The citizens of the Western Regions erupted in cheers upon learning that the Great Gan iron cavalry had arrived.
Yue Yun, inquiring along the way, finally found the rear-guard contingent of the King of Guizi and asked about the situation.
"That unit might be the most elite cavalry of the Kushan Dynasty. General, you must be cautious!" the King of Guizi warned.
"They have traveled a great distance, and we have also marched for thousands of miles. Our conditions are about even."
Yue Yun seemed to be talking to himself, then turned to ask his generals, "Can the soldiers charge immediately?"
"Trample the enemy!" a thunderous response erupted from the Great Gan iron cavalry behind.
The King of Guizi witnessed this and was overjoyed, "What astonishing fighting spirit... could you have brought the White Robe soldiers?"
Only then did everyone notice the attire of this Great Gan iron cavalry.
Yue Yun smiled, "Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? Our Great Gan iron cavalry are not to be trifled with either. We don't need the White Robe soldiers to eliminate this unit!"
The King of Guizi was still uneasy and reminded, "Our army can assist!"
The situation was urgent. While his troops were forming ranks, Yue Yun glanced at the Western Region warriors and shook his head, "You cover the retreat of the common people, and we will meet up later. The enemy likely did not expect our support. We should catch them completely off guard and not let any of them return alive!"
The faces of the Western Region people flushed with embarrassment. They meekly complied, not daring to insist.
They could tell that Yue Yun was actually worried about them disrupting the Great Gan iron cavalry. Compared to this Great Gan iron cavalry, their skills on horseback, though formidable, were like a mob.
The people of the Western Regions consciously retreated, not daring to interfere with Yue Yun's operations.
Ten thousand Great Gan iron cavalry, each in formation, rested their long-handled weapons on their horses, wielding powerful bows and crossbows, ready for battle.
They were waiting for Yue Yun's command to unleash their full might!
Yue Yun spurred his horse up a dirt mound and squinted.
They were absolutely elite troops!
"Could this be the 'Heavenly Sun Cavalry' that Qian Lang Guard spoke of?"
The enemy was continuously approaching, and the two sides were soon within two li of each other!
"General Divar! A Great Gan cavalry unit is blocking our path ahead!"
The general on horseback received the urgent report from the scout and was also surprised, "How could Great Gan cavalry be here?"
"Perfect. Let them tell tales in hell of the Heavenly Sun Cavalry's might!" The golden-haired, blue-eyed officers behind Divar raised their long swords, their fighting spirit soaring.
Ten thousand Heavenly Sun Cavalry immediately formed ranks and charged towards the Great Gan iron cavalry!
On the other side, the Great Gan iron cavalry had quickly formed a long snake formation.
"This... isn't the Great Gan cavalry too spread out?"
The Western Region people in the rear, seeing the Great Gan formation, were full of worry.
If this formation were broken through by the enemy, they might be routed.
But it was too late for them to warn them.
Yue Yun had already noticed the enemy's offensive and immediately waved his command sword, "All troops, charge!"
With the order, the long snake formation advanced rapidly, encircling the Heavenly Sun Cavalry.
Under the tense gaze of the Western Region people, the Great Gan cavalry advanced a hundred zhang, finally seeing the Heavenly Sun Cavalry in the distance.
They were all equipped with bows and crossbows, wore golden-trimmed battle robes, and full armor. Even their warhorses were covered with leather armor.
"Idiots!"
Seeing the long snake formation, the Heavenly Sun Cavalry rejoiced, letting out mocking roars and concentrating their attack.
The two sides were less than a hundred zhang apart, and an exchange of arrows and bolts commenced.
Dozens of Heavenly Sun cavalrymen bore the brunt of the attack. Their warhorses' armor was pierced, and they were thrown from their mounts.
The Heavenly Sun Cavalry did not slow their advance but surged forward, closing the distance to less than twenty zhang.
At this moment, more than half of the Great Gan cavalrymen tacitly pulled out pre-strung Zhuge repeating crossbows from their packs and aimed them forward.
Over seven thousand Zhuge repeating crossbows, with a volley of over seventy thousand bolts, darkened the sky and, within moments, engulfed the vanguard of the Heavenly Sun Cavalry!
