MLMD -Chapter 156 Cavalry Showdown (Part 1)

The Later Jin army retreated in disorder, and the cheers from the Ming troops behind them stabbed into Rolo Hün’s ears like countless sharp knives. Two consecutive defeats made him doubt his own abilities for the first time.

Rolo Hün was proud—he was the son of Yueto, the eldest grandson of the Grand Beile Daishan, and in recent years, he had built a record of achievements against the Ming army. These were enough to make a twenty-year-old young man feel proud and confident. Yet, in just two short days, the confidence he had painstakingly built up over the years had been ruthlessly shattered by a single person.

When Rolo Hün returned to the main camp and saw Yueto, his head hung almost to the ground; he did not dare to look at his father. He could only speak in a low voice: “Ama, your son has brought you shame… please punish me as you see fit.”

Yueto said nothing at first, waiting for his son to be struck by a father’s thunderous anger. But something unexpected happened. The man known for his strict military discipline did not reprimand him. Instead, he patted his shoulder and said reassuringly, “Rolo Hün, losing this time is fine. We’ll make up for it next time.”

“Father, I—” Rolo Hün began to speak, but Yueto cut him off lightly: “Enough. We’ll talk later. Right now, let’s figure out how to get back to camp.”

“Back to camp?” Rolo Hün asked in surprise. Before he could ask further, a low drumbeat sounded behind him.

“Dong dong dong… dong dong dong…”

Amid the deep, rhythmic drumming, the gates of the Ming army camp swung open, and squads of Ming soldiers poured out.

At the front were the soldiers armed with fire lances. Their movements were quick—they almost ran out of the gates—and then they formed ranks right at the camp entrance. Two thousand fire lance troops took less than twenty minutes to form four solid squares, pressing forward toward the Later Jin army.

“Dong dong dong… dong dong dong…”

“Clang… clang… clang…”

The simultaneous drumming of over a dozen large war drums was deafening. Paired with the synchronized march of two thousand soldiers, it caused many in the Later Jin army to flinch.

Yueto squinted slightly as he watched the Ming squares advance with steady, deliberate steps. His gaze fell on a large banner, embroidered with the character “Yue,” flying beside the sun-and-moon flag. His expression grew serious as he murmured, “So the Ming general’s surname is Yue.”

Although Yueto’s words were soft, Rolo Hün, Karczuhun, and several nearby Jalar Zhangjing wished the ground would split open and swallow them.

Ever since Nurhaci formed the thirteen-armored cavalry, the Eight Banner forces had faced the Ming army for years but had never fought such a humiliating battle. The battle had stretched into a second day, yet they still had no clue where the enemy had come from. They could only guess the opposing commander’s surname from his banner—an immense humiliation.

Seeing the Ming army steadily approaching, the impatient Karczuhun could no longer restrain himself. He shouted, “Ama! These Ming dogs refuse to stay in their camp and instead rush out to die. Let me take a cavalry unit around the back and slaughter them all!”

“Slaughter them?” Yueto snorted faintly, his mouth curling slightly. “First, take a look at our surroundings.”

Glancing aside, Karczuhun noticed that the Ming cavalry, which had been two li away, had silently approached to less than one li from their right flank. He immediately realized that if he led his cavalry to attack the Ming infantry squares, those two thousand enemy cavalry would wrap around and annihilate his unit. Even a fool could see the grim fate that awaited a lone cavalry charge.

“Ama… then what should we do?” Karczuhun asked dejectedly.

Yueto took a deep breath and composed himself before speaking: “The Ming army has won this round, but they’ve underestimated me, Yueto, if they think this small force can hold us. Hmph… Karczuhun, take two thousand cavalry to protect the left and right wings of the main force. The rest, follow me back to camp. We cannot linger in Hunyuan Prefecture—we will retreat immediately toward Datong.”

“Chah…”

“Woo… woo woo…”

At the sound of the horns, the Later Jin army began withdrawing toward the camp.

“Full army, advance!”

On the Ming side, Yue Yang, riding atop a warhorse, commanded the two thousand fire lance troops to slowly close the distance with the retreating Jin army. While advancing, he also dispatched Ye Bu Shou to scout the surrounding area. After all, the Jin army was not to be underestimated, and infantry squares were notoriously slow and unwieldy.

They were all infantry, and the formation had to remain largely intact. If the formation broke, a sudden cavalry counterattack could inflict serious losses. Yue Yang was acutely aware that countless generals in history had fallen just when victory was within reach.

“Yueto is indeed Yueto—defeated, yet not panicked. Truly a renowned general of the Later Jin.”

Lowering his spyglass, Yue Yang murmured in admiration. He then ordered a messenger: “Sound the horn. Command the cavalry to attack the Jin army’s rear wings.”

“Yes!”

“Di di da da… ta ta di di…”

The horn signaled the order. The cavalry, which had been trailing the Jin rear, sprang into action.

Wu Chengfeng drew his long cavalry sword and shouted: “Brothers! Haven’t you had enough of watching the show? The infantry has been fighting all this time and eliminated hundreds of Jin soldiers. Now it’s our turn! Everyone, follow me—charge!”

With that, Feng Xiaoming kicked his horse sharply. The spurs dug into the horse’s belly, causing it to whinny loudly and surge forward.

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

Leading two thousand cavalry, they charged toward the Later Jin forces like an overwhelming tidal wave.

The Jin cavalry, unwilling to yield, met the charge head-on. Karczuhun led two thousand prepared riders to intercept Wu Chengfeng.

The two forces, one in black-gray armor, the other in white armor with red trim, sped toward each other like two unsheathed swords.

The synchronized pounding of hooves shook the ground. Yue Yang’s cavalry drew their crossbows from the saddles, loaded bolts, and aimed forward.

The Jin cavalry, inheriting the archery skill of nomads, drew their long bows from the back of their saddles, nocking arrows. With a roar, a storm of arrows rained down on the Ming cavalry.

Almost simultaneously, the Ming cavalry released their crossbow bolts toward the Jin riders.

After firing, the Ming cavalry inserted the crossbows back into the saddles, bent low, and drew their lances, continuing the charge.

At that moment, the Jin arrows began striking the Ming cavalry. Heavy shafts fell like rain upon their backs.

“Thunk… thunk… thunk…”

A rider struck in the head fell silently from his horse. The following riders did not hesitate but trampled over him. Not because they did not care, but on a battlefield like this, personal will was minimal—hesitation meant death.

The dense arrow storm lasted for over ten breaths. The Jin volley was not in vain—nearly a hundred Ming cavalry were hit.

The Ming cavalry wore modern high-hardness steel breastplates. Lighter than infantry Gothic-style armor, they offered less protection but far exceeded the Jin cotton armor. As a result, most arrows inflicted little damage; only a dozen or so riders were unhorsed.

Damage was mutual. The Ming bolts pierced the Jin cavalry just as Jin arrows struck the Ming.

The Ming crossbows, reinforced with high-strength strings and alloy bodies, fired bolts with steel-tipped heads capable of easily piercing the Jin cotton armor.

“Puff… puff…”

At least a hundred Jin cavalrymen fell. Their fates were sealed the moment they hit the ground.

Yet the Jin riders did not panic. Accustomed to death, they drew five-foot-long swords from their saddles and shouted as they charged forward.

The forces drew closer, closing from two hundred steps to less than fifty in under ten seconds. Soon, the two cavalry forces collided like two massive giants.

“Boom… thud… clang…”

Amid the deafening clash and roaring, Wu Chengfeng drove his lance, propelled by his horse, into the chest of a Jin cavalryman…