Battle of Suru Valley

Background
The recently-unified Qingcheng Empire, which had long existed as a number of loosely allied bands of Yaoguai and their immediate followers, was seeking to link its scattered territories and establish an absolute sphere of influence centered on eastern Asia. To this end, they frequently sent out large expeditionary forces, which doubled as escorts for the trade convoys that transported material and display along the Black Silk Road, which ran from Qinghai in the east, to Samarkand in the west. Other communities of Yaoguai and similar beings in the region felt threatened by these shows of force, and shortly after the publication of the Qingcheng Edicts by the Bai Ze (The documents that established the Qingcheng Empire as the "official" government of Earth's Yaoguai), a number of these communities banded together to form what would become known as the Sūkṣmarahasya Alliance. Initially, the Alliance only offered passive resistance against the Qingcheng Empire, offering some measure of security to those communities who were in danger of being absorbed by the new power, and also acting to improve trade between its members, so as to make them less reliant on goods from Qingcheng and its territories. However, when the ruler of one of the largest members of the Alliance, Ardashir II, led his army south and occupied territory directly across the Black Silk Road, demanding tolls for convoys that wanted to pass through "his" land, the Qingcheng Empire was spurred into action.

The Qingcheng Empire deployed two armies, supporting the northern expedition with the bulk of its airfleet at the time; this force, commanded by General Zhang Shen, attacked northward from three points along the Black Silk Road, while the southern expedition, led by Colonels Zhuge and Hyakumonogatari, attacked downwards along the Indus river. While the aim of the northern expedition was to link up with the western fleet at Samarkand, the southern expedition aimed to capture the Alliance's eastern capital in Kashmir and drive a wedge between their three primary centers of power. After defeating an Alliance force in north-eastern Xinjiang, the southern expedition split into two forces, with Colonel Zhuge leading two thirds of their strength towards the northern Ladakh mountains, while Colonel Hyakumonogatari's force proceeded south to Pensi-la and the Suru valley.

The Alliance commander in the south, Prince Ardashir III, expected the Qingcheng forces to attack directly from their positions along the Black Silk Road, and had thus deployed his forces primarily along the central and western approaches, while personally leading a reserve group of almost three thousand strong to the Suru valley. His plan was to cross the Kanji-la as soon as the attack began, and circle to cut off the Qingcheng armies' retreat, but news reached him soon after arrival that the Qingcheng forces had annihilated the garrison at Namika-la and were holding position there. In addition, a second Qingcheng army group had crossed over Charchar-la and had taken Pensi-la, cutting off the Alliance's main corridor of retreat. In an ironic twist, Ardashir III fell victim to exactly what he had planned for his enemy, and was forced to make camp in the Suru valley.

Prelude
The Qingcheng Empire's expeditionary force had made short work of the defensive garrison at Pensi-la, shelling the Alliance positions using their flying ships. Ardashir III responded by linking up with the Suru valley's garrison and occupying the defensive positions along the Suru river, from where his forces could shoot down the flying ships if they entered the airspace directly over the valley. The Alliance made several attempts to scout the Qingcheng army's positions in the first few days, but avoided combat, hoping that their reserve units would open the Pensi-la and allow them to reconnect their supply lines. What reinforcements they did get came from Panikhar and Parkhachik, and consisted primarily of convoy guards and other auxiliaries. These troops would be relegated to holding the line while the Prince's elite guard would attack the Qingcheng Positions at Pensi-la directly.

On the other side, Colonel Hyakumonogatari had halted his advance after securing the pass, but he still wanted to sweep the enemy from the Suru valley, which would open the approach into central Kashmir, allowing reserve units from China to march directly into the interior of Alliance territory. After consulting with his officers and communicating his intent back to the capital, he divided his forces in an attempt to draw out the Alliance defenders. He felt relatively secure in his position, with reinforcements just on the other side of the valley. His plan was to destroy the Alliance's vanguard, and then push the stragglers towards Colonel Zhuge's forces in the north.

The Opposing Forces
Throughout the battle, and indeed throughout most of the Indus River Campaign, the Sūkṣmarahasya Alliance held decisive numerical superiority, which they repeatedly failed to capitalise on and thus allowed key positions to be seized, which would lead to significant losses on their part. At the start of the battle of the Suru valley, for instance, they outnumbered the Qingcheng Empire's forces more than two to one.

