Chapter 214: Annihilate The Kangli Allied Army
“Those who retreat will be executed.”
“Everyone charge forward, kill!”
Yelü Wusitu held a saber, his eyes bloodshot, roaring in fury to force the fleeing slave soldiers to turn back and continue the siege.
But in the next second, a chilling sensation exploded in his heart, and the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end.
“Danger.”
Yelü Wusitu’s vigilance surged in his heart, and his beast-like instinct made him sense an unprecedented life-and-death crisis.
Without the slightest hesitation, he instantly leaped off his horse and crouched under its belly.
The only thing he could think of was that a sharpshooter on the Eastern Capital City wall had him targeted; ordinary arrows couldn’t reach this distance, but a ballista could.
But in the next second, the ten cannons on the city wall roared once more, with crimson flames bursting forth.
Ten explosive shells dragged dark red tail flames across the sky, exploding in blinding white light above Yelü Wusitu’s head.
This time, the cannons’ target was not the slave soldiers closer to the city wall, but the Kangli cavalry behind them.
The Jin Prefecture Army’s cannons had a normal range of one thousand five hundred meters, something Yelü Wusitu was completely unaware of.
So, when he led the cavalry to approach about one thousand meters outside the city, they instantly became the Jin Prefecture Army’s concentrated fire target.
“Boom boom boom~”
In the instant the cast iron shells burst, thousands of iron nails and iron shards poured down like a violent rainstorm.
The flagpole of the nine-tailed white banner was severed at the waist, the white banner falling into a pool of blood, its yak tail hairs igniting in eerie blue flames.
Yelü Wusitu only heard the war horse above him emit a shrill neigh, and then it heavily pinned him down.
“Yuerhan!”
The guard captain’s desperate shout was swallowed by the explosion.
Soon after, the cannon fire ceased, and Yelü Wusitu was rescued.
At this moment, he felt a tearing pain in his left shoulder, his whole body exhausted as if drained, not knowing how many bones were broken, his gold-inlaid helmet rolling nearby, exposing a ferocious wound on his forehead.
“Yuerhan, are you alright?”
A Yuli Boli Tribe general rushed over, anxiously shaking the somewhat dazed Yelü Wusitu.
This revealed an iron nail piercing through Yelü Wusitu’s chest chainmail, crimson blood seeping out through the gaps between the armor plates.
“Aaaah~”
Yelü Wusitu let out a miserable cry of pain, feeling like every part of his body hurt.
Looking around him made his pupils contract sharply, and he drew in a sharp breath.
Three halves of guard corpses lay at his feet, one with its chest cavity blasted open, exposing grim white bones and eviscerated organs.
Another’s head was missing, blood bubbles still gurgling from the severed neck.
Splashed iron nails pinned slave soldiers ten steps away to the ground, their twisted bodies densely covered in metal fragments, resembling hedgehogs pierced by countless arrows.
Not far away, the nine-tailed white banner’s flagpole was blasted into two sections, yak tail hairs mixed with brain matter and shattered bones scattered on the ground.
The entire area around had become a hellish scene of carnage.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, the slave soldiers staring dumbfounded at the fallen main banner.
On the city wall, Li Dashan raised a telescope, its lens reflecting his grim smile: “Hahaha, good.”
“Zhuzi, well done, keep blasting into the crowds like that.”
Li Dashan laughed excitedly, then ordered: “Light the beacon smoke, have Zhao Dadao launch the attack.”
“Understood.”
Soon after, rolling beacon smoke rose from the Eastern Capital City wall; in clear weather, its visibility could easily exceed twenty li, even farther.
So, the moment the beacon smoke rose, three Jin Prefecture Army scouts on a hillside more than ten li away immediately stood up.
“Eastern Capital City has lit the beacon smoke, hurry back to report to the Myriad Household Commander.”
Then, the three mounted their horses and galloped toward the rear.
Outside Eastern Capital City, Yelü Wusitu struggled to prop up his upper body, his bloodstained fingers tightly gripping the broken flagpole.
He looked at the bloody furrows plowed by cannon fire nearby, and the twisted corpses of Kangli soldiers in pools of blood, his eyes filled with fury and shock.
He felt dread toward Eastern Capital City’s mysterious weapon, but raging anger soon burned into his mind.
Eastern Capital City had few soldiers; though aided by this terrifying weapon, it might still be breakable.
The more powerful the weapon, the more he had to breach Eastern Capital City and seize it.
Then, let alone the small Northern Frontier—even the royal court and the entire Kipchak Steppe would tremble at his feet.
“Kill~”
Yelü Wusitu remounted his war horse, ignoring his injuries, his face ferocious, growling from his throat like a trapped beast: “Regroup. Continue the siege!”
Before his words finished, another round of cannon fire roared across the sky.
