The Manchu cavalry, charging into the Sui army camp, were thrown into chaos, unable to maintain their composure. They saw countless Sui infantry appearing from all directions, their black armor gleaming coldly in the torchlight. The surging, dark mass of soldiers completely blocked the Manchu cavalry in their center, as if an impenetrable wall of bronze and iron had been instantly forged.
Tens of thousands of javelins rained down like hail, scattering the Manchu cavalry ranks. This single volley of javelins had decimated two or three tenths of the Mongol forces. The cries of men and the neighing of warhorses mingled together, creating a mournful lament.
Shortly after the Sui army appeared, crossbow carts appeared in the infantry ranks. With a command from the Sui general, the war drums sounded again. A creaking sound followed—the creaking of the crossbow carts' coiled ropes. Immediately following, hundreds of massive crossbows roared in, crashing irresistibly into the cavalry.
The crossbow bolts, as thick as a calf, easily impaled men and horses on the ground, sometimes even piercing three or four men in succession. With steel blades and iron fletching, the wounds inflicted by these crossbows were fatal, even if not to vital organs. The Mongol cavalrymen pierced through the chest by these crossbow bolts had blood holes the size of bowls.
Fragments of bone and mangled internal organs were ripped from their bodies by the crossbow bolts, scattering in the air.
One crossbow bolt slammed into a Mongol soldier's left shoulder, instantly severing half his body. Amidst a spray of blood, the soldier fell heavily backward. The crossbow bolt, undeterred, pierced the chest of a second soldier, lifting him from his horse. The crossbow bolt, still carrying a corpse, flew a distance before finally stopping after piercing the neck of a warhorse. The warhorse collapsed sideways, its rider pinned to the ground by the carcass, unable to move, his legs twisted in agony and fear, howling for help.
"Loose the arrows! Push them back!"
Mandutel roared, his hoarse voice filled with terror.
The Manduqi cavalry began to counterattack, using their skilled mounted archery to attack the surrounding Sui infantry. Their bows fired rapidly, and each archer was exceptionally skilled. However, the well-prepared Sui infantry, with their towering shields and half-person-high infantry shields forming a fortress, blocked most of the arrows.
The wolf-tooth arrows fired from the hardened boxwood bows couldn't even tear through the thick leather-wrapped shields. The Mongol counterattack was fierce; the shields of the first few ranks of Sui infantry were quickly covered in white feathers. But such attacks couldn't shake the established battle formation, and the damage to the Sui infantry wasn't significant.
"Press!"
General Li Yuanshan, standing beside Prince Yang Kai, waved his command flag, and the drummers behind him immediately began to beat the war drums. Hearing the drumbeats, the Sui soldiers surrounding them pressed forward as a whole. The heavy ranks, like a closing mountain, pressed towards the increasingly chaotic Manchu cavalry.
"Your Highness's idea is the most effective. Nothing is more effective against cavalry than long weapons!"
General Yu Zhengdong laughed.
Yang Kai waved his hand and said, "It wasn't my idea; it was what you all came up with during our discussion in the tent. I've already sent someone back to ask His Majesty to issue an order to rush-produce spears from all the workshops. Against cavalry, these things will terrify the enemy! Moreover, these spears are much simpler to make than long spears; a wooden stick plus an iron spearhead is enough."
In the battle formation before him, each soldier behind the shield formation was not wielding their usual long spear, but a weapon almost half as long again—a full four meters long! Perhaps, in essence, this couldn't even be considered a weapon, merely a sharpened wooden club. Though not sharp or durable, these clubs were a nemesis to cavalry!
Especially effective against surrounded cavalry that had lost their speed advantage. The Mongol cavalry were known as the fastest in the world, boasting of running faster than the wind. However, precisely because of their need for speed, their light cavalry often wore very thin armor. Only by reducing their load to the minimum could their warhorses unleash their full speed. In gaining powerful attack and speed, they inevitably had to sacrifice strong defense.
To deal with these Mongol cavalry, a four-meter-long wooden club was enough.
The shield formation pressed forward relentlessly, the Mongols attempting to force the Sui army to stop with their wolf-tooth arrows. But clearly, although the Sui army suffered heavy losses while advancing, they would not halt their advance. The Sui archers, hiding behind shields, returned fire. While the Sui's finely crafted infantry bows had a slower rate of fire than the Mongol cavalry bows, they possessed greater power.
