More than two hundred archers stood at the forefront of the formation, each with a square shield, taller than a person, in front of them. The base of the shield was stuck into the ground and secured, like a temporary wall.
Behind the crossbowmen, in the center, was a spear formation consisting of four battalions.
It consisted of four Militia Private: the First Battalion, the Second Battalion, the Fifth Battalion, and the Sixth Battalion.
On the left and right sides were two battalions of swordsmen and shieldmen. Wu Shuangren divided the Third Battalion into two halves, with five hundred swordsmen and shieldmen on each side to protect the two flanks.
The Fourth Battalion Militia Private was also divided into two halves, with five hundred swordsmen and shieldmen guarding each flank.
The reason for this mixed formation is that the protection of both the left and right flanks is equally important. He needs to distribute the elite troops of the Third Battalion evenly on both sides to act as the mainstay and stabilize the situation.
Behind the battle formation were two regimental Militia Private from Rong Province Battalion, who were also arranged in a spear formation.
In addition, there were five battalions of the Yi Province Militia as reserves, positioned in the middle of the battle formation, ready to provide support to various locations at any time.
These five battalions were all elite units from the First Battalion, Second Battalion, and Third Battalion.
Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu led more than two hundred cavalrymen to the left side of the battle formation.
Because the enemy cavalry was too numerous, Wu Dongrong did not split his cavalry into two flanks this time; he could only do his best to protect one side.
Guan Sheng had previously led a thousand cavalrymen to harass them, but they were blocked by the barricades and horse pits that had been set up in advance.
He simply ordered his men to use lances to clear away or remove the outer barricades, thus clearing the battlefield, but did not launch an attack.
When the Yi Province Militia had initially set up their formation, the Mount Liang troops were less than 600 paces away from their battle formation.
From a distance, the formation on the opposite side appeared much narrower than that of the Yi Province Militia.
But just as there were walls of shields, forests of spears, fluttering banners, and thunderous drums!
There were no battle cries or duels between generals as depicted in historical novels.
Under the not-too-scorching morning sun, the battle formations of both armies gleamed coldly, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent!
The Mount Liang forces slowly advanced.
When the two armies were about four hundred paces apart, the archers from Mount Liang emerged from their battle formation.
More than 500 archers, all carrying square shields taller than a person, continued to advance.
The first column consists of crossbowmen, and the second and third columns consist of archers.
The archers on both sides were only about two hundred paces apart.
On the Yi Province Militia side, which had taken their positions in advance, the crossbowmen launched the first attack under Liao Dayong's command, and arrows pierced the air!
The archers on Mount Liang's side, shields raised, continued to push forward despite the arrows.
The two sides eventually engaged in a firefight at a distance of about 100 paces!
Everyone fixed their shields to the ground, hid behind them, and waited for the right opportunity to peek out and shoot arrows at the other side.
Arrows flew back and forth; some fell into the mud, some struck shields, and some hit archers who leaned out.
Both sides were bloodied.
Having experienced yesterday's archery drills against a charge of thousands of cavalry, the archers of the Yi Province Militia were much calmer now.
However, Mount Liang's archers outnumbered the Yi Province Militia by more than double, and their firepower was fierce!
Therefore, the exchange of fire lasted only a short while before Liao Dayong's archers were at a significant disadvantage.
The flags behind them began to wave, accompanied by the sound of drums.
Liao Dayong glanced back at the waving flag and then ordered a retreat.
Within the archer battalion's ranks, some men were also beating drums and waving flags.
The archers then raised their shields and retreated, withdrawing to the center of the battle formation through the temporary passage left at the rear.
"Raise your shields to defend against arrows!"
Wu Shuangren stood on a makeshift platform and issued orders.
The flag bearers of the Command Flag Battalion waved their flags again, and the four battalions in the front row, along with the Militia Private in the first rank, erected shields taller than a person and fixed them to the ground, while they themselves crouched down.
The Militia Private in the back rows shrank forward as much as possible, and the Militia Private in the last row also held shields high above their heads.
A hail of arrows quickly rained down on the shield.
