Zhu Zi and Ma Chao, rapidly approaching the camp, soon saw Old Wang of the neighboring village rush out from the Turkic encampment.
No, it was Old Wang of Taiyuan.
Old Wang's soldiers were poorly equipped; to the Turks, they were mere cannon fodder.
Thus, let alone providing superior weaponry, their weapons brought from the Great Tang had been forcibly exchanged for scrap by Guli Duo.
"Guang Yin! Left flank!"
"Ma Chao! Right flank!"
"Brothers of the Skyfire Army, follow your camp commander to meet the enemy head-on!"
Zhu Zi quickly made his arrangements.
Guang Yin and Ma Chao would lead the mercenaries guarding the flanks of the firearms troops, while he himself, with the thousand soldiers of the Skyfire Army headquarters, swiftly formed into a firing formation.
Five ranks, two hundred men per rank.
These two still didn't know their military ranks had been promoted to regimental commanders, and Fang Er had reserved troop quotas for them, awaiting their return to expand their forces.
As soon as preparations were complete, Old Wang of Taiyuan, along with his kin and Turkic conscripts, arrived less than two hundred meters away on the opposite side.
During the recruitment in the three cities of Suiye, due to the overwhelming number of applicants, only the brave and fierce remained after two rounds of selection.
These were men accustomed to living by the blade, each one rebellious and untamed, but along the way, they had been thoroughly subdued by Zhu Zi and Ma Chao.
Not to the point of being unable to deviate from orders, but close enough, perhaps eight or nine out of ten.
"Alert!"
As the commands from Guang Yin and Ma Chao were relayed, the mercenaries, with their varied hair colors, swiftly drew their weapons, adopting defensive postures.
Wang Chi Yao, leading his clansmen and conscripts, watched the Skyfire Army halt in place and assume a defensive stance, a hint of unease growing within him.
This was no ordinary army!
In any confrontation, especially on the plains, victory was typically achieved through cavalry charges. Yet, these men opposite them stood like statues, unmoving.
If the enemy were fools, Wang Chi Yao wouldn't believe it himself.
Closer, ever closer.
One hundred and fifty meters.
One hundred meters.
Eighty meters.
"Fire!"
Zhu Zi gave the order, firing his Yun Yi-type rifle first.
The five ranks of riflemen began their rapid, rotating volleys.
A continuous stream of bullets struck the Wang family's descendants, felling them, men and horses alike, to the ground.
Wang Chi Yao was shocked.
These were the men of that Fang fellow! Damn it all, I've brought my men all the way to the plains, and I still can't find peace?
"Scatter! Attack from the flanks!"
Old Wang, in the center of his formation, quickly adjusted his attack. The four thousand men behind him split into two teams and charged towards the mercenaries on the Skyfire Army's flanks.
"筒子 (Tong Zi)!"
Ma Chao saw the approaching cavalry and shouted to the men behind him.
"Yes, Commander Ma!"
The mercenaries quickly produced wooden barrels fashioned from poplar wood.
Unlike ordinary barrels, these had a layer of iron sheeting on both the inside and outside.
These were modified from the improvised pit cannons used during the siege of Suiye City by Zhu Zi and his men.
If Fang Er were here, he would surely exclaim, "Unconscionable Cannons!"
These were simple to manufacture; Zhu Zi had merely rounded up a few blacksmiths in Suiye City, and they were easily made.
This time, he had brought a hundred with him, fifty on each flank!
One by one, the "Unconscionable Cannons" were neatly arranged in front of the formation.
The mercenaries picked up explosive charges and threw them in, followed by a layer of gravel.
In the blink of an eye, just as preparations were completed, Old Wang had led his men to within fifty meters of the formation.
"Ignite!"
Zhu Zi gave the order, and the mercenaries lit the exposed fuses.
How fast does a cavalry charge?
Fifty kilometers per hour, equivalent to thirteen meters per second.
The fuse, from ignition to explosion, took approximately two seconds.
Just as Old Wang's miscellaneous soldiers reached twenty meters in front of Ma Chao, the fifty "Unconscionable Cannons" detonated sequentially.
Gravel, like a swarm of locusts, struck the enemy.
Thud, thud, thud!
The gravel embedded itself deeply into men and horses. The warhorses, running at high speed, were instantly crippled, and then, propelled by inertia, they toppled to the ground, sliding towards Ma Chao on the still partially frozen icy grass.
The mercenaries acted as if they hadn't seen the horse carcasses hurtling towards them, continuing to load explosive charges and gravel into the "Unconscionable Cannons."
And then, another round of shelling commenced.
The sound of shelling from this side, no, it should be the sound of explosions, soon alerted Guli Duo, who was observing from the Turkic camp.
Gunpowder? Have the Tang troops arrived?
Guli Duo frowned and looked at the leaders of the Heru and Sibbi tribes behind him, Heru Zhen and Sibbi Mengtian.
"Gentlemen, do you still feel it was an overreaction to notify you?"
The Tang army's gunpowder had spread across the plains. Especially after Ashina Shabi led an attack on Chang'an and brought back a few craftsmen, the entire grassland's understanding of gunpowder had been elevated.
Although those craftsmen initially refused to forge weapons for the Turks, even unto death, under torture, eight out of ten were killed. The remaining two finally relented and surrendered.
It was just unexpected that the Tang army would arrive so soon. Otherwise, in another year, the warriors of the plains would also be able to use firearms.
"Speak, Guli Duo, what do you plan to do? We two are not as sharp as you; we'll listen to you!"
Sibbi Mengtian, as stout as a bear, scratched his bald head and said in a gruff voice.
Heru Zhen also watched Guli Duo and nodded gently.
"Very well! Heru Zhen, take ten thousand warriors from the Heru tribe and circle behind them."
"Leader Sibbi, lead your warriors in a frontal charge!"
"I will lead my generals to attack from both the left and right flanks simultaneously. We will give the Tang army a pincer attack!"
ps: First update