Chapter 19 Cavalry

The cavalry did move, indeed, but not the shock cavalry led by Li Fusheng. Instead, the two wings, totaling over six thousand riders, flanking the shock cavalry, began to accelerate.

For cavalry, battlefield distance is paramount. Warhorses need sufficient space to build up speed.

Cavalry that can't charge effectively are like sitting ducks.

Modern ancient war films often depict large-scale cavalry charges followed by sword fights on horseback, all for dramatic effect.

In reality, the most effective use of cavalry lies in its speed and the terrifying impact it delivers. Ideally, after an initial charge, the unit can regroup and launch successive waves, repeating the cycle.

Like squeezing the last bit of toothpaste, exhausting every method to wring out the final bit for one last brushing.

However, only highly disciplined cavalry units can achieve this. Undisciplined or poorly organized cavalry, along with inferior horses and riders, might scatter like an egg hitting a wall after a single charge, impossible to recover.

Zheng Fan had personally witnessed the quality of the Zhenbei Army and had no doubts about them. While the flanking cavalry moved, the central force where Zheng Fan remained was stationary.

Lord Zheng was a grown man; unlike immature brats like Liang Cheng, he didn't need to charge ahead with a horse lance.

Therefore, Lord Zheng carefully “assessed the overall situation” from his position.

Three thousand riders on each flank directly pierced the foremost enemy formation.

This was the most "elite" formation of the Qian army.

The Zu family army was renowned in the Great Qian for its discipline and formations. As a newly risen force, they had already established their reputation and confidence.

However,

faced with the rolling tide of iron hooves,

fear arose in the hearts of every soldier.

Sea bandits,

no matter how numerous or powerful,

could never muster such a cavalry display!

"Pikes, brace!"

"Shua! Shua! Shua!!!"

The front rank of pikemen crouched, raising their pikes diagonally upward, the butts planted on the ground. They formed a barricade of flesh and blood, a thorn bush to hinder the oncoming iron cavalry.

The rear rank of pikemen held their pikes with their right arms, using their left hands to secure and adjust their direction, the spear tips pointing forward.

The dense array of spear tips formed the outer shell of the formation, a shell bristling with spikes.

However, many among them were already trembling.

Facing the oppressive charge of cavalry was akin to standing in the path of a speeding motorcycle. Who wouldn't be afraid?

They were all human, all alive. Who wanted to die like this?

But they knew that as the outermost defense of the formation, their chances of survival in a major battle were extremely low.

Especially the front rank of pikemen. Even if their pikes pierced the enemy's warhorses, even if they unseated enemy knights, the terrifying momentum of the charging horses could still send them flying. Dying instantly from such impact was a blessing; the worst fate was to suffer countless broken bones while clinging to life.

In that state, every moment of survival was a moment of torment.

"Axemen!"

"Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!"

The axemen moved into position behind the shieldbearers. Once the clash began, they would quickly emerge from behind the shields to engage the cavalry, tasked with hacking down the riders after the front rank of pikemen had slowed their charge.

Behind the shieldbearers were the archers and crossbowmen, who provided the real damage output of the formation.

Although Zu Zhuming came from a military family, it was a rather humble one. Ultimately, the Zu family's rise was due to Zu Zhuming's personal skills and, of course, the thousands upon thousands of heads provided by the southeastern sea bandits that paved the way.

He was a man who was adept at learning about war and delving into its intricacies. When the imperial decree arrived, ordering the Zu family army to move north, Zu Zhuming was already contemplating methods of using infantry to counter cavalry.

No, to be precise, for centuries, any Qian general with passion and ambition had spent sleepless nights pondering how to withstand the onslaught of Yan cavalry.

The defeat a century ago was an eternal wound in the hearts of the Qian people. Many feared a northern expedition, but even more yearned for its success!

Zu Dongcheng sat on his horse, issuing commands through the messengers at his side.

The battlefield was ever-changing, and a commander was the brain of an army. Only through the brain's direction could the body respond accordingly.

However, sometimes this coordination failed, either due to a commander's mediocrity or the poor quality of the troops. No matter how talented a person was, if their body was flawed or crippled, it would be difficult for them to perform strenuous tasks.

This was the integration a commander needed with their subordinates.

