Tiger Guards

Chapter 251: Capture in One Battle

"The governor has ordered that no fighting be carried out!"

Wen Chou sent a messenger out at high speed, who came directly to the front of the Qianzhao formation to convey Ju Su's order.

Qian Zhao asked in return, "At this point, is there any room for our army to retreat?"

The emissary was speechless and looked around, but no one could help him.

Qian Zhao, whip in hand, pointed at the Jin army as they adjusted their formation. "The enemy cavalry has crossed the Taihang Mountains and must be fatigued. They are now challenging us with a small number of elite cavalry, intent on crushing our morale. If we avoid the fight, how will we respond if their larger force descends upon us later?"

What's more, the terrain here means he has no way to escape.

To the north is the turbulent Hutuo River, which is difficult for horses to cross.

Although the river in the south is not very wide, the water temperature is pleasant in the afternoon and you can barely swim across it on horseback.

But the problem is, if you ride your horse and swim across the river, who will cover your retreat?

The two rivers, north and south, gradually narrow as they flow eastward, becoming densely covered with reeds and swamps. Although they are passable and can reach Xiaquyang, they are not really suitable for escaping.

From a topographical perspective, this is a dead end for cavalry, with nowhere to retreat after defeat.

But is there any way to do it?
Yuan Xi's troops, who were originally expected to cross the Hutuo River to join him yesterday, were reluctant to cross the river, and Zhao Ji took advantage of this opportunity.

Not to mention Qian Zhao, even the front commander Ju Su found it difficult to control Yuan Xi's troops.

Fortunately, their own military strength was superior. If Zhao Ji and Zhang Yan gathered the cavalry and pushed forward... there would be no need to start a battle, and the more than a thousand cavalry under Qian Zhao's command would have escaped on their own.

This is how the battlefield is. Those who participate in the war are actively looking for opportunities to bully the minority with their numbers.

In the case of a local advantage, even those who are half-hearted will maintain their fighting spirit and blend into the team to gain an advantage.

This is also the reason why the army becomes larger and larger when the wind is in their favor, and becomes smaller and smaller when the wind is against them.

Regardless of the party, the core forces are limited, and the vast majority of the forces are either allies or peripheral fence-sitters.

He waved his horse back and took the lance from the guard. With a serious look on his face, he looked at the enemy cavalry in the distance who were slowly galloping after forming a battle formation and gradually accelerating.

Seeing the enemy cavalry in front, Qian Zhao was about to order an attack, but more than a hundred Wuhuan cavalry on the right wing launched a charge without authorization, causing the entire army to accelerate and charge.

Qian Zhao could only kick the horse hard in the belly: "Charge!"

More than a hundred fellow villagers mounted guards on both sides of Qian Zhao, and a dozen brave warriors rode on good horses, bypassed Qian Zhao and became the spearhead, charging forward with spears between their legs.

There were no drums to support the battle on either side. The charging crimson and purple knights believed in Zhao Ji and believed they could win.

The Wuhuan cavalry, wearing black and gray leather robes and armor, relied on their large numbers and were also excited, vying for the lead.

This group of Wuhuan cavalry did not charge on the wall, but gradually gathered together during the charge, as if a human-shaped wave was pressing down, and the dust it raised continued to rise, even covering the battle flags waving behind them.

Zhao Yun was the spearhead of the attack. He broke away from the formation and led the charge, acting as the guide of the cavalry.

He held the spear in both hands and blocked the arrows left and right when he was about a hundred steps away. In less than a breath, some threatening arrows were blocked by Zhao Yun.

Zhao Ji was following Zhao Yun about twenty steps behind, riding steadily on his horse, shooting bows left and right, and arrows flew past Zhao Yun on both sides.

One by one, the Wuhuan cavalrymen rushed towards Zhao Yun with spears in hand. Except for the three knights in front, the remaining seven or eight brave cavalrymen who dared to charge were shot by arrows and fell off their horses, and were trampled by the Wuhuan cavalrymen behind them.

His companions on both sides were shot by arrows and fell off their horses, which immediately interfered with the three cavalrymen facing Zhao Yun.

When knights charge, they must maintain a distance between front and back, left and right. The three knights walked in a line. Zhao Yun easily knocked down the first knight with one spear. The second knight was blocked by the chaotic horses and had to turn to avoid.

Even so, he dodged while sweeping the spear in his right hand, trying to scratch and hit Zhao Yun.

Just as the spear was sweeping across, Zhao Ji shot an arrow, hitting the man in the face and causing the spear to fly out of his hand.

Zhao Ji noticed a shadow flying towards him from the corner of his eye, so he swung his bow and shot the arrow away.

By the time he put the arrow back on his bow, Zhao Yun in front had already shot down the third rider and rushed into the dust raised by the Wuhuan riders.

Zhao Ji saw an enemy cavalryman who looked like the leader and shot him down with an arrow.

At this time, the cavalry of both sides collided with each other, and all kinds of noises burst out. The cavalry that successfully passed through did not stop and continued to ride forward.

What the Wuhuan people did not expect was that Zhao Ji had concentrated more than 200 cavalry here. The Wuhuan cavalry who broke through the first cavalry line had slowed down, and after struggling to get through the second cavalry line, they were soon defeated by the third and fourth cavalry.

The Wuhuan cavalry that failed to break through the first line of cavalry either stopped due to the collision or engaged in horseback fighting on the spot.

However, the Jin cavalry did not dare to stop and had no intention of fighting. After a brief exchange of blows, they continued to control their horses and move forward.

Anyone who dares to stay where they are may be hit by the cavalry from behind.

In just a dozen breaths, fifty or sixty Wuhuan cavalrymen on the front suffered heavy losses; however, more Wuhuan cavalrymen passed by from both sides and fired intensively at the Jin cavalrymen in the middle.

