novelAbuy Chapter 139 Courageous Knights Charge into the Enemy's Camp
Chapter 139 Courageous Knights Charge into the Enemy's Camp
The night was as dark as ink, the moon hung in the sky, and a thousand-strong cavalry quietly left the city.
As darkness fell and the mountain path became rugged and difficult to traverse, military orders forbade the lighting of torches. Instead, relying solely on the moonlight and starlight, the riders carefully advanced, one after another, with the reins wrapped tightly around their hands.
The warhorse's hooves were wrapped in cloth, the bridle and bit were tightened, and its mouth was tied with a strip of cloth to prevent it from neighing.
Commander Kang Sili led the way. He was a native of the Yinshan tribe, born in Yingzhou outside Yanmen Pass. He served under two generations of Jin kings, Li Keyong and Li Cunxu, and his footprints covered the mountains and valleys around Taiyuan. He could walk this road with his eyes closed without getting lost. (Note 1)
Initially, Li Cunxu, seeing that Hedong was a small region with few soldiers, trained his troops by ordering that cavalrymen should not ride horses if they did not see the enemy.
As a seasoned general, Kang Sili naturally understood the military strategy of alerting the enemy as late as possible, conserving strength, and then launching a sudden attack.
After traveling for less than half an hour, a few torches could be seen faintly ahead, while a dark mass stretched endlessly, blocking the way. This was the enemy's main camp!
Several barks suddenly rang out.
The Khitans brought many mastiffs to serve as night watchmen; even a faint scent of humans on the wind was enough to make these beasts howl incessantly.
Without Kang Sili's instructions, the entire army, from officers to cavalrymen, reacted in the same way: they tore off the cloth strips binding the horses' mouths, flipped over, stepped onto the stirrups, and gave the horses a hard tug, accelerating into a gallop.
The order for this battle, numbered Jia, had been circulated among all the armies long before the battle began.
"Do not linger in battle, just advance, break through the enemy camp, and deliver a message—the imperial reinforcements are already at Tuanbai Valley!"
The night sentry fired a few sparse arrows, not to block, but to serve as a warning.
Whoosh~~
The night wind, through the hollowed-out whistling arrowhead, emitted a sharp, long sound, which, along with the barking of dogs, broke the silence of the dark night.
The next moment, amidst the noise, a clear, tinkling sound rang out as the warhorse struck the suspension rope, causing the bells attached to the rope to sway incessantly.
The mastiffs, whistling arrows, and hanging bells served primarily as warnings and could not stop the cavalry's advance. What truly halted Kang Sili and his thousand cavalry were the chevaux-de-frise, deer antlers, wooden palisades, trenches, earthen ramparts, and the Khitan camp, which had been awakened from its slumber.
By blocking key roads and hindering passage, the cavalry's speed would be reduced, thus losing its greatest advantage. This small force would only end up being slaughtered by an enemy force many times its size.
If the two armies were to engage in open field battles, the cavalry would find it very easy to deal with these obstacles by maneuvering around them and finding other weak points.
However, this battle is different from the usual ones. The chance of victory lies in surprise, and the goal is not to defeat the enemy.
In extreme cases, even if the entire army is wiped out, only one rider needs to charge forward; one rider is enough.
As Kang Sili told Long Min, the outcome would be decided within an hour. If they could not break through the enemy camp quickly, and the Khitan army mobilized its troops to surround them, this raid was destined to fail.
Approaching the enemy camp, the vanguard dismounted and cleared obstacles, removing barricades, cutting down antlers, and pushing down wooden fences to make way for their comrades.
Just as they cleared a gap for a few cavalry to ride abreast, the rear guard swarmed in.
We need to take advantage of the precious time before the enemy can react and penetrate as deep as possible.
Yelü Deguang and Shi Jingtang's allied forces deployed their troops by taking advantage of the narrow terrain between the western mountains and the Fen River to the east, setting up numerous camps to block the government troops' retreat route to the south.
Without the help of terrain, let alone 100,000 troops, even if the number were doubled, spread out along a battle line fifty miles thick and over a hundred miles long, they would be sparse and loose, no different from a piece of paper that could be pierced with a single poke.
