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enemy outpost. During these times, Batu could hardly restrain himself from
riding forward to direct the small engagements personally. If one of the enemy
sentries escaped, the Shou armies would lose the element of surprise.
Fortunately, the cavalry proved up to the task and most of the Tuigan died
with their weapons sheathed.
Three hours later, the armies were still struggling through the mud and the
cavalry scouts had not yet called a halt. It was nearly morning, and the first
gray streaks of false dawn were appearing in the eastern sky. Batu feared the
barbarians would be awake by the time his army arrived at Yenching.
Just when he felt sure the scouts had lost the way, the cavalry commander
returned. Pointing at a hulking silhouette that loomed ahead, the young man
said, "Yenching is over that hill, General."
"Let us see what there is to see," Batu replied.
The general and the scout dismounted and crept to the hilltop, Pe following
close behind. The three men were careful to stay low to the ground, lest they
cast a silhouette against the false dawn.
Yenching lay in the shallow valley of a tributary to the Shengti. The streets
were barely discernible from the buildings at this early hour. A dark band,
which Batu took to be a wall, surrounded the city. Outside the wall, thousands
of dark shapes that could only be horses milled through the valley. The
cavalry officer had not exaggerated their huge number.
A canal had been dredged from the Shengti River to Yenching, entering the
city through a fan-shaped gate designed to accommodate boat traffic. Batu
could see little else, for the night remained dark and moonless.
Pe pointed at the Shengti. "There are the junks, General."
Two sets of lights were slowly moving up the river. As the three men
watched, it became apparent that the barbarian sentries had also noticed the
junks. The trio caught several glimpses of mounted silhouettes skulking along
the shore behind the boats.
Within a few minutes, the junks reached the mouth of the canal and turned
toward the city. To Batu's relief, the enemy did not stop the boats. It appeared
the Tuigan were every bit as desperate for supplies as the cavalry officer had
suggested. Assuming the craft to be ladened with cargo, the barbarians were
not making any moves that might frighten the crews and send the junks back
down the river. The horsewarriors would probably not seize the boats until
they were inside the city, where fleeing would be impossible. Shortly
afterward, torches in hand, the pengs hiding in the bilges would rush from the
junks. They would set fire to everything they could, burning Yenching from the
inside and forcing the barbarians to flee into the arms of the Shou armies
waiting outside.
The boats' progress up the canal seemed painfully slow. False dawn faded,
then reappeared a few minutes later as first light. Batu could barely stop
himself from giving the order to stampede the horses. He was anxious to start
the battle, and not just because he was looking forward to it.
The general from Chukei was relying upon at least partial darkness to keep
the barbarians confused. Every minute closer to dawn reduced his chance of
victory. At the same time, if he attacked too early, the enemy would smell a
trap and close the river gate. The junks would remain outside Yenching,
forcing a siege.
Finally, the boats reached the gate. Batu turned to the cavalry officer.
"Prepare your men."
A broad grin spread across the young commander's face. "Yes, my
General."
As the cavalryman turned to go, Batu spoke to Pe. "Order the generals to
advance behind the cavalry. Position one thousand archers along the canal to
prevent the enemy from swimming out of our trap. Return here after you are
finished."
"Yes, General," Pe replied, creeping down the hillside to relay the orders to
the messengers.
A few minutes later, the river gate closed behind the two junks. Behind
Batu, the cavalry assembled just below the crest of the hill. The Shou riders
numbered less than three thousand, but Batu thought they would suffice for
what he wanted today.
A sliver of orange sun appeared on the horizon, casting reddish light on the
eastern side of the hill. Fortunately, the western side remained plunged in
shadows. Thanking the night spirits for this small favor, Batu stood and waved
the cavalry forward. Immediately, the line advanced. As they passed the
general, the mounts broke into a trot, then into a charge as they descended
upon the valley.
The infantry followed a moment later, rushing forward at a disciplined
double time. They paid less attention to formation than to speed, for their goal
was to surround the city as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the officers did
their best to keep the men grouped into assigned units in order to avoid
confusion during the battle.
On the western side of the hill, the light was still dim. Batu could not see
how the enemy sentries were responding to the charge. Nevertheless, he
heard guttural shouts of alarm being raised all around the valley.
Pe returned to the general's side and stared down the hill. "What now, my
commander?"
"We wait," Batu said, keeping his eyes fixed on Yenching.
The adjutant nodded. "The battle is in the hands of the spirits."
Batu raised an eye to the sky. Without taking any credit away from the
spirits, who seemed to be on his side so far, the general had to disagree with
his adjutant about who governed the outcome of the battle. "You are
mistaken, Pe. Like us, the spirits have done their part." The general waved a
hand at the valley. "The battle is now in the hands of something less
predictable than spirits. It is in the hands of our pengs."
As the general finished his observation, the cavalry began to shout and
whistle. A muffled thunder built deep within the valley as the first Tuigan
horses fled the Shou charge. A few hundred barbarians carrying torches
rushed from the city.
Though the enemy was responding earlier than he expected, Batu was not
concerned. The more barbarians who left the city, the better. Any
horsewarriors trapped outside of Yenching would be unavailable to defend the
city against the second part of his plan.
As the Shou cavalry rode deeper into the valley, terrified whinnies filled the
air. Within moments, the ground began to tremble. The great barbarian herd
was stampeding.
The sun cast a few long rays into the valley, and Batu could see more
Tuigan pouring from the city. As often as not, the flood of frightened horses
swept away the confused barbarians. At the same time, the first Shou armies
reached crossbow range. They fired at enemy soldiers and horses in-
discriminately, doing more damage by further panicking the herd than by
directly inflicting injuries.
"Your plan is working, General," Pe observed.
Batu did not answer, for he was far from convinced that the battle was won.
Clearly, the horsewarriors would be deprived of their mounts. A few thousand
of the barbarians had already died attempting to leave the city. As of yet, how-
ever, the general saw no sign that the most important part of his plan was
working. Chasing the horses away and surrounding the city would be of little
use if the enemy remained holed up inside.
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