Advancing as Though Unopposed, Only for the Peak to Turn
Upon receiving the command, the infantry and archers formed ranks, positioned in front and behind, and immediately a surge of Qi and Blood and blood rose up, subtly intertwining and coalescing into a unified whole.
This military formation has profound meaning. First, it facilitates command. Second, it can combine effort, strength, and mental energy into a unified force, transforming them into a Qi and Blood formation.
The soldiers before Qiu Yan, though all transformed from soldiers, were like Qiu Yan's own avatars, appearing as if they possessed flesh and blood and could be imbued with Qi and Blood.
Moreover, this Blood-Energy Battle Formation is the foundation of Military School. The Military Ranks World is the world of Military School consciousness, and they will not abandon their martial arts; they will also have some knowledge of it.
Of course, besides gathering momentum, battle formations also have an important function: suppressing extraordinary power. However, these are too far removed from ordinary mortals. In their eyes, the true function of formations is mainly reflected in command.
In ancient times, there were no communication devices such as radio. If a general wanted to command his army, he would often rely on gongs, drums, flags, and slogans to convey military orders. However, this was easier if there were only a few people, but it became much more difficult to command a large number of people.
After all, not everyone has the method to bypass the pressure of Qi and Blood and directly connect with the soldiers' consciousness. The military orders, which are transmitted back and forth through the flags and drums, are bound to be delayed.
Furthermore, many soldiers in the world are illiterate and uneducated, unable to understand orders at all. Even in close combat, they cannot comprehend changes in the battle situation, and sometimes they cannot even grasp the meaning of actions such as turning.
Therefore, in ancient times, the number of troops a general could command and control directly reflected his qualities in training, managing, and commanding troops. It was an important indicator of a general's ability. Those who believed that the more troops they could command, the better were extremely rare, and most of them were famous generals.
Even more troops are not always better. Once you have a large enough army, even if you can stop a river with your whip, if you can't command them properly, they will not only be a help but also a burden. If orders are not followed and troops trample each other, more soldiers will be killed than the enemy.
In this situation, the role of battle formations becomes apparent.
For a soldier, during peacetime training, there is no need to consider the overall situation or judge the changes in the battle. It is enough to just remember the positions and changes of the dozen or so people around him and coordinate with them.
Each soldier is a local unit. If everyone can remember their own position and the positions and changes of those around them, when military orders are issued, only the leading soldiers need to be informed. They can then lead the changes and prompt the other soldiers to follow suit, changing formations in a short time to adapt to changes on the battlefield.
However, while these things are simple in theory, getting soldiers to obey and master them depends on the commander's own abilities, including governing the army, training soldiers, communicating with them, and maintaining his own prestige.
Of course. In this Military Ranks World, Qiu Yan has mastered the Original Spirit and can connect with his troops with his thoughts. He doesn't need such complicated methods. With a single thought, everyone knows. As long as one has a basic understanding of Military World, they can cooperate and cover each other when things change, and the entire army can be commanded as if it were an extension of their own limb.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the soldiers in front formed their battle formation, a constant rumbling sound came from behind Qiu Yan. The ground trembled slightly as various machines were activated, continuously hurling large rocks, the recoil force penetrating the ground.
Just now, two scouts were hit by a hail of arrows from Lü Jun. Qiu Yan timed it perfectly and ordered the soldiers in charge of weapons to throw out projectiles to lure Lü Jun over.
These instruments vary in appearance but have similar outlines. Most of them are based on logs or square timbers, with wheels at the bottom and axles on the frame. The cannon tip forms a cross shape on the horizontal axis. The cannon tip is short at the top and long at the bottom, consisting of a short arm and a long arm. There are ropes attached to the short arm and accessories such as a scorpion tail at the end, connected to a scoop for holding stones.
This device was actually a catapult, but with different forces and angles. To prepare for future actions, Qiu Yan simply called it a "cannon."
The methods for making these weapons are recorded in the "Weaponry" section of the Essentials of the Military Classics," specifically in chapters such as "Weaponry."
The prototype of the catapult came from the records of the Military Pavilion, but it was quite primitive. It was not only laborious, but also had a very limited attack range and an alarmingly short lifespan. Moreover, both transportation and movement required a lot of manpower, which was very inconvenient, so it was abandoned.
Using this as a blueprint, Qiu Yan combined his knowledge from his previous life and used the computational power of his Divine Spirit Body to derive many branches, visualizing them one by one.
The siege equipment was deployed in a row, with soldiers replenishing the stones as they were launched, while simultaneously transmitting various pieces of information.
"Whirlwind Cannon Cart, Reclining Cart Cannon, Moving Cart Cannon, Traveling Cart Cannon... When these machines were being constructed, I simulated various scenarios in my mind, and estimated their service life and attack range. But ultimately, it was all speculation, and some details were hard to take into account. This is a good opportunity to obtain first-hand combat data! It can be considered as taking advantage of the situation."
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Stones flew out rapidly, cutting through the sky and drawing parabolic arcs before landing in the Lin Zhong. Immediately, a shockwave was felt, but it was quickly drowned out by shouts of battle!
"Boy! Prepare to die!" Lu Hu rode his snow-white tiger and charged out of the Lin Zhong, the tiger galloping straight at Qiu Yan in the crowd!