The northern part of the camp needed to be guarded against Zhang Jingda leading his troops to break out, while the eastern and southeastern parts were confronting the reinforcements of Fan Yanguang and Zhao Dejun. Therefore, the northern part of the camp was more important than the southern part, and the eastern part was more important than the western part.
The southwest corner is the weakest point in the enemy camp, and that's where the opportunity lies!
Enemy troops appeared one after another, in groups of ten or more, harassing the enemy with arrows from a distance. Occasionally, a few brave soldiers would attack, but they did not pose a threat.
The government forces currently have a numerical advantage, but Kang Sili understands that this short-term advantage will not last long.
"Don't get entangled with them, just charge forward!"
Despite repeated reminders not to linger in battle, Kang Sili still shouted at the top of his lungs and led the charge on horseback.
Although Long Min was a civil official, the people of Youyan were skilled riders and followed closely by his side without falling behind.
In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the cavalry charged through several camps, scattered the hastily arriving enemy troops, and penetrated more than ten miles into the enemy ranks.
The knights lowered their heads, pressed close to their horses as they charged, avoiding being hit by stray arrows. Those cavalrymen who were intercepted, whose horses were struck by arrows, and unable to continue, stayed behind for the final battle.
Once surrounded by the Khitans, the only option was to fight to the death. Since they had volunteered to be death warriors, none of them thought of surrendering to save their lives.
Kang Sili glanced back and saw that the battle formation was still in good order, with only a few dozen riders falling behind.
Looking further ahead, the enemy camp stretched endlessly, layer upon layer, instilling a sense of despair that made it impossible to break through.
The Khitans, having realized what was happening, gradually gathered together. They mounted their horses and were ready to fight. One after another, hundreds of riders appeared and began to launch close-quarters attacks.
"Get out of the way!"
The brave general Lang Wanjin brandished his broadsword and rushed to the front to clear the way. Kang Sili and Long Min, escorted by his cavalry, followed him as they broke through the blockade.
With a flash of light, a Khitan cavalryman was cut down from his horse.
In the darkness, the weapons could not be seen from the direction they came from, and both sides attacked based on instinct, with a single strike deciding life or death.
Sigh, I should have died two years ago.
At that time, Li Congke raised an army and marched west. Kang Sili was then the military governor of Shanzhou. He originally planned to hold the city and wait for reinforcements. Unexpectedly, the Pengsheng Army, which had surrendered first, attracted his comrades who were helping to defend Shanzhou and they rushed out to welcome him.
Kang Sili hesitated for a moment, but failed to pledge his loyalty and die for his country. He followed the city out to surrender and lived a miserable life for the past two years.
The veteran secretly made up his mind.
When Li Siyuan ascended the throne, he appointed Yingzhou, the place of his birth, as his prime minister. I will repay this kindness with my old life today.
……
In less than half an hour, the cavalry broke through most of the camps. Kang Sili looked back again and saw that there were still more than 800 riders left.
At first glance, the damage doesn't seem significant, but the formation has become elongated and narrower, starting to appear slightly scattered from the rear, and showing a tendency to spread forward.
The Khitan army not only blocked them from the front, but also pursued them from the rear, continuously attacking the trailing cavalry.
Kang Sili knew that the situation was turning from favorable to unfavorable, and he could clearly feel the pressure becoming heavier and heavier. The further he went, the more difficult it became.
Although he was riding a fine, well-bred horse, after running at full speed for half an hour, he was already panting heavily.
Normally, a post station was set up every thirty li, and it was stipulated that one must change horses upon reaching the post station. This time, there was no time to change horses leisurely, so they had to run to their destination in one go.
A line of enemy cavalry, numbering over a thousand, appeared ahead.
"Charge!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Kang Sili led the charge, determined not to stop there, but to break through the enemy lines before them.
The cavalrymen interlocked in a wedge formation, clashing violently and becoming a chaotic mess, filled with shouts of men and horses, the clash of weapons, and the screams of the wounded and dying.
