Tiger Guards

Chapter 512 Destroy the Arrow Array
The circular arrow array on the west side of the Qin Straight Road rotates clockwise. This arrow array is extremely large, with a diameter of more than two li.

A Xianbei cavalryman could fire two or three arrows after a lap of riding.

Zhao Ji had no time to analyze or summarize the operational patterns of the western arrow formation.

He led over a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen from west to east, close to the southern end of the circular arrow formation, and launched a counterattack against the galloping cavalry!
At this moment, Zhao Ji couldn't utter any meaningful shouts; any sound would be drowned out by the trampling of horses' hooves.

He knew very well that he could only achieve the greatest results by going against the main force of cavalry. If he avoided the battle and went to the right, he would be exposed to the long-range firepower of both the enemy and his own forces. If he went to the left to avoid the enemy cavalry, he would be trapped in the middle of the circular arrow formation and be shot to death by arrows coming from all directions!

At this point, the only way to minimize casualties was to charge into the largest Xianbei cavalry force!

Zhao Ji formed the attack arrowhead, his body rising and falling with the galloping of his mount, his entire being steady and stable, man and horse as one.

I held my breath and focused intently, and the Xianbei cavalry rushing towards me appeared to be moving in slow motion.

The observable field of view is only about 20 degrees directly in front, and everything on the sides is blurred.

The Iron Cavalry followed Zhao Ji and charged against the tide. Some of the Iron Cavalrymen also changed their perspectives similar to Zhao Ji's, but most of them could only charge with their spears at the ready, trying to knock their opponents off their horses the moment they engaged in combat.

The Xianbei cavalry had no time to dodge. Most of them were completely unaware of the changes on the outside battlefield. They simply followed the cavalry, then fired at the Han army formation, and then crouched on their horses to avoid the arrows fired by the Han army.

In other words, when Zhao Ji launched his charge, the Xianbei cavalry were either drawing their bows and crouching on their horses to avoid arrows in the area where the two sides were about to collide, or were executing this tactical maneuver.

As a result, Zhao Ji found that he could not find a suitable head to chop off.

He could only hold the horse-slaying sword with both hands and aim at the right front, where a Xianbei cavalryman was crouching on the north side of the saddle. He also saw Zhao Ji, but before he could react, the horse-slaying sword in Zhao Ji's hand, which was slightly angled downwards, pierced the leather hat on his head, and then he completely lost consciousness.

This was the first time the Iron Cavalry had charged into the circular arrow formation. They mostly adjusted the angle of their lances, and almost all the Iron Cavalrymen held their lances in their right hands, which was perfect for stabbing the Xianbei cavalrymen who were crouching on the left side of their saddles.

Like straw men fixed in place, the Xianbei cavalry were struck one after another in the instant of combat.

The Xianbei cavalry in front were caught off guard, and those behind them were even less able to react. Many Xianbei cavalrymen had only just fired their last arrow when they had to put down their bows and lie prone on the side of their horses.

Zhao Ji found it much easier to deal with the heads that hadn't yet shrunk back.

With a flick of his double-edged sword, he easily and precisely sliced ​​through neck after neck.

The battle had barely lasted three breaths when, apart from a small number of iron cavalry who managed to break through the gaps in the enemy cavalry with Zhao Ji's help, most of the iron cavalry collided with the enemy horses and their speed gradually decreased.

The Black Flag Daredevils filed out through the circular gap created by the iron cavalry, appearing in the center of the circular arrow formation, and advanced westward.

On the sled, archers aimed and fired at the Xianbei cavalry. Even if they missed the knights, shooting at such close range at the horses could at best startle them and cause chaos, and at worst kill them on the spot, causing them to turn and trample, indirectly harming other Xianbei people.

Zhao Ji advanced alone, holding his breath and concentrating intently. He didn't even need to think about anything; he only needed to slightly swing the attack range of his sword left and right to easily slit open necks.

Soon Zhao Ji's luck ran out, and his mount finally collided with an even denser group of Xianbei cavalry.

Zhao Ji also exhaled and inhaled sharply, exiting that state of deep concentration. The battle cries that had been interrupted for a long time resounded in his ears again. He brandished his sword as he breathed, slashing wildly at the Xianbei cavalry charging and crowding in front of him.

The horse-slaying sword easily cuts through the opponent's flesh, leather clothing, and swords; almost nothing can withstand or resist Zhao Ji's horse-slaying sword.

This meant that every attack Zhao Ji made would generate large plumes of blood mist and rising white vapor.

After he slashed wildly for more than ten moves, there were no more intact Xianbei knights in front of him or behind him, and he was surrounded by ownerless horses.

The Xianbei cavalrymen in front were filled with extreme terror. Before them were large plumes of white vapor rising, as well as body parts that had fallen to the ground, or bloodied parts that were still on the backs of their horses.

They didn't want to get close to Zhao Ji, but the cavalry kept charging from behind, forcing them to squeeze their unclaimed warhorses close to Zhao Ji in a state of extreme fear, only to be cut down by Zhao Ji's slashing horse-slaying sword.

