Tiger Guards

Chapter 649 Combat Talent
Located twenty miles north of Wangyuan County, near the mountains, the fog dissipates even more slowly here.

What occupies this place is not the damp mist that grows on the surface of the Wei River in winter, but the mountain mist.

In the fog, the rear guard of supply troops were fully armored and formed a camp around the wagons, with crossbow carts sandwiched between them, or powerful crossbows mounted on the wagons.

The ballista cart is a wheelbarrow specifically designed to carry crossbows. It has two shafts at the front and back, handles, and a folding bracket under each of the four shafts.

When the crossbow cart is set up, a double-sided pitchfork is tied to the shaft on the side facing the enemy, which can serve as a similar function to a crossbow cart or a charging cart.

The fog was about to dissipate, but visibility was still less than three miles.

Many military officers crouched on the ground, listening to and observing the enemy's situation through the ground.

Suddenly, a dozen scouts came galloping in, riding through the two-zhang-wide gap left by a row of crossbow carts. The leading officer shouted, "Enemy cavalry are coming from the southeast!"

They continued walking for several dozen steps before dismounting, exhausted both men and horses.

On the only three-story, simple wooden tower, Zhao Ji raised his hand and took a coarse cloth to wipe the top of his helmet. The exposed metal armor was extremely cold at the moment, and the mist was condensing. If he didn't wipe it, it would soon freeze into frost.

He waited patiently, occasionally reaching into his waist pouch to pull out a piece of salty, dried beef the size of chewing gum, which he then slowly chewed.

The five scout teams that were sent out returned one after another, with the last scout team almost running back.

As they passed the ballista obstacle on the original road and entered the temporary camp, Zhao Ji could feel the ground trembling slightly... The ground itself didn't tremble; it was the sound of a large group of enemy cavalry trampling as they rushed in.

Zhao Ji fastened the leather box at his waist, took out fine chainmail and deerskin gloves, and put them on methodically. Finally, he grabbed the cold faceplate and fastened it on as well.

Without needing his command, Yang Ji, the rear guard commander of Han Shu, shouted in a trembling voice, "Enemy attack! Beat the drums!"

The drums resounded one after another, and the archers in the front row could see the gray-brown Qiang cavalry rising and falling like waves in the thin mist, charging forward swiftly in layers.

The Qiang cavalry were fierce and brave, and were also skilled in the tactics of the Han border army. Naturally, they hoped to break through the defenders' lines as soon as the battle began and rush in to engage in close combat with the enemy.

Only in this way can the relative disorganization of the Qiang cavalry be offset.

In terms of superior equipment, the Qiang cavalry were not much inferior to the Jin army.

Unfortunately, the large force of Qiang cavalry charged in along the best road, where the largest number of crossbow carts were also piled up.

When the Qiang cavalry vanguard approached within a hundred paces, more than five hundred crossbow carts fired simultaneously.

The crossbowmen operating the ballistae immediately retreated, picked up the powerful crossbows standing beside them, and began firing freely in coordination with the archers a dozen paces behind them.

In the briefest of moments, the spearheads of the charging Qiang cavalry were snapped, and men and horses fell in disarray, their attack in complete chaos.

The Qiang cavalry, following closely behind, rode past, maintaining their overall momentum, though their coordination was not as good as the initial wave.

"Spearmen!"

Yang Ji shouted, and without needing his orders, the heavily armed spearmen began to advance, in units of ten or five. They did not approach the chariot formation directly to resist, but instead advanced to within ten paces of the chariot formation's defensive line, waiting for the Qiang cavalry to break through.

During this process, these freely shielded heavy infantrymen began to use throwing weapons to attack enemy cavalry within their line of sight.

Soon, some Qiang cavalrymen rode through the gaps, but these lone warriors were quickly sniped at close range by spears and crossbows.

Zhao Ji only glanced at Yang Ji's command a few times before raising his eyebrows to look behind him.

