Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 282 Side Story: Awakening Fragrance Part 4

As a massive meteor streaked across the inky sky and crashed down in the northwest, cheers erupted from the Zhenwu Army's cavalry ranks, creating an uproar.

Before setting out on the campaign, Li Keyong paid homage at the shrine of Li Jing, a famous general who helped found the dynasty, and prayed for his protection. The next day, he claimed with certainty that Li Jing had appeared to him in a dream, saying that the battle would result in the killing of the Hu king, and that celestial signs would soon appear as a sign of this.

The dream was ethereal, and the soldiers listened with skepticism. But when a meteor fell to earth that night, the soldiers trembled with excitement and shouted their hearts out.

"The spirit of Duke Wei has appeared!"

"With Duke Wei's protection, we will surely win a great victory in this battle and leave no Tatar traitors alive!"

Starting from the early Tang Dynasty, Wei Gong Li Jing was deified, and later he was even confused with Vaishravana, the Heavenly King of Buddhism, and became the father of Nezha, the Third Prince.

Many of the Hu people believed in Buddhism, and although the Zhenwu Army had many Hu soldiers, they were equally devout to Li Jing.

Li Keyong, of course, knew nothing of astrology. His prediction of a meteor falling to earth after observing the night sky, and his suggestion that Li Keyong use the story of Duke Wei's dream to boost morale, was actually a scheme devised by Xingxiang.

Her knowledge of astronomy and astrology naturally came from her teacher, Cai Xi.

The cavalry, like giant spears, traversed the vast plains, their hooves kicking up dust and grass. The entire army, its morale soaring, marched towards Dingxiang City.

Back then, Duke Wei, Li Jing, decisively defeated the Eastern Turkic Khagan, Jieli Khan, at the walls of Dingxiang. Now that Duke Wei has manifested his power, how could the three armies not be filled with the determination to win?
Zhenwu City is more than a hundred li away from Dingxiang. The reinforcements led by Li Keyong are all cavalry, which is only a two-day journey. The supply train will be slower and will stay behind to be guarded by three hundred elite cavalry.

After traveling for half a day, a scout came galloping back with seven or eight arrows stuck in his leg, and the wounds were already rotting and infested with maggots.

This was naturally sent out by Li Keyong before the expedition even began.

In warfare, one cannot rely entirely on deduction and calculation; without a clear understanding of the enemy's situation, one should never act rashly.

Zhao Kuo was a master strategist who could only talk about war on paper and was eloquent and had no strong defenses in front of him. However, in actual battle, he lost his army, disgraced his country, and died. This was the reason why.

Li Keyong ordered his men to examine the scout's injuries. The physician reported that there was no hope of saving him and that amputation was the only option. Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Li Keyong's eyes. He took off his precious battle robe, adorned with gold thread, and draped it over the scout. He then gave the scout the food that he himself had intended to eat.

"Poor brother, what's your name?"

"My surname is Liu, and I am the fifth child in my family."

"So it's Brother Liu Wulang. Quickly, someone escort him back and make sure he's settled in properly. From now on, your family will receive relief funds and grain from the town every month without fail."

The scout was deeply moved by the young master's kindness and said in a trembling voice, "I thank you, young master. However, of our ten men, except for myself, including the squad leader, all have perished in the desert..."

Li Keyong nodded: "The families of those brothers will receive no less compensation."

Commander Li Guochang was extremely strict in disciplining his troops. If a scout was surrounded by the enemy, he was required to commit suicide rather than fall into enemy hands. If he was captured, his family would be implicated.

For every severe punishment, there must be a corresponding heavy reward; otherwise, the army cannot be convinced of its authority. Li Keyong's actions were in accordance with established military practices.

But his generosity in sharing food and clothing with a lowly sentry made the soldiers in the army think that the young master was someone they could get along with.

Upon receiving the news from the scouts, Li Keyong finally felt reassured and admired Xingxiang's wisdom even more.

For the nomadic cavalry to gather in Dingxiang, they would need to cross the Yin Mountains and even the Gobi Desert. How could forty to fifty thousand cavalry be assembled so hastily?

Li Keyong had anticipated this, guessing that the enemy was likely using a feint, with scouts dragging grass and raising sand to increase their momentum. Therefore, although it was only a hundred li away, he ordered his troops to advance at a steady pace, charging forward in a well-organized formation, without wasting too much horsepower. The reports gathered by the scouts confirmed this.

Li Keyong couldn't figure out how those catapults were transported. The Gobi Desert surrounding Dingxiang City was rich in rubble, but there were no large timbers within a hundred miles to make siege engines; they had to be transported across the desert. Horses had limited carrying capacity and couldn't easily carry heavy timbers.

Xingxiang, however, suggested, "Could it have been disassembled and transported here by camel?"

These words struck Li Keyong like a thunderbolt.

Camels are known as the ships of the desert, possessing exceptional load-bearing capacity. They can not only carry cargo but also transport riders into battle.

Because of their large size, horses that have never seen a camel before are easily frightened and run away upon seeing their bodies and smelling their scent. The solution is simple: a few training sessions with camels will suffice. However, the warhorses in the Zhenwu Army have never seen a camel before.

The scouts reported that they had indeed spotted large figures with two bulges on their backs in the enemy camp.

Considering that the enemy might use camels to startle horses, the original plan needs to be adjusted.

Li Keyong said to his soldiers, "Although our army is not fast, the long journey has exhausted our horses. Directly attacking the enemy camp is not a foolproof strategy, and now we may be countered by the enemy using camels, which could frighten our horses."

"It would be better to get closer and then dismount to fight on foot."

Upon hearing this, most of the generals hesitated.