A dozen or so iron knights arrived behind Zhao Ji and thrust their lances at him from horseback.

Their arrival formed a makeshift wall, slowing the escape of the stray warhorses.

Soon, more and more iron knights arrived, engaging the Xianbei cavalry in close combat. At the same time, on the southern side of the battlefield, the central vanguard organized archers to unleash a dense barrage and rapid fire on the large, chaotic group of Xianbei knights who had accumulated at the obstruction of the Xianbei's circular arrow formation.

Meanwhile, the Black Flag suicide squad convoy weaved through the inner circle of arrows and fired at the chaotic Xianbei knights who had accumulated.

The dense barrage of arrows from both flanks caused the Xianbei cavalry to collapse... But even in your collapse, you cannot ignore physical collisions.

Thus, the Xianbei knights who were on the outermost edge and able to retreat encountered more concentrated attacks and casualties; although the Xianbei knights in the middle of the crowd suffered less casualties, every arrow that fell would cause effective damage to them.

Amidst panic, anger, helplessness, and grief, the Xianbei cavalrymen, blocked by the iron cavalry, fell from their horses one after another, struck by arrows or jostled in the crowd. Then, the horses pushed and trampled them, and the screams of those who fell were incessant.

After being subjected to several rounds of intense fire, the Xianbei cavalry had collapsed.

The crossbows and heavy crossbows were inconvenient to cock, and then a barrage of powerful arrows was launched rapidly.

These arrows were launched indiscriminately, and even the cavalry would occasionally be hit by the incoming arrows, but nobody cared.

As many Xianbei people fell from their horses, the out-of-control horses finally began to flee south.

With the obstacle of these ownerless warhorses gone, Zhao Ji was able to close the distance with the Xianbei cavalry once again.

The Xianbei cavalry, already in a state of collapse, no longer feared or avoided the powerful bows and crossbows of the Han army's positions, and fled south in droves.

What greeted them was, of course, a barrage of precise close-range shots from behind the vehicle formation.

On the east side of the front line, Wei Xing lay on the back of the chariot, his hands on the eight-stone crossbow, searching for targets. He saw that Zhao Ji had only charged once and killed more than two thousand Xianbei archers, causing their arrow formation to collapse and leaving them in a state of chaos.

As a result, the circular arrow formation on the eastern side of Wei Xing's front was also disrupted, and he attempted to retreat to the north.

With such a large circular arrow formation, how could one easily retreat?
Less than a third, or a quarter, of the cavalry retreated northward into the cavalry formation. At that moment, the Black Flag Daredevil Chariots rolled in, crossed the Qin Straight Road, and rammed into the cavalry column retreating northward.

In an instant, people and horses were thrown about, and sleds were overturned every now and then.

But the suicide squad showed no sign of stopping, completely cutting off the retreat route of more than a thousand Xianbei cavalry.

Seeing this, Wei Xing pointed at the gathered Xianbei cavalry and shouted, "Shoot them all with bows and crossbows!"

At this moment, Zhao Ji led his cavalry to retreat through the gap in the front lines. Zhao Ji discarded his horse-slaying sword, silently reached out and pulled another horse-slaying sword from the carriage, and changed his mount with the help of his personal guards. The second hundred-man cavalry unit also assembled and waited for orders, following Zhao Ji to the right.

At this moment, the central army raised and waved the yellow and white flags again. The yellow and white flag daredevils immediately spurred their horses and accelerated, following Zhao Ji and following the route of the black flag team to break out from the western gap.

With the enemy's circular arrow formation broken, the morale of the yellow and white teams of daredevils soared, and their spirits were high.

Once emotions are ignited, there is no resistance or fear towards killing; everyone is eager to try and full of enthusiasm.

As the western circular arrow formation collapsed, two Xianbei cavalry units of a thousand men each rushed in.

At this moment, both sides can only observe the general direction of each other's movement. With a large number of troops, it is impossible to distinguish whether there are two thousand or three thousand.

With a number of knights exceeding one thousand, it becomes extremely difficult to accurately count them.

The Xianbei cavalry on the other side were not even aware of Zhao Ji's presence, but with the Xianbei's unique military confidence, these Xianbei cavalrymen spurred their horses and charged forward, brandishing their lances, attempting to charge the right flank of the front line to support the Qiang soldiers.

Naturally, the Xianbei people saw the two teams of daredevils, one yellow and one white, that Zhao Ji had gathered here as a targeted attempt to stop them.

Then another group of Xianbei cavalry launched a charge southward, attempting to use their superior forces to break through the Han army's blockade, clear the way, and allow the Qiang infantry to charge and engage the Han army's central force.

With the central army engaged in fierce fighting, the Xianbei central and rear armies, once they arrived, were able to wait in comfort and easily launch a pincer attack, breaking through the Han army's central force.

In a decisive battle in the wild, the ratio of knights on both sides is extremely high. If either side falls into defeat, it is equivalent to the annihilation of the entire army.

(End of this chapter)