After the Great Gan occupied the Qilian Mountains and the desert, they invested heavily in breeding fine horses, and after years of effort, the results were abundant.
This white-robed army, numbering over a hundred men, rode a batch of the finest warhorses from the desert horse farms, their speed approaching that of renowned steeds like Ten Thousand Miles of Cloud and Smoke.
In comparison, the warhorses of the Western Coalition scouts were inferior.
Coupled with the use of telescopes, once the white-robed soldiers spotted enemy scouts within their vision, they could ambush and eliminate them immediately!
A lone rider galloped from afar.
"Reporting to the Marshal, the enemy is confirmed to be within thirty miles, and could attack at any moment!"
"If the enemy realizes we are prepared, in the darkness, they will surely not dare to attack, but there are always exceptions, and we must guard against them!" Nan Jiyun decided without hesitation, turned and led his troops back to camp, issuing an order.
"By order of the Emperor, the entire camp is to be on full alert, ready for battle at any time!"
The Great Gan soldiers north of Yumenguan rested with their weapons at the ready, while the Western Coalition to the west hesitated.
"Our scouts have been missing for a long time, they must have perished. Attila, what are we to do?" Mars asked with a grave expression, his brow furrowed.
Scouts were the front-line troops on the battlefield. Once they encountered enemy scouts, the earliest battles were likely to break out.
Their scouts, regardless of their alertness or combat effectiveness, were top-notch, and they had detailed and meticulous patrol plans, yet they still vanished without a trace. This was no longer an issue of leadership or execution.
Attila's expression was also extremely grim.
"Send out a thousand cavalry to reconnoiter again tonight, do not engage in prolonged combat. If the enemy is indeed well-prepared, the biggest problem with night combat is unit cohesion. A night raid by us would be like delivering ourselves to them on a platter. We must learn from the lessons of the Left Worthy King in Yanzhou!"
The Western Coalition, intending to attack at night, had lost their initiative and no longer dared to rashly advance.
Meanwhile, Liang Xiao, riding White Night Flying Shadow, led a detachment of shadow guard cavalry, patrolling the northwest of Yumenguan.
Using the Setting Sun Bow in his hand and his own night vision, Liang Xiao shot dead the last few scouts attempting to escape and report back. He then scouted from higher ground, confirming the dusty expanse and dark mass in the distance, before returning to Yumenguan to gather his generals.
"Prepare strong bows and crossbows. If the enemy attempts to raid the camp, they will surely have no way of returning!"
At this moment, Liang Xiao still felt some regret.
The firearms were still en route. Otherwise, during night combat, stray gunfire would be more effective at killing enemy heavy cavalry than stray arrows.
Under Liang Xiao's improvements, the Great Gan soldiers now enjoyed excellent rations and a more balanced diet, avoiding the widespread "night blindness" prevalent in ancient armies. Even so, without night vision goggles and various communication devices, night battles could only be conducted by arranging formations in advance. This was also why the Queyue Formation had achieved such a great victory in the past; the barbarians were eager to break through the city and had no time to switch between offense and defense.
Both armies were on high alert.
The Western Coalition's thousand-strong elite cavalry advanced twenty miles under the cover of night, finally discovering the corpses of their own scouts, scattered with their horses across the wilderness, striking terror into their hearts.
The cavalry captain, after examining the bodies, retrieved several arrowheads that had pierced through chests and took them back to report.
By the campfire, Attila and the others stared at the arrows in Mars's hand, marveling.
"The arrowheads of these arrows are likely made of fine steel, intricately crafted. They are undoubtedly the work of skilled artisans. I have never seen them before, and their quality is far superior to any arrow from Britannia. They must have mastered some ingenious craftsmanship again," John said with envy.
"No need to guess, these are the Dragon Fang Arrows specially made by the Marquis of Dingguo's manor. It is said that only the legendary Setting Sun Bow can unleash their full power perfectly, and the Setting Sun Bow is in Liang Xiao's hands. It is said that he has killed countless enemies with this set of bow and arrows, including the Brocade Robe Commander and the Brocade Robe Young Master," Mars's face was extremely somber.