Soon after, a Kangli cavalryman rushed hurriedly to Yelü Wusitu’s side, looking terrified as he spoke.
“Yuerhan, twenty li east of Yemili City, a large cavalry force is charging toward us.”
Hearing this, Yelü Wusitu’s face changed drastically: “What?”
“A large cavalry force? How many men? Who is the commanding general?”
“About ten thousand, their banners bearing a sun and moon pattern,” the scout urgently reported.
“Damn, it’s the Jin Prefecture Army!”
Yelü Wusitu’s expression darkened instantly, suddenly recalling the beacon smoke that had risen in Yemili City not long ago.
Enduring the pain throughout his body, he had himself tied to the horse’s back with rope, roaring in anger: “We’ve been tricked.”
“Inform the other tribes of this news. Ignore Yemili City for now—dispatch the most elite soldiers from the tribes to intercept the Jin Prefecture Army’s ambushers.”
“If they reach the city, our army will likely collapse immediately.”
Only now did Yelü Wusitu realize this was clearly Eastern Capital’s conspiracy.
Use Yemili City to pin down the Kangli Army here, use that mysterious and terrifying weapon to shatter Kangli morale, then launch an attack from the cavalry legion outside while Kangli morale wavers.
This sequence of moves had indeed stunned Yelü Wusitu.
After the personal guards left to relay orders, he glared viciously at the scout: “Didn’t you guarantee to this khan that there were no enemy ambushers within thirty li of Yemili City?”
The scout’s face turned panicked; they had indeed scouted thoroughly the night before, confirming no Eastern Capital Army traces.
But now they appeared suddenly, leaving only one explanation.
“Yuerhan, the Eastern Capital Army is cunning—they must have hidden farther away beforehand, beyond our detection.”
“Hmph.” Yelü Wusitu snorted coldly in anger, but knew now was not the time to assign blame.
Then, Yelü Wusitu ordered the slave soldiers to form up on the spot, guarding against pincer attacks from the city garrison and outside cavalry.
He himself led some of the Yuli Boli Tribe’s elites to rendezvous with elites from the other tribes and intercept the Jin Prefecture Army’s assault.
“Boom boom boom~”
Nine thousand Jin Prefecture iron cavalry thundered across the land, kicking up dust clouds like soaring black dragons.
Zhao Dadao wore white cotton armor, gripped a spear, with only half his face exposed.
His tiger eyes wide, a menacing aura emanated from their depths as he bellowed to the surrounding cavalry: “Pass the order to all chiliarchs—give it everything you’ve got.”
“Chase down the Kangli dogs, leave none alive.”
“Tell those Kuli Army killers their time to earn merit has come.”
“Kill without restraint.”
“Kill enough, and I’ll personally promote them—cattle and sheep, women, grassland, all theirs.”
“Kill for me.”
Zhao Dadao looked manic, leading his army in a mad charge toward Eastern Capital City.
The force consisted of three thousand Jin Prefecture veterans in cotton armor, three thousand Kuli Army, and three thousand original Eastern Capital cavalry.
A total of nine thousand cavalry.
Additionally, two thousand were left far in the rear guarding royal court prisoners of war, plus five thousand troops in Eastern Capital City, totaling sixteen thousand.
This was the entirety of Jin Prefecture’s forces in Eastern Capital.
At the forefront rushed one thousand burly men, all broad-shouldered and thick-waisted.
They had stripped off their upper garments, bare-shouldered, gripping various weapons, looking extremely fierce.
This was the Black Armored Army.
After absorbing Xiao Simo’s Tiger Pounce Camp, the Jin Prefecture Black Armored Army numbered over two thousand two hundred.
Of them, one thousand Black Armored Army were left in Eastern Capital by Li Xiao, specifically for charging through enemy lines.
Moments later, scouts hurriedly returned to report: “Myriad Household Commander, Kangli cavalry spotted ten li ahead, about ten thousand strong.”
Zhao Dadao slowly reined in his war horse, gazing toward Eastern Capital City; beyond the faint outline of the city wall, he saw black spots moving across the green grassland.
“Good, they’ve come.”
He licked his cracked lips, growling through clenched teeth: “Pass my order: Black Armored Army, swiftly change into armor and prepare for battle.”
“Today, this steppe will be soaked in Kangli blood!”
It was merely ten thousand Kangli cavalry; with similar numbers, the Jin Prefecture Army had never feared.
As the horn blared, the Black Armored Army, with auxiliary soldiers’ help, swiftly donned full iron armor and switched to fresh, vigorous tall war horses.
Moments later, the Black Armored Army soldiers were fully equipped, their bodies encased in heavy iron armor, only cold eyes peering out ahead.
Holding armor-piercing cones or horse-chopping sabers, blades angled toward the ground, they stood like iron towers exuding terrifying aura.
