Chapter 724: A Gale Sweeps Up Towering Waves

Before the battle at Kedun City had even begun, Zhang Zhao already knew that Shulu Ping was doomed to defeat.

Because now the eight Dilie tribes and a number of Khitan, Shiwei, and other clans had their backs to Kedun City, and still hoped to use the Luju River to block the fierce elite cavalry of the Zhou army — it looked somewhat plausible.

But in reality, this was not at all how steppe cavalry fought; this had always been the Han method of using infantry to fight cavalry.

And now, a steppe tribe was being forced to use infantry-against-cavalry tactics to face a Han army with large amounts of iron armor and infantry even fiercer in close combat — their defeat was destined from the very start.

Or rather, this great battle had already been decided during the two days the Zhou army advanced toward Kedun City.

In the past two days, the brave men of the eight Dilie tribes and other clans had fought bloody battles against the Zhou army under extremely unfavorable equipment conditions. Of more than ten thousand elite cavalry, nearly two thousand were killed or wounded, and now they no longer dared to come out and fight — in fact, they were already defeated.

At present they were holding Kedun City, fighting the Han with Han methods, but really it was just like cornered beasts desperately guarding their homeland — not because they wanted to fight, but because they had no choice.

But no one else was to blame for this. They had followed the wrong person and chosen the wrong path, and they would always have to pay the price for it!

The war drums grew ever more fervent, and cheers in Tang accents kept rising — this was Cao Bin and Pan Mei, one on the left and one on the right, defeating several thousand Dilie cavalry who had come out to harass them. Cao Bin even cut down a Dilie dagan — that is, one of their noble military officers — in battle.

The Zhou army used two battalions of the Hanshan Du front division (five hundred men) and Zhang Zhao's own Chen Huo'er Gold Spear Battalion as the center.

These were fifteen hundred heavily armored infantry, and their objective was to destroy the five hundred Khitan heavy infantry Shulu Ping had brought and the more than two thousand Xi infantry.

On the wings, Li Cunhui commanded the Right Yulin Guard's Yingji Du, and Qu Yanqing's Left Yulin Guard's Wind-Fire Raider Camp served as elite cavalry waiting for a chance to break through.

Yang Jiye and other generals each commanded tens of thousands of conscripted cavalry from Hexi and Longyou, positioned on the outer wings of Li Cunhui and Qu Yanqing.

If the Zhou army wanted to attack Kedun City, they first had to cross the Luju River, and only then could they reach the main battlefield.

Zhang Zhao had long since ordered men to collect the boats, carts, and large tent timbers seized along the way. Pontoon bridges had already been built, and sheepskin rafts were in ample supply.

From the distance came the explosion of gunpowder, followed by waves of drumbeats. Yang Jiye and Zhang Cheng each led five hundred riders spreading out from the left and right wings.

Two li from the main army on each side, three thousand cavalry had long been prepared. The explosion of gunpowder was the signal that they had found a wide, shallow ford across the Luju River.

Although Shulu Ping was ruthless and skilled in politics, she was no good at war. She could only hand over all military authority to the sole surviving famous general of the Khitan, the former Left Pishi Xiangwen of the Khitan, Yelu Pode.

In the old days, during the great battle at Yong-Liao Luoyang, Yelu Pode had guarded Yelu Deguang to the very end.

After Yelu Deguang's wounds split open and he bled to death, Yelu Pode had intended to die with him, but was stopped by Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao, admiring his loyalty and courage, let him escort Yelu Deguang's body back north. Later, when Shulu Ping and Yelu Lihu, mother and son, still wanted to struggle on, Yelu Pode grew disheartened and returned to the vicinity of the Great Xianbei Mountains, where he fished and hunted in the forests with his family.

Only after the Khitan state had completely collapsed this time did he agree to Shulu Ping's request and come out for one final gamble.

But reality dealt Yelu Pode, who had never been very resolute, a heavy blow. By now the Khitan, after Yelu Lihu's "great sell-off" by the Daling River, could be said to have had three successive emperors cut down in battle by the Zhou, and their morale had sunk to an extremely low point.

Originally this battle was supposed to have the Khitan as the main force, but in reality they could not be counted on at all.

