Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 481 They will surely be defeated in one battle.

“The enemy troops are cowardly and not as brave as our troops. They will fight and gain merit to win riches and honors.”

"Don't panic! The enemy soldiers are as cowardly as mice; killing them is as easy as killing chickens."

"kill!"

After the Danyang army's initial charge failed, they withdrew slightly, allowing the Tang officers to boost morale. The Tang soldiers, having just experienced the fierce battle with the Danyang army, were well aware of the enemy's strength and were filled with confidence and pride.

After a short while, the Danyang army reorganized its formation, and then the soldiers, shouting to bolster their courage, charged the Tang army's square formation again under the command of their officers, leveling their spears.

Almost instantly, the infantry of the two armies clashed again, and the sounds of fierce battle cries filled the air.

Seeing that the Tang army's banners did not move, Zhang Liao, who was stationed in the central command, could finally relax a little.

Before the battle, the generals were full of confidence, partly due to the bravery and skill of the Tang soldiers, and partly to boost morale. But no one dared to guarantee victory in the actual battle, especially with the king and the most elite national guard absent.

After all, Chen's army outnumbered their own by nearly two to one, and Chen's soldiers were arranged in a square formation, which, while not wide, was deep and solid, making it very advantageous for repeated attacks. Now, as long as they could withstand the second round of fighting, the enemy's morale would be greatly reduced.

With this in mind, Zhang Liao and Xun You briefly discussed it and then signaled for the cavalry to move out.

Upon receiving the order, Zhao Yun and Ke Bi each led Tang cavalry out, their objective being to defeat Chen's cavalry and harass the enemy's flanks.

"Dong dong dong..."

The drummer struck the war drums heavily.

But then they saw three thousand Tang cavalry on each flank, now like two dragons emerging from the sea, echoing each other from afar. The riders spurred their horses, their armor clanging, their bows like crescent moons, and dust swirling around them.

The two armies were less than two miles apart, and the Tang cavalry arrived at the front of the Chen army in an instant.

Because of the shortage of cavalry, Chen Jun concentrated his cavalry. Seeing that the Tang army had sent out cavalry on both flanks, Huang Zhong, who was in charge of the cavalry, immediately stepped forward to intercept the Tang cavalry on the left flank, leaving only a few hundred cavalry to garrison the right flank.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The Tang cavalry on the left flank swept past, their arrows flying out rapidly. The Chen cavalry, who were a step too slow to meet them and whose archery skills were inferior to the Tang cavalry, fell from their horses in just one exchange, causing commotion within the Chen cavalry.

The Tang cavalry's skill in archery, their rich combat techniques, the quality of their horses, and the sturdiness of their armor were unmatched by the Chen cavalry.

In the early days, Zhang Yu's cavalry consisted of warriors from the Dai region and a few non-Han peoples. During the Bingzhou period, Zhang Yu greatly expanded his army, recruiting Han, Wuhuan, Xiongnu, and Xianbei people into the Tang cavalry. At that time, the Han were called trap cavalry and the non-Han were called light cavalry.

During the period of annexing Guanzhong, Zhang Yu annexed the Han and Qiang armies in Guanzhong, and a large number of former Han cavalrymen were incorporated into the Tang cavalry, which led to a leap in the quality and quantity of the Tang army.

During the period of conquering Longyou, Zhang Yu conquered the former rebel forces of Liangzhou, and the Longyou cavalry, skilled in combat, greatly enriched the tactics of the Tang cavalry. By the time of conquering Hebei, Zhang Yu had recruited the former troops of Gongsun and Yuan Shao, and thus possessed the best cavalry in the land.

As for elite cavalry, there were assessment standards. Within the Tang army, there were assessments for "three arrows" and "three spears." The "three arrows" test involved shooting at close range at fifty paces, with all three arrows hitting the bullseye. The "three spears" test involved wielding spears with both hands while charging and thrusting, with all three spears hitting the enemy's head.

The scouts who had made contact with the enemy retreated on horseback, and the cavalry following behind, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the casualties among the front-line Chen cavalry, spurred their horses straight at the Chen cavalry, fiercely scattering them. Afterwards, the scouts flanked the Chen cavalry from both sides, engaging them in one-on-one combat.

"kill!"

The burly Chen cavalryman pursued the Tang cavalryman, who, wielding a bow and arrow, turned and shot. Caught off guard, the Chen cavalryman was struck in the cheek by an arrow, screamed in pain, and fell to the ground clutching his face.

