Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2746 The Decisive Battle of Jin and Yuan, the First Battle of the Han People

Liangzhou, Dunhuang!
Starting in April when Meng Tian took the lead in launching his military campaign, it took eight months for him to successively recover the three prefectures of Wuwei, Zhangye, and Jiuquan.

During this process, more than 60,000 Yuan soldiers were annihilated.

Of course, they were mainly infantry legions, with a small portion being the main cavalry of the Yuan Dynasty.

The Mongol garrison was primarily composed of infantry corps based on Han Chinese and people from the Western Regions.

As for the cavalry on both sides, the two commanders, Murong Chui and Huo Qubing, fought against each other based on the entire Liangzhou region and the surrounding grassland tribes.

Both sides suffered casualties, but compared to their infantry legions, it was nothing.

Firstly, the cavalry on both sides were engaged in open field battles, not siege warfare like theirs.

Secondly, cavalry is a type of soldier that is inherently difficult to annihilate on a large scale.

Furthermore, both sides' commanders and their deputy generals were formidable, resulting in a back-and-forth battle where one side would win a round and the other a round.

If you kill three or five hundred of my people, and I kill three or five hundred of yours, neither of us will give the other side a chance to achieve a large-scale annihilation.

In fact, Murong Chui and Huo Qubing never clashed on a large scale. Instead, they would launch multiple small cavalry groups to harass each other's rear flanks or supply lines.

By winter, the Jin army had begun to slow its offensive, preparing to launch another general offensive in the spring of the following year.

Winter warfare is not a suitable time for either side, especially for those on the offensive.

The same was true for the Yuan-Mongol side. Although they received tens of thousands of tribal troops and the battlefield was moved to Dunhuang, the decisive battleground they had originally planned, the Yuan-Mongol side was also affected.

However, Kublai Khan was not prepared for such a decisive battle so soon, and wanted to wait until the spring of the following year before the two sides would have a decisive battle.

Although the Yuan Mongols were extremely resistant to hardship and cold, the Yuan Mongols of today are no longer the same as the original Yuan Mongols.

During this process of conquest, the Yuan Dynasty incorporated a large number of other ethnic groups, but not every ethnic group possessed the same resilience as the Mongols.

However, upon hearing the news that the Jin army's eastern front had ended, Kublai Khan could no longer wait.

He wanted to prevent the Jin army's troops on the eastern front from supporting the western front. Even if it was just a possibility, he wanted to end the battle before that possibility arose.

Therefore, Kublai Khan made preparations for the decisive battle in advance.

And just outside Dunhuang, on the vast, cold Gobi Desert, between the Jin and Yuan dynasties, a decisive battle with a total force of nearly 400,000 began in this cold January.

Wei Qing and Meng Tian's 200,000 Jin troops, with their backs to the Qilian Mountains, had 100,000 iron cavalry lined up ready to go, and 100,000 infantrymen with spears and halberds like a forest.

On the Yuan-Mongol side, 130,000 archers stood like clouds, and 60,000 infantrymen wielded curved swords that shone in the sun.

"Zhongqing! Kublai Khan is in a hurry!"

Inside the Han formation, in the central military tent, Meng Tian was planting countless small flags on a sand table, representing the known troop numbers of both sides.

The two sides had nearly 400,000 troops, and the battlefield stretched for nearly a hundred miles. As commanders, they could only stay in their tents, waiting for scouts to report on the situation of each army so that they could make a judgment on the battlefield situation.

There is no other way.

As for seeing with your eyes, what kind of eyes would you need to see within a hundred miles?
"He's the one in a hurry, not us!" "Have the soldiers form a steel wagon formation, and we'll wait for the Yuan Mongols to attack. We'll remain steadfast and respond to any eventuality!"

To deal with the grasslands, Wei Qing used his signature Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicle formation.

On the other side, Kublai Khan immediately employed the Mongol's signature cavalry tactics, relying on the mobility of his cavalry and their archery skills to continuously send out cavalry units to harass them.

In particular, the personal command of Murong Chui, a tactical mastermind, brought the Yuan Mongol cavalry to its fullest potential.

In response, Ashu and Dougu on the left and right flanks did not readily show themselves, remaining silent and watching as the Mongol cavalry continued to harass the Wugang wagon formation.

The Han army will only launch its final attack when its formation is loose.

In order to fully exert their harassment effect, mounted archery was just one of their methods.

After all, the outer layer of the chariot formation was equipped with a large number of heavily armored soldiers or shield bearers, whose horse archers would have difficulty penetrating the enemy's defenses.

The Mongols harassed infantry formations by throwing oil into the center.

However, within the chariot formation, there were countless powerful bows and crossbows. If these knights got even slightly closer, they would likely be riddled with bullets.

If you want to launch oil, the cavalry can't do it without getting close, but once they get close, they'll be covered in a hail of arrows.

Infantry are not afraid to engage in ranged combat with cavalry. In terms of stability and range, infantry have a clear advantage over cavalry.

"Shi Tianze, send your men in!"

"Have the cavalry withdraw first!"

Kublai Khan, amidst the Mongol army formation, heard the scouts report on the battle situation and his face turned cold.

If the Jin army didn't have cavalry on both flanks, they could have continued to wear down the enemy, attacking every now and then. If this happened repeatedly, the enemy, constantly on edge, would inevitably become exhausted, and their opportunity would naturally arise.

But now, they not only have 100,000 infantry, but also another 100,000 cavalry hidden around them, waiting to be deployed.

They couldn't harass the enemy in a short time, and continuing would only deplete their cavalry's strength. Once the enemy's cavalry on the left and right flanks attacked and encircled them, they would definitely be at a disadvantage.

Therefore, Kublai Khan abandoned his original plan for traditional cavalry warfare and instead entrusted the infantry legions to fire the first shot in this battle.

"This subordinate obeys!" Shi Tianze replied firmly.

He was different from Wei Shu and his ilk. Wei Shu and his ilk surrendered after being defeated by the Jin army, while he was a slave of the Qiang people from the beginning. He had never been a Jin person for even half a day, and at most he could only be considered a Han person.

After Su Dingfang conquered the Qiang, some of the Qiang people were assimilated into the Mongols, and he became a slave of the Mongols. He then fought his way up from slavery with his bravery and courage until he gained the appreciation of Kublai Khan and eventually became a nobleman of the Yuan Dynasty.

Therefore, Shi Tianze's loyalty to Kublai Khan was higher than that of the Mongol nobles of the Yuan Dynasty.

The reason is simple: Shi Tianze's entire fortune and honor depended on Kublai Khan. If Kublai Khan fell from power, his wealth and status would be in jeopardy.

Therefore, Shi Tianze was bound to help Kublai Khan and wholeheartedly win this battle.

Or rather, none of the Han Chinese generals present dared to let Kublai Khan lose; if Kublai Khan lost, they would all lose as well.