Chapter 89: A Dog That Bites Doesn’t Bark
Nothing happened overnight.
The next morning, a clamor began to sound in the Northern Frontier Army camp.
The officers and soldiers were boiling breakfast, packing up tents, feeding their war horses, and preparing to break camp and leave this place.
While this was happening, Li Xiao, Li Dashan, and others all gathered in an open area.
Their eyes were fixed on Er Hu not far away.
He was holding a Divine Arm Crossbow, slowly tightening the bowstring, and placing an arrow on the bow arm.
About a hundred meters in front of him, a wooden stake was planted.
The outside of the wooden stake was covered with Pockmarked Armor, serving as a target.
Li Xiao and the others were testing whether the defense of the Pockmarked Armor was stronger or the armor-piercing capability of the Divine Arm Crossbow was greater.
At this moment, no one spoke, they just quietly watched Er Hu’s actions.
Aiming at the Pockmarked Armor a hundred meters away, Er Hu directly pulled the bow trigger.
“Boom~”
A low string sound rang out, and the arrow instantly struck the Pockmarked Armor.
This was followed by a crisp sound.
“Clang~”
The arrow hit the patch of the Pockmarked Armor and was immediately deflected.
“Let’s go take a look.”
Li Xiao and the others quickly surrounded the area.
They found the spot hit by the arrow, and there was only a slight indentation on it.
“It didn’t break?” Da Hu said in disbelief.
Everyone else was also surprised, completely not expecting the defense of the Pockmarked Armor to be so strong.
After all, they had already witnessed the power of the Divine Arm Crossbow yesterday.
Li Xiao personally led eighty Armored Cavalry in a charge, and afterward, the iron armor of three cavalrymen had been pierced.
Fortunately, the Naiman soldiers were panicked at the time and fired the arrows prematurely, resulting in insufficient power.
After piercing the iron armor, the arrow quickly stopped, with only the arrowhead penetrating the soldier’s body.
The injury was not serious.
If a group of well-trained soldiers were operating it, and the number of Divine Arm Crossbows were several times greater.
Li Xiao’s heavy cavalry would likely have suffered heavy losses.
Yet, even such a powerful Divine Arm Crossbow could not pierce the Pockmarked Armor.
On the other hand, the arrowhead of the Divine Arm Crossbow had become bent.
“The Xixia people really are skilled at forging this kind of armor,” Li Dashan said, touching an armor plate with an amazed tone.
“If there was a heavy cavalry fully equipped with Pockmarked Armor, just a thousand men would be enough to sweep through the Naiman.”
The defensive power of Pockmarked Armor was terrifying, its hardness several times that of the iron armor forged by the Naiman people.
Moreover, Pockmarked Armor was light and thin, making it more convenient for movement.
For heavy cavalry, this was simply a divine weapon.
“It’s not that easy,” Li Xiao said, gently shaking his head.
“The production of Pockmarked Armor is very troublesome. It takes twenty artisans working together several years to complete one set.”
“A thousand sets of Pockmarked Armor? Xixia doesn’t even have that many.”
The famous Iron Falcon of Xixia can be considered the pinnacle of heavy cavalry in this era.
However, only a small portion of them were qualified to wear Pockmarked Armor; most could only wear ordinary iron armor.
For the Blackwater Town Yan Army Command, a regional force, to be able to directly produce twenty sets of Pockmarked Armor.
This surprised Li Xiao.
Was the background of the Commander of the Zhenyan Army Command so formidable?
This smuggling group was well-connected.
It would be worthwhile to maintain contact.
“Alas, if only we could forge this thing too.”
“Then everyone would have a set of armor, and whoever dared to provoke us, we would just destroy them,” Er Hu said with a covetous look.
This fellow had such a personality, his mind always filled with fighting, and he was extremely fond of armor and sabers.
Li Xiao chuckled softly and said nothing.
Jin Prefecture did not lack smelting technology and had the ability to manufacture iron armor.
Unfortunately, what was lacking were people.
A large number of artisans were needed to establish a complete military industrial system.
“A treasure trove of talent!”
Li Xiao looked towards Xixia and said with emotion.
If there was an opportunity in the future, he would have to take people to visit Xixia.
Since nomadic peoples like Temüjin and the Naiman people often went to Xixia for plunder, why couldn’t Li Xiao do the same?
“Alright, let’s take these Pockmarked Armors and Divine Arm Crossbows and head back.”
The experiment concluded, and Li Xiao called out to everyone.
On the way back, Li Xiao held the bent arrow in his hand, deep in thought.
The reason the Divine Arm Crossbow couldn’t completely penetrate the Pockmarked Armor was likely due to the poor quality of its arrows.
The hardness of the arrowhead was insufficient.
“If the arrowhead were forged from Wootz Steel, would it be possible to penetrate the Pockmarked Armor?”
Li Xiao suddenly felt that even wearing Pockmarked Armor might not guarantee absolute safety.
Not long after, the army broke camp and set off, and the entire force split into two.
Li Xiao personally led the main force and six hundred young and strong men from the Huormar Tribe to rendezvous with Xiao Simo’s army.
Meanwhile, Lin Dazhuang led five hundred soldiers, escorting the old, weak, women, and children of the Huormar Tribe, along with cattle, sheep, and other supplies, to rendezvous with Li Sanhe.
Ever since entering Naiman territory, all the supplies and women that Li Xiao and his men had looted were piled up in that mountain valley.
It served as a temporary base camp and would be taken back to Jin Prefecture during the retreat.
