Free Web NovelChapter 2147: Chapter 1560: A Tribute! The Mongolian Pearl Maiden
"Da da da..."
"Lu! Lu!..."
"Tenggeri Blue Sky! There are actually two hundred Armored People on the opposite side, two hundred Armored Wulusi carrying Iron Weapons?! Which ten thousand households from the south sent this team?"
"Damn it! Encountering a large group of Armored People is never a good thing. Those ten thousand households’ Contribution Teams are even more cruel and greedy... Quick! All men mount their horses, grab bows and arrows, gather outside the village! There’s no time, women, children, and the weak stay behind, stay in the village to guard!"
"Ah?!"
"Hurry!!..."
"Witness of the Chief Divine! Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty... ninety-six... why are there riders on small horses?..."
The Black River flows turbulently, facing the approaching Kingdom troop, Huli Ping Village’s gates swung wide open, seemingly without any defense. Shortly after, the cavalry of River-side Tribe rushed out by the Orala River, finally gathering a hundred riders!
"They’re all cavalry armed with bows; most don’t have Armor, and nearly no metal weapons... their riding skills are remarkable, incredibly remarkable, as if growing on the horseback!..."
Zuwaro squinted his eyes, holding the Divine Eye Glasses, observing these nomadic tribal archery cavalry he encountered for the first time. These hundred tribal cavalry were clearly divided into two types, with distinct differences in attire and mounts.
The first type were elite archery cavalry wearing Leather Armor and leather hats, probably some kind of "Wulusi" warrior, numbering about twenty, around twenty percent. They commonly rode tall warhorses, gripping Horn Bows with both hands, sitting on horseback only by their legs. The sides of their saddle hung leather quivers and water pouches, while behind the horse were Bone Spears, Stone Spears, or even rare Iron Spears, evidently used for close combat and charging.
Compared to the Jurchen Tribe’s prevalent Charge Cavalry, these Wulusi archery cavalry seemed more skilled in mounted archery, and possessed some close combat capabilities. Just looking at the loosely nocked Bone Arrows and Stone Arrows, they probably couldn’t pierce through the armor of Kingdom Jurchen Warriors, only aiming for the throat and eyes. But if the Jurchen Cavalry pursued them, it would be equally difficult. They may not be able to wound the Armored Warrior, but killing the warhorse underneath is certainly possible.
The majority and second type of cavalry were impoverished herdsman archery cavalry. They gathered around the elite warriors, appearing somewhat subordinate, following some orders of the elite chieftain, making up eighty percent of the total. They rode horses and packhorses of varying height, wore only a ragged leather robe, and held uneven horse bows in hand. At their waist hung Stone Knives, Stone Axes, Bone Knives, Bone Hammers, and some even carried lasso poles?
The characteristics of these herdsman cavalry emphasized poverty and lightness. They were impoverished and light, like floating leaves, seemingly torn apart with ease. The precondition was, one must catch up to them or be able to hit them.
"Ali, what does this nomadic tribe mean? Seeing us approach, why have all their strong men mounted their horses?... Are they trying to intimidate us, are they preparing for a battle? But why don’t they have their strong men guard the village? This Ming Dynasty’s sturdy-looking village, they only left the children, women, and elderly to defend?"
Zuwaro observed for a moment, put down the Divine Eye Glasses, showing a face full of doubts. He raised his hand, and the kingdom’s two hundred Armored Troops stopped simultaneously. Jurchen Heavy Bowmen raised their Greatbows, looking toward the village and archery cavalry hundreds of meters away. The cold gleam of Iron Armor, sharp tip of Iron Arrows, reflected onto the tribal archery cavalry opposite, causing many tribespeople’s faces to instantly show fear and dread.
"!! Heavy Bow Iron Arrows? Tenggeri! Their range is longer than ours... Spread out! Quickly spread out, retreat further!"
With the kingdom’s troops raising bow movements, the cavalry exiting the village were startled like a flock of birds, retreating and scattering quickly. Yet they still maintained their bow-held posture, and their horses faced northwest, half-turned to the unexpected guests hundreds of meters away, seemingly ready to gallop and escape at any moment.
"Chief Divine! Why are they turning sideways, showing their horse’s rear to us? This posture?"
"Ancestor High Priest! This is their posture for turning around and shooting! Mongolians are skilled in mounted archery, running forward while turning their heads to shoot, maintaining a certain distance, very... uh, cunning and malicious. The pursuing cavalry behind often easily gets hit by such turn-back shots, yet finds it hard to hit the front runners..."
"Maintaining distance, galloping while turning to shoot? This strange tactic is very similar to the Japanese cavalry circling and shooting! But their horses are much better; it’s just that their arrows are bone... Ah Gu, can you defeat this group of Mongolian archery cavalry on horseback?..."
"...Chief, in battle, there’s no absolute advantage or disadvantage; it depends on tactics. These lightly armored archery cavalry, if they charge towards us, entering the Heavy Bowmen’s range, can be easily dealt with. Even if these men charge with horses for close combat, I can wield the heavy hammer, capable of taking one down with one swing, one against five... But if they turn around and run, there’s nothing to do but let them go! They’re too light; we can’t catch them. If we keep riding to chase them, not only will we fail, but might even have the warhorses shot dead... that would be heartbreaking!"
Maha Aguda stared with wide eyes, surveying the light armory cavalry opposite. He also encountered this nomadic archery cavalry for the first time, but through various skirmishes, he quickly estimated the tactics and situations both sides would use in combat in his mind, eventually reaching a conclusion.