The triangular arrowheads easily tore through the leather armor of the Mongol soldiers, sometimes even piercing their chests.
"Blow the horn for reinforcements!"
Mandutel, on the verge of despair, shouted until his voice was barely audible. Now, he could only pin his hopes on the two thousand-man squads left outside the main camp.
Fortunately, Mandulang had been left behind.
Mandutel couldn't help but think that if he hadn't left Mandulang outside for fear of him taking credit, he would likely be dead today. Even now, though nearly hopeless, he still had faith in Mandulang's two thousand-man squads. If those two thousand cavalry charged, they could tear a hole in the damned Sui battle formation. The men and horses were certainly doomed, but what did it matter if he could break through? The bugle call for reinforcements pierced the night sky, slipping through the gaps in the Sui army's war drums. Mandulang, ordered to remain outside the Sui camp to guard the rear, heard the call but made no move. His fellow centurion, Agudamu, glanced at the general but remained silent.
"General, it's the young banner lord's bugle call for reinforcements!"
Another centurion, Guhan, spurred his horse forward from a distance to Mandulang, urgently saying, "We should rush in immediately to rescue the young banner lord!"
Mandulang glanced at him indifferently and said, "That's right, we should rush in to rescue the young banner lord as soon as possible. Are you willing to lead the way?"
"I am!"
Guhan shouted loudly.
"Then how about this, we split into two groups. You rush in from the left, and I'll go in from the right, like two knives piercing the Sui camp. Whoever rescues the young banner lord immediately sounds the bugle, and we retreat simultaneously, okay?"
Mandulang said politely. Gu Han felt a pang of guilt. He realized that Mandulang hadn't given the order immediately because he was considering tactics.
"Good!"
He responded loudly, then spurred his horse back to his thousand-man unit.
Mandulang watched Gu Han's departing figure and suddenly smiled. He then instructed Agudamu, "Take your men and circle around the Sui army's perimeter. Don't get close. From the beginning, I didn't believe the Sui could be defeated so easily. Only an idiot would believe the Sui would be unprepared on New Year's Eve."
His smile was bright, even somewhat smug.
He had confidently told Mandulatu that the Sui's New Year's Eve was as important as the fast. It was because of his deliberate and unintentional persuasion these past few days that Mandulatu had decided to launch a night raid on the Sui army camp.
"Someone! Go back and tell the banner lord that the young banner lord is trapped. Tell him to bring troops to his rescue immediately. If he's any later, the young banner lord might be in danger."
Mandulang glanced at the Sui army camp and said with a smile, "The sooner the better."
...
...
The shield formation squeezed the Mandu Banner cavalry's living area smaller and smaller. The archers behind the shield bearers had been withdrawn, replaced by soldiers wielding long clubs. They only needed to stand behind the shields and use the long, somewhat difficult-to-control clubs to impale the Mongol warriors on horseback.
In a close-quarters battle, such long clubs would be useless. On the battlefield, weapons that cannot be used flexibly become the killers of soldiers. But this time was different. The Sui infantry didn't need to use these clubs to display their martial skills; they only needed to mechanically repeat the single action of thrusting forward.
The dense barrage of long clubs impaled the Mongol cavalrymen one after another from their horses. Although the clubs weren't enough to kill instantly, they were enough to temporarily incapacitate the Mongol warriors. Perhaps sharpened wooden sticks couldn't tear through the Mongol armor, but they were enough to knock them off their horses.
For the Mongols, those off their horses were no warriors!
The Mongol cavalry's operational area was shrinking. Of the more than ten thousand cavalrymen who had stormed the camp, less than thirty percent were still on horseback. They could easily shoot a running rabbit and tame a wild horse with their bare hands in the shortest time. Their scimitars were sharp enough, but they were helpless against the Sui army's battle formation. In their past understanding, battles were always decisive and direct. Charge on horseback, every strike drawing blood.
But now, the despicable Sui soldiers hiding behind their giant shields didn't engage them in direct combat. Instead, they relied on their longer-range bows, their powerful crossbows, and those damned wooden sticks that were hardly weapons to gain the upper hand. Utter helplessness, a complete sense of powerlessness, filled the Mongol cavalry with despair.