When they parted, Li Xiao called Lin Dazhuang over and instructed him:
“If the young and strong men of the Huormar Tribe rebel, I will send someone to notify you.”
“Do not hesitate, immediately execute all the old, weak, women, and children of the Huormar Tribe.”
Lin Dazhuang nodded heavily upon hearing this, understanding his mission.
It was to place a set of shackles on the necks of the Huormar Tribe.
“Also, take good care of your subordinates, don’t let them reveal anything.”
“Understood.”
Among the five hundred soldiers Lin Dazhuang was taking, the backbone, such as sergeants and corporals, were from Jin Prefecture.
All other low-ranking soldiers were borrowed by Li Xiao.
And they were all those who were prepared to stay in Jin Prefecture and did not wish to return.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Xiao added the names of these more than four hundred soldiers to the casualty list.
From now on, these soldiers would change their identities and become true Jin Prefecture people.
…
Three days later, on the banks of the Arak River, a vast army assembled.
The Liao State army and the Naiman army were about to engage in a decisive battle here.
On the Liao State side, after the Battle of Golden Mountain, there were still twenty-three thousand soldiers remaining.
Although the troops had decreased slightly, those who survived had been baptized by fire, and the new recruits had shed their immaturity and weakness, so their combat strength had actually increased.
On the Naiman side, Sun Khan mobilized all the male laborers from the surrounding tribes, as well as soldiers who had gradually returned from the Golden Mountain Battlefield during this period.
In addition, there were the Imperial Guard who originally guarded the Khanate, and five thousand troops recalled from the eastern Kereit border.
All the troops combined numbered over fifteen thousand.
Although the number was not small, their morale was slightly lacking.
In this battle, Li Xiao’s army was scheduled to attack in the second wave.
Therefore, before the great battle began, he still had time to observe the situation on the battlefield.
“What are you looking for? Are you looking for Buyiru Khan’s army?”
As Li Xiao was observing, a voice came from behind him.
Li Xiao turned his head and his expression instantly soured.
He reprimanded, “Why are you here? This is reckless, go back quickly.”
The person who arrived was Xiao Yanyan, wearing black Cowhide Armor, her hair tied back, covered with a Sheepskin Hat, and her face smeared with mud.
Those who were not familiar with her would not be able to tell that she was a woman.
“Why can’t I come? The battlefield is not just a matter for you men,” Xiao Yanyan snorted lightly and rode her horse to Li Xiao’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
“This is not a matter to be trifled with; it is very dangerous here,” Li Xiao said with a stern face.
This was mainly due to Li Xiao’s suspicion of Buyiru Khan.
This war might not develop in the intended direction.
“I haven’t experienced dangerous things before.”
“Besides, aren’t you here?” Xiao Yanyan said with a smile, looking at Li Xiao.
“Even if I die.”
“Dying with you won’t be lonely.”
Hearing Xiao Yanyan’s words, Li Xiao immediately lost his temper.
This woman was truly bold and unrestrained.
It was a shame she didn’t listen to him.
He still needed to find an opportunity to completely tame her.
“Then you must stay close to me and don’t get lost,” Li Xiao instructed, worried.
If the battlefield situation turned unfavorable, he could take her with him immediately when escaping.
“As a grown man, don’t be so long-winded.”
“Haven’t I killed people before?” Xiao Yanyan snorted.
However, she was quite pleased with Li Xiao’s concern.
“By the way, I haven’t told you yet, Buyiru Khan’s army should be about thirty miles away right now.”
“Preparing to catch Sun Khan by surprise,” Xiao Yanyan said.
“How do you know?” Li Xiao asked, surprised.
He had been wondering why he hadn’t seen Buyiru Khan’s army earlier.
“A few days ago, Buyiru Khan came to the camp alone with his men to discuss this plan with my Brother,” Xiao Yanyan said.
At that time, Li Xiao was still leading his troops outside, so he didn’t witness the situation.
“Came alone? Quite sincere,” Li Xiao murmured.
“Are you worried about Buyiru Khan?” Xiao Yanyan asked.
“Mm~”
“I have a bad feeling, I’m worried Buyiru Khan might cause trouble,” Li Xiao nodded.
Xiao Yanyan didn’t quite understand this.
“Buyiru Khan and Sun Khan are at odds. What he wants most is to reclaim the Naiman Khanate from Sun Khan, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Li Xiao shook his head gently: “That’s hard to say.”
“You can’t tell what someone is thinking. Who knows if the two brothers are colluding to play us?”
Xiao Yanyan pondered for a moment, her tone also becoming uncertain: “A few days ago, Buyiru Khan seemed quite respectful when he came to the large tent.”
However, in Li Xiao’s view, mere respect couldn’t represent anything.
“A barking dog doesn’t bite,” Li Xiao said in a low voice.
He looked at Xiao Yanyan: “Anyway, you’ll stay by my side then, don’t get lost.”
Suddenly, Xiao Yanyan smiled charmingly and looked at Li Xiao, saying: “You’re so wary of Buyiru Khan, it’s not because of me, is it?”
Meeting Xiao Yanyan’s playful gaze, Li Xiao shook his head slightly and snorted, “You flatter yourself.”
Xiao Yanyan giggled: “Little man!”
Just then, a low horn sound echoed from afar.
“Woo woo woo woo~”
Li Xiao’s gaze turned forward, and he saw a group of Khitan soldiers clad in iron armor driving their warhorses and slowly advancing.
The decisive battle had begun.