Years ago, to consolidate military power, the founding emperor of Qian had transferred elite troops from various armies to bolster the Imperial Guards. In that era, the Qian Imperial Guards were the most powerful military force in the nation.

Whenever the empire faced conflict, the Imperial Guards would deploy from the capital to quell the unrest.

However, first, Emperor Taizong's northern expedition had wiped out the elite Imperial Guards, transforming them into a "silver wave."

Second, years of peace had allowed the Imperial Guards to erode from within.

Although nearly a century had passed without a major war between Yan and Qian, the Qian Imperial Guards had deteriorated to the point where they couldn't even quell internal rebellions.

During the southwestern Tusi rebellion, the Imperial Guards were initially the main force, supplemented by the Western Army. However, the Imperial Guards, numbering over a hundred thousand, were ambushed by Lang Tusi soldiers in a mountain valley, leading to a complete collapse. Witnessing the ineffectiveness of the Qian army, the other observing Tusi immediately joined the rebellion, causing the situation in the southwest to deteriorate completely.

Both the Zu family army and the Western Army had risen on the corpses of the Imperial Guards. When the central army failed to fulfill its responsibilities, the rise of local warlords was an inevitable outcome.

Such warlords would naturally not allow situations where soldiers didn't know their generals, and generals didn't know their soldiers.

Zu Dongcheng's palms were slick with sweat.

He knew that

whether his Zu family army could truly rise depended on this move!

Since the opposing Yan army had chosen their side as the breakthrough point, then they would see if the Yan people had teeth strong enough to bite!

"Beat the drums!"

Zu Dongcheng ordered.

"Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong!"

The war drums sounded, and the Zu family army began to change formation in time with the beat.

Zu Dongcheng was confident in his commanding abilities, believing he was no worse than the Yan barbarian generals across the field.

What he didn't know was that

the Yan army on the other side

was…uncommanded.

At this moment, the six thousand Zhenbei Army iron cavalry charging out on both wings had reached a certain distance, and all the riders began to nock their arrows.

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Rain of arrows arced through the air from both flanks.

The riders, while nocking arrows on horseback, gripped the saddle tightly with their legs, achieving a balance between their center of gravity and the galloping warhorses.

The pikemen on the outer perimeter of the formation suffered heavy casualties instantly. Simultaneously, it was almost inevitable that the flanks of the formation were pushed back.

People feared death. Having faced the cavalry charge earlier, they were already apprehensive. Now, with arrows raining down, retreating a little, and then a little more, was instinctive!

"Release arrows!"

Zu Dongcheng commanded, and the archers and crossbowmen within the formation began to retaliate.

Unlike the probing attack earlier, the Zhenbei Army cavalry didn't dodge the arrows and retreat. Instead, they continued forward while nocking more arrows. Now that the distance was close enough, they no longer needed to lob the arrows but could aim properly.

Instantly, the rate of casualties within the Zu family army increased rapidly, especially among the pikemen on the outer perimeter. Lacking the protection of shields and wearing armor that offered limited defense, they were felled to the ground like sculptures.

This was the cruelty and ruthlessness of war, an unavoidable reality. Without pikemen forming a barrier on the outer perimeter, they couldn't withstand the cavalry charge later on.

However, the Zhenbei Army also suffered casualties. One by one, riders were hit and fell from their horses, or warhorses were struck by arrows and collapsed on the ground.

But these two units of Zhenbei Army cavalry didn't slow down. They continued to close the distance while nocking arrows.

This was trading lives, a test of courage!

The knights who hadn't died after falling from their horses quickly gathered together and began firing arrows, not panicking or abandoning the fight, doing their best to cover their comrades.

Closer, closer, closer,

very close!

"Change formation!"

Zu Dongcheng ordered.

The shieldbearers began to retreat, and the axemen stepped forward, preparing to meet the cavalry charge. Simultaneously, the ballistae within the formation began to aim.

The advantage of ballistae was their long range and great killing power, but their disadvantage was the slow reloading speed.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!........."

Each bolt fired from a ballista was accompanied by a burst of blood.

However,

Zu Dongcheng was shocked to see that

the cavalry on both flanks, who had already closed the distance for the charge, suddenly turned their horses at the last moment.

This was a rapid cavalry turn, testing the coordination and discipline of the unit, as well as the riders' horsemanship. A slight miscalculation could cause friendly collisions and a chain reaction, blocking the unit's movement.

