"Those coming from behind, carry the injured away!"
Several company commanders and captains in the team were constantly trying to stabilize morale and boost the morale of the troops.
"No running around! Anyone who does will be dealt with according to military law!"
Liao Dayong roared repeatedly.
Upon hearing the words "military law enforcement," some terrified Militia Private immediately stopped in their tracks.
The image of Wu Shuangren beating fleeing Militia Private to a bloody pulp with military clubs in front of everyone Yi Prefecture City flashed through their minds.
If I don't run, I might just die; but if I run now, I'll definitely be beaten to death with military sticks afterwards!
If things stabilize now, we can earn merit and receive a reward afterward; even if we die, our families will receive compensation, and we can become ' Yi Province Martyr '...
These ideas kept popping into the minds of many Militia Private.
Ultimately, the initially panicked crossbowmen unit regained their composure and did not flee.
"The entire crossbow unit shall retreat thirty paces!"
Liao Dayong issued the order.
The contest between mounted archery and foot archery is a test of both sides' control of distance and their prediction of the arrow's landing point.
One is dynamic, and the other is relatively static.
The Mount Liang cavalry only needed to fire at a general area each time. However, since the cavalry were moving quickly and were positioned at the rear of the formation, it was very difficult for the archers and crossbowmen, who had no line of sight, to hit them.
Therefore, infantry archers had the advantage in attack range, while mounted archers had the advantage in attack placement.
Liao Dayong led his archer brigade back thirty paces, temporarily avoiding the threat of mounted archers, but their counterattacks were no longer accurate.
Most of the arrows that were launched landed crookedly in the soil in front of the position, and very few of them could directly threaten the cavalry that rushed past.
On the hillside, Wu Shuangren and the others watched the crossbowmen engage in battle with the enemy cavalry.
"Still a lack of training."
Xu Jing began, "The truly elite archers in the border army will send men to the front ranks to constantly observe the movements of the enemy cavalry, relaying orders through command flags, and reporting the approximate location of the enemy to the archers at the rear of the formation, allowing the archers to continuously adjust the angle of their shots to control the landing point of the arrows."
Wu Shuangren nodded.
The crossbowmen squad led by Liao Dayong is currently just guessing, with a very low hit rate.
This crossbow unit does not yet possess the ability to precisely control the landing point of arrows at any time on the battlefield.
Reaching this level requires years of training and the accumulation of practical experience.
Wu Dongrong then spoke up, "The commander of this Mount Liang cavalry force should be quite experienced. He's noticed our archers' lack of experience, so he'll have his cavalry get closer and closer. In the end, they might even have their cavalry charge within ten paces of our lines, using powerful crossbows and bows to break through our shields and inflict casualties on our front lines!"
Liao Yu continued, "If our front line has any weaknesses, and the formation in some areas is completely disrupted, the cavalry will seize the opportunity to charge in and completely disrupt our formation!"
Xu Jing shared his experience with Wu Shuangren from the perspective of defending against cavalry.
Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu then explained to Wu Shuangren, from the perspective of cavalry attack, how the enemy might fight next.
Because of the experience of these people, Wu Shuangren arranged as many elite troops as possible from the first, second, and Third Battalion in the frontal formation beforehand.
To the right of the official road is a hilly area, which would be inconvenient for Mount Liang's cavalry to make a detour and launch a flanking attack. Therefore, they could confidently focus their defenses on the front.
The subsequent developments in the battle unfolded exactly as Wu Dongrong had predicted.
The Mount Liang cavalry charged again and again, getting closer and closer to the front ranks of the Yi Province Militia.
Suddenly, a dozen riders rushed to within ten paces of the front row, took out their crossbows with the strings already cocked, and fired at close range!
Arrows pierced the wooden shields, and some even wounded the Militia Private behind them.
The front ranks of the Yi Province Militia immediately stirred!
Next, more and more Mount Liang cavalrymen approached before starting to fire, searching for weaknesses in the Yi Province Militia.
At that very moment, crossbow bolts were also fired from the front ranks of the Yi Province Militia!
Within ten paces, even though these Mount Liang cavalrymen were wearing lamellar armor, they were still pierced by powerful crossbow bolts, blood spurting out, and one by one, the cavalrymen fell from their horses.
Some crossbow bolts struck the warhorses, and the riders were thrown violently from their saddles as the horses neighed.
Some of the front-line Militia Private decisively attacked, and seven or eight of them quickly stepped forward and used their spears to stab the fallen Mount Liang cavalrymen to death!
Seeing this, the Mount Liang cavalry stirred. Those cavalrymen who were about to charge back reined in their horses, turned around, and retreated.