Needless to say, Tang cavalry almost completely overwhelmed Chen cavalry in terms of combat skills. Tang cavalry could control their horses with their lower bodies without holding the reins, while Chen cavalry lacked horsemanship and could not fight with spears, only managing to slash with swords.

An inch longer, an inch stronger. The advantage of a spear in mounted combat far surpasses that of a ring-pommel sword. Thus, in the briefest contact between the Chen and Tang cavalry, the Chen cavalry suffered heavy casualties, like children fighting adults, resulting in a complete rout.

The Tang cavalry's valiant performance made Huang Zhong's eyes widen in fury. Previously, when three thousand elite cavalry were ambushed, he had thought that the Tang cavalry had the advantage of an ambush, but now, in a direct confrontation, it was clear that the Chen cavalry was no match for the Tang cavalry.

Although Huang Zhong possessed the courage to defeat ten thousand men, he was no match for the sheer number of enemy soldiers and thus found himself surrounded and attacked by Tang cavalry. However, he managed to kill several Tang riders with his own cavalry and, under the cover of his own men, broke through the encirclement. Afterward, Huang Zhong spurred his horse slightly away from the Tang cavalry and, in order to delay them, led his own men in mounted archery as much as possible.

Zhao Yun continuously directed the Tang cavalry to pursue and intercept the Chen cavalry, attempting to drive Huang Zhong's cavalry out of the battlefield.

While Chen's cavalry held out desperately, Tang's cavalry on the other flank, under the command of Kebi, attempted a ring-formation assault.

The Tang cavalry, in units of fifty, sought out and ambushed the Chen army's weak points. The Chen soldiers, meanwhile, lined up with spears and drew their bows to meet the Tang cavalry.

The infantry could shoot arrows from a hundred paces away, while the Tang cavalry could not shoot from less than thirty paces away. Therefore, it was common to see Tang cavalry suddenly advance and then retreat, trying their best to provoke the enemy troops.

After several repetitions, because the Tang cavalry were few in number each time and there was no specific attack, the Chen army gradually stopped firing their bows from a hundred paces away in order to conserve arrows.

Now, however, Kebi led more than ten armored cavalrymen in a feigned movement, provoking the Chen soldiers back and forth. The Chen soldiers seemed to see through Kebi's intentions and did not draw their bows to shoot at the cavalry.

In that moment of hesitation, Kirby seized upon Chen Qi's slackening and suddenly led his armored cavalry to the front of the battle.

The warhorses galloped so fast that only the sound of their hooves could be heard. The three leading Tang riders were as fast as lightning, and they rushed to the front of the formation. With a swift thrust of their lances, three soldiers fell to the ground.

The remaining Tang cavalrymen fired at close range, and in an instant, several Chen soldiers fell dead.

Kirby was even more valiant. Taking advantage of the moment when one of them turned to retreat, he grabbed the command flag held by the soldier and snatched it away.

Seeing Kobi close in and seize the flag, the soldiers were initially startled, then thrust their spears in unison. However, by the time the spears reached them, Kobi had already spurred his horse and moved several paces away. And by the time the archers drew their bows, Kobi had already moved fifty paces away from the armored cavalry, and the arrows could not harm the Tang cavalry in the slightest.

"Ha ha!"

Kirby laughed arrogantly and shouted, "Southerners, you rats!!"

A dozen or so riders swept through the enemy lines, killing and wounding several men and seizing a command flag before fleeing. This terrified the Chen soldiers, and the formation fell silent. In contrast, within the Tang cavalry, Ke Bi rode his horse and displayed the Chen flag to his men, greatly boosting their morale.

Cavalry charges at a speed far exceeding that of infantry, and cavalry can overwhelm infantry with their mobility. By repeatedly provoking the enemy, infantry can be exhausted, and then the cavalry can defeat them.

"Wan Sheng!"

"mighty!"

The riders shouted and cheered, their spirits immediately soaring.

With Kirby's influence, many followed his example. A brave cavalryman led several riders to provoke the enemy, first luring the enemy soldiers to fire arrows, then leading his cavalry in a charge, shooting at close range and killing or wounding several men.

Kirby returned, first provoking Chen's infantry, then charging at them again.

"The bandit general is here again!"

The small square formation that had been attacked earlier stared wide-eyed, involuntarily gripping their spears tighter.

However, when he was within an arrow's reach, Kirby suddenly turned his horse around and galloped off to another direction.

"Whizzing!"

The Tang cavalry shot several men, and when the foot archers returned fire, they turned their horses and retreated.

