I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1041 The Battle of Khwarezm (5K)

In early December of the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Han'an War officially broke out.

The first battlefield where the two sides clashed was not within the Kushan Empire, but in Khwarezm.

Located in the delta region of the lower Amu Darya River, this area was once the northern bulwark of the Kushan Empire. After the decline of the Kushan Empire, it became independent and an important place for the struggle between Parthia and the Kushan forces.

Now, the game between merchants and spies has come to an end, and a real war has descended upon this ancient land.

General Mihran, who came from one of the seven great Parthian families, led his main force and vassal army, totaling 30,000 infantry and cavalry, to the Khwarezmian plain as a guardian. The local minor lords surrendered at the mere sight of him, and almost none dared to challenge his might.

"Report! The Parthians have captured Koti, and the commander has surrendered!"

"Report! The enemy vanguard has spread out in all directions and is less than 30 li from our camp!"

At the Han army camp on the east bank of the Amu Darya, scouts brought back a series of bad news. Ma Chao, the Han army commander in charge of the northern front, and Yan Xing exchanged a glance, their faces full of vigilance.

Yan Xing said, "The enemy is advancing rapidly, and their strength will be even greater after they capture Khwarezm. We only have less than eight thousand cavalry, and a direct attack would be disadvantageous. It would be better to retreat first."

"Hmph, you're scared already?"

Ma Chao snorted coldly: "The general's mission for us is to take Khwarezm, or at least to hold this Amu Darya defense line and contain the enemy forces on the northern front. If I retreat without a fight, wouldn't I be failing in my duty?"

Yan Xing frowned and said, "Meng Qi, it's not that we're afraid of fighting. The enemy is powerful and has plenty of troops, while our army has been on a long march, and every soldier is extremely valuable."

"If we were to engage the enemy in a direct confrontation here, any losses we incur would be irreparable!"

Ma Chao remained silent, his face ashen.

How could he not know what Yan Xing was saying?
These nearly eight thousand cavalrymen, most of whom were old men from Xiliang whom he had brought with him, how could he bear to let these people perish so easily on this distant land in a foreign country?

However, his performance in the last western expedition was far from satisfactory, and he suffered a great loss. This time, he finally got another chance to fight. If he returned empty-handed again, how could Ma Chao have the face to see the general?

Just as the two were arguing, the deputy general Zhao Ang lifted the curtain and exclaimed happily:
"Generals, good news—General Zilong has arrived!"

Two days later, in Cote.

You're saying enemy troops have crossed the river?

General Mihran hurriedly asked, "How many of them are coming? Where are they headed?"

The scout knelt down and reported: "General, the enemy has about eight thousand cavalry, carrying red flags. They have crossed the Amu Darya River and are rushing toward our city of Koti."

"What? They're coming this way? And there are only eight thousand cavalry?"

General Mihran looked surprised: "Don't they know I've already captured the city?"

Koti, an important stronghold of Khwarazm, already had nearly 10,000 garrison troops. Now, all of them have surrendered. Together with the main force of the northern expedition brought by Mihran, the Parthian and his vassal armies surrounding Koti number nearly 40,000.

"The Han army has only eight thousand men, yet they think they can attack the city. They really don't take us seriously."

Immediately, a lieutenant with a large chin stepped forward to request permission to fight:

"General, please grant me five thousand men. I will make sure those arrogant Han bastards never return!"

Arrogant? I think you're the arrogant one.

General Mihran grumbled inwardly.

The man who volunteered for the battle was named Qazar. Although he was a rare and brave Han general in his family, he was impatient and often underestimated the enemy. In the past, he would have had no problem crushing the rebels, but Mihran understood that these Han people from the distant Qin Dynasty were probably not simple at all.

"Kazar, do not underestimate him!"

Mihran scolded:

"Although the Han army is small, it must have some extraordinary abilities to have been able to march this far. Our army should proceed with caution and prudence."

So, Mihran quickly devised a sound tactic with his soldiers.

On the front, he personally led the main force of 18,000 infantry and cavalry to form a battle line to meet the enemy on the east side of the city.

Meanwhile, the remaining army was divided into three parts. First, eight thousand reserves were left in the city, and then five thousand cavalry were divided into two armies, left and right, to leave the city ahead of time and move to the north and south.

