The Three Great Cavalry Commanders Charge with Majestic Fury
The total commander, Xiahou Yuan, raised his hand as he addressed Zhang Liao and me. When both of us nodded, he asked with genuine curiosity.
“After hearing both of your stories, there is something I truly wish to know. You two, overflowing with youthful vigor, have declared that you will lead the cavalry and clash head-on with the Xiongnu horsemen. Do you truly believe you can win? They possess the same number of troops as us, along with ten thousand of those northern Xiongnu riders.”
“The Xiongnu cavalry may ride those small, sturdy ponies of the north, but their power is formidable. Especially the mounted archers—their attacks from horseback, delivered with such solidity, are truly terrifying.”
Ever since the founding of the Han, people had lived in fear of the Xiongnu’s mounted archers. Even though their power had waned considerably, it still remained formidable. However, this was not some weak question like, ‘Can we really defeat such men?’
“In exchange, the horses of the Central Plains are far faster. The only way is to pierce through their net of arrows and smash them apart. It requires the courage to charge straight through a rain of arrows fired by tens of thousands of troops.”
“I am well aware of that.”
“This one has fought in Bing Province in exactly that manner many times, so of course I know. Therefore, we must go and crush them all.”
“Even if you charge right up to the mounted archers, the spear cavalry guarding them are also incredibly strong.”
“If we fear such things, how can we call ourselves generals? Do we pick and choose our opponents on the battlefield? We choose the battles we can win.”
“Zayul, this kid’s spirit is truly…”
Xiahou Yuan chuckled heartily and nodded. With all three cavalry commanders speaking this way, Yang Xiu spoke up with a worried expression.
“I have heard that General Xiahou is the greatest practitioner of mobile warfare under the Chancellor’s command. I was also told that Jungrangjang Zhang is unmatched in horsemanship throughout Bing Province. And Colonel Cao… well, there is no need to speak of him. I saw with my own eyes how he ravaged the Jiangdong army.”
It might have been a slightly demeaning term for Xiahou Yuan, but his nickname was the White Horse General. It literally meant a general of the wilderness. The reason was that while he was a demonic assault leader who could pierce into enemy lines with terrifying speed, he had no talent whatsoever as a commander or administrator. So he simply gave up on thinking and enjoyed smashing into the enemy with nothing but raw power and speed, reveling in brutal melee combat.
Why else would such words come out?
“Very well! In that case, I shall entrust the twenty thousand infantry and all the supply wagons to Administrator Yang.”
“General, if you entrust me with twenty thousand soldiers and all the supply carts… does that mean you are sending everyone except the cavalry into Chang’an?”
“Correct. I will take the vanguard, so you two shall command the left and right wings.”
As expected of Xiahou Yuan. When Zhang Liao and I had suggested, ‘Let’s simply break through with cavalry versus cavalry against the Xiongnu,’ the supreme commander had immediately agreed.
“Administrator Yang.”
“Yes, General Who Protects the Army.”
“It looks like we will be fighting quite fiercely, so please provide excellent support from within Chang’an. The Inspector of Yong Province, Zhong Yuanshang, is a man of outstanding ability whom even Mengde has acknowledged. He will surely respond the moment he sees the cavalry’s movements.”
“I shall do so.”
With that, Yang Xiu took charge of the supply wagons and infantry and headed toward Chang’an. We escorted them while preparing our cavalry formation.
“It has been a long time since I’ve fought a battle like this. But this is what I enjoy the most.”
On the contrary, the supreme commander Xiahou Yuan was grinning from ear to ear, clearly delighted at the prospect of a cavalry-versus-cavalry charge.
“I will entrust the right wing to Zayul and the left wing to Wenyuan. Each of you will receive three thousand men. As for the strategy… it’s simple.”
Xiahou Yuan clenched his fist tightly and thrust it toward us.
“Sweep away everything you see! I have nothing else to order.”
“Of course, Uncle Miaocai!”
I clenched my own fist and bumped it against his. Zhang Liao did the same, and the three men’s fists met in a manly salute.
“Hah, it has been a while since I could fight properly like this.”
This would be Zhang Liao’s first real action on a proper battlefield since the fall of Lu Bu’s army in Xuzhou.
Through the northern gate of Chang’an, the Xiongnu’s thirty-thousand-strong army came into view. Even when they had sent twenty thousand reinforcements through the southern gate, there had been an initial clash. After that, seeing that only cavalry remained outside the walls, the Xiongnu responded in kind.
Ten thousand against thirty thousand, but twenty thousand of the Xiongnu were infantry. In other words, in this situation, it would be ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry versus ten thousand Cao Cao army cavalry, while the remaining twenty thousand infantry on both sides would fight to capture Chang’an.
“Seeing it in person, it really is an overwhelming sight.”
The enemies were shouting something while looking in our direction before bursting into laughter. It seemed like they were trying to provoke us, but since they were speaking in their own tongue, I had no idea what they were saying.
