Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks

Chapter 676 446: The Tumu Fortress Incident

"Mr. Arashiyuan, we should retreat."

The speaker was his Han advisor.

In reality, it wasn't just the Han people being influenced by the Hu culture; the Tatars were also being Sinicized.

The northward-moving Yuan Court was in a process of re-Huicization due to the constraints of the steppes, after undergoing Sinicization.

Arashiyuan frowned but said nothing; deep down, he was also having thoughts of retreat. After all, these enemies seemed formidable at first glance. Even if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. If too many of his troops were lost, it was questionable whether he could maintain his current position.

Seeing Arashiyuan remain silent, the advisor let out a sigh of relief and earnestly said, "Mr. Arashiyuan, the enemy's armor is excellent, their formation is well-regulated, definitely not amateurs. I know that the warriors of the Longevity Heaven are not inferior to others, but the Grandmaster tasked us with intercepting the Ming Country's supply route. If we lose too much fighting these Mongolians and other Central Asians, it would delay the Grandmaster's urgent matters, and that would not be good."

Arashiyuan frowned and said, "If it is to isolate the supply route, what explanation should I give to the Grandmaster if I let these people leave?"

The advisor replied solemnly, "Just a few supply carts, enough to feed the besieged tens of thousands of Ming troops a few meals. If we stop these supply carts but suffer losses and fail in our duty to isolate the supply route entrusted by the Grandmaster, wouldn't it betray the Grandmaster's trust in you?"

Arashiyuan was about to take the opportunity to retreat his army when he saw their general, wearing a golden mask helmet, raise an arm and wave it forward.

"Whoosh!"

Behind him, the armored cavalry standing on the hillside with two rows of feather ornaments embedded in their backs, charged down like an avalanche, clearly targeting his troops who were originally besieging the Ming army's supply convoy.

"Arrogant!"

Arashiyuan was both shocked and angry. These Mongolians and other Central Asians dare charge them with inferior numbers without even a greeting, completely disregarding them.

The advisor wore an expression full of astonishment.

Arashiyuan coldly glanced at him and ordered, "Do not face the enemy directly; wait for all the divisions to assemble!"

Currently, only the two thousand personal guards and another two thousand originally besieging the supply convoy were gathered around Arashiyuan. The rest were scattered and plundering and not gathered together; assembling them wouldn't be a quick task.

The Tatars quickly showed their cavalry's preferred tactics, using lightly armored archers to scout the flanks, continuously harassing the charging embassy armored cavalry with riding bows. The elite warriors equipped with armor formed the rear, waiting for the embassy cavalry's momentum to wane or be unsettled by the harassment before charging again.

Arrows rained down upon the embassy cavalrymen, most bouncing off.

But then, a melancholy wolf howl was heard.

A bone arrowhead clang as it struck Hans' chest plate armor, easily penetrating and continuing through piercing his flesh. Hans felt intense pain in his chest, as if a bloodthirsty giant wolf was gnawing at his flesh. Even with his powerful wolf race physique, he still felt this arrow nearly took most of his life.

Looking up, Arashiyuan stood on the hillside drawing his bow with shock on his face: "These Mongolians and other Central Asians carry such hard armor that even the divine arrow made from white wolf teeth cannot kill!"

The white wolf is a giant wolf transformed into a spirit creature on the steppes, able to control fierce winds and come and go without trace, being extremely difficult to capture. Its teeth have a penetrating sharpness instilled with divine power by the Shaman, a precious asset for sniping enemy generals on the battlefield.

Despite the rain of Tatar arrows, winged cavalry kept getting shot down and dismounted, yet most sped into the enemy ranks like the wind, to the disbelief of Tatar light cavalry.

Carnage commenced instantly, people and horses tumbled amidst numerous pained screams.

If winged cavalry are sharp unmatched longs spears, the subsequent monastic cavalry and Imperial Knights are hefty hammers, while armored cavalry on the wings are tanks crushing everything.

Next, it turned into a massacre.

Most Tatar cavalry weapons couldn't pierce the embassy cavalry's armor.

At this rate, the light cavalry sent by Arashiyuan to harass and delay the embassy cavalry attack would soon be completely devoured.

Arashiyuan widened his eyes with fury, roaring as a faint giant wolf apparition appeared behind him. He bent his bow and aimed at the golden mask general charging among the people.

Clearly aware of his intentions, the golden armor general directed a cold mask towards him, raised an arm high, and in it, infinite golden radiance coalesced into a golden holy spear.

At that moment, both felt the same inescapable sense of being targeted by the other, unable to escape despite any maneuver.

"Holy."

Losa softly intoned, magic rapidly imbuing from within him. With his current spiritual power, casting the holy spear required minimal energy, rendering it more powerful than before.

The holy spear and Arashiyuan's arrow shot forth almost simultaneously, creating sharp blasts and hitting both parties at the same time.

Losa didn't evade; the holy cross plate armor absorbed the arrow, a vague wolf head shouting as it entered him, only for the Solid Stone Talent to activate, leaving Losa completely unharmed.

Arashiyuan wasn't so lucky.

His chest was pierced by the holy spear, enveloping him in golden radiance that ignited him like a torch, revealing a ferocious giant wolf howling painfully amidst the holy flames.