Zheng Fan had seen this tactic before. When Liang Cheng led troops, he used his own barbarian cavalry to kite enemies, suffering minimal casualties while wiping out the guards of a caravan.

On the outer edges of the cavalry's turning radius, several hundred riders on each side didn't follow the main force's turn but chose to crash directly into the enemy formation.

Because the unit needed space to turn, their sacrifice would create the necessary room for their comrades. Moreover, the distance was already short, and stopping the horses now would quickly turn them into pincushions.

So, it was better to use the momentum of their maximized speed to charge straight ahead!

"Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu!"

Warhorses were pierced by pikes, and knights were knocked off their mounts, but they and their steeds crashed into the Zu family army's formation with immense inertia.

Two massive gaps were smashed into the formations on both flanks.

"Hiss……"

"Hiss……"

Two sharp intakes of breath, almost simultaneous.

One from Zheng Fan.

Watching so many elite knights smash into the enemy formation like that, Lord Zheng felt a pang of distress. How much money did it take to equip them? How much effort and cost to train them?

"Raising soldiers for a thousand days to use them for one moment" – at this moment, the saying was brutally, coldly exemplified.

The other from Zhong Mao. Even he couldn't stomach the tactic of using cavalry as projectiles. Moreover, these riders were fearless to a terrifying degree!

No one wanted to fight a group of fearless madmen.

The cavalry on both flanks circled back.

Some of the charging cavalry had already ridden into the enemy formation, hacking and slashing, while others fought on foot with their sabers after being unhorsed. No one retreated. They all charged forward to their deaths!

At the same time, the two cavalry units on the east and west sides began to attack, seamlessly taking over the pressure that the previous two units had been applying to the Zu family army's formation.

As the cavalry on both flanks circled out of the fight, the two cavalry units on the east and west sides began to nock arrows and provide covering fire.

Everything was executed flawlessly.

Because they were all so familiar with each other. This was the fundamental reason why Li Fusheng could confidently command the shock cavalry from the rear!

Meanwhile, the two cavalry units responsible for cutting off the Qian army's retreat route also began to advance, applying pressure to the east and west sides of the Qian army, forcing those formations to abandon any hope of supporting the main force ahead.

Zheng Fan suddenly felt like they were wolves herding sheep.

Because the most elite and solid formation at the front, under the relentless attacks of the cavalry, had already begun to flatten and show signs of chaos.

Even a war novice like Zheng Fan could see the disarray.

Firstly, this was thanks to the Zhenbei Army's excellent equestrian skills and archery. Even on horseback, their archery was no less deadly than that of the Qian archers and crossbowmen standing on the ground. To some extent, it was even more effective!

Liang Cheng had once discussed cavalry charges with Zheng Fan, saying that even after the advent of modern firearms and artillery, if the infantry formation wasn't solid, the firepower of firearms and artillery would still find it difficult to scatter the cavalry facing a large-scale cavalry charge.

Moreover, this was still an era of absolute cold weapons. The image of arrows flying and the front row of cavalry falling like they were being shot in a firing line was almost impossible.

Secondly, the charging knights' attacks were like two large stones slamming into the Qian army's shell, severely hindering the operation of the Qian army's formation.

These knights weren't just skilled on horseback. After falling from their horses and fighting on foot, they still knew how to cooperate, often forming groups of three to five. Even the most elite axemen of the Zu family army were completely suppressed in equal numbers, forced to rely on numbers to make up the difference. This required concentrating more forces, which naturally weakened other aspects.

In addition, after the successive attacks from the east and west sides, the Zu family army's formation was like a piece of taffy, repeatedly torn and pulled apart. Cracks and gaps were quickly exposed.

Zu Dongcheng never expected that his proud Zu family army, his prized formation, would be as fragile as the flower lanterns sold on the streets of the capital during the Lantern Festival in front of this Zhenbei Army.

The difference

was so great.

In fact, regardless of how much they looked down on the Yan people verbally, even claiming that the Yan people's Zhenbei Army iron cavalry was the best in the world was just a boast,

neither the local generals nor the ministers in the imperial court dared to truly underestimate the Yan people's combat power.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be a situation where troops from all sides were rushing north, and Grand Tutor Yang would still be able to sit in the position of Supreme Commander of the Three Borders after proposing a strategy of avoiding battle.

