fantasy novels Chapter 872 Khitan and Tatar
Chapter 872 Khitan and Tatar
Chapter 872 Khitan and Tatar
On the vast land of Central Asia, a loud eagle cry awakened the entire Gobi Desert.
On a leeward slope, tens of thousands of Khitan troops were ready for battle.
In the middle is naturally the most elite palace army of Kara Khitan, which was formed by troops from tribes directly under Jurchen Khan.
They occupied the best pastures and lands, had a large number of tribesmen and slaves, and were well-equipped. Although the properties of Husiwoerduo had been looted and seized by the Tatars before, and they had lost their source of troops, their main force was still there. This time, Yelu Zhilugu sent a total of 10,000 troops, including 8,000 light cavalry and 2,000 armored heavy cavalry.
The commander of this palace army was also a Khitan elder and Jurchen Khan's uncle, Yelu Zonghan.
On both wings were deployed a large number of light cavalry from the Six Courtyards, which were also the core force among the Khitan tribes. Although they were once marginalized by Jurchen Khan due to the previous dethronement and enthronement of the King of the Southern Courtyard, after Qubilai came to power, they absorbed a large number of remnants of the Naiman tribe who ran away from the Tatar steppes and defected to Qubilai, and their strength is still very strong.
At this time, the Six Divisions had gathered a total of 20,000 light and heavy cavalry, and their leader Qu Chuli was also the commander-in-chief of the army on this eastern expedition.
In addition to these 30,000 elite forces from the Khitan headquarters, the rest were vassal troops from various tribes, including Uighurs, Karluks, Kangli people, Sogdians, etc., and of course, the "Ivan tribe" which was mostly composed of Saracens.
On the vast yellow Gobi Desert, gusts of dust blew from the valleys, and the entire sky turned dim. Even the scorching sun lost some of its temperature for a moment.
Ivan drank the wine calmly. His 10,000 reorganized troops were now lying in ambush in the valley behind him. They had a layer of felt covering their heads and were munching on dry food.
"Ivan, do you think this layer of felt can really block the falcon's vision?"
Fulk had been in the East for a long time and had some understanding of this magical animal called the falcon. This bird of prey, which could spot a hare on the grassland from thousands of meters above, had always been a major concern for the Crusaders.
"Maybe. After all, that hairless monk looks quite capable."
There are some mysterious scriptures painted on these felt cloths, and it is said that they have been enshrined in temples and consecrated. Although Ivan does not understand what they are, he thinks they should work.
Ivan picked up a piece of grass and chewed it. "Think about it, Yelu Zhilugu and the Khitan nobles are not stupid. If those Eastern monks don't have some skills, how can they be respected like this?"
Fulk still couldn't let go of his worry. After all, he knew that Catholic monks had basically no special abilities. These Eastern monks just looked a little balder than Catholic monks, but other than that, he didn't see anything magical about them.
"We have offended Qu Chuliu and have been assigned this ambush mission. I am worried that they are using us as bait."
"Don't worry. Although that gigolo is appreciated by the Khitan King, the Khitan nobles don't buy his account. We are now on the side of the deputy commander, the uncle of the Khitan Emperor. If there is any problem, he will definitely remind me."
Ivan wasn't actually sure, but he had to pretend to be confident.
After all, their "vassal army" often plays the role of cannon fodder and bait.
What's more, the Khitans had requisitioned their mounts before the war. If Yelu Zonghan had not allocated them a batch of weapons and armor as compensation, Ivan would have really suspected that these Khitans were planning to abandon them.
Fulk sighed. He felt that Ivan was blinded by the Khitans' promise that "after the lost territory is recovered, all the land and slaves of the Gaochang Uighurs will be distributed to Ivan's tribe." However, he also knew that his people had already reached a dead end. All they could do now was fight to the death.
Ivan suddenly felt a slight vibration on the ground. He put his ear close to the ground and listened attentively. He suddenly raised his head and whispered, "Here they come! Pass on my order. No one is allowed to move. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed without mercy!"
