With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

On this day, outside the north gate of Shuofang City, the two armies faced each other like mountains, with dust and smoke swirling in the dry, cold north wind.

A force of ten thousand is like an endless tide, not to mention the 230,000 troops of the Northern Han, of which 50,000 remained in the city to guard against any unforeseen events, while 180,000 were actually arrayed outside.

Lin Hu, Liu Yun, and other mounted warriors were grouped into a formation of about three hundred, standing side by side with a 15,000-strong cavalry square on the right flank.

The left flank also featured a symmetrical formation of Taoist cavalry and cavalry, echoing each other like the outstretched wings of a giant bird.

The central position was firmly supported by infantry squares, with heavy infantry wielding giant shields and halberds in the front row, as well as spearmen, forming a shield wall and a forest of spears.

Following closely behind was a square of archers, arrows already nocked, their eyes calmly locked on the front.

The Northern Han army was commanded by General Ma Yang of Shuofang Prefecture, who was stationed in the central command.

As the two armies slowly approached each other on the open field, the archer phalanx took the lead in firing test shots to calculate the range and coverage, ensuring that each volley could suppress the enemy's front line.

The crossbowmen had already tightened their strings, and the arrowheads gleamed coldly.

Beneath the central command banner, Ma Yang, clad in gleaming silver armor, gazed at the Hu cavalry opposite him, which surged like a black tide, and did not rush into a full-scale attack.

The Northern Han army was mainly composed of infantry, combined with cavalry. Facing the Northern Xiongnu's single but highly mobile cavalry, the safest approach was to remain calm and defensive.

No matter how swiftly you come and go, I will remain still and wait for the enemy to come to my door before using my formation to wear down their spirit.

The formation was arranged along the high city wall of Shuofang, with a solid fortification behind it, so there was no need to worry about being attacked from the rear.

Ma Yang was now facing a threat from the Northern Xiongnu, who were pressing in from the front and both flanks. He had to ensure that the three forces supported each other without revealing any weaknesses.

The mounted warriors and cavalry formations of Lin Hu and Liu Yun on the right wing, and the Taoist riders and cavalry formations on the left wing, are key to both containment and counterattack.

The black banner fluttered in the wind, beneath which stood Chahan, the Left Grand Commandant under the command of the Eastern Tuqi King.

He and Ma Yang had been rivals for many years, and they were familiar with each other's military tactics. Chahan squinted at the Han army's formation and whispered, "It's truly airtight, without a single flaw."

Ma Yang's formation may seem ordinary—with infantry in the center and cavalry on both flanks—it's a simple, yet universal formation that has survived the test of time and countless battles.

It is precisely because it is ordinary that it is the most difficult to crack. It does not rely on the bizarre, but only on steady, time-tested cooperation and discipline, leaving the enemy with no way to attack.

However, Chahan also knew that he had to launch an attack.

Just as Ma Yang was eager to defeat the enemy forces before him and rush to the rescue of Beiyuan City, the Northern Xiongnu were equally pressed for time.

The purpose of this southward expedition is to plunder supplies to prepare for the winter. Every extra day the army stays here, its consumption increases. If the looted goods are not enough to cover the daily expenses, then this expedition will have lost its meaning.

The deep sound of horns rolled across the plains like muffled thunder, suddenly exploding in the smoke-shrouded camp of the nomadic cavalry. Immediately afterwards, the sound of hooves from all directions converged, as if the earth were shaking.

Three groups of Northern Xiongnu cavalry launched a simultaneous attack from the front and both flanks, their thunderous hooves approaching from afar as they hurtled towards the Northern Han army formation.

Amidst the billowing dust, one could see warriors riding wolf-shaped, ox-shaped, and tiger-shaped cavalrymen. Similar to the Northern Han army, they often served as officers such as centurions and chiliarchs, forming both the core of the fighting force and the vanguard of the charge.

With bows and crossbows firing simultaneously, arrows rained down like a storm. The powerful bows and crossbows of the Northern Han army instantly formed a dense network of fire, the sound of arrows piercing the air echoing continuously.

Under the refraction of sunlight, some of the arrows gleamed with a faint silver light, their shape and substance appearing both real and ethereal.

That was a ranged attack by archer-type Taoist soldiers in the Northern Han army.

Their firing rate far exceeds that of human archers, yet in the midst of a rain of arrows, the number of these Taoist soldiers remains small, and the silver arrows they unleash are but a trickle in the vast sea of ​​arrows.

In the blink of an eye, the Northern Xiongnu cavalry charged into the Han army's arrow barrage.

