The northern garrison, upon receiving the signal of the command flag, swiftly formed their battle formations.
The white-robed soldiers left behind the Zhuge repeating crossbows, entrusting the Sky-Supporting Guard and the Great Gan Iron Guards with the task of quickly assembling arrows.
The Sky-Supporting Guard and the Great Gan Iron Guards, with their own reinforcements at their backs and relying on overlapping abatis to their flanks, formed four crescent-shaped formations, blocking the path outside the city.
War chariots covered the flanks, with soldiers holding heavy shields protecting their sides. Those holding shields were all clad in infantry armor and wore steel helmets, covering their entire bodies except for their eyes and noses.
The troops behind them consisted of spearmen, crossbowmen, and those armed with sabers, all wearing padded armor.
From left to right, a banner stood in the center of each formation, each embroidered with one of the Four Symbols.
Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise!
The Four Symbols Crescent Formation!
The enemy forces were formidable. Liang Xiao had chosen the terrain in advance and divided the Great Gan Iron Guards into three crescent formations, working with one Sky-Supporting Guard formation to present the Four Symbols Crescent Formation, ready for battle!
On the northern city wall, five hundred trebuchets were set up. Each trebuchet was a combination of three giant bows, operated by thirty men.
By the Great Gan dynasty's measure, one chi is approximately 24 centimeters. The bolts on the trebuchets were nearly five chi long!
Distant, muffled war cries gradually grew louder, and the earth began to tremble, with stones and soil bouncing with each tremor.
The Savage Iron Cavalry were approaching!
After the cavalry returned to their positions, Lu Changhe and Zhuo Ying led their troops to rest on the flanks, awaiting their opportunity.
Nie Yuan and Nan Jiyun returned to the Sky-Supporting Guard and the Great Gan Iron Guards, respectively, serving as commanders.
Yue Qingtian ascended the city tower and knelt before Liang Xiao, his voice filled with excitement: "Marquis! We have not failed in our mission; the enemy camp has been destroyed! I still have strength and can fight again!"
Liang Xiao personally handed a Mo Dao to Yue Qingtian and said solemnly, "Just slaughter!"
Yue Qingtian was overjoyed. He took the Mo Dao, descended along the ropes on the city wall, mounted the warhorse that Liang Xiao had ordered prepared, donned his infantry armor and helmet, and hurried to the front of the Sky-Supporting Guard formation.
Liang Zhan and others, who were commanding at the front, met with Nan Jiyun, Nie Yuan, and Yue Qingtian, and quickly distributed command authority.
The Savage Iron Cavalry finally caught up to a point five li outside the city. Upon seeing the Great Gan army formations arrayed outside the city, they erupted in joy!
"They truly could not return to the city in time and are covering their cavalry's retreat! They are seeking their own doom!!"
The Zuo Xian Wang, who was commanding the center, received the news and was equally thrilled: "Immediately dispatch sixty thousand elites to circle the city and pursue the white-robed soldiers!"
The white-robed soldiers had always been a thorn in the side of the savages. The Zuo Xian Wang believed that even if all these white-robed soldiers entered the city, a significant number of cavalry would not make it in, presenting an opportunity to pursue them.
As the order was relayed, the savages immediately organized sixty thousand cavalry to circle around to both flanks, while the remaining forces rapidly advanced to outside the city, awaiting orders for the general assault.
Two divisions of Savage Iron Cavalry, each numbering thirty thousand, attempted to pursue the Great Gan cavalry who were retreating around both sides of the city.
The defenders of Yanzhou were prepared. They fired powerful crossbows towards both flanks.
Hundreds of Savage Iron Cavalry were struck down by arrows, but they pressed on, intending to break through the abatis.
"Fire!"
As the Savage Iron Cavalry approached within five hundred zhang of the city, Liang Xiao gave the order. The five hundred triple-bow trebuchets on the city wall, their strings already drawn taut, finally loosed their volleys. The arrows, whistling through the air, streaked towards the dense formations of the Savage Iron Cavalry!
In an instant, another two to three hundred men and horses were impaled by the terrifying crossbow bolts, falling dead on the spot!
The Savage Iron Cavalry, subjected to such astonishing crossbow fire, were greatly alarmed. They looked up at the city walls, saw the rows of triple-bow trebuchets, and were filled with fear.
Why could the Great Gan country's crossbows shoot so far?
The flanking forces also unleashed a barrage of arrows and crossbow bolts. The Savage Iron Cavalry were forced to abandon their attempt to destroy the abatis, leaving behind two to three thousand corpses, and retreated in disarray to their main force.
"Marshal, the enemy has set up crossbows and numerous abatis on the flanks, and trebuchets that can shoot hundreds of zhang. It is difficult for our army to break through by circling the city. We cannot ignore their strong crossbowmen!"