The brief exchange resulted in the most casualties to date. When Kang Sili, Lang Wanjin, Long Min, and others charged out of the enemy lines, fewer than 500 cavalrymen were able to follow.
Kang Sili took a few deep breaths. After all, he was over sixty years old and his energy was not what it used to be. Fortunately, his guards were capable and he was not injured.
He knew perfectly well that if they encountered another organized enemy force interception, their entire army could collapse at any moment.
"Execute Order B!"
Kang Sili didn't even have time to organize the team before issuing new orders.
Order No. B: Do not be stingy with your horses, do not stop to rest, do not follow the general, fight each other when encountering the enemy, and strive to break through the enemy camp!
As the fourth watch approaches, the sky enters the Yin hour, the moon sets and the sun rises, it is the darkest time before dawn.
The next moment, the sky turned white, and the night receded like the tide.
Just as a glimmer of hope rose in everyone's heart, it was shattered by reality: a Khitan elite cavalry force stood in the way of the remaining three hundred or so brave soldiers, while the total number was as high as three thousand.
There were no more military tents behind the Khitan troops; they were already at the edge of the continuous camp, just one step away from breaking through the encirclement.
However, this step seems so close yet so far.
"Stop them! Don't let a single one get through!"
The leading Khitan general was Gao Mohan, who had rushed to intercept them upon hearing the news. Yelü Deguang praised him as a brave general of the nation. He swung the iron mace in his hand and looked at the exhausted and weary troops with the eyes of a jackal hunting its prey.
Lang Wanjin took the lead and, despite sustaining multiple injuries, remained as spirited as ever.
"General Kang, you and Minister Long go first. I'll go and meet this barbarian general!"
On the battlefield, there's no time for sentimentality; someone has to step forward. Kang Sili was quite decisive: "Now that we're here, everyone, let's fight with all our might!"
No one knew whether the old general was referring to "you gentlemen" or "the army."
Kang Sili came from a tribe and was illiterate, so of course he had never read the Analects.
Zilu asked his father, "Does a gentleman value courage?"
Confucius said, "The superior man regards righteousness as the highest virtue."
Fighting against foreign invaders is a noble cause, and their actions can be described as righteous and courageous. This volunteer army took the initiative to charge towards an enemy ten times their size.
When Gao Mohan saw a general step forward, he stopped his subordinates who were about to fire arrows and rode up to meet him.
A large sword came crashing down, but Gao Mohan, confident in his superior strength, swung his mace to parry, the blade swaying to the side.
After several exchanges, the two horses crossed paths, and the iron maces fell heavily.
Lang Wanjin parried with his sword, his arms aching and exhausted from the long battle. His mace struck him on the head, shattering his helmet and head to pieces.
"His swordsmanship is not bad, but his strength is lacking. Under normal circumstances, he might be able to fight someone for several more rounds."
Gao Mohan flicked away the few drops of blood and brain matter that had stained his face and calmly assessed his opponent.
However, the time that Lang Wanjin bought with his life was not in vain. Although most of his men fell to the swords and spears of the Khitan army, Kang Sili led a few dozen cavalrymen to break through the blockade with all their might!
"Release the arrows!"
As Gao Mohan gave the order, he took out a powerful bow, took out a three-edged armor-piercing steel arrow, nocked it on the string, aimed at the man who appeared to be the commander, and fired it fiercely!
The long arrow flew swiftly like a shooting star, arriving behind Kang Sili in an instant.
The veteran general, with his rich battlefield experience, did not let his guard down even after breaking through the enemy lines, and used his shield to protect his back.
puff!
Gao Mohan's powerful arrow was incredibly strong, piercing through the shield and still having some force left, breaking through the back armor and penetrating the flesh an inch deep.
Kang Sili's body suddenly lurched forward, but fortunately he did not fall off his horse.
The knights under Gao Mohan spurred their horses onward, their steeds powerful and quick to catch up. At that point, the remaining troops would be utterly annihilated, with no chance of survival.
"Is all this a failure?" Kang Sili sighed to the heavens.
At the critical moment, the gates of Jin'an Village opened wide, dust flew everywhere, and a cavalry force galloped in.
The two leading generals were none other than Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing!