Mount and Blade Central Asia

But on the battlefield, especially on the battlefield of cavalry duel, the two sides staggered past each other, and life and death were only a thin line apart. Those things could not save you. The only things that could save you were skilled skills, faster reactions, stronger strength, and incredible luck, or should we say it was the blessing of Eternal Heaven?

Li Rufeng was not very skilled in archery and horse riding, nor was his martial arts proficient, but fortunately he was tall and strong, and his horse was fast and his sword was sharp. He also had someone to support him, so he finally survived his first battle safely.

Only here, in front of this prisoner who should be considered an enemy, could he take off his previous disguise and let the tension and fear in his heart express themselves from the inside out.

Li Rufeng's rogue-like speech made Muzaffar Natanzi feel as if he was choked by air. He couldn't say a word for a long time and his face turned red.

"Are you here to laugh at me?" Muzaffar finally uttered. "Besides, that's my water!"

Li Rufeng didn't even look at the other person. He took out a few pieces of dried milk with sugar from the bag and swallowed them with water. Finally, he felt that his hunger was relieved.

Now he deeply understood what it meant to be a novice who spares no effort. When Habashibuhua was teaching the tribal militia, the most important point he emphasized was not to use too much strength, to stay calm, and to conserve strength, but few people could understand it. Li Rufeng understood it now.

"Ha, first time killing someone?" Muzaffar looked at Li Rufeng with a hint of sarcasm, deliberately provoking him. "Even a shaman like you has to ride into battle on horseback. Is the Taierbahe tribe doomed? Who has the foresight to see through your rebellious intentions?"

"We're still a long way off." Li Rufeng found a more comfortable position and leaned aside without a trace of grace. "But you must know the people who attacked the Taierbahe tribe. They're from the Duosi Te Wanhu."

Muzaffar Natanzi's eyes froze, and then he gave Li Rufeng a look that said, "I don't believe you!" "No way! Don't try to trick me."

Li Rufeng smiled and clapped his hands, shaking off the food residue on his hands. "I knew you were ignorant. From the moment you entered my tribe, I knew that your loyalty was to Sultan Timur, not to the Doshite Wanhu."

"Everyone in the Khanate should pledge their loyalty to the Sultan." Muzaffar's voice lowered.

As a Persian born in the era of Timur, his loyalties were torn: his ethnic origin, spiritual beliefs, and personal allegiance were all different.

The most core ruling area of ​​the entire Timurid Khanate is naturally Transoxiana, a prime area surrounded by the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. The core ethnic groups are the "Transoxiana people" who are mainly descendants of the Western Chagatai Khanate, as well as all the Mongols with Mongolian blood on this land.

Persians are considered second-class people, but they are also considered to be among the vested interests.

In the religious field, Sultan Timur was very pragmatic. Those who were useful to him were respected, and those who were not useful to him were belittled. Muzaffar himself was a Muslim, but he did not dare to say that the Sultan was a devout believer.

Of course, officially, when Sultan Timur was alive, he was recognized by the Muslim world as a righteous man who had been reborn. As for privately... he was the eternal enemy of the Muslim world. Christians in Sultan Leni could preach openly with the Sultan's handwritten edict and even built churches.

But Muzaffar remained the most loyal subject of Timur Sultan, and he remained loyal even after the Sultan died.

He was the director of the post station, and the entire post station system could be said to be Timur's most powerful tool for governing this vast empire.

With Timur's support, the post stations penetrated into every land ruled by the Sultan, conveying his will equally to everyone.

Islam has its own holy places and holy cities, each ethnic group has its own traditions, civil officials have the central Diwan, emirs have their armies, and Sultan Timur has his post stations. As long as the post station system remains, the empire will remain under his control.

But now, the post system is still there, and post managers like Muzaffar are still doing their best to maintain the apparent majesty of the empire, but the Sultan is no longer there.

His successors were divided, and no one cared about the past glory.

Li Rufeng could understand Muzaffar's confusion and suspected that he also had a similar lack of sense of belonging, but he was trying hard to fill his own emptiness, while Muzaffar Natanzi could not, because no matter what he did, it was wrong.

"On my way to the Taierbahe tribe, we were attacked by the Black Sheep. They were chasing the granddaughter of Timur Sultan." Li Rufeng said, "We repelled the first wave of the Black Sheep's attack, and then we were attacked by the second wave that night.

It was the Tailbahe cavalry who saved us during this attack."

"On the third day, which was today, we were attacked by river cavalry and Armenian infantry." Li Rufeng didn't directly mention the Doshite Wanhu's surrender, but every sentence stuck to the point. "From the Tianshui River eastward for hundreds of miles, the entire area was under the jurisdiction of the Doshite Wanhu. The Black Sheep people's pursuit encountered no resistance."

"Impossible..." Muzaffar muttered to himself with a grim expression, "Maharaja Miran Shah has already launched an attack on Tabriz. The Black Sheep Rebellion is about to be destroyed. There's no reason for him to..."

"What if Milansha fails?" Li Rufeng said slowly, "What if the Black Sheep Dynasty is sure to win?"

The author says:

Author's Note: There should be another chapter soon.

Chapter 36 Mount and Blade (3)

Li Rufeng spent five minutes replenishing his strength. When he came out of the tent again, he had regained his old shamanic demeanor. He was riding on a horse at the highest point in the camp, so that everyone could see him.

In fact, he had no idea at all. His archery skills, which killed Taierbahe and his son with two consecutive arrows, were really scary.

However, those two arrows were shot from the crossbow, and he couldn't dodge them in the tent. It would be better to take a gamble openly and win people's hearts at the same time.

Seeing that Li Rufeng was not afraid at all, the herdsmen of the Taierbahe tribe gradually calmed down and, under Wusali's organization, quickly entered a wartime state.

After extinguishing the scattered fires, the horseless men were given weapons and shields and surrounded the women and children in the middle of the camp.

Without a time indicator like a clock, Li Rufeng didn't know what time it was. He had encountered night attacks for two consecutive nights and had gone out to fight for a while, which consumed a lot of physical strength. He was now very tired.

When the surroundings became quiet, Li Rufeng even appeared on the horse's back, closed his eyes and fell asleep in an instant. Of course, it was only for a moment, as he had not yet trained his riding skills to the level where he could maintain balance after falling asleep.

After about ten minutes, Li Rufeng finally heard the sound of cavalrymen galloping on the grassland again. It was the Armenian centurion that had completed its assembly and finally approached the tribal camp.

The cavalry team led by Haishar had less than fifty riders, and both the men and horses were exhausted. They could only harass the infantry century from the periphery and shoot the only arrows in their hands at the enemy.

But even so, the Taierbahe tribe is a large tribe after all, and Li Rufeng now has a reserve force of nearly one hundred people in his hands.

Although these one hundred people could not even form a neat formation and most of them only had one piece of leather armor, behind them were their families and homes.

After surviving the initial chaos of Le, these people brewed their anger in silence.

Worried about the safety of their families, only a few brave ones rode their horses back at first, but soon nearly half of the cavalry turned around and ran towards the camp.

The cavalry team, which was already outnumbered, was instantly reduced by half. Haishar did not waste time trying to maintain order, as he could not do so.

The only thing he could do was to pass by them with the remaining twenty or so cavalry and infantry centuries, reorganize his troops behind them, and put on an attitude of "if you attack me, I will sneak up on you from behind."

Li Rufeng looked at Bao Rizhebu with a cold face and said to him, "When they get closer, shoot the deserter running in front of you. Are you sure?"

A flash of surprise crossed Bao Rizhebu's face, but he quickly nodded vigorously. He licked his fingers, felt the wind direction, and pointed to a spot about 20 meters outside the gate: "If he gets there, I can shoot him."

Li Rufeng patted Bao Rizhebu's shoulder hard and watched nervously as the deserter got closer and closer. The next second, the bowstring was pulled and the ruthless arrow shot straight at the throat of Li Rufeng's designated target.

The knight who was hit by the arrow fell to the ground and died without a sound.

"Shout with me, anyone who deserts in battle will be killed without mercy!" Li Rufeng drew out the magic sword again, making full use of the props at hand.

Next, Bater, who had been mixed in the crowd for some time, completed his duties again and cooperated with Li Rufeng to build momentum at the right time.

"Anyone who deserts in battle will be killed without mercy!" Bater responded loudly, and soon led to a response from everyone.

The deserters who had already approached the camp stopped abruptly, looked back at Haishar's position, and rode back.

The infantry centuries could only watch as the cavalry completed their reorganization and had no chance to seize the opportunity.

Just walking from the riverbank to the camp under the harassment of the cavalry consumed most of their physical strength, and the slippery gravel in their shoes rubbed their feet.

But in the end, they were already standing in front of the camp, and the battle was about to break out.

The author says:

Author's Note: Regarding battlefield visual range, the data I found probably limits it to two thousand meters.

Scharnhorst's Pocket Field Military Reader published in 1794 records:

At a distance of 2000 steps (1558 meters), only the reflection of weapons can be seen, and the outline of cavalry units can be seen, but it is impossible to determine whether they are cavalry.

1500 steps (1169 meters) apart, it is possible to determine whether it is cavalry

At a distance of 1000 steps (779 meters), the head and torso can be vaguely distinguished.

The head and torso can be clearly distinguished at a distance of 600 steps (467 meters).

People were riding horses, even Dostwanhu and the wizard were walking. They crossed the river in silence and appeared on the outskirts of the camp. No one noticed their presence.

It was not until the soldiers began to dismantle the fence in this direction that the sharp-eyed women of the Taierbahe tribe saw the enemy that suddenly appeared.

She gave the warning with a scream that drowned out all the noise. When Li Rufeng turned his head to look at the suddenly appearing infantry, his heart stopped.

There were no soldiers in that direction, and the women's knife-holding posture seemed a little stiff. The men were not much better off. If the enemy was not more than a hundred meters away from them, they would have also fled.

Li Rufeng took one last look at the enemies that suddenly appeared behind him, and could only grit his teeth and pretend that they didn't exist for the time being. The man who was picked out to hold a weapon was unable to see the situation behind him because of the obstruction of the tribesmen behind him. A subtle visual difference and time difference became the final turning point of this battle.

"Everyone, ahead!" Li Rufeng hardened his heart and gave the order loudly, allowing the women and children behind him to be slaughtered.

He is not a god, nor a brave warrior like Haishar. As a commander who was forced to take on the task, he can only do addition and subtraction in this war.

At this time, he chose to do subtraction...

The militia, whose morale was shaken by the screams of women and the cries of children, moved forward in a daze based on their trust in the shaman.

The worries in their hearts were immediately filled with fear at their doorstep. The soldiers were facing Armenian heavy infantry that were twice their number.

Compared to himself, the enemies opposite were fully armored, half of them were holding spears, and the other half were equipped with obviously larger shields.

But beneath the fear, hope also follows like a shadow. Everyone knows that behind the enemy in front of them are their own cavalry who are waiting for the opportunity to launch a charge. As long as they can hold on for just a few tens of seconds, the cavalry's scimitars will scatter these enemies!

As Li Rufeng said, they would rather muster up the courage to face death than become conquered.

The Armenians, who appear to have a strong military, are actually on the verge of collapse for the same reason.

No one wanted to fight while being attacked from both sides. They had witnessed how the 200-man team that set out together was annihilated, and they didn't want to repeat the same mistake.

Then a miracle happened. As the infantry of both sides continued to close the distance, the enemies facing Li Rufeng collapsed!

It started with the last few soldiers, but then things got out of control. When the centurion realized something was wrong, there were less than twenty people left in his century waiting for orders.

Li Rufeng and his team won this round just like that!

If they had held on for a few more seconds, it would have been his men who collapsed!

"Don't worry about the prisoners! Go back to the camp!" Li Rufeng galloped on his horse. He had never ridden so fast before. At this moment, he completely forgot about the possible risk of falling off the horse and fully displayed the characteristics of "flexible warhorse"!

Having benefited from his favor for many years, these Persians would follow Dost no matter what choice he made.

Those Armenians had no good feelings towards the Khanate, the Mongols, or the Persians, except that the former two were a little worse.

But Dost was confident that after creating the fait accompli, he could convince those Armenians to stick with him to the end.

As for those people from the River, they were the wealthy families in Timur's birthplace. Even if the people from the River were exiled because they made mistakes, they still controlled the most wealth and had power second only to the Doshita Wanhu. These people would never defect to the Black Sheep People.

The reason why those river knights were willing to be driven by Dost to fight against the Mughals was because they were kept in the dark and thought that these Mughals were going to betray the Khanate.

If Dost's idea were to be followed, it would be best if the cavalry of the Central River people and the Taierba tribe were both defeated, and he would lead his own troops and the Armenians to finish them off.

