kingnovel Chapter 2257 Dividing the Troops
Chapter 2257 Dividing the Troops
The night, like a boundless giant net, enveloped the Jianghuai region.
Only scattered firelight and a few stars in the sky could barely outline the vague contours of the mountains and the battlefield.
The wind blew from the river, carrying moisture and a faint smell of blood from afar.
Zhao Yu led 20,000 white horse cavalry, like a rushing white lightning bolt, galloping at full speed along the official road leading to Changtingpo and the wilderness on both sides in the night.
The sound of hooves converged into a deep thunderclap, shaking the earth. Every knight lowered his body, gripped the reins and lance tightly, and had only one belief in his heart—to get to His Majesty's side as soon as possible!
Zhao Yu took the lead, his cold and stern face as if carved in stone in the darkness, with only a cluster of anxious flames flickering in his eyes.
He kept estimating the distance and time, silently praying that His Majesty could hold on for just a little longer.
However, just as they were driving through an area with relatively flat terrain and sparse woodland on both sides...
From the darkness ahead, a completely different yet equally dense and heavy thunder of hooves suddenly came, along with the unique clanging sound of metal armor plates rubbing and colliding!
The sound came from directly ahead, slightly to the east, and it was coming at an extremely fast speed. It was clearly another sizable cavalry force, and... it was coming for them!
"All troops slow down! Be on alert!"
Zhao Yu felt a chill run down his spine, immediately raised his arm, and shouted loudly.
Upon receiving the order, the well-trained white horse cavalrymen swiftly reined in their horses, and the rear guard slowed down in turn, the entire galloping torrent rapidly slowing down amidst a teeth-grinding friction sound.
However, the formation remained perfectly intact, demonstrating an extremely high level of discipline.
Almost at the same time that the white horse cavalry slowed down and assumed a guarded stance, the darkness in front of them seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, and a moving, even deeper "darkness" surged out!
That was a torrent of cavalrymen clad in heavy black armor, their warhorses also partially covered in horse armor!
They held high the banners of the Tang Dynasty, and on the banner at the very front was a single character: "Luo"!
It was the eight thousand elite cavalrymen of the Tang Dynasty who came to intercept the White Horse Cavalry under the strict orders of Li Shimin, and the general in charge was none other than Commander Luo Xuan!
Luo Xuan was about forty years old, with a resolute face and sharp eyes like an eagle.
He knew the battle was dangerous when he received the order, but military orders were paramount, and it concerned the life and death of the main battlefield at Changtingpo.
He chose this relatively open area, which was not conducive to the enemy's complete outflanking maneuver, to intercept them.
Seeing the white horse cavalry appear as expected, Luo Xuan's eyes showed no fear, only a cold killing intent and a determination to complete the mission.
"Black-armored cavalry! Wedge formation! Target—enemy center! Charge through them!"
Luo Xuan raised his long spear high, his voice piercing the night sky.
Without any probing or idle talk, the eight thousand elite Xuanjia cavalry, under his command, erupted in a battle roar as powerful as a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down.
With the most standard heavy cavalry charge formation, like a roaring black iron dragon, they charged aggressively towards the White Horse cavalry formation, which far outnumbered them!
What they wanted was to disrupt the White Horse Cavalry's marching formation, drag them into the melee, and prevent them from successfully reaching Changtingpo!
Zhao Yu's pupils contracted sharply. He instantly understood the other party's intention—delay, delay at all costs!
This Xuanjia cavalry force was well-equipped and fiercely imposing, clearly the most elite cavalry force of the Tang Dynasty. Their ambush here was intended to stop them.
"His Majesty is in imminent danger; we cannot allow him to remain here!"
Zhao Yu's mind raced.
If the entire army were to engage in a prolonged battle with these eight thousand Xuanjia cavalry, even if they were to win, it would take a very long time, and then what would happen to His Majesty... He dared not think about it any further.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Yu had already made his decision.
He yanked the reins sharply, and his warhorse reared up. He channeled his inner strength, and the sound of his horse clanging like metal echoed through his own ranks.
