The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 382 The Iron Fist of the Empire: The Qin Dynasty's War System Overwhelms All
The golden sun and moon battle flag stood tall in the sky, surrounded by numerous white sun and moon battle flags fluttering in the wind, each flag representing a centurion.

A full hundred households stretched across the vast plains, with 20,000 main Qin troops and more than 10,000 auxiliary troops poised to attack.

A new great battle is about to break out on the grasslands outside the city of Odala.

"Boom boom boom~"

An hour later, dust rose from the western horizon as 20,000 Kipchak cavalry surged in like a black tide.

They came from afar, each riding two or three warhorses, wrapped in heavy sheepskin coats, with a few wearing simple leather armor.

Holding scimitars or short bows, their weapons worn and tattered, they were clearly nomadic tribal soldiers hastily assembled.

In contrast, the Qin cavalry were well-organized, with each soldier equipped with two to three warhorses. Their cloth armor was stained with mud and blood, which only made them appear more weathered and imposing.

Neatly arranged white helmets with plumes, bathed in sunlight, exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.

That was the murderous aura that had been refined through countless battles, which slowed down the momentum of the Kipchak cavalry's charge.

The leader of the Kipchak Toghto tribe, Toghtoar, reined in his horse, his brow furrowed as he stared at the Qin army formation in the distance. His tone was grave: "These northern cavalry... their equipment is so sophisticated?"

"Even their armor is so well-fitting, it's even more impressive than the royal cavalry of Khwarezm."

A leader of the Helila tribe standing nearby scoffed and brandished his scimitar: "So what if you're well-equipped?"

"The Khwarazmian cavalry also have iron armor, and the Rus' people in the north are dressed like tin cans, but aren't they all defeated by our Kipchak warriors?"

"No matter how well they are organized, they can't stop our scimitars."

"That's right, that woman, Tuerhan, is still waiting for us to win more money."

Another leader chimed in, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for gold and silver: "I think the reason the people of the Northern Frontier were able to win these wars is mainly because the enemy was too weak."

“If it were our Kipchak warriors, they would have won even more decisively than the people of the northern frontier.”

“That’s right. Today we’ll show them that the rules of the grasslands are still set by us Kipchaks.”

In the eyes of the Kipchak people, the people of northern Xinjiang are a group of nomadic tribes from the grasslands, just like them.

One is in the East, and the other is in the West; there's not much difference.

Tuohuchaer nodded, suppressing his doubts, and loudly suggested, "Use the 'wolf pack' tactic. Divide into a hundred small teams, circle around them and shoot, disrupt their formation, and find an opportunity to rush in."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chieftain frowned: "Isn't a hundred squads too many? Our tribal soldiers aren't very coordinated to begin with. If we spread them out like this, what if they get picked off one by one by the Northern Frontier people?"

"What else can we do?"

The leader of the Helila tribe waved his hand, his tone impatient: "Their formation is so orderly, if we rush in as a group, aren't we just throwing our lives away?"

"The wolf pack tactic is best suited for harassment; let's disrupt them first."

Another leader from the Toksaba tribe chimed in: "The wolf pack tactic is an old trick. It worked against the Rus' people before, and it will definitely work against the Northern Frontier people as well."

The Kipchak tribes were a loose tribal alliance, and their biggest problem was the lack of a strong leader like Modu or Temujin to unify them.

Therefore, everything needs to be discussed and agreed upon.

After much discussion, the leaders finally reached an agreement.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Tuohucha'er no longer hesitated, drew his curved sword from his waist, pointed it at the Qin army formation, and shouted the order: "Attack!"

Soon, the Kipchak cavalry scattered like a swarm of ants from their dense formation.

The originally black "tide" instantly transformed into hundreds of tiny "streams," rushing towards the Qin army's formation.

Each squad is led by several experienced veterans. Most of them do not have a uniform flag and can only identify each other by the color of their sheepskin coats or the ornaments around their waists.

An old soldier from the Toksaba tribe reined in his horse and whispered to the soldiers beside him, "Watch carefully. Only shoot where their arrows can't reach. Don't rush too close."

"Shoot their horses first, disrupt their formation, and we'll have won half the battle."

Seeing this, the other teams followed suit.

