With only two days left until the Spring Festival, the palace decorations were nearly complete. The vast and magnificent Taiji Palace was adorned with lanterns and colorful decorations; the festive red added a different kind of beauty to the otherwise solemn place. Palace servants, dressed in brand-new clothes, exchanged auspicious greetings whenever they met.
However, this festive atmosphere was absent from the Sui army camp in the northwest.
The army had been out of the pass for several months. Although they had captured Nirvana City and advanced 500 li into Manduqi territory, this was hardly something to celebrate. According to the initial plan, they should have already occupied the entire Manduqi territory by now. After all, Mandulatu had no more than 50,000 troops, and even including the participating herdsmen, their strength was still significantly inferior to the 700,000 heavily armed Sui soldiers.
In fact, the initial goal of this war was to capture the Mongol Manduqi.
Over two thousand miles of grassland, tens of millions of livestock, and hundreds of thousands of herders—capturing all of this would be a glorious victory.
The Ministry of War's plan was sound, but the battle just wouldn't break through.
After the first battle, Mandulang's two thousand elite cavalry were almost completely wiped out. He retreated to Nirvana City with only a few hundred remaining cavalry. But how could such a small force possibly hold out? Moreover, the Sui army was as adept at siege warfare as if it were yesterday. Although their last war was over twenty years ago, the Sui soldiers were anything but inexperienced in siege warfare.
The small city of Nirvana fell almost effortlessly. Mandulang fled with fewer than thirty men, poisoning all the livestock in the city before he left. Not only in Nirvana City, but all the Mandulang tribes had orderly evacuated at the start of the war, poisoning all the livestock they couldn't take.
The Sui army couldn't even use the carcasses of these animals as food.
As the army passed, the soldiers' faces were filled with heartache at the sight of the frozen carcasses of livestock lying on the ground. So many cattle, sheep, and even warhorses had been poisoned to death. Those Mongol barbarians were truly ruthless; for the Sui army, lacking warhorses, the inability to plunder was a huge loss.
According to the plan, after the raid on Nirvana City, the army was to transport the captured livestock back to the east of Langru Mountain. But now, although they were traversing five hundred li of Mongol grasslands, it felt like they had gained nothing.
The Grand General of the Western Expedition, Prince Yang Kai of Xu, was in a foul mood.
He had originally planned to slaughter a batch of the captured livestock to reward the army at the New Year, but now what they had plundered from the Mongols wasn't even enough to feed a single soldier! What use was this five hundred li of grassland without livestock? "Your Highness..."
Minister of War Mou Liangbi hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but advise, "Although we haven't seized the Mongol barbarians' cattle, sheep, and horses as expected, the war can't be considered a failure. After all, the army has penetrated five hundred li deep, and our logistical supplies are ample. Even without enough cattle and sheep to feed the troops, we won't lack wine and meat."
Yang Kai hummed in agreement and sighed, "I feel I've failed His Majesty's trust."
Since only he and Mou Liangbi were in the room, he spoke without reservation: "Although our provisions are sufficient, according to the plan, after capturing Nirvana City, the army actually won't need..." "Then we'll transfer more provisions from within the pass. His Majesty is hoping for good news from us in Chang'an, not this situation!"
Mou Liangbi sighed, "With the army's morale so low, how can we expect a great victory? Your Highness, look at the faces of those generals, and then look at the demeanor of those governors... They have no ambition whatsoever; they clearly want to force Your Highness and me to flee back to Chang'an in disgrace!"
"That's not how it works."
Yang Kai shook his head, "The armies haven't slackened in their advance."
"The advance hasn't slackened, but many battles that could have been easily won have been fought..." "How can these people be worthy of His Majesty's trust when they're so anxious!"
"It's still my fault for not coordinating things properly."
Yang Kai said somewhat sadly, "His Majesty entrusted this task to me; if I don't do it well, it's my incompetence."
"Why must Your Highness take all the blame upon yourself!"
Mou Liangbi said, "I have already written a memorial requesting His Majesty to bestow the Imperial Sword upon Your Highness. Without anything that can subdue them, they have no respect for Your Highness!"
