The Secret Pavilion Plan!
After several years of campaigning, Northern Liang had wiped out the western steppe kingdoms, and its standing cavalry had grown to more than 100,000, with another 10,000 female cavalrymen. Le Shan served as their commander.
Zhao Jian was not only a queen but also the commander-in-chief of this campaign. When Northern Liang conquered the Western Regions, she had ordered the female cavalry into action, and they had distinguished themselves in battle.
This included a war against the Liao people near Jin Shan. The two sides had been locked in a stalemate, and Zhao Jian, as commander of the central army, should not have risked herself. But worried that delay might bring trouble, she and Le Shan led 10,000 female cavalrymen in a flanking attack, firing repeating crossbows and throwing the Liao formation into disarray.
At the time, the Liao Kingdom's army had just defeated the Tatars. Some of the Tatars continued west and north, while the rest surrendered to the Liao people.
Northern Liang had happened to take in some of the Tatars. From them, it learned that the Khitans had reached the area around Jin Shan. The Liao people also learned that Northern Liang had already advanced that far. The two sides inevitably clashed over who would control Jin Shan.
The great battle had originally been a dead-even contest, as neither side had been adequately prepared.
The Liao Kingdom had always focused on the east, while most of Northern Liang's forces were near Suiye City. Neither side could easily send reinforcements that would make a decisive difference.
It was then that Zhao Jian led an army of 10,000 women on a swift raid from the south side of Jin Shan, completely turning the tide of the war.
When the fighting ended, the Khitans retreated to