Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 145 Luring the Enemy Deep

The first wave of two thousand Hu cavalry charged forward like a black, raging torrent, carrying the momentum to shatter mountains and rivers. The three-mile distance was rapidly shortened under the full force of the charging horses' hooves; the earth groaned dully under their iron hooves, and dust billowed into the sky, almost obscuring the rising sun. The deafening sound of hooves, neighing, and the wild howls of the Hu cavalry converged into an invisible wave of sound that slammed heavily onto the arc-shaped wagon formation of Xinghuo Fortress.

Behind the chariot formation, the faces of countless Starfire Fortress soldiers appeared exceptionally tense in the shadows of the smoke and dust, their knuckles white as they gripped their weapons. Even seasoned veterans felt a chill run down their spines in the face of such a massive cavalry charge. But their feet were firmly planted on the ground, their eyes fixed ahead, awaiting orders.

On the high platform, Chen Xing's face remained calm and composed. He stared intently at the charging Hu cavalry, calculating the distance. Chen Wei beside him was equally focused, while Dian Xiong couldn't help but begin to growl, like a caged tiger.

"Three hundred paces!" the lookout shouted hoarsely.

"Divine Arm Battalion, prepare!" Chen Wei ordered sternly.

Behind the wagon formation, thirty crossbows, concealed behind earthen breastworks, were quickly pushed onto the firing ports reserved at the front. The heavy crossbow arms gleamed with a cold, hard black light in the morning sun. The crossbowmen held their breath as the winches were pulled to their limit with a creaking sound. Thick, long, three-edged armor-piercing crossbow bolts were loaded into the bolt slots, their arrowheads slightly raised, aimed at the cavalry torrent that was faintly visible in the dust.

"Two hundred and fifty steps!"

The vanguard of the Hu cavalry charge was already clearly visible, their ferocious faces, flying manes, and raised scimitars and spears, mixed with mud and grass kicked up by the horses' hooves, forming a storm of death.

"put!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom——!"

The dull yet violent volley of the crossbow bolts suddenly exploded! Thirty heavy crossbow bolts transformed into thirty black lightning bolts, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle, and plunged headlong into the charging cavalry ranks!

"Pfft!" "Snap!" "Ah—!"

In an instant, men and horses fell! The terrifying penetrating power of the crossbow was on full display. The Hu cavalry at the forefront, whether men or horses, had their thin leather armor or rudimentary iron plates pierced through as easily as paper! A single crossbow bolt even pierced through two cavalrymen charging side by side, sending up a spray of blood! The warhorses neighed and crashed to the ground, throwing their riders off their backs, only to be trampled into a bloody pulp by the iron hooves of those behind them who had no time to dodge!

With just one volley, the seemingly unstoppable charge of the Hu cavalry was as if it had been wiped away by an invisible giant hand, leaving dozens of shocking gaps. At least forty or fifty riders instantly lost their fighting ability, the momentum of the charge was halted, and the formation became briefly chaotic and sluggish.

However, the Hu cavalry were numerous and their charge was already underway. The cavalry behind them could not see the carnage ahead and, driven by inertia and bloodlust, continued to surge forward madly. The casualties of a mere few dozen men were nothing more than a splash in the torrent of two thousand cavalry.

"Archers, fire!" Chen Wei's command followed immediately.

Hundreds of ordinary crossbowmen, who had been poised for action, emerged from the gaps in the wagon formation and behind the earthen ramparts. Their bowstrings vibrated like a swarm of bees leaving their hive, and a dense barrage of arrows soared into the air like locusts, tracing parabolic arcs that crossed the death zone created by the crossbows in front of the wagon formation and covered the advancing Hu cavalry!

"Raise your shields!" shouted an experienced leader among the Hu cavalry.

But charging cavalry already struggled to raise their shields for protection, let alone when arrows rained down from above. The falling arrows immediately triggered shouts and neighing, with cavalrymen constantly falling from their horses, struck by arrows, or thrown from their steeds by frightened horses. Casualties continued to rise, and the pace of the charge was significantly hampered.