The Qingcheng Empire
Colonel Hyakumonogatari's expeditionary force numbered 1450 at the start of the battle. Of these, around 350 were Yaoguai of various types, most of them enlisted soldiers of the Qingcheng Imperial Army. A further 1100 or so were human auxiliaries, which included the crews of the two flying ships, the Vyapaka Duniya, which was the Colonel's command ship for this expedition, and the Wúyíjìn, which was placed under the command of one of his senior officers.

When he divided his forces, Hyakumonogatari chose two of his officers to command the detachments, keeping only 50 troops as a personal guard. 100 troops and around 300 auxiliaries were placed under the command of Major Zuǒrén, who also received command of the Wúyíjìn. A further 200 troops and 500 auxiliaries were placed under the command of Captain Ōyō, who was tasked with leading the ground forces.

The Sūkṣmarahasya Alliance
Prince Ardashir III commanded a diverse force representing several Alliance member nations, numbering 3260 in total - one of the largest forces on the southern front at the time. In addition to his royal guard of 500, he also had one of Kashmir's two defensive regiments, supplying another 1000 troops under the command of General Kuraiyarrati. His forces were further bolstered by the Suru valley garrison, which had been reinforced in anticipation of a possible attack, to a total of 1100 troops under Captain Ankhiluunuur. On the fourth day of the initial stalemate, he received further reinforcements, which consisted largely of allied forces that had marched eastward for several months at the request of King Ardashir II. Count Aloysius Darrow had brought his entire personal guard of 200, and Yankan Yi Dariya, a wealthy merchant, had brought his trade caravan and its escort for a further 600 troops.

Strategic and tactical considerations
From a strategic perspective, the Alliance had already dangerously overextended its forces by this point. They were essentially cut off from any possible lines of reinforcement or retreat, while their enemies to the north had easy access to resupply via the Black Silk Road. Furthermore, having misjudged the Qingcheng Empire's lines of attack, the Alliances forces at Suru valley were essentially now solely responsible for holding the line into central Kashmir. The Qingcheng expeditionary forces would likely seek a decisive battle sooner or later, despite the alliance's numerical superiority - if they managed to break the Alliance forces here, they would outflank the defensive units to the west, and create an open corridor into the interior of Alliance territory.

Tactically, both forces held good ground to start with. The wide open expanses of the Suru valley offered clear lines of fire for the Alliance defenders, and allowed individual units to support one another and create a lethal crossfire along the approaches from Pensi-la and Namika-la. The Qingcheng forces, however, held the high ground, and could freely move throughout the mountains to attack from nearly any direction, although they would have trouble bringing the bulk of their forces to bear on anything but the major approaches. The strongest point in the defending line was at Rangdum, where more than half of the defending forces were concentrated, around the anti-air ballistae that prevented the Qingcheng ships from attacking the valley directly.

Topography of the Battlefield
Most of the Suru valley consisted of fairly flat, open ground, with only sparse vegetation, providing little cover for either attacking or defending forces. Several ridges divided the valley into three parts, with the highest point being around Rangdum. The Alliance had constructed several fortifications in prior years, largely to guard their trade routes through the region. Several mountain passes led into the valley - the most notable being Pensi-la, which connected Suru to the Zanskar valley region, and the other eventually leading north, to Namika-la and into the Ladakh mountains.

The Battle
Six days after Ardashir III's arrival in Suru valley (which was to be the first day of the battle proper), the Prince resolved to attack the Qingcheng positions. Wanting to clear away the enemy from Pensi-la and re-establish supply lines, and emboldened by what he saw as half the enemy retreating from their positions, the Prince tasked a detachment of his forces with probing the enemy lines.

Initial skirmishes
The Alliance detachment, consisting of around 500 Yaoguai, of which around 300 were drawn from Yankan Yi Dariya's auxiliaries, ascended into the mountains, following the Pensi-la road. Soon after daybreak, they encountered the lead elements of the Qingcheng ground forces, which led to a brief exchange of fire. This developed into a running battle which lasted almost until noon, with no conclusive outcome; both sides suffered minor casualties and the Alliance forces eventually disengaged, having come to what they felt was an accurate assessment of the enemy's strength.

Two more such probing attacks would occur in the afternoon, but in these cases the Qingcheng forces fell back rather than engage, which only further emboldened the Alliance commanders, who all came to agree with the Prince's plan of an attack soon after nightfall.

Colonel Hyakumonogatari, however, repositioned his forces following the last attack, using his ships to transport them up the mountains to either side of the pass, while leaving only a token force down below.