Mandutel, his eyes red, kept looking around, waiting for reinforcements. He could see the dust rising from the flames outside the Sui army's battle lines, and hear the familiar shouts and cries. But the reinforcements couldn't break through the Sui's lines; the two thousand-man squads seemed trapped behind a mountain, powerless.
In reality, Mandulang's thousand-man squads were merely circling around the Sui army.
The Sui army, like a millstone grinding beans, slowly but thoroughly slaughtered the Mongol Yuan forces layer by layer. Just when Mandutel's men were reduced to less than two thousand, a rumbling sound like muffled thunder suddenly rang out outside. It was the sound of thousands upon thousands of warhorses galloping across the ground, making the earth tremble.
"Father is here!"
Mandutel couldn't help but shout excitedly, waving his scimitar to boost morale: "Hold on! The great banner lord of the Mandu Banner has arrived with reinforcements! Let's fight our way out!"
Yes, it was Mandulatu. When he heard that his most beloved son was trapped, where was reason? He led the remaining cavalry of the Manduqi Banner, charging forward like a flood into the Sui army's camp.
On a high slope, Prince Xu, Yang Kai, watching the massive Mongol cavalry charge in, finally smiled: "I never expected this would lead to a decisive battle. I thought it would be like shooting a deer, but I didn't expect to hit a tiger."
"Beat the drums! Encircle them!"
Li Yuanshan shouted the order, and the thunderous war drums sounded again. Countless Sui soldiers rushed towards the camp from all directions, their chariots and horses, already deployed on the perimeter, crushing the Mongol forces. According to intelligence from the Imperial Guards, Prince Xu, Yang Kai, and his men were certain that Mandulatu was preparing a night attack. The best opportunity, naturally, was New Year's Eve, so they had already deployed 700,000 troops the previous night. The majority of the forces were positioned around the camp, waiting to encircle the enemy. But neither Yang Kai nor Li Yuanshan had anticipated such a great victory. Mandulatu, who had always seemed cautious, suddenly charged forward with all his men like a madman.
This was truly good news, a welcome surprise.
Mandulatu's face was filled with anxiety. He led over 30,000 cavalrymen into the camp and headed straight for the center. Just then, Mandulang, seeing Mandulatu's arrival, ordered his soldiers to charge the Sui army's formation. Mandulatu pointed his scimitar forward, and his cavalrymen roared and charged towards the Sui soldiers.
"Banner Master!"
Mandulang appeared before Mandulatu with a face full of guilt. He wiped the blood and sweat from his face and said sadly, "It's all my fault. I couldn't accompany the young banner master in the attack. He left me to guard the rear, and I should have stopped him!"
"This is not the time for such talk."
Mandulatu roared, "If you can't rescue my son, you will naturally die with him! So, you should be leading your men into battle instead of talking to me here! If Mandulatu really can't be rescued, I guarantee your corpse will be a pile of mud!"
"Yes! I will lead the troops to continue the attack."
Mandulang loudly agreed, then handed the torch in his hand to Mandulatu's personal guard. The guard instinctively took it, still closely guarding Mandulatu's side.
Mandulang spurred his horse away, a murderous glint in his eyes as he turned. If his previous display of remorse contained even a trace of sincerity, Mandulatu's furious words completely dispelled it.
Behind a tent only thirty paces from Mandulatu, Agudamu, hidden in the shadows, saw Mandulatu's face illuminated by the torchlight. He smiled coldly and took out a Sui dynasty armor-piercing spike he had picked up earlier. Without the torch, he couldn't identify Mandulatu in the darkness. And without Mandulang speaking up, he couldn't stop Mandulatu.
The torch was deliberately handed to the guard by Mandulang.
Agudamu rested the spike on his horsebow, took a deep breath, and pulled the bowstring taut. With a soft whirring sound, the spike flew swiftly. The thirty paces were covered in an instant. Agudamu's archery skills were excellent; at this distance, it was impossible for him to miss.
And so, Mandulatu, the banner chief of Mandu Banner, died so easily and simply. A Sui dynasty armor-piercing spike was lodged in his throat; no one suspected it was a Sui arrow fired from the shadows. Of course, no one doubted Mandulang's motives in handing the torch to his personal guard.
"These Sui arrows are indeed effective," Agudamu muttered to himself, then turned and fled.
"The banner chief is dead!"
A cry of shock and terror rang out; the Mandu Banner forces were utterly defeated.
Even the Sui people hadn't anticipated winning this decisive battle so easily.