NOVPUBGao Shun’s Trap Formation marched at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, showing no sign of the pre-battle tension, while the Military Spirit of his troops maintained absolute vitality throughout.
Compared to Juo Yi, who was reluctant to use the power of the Military Spirit, Gao Shun had no concern about the depletion of this willpower. The Military Spirit of the Trap Formation acted independently, supporting the entire formation’s needs without any issue. If necessary, it could even infect the troops of his comrades by consuming the Military Spirit Will.
"Cao Xing." Gao Shun silently took the intelligence report from Cao Xing and then looked up at him.
Though Gao Shun was not favored by Lyu Bu, in practice, his position under Lyu Bu was not low, but Lyu Bu dared not use him—that was just how it was. As it happened, Cao Xing, who was also among the Eight Valiant Generals, served as Gao Shun’s deputy.
"Your subordinate is here," said Cao Xing with his head lowered. Unlike Wei Xu, who lacked brains, Cao Xing initially served as Gao Shun’s deputy to supervise him but eventually held the belief that if Gao Shun were to rebel, he couldn’t stop him. Thus, he followed Gao Shun’s orders resolutely.
"Ride swiftly and inform Strategist Chen to prepare an attack on the Hebei Army. Wei Xu and the others have already encountered Yann Liang," Gao Shun said calmly. Then, a white light split from the Command Banner and fell upon Cao Xing. Cao Xing, who had refined his Qi to Gang, experienced a surge in strength, reaching the level of superficial Inner Qi Manifestation.
"Understood!" Cao Xing bowed and silently withdrew. As a deputy and a truly loyal one at that, he could also enjoy the blessings of the Trap Formation. While Gao Shun’s realm had genuinely reached that level, Cao Xing, bolstered to Inner Qi Manifestation by the Military Spirit, was in reality a pretender. However, Cao Xing always felt like he had become a master whenever he was surrounded by Military Spirit.
After Cao Xing left, Gao Shun quickened the pace of the march. The short-legged problem of the Trap Formation had not been improved—or rather, there were solutions, but Lyu Bu would rather ignore them than address them. After all, how could the Trap Formation, selected from the most elite of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry renowned for their all-around abilities, possibly be infantry?
"The entire army, accelerate," said Gao Shun calmly. From what he understood, the Vanguard consisted of false melee powerhouse axe soldiers. In reality, they were Heavy Crossbow Elites with full-range high attack power, which meant that the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry happened to excel precisely at countering such super soldiers.
At that moment, Wei Xu, Houcheng, and Hao Meng were already suffering a tremendous blow. Previously, as they were about to showcase their excellent mounted archery skills, an onslaught of arrows rained down, knocking many Wolf Cavalry off their horses. Later, when they tried to show off their decent close-combat slashing abilities, they discovered that Juo Yi’s Vanguard, after dropping their Heavy Crossbows, were also ruthless in melee combat.
In this battle, influenced by Hua Xiong’s earlier setback, Yann Liang led the few hundred cavalry he had in a counter-charge. In full view of everyone, he killed Houcheng and then, with an overwhelming display of Cloud Qi, slapped Wei Xu to death with a single move, leaving the entire Wolf Cavalry disoriented like headless flies!
Such acts of valor greatly bolstered the morale of the Hebei Army. Combined with Yann Liang growing braver with each fight, charging left and right, and the Vanguard performing exceptionally well, the entire Hebei Army’s combat power soared as if injected with adrenaline!
In the chaos of battle, the Vanguard groups of three, with their combination of Heavy Crossbows, Great Swords, Long Spears, and Round Shields, thrived splendidly, bewildering the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.
In the late Han dynasty, westward from the east, there were three great cavalries. The White Horse Righteous Followers were known for their speed and top-notch mounted archery skills. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry valued their imposing presence and shock tactics. Meanwhile, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, which was located between Youzhou and Xiliang, managed to strike a balance, priding themselves on their speed, abilities in mounted archery, imposing presence, and shock tactics; they were acclaimed as a type of troop that could fight and withstand, charge and slay, run and shoot.
That was precisely why the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was known as the "all-capable" cavalry. But being all-capable also meant they excelled at nothing. They lacked the astonishing speed of the White Horse Righteous Followers and the domineering aura of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, who could bear enemy attacks and crush them. Engaging in a balancing act often resulted in being average at best.
However, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry’s mediocrity was only relative to the other two elite forces. When compared with regular troops, the Wolf Cavalry’s lethality was significantly superior. But now, facing the Vanguard Death Squad, their distant mounted shots fell short of the infantry’s reach. In close combat, they couldn’t penetrate the enemy’s defenses. Once encircled, they found no escape, and a single interception by Yan Liang sealed their fate. What followed was a front-and-back pincer move that led to their annihilation.
In sum, the current situation for the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was tragically akin to the White Horse Righteous Followers, who found themselves in dire straits solely due to unforeseen circumstances. Had there been no surprise, no cavalry would be able to halt their retreat. Nor was the situation like the previous one of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, who, unable to flee, desperately broke through General Juo’s military formation.
"End the battle quickly, Yan Liang, swiftly cut down Hao Meng!" General Juo ordered the messenger, instructing him to command Yan Liang to promptly dispose of Hao Meng. Although the Vanguard still exuded momentum along with the Hebei Army, annihilating the enemy forces would not be easy.
"That’s the thrill of battle!" Yan Liang swung his long spear, leaving gaping holes in the chests of four Wolf Cavalry Centurions before him. Compared to the previous situation where they were heavily suppressed by Hua Xiong, this unrestrained manner of slaying enemies was by far Yan Liang’s favorite way to fight.
"General, General Juo orders you to quickly cut down Hao Meng," a trusted aide rode over and shouted loudly.
"Good, let me see where the command banner is," Yan Liang responded as he swung his great sword in a ’Sweeping Through Thousands of Troops’ move, beheading all enemies within a ninety-degree angle in front of him. His moves had become increasingly freewheeling, and his attack power ever more formidable.
"All soldiers, follow me!" Yan Liang bellowed, charging toward the command banner in the lead with only a few dozen trusted aides following him. Nevertheless, at this juncture, the Hebei Army, brimming with fighting spirit, showed no fear at all, and Yan Liang, cutting down generals one after another, became a symbol of hope in their eyes.
"Damn it, stop the enemy general at all costs!" Hao Meng screamed. Yan Liang’s previous moves, slaying Wei Xu with one strike and crushing Houcheng to death with his spear, had convinced Hao Meng that he could not contend with his opponent. If he hadn’t fallen into the trap and got stuck now, he believed he would never have stayed. At this moment, his greatest hope was for the divine intervention of Gao Shun’s troops!
"Enemy general, meet your doom!" Yan Liang thrust his spear, killing several Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry in front of him, leading his dozens of trusty aides in a momentous charge. Even their Cloud Qi, which was supposed to be dissipating from advancing too deep into enemy territory, began to merge with the entire Hebei Army’s Cloud Qi, further unleashing the bounds of Yan Liang’s ferocity in battle.
Hao Meng watched in terror as Yan Liang slaughtered more than a dozen of his men. But with the command banner just behind him, its fall would spell utter defeat; in that case, Hao Meng was certain to die.
"Take this!" Hao Meng thrust his spear with all his might toward Yan Liang. Since the command banner’s downfall meant certain death, giving his all could offer a slim chance of survival. With no more hesitation and taking advantage of Yan Liang being preoccupied, Hao Meng aimed his spear at Yan Liang’s midsection. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
