The Great Gan iron cavalry surged from the northwest, shielded by the front-line shield cavalry, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
Facing the relentlessly advancing Great Gan soldiers, the Xianbei felt a chill run down their spines.
Although they had slowly retreated the previous night, they had maintained a posture of readiness for attack, hoping that the wall stretching for more than ten li would collapse quickly. Simultaneously, they sought to deter the Great Gan, lest their enemy launch a surprise attack under the cover of night, catching them completely off guard.
After all, they had never witnessed a city being built overnight in the desert. To construct a city so rapidly under the watchful eyes of their scouts suggested that the city wall might be made of shoddy materials. They could not let their two months of effort and a full day of rapid marching go to waste!
Even if the wall did not collapse, and their morale was affected, they considered themselves the attacking force and had no reason to concede the momentum. At the very least, they aimed to ensure an orderly retreat.
Yet, this Great Gan army, clearly outnumbered, not only failed to use the wall as a defense but dared to charge out from within it?
"Did that stretch of desert Great Wall give them their courage?"
Duoshe had little time to ponder. He could only fight and retreat, drive away the enemy, and minimize casualties.
Each Xianbei cavalryman was equipped with a set of crossbows and bows, twenty bolts for the crossbow and thirty arrows for the bow. At long distances, they primarily used arrows, switching to crossbow bolts at close range, a tactic that had made them dominant on the grasslands.
Duoshe, situated in the rear of the army, soon heard screams from the front line. He was startled. "Our crossbows have failed?"
While the mounted crossbows of the Great Gan were impressive in range and power, they did not completely overwhelm other nations. This was because drawing a bow and loading a crossbow bolt while mounted was vastly different from doing so on flat ground, and there were no logistical support teams to replenish arrows. Therefore, efficiency and accuracy remained paramount.
Even if the Great Gan's mounted crossbows could shoot ten paces further than theirs, they shouldn't have inflicted such significant casualties in the first exchange, as the enemy would still need to close the distance.
At this moment, the northwest wind blew, awakening Duoshe and the Xianbei cavalry.
"Their crossbow bolts are coming with the wind, while we are marching against it..."
At this instant, the Xianbei realized that the Great Gan soldiers had exploited the desert wind direction!
Relying on crossbow bolts to hold their ground and deter pursuers had yielded minimal results!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
The sky above the grassland was filled with the endless sound of arrows piercing the air. The Great Gan cavalry's pursuit speed even surpassed that of the retreating Xianbei. Coupled with the tailwind, the initial velocity and final range of their bows and crossbows were clearly superior to those of the Xianbei.
The Xianbei cavalry, in order to launch surprise attacks promptly, had not brought heavy cavalry. Most men and horses wore leather or light armor. Lacking cotton and workshops, they were also unable to equip their soldiers with the specially made cotton armor, lined with iron or steel plates, that the Great Gan possessed in large quantities.
In the very first engagement, over a thousand Xianbei cavalrymen were struck by arrows and fell from their horses.
The Xianbei cavalry's crossbow bolts, hindered by the northwest wind, had their range and power reduced. They ultimately landed only on the Great Gan iron cavalry's front lines, where they were easily deflected by shields and armor, with almost negligible casualties!
In the center of the Great Gan iron cavalry, Zuo Wuji stood guard before Liang Xiao, who was dressed as the Heavenly General. With his excellent eyesight, he could broadly discern the situation on the front lines and marveled inwardly.
From mobilization to expedition, the Great Gan soldiers had maintained perfect order, with very few making unnecessary noises.
Their equipment and army systems were also impeccable, having achieved the utmost potential for cavalry units.
In this frigid weather, the cotton armor provided effective warmth, ensuring the soldiers' combat effectiveness was not significantly compromised.
Liang Xiao had also utilized the northwest wind direction for his deployment, maximizing his army's combat power. Meanwhile, the enemy was weary, their horses fatigued, and the wind was an impediment. The disparity was clear...
"It's time for me to make my mark!" Zuo Wuji, on his horse, rubbed his hands together with a fervent expression.
Over a decade of prosperous living had not dulled his fighting spirit; his firm control over the Zhenbei Army was proof of this.
He intended to leave some political legacy for his two grandsons, so they would know they not only had a father, Liang Xiao, but also a formidable maternal grandfather!
The heavy cavalry units on the front line, after firing their first volleys, retracted their heavy crossbows, drew their long spears, and charged with full force, steadily closing in on the enemy's rear.
