Abudulahaha Khan had just ascended the throne when he received news that the Mongol Huit Tribe had moved south and captured Chalish and Iron Gate Pass. fight? he had just succeeded to the throne, and his internal situation was not stable. don't fight? if the Mongols established a foothold in Chalish, the western part of Turpan would no longer belong to him.
"great Khan, your father-in-law, Abu Hadi, is currently the Aqimuboke of Kucha. why not write to him for help?" Sabir, the Bek of isha ga, offered a "brilliant plan".
Abu Hadi, the governor of Kucha, was a vassal state in the northern part of Yarkand Khanate. this man was quite adept at maneuvering and curried favor with Khoja Shadi, the powerful figure of Yarkand and the Black Mountain Sect, to become the governor of Kucha. after taking office, seeing the weakness of the Yarkand Khanate court, he developed the ambition to rule independently, outwardly obeying the Yarkand Khan while inwardly defying him. seeing the growing power of Turpan, he also formed a familial alliance with Prince Abudureyimu and married his daughter to Prince Abudullahaha.
Abudulahaha Khan knew his father-in-law well and sighed, "i will write to my father-in-law for help, but he is ambitious yet timid and would never dare to send troops to rescue us. relying on him is not as good as relying on ourselves."
he ordered the old ministers Anivar and Sabir to lead two thousand troops to guard Turpan city, while he led eleven thousand troops towards Chalish. although this army was large in number, only three thousand were his direct subordinates; the other eight thousand troops were the subordinates of his three younger brothers.
their opponent was Nomudalai's six thousand plus Mongol warriors. although their number was small, they were brave and skilled in battle, and their internal situation was stable, with their hearts united.
the night was deep, and the decisive battle for life and death was about to begin. Abudulahaha Khan tossed and turned in his tent, unable to sleep.
"great Khan~" suddenly someone called out softly.
Abudulahaha Khan put on his clothes and got up, walking out of the large tent. outside the tent stood Wulu Heji, his trusted General.
he knew this person had always been resourceful and, coming so late at night, must have a plan. he asked, "General, what is the matter that brings you to see your majesty so late at night?"
"great Khan, although our army is numerous, everyone has their own intentions. if the time is prolonged, we will inevitably fall apart. it is best to take advantage of the initial momentum and fight the enemy quickly!" Wulu Heji's voice was very anxious.
"yes, that is an excellent point. tomorrow, your majesty will personally lead the troops into battle and fight the enemy decisively. the General will be the inspector. those who retreat without orders will be executed!" Abudulahaha Khan made up his mind.
a ray of sunlight dispelled the morning mist. as the mist cleared, people appeared, and the two armies lined up, ready to fight.
Abudulahaha Khan placed the three thousand five hundred troops of the third prince Ibrahim's unit on the left wing; the two thousand five hundred troops of the fourth prince Babai's unit on the right wing; and his own five thousand troops along with the young prince Ismail's unit in the center. the formations were dense, wave after wave.
Nomudalai ordered Aledaer and Erke's fifteen hundred cavalry to form the left wing; Tuoli and Nasutu's fifteen hundred cavalry to form the right wing. the two wings were spread out loosely, slowly expanding outward. he personally led three thousand one hundred cavalry as the center, which was densely packed.
"boom~ boom~ boom~"
the drums of war, urging them to their deaths, began to beat, each beat more urgent than the last!
"yasha!" Abudulahaha Khan shouted, taking the lead and charging towards the Huit center. his courage inspired the entire army. Babai on the right wing and Ibrahim on the left wing both advanced upon hearing the drums. however, although Ibrahim's shouts of battle were fierce, his marching speed was slow, clearly intending to preserve his strength.
seeing the Turpan great Khan personally charging, Nomudalai's brow furrowed, "i only thought the Yarkand were weak, but i didn't expect such a hero!"
"shoot!"
the banner waved, and the Mongol archers began to volley arrows. being a nomadic people, almost everyone was skilled in archery. the number of archers was much greater than that of the Turpan army. although Turpan was wealthy and its army had a high rate of armor, the dense rain of arrows still incapacitated hundreds of soldiers.
Abudulahaha Khan lowered his head to his horse's neck, galloping forward, treating the flying arrows as nothing.
hundreds of cavalry leaped past his royal banner, leaving him behind. those were the five hundred subordinates of General Mansuer Boke. if the lord is worried, the minister is disgraced; if the lord is disgraced, the minister dies. how could the great Khan personally face the arrows and stones? therefore, General Mansuer Boke came, charging at the very front without hesitation.
