Omubu began to organize his defenses.
To be honest, he was not truly afraid of the Wushen tribe or the Ordos tribe.
Because he had a city.
Guhuacheng and Suiyuan City stood side by side on the vast prairie, like two stubborn nails driven deep into the earth. These were not flimsy camps that cavalry could trample with a single charge. Thick walls, solid gates, and years of reinforcement made them formidable defensive positions.
Cavalry was strong in the open plains, but charging city walls was another matter entirely.
Moreover, Omubu still commanded a considerable number of cavalry of his own. If the enemy overextended or showed weakness, he could launch a counter-charge at any moment.
Let the east wind blow, let the war drums thunder. In this world, who feared whom?
No, that was not quite true.
There was one exception.
He feared only the Later Jin.
As for everyone else, he feared nothing.
Inside Guhuacheng, the Tumed tribal cavalry began gathering rapidly. The sound of hooves, shouted orders, and clanking armor echoed through the city. Soldiers ran back and forth, some carrying weapons, others hauling supplies.
The Later Jin envoy watched the preparations with obvious satisfaction.
He cackled triumphantly, reached out, and gave Omubu a heavy slap on the shoulder.
"You're obedient," he said with a grin. "A good man. I will report this to General Yue Tuo. When the time comes, you will be handsomely rewarded."
Omubu forced a stiff smile, but his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
Before long, movement appeared outside the South Gate.
The Wushen tribe's cavalry had arrived.
Thunderous hoofbeats rolled across the prairie like distant thunder. Tribe after tribe gathered, banners fluttering in the wind. An alliance formed from dozens of tribes assembled on the southern grasslands.
More than ten thousand riders.
They spread out in formation, orderly and disciplined, their presence pressing heavily against the city walls.
The Wushen chieftain sent out dozens of men. Riding forward together, they raised their voices and shouted toward Guhuacheng.
"Omubu! This is your last chance!"
Before Omubu could respond, the Later Jin envoy leaned over the city wall and burst out laughing.
"A bunch of cavalry trying to storm a city?" he shouted mockingly. "Come on, come kill me!"
The Wushen chieftain turned his head slightly and said calmly, "He wants us to kill him."
Behind him, the mass of cavalry erupted as one.
"Grant his wish!"
"Satisfy him!"
The Later Jin envoy laughed even harder.
"Hahaha! Who are you trying to scare? With these city walls, you will never…"
Before his words had fully faded, a strange sound suddenly echoed across the prairie.
It was not the thunder of hooves.
It was not the roar of war cries.
It was a sharp, piercing wail, mechanical and unfamiliar.
From behind the Wushen cavalry, ten bizarre vehicles emerged.
They belched thick black smoke as they advanced, forcing the cavalry ranks to part before them. The ground trembled beneath their wheels as they drove straight to the front of the formation.
Then the ten vehicles stopped.
In a coordinated movement, each one split apart. The front iron-box section detached from the rear trailer. Soldiers leapt down, grabbed the rear sections, and rotated them a full one hundred eighty degrees, aiming them directly at Guhuacheng.
Only then did the people on the city walls finally understand what they were looking at.
Ten massive cannons.
For a brief moment, it felt as if invisible question marks popped into existence above the Later Jin envoy's head, spinning wildly.
"Impossible!" he shouted. "How can there be vehicles like this? This is impossible!"
Omubu was equally shaken.
"They actually have cannons?" he muttered. "How much iron would it take to make even one? The Mongolian steppes do not have that much iron!"
In that instant, understanding struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Support.
Han support.
The Great Ming.
It had to be the Great Ming.
"Fire!"
Zao Ying's command rang out clearly.
Ten cannons erupted at the same time.
Flames burst from their mouths, followed by deafening explosions. Ten solid iron cannonballs screamed through the air and smashed into Guhuacheng's city walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The walls shook violently. Dust and debris cascaded down as the stone groaned under the impact.
The Later Jin envoy cursed loudly.
"Damn it all! How could cannons be brought to a place as remote as Guhuacheng? What in the world are those giant iron vehicles?"
He turned toward Omubu and shouted, "Don't be afraid! General Yue Tuo's army is already on its way. Our reinforcements will arrive soon. You just need to hold the city!"
Sweat poured down Omubu's face.
His heart felt as heavy as a mountain pressing on his chest.