A large number of vanguard cavalrymen were shot down, their screams echoing.
"What kind of crossbow bolts are these?!" The once imposing Heavenly Sun Cavalry finally lost their formation.
It turned out that the Great Gan cavalry had adopted a long snake formation to increase the firing range of the Zhuge repeating crossbows, killing over a thousand in a single volley, with countless more wounded!
Even though the Heavenly Sun Cavalry and their horses were armored, there were still many gaps. Tens of thousands of Great Gan crossbow bolts found their mark!
Before the Heavenly Sun Cavalry could respond, Yue Yun led the charge, raising his arm and shouting, "Follow me and break the enemy!"
Ten thousand Great Gan iron cavalry, with fierce expressions and murderous intent, roared and charged!
"Heavenly Sun's glory! Crush the enemy!!" Divar, unwilling to suffer losses, roared with a twisted face and personally led the charge.
The two sides finally engaged in close combat.
As soon as they clashed, the Heavenly Sun Cavalry and the Great Gan Cavalry quickly understood the situation.
Their opponents were rare and formidable enemies!
The Great Gan cavalry's weapons could not easily penetrate the enemy's armor, just as the Heavenly Sun Cavalry could not easily pierce the Great Gan cavalry's padded armor.
"This is not just cloth armor; there must be steel plates inside!"
The Heavenly Sun Cavalry finally realized something was wrong.
The padded armor was more robust than they had anticipated, impossible to pierce or cut through!
The Great Gan cavalry's padded armor had steel plates on the inside, and key areas like the chest plate were made of newly forged water-pattern steel.
The White Robe soldiers' padded armor had water-pattern steel lining most of its interior...
As for the cavalry's weapons, the spearheads and blades were made of steel, and some officers wielded weapons made entirely of fine steel!
Facing the charge of the Great Gan cavalry, the Heavenly Sun Cavalry retreated step by step. In less than fifteen minutes, they had suffered over two thousand additional casualties, and their morale plummeted.
The Great Gan crossbows provided a numerical and morale advantage, while the raw combat power of the Great Gan cavalry itself was the fatal key to defeating the Heavenly Sun Cavalry.
Yue Yun, leading his personal guards, charged into the enemy ranks and finally engaged Divar and his officers.
Divar's long saber flashed like a storm, but facing Yue Yun's elusive long spear, he quickly found himself at a disadvantage and turned to flee.
"Stop this devil!"
Divar's terrified roar did not stop Yue Yun's assault.
Yue Yun's thousand elite troops, like a sharp blade, plunged into the enemy formation, charging recklessly.
In moments, the Heavenly Sun Cavalry broke and fled, forced to retreat.
The Great Gan iron cavalry pursued relentlessly, with only two thousand Heavenly Sun Cavalry escaping in a desperate flight, leaving behind countless supplies and weapons.
"Do not pursue a cornered enemy!"
Considering that the Western Region citizens needed escort and that the enemy might have reinforcements, and his own troops were fatigued from their long march, Yue Yun ordered a halt to pursue and instead return to clear the battlefield.
"That army was even more powerful than the Kushan cavalry... and they were defeated so thoroughly?" The Western Region people, who had fled to higher ground to watch, were dumbfounded.
Yue Yun's expression was grim.
Despite the advantage of repeating crossbows and superior equipment, their Great Gan iron cavalry had still suffered over five hundred casualties to kill only about eight thousand of the enemy?
That enemy general was also a fierce warrior, managing to escape from his grasp and not be killed by his spear!
Moreover, this Heavenly Sun Cavalry might have been a regular unit, not the elite of the Heavenly Sun Cavalry. Even so, they had proven to be a formidable opponent.
"We swear our eternal loyalty to Great Gan, and we will never regret it!"
Countless Western Region people were convinced and knelt forward, pledging their allegiance to the Great Gan iron cavalry.
With fallen comrades before him, and facing the enthusiastic people of the Western Regions, Yue Yun could only force a smile, ordering his troops to collect spoils and escort the Western Region citizens back to the western borders of Great Gan.
After concluding the military review in the Central Plains, Liang Xiao finally returned to the capital he had been away from for a long time, to his wives and children.