My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 520 Cat and Mouse
The sky was overcast, and heavy snow was falling.

In the vast wilderness, the knight galloped across the plains, the thunderous sound of his hooves breaking the silence.

Rumble.

The horse's hooves kicked up a spray of mud.

In the midst of the swirling snow, bows and crossbows became completely useless, leaving the knights with no choice but to resort to the most direct method: face-to-face hand-to-hand combat!

Gao Yang, leading over a hundred knights, was preparing to charge at another group of knights.

"Hahaha, we've finally found the enemy! My lads! Our glory is within reach! Annihilate this enemy force, and when we return, I will personally recommend you for credit!!"

"Raise your spear!!"

A furious shout!

The riders on horseback moved with remarkable synchronization, tucking their lances under their armpits, raising them horizontally, and then spurring their horses into a gallop!
The warhorses sped up faster and faster, like lightning. The howling north wind felt like sharp blades cutting their faces, but it did not affect the soldiers' high morale. They remained unmoved, their eyes filled with a burning desire to achieve merit!

Field battles are the fastest way to gain merit; this is a consensus among all the soldiers!

They studied and honed their martial arts skills day and night at home, all for the sake of seizing the opportunity at such a time to kill the enemy and achieve great deeds!

The opposing knight immediately raised his spear to meet the attack.

The two sides, totaling four or five hundred riders, passed each other.

Almost simultaneously, the sounds of fighting, screams, and the mournful cries of horses merged together, followed by the muffled thuds of people falling to the ground.

A sudden, direct confrontation.

Dozens of corpses were left on the ground, and empty horses, having lost their owners, were running around wildly in the snow, scattered everywhere.

Gao Yang took the lead, tightened the reins, and turned the horse around!
There was no time to grieve for his fallen comrades; instead, his gaze was fixed on the enemy knights.

After one charge, both sides' formations became somewhat chaotic. The leaders immediately rallied their troops and regrouped, with neither side showing any intention of retreating!

Gao Yang was in high spirits when he heard that Erzhu Rong had also followed Gao Yu's example and formed a government army.

However, even among the same type of soldiers, there are differences in combat effectiveness!
My guards are stronger than yours!
Gao Yu assigned him the most elite group of soldiers from the 'old revolutionary base area' around Dongyang City in Qingzhou. Each of them was highly skilled in martial arts, the bravest among the brave. Moreover, having benefited from the soldiers' training, they were also excellent horsemen. They were the first batch of Han Chinese knights that Gao Yu had properly trained.

"kill!!"

Gao Yang roared again and charged ahead, with the knights behind him following suit.

But his gaze remained fixed on the boy in front of him!
Leading from the front, how come it gives me the illusion of following the general into battle?
no doubt!

On the battlefield, it is always the best way to inspire morale for a general to personally lead the charge and take the lead himself!
The warhorse beneath him snorted and trotted along with small, quick steps.

Gao Yang and the others raised their lances again and urged their horses to accelerate until they reached their peak and gained maximum kinetic energy!

The enemy cavalry made the same move.

The two sides clashed again, leaving behind dozens of corpses and stray horses on the ground.

Gao Yang reined in his horse again, turned it around, and after gathering his troops, he glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. Without any hesitation, he spoke succinctly and loudly.

"kill!!"

The knights behind him roared in anger!

"kill!!!"

This time, the other party did not respond. Instead, after a moment of silence, they suddenly turned their horse around and disappeared into the snowstorm, clearly admitting defeat.

Seeing this, Gao Yang did not get angry, but instead raised his hand.

"Quickly clear the battlefield, take the wounded comrades back for treatment, and bring back the bodies of the fallen. Kill any enemy soldiers who are not yet dead!"

The battlefield, now quiet after the fierce fighting, returned to calm, with only the blood staining the snow red.

Only the warhorses that had run to the side returned to their masters, bowing their heads to lick their cheeks. However... the horses did not know that their masters would never move again, until their bodies were completely covered by the heavy snow.

While listening to his men report on the battle losses, Gao Yang glanced at the dwindling rations left.

After a moment of silence, they said, "Rest here for a while, then take the bodies of the fallen back to camp for proper disposal."

After Gao Yu led his army across the Dan River.

Chi Lieyanqing then took corresponding countermeasures.

He broke up his elite cavalry into smaller units of three to five hundred men each, and also sent troops from Huai County and Pinggao, which are located south of Gao Yu's army along the Yellow River.

The purpose of sending a large number of cavalry to Gao Yu's rear and conducting mobile operations in the area between Yewang and Shanyang was to harass Gao Yu's supply lines. The consumption of food and fodder by tens of thousands of soldiers was enormous, and the pressure on food supply was huge. As long as Gao Yu's food supply could be effectively depleted, the cavalry could be harassed.

