Chapter 102

Guo Huai’s thoughts froze for a moment as he witnessed the cavalry charging towards them. It was an incomprehensible phenomenon.

Since the day Zhang He died, Guo Huai had devoured every military strategy book. Yet, he had never seen anything like this.

Even Huo Qubing, who had crushed the Xiongnu, hadn’t done something like this. A solo charge with only heavy cavalry, unable to match the mobility of light cavalry.

He thought they might unveil some unexpected new weapon, but even upon close inspection, there was nothing particularly different about Wei’s cavalry.

The difference was that they were heavy cavalry equipped with armor. But that alone couldn’t block all the arrows. Moreover, they weren’t fully armored from head to toe like the iron cavalry.

‘What on earth are they thinking…’

The opponent was Chang-ran. A veteran of over a decade on the battlefield, once known as Liu Bei’s Huo Qubing, who never knew defeat. Guo Huai was certain there was some hidden scheme behind this seemingly suicidal attack.

But before Guo Huai could issue an attack order, some began to move. It was the Xiongnu.

“Fools! They’re practically begging for death! Boys, let’s show them the taste of our Xiongnu arrows!”

Hearing the shout from Yu Piao, the Left Wise King leading the Xiongnu, Guo Huai was startled and shouted back.

“Wait! Chang-ran, the enemy general, was once cherished by the traitor Liu Bei as his Huo Qubing! You know what Huo Qubing was like!!”

“Huo Qubing?”

Upon hearing the name, Yu Piao frowned deeply, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have, and shook his ears.

To the northern tribes, especially the Xiongnu, that name was a living disaster. They feared Huo Qubing more than the Han people despised Modu Chanyu, who had humiliated Liu Bang.

Who was Huo Qubing? The man who nearly annihilated the Xiongnu.

He seized the Qilian Mountains, cutting off the breeding of livestock, and reached the Hanhai, offering sacrifices to the gods of the Central Plains at the sacred grounds of the Xiongnu. Huo Qubing had killed dozens of Xiongnu kings, and hundreds of thousands of their people were either killed or captured.

It took Huo Qubing only three years to achieve such a feat.

To the Xiongnu, he was something inhuman wearing the skin of a man.

Unlike the Han, the Xiongnu had sparse records. Yet, his name was passed down through songs and folklore. How could Yu Piao not know it?

But this only fueled Yu Piao’s defiance.

“Comparing a 21-year-old girl to that name? How absurd!”

The name Huo Qubing was a taboo for them. Guo Huai regretted it too late but didn’t retract his statement.

“Do you think they don’t know how dangerous this attack is? It’s clearly a trap!”

“A trap? So what! We outnumber them! If they come, we’ll just encircle them! And look ahead. They haven’t even finished crossing the river! It’s obvious that bloodthirsty fool is charging blindly!”

Yu Piao’s words planted a seed of doubt in Guo Huai’s mind.

‘Yu Piao isn’t wrong. The army is split into three. This is a clear mistake. Is it true? Did Chang-ran really lose control of her troops?’

The infantry that hadn’t fully crossed the Wei River. The main force that had crossed and set up camp by the river. And the cavalry charging now.

Chang-ran’s army was split into three. A completely abnormal military operation. Guo Huai recalled the intelligence on Chang-ran before the war began.

‘She rose to Rear General, doubling the size of her army. But shortly after, she came to our country for condolences, so she didn’t have much time to consolidate her forces.’

All these thoughts raced through Guo Huai’s mind in mere seconds. Time was running out.

How to respond to the enemy cavalry charging at them. The distance was closing rapidly.

If they stayed still, they might be struck down without stopping the momentum. And Yu Piao, swayed by the name Huo Qubing, continued the attack.

“No more delays. Let’s go! Let’s show these turtle-like fools why our Xiongnu cavalry once ruled the steppes!”

Fearing Guo Huai might stop them again, Yu Piao charged forward without looking back. The Xiongnu archers on horses followed.

“This… this is madness!”