Hundreds of squads, like a real wolf pack, formed a huge encirclement around the Qin army's formation.

Upon seeing this, Li Dongshan's lips curled into a cold smile, while the Qin army generals around him burst into laughter.

"What a coincidence, we know the same tricks those barbarians use."

Li Dongshan reined in his horse and rode forward, his face suddenly turning cold. He loudly ordered, "Strong crossbow battalion, Divine Machine battalion, prepare!"

"Cavalry, maintain your formation and obey my orders."

"kill."

The Kipchak cavalry drew ever closer, some small squads galloping at high speed, firing arrows as they went.

Some stopped their horses and fired volleys at the densest areas of the Qin army formation.

Several smaller squads also practiced the Parthian backflip, charging towards the Qin army on horseback and suddenly turning around as they approached the edge of firing range, using the momentum of their horses to release their arrows.

They then retreated swiftly, their movements fluid and skillful, showcasing the mobility of the nomadic cavalry.

But in the next second, a neat horn sounded from the Qin army formation.

"put."

At the command of a commander, hundreds of crossbows fired simultaneously, and the dense barrage of bolts, like a black wall, rushed towards the Kipchak cavalry.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa~"

"Ah~"

A piercing scream instantly tore through the grassland. The small team from the Toksaba tribe was the first to be hit. Seven or eight soldiers, along with their horses, were pierced by crossbow bolts, their bodies falling heavily to the ground, instantly losing their lives.

The other Kipchak cavalrymen were not spared either; they and their horses were shot through, screams rose and fell, and the bodies crashed to the ground, their blood staining the grassland red.

"How can it be so far?"

A veteran Kipchak soldier cried out in terror that their arrows had a range half that of the Qin army's crossbows, and they would be killed before they could even get close.

The arrows were incredibly penetrating; the crude leather armor was like paper, and they could pierce through both men and horses.

The arrows were completely different from those of the Rus' and Khwarezmian armies they had encountered before; they were both deadly and precise, as if carrying the aura of death.

Before the Kipchaks could react, the Tiger Cannons in the Qin army formation suddenly roared, and the shells, with a piercing whistle, crashed into the Kipchak cavalry.

"Boom boom boom~"

After a tremendous roar, countless Kipchak cavalrymen were blown to pieces, their bodies pierced by iron nails and their necks slashed by shrapnel.

Blood was everywhere, and cries of agony filled the air. In a mere instant, hundreds of Kipchak cavalrymen had perished under the Qin army's artillery fire.

The horses were startled and neighed, and the previously scattered squad instantly fell into chaos.

The artillery and crossbow attacks were far from over, relentlessly reaping the lives of the Kipchaks like harvesting weeds.

Behind them, Toghrul was deathly pale as he watched his cavalrymen fall one after another, his shock beyond words.

"What...what kind of weapon is this? How can it be even more powerful than the catapults of Khwarezm?"

The shaman beside him gripped his bone staff, staring wide-eyed at the Qin army formation, chanting incantations, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "It's the power of demons, the people of the Northern Frontier have summoned demons."

"This rain of arrows and thunder... is the punishment of hell."

The other leaders were also thrown into a panic.

"We can't afford to waste any more time. We're here to attack the Qin army, not to throw our lives away."

"Before we even got close to their formation, our brothers were shot down in droves. If this continues, all 100 squads will be wiped out."

"Withdraw! Get the brothers back quickly!"

The Toksaba chieftain roared in desperation, his heart bleeding as he watched his soldiers fall in droves.

"The ranged weapons of these Northern Frontier people are too strange. Our shortbows can't reach them at all. If we don't leave now, we'll all die here."

Another leader said urgently, "We can't fight them head-on. The Northern Frontier's formation is like a barbed anvil; our attack is useless."

"Quickly feign a retreat to lure them out."

The leaders of each department panicked instantly, their previous confidence and arrogance vanished, leaving only the fear of death.

They originally planned to disrupt the Qin army with the "wolf pack" tactic, but they did not expect that the Qin army's crossbows had a range far exceeding expectations, and there was also a mysterious demon weapon with astonishing destructive power, making it impossible to even get close.

Tuohuchaer watched the fleeing squad, gritted his teeth, and knew that continuing would only increase casualties.

