NOVPUB"How could this happen!" Sun Yan rolled off his horse in disbelief, looking at the scene before him where fifteen hundred Iron Cavalry could be thrown into such disarray by an accident, causing the vanguard to collapse and be forced into an infantry skirmish.
"Spread out!" Li Hu roared, knowing the formidable impact force of the Xiliang Soldiers made the act of reining in their horses utterly useless within the short distance of less than ten zhang, and the troops behind had no time to react before crashing into the chaotic ranks in front of them.
At that moment, the second row Vanguard Death Soldiers who had acted first discarded their Small Round Shields, grasped their Great Swords with both hands, stepped onto the horse carcasses, and, using the corpses as platforms, burst forth with their strength, leaping high into the air and slashing fiercely at the opposing Xiliang Iron Cavalry like tigers pouncing on their prey. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
Upon their first clash, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry suffered a severe blow. Three of the deputy generals lost one man, wounded another, leaving only Li Hu unthrown from his horse. In that brief instant, the ranks of his Iron Cavalry lost ten percent of their number!
In the midst of the chaos, the Iron Cavalry that had once galloped unchecked across the Central Plains Battlefield, never suffering significant losses, now felt their blood surge explosively as their fallen comrades hit the ground; the Xiliang Iron Cavalry had never been defeated by any force.
"Haha, interesting, worthy indeed of the elite force created by Li Wenyou with absolute honor. Not only have they not been bewildered, but they’ve also reverted to that disorganized yet concise Spearhead Formation I saw when I first met them. Truly, these are Xiliang Iron Cavalry who have fought their way from the Northwest to the Central Plains and have the art of war etched into their very bones," Juo Yi laughed unrestrainedly. Back when he was in Liangzhou, he too was the Commander-in-chief of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, although he went by a different name back then!
Juo Yi laughed openly. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry were valiant indeed, but far too stubborn. Brotherhood, bonds between comrades-in-arms, a pyramid-like honor—these formed the foundation of their combat power!
Li Ru instilled a belief in the Xiliang Iron Cavalry that they would never be defeated—from Xiliang to Luoyang, from Luoyang to Chang’an, from Chang’an to the Central Plains, a conviction of invincibility that went to their very bones!
The Xiliang Iron Cavalry under Hua Xiong’s command were identical to the Direct Lineage of Li Que, Guo Si, and others, with no intermingling of Qiang People, all consisting of the true Brave Warriors who had crushed the Qiang and followed him upholding a sense of righteousness!
These men were the seeds that Li Ru planted when constructing the entire structure of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. They had been through too many battles, each possessing Inner Qi and astonishing combat experience. Although they were sent reeling at first, as they raised their heads again, they instinctively shifted into the best combat formation without any order being given.
The greatest advantage of a pyramid-like military structure is that even if a Team Leader falls, the next suitable leader will step forward to tell them how to act.
"Probe with attacks, move swiftly in and out, and circle around to the back!" At the same moment, two soldiers, previously merely Team Leaders, issued orders along with Li Hu to their respective troops, and the whole unit scattered into nearly a hundred squads of twelve to fifteen men, each like an instant reflex.
"Truly dazzling. Li Wenyou, you might lack experience and not excel in Drilling Soldiers, but you’ve trained these warriors of your Direct Lineage to deal with all situations without panic. It’s just unfortunate that you’ve never been adept at it!" Juo Yi muttered to himself, watching the rapidly dispersing Xiliang Iron Cavalry, who had already begun to envelop him in wave after wave.
Li Hu rode his horse around the entire Vanguard Death Squad, constantly weaving through and interchanging with the other two units. Had the Vanguard Death Squad not been battle-hardened and rigorously drilled by Juo Yi, the dizzying interchanging maneuvers would have long thrown them into disarray during the shifting of their defense, offering the Xiliang Iron Cavalry an opportunity to shatter them!
[The mobility of the cavalry is truly troublesome, especially on these plains—there’s simply no way to intercept them if they decide to run.] Juo Yi silently lamented that no matter how sharp the infantry’s offensive capabilities, they could not change the fact that two legs cannot outrun four.
Soon after the three units of Xiliang Iron Cavalry took turns testing their attacks with interchanging maneuvers, the Vanguard Death Squad, dizzy from being turned about, inexplicably began to lose formation. When Li Hu saw this, his anxious heart surged with joy; he had finally seen the moment to strike.
At the same time, two newly promoted team leaders also noticed this situation. Without needing any communication, at the next cross-over moment, they fiercely converged and then all bent down to grab the short spears under their horse bellies. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry, not skilled in mounted archery, also possessed their own fierce mid-range attack method. Bending to grab their short spears, all the soldiers, uniformly, grasped the manes of their horses and, at the moment the horses leaped, simultaneously threw their short spears.
"Hehehe, after so many years, these guys still use the same way of fighting. Don’t they know that although their attack is extremely sharp, it’s too close? A dispersed formation is conducive to interchanging attacks, but that thin Cloud Qi cannot withstand the enemy’s Cloud Qi attack. This is a battle method for cutting down the enemy in a decisive battle!" Juo Yi said calmly and helplessly.
You should know, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry is the unit Juo Yi has studied the most. After all, in earlier years when he was in Liangzhou, he was one of the generals leading the Xiliang Iron Cavalry against the Qiang People. Even though he was not very famous...
At that time, Li Ru was still brooding over the issues with military regulations, and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry had not fully formed. However, through successive battles, they were transitioning towards the complete combat method seen today. It is precisely because of this that Juo Yi was not only familiar with the Qiang People’s way of fighting but was even more familiar with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry’s combat methods!
With a wave of Juo Yi’s flag, a nearly hundred-meter-long blood-colored great sword extended directly from where the Vanguard Death Squad had shown a gap, slashing fiercely at the Xiliang Iron Cavalry’s disorganized formation. A single strike cut away twenty percent of the cavalry soldiers, with Li Hu at the forefront dying without a complete corpse.
Looking at the Xiliang Iron Cavalry that had been stunned by his blow and then hastily dodged after being approached closely by the Vanguard Death Squad, Juo Yi did not feel too proud. He knew the Xiliang Iron Cavalry had not been defeated but rather that the opponent had severely underestimated the Vanguard Death Squad and that the command had too many faults!
Just like during the earlier battle at Jieqiao, Juo Yi had never thought about routing the White Horse Righteous Followers, only about defeating them. It was the Mandate of Heaven that led to the opponent’s nonsensical command, giving him the opportunity to kill all the cavalry and become famous in a single battle.
But this did not mean that the Vanguard Death Squad, when facing cavalry, had none of the disadvantages other infantry had when facing cavalry. Infantry always have only two legs, and when cavalry decides to run, especially on such plains, the infantry has absolutely no way to stop them.
"Let’s go, let’s ignore them. Although they were stunned by the attack, they will recover after a while. The most vexing thing about the Xiliang Iron Cavalry is just this point—if you don’t annihilate them completely, once dispersed, they can still regroup and continue fighting," Juo Yi sighed and said.
If the Xiliang Iron Cavalry chose not to run, killing them wouldn’t be as easy as slicing through melons or vegetables, but it certainly wouldn’t be difficult. Unfortunately, if they decided to run, there has never been a case of infantry chasing down cavalry, not even if you are the Vanguard. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