As long as the arrows didn't hit the horses' vital parts, the Jin cavalrymen wouldn't be affected in their movements.

Qian Zhao saw Zhao Yun, Zhao Ji, and the other Jin cavalry who had broken through the Wuhuan formation.

In the dust, it was difficult to avoid the attacks, so he could only grit his teeth and follow the fellow knights to maintain the attack formation.

The strong cavalrymen from the village who were standing in front of Qian Zhao were unable to stop Zhao Yun. They were either stabbed down by his spears or knocked off their horses by the heavy blows of his spears.

At this moment, Zhao Ji even reached the state of unity between man and horse. He didn't need to concentrate on controlling the horse, and Yue Lihei under him could run according to his wishes.

He repeatedly drew his bow to clear the cavalry and cavalry on both sides of Zhao Yun to prevent him from being distracted.

Zhao Yun suddenly felt refreshed and rushed directly to Qian Zhao's horse. Qian Zhao thrust his spear with all his might, his face full of anger and fierce expression, determined to fight until his death.

Zhao Yun used his spear to deflect Qian Zhao's spear. As they passed each other, Zhao Yun held the spear in both hands and stabbed the rider behind Qian Zhao in the waist and abdomen, easily knocking him off his horse.

When the opponent fell off his horse, Zhao Yun retracted his blood spear and stabbed again, and slowed down his horse in an attempt to block the cavalry who was leading him.

After exchanging a move with Zhao Yun, Qian Zhao rushed straight towards Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji released the bowstring with an expressionless face. The long arrow flashed and hit the right chest of Qian Zhao's mount.

The mount suddenly lost its strength, and Qian Zhao lost his balance. He raised his hand to grab the reins, but the horse rushed forward seven or eight steps and collapsed to the ground, and Qian Zhao rolled off the horse.

Without waiting for Qian Zhao to stand up, Chang Mao, who was passing behind Zhao Ji, reached out and grabbed the cloak on Qian Zhao's back and lifted him up.

Soon another knight approached and reached out to grab one of Qian Zhao's hands. In this way, the two of them pulled Qian Zhao forward from the left and right, preventing him from being trampled to death by the cavalry behind.

Seeing Qian Zhao being captured, his fellow cavalrymen immediately lost their will to fight and turned around and fled.

The battle flag of "Chengshi Zhonglang" was also thrown on the ground. Whoever carried this flag would find it difficult to escape.

Zhao Yun threw away the bloody spear and found another handy lance on the ground. He had no time to chase after Qian Zhao's fellow cavalrymen. With Wuhuan cavalry approaching, Zhao Yun had no choice but to engage in battle.

Zhao Ji readjusted the position of his quiver and charged forward with Zhao Yun without a second thought.

Qian Zhao was knocked unconscious by Chang Mao with a punch and was tied to the horse's back to move together.

The entire battlefield was filled with dust, and Han and Hu cavalry were chasing each other everywhere.

On top of the Gengxiang Arrow Tower, Wen Chou saw Qian Zhao's battle flag fall and couldn't help but feel concerned.

Qian Zhao was from Guanjin, Anping State, and Wen Chou was from Nangong, Anping State.

While Wen Chou was watching the battle, Sima Yushou climbed up the arrow tower and said, "Captain, the enemy cavalry is strong. Should we send troops to support them?"

They also realized that the Jin army's cavalry were not afraid of arrows, and a dozen cavalry dared to chase dozens of Wuhuan cavalry.

These cavalry also had horse bows, and relying on their strong armor, they could shoot at will.

Although the Wuhuan people's turning around and shooting when they evacuated or retreated was effective, it was relatively limited.

The battlefield was limited, and the retreating Wuhuan people had lost their offensive rhythm. As long as they dodged, they would often encounter and collide with another team of Jin cavalry.

After fighting for less than two minutes, the Wuhuan knights were already exhausted.

Wen Chou pointed to the west, where Wei Xing was already approaching with his reinforcement knights, raising a cloud of dust, and it was unknown how many riders were coming.

Seeing what Wen Chou pointed at, Yu Shou gave up the idea of leaving the camp to support the Wuhuan cavalry.

After observing for a moment, Wen Chou said, "The Bingzhou knights are well-armed and skilled in horseback archery. They are a formidable foe. Please inform the governor immediately. Please be vigilant and take precautions against enemy raids."

"Yes."

Yu Shouying continued to observe the battlefield. The battlefield became larger and larger, and the dust began to spread eastward.

Seeing this, he knew that the Wuhuan knights had retreated and were evacuating eastward. They could run to Xiaquyang, which was a grain storage area on the front line and had its own army to support them, so they would not be hunted down to death.

On the battlefield, when Zhao Yun attacked in that direction, no matter how many Wuhuan knights there were in that direction, they either retreated or scattered to the left and right.

Even though the situation was dangerous, the Wuhuan cavalry were still running around the battlefield, trying to rescue their fallen comrades or collect more horses.

Obviously, they have adapted to the attacks of the armored cavalry. As long as they delay for a period of time and wear down the cavalry's horsepower and endurance, the initiative will be transferred to the Wuhuan people.

As for Qian Zhao, who might be captured or killed in battle... his life or death is not important to the Wuhuan people at this moment.

Retreating if they cannot gain any advantage is a very dangerous thing for the Wuhuan people, especially their leaders.

But with the arrival of Wei Xing and more new knights, the Wuhuan people could not stop their collapse and fled eastward.

Wei Xing was naturally chasing the Wuhuan here. There were rivers on both the north and south sides, so it was difficult for a third force to intervene. Why did he let the Wuhuan people go with such a good opportunity?

(End of this chapter)