Compared to the panic they experienced yesterday when facing the Mount Liang cavalry, the Militia Private of the Fifth Battalion and Sixth Battalion in the front ranks appeared much calmer today.
Even though some soldiers were occasionally wounded by arrows, the overall formation remained stable.
Compared to the menacing cavalry charge, the volleys of arrows coming from the opposite side today were relatively gentle.
While the Yi Province Militia was being suppressed by the rain of arrows, Guan Sheng had already led his cavalry in two groups of more than 500 riders each, approaching the left and right flanks of the Yi Province battle formation.
Instead of ordering his cavalry to attack the left and right flanks directly, he used cavalry to transport men to the vicinity of the battlefield.
The Mount Liang dismounted and rushed towards the left and right flanks of the Yi Province battle formation, but instead of launching an attack, they used bags filled with soil to quickly fill and flatten the horse pits that had been dug in the ground.
Some of the remaining barricades were also taken away by these Mount Liang soldiers.
Guan Sheng is preparing for the upcoming cavalry attack!
Wu Dongrong led his cavalry to guard the left flank. Seeing that Mount Liang had sent men to fill the chevaux-de-frise, he did not lead his cavalry to charge forward, but instead fired arrows from a distance to inflict some casualties.
However, there weren't many archers in the cavalry unit, and their accuracy was limited.
The Yi Province Militia ultimately lacked long-range firepower.
"Frontline troops, press forward!"
On the high platform, Wu Shuangren gave another order.
Logically, it would be more appropriate for Xu Jing to command the entire army, but Wu Shuangren still wanted to learn how to command battles himself. In any case, Xu Jing was right beside him, and if anything went wrong, the other party would promptly remind him.
As Wu Shuangren gave the order, the twelve large drums around him struck simultaneously, creating a thunderous sound!
Upon hearing the drumbeats and seeing the flags change, the Militia Private of the four battalions in the front row marched forward in unison, following the drumbeats of their respective ranks.
As the front ranks of the Yi Province Militia gradually advanced, Lu Yulin ordered his own archers to retreat as well.
Both sides' archers hid behind their own front ranks and switched to volley fire.
Arrows rained down, striking the shields with a clanging sound, but it was all drowned out by the footsteps and drumbeats on both sides.
The Yi Province Militia were all wearing uniform gray outfits, and the Mount Liang troops were also dressed primarily in gray.
Looking down from the city wall, it looked like two gray, turbid waves were about to collide violently on the ground!
The most brutal and dangerous hand-to-hand combat begins now!
166. A fierce battle, neither side retreating in the face of the enemy (Battle formation diagrams included)
Outside the north gate of Yi Province, this field has been trampled and trodden by vehicles for many years, and the terrain is relatively flat.
In the distance are lush forests and fields, while nearby, two armies clash, raising clouds of dust!
If we say that Mount Liang, who swept through Rong Province and then took Ya Province, was a true dragon crossing the river, then they were truly exceptional.
Wu Shuangren, who established the Yi Province Militia and began to show his prowess, and his Militia Private were like tigers descending from the mountain.
Today, Yi Prefecture City.
A fierce battle!
The spear formation of the Yi Province Militia consisted of more than 4,000 people, with more than 1,000 people in each rank, for a total of four ranks.
The first rank of Militia Private carried shields, while the second to fourth ranks held their Militia Private horizontally. The spears in their hands were more than ten feet long. The first two ranks of Militia Private rested their spears on the shoulders of the first rank of Militia Private, while the last rank was ready to take turns at any time.
The Mount Liang spear formation opposite them had far fewer people, only a little over two thousand; each row consisted of four rows of about five hundred people.
As the two sides drew closer, fewer arrows began to fall from above, and the archers on both sides ceased firing to avoid friendly fire.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The drumbeats, like a heartbeat, grew increasingly rapid.
Guo Jiwang stood on the city wall, watching the two armies fight below, his fists clenched, and he did not drink.
Although he was well-versed in military strategy, this scene was actually a first for him.
Guo Jiwang originally thought he wouldn't be nervous, but as the front lines of the Yi Province Militia and the Mount Liang army drew closer and were about to collide, his heart began to race.