Although the enemy used a feint tactic, according to the intelligence brought back by their scouts, their forces still numbered over 15,000, more than five times our own. A direct cavalry charge into their formation could first break through a corner of the siege, and then cripple their entire force. Engaging in direct infantry combat would force the enemy to prepare, forcing them to use 3,000 men to confront the well-rested 15,000 Hu cavalry.

Li Keyong encouraged them, saying, "The Tatars are bad at fighting and only know how to shoot arrows. Once we put on our armor, what do we have to be afraid of?"

The generals thought about it and realized it was true. One by one, they put away their fear and their fighting spirit was rekindled.

In any case, this battle was protected by the spirit of Li Weigong.

As they approached the enemy camp, it was midday. The blazing sun hung high in the sky, baking the autumn grassland with the scorching heat of midsummer. The Tatars, shouting and yelling, emerged from the yurts of their camp, mounted their horses, and fine beads of sweat appeared on their necks.

The Zhenwu Army soldiers dismounted and formed teams of a hundred, each wielding a long spear, charging towards the enemy ranks like hedgehog bristles. The spearheads, illuminated by the sunlight, resembled layers of waves.

Li Ke stood in the first row, holding a spear in his hand. Xing Xiang stood slightly behind, holding a sharp sword. According to her, she was not a weak woman and was in the sword formation to cut down any enemy cavalry that might sneak in.

The Tatar knights pulled on the reins and accelerated, and thousands of horses galloped, raising clouds of dust into the sky.

These nomadic cavalry, later described as "a hundred riders can surround a force of ten thousand, a thousand riders can spread out and cover a hundred miles," could appear numerous and powerful even when outnumbered. Now, with a force five times the size of the Tang army, their sheer presence was enough to instill fear.

Moreover, the Tatar knights' horses dragged bundles of straw along their tails, kicking up clouds of dust. This was not only to increase their imposing presence, but the dust also served to confuse the Tang army's vision.

But having arrived on this battlefield, the entire army had no choice but to face the enemy with the determination to die.

Tatar cavalrymen galloped back and forth, circling and firing arrows, which rained down on the Zhenwu Army formation like a torrential downpour.

Among them were skilled archers who, upon approaching, would use armor-piercing heavy arrows to strike the face from ten paces away. Once these heavy arrows struck the armor plates vertically, they would pierce through instantly, leaving only shields to defend against them.

Before long, the shields of the front-line soldiers were covered with Tatar arrows, and they had to rotate between the front and back ranks, with the soldiers in the back slowly pulling out the arrows.

Galloping arrows were by no means the only offensive tactic used by the Tatars.

They are not known for their aggressive tactics, but they closely monitor changes in the enemy's formation, looking for weaknesses. If they see an opportunity, they immediately dispatch light cavalry to charge straight in.

If the formation falters, the nomadic cavalry will press forward in full force, cutting through the enemy lines. Once the infantry formation is disrupted, they will be unable to resist the onslaught of the nomadic cavalry and will be at the mercy of their enemies.

The Zhenwu Army withstood the continuous gunfire and attacks for two full hours, with the front and rear ranks rotating several times. The soldiers were drenched in sweat, their heavy shirts soaked through.

The formation nearly crumbled, and not just once or twice. Several times the Hu cavalry had broken into the formation, only to be stopped by the dense array of spears and halberds that reorganized the defensive line, and the valiant Zhenwu soldiers drove them back.

Xingxiang's swordsmanship was not suited for frontline combat, but rather for handling such emergencies from the reserve. When enemy cavalry charged in, they were already severely slowed by entering the fray, and Xingxiang's sword flashed like a ghost, often striking with a single stroke, and the horse's head would crash to the ground. The Tatar knights who subsequently fell from their horses also met their end, riddled with spears.

The stalemate was becoming increasingly unbearable for the Zhenwu warriors. Their infantry combat skills were certainly not low, but they had been trained as knights after all. Outnumbered and outgunned, the prolonged battle was taking its toll, and they were starting to falter.

Li Keyong stabbed down an enemy cavalryman who was charging towards him with a spear. His exquisitely beautiful face, stained with the enemy's blood, had an eerie and cold beauty.

He slowly returned to the formation and asked Xingxiang in a low voice, "Can we activate it now?"

Xingxiang glanced around at the enemy formation and nodded slightly.

She knew that Li Keyong already had a plan in mind, but needed her opinion to boost his confidence.

Li Keyong's gaze hardened, and he raised his voice: "The three armies shall attack!"

Flags and banners were raised high within the ranks, waving like clouds, while the sound of drums and horns suddenly arose.

The crossbow bolts fired in rapid succession, raining down arrows that cut down rows of barbarian cavalrymen like mowing grass.

From behind the enemy lines, a troop of elite cavalry appeared out of nowhere, slicing through the Tatar cavalry like a hot knife through cheese.

Li Keyong's infantry main force also broke their defensive formation, and the entire army roared as they charged forward with spears, launching a fierce counterattack against the enemy cavalry.

Subsequently, the besieged defenders in Dingxiang City also shouted loudly, and with their anger, they broke through the Tatars' simple camp and charged out towards the enemy's flank!

Attacked from three sides, the Tatar army was crushed into dust like rice grains under a millstone.

The towering Bactrian camels looked bewildered amidst the chaotic army formation. They were originally intended to intimidate the Zhenwu Army's warhorses, but Li Keyong's choice to engage them with infantry rendered these behemoths useless.

Camels are far less capable of charging than warhorses, and their physique is wolfish and lacks agility. When defeated, they rarely escape and are often killed or captured along with their riders.

The rescued garrison of Dingxiang embraced the reinforcements who had come to their aid, their eyes filled with tears.

Of the more than 15,000 Tatar cavalry, more than 3,000 were killed or captured, and countless horses, camels, bows, and arrows were abandoned.

(End of this chapter)