He brandished his scimitar and roared at his cavalrymen, "Withdraw! All squads, withdraw! Stop firing!"

"The three thousand men facing the front are feigning a rout."

"Losing the flags and valuables will lure them into pursuit, while the others lie in ambush on both sides, waiting to surround and kill them when they come in."

The messenger immediately spurred his horse out and loudly relayed the order to retreat.

Upon hearing the order, the Kipchak squad, which was on the move, felt as if they had been granted a pardon and turned their horses around, fleeing towards the main force of the Allied forces.

Some squads panicked and ran away, even colliding with each other; some soldiers were so focused on escaping that they didn't even bother to pick up their dropped shortbows.

Others were pursued by the Qin army's crossbow bolts, screaming as they fled. The entire retreat was chaotic, turning the feigned retreat into a real defeat.

Where is the former prestige of the "pack of wolves"?

Tuohuchaer stood on the high slope, looking at the remnants of the army who had fled back, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

The shaman continued to mutter to himself while holding his bone staff. The tribal leaders stood around, no longer mentioning "more money" or "victory." All that remained was their shock at the Qin army's strength and their anxiety about the upcoming battle.

The planned harassment tactics completely failed. Before they could inflict any real damage on the Qin army, they had already lost over a thousand men. This battle seemed to be much more difficult than they had imagined.

Faced with the Kipchak's retreat, Li Dongshan remained unmoved, adhering to the principle of "feigning defeat and not pursuing," which he had long mastered. Moreover, this tactic of feigning defeat and luring the enemy deep into their territory was something the Qin cavalry had already mastered.

"Order that the 12th Thousandth Commander Liu Congyun's troops follow the enemy, but do not go too deep; they should be used as 'bait'."

"Further order: Chen Erqiang's troops of the 90,000th Household shall immediately detour through the Gobi Desert on the flank and reach the rear of the Kipchak Allied Forces within one hour. Once the artillery fire begins, launch an attack and cut off their rear."

Finally, he glanced at his main force and said firmly, "The main force is advancing steadily, and the Shenji Battalion's artillery is keeping up, ready to cover the battlefield at any time."

"Yes, sir!" the generals responded in unison, quickly turning around to relay the order.

The Kipchaks were pure nomadic cavalry, and dared not confront the Qin army head-on. They only dared to harass and conduct guerrilla warfare, looking for the enemy's weaknesses to launch a full-scale attack.

The people of the northern frontier did the same thing back then, and the Qin generals thoroughly studied how to curb this tactic.

Upon receiving the order, Liu Congyun, the 12th commander, shouted in a deep voice, "Chase after them and keep your eyes on the Kipchaks."

He led his thousand elite cavalrymen to slowly catch up with the fleeing Kipchak soldiers, always maintaining a safe distance.

Chen Erqiang led a cavalry unit of ten thousand households, which secretly circled around from the southern Gobi Desert to the flank and rear of the Kipchak army.

Li Dongshan led his main force to follow, like a muffled war drum, gradually approaching the Kipchak coalition army.

……

Tuohucha'er quickly spotted the Qin army "pursuing force" behind him. He was initially startled, but then his eyes flashed with wild joy, and he laughed loudly at the leaders around him.

"Haha, the people from the Northern Frontier have indeed taken the bait. They dare to chase after us with so few people? Do they want to die even faster?"

The leader of the Helila tribe also became excited, waving his scimitar and shouting, "Let's quickly set up an ambush, surround and kill this group of northern border people, and let them know how powerful our Kipchak warriors are!"

"Yes."

The Toksaba chieftain chimed in, “Let the brothers feign panic and lure them to the low-lying area ahead. Then we’ll surround them from all sides and rain down arrows on them.”

"After we kill this group, we can turn back to deal with their main force and maybe even capture some of those powerful crossbows."

The leaders of each department agreed, their faces filled with arrogance.

In their view, the Qin army had been blinded by their previous victory and had actually fallen into the trap of pursuing them, which gave them the opportunity to turn the tables.

Tuohucha'er immediately ordered his cavalry to deliberately slow down, even discarding some tattered sheepskin coats and inferior weapons, creating the illusion of a "complete rout," and gradually leading Liu Congyun's troops into the pre-planned ambush in the low-lying area.

