Chapter 1442
Large-scale operation begins!
Chapter 1442 Large-scale operation begins!
"Brothers, listen to my command and charge with me!"
Tian Zaibiao patted the Fire Dragon Steed's neck, his voice booming.
"Remember the rules of our White Tiger Cavalry: quick in and quick out, no greed for credit, no lingering in battle. Anyone who dares to hold us back, don't blame me for my ruthless spear!"
The soldiers of the White Tiger Cavalry responded in unison, their white horses and silver armor gleaming in the sunlight. They then spurred their horses forward, their hooves gently pawing the ground, ready to charge at any moment.
Tian Zaibiao kept a close eye on the flag signals of the central army, waiting for Wu Qi to wave his command flag. This was Wu Qi's tactical arrangement: first, suppress with a rain of arrows, then use the long spear battalion to steadily advance and contain, then use the Hengwu infantry to tear open the defense line, and finally use the White Tiger cavalry to take advantage of the situation to charge and expand the results. This set of combined punches was truly "full of routines".
On the opposite side, Xu Da sensed something was wrong almost the instant Wu Qi gave the order.
"Left flank troops, form earthen ranks to block the rain of arrows! Right flank troops, form wooden ranks to fill in, deer antler troops, push forward, you must hold the front line!"
He stood under the commander's flag, waving the flag rapidly in his hand, and issuing instructions at an astonishingly fast pace, yet each word was clear.
Xu Da's Five Armies lived up to their reputation. Upon receiving the order, they immediately sprang into action. The soldiers of the Left Wing Army raised their heavy rattan shields, which were covered with a layer of iron and sandwiched with wet hemp cloth. This was a clever way to deal with the rain of arrows. The wet hemp cloth could reduce the impact of the arrows, while the iron could block the arrows with strong penetrating power. The combination was lighter and more effective than a simple iron shield.
Their earthen formation resembled a sturdy city wall, with soldiers closely linked and rattan shields stacked upon each other, blocking most of the arrows. Only a few stray arrows managed to hit the armor, but none caused fatal damage.
The soldiers of the Right Wing Army carried deer antlers and moved quickly forward. These antlers were made of thorny branches and had been sharpened beforehand. They arranged the antlers in an alternating pattern to form a dense defensive line, which blocked the advance of the Hengzhou Army's commander, Ge Ying.
Meanwhile, the Right Wing Army's wooden formation emphasized mobility, with soldiers spaced far apart and their spears ready to strike any enemy that broke through the antlers, forming a defensive system of "antlers blocking the way, spears finishing off the enemy."
"Jiang Xiaobai!"
Xu Da turned and shouted angrily at the messenger beside him.
"Have his allied forces immediately form a square formation, positioned on both sides of the central army! Tell them that if they dare to shirk their duties, after the battle is over, I, Xu Da, will be the first to hold them accountable!"
The messenger dared not delay and rode a fast horse straight to the ranks of the allied forces.
Although Jiang Xiaobai's private soldiers were well-equipped, their discipline was indeed inferior to that of the regular army. When they saw the rain of arrows from the Hengzhou army, many of them began to panic.
Jiang Xiaobai himself was riding a fine horse, wearing armor inlaid with gold and jade. He was frowning as he looked at the battlefield. After receiving Xu Da's order, he cursed "old fox" in his heart, but dared not disobey. After all, the Yellow Turban Army was the main force. If the Yellow Turban Army was defeated, his private army would not be able to hold out for long.
"Cheer up, everyone!"
Jiang Xiaobai drew his sword from his waist and shouted at his soldiers.
"Form ranks! Front row with shields, middle row with spears, back row with crossbows! Anyone who dares to retreat a single step will be court-martialed!"
Seeing this, the soldiers of the allied forces had no choice but to grit their teeth and form ranks.
Their formation was denser than that of the Yellow Turban Army, and the shields of the front row were made of fine iron, which were more robust than the rattan shields of the Yellow Turban Army, but also heavier and less mobile.
However, their advantage lay in their superior equipment. The archers in the back row used compound bows made of ox horn, which had a longer range than ordinary bows and arrows, and for a time they created a considerable deterrent force.
