I muttered to myself, "That's a pretty high rating. I've never seen a hero with eyes that are as strong as a bottle of strong liquor before." I asked Mulan, "What did the scout say just now?"
Hua Mulan looked into the distance with worry and said, "Marshal He has already met up with the main force of the Rouran. My biggest concern now is that he will not be able to escape safely."
As they spoke, shouts of battle suddenly echoed from afar. A moment later, dust billowed on the horizon. Though we couldn't see what was happening there, the roars of tens of thousands reverberated for miles. The 100,000 Northern Wei soldiers at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly deeply moved. While most of them were no longer raw recruits, this was their first experience of such a fierce direct confrontation with the Rouran.
Having witnessed armies of over a million men, I could tell from the Northern Wei army's formation and reaction that while their training was thorough, their morale was lacking. I worriedly asked, "Can our men withstand a frontal assault?"
Hua Mulan said, "As long as no one runs away, we can hold out!" She suddenly shouted, "Messenger, pass on my order: withdraw the last supervisory troops and send them to the front!"
The so-called military supervisors were battlefield inspectors whose main function was to monitor whether soldiers deserted before battle. Some military supervisors with strict discipline would even execute cowardly soldiers on the spot, since human beings are inherently selfish and fearful. In the bloody battlefields of ancient times, military supervisory units were indispensable. Even great powers at their peak were no exception, although their military supervisory units might have had different focuses.
By removing the supervising officer, Mulan meant the army had lost its last remaining forceful control. I understand Mulan's intention was to inspire the soldiers and boost morale, but if some actually deserted out of fear of death, it would backfire.
Upon hearing Mulan's order, the messenger stumbled on his horse, paused for a moment, and then said, "Vanguard, is there anything else you require?"
I waved my hand and said, "Just go when we tell you to. Why all the nonsense? Do we have to tell some exciting stories to make it interesting? Just tell them that this war is for themselves. If they want to live a good life, they should move forward. The country doesn't have time to waste resources watching them."
Hua Mulan smiled and said, "Well said, that's what we should tell them."
After the supervising troops withdrew, the Northern Wei soldiers looked at each other again. Now was the perfect time to run. Especially the last rank; with a major battle imminent, there was no way to escape now. The messenger rode through the ranks, shouting, "Vanguard Hua said this battle is for yourselves; no one is forcing you!"
Just then, someone in the line shouted, "They're here!"
Ahead, dust billowed, and the thunderous roar of horses' hooves was deafening. The captains of each squad inspected their men and shouted, "Prepare for battle!" The Northern Wei soldiers responded with a thunderous roar, the sound of swords being drawn constantly grating on the eardrums. The troops in the rear instinctively moved forward, making the two huge square formations appear even more compact.
Mulan smiled contentedly, gazing into the distance as she murmured, "The rest is up to fate."
Amidst the swirling dust, the first rank of retreating Northern Wei soldiers was faintly visible, followed by the second and third ranks. Among them stood a veteran general in golden armor, Marshal He, a wolf-tooth arrow piercing his shoulder, drawing the Xiongnu soldiers towards him. When they were still 1000 meters from their own cavalry formation, Old He shouted, "Retreat from both sides! Don't disrupt our own formation!" He then directed his men to split into two groups and retreat from the east and west of the formation. The Xiongnu, having fought him for ten years, naturally recognized him as their commander-in-chief, and now charged at Old He from behind like madmen. To maintain their attack formation, many retreating Northern Wei cavalrymen were slashed and fell from their horses while changing direction. Old He bravely killed two Xiongnu cavalrymen who were ahead of him, yet still remained in place to continue commanding. Only a dozen or so personal guards finally escorted him to the right flank of the Northern Wei army, returning to their designated position, where only two remained.
Hua Mulan watched all this with a surprisingly calm expression. One of her adjutants anxiously wrung his hands and asked, "Vanguard, when do we attack?" Hua Mulan remained unmoved until she saw that Marshal He had safely retreated, at which point she said, "All troops prepare."
With a wave of his small flag, the Northern Wei soldiers below the mountain hunched over their horses, swords in hand, eyes fixed intently ahead. At that moment, the 100,000-strong army was deathly silent; many of them kept glancing up at the command flag on the mountain. But that small flag, after being waved once, never moved again…
500 meters away, the Xiongnu cavalry had entered the narrow area and continued their charge with overwhelming force. Further away, an endless enemy army stretched as far as the eye could see, advancing wave after wave in a dark, suffocating mass. From a high vantage point, the Gobi Desert looked as if it had been scorched by wildfire. The leading Xiongnu riders, having riddled the sky with dust, suddenly discovered an immeasurable cavalry formation ahead, poised and ready. They were startled and unconsciously slowed their horses. Those behind, unaware of the situation, became congested in the limited space. Seeing this, Hua Mulan shouted, "Attack!"
With a "whoosh," the small flag finally moved, and the Northern Wei soldiers, who had been waiting impatiently, brandished their weapons and charged towards the enemy with all their might. With a deafening roar, the two charging cavalry units clashed in mid-air like jets of water from high-pressure water cannons. Soldiers at the boundary were pushed into the air, some reaching almost four stories high, flailing their arms and shouting. Upon landing, the lucky ones landed on the heads or horses of those below, the unlucky ones were trampled by their horses, and the even unluckier ones landed directly on enemy weapons. However, the Northern Wei army, with its sudden surge of speed and power, gained a slight advantage, so more Xiongnu were launched into the air, and many of their own men were crushed as they fell. The front lines of the Xiongnu horses were now empty, and the Northern Wei army seized the opportunity to advance. Finally, a fierce clash ensued, like millstones grinding against millstones, with corpses and wounded soldiers falling like dust.
