Pe looked at the stocky commander with barely concealed contempt. The adjutant made no secret of his dislike for Batu's second in command. "Begging your pardon, General, but what you say is not true for this battle."
Placing a fatherly hand on his adjutant's shoulder, Batu said, "Pe, the only thing I am sure of today is that we shall fight a great battle." He reached beneath his hauberk to withdraw the letter he had written before dawn for Wu. Though he had not been able to send his customary letter at Yenching, today there was no reason to break his vow.
Batu gave the paper to Pe. "You know what to do with this."
"I'll send it to Lady Wu."
Kei Bot raised an eyebrow. "I had not thought you so sentimental, General."
The General of the Northern Marches flushed. He had repeatedly directed his subordinates to think of nothing but fighting until they destroyed the barbarians. Batu felt as if he had been caught in a lie.
"I'm not," he said sharply, looking from Kei Bot to Pe. "Send the order."
Pe crawled down the hill to the escort, and Batu turned back to Shou Kuan. The wind still carried the smoke over the city wall. The general from Chukei studied the hazy tendril for several moments. The more he watched, the more it seemed something was moving across the gray ribbon.
Batu wished that Minister Kwan's wu jen was with him, for the wizard would have found a way to show him more of the scene outside Shou Kuan. It was not the first time the general had wished for the wizard's company. After arriving at last night's campsite, Batu's first thought had been to establish some magical means of spying upon the enemy. Unfortunately, none of the wu jens supplied by the Ministry of Magic knew an appropriate spell, and the feng-li lang would not ask the spirits to perform such a mundane task. So the general had been forced to rely upon physical scouting.
Batu watched the scene for another ten minutes. Finally, Kei Bot pointed at the dark band of horsemen encircling Shou Kuan. "The enemy is moving! Shall I send the order to advance?"
"Not yet," Batu replied, laying a restraining hand on his subordinate's wrist. Although it did look as though the barbarian circle was tightening, Batu did not think they were charging.
"What are you waiting for?" Kei Bot asked. "As it is, it will take our armies thirty minutes to reach the battle."
"It won't take the enemy thirty minutes to know we're coming," Batu countered, pointing toward the valley where the Shou armies waited. "When eighty thousand horses gallop toward the city, they'll raise a dust cloud that will blot out the sun. If the Tuigan aren't fully engaged, they'll break off to meet us."
Kei Bot frowned and stared at Batu. "Your wife's father is in Shou Kuan. How can you allow the nobles to bear this attack alone?"
"I can do it because it increases our chances of winning the battle," Batu returned coldly. He looked back toward the besieged city.
Kei Bot stared at his commander with thinly veiled disgust. "You are a callous and cold man."
Without taking his eyes off the city, Batu calmly asked, "Could any other kind destroy the Tuigan?"
Kei Bot looked away, uncomfortable with both his own comment and Batu's easy reply.
A moment later, the barbarian circle stopped shrinking. Batu estimated the horsewarriors were within medium bow range of the city walls. Though he could not see them, the general knew that droves of arrows were flying between Shou Kuan's ramparts and the enemy lines.
"See?" Batu said, pointing at the circle. "The Tuigan would have seen us coming. It won't be long now."
The general could see that the Tuigan were pressing the battle hard. Volley after volley of Shou arrows opened holes in their ring, but instead of retreating to a safer range, the barbarians shifted to fill in the gaps. In front of the gate, the smoke still drifted over the city wall. It still seemed to Batu that something was moving along its spine, but he could not imagine what.
For several minutes, he and Kei Bot silently watched the battle. The longer they watched, the more convinced Batu grew that he had made the correct decision. The enemy maneuvered with such precision that he knew they would easily meet any obvious attack.
On the southern side of the city, the horsewarriors began to gather in a great mass. Within seconds, the throng was swarming toward the main gate.
"They're assaulting!" Kei Bot declared, pointing at the mob. "They've taken the gate!"
"Yes," Batu agreed, waving his adjutant up the hill. For the first time since the battle had begun, he was worried. The barbarians had breached Shou Kuan's defenses much faster than he had expected.
When Pe arrived, the general from Chukei addressed the youth immediately. "Send the order to attack," he said. "The Army of Wak'an is to secure the western perimeter and the Army of Hai Yuan the eastern, cutting off any avenue of enemy retreat. The Army of Kao Shan is to smash the throng at the gate, with the Army of Wang Kuo in close support."
"Yes, General," Pe said. He started back down the hill.
Batu grabbed his adjutant's shoulder. "Deliver these orders yourself. Remind the generals that no one is to attack from horseback. They are to dismount and fight in formation. After all, we must remember that we aren't true barbarians, mustn't we?"
Pe smiled. "Yes, General."
"Now, go," Batu said, turning back to the city.
After watching the assault for a few moments, the general from Chukei realized that something was terribly wrong inside the city. The Tuigan throng in front of the gate was decreasing in size at a steady rate.
Batu's heart sank. What he saw could only mean that the barbarians were pouring into the city with little opposition. When his provincial armies sprang their trap, the enemy would simply take refuge inside the walls of Shou Kuan.
Rising to his feet, Batu said, "Come, General!"
Kei Bot also rose, saying, "Why such a hurry now?"
"You were right," Batu said, starting down the hill.
"Of course—"
"Now is not the time to offend me," Batu said sharply, halting. "It would be a pity to execute you while you can still serve the emperor."
The stocky general stopped in his tracks. "You wouldn't dare!"
"I would," Batu hissed. "At the moment, I have enough on my mind without your perfidy."
Kei Bot clenched his jaw and stared at Batu angrily. When the younger man's gaze did not falter, Kei Bot asked, "What do you want?"
Batu grasped his subordinate's shoulder and guided him down the hill, formulating a new plan as he walked. "We can prevent the barbarians from seizing Shou Kuan if we move quickly. We'll follow them straight into the city."
Batu spoke rapidly, his excitement growing with each breath. Although the nobles' collapse had caused him some serious problems, he was determined to overcome these troubles. After all, a battle could hardly be considered illustrious if a commander did not make a desperate decision or two.
"Here's my plan," Batu said, still gripping his subordinate's arm. "I'll meet the Armies of Kao Shan and Wang Kuo to change their orders. We'll mount a cavalry charge and follow the barbarians right into the city."
"To attack inside Shou Kuan?" Kei Bot gasped.
"Exactly," Batu confirmed. "The Tuigan are horsemen and nomads. City combat will be as foreign to them as fighting from horseback is to us. The odds should be even."
Kei Bot stared at the General of the Northern Marches as if he were mad. "What do you wish me to do?"
"We'll need all the strength we can gather inside the city," Batu explained. "You must meet the other two armies. Send the Army of Wak'an to support the charge. They must also remain mounted and follow on my heels, or the assault will lack the momentum to take the city."
Kei Bot nodded. "Wak'an is to follow you, and you will be with Wang Kuo."
"Good," Batu said. "You must take the last army and encircle the city at one hundred and twenty yards. Use your horses' mobility to make sure that no stragglers escape our trap."