"Left flank, form a water formation as a reserve, ready to support the left flank army at any time! Right flank, form a fire formation, flank the enemy's cavalry charge!"
Seeing the allied forces of the powerful clans begin to move, Xu Da's expression softened slightly, but he immediately gave the order: "Main force of the central army, maintain the metal formation, hold your ground, and no one is allowed to act without my command!"
The five military camps, representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, each performed their respective duties and cooperated with each other to form an impenetrable defensive network.
The Metal Element Formation is primarily defensive, with soldiers wielding heavy shields and long spears, forming a solid core; the Wood Element Formation is primarily mobile, responsible for flanking support; the Water Element Formation is primarily restraining, adept at flanking maneuvers; the Fire Element Formation is primarily offensive, with strong explosive power; and the Earth Element Formation is primarily defensive, capable of withstanding frontal assaults.
These five formations can be switched at any time according to the battlefield situation, making them a veritable ancient version of a "multi-functional combat system".
As Xu Da issued orders while keeping a close eye on the Hengzhou army's movements, a cold smile crept across his lips when he saw the Hengwu soldiers charging forward in a wedge formation.
"Trying to break my formation? Not so easy! Order the Left Wing Army to contract their earth formation and clear the central passage, while the Right Wing Army's wood formation moves to the side to form a pincer attack!"
Following Xu Da's order, the Left Wing Army's earthen formation suddenly contracted inward, creating a narrow passage in the middle, which the Horizontal Warriors' arrowhead formation rushed into.
Before they could launch their attack, the Right Wing Army's wooden formation on both sides clamped down like two pincers, their spears thrusting towards the Hengwu soldiers like a forest of thorns.
This was Xu Da's "luring the enemy deep" strategy. He used the Earth Formation to create a passage, and then used the Wood Formation to attack from both sides. This strategy was specifically designed to deal with the Arrowhead Formation, a formation that was unstoppable but had weak flanks.
"Change formation! Form a square formation for defense!"
Upon seeing this, the captain of the Hengwu soldiers immediately shouted loudly.
The Hengwu soldiers reacted quickly, adjusting their positions one after another. The soldiers in the front row put down their spears and raised their shields, while the soldiers in the back row continued to fight back with their spears, managing to block the pincer attack from the Right Wing Army.
"Xu Da, the number one hero of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, is indeed something else."
When Wu Qi saw this scene from the watchtower, he not only didn't panic, but actually laughed.
"Signal officer, signal the Horizontal Cavalry to hold their ground for a moment! Drummers, switch to rapid drums! Crossbowmen, concentrate fire on the right flank of the Right Wing Army! Long spearmen, advance rapidly on the left flank to support the Horizontal Cavalry!"
He gave the order immediately.
The drummer immediately switched to a rapid-fire war drum with a "dong-dong-dong-dong" rhythm. The sound was urgent and exciting. The crossbowmen's flag signals changed, and the arrow rain immediately turned and concentrated on the right flank of the army, which was the weak point of the wooden formation and where the soldiers' defenses were relatively weak.
The left flank of the Long Spear Battalion accelerated its advance, spreading out like wings and charging towards the right flank of the attacking force. The long spears thrust out like long lances, forcing the right flank to divide its forces for defense.
Upon seeing this, Xu Da frowned and thought to himself, "Wu Qi is indeed difficult to deal with." He then immediately gave the order.
"Right Wing Army, sever half of your forces to hold off the Long Spear Battalion! Left Wing Army, in naval formation, support the Right Wing Army's flank! Archers, counterattack!"
The Left Sentinel Army's water-based formation immediately sprang into action, with soldiers advancing in a meandering pattern like flowing water, quickly providing support to the Right Wing Army's flank, their long spears constantly thrusting towards the Hengzhou Army's long spear battalion.
The Yellow Turban archers also began to retaliate, raining arrows at the Hengzhou army's long spear camp. The arrows from both sides converged in the air, forming a dense "arrow net." Soldiers were hit by arrows and fell to the ground from time to time, their screams rising and falling, but no one retreated—this was the cruelty of the battlefield: either charge forward or die on the front lines.
(End of this chapter)