Chapter Ninety-Seven: Encircling the Reinforcements

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“You?” Wang Pu said calmly, “Set up camp with your men at the foot of the mountain, eat, and sleep.”

“What?” The bearded man almost doubted his ears, asking in disbelief, “Eat and sleep, General? You mean now?”

“Exactly now,” Pu replied.

“No way,” the bearded man muttered, “It’s only noon, there’s no way to sleep.”

“Even if you can’t sleep, you must,” Wang Pu said firmly. “This is a military order.”

“Alright then.” The bearded man scratched his head hard and turned to shout at the captains behind him, “Did you all hear that? The General orders us to eat first, then sleep!”

“Ah?”

“This…”

The captains exchanged glances but no one dared to question Wang Pu’s orders. They could only obey.

Korqin Khan’s Court.

Wukeshan, accompanied by several nobles, nervously approached the gentle southern slope. The captain of the guards, Batte, who was arranging the wagon formation, hurried forward and saluted with one hand on his chest. “Prince, what brings you here?”

“Batte,” Wukeshan asked gravely, “Is the wagon formation ready?”

“Almost done,” Batte replied.

“And the two mortars?”

“Arranged.”

“Really?” Wukeshan was somewhat surprised. “The Ming troops haven’t attacked?”

“No. The Ming have already camped at the mountain’s foot.” Batte shook his head and pointed downward. “Your Highness, look—except for four or five hundred Ming soldiers stationed halfway up the mountain monitoring us, the rest of the Ming cavalry are all busy with their own tasks. Some are digging horse traps in front of the slope, some are cutting wood in the forest to the left, and others have just finished eating and are sleeping.”

“Sleeping?” Wukeshan asked incredulously. “Is that even possible?”

Batte said, “Your Highness, see those hundreds of tents? About a thousand Ming soldiers are inside, asleep.”

“This is strange.” Wukeshan frowned. “It’s very strange! Just now when we were unprepared was the best time to attack, yet they gave it up, and now they’re pitching tents and taking long naps at the mountain’s base. What on earth are they up to?”

Batte and the Korqin nobles were speechless.

“Forget it; whatever the case,” Wukeshan shook his head. “Batte, have the fast riders to Silamuren been sent for reinforcements?”

“Your Highness, rest assured. They were dispatched before the Ming troops arrived.”

“That’s good.” Wukeshan exhaled deeply and whispered, “Batte, tell your men to stay alert. No matter what, they must hold the Ming at the mountain base and never let them break through. In two days, Tagar will return with twenty thousand cavalry from the east bank of the Silamuren.”

“Your Highness, rest assured.” Batte responded proudly. “As long as I live, not a single Ming soldier will get past us.”

“Good. Do well.” Wukeshan patted Batte on the shoulder. “After we defeat the Ming, I will promote you to captain of a thousand and put you in command of my three thousand Iron Guards.”

Batte knelt on one knee swiftly and shouted, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your favor!”

Near dusk, Scarface’s thousand-man unit had finished constructing a large number of chevaux-de-frise.

Following Wang Pu’s orders, Scarface placed three layers of these defensive spikes in front of the camp and on both flanks, leaving the rear side facing Korqin Khan’s court unfortified.

Tang Sheng’s thousand-man unit, though lacking the proper tools, had dug over a hundred horse traps in the soft grasslands using sabers. According to Wang Pu’s plan, these traps varied in depth and were scattered seemingly at random. Yet a closer look revealed that the horse traps were distributed roughly in a ring along the front and flanks of the Ming camp, leaving only gaps at the southeast and southwest corners through which cavalry could safely pass.

Zhang the Monk, leading five hundred-man units, guarded the mid-slope, facing off against Batte’s two hundred guards. Lü Liu deployed two hundred-man units scattered on the grasslands as sentries. Only the bearded man’s thousand-man unit enjoyed freedom; having eaten and rested, they had retreated into their tents for a long nap that had lasted half a day.

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By this time, Wang Pu’s tactical intention was fully revealed.

His strategy was to “encircle and attack the reinforcements,” deliberately allowing the Khan’s forces on the hillside to refrain from fighting, enticing the Korqin troops to launch a costly, desperate assault on the Ming camp.

The chevaux-de-frise built by Scarface and the horse traps dug by Tang Sheng were all prepared for the Korqin forces.

Moreover, the bearded man had a thousand musketeers rested and ready to deal a heavy blow to the Korqin.

When night fell entirely, a series of rockets suddenly rose in the southwestern sky, one after another, like a relay, arriving at the Ming camp.

Inside a low, squat oxhide tent, Wang Pu had just finished gnawing on his hard, dry rations when Lü Liu rushed in breathlessly. “General, a large Mongol cavalry force appears thirty miles southwest!”

Wang Pu slowly lifted his head and glanced toward the southwest, a faint glint of killing intent appearing on his face. The Korqin cavalry reinforcements had finally arrived?

Before marching to Sanbuluchuan, Wang Pu had calculated carefully that when his three thousand cavalry reached Erlhai, the Korqin’s main cavalry force would be halfway there.

Though the Korqin vanguard cavalry had been defeated, a few hundred remnants still roamed near A‘a Hai, constantly watching Ming movements.

Wang Pu’s three thousand cavalry and over ten thousand horses could not move unnoticed by Korqin scouts. Unless the Korqin were fools, they would suspect Wang Pu’s march toward Erlhai was a feint to bypass their main force and attack Sanbuluchuan by surprise.

Thus, the Korqin vanguard would hasten to inform their main force halfway there.

Caught between Sanbuluchuan Khan’s court and the Tumet people, Wang Pu did not believe the Korqin would abandon their Khan’s court to save the Tumet.

