A cavalry force with inferior numbers attempting to pierce through three tightly connected defensive lines—especially when two of those lines consist of large-scale cavalry formations—would, under normal circumstances, be nothing short of a fool’s dream.
Add to that the relentless pursuit of nearly twenty thousand elite enemy horsemen at their rear, and their situation could only be described as a “death trap.”
Yet, in this direst of circumstances, the southward-charging Longxiang Army began to shift formations. The vanguard cavalry, most of whose spears and lances had already been shattered, slightly tightened their front line. Led by the indomitable Li Mofan, they drew their sabers and formed a wedge, clearly intending to break through the thirty-eight thousand horsemen of the Yi-Longguan noble faction at the fastest possible speed. Meanwhile, roughly at the midpoint of the Longxiang Army’s formation, a distinct boundary emerged. Over ten thousand young and robust cavalrymen slowed their charge, gathering at the rear, nearly all still armed with spears and lances. They arranged themselves in a fierce, spear-laden front line, adopting the standard cavalry charge formation.
The former formation was designed to tear through enemy ranks while maximally hindering the Northern Desert cavalry’s momentum. The latter, a brutal charge, was a fight to the death.
The Northern Desert cavalry under Huang Songpu, positioned just close enough to nip at the Longxiang Army’s heels, did not press forward recklessly under their general’s command. Instead, as the Longxiang Army shifted formations, they too adjusted subtly—thinning their center while thickening their flanks. First, their losses had been heaviest, and after their earlier detour to cut off the Longxiang Army’s retreat north of the camp, both riders and steeds were exhausted. After their initial surge, they needed this moment to regroup. Second, coordinating with the elite cavalry of the Southern Court’s Yi-Longguan noble faction for a pincer attack, if they charged too quickly, they risked colliding head-on with the Longxiang Army’s breakthrough, creating a disastrous friendly-fire scenario. Thus, like a flood encountering a midstream boulder, Huang Songpu’s cavalry deliberately yielded a vast stretch of the northern front, allowing their allies to wheel around. Once the two forces naturally merged, their formation would instantly transform into one with a dense center and flanks. Combined with the southern infantry’s defensive palisade, they would surely inflict devastating losses on the already battered Longxiang Army.
But just as the Northern Liang’s Liuzhou border army seemed on the verge of annihilation, the situation took a drastic turn after Kou Jianghuai’s cavalry clashed with Wanyan Yinjiang’s twenty thousand horsemen!
The twenty thousand elite Southern Court border troops, who had expected an easy victory brimming with military glory, found themselves utterly routed upon impact!
Kou Jianghuai and a young general clad in strange red armor charged side by side, unstoppable!
Their momentum was mirrored by the ten thousand horsemen behind them!
Had Zhong Liang, hidden among Wanyan Yinjiang’s retinue, not intervened, Wanyan Yinjiang would have been skewered through the chest by the red-armored youth!
And had that young warrior, famed as a “match for ten thousand” in the Liang-Mang conflict, not disengaged swiftly, even Zhong Liang would have struggled to protect the second-in-command of the Longguan noble faction.
Yet even Zhong Liang, amidst the battlefield, felt a chill of dread.
How could these ten thousand horsemen possibly be Northern Liang’s lowest-tier cavalry?!
They were every bit the match for the Longxiang Army’s main force!
Wanyan Yinjiang’s twenty thousand elite cavalry were torn apart like silk under a blade, suffering catastrophic losses—over three thousand lay dead after the clash.
Such devastation was unimaginable.
A single misstep unraveled the entire scheme.
Wanyan Yinjiang’s inexplicable collapse directly destabilized the Northern Desert’s western infantry defenses. If the Longxiang Army broke through to the south, the Northern Liang cavalry would sandwich the infantry between two forces.
For a Grassland Phalanx largely composed of men relegated to foot soldier status—a role considered the lowest in Grasslands hierarchy—this was fatal.
In an instant, the tides turned, and victory slipped from Northern Desert’s grasp!