But now, there was no retreat.
He could only grit his teeth and endure.
Inside the city, soldiers ran frantically behind the walls. Some hauled stones, others dragged rubble, piling everything they could behind the walls and gates.
If the piles were thick enough, surely the cannons could not break through.
At least, that was what they desperately hoped.
Outside the city, the enemy cannons fired intermittently. There was no urgency in their rhythm. It almost felt lazy.
Omubu immediately saw through it.
They were trying to bait him.
If he sent his cavalry charging out to attack the artillery, they would be swallowed whole by the allied forces outside. Dozens of tribes, more than ten thousand riders, and among them the elite heavy cavalry of the Ordos.
With his limited numbers, leaving the city would be suicide.
So he stayed.
The thunder of cannon fire continued.
Time passed, though no one could say how long.
Suddenly, the Later Jin envoy burst out laughing again.
"They're here! They're here!" he shouted excitedly. "Yue Tuo's grand army has arrived!"
On the eastern prairie, banners appeared.
Later Jin cavalry surged into view, forming a massive force around the command banners of Dorgon and Yue Tuo.
Dorgon rode at the very front.
At twenty-three years old, he was in the prime of his life. His armor gleamed, his posture was straight, his horse spirited. Youthful arrogance radiated from him like heat.
On his face, there was only confidence. Not a trace of fear.
"Cowardly Han men!" Dorgon cracked his horsewhip and laughed loudly. "Your enemies are here!"
"They're here. Dorgon is here."
A smile appeared on Zao Ying's face.
"It's time to let these Jiannu barbarians see Gao Family Village's secret weapon."
"Light Armored Cars, advance!"
"Cavalry Battalion, advance!"
"It's battle time. A real battle!"
"Kill the Jiannu!"
Every member of the cavalry battalion had watched A Small Soldier of the Dalinghe Border Army. Their hatred for the Jiannu had long since burned deep into their bones.
Many had dreamed of this moment.
Now, the opportunity was finally before them.
"Doo doo doo…"
The sharp, distinctive bugle of Gao Family Village sounded across the battlefield.
Ten Light Armored Cars surged forward.
Behind them came two thousand musket-armed cavalry, charging straight toward Dorgon.
The Wushen chieftain roared, "Follow them! Follow our Han friends!"
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen shouted, "Ordos tribe, charge!"
The armored cars led the way. Behind them, an ocean of Mongolian cavalry surged forward, sweeping across the prairie like a hurricane.
Predictably, question marks once again seemed to pop up above Dorgon's head.
"What in the world are these vehicles?" he muttered. "Han people always come up with such bizarre contraptions."
He snorted.
"It doesn't matter. No matter what they are, they cannot stand against me. I am Dorgon. I am invincible."
He waved his arm forward.
"Crush them!"
The two great armies collided head-on.
As always in battles involving Gao Family Village, the first sound was not steel clashing.
It was gunfire.
Bang bang bang bang!
Dense musket fire erupted.
In that moment, Dorgon felt the same helpless shock that so many Mongols had felt before him. After firing a volley, the enemy cavalry unexpectedly wheeled around and galloped away, retreating with astonishing discipline.
Then the ten iron vehicles kept charging forward.
They did not slow down.
They did not stop.
The Jiannu cavalry finally realized something was wrong.
"They aren't stopping!"
"They're going to hit us!"
"CRASH!"
The impact was terrifying.
The foremost riders were sent flying. Men and horses were knocked aside like toys. Massive wheels rolled over bodies, crushing bone and flesh alike. One side of a vehicle lifted high into the air, tilting dangerously, while the other remained planted on the ground.
For a moment, it seemed as if it would overturn.
But it did not.
The vehicle slammed back down, steady and relentless.
Behind it, the ground was stained with a long trail of blood and broken bodies.
"What is that thing?!"
In just a single encounter, the Jiannu suffered a catastrophic blow to their morale.
Fear of the unknown seized them instantly. Their minds went blank. Their courage shattered.
Before they could even regroup, the Mongolian cavalry arrived.
Mongolian cavalry were the fastest cavalry in the world.
With a deafening roar, they swept into the Jiannu ranks, smashing through them like a flood breaking a dam. Men and horses were scattered in every direction.
The proud Dorgon stood frozen in shock.
Stunned.
Completely overwhelmed by a single encounter.