The two thousand iron-armored soldiers Shulu Ping brought looked imposing, but their spirit was even lower than that of the Shiwei and Wugu tribes.

Yelu Pode had an excellent view from the hillside. He could clearly watch the Zhou cavalry spreading out to both sides, covering the sky and earth as they searched for a wide, shallow place to cross the river.

His subordinates reported to him several times, but Yelu Pode remained unmoved, until the Dilie tribe's Boli Yi came looking for him.

Yelu Pode smiled bitterly and raised his hand, pointing to where the Right Yulin Guard's great eagle banner and the Hanshan Du's great lion banner were displayed, and said: "Irkin, the Zhou cavalry has three elite forces.

The first is the Left Yulin Guard's Wind-Fire Raider Camp and the White Horse Silver Spear Du, commanded by the Zhou sovereign's second son, the Prince of Liaoyang Commandery, Murong Baipao.

The second is the Right Yulin Guard's Yingji Du, commanded by the Zhou sovereign's third son, Li Cunhui of the Longxi Li clan.

The third is the Hanshan Du's Beigui Iron Cavalry Camp. Although this camp was assembled temporarily for the campaign, its fighting strength is exceptionally formidable.

These three iron cavalry forces — no, it should be said four iron cavalry forces — are the finest under heaven. Even the Pishi iron cavalry of the late Ascended-to-Heaven Emperor could not compare with them. I fear the only thing that could match them would be the black-armored iron cavalry of the Heavenly Khagan of old.

Now three of these four iron cavalry forces are across from us and have not yet moved. If I were to send elite cavalry left and right to intercept the Zhou cavalry, and they suddenly used their three elite iron cavalry forces to guard the main army's river crossing, I fear that before our flanking cavalry could even attack, we would already be defeated."

Yelu Pode's analysis was thoroughly convincing, and Boli Yi also felt he made sense.

But Boli Yi pointed at the thousands of Zhou cavalry on the wings and said: "If we ignore those cavalry circling to cross the river at both ends, once they finish crossing, like wolves tearing apart a wild ox, we will all die sooner or later!"

Yelu Pode looked deeply at Boli Yi and slowly shook his head. "The warriors we have now who can still fight bitterly number no more than ten thousand. If we send too few, they cannot beat the Zhou cavalry on the wings; if we send too many, the front will collapse.

Being slowly bitten to death by a pack of wild wolves is still better than being swallowed in one gulp by a tiger. Let the warriors on the wings form ranks and hold bitterly.

Our only chance of victory now is to strike suddenly while the Zhou army opposite is halfway across the river. If we can rout the Zhou army's main crossing force and make the Zhou sovereign realize we are not white lambs to be slaughtered at will, then this calamity will have passed."

Boli Yi stared at Yelu Pode in shock. He had not expected Yelu Pode to be this disheartened already.

Only by winning could they barely survive this calamity. If they lost, whether the eight Dilie tribes were finished he did not know, but Boli Yi knew that he himself would certainly be finished.

Dark clouds hung thick over the battlefield outside Kedun City. Men like Yelu Pode and Boli Yi had so little confidence — how high could the morale of the rest of the soldiers be?

Especially Yelu Pode — he was a famous Khitan general, the commander-in-chief of the army!

Still, Zhang Zhao gave full recognition to Yelu Pode's composure. Pointing to where Yelu Pode's great standard stood, he said with a smile to Li Fang beside him:

"Wugulin truly lives up to his name as a veteran Khitan general. He can really keep his nerve.

But it is only a difference between dying early and dying late. Notify the army: delay the crossing for now, let the wings arrive in full, and after they have bitten the Khitan until they are covered in wounds, then prepare to attack."

Since Yelu Pode wants to be as immovable as a mountain, then let me, Sage Zhang, see just how strong his composure is.

But before the order could be issued, Li Fang beside him objected. He cupped his hands toward Zhang Zhao.

"Sage, those men are merely creatures struggling in their death throes, while our brave soldiers are like fierce tigers descending the mountain — why wait? Moreover, morale is high right now. If we hold the army still, I fear it will dampen the soldiers' hearts that long to serve."