However, after hearing Wu Dongrong's prediction, Wu Shuangren immediately ordered Liao Dayong to lead all the crossbowmen of the archer brigade to hide in the front ranks, while the archers continued to fire to confuse the enemy.
At this moment, the crossbowmen in the formation suddenly counterattacked, finally inflicting considerable casualties on the Mount Liang cavalry!
"Our archers are few in number, and the enemy general may choose to divide his forces, sending some cavalry to try to take a detour."
Wu Dongrong continued to Wu Shuangren, "Although the terrain around here is not suitable for cavalry charges, it's not entirely impossible to find a way around. When the enemy general sent his cavalry to test the waters, he must have also sent people to scout the surrounding terrain. He probably has a general idea of what to do now."
As he spoke, he pointed to the surrounding terrain, telling Wu Shuangren which route the enemy was most likely to take to bypass them and which direction they would attack from...
Wu Shuangren nodded repeatedly, taking the opportunity to learn about cavalry tactics.
Xu Jing, standing to the side, looked at Wu Dongrong; now he was certain of his guess—
Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu must have been top-ranking cavalrymen or mid-to-lower-level officers in a certain elite cavalry unit of the border army.
Otherwise, the two men wouldn't have had such extensive experience in cavalry warfare.
Xu Jing came from a military family and was raised to be a general from a young age. But if we're talking about the ability to command small elite cavalry units in battle, he admits he's far inferior to Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu!
Not long after, just as Wu Dongrong had predicted, the Mount Liang cavalry split up.
More than 500 cavalrymen circled around to the right hills, while the remaining 500 cavalrymen continued to attack the front ranks of the Yi Province Militia, launching volleys to hold back the Yi Province Militia's archers.
Wu Shuangren stood on the hillside, his eyes wide as he watched the more than five hundred Mount Liang cavalry slowly climb up the hill, like a giant gray python, constantly changing direction in the undulating mountains, circling around the flank of the Yi Province Militia.
The more he looked, the more astonished he became, and he couldn't help but turn to look at Wu Dongrong. The marching route of these five hundred-plus Mount Liang cavalrymen was exactly the same as the one Wu Dongrong had just described to him!
The enemy was like they had cheat codes; they completely predicted every move of the Mount Liang cavalry!
Sensing his son's surprised gaze, Wu Dongrong's usually serious face softened with a smile. He smiled slightly but said nothing.
Finally, more than 500 Mount Liang cavalrymen circled around to a relatively gentle slope.
However, this hillside had already been occupied by Wu Shuangren's Militia Private, with hundreds of Militia Private forming a dense formation on the hillside, ready for battle.
Then came another barrage of arrows as a probing attack.
The Yi Province Militia Private on the hillside maintained their formation, using shields for cover, their long spears protruding outwards like steel hedgehogs.
After several volleys of arrows, seeing that the Yi Province Militia Private on the hillside did not waver, the Mount Liang cavalry began to attempt a close-range attack.
But this time, crossbow bolts were also fired from the ranks of the Yi Province Militia!
Previously, the crossbow battalion only had 52 powerful crossbows and 11 magic crossbows. But after defeating the Mount Liang vanguard yesterday, Wu Shuangren captured 23 powerful crossbows.
He deployed all twenty-three powerful crossbows on this position on the flank.
After several close-range attacks yielded no advantage, the more than 500 Mount Liang cavalrymen once again turned their horses around and circled off in a more distant direction.
"They're planning a flanking attack!"
Wu Dongrong looked at Wu Shuangren, "Let's do as we agreed beforehand. Liao Yu and I will lead the cavalry battalion!"
He had told Wu Shuangren beforehand that if the Mount Liang cavalry planned to flank them, he would lead a large cavalry force to launch a preemptive strike and harass them.
Wu Shuangren nodded. Wu Dongrong's accurate prediction had given him much more confidence in his father.
A moment later, more than two hundred cavalrymen from the Yi Province Militia, led by Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu, charged down the hillside in pursuit of the Mount Liang cavalry!
To prevent the enemy from sending a skilled assassin to behead him, Xu Nanzhi also rode along on horseback, staying by Wu Dongrong's side.
Wu Shuangren stood on the hillside, looking to his right.
Wu Dongrong led his cavalry in a long, dragon-like formation, chasing after the Mount Liang cavalry.
Wu Dongrong's grasp of timing and distance was impeccable. When he led his men to catch up, the Mount Liang cavalry were positioned right in front of a hillside.
If the Mount Liang cavalry wanted to get around to the rear of the Yi Province Militia formation, they had to cross the hillside in front of them, so their speed inevitably slowed down.