The armored war horses beneath them sensed the coming battle, neighing lowly and restlessly pawing the ground.
As the Kangli cavalry’s outlines grew clearer, Zhao Dadao issued the final charge order.
Steppe close combat had no frills—just raw, life-for-life fighting.
“Kill!”
Nine thousand iron cavalry surged like a tidal wave toward the horizon, hooves shaking the earth.
As distances closed, the first exchange was a volley of arrows.
Kangli arrows struck the Black Armored Army’s iron armor, clattering harmlessly—either deflected or leaving mere white marks, causing no damage.
In contrast, Kangli ranks cried out in agony, men falling from horses pierced by arrows.
The cavalry exchange lasted only one volley, a few breaths; then the Black Armored Army crashed into Kangli lines like moving iron mountains.
“Aaaah~”
“Puff puff puff~”
Miserable screams and the dull sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out incessantly.
The Black Armored Army’s lances swept like a steel torrent, easily penetrating the Kangli Army’s thin leather armor.
A Kangli cavalryman raised his saber to block but was sent flying with his horse, armor and bones shattering amid screams piercing the sky.
The Black Armored Army’s armored war horses shattered Kangli formations with shocking impact.
Hooves mercilessly trampled Kangli soldiers; some were impaled on lances, arcing crimson through the air.
Others swung sabers in counterattack, only to have their skulls split by Black Armored Army axes, brains splattering companions’ faces.
The Black Armored Army’s assault was devastating, Kangli screams and horse whinnies rising endlessly.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dadao led the Jin Prefecture three battalions and Kuli Army cavalry to envelop Kangli flanks.
Though cotton armor’s defense was inferior to iron, it far exceeded what Kangli cavalry’s crude weapons could breach.
Even in one-on-one fights, Kangli men mostly fell.
Ultimately, under the Jin Prefecture Army’s overwhelming assault, Kangli suffered heavy casualties and began to collapse.
“Devils, devils.”
“They’re a bunch of devils.”
“Eastern Capital Army is too strong; we can’t beat them.”
“We can’t fight like this, or we’ll all die.”
“Withdraw, Yuerhan.”
Fear spread like plague through the Kangli Army, the retreat horn already sounding.
When an army’s death toll hit thirty percent and it still fought on, it could be called elite.
Only rare forces like the Qi Family Army had such resolve in history.
Moreover, under Jin Prefecture Army slaughter, Kangli deaths had far exceeded three thousand.
Thus, the surviving soldiers scattered in desperate flight, courage gone.
Even Yelü Wusitu’s scoldings were futile.
Meanwhile, when Li Dashan saw Yelü Wusitu lead over ten thousand elites eastward, he guessed Zhao Dadao had arrived.
He ordered city cavalry to strike, catching the outside army off guard.
After all, Kangli tribes’ elites were gone; the rest were ordinary soldiers or slaves, no match for five thousand Jin Prefecture troops.
A single charge sent the outside soldiers fleeing in all directions.
Mainly because the wall cannons had already terrified them.
They saw it as divine punishment.
Half a shichen later, Li Dashan linked up with Zhao Dadao.
“Kangli are nothing special—two shoulders, one head; one spear thrust, same headless corpse, hahaha.”
Zhao Dadao laughed excitedly, his white cotton armor now blood-soaked red.
They had overestimated Kangli combat strength, thinking them as tough as Naiman or Kereit tribe steppe soldiers, but Kangli were actually slightly inferior.
“Mainly because Kangli don’t know our Jin Prefecture Army, assuming we’re like the old Eastern Capital Army.”
Li Dashan chuckled.
Whether Jin Prefecture Army’s cannons, cotton armor, or masses of armored cavalry, all were revolutionary war tools.
Jin Prefecture Army, embodying them all, delivered dimensional strikes against Kangli Army.
“Order all units: form by centurions to hunt Kangli routed soldiers; keep centurions’ units within ten li of each other,” Li Dashan commanded gravely.
These fleeing Kangli stragglers remained a threat to Eastern Capital’s herdsmen and had to be cleared quickly.
But also guard against Yelü Wusitu rallying remnants for a comeback.
“Dadao, we’ll split into two columns, each leading a main force to pursue Kangli Army.”
“Don’t give Yelü Wusitu a moment to breathe,” Li Dashan barked.
“Understood.” Zhao Dadao nodded firmly.
The Kor River was an inland river in Eastern Capital territory, flowing from the northern mountains to Kor Lake in central Eastern Capital, bisecting its northern half.
Five days later, armies massed on both sides of the Kor River.
Li Dashan and Zhao Dadao pursued Yelü Wusitu to the Kor River basin.
But Yelü Wusitu, using the river’s advantage, struck while half-crossed and barely held footing on the west bank of the Kor River.
He also sent men to find scattered Kangli soldiers, his forces slowly recovering.
