Chapter 63 – Battle of Mount Taibai Canyon (1)

Chapter 63 – Battle of Mount Taibai Canyon (1)

“General, the enemy's main force has arrived ten li away!”

Sitting at the head of the field command post, Jang-yang checked the tactical map and asked, “They will be here soon. How large is their army?”

“It is easily over a hundred thousand strong.”

The total strength of the Hanzhong army was fifteen thousand. Among them, two thousand had been left behind as a garrison in Hanzhong, and about a thousand were deployed for scouting.

The remaining combat force was twelve thousand. Since the enemy's army was said to be a hundred thousand strong, the disparity in numbers was overwhelming. However, since this was already anticipated, no one showed any surprise.

“Although they outnumber us nearly ten to one, this is a narrow canyon, so we will easily be able to hold our ground.”

Adjutant Yang Yeon-jeong asked with a solemn face, “How long must we hold out?”

“If it were up to me, I would want to buy at least five days so all the citizens can evacuate safely. However, a single day is likely our limit. Send all the scouts to the rear villages and encourage the remaining residents to flee.”

“Yes, General.”

Jang-yang stood up, grasping the command banner.

“Now, let us prepare. I shall command this battle personally.”

“Understood, General.”

Jang-yang's gaze drifted toward So-mu. His eyes were filled with worry.

“The Wolf Fang Squad has taken on too difficult a task. Can this tactic really succeed?”

“Trust in the army's special forces. The canyon is narrow, so we won't be surrounded. There won't be any problem.”

Patting So-mu's shoulder, Jang-yang nodded.

“It is an order. Do not fall, and hold out until the very end.”

“Understood.”

So-mu led his men to the front of the formation.

Clad in black armor, each member of the Wolf Fang Squad gripped a shield and lined up to form a single straight line. With just a hundred men, they blocked the passage of the canyon. Between the squad members, a total of two hundred throwing spears were driven deep into the ground.

About ten zhang behind the Wolf Fang Squad, a thousand pikemen formed a dense pike wall. These elite pikemen were led by Adjutant Yang Yeon-jeong. Behind them, Commander Jin Lip led about two thousand archers.

Mounted on his horse and holding the command banner, Jang-yang took his position in the gap between the archers and the pikemen. The remaining soldiers waited in the main camp at the rear.

Before long, a scout rode up at full speed and shouted, “The enemy has arrived!”

No sooner had he spoken than the enemy army appeared in the distance. The sheer size of their forces, filling the ground as far as the eye could see, was suffocating. Faced with this unimaginable pressure, a heavy silence fell over the Hanzhong ranks.

As the soldiers showed signs of wavering, Jang-yang raised his command banner high and roared, “Do not waver! In this canyon, we can hold our ground even if the enemy is a million strong!”

The soldiers' eyes instantly regained their resolve. Imbued with high morale from their consecutive victories, they quickly recovered their composure.

Taking a breath, Jang-yang looked ahead.

The enemy was forming ranks about a hundred zhang away. A hundred thousand troops could not possibly squeeze into the canyon all at once.

At the head of their ranks was Temur, the enemy commander. Wearing a helmet adorned with black plumes, he looked formidable even from a distance.

Behind the commander, a thousand soldiers stood in formation as his guard. So-mu noticed they were clad in blood-red armor. He had heard of them—the Salatai, a force of unmatched warriors rumored never to have tasted defeat.

A moment later, about three thousand cavalrymen moved to the front. They seemed intent on breaking through the canyon in a single charge.

“Form ranks!”

At So-mu's shout, the squad members gripped their shields and locked into position.

Thud! Thud!

In the distance, the warhorses stamped their hooves, preparing to charge. At the head of the cavalry was a commander clad in golden armor.

Amidst the mounting tension, the cavalry commander signaled the charge and set off. The riders behind him followed suit, forming a wedge as they thundered toward the canyon.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The cavalry rushed forward with terrifying momentum, the ground shaking under their hooves. Facing this head-on, the members of the squad could not help but feel a sudden wave of pressure.

“Ready spears!”

The Wolf Fang Squad members pulled throwing spears from the ground in unison. Holding shields in their left hands and spears in their right, they raised them above their shoulders. Channeling their internal energy into the weapons, they awaited So-mu's command.

The distance between the cavalry and the Wolf Fang Squad closed in the blink of an eye. When they were within twenty zhang, a crimson aura began to envelop the tip of So-mu's spear.

The moment the gap closed to under ten zhang, a thunderous shout erupted from his mouth:

“Throw!”

Like an arrow shot from a bow, So-mu's arm blurred forward. The spear left his grip, tearing through the air and flying in a straight line toward the golden-armored commander.

Screeech!

The lead commander was horrified. The spear was flying at a speed he could not possibly dodge. In a split second, he twisted the heavy battleaxe in his hands, presenting the flat side of the blade to shield his chest.

Boom!

The thick steel blade of the axe was pierced right through. Despite channeling his internal energy to block it, the axe was not enough. Despair filled his eyes as the spear, wrapped in sword qi, tore through his chest armor.

Squelch!

“Ugh…”

The vanguard commander was thrown from his mount, dead before he could even reach the enemy lines.