However, the ferocity of the Hu cavalry was also revealed at this moment. Although they had suffered heavy casualties, their will to charge was not completely destroyed. Especially when they saw the Xinghuo Fortress's wagon formation so close at hand, many Hu cavalrymen's eyes gleamed with even greater ferocity. They roared and, disregarding their own casualties, desperately whipped their warhorses, trying to break through the last hundred paces of the death zone and storm into the wagon formation!

Eighty steps... seventy steps... sixty steps!

The grotesque and distorted faces of the Hu cavalry were clearly visible, and the savage stench of sweat, horse manure, and blood was palpable.

"Spears and barricades! Shield formation, hold firm!" Chen Wei's voice was steady and powerful.

At the forefront of the chariot formation, soldiers wielding extended spears and halberds thrust their spears fiercely through the gaps between the chariot shafts and large shields, forming a dense jungle of steel. Behind them, swordsmen and shield bearers braced their shoulders against the reinforced chariots and massive shields, leaning forward, gritting their teeth as they awaited the cataclysmic impact.

"boom--!!!"

Like giant waves crashing against rocks! The front row of Hu cavalrymen slammed into the shield wall of the Starfire Fortress's chariot formation!

The dull thuds of impact, the cracking of wood, the clanging of metal, the shattering of bones, the neighing of warhorses, and the dying screams of humans... all blended together in an instant into a terrifying, teeth-grinding cacophony!

The chariot formation shook violently under the immense impact, some joints groaning under the strain, and even some wooden shafts cracking! But thanks to prior reinforcement and the desperate support of the soldiers behind, the overall structure ultimately did not collapse! Countless spears pierced the bodies of the Hu cavalry and their horses, blood splattering like fountains onto the shields and chariots, staining the gray wood and the earthen-yellow shields crimson. Some valiant Hu cavalrymen attempted to use the momentum of their horses to leap over or break through the chariot formation, but they were met with a second and third rank of spears thrusting out from behind the shield wall, as well as rolling logs and boulders crashing down from above!

The first wave of impact, after suffering heavy losses, was firmly stopped outside the chariot formation. A layer of corpses and struggling wounded men and horses piled up in front of the chariot formation. The subsequent charge of the Hu cavalry was further slowed down by these obstacles, and they could only huddle together in front of the chariot formation, futilely swinging their weapons to hack at the sturdy chariots and shields, or trying to dismount and climb up, only to be exposed to the close-range volleys of crossbowmen behind the chariot formation, and fell in droves.

The battle seemed to have reached a brief stalemate. The Hu cavalry's first fierce charge was successfully contained by Xinghuo Fortress's solid wagon formation and dense long-range firepower, resulting in casualties far exceeding expectations.

In the rear, back in the main force of the Hu cavalry, Wuzhu's arrogance had vanished, replaced by shock and fury. He hadn't expected the Southern Dynasty army's crossbows to be so sharp, their wagon formations so formidable, and their resistance so tenacious! Two thousand vanguard soldiers had lost nearly thirty percent in a single encounter, yet they hadn't even managed to tear much of the enemy's wagon armor!

"Useless! All of you are useless!" Wuzhu roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Second team! Third team! Charge together! Drown them! Crush those wrecked vehicles!"

His generals quickly advised against it: "Great Chieftain! The Southern Dynasty's chariot formation is formidable, and their crossbows are powerful. A direct charge would result in too many casualties! It would be better to divide our forces and flank them, or find a place to cross the river upstream or downstream..."

"Bullshit!" Wuzhu slashed down a trembling slave beside him, splattering blood all over his face, making him look even more ferocious. "When have I, Wuzhu, ever fought such a humiliating battle, dominating the grasslands? They're outnumbered, hiding behind their wagons, and already at their last gasp! Just one more charge, and we'll crush them! All troops, charge! Anyone who dares to retreat, I'll cut them down!"

Under Wuzhu's fury and strict orders, the Hu cavalry ranks rose up again, and more than three thousand cavalrymen began to assemble, preparing to launch a second, even more ferocious, attack.

Meanwhile, on the high platform of the Starfire Fortress position.

