The light cavalry remembered Jia Yu's orders; as soon as they reached attack range, they would fire a volley of ranged attacks at the enemy.
Arrow feathers ripped through the sky.
Iron arrowheads whistled through the air, landing among the Mongolian troops.
The long-range shooting sacrificed accuracy for increased attack range.
A large number of Da Zhou cavalry appeared from behind and on both flanks.
They unleashed a barrage of arrows.
The Mongolian cavalry didn't pursue; instead, they returned fire from their positions.
While their attacks lacked precision, they compensated with sheer volume, arrows raining down like a storm.
Many unlucky Mongolians fell victim to the arrow onslaught.
This further agitated the Mongolians, who were already itching for a fight.
Watching the enemy brazenly attack them from afar.
They were the true masters of mounted archery.
Now, they were being outmaneuvered.
This filled them with frustration and resentment.
The Iron Tribe leader, the most powerful of the tribal leaders, didn't react to these complaints and launch an attack.
He kept his eyes fixed on the Da Zhou cavalry movements in all directions.
The other tribal leaders had never clashed with the Da Zhou Jingying cavalry, so they were unaware of their terrifying power.
Outside Xuanfu City, they had used the Wangting Iron Cavalry as the core force, the Jurchen cavalry as auxiliary troops, and their tribal cavalry as a blocking force.
He had witnessed with his own eyes how the Da Zhou 3,000 Camp cavalry had charged through the formations, unyielding and relentless.
They had clashed head-on with the Wangting Iron Cavalry.
And they had carved a path through the Jurchen cavalry formations.
He had personally experienced how their tribal cavalry had been easily breached when attempting to intercept them.
The 3,000 Camp had suffered heavy losses, but they had achieved their objective.
They had carved a bloody path through layers of enemy troops, leading the Da Zhou Emperor to safety.
He noticed these Da Zhou cavalry were herding them towards a specific location.
If they didn't follow that direction, the enemy would amass a large force behind them and unleash a devastating barrage.
They still had no idea of the enemy's numbers.
All their scouting and rescue missions had been intercepted and destroyed.
"Iron Leader, the enemy is so small in number, we can easily drive them back with our combined forces. Why are we enduring their attacks?"
A tribal leader exclaimed in anger. They didn't know the exact number of Da Zhou cavalry, but judging by the number of bow-equipped riders attacking them, they outnumbered them.
"Go south!"
As the tribal leader vented his frustration, the Iron Tribe leader said, "They're trying to lure us west and north. Both areas must have ambushes waiting."
"Go south!" The Iron Tribe leader quickly instructed. "Each of our seven tribes, send 500 strong men, each with two horses, to drive back the Da Zhou cavalry on our flanks."
"Remember, do not split your forces!"
"The rest of you, follow me south. I remember the Da Zhou county of Laishui lies to the south."
"We have three tribal forces stationed near Laishui. We will join forces with them."
"That is our home ground. If they dare to pursue, I will signal with a horn. All warriors, discard any unnecessary items, charge with me, and devour those Da Zhou cavalry."
"Remember, conserve your horses' stamina."
While they outnumbered the enemy, the Da Zhou cavalry refused to engage in close combat.
They continuously harassed them with ranged attacks using mounted archery.
They had one horse for every three soldiers. What about them?
Each of their warriors was burdened with a mountain of loot plundered from Da Zhou civilians.
They maintained a safe distance of over 100 meters.
They were hesitant to allow their warriors to pursue too far.
Pursue too far, and they risked getting swallowed whole by the enemy's elite cavalry.
Having witnessed the might of the Da Zhou Iron Cavalry, the Iron Tribe leader wouldn't risk his men pursuing too far.
Thus, they marched south.
Before nightfall, they arrived at the besieged Laishui County.
Laishui County, a nondescript small county, was about 100 miles from Yixian.
Over 5,000 Mongolians were fiercely assaulting the county.
The local able-bodied men, with the aid of a few hundred Jingying stragglers, were fiercely resisting.
As evening approached, the setting sun cast long shadows.
The defenders on the city walls saw a larger Mongolian army appear in the distance.
Their hearts sank.
"How can there be so many more?"
"Can we even hold on?"
"Where are the imperial troops?"
.
Despair gripped the defenders.
The Mongolians outside the city were ecstatic at the sight of the reinforcements. They had been besieging Laishui County for several days.
A few days earlier, three large merchant caravans had entered the city.
They were said to be traveling from the Jiangnan region, forced to detour due to unforeseen circumstances.
At the same time, ordinary civilians from the surrounding areas sought refuge within the city walls.
They couldn't imagine the wealth that awaited them in this city.
However, the siege had lasted for a month, and the defenders were still putting up a stubborn resistance.
They were hesitant to suffer heavy casualties, so the situation remained at a stalemate.
They detached a group to greet the reinforcements, while the rest, fueled by renewed vigor, launched an even fiercer attack on the city defenders.
The Iron Tribe leader and the other tribal leaders finally felt a sense of relief as they gazed at the distant Mongolian camp.
The troops became disorderly.
Some began vying to enter the camp.
Carriages collided, and arguments erupted.
Jia Yu, standing atop a small hill, saw this scene and a smile appeared on his face.
"Order the light cavalry to launch a volley of ranged attacks!"
His personal guard relayed the order. The light cavalry, trailing behind the Mongolian army, unleashed a new wave of attacks as the twilight cast long shadows.
Arrow after arrow flew through the air.
"If the tiger doesn't roar, these Zhou dogs will think we're pushovers!"
Seeing the Da Zhou cavalry daring to pursue, the Iron Tribe leader, who had prepared for this scenario, issued his orders. The Mongolian warriors discarded any unnecessary items.
They had been simmering with resentment towards the Zhou cavalry harassing them from behind.
隆隆隆...
The five tribal leaders each led their warriors in pursuit of the Da Zhou cavalry.
The light cavalry grinned as they saw the enemy charge.
Finally, those mongrels couldn't hold back anymore.
Five or six thousand草原人, a chaotic swarm. But the charge was thunderous.
The Da Zhou light cavalry shot arrows as they retreated.
Their formation gradually spread out to the flanks.
As the Mongolians chose to engage, Jia Yu, leading a thousand玄甲骑兵, accelerated, forming a wedge shape, like a human letter 'V'.
Jia Yu was at the apex of this wedge.
A banner bearing the character '贾' slowly rose.
....