Liang Xiao, his expression ever stern, held several command flags and, mounted on a steed named Wan Li Yun Yan, rode to the front-line high platform to direct troops.
The fifty thousand Da Gan soldiers, led by the Qing Tian Guard and Da Gan Iron Guard, were responsible for the defense of the front, left, and right armies.
These two top-tier legions could form four ‘Que Yue’ formations, but this time, only square formations were assembled.
"Three armies, heed my command! Left and right armies, form ranks! Archers, prepare!!"
As Liang Xiao’s order echoed, messengers relayed it to their respective units. All Shen Bi crossbowmen and longbowmen remained at their posts, ready to draw their bows and loose arrows at a moment's notice.
The left, right, and front armies began to loosen, revealing gaps.
The skirmishing cavalry from the flanks, the barbarians, continued their relentless harassment, seemingly determined to prevent the Da Gan soldiers at the front from getting any respite.
The barbarians also had numerous messengers and officers who swiftly relayed battlefield information. The Right Virtuous King, commanding from a dirt mound, quickly grasped the latest developments.
"The Da Gan soldiers have exposed numerous gaps and are unable to recover promptly??"
The Right Virtuous King calculated the time and, with the Left Virtuous King, chuckled: "It seems that wearing heavy armor and carrying heavy shields is a significant burden for these heavily armored soldiers."
"Marshal! Our eighty thousand cavalry are ready and can attack from three sides simultaneously!"
Another messenger galloped in with news.
The Right Virtuous King could no longer contain his excitement and roared his command: "Heavy cavalry, advance with the iron cavalry, strike directly at the enemy's main force! Once the enemy's front army engages, the iron cavalry on the flanks will immediately assault the enemy's left and right armies. Those who retreat will be executed on the spot!!"
With the order given, twenty thousand fully armored heavy cavalry, wielding three-zhang long spears, galloped forward as one, exuding an aura of invincibility, ready to slay gods and buddhas.
The ground thundered with the thunderous hoofbeats, kicking up earth and stones as the tens of thousands of fully armored heavy cavalry brought a world-shattering shockwave, charging directly towards the Da Gan army's front lines three li away!
Following behind them, sixty thousand barbarian iron cavalry advanced, hands on their sabers and spears, drawing their bows and nocking arrows, preparing to unleash a volley.
"Deputy Marshal! The enemy is approaching!"
As the messenger spoke, Liang Xiao, with his astonishing eyesight, had already clearly seen the situation in the distance. Tens of thousands of cavalry, led by the heavy cavalry, surged forward like a tidal wave, leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake, raising dust and sand into the sky!
Making a decisive, unwavering command: "Relay to the entire army, all archers, prepare for a concentrated volley!!"
As his words fell, Liang Xiao retrieved the Setting Sun Bow and Dragon Tooth Arrows, nocked an arrow on the high platform, and aimed directly at the barbarian heavy cavalry's officers and captains.
The messengers' hearts grew heavy. The order spread from one to ten, then to a hundred. In an instant, all the longbowmen and Shen Bi crossbowmen were positioned in the front, left, and right armies.
The front army alone had ten thousand longbowmen and seven thousand Shen Bi crossbowmen, their arrows nocked, awaiting the command.
"The Marshal orders, cavalry to stand by, prepare for a surprise attack!"
Lu Yi's order also reached the cavalry on the rear flanks. Lu Changhe and Zhuo Ying led the troops, all drawing their bows and nocking arrows, preparing for the first wave of assault.
Concurrently, the barbarian iron and light cavalry harassing the left and right army territories received their orders. They immediately formed ranks, advancing menacingly, closing in on both sides.
Within mere breaths, the barbarians in front erupted in deafening war cries.
In the blink of an eye, the barbarian heavy cavalry reached within a hundred zhang of the formation, on the verge of impact!
The Da Gan soldiers, who had previously revealed gaps, instantly regained their spirits and, with lightning speed, formed their ranks, creating a near-impenetrable defense!
The charging barbarian heavy cavalry noticed the subtle shift in the enemy's formation and was taken aback.