He told Wu Shuangren that there was at least a 50% chance of winning this battle, but on the battlefield, even with a 99% chance of winning, there was still a chance of unforeseen changes!
If the Yi Province Militia is defeated in this battle, then there's no point in defending Yi Prefecture City; we'll have to surrender it.
As the two gray tides surged in the morning light, pushing faster and faster, they finally collided violently!
Excitement, fear, victory, dignity, hatred... all emotions intertwined, melting into the blade and spear at this moment.
Boom!!!
A series of loud explosions, like thunderclaps, echoed across the plains, making the hearts of those on the city walls leap.
What followed was an overwhelming roar of battle cries—
"Kill!!!"
"Forward! Forward!"
"Hold on, everyone!!"
The officers on both sides were shouting at the top of their lungs.
Some spears pierced the shields on the opposite side, while others collided with each other.
In some places, dozens or even hundreds of spears were completely intertwined, making it impossible for either side to push the spears forward or pull them out.
As the distance between the two sides closed further, some spears pierced through the shields from above, while others pierced through the gaps between the shields...
People on both sides were hit by spears and fell.
Blood stained the ground red. People in the front row fell, and those behind stepped over the corpses to fill the gaps. No one could retreat.
The battle formation of the Yi Province Militia was much wider, with both flanks extending significantly. As they advanced, the Militia Private on the flanks intentionally sped up, while the Militia Private in the middle lagged behind, ultimately causing the spear formation to form a 'V' shape.
This is a very common and classic Flying Geese Formation in military strategy.
The Flying Geese Formation has dozens of variations, and different troop types can combine to create different killing moves.
At Xu Jing's suggestion, Wu Shuangren ordered the spearmen of more than four thousand men to form a simple Flying Geese Formation.
As the two sides clashed, the two flanks of the Yi Province Militia's spear formation immediately thrust forward, looking like a pair of goose wings about to close, surrounding the Mount Liang spear formation and attacking the opponent's left and right flanks!
(As shown in the image above)
Spear formations, or most battle formations in general, are very vulnerable to sudden attacks from the flanks or rear when facing the enemy head-on, as this can easily lead to a complete collapse of the formation.
As the Yi Province Militia began to close in their Flying Geese Formation, Lu Yulin at the rear immediately gave the order to wave the battle flag, and the swordsmen and shieldmen on the left and right flanks of Mount Liang moved.
More than a thousand swordsmen and shieldmen on each side surged out from the two sides of the spear formation, forming an arc, attempting to attack the rear of the Yi Province Militia spear formation from the side!
On the high platform, Wu Shuangren was about to order his swordsmen and shieldmen to move up as well.
But Xu Jing grabbed his arm and whispered, "Wait a minute!"
Sure enough, the swordsmen and shieldmen on the right flank of Mount Liang suddenly stopped abruptly, then accelerated and changed direction, circling around in a larger arc. It seemed that they were going to bypass the front ranks and attack the archer and crossbowmen unit located behind the spear formation!
If Wu Shuangren had ordered his own swordsmen and shieldmen to be sent out earlier, they might have missed their target, leaving a gap in his defensive formation.
"That's fine."
Xu Jing released his grip.
Wu Shuangren immediately ordered, "The swordsmen and shieldmen on both flanks, move forward and block the enemy's swordsmen and shieldmen!"
Command flags waved, and twelve war drums sounded once more.
The swordsmen and shieldmen of the Yi Province Militia, positioned on the left and right flanks of the battle formation, quickly rushed out and engaged in fierce combat with the swordsmen and shieldmen of Mount Liang!
Shield against shield, blade against blade.
Someone grabbed the edge of the shield and dragged the person down, while someone suddenly stabbed from under the shield with a knife...
The swordsmen's fighting was less orderly than that of the spearmen's formation, appearing more chaotic. Screams and the clanging of weapons mingled together, and the two flanks of the battle formation resembled two boiling cauldrons!
Wu Shuangren stood on the high platform, glancing here and there. The battlefield before him had become a chaotic mess, leaving him feeling overwhelmed.
He ultimately lacked experience.