The nearly forty thousand horsemen assembled from several Yi-Longguan noble factions still gritted their teeth to block the Longxiang Army’s southern advance. But against a Northern Liang cavalry force still numbering over twenty-five thousand, their efforts were futile.
Li Mofan, who had slain no fewer than thirty enemy riders, saw his iron spear shatter long ago. The forty-plus javelins at his saddle were exhausted, and every one of the forty corpses in the Northern Desert supply camp bore a javelin through the skull!
As the spearhead of the wedge, Li Mofan was the first to break through the enemy lines, his armor drenched in blood.
Behind him, what appeared to be twenty-five thousand Longxiang horsemen was, in truth, fewer than fifteen thousand—for among them were Kou Jianghuai’s ten thousand, far inferior in skill.
Yet those ten thousand refugee-born riders, their strength preserved throughout, carved through Northern Desert cavalry like a scythe through wheat.
Kou Jianghuai’s sleight of hand—this substitution—was the true linchpin of a battle that had left the Northern Desert forces reeling in absurdity.
In reality, these ten thousand had shadowed the Longxiang light cavalry on the flanks from the initial breach to the camp assault and now the southern push, their losses negligible.
Early in the battle, the Longxiang Army’s flanks had broken through so effortlessly that the Northern Desert never saw through their disguise.
Thus, the Northern Desert army now found itself in a farcically dire predicament.
To the far south, Wanyan Yinjiang’s cavalry had been shattered in spirit, from commander to lowest rider, all in panicked disarray.
Next, the infantry phalanx, still struggling to coalesce, was no true match. The Southern Court’s elite foot soldiers—over twenty thousand—had been diverted to raid Fengxiang and Linyao. These hastily assembled troops wore only light leather armor, utterly unprepared to face Grasslands cavalry head-on. Worse, they were originally meant to assault Liuzhou’s Qingcang City, not withstand a Northern Liang charge. For such infantry-cavalry clashes, the Northern Desert’s foot soldiers, in both equipment and training, were woefully inadequate. Dismounted Grasslands warriors were already at a disadvantage, and their unfamiliarity with infantry bows and heavy crossbows only compounded their plight. Standing firm against Northern Liang’s iron tide was an alien, agonizing ordeal.
Further north, the Yi-Longguan noble cavalry had already brushed past the Longxiang Army. Furthest north, Huang Songpu’s elite horsemen had yielded their center.
What should have been a united front lay in tatters.
Though the Northern Desert still held numerical superiority, the morale gap between the two sides was as vast as heaven and earth!
Li Mofan gazed past the Northern Desert infantry phalanx toward Kou Jianghuai’s cavalry—the true Longxiang Army main force.
The general smirked, raised his Liang saber, and gave it a slight twist.
Behind him, over ten thousand Longxiang light cavalry ignored the infantry entirely, arcing around its edges to sweep south unimpeded.
Then Li Mofan heard a shout and whirled in shock.
Behind the eight thousand refugee riders who had survived the initial charge, one horseman was barreling straight into the Northern Desert infantry phalanx, spear leveled, roaring:
“Liuzhou Iron Cavalry! Those willing to die—follow me!”
Expressionless, Li Mofan slowed his steed, staring northward.
Was that man insane?
From start to finish, this battle had unfolded under Kou Jianghuai’s meticulous planning. Until now, everything had gone as calculated—but the General of Liuzhou had never ordered these refugees to charge to their deaths!
Such reckless, unsanctioned heroics would not only forfeit all military honors but, under Northern Liang’s iron discipline, earn the perpetrator either demotion or public execution!
In Li Mofan’s sight, that lone rider yanked his reins at the last moment, his first-rate steed from Feylight Pastures leaping high—
Clearing the first two rows of The tilted cheval de frise spears, horse and rider crashed into the formation!
The warhorse’s plummeting hooves crushed a Northern Desert foot soldier instantly.
The overburdened steed’s knees snapped, but the Liuzhou rider’s spear stabbed forth, impaling three infantrymen in one thrust!
On foot now, the Liuzhou soldier gripped his spear and charged forward.
Behind him, the cavalry line faced the glittering Northern Desert palisade without flinching, charging straight in!
