flstandardbreds Chapter 401 Air Raid on the Western Liao General
Chapter 401 Air Raid on the Western Liao General
The next morning, as dawn broke, waves of Western Xia reinforcements surged into the ancient city of Jinchang. These warriors, mostly from neighboring military towns, had gathered their troops and marched day and night to come to the rescue upon hearing of the siege of Jinchang by the Western Liao cavalry.
Suddenly, a distant and stirring bugle call pierced the sky, echoing over Jinchang City. Immediately afterward, the Western Liao army, a force of forty to fifty thousand iron cavalry, roared towards the north of Jinchang City like a black storm. Outside the city, Mongol cavalry were already arrayed, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. They held their breath, awaiting their commander's order to charge like arrows into the battlefield that would decide their fate.
General Zheluo of Mongolia calmly looked at the enemy who outnumbered him several times over, and slowly said, "Let's begin with the plan we made last night. Today I will show these Western Liao people the true colors of Mongolian men!"
"Ohh Ohh ohh……"
Accompanied by the stirring and profound bugle call, the Western Liao cavalry launched a fierce offensive like a raging storm. Their warhorses galloped relentlessly, their momentum magnificent, like surging dark clouds on the horizon, charging towards the Mongol army's positions. Their long lances stood ramrod straight, their tips gleaming coldly in the sunlight, inspiring awe and fear.
However, faced with the overwhelming charge of the Western Liao cavalry, the Mongol army remained unmoved, as if rooted to the ground. They stood ready, their eyes blazing, seemingly waiting quietly for a crucial moment. This sight caused Yelü Yuedan's heart to sink, a sense of foreboding washing over him. But he knew that once the charge horn sounded, these ferocious cavalry would be like arrows released from a bow, impossible to retract.
Just as the Western Liao cavalry were less than 500 meters from the Mongol camp, the leading Western Liao warhorses inexplicably sank into the ground. Instantly, shouts and neighing filled the air, creating chaos. The horses behind, propelled by inertia, had no time to brake and trampled over the Mongol forces, causing the situation to spiral out of control.
Seeing this, Zhe Luo's lips curled into a smug smile. He waved his hand and shouted, "Warriors, the time has come! Charge with me!"
A force of 5,000 Mongol cavalrymen charged towards the halted Western Liao troops. The Western Liao cavalrymen, seeing this, panicked. Their advance was halted by the horse traps, and the sudden stop of their cavalrymen put the Western Liao cavalry at a disadvantage.
Why were ancient cavalrymen hailed as the kings of land warfare? Because cavalry possessed mobility that infantry lacked. Once cavalry lost their mobility, their combat effectiveness was even inferior to that of infantrymen with various forms of protection on the ground. The Western Liao cavalry had now fallen into this predicament. Although a small number of Western Liao cavalrymen began to organize their forces to continue charging the Mongol army, their resistance seemed extremely fragile against the Mongol cavalry, who had already increased their horse speed.
In just a dozen or so breaths, the Mongol cavalry charged into the Western Liao cavalry's ranks. Like wolves and tigers, the Mongol cavalrymen wildly wielded their Mongol scimitars, cutting down enemies one after another.
At that moment, a crisp whistle of an arrow suddenly rang out in the sky, piercing the heavens like a signal. Immediately afterward, the gates of Jinchang City swung open, and a formidable force surged forth—three thousand Western Xia iron cavalry, like a torrent of steel, surged out. They were completely different from the agile and graceful Mongol light cavalry; each warrior wore double armor, the renowned "Iron Falcons" of the Western Xia army, known for their indestructibility.
These three thousand Iron Falcons were the elite troops of the Xiping Military Command, Li Wan's last trump card. If it weren't for Xue San's earnest pleas last night, Li Wan would never have easily exposed this force to the battlefield amidst the flames of war. He knew that this was not only a valuable addition to their forces, but also a crucial bargaining chip in determining the course of the war. Now, for the sake of the greater good, he had to reluctantly part with them, allowing this torrent of iron-blooded warriors to merge into the torrent of battle.
Upon witnessing this scene, Yelü Yuedan sneered, "These rabble dare to dream of a counterattack? Issue my order to immediately surround and annihilate these Western Xia troops. Although the Western Xia's fighting strength is negligible, their equipment is quite sophisticated and should not be underestimated."
Outside Jinchang City, the three armies were already locked in a fierce battle. The Western Xia's Iron Falcon troops, though arriving late, were like tigers descending from the mountain, their fighting power and lethality astonishing. This Iron Falcon force was like a sharp dagger, easily slicing through the Western Liao army's formation, splitting them in two. The previously orderly Western Liao army was instantly shattered into chaos.
Standing atop the Jinchang city wall, Xue San gently lowered his binoculars, his gaze sharp, and said in a deep voice, "The time has come, take off!"
"Hulala..."
As a gentle breeze swept by, a huge hot air balloon rose gracefully into the air, resembling a giant bird spreading its wings. Hanging beneath the balloon was a large basket intricately woven from bamboo strips, within which sat two people.
One of them gripped a rifle equipped with strange lenses. His mission was crucial—to use the buoyancy of a hot air balloon to infiltrate deep into the Western Liao army's territory, accurately snipe their general, and thus disrupt and paralyze the Western Liao army's command structure.
Song Wei unconsciously tugged at the wool coat wrapped around him, his eyes filled with apprehension. He turned to Xue Yue, who was focused on controlling the hot air balloon, and teased him with a hint of worry: "Hey, Xue, are you still as good as you think? We don't want it to fly away without us noticing. It would be nice to crash, but I'm afraid we'll freeze into popsicles halfway there."
Upon hearing this, Xue Yue curled his lip, his tone carrying an undeniable authority: "Don't jinx me! Did you forget to rinse your mouth this morning? Although I haven't handled hot air balloons in a while, I am, after all, a graduate of the Han State Air Force Academy. Do you think I've lost this skill?"
"Oh dear! Why are these flames getting even more intense? How can we bring them down?"
Upon hearing this, Song Wei's face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly put down the sniper rifle he was holding and rushed forward to help control the out-of-control hot air balloon.
Xue San, who was watching from below, frowned and said, "What is Yue Yunpeng doing? This hot air balloon seems to be flying a bit too high. If it goes any higher, it will probably lose its direction."
After half an hour of tinkering, the hot air balloon finally descended to a lower altitude under the two men's manipulation. At this moment, they were directly above the Western Liao army. Upon reaching his sniping position, Song Wei quickly rubbed his frozen hands together, picked up his sniper rifle, and began searching for targets on the ground.
Finding that general on the battlefields of the Western Liao Dynasty was not difficult. In that era, the battlefield layout was straightforward and clear: the location of the military flag was the commanding officer's position. Especially for those high-ranking generals, their armor seemed to be forged from light, dazzling and becoming the most conspicuous symbol on the battlefield. This design not only highlighted their noble status but also provided a clear direction for those searching for them.