Chapter 440: Blood Battle at Yellow Flower Pile

On the gently rolling, smoothly curved hills, Che Guangqian bore Fang Chongyong's commander's flag, leading the five hundred Yinqiang Xiaojie Army in a desperate southward dash.

Warhorses tread on snow, kicking up showers of white powder. The earth trembles slightly, shaking snow from the treetops.

As for the birds and beasts hiding in the bushes, they had long since fled in fright.

Behind Che Guangqian and his men, the Huihe cavalry pursued relentlessly, their numbers too many to count—like a black long snake hunting its prey.

"Che General! Why are even the Huihe who are besieging the city chasing us?!"

"There are just too many of them!"

A personal guard on horseback beside him shouted at Che Guangqian.

His face showed a frenzied excitement!

With Fang Jiedushi covering our rear, they're merely luring the enemy—nothing could be easier!

The soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army have an almost blind confidence in Fang Chongyong! As long as the Jiedushi takes the field, nothing will go wrong!

This time, while luring the enemy, Che Guangqian and his men learned two pieces of bad news.

First bad news: the Huihe are dumber than expected. They actually poured all their strength into attacking Yunzhong City, with no warning at all.

Che Guangqian and his men had penetrated deep into Yunzhou territory, and only when they were nearing Yunzhong City did they discover traces of the Huihe.

This means that if Fang Chongyong chose to launch a full‑army assault to relieve Yunzhong City, the battle could be decided in one engagement!

There's no need to fuss over elaborate ambushes.

Second bad news: upon seeing Che Guangqian bearing the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army's commander's flag, the Huihe went berserk, charging at them. Even the Huihe soldiers who were besieging the city immediately stopped, returned to the ground, mounted their horses, and pursued Che Guangqian and his men!

In the Huihe's eyes, this flag seemed far more important than Yunzhou; they would rather abandon the siege than spare no effort to capture this flag!

"How should I know! The Huihe have gone mad!"

Che Guangqian snapped irritably, and the surrounding clamor made his eardrums ache repeatedly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just then, three fireworks exploded in the sky!

Che Guangqian's anxiety instantly vanished! The ambush troops had finally arrived, finally luring the Huihe into the ambush circle!

The undulating hills of Yellow Flower Pile made his scalp tingle. The terrain's baseline easily blocked the line of sight, making it not unusual for something close at hand to go unnoticed.

Seeing the wolf smoke rise to his left front, Che Guangqian said nothing and sprinted straight toward it.

With the commander's flag as a guide, the five hundred cavalry moved as one, instantly adjusting their marching angle.

This was the pre‑arranged plan: fireworks signaled that the ambush was ready, while the wolf smoke indicated the direction for the decoy troops to withdraw from the battlefield.

However, the Huihe cavalry behind Che Guangqian and his men seemed not to notice the wolf smoke, continuing their relentless pursuit!

After running not far, Che Guangqian suddenly saw Tang soldiers wielding polearms.

They had formed up on both sides of a small hill's base, leaving a lane in the middle.

To allow Che Guangqian and his men to withdraw from combat!

At last, we're safe!

Che Guangqian's hanging heart finally settled; he took the lead and charged into the gap between the left and right formations, a space only a little over one zhang wide.

Clatter! Clatter!

When the last Yinqiang Xiaojie Army cavalryman tasked with luring the enemy entered the rear of the formation, accompanied by the sound of armor rubbing, the gap was filled by the rear ranks of the infantry phalanx.

At this point the Huihe cavalry were within arrow range, showing no intention to slow down.

In fact, at such close range there was no time to decelerate; it would be better to use the cavalry's speed to smash the Tang formation.

"Kill!"

The front rank of Tang soldiers wielding polearms stepped forward one step, while the rear rank stepped back, opening a gap between them.

Laterally, the ranks kept widening, the distance between comrades stretching several steps (a normal pace counts two steps for an adult male), far from a tight, dense formation.

This is the special tactic of the polearm unit: if they stood too close, the polearms could not be swung without risking friendly injury.

When fighting, the polearm troops are not like the sword‑and‑shield soldiers' shield wall; they adopt a sparse formation to increase the depth of the line, not aiming to block the enemy's cavalry outside the formation.

Instead, they work like a sieve sifting fine sand: each layer cuts down some of the charging cavalry, thinning the enemy horsemen's density.

Layer after layer of screening, layer after layer of slaughter.

Occasionally a fortunate horseman who reaches the rear end of the line finds himself alone, with no comrades beside him.

He is butchered in an instant.

The Tang army's infantry defense against cavalry is not a rigid stand; the basic military manual likewise contains a standard procedure for countering cavalry.

Plop!

A huge horse‑cutting saber sliced a Huihe light cavalryman's warhorse in two, blood spraying.

That ill‑fated cavalryman, with his lower half also half‑severed, fell to the ground groaning incessantly.

Fresh blood flooded the ground! Like a bright red plum blossom blooming on a sheet of snow‑white paper!