"Indeed, these are Dragon Fang Arrows, several times stronger than the Great Gan's Wind Feather Arrows," Attila confirmed Mars's suspicion, leaving everyone dejected.
"Could it be Liang Xiao himself leading the troops again?"
At this moment, they learned that their scouts had been annihilated and the enemy was prepared, forcing them to abandon their plan of a surprise night attack. They could only rest in place and wait for dawn. After all, the soldiers were exhausted from galloping dozens of miles. Now they had missed their opportunity and were behind in terms of reconnaissance.
If the Great Gan army strictly guarded the northern camp, and they could not seize the northern camp at the crack of dawn, they could only return without success.
"We do not have established encampments. If the Great Gan army were to attack proactively, it would be quite disadvantageous for us," Attila worried.
John said with confidence, "They have been holed up near Yumenguan for so long, how could they dare to attack proactively? That would be delivering themselves to us!"
Caesar and Mars exchanged glances and did not object.
They also did not believe the Great Gan army would dare to launch a surprise attack on the coalition.
Both the Xiongnu Empire and the Tianri tribe were renowned for their cavalry, and this area was most suitable for cavalry combat with its deserts and plains. The Great Gan army could absolutely not guess how many cavalry the coalition had prepared.
Attila had anticipated the loss of the element of surprise and had therefore instructed each cavalryman to carry rations and fodder, feeding their horses in place.
The temperature difference between day and night in this region was extreme, and tonight was exceptionally cold.
Attila surveyed the troops and keenly noticed that the Tianri tribesmen were completely unfazed by the cold. Conversely, the soldiers of the Xiongnu Empire clutched their clothes tighter within their armor, and some even shivered.
Attila wrapped his fox fur cloak tighter and returned to the military camp, remaining silent.
As Liang Jing had said, this army, besides their cannibalistic tendencies, could move freely in ice and snow without freezing to death, even if they were naked.
But now was not the time to raise their guard. He was the supreme commander of the coalition, and the Tianri tribe was willing to take the lead.
"Liang Xiao! You have finally come to the Western Frontier!"
"Blaida, have you settled down in the Great Gan? You betrayed me, but don't betray the Great Gan again..."
Attila sat on his horse, gazing eastward, feeling an unprecedented sense of loneliness.
His best brother did not understand him. Now, only the maiden Deda could listen to his heart, but she could not accompany him on campaign.
The Western Coalition dispatched scouts again, patrolling twenty miles east of the army. They could ensure rapid communication with the main force if any anomalies occurred.
Every Great Gan soldier held a Great Gan Bow, with quivers containing thirty Great Gan Wind Feather Arrows.
Yue Yun of the southern camp had received an urgent report and was rushing to the northern camp with his cavalry.
"Dawn is approaching. Infantry, guard the great camp strictly. Cavalry, attack!"
Liang Xiao calculated the timing and, with a single command, Nan Jiyun and Yue Yun, each leading thirty thousand cavalry who had long been rested and prepared, charged out of the military camp under the cover of night!
Horses trampled the sand, thousands of iron cavalry galloped in formation, still maintaining perfect order, charging mightily westward.
Simultaneously, the Western Coalition began preparing for the first round of mobilization.
At this very moment, a scout galloped from afar with an urgent report: "Your Majesty! The enemy's main force is charging towards us!"
"Why so soon?" Attila and the others frowned, only to hear the neighing of warhorses from afar, terrifying the coalition!
Moments later, the Great Gan cavalry had arrived within five miles east of the Western Coalition, their momentum fierce.
The two marshals of the Western Frontier merely ordered their troops to form ranks and then whipped their horses westward.
"Attack immediately!"
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These past few days of revising the previous content have given me a headache. Some content and terms are quite... I've been constantly revising them, and by the end, they have completely deviated from the original meaning. I'm treading on thin ice...