Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 931 The Hu Cavalry Hunt in the Clear Autumn (Part 2)
"Great nails, wow, truly great nails."

Batel stroked the iron tunic in his hand, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Are the Han people really that wealthy? Even their light cavalry can wear such fine armor?"

"And these horses." The confidant led over another warhorse, patted its back, and said, "They are all top-notch horses."

Contrary to later stereotypes, in this era, although there were many horses on the grasslands, breeding technology was almost nonexistent, and the crude method of selecting the best from many was still used.

Even the most magnificent warhorses, after being ridden in the vast grasslands for generations, will have their bloodlines diluted, and their offspring will become just another ordinary horse.

Of course, while the State of Song maintained a certain advantage in warhorse breeding technology, it also encountered unexpected troubles.

Because warhorses need to maintain their pure bloodline, the practice of 'backcrossing' is almost inevitable.

This means allowing the parents, siblings, and other relatives of warhorses to mate and reproduce.

This would inevitably involve the fundamental ethical principles of Confucianism, which the great Confucian scholars could hardly tolerate. This trivial matter even caused quite a stir during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

It can only be said that Zhuge Liang and Feng Yu each have their own troubles.

Now, the Han army has inherited the warhorses and breeding techniques from the Meng'an Mouke households and the powerful clans of Shandong. The quantity and quality of their warhorses have developed rapidly, to the point that the warhorses of the Han army's scout cavalry are even making the Mongols envious.

"Such fine warhorses, such fine armor, it's a pity they're being wasted on these useless people. The Eternal Heaven is truly blind!"

As he spoke, Batel burst into wild laughter again.

Just as the confidant was about to chime in, he heard what sounded like rumbling thunder in the distance and immediately became alert: "Chief! There are cavalry coming from the south, more than a thousand of them! That's more than us!"

Batel grinned maliciously: "Let's retreat! Let's give them a run for their money!"

The trusted confidant understood and immediately took out a horn from his bosom, blowing it three long and one short whistles.

Soon, bugles sounded again, both as a response and as a way to relay military orders to more distant places.

More than two thousand Mongol cavalrymen immediately set off again, but instead of heading south to meet the enemy, they retreated north.

This is the Mongol tactic: when facing a weak enemy, they attack en masse; when facing a strong enemy, they fight and retreat, using skillful horsemanship and teamwork to disrupt the enemy's formation while drawing them into pursuit, and then seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Although this tactic has not yet reached its full potential, it can still be victorious in every battle on the grasslands and can even rival the Jin Dynasty's iron cavalry.

However, this time Battulga miscalculated.

The Mongols may have encountered the most formidable lightly armed shock cavalry in the world this time.

"General!" Xie Maozhanggu rode up and shouted to Dian Lun, "The Mongols have fled!"

As a general who made great contributions and was granted permission by Liu Huai not to change his surname, Xie Mao Zhang Gu was a special figure even in the Han army.

However, since he was one of the people who surrendered when the Han army captured Linyi, he could be considered a former official, so no one said anything against him.

However, since he was trying to be special in the general trend, it was only natural that he would be ostracized, both openly and secretly. The Han people did not treat him as one of their own, nor did the naturalized Hu people. Fortunately, Xie Mao Zhang Gu had no desire to fight for power and only served as the deputy general of his friend Dian Lun in the Liao cavalry camp.

However, his abilities are beyond doubt.

Therefore, Dian Lun simply carried his spear and calmly asked, "What do you think should be done?"

Xie Mao Zhang Gu immediately responded, "Of course we should charge forward and kill all these thieves!"

Dian Lun pointed his spear and said, "Then you will be the vanguard, and I will hold the rear. Charge! The King of Han has ordered that this first battle can only be won, not lost!"

The Liao cavalry immediately split into two parts, each consisting of ten men, and charged towards the Mongols.

"You're courting death!" Seeing this, Batel was overjoyed and immediately led his cavalry to retreat slowly, scattering the looted valuables as they went, while constantly turning back to shoot arrows.

Batel's horse was not very fast, and he lagged behind the rest of the column, firing arrows while observing the formation of the Han army's light cavalry.

As long as the Han cavalry take out their bows and arrows to exchange fire with the Mongols, then Batel is 90% confident that he can annihilate all the pursuing Han troops here.

Trying to outdo the Mongols in horsemanship and archery is tantamount to suicide.

However, after only a short while, Batel was horrified to discover that these light cavalrymen bearing the Liao banner had no intention of taking out their bows and arrows at all. Instead, they charged forward with their spears, shouting as they went.

Several Mongols who were turning around to shoot arrows were caught off guard and were knocked off their horses.

"Who wants to play archery with you!" Xie Maozhanggu laughed loudly, knocking a Mongol cavalryman flying. He roared, "Close combat makes you a hero, drawing a bow and shooting an arrow makes you a coward!"

"kill!"

Amidst the rising and falling shouts of battle, the light cavalry of the Liao cavalry did not stop for a moment, thrusting their eighteen-foot spears into the lower backs of the Mongols as they faced the arrows they were hurled at them.

The Mongol cavalry formation, which had originally resembled a crescent moon, was torn to pieces in an instant, and from the sky, it looked like a porcupine with its back arched. This is what makes the Liao cavalry and the White Horse Army, these two light cavalry units, so different.