"We must make full use of our numerical advantage, draw the enemy's attention from the front, and then launch attacks from both flanks to cut off their retreat and annihilate them under the city walls in one fell swoop!"

General Mihran's tactical plan was unanimously approved by his generals. Soon, the Parthian army began its operation according to plan.

The Han army on the other side seemed to be heading towards their doom, unaware of the situation, because they had penetrated deep into enemy territory.

Another day later.

At noon, the two armies finally met on the plains east of Koti.

General Mihran stood on the high platform and saw in the distance the red banner of the Han army fluttering in the wind. Under the banner was a young general in silver armor and white robe, wearing a lion helmet and a beast belt, looking majestic.

"Is this the commander-in-chief of the Han army? And he's so young?"

Since the two armies couldn't communicate due to the language barrier, they had nothing to say to each other. After observing each other for a while, the two commanders quickly took the initiative to lead eight hundred cavalrymen to test the enemy's formation.

Meanwhile, Mihran waved his hand and immediately ordered a thousand cavalry to attack and meet the enemy, also to test the strength of the Han army through a small-scale battle.

"Well done!"

Ma Chao snorted coldly, holding his spear, and charged straight at the Parthian cavalry.

"Fire arrows!"

In contrast to the Xiliang cavalry charging into battle, the Parthian cavalry were standard lightly armed archers. They drew their bows and fired decisively, attempting to weaken the number of Han cavalry and their impact before engaging in combat using a standardized procedure.

but
"Raise your shield!"

Ma Chao was naturally prepared; the Xiliang cavalry used round shields for protection, and their charging speed was not reduced at all.

In the blink of an eye, eight hundred iron cavalrymen plunged into the Parthian cavalry formation like sharp knives. Those cavalrymen who could not dodge in time were immediately slaughtered, while the others spurred their horses and fled, occasionally firing a couple of arrows as a symbolic counterattack.

Seeing the enemy army fleeing, Ma Chao naturally wouldn't let the opportunity to pursue and kill them slip by.

If we can take advantage of the situation to break through the enemy lines, this probing battle may turn into a decisive victory.

However, the Parthian army was clearly not so easy to deal with.

"You do have some skill, but..."

General Mihran snorted coldly:
"Heavy infantry, advance!"

At his command, his personal guards frantically waved small flags, and soon squads of heavily armored infantrymen lined up in formation.

They held a small, round metal shield in one hand and a long spear, 4 to 6 meters long, in the other.

If Su Yao were here, he would recognize it at a glance as the Macedonian phalanx, a common sight in countless war games.

That's right, Parthia, also known as the Parthian Empire, was originally a nomadic tribe, and its army consisted mainly of light and heavy cavalry skilled in archery and horsemanship.

However, in its development, like the rise of countless nomadic peoples, it absorbed and inherited the legacy of the Seleucid Empire and had deep Hellenistic elements.

Infantry, the cheapest and most convenient type of force, was naturally the mainstay of his army.

However, because their old rival in the west, the Roman legions, were so ridiculously strong, Parthian infantry were mainly used for garrisoning the interior and defending their eastern territories.

Although these Hellenistic infantrymen were not well-trained, with their equipment, they were able to defend against their nomadic neighbors to the east by taking advantage of the terrain.

Now, facing the Han army's charging cavalry, Mihran immediately deployed his spearmen to counter them.

Thus, the first clash between the two armies came to an end without result.

"Unexpectedly, their infantry is the one who's the hardest to deal with!"

Upon returning to the camp, Ma Chao angrily sat down at the table and spoke.

Before setting off, Su Yao had told everyone the key points for dealing with the Parthian army, and that they should be wary of the Parthian cavalry.

But after actually fighting them, Ma Chao's assessment of these cavalry was summed up in two words—trash!
This wasn't because Ma Chao was arrogant, but because there was a qualitative difference between the two armies: stirrups.

Under Su Yao's training, the Han cavalry had been equipped with iron stirrups and horseshoes in large quantities, while the Parthian cavalry still maintained the appearance of the cavalry in the classical era, during the time of Alexander the Great.

Such cavalry have extremely poor frontal combat capabilities and can only employ tactics such as flanking attacks and long-range shooting.

Therefore, in the recent battle, Ma Chao's Xiliang cavalry achieved a crushing victory over the Parthian cavalry.

The enemy was completely vulnerable; as soon as they charged, enemy cavalry fell from their horses in droves.