As Liu Congyun's cavalry entered the depression, Tuohuchaer suddenly drew his scimitar and roared, "Surround them! Fire arrows! Don't let a single one escape!"

"Kill them!"

"Charge, warriors of the Kipchak!"

"To avenge our brothers who just died in battle."

The Kipchak cavalry, who had been lying in ambush on both sides of the depression, charged out instantly, and arrows rained down on the Qin army like locusts.

But at that moment, an unexpected event occurred. The Qin cavalry, who had been fleeing in panic, suddenly reined in their horses and quickly formed a tight circular defensive formation.

Soldiers wielding crossbows fired arrows directly, the bolts whistling as they flew towards the Kipchak cavalry. Many Kipchak soldiers were shot down before they could even react.

Tuohucha'er's smile froze instantly, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

He looked up and saw that on the distant horizon, the main force of the Qin army was rapidly approaching like a moving mountain. The gray-white sun and moon battle flags fluttered in the wind, and the cannons were already aimed at the place where the Kipchak cavalry were gathered.

"How could this be? How could their main force arrive so quickly?" Tuohucha'er's voice changed in surprise, and the arrogance on his face was completely replaced by shock.

Before he finished speaking, a violent roar suddenly erupted from the Qin army's ranks.

"Boom boom boom~"

Dozens of Tiger Cannons fired simultaneously, their shells, studded with iron nails and pieces, crashing into the Kipchak cavalry with a piercing whistle.

"Ahhhhh~"

A scream erupted instantly as a Kipchak soldier was hit directly by a shell, his body blown to pieces, blood and bits of flesh splattering all over his comrades.

Other soldiers had their leather armor pierced by flying nails, pinning them to their horses' backs. The horses, startled, reared up and threw the soldiers to the ground, where they were then trampled into a bloody pulp by subsequent hooves.

The leader of the Helila tribe was grazed by shrapnel. The horse reared up with a neigh and threw him to the ground.

He scrambled to his feet, covered in mud and blood, and roared at Toghril, "How is this possible? Shouldn't their main force be left behind?"

"This thing is too eerie, let's get out of here quickly."

The chieftain of the Toksaba tribe panicked: "Shaman, where is the shaman? Quickly, let your god block this demon's weapon!"

The shaman had long since lost his composure. He huddled on his horse, his bone staff falling to the ground and breaking under the horse's foot. He could only repeat, "Demons... all demons... there's no escaping..."

Just as the Kipchaks were thrown into chaos, a scout cavalryman stumbled over, falling off his horse before he could even rein it in. He scrambled to his feet and roared, "Chief, it's bad! There's a large number of Northern Frontier cavalry appearing behind us! They're about to surround us!"

"what?"

Tuohuchaer turned around abruptly and saw a gray-white army surging in like a tide from the direction of the Gobi Desert to the south.

Chen Erqiang's cavalry charged in, their hooves kicking up dust that blotted out the sky.

The Qin cavalry, armed with spears and crossbows, charged forward while firing arrows. A dense rain of arrows shot towards the flanks and rear of the Kipchak cavalry, and many Kipchak soldiers who were besieging the "bait" fell to the ground.

At this moment, the Kipchak cavalry were in a dense formation, with their flanks completely exposed. The Qin army's flanking and rear attacks were like sharp knives piercing their weak points, dealing a devastating blow both psychologically and tactically.

"kill."

Chen Erqiang even personally led the charge, drawing his scimitar and slashing at a Kipchak squad leader. The blade sliced ​​through the man's sheepskin coat, easily cutting open his throat. Blood splattered onto Chen Erqiang's cloth armor, adding to his menacing aura.

If this was the case for the commanders of ten thousand, then the commanders of a thousand, a hundred, and even ordinary soldiers were vying to step forward.

The generals of Qin were never just military strategists who sat in the rear talking and treated their soldiers as pawns; they were warriors who shared weal and woe with their soldiers and truly led the charge.

This is also an important reason why the Qin army was so powerful.

Because if a general is killed in battle, the other soldiers will also be severely punished, forcing everyone to charge forward regardless of their own safety.