The soldiers of Ivan's army who were ambushed in the valley gritted their teeth and dared not make any noise.
After all, they were all Saracens, and they all knew the viciousness of a falcon's eyes. If they were discovered, these infantrymen who didn't even have mounts would definitely face a massacre when they encountered Tatar cavalry on the flat ground in the valley.
The melodious and desolate sound of a horn was heard in the distance.
What followed was a series of wolf howls, so dense and so creepy.
Many of Ivan's soldiers were reminded of the legend that "Tatar shamans could control wind, fire, lightning, and wolves on the grassland."
The ground was shaking more and more, and soon, on the mountain wall, a tall and strong white wolf appeared. Its shoulders were as high as a horse. It squatted on the ground, and its yellow pupils were filled with bloodthirstiness and cruelty.
It raised its neck high and let out a series of wolf howls. Obviously, it was the leader of the wolf pack.
Ivan held his breath and stared at the horrible beast.
Behind the beast, a man wearing an iron mask slowly appeared, riding a mount.
The man was carrying a riding bow, with eight quivers densely hung on both sides of the saddle. His gorgeous golden scale armor showed that he was a Tatar general.
Behind the man, more than ten Qiexue guards followed.
"Lord Zhebie, the Liao dogs are arrayed on the plain in the distance. It looks like they are ready to have a head-on battle with us!"
Zhebei took off his mask, revealing a handsome face. He, Zhebei, naturally did not have the power to form his own Qiexue Army. The reason he was able to command the Qiexue Army was because he himself was the Qiexue personal guard of the grassland genius.
"The Liao dog was weak. He was driven to the Gobi Desert by the Jin dog, and his tent was burned by Subutai. He fled to Samarkand in disgrace. When did he have the courage to confront us head-on?"
Zhebie sneered and said, "Inform Subutai that the Liao dogs may have an ambush. Ask him to prepare another troop of soldiers to cover the rear. Also notify the shaman to send a divine wind to blow away their formation."
"Yes!"
After waiting for a long time, the Tatar cavalry, who were quite mysterious in Ivan's mind, finally revealed their true appearance.
They swarmed across the mountains, maintaining a loose yet orderly formation, flanking the mountains from both sides and confronting the Khitan army in the distance.
At the front, the Tatar general Subutai took the lead, leading a group of elite heavy cavalry armed entirely with captured Jin Dynasty iron pagoda armor. They carried bows and guns on their backs, and could shoot at long range and charge in close combat.
The two wings were all light cavalry wearing various types of leather armor, lamellar armor, and scale armor. They looked untidy, but all of them exuded a sense of toughness.
On the other flank, there were cavalry from the vassal army.
The Uighur cavalrymen certainly did not look that intimidating, and the infantrymen who arrived late were even weaker. They were simply a group of conscripted tribesmen, slaves from the tribe, and their equipment was appallingly rudimentary.
Subutai came to the front of the battle array and laughed loudly, "Where is the Liao dog general? I am Subutai who defeated the Jin dog that beat you into a state of loss. Such a great favor is worthy of you Liao dogs to kowtow ten times in front of the battle array, right?"
The Khitan nobles were immediately outraged and started cursing.
Subutai was not only a bad actor but also a bad actor. He could incite the Khitan nobles who were exiled to foreign lands and forced to leave the glamorous world of the Central Plains with just one sentence.
Soon, a rider rushed out from among the Khitan nobles. Quchuli laughed and said, "I thought it was someone else. It turned out to be Subutai, the slave son of the Wulingha tribe. In previous years, you wouldn't even be qualified to kneel before me and hold my horse's stirrup. The Tatar Khan really has no one to use!"
Subutai laughed loudly: "Look, warriors of my great Tatar, I said that stray dogs like to stick together. The Liao dogs that were chased away by the Jin dogs are now mixed with the Naiman dogs that we chased away with our own hands."
All the Tatars burst into laughter. They were all directly under Subutai Wanhu's command and had participated in the Battle of Yehuling where the Jin Dynasty was defeated. They were absolutely elite and looked down upon these Khitans who were like stray dogs from their homes.