Chapter 330. The Great Battle of Hubodagang 1 — The First Drumbeat
The first drumbeat sounded.
Samyoari's right wing moved first.
The Jurchen cavalry did not spread across a wide front. They rode at an angle, skimming past the front of the Liao central army.
Arrows flew.
Spearpoints flashed.
The front ranks of the Liao army raised their shields.
As the two sides clashed, withdrew, and closed again several times, the command banners over the Liao center began to wave frantically.
The Jin army did not drive in deeply from the start.
Mounted archers approached first, loosed their arrows, and pulled away.
Hundreds, then thousands of arrows darkened the sky at once.
The vanguard struck at the Liao front and flanks, then immediately withdrew.
This first exchange was meant to reveal how the Liao army would respond.
If the center held firm and both wings opened in coordination, it was a trap.
If the center stopped while the wings failed to move in time, then the enemy was trying to fight while still in retreat.
Youngwoo watched the banners.
Command flags rose from the Liao center.
But the tribal forces on either side did not move at the same pace.
One unit looked forward.
Another turned toward the flank.
Another hesitated among wagons and horses.
The central army, burdened with protecting the emperor's carriage, could move freely neither forward nor backward.
Youngwoo spoke quietly.
"They are not moving together. The center and the wings are out of step."
Wanyan Zonghan's eyes sharpened.
"You mean they are fighting while retreating?"
"Yes. The imperial guards are holding the center, but the wings cannot keep pace with them.
"We must go in now."
Aguda had seen the same difference.
The right wing struck once more and drew the Liao army's attention.
The moment the imperial guards around the center surged forward to meet them, Aguda dropped his hand.
The left wing moved.
Dolhapsok's waiting cavalry lowered their horses' heads and charged as one.
They drove through the dust and arrows raised by the right wing.
While the Liao front was committing its strength in one direction, a new blade entered from the other.
From that moment, the battlefield changed.
The Jin did not create a broad battle line.
Every movement converged on the Liao center.
No matter where a unit entered, it advanced toward the central army.
The right wing engaged.
The left drove forward.
The main force pressed from behind.
The Liao imperial guards tried to hold, but a formation burdened with protecting the emperor's carriage could not change direction quickly.
Wagons, horses, men, and banners began to tangle together.
Aguda shouted,
"Split the center!"
At the command, the Jin cavalry surged forward as one mass.
Hooves hammered the frozen ground.
Spearpoints lowered.
The front ranks of the Liao center were driven backward.
The ranks behind them stopped without knowing what was happening ahead.
Into that gap, the Jin cavalry drove.
At that moment, Youngwoo's Goryeo-Balhae force moved as well.
"We go too."
The mounted archers raised their bows together at the signal.
Peeeeep! Pip!
The whistle cut short, and the banner dropped.
Hundreds of bowstrings snapped as one.
Thrum! Thrum-thrum! Thrum-thrum-thrum!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows poured down upon the faces and throats of the Liao front ranks, the chests of their horses, and the men around the banners.
The Liao soldiers raised their shields and lowered their heads.
At that instant, the heavy cavalry began to move.
Men and horses alike were armored.
Everything but their eyes was covered in silver plates.
Horse armor protected the neck and chest.
The cavalrymen's spearpoints gathered low.
Shields covered the front, while iron plates flashed white beneath the winter light.
The heavy cavalry advanced to the beat of the drums.
Their hooves struck the ground in the same rhythm.
Their lowered spearpoints aimed directly at the Liao front line.
Shields and horse armor covered the advance, while iron scales flashed in the cold light.
Men and horses moved forward like a single iron hammer.
They were the Jurchen Iron Pagoda Cavalry.
At first, they had been awkward.
They had already gone through three or four battles, however.
In the beginning, there had been only a handful of them.
Their equipment had been irregular, each rider armored differently from the next.
But now their numbers had grown considerably.
Nearly thirty percent wore heavy armor.
They took responsibility for the front of the charge.
This was where Youngwoo's efforts showed most clearly.
He had gone from tribe to tribe persuading them that proper armor meant survival.
He had pleaded everywhere for iron plates to be gathered.
And now cavalry clad in silver armor were charging toward the enemy.
They continued forward even beneath a rain of arrows.
Enemy swords and spears struck at them, yet they drove on.
The first collision came with crushing weight.
Horse struck horse.
Spear shafts bent.
Arrows buried themselves in shields.
Still, the heavy cavalry did not stop.
Arrows glanced from iron plates.
Spearpoints slid across horse armor.
When the foremost riders were pushed back even slightly, the horses behind drove them forward again.
The Liao front held for a moment, only to find itself trapped between its own troops pressing from behind and the Jin cavalry forcing its way in from the front.
Army struck army.
Flights of arrows crossed overhead toward the opposing ranks.
Swords and spears swung.
Shields rose to meet them.
Both sides fought in much the same way.
Yet somehow, it was the Liao soldiers who kept falling.
The Jin troops were brave, but courage alone was not the difference.
The difference was armor.
The heavily armored cavalry at the front could take a blow and remain in the saddle