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While Hai Rufeng is fighting wits and courage with Aurangzeb at Fo Guang Shan in India, we might as well head north, pass through the Pamir Mountains, pass through the Tianshan Mountains, and enter the vast Kipchak steppe.
At the southern end of the Kipchak steppe, in the Syr Darya River area, Su Jin's army of more than 10,000 was advancing towards Bukhara, the capital of the Bukhara Khanate.
In the north of the Kipchak steppe, 17,000 Mongolian cavalry led by Li Ding were galloping in the biting north wind of Siberia. Countless hooves pounded the ground, like thunder.
This vast grassland is a paradise for cavalry. Under the withered autumn grass, herds of wild beasts were frightened and fled by the sound of iron hooves that shook the earth.
Golden eagles were flying and circling in the sky, with clear whistles. The yellow dust kicked up by countless horse hooves was blown up by the west wind and flew straight into the sky, penetrating the clouds.
When Victor, the chief of the central tent of the Kazakh Khanate, heard that Li Ding's army was heading south, he was so frightened that he hastily led his people to flee westward, faster than a rabbit. Li Ding was so angry that he chased him for 1,300 miles.
Victor fled in a hurry, and the old and weak kept falling behind and were captured by Li Ding and his men.
The weather is getting colder and colder, the sea is freezing, the sky is dark and the sky is dark. The fluttering flags are rolling in the north wind. Ice is solid on the beards, cracking the skin and falling off the fingers. The cold wind blowing in the face is like a razor blade.
"Report, General, we have just captured a group of old and weak people. According to them, this place is still 400 miles away from the Kazakhstan Xiaoziyu Aktobe. General, we have also heard a piece of news that the Kazakh Xiaoziyu Lord Ferdinand sent people to ask for help from the Ottomans, and the Ottoman reinforcements have arrived in Aktobe..."
This news aroused Li Ding's vigilance. He ordered the army to stop, set up camp on the spot, and recuperate first.
Li Ding summoned all the generals to the big tent and spoke first: "The Kazakh Khan Yangjier had made a marriage contract with the Ottoman Empire, and wanted to marry his daughter Aguli to the Ottoman Caliph Muhammad IV as queen. After General Su conquered Turkestan, he captured Yangjier and Aguli.
The woman that the Ottoman Caliph was about to marry as his queen was captured. As you can imagine, the whole country of Ottoman must be furious, and the reinforcements coming to Kazakhstan this time will probably be quite large. We are far away from the Central Plains and have no reinforcements, so we must plan carefully first. "
Arsalan breathed out hot air, rubbed his hands and said, "General, what's the matter with the Ottoman Empire? I will be the vanguard and go to Aktobe to defeat the enemy. At the same time, I will find out the enemy situation and report back to the general."
Another lieutenant general, Yang Pu, also said, "General, let me go."
Yu Xingguo, the deputy commander of the army, pondered and said, "General, the enemy situation in Akto is not serious right now. We don't need to send too many troops. The first priority is to find out the enemy situation first."
Li Ding thought for a moment and said to Arsaleng, "You will lead 3,000 men to Aktobe first. Remember, don't fight the enemy head-on. We have limited manpower. One loss is one loss. Once you understand the enemy situation, report back immediately."
Arsaleng stood up suddenly, clasped his fists and answered in a loud voice: "Don't worry, General. I have never disappointed you before, and this time will be no exception."
Yang Pu, who failed to get the mission, couldn't help but curl his lips and said, "Stop bragging. If you have the ability, come back and chop off a few Ottoman heads before bragging."
"Just wait and see." Arsaleng laughed, as if he was afraid that Li Ding would go back on his word. He rushed out of the tent with his sword in hand to check the troops.
Arsalan was not exaggerating, since the Western Expedition, Li Ding had often sent him as a vanguard, mainly because he was not only as strong as a lion, fierce and brave, but also very scheming, and he could often turn danger into victory and defeat powerful enemies.
This time the enemy situation was unclear, and Li Ding's first choice was Arsalan, which was also out of careful consideration.
It is true that the main purpose of Qin's conscription of men from Mongolia and Tibet was to weaken Mongolia and Tibet, but these Mongolian troops are actually fighting for Qin now, and under the constant brainwashing of the officials, they have gradually become proud of being Qin soldiers.
Li Ding was unwilling to sacrifice the Mongolian youths and strong men under his command if the sacrifice could be minimized. Moreover, the road ahead was long and the whip of God had only been swung halfway, so there were still many places where troops were needed.
Arsalan led 3,000 Mongolian cavalry and took another two days to advance to a place 60 miles east of Aktobe, a grassland area with abundant grass and water. Although the cold current had arrived and the grass had turned yellow, one could still imagine how lush the grass here was in the summer.