This was the most brutal battle I had ever witnessed. While battles involving hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops were common, truly bloody clashes were rare. Now, a company-sized unit was being decimated every minute. I anxiously peered towards the left foothills, pulling out my phone to ask, "Why hasn't Brother Yu arrived yet?"
Hua Mulan said, "Don't rush him. Let him walk slowly to conserve his energy. There's still plenty of time."
Before she finished speaking, a large banner bearing the character "Chu" slowly floated out from beside our left feet. Leading the way was Black Tiger, with Xiang Yu close behind, spear in hand, shading his eyes as he peered in our direction. Due to the angle and height, those on the battlefield couldn't see them, but we could see each other clearly. Xiang Yu quickly arranged his 50,000 Chu troops into an attack formation, surveying the battlefield from his high vantage point, and gave us an OK sign from afar.
Hua Mulan said helplessly, "This Brother Xiang, I gave him half an hour, but he still arrived 20 minutes early in order to speed things up."
The adjutant beside him said, "Vanguard Hua, should we send our allies up now?"
Hua Mulan said, "No rush, let them regroup." She dismounted and stood on the edge of the cliff, intently watching the battlefield. The fighting had reached a fever pitch; most were engaged in close combat, the shouts and screams mingling with bursts of blood mist. For the first time, the Northern Wei army was bloodthirsty, pushing forward relentlessly, afraid of being misunderstood as cowardly. The fierce Xiongnu soldiers were actually being pushed back line by line. Watching this, Hua Mulan said softly, "See? Our brothers are all doing a great job!"
Later, Mulan simply sat cross-legged on a rock, clutching her helmet to her chest, her soft hair cascading over her shoulders, her back conveying a sense of quiet melancholy. Messengers continuously approached for instructions, and Mulan methodically issued them. The vast battlefield shifted with each of her commands, and the Northern Wei army's advance became increasingly clear. I approached her, looking at the soft lines of her face and the resolute look in her eyes, and couldn't help but say, "Sister Mulan, you look much more beautiful now than when you're dressed in designer clothes and pretending to be a white-collar worker."
Hua Mulan smiled slightly and said, "After this battle, I can be a woman again. I'll need your help then. I really miss the days when you and Xiaoyu bought clothes for me—by the way, how is Xiaoyu now?"
I said, "The training is very intense every day. Her goal is to win eight gold medals at the London Olympics."
Hua Mulan looked at Xiang Yu in the distance and said, "Is the little girl still thinking about her big brother?"
I said, "I don't know. She sometimes goes to Yucai to teach children to swim, but I haven't heard her mention this matter again."
Hua Mulan sighed, "This shows that she hasn't forgotten Brother Xiang yet. Alas, she's such a silly girl."
Next, Xiang Yu crossed his arms and waved wildly at us, hoping to get our attention. He was probably getting impatient. Hua Mulan smiled and said, "I want to see if he dares to break his promise and send troops without authorization."
At this moment, a scout reported: "The Rouran Chanyu has personally led the army to oversee the offensive; their attack is too fierce!"
Hua Mulan stood up and said, "Hold on, brothers. We'll see soon enough."
"yes!"
After the scout dismounted, Mulan frowned. The situation on the battlefield had changed dramatically; the Xiongnu had indeed intensified their attack. In a direct confrontation on flat ground, the Northern Wei army was at a disadvantage, and their casualties were dire. Xiang Yu had already dismounted and was bouncing up and down like a spring, but even so, he had kept his promise and had not launched a private attack.
The adjutant couldn't help but plead, "Vanguard Hua, General Hua, let our allies go!"
Hua Mulan shook her head and said, "It's not the right time yet."
I whispered to the adjutant, "But sister, people keep dying..."
Hua Mulan said decisively, "The enemy is not yet numb or tired, so attacking now will not serve as a surprise attack. If we don't break both of their hands in this battle to eliminate future troubles, we will face a long and endless war. You can understand which is more important and which is less important just by thinking about it."
I said helplessly, "So when do you want Brother Yu to go on stage?"
Hua Mulan said, "Let's wait until both sides are locked in a bloodbath, until they think we've run out of tricks." Suddenly, Hua Mulan put her arm around my shoulder, pointed to the battlefield, and said, "Have you noticed? The Rouran soldiers seem a bit timid and hesitant today?"
After looking at them for a while, I said, "I didn't notice anything. Anyway, compared to me, I think they're all pretty brave."
Mulan: "..."
The adjutant exclaimed, "Yes, yes, now that you mention it, I've noticed it too."
Hua Mulan pushed me aside and said excitedly to her adjutant, "You can see it, right? They're waiting for General Xiang to appear, so we can't let them relax yet."
"Has Brother Yu become your secret weapon?"
Just then, Xiang Yu pulled a Nokia phone from his breastplate and put it to his ear, and my phone immediately vibrated. Mulan said, "Don't answer it, let him ignore it."
When Xiang Yu saw me shrug helplessly at him, he knew that Mulan was very determined, so he had no choice but to obediently return to his horse and play with drawing circles on the lame rabbit's neck.
Under the supervision of their Chanyu, the Xiongnu army launched two fierce attacks, achieving some success in the fighting, but failing to instill any morale. The Northern Wei army fought for every inch of ground, giving them a real taste of the power of a seemingly dormant leopard unleashed. After retreating and quickly bandaging his wounds, Lao He, leading the remaining few thousand men who had been used as bait, prepared to return to the battlefield. Hua Mulan turned to a messenger and said, "Go and persuade the marshal to come down."