbarians from the northern frontier! They're even more cunning than foxes on the grasslands! How could we have fallen for their tricks!"

On a hill at the foot of Ganjun Mountain, the Western Xia army set up camp. Tuoba Mayu's face was contorted with pain and he roared angrily.

Behind him, a military medic was treating his wounds.

During the battle, Tuoba Mayu took the lead, and fortunately, his iron armor protected him from most of the damage.

But during the retreat, a crossbow bolt struck him squarely in the back, penetrating more than an inch into his flesh.

But it wasn't fatal, so much so that he still had the strength to curse the Northern Frontier Army.

Beside him, the other cavalry generals also wore somber expressions.

"Yes, who would have thought the Northern Frontier Army would be so cunning? We were careless."

"But complaining is pointless now, let's think of a way out."

"Too many brothers are injured and urgently need treatment."

"The brothers are running low on food. Are we supposed to just eat grass on the mountain?"

As for crossing Ganjun Mountain?
This is not something an ordinary army can do. Even with locals leading the way, it's a miracle if half the soldiers manage to get out.

"The barbarian camp in the northern frontier is located at the foot of the mountain. Tomorrow morning, we will rush down the mountain and catch them off guard."

Tuoba Mayu said in a deep voice, "Sitting and waiting for death is not his style."

If we stay on the mountain, we will starve to death sooner or later. We might as well take advantage of the opportunity and fight the northern barbarians to the death.

The war in the north intensified until one day, a scout came running to Tuoba Mayu with a look of fear on his face to report.

"General, a cavalry force of three to four thousand men is approaching from the direction of Liangzhou City, carrying a yellow sun and moon battle flag."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Mayu was completely stunned and shouted in disbelief, "Impossible?"

How did the northern cavalry appear behind us?

The Liangzhou area is part of Western Xia territory, and it is crucial to the safety of the Western Xia army's supply lines.

At this moment, a cavalry legion from the northern frontier has actually appeared?
Tuoba Mayu felt it was absurd, but then a sense of horror followed.

Has Liangzhou City already fallen?
Was it Li Anquan in the central route, or the commander-in-chief in the southern route, who failed to stop the Northern Frontier Army?

Soon after, a flowing golden light appeared on the eastern horizon.

Thousands of northern cavalrymen, clad in bright yellow cotton armor, surged forth from the horizon like the blazing sun breaking through the clouds.

"Boom boom boom~"

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, eventually becoming a deafening roar.

The yellow sand it stirred up swept across the Gobi Desert, like an endless sandstorm that obscured the sky and the earth.

Yellow banners with white borders and the sun and moon symbolized the war, fluttering wildly amidst the galloping warhorses.

This army was Luo Meng's own commandery, with more than 3,000 soldiers, including 500 armored cavalrymen from the Fourth Division.

Meanwhile, the three chief officers of the Sixth Town also received news from Luo Meng.

"Of our three armies, the central one had the fewest troops, but unexpectedly, it was the central one that defeated the enemy first."

"We actually have to rely on that kid Luo Meng's help, how embarrassing!" Li Donghe said with a mix of emotion and resentment.

"Commander, there's no need to worry. Our opponents are no pushovers." Wei Xuan was quite open-minded and not overly sentimental, as all that mattered was eliminating the enemy.

Moreover, Luo Meng's arrival will greatly reduce the casualties of the soldiers in the Sixth Division.

Da Hu nodded slightly: "The Iron Falcons, the Imperial Guards, the Liangzhou Cavalry, the Helan Iron Cavalry, and so on, almost all of the elite cavalry of Western Xia are facing us."

"We were just a step behind, there's nothing shameful about it."

"Besides, haven't we already crippled the Western Xia cavalry?"

"In the end, it seems like my brother-in-law is the one who came to reap the rewards," Da Hu chuckled.

There was nothing they could do; the Western Xia cavalry on the northern route were all elite troops, and their Sixth Division specialized in fighting elite troops!

It's not that it's impossible to completely eliminate the enemy, but if we did, the Sixth Town would suffer even greater casualties.

They had planned to slowly wear down the Western Xia cavalry, but unexpectedly, Luo Meng led his men to outflank the Western Xia army from the rear.

"Anyway, we can't let that kid Luo Meng get all the credit," Li Donghe said.

He then issued an order to launch a general offensive, joining forces with the Fourth Division to encircle and annihilate the Western Xia army.

"Boom boom boom~"

The Shenji Battalion fired first, and the Tiger-shaped cannons roared as they crashed into the Western Xia army.

Immediately afterwards, Li Donghe and Luo Meng each ordered their Black Armored Army to launch an attack.

The Fourth and Sixth Divisions each had five hundred armored cavalrymen, charging simultaneously from two directions.

The thunderous roar of the iron cavalry caused the earth to tremble slightly as they trampled it, kicking up clouds of yellow sand that stretched for miles, like two giant black dragons sweeping towards the Western Xia army.

The northern cavalry followed closely behind, forming an impenetrable encirclement.

In this desperate situation, the morale of the Western Xia army completely collapsed.

Amidst the endless cries of killing, Tuoba Mayu, covered in blood, looked on with grief and indignation, his resolute gaze fixed on the direction of Xingqing Prefecture.

He said sorrowfully, "I, Tuoba Mayu, am a sinner of the Great Xia Kingdom."

"I have no face to face His Majesty, no face to face the people of Great Xia."

Having said that, he suddenly drew his sword and held it to his own neck.

"Pfft~"

With a muffled thud of flesh and blood, blood gushed out. The few remaining guards were stunned. With disbelief, they dismounted and helped up Tuoba Mayu's body.

"General, General!"

In this battle, the Northern Frontier Army achieved a great victory.

They annihilated more than 4,000 Western Xia soldiers, including Tie Yaozi, and captured more than 5,000. A few soldiers took advantage of the chaos to escape into the desert and Ganjun Mountain.

　I planned to end the Battle of Hexi in this chapter, but after finishing it, I realized it was disjointed and felt anticlimactic, with unclear cause and effect. So I'll have to postpone it for another chapter...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)