However, when Ma Chao tried to expand his gains, the Parthian infantry's spear formation forced him to rein in his horse and retreat.

“Those spearmen are indeed troublesome,” Yan Xing nodded in agreement. “But more importantly, we’ve probably already fallen into the enemy’s encirclement.”

"Are you sure?" Ma Chao asked urgently.

Yan Xing pointed to the map: "While you were fighting just now, scouts reported that there were large numbers of enemy figures on both the north and south sides. It seems they want to cut off our retreat."

"They acted quickly, but..."

Ma Chao sneered: "Who exactly was surrounded and annihilated is another matter entirely."

"Something terrible has happened, General!"

"Those Han soldiers seem to be trying to escape!"

At dusk, Parthian scouts hurriedly returned to the camp to report to General Mihran.

Mihran frowned: "Run? Didn't they just arrive?"

"Yes, indeed." The scout said breathlessly, "But just now, the main force of the Han army suddenly gathered on a large scale, and many of them left the camp and headed east, then turned back along the same route. They probably discovered our ambush on the left and right flanks."

"So vigilant?"

Mihran stood up abruptly, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes: "But it's too late!"

"Pass down the order: the cavalry on the left and right flanks will immediately encircle and intercept us; the main force in the center—follow me and attack!"

With the sudden retreat of the Han army, the Parthian army also immediately sprang into action.

Mihran and other Parthian generals were full of confidence. In their view, even if the Han army that had already crossed the river realized what was happening, it was too late to turn back.

Tonight is the night these Han soldiers will die!

"Kill!!!"

Under the moonlight, General Qajar, the commander of the Parthian army's northern route, emerged from the darkness and thrust straight at the Han cavalry that were moving eastward.

Yan Xing immediately drew his sword and charged into battle, and the two armies engaged in a fierce battle on the plain.

"Han dog, where do you think you're going!" Qazar brandished his scimitar and charged straight at Yan Xing.

"You barbarian, you're courting death!" Yan Xing sneered, his long sword flashing like lightning.

The two were locked in combat, their swords flashing.

Originally, Qazar was a rare and fierce general in Parthia, whose martial prowess was in fact no less than Yan Xing's.

But as mentioned before, the Parthian army did not have stirrups. Even though Qajar was exceptionally talented in horsemanship, the limitations of his equipment meant that he could only perform at 60% of his potential on horseback.

After all, simply squeezing your belly tightly to keep from falling off the horse is no match for Yan Xing's stability, who is equipped with stirrups.

After just a few rounds, the formidable Qazar was already in grave danger.

"Damn it! Die!"

Yan Xing dodged to the side, the javelin grazing his armor. In that split second, Qazar had already turned his horse around, shouting, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

The Parthian cavalry followed their commander in retreat. Yan Xing was about to give chase when his deputy stopped him: "General, the enemy's main force has arrived. We should retreat!"

Yan Xing looked up and saw flames like dragons in the distance; Mihran's main army was advancing in a mighty force. He sneered, "These barbarians got off easy. Pass down the order to retreat according to plan!"

The Han cavalry quickly broke away and galloped eastward. Seeing this, Qazar was overjoyed and immediately led his troops in pursuit: "Chase them! Don't let them escape!"

At the same time, Ardashir, the commander of the southern route of Parthia, also discovered the movements of the Han army. He immediately ordered: "All troops, attack and intercept them!"

Two Parthian cavalry units rushed towards the Han army like iron pincers, and it looked like they were about to encircle the Han army.

At this critical moment, suddenly—

"boom!"

A deafening explosion erupted from behind the Parthian army, followed by deafening battle cries. Mihran was horrified and turned to see flames soaring into the sky in the direction of Koti.

"What's going on?!" Mihran demanded sharply.

"Report! General, something terrible has happened!" A scout rushed in, flustered. "The Han army has launched a surprise attack on Keti City, and the garrison inside is in chaos!"

"What?!" Mihran's expression changed drastically. "Isn't the main force of the Han army here?"

It turns out that this was a plan devised by Ma Chao and Zhao Yun.

During the day, Ma Chao led his troops in a feigned attack to lure the main force of the Parthian army out of the city; while Zhao Yun led another part of the reinforcements to secretly cross the river upstream and launch a night raid on the undefended city of Keti.

"General, we've fallen into a trap!" the lieutenant cried out urgently. "We must return to reinforce immediately!"