The holy flames spread rapidly.

Everyone near Arashiyuan, including the Han advisor, was consumed by the flames, screaming desperately.

With his dragon bloodline's flame attribute blessing, Losa's holy flame wasn't effective in dispelling evil like Jeanne's, but its temperature was higher, even capable of searing enemies' souls like a ghost dragon's breath.

Losa shouted, "The enemy general is slain; who dares challenge me!"

The dramatic events had long disturbed Arashiyuan's forces, preparing a cavalry guard charge. His most elite troops still hadn't acted when discovering the front had already collapsed like mountains falling.

The leader of their own side, unmatched in archery, had fallen with no remains left. The fighting spirit could no longer be raised, and they retreated one after another.

As the saying goes, do not chase a desperate foe.

But in reality, once an army loses its organization, no matter how elite, it becomes like a flock of sheep easy to slaughter, especially when led in a charge by a general like Losa, who carries a double fear aura.

Occasionally, a few troublesome enemies would also be taken care of by him, or by Venezia, Charles, and others, and annihilated.

...

Not long after at Tumu Castle.

Grandmaster Ye Xian sat on a tall horse purchased from Central Asia, Timur Khanate.

He looked at the chaotic Ming army camp, his eyes shining fiercely.

The Ming Country's army is retreating!

He believed it!

That eunuch named Wang Zhen, and his master really believed it!

The foolish Emperor of the Great Ming is really preparing to move his forces and retreat, coming out of his turtle shell.

He laughed so hard that he bent over.

Years ago, he had gone to pay tribute to Zhu Qizhen and was conferred the so-called title of "King Jingshun".

At that time, Zhu Qizhen sat high on his throne, fully displaying the grandeur of the Emperor of the Celestial Empire, not even giving him a second glance. Who would have thought this seemingly majestic emperor was actually a incompetent drunkard wrapped in gold?

Now, the offensive and defensive positions have switched.

"Pass my order, all forces, prepare to charge, capture the Emperor of the Ming Country alive!"

Orders were passed down layer by layer, and the elite armored riders surrounding him, the outer layer of nomadic light cavalry, and even the outermost conscripted civilians without mounts, slowly unfolded their formation like a giant beast moving sluggishly.

"Grandmaster, urgent military situation!"

A scout, shouting loudly, galloped in frantically.

"Grandmaster, the right-wing department led by Arashiyuan has been completely annihilated!"

"What!"

Ye Xian's face showed visible astonishment.

Arashiyuan was from the Wala Right Wing Division, overseeing the Wala Right Wing Oirats. Before Ye Xian became the nominal but powerless Khan, he might not have cared about the annihilation of Arashiyuan's troops, as they were not his direct followers, but rather weakened his competitors.

But now, it was during a war with Ming Country.

He was not only the leader of his own Chuoluo Tribe but also the true ruler of the entire Wala Tartar Regime. Arashiyuan's troops were still more reliable than Tudubuhua and those conscripted vassal armies from Jurchen and Duoyan Guards.

He widened his eyes and grabbed the scout by the collar: "The cavalry of the Ming Country is weak, and although the infantry is numerous, even if they won, how could they have completely annihilated the more than ten thousand riders under Arashiyuan?"

These days, reports of victories came one after another.

Ye Xian originally thought that the elite force that once pursued and cleared their opponents, sweeping through their camps, was gone forever.

The scout, with a mournful face, said, "The enemy cavalry is fierce, and the enemy general possesses extremely terrifying divine power. With just a wave of his hand, he turned Lord Arashiyuan to ashes..."

"Where is the enemy now?"

Ye Xian became anxious.

The scout hurriedly said, "The enemy is marching rapidly from the south, and they are only twenty to thirty miles away from us."

Ye Xian furrowed his eyebrows deeply.

A Ming army capable of wiping out Arashiyuan's elite troops, especially cavalry, left Ye Xian indecisive. If they attacked the Ming army and this cavalry charged from the flank or rear, the one defeated might be him.

And now, the Ming army is relocating, already weary and hungry, and has fallen into great chaos. It is the perfect opportunity for the Tartar forces to strike, a chance granted by Longevity Heaven, not to be missed.

"Let Beiluo lead his troops, no matter the cost, block this enemy cavalry!"

Chuoluo's Beiluo was Ye Xian's younger brother, imbued with Totem Divine Power by the Longevity Heaven Shaman, possessing the valor of a thousand men, known as the first warrior of the prairie, once tearing apart a far northern Black Dragon with his bare hands.

During the subjugation of the Duoyan Guards, it was also Beiluo who personally defeated and killed Duoyan Guard Conductor Nai'er Buhua, capturing the crowd and greatly increasing their strength.

Even if the enemy indeed had an elite cavalry, Ye Xian believed Beiluo could defeat the enemy cavalry; at worst, he could at least hold them back.

The opportunity for battle is fleeting; no one knows if the Ming army truly intends to retreat or just wants to find a place with water to regroup. Once the Ming army stabilizes, the variables increase.

The Ming Country is said to have a three-million-strong army. Even if the Emperor is foolish and incompetent, and there are significant vacancies in the army, even halved, it is still one and a half million troops. Such a terrifying number is enough to instill fear in any country in the world.