The Tang polearm soldier who killed him nimbly dodged the follow‑up Huihe light cavalry charge, handing those enemies over to the polearm soldier behind him.

Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!

As the battle raged fiercely below the hill, a desolate horn sounded in the distance.

Bearing a "Fang" commander's flag, fully equipped and with intact horse armor, a unit of Tang heavy cavalry—about five hundred strong—came charging straight down from the distant hill!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The earth‑shaking cries of slaughter, accompanied by men and horses overturning, sliced smoothly through the Huihe ranks like a blade cutting through thick pork fat, splitting their force in two.

This cavalry struck from the flank, catching the Huihe horsemen—whose advance had been blocked and stalled—completely off guard.

He Changqi led the charge, brandishing his broadsword; wherever he passed, wails and howls rose.

The Huihe light cavalry blocking the road ahead were no match for him one‑on‑one; like scarecrows, they were knocked from their horses.

As soon as this elite Tang force appeared, the Uyghur troops immediately fell into chaos.

Those Uyghurs blocked outside, without a second thought, turned and fled, swinging their horses around, not caring about their comrades locked in bloody battle with the Tang infantry ahead.

The portion caught in the double envelopment, meanwhile, ran about like headless flies searching for formation.

At this critical, life‑or‑death moment, several more Tang cavalry units, each only five hundred strong, came charging from different directions.

These Tang cavalrymen wore no heavy armor, yet were matchlessly brave. Like hunters riding a circuit, they weaved their units through the vast Uyghur cavalry, cutting a path as they went.

They fought with great order.

The Uyghurs, extremely familiar with this style of fighting, seemed to recall some unpleasant memory. Though numerous, they had completely lost command and could not see where their commander's flag was.

Their original formation, amid the charge and slaughter, also lost its cohesion, and they could not find familiar comrades.

Still, some Uyghurs tried to organize resistance, brandishing their sabers and shouting, only to be quickly cut down by the Tang cavalry that found them.

Meanwhile, the Uyghur cavalry that had fled far off, under the organization of some leaders, charged back into the chaotic battlefield, hoping to turn the tide.

However, upon charging into the melee, they would wander about and eventually encounter the miaodao wielders who dealt with cavalry as easily as slicing melons—like a wave smashing into a reef and being shattered.

Finally, they scattered once more and fled.

Thus they sallied out, charged in, were brutally mauled, and the cycle repeated. Wave after wave of bloody combat left the snow stained with blood, like a stream washing away, leaving patch after patch of marks.

After two hours of fighting, the sky had darkened from bright to dim.

On the rolling hills of Yellow Flower Pile, Uyghur corpses and wandering warhorses were everywhere. These rider‑less horses loitered on the battlefield, idling about as if completely unperturbed.

The Uyghur cavalry pursuing Che Guangqian, after suffering heavy losses, finally gave up their pursuit and fled without a trace.

The Tang forces likewise did not pursue.

Fang Chongyong ordered the troops to hold their positions, gather the men, and tally losses and gains. After the Uyghurs withdrew, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This time, things really turned out unexpectedly.

I'd prepared a table of dishes, but two tables' worth of people showed up—I could barely cope!

Fuck!

He Changqi swung down from his horse and tossed his helmet to the ground.

At this moment he looked as if he'd just washed himself in a pool of blood; his silver armor was streaked beyond recognition, his face covered in dried blood, and from overexertion his hands twitched uncontrollably.

"Che Guangqian, just how many Uyghurs have you dragged in, huh?"

I've smashed five blades to pieces!

You nearly got us killed! If the Uyghurs hadn't retreated, I'd have been planning to escort the Jiedushi to safety myself!

He Changqi, panting and furious, pointed at Che Guangqian and unleashed a tirade.

This was the most dangerous battle he had ever fought since joining the army.

At first it was indeed as easy as cutting melons.

But as the fight wore on, the Tang army's initial advantage was continually erased by the Uyghurs' back‑and‑forth tugging.

Fang Chongyong had no reserves left, and he himself even mounted up to join the fray!

If the Uyghurs held out another hour, it would be unclear who would end up fleeing; once the Tang cavalry, outnumbered several to one by the Uyghurs, ran out of stamina, casualties would spike rapidly, eventually becoming unsustainable and forcing a retreat.

Often, although the casualty gap looks huge in the results, the actual fighting may not reflect that; the losing side might truly have been off by only a hair.

"Well, it's not my fault—the Jiedushi's flag is just too tempting."

Upon seeing that flag, the Uyghurs would rather forego attacking Yunzhong City and chase us instead, hoping to slay a commander and seize the banner.

What could I do? I can't very well throw the Jiedushi's flag over to them as a gift.

Che Guangqian sighed helplessly in defense, taking off his helmet and holding it in his hand.

One hand on his horse, he was so exhausted he could barely stand.

"He Lao Hu, this time General Che's feat of luring the enemy, coupled with our desperate slaughter, is simply our duty."