Undoubtedly, the Korqin main cavalry would turn back to defend Sanbuluchuan.

Mongols typically carried three horses per rider only on long raids. Since this battle was near home, the Korqin would not prepare three horses per man, but Wang Pu’s cavalry was mounted three riders per horse and matched the Mongols in skill. Wang Pu estimated his forces would reach Sanbuluchuan at least half a day ahead of the Korqin.

In reality, events unfolded as Wang Pu anticipated.

When Banktu and Sogar, leading over eight thousand Korqin cavalry, arrived at the Khan’s court, Wang Pu’s forces had rested for half a day and built solid defenses.

Atop the gentle slope, Batte was guarding the rear of the wagon formation with two hundred guards, alert and ready, when a sharp-eyed sentinel suddenly shouted, “Look! The main cavalry force!”

“Hm?”

Batte and the others turned their heads to look where the sentinel pointed, soon spotting a large flicker of firelight slowly moving toward the Khan’s court from the southwest.

Batte quickly estimated from experience that the cavalry were at least ten miles away.

“It must be our cavalry returning!” the sentinel exclaimed excitedly. “Definitely!”

“Yes, it should be,” Batte nodded and loudly ordered, “Send word to the Prince immediately. Light several big fires, and place the Prince’s banner in the center to signal the approaching reinforcements that the Khan’s court and the Prince are safe!”

“Yes!”

Several guards departed at once.

After a day and night of forced marches, Banktu and Sogar finally returned to the Khan’s court at dusk. Their horses were foaming at the mouth, spent to the limit, and the riders exhausted.

Banktu, galloping at the front, caught sight of the Ming camp below the slope and cursed, “Damn it! The Ming still beat us here by half a step!”

Sogar, riding behind, voiced his concern, “I wonder how Father Khan is doing?”

Just as Sogar spoke, several large fires suddenly blazed on the mountain, with a great banner waving vigorously in the wind.

Banktu’s sharp eyes immediately recognized it as the banner of Prince Heshotzholiktu. Overjoyed, he shouted, “Wonderful! It’s Father Khan’s banner. The Khan’s court and Father Khan are safe!”

“Indeed, it is Father Khan’s banner,” Sogar confirmed happily. “May Eternal Heaven protect him! Haha!”

Banktu drew his curved saber and shouted back, “Tuer Tula, Ughulu, take two thousand cavalry and attack from the front immediately! Qilimei and Zakru, each with a thousand cavalry, guard the flanks. Young Prince, you have half an hour to break the Ming camp!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Four captains responded loudly.

“Big brother!” Sogar urgently tried to stop him. “The troops just finished a long march and are utterly exhausted. Should we rest for two hours first?”

“Hm…” Banktu pondered, then nodded. “Second brother makes a good point. Since Father Khan is safe, there’s no need to rush. Let the troops recover for two hours before attacking the Ming camp!”

Ming Camp.

Wang Pu, accompanied by Lü Liu and a dozen guards, stepped out of the camp and came to the front lines.

The bearded man’s thousand-man unit had already formed a firing line behind the first layer of chevaux-de-frise. Eight hundred musketeers were divided into four groups of two hundred, lined up in a straight line. The remaining two hundred musketeers each carried five dragon-handle pistols. With these eight hundred matchlock muskets, the dragon-handle pistols, the horse traps in front of the camp, and the triple chevaux-de-frise, Wang Pu was determined to win this battle.

Seeing Wang Pu approach, the bearded man hurried over and shouted, “General, why have the Korqin stopped?”

“Have they?” Wang Pu looked up and indeed saw the Korqin had halted. He frowned and asked, “They actually stopped?”

The bearded man laughed nervously. “General, could it be that the Korqin are scared of us? Ha ha…”

Wang Pu shook his head thoughtfully and suddenly said, “No, we can’t wait for them to regain strength before they attack. We must force them to attack immediately!”

“Well…” The bearded man scratched his head. “If they don’t come, what can we do?”

Wang Pu suddenly turned and called, “Lü Liu!”

Lü Liu quickly stepped forward. “At your command.”

“Order Zhang the Monk to attack the Korqin Khan’s court immediately!”

“Yes, sir!” Lü Liu responded and hurried off.

Halfway up the slope, Zhang the Monk strained his neck to look down the mountain. The Korqin reinforcements had arrived, yet no orders from Wang Pu had come. Should they continue to hold this position or retreat to the camp below? The men deserved some certainty—they couldn’t just stand here wasting away without a clear plan.

His five captains were already complaining.

“Boss Zhang, what’s really going on?”

“Yeah, can’t have us stuck halfway up forever, can we?”

“Exactly. The mountain wind here could freeze off my balls. If we’re going to fight, we should storm the mountain! There’s the Mongol Khan’s court up there—food, drink, and probably women too. Heh, just what the doctor ordered for the brothers to enjoy.”

“Hahaha…”

The captains roared with laughter. Zhang the Monk glared at one and scolded, “Shut up! Keep talking nonsense and I might just smack you!”

The captain quickly covered his crotch, yelling, “Hey, I haven’t even had a taste of the women yet; can’t lose my balls just like that!”

The others laughed even harder, and Zhang the Monk couldn’t help but laugh too.

“Boss Zhang,” one captain whispered, “how about we just sneak up and attack?”

Zhang the Monk was tempted but quickly dismissed the idea with a grumble, “You want to die, huh? I want to live a few more years. Do you know disobeying orders is punishable by death?”

The captain stuck out his tongue. “Just saying.”

At that moment, Lü Liu’s voice came from nearby: “Captain Zhang, the General orders an immediate attack on the Korqin Khan’s court!”