"shoot!"
the banner moved again. four hundred Mongol musketeers lined up in two rows and raised their muskets. the back row loaded, and the front row fired in unison. after firing three volleys and knocking over over a hundred cavalry, they mounted their horses and returned to the main formation.
seeing the enemy approaching, Nomudalai opened his tiger's mouth and shouted two words: "retreat!"
the well-trained Mongol cavalry, in a formation often used for hunting, turned their horses and retreated. they skillfully controlled their horses by gripping the horse's belly with their feet and shot arrows backward from the side.
mounted archery! true mounted archery! in this era, even the jin dynasty's Eight Banners, known as "unparalleled in archery and horsemanship", most archers could only dismount and shoot. but the Mongols grew up on horseback from a young age, and almost all of them could shoot while riding.
Turpan soldiers were constantly being shot down. as a semi-nomadic, semi-agricultural people, their number of archers was much smaller than that of the Mongols, and even fewer could shoot while riding. on the surface, it seemed they were chasing the Mongols, but in reality, their casualties were much greater than the Mongols'. what was worse, they still had four thousand infantry. during the pursuit, the infantry were gradually left behind, and the numerical advantage was lost.
during the pursuit, the left and right wings of the Turpan army gradually converged with the center, forming a cone shape, deeply piercing towards the Mongols. the Mongol center continued to gallop, luring the enemy forward; the two wings dispersed, quietly encircling the enemy cavalry that had pushed forward. this was an old method the Mongols used for hunting, and it was also a tactic often used in battle. whether it was a herd of beasts or the enemy, once surrounded, they were often completely annihilated.
Wulu Heji rode to Abudulahaha Khan's side, "great Khan, the enemy is retreating but not in disarray. our cavalry and infantry are separated. be careful of a trick."
"you mean they are feigning defeat?"
Abudulahaha Khan reined in his horse and observed carefully, then suddenly turned pale with fright, "retreat! retreat immediately!"
it was too late. a desolate horn sounded from the Mongol Army formation.
"turn your horses around and form ranks," Nomudalai issued the military order. teams of five thousand hui te warriors turned around and formed ranks, adopting a charging formation.
"warriors, follow my dadu forward," Nomudalai roared, leaping onto his horse and leading the charge towards the Turpan army with his saber. someone behind him was carrying his commander's banner.
seeing the Great Taiji's commander's banner moving forward, the morale of the Huit officers and soldiers was greatly boosted. the cheers of "horei~ horei~" echoed across the Chalish grassland.
the Mongol Army in the center counterattacked, and the Mongol Army on the two wings attacked from the flanks. the Turpan army became like hunted beasts.
"swish~ swish~ swish~"
the five bronze cannons that Nomudalai had previously placed on a nearby slope began to show their power. cannonballs exploded among the Turpan army, and once hit, it meant both rider and horse were overturned.
this was a trap carefully planned by the hunter, and Abudulahaha Khan and his army became the prey.
"great Khan, retreat quickly! your General will cover the rear!" at this critical moment, General Mansuer Boke showed his loyalty to the Khan.
"Mansur, you must be careful," hot tears welled up in Abudulahaha Khan's eyes. he held back his tears and desperately spurred his horse to retreat.
General Mansuer Boke led hundreds of cavalry and charged towards the Mongols, but was quickly swallowed up by the rolling flood.
after Abudulahaha Khan broke through with the remnants of his forces, he rendezvoused with his infantry. before he could even catch his breath, the Mongol cavalry pursued them again.
the Turpan army, having lost their fighting spirit, collapsed. the cavalry fled in disarray, leaving the four thousand infantry who could not escape to the enemy.
the Mongol cavalry calmly pursued and killed the scattered infantry, using arrows for those far away and swords and spears for those nearby. people cannot outrun horses. some smart ones knelt down and surrendered, thus saving their lives.
in this battle, the Mongol Army suffered five hundred casualties, killed or wounded three thousand enemy soldiers, and captured three thousand.
Nomudalai organized the captives into three thousand-households, appointing Dash, a Huit tribal General, Sabir, a surrendered General, and Alimu as the Qianhu Chiefs respectively.
