Five thousand elite soldiers of the Sui Right Valiant Guard crossed the Wolf Breast Mountain Gorge. After emerging from the gorge, they advanced five li westward before halting, forming a defensive formation. They quickly deployed chevaux-de-frise on the outermost perimeter, and archers advanced in an orderly fashion, forming dense ranks inside the chevaux-de-frise.
The seven or eight Manchu cavalrymen who had sacrificed their lives bought time for their comrades to retreat. Emperor Li Xiaozong only had two hundred cavalrymen, making them extremely valuable. He did not order his cavalry to continue pursuing the three fleeing Mongol cavalrymen. The army's exit from the Qing Gorge could not be concealed; losing dozens more cavalrymen in pursuit of those three scouts would be a net loss.
Even if the three scouts were not let go, the Manchu cavalry would soon discover the Sui army.
The five thousand Sui infantrymen, in a fan-shaped formation, arranged in multiple horizontal columns, formed a solid bulwark. Their mission was to defend the western entrance of the Langru Mountain Gorge for the main force that followed. This was a crucial passage connecting east and west, and it absolutely could not be allowed to fall back into the hands of the Mongols. If Mandulatu mobilized a large force to defend the gorge, even with 700,000 elite Sui troops east of Langru Mountain, it wouldn't be easy for them to break through.
The Manduqi capital, Yuntai City, was no less than 1,500 li (approximately 750 kilometers) from the Langru Mountain range. Even if Mandulatu learned of the Sui army's large-scale mobilization, it would take considerable time to gather troops and reach Qingxia. In Niepan City, there were only 2,000 Manduqi cavalry. If the Niepan City commander, Mandulang, was wise enough, his only option was to hold the city and await reinforcements from Mandulatu.
Therefore, Li Xiaozong's task seemed relatively easy.
The well-trained Right Valiant Guard troops quickly formed ranks, and thirty crossbow carts were positioned in front of the archers. The heavy crossbows, meticulously crafted by the Sui Dynasty's Martial Arts Workshop, could easily launch massive bolts six hundred paces. At three hundred paces, they could pierce armored warhorses; at two hundred paces, they could tear man and horse in two; and at one hundred paces, stopping a heavy crossbow required skewering six or seven corpses like candied hawthorns.
Emperor Tianyou of the Sui Dynasty had been preparing for this war since the beginning of his reign. For over eleven years, the various workshops of the Sui Dynasty had been secretly producing weapons and equipment for the war. This equipment was transported through the Imperial Trade System and stored in several imperial palaces in the northwest. Therefore, when the emperor decided to wage war, enough armor and weaponry to equip an army of one million was already in the storehouses.
According to the Sui Dynasty's military system, every fifty men formed a squad, led by a squad leader. Every one hundred men formed a brigade, led by a brigade commander. Every three hundred men formed a regiment, led by a colonel. Every one thousand two hundred men formed a detachment, led by a commandant. Twelve thousand men formed an army, led by a general. Forty-eight thousand men formed a guard, led by a grand general.
Li Xiaozong was merely a junior officer, commanding four guerrilla battalions. The commanders of these battalions were of his rank but under his command.
Junior officer Pan Mei was ordered to supervise the soldiers' deployment of defenses. This was his first time participating in a foreign war, so he was understandably excited. After completing the deployment, he turned to report to Li Xiaozong. Looking at this general, as young as himself, he felt some resentment, but the strict military discipline of the Sui Dynasty compelled him to obey and maintain a certain level of respect for his superior.
"General!"
Pan Mei called out, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "The archers are deployed. If Mandulang's men dare to come, they absolutely won't be able to break through the arrow array."
"Don't be arrogant."
Li Xiaozong shook his head. "You haven't fought against the Mongol cavalry, so you don't know how fast their light cavalry is. Let me ask you, based on your past experience training troops, from the moment infantry enters the archers' range until they reach you, how many arrows can the archers fire?"
"A qualified archer can fire at least eight arrows. An elite archer can fire ten."
Pan Mei was somewhat uncomfortable with Li Xiaozong's tone, but still gave a serious answer.
Li Xiaozong nodded: "Then, let me tell you... If the enemy is Mongol light cavalry, from the moment they enter firing range until they reach the front lines, even elite archers can barely fire four arrows. And that's after allowing the archers time to quickly retreat behind the spear formation. In other words... elite archers can only fire a maximum of three arrows before immediately turning and retreating."