"Great General! We must accelerate our retreat!" Finally, a general realized the gravity of the situation and urged Duoshe.
Duoshe could only offer a wry smile and shake his head. "Accelerating now would cause the front and middle armies, unaware of the situation, to trample each other. It could also disrupt our morale, with unimaginable consequences. Our only recourse is to defeat the enemy and await the Emperor's reinforcements!"
The Great Gan soldiers on the front lines, encased in full iron armor, were not fast. The Xianbei cavalry fought and retreated, managing to maintain a distance of about thirty paces. However, due to the slow retreat of the Xianbei front and middle armies, and to avoid disrupting their own formations, the Xianbei cavalry could not effectively widen the gap.
This tug-of-war had already cost the Xianbei nearly three thousand casualties.
The Great Gan army, with no significant losses, had their morale soaring.
Upon learning of the situation on the front lines, Nie Yuan finally gave the order: "The enemy's defenses are in disarray! The entire army charges!"
As the horns sounded from the rear, signaling the engagement, the Great Gan army poured out from behind, and even the front-line cavalry accelerated sharply, charging directly at the Xianbei army!
Over fifty thousand Great Gan cavalry chose to attack in a semicircular formation, relentlessly encircling and striking from the west!
Duoshe was both shocked and enraged. "They dare approach in a crescent formation? Do they think our Xianbei are incapable of mounted combat? Unleash all your arrows! Engage the enemy immediately!"
A semicircular formation, when the numbers far exceeded the opponent, could achieve the best results. Otherwise, it was highly likely that the equally mobile enemy could concentrate their forces and break them down individually. The Great Gan soldiers' formation clearly defied common combat sense, presenting an opportunity for the Xianbei.
The Xianbei cavalry covering the rear still numbered tens of thousands. They unleashed volleys of arrows from a distance, but facing the resistance of the northwest wind, their power was not as expected. The Great Gan cavalry, charging with medium and small shields, protected their vital areas and roared forward, closing in on the main Xianbei cavalry in an instant.
As the enemy approached, the Xianbei cavalry were forced to put away their hand crossbows and draw their sabers to meet the attackers.
When the two sides were within twenty zhang of each other, all the Great Gan cavalry charging in the semicircular formation raised their left shields to block arrows and, with their right hands, took out pre-loaded Zhuge repeating crossbows from their satchels, aiming forward—
As they neared the enemy, all the Zhuge repeating crossbows began to fire in succession.
The Great Gan had meticulously prepared a vast quantity of repeating crossbow bolts, which now shone brilliantly.
Hundreds of thousands of crossbow bolts rained down densely, utilizing the semicircular formation to cover from all directions in the west!
The Xianbei cavalry saw only a dense field of black arrowheads hurtling towards them.
In an instant, the Xianbei cavalry at the front collapsed, men and horses falling. Countless individuals were struck in the face, chest, abdomen, and thighs, almost becoming like beehives.
The Zhuge repeating crossbows of the Great Gan, having undergone years of improvements, had reached an astonishing number. With over twenty thousand units deployed on the battlefield for the first time, the Xianbei cavalry had the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first live targets.
One volley of ten bolts, over two hundred thousand arrows, mowed down countless Xianbei cavalry!
"This is the Great Gan repeating crossbow?!"
Seeing the situation in the rear, even Duoshe in the back was filled with dread.
This volley of fire might have cost them between eight and eleven thousand men...
Even though they had intelligence on the Zhuge repeating crossbow, they could not replicate it. Even if the Zhuge repeating crossbows could generally only be used for one volley in battle due to the time it took to reload, the Xianbei cavalry were already in disarray, suffering heavy casualties and a drastic drop in morale!
Just as the Xianbei cavalry's morale was in turmoil and they were grudgingly facing the enemy, another army emerged from the northwest, clad in white robes, their horses in white armor, their roars shaking the mountains and rivers!
"The Great Gan White Robe Soldiers, under the command of the Heavenly General, are here to break through enemy lines and capture the rebel leader!!"
Behind the roaring White Robe soldiers, Liang Xiao led a small squad, arriving at high speed, everyone's eyes blazing with ferocity.
On this day, legends were reborn, no longer solitary.
Behind him were Lü Changhe, Yue Qingtian, Zuo Wuji, and other mighty generals, as well as the Shadow Guards in black armor equipped with water-patterned steel, forming a force that was the pinnacle of all elites under heaven.