The Zuo Xian Wang, upon receiving this report, was both astonished and enraged: "Trebuchets can shoot that far?"
The Zuo Xian Wang immediately wheeled his horse away from the city walls. Just then, the vanguard reported: "Marshal, the gates of Yanzhou city are wide open, and some soldiers have already begun to retreat into the city!"
Hearing this, the Zuo Xian Wang made a decisive command: "Liang Xiao is indeed preparing for a strategic retreat and a desperate defense! We must not let them succeed! Immediately attack the city gates directly! Our twelve thousand Savage elites will crush the Great Gan defenders!!"
With a roar, twelve thousand Savage Iron Cavalry advanced in formation, their horns blaring, their battle cries deafening.
"What kind of formation is that? We've never seen it before!"
Upon discovering the crescent formations the Great Gan soldiers had set up outside the city, blocking their path, the savages were filled with doubt and apprehension, halting their advance three li from the formations.
"No matter what it is, there is no defensive formation that the Savage Iron Cavalry cannot break through! Charge!"
Eager for merit, the generals all ordered their troops to charge. The Savage Iron Cavalry finally surged forward towards the Great Gan soldiers!
Twelve thousand cavalry, comparable to the surging tide of the Qiantang River, advanced, determined to trample the Great Gan soldiers.
Countless heavy shields were erected before the Four Symbols Crescent Formation, to resist the savages' arrows and crossbow bolts.
The Savage Iron Cavalry, finding their crossbows ineffective, were forced to temporarily abandon their volleys and roared as they charged directly towards the formations.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The crossbowmen and archers behind the crescent formations, cooperating with the triple-bow trebuchets on the city walls, all fired. Before the Savage Iron Cavalry could get close, they were subjected to a volley!
The Yanzhou defenders were predominantly infantry, with over fifty thousand archers and crossbowmen among them!
These were the supplies that the Great Gan country had accumulated for half a year, sent from all over the country to Yanzhou, and finally put to use in this battle!
The arrows flew like locusts, obscuring the sky.
The dust kicked up by the Savage Iron Cavalry also blocked the view of those behind them.
In an instant, a large number of soldiers were struck down by arrows, dying in regret!
The savages were both surprised and enraged. Ignoring the question of how many crossbows the Great Gan soldiers possessed, they charged at full speed under the hail of arrows.
Facing the Great Gan soldiers' volleys, the savages, after suffering over ten thousand casualties, finally reached the formations and launched their first wave of attack.
"Bang!"
Heavy shields at the front, cooperating with the war chariots, successfully blocked the initial assault of the Savage Iron Cavalry, forcing them to engage in close-quarters combat.
On the war chariots in front, Great Gan Iron Guards and Sky-Supporting Guards, brandishing long spears, attacked. Numerous long spears were thrust out through the gaps in the heavy shields.
Faced with this unexpected onslaught and the remarkable length of the spears, Savage Iron Cavalry were successively impaled and their horses slain, unable to inform their rear troops in time!
The Savage Iron Cavalry behind continued to surge forward like a tide, fearing that the vanguard would seize the credit.
The Savage Iron Cavalry were primarily lightly armored and skilled in mounted archery. Their long-distance raid had already been a considerable drain on their strength. Faced with the interception of the crescent formations' heavy shields and war chariots, they were unable to organize an effective breakthrough for the moment.
As the Savage Iron Cavalry grew impatient, a few heavy shields finally broke.
Just as the Savage Iron Cavalry who broke through the heavy shields rejoiced, the Great Gan Iron Guards and Sky-Supporting Guards behind the shields, their eyes glinting fiercely, endured the savages' arrows and raised their double-edged long sabers—
*Clang!*
The unexpected fierce attack, the Mo Dao severed both man and horse, decapitating the Savage Iron Cavalry on the spot!!
With both man and horse destroyed, the astonishing destructive power struck the savages' vanguard with fear. They pressed on, attacking the Mo Dao soldiers who had broken through the shields.
But they soon discovered that the enemy was clad in heavy armor, and against their sabers and spears, they were not only unharmed but also suffered no effective damage for a considerable time!
A Mo Dao weighed over ten pounds. The Great Gan Iron Guards and Sky-Supporting Guards were all carefully selected warriors, swinging their weapons like the wind.
Row after row of Savage Iron Cavalry, who reached the front of the crescent formations, met their demise one after another, facing war chariots, powerful crossbows, heavy shields, and Mo Dao soldiers, all tasting bitter defeat!
The savages attempted to use their crossbows to kill the archers and crossbowmen behind the crescent formations, only to discover that the Great Gan Iron Guards and Sky-Supporting Guards in the front were also wearing padded armor. The minimal casualties had almost no impact on the nearly ten thousand crossbowmen!
Liang Xiao, observing from the city walls, his gaze stern, issued another order: "Counterattack!"
The heavy-armored spearmen behind finally began to move.