Wu Dongrong had already led his cavalry to the scene. Instead of charging directly forward, he circled to the right and led his cavalry to fire arrows at the Mount Liang cavalry ahead.
Because the Mount Liang cavalry slowed down and their formation became relatively dense, even though the Yi Province Militia cavalry's archery skills were still quite poor, they still managed to hit quite a few Mount Liang cavalrymen.
The Mount Liang cavalrymen on horseback turned around and fought back. However, under Wu Dongrong's leadership, the cavalry force increased their speed quickly and their formation was very dispersed, so few of them were hit by arrows.
"Chase!"
Guan Sheng, who was personally leading the team, gave the order to turn his horse around and lead the Mount Liang cavalry to chase after the Yi Province Militia's cavalry brigade.
He noticed the Yi Province Militia cavalry from the start and immediately decided to target them, pretending to continue flanking while actually waiting for them to get closer.
He originally planned to lead the Mount Liang cavalry close to the hillside, then suddenly detour and attack the Yi Province Militia cavalry that was catching up, catching them off guard.
Unexpectedly, the other side suddenly accelerated, catching them off guard!
"Their cavalry commander is no ordinary man."
Guan Sheng was secretly on guard, but a strong fighting spirit also rose within him!
He quickly led more than 500 Mount Liang cavalrymen in an arc and gave chase.
The Mount Liang cavalry wore brown lamellar armor, while the Yi Province Militia cavalry mostly wore white lamellar armor.
From a distance, it looked like two dragons, one black and one white, were chasing each other on the ground, raising clouds of dust!
Because Wu Dongrong seized the initiative and led his cavalry battalion to complete the turn first, he kept his cavalry battalion positioned to the right front of the Mount Liang cavalry.
Most of these Mount Liang cavalrymen were unable to shoot arrows with either hand, making it impossible for them to fire at the enemy on their right front during a pursuit.
On the contrary, Wu Dongrong, with some skilled archers, deliberately lagged behind, turning around on horseback to shoot arrows at the Mount Liang cavalry.
Guan Sheng, leading the Mount Liang cavalry, kept trying to adjust their direction or suddenly increase their speed in an attempt to close the distance.
Wu Dongrong, however, countered each move, consistently maintaining a relatively safe distance between the two cavalry units.
However, no matter how well Wu Dongrong commanded, he could not bridge the overall gap in horsemanship between the two sides. Most of the cavalrymen in the Yi Province Militia had only just learned to ride horses and were unable to keep up with the rapidly changing pace of mounted combat.
The Mount Liang cavalry were getting closer and closer to the Yi Province Militia's cavalry contingent and were about to catch up.
A thousand-strong infantry formation appeared at the foot of a hill ahead. Xu Jing led a battalion down the hill and formed a defensive formation.
Wu Dongrong was not surprised at all. He led his cavalry straight into Xu Jing's infantry formation, passing through the passage that Xu Jing had specially left for them, and arrived at the rear of the infantry formation.
"Combine!"
Xu Jing shouted the order from the ranks.
The flag bearer waved the flag, and the drummers in the formation rhythmically struck out the beats.
The infantry formation, divided into three sections, quickly regrouped and 'closed' the temporary passage.
Spears stood like a forest, pointed at the Mount Liang cavalry charging towards them.
Wu Dongrong and Xu Jing executed a near-perfect riding and step coordination!
Guan Sheng witnessed this from behind and was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
He never imagined that his initial slowness would lead to a continuous series of slowdowns!
"Hold on, all of you! Don't be afraid!"
The battalion that Xu Jing brought down was the Fifth Battalion led by Shi Chen.
At this moment, Shi Chen shouted loudly in the formation, constantly encouraging everyone.
As the Mount Liang cavalry charged closer and closer, the Militia Private of the Fifth Battalion's palms were covered in cold sweat.
Of course, some people were afraid, but they were also afraid of the military law established by Wu Shuangren.
Some people also yearn to make meritorious contributions, to be promoted in rank, to receive rewards, and even to be allocated land and property!
Trust your companions, and your companions will trust you! As long as you don't back down, your companions won't back down either!
This is the sentence that everyone hears most often during "trust training".
They had become accustomed to repeatedly turning their backs to their teammates during training.
Now, they are about to risk their lives!
With all sorts of thoughts swirling together, the group managed to maintain their formation and avoid chaos.
Seeing that the infantry formation ahead was orderly and there was no obvious disturbance, Guan Sheng could only lead the Mount Liang cavalry to slow down, circle around, and launch projectiles at the infantry formation ahead.
Meanwhile, the Militia Private of the Fifth Battalion had already raised their shields, forming a tight shield formation to block the incoming rain of arrows.