If logistical supplies are insufficient, Gao Yu will withdraw his troops on his own.

A large number of cavalry crossed the Dan River upstream, and Gao Yu had no way to stop them.

All he could do was send a large number of cavalrymen to the rear to engage the enemy cavalry in close combat.

Gao Yu is not short of cavalry and warhorses at the moment.

He would conscript cavalry from various tribes on the grasslands, and there were a large number of skilled horsemen in Yan and You, while in Shandong, years of training had finally paid off.

Therefore, Gao Yu was not afraid at all of playing this 'cat and mouse' game with Chi Lie Yanqing.

The contest is about the fighting strength of the soldiers on both sides.

Moreover, Gao Yu also had a group of elite cavalry infantrymen. These men were skilled in horsemanship, but they were not yet able to skillfully use long-handled weapons such as lances while on horseback.

but……

They can ride horses and catch up with people. When it comes to a direct confrontation, they can dismount and form ranks to fight, and they are still not afraid of the enemy's elite cavalry.

Helianda leaned against a dead tree, closing his eyes to rest, while his warhorse rested beside him.

The intense, relentless combat had taken a heavy toll on his energy, and the freezing weather was unbearable even for an iron man, but the unfavorable situation forced him to grit his teeth and persevere.

He was accompanied by only about a hundred riders.

The scouts sent out to make contact with others managed to gather some of the scattered cavalry, managing to assemble a force of about five hundred riders.

"Damn it, how come Gao has so many brave warriors under his command? He said Hebei and Shandong were short of cavalry and warhorses."

These two short months have indeed shattered Helianda's preconceived notions.

He had no idea where Gao Yu had gotten so many elite cavalrymen.

Is it really true that there are always people more capable than you, and that there's always something beyond your understanding?

"General, what should we do now? There are a large number of enemy cavalry on the perimeter. Should we retreat first and then continue to gather the defeated troops?"

"Before we retreat, we must first wipe out a wave of enemy troops to vent our anger!"

Helianda's eyes flashed with a fierce light. When he was in Guanzhong, he had never been in such a sorry state.
"Mount!"

At his command, everyone mounted their horses.

Just then, a scout galloped up to him and said, "General! There is an enemy force to the southeast, about four hundred riders."

"Great! I was just looking for a place to vent my anger!"

"My lads, follow me to fight the enemy!!"

He immediately spurred his horse and galloped off in the direction the scout had indicated. Sure enough, he spotted a group of knights in the distance, who had clearly seen and noticed him as well.

Before Helenda could react...

Instead, the other side took the initiative and launched the attack!

"How dare you! You're asking for death, aren't you!"

Helenda roared, "Kill the enemy!"

He squeezed his legs together and charged out first, followed by the knights behind him.

Both sides shouted battle cries and immediately engaged in combat!
Helianda's target was the person leading the charge; judging from his armor, he knew it was a "big fish"!
However, after several rounds of fighting, they found that their opponent was quite difficult to deal with!
"Can you leave your name in the future?"

"I am Daxi Wu, a subordinate of the Prime Minister of the Great Wei! And who are you!"

"Hmph, how dare you, traitor, call yourself prime minister! I am Helian Da, under the command of the prime minister of Great Wei. Remember this: the one who will kill you is I, Helian Da!"

"You mere brat, how dare you bark and howl in front of me? Prepare to die!"

The two sides clashed again.

Screams and sounds of fighting rose and fell.

Both were brave and skilled warriors, maneuvering swiftly on horseback, their lances wielded with incredible power, yet neither could gain the upper hand over the other!

On the contrary, the soldiers under the command of both sides on the outer perimeter are almost at a decisive point!
"what!!"

Helian Da roared and thrust his hands upwards, knocking away Daxi Wu, who was wrestling with him. He then swung his arms horizontally, but Daxi Wu blocked it.

The two men pulled their horses to create some distance between them.

Only then did Helianda have the energy to observe the situation on the battlefield.

But the result was...

Despite having a numerical advantage, the number of soldiers on their side has been drastically reduced!

Damn.

We've met our match.

How could he not know that he had encountered an absolutely elite force?

“Daxi Wu…”

He muttered his opponent's name to himself.

"What the Prime Minister said is true. Gao the bandit does indeed have many capable fighters under his command. I underestimated the heroes of the world."

The guard standing nearby then spoke up to offer a reminder.

"General, let's retreat quickly! As long as we're alive, we can always fight another day!"

"We've lingered here for too long. If enemy troops surround us, we might not be able to escape!"

Helianda's expression changed several times, but in the end he could only swallow his anger and glare at Daxi Wu resentfully.

He immediately turned his horse around and galloped off to the northwest without looking back.

He didn't forget to make some harsh remarks.

"Daxi Wu, is it? I'll remember you!"

"If we meet again, I will take your head!"

(End of this chapter)