vstars Chapter 2173 Can't Wait!
Chapter 2173 Can't Wait!
The sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground was like a tsunami, shaking the earth and raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sun.
This is the most classic charging formation of the White Horse Cavalry—the wedge formation. Zhao Yu personally served as the arrowhead, and the 30,000 iron cavalry, like a giant silver sword, pierced straight into the heart of the Tang army!
Faced with such a terrifying charge, an ordinary army would have collapsed long ago.
But Li Guangbi did not.
The cold smile still lingered on his lips; he didn't even order an attack, but simply slowly raised his right hand:
"Defensive formation—archers, prepare!"
Upon receiving the order, the 40,000 Tang soldiers quickly changed formation.
The soldiers at the front suddenly crouched down, using their shields to protect their entire bodies—it wasn't a chevaux-de-frise used to defend against cavalry charges, but rather... some kind of strange tortoise shell formation.
Immediately afterwards, the soldiers in the second and third rows also made the same move.
Within ten breaths, the entire Tang army formation transformed into a sea of prostrate shields.
Zhao Yu charged ahead, and upon seeing this, his brows furrowed slightly.
What kind of tactic is this? The tortoise formation might be able to withstand arrows, but it's a joke against a cavalry charge! The warhorses will trample over those shields and crush the soldiers below into mincemeat!
But the charge has already begun, and there's no turning back.
Zhao Yu gritted his teeth, pointed his silver spear forward, and increased the speed of his horse.
Three hundred steps, two hundred steps, one hundred steps—
The distance quickly closed.
Just when the front-line cavalry was only fifty paces away from the Tang army's line, a sudden change occurred!
boom! boom! boom!
The ground suddenly collapsed!
It wasn't just one place, but rather large areas and lines of collapse!
Countless horse traps, each the size of a bowl, appeared without warning, with sharpened wooden stakes stuck upside down at the bottom.
The white horse cavalry at the forefront of the charge had no time to react. They and their horses fell into the pit, and screams, the sound of bones breaking, and the neighing of horses instantly filled the air!
The first rank fell down, and the second rank, unable to stop its momentum, collided with the fallen warhorses of the first rank and also fell down.
The third and fourth rows... the front of the charging wedge formation collapsed instantly, as if it had hit an invisible wall!
"not good!"
Zhao Yu's pupils contracted sharply, and he reined in his warhorse.
He was riding a BMW, one in a million, which, at the critical moment, reared up and managed to stop its momentum at the edge of the pit.
But the cavalry that followed were not so lucky.
The momentum of their charge made it impossible for them to stop, and men and women kept falling into pits or being tripped by their fallen comrades.
In the blink of an eye, at least a thousand cavalrymen had perished in this suddenly appearing death trap!
But even more deadly attacks followed.
"Release the arrows!" Li Guangbi roared hoarsely.
The Tang army's tortoise-shell formation suddenly flipped open!
Those soldiers lying prone were not shield bearers at all, but crossbowmen disguised as infantry!
They didn't have swords or knives in their hands, but rather powerful crossbows that were already cocked!
Even more terrifying, these crossbowmen were not standing on the ground, but crouching in shallow trenches that had been dug beforehand.
Those shallow trenches are camouflaged with turf, so they are not visible from a distance!
hum-
The vibrations of the bowstrings blended into a terrifying buzzing sound.
Thousands of crossbow bolts soared into the air like locusts, covering the White Horse cavalry who were caught in the chaos.
The distance is too close, no more than thirty paces. At this distance, the power of a crossbow is enough to penetrate heavy armor!
"Raise your shield!" Zhao Yu roared, his silver spear flashing as he deflected the incoming arrows.
But what ordinary cavalryman could match his martial skills?
Arrows rained down, and men and horses fell to the ground.
The white cloak of the White Horse Cavalryman was instantly stained red with blood, and the wasteland was littered with dead warhorses and wailing soldiers.
"Retreat! Get out of crossbow range first!"
Zhao Yu's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He swung his silver spear repeatedly, deflecting several crossbow bolts aimed at him: "Reorganize the formation!"
Clang clang clang—the urgent sound of the gong rang out.
The White Horse Cavalry lived up to their reputation as an elite force; although they suffered heavy losses, they did not completely collapse.
The cavalrymen in the rear who were unaffected immediately turned their horses around, and those who had been shot but not killed struggled to retreat.
Under Zhao Yu's command, they quickly moved out of the crossbow's range and regrouped three hundred paces away.
But in this short charge, at least two thousand cavalrymen were lost!
Zhao Yu's face was ashen, and his silver spear trembled slightly in his hand—not from fear, but from anger.
He stared intently at the seemingly peaceful wasteland opposite him, and only now did he realize that the unnatural grass on the ground, the slightly sunken marks... were all disguises!
Li Guangbi's 40,000 men were not remnants of a hastily crossed river!
They arrived long ago, dug traps, and set up defensive positions!
All of this was part of Guo Ziyi's plan!
“Li Guangbi…” Zhao Yu squeezed out the name through gritted teeth: “What a deep scheming mind!”
On the opposing side, Li Guangbi had already remounted his horse.
He gazed at the white-horse cavalrymen retreating in disarray, at the horrifying horse traps and corpses scattered across the wasteland, and his cold smile deepened.
"General Zhao, now do you know why the commander-in-chief ordered me to lead 40,000 men across the river?"
He pointed his long spear at the ground: "Because these 40,000 men are not here to retreat—but to leave all your White Horse Cavalry behind!"
In the morning light, the two armies faced off once again.
But this time, the roles have reversed.
Although Zhao Yu's 30,000 cavalry still had a numerical advantage, their morale was low, and they were unable to deploy their forces due to well-prepared defensive positions.
Li Guangbi's 40,000 "remnants" finally bared their fangs.
The battle situation on the north bank was instantly reversed because of this meticulously laid trap.
But within the city of South Bank, the real battle has only just begun.
Guo Ziyi's grand strategy involved placing every move in the most critical position.
The morning wind whipped up dust and swept over the corpses scattered on the ground.
Zhao Yu stood on horseback at the front of the formation, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the morning light, and his snow-white cloak fluttering in the wind behind his shoulders.
He stared intently at the Tang army that had regrouped three hundred paces away, at the banner bearing the character "Li" in the center of the formation, and at the opponent under the banner who had caused him so much suffering—Li Guangbi.
That last charge resulted in the loss of at least two thousand cavalry.
Horse traps, crossbow formations, and well-prepared defensive fortifications.
All of this demonstrates that Li Guangbi's 40,000 men were not remnants of a hastily crossed river.
Rather, it was a pawn carefully laid out by Guo Ziyi, a nail to nail down his 30,000 White Horse Cavalry!
"General, should we wait for reinforcements?"
The lieutenant rode closer, his voice low: "If General Han can return to the city and stabilize the situation, perhaps he can send troops to reinforce him..."
"Can't wait."
Zhao Yu interrupted him, his voice as cold as ice: "Didn't you hear the shouts of battle inside the city? The Empress, Guan Yun, and Ran Ming are already surrounded. Even if Han Xing returns to the city, he won't be able to help himself. As for His Majesty..."
He looked up at the south bank.
Thick smoke billowed over Jianghuai City, and flames of war were everywhere, clearly indicating that the battle within the city was extremely fierce.
Although His Majesty still has 100,000 troops that have not yet been mobilized, those are reserves, the last line of defense, and cannot be easily deployed.
Moreover—since Guo Ziyi has laid out such a grand plan, wouldn't he have been prepared for Chu army reinforcements?