"My lord, the first wave of Hu cavalry has been repelled, suffering heavy casualties. Their commander, Wuzhu, seems to be enraged and is gathering even more troops, intending to launch a full-scale attack," Chen Wei quickly reported.

"Good." A glint flashed in Chen Xing's eyes. "Order: Divine Arm Battalion, concentrate fire on their rear assembly lines, especially where the general's banner is! Archers, continue to suppress the remaining enemy in front of the wagon formation, but conserve arrows, especially fire arrows, do not use them for now!"

"At the front of the wagon formation, feign difficulty in maintaining the position and the increasing casualties! Intentionally create a few insignificant 'weak points,' such as removing a few shields or causing some pikemen to 'fluster and retreat'! Keep plenty of stretchers carrying wounded soldiers moving back and forth within the formation to create the illusion of chaos!"

"Norio!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Nobuyuki could no longer contain himself.

"You will lead the three hundred most elite armored soldiers of the Trapped Camp to assemble behind the wagon formation, assuming a posture of readiness to counterattack from any 'weakness' or to fill any gaps. But remember, without my order, you must not actually engage in battle!" Chen Xing said in a deep voice. "We must show them that we still have the strength to counterattack, but it seems we have no choice but to use our last elite troops to plug the leaks!"

"Murong!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Murong Mingyue stepped forward.

"You will lead all your cavalry to move to the right flank of the position, making it appear as if you are attempting to maneuver along the riverbank, find a weak point to attack, or cover your flank. Make large movements and raise dust, but maintain distance and do not actually make contact with the barbarian cavalry."

A series of orders were quickly relayed. After successfully repelling the first wave of attack, Xinghuo Fortress's position, instead of being invigorated and unshakeable, "perfectly" revealed signs of fatigue and strain. Several sections of the wagon formation seemed to have loosened due to the earlier impact; small gaps appeared in the shield wall, which pikemen were frantically filling in. Wounded soldiers were hurriedly carried off the lines, creating a tense and chaotic atmosphere. Dian Xiong's heavily armed heavy infantry began to assemble conspicuously behind the front lines, seemingly forced to deploy their last reserves. Dust billowed on the right flank, and cavalry moved frequently, seemingly worried about the flank and the dispersion of forces.

All of this was observed by Wuzhu and his generals, who were watching from a high hill in the distance.

"Great Chieftain, look! The Southern Dynasty's chariot formation seems to have been breached! They're busy plugging the gap!" a sharp-eyed general shouted.

"Are their cavalry heading towards the river? Are they trying to escape? Or are they trying to flank us?"

"They've brought in their most elite armored troops! It seems they really can't hold out any longer!"

Listening to his subordinates' reports and seeing the "teetering" and "struggling" state of the Starfire Fortress, Wuzhu's initial rage was replaced by a mixture of greed and smugness. Sure enough! The Southern Dynasty was all bark and no bite! How could a few crossbows and broken carts possibly withstand the continuous assaults of the Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry? They were outnumbered and couldn't afford to be worn down; now they'd even committed their last elite troops, and their formation was in disarray!

"Hahaha! They're finished!" Wuzhu laughed wildly again. "Give the order! Second and third teams, all of you, advance! Attack their weak points and gaps! Charge in and wipe them out!"

"Waaaaah—!"

The bugle calls of the Hu people's attack grew more urgent and shrill. The newly assembled three thousand-plus Hu cavalry, along with the survivors of the first wave who had regrouped, totaling over four thousand cavalry, howled with even greater fervor like a pack of wolves smelling blood, launching a second, larger, and more ferocious charge! This time, they no longer pursued orderly formations, but surged like a tidal wave towards the sections of the Starfire Fortress's wagon formation that showed signs of fatigue and gaps!

Smoke and dust obscured the sun, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens. The main force of the Hu cavalry had been successfully lured into a full-scale attack, aiming straight for the "vital points." Their attention was completely drawn to the illusion of "crisis" on the front of the Xinghuo Fortress position. They gradually strayed from their initial caution and stepped into the death trap that Chen Xing had carefully set up for them, based on the entire river bend terrain and the Crescent Moon Formation.