"Luo Cheng! Li Gan!"
"Your subordinates are here!" Two trusted and valiant generals responded.
"I hereby order you two to lead the first and second troop units, totaling ten thousand white horse cavalry, to meet the Tang army's black-armored cavalry here!"
"We don't aim to annihilate them completely, but we must keep them pinned down and prevent them from escaping or threatening the flanks and rear of our main force!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Luo Cheng and Li Gan clasped their fists and roared, their eyes showing no fear, only the determination to be entrusted with such an important task.
They knew that their 10,000-strong force would bear the heavy responsibility of buying time for the main force, and that they would be facing the world-renowned Xuanjia elite cavalry, making the battle exceptionally fierce.
"The rest of the troops, continue advancing with me! The objective remains the same: Changtingpo! The entire army shall change formation, detour around the right flank of the battlefield, and proceed at full speed!"
Zhao Yu stopped looking at the surging black iron torrent, pointed his silver spear forward, and spoke with a resolute voice.
"Remember, our target is His Majesty! Any obstacle in our way must be crushed! Let's go!"
Upon receiving the order, the White Horse Cavalry quickly split into two.
The 10,000 cavalrymen led by Luo Cheng and Li Gan quickly changed from marching ranks to battle formation, also forming a wedge shape, and met the charging Xuanjia cavalry head-on without showing any weakness.
Zhao Yu, on the other hand, personally led the remaining 10,000 cavalrymen, like a nimble white python, and suddenly turned to the edge of the sparser woodland on the right, attempting to use speed and space to bypass the main battlefield.
However, Luo Xuan was not someone to be trifled with.
He had already anticipated that the White Horse Cavalry might split their forces.
Upon seeing this, he immediately dispatched a cavalry force of about two thousand men, led by his deputy, to attempt to intercept Zhao Yu's troops from the side.
At the same time, he personally led his main force of 6,000 men and rammed into the 10,000 White Horse Cavalry under Luo Cheng and Li Gan!
"boom--!!!"
In the next instant, the white and black torrents of steel collided head-on in this nameless wilderness!
For a moment, time seemed to stand still.
Immediately following was a death storm of sounds: the deafening clang of metal clashing violently, the agonizing neighing of dying warhorses, the muffled thud of human bones shattering, and the frenzied roars of soldiers from both sides!
The Xuanjia cavalry's advantage lay in their superior armor and terrifying impact. Both men and horses were heavily armored, making them like mobile mini-fortresses.
During the charge, the long spears were held level, and with the speed of the horses, their power was unparalleled. Many white horse cavalrymen were knocked down along with their horses by the heavy impact in the first charge, or were pierced by the long spears.
The formation of the Xuanjia Cavalry was like a red-hot iron wedge, deeply embedded in the formation of the Baima Cavalry.
But the White Horse Cavalry were not without reason!
Although their armor was relatively light, their soldiers were more skilled, had superior horsemanship, and worked in perfect harmony.
Faced with the Xuanjia cavalry's brutal charge, they did not directly confront their sharpest arrows.
Instead, relying on more flexible horse control techniques, they slightly disperse their formation at the moment of contact and glide past from both sides.
At the same time, they slashed fiercely at the relatively weak flanks and legs of the Xuanjia cavalry with their spears and sabers, or took out their riding bows from the saddles and shot at the gaps in the faceplates at close range!
Holding an iron-spined spear, Luo Cheng roared and charged straight at a captain of the Xuanjia Cavalry who was leading the charge.
The captain thrust his spear forward, but Luo Cheng flicked his serpent spear, skillfully deflecting the spear tip. He then thrust the spear into the gap in the captain's armor under his ribs, twisting it forcefully. The captain screamed and fell from his horse.
Li Gan brandished his twin swords, sweeping into the enemy ranks like a whirlwind, specializing in slashing at the horses' legs. Several armored warhorses collapsed with mournful cries, throwing their riders to the ground and causing them to break bones and tendons.