Although their commander had fallen, the cavalry did not hesitate. Their training was rigorous. Immediately following, a hundred spears rained down, piercing through the oncoming riders.

Squelch! Stab!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

A hundred riders fell, but compared to their total numbers, it was merely a scratch.

Just then, Commander Jin Lip ordered, “Archers, fire!”

In unison, the archers in the rear released their bows.

Whizz! Whizz!

Drawing a steep-angled arc, two thousand arrows sailed over the heads of the infantry and rained down upon the cavalry.

Squelch! Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Hundreds of riders rolled along the ground.

At that moment, So-mu pulled another spear from the ground and ordered, “Pike Wall!”

The squad members set their shields and locked the spears in the gaps.

Thud! Thud!

The butt ends of the spears were dug into the ground, while the sharp steel tips pointed forward. It was time to brace for impact.

The Wolf Fang Squad members felt no fear. They had faced similar charges under General Yu Gwang-se, and their martial arts skills were much higher now.

Behind the shield wall, the squad members roared:

“Come on!”

“Bring it!”

Still, more than two thousand cavalrymen rushed forward with terrifying momentum. Although they looked dominant on the outside, the riders felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

Normally, infantry would waver or panic in the face of a cavalry charge. Yet, these hundred-odd infantrymen did not budge in the slightest.

A moment later, the cavalry clashed with the Wolf Fang Squad's pike wall. The result was beyond imagination.

Squelch! Stab!

Crash! Crash!

The riders charging at the front were either skewered by the spears or crashed into the shields, falling helplessly. It looked as though they were throwing themselves against a solid rock just to commit suicide.

Seeing this, an enemy officer shouted in panic, “Leap over them!”

The following riders leaped over the pike wall, ignoring the Wolf Fang Squad.

However, what awaited them was a wall of a thousand long pikes leveled forward. It was the pikemen who had been waiting ten zhang behind the Wolf Fang Squad.

It was a flawless pike formation. The front row knelt low with their pikes leveled, the second row crouched slightly higher, the third row held them at waist height, and the fourth row rested their pikes on the shoulders of the front row. The pikemen at the very rear dug the shafts of their pikes into the ground to ensure they would not be pushed back.

“Ah!”

“What madness…”

Regret filled the riders' eyes, but it was too late.

Squelch! Stab!

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

The cavalrymen looked like a swarm of mice throwing themselves into a thorny hedge. The agonizing screams of horses and riders filled the canyon. The vanguard cavalry was annihilated in an instant.

Standing at the very front, So-mu no longer paid any attention to the cavalry. His gaze was fixed on the enemy's main camp. To be precise, it was on the thousand red-armored warriors standing behind the commander.

‘Those are the Salatai I saw in Baiyang County. Although our individual strength is superior, if we are surrounded, victory is not guaranteed. This narrow canyon is the perfect place to destroy them.’

So-mu wanted the enemy commander to deploy the Salatai. In this narrow canyon where there was no risk of encirclement, the Wolf Fang Squad could easily handle them. He wanted to eliminate this threat early.

However, Temur was no fool.

The Salatai did not budge, and instead, more than thirty thousand infantrymen stepped forward. He seemed intent on using his overwhelming numbers to push through the canyon by brute force.

‘So he won't risk his elite forces. Does he plan to deploy the Salatai only after we are exhausted?’

It did not matter. The Hanzhong army had no intention of going down easily either.

Thirty thousand infantrymen advanced, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. The commander leading them was nowhere to be seen. Having witnessed the golden-armored commander's abrupt death, he had likely moved to the rear.

Just then, at the center of the Hanzhong ranks, Jang-yang waved his command flag and roared, “Pikemen, retreat!”

The pikemen, who had been clearing the corpses from the path, immediately halted their actions and withdrew. Consequently, only the hundred members of the Wolf Fang Squad and the two thousand archers remained at the canyon passage.

No matter how strong the Wolf Fang Squad was, it was impossible for them alone to stop thirty thousand troops. The enemy officers, unable to comprehend the strategy, looked bewildered.

At that moment, So-mu ordered his men, “Wolf Fang Squad, five steps back!”

The squad members withdrew a few steps. The piled corpses of the cavalry would serve as a natural barrier, slowing down the enemy's charge.

The distance between the advancing enemy infantry and the Wolf Fang Squad closed to under thirty zhang. The enemies held sabers, battleaxes, and spears.

As they drew closer, the infantry accelerated their pace. Their movements clearly showed that they were trained in martial arts. They were on a completely different level from the Hui soldiers they had faced before.

Even so, the Wolf Fang Squad would not back down.

“Ready spears! Throw!”

Another hundred spears soared into the sky.

Squelch! Stab!

A hundred soldiers fell, but their numbers did not seem to decrease in the slightest.

The archers at the rear opened fire, suppressing the enemy's advance. As the arrows rained down, So-mu stepped forward three paces alone and roared:

“Prepare for battle!”

In unison, the squad members drew their swords from their waists.

Clang! Clang!

The Hui infantry poured into the canyon like a rising tide, closing in. Resting their blades on their shields, the Wolf Fang Squad watched them with the eyes of predators, ready for impact.