Chapter 329. 3. Catching Up at Hubodagang
The Jin army caught up with the Liao forces near Hubodagang.
What first came into view was not the majesty of an imperial army, but the hurried traces of men moving under pressure.
Deep wagon ruts cut into the red loess road.
Torn sacks of fodder lay scattered along the roadside.
Ropes once used to bind tents had snagged on branches and fluttered in the wind.
Across the frozen ground, the tracks of men, horses, and wagons crossed one another in confusion.
The Liao army was still immense.
Tents and banners covered the plain.
Even the troops stretched along the rear were enough to show how much strength Liao had gathered.
Wagons, horses, tribal banners, and long formations of Han soldiers filled the region around Hubodagang.
But the column was uneven.
Provision wagons were pressed together at the front.
Tribal troops lagged behind.
The central army repeatedly slowed as it protected the emperor's carriage and imperial guards.
Though all were moving in the same direction, their pace and spacing varied from unit to unit.
A forward scout came riding back.
His horse's neck was soaked in sweat, and his cheeks were red from the winter wind.
He jumped down and reported at once.
"The Liao army is spread across the Hubodagang area. Their rear is stretched out. The banners of the central army keep stopping. The provision wagons and tribal formations are moving out of step."
The command tent fell silent.
The Liao army was still vast.
Tianzuo's banner had not disappeared.
But at last the Jin commanders could see where the battle should be fought.
They did not need to fight all seven hundred thousand men.
They needed to strike the central army that moved those seven hundred thousand.
Aguda stepped toward the sand table.
The Liao formation, marked with black flags, spread broadly across it.
The rear stretched long.
The central army had halted near Hubodagang.
The tribal forces on both sides were following at different intervals.
Aguda placed a finger on the thickest concentration of black markers.
"There."
Wanyan Zonghan asked,
"The central army?"
Aguda nodded.
"If Tianzuo is there, he will be in the strongest position. They are many, and we are few. If we fight across a wide front, our strength will scatter first. We do not need to fight all those men. We only need to break the central army where the emperor stands."
The expressions of the commanders changed.
The number seven hundred thousand crushed the spirit simply by being spoken.
But the order to strike the center created a path.
This was no longer a battle against the whole enemy.
It was a battle aimed at the heart.
Aguda continued.
"Do not covet the wings. Do not be distracted by cutting down the rear. Do not stop for wagons or provisions. If Tianzuo's banner begins to shake, all those men will shake with it.
"Today, we are not striking at the number of their soldiers.
"We are striking at the emperor's place."
Samyoari stepped forward.
"The right wing will engage first."
Aguda looked at him.
"Good. The right wing will go first and strike at the front of the central army. Clear away whatever blocks you and drive straight toward the center. Do not go too deep. Watch how the Liao deploy.
"If the center holds and both wings move with it, withdraw.
"If the center stops and the wings fail to close in on time, drive in again."
Dolhapsok asked,
"When do we commit the left wing?"
Aguda moved one of the red markers across the sand table.
"The right wing engages first and fixes their attention. The moment they concentrate their strength toward the right, the left wing goes in.
"We are not spreading both sides wide.
"One side engages first. Then the other drives in.
"In the end, all our strength converges on the enemy's center."
Youngwoo listened in silence.
They would not divide the army.
Aguda's judgment was simple.
The enemy was numerous.
They were few.
So they would not divide their strength.
The emperor stood at the strongest point.
Break that central army, and the rest would follow.
Aguda looked around at his commanders.
"Today is not a day to chase plunder.
"It is not a day to kill every Liao soldier before us.
"It is a day to break their center and force Tianzuo back.
"If the emperor's carriage is pushed away, the wagons behind it will clog the road. The troops ahead will turn to look. The tribal armies will begin searching for their own way out.
"From that moment on, even if they number in the hundreds of thousands, they will no longer be able to help one another."
Wanyan Zonghan answered quietly,
"It shall be done as commanded."
Aguda raised his hand.
"Strip away unnecessary baggage. Lighten the horses.
"The right wing engages first.
"The left waits for the signal.
"The center supports them without wavering.
"The instant the Liao center opens, the cavalry cuts straight through the middle."
The orders spread outside the command tent.
Baggage was removed from the horses.
Quivers were filled again.
Spear straps were tightened.
The cavalry of the right wing formed first.
The left wing stood slightly behind, waiting for the signal.
The main force moved low through the dust, supporting them from the rear.
Red dust hung close to the winter ground at Hubodagang.
The emperor's banner could be seen above the Liao center.
Around it, the spearpoints of the imperial guards stood thick and dense.
It was the strongest point in the entire formation.
That was why Aguda chose it