It was here that Arsalan encountered 6,000 enemy troops. Half of these 6,000 cavalry were Ottoman light cavalry, and half were Kazakh cavalry, led by the Ottoman general Rovik.
The appearance of Rovik's 6,000 troops here was not accidental. After receiving the news of Arsalan's invasion, they led their troops to meet the attack.
The autumn grassland is vast and the wind is cold. It seems that the atmosphere of war is there, and the horses on both sides are neighing and restless.
The sound of a horn rang out, echoing across the vast grassland, and the world became solemn.
The Ottomans' star-and-crescent flag fluttered in the cold wind. There were tall white feathers on their helmets, their war horses were tall and majestic, their armor was bright, and the weapons in their hands were crescent-shaped scimitars, reflecting a dazzling cold light in the sunlight without much warmth.
Seeing all this, Arsalan did not retreat. He decided to fight the Ottoman army, which was said to be very powerful.
"Clang!" Arsalan waved his unsheathed saber, and with the sound of a horn, three hundred cavalrymen rushed out from each wing, like the two wings of a wild goose, with the roar of their iron hooves and the cry of thunder, they rushed towards the enemy's two wings.
Rovik showed no weakness and immediately sent out 500 cavalrymen to meet the Mongolian cavalry rushing from both wings. "Allah!" "Allah!" The Ottoman soldiers shouted, urging their horses to fly. The west wind blew the battle flags, and the crescent-shaped scimitars they waved were murderous...
The expected violent collision did not occur. The Mongolian light cavalry did not engage in close combat with the charging enemy. Instead, they used flexible and maneuverable tactics to constantly lure the enemy and use their most skilled riding and archery skills to shoot the enemy from a long distance.
Turning around and shooting the pursuers while galloping on their horses is the specialty of the Mongolian cavalry.
The three hundred Mongolian cavalrymen on both wings lured five hundred enemy cavalrymen each into a circle, and waves of arrows rained down on the pursuing enemy cavalrymen. Pursuing soldiers were constantly hit by arrows and fell to the ground with a bang, and then more enemies were tripped, people howled in pain, and horses neighed sadly... .
When the enemy suffered more and more casualties and their formation became scattered, the Mongolian cavalry immediately turned around and charged. Rovik, who was far away, saw that his own troops were at a disadvantage and were attacked by the Mongols in the chaos, suffering heavy casualties. He was very angry and roared and sent another 1,000 troops to each wing.
Arsalan on this side began to show a playful smile. He sent two hundred troops to each wing, just like adding oil to the fire, constantly attracting the enemy's forces to the two wings.
Rowick's reaction was the same as that of other generals. In order to avoid being attacked from both sides, he continued to send reinforcements to both wings, striving to eliminate the Mongolian cavalry on both wings as quickly as possible.
In the end, he inevitably fell into the trap!
The Mongolians called this move the heart-digger technique.
This was a tactic of using the few to defeat the many, using the powerful mobility of the Mongolian cavalry to draw the enemy's forces to the two wings.
When the forces around the enemy commander become sparse without them noticing, their remaining main force will charge straight through the middle and punch him in the heart.
Arsalan seized the opportunity keenly, pointed his saber, and two thousand Mongolian soldiers rushed out with him, rushing straight towards Rowek, with the wind blowing in their faces and the sound of hooves shaking the sky like thunder.
Without having time to think, Rowick immediately rushed forward, because he was also a cavalryman. If he didn't run, they would be dead when Arsalan rushed over.
In the end, before the enemy troops on both wings could react, Arsalan had already collided violently with Rowick.
This time there was no trickery, the force of the collision was like a bolt of lightning, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the killing was like a tide.
Only then did Rovik realize that he had been fooled by Arsalan. He had 6,000 troops, but now there were less than 1,500 people left around him.
"Ah!" Arsalan rode as fast as lightning, taking the lead and continuously charging into the enemy formation, his eyes fixed on Rowick's battle flag.
"Cover on both sides!" As he shouted, his personal soldiers rushed up. Arsalan immediately put away his sword and picked up his bow. With smooth movements, he shot three arrows in a row, killing Rovik's standard-bearer and knocking him off his horse.
As soon as Rovek's flag fell, the Ottoman army was in a panic, while the Mongolian army cheered in unison, with high morale. The fierce cavalry, like the giant axes of God, fiercely chopped the enemy's heart... ... ... ..
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ps: I will present three more chapters today to fulfill my promise. Please continue to support me, brothers and sisters. Please give me a monthly ticket! (To be continued..)
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