When Zhao Ang led his army to cross the river, he first organized the first vanguard. The Qiang cavalry in this vanguard were only responsible for sweeping and reconnaissance on the perimeter, but the real force was the Qiang infantry. Some of these infantrymen came on foot, while others came on horseback.

They were shielded by Qiang cavalry, and at this moment, this Qiang infantry force of about four thousand men came into Zhao Ji's sight.

When the enemy approached within two hundred paces of the camp, they began to organize their ranks. Their flags were scattered, but the formations of each team were neat and orderly, giving Zhao Ji a vague sense of familiarity.

The initial six thousand daredevils from Guanzhong region formed a spear formation and this was their imposing presence!

The Qiang spearmen's formation was about to take shape, resembling a wall of men and spears.

Standing beside Zhao Ji, Gao Yanglong stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I request permission to fight."

"The cavalry will remain in place."

Zhao Ji said calmly, "The appearance of the Iron Cavalry can certainly inflict heavy casualties. However, the enemy army is currently disjointed, so no matter how many Qiang and Hu you kill, it will be difficult to deter or intimidate them. We must wait until their reinforcements arrive and their formation is not yet complete before the Iron Cavalry can charge."

Five hundred iron cavalry, that is, five hundred tiger cavalry; and a thousand medium-armored leopard cavalry to accompany them... As long as the tiger cavalry tears open an opening, the leopard cavalry will follow and trample. Not to mention the more than four thousand heavily armed spearmen in front of us, even if it is more than ten thousand infantrymen, as long as an opening is made and their order is disrupted, the tiger and leopard cavalry, which are not yet at full strength, can break through the enemy. The trampling and collision can kill one-third of the enemy!

"Here."

Gao Yanglong responded and returned to his original position.

Zhao Ji turned to look at Chang Mao on the other side: "Chang Mao, do you think we should charge now?"

Chang Mao, with his left hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist and his right hand holding the iron mask, looked somewhat unsure and hesitated before saying, "Your Majesty, please don't laugh at me. I think we should charge now. The vanguard of the enemy army has arrived, and I imagine the main force has already crossed the Wei River and is heading this way. If we can break through their vanguard, drive away the fleeing soldiers, and turn the tide against their follow-up troops, we can achieve a decisive victory."

Without Zhao Ji's rebuttal, Chang Mao continued, "If a few hundred cavalrymen can rush to their crossing point, they can destroy the pontoon bridge. If there is no pontoon bridge, they can also drive away the fleet of boats, putting the enemy soldiers crossing the river in a desperate situation."

"Makes sense."

Zhao Ji gave Chang Mao a thumbs up, then turned to Gao Yanglong and Chang Mao and said, "You two will each lead two hundred Tiger Cavalry and four hundred Leopard Cavalry to attack from my left and right flanks and try to break the enemy's defenses."

Gao Yanglong and Chang Mao bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"

At this moment, Zhuge Jin reminded him: "Grand Tutor, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are losing a lot of strength with every move. If we cannot break through the enemy quickly and get bogged down in a stalemate, our fighting spirit will be greatly diminished."

“Ziyu’s concerns are also reasonable.”

Zhao Ji smiled and looked at Gao Yanglong: "You will carry my Golden Eagle Banner, and I will also provide you with a hundred chariots of soldiers to protect the banner and flag chariot."

Gao Yanglong's expression turned solemn. He immediately took half a step back and bowed respectfully, declaring, "As long as the flag stands, so shall we be!"

Zhao Ji then looked at Chang Mao, who was eager to try: "A Mao, you will carry my stag banner, and I will also give you a hundred chariots of soldiers to guard the banner chariot. I have no other requirements for the two of you. If you can break the enemy, then break it. If you can't, then retreat. It's not too late to fight again after all the officers and soldiers change horses."

"Here!"

Chang Mao was also in high spirits, clenching his right fist and striking his chest armor.

Zhao Ji simply smiled and glanced sideways at his newly appointed flag officer: "When Gao Yanglong and Chang Mao's troops set up their banners, my White Tiger Banner will be erected in the camp immediately."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)