Mihran gritted his teeth: "Order the entire army to return to Koti!"

Actually, at this moment, Mihran was not completely panicked.

After all, he had left enough people in the city. Although the explosion sounded terrifying from a distance, he believed that the city would not be lost anytime soon.

The current focus is on the fact that Qazar's troops in the Northern Route Army are entangled in a fierce battle with Yan Xing and are unable to break free for the time being.

Therefore, Mihran led the slow-moving main force back first, while ordering the southern route of Ardashir's troops to meet up with the northern army, making sure to maintain the formation. He preferred to let the Han army escape rather than let the main army be in danger.

However, he did not expect that before he had even completed half of his journey back, the Han army's real killing move had just begun to appear.

"kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill the barbarians!!!"

In the darkness, countless brightly colored riders appeared from all directions.

At first glance, these people seem to be no less numerous than them.

"what happened?!"

Where did these people come from?

"How can there be so many barbarian riders?!"

The barbarian rider, Mihran's eyes were indeed spot on.

These people were not the elite of the Han army, but rather nomadic cavalry from various diverse backgrounds.

They included the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Wusun, Kangju, and Dayuan people.

That's right, they are the warriors who, along Su Yao's westward expedition, conquered various grassland tribes.

Previously, after Su Yao returned to the capital in triumph, they had been nomadic in the newly conquered territory of Wusun, under the supervision of Zhao Yun.

Then, when the war against the Kushans began, Zhao Yun led this nomadic army westward. He missed the Kushan war, but happened to be there when the Parthians clashed with them.

Because of General Su Yaotian's reputation, his lavish spending, and most importantly, his undefeated record, these nomads held him in great awe and fought bravely in every battle.

Especially when they heard that today's task was to launch a surprise attack and fire arrows from the shadows, they all eagerly followed Zhao Yun, afraid of missing out on the chance to divide the spoils.

Under Zhao Yun's orders, they first sent a small group of men with a large amount of gunpowder to create explosions and chaos in the direction of Keti City under cover of night.

That's right, they didn't go to Koti City at all; they just chose a seemingly similar location and created enough commotion.

The Parthian army, already aware of the Han army's use of heavenly thunder, were so startled by the sudden sound that they assumed their base had been attacked and hastily retreated, only to fall into Zhao Yun's trap.

Immediately, the nomadic cavalry launched attacks in all directions.

Although they were poorly equipped, they were skilled horsemen and archers, and most importantly, they were numerous and powerful, numbering as many as 14,000.

This sudden attack in the darkness, with arrows raining down, quickly overwhelmed the Parthian army as they fled in panic.

"Hold on! Hold the formation!!"

Mihran shouted loudly, attempting to have his heavy infantry, the backbone of his central army, take the lead in resisting the enemy cavalry charge.

Unfortunately, this time their opponents were not the Xiliang army's charging cavalry from the afternoon; they patiently surrounded the Parthian army and unleashed a barrage of arrows.

Mihran had no choice but to send out cavalry to try to drive them away, but tragically, his main force of cavalry numbered only four thousand. Even though they were better equipped than these nomadic riders, their absolute numerical disadvantage was simply insurmountable.

They are slowly walking towards death.
"General, it's no use, we're being surrounded!"

The lieutenant ran in with his face covered in blood to report.

The situation grew increasingly critical, and Mihran gripped his sword tightly, shouting:

"Don't panic, hang in there!"

"It'll be fine once Qaza and the others arrive!"

Surrounded, Mihran placed his hopes on the troops on his left and right flanks.

The northern and southern routes were manned by their elite Parthian cavalry. With these men, they would have no fear of those ragtag nomadic riders.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten that the two cavalry groups were facing Ma Chao and Yan Xing.

"Barbarian—prepare to die!"

Puff.

Yan Xing, leading his personal guards, finally caught up with Qazar and killed him with a single blow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the south road, Ardashir also encountered a counterattack from Ma Chao and was forced to retreat.

Supporting the main force of the Central Army?

It doesn't exist at all.

"Report! General, General Qazar has been killed in battle, and the Northern Route Army has been routed!"

"But Ardashir, seeing that things were not going well, led the southern army and fled!"

"What?!!"

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Upon hearing the news, Mihran's vision went black, and he fell off his horse with a thud.

(End of this chapter)