The fighting lasted all night. As the sun rose above the eastern horizon and climbed over Wolf's Milk Mountain, the battle finally ceased. The victorious Sui soldiers began cleaning the battlefield and tallying the casualties. Before the battle, no one had anticipated such a glorious and exhilarating victory.
At least three hundred prisoners, under the guard of the Sui army, searched the battlefield for the bodies of Mandulatu and his son. From the prisoners' confessions, the Sui generals finally understood why Mandulatu had led all his troops in at the last moment. This was certainly not a decision a competent commander should make, but he was a devoted father.
Finally, Mandulatu was found among a pile of corpses. It seemed these loyal personal guards intended to take their banner leader's body back, but ultimately failed to break through the encirclement. The density of corpses in this small area was astonishing, not only those of Mongol soldiers but also a large number of Sui soldiers.
This demonstrates the immense fighting power unleashed by Mandulatu's personal guard in their final moments. Despite being outnumbered, they killed almost as many Sui soldiers as they lost. In such a desperate situation, the power that people unleash is immeasurable. In their last moments, they may have lost all thought of victory or defeat; only the thought of bringing their banner leader's body home sustained them.
Shortly after finding Mandulatu's body, the prisoners found Mandula, almost trampled flat by his warhorse. The young Mongol warrior's wounds were indistinguishable; at least twenty arrows had been pulled from his body. His eyes were open, his death unfulfilled.
Perhaps, in his final moments, he saw a glimmer of hope.
His father's cries echoed in the distance. Whether Mandula was an adult or not, at that moment, his dependence on his father must have been intense.
But this is war; familial love is precious, but death is the dominant theme.
Prince Yang Kai stared blankly at Mandulatu's corpse, then walked to the bodies of the Sui soldiers who had died fighting the retreating Mongol troops and solemnly saluted. At that moment, regardless of what the others were thinking, they all followed Yang Kai's lead and saluted.
The decisive victory over Mandulatu's main force was the most glorious triumph the Sui Dynasty had achieved since its advance. Although it came at a great cost, its significance would undoubtedly be recorded in history.
Besides eliminating the enemy's main force, the greatest gain was no less than 30,000 warhorses. For the Sui army, this was an incredibly valuable and exciting asset; they had never possessed such a number of warhorses before. Undoubtedly, the Sui army would soon have a powerful light cavalry force.
Although the Sui Dynasty was severely lacking in warhorses, during daily training, some soldiers with exceptional physical abilities were specifically selected to take turns training in riding and archery on the limited number of warhorses available. These men could easily control their warhorses, though not yet with the same agility as the Mongol generals, but they quickly adapted to their new roles.
Because of these 30,000-plus warhorses, the Sui army's generals were practically green with envy. Even before the battlefield was cleared, they began arguing, each hoping to receive more horses. When the debate failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion, they handed the decision-making power to the previously forgotten army commander, Prince Yang Kai of Xu County.
"I intend to petition His Majesty to allocate 20,000 of these 30,000-plus warhorses to form a pure cavalry force, led by a suitable candidate. The remaining approximately 16,000 warhorses should be distributed equally among the generals of the various guards. While this may not satisfy everyone, it will at least enhance the army's combat strength and increase the number of scouts," the commander said.
Thus, even those who were dissatisfied could not argue further.
After calming down, they began discussing how to form the Sui Dynasty's first truly significant cavalry force. Some suggested selecting outstanding soldiers from each of the various guards to form the unit, but the average of five thousand men per guard was unacceptable to the generals. Those transferred were all battle-hardened soldiers, and even if the same number were returned, they felt they had been shortchanged.
In the end, the matter was dropped. Prince Yang Kai of Xu County sent men to escort twenty thousand warhorses back to Fangu, placing them under the management of the logistics officials. Other matters would be decided after consulting with the Emperor. Ahead of these warhorses were the messengers heading to Chang'an to deliver the news. They donned red cloaks and brand-new clothes, riding Mongol warhorses towards the capital. Although their speed couldn't match that of carrier pigeons, the Emperor preferred to hear firsthand accounts of this great victory.
"We cannot become complacent just because we have won."
Prince Yang Kai of Xu County said during a meeting with the generals of the four guards, "The main force of the Mandu Banner has been wiped out, and the number of fleeing enemies will not exceed five thousand. However, these five thousand will regroup in a very short time and elect a new general to lead them. If we wait for them to organize the herdsmen and distribute weapons and armor, it will be difficult for us to quickly control the entire Mandu Banner."
"Therefore..."
Yang Kai paused and said, "I have decided to temporarily gather the warhorses allocated to the various guards and hand them over to General Li Yuanshan. He will lead the light cavalry and his heavy cavalry to pursue the enemy and not give the Mandu Banner any chance to regroup. We must quell the last resistance as quickly as possible, and then the main army will immediately march west to set up defenses on the western border of the Mandu Banner. We have completed a small part of the task His Majesty entrusted to us... Next, we must counterattack while maintaining a stable defense, and we must not allow Möngke's reinforcements to set foot on this grassland again!"
...
...
New Year's Eve.
While the Sui army decisively defeated Mandulatu on the northwestern grasslands, a grand annual banquet was being held in the Taiji Palace of Chang'an. Every New Year's Eve, the emperor would host a grand feast for his officials. He would also invite respected elders from Chang'an to sit beside the emperor and celebrate the arrival of the new year together.
The Sui Dynasty revered filial piety, and although the invited elders were of ordinary status, they would receive the highest honors and respect on this night. This was an example of His Majesty's call for the people to uphold filial piety, so the elders could enjoy privileges such as being personally toasted by the emperor.
