Iron Dynasty Chapter 1019

“Chase!”

As the sun climbed in the eastern sky, Kasimov wasted little time and issued the command to give chase.

On this mission, the Queen had dispatched him to rendezvous with Dolgor. Beyond pressing Dolgor to head to Saint Petersburg, there was the crucial duty to wipe out Dolgor, the defector from the Yakutsk battle.

The Queen could not tolerate such disloyalty, and the Russian nobility had pinned the Yakutsk defeat squarely on Gubat.

Furthermore, prior to his departure, he had vowed to slay the traitor Gubat. That commitment drove his unyielding pursuit of Gubat.

Though the idea of an ambush flickered in his thoughts, the last clash had already thinned Gubat's forces by a third, and no commander would squander so many lives just to draw in foes.

To him, Gubat seemed desperate to secure the safety of his tribe's children and women in their flight.

Yet, trap or not, he pressed on. Gubat lay just ahead, fulfilling his pledge to the Queen demanded it. Risk-taking pulsed through every Cossack's veins, and he trusted the Cossack riders' agility would allow a smooth withdrawal if needed.

At Kasimov's command, the Cossack horsemen surged after Gubat, kicking up vast dust storms across the plains.

In the valley below, Feng Dongjin awaited Gubat's approach.

His wait bore fruit soon enough. Within an hour, Gubat came thundering in, trailed by riders in black fur hats, green coats, and dark pants.

These riders stood tall and sturdy, many sporting curled mustaches, their faces etched with ferocity.

“These must be the Cossack cavalry,” Feng Dongjin murmured gravely. Their matching attire marked them as a regimented force, far surpassing the wild barbarians in discipline.

He now grasped why the haughty Golden Tent Khanate had submitted to Tsarist Russia. Surely, the ordered Cossack riders had crushed them in combat.

Watching the Cossacks march unwittingly into the snare, Feng Dongjin signaled sharply. “Get ready to shoot!”

The troops, having dismounted, leveled their rifles toward the valley at his word. To stay hidden, they sprawled on the earth amid the underbrush. From the valley floor, no sign of them could be spotted.

Gubat glanced back at the pursuing Cossacks, then scanned the flanking forests. To his frustration, he detected no activity.

His spirits plummeted, a dark suspicion brewing. He feared Qi Guangyi and Feng Dongjin had turned on him, using the Cossacks to do away with him. Despair washed over him at the notion.

Still, a faint hope lingered, so he raced onward through the valley's far exit, as if his very survival hung in the balance.

Per the plan they'd set, once he drew the riders into the pass, Qi Guangyi's group would strike only after the entire Cossack force was inside. Then, he could wheel about for a sudden assault.

Kasimov observed Gubat's frantic retreat with his men. It only reinforced his belief that this was mere futile resistance from a cornered foe.

He urged his riders to quicken their pursuit of Gubat.

But midway through the valley, a swarm of dark specks burst from the surrounding woods.

Gubat, racing ahead, twisted to witness the sight. He bellowed, “Cover the horses’ ears!”

His barbarian riders grasped his intent and the nature of those dark objects immediately. As they shielded their horses' hearing, bursts of sharp cracks echoed from behind.

From the treeline, once every Cossack had ventured into the valley, Feng Dongjin ordered his forces to reveal themselves. Along both wooded slopes, twenty thousand rifle barrels trained on the Cossack riders. A single command unleashed a volley.

“Curse it, we've walked into an ambush.” Kasimov paled. He'd scrutinized the sides upon entry and seen nothing. Now, the truth glared back.

The instant those troops emerged, he recognized them as Great Yu Empire soldiers—the only ones around with proper uniforms, beyond any tribal rabble.

Recalling Dolgor's account of the three tribes' clash, his chest constricted.

Suddenly, a deafening “boom” shattered the air nearby, sparking a chain of blasts like distant thunder. Fire blossoms erupted across the valley in an instant.

“Hiss…”

“Hiss…”

The deafening roar sent the cavalry mounts into frenzy, stamping and shying. Some steeds reared wildly out of control, sowing disorder especially among those nearer the explosions. Before they could grasp the chaos, scores of riders were torn apart, their blood spraying wide.

Such horror was alien to these Cossack riders, who had always been the slayers of others. Panic gripped them swiftly.

Yet, their training held firm. After the initial shock, officers barked orders, rallying them to pull back from the fray.

But as they pivoted to flee, a horde of riders closed in from the rear. These attackers unleashed gunfire from afar, then closed with slashing blades, slicing into their ranks like a dagger. Battle cries exploded on all sides.

Gubat had jolted at first. Though braced somewhat, the grenades' thunderous fury still sparked instinctive dread. But composure returned fast, and seeing the Cossacks' disarray, delight spread across his features.

“Brothers, revenge calls now! Charge with me, slay them!”

Roaring fiercely, Gubat whipped his horse toward Kasimov. This fiend had butchered his kin. In this fight, he'd cut him down astride his mount, shaming the Russian Empress utterly.

“Kill!”

The rifle-mounted troops clashed fully. Gubat's warriors surged with fresh vigor. These rifle cavalry, armed superbly and drilled to perfection, proved a formidable force. In moments, they shattered the Cossack lines.

From the woods, Feng Dongjin surveyed the unfolding melee. The Cossacks now faced a deadly squeeze, with flanking soldiers pouring shots into their midst.

This turmoil wrecked the Cossack order. Clustered tightly, they couldn't unleash their prowess. What's more, the Cossacks lacked familiarity with such tactics. They hadn't foreseen how grenades would terrify the horses, detonating right amid the herd.

Thus, despite their elite training, the Cossack mounts bucked in terror, rendering them helpless.

In essence, they battled like a swarm of blind insects.