Liang Xiao stood atop a tall building, gazing into the distance.
Despite the risk of defying imperial decree, his generals strongly opposed his "personal expedition," leaving him to direct operations from afar.
His eyesight, however keen, couldn't discern details dozens of miles away, but he could feel the momentum of the two armies.
Ten thousand horses galloping, specters wailing!
The conflagration of war, heaven and earth in sorrow!
The sixty thousand Da Gan cavalry from their position poured out, surging westward like a tide towards the allied forces, their earth-shattering battle cries echoing like continuous thunder, piercing heaven and earth!
As dawn broke, all the Da Gan cavalry were invigorated, each eager to be the first, gazing towards the horizon as if seeing mountains of gold and silver.
The spirit of defending their homes and nation was indeed noble, but Da Gan's current rewards for military merit were enough to make soldiers rush forward, even in any past era.
The Western Allied forces were still in formation, and upon seeing the distant darkness and white specks, like surging thunderclouds sweeping towards them, they couldn't help but feel a jolt of fear!
This was an army momentum they had never experienced, as if it could shatter everything!
Both the Xiongnu Empire and the Tian Ri tribe had deeply experienced the nightmares they brought, nightmares that still lingered, refusing to dissipate…
Attila glanced back swiftly at the Xiongnu cavalry, and seeing the fear in their eyes, he became furious.
Before Attila could speak, Mars, unable to contain himself, blurted out, "Don't panic! Our armaments have also been upgraded multiple times, sufficient to sweep through Da Gan! Engage the enemy immediately!!"
Attila didn't blame Mars for stealing his thunder; at this moment, he even felt that sometimes, abandoning grand and useless encouragement was a great wisdom in life.
After many years of renewed strength, the Xiongnu had ultimately not escaped the shadow cast by that man. Now, they needed an outsider to urge them on.
Eight thousand allied cavalry participated in this surprise attack, mostly lightly armored. Among them were thirty thousand Xiongnu Imperial cavalry wearing imitation cotton armor, a fact that had long been envied by the Tian Ri tribe.
The Tian Ri cavalry preferred regular light armor or iron armor, finding the heat of cotton armor unbearable in the summer.
Before the Western cavalry could fully prepare, the Da Gan warriors charged like tigers and wolves, stirring up dust storms.
"Not good!"
What Attila and the others feared had finally happened.
A wind had suddenly picked up again. It was a southeasterly wind in summer, and the enemy was attacking from the east. The wind and sand severely hampered the Western Allied forces' movements and the speed of their crossbow shots!
Their choice to attack at night and in the early morning had also taken wind conditions into account. Nighttime was generally when winds were weaker in the desert, unlike the daytime with its vast sandstorms.
Meanwhile, Da Gan's crossbows could utilize the wind to shoot farther!
Tens of thousands of Da Gan cavalry surged forward, their arrows filling the sky like a swarm of locusts, obscuring the dawn's first light!
The front ranks of the Western cavalry raised their shields to block, but hundreds still fell, pierced by arrows.
"Longbowmen, dismount!"
Mars and Attila separately commanded their respective units. A large number of horse archers rushed to the front, dismounted, and began firing back.
However, the Da Gan cavalry maintained a near-perfect distance, staying within the optimal killing range of their forty-zhang Da Gan bows.
In contrast, the imitation longbows, already slightly inferior to Da Gan longbows in power, had their efficacy further reduced by the wind and sand.
The Western commanders on the high ground vaguely saw the situation in the distance: rows upon rows of Da Gan cavalry, their bows and crossbows differing in color from longbows.
Attila said in a deep voice, "It seems those are the 'Da Gan Bows,' rumored to be as powerful as longbows. All troops, maintain defense. Once the wind and sand subside, counterattack immediately! No need to panic. The enemy's speed means they absolutely have no heavy cavalry with them!"
The Xiongnu generals understood and immediately instructed the front-ranking cavalry to protect the vital areas, forming shield walls to block the arcing Da Gan arrows.
"Thwack!"
The Da Gan arrows, like a torrential downpour, pierced a portion of the shields and directly hit the enemy.
However, the Western cavalry's return fire also prevented the Da Gan warriors from rapidly penetrating the enemy lines. The two sides clashed head-on, but initially, they only exchanged fire at distances of forty to eighty zhang.
But the Da Gan cavalry held the advantage of time and terrain. The Western cavalry dared not charge forward into the wind and sand and crossbow fire, and could only defend passively.
The Western commanders could only choose to minimize losses before the sandstorm ended, then switch to offense. The weather was a factor they couldn't accurately predict.
"It's been windy recently. Perhaps our scouts were lost because of it and couldn't return to report in time!" Attila, Mars, and the others were furious, yet helpless.
Man proposes, heaven disposes!
Nan Jiyun and Yue Yun, having joined forces, also chose a high ground to observe the situation, looking highly satisfied.
"The Emperor truly understands astronomy and geography!"
Liang Xiao had deliberately chosen the time just before the wind was about to pick up. By the time they reached the Emperor's lines, the wind and sand would naturally aid them, giving them an advantage.
Currently, the number of Da Gan cavalry struck down by arrows was negligible, while the enemy had lost at least a thousand.
"Your Majesty! The wind and sand show no signs of stopping! If we continue to defend passively, the enemy can continuously inflict casualties upon us. By the time we organize a counterattack, they will have already escaped!"
The Xiongnu generals rushed to report, and Attila made a decisive new command.
"From the rear, middle, and front armies, retreat successively, circling west of Yumenguan. Notify the supervisory teams: those who trample themselves to death will be executed on the spot!"
As the strict military orders spread, the Western cavalry began to retreat slowly, intending to break free from the wind and sand, and then use Yumenguan to block some of it.
Nan Jiyun, having anticipated this, immediately led his troops forward.
This was an excellent opportunity for long-range volleys, not suitable for close combat.
Once the wind and sand subsided, the Western cavalry would either retreat or launch a desperate counterattack.
This was all desert and dusty plains. In the early morning, the ground temperature was low, and atmospheric pressure was higher than during the day. As the sun began to shine, temperatures rose slowly, making it the time of day with the lowest wind speeds.
As time passed, the Western cavalry retreated while fighting, leaving behind over five thousand bodies within two hours, finally making their way to a position twenty li west of Yumenguan.
Yumenguan, long a formidable pass under heaven, did indeed block some of the wind and sand that would have otherwise intensified for the Western cavalry.
Mars galloped to Attila's side, reminding him, "This location is twenty li from Yumenguan, suitable for a battle. We can either annihilate the enemy or drive them back to Yumenguan!"
Attila's face was grim as he looked eastward and raised his command flag.
"Charge!"
Just as the Western cavalry prepared to attack, another cavalry unit arrived from the northern camp of Yumenguan, their momentum imposing.
It was Liang Xiao himself, leading his troops and raising his arms in a rallying cry!
"Iron Cavalry Breaks the Formation!"
Tens of thousands of Da Gan cavalry, seizing the opportunity of the Western cavalry's morale fluctuating and formations becoming disorganized after enduring more than a dozen rounds of arrows, once again poured out.
"This humble monk is willing to behead the enemy general from within the Marquis's ten thousand troops!" Yue Qingtian finally had an opportunity for mounted combat. Clad in white dragon gold armor and wielding a silver dragon gold long saber, he immediately led his troops into the fray.