Chapter 37

As Guoguang finally got up, Habur, who had already risen and was waiting, brought him some food.

"Here, eat this."

This time, it was a whole roasted leg, but the situation was not much different from before. The outside was cooked, but the inside was still dripping with blood. Guoguang chewed and swallowed the meat with all his might, drank some mayozhu, and then got up.

"Have some more."

Guoguang forced a smile and spoke to Habur, who was offering him more food.

"Ah... well, this is really delicious, but I don't usually eat much. And I'll be having lunch with my subordinates, so there's no need to prepare anything. It might be a bit lonely, but you can eat by yourself, okay?"

Habur smiled broadly at the compliment.

"Spending time with your subordinates is a good thing."

"Oh, I just remembered, I have plans to drink with my subordinates tonight. So, you should eat first, okay?"

"Will you eat with me tomorrow night?"

"Sure..."

Guoguang quickly strapped on the sword belt with the Qingcheng Sword, which he had received from General Yuyingzhen and had been using ever since, and went outside. Since the Muhun Sword was more convenient for cavalry battles, he kept it stored away. Guoguang hurried to Lin Chong's tent. Lin Chong and his subordinates were gathered, eating, and when Guoguang approached, they all stood up to greet him. Guoguang half-heartedly acknowledged their greetings and sat down.

"Hey, do you have something for me to eat?"

Lin Chong, with a hideous smile, as if he knew the situation, teased him.

"No, what could the commander possibly eat? We don't even have enough for ourselves... Besides, the commander had a hearty breakfast made by the beautiful Habur, didn't he...?"

"That would be if it was something a human could eat. Stop talking nonsense and give it to me quickly."

One of the subordinates scooped a bowl of rice and gave it to Guoguang. While eating the rice and side dishes with enthusiasm, Guoguang pondered how to navigate this difficult situation. If he kept eating with such enthusiasm, he would eventually get used to it, but the problem was now. Moreover, since he wouldn't be keeping Habur with him for life, he didn't think it was necessary to try to adapt.

---

The prelude to the great battle on the Tengling Plain

Every day, long lines of bound women and children passed through the main camp. The raiding units that had plundered the surrounding areas used the relatively safe supply route from the main camp to Jingling Valley to transport the loot back to the homeland. Because of this, Guoguang had to see the desperate eyes of the many people being dragged away, even if he didn't want to.

After five days, the three thousand-man units that had been on pursuit returned. It took them longer to return because they had plundered all the Mongol villages scattered around on their way back. They also brought many captives, and their carts were filled with plundered goods. General Yuyingzhen sent all of these back to the homeland and then convened a long strategy meeting with all the commanders of the thousand-man units and above.

Guoguang also had information he had gathered from the forty hundred-man units that were enthusiastically engaged in plundering. He had learned that although Tiejintian had been injured, he had retreated and was reorganizing his forces. While Guoguang was lost in thought, gazing at the distant clouds, Ma Hua slowly approached from behind. Perhaps due to a long rest or the relief after annihilating all the nearby enemies, she was not wearing her armor, and though not a stunning beauty, she had a straight nose and determined eyes. Ma Hua brushed her hair, which was being blown by the wind, to the side and spoke to Guoguang.

"What are you thinking about?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Guoguang, with a puzzled look, asked back.

"Huh? What?"

"What are you so lost in thought about?"

"Ah... I was thinking about when this war will end."

"Isn't that dependent on when Tiejintian or Tongzhen will die?"

"If we must kill him, we should advance quickly and finish it, so why are we doing these despicable acts here?"

"Since this area is inhabited by Tiejintian's tribes, eliminating them will weaken Tiejintian's position, won't it?"

"Is that really the case? If we keep doing this, it will only increase the resentment of the tribes in this area..."

"That's thinking too much like someone from the Central Plains."

"Thinking like someone from the Central Plains?"

Ma Hua began to explain as if she were scolding a young child who didn't understand the world.

"They are a people who are weak to the strong and strong to the weak, strictly following the law of the jungle. If you show them your strength, they will yield. I heard that five tribes have already sent messengers offering to help us. So, the next operation will likely be with the Mongols."

"With the Mongols..."

"Yes, they have never formed a nation, so they don't have the concept of kinship. They will do anything as long as it doesn't harm their own tribe. They want to avoid disaster by helping to eliminate other tribes. The commander is currently waiting for reinforcements from those five tribes. I heard we might receive about 80,000 reinforcements."