But the bad thing is that the Khorasan people and the Mughals are all cavalry. They fight when they want to fight and retreat when they don't want to fight. It is difficult to wipe them out completely...

"The Taierbahe tribe just decided to revolt three days ago, and you, sir, have already led your troops there tonight. Could it be that you received a divine oracle?" Muzaffar Natanz's body was stained red with the blood of the enemies and himself, but he still stood upright. His confusion and pain all turned into a passion, and he stood alone in front of these black-clad soldiers.

Before going to the battle to die, the shaman Wusali of the Taierbahe tribe released him, saying that he did not want him to die in vain.

Muzaffar really didn't want to die in vain, he just didn't know who he should fight for.

He was born in Samarkand. His father was a tax official of the Central Divan. He had to travel around the Khanate for most of the year to check tax accounts. His life was rich and fulfilling.

In that pearl-like city, he had been accustomed to seeing rare treasures from all over the world since he was a child. Talented people were continuously escorted back by the Sultan's army. For Muzaffar, Samarkand was the center of the world, and Sultan Timur was the greatest king in the world.

Muzaffar learned swordsmanship from retired soldiers and learned writing and art from his father. When he was seventeen, his father found him a job as a post inspector, and he worked there for ten years.

It can be said that Muzaffar Natanzi is the backbone of the class that grew up under Timur's rule. These people should have gradually begun to take over the power of the Khanate at this age and gradually build this loose country into a true empire.

However, just when the country was booming and flourishing, the ruler who created it died, and its rise came to an abrupt halt.

A post official like Muzaffar had been wasting three years at his post, and all he saw and heard every day was news of his heir's endless battles.

Almost every few months, a messenger would secretly escape on horseback from the post station. In the past, this would be a capital crime, but now no one cares.

They lived on the ranch of Te, and shared the same fate with Dost, and were loyal to each other.

The servants helped Dost put on the heavy armor and helped him onto his horse. He held his helmet in his arms, turned his head to look at the knights behind him and shouted, "Tonight, we will turn this place into hell!"

"Huh!" The knights responded in a low voice. All of them had their tongues cut off, and they could not speak or read, making them the best secret keepers.

Doste put on his helmet, took a deep breath, and gently used his spurs to stimulate the horse under his crotch, causing it to start slowly.

The author says:

Author's Note: It is said that during the Mongol invasion of the West, the proportion of heavy cavalry was higher than 40%, but the heavy cavalry of the 13th century and the heavy cavalry of the 15th century were completely different concepts.

Chapter 39: Cavalry Charge!

People of this era are accustomed to war, but their vision is limited. They can never imagine what it would be like to look down at the entire battlefield from the air, while Li Rufeng has become commonplace in film and television works.

Among the more than one hundred armed men present, there were veterans like Habashibuhua, tribal warriors like Huluchirjia, and even fierce men like Haishaer.

But the only one who is qualified to strategize is Li Rufeng.

His reputation was high enough to make the men of the Taierba tribe temporarily obey his orders, and his seemingly so-called "war experience" was enough to scare the uninformed tribal militia in such situations.

Even Haishar was surprised by Li Rufeng's decisiveness and adaptability. He did not expect that a young shaman could take up the banner in such a situation, so he willingly served as the vanguard.

Right in front of them, the women and children who were fleeing from the camp in a hurry made all the men of the Taierbahe tribe feel nervous. Some even wanted to leave the team to look for their families.

This is human nature, but this is war, and war is inherently inhumane. It requires soldiers to treat themselves as dead objects, as insignificant gears, turning when they should and stopping when they should.

Li Rufeng stretched out his hand expressionlessly. Beside him, Bao Rizhebu raised his bow and arrow without hesitation. After a brief aim, he shot the soldier who had left the formation to death with one arrow.

Bao Rizhebu's arrow may have missed the target, or he may have held back, but it pierced the soldier's calf. He turned his head and looked at Li Rufeng with a questioning look. If the shaman had any dissatisfaction, he would have shot another arrow, but fortunately, Li Rufeng just nodded silently.

"Everyone, maintain your formation! Believe in Changshengtian, we will win!" Li Rufeng felt like his throat was breaking, but he didn't care and continued to shout, "We will win!"

Timur's army had a permanent law enforcement team that would execute any soldier who deserted the battlefield. These Mongols were born with a natural sense of discipline, so Li Rufeng once again maintained the front line.