Northern Liang steeds were skewered on sharp spears.
Against a prepared infantry square, the first cavalry wave was doomed—this was inevitable. Only thus could the formation be gradually breached.
There were no shortcuts—only lives, both equine and human, could pave the way.
Eight thousand Liuzhou riders charged!
In the end, not a single one followed the Longxiang Army around the formation to retreat south.
Along the Northern Desert’s first palisade row, many spears bore the corpses of Liuzhou men and horses—some even impaled two at once.
Under this relentless assault, the infantry were forced to retreat.
The momentum of charging steeds snapped many spears. Even as Liuzhou riders fell to arrows and bolts, their horses’ Inertia carried them crashing into the ranks, trampling Northern Desert soldiers where they stood.
This Northern Desert phalanx had never witnessed such a suicidal cavalry charge.
Their once-dense formation teetered on collapse.
Had these been the heavy infantry of the Central Plains, specifically trained to counter Grasslands cavalry, with layered shields and rotating crossbow volleys, even the Liuzhou riders’ sacrifice would have merely created a new barrier of horseflesh. A disciplined retreat could have preserved their killing power.
But this was not Misty Cloud Mountain Pass.
Here, the Northern Desert commander was no Xie Xichui, master of defensive tactics.
Once the front palisade shattered and the first Liuzhou rider sowed chaos within, the Northern Desert archers were left bewildered, utterly unprepared.
Yet the deadliest blow came from beyond this blood-soaked field.
Li Mofan’s Longxiang cavalry did not turn to aid the Liuzhou riders but charged south, slamming into Wanyan Yinjiang’s forces attempting to reinforce the infantry.
Meanwhile, Kou Jianghuai and Xu Longxiang led the Longxiang main force northward, crashing into the infantry’s rear.
Li Mofan stopped looking back at that corpse-strewn battlefield.
He recognized that young Liuzhou officer—Qifu Longguan, a lucky stray the young Prince of Northern Liang had brought back from the Northern Desert. Once a squad leader in the Longxiang Army, he’d risen to captain in Fuling Military Garrison. During the first Liang-Mang war’s Tooth Slope battle, this very captain had disrupted both sides’ elaborate ambush plans, leaving Northern Liang’s Protector Chu Lushan and Southern Court’s then-Prince Dong Zhuo exasperated. His name had since echoed across Liangzhou’s borders.
After the war, with the Longxiang Army’s heavy losses in Liuzhou and Kou Jianghuai needing his own forces as nominal General of Liuzhou, Qifu Longguan had been transferred to Liuzhou as one of Kou’s three cavalry commanders.
Li Mofan mused—this youth was indeed a troublemaker.
If the boy survived, his military career was likely over. Perhaps Li Mofan could swallow his pride and beg the young Prince to spare his life, then quietly reassign him as a personal guard?
With the Longxiang Army’s aid, the Northern Desert’s crumbling infantry—once nearly twenty thousand strong—were reduced to less than a tenth!
Such was the fate of infantry broken by cavalry.
But the Liuzhou riders paid dearly—only three thousand of eight thousand survived.
The blood-drenched Qifu Longguan was hauled from the corpse pile by the battle-crazed Xu Longxiang, riding double back south.
Under Kou Jianghuai’s command, the remaining three thousand Liuzhou riders withdrew under the Longxiang Army’s cover.
Wanyan Yinjiang’s cavalry, shattered by Li Mofan’s assault, failed to link with Huang Songpu’s main force, leaving the Northern Liang army to escape unscathed.
※※※
On the return south, after White Mane scouts confirmed the Northern Desert wouldn’t pursue, the army paused to rest.
Xu Longxiang, Kou Jianghuai, and Li Mofan gathered to tend their steeds.
Li Mofan glanced at the refugee cavalry nearby, then turned to the grim-faced Kou Jianghuai.
“A decisive victory, no? We destroyed the Northern Desert’s supply camp as planned. In cavalry exchanges, we traded one for two—acceptable losses. And we devoured Huang’s Siege Infantry whole. By any measure, we profited.”
