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Chapter 1404 Physical Ascension
As dawn broke, Katoskin, his eyes gleaming with dark circles, immediately ordered a retreat. He had long since realized that the Ming army had no intention of attacking the Cossack camp; they were simply catching the enemy before they could establish a firm foothold.

Instead, they were employing a harassment tactic of feints and real attacks, using small groups of troops to create tension in shifts. It wouldn't take long; three to five days of this would wear down these thousands of Cossack vanguard soldiers.

However, this was an open strategy, and even if they knew about it, they couldn't break it. This was their territory, and everyone knew exactly where they came from and where they were going. In contrast, the Cossacks who had come from afar dared not leave their camp at night; they would get lost even without engaging the enemy.

Therefore, as long as there are people active outside, we must be fully prepared for battle, in case their main force really comes. At this time, we can only err on the side of caution and believe it is possible!

The only way to break this is to retreat. When the encampment is farther away, the enemy's activities will be restricted, and the intensity of harassment will naturally decrease. If that still doesn't work, then retreat again. Once the main force catches up, the harassment tactics will be of little use.

"Commander, these Easterners are not easy to deal with!"

Rodionov, who was about the size of a door panel, was not simple-minded despite his strong physique; he agreed with his superior's judgment. He didn't need to see the knights harassing the area at night; he could tell a rider's skill level simply by listening to the sound of their hooves.

“It might not be Ming troops; it could be some kind of Sak cavalry. They're similar to the Crimeans; they're very skilled horsemen.” Katoskin didn't think the nighttime harassment was by Ming troops; that kind of work seemed more suited to the locals.

“It must be the Ming army, at least a part of them!” But Rodionov didn’t want his superior to get away with it too easily, so he retorted directly.

"Why?" Katoskin rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“I have men who used to be bodyguards for Ming Dynasty craftsmen. Although they can’t understand their language, they can tell the difference. Last night, someone outside was shouting in the Ming language, and he must have recognized it. It sounded just like the Ming Dynasty craftsmen’s accent!”

Rodionov hadn't slept all night either, but that didn't affect his appetite or his talkativeness. While stuffing his mouth with jerky and cheese, he shook his head and rattled off his reasons.

"...Stop eating for now, order an additional 2 leagues to be withdrawn!" Upon hearing that there were Ming Dynasty troops among the cavalry in the night raid, Commander Katoskin's expression immediately turned serious. After a moment of contemplation, he issued a new order.

Although he had never directly clashed with the Ming army, he maintained the vigilance expected of an officer. When facing an unfamiliar opponent, his first priority was not to attack, but to ensure his own safety.

"They've retreated? Looks like our opponents are quite capable this time! Well then, let's wait and see. We can't use the same methods as with the roe deer when dealing with the herd. We need to bring back all our outer defenses, with the smallest unit being no less than three centurions. Check our communication range and ammunition reserves, and be ready to respond to a large-scale attack at any time!"

News of the Cossack cavalry's collective retreat quickly reached the Ming army headquarters located in the western courtyard of the city. Huang Taiji flipped through the reports sent by various departments, stroking his bald head thoughtfully.

According to the previously set battle plan, the first step was to eliminate the enemy's vanguard as quickly as possible. This was done for two reasons: firstly, to test the Cossack cavalry's fighting style and strength, and secondly, to give the enemy a warning, so that they would not dare to easily split their forces in future battles and would try to stick together as much as possible.

The Ming army feared nothing more than scattered raids and large-scale frontal battles. By gathering the enemy into a single force, they were already invincible. However, the Cossack cavalry, renowned for their fierce and fearless charges, proved far from the rumors of recklessness. After only one night of fighting, they astutely sensed the danger and retreated without hesitation.

It's no longer realistic for the Ming army to use nighttime harassment to force a major offensive under duress. This shows that any renowned and powerful army has its merits and isn't just a name without substance. From this perspective, it was their own rashness and underestimation of the enemy that led to this situation.

However, it's not too late to change it now. Since we can't steal it, we should switch to a more conventional approach and change the active defensive formation to a defensive one. We should patiently wait for the opponent to make the first move, look for weaknesses, and then launch a counterattack.

"Commander... oh no, I mean Commander! Commander, should we release the eagles from the North Mountain to fly a few laps and test their mettle?"

The commander specifically in charge of the defense of the southern part of Turkestan City was Chang Jiang, the commander of the 31st Guard. He was also the one who orchestrated the small-scale harassment operation last night. Seeing that the duck that was about to fly away was about to be caught, he was a little unwilling to give up and planned to come up with another unorthodox trick to catch the enemy off guard.

"Dream on! The Eagle is my trump card, and it must not be used until the final battle! Pass on my message to Commander Ma, and tell him to stop having any crooked thoughts, do his job properly, and not to launch any attack without my order!"

Huang Taiji rejected the suggestion without hesitation and, anticipating the enemy's moves, preemptively blocked any possible ideas from the other commander.

The so-called eagle was not like the traditional Jurchen people who captured and tamed large birds of prey for hunting and combat reconnaissance, but rather a new type of tool created by the emperor that was never seen before.

Since ancient times, humankind has dreamt of flying into the sky, believing that immortals reside there and that whoever can ascend can join the ranks of the immortals. They have racked their brains, making numerous attempts, both physically and in terms of tools. However, after thousands of years of effort, no one has yet truly succeeded in flying.

But the history of human failures in flying came to a complete end with Emperor Jingyang. With the successful launch of the army's hot air balloon, humankind's dream of flying finally took a small step forward.

Although it's just taking off in a wicker basket, unable to control its direction, it's still a long way from soaring through the sky. But the first step is often the hardest; once you take it, the second and third steps will follow naturally.

Sure enough, shortly after the Royal Academy was established, a rumor circulated among the high-ranking military officials that the emperor had cultivated to the point of physical ascension and often used magic to fly into the sky in the royal gardens north of the city.

The reaction of high-ranking military officers to this rumor was one of unsurprise. The idea that Emperor Jingyang was likely a divine being was already widespread, not only in the military but also among many court officials who believed that the emperor had reached a very high level of spiritual cultivation and was getting closer and closer to the heavens, so his ability to fly was obviously not something to be surprised about.

But what most people, including military generals and court officials, didn't know was that not only the emperor could fly, but also Wang Chengen, Wei San, and some warriors from the Cuju team and the Imperial Horse Administration.

(End of this chapter)