Chen's troops were unable to defeat Kebi, and all the soldiers were discouraged. An officer urged the stationed cavalry to fight, but Chen's cavalry knew they were no match for Tang's cavalry and refused to go into battle, which almost made Zhang Xun furious.

The helplessness of the Chen soldiers emboldened the Tang cavalry, and more than ten squads of Tang cavalry repeatedly provoked the Chen army from the flank. When the Chen soldiers fired arrows, the Tang cavalry would retreat; they would change arrows midway and then switch squads to charge again.

"Rat!"

The Tang cavalry's arrogant provocations frustrated the Chen soldiers. Some soldiers even fired arrows at the Tang cavalry as soon as they saw them provoking them. Foot archers could hit the target, but cavalry archers could not, so the Tang cavalry could not only dodge but also hit more Chen infantry soldiers.

After provoking the enemy more than ten times, Kirby's cavalry, without actually engaging in battle, had severely damaged the morale of the enemy's troops.

After demoralizing the enemy, Kirby did not take advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack. Instead, in order to exhaust the enemy troops, he divided his three thousand cavalry into three groups, deliberately sending out cavalry in shifts to keep watch, and always maintaining a size of one thousand men capable of fighting.

Amidst the fighting between the Tang cavalry, the Tang infantry once again repelled the Danyang soldiers' charge, inflicting heavy casualties on them.

After their second charge failed, the Chen troops were forced to retreat, regroup, and reinforce their ranks in preparation for a third assault. Meanwhile, the Tang infantry took the opportunity to rest and rotate, avoiding being overwhelmed by fatigue.

"General Zhang, Ke Bi sent a scout to inquire whether it is possible to launch a large-scale raid on the enemy's flank, given the slight movement on their flank."

Zhang Liao looked at Xun You and asked, "What is your opinion, sir?"

Xun You stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "The armored cavalry has not yet arrived. With the cavalry led by Ke Bi, I'm afraid it won't be enough to defeat the enemy. Moreover, the Chen army has many soldiers, which cannot be defeated in a short time. Therefore, we might as well observe the battle for now and wait for Your Majesty's troops."

"If Your Majesty leads a large army, the enemy will surely be thrown into panic!"

"good!"

Zhang Liao instructed, "According to Military Advisor Xun, let Kebi harass the enemy's flank and await Your Majesty's troops."

"promise!"

While the Tang and Chen armies were locked in fierce battle, Zhang Yu's Protectorate Army had just arrived at the battlefield and was resting about ten miles away on the right flank. Apart from Xu Chu, the Protectorate Army consisted of two generals, Gao Shun and Ma Chao, each leading infantry and cavalry, with a total strength of about seven thousand men.

"Your Majesty, our army is currently engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy. Zhao Yun is leading cavalry to attack the left flank, while Ke Bian is leading cavalry to raid the right flank. The enemy has few cavalry, and they are only prepared on the left flank, where they are currently fighting with Zhao Yun. However, there are no enemy cavalry on the right flank. Now, Ke Bian will lead his troops to raid the enemy's infantry and exhaust them," said Bu Luhu Tuli.

"How is the situation with Kirby's raid?" Zhang Yu asked.

"No one can stop us, our morale is soaring, and the enemy's troops are weakening," said Bu Luhu Tuli.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu pointed his whip forward and said in a deep voice, "Gao Shun, listen to my command. Order your troops to mount their horses and march to within two miles of the enemy lines to form ranks. Use heavy infantry to break through the enemy's lines."

Where is Ma Chao?

"The general is here!"

Zhang Yu said, "When we reach a distance of two li, we will lead our cavalry in armored formations, ready for a charge and battle."

"promise!"

Watching the advancing troops, Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes, revealing a murderous intent. Today, he would surely defeat Yuan Shu in one battle.

As noon approached, on the right flank where the Tang and Chen armies were locked in battle, a force of infantry and cavalry slowly spread across the plains, engulfing the withered grass and trees. Banners were raised high like a forest, and armor clanged as it rolled in like waves.

The infantry carried spears, longbows, and daggers and axes, and wore iron armor, not cloth armor. Thousands of elite cavalry rode tall Liangzhou horses, wielding spears and daggers, carrying arrows and quivers on their backs. They wore one layer of cloth armor, while another layer of scale armor was carried by a secondary horse.

In the army formation, the crowd surrounded two large banners, one inscribed with 'Tang' and the other with 'Zhang'.

When Zhang Yu reined in his horse and stopped under the banner, everyone stopped and gazed at the vast battlefield.

(End of this chapter)