Then, among them, a massive man wearing ancient-style armor and a distinctive Xiongnu fur-and-leather helmet stepped forward.
“Even from a distance, his physique is huge and he looks immensely powerful. Is that the Chanyu Huchuquan?”
“You dogs of Han! I am the Left Wise King of the North, Liu Bao! Your emperor honored our clan by granting us the imperial surname Liu!”
Liu Bao, Liu Yuan, Liu Cheng… these were the descendants of the Xiongnu Chanyus who had received the imperial Liu surname from the Han royal family. The fact that he bore that name made him even more intolerable.
“Do you weak Central Plains cavalry truly believe you can face us? If your commander immediately comes forward, removes his armor, and prostrates himself, I shall at least spare his life…”
“Uncle, I will shoot.”
“!?”
Xiahou Yuan had originally planned to fire the first arrow at that Left Wise King Liu Bao himself as the signal to charge. But when I showed strong determination, he handed me the symbolic arrow of the charge.
“Shoot.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
The xiaoshi—an arrow that produces sound. The moment it was fired, a tremendous whistling sound would echo across the battlefield, signaling the army’s movement.
I nocked the xiaoshi on the bowstring and aimed it at Liu Bao, the Left Wise King.
“Since ancient times, you have always feared the power of us northerners and flattered us. Every time you stayed north of Chang’an, you offered us great wealth! Therefore this time as well…”
“You are a man who will die here.”
My top priority was, of course, because of my principal wife. Second, if this bastard survived, he would become a constant thorn in our side in the future struggle for hegemony. Third, by crushing the Xiongnu army here, we could destroy one of the cards Yuan Shao might use later and begin from an advantageous position.
So I aimed straight at Liu Bao’s head and drew the bowstring.
Sweeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa—
The moment the xiaoshi’s whistle rang out, everyone began to move. I aimed once more before the charge and fired a second arrow with a sharp, lethal tip. Since the xiaoshi had a blunt end, I intended to finish him off properly with this one.
“Right wing, charge!”
The instant I fired, I charged forward. The three thousand cavalry behind me surged forth as one. I had been aiming for the Left Wise King Liu Bao right in front of me, but the man was indeed strong. Not only did he deflect my first shot, but his royal guards raised their shields to block the arrow that followed.
The enemy, seeing us charge first, hurriedly deployed their mounted archers and drew their bowstrings. The arrow net of the Xiongnu mounted archers that we had heard so much about before the battle began to spread across the sky.
“Raise your shields! The enemy’s arrows are about to rain down! Hold your shields above your heads, look only forward, and charge straight into their ranks!”
The moment I gave the order, every cavalryman raised their iron shields high like umbrellas. The instant the arrows struck, countless shafts bounced off above my head. One wrong move and I could have been struck by a stray arrow in that blind barrage. To survive, I had no choice but to look only forward and gallop.
Screams and the agonized cries of horses rang out from all around as men and mounts fell. Praying that even those who had been thrown from their horses would survive, I urged my mount even faster. Then, an astonishing sight appeared before my eyes.
“Pathetic fools! This is how you shoot arrows!”
Whoa… Uncle Xiahou…
Right now, as Xiahou Yuan led the central army’s charge, he wasn’t even bothering to block the enemy’s arrow net with a shield. Instead, he and his men were firing their own arrows while breaking through the center. From the vanguard, Xiahou Yuan acted as if blocking with a shield was beneath a true man. He charged while shooting arrows, and the troops under him did exactly the same.
On the opposite side, Zhang Liao’s left wing charged at the same speed as Xiahou Yuan, then slammed into the enemy formation with a strike as sharp as Guan Yu’s own—the teeth of the Blue Dragon.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
They mercilessly smashed into the Xiongnu defensive line. Immediately after, we clashed with the Xiongnu cavalry that had come to intercept us and raised our spears.
With a tremendous crash, the two Xiongnu spear cavalrymen blocking my path vomited blood and collapsed. It had been a long time since I had felt the true sensation of the battlefield. My hands trembled with excitement.
Had I grown thin while they weren’t looking? Did I look unwell? Was I sure I was all right?
Nonsense!
The moment we clashed, the satisfying impact of my strikes was superb. I raised my spear and shouted at the enemy. Both the right and left wings collided head-on with the Xiongnu cavalry and pushed forward with raw power.
The cavalry assigned to me here were elite horsemen that Cao Chun had trained to perfection at Chohyeon. Therefore, I could command them skillfully at any time.
“If you fall back, you die! Push forward without stopping! Our warhorses are stronger, and we can fight longer than they can!”
With my mouth I encouraged our troops, while with my hands I swung my spear, felling every enemy that appeared before me. As the leader of a cavalry assault, I had to constantly demonstrate bravery by personally cutting down enemies in front of everyone to maintain morale.
Right wing—me, Cao Xiu. Central army—Xiahou Yuan. Left wing—Zhang Liao.
The great cavalry battle unfolding before the walls of Chang’an had begun like this.
Who would tire first and fall? That would now be decided by the difference in strength.