In reality, everyone was just being hypocritical.

Zu Dongcheng and Zhong Mao had often heard their elders talk about the Yan people, and whenever they talked about the Yan people, they would inevitably talk about the Yan people's Zhenbei Army.

The elders had already given the Zhenbei Army enough importance, believing that if they were to encounter this Zhenbei cavalry, which was said to number three hundred thousand, on the battlefield, it would truly be a headache.

But the current situation

wasn't just a headache, was it?

Only now did the two young men from the Zu and Zhong families truly realize how terrifying this Zhenbei Army iron cavalry was.

This army had fought the barbarians in the desert for a century. Their opponents used to be the barbarians, a fearsome race where every adult was an excellent rider!

But even so, the Zhenbei Army had broken their bones little by little, beating them into submission.

How did the Qian people compare to the barbarians?

Zu Dongcheng waved his saber and urged his horse forward. Zhong Mao immediately shouted:

"Brother Dongcheng, you must stay and command!"

"If the front formation is broken, we're all finished!"

Everyone in the three-pronged formation knew that the front formation was the most solid. This wasn't just because breaking the front formation would leave the two rear formations without a shield.

Once the front formation was broken, firstly, the soldiers in the front formation would collapse, with their own people charging into their own formations. Secondly, the two rear formations would lose heart at the sight of the strongest front formation being broken.

Then,

a rout

would begin just like that…

In this world, many things were unfair.

The battle between cavalry and infantry was the same. If the cavalry didn't want to gnaw on this bone, they could easily take a bite and then retreat, because the infantry couldn't catch up anyway.

And once the infantry was defeated, could they outrun four legs?

In other words, once the front formation was broken, it meant that thirty thousand soldiers would be wiped out here!

Zhong Mao raised his horse lance and said:

"Brother Dongcheng, I will go with you!"

At this moment, the cavalry on both flanks, who had circled out earlier, began to charge again, while the cavalry on the sides circled back after completing their attacks.

It felt like four iron hammers repeatedly pounding the Qian army's formation.

Meanwhile, Han Laowu's cavalry was pinned down on the east and west sides of the rear formations. Even after revealing hidden ballistae and chariots, the Imperial Guard formation was on the verge of collapse in the face of the Zhenbei Army knights' fearless attacks.

At this moment, even if Han Laowu wanted to turn his horse around to support the front formation, he couldn't. Firstly, his three thousand cavalry were entangled by several hundred enemy riders, making it impossible to break free. Secondly, if his cavalry retreated, the Imperial Guards would definitely panic!

Damn it,

how could these Yan people be so fierce!

………

At the front of the formation,

the shock cavalry, who had formed up early but hadn't moved, began to accelerate as their commander, Li Fusheng, urged his horse forward.

This true shock cavalry, these thousand horse lances, this elite among elites, finally intended to join the battle!

War would bring death. Li Fusheng was well aware of this.

Over the past period, the cavalry attacks on each side had already resulted in significant casualties.

But these were necessary and bound to happen.

However, the casualties wouldn't be too high, because they wouldn't last forever.

As long as they shattered the Qian army's front formation,

the remaining tens of thousands of Qian soldiers on the battlefield would scatter like birds and beasts, like frightened lambs running in all directions. They would no longer have any offensive power and would be easily reaped by his soldiers while they fled.

Everything before had been preparation. Now, the time had come!

Li Fusheng raised his horse lance.

The thousand riders behind him made the same move.

Then,

Li Fusheng pointed his horse lance forward.

The next moment,

a thousand horse lances pointed forward.

Li Fusheng's eyes were bloodshot, like a fierce wolf starved for too long. He could no longer wait!

"Give them one last shiver!"

Li Fusheng shouted:

"The will to break the formation!"

The thousand riders behind him shouted in unison:

"Certain death!"

Immediately,

the entire army accelerated,

charging forward like thunder from the ground.

Finally,

led by their general, the thousand shock cavalry knights

crashed into the already crumbling Qian army formation.

"Boom!"

——————

Recommending my friend Qiyue Xinfan's new work, *Han Que*. Those who are interested can take a look. He's a great author of historical fiction, so the quality is guaranteed.