Engagement of the main force
As soon as the moon rose, Prince Ardashir ordered his General, Cariyana Kuraiyarrati, to lead a force of 1200 up Pensi-la, clear away the enemy forces there, and establish control over the pass, while he personally took command of the remaining forces and moved most of them away from the river in preparation for an attack up the pass, should reinforcements prove necessary.

General Kuraiyarrati led a much more cautious advance than the attacks of the prior day, having read of the tacticians of the Qingcheng Empire and finding it difficult to believe that they would abandon such a valuable position so easily. All the same, she faced only token resistance, and it seemed the Qingcheng army were going to give up the pass. However, just as the bulk of the Alliance forces had entered the pass itself, one of the Qingcheng ships made itself known - having thus far used the surrounding mountains for cover, it rose just high enough to bombard the pass itself, pinning down the advancing Alliance troops. A force of 100 Yaoguai, acting as shock troops, attacked from the other side and cut a line through the Alliance forces, at which point Captain Oyo and her ground forces turned and committed to an all out assault on the now-isolated fragments of the Alliance army. General Kuraiyarrati immediately signalled for the Prince to bring the reserve units into the fight, and prepared to lead her remaining forces against the Qingcheng troops encircling the Alliance's advance units. However, before that could happen, the other ship made its appearance, edging dangerously close to the valley and even exchanging fire with the defensive positions around the river. At this, General Kuraiyarrati signalled a retreat and led what forces she still had back down into the valley, to link up with their reinforcements.

The Qingcheng army pressed their attack, their human auxiliaries taking up firing lines at the entrance to the pass, while the Yaoguai heavy infantry flew ahead and attempted to lure elements of the Alliance forces into the killing fields. The fighting here was heaviest, and both sides suffered the bulk of their casualties here, as the Alliance forces attempted to regroup, whilst the Qingcheng forces tried to prevent that exact thing from happening. At first, it seemed like the Alliance may have gained a decisive advantage when General Kuraiyarrati used her powers to break the unity of the Qingcheng forces, scattering their vanguard across a third of the valley and even drawing the Wúyíjìn out above the valley itself, where it could become a target for the ballistae alongside the river, which managed to cripple the vessel after only two salvoes. However, the General had underestimated the power of her counterpart, and indeed Colonel Hyakumonogatari had already predestined this part of the battle; as the damaged Wúyíjìn spiralled towards the ground, its course took it out across the center of the valley - directly towards the main defensive bastion on the Suru river.

The Wúyíjìn crashed directly into the fortifications, tearing a hole in the outer wall even as it broke up. Although most of the crew died in the crash, Major Zuǒrén and a number of his personal guard survived, and immediately began laying waste to the surprised defenders. This forced the Alliance army to turn and fight a battle on two fronts simultaneously, lest they lose the ballistae, which would leave them at the mercy of the remaining Qingcheng ship. Fierce fighting ensued, that lasted for almost two hours, as the Alliance was forced to effectively lay siege to its own fortifications. Although they eventually succeeded in killing Zuǒrén and his remaining troops, by then it was too late, and the damage had already been done - fully half the garrison lay dead, including Captain Ankhiluunuur, and the ballistae were in flames.

Alliance Counterattack
General Kuraiyarrati knew that at this point, the ownership of Suru valley was decided, and despite Prince Ardashir's insistence that they regroup for an attack on the Qingcheng's main force - which by now had fully entered the valley and was advancing towards the river - she began formulating a plan for a retreat. This prompted the Prince to turn to his other officers: Count Aloysius Darrow and Yankan Yi Dariya. In order to take advantage of the remaining night, the Prince would lead a force of their best troops right into the heart of the enemy's lines, while Dariya's forces advanced on the flank to check the enemy's advance and keep them contained. This would create an opening that would allow Count Darrow, who was known for his swordsmanship, to break through the Qingcheng lines and attack them directly. Initially this plan worked almost perfectly: as expected, the Qingcheng army closed ranks when attacked, their advancing forces breaking into three distinct groups, the northernmost of which was checked by Dariya's forces on one side, and the Prince's royal guard on the other. However, Colonel Hyakumonogatari had received detailed intelligence on the Alliance's commanders prior to the battle, courtesy of Colonel Zhuge to the north, and reacted quickly to devise a counter to this latest move.