Kou Jianghuai nodded expressionlessly.
Li Mofan sighed. “You predicted this battle would first bleed the Longxiang Army, then the refugee riders—both to stall Huang Songpu and to temper the Liuzhou greenhorns, lest they drag us down in the final clash. But thanks to that boy, though the refugees died last, they died too many—seven thousand lost. Kou Jianghuai, what now? With so few troops left, can you manage?”
Xu Longxiang suddenly said, “Transfer seven thousand Longxiang riders to General Kou.”
Kou Jianghuai shook his head. “Unnecessary.”
Xu Longxiang insisted, “Once given, they need not return.”
Kou Jianghuai smiled cryptically. “In Guangling Path, I’d take seventy thousand and never give them back. But here? No.”
Xu Longxiang, baffled, shrugged.
Li Mofan chuckled knowingly.
The General of Liuzhou narrowed his eyes. “With my three thousand refugee-born riders, Kou Jianghuai has had enough.”
Li Mofan pressed, “And the boy? Reporting truthfully to the Protectorate would doom him!”
Kou Jianghuai said coolly, “Truth cannot be hidden. If Qifu Longguan is to live, only honesty will suffice.”
Xu Longxiang hesitated. “Should I speak to my brother?”
Kou Jianghuai shook his head. “Pointless.”
Xu Longxiang fell silent.
Among the three thousand Liuzhou riders, a young officer sat alone by his horse’s hooves, head bowed, hiding his tears.
Eight thousand Liuzhou riders had been willing to die.
Because of him, five thousand brothers had fallen.
※※※
Upon returning to Liuzhou, the camps were somber.
Two urgent dispatches arrived—one from the Protectorate at Huaiyang Pass, the other from the Prince’s residence at The City of Northern Defiance.
Kou Jianghuai, holding both missives stamped with “Northern Liang Protector” and “Prince of Northern Liang,” marched to the Liuzhou riders’ drill ground. Mounting the platform, he barked:
” Liuzhou Cavalry Captain Qifu Longguan, step forward!”
The young officer obeyed, calm as if facing death anew.
Kou Jianghuai read aloud:
” Liuzhou Captain Qifu Longguan, recklessly seeking glory, caused five thousand Liuzhou riders’ deaths. Sentence: immediate execution! Signed, Northern Liang Protector, Chu Lushan!”
The three thousand Liuzhou riders seethed with grief and fury.
Kou Jianghuai stood unmoved, his gaze icy.
The condemned Qifu Longguan, however, seemed relieved. Red-eyed, he clasped his fists. “Qifu Longguan accepts!”
Kou Jianghuai suddenly smirked. “The Northern Liang Protector—in our ranks, is that not the highest authority? Above even the cavalry and infantry marshals, let alone the two deputy military governors, yes?”
The refugee riders were baffled, Qifu Longguan most of all.
Kou Jianghuai stepped forward, reading the second missive:
“From its inception, the Xu Family’s cavalry has been iron-clad—even when lacking armor, blades, or steeds!”
” Liangzhou’s old camps number six. Youzhou raised new cavalry last year.”
He paused. “Now Liuzhou too shall forge an iron host! Henceforth, they may raise their banner in battle!”
Kou Jianghuai gripped the paper, took another step, and boomed:
” Liuzhou Cavalry establishes a new battalion—the Straight Charge Battalion! Qifu Longguan, demoted from captain to squad leader!”
“Yet as squad leader, he shall command this battalion! Signed, Prince of Northern Liang, Xu Fengnian!”
Kou Jianghuai roared at the young officer:
“Qifu Longguan! Accept your orders!”
Qifu Longguan straightened, voice trembling but resolute:
“Qifu Longguan dares not refuse!”
By Northern Liang’s code, its iron riders never kneel—not even before the marshal!
As Kou Jianghuai pocketed the missives, he recalled the young officer’s inadvertent battle cry.
The General of Liuzhou gritted his teeth and shouted:
” Liuzhou Iron Cavalry! Those willing to die—follow me!”
On the drill ground, three thousand voices thundered back:
“Willing!”
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