allonlinenovel Chapter 149 Jin Cavalry Ambush and Kill Mongol Cavalry
Chapter 149 Jin Cavalry Ambush and Kill Mongol Cavalry
In Hunyuan County, southeast of Datong Prefecture, countless Mongolian tribal soldiers were slowly driving countless cattle, sheep, and carts northward.
At this moment, the leader of the group, Gerti of the Ongud tribe, was enjoying the service of Han Chinese women in his spacious carriage. These women were all captured by his men along the way. Having grown accustomed to the rough-skinned and bold-natured Mongolian women, Gerti was now completely captivated by these delicate Han Chinese women and indulged in this decadent lifestyle day and night.
A Mongol cavalryman rode up to the outside of Gerti's carriage: "Chief Gerti, another letter has arrived from Weizhou City, urging us to hurry. It says that the Jin army has amassed over 100,000 troops to attack Weizhou. Chief Gerti, you need to hurry on your way."
Gerti, having just eaten an orange peeled by a beautiful woman, said somewhat impatiently, "I know, we're almost there. Tell him how to make sure he guards his Weizhou City."
Such a marching speed could almost be described as a picnic. When these Mongol troops retreated, they did not stop them from looting the villages along the way. It can be said that apart from the houses they could not take, people and supplies were all escorted on the road. Once they returned to the grassland, these Mongol men no longer needed to herd livestock themselves, as they would be served by these slaves.
Gelti was unaware that as soon as they entered Hunyuan County, they were intercepted by a troop of 5,000 Jin cavalrymen. This troop was led by Wanyan Zonghan, who had just withdrawn from the Western Xia border. Their purpose was to hinder the retreating Mongol army from Taiyuan, thus buying time for Wanyan Ping to capture Weizhou City.
Looking at the sparse Mongol marching column that stretched for several miles, the Jin general leading the column laughed. He had originally thought he would encounter elite Mongol cavalry, but he hadn't expected to encounter such rabble.
The Jin general began to give orders: "The vanguard, consisting of two thousand men, will infiltrate and harass the Mongol army, and try to lure them into the valley to the west. We will give these Mongol Tartars a big welcome gift."
With the military order issued, the two thousand Jin cavalrymen began to be divided into small teams of two to three hundred men each. They cooperated closely in a well-organized formation, a result of their long-term training in fighting against the Western Xia army in the west.
A Mongol scout blew a horn, a signal of an approaching enemy. Gerti, inside the wagon, could no longer remain seated. Ignoring his bare torso, he threw back the curtain and shouted, "Chiefs, organize your defenses and counterattack!"
In fact, he didn't even need to give the order. At this moment, the centurions began to assemble their Mongol soldiers. Despite their lazy marching, they quickly entered battle mode at a single command.
These Mongol soldiers were all skilled horsemen and archers. They took bows, arrows, and scimitars from their horses, preparing for battle. As for the captured Han Chinese civilians, they were ignored. Seeing an opportunity, many civilians began to escape in the chaos. The Mongol soldiers merely glanced at them before turning back to fight. As for the Han Chinese civilians, they could be captured after the battle.
Before long, the two sides' cavalry clashed. Although the Mongol cavalry were not wearing armor, their agile movements skillfully evaded the weapons in the hands of the Jin cavalry.
The Jin general leading the troops shouted, "Javelin!"
The Jin cavalry immediately drew their short javelins and hurled them at the charging Mongol cavalry, instantly striking dozens of Mongol riders and knocking them from their horses. Meanwhile, Mongol soldiers unleashed a barrage of fire from their short bows at the Jin cavalry. Although the Jin cavalry wore heavy armor, their joints and faces were unprotected, making them easy targets at such close range.
After repeated charges and battles between the two cavalry forces, the Jin general turned his horse around and fled westward, and the Mongol cavalry, who were still fighting fiercely, chased after him with shouts.
During the pursuit, dozens more Jin cavalrymen were hit by arrows and fell from their horses. Some were only slightly wounded and not killed outright, but in such conditions, falling from their horses meant certain death.
The leading Jurchen general sneered when he saw the pursuing Mongol cavalry, then continued to urge his warhorse on.
To pursue these pesky Jin soldiers, the Mongol army dispatched four commanders of a thousand men. The commander in charge saw the Jin cavalry run into a narrow valley and shouted with a smile, "Warriors, this is a military achievement bestowed upon us by the Eternal Heaven! Borha, you lead a thousand men around to the other side of the valley. Don't let these Jin people get away. I really like their armor; we'll each get a set."
Although the centurion named Borha was extremely unwilling, he still carried out the order, because the Mongol army recorded battle merits based on the number of heads taken, and the distribution of spoils was also based on the amount of merit. Borha did not know that it was his detour that ultimately allowed him to escape the ambush set up by the Jin army in advance.
Upon seeing the main Mongol force charging in, the three thousand Jin cavalrymen lying in ambush on both sides of the valley immediately unleashed a dense barrage of arrows. After two volleys of fire, they charged into the Mongol cavalry within the valley. The two thousand at the forefront also turned their horses around to counterattack the pursuing Mongol army.
This time, the Jin cavalry changed their tactics. They switched to long spears and first used crossbows to unleash a barrage of fire on the Mongol cavalry before charging.
Realizing they had been ambushed by the Jin army, the once-fierce Mongol cavalrymen began to panic. They had no idea how many troops the enemy had, and with arrows raining down on them, some Mongol cavalrymen began to flee back the way they had come.
Unfortunately, the exit of the valley had already been blocked by the Jin army with huge stones. The Mongol cavalry had no choice but to turn their horses around and return. Those behind them did not know that the valley was blocked, so they quickened their pace and retreated, making the already crowded valley even more difficult to traverse.
Upon seeing this, the Jin general, who was standing on high ground, immediately organized his archers to launch an attack on them, causing numerous casualties among the Mongol army.
The battle ended in less than an hour, with the Mongol army suffering four thousand casualties, leaving only a thousand-strong force that planned to detour and block the road from the rear.
That wasn't the end of it. That very night, the Jin cavalry raided the Mongol camp again, killing another two thousand Mongol soldiers under cover of darkness. Only then did Gerti realize the danger. At daybreak, he immediately organized his men to continue their journey north. This time, to prevent a Jin attack, he ordered several thousand-man cavalry units to patrol back and forth and sped up the transport of prisoners and supplies.
Weizhou City received bad news: the Hongjila tribe from northeastern Mongolia, leading over ten thousand Jurchen cavalry, attacked the Ongud tribe's territory. Now, the Ongud tribe, with only a small force remaining, had originally planned to raid the Jurchens' stronghold, but instead, they had been outmaneuvered.
At the same time, news came back that the Gerti troops had been attacked by Jin soldiers in Hunyuan County, which made Naza even more panicked. He decided to ask Mr. Wan for advice.