"Is that certain?"

Ma Hua playfully tugged at her ear.

"Yes, I have very big ears."

Guoguang smiled.

"Having too big ears can be a problem. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss."

Then Ma Hua, as if mocking him, clicked her tongue.

"Tsk tsk, that's not it. Even with big ears, if you keep your mouth shut, it can be helpful. What don't you know? There's also a saying that knowledge is power."

"Hmm, that might be true. Do you know when we will start the advance?"

"In about four days. We will meet the Mongols on the Tulai Plain."

"On the plain?"

"Yes, since we can't be sure of their intentions, the commander wants to prevent a surprise attack. On the plain, a surprise attack is impossible, and even if it's not a surprise attack, our Black Wind Corps won't suffer a fatal blow from the Mongols."

"That makes sense."

Eight days later, the Mongol army and the Black Wind Corps joined forces. Since they couldn't fully trust each other, the five tribal leaders sent their sons as hostages, as was customary, to build mutual trust. This made each side believe the other wouldn't play tricks and that the other wouldn't suspect them because they had sent hostages.

The punitive force, now numbering 100,000 with the addition of the 80,000 Mongol troops, advanced to the Tengling Plain near Machuha, where Tiejintian was reorganizing his forces. On the vast Mongol steppe, cunning tactics were almost useless.

Moreover, since both sides were cavalry, a surprise attack was almost impossible. Night raids were good, but there was a risk of friendly fire, so only a small elite force could be sent to disrupt the enemy's camp.

The allied forces met Tiejintian's 120,000 troops on the vast Tengling Plain. The Mongols, despite their previous defeat, were still burning with fighting spirit. The war had not been going on for long, and although they had suffered a heavy blow in the initial battle, they still had the strength. More importantly, Tiejintian, whom they trusted, was still alive, even though he was injured.

General Yuyingzhen, looking at the Mongol soldiers maintaining their formation, said to the deputy commander.

"Those guys haven't come to their senses yet."

"Yes, it shows the high level of trust in Tiejintian. In the previous battle, the main forces were Tiejintian's allied tribes. After the defeat, most of the allied tribes withdrew, and only three tribes sent troops to help him."

"Is that so? If we lose this time, it will be the end for them too."

"Yes, it will be."

"Hmm, let's go for a frontal attack this time. In such a vast plain, there's no point in using cunning tactics."

"But we should still use some tactics. Otherwise, the casualties will be high."

"Exactly. We need high casualties."

"Excuse me?"

"What I mean is..."

General Yuyingzhen drew lines in the dirt with his sword and explained.

"First, we'll spread out the Erim Army here. Then, we'll order the five tribal leaders to camp behind the Erim Army."

"But will they attack first?"

"Let's see..."

"Previously, they attacked head-on because of their numbers, but they lost many soldiers to the Erim Army's arrows and maces. Now, the forces are almost equal, or 90,000 on our side if we exclude the Erim Army. They might not attack first to avoid fighting our infantry."

"Still, we need to deploy the Erim Army in case of an emergency, so we'll do it this way and place the Mongol soldiers behind them. If the enemy attacks, that's good, and if not, we'll attack. If the Mongol soldiers betray us, the Erim Army can retreat to their formation and rely on them for support."

"Yes."

"If the enemy doesn't attack, we'll send the Mongol soldiers to the sides of the Erim Army to attack the enemy camp."

"..."

"Then, the Black Wind Corps' five thousand-man units will advance further to attack the enemy's rear, forming a wide encirclement. However, we will be attacking from behind, and the five tribes will face the front, so naturally, the five tribes will suffer heavy casualties. This way, we can capture Tiejintian, weaken the Mongols, and achieve two goals. This time, we need to completely encircle and behead Tiejintian."

"Good plan. But what if Tiejintian forms a rear guard and retreats like before?"

"Last time, the gap between the front and rear units was too large, so they were separated and defeated. This time, they will definitely act together. If there is a rear guard, it might be a decoy."

The next morning, both armies quickly formed their battle lines. The Black Wind Corps continued to lure the Mongol army, but Tiejintian, who had tasted defeat, did not easily take the initiative. The infantry on our side seemed to be a concern.