Li Fang originally knew nothing of military affairs, and in history he had mostly been an advocate of peace between Song and Liao.

But in this time and space, he had often followed me, Sage Zhang, on campaigns north and south. Not only had he gained a rough understanding of military affairs, his temperament had grown bold and forthright, and he now dared to voice his own opinions.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Heng (Tuoba Heng), the former head of the Eighteen Scholars of Ma Chu — who was far more professionally versed in military affairs than Li Fang, but who considered himself not one of Sage Zhang's confidants and therefore did not dare speak much — also stepped forward and said:

"Sage, Secretary Li speaks reason. Since our Great Zhou soldiers marched beyond the frontier, their morale has been like a rainbow, and high and low alike, moved by the Sage's grace, all wish to give their lives in service.

If it were the Khitan before the Battle of Luoyang, caution would indeed be warranted. But at this moment, we should sweep in like a gale raising towering waves, and display the military might of our Great Zhou!"

Hm, Zhang Zhao thought for a moment, and indeed felt he might not have considered this aspect. He looked at the dark-skinned young man beside him, Zhang Xianyu, and asked: "What does my son think?"

Zhang Xianyu's dark face flushed red with excitement. He looked at Zhang Zhao expectantly. "Sage, your child wishes to carry the banner to the front army and display our great army's divine might!"

The banner Zhang Xianyu wanted to carry was the silver-white banner with golden sun and moon behind Zhang Zhao, symbolizing the Son of Heaven's personal presence.

Originally the Great Tang's Three Stars Banner with the Zhang-Zhou silver-white added, it was now mostly used by the commander-in-chief of an army.

The new silver-white banner with golden sun and moon had begun to be used when the Emperor personally appeared, or to symbolize the Emperor's presence.

Zhang Zhao glanced at Murong Xinchun beside him. Murong Xinchun nodded, indicating there was no problem, and Zhang Zhao then laughed three times.

"Zhang Xianyu, receive your orders: I command you to lead two hundred riders carrying the banner to the front to inspire the generals, so that in one battle our soldiers will strike such terror into the barbarians that they lose all courage, and all that remains for them is to surrender at the mere sight of our banners!"

The vanguard had in fact been waiting all along for the order to cross the river and attack. The officers and men of every unit had long been ready, and the elite crossbowmen in each unit had long since shot the soldiers of the Dili Eight Tribes into not daring to come near the riverbank.

As this silver-white banner with the gold sun and moon, symbolizing the Emperor's personal arrival at the front line, reached them, tens of thousands of officers and men roared in exultation, and the general assault began at once.

The first to board the sheepskin rafts were none other than the Jiangdu men Zhou Fengyi and Zhou Fengquan, brothers whom Zhang Zhao had personally gifted with armor, along with the Wu-Yue inner yabing guards Wang Sheng and Hu Zhao, plus several dozen armored soldiers of the Hanshan Unit.

These four men were able to go at the very front because they were men from Jiangnan and were familiar with the water.

Hu Zhao could even wear thirty jin of chainmail and stay afloat in the water for the time it takes a cup of tea to cool, without sinking — truly terrifying.

Yelu Pode still kept his composure, sending only several thousand infantry from the various tribes forward to shoot downward in volleys from the high ground, while his finest cavalry remained utterly motionless.

The Zhou army on the opposite bank used crossbow bolts to suppress the Dili tribe herdsmen who came forward to shoot, especially the great Fuyuan crossbows, a single shot of which could skewer several men.

However, the great majority of the arrows still had to be endured by the troops crossing the river themselves.

When they were just past halfway across, Hu Zhao and the others, along with the armored soldiers of the Hanshan Unit, immediately leaped into chest-deep water, raising their great shields to block the arrows that came flying like locusts from afar.

A few with especially formidable martial strength could even, relying on a suit of chainmail alone, raise bow and crossbow to shoot back at the herdsmen on the high ground.

Yelu Pode was silently calculating in his mind. He waited until roughly fifteen hundred or so Zhou soldiers had crossed, then his face darkened, and he shouted fiercely.

"All troops, attack! Victory or defeat is decided in this one stroke!"

(End of Chapter)

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