As for the Uyghurs going berserk, that's not his fault.

On the battlefield, surprises are nothing unusual.

Fang Chongyong stepped forward, patted Che Guangqian on the shoulder, and said. He rubbed his own sore shoulders, also feeling a bit shaken.

In this charge, he, the commander, fought alongside the troops and lost count of how many Uyghurs he had slain.

Describing his hands as drenched in blood is no exaggeration.

Of course, he wasn't in the vanguard, so he hadn't gone through five blades like He Changqi had.

"Heh, I'm afraid the Jiedushi has become a thorn in the flesh and a splinter in the eye of the Uyghurs—no wonder they go berserk at the sight of his flag."

He Changqi couldn't help but urge his horse forward as he spoke.

The strengths and weaknesses of the Uyghur cavalry are quite clear.

Their advantage lies in superb mounts that come and go like the wind, and their numbers are so great as to be impossible to guard against.

But their disadvantage is equally clear: poor organization. With the wind at their backs it's fine, but once they face adverse conditions they collapse like a mountain.

Especially if other cavalry ambush them and disrupt their formation, the Uyghurs will quickly collapse.

Only after a disheveled retreat far from the battlefield can they regroup again; they are not capable of fighting a tough battle.

They fall far short of the Tibetans in this regard.

In this battle Fang Chongyong used the miaodao unit as a pivot, deploying them below a small hill, designating this spot as the main ambush site to slow the Uyghur cavalry's speed.

Then he continuously sent cavalry in from other directions to slice the massive Uyghur horse force into pieces and break its formation.

He had tried this tactic before at the Battle of Feng'an City, where it worked very well. Only a short time has passed, yet the Uyghurs still haven't devised a counter‑tactic and suffered again.

Fang Chongyong recalled Napoleon's stock remark on French cavalry and the Mamluks, and couldn't help feeling there was indeed some truth to it.

One hundred Tang cavalry versus one hundred Uyghur cavalry— the advantage is not great.

But once the numbers reach several thousand on each side, the exchange rate in actual combat becomes markedly different.

Three thousand Tang cavalry can press down three thousand Uyghur cavalry and beat them like an adult beating a child, without even breaking a sweat.

This is the power of military organization; war has never been a mere comparison of numbers. Morale, deployment and command, organization and training are all important decisive factors.

"We just won a great victory; the soldiers are exhausted and cannot fight again."

"Tonight we will set up camp on the spot; tomorrow we will march to Yunzhong City; there's no need to rush for a while."

"Let the Huihe experience the panic of defeat first; the effect will be better."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand with a calm expression and said.

The Huihe who fled back will exaggerate and tell the Huihe who did not pursue how brave and skilled the Tang elite troops are. Even if they capture Yunzhong City, they cannot hold it; their only option is to retreat.

This will create panic among the Huihe troops. If we hastily chase after them, it will instead make the Huihe think they will die in a desperate situation, stimulating them to fight like cornered beasts and launch a desperate counterattack.

"Commander, thanks to your steady command, we were able to win a great victory over the Huihe."

"I, the subordinate, could not have fought such a battle. I am utterly convinced and admiring of you!"

At that moment, Tian Chengsi stepped forward, clasped his fists in salute to Fang Chongyong, and kept flattering him.

Obviously, the nearly fifty-year-old Tian Chengsi is not a complete fool who knows nothing of worldly affairs. After winning the battle, his mouth became as sweet as if coated with honey.

He Changqi and Che Guangqian, who were beside Fang Chongyong, secretly shot him contemptuous looks.

However, Tian Chengsi seemed not to mind, and instead lowered his voice to advise Fang Chongyong:

"This time the Huihe could reach Yunzhou; it is inseparable from the Inspector of Weizhou and the Commander of the Hengye Army, Xue Song."

"This person poses a great threat to the Commander; Weizhou also guards the vital passage from Hebei to Hedong. After the Commander arrives at Yunzhong City tomorrow, he should still send troops to take Anbian City (the seat of Weizhou) and capture this man, Xue Song."

Tian Chengsi gave Xue Song no face at all, directly filing a petty report.

Naturally, this situation also counts as a characteristic of the Tang border armies. Border commanders not only like to file petty reports about their superiors to peers, but they also like to bypass channels and file petty reports about the jiedushi to the imperial court.

"Xue Song? This person indeed has some problems."

Fang Chongyong narrowed his eyes, speaking thoughtfully.

Tian Chengsi used this battle to prove himself 'usable'; at the very least, he is not on Huangfu Weiming's side.

However, Xue Song's position, in Fang Chongyong's view, is indeed highly suspicious. Regardless of whether Tian Chengsi's move is out of self-interest, Xue Song cannot continue to remain in Hedong.

The Huihe's breach of his defenses on such a large scale clearly cannot be brushed off as mere negligence.

Fang Chongyong plans to use extraordinary means, to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

(End of chapter)