Besides these elders, retired officials who had not left Chang'an would also return to the Taiji Palace to enjoy the respect they received. On New Year's Day, His Majesty would wear his most solemn robes and, with his harem and court officials, go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices to his ancestors, and then to the Mingtan Altar to pray for the people. But tonight, the emperor did not need to wear his heavy and magnificent robes; in his casual attire, he appeared more approachable and natural.
As the top-ranked student in the martial arts academy's entrance examination, Fang Jie naturally had the opportunity to participate in this grand banquet. However, because they held no official position and were the youngest, they were arranged to sit at the very edge according to custom. This suited Fang Jie perfectly; he disliked the insincere formalities of toasting and drinking.
He was lazy, in some ways.
Zhuo Buyi also held no official position and had no connections with the court officials. Therefore, he sat with the students of the martial arts academy—a seat he had chosen himself. Even so, his simple clothes stood out conspicuously among the richly dressed crowd. None of the students at the table recognized him except Fang Jie, so they were all somewhat surprised that this not-so-old, plain-clothed fellow had managed to sneak in.
Zhuo Buyi naturally ignored the students' questioning glances. If he could refuse, he wouldn't even be present at such an event.
"Not comfortable?"
He asked Fang Jie.
Fang Jie smiled and nodded, saying softly, "You seem even more uncomfortable than I am."
Zhuo Buyi hummed in agreement, poured himself a cup of wine, and took a sip. "Every year at the grand banquet, His Majesty gives me a seat. But this kind of occasion is clearly unsuitable for me, not because I'm uncomfortable here."
"You're so envious."
Fang Jie chuckled, "Although you're dressed in plain clothes, if you revealed your identity, half the people present would be in awe of you, and the other half would be thinking about how to curry favor with you."
Zhuo Buyi sighed, "That's the real problem. I'm really afraid His Majesty will suddenly have a whim and point his finger at me in front of all the officials." "The Master said, 'This guy! He's the top henchman of the Imperial Guard!'"
"Top henchman..."
Fang Jie couldn't help but laugh: "That title is quite fitting."
Zhuo Buyi said, "You'd better think about how to handle this. His Majesty will definitely make you stand up and say something in front of everyone. Everyone here is a learned scholar; if you don't speak well, you'll be ridiculed. You're supposed to excel in five humanities subjects; you can't let your ignorance show the moment you open your mouth."
"Flattery will always work; just pick out the most flowery words when you're praising him."
Fang Jie stuffed a piece of cooked meat into his mouth, eating rather unrefined. As the only female student among the ten students from the Martial Arts Academy entering the palace, Marilyn occasionally stole glances at Fang Jie sitting opposite her. She hadn't recovered from the grief of losing her friends, so she was somewhat repulsed by this celebratory scene.
His Majesty naturally knew about the successive killings of the Martial Arts Academy students, but obviously, it couldn't be mentioned during the welcoming ceremony. Marilyn felt something was off about Fang Jie sitting opposite her. It wasn't until the Emperor summoned him and he stood up that she realized Fang Jie wasn't wearing formal attire, but rather the battle uniform of a scout. Compared to the others, he looked completely out of place.
Fang Jie approached the Emperor, gave a meticulous bow, and then stood up to offer New Year's greetings on behalf of the students of the Martial Arts Academy. The academy's professors had taught him this etiquette countless times, and Fang Jie performed it perfectly. Except for the inappropriate clothing, there was nothing wrong with it.
When the Emperor asked him to say a few words to the court officials, Fang Jie straightened his posture.
Princess Yang Wanyi, who utterly despised Fang Jie, glared at him fiercely, wishing he would embarrass himself in front of the entire court. When she saw that Fang Jie was wearing military uniform, the word "country bumpkin" immediately came to mind.
"Logically, I should have written a magnificent and ornate piece," Fang Jie said with a smile, standing before the crowd.
"Before coming here, I considered for a long time whether I should wear formal attire to the banquet, but after hesitating, I decided against it for three reasons..."
"First, eating in loose-fitting robes is very inconvenient."
This remark immediately drew laughter from the crowd, much of it sarcastic. Fang Jie ignored them and continued, "Secondly, I am a student of the Martial Arts Academy, so naturally I am involved in martial arts. As everyone knows, those who graduate from the Martial Arts Academy must join the army to fight for the country. Therefore, in my opinion, martial attire is the most solemn way to pay homage to His Majesty."
"Third…"
Fang Jie's gaze swept over the crowd before he slowly said, "I am a lowly soldier from the border city of Fangu. Right now, the imperial army of 700,000 is fighting against the Mongol barbarians west of Fangu. Because those damned barbarians slaughtered 2,000 civilians and 800 border soldiers in Fangu! I… am the only surviving member of the Fangu border army, but this survival fills me with guilt, because in my final moments I was not standing beside my comrades with a weapon, not with them…" "We died together. Now the Sui army is sweeping across the grasslands, avenging my former comrades. I cannot fight and kill, but I can wear the border army uniform and cheer for my soldiers!"
"I am a rough man."
Fang Jie said, word by word, "But whether before entering the Martial Arts Academy or after leaving it, I am a soldier of the Sui Dynasty! Now, I dare to offer a toast to His Majesty and all the officials on behalf of those soldiers who salute His Majesty from the vast grasslands west of Fangu towards Chang'an!"
Holding the wine cup, Fang Jie's heart pounded slightly: "May the Sui Dynasty prosper for ten thousand generations. May the Sui army return in triumph. To His Majesty!"
"To the people!"
The Emperor actually stood up and solemnly raised his cup.
Everyone was stunned; no one expected Fang Jie to say such a thing. And the Princess of the Sui Dynasty, looking at Fang Jie again, suddenly found him much more pleasing to the eye.