Pan Mei's expression changed, and she couldn't help but ask, "General, have you ever fought against the Mongols?"
"No."
Li Xiaozong shook his head and said seriously, "But I spent ten years familiarizing myself with..." "Before entering the martial arts academy, I disguised myself as a merchant's child and secretly traveled across the border to the edge of the grasslands. Although I didn't venture deep into Mongol territory, I still witnessed their cavalry firsthand. During my three years as a general in Fangu, I sent out countless scouts to investigate the movements of the Manchu cavalry. In order to gain more information about the enemy, I lost more than fifteen of my best scouts."
"Let's not even talk about the regular Mongol cavalry; just consider their herdsmen. Boys as young as four dare to climb onto horseback, and by six or seven they can gallop at full speed. Children as young as twelve or thirteen are already skilled in archery and horsemanship..." "A galloping horse can shoot a hare thirty paces away! Even Mongol women, once they climb onto horseback and wield a scimitar, are warriors!"
Pan Mei said somewhat discontentedly, "General, your words sound like you're boosting the enemy's morale."
"No."
Li Xiaozong said, "It's the most basic understanding of the enemy. Our Sui soldiers have never been defeated, so pride... but pride is not arrogance."
Another general, Zhao Sen, noticing the awkwardness in their conversation, quickly stepped in to ease the tension: "Actually, saying all this is just the general's preparation. If Mandulang..." "If he weren't stupid, he should have stayed obediently in Nirvana City instead of launching an attack with two thousand cavalry."
"Who knows?"
Li Xiaozong sighed slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "If it were you, even knowing that the enemy's numbers far exceeded your own, but the enemy had already stepped into your homeland, wouldn't you come out to fight?"
"Of course I would!"
Pan Mei said proudly, "But does the general perhaps think that the Mongols are as courageous as we Sui people?"
Before he finished speaking, a warning horn suddenly sounded in the distance.
"Enemy attack!"
...
...
Pan Mei's face flushed slightly, and he couldn't help but glance at Li Xiaozong. He noticed that Li Xiaozong's attention was entirely on the enemy, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down on the Mongols, considering them barbarians. He thought the Mongols wouldn't dare leave Nirvana City, but he was wrong. Mandulang had not only left the city, but had also brought all his troops.
Two thousand cavalry.
"They actually abandoned Nirvana City?"
Zhao Sen asked, puzzled. "If they had such courage, why didn't they just station their troops at the western entrance of Qingxia Gorge? If they did, we'd probably still be locked in a bloody battle, and it's uncertain whether we could break through. The gorge isn't too narrow, but blocking it with two thousand men wouldn't be a quick victory."
"That's right."
Pan Mei was equally puzzled. "Why?"
"Because they want to devour us."
Li Xiaozong said gravely, "I've said before, we Sui people are proud, and so are the Mongol Yuan people. I know what kind of person Manduwolf is." "He deliberately let us pass through the canyon. He's waiting for this first battle, then he'll defeat us with his cavalry, using this first victory to boost the morale of the Mongols."
"That's arrogance!"
Pan Meiwei said angrily, "That arrogant Manduwolf thinks he can defeat our five thousand elite troops with just two thousand cavalry?"
Li Xiaozong slowly shook his head, his eyes full of worry: "Something's not right... Send down the order, send out all two hundred cavalrymen to patrol back and forth for five miles all the way to the entrance of Qingxia Valley. If they spot any enemy cavalry, report it immediately!"
"General, are you worried that the Mongols will attack our rear?"
Zhao Sen asked. Emperor Li Xiaozong grunted, then took a deep breath and said, "Regardless, this is the first battle. We cannot lose face for the Great Sui, nor for His Majesty. Even if we fight to the last man, we must hold the valley. Pan Mei, you take a detachment and retreat immediately to the valley entrance to defend. We've extended five li outside the valley to give the main army room to deploy; those five li are our biggest weakness."
"The battle hasn't even started, and the general is already ordering me to retreat?"
Pan Mei said discontentedly, "We haven't even fought yet, and the general is already sending troops to retreat, which is beneath the dignity of the Great Sui army. I thought…"
"You don't need to think!"
Emperor Li Xiaozong turned to look into Pan Mei's eyes and said coldly, "Do you still remember the military law of the Great Sui? I am the commander-in-chief, and you have no choice but to obey my orders!"