Turning of the tide
Taking advantage of the dramatic swing in the battle, Colonel Hyakumonogatari met Count Darrow in single combat, deliberately holding back so as to allow the vampire to gain the upper hand. Just when it seemed that Darrow would be able to best Hyakumonogatari, the latter's power asserted itself, causing the sun to rise a full two hours earlier than it should have. Darrow and over half of his troops were killed as a result, causing the Alliance spearhead to collapse, and allowing the third of Qingcheng's fronts to swing around, now in a position to flank the Prince's forces.

General Kuraiyarrati immediately attacked this group to relieve the pressure, but on the other side, the Qingcheng forces likewise closed in, having bribed Yankan Yi Dariya to stand down and allow them to pass by. At the same time, the Vyapaka Duniya crested the mountains and opened fire on the Alliance forces with impunity. Prince Ardashir III was killed in the opening salvo, even as he tried to take to the sky. This proved to be the deciding point - with over half of their forces, and three of their commanders dead, the Alliance forces broke, with over half trying to flee, while the remainder trying to rally around General Kuraiyarrati's position.

Conclusion
General Kuraiyarrati responded well to the changing conditions - ultimately managing to save almost all the troops that she still had; something which she would be praised for both by own side, and even by the officers of the Qingcheng army. As the two forces moved around each other, she managed to coordinate a fighting retreat up the mountains, eventually breaking through into Pensi-la by punching through elements of the Qingcheng rearguard. At that point, she disengaged entirely and fled back towards Kashmir.

The Qingcheng army elected not to give chase, instead focusing on cleaning up any stragglers and securing control over the valley. With the Vyapaka Duniya holding position directly over the Suru river, they effectively controlled the entire region.

Aftermath
Colonel Zhuge's force would enter the valley two days later, bringing with them reinforcements to replenish the losses taken during the battle. The Qingcheng army would hold position at the Suru valley for two weeks, before heading west to cut off King Ardashir II's forces as they retreated from the joint fleet under the command of General Zhang Shen and Admiral Bai Ze. As the first major battle of the southern conflict, Suru valley would decidedly set the tone for the remainder of the Indus River Campaign. It revealed fatal weaknesses in the way the Sūkṣmarahasya Alliance deployed and organised its forces, as well as making clear the superiority of the Qingcheng Imperial Army troops in single combat. Despite fielding smaller numbers, the Qingcheng empire made very good use of its resources, and especially of its human auxiliaries; equipping and deploying them in such a way that they could fight back effectively against large numbers of Yaoguai.

The Qingcheng Empire would be magnanimous in victory, treating the wounded on both sides and displaying great lenience towards prisoners of war, often allowing them to relocate to newly settled territories, and even eventually recruiting a number of them into its own forces. Combined with their prowess in battle, this further established the Qingcheng Empire as a pre-eminent force for Yaoguai civilisation, often drawing non-aligned groups to join with them and further weakening the Alliance's position on the civil front. The professionalism and organisation of the Qingcheng Imperial Army, revolutionary in a Yaoguai-led force, proved decisive in this battle, as it would in others.

Significance
Despite having decisive numerical superiority, the Alliance repeatedly failed to act in a decisive manner, and when they finally did attempt an all out attack, their position was weakened and their enemy aware enough of their tactics to easily counter. As with most Yaoguai warbands, the Alliance's armies relied on their overwhelming power and terrifying reputations, which left them at a significant disadvantage when fighting a more disciplined force. In addition, while they had mocked the Qingcheng Empire for using humans in their army, initial battles like the one at Suru valley would reveal this to be an asset rather than a weakness, as it freed their Yaoguai troops to move faster and more decisively, while the slower human troops provided cover and restricted the enemy's movements.

The crushing defeat the Alliance suffered at Suru valley would also lead to significant changes in their organisational structure. General Kuraiyarrati, despite having been outmatched in this battle, managed to effectively retreat from the Qingcheng forces, and was also the first person ever to destroy one of Qingcheng's flying ships, this would lead to her becoming Grand Commandant of the Alliance armies within two years, and ultimately lead to a significant slowing of the Qingcheng Empire's advance.

Major Zuǒrén Xiu would posthumously become known as the Hero of Suru Valley, and his last stand on the banks of the river would become the subject of several dramatisations. His courage and dedication to his duty, not to mention his ferocity in combat, made him a popular figure on both sides, and as a spirit, he would eventually oversee the negotiation of the Alliance's formal surrender, three years after the day of the battle.