If it were the Qiang tribes of Xiliang, they would have strictly obeyed Guo Huai’s orders. They knew what kind of man he was. But Yu Piao was a Xiongnu from the north. And not just any Xiongnu, but the Left Wise King, the third highest rank among them.

Ignoring Guo Huai’s authority, the Xiongnu cavalry charged, showcasing their prowess as the pinnacle of mounted archers by raining arrows.

A shower of arrows fell over the heads of Kang Yu’s cavalry.

§

“They took the bait.”

I clenched my fist as I saw the Xiongnu archers rushing out to counterattack.

The Xiongnu had bitten the bait of the cavalry we offered. They fired arrows to disrupt the cavalry’s charge, then scattered like eagles spreading their wings.

Their horsemanship was indeed precise and swift. The gap that stirrups alone couldn’t fill was glaringly obvious.

The Xiongnu’s encircling maneuvers, honed through countless repetitions, quickly enveloped our cavalry. As if to avenge the humiliation we suffered during the river crossing, they adjusted their distance with their characteristic speed, raining arrows.

If this continued, we’d be wiped out without a fight.

It was our turn to act.

“Chungdam, So-seon! Lead the main force forward! Baekcheom, take the left flank! I’ll handle the right!”

Entrusting the command of Lanling Army’s infantry to Bu Chuan and Guo Yi, I led the cavalry with Ma Dai to strike from the flanks.

“And Huyeon will attack with the main force!”

I also positioned Yu En and his crossbowmen in the center.

Ma Dai, Guo Yi, Bu Chuan, and Yu En. All four were capable leaders. Once their positions and roles were assigned, they would carry out their duties in their own ways.

After issuing all orders, I spurred my horse forward. The cavalry assigned to the right flank followed.

By the time we set off, the Xiongnu’s encirclement was already in full swing.

The Xiongnu, executing their circling maneuvers, were whittling down Kang Yu’s heavy cavalry. Upon spotting us, they immediately reacted.

Without any apparent orders or signals, some of their forces turned towards us.

They were already charging at us. No matter how skilled the Xiongnu were, it was impossible to instantly change the direction of a galloping horse.

‘If turning is hard, then a frontal breakthrough it is. Did they think light cavalry could handle it?’

The Xiongnu’s combat style wasn’t limited to hit-and-run swarm tactics. When close combat was needed, they became warriors wielding spears and swords.

“Break through!!”

The moment the two cavalry forces collided, a cacophony of noises erupted, like thunder striking.

And most of the screams came from the Xiongnu.

In a frontal collision, the most crucial factor is who leads the charge. In that regard, they were no match for us—or more precisely, for me.

Before their spears could reach me, my spear slashed through a Xiongnu rider’s throat. The blade deflected an incoming sword and pierced an enemy’s heart. A brief clash as the horses galloped past each other.

Horses collided and fell, but regardless of whether they were on horseback or on the ground, men swung their weapons. The battlefield was a chaotic mix of men and horses, and I clearly dominated it.

Death surrounded me. In the clearing created by Xiongnu too afraid to approach, I checked the central force.

To encircle Kang Yu’s heavy cavalry, which we had initially offered as bait, the Xiongnu had cut off their retreat. That was their mistake and fatal flaw. Our goal was to counter-encircle those who had blocked Kang Yu’s cavalry.

Using the heavy cavalry as the anvil, the main force from the rear became the hammer.

The heavy cavalry, initially encircled by the Xiongnu, now became the anvil blocking the Xiongnu’s retreat.

The Xiongnu, who had rushed to finish off our heavy cavalry, found their situation completely reversed. From attackers easily handling heavy cavalry, they were now encircled and destined for annihilation.

The escape routes on the flanks disappeared as Ma Dai and I secured victory. Breaking through the central infantry was also impossible.

It was a perfect encirclement.

But before we could begin annihilating them, their rear forces had already started moving.

Would they abandon the Xiongnu and retreat, or use them as an anvil to attempt a counter-encirclement like us?

Between the two choices, Guo Huai had chosen the latter.