However, they were already in full charge and, assuming the enemy was exhausted from regrouping, they relentlessly pressed towards the front army.
"I, this king, want to see if your Da Gan heavy infantry and war chariots can still withstand my barbarian heavy cavalry charge!"
From the dirt mound, the Right Virtuous King, his face contorted with malice, gritted his teeth.
With their heavy armor and long spears, the barbarian heavy cavalry were unstoppable on the plains, their frontal charges had never failed! Piercing through shields and men alike was a common tactic!
"Volley!!"
Just as the barbarian heavy cavalry closed to within fifty zhang, all the longbowmen and Shen Bi crossbowmen received their orders and loosed their arrows—
The arrows were fired in a barrage, and the Shen Bi crossbows, utilizing the higher ground, shot directly.
Above, a sky-spanning hail of arrows descended, as dense as locusts, obscuring the sun!
Below, countless streaks of light flashed by!
"Swish, swish, swish..."
After the deafening whistling sound of arrows splitting the air came the shattering of metal, followed by the dull thud of blades entering flesh and screams of agony and the plaintive cries of horses!
Everyone peered closely.
The once invincible barbarian heavy cavalry, under the concentrated volleys of longbows and Shen Bi crossbows, had their armor pierced, their horses and riders toppling!
In normal times, Liang Xiao had repeatedly cautioned the two archery units to aim carefully, to be both bold and meticulous!
The front army's longbows and Shen Bi crossbows totaled seventeen thousand, each aiming true.
The first round of arrow barrages killed over a thousand barbarian heavy cavalry on the spot, nearing fifteen hundred!
Simultaneously, the barbarian iron cavalry attacking in coordination on the flanks also fell, pierced by arrows, their cries of pain echoing endlessly!
The Shen Bi crossbows and longbows in the left and right armies, though only half the number, killed over a thousand of the enemy and their horses, who lacked heavy armor!
The charging barbarians were aghast!
What was happening!
The barbarian heavy cavalry had never experienced such heavy casualties in a single volley. At most, a few had been accidentally hit in vulnerable spots like the eyes, causing death or injury!
The enemy's arrows, fired at close range, could penetrate their armor!!
The heavy cavalry at the forefront attempted to rein in their horses, but swept along by the constantly arriving comrades from behind and under the threat of the Right Virtuous King's "execute deserters" order, they were forced to press forward stubbornly!
"Fire!"
However, as the heavy cavalry in the front ranks were successively shot down, they severely obstructed the advancing heavy cavalry from behind, slowing their pace.
"Shoot them to death, damn it!!!"
The commanders, realizing the effectiveness of the Shen Bi crossbows and longbows, were overjoyed and shouted themselves hoarse.
All the longbowmen and Shen Bi crossbowmen continued to nock and draw their bows, lest the enemy escape.
"Swish, swish, swish!!"
Arrows and bolts rained down from above and below, truly covering the sky and earth. Even the barbarian iron cavalry in the rear began to fall, struck by arrows!
The archers and crossbowmen of the left and right armies, not to be outdone, also unleashed a barrage.
Before they could even close the distance, the barbarians left behind over ten thousand dead horses and men!
These corpses further obstructed the charging troops, creating a vicious cycle.
"Beware of a trap ahead!"
The charging barbarian heavy cavalry roared, but the barbarian iron cavalry behind them continued to shout and charge, and being farther away, they could not hear their cries, pressing forward relentlessly.
The rear pushing the front, like waves following waves, prevented all the barbarian heavy cavalry and iron cavalry at the front from retreating. They could only charge fearlessly towards the heavy shields, hoping to tear through the enemy's defenses with their long spears and heavy armor.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Another round of concentrated fire!
This time, even the ordinary archers and crossbowmen from the rear rushed to assist with the shooting.
The barbarians, who had a slim chance of survival by blocking the arrows from the Shen Bi crossbows and longbows, were thrown into a panic by the overwhelming rain of tens of thousands of bolts. For a moment, they didn't know which arrow to block...
The third concentrated volley from the left, right, and front armies took down several thousand more barbarian iron cavalry. The cumulative total from three volleys exceeded ten thousand!