Infantry, if they retreat, will fall into chaos and be annihilated. Therefore, retreat is not an option for infantry. If the enemy is in front, they can only hold their ground. Because of their speed, some cavalry might charge out to provoke the enemy, shoot arrows, and then retreat to ambush or lure the infantry into formation.

When the entire army retreats, the infantry lead the way, and the cavalry stay behind to secure the retreat route. The cavalry, with the advantage of being able to move quickly, always lead and hold out until the end.

After several provocations failed, Yuyingzhen gave the signal to start the second plan. Immediately, all the cavalry under his command charged towards the enemy camp. The enemy also charged, and a large-scale cavalry battle ensued. The enemy, seeing that we had deployed a large number of cavalry, no longer worried about the infantry. A sane commander would not order the infantry to launch maces while the two armies were entangled...

The numerous cavalry clashed on the Tengling Plain, creating a spectacular scene. General Yuyingzhen, watching the battle between the Mongol soldiers and the Black Wind Corps, was shocked by the sudden change in the situation and shouted to Deputy Commander Magilu, who was standing beside him.

"Lead the remaining four hundred-man units to stop the enemy's retreat, quickly!"

As the Black Wind Corps cleverly encircled Tiejintian's army from behind, Tiejintian, sensing the danger, ordered a flank breakthrough. The Mongol soldiers then launched a fierce attack on the relatively weak side of the Mongol allied forces. General Magilu, leading the 400 Black Wind Corps reserved troops, tried to stop the breakthrough, but once the dam broke, it was impossible to stop the enemy's momentum. The large Mongol force, as if mocking General Yuyingzhen, cleanly broke through the encirclement and began to retreat. Thus, the first battle of the great battle could be considered a victory for the allied forces, but the problem started there.

The allied forces, who had encircled the enemy in a pot shape, naturally narrowed the area of the pot as the rats inside tried to escape, leading to a fierce battle with the fleeing rear guard. However, the Mongol soldiers, personally commanded by the injured Tiejintian, did not retreat after breaking through one side. Instead, they split into two directions and began attacking the pursuing allied forces. This naturally reversed the situation, and the allied forces found themselves encircled by Tiejintian's large army.

Once encircled, the rats trapped in the center had no choice but to rest because their flanks were friendly forces. Instead, the intense battle between the rats outside the circle and the pot continued. In fact, since the area of conflict was the same, it didn't matter much whether they were encircled or not if they fought to the death. However, once encircled, the morale of the troops dropped rapidly, and this is where the problem arose.

The plan completely deviated from General Yuyingzhen's expectations. Instead of the expected annihilation in one encirclement, the allied forces were encircled by the enemy. The Mongol allied forces, who knew the fear of Tiejintian, were the first to waver. General Yuyingzhen, separated from the Black Wind Corps and with the infantry, could not lead the allied forces, who lacked a commander, against the Mongol soldiers, who, though injured, had their commander with them. This was a mismatch from the start.

However, at this moment, Deputy Commander Magilu, who was encircled by the large Mongol force and engaged in a fierce battle, led his 400 cavalry and nearby Mongol allied forces to successfully break through the front encirclement. General Magilu gave orders to the entire cavalry.

"Retreat to where the Erim Army is stationed!"

"The Black Wind Corps will support the Mongol army's retreat!"

As the 90,000 allied forces retreated like a whirlwind, the 120,000 Mongol forces began a pursuit. In fact, while Tiejintian's Mongol soldiers were numerous, they were a single, unified military group relying on Tiejintian. In contrast, the 90,000 allied forces, though stronger due to the power of the Black Wind Corps, were separate units that could not quickly respond to unexpected situations in a large-scale cavalry battle, leading to this defeat.

As the 90,000 cavalry retreated at full speed, General Yuyingzhen, on one hand, made the Erim Army's formation even stronger to prepare for the enemy's breakthrough and, on the other hand, was busy reorganizing the cavalry retreating on both sides of the infantry. When the pursuit force of Tiejintian finally arrived, the maces were launched, and countless arrows flew towards the Mongol soldiers. As the first wave of soldiers fell to the arrows, Tiejintian, seemingly deciding not to continue the battle, began to retreat.

The long day was coming to an end. The soldiers, due to the intense mobile warfare, had no time to eat, and they barely managed to eat some dried meat or drink water while fighting. Once they separated, they immediately set up pots and began preparing meals.