The riders in the first few rows fell one after another amidst a dense barrage of arrows, some with their horses crashing to the ground with a neigh, their riders thrown several feet away.

Some were struck in the neck or face by arrows flying at an angle, blood spurting out instantly, and they died before they could even scream.

Several wolf-shaped and tiger-shaped Taoist soldiers and their warriors had their limbs pierced by crossbow bolts, causing them to freeze and lose control, charging towards their own ranks and causing chaos.

Smoke and blood mist swirled in the wind, and the sounds of arrows, horses neighing, and men's groans intertwined to create a tragic prelude.

But the cavalry did not stop at all. Suppressing their fear at the shouts of their leader, they sped up, using their shields and armor to withstand the remaining arrows, and fiercely broke through the arrow barrage, crashing straight into the Northern Han army formation.

The impact was like a giant hammer smashing into a thick wall; the earth seemed to tremble. The Northern Han infantrymen in the front row felt an overwhelming force rushing towards them.

The spearmen and shield-wielding soldiers immediately charged forward, their shield walls closing in a flash, their shield surfaces tightly connected, like iron walls blocking their path.

The spears in the front row were thrust out in unison, their tips forming a dense, impenetrable forest, aimed straight at the horse's chest, the rider's throat, and the soldier's joints.

Caught off guard, the Northern Xiongnu cavalry charged into the formation. Several riders were immediately pinned to the spot by spears, their horses rearing up before falling heavily to the ground, tripping their companions and causing them to tumble and fall.

Some riders pulled on the reins at the last second, narrowly avoiding the spear tips, but the shield-wielding soldiers took the opportunity to strike the horse's neck and eyes with the back of their blades or the spines of their swords, forcing the horse to neigh in alarm and retreat or turn out of control.

There were also burly men riding ox-shaped soldiers who used their brute force to smash through the shield wall and the Northern Han soldiers behind them, leading the cavalry behind them to continue their charge.

After a wave of attacks, the momentum of the Northern Xiongnu cavalry was clearly hampered. Their originally flood-like offensive was broken into segments, repeatedly colliding with, pausing in front of the infantry formation, and then being forced back.

A Northern Xiongnu centurion rode on the back of a blue wolf-riding soldier, charging at the forefront of the column, intending to use his body as a spear to tear open a gap and create a path for the following cavalry to advance.

Grasping a heavy spiked club, he charged into the ranks, skillfully dodging the spear thrusts of two Northern Han soldiers. He then used the club to deflect two other spear shafts, simultaneously using the momentum to smash downwards.

The Green Wolf Dao Soldier leaped high into the air in time with his movements, and his spiked club slammed into the two men with a whooshing sound, instantly turning them into bloody messes as they fell to the ground. The Green Wolf Dao Soldier then opened his mouth and bit the other man's throat, snapping his breath with a crack.

The centurion landed and, without taking a breath, swept his mace, bending the four spears that surrounded him, and then smashed down three more men, leaving almost no survivors.

He continued to charge ahead of his own troops, relentlessly advancing.

This was precisely the tactic commonly used by the Northern Xiongnu cavalry: sending incredibly powerful warriors as the vanguard to clear obstacles, and then leading the remaining cavalry to weave through the enemy lines and tear apart the Northern Han's defenses.

However, when the Green Wolf Dao Soldier leaped up again, preparing to repeat the same trick, three spears simultaneously pierced its abdomen and limbs from different angles.

The centurion fell down, and several spears pierced his body in quick succession. He was unable to react effectively and could only fall heavily, his blood quickly staining the ground red.

Similar scenes played out repeatedly on the battlefield. No matter how strong an individual's martial prowess, they could not escape being divided and killed by concentrated fire when faced with crowds of people and gunfire.

The warriors and Taoist soldiers in the Northern Han and Northern Xiongnu armies, as the core of their respective small teams, were incredibly lethal when charging. However, faced with such a vast battlefield, even the strongest individual soldier would be swallowed up by the endless waves of enemy troops.

Waves of Northern Xiongnu cavalry charged, breaking up and regrouping the Northern Han formations, which were then forced to shrink back under pressure.

In the air, the battle between the Taoist soldiers was equally fierce.

Northern Han warriors rode swallow-shaped Taoist soldiers through the low sky, engaging in direct combat with Northern Xiongnu warriors who rode eagle-shaped Taoist soldiers.

The sounds of flapping wings and whistling through the air intertwined, claws clashed with weapons in mid-air, and people fell from the sky from time to time, crashing to the ground like kites with broken strings, causing screams and chaos.