Chapter 79: The Origins of Wuliangha

The accompanying nobleman stepped forward and bowed. "Prince Batu, our people have suffered grievous losses. We need time to recover. We need to withdraw."

In the Mongol tongue, a nobleman was a man of rank and honor, a title often used for Mongol officials.

Batu stared at him coldly, grinding his teeth. "I am descended from the great Altan Khan. If I am beaten by a rabble, I will become the laughingstock of the entire steppe."

The nobleman said anxiously, "Prince Batu, this is no time for stubborn pride. We..."

"Shut up."

With bloodshot eyes, the prince cut him off. Like an enraged bull, he shouted for his attendants to arm him in iron.

Two obedient Chinese slaves hurried over. First they helped Batu into a coat of mail, then lifted iron armor from a chest and fitted each piece onto him one by one.

Once he had donned an iron helm, Batu roared, "I will lead every armored rider into battle and slaughter the entire Ming force at a stroke."

Then he turned toward the side and said darkly, "Buyan, bring me the head of that god of death. That is my command."

Buyan, who had already lost his people, glared at him in fury. "Prince Batu, my people are gone. I cannot help you fight any longer."

"Nonsense."

Batu seized Buyan by the throat and glared at him with savage eyes.

"You are a slave I obtained from the Kharachin tribe in exchange for a hundred warhorses. I am your master. You must obey my orders."

The Kharachin were a Mongol confederation beyond the outer frontier walls of Xuanfu and Datong. When the Chahar khan launched his western campaigns and encroached on their interests, they gradually threw themselves into the embrace of the Later Jin and turned against Chahar's Lindan Khan.

Later, the reason the Later Jin were able to detour through Gubeikou and invade the Ming capital region was precisely because of the help of the Kharachin tribe.

Buyan shook off Batu's hand and said coldly, "The Kharachin are my enemies. I am a fierce and battle-hardened Uriankhai man. The Kharachin seized the lands of our Three Guard posts and captured me by dirty tricks. If you want me to acknowledge you as master, you will have to kill me first."

The Three Guard posts were made up of Uriankhai Mongols who had surrendered to the Ming. They had once helped the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, win the Jingnan Campaign, and then turned around and helped the Ming defeat the Northern Yuan. But by the Xuande reign, the Three Guard posts had gradually been subdued by the Chahar and Kharachin tribes.

Their original lands, the vital region west of Shanhai Pass and north of Gubeikou, once part of the strategic perimeter of the Ming capital, had ultimately become the bridgehead from which the Later Jin drained their strength and blood.

At Buyan's words, Batu nearly exploded with rage.

But he knew that with his people gone and held hostage, he could no longer command Buyan.

It was the nobleman who spoke again. "General Buyan, this is not the time for such talk. Only by defeating the Ming can you recover the bodies of your people. Do you want to see the Ming cut off your people's heads and take them back for the bounty?"

His words struck Buyan to the heart.

He turned to look at the blazing fire and considered it for a moment before nodding. "Prince Batu, I will fight one last battle for you."

Batu glared at Buyan in dissatisfaction, but at present he had no choice.

Clad in heavy armor, Batu rode a red warhorse and held a black riding bow in his hand as he looked back toward the camp.

Far off, the sky held only a dim strip of light. They could fight now only by the glow of the flames.

"Kill the Ming dogs and prove our valor!"

With a shout, Batu led the armored riders in a charge toward the Ming position.

A deep and lingering blast of horns rose up.

Li Yi suddenly turned around, stared at the wall of fire in the distance, and roared, "The barbarians are attacking! Form ranks and meet them!"

Everyone's faces changed. They understood at once that the barbarians were going all in.

Liu Zongmin wiped the blood from the blade at his waist, his eyes fixed tightly on the distance.

This battle was like a tinder cord, igniting the rage he had accumulated for so long, filling him with an indescribable exhilaration.

At this moment, he desperately longed for another fierce, unrestrained battle, though regrettably the enemy before him was not government troops.

Thinking of that, he glanced back at the group of military officers seated on the ground, murder glinting in his eyes.

The deputy company commander happened to meet Liu Zongmin's gaze and shrank his neck in fear.

They had already fought two battles and had seven or eight men wounded, yet Liu Zongmin still stared at them as if they were sworn enemies, as though afraid they might run.

When the horn sounded, Liu Zongmin stood and barked at them to face the enemy.

The deputy company commander and the others leaned on their weapons and got to their feet, then walked toward the line with helpless expressions.

"Kill them..."

The armored cavalry at the front brandished their weapons and charged like a gale toward the defenses.

Seeing the enemy in armor on strong warhorses, everyone understood that a bitter fight was coming.

Horses neighed. The front rank of armored riders keenly spotted the traces of traps and shouted to one another, yanking their mounts to a halt.

Some cavalrymen could not turn aside in time; their horses' hooves plunged into concealed pits, legs snapped, and the beasts toppled to the ground, screaming.

The riders were thrown down and impaled by the spearheads hidden in the pits.

Even those fortunate enough to avoid being skewered would still roll in the mud, dazed and broken-limbed.

The cavalry behind surged forward, and several hundred armored riders crowded together at once, plunging the field into chaos.

At that moment, Li Yi shouted, "Loose arrows! Throw spears!"

The archers, already poised and ready, drew and loosed at once.

Those who did not know how to shoot also lifted spare spears and hurled them toward the cavalry.

A storm of arrows swept over the barbarians, instantly raising a chorus of horse screams. The armored riders hurried to rein in their mounts. Arrows struck their armor, either glancing off or biting in only to be caught and stopped by the plates.

Apart from a few unlucky men struck through the gaps, there were not many casualties.

The spears, however, were devastating.

Hurtling out with tremendous force, they pierced armor effortlessly and knocked the barbarian cavalry from their horses.

A few even drove into the faces of armored riders, splitting flesh, bursting brains, and killing them instantly.

Amid the shrill screams, the rear ranks of armored cavalry slowly withdrew, while the riders crowded in front swiftly turned and retreated, leaving only dozens of corpses behind.

Li Yi frowned slightly.

It had to be said that compared with ordinary barbarian herdsmen, the armored cavalry was indeed well trained.

Unlike the barbarian herdsmen, who crowded together and were easily surrounded and cut apart, the armored cavalry advanced and withdrew with discipline. The moment they saw no chance to break through, they retreated decisively, never giving Li Yi's men an opening to inflict real losses.

After the armored riders withdrew, they immediately reported the situation on the battlefield to Batu.

When he heard that the Ming troops had dug horse traps and set spearheads in them, Batu's face twisted with rage.

"Those burrowing rats. I will slaughter every last one of them."

The nobleman bowed. "Prince Batu, it seems the Ming have made ample preparations. We should withdraw."

"Impossible."

Batu flatly rejected the advice, gritting his teeth. "So what if there are horse traps? Gather all the Chinese. I will make them the stepping stones of Mongol cavalry and use them to win this battle."