Strict military law, unwavering military orders, and heavy rewards and punishments—these were the ironclad rules of the Qin army.

At the same time, the Qin heavy cavalry on the front also launched a full-scale attack, with cannons roaring, crossbows firing in volleys, and spears and halberds raining down, completely blocking the retreat route of the Kipchak cavalry.

Liu Congyun's troops broke through the defensive formation and attacked from both sides with the main force.

The Kipchak cavalry were completely panicked; their most prized asset—mobility—was rendered useless in close combat.

The crude leather armor could not withstand the Qin army's cannons and crossbows, and the loose coordination could not overcome the Qin army's strict discipline.

Seeing the situation was dire, the leader of the Helila tribe took the lead and broke through with his tribe's troops, shouting, "Forget about the others, protect our tribe, retreat, retreat towards the Aral Sea!"

"Yes, preserving the tribe is the priority!" the Toksaba chieftain shouted, leading his soldiers in a fleeing direction, completely disregarding his comrades who were still resisting.

When the soldiers from other tribes saw their leader flee, they scattered and fled for their lives, exposing the weaknesses of the tribal alliance.

The entire Kipchak coalition collapsed instantly, with soldiers abandoning their armor and weapons and fleeing in a frantic panic.

But the Qin army would not give them a chance. Li Dongshan ordered all cavalry to pursue them and make sure to annihilate their entire force.

The Qin cavalry split into several groups, like a pack of wolves hunting, and relentlessly pursued and killed the scattered Kipchaks.

On the grassland, screams, pleas for mercy, and the sound of horses' hooves mingled together.

Some Kipchak soldiers, exhausted from running, knelt down and begged for mercy, only to be killed by Qin cavalry with a single blow.

Some tried to hide in the bushes, but were shot through the body by the Qin army's crossbows.

Others, in their panic, stumbled into low-lying areas of the grassland and were trampled into mincemeat by the cavalry that followed.

Blood stained the hundred-mile-long corridor, corpses were everywhere, and even the wind on the grassland carried a strong smell of blood.

As the sun set, the greyish-white war banners fluttered over the blood-stained grasslands. The 20,000 Kipchak cavalrymen were almost completely wiped out, with only a few survivors escaping into the distance. They were no longer able to contend with the Qin army.

Li Dongshan reined in his horse and stood in the center of the depression, looking at the corpses and blood all over the ground, his eyes showing no emotion.

For the Qin army, only by completely eliminating the enemy's manpower could they ensure the safety of their westward expedition.

This open field battle between 20,000 Kipchak cavalry and the Qin army was not a simple contest of troop numbers or individual combat strength, but a full-scale collision between the "traditional nomadic tribal military form" and the "mature imperial military system".

The core fighting force of the Kipchak coalition was nomadic light cavalry, whose tactics were limited to traditional nomadic methods such as "wolf pack harassment" and "feigned retreat".

It relies on mobility and surprise attacks, lacks multi-service coordination, and has no unified command and dispatch system.

In contrast, the Qin army constructed a multi-service coordination system consisting of "cavalry + crossbowmen + siege engine battalion + heavy cavalry".

This forms a complete tactical loop of "long-range suppression - close-range breakthrough - flanking maneuver".

Furthermore, there was a difference in discipline and command; the Qin army possessed iron discipline and highly centralized command.

The Kipchak tribal alliance was much looser, and in the complex battle situation, the Qin army's execution was far superior to that of the enemy.

Finally, there's the gap in technology and equipment.

Therefore, in this confrontation, the Kipchaks faced an army that was equally proficient in, and even more adept at, the "hit and run" tactic.

An army far more disciplined than them, one that would never be scattered by looting in battle.

An army with a "heavy punch" that they cannot deal with (heavy cavalry, artillery, crossbows and other revolutionary military units).

An army that completely overwhelms them in strategy and intelligence.

The core of this confrontation lies not only in the difference in individual soldier quality, but also in the comprehensive gap in military organization, strategy and tactics, discipline and the overall war system.

The defeat of 20,000 Kipchak cavalry was not accidental, but a historical microcosm of the inevitable elimination of traditional nomadic military forms when faced with a more advanced imperial war system.

[Map showing the approximate territory of the Qin state after the first western expedition]

(End of this chapter)