To be precise, this mentality of "cowards shoot arrows, heroes fight hand-to-hand" was rampant throughout the Han army.

Even though the Han army had cannons and a considerable number of crossbows, these long-range projectiles were ultimately only used to suppress the enemy. The source of the Han army's combat power had always been its willingness to engage in close-quarters combat, and even its enjoyment of it.

There was no other way; the Han army grew from nothing to something, from weak to strong, by repeatedly launching large-scale battles, confronting formidable enemies, and relentlessly attacking head-on.

The number of Jin soldiers scattered in this way was no less than 100,000. For the Han army, this was a real case of path dependence.

Although the Liao cavalry also carried bows and arrows, they mainly used them for harassment.

Once the fighting officially begins, unless they are unable to reach the enemy, the Han light cavalry will not take out their bows and arrows; instead, they will charge with their long spears.

It is true that the Mongols were skilled in archery and horsemanship, but the Han light cavalry could not compete with them in horsemanship and archery. What could the Mongols do?
Both the Jin army's light cavalry and the Khitan light cavalry were utterly destroyed by the Han army's light cavalry charges. The Mongols, who were no more powerful than the Jurchens, were no exception.
Batel's smile froze instantly, and a sudden panic gripped his heart.

Are these Han soldiers all lunatics? Why are they fighting so desperately right from the start?
The Mongols were skilled in horsemanship, but their horse bows weren't submachine guns; they couldn't really create a barrage of bullets like water being poured out! Besides, even submachine guns aren't designed to hit exactly where you point them!

Moreover, the battlefield environment is different from hunting. Even if the Mongol knights can shoot foxes and rabbits with perfect accuracy, it doesn't mean that they can complete a full set of tactical maneuvers when facing a spear thrusting at them on a battlefield filled with the sounds of battle.

With this shift in momentum, the Mongols' second volley of arrows almost entirely missed its mark.

Xie Mao Zhang Gu only charged once before leading his two hundred or so light cavalry to give way.

The second wave of attacks arrived quickly.

Then came the third wave, the fourth wave...

The Mongols of that era had never seen such a swift and fearless charging cavalry; after holding out for only a moment, they scattered and fled.

"Hurry up!" Batel shouted. "Gather at that village ahead!"

The guards immediately sounded the horn.

Although the Mongol cavalry retreated, they still maintained some order, and soon the distant sounds of horns echoed back and forth.

One advantage of tribal troops on expeditions is that when other troops flee, they try to escape back to their hometowns, but for tribal troops, the location of the chieftain is their hometown, so it is not so easy for them to completely lose control.

Under the command of their chieftain, the Mongols sped away from the battlefield, with some cavalrymen even attempting to turn back and fire as they ran.

However, the Liao cavalry ignored everything and, relying on their iron tunics and helmets, chased after the Mongol cavalry with their spears.

If these Mongol cavalrymen wanted to turn around and shoot arrows, their horses would slow down, and they would be immediately killed on the spot by the Han light cavalry that caught up.

In the end, the Mongol light cavalry almost abandoned all means of counterattack and only cared about scattering and fleeing.

What made the Mongol cavalry even more devastated was that the Liao cavalry truly adopted a fight to the death. The Han army ignored all spoils of war, prisoners, and even property deliberately left behind by the Mongols, making the pursuit and killing of the Mongols their top priority.

Dian Lun maintained a steady pace, leading over three hundred cavalrymen, slowly pressing forward from the rear of the Liao cavalry camp.

Each of the spear tips of his personal guards had a human head stuck in them. These were Liao cavalry soldiers who had abandoned the charge and tried to pick up valuables, and were dealt with on the spot by Dian Lun.

Of course, given the strict discipline of the Han army, there weren't many deserters, only a few, but they still had a great deterrent effect on the Liao cavalry.

The Han cavalrymen rode their horses over the gold and silver jewels scattered on the ground, their faces strained to maintain a cold expression. However, after seeing that the Mongol cavalry had already scattered, one of their personal guards asked, "General, we have won a great victory!"

Dian Lun nodded slightly, but showed no joy: "The military order given to me by the King of Han is to swallow up this group of Mongols."

"Give the order: flank them from both sides! Right here, right now, wipe them out!"

The guard hesitated, "General, should we remind General Xie Mao to be careful of an ambush?"

"Be careful my ass! This is the Hebei Plain, with no obstructions around. You can see our troops moving out from ten miles away. Why would we need to warn them?"

Soon, military orders were relayed forward with the sound of horns and the sound of flags. The Liao cavalry quickly changed formation, driving the Mongols around like sheep.

Even if the Mongols were adept at luring the enemy, they could only achieve the ability to regroup in chaos if their organization was not completely disrupted and their casualties were not particularly heavy.

In this situation, the Mongols have completely lost their ability to organize. Nearly a thousand cavalrymen were driven by the Liao cavalry to a small pond, where another fierce battle ensued.

Although the Mongols did not know the term "fight to the bitter end," they still maintained the ferocity of the steppe, putting down their bows and arrows and raising their spears and daggers to engage in a final battle with the Han army.

However, nothing unexpected happened.

In just a short while, the battle turned into a crushing victory.

(End of this chapter)