"I…"
Pan Mei was stunned, then angrily clasped his hands and said, "Your subordinate obeys!"
Zhao Sen pulled him from behind and gave him a look, signaling him not to argue. Pan Mei stomped her foot angrily and turned to count her troops.
"Youthful impetuosity is inevitable."
Zhao Sen smiled at Li Xiaozong and said, "General, don't worry about it. It's always good to be cautious. This battle is crucial, and your decision is flawless."
"The problem is,"
Li Xiaozong sighed slightly, "that many people take war too lightly."
Just then, a small group of about a dozen riders suddenly broke off from the Mongol cavalry and galloped towards them. Li Xiaozong ordered the archers not to fire, but to let the cavalry pass. Shortly after, the Manchu cavalry halted about thirty meters in front of the formation. The leading captain of ten men shouted in Han Chinese, "Which one of you is the general leading the troops? My lord, Mandulang, wants to speak with you!"
"How dare you!"
The Sui brigade commander at the front roared, "Retreat now or be executed!"
Li Xiaozong spurred his horse forward, reined in his horse at the front, and signaled his soldiers not to attack. He looked up at the Manchu cavalrymen not far away and said, "I am Li Xiaozong, a general of the Sui Dynasty. Call Mandulang out."
As soon as he finished speaking, the dozen or so riders parted, and a knight clad in iron armor slowly emerged from the rear. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty was rich in warhorses but had almost no mineral resources, so ironware was extremely precious. Only high-ranking generals could wear iron armor. Even a captain of a thousand men could only wear leather armor.
The man spurred his horse forward and, using the Sui Dynasty's etiquette, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Xiaozong, saying, "I am Mandulang, the garrison commander of Nirvana City. I have long admired General Li's name."
"General Mandulang,"
Li Xiaozong returned the salute.
"General Li, why have you suddenly led your troops into my Mongol Yuan territory? Don't you have a reason?"
Mandulang asked.
Li Xiaozong said loudly, "General, why feign ignorance? Just a year ago, your Mongol Yuan cavalry launched a night raid on Fangu, massacring thousands of my people. This blood debt must be repaid. Today, I have brought my troops here to demand that General Mandulang repay this debt. If you are willing to offer three thousand heads, I will immediately withdraw my troops."
"They say the Sui people are shameless, and it seems so,"
Mandulang, a man of about thirty years old, with a thick beard and a burly build, sneered, "We Mongol Yuan people abide by the alliance between the Great Khan and your Emperor; not a single soldier has crossed the border. You..." "You say our people massacred Fan Gu, but do you have any evidence? It's just empty talk to fool children, best left unsaid. If I said you Sui people slaughtered my Nirvana City, could I also lead my troops across Qingxia Gorge and directly attack Fan Gu?"
"Of course you could."
Li Xiaozong smiled slightly, "But now I'm here to collect my debt."
"Even if war is to break out, shouldn't you Sui people send a declaration of war first?"
Mandulang shouted, "You Sui people claim to be a land of propriety, are you only capable of sneak attacks?"
"A declaration of war?"
Li Xiaozong shook his head, "I'm only here to collect my debt." "Why bother with a declaration of war?"
Mandulang sneered, "You Sui people always say you need a just cause for war. If you start a war without a just cause, do you think your people will agree? You must understand that this time you are facing not a weak country like the Shang, but the most powerful Mongol Empire in the world! Without a reasonable excuse, I'm afraid your people won't agree either."
"I have already given my reason,"
Li Xiaozong said, "You killed three thousand of my civilians and soldiers in Fangu. His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Sui has already proclaimed this to the world. Guess... how the people will react?" "?"
Mandulang sighed, "So... your lie wasn't meant for me, but for your emperor's people. You're doomed to lose because of a lie."
Li Xiaozong laughed, "Victory or defeat isn't up to you."
After saying this, he turned to Zhao Sen and said, "Quickly send someone to tell Pan Mei that Mandulang's delaying tactics are definitely for some purpose. Tell him to hold the canyon to the death!"
Just then, faint shouts of battle came from behind the army formation, towards the canyon, making everyone's hearts pound.
"Surprised?"
Mandulang laughed loudly, "Everyone says you Sui people are cunning, but I think you're all just arrogant and delusional idiots! Your retreat is cut off; even if you surrender... I won't let you live."