Yang Kai waved his hand and said, "Since the founding of the Great Sui Dynasty, there has never been a commander who wields His Majesty's Imperial Sword to lead troops. If only His Majesty's authority can lead..." "Soldiers, that is the incompetence and disgrace of a commander. At the banquet the day after tomorrow, I will discuss this with you generals. This war cannot be delayed any longer. The daily expenditure on 700,000 troops and over a million laborers is enormous. Even with the strength of our Great Sui, such pointless waste cannot be sustained for too long."
Just then, a personal guard outside called out loudly, "Right Valiant Guard General Li Yuanshan, Left Valiant Guard General Jin Shixiong, Left Imperial Guard General Pei Huan, and Right Imperial Guard General Yu Zhengdong request an audience."
"Quickly, invite them in!"
Yang Kai quickly stood up, and Mou Liangbi smiled wryly and also stood up.
The four generals filed in and bowed to Yang Kai. Yang Kai quickly stepped forward to help them up, smiling as he said, "I just returned from the ceremony. What's wrong? Is there some urgent military business?"
Of the four generals, the oldest was Left Valiant Guard General Jin Shixiong. The Great Sui had the largest military presence in the Northwest, with four of the sixteen guards deployed there. The imperial court's vigilance against the Mongol Yuan dynasty had never diminished in the slightest. The troops of the Four Northwest Guards were undoubtedly the main force in this western expedition.
Jin Shixiong smiled and said, "There's no urgent military business; I just came to ask Your Highness for a drink of water and to casually mention how we'll spend New Year's Eve the day after tomorrow."
These matters had already been discussed during the earlier meeting, so Yang Kai knew that the four of them hadn't missed it due to overhearing.
He ordered tea to be served, then sat down in the commander's seat and said, "I don't have any good tea here. Wu Yidao has already returned to Chang'an, and I've long since drunk all the good tea he brought with him. If you came here for that, you'll be disappointed."
Jin Shixiong and the others laughed. Li Yuanshan chuckled, "Your Highness, how can you be so stingy? I don't believe you really haven't kept any."
Yang Kai said, "I still need to take it back to Chang'an to show off to others. I certainly won't be giving away what's left."
General Yu Zhengdong smiled and said, "Actually, I didn't come here specifically for tea. I wanted to ask Your Highness when to advance. There are some things that are difficult to say directly in front of those below when raising the tent. I'm worried that if we delay any longer, it will become even more difficult to fight once Möngke's reinforcements arrive. The Manchu Banner forces, even when gathered together, number only around sixty or seventy thousand, but I estimate that Möngke's Golden Horde cavalry will arrive in about half a month."
Yang Kai couldn't help but be taken aback, thinking, "Why have these people suddenly changed their tune?" ...
...
After months of advancing, not a single real battle had yet been fought, largely due to the sheer size of the Mongol Yuan territory. The distance from the Mongol Golden Horde to Mandu Banner was a full 20,000 li (approximately 10,000 kilometers), and it would take months for reinforcements from the Golden Horde to arrive. Furthermore, the banner lords of the other banners, without the orders of Möngke Khan, could not freely lead their troops away from their fiefdoms, thus providing the Sui army with an opportunity.
In reality, the reason Mandulatu had not yet received reinforcements was more related to the discord among the various banner lords of the Mongol Yuan. For example, in the neighboring Keqin Banner, the conflict between the banner lord Keqin Lelang and Mandulatu had been brewing for a long time. Mandulatu was dissatisfied with the small size of his fiefdom and had frequently encroached on Keqin Banner's pastures. Conflicts had arisen between the two banners over this, but neither side dared to openly escalate the conflict.
Mandu Banner had lost at least 500 li (approximately 250 kilometers) of pasture to the Sui army, and Keqin Lelang was happy to watch the spectacle unfold. Anyway, with the ancestral law prohibiting banner lords from arbitrarily leaving their fiefdoms, Great Khan Möngke couldn't really do anything to him. Besides, he didn't believe the Sui people could easily take over the entire Mandu Banner.
Mandulatu was a notorious madman. Even if the Sui people hadn't come after him, he was still eager to cross the Wolf Milk Mountain. Now that the Sui people had come knocking, it was unlikely Mandulatu would back down so easily.
Mandulatu was indeed a madman, but this time he had become rational. The Mandu Banner army hadn't engaged the Sui army head-on, but was waiting for reinforcements from the Golden Horde. He knew one thing well: once he had exhausted his forces, he would lose his position as banner lord. Even if he miraculously defeated the Sui people, the Mandu Banner's strength would be greatly diminished.
And since the Mandu Banner was too far from the Golden Horde, that Keqin Lelang, who had encroached on the Keqin Banner's pastures, would retaliate even more fiercely. Seeking justice from the Great Khan? Even if the envoy arrived at the Golden Horde, the pastures would likely be lost long before then. Even if he did arrive, the Great Khan would at most send someone to mediate. Getting the Keqin Lelang to repent was harder than turning him into a woman.
Mandulatu understood this perfectly, which was why he consistently avoided war. He was heartbroken over the lost pastures, and even more heartbroken over the poisoned cattle, sheep, and horses. But heartache was useless; it was far better than the entire pastures being seized by the Keqin Banner instead of the Sui.
Mandulatu was old, and he didn't want to become a sinner to his tribe in his final days.
However, this didn't mean he didn't want to achieve his own illustrious reputation. The Mongol Yuan dynasty had been peaceful for too long, lacking a true hero. Moreover, he had been waiting for an opportunity to teach the Sui a lesson. War was necessary; what was lacking was the perfect opportunity.
Mandulatu had two sons; his eldest son, Manduyong, was a hostage in the Golden Horde. This was a long-standing rule of the Mongol Empire: the eldest son of each banner lord lived in the royal court until he inherited the banner lordship. Once they or their brothers succeeded to the position, new hostages would be sent to the royal court.
This was an effective means of controlling the vast steppe; the Golden Family never hesitated to use the sword against those who disobeyed.
Mandulatu's second son was named Mandule, which means "swift as the wind" in Mongol.
He also had a highly regarded nephew, Mandulang.
Mandulang's father, Mandulatu's elder brother, had been a hostage in the royal court, eagerly awaiting his return to inherit the banner lordship. However, Mandulatu poisoned his father and immediately declared his succession. By the time Mandulang's father learned of this in the royal court, it was too late.
He went to the Great Khan to argue, but the Great Khan was too lazy to interfere in their family affairs. In fact, the Golden Family preferred instability between or within the banners; if the banners were united and powerful, the Golden Family would be more concerned. Sowing discord between the various banners has always been a specialty of the Golden Family.
Mandulatu leaned back in a chair covered with a thick carpet, glancing at his generals.
"The day after tomorrow is the Sui people's New Year's Eve. For the Sui people, New Year's Eve is as important as our fasting festival. On this day, they will lay down their weapons, sing and dance, drink and eat meat. This is a rare opportunity. The reason I have avoided war all this time is precisely for this day… I need a brave warrior to lead the children of the Mandu Banner to avenge the Sui people! We must take back everything they have plundered, and even their own lives!"
"Who among you is willing to fight this battle?!"
"Me!"
Mandulatu strode forward, placed his hands on his chest, and bowed his head, saying, "My beloved father, your brave son Mandulatu is willing to lead his children to avenge this humiliation! As long as you hand your whip to your son, he will ride a fine horse…" "Charge straight to the front! The shameless Sui people have stolen our pastures and livestock! I will use their blood and heads to atone for our dead!"
"My son, you make me very proud."
Mandulatu said, "But you can't do it alone; you need a strong ally."
"Mandu Wolf!"
He shouted, "Don't you want to reclaim Nirvana City?!"
Mandu Wolf placed his hand on his chest and answered loudly, "I do! I've long wanted to lead the warriors of the Mandu Banner, riding our horses to trample the corpses of the Sui people!"
Mandulatu laughed loudly, spreading his hands, "Go, my children! The Wolf God will grant you boundless strength, and the Bright King will shine his holy light upon your bodies. Let the Sui people's joyous New Year's Eve become their day of death!"