Behind him, a series of ferocious beasts, each carrying a rider, leaped out one after another without slowing down, rushing forward like a torrent!
Upon seeing this, a glint of light flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes. His pupils reflected the distant scene, and with a thought, he issued the order.
Ahead, several rows of archers immediately moved, raising their weapons, but not bows and arrows, but uniform Black-Lacquered Crossbow. These crossbows had a draw weight of over 2.5 shi (a unit of weight), and some of them even took out crossbows with Lever-Drawn Crossbow)!
The infantrymen took out several Crossbow Bed and lined them up in a row. The long arrows drawn on the crossbows trembled slightly, and the arrowheads gleamed coldly!
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers on whom Ran Lian and the others' consciousness were based were lined up in the infantry formation, watching the tigers and leopards charge and the crossbows appear at close range. The sense of killing intent and imminent danger brewed in their hearts, making their thoughts more focused and gradually showing a trend of transformation. Of course, fear also arose.
"Hmm?" Lu Hu's expression changed upon seeing the crossbow. He raised his hand to give the order, but before he could utter a sound, the arrowheads, gleaming coldly, had already flown off the bowstring!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The cold light rained down, and one of them reached Lu Hu's face in the blink of an eye. The cold air was so sharp that it felt almost tangible, and even Lu Hu felt a stinging pain on his face. Immediately, his Original Spirit erupted, guiding him with Military School tactics, causing the arrow to lose its force, and then he grabbed it in his hand.
This is because the avatar is only at the Foundation Establishment Peak stage. If it were in the real world, with Lu Hu's cultivation level, he wouldn't let the arrows get close at all, let alone with the help of the Original Spirit.
However, in the midst of Military Contest, the Original Spirit was greatly suppressed, and only the projection could be visualized. The reason it was able to erupt was because the arrow was too close to Lu Hu, which affected the visualization.
Compared to Lu Hu, the other Tiger-Leopard Cavalry did not possess such abilities.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Arrows pierced flesh, blood blossomed on the beast's body, and the knight on its back had his armor dented. Arrows flew past, grazing the armor, their sharp points scraping against it and sending sparks flying.
A spark fell, igniting the grass, and the flames grew larger!
Whew! Whew! Whew!
But the dense barrage of arrows did not break the tigers' and leopards' spirits. Their charge did not stop. People in the procession kept falling down, rolling, and collapsing along with their mounts. The number of people at the edge of the procession dwindled, but the main body continued to move forward like a torrent!
At the same time, he also drew his bow and shot an arrow in retaliation!
The arrows flew swiftly, piercing the flesh of the soldiers and archers, causing heavy losses to the Qiu Army, with many soldiers falling.
Blood splattered.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The charging tigers and leopards drew closer, the ground trembled more violently, and Qiu Army's soldiers swayed accordingly. Ran Lian, Fu Yong, and others in the crowd became even more tense. If it weren't for Qiu Yan's mental guidance, things might have already changed.
Finally!
Amidst the Heavenly Fire, the Tiger-Leopard Cavalry charged towards the archers. Qiu Yan seized the opportunity to change formation, with the archers retreating and the infantry advancing, raising their spears and lances as they charged forward.
"Hmph!" Lu Hu sneered, a bloody mark on his face, left from an arrow he had narrowly dodged just moments before.
The outcome is decided!
With a snort escaping his nose, Lu Hu slapped the beast beneath him, and the white tiger roared fiercely!
Roar!
A visible shockwave erupted, causing the infantrymen's spears to tremble violently, and the infantrymen were forced to retreat sharply.
Boom boom boom!
The Tiger-Leopard Cavalry charged on, and the infantry and archers were no match for them, easily overwhelmed!
Hoo hoo hoo~
In an instant, dozens of people were trampled and hacked to death, turning into grains of sand and falling to the ground.
Lu Hu charged straight in, as if entering an empty field. The snow-white tiger leaped and fell a few times, and entered the central army!
Swish!
A flash of cold light appeared, and Lu Hu suddenly had a long halberd in his hand. He pushed it forward, and the tip of the halberd was pointed directly at Qiu Yan's throat!
"Don't worry, I won't give you a chance to say your last words!"
Swish!
A flash of cold light, and blood scattered everywhere!
With a muffled groan, Lu Hu rolled off the back of the snow-white tiger. The tiger then pounced forward, its large, fan-shaped paws pressing down on Lu Hu's chest!
Press!
Puff!
Lu Hu coughed up blood, his eyes filled with shock and confusion. Beneath him, blood flowed, spreading around and staining the soil red.
What's going on?
The closest Tiger-Leopard Cavalry halted their charge, one of them sheathing his scimitar, the blade still dripping with blood.
Behind the riders, chaos erupted as tigers and leopards fought amongst themselves!
At this moment, Qiu Yan walked slowly over, stood in front of Lu Hu, and glanced down at him.
"You must really want to know the reason, right...?"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his head and looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly traversing space and reaching the edge of the heavens.
On the horizon, where the light glistens.
"Hmm?" Guo Ji was slightly taken aback. "He discovered this place?"
"It seems so." The Household Ancestor Chen shook his head with a sigh. "This Qiu Yan is still so unpredictable. What do you think, Brother Guo, do you see the reason?"
"No." Guo Ji shook his head. "I'm also very curious about what method he used to turn Thought Soldiers against his cause!"