But far from the thirty thousand at peak.
At this time, in the Kangli tribes’ large tent, the Kangli Tribes’ leaders gathered, missing only the former Guzi Tribe leader.
He was unlucky, struck by a cannonball and meeting Allah on the spot.
The Guzi Tribe was now led by his cousin.
“Wusitu, you said Eastern Capital City was full of gold and silver, but never warned us of such terrifying thunder weapons hidden inside.”
The new Guzi Tribe leader was first to challenge Yelü Wusitu, feigning outrage to make him take responsibility for his cousin’s death.
Meanwhile, the Eleberli Tribe leader was also bandaged.
Though hit by Jin Prefecture Army cannons, his guards protected him, leaving only wounds.
He too looked displeased at Yelü Wusitu, saying gravely: “Wusitu, what do you have to say about this?”
The Guzi Tribe leader even slammed the table: “I think he’s colluding with the Northern Frontier, aiming to exhaust our tribes’ soldiers so the Northern Frontier Army can swallow our tribes.”
He added sinisterly: “Don’t forget, Wusitu’s original surname was Yelü.”
Facing the accusations, Yelü Wusitu remained calm.
He had long known they were profit-driven scum, so no disappointment.
He said coolly: “In this battle, our Yuli Boli Tribe suffered heavy losses too.”
“Am I colluding with Eastern Capital to harm my own tribesmen?”
“As for my original surname, I’ve long forgotten it. Now I’m Yuli Boli Wusitu.”
“Henceforth, anyone who dares use this to threaten me will find me unforgiving.”
Yelü Wusitu’s cold gaze fixed on the Guzi Tribe leader; though covered in wounds with several broken bones.
He still exuded powerful tiger might, even fiercer than usual.
That cold stare made the Guzi Tribe leader uneasy, involuntarily turning away, muttering unhappily.
Finally, the Boyewu Tribe leader spoke: “Enough, everyone.”
“No general wins forever. A defeat is nothing—win it back.”
“Moreover, though we’ve lost men, most were slaves.”
“Now we’ve regrouped over ten thousand on the west bank of the Kor River, all our tribes’ elite tribal cavalry.”
“Without those slaves causing trouble, as long as we stay away from Eastern Capital City, we can surely defeat the Jin Prefecture Army on the east bank.”
After the Boyewu Tribe leader spoke, no one continued denouncing Yelü Wusitu.
For he had the highest prestige among them.
First, due to his age; second, Boyewu Tribe’s strength was among Kangli Tribes’ strongest.
Finally, because the Boyewu Tribe leader had a sister named Turkhan.
Twenty years ago, she entered a marriage alliance with the Khwarazmian Dynasty.
Two years ago, the Khwarazm Sultan Muhammad II died suddenly, and Turkhan Khatun’s son inherited the sultanate.
But real power was held by Turkhan Khatun.
Due to her Kangli origins, Kangli people held high status in Khwarazm.
Especially Boyewu Tribe members, some already holding key posts in Khwarazm’s imperial court.
And this trend would intensify.
Historically, Kangli influence even reached Khwarazm’s army.
Many officers and soldiers were Kangli people.
Thus, with sister Turkhan Khatun as empress dowager, the Boyewu Tribe leader’s prestige grew.
After the Eastern Capital City battle, Yelü Wusitu’s promises of flatbread shattered, so they gradually centered on the Boyewu Tribe leader.
“Eastern Capital City’s garrison is just over ten thousand.”
“Before, they relied on mysterious weapons and heavy cavalry charges to defeat us badly.”
“This time, stay far from Eastern Capital City, avoid direct clashes, leverage our light cavalry advantages.”
“Slowly wear them down,” the Boyewu Tribe leader said gravely.
Thirty thousand Kangli Army, far from home, huge expenditures—if they slunk back now, none would accept it.
It would shake their prestige in their tribes.
So, with a chance to defeat Eastern Capital Army, they refused to leave.
Thus, Kangli Army and Jin Prefecture Army stalemated across the Kor River.
Meanwhile, on Eastern Capital’s southern grassland, Li Xiao led Jin Prefecture Army’s main force north in force.
“Boom boom boom!”
War horses galloped, iron cavalry rolled, stirring vast dust clouds.
“Yah yah yah!”
“Great Governor, Commander Li Dashan reports he has heavily defeated Kangli Army main force and is now stalemated with remnants at the Kohl Riverbank.”
Hearing the messenger’s report, Li Xiao instantly visualized Eastern Capital’s terrain map.
Kor River and surrounding hills, lakes—all clear in his mind.
He decided immediately, barking: “Army halt advance.”
“Not to Eastern Capital—northwest to west bank of Kor River.”
“Cut off Kangli Army’s rear.”
“Understood!”
“Great Governor orders: full speed northwest.”
“Boom boom boom!”
