Liang Xiao, who was in the midst of dispatching the Sun-Eater cavalry with the Setting Sun Bow, froze and then scowled.
He was currently riding on Myriad Cloud and Mist, wearing a battle helmet forged by Pu Yuan for his usual use, and wielding a silver spear crafted from Dragon Gold.
His current attire seemed completely unrelated to that of the Heavenly General.
Capture the leader first? They actually charged at me??
These nearly two thousand Sun-Eater cavalry, who had flanked from the right side of the battlefield, were mostly intercepted by Yue Qingtian's troops. However, over fifty of them, relying on their swift steeds, broke through and galloped towards Liang Xiao.
As they approached within thirty zhang of Liang Xiao, the Sun-Eater cavalry uniformly drew their bows and crossbows, shooting arrows at him.
Liang Xiao, holding his spear, parried each incoming arrow. The thousand archers behind him also mounted their horses, holding shields to block the arrows.
A Heavenly General of the Sun-Eater cavalry had already closed to within five zhang of Liang Xiao, and battle was imminent!
"Marshal, be careful!!"
The cavalry behind Liang Xiao, astonished to see him advance instead of retreat, rushed forward to support him.
The Heavenly General of the Sun-Eater cavalry, with a ferocious expression, thrust his blade towards Liang Xiao's throat.
He was confident that even if Liang Xiao dodged the thrust, his saber could instantly change direction and take off Liang Xiao's head!
At the critical moment, Liang Xiao casually flicked his spear, sending the saber flying, and then swiftly turned the spearhead, sweeping it horizontally towards the Heavenly General of the Sun-Eater cavalry with lightning speed—
"CRACK!"
Before the astonished eyes of all, the Heavenly General of the Sun-Eater cavalry was decapitated.
Liang Xiao, using only the tip of his spear, had managed to behead the enemy general!
In an instant, the minds of the surging Sun-Eater cavalry behind them raced, their faces filled with shock and pallor.
To behead a charging enemy with the tip of a spear, what astonishing speed, accuracy, and power were required?!
But the Sun-Eater cavalry had no time to ponder Liang Xiao's martial prowess. They charged forward, desperate to capture Liang Xiao, or at the very least, to behead him!
Myriad Cloud and Mist galloped across the battlefield, charging through the ranks. Liang Xiao, wielding his silver spear, had killing intent blazing in his eyes.
Under the horrified gaze of the approaching Sun-Eater cavalry, more than half of the fifty-odd Sun-Eater cavalrymen were impaled by Liang Xiao, their horses killed beneath them, each strike fatal!
"This..."
Even the Zhongzhou cavalry who had rushed to reinforce were stunned for a moment. They quickly joined the battle, killing the remaining Sun-Eater cavalry before regaining their senses to re-examine their marshal.
They saw Liang Xiao, covered in blood, his face impassive, as he coldly swept his gaze across the distant Sun-Eater cavalry and shouted in a stern voice.
"This general is the king you sought to capture. Who else dares to come and die?"
At that moment, Liang Xiao appeared as if a Shura had returned, his battle robes stained with the enemy's blood.
The pupils of the Sun-Eater cavalry contracted. They shivered on the battlefield, unable to meet Liang Xiao's gaze!
They, who were man-eating demons that killed without blinking, now seemed to be facing a true god of slaughter, their morale plummeting.
But the battlefield allowed no cowardice. Zuo Wuji and Yue Qingtian had already led their troops to crush the vanguard and center of the Sun-Eater cavalry, and were now flanking from all sides.
After a fierce engagement of a quarter of an hour, the Luzhou cavalry, arriving from afar as reinforcements, sandwiched the enemy from both front and rear.
The shattered Sun-Eater cavalry, facing the Great Qian crossbows, dismounted and surrendered.
The battle was decided!
"The Marshal's spear technique is superb..."
Liang Xiao's household guards praised him sincerely, yet their faces held a hint of surprise.
They suddenly recalled that years ago, when the Barbarians broke their pact and ravaged the people of Yanzhou, a young general with a white horse and silver spear had repelled thousands of troops. He later became the Heavenly General, and then changed his weapon to a silver halberd and rode a white divine steed...
This?
"A family of generals, is that so surprising?" Liang Xiao removed his helmet and said with a smile.
"Makes sense..." the soldiers nodded, half of them shivering inexplicably.
His current smile made it seem as if he hadn't been the one who swiftly killed over fifty elite soldiers just moments ago.
"Truly like a bunch of bumpkins who have never seen the world," Zuo Wuji said dismissively, seeing their reactions, and pretended to approach with a report.
"Reporting to the Marshal! Our army has suffered three hundred casualties, three hundred and twenty severely wounded, and eight hundred lightly wounded. We have killed over eight thousand enemy soldiers and captured eighteen hundred! Please make your decision, Marshal!" 138 Reading Network
Liang Xiao immediately issued his orders: "Collect the bodies of our fallen comrades, tend to the wounded, and quarter in Luzhou. As for the prisoners, keep ten leaders, and the rest shall be executed on the spot and their heads displayed south of the city!"
The Luzhou cavalry were all dumbfounded.
The enemy numbered nearly ten thousand, and the Zhongzhou cavalry had only lost three hundred, with total casualties under fifteen hundred?
It wasn't until they saw the Zhuge Repeating Crossbows, Great Qian Bows, and long bows peeking out from the Zhongzhou cavalry's packs, along with their clearly superior armor and weapons, that the secret dawned on them.
These troops, with their broad shoulders and powerful builds, were clearly elites selected from various regions and trained. Their combat power might have approached that of the White Robe Army, and they also held a numerical advantage.
This battle, while not earth-shattering, was the debut of the Zhongzhou cavalry as a legion.
Of course, this was not their first time on the battlefield; most of them had experienced fierce battles, and some had even followed Liang Xiao to Fenglangjuxu. They had simply been selected by Liang Xiao and trained day and night.
Coupled with the Great Qian bows, which could be drawn even from horseback and possessed the power of strong bows, and the Zhuge Repeating Crossbows that rained down bolts endlessly, and holding a numerical advantage, if they couldn't win, they truly deserved to commit suicide to appease the people.
The Zhongzhou cavalry entered Luzhou city, where the military and civilians welcomed them with open arms, all filled with joy.
Luzhou was not exactly under siege, but it had repeatedly faced attacks from the Jiaozhou army, making the populace naturally apprehensive.
The annihilation of the enemy's elite cavalry by the Zhongzhou cavalry was a great morale boost to both the soldiers and civilians of Luzhou.
Zhuo Ying and others, upon seeing Liang Xiao, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Marshal, the enemy claims a coalition of a million troops, including the Guishuang Dynasty, Xianbei, Nanman, the Kingdom of Izumo, the Great Liang Kingdom, the Peacock Dynasty, Jiaozhou, and Daliang, claiming eight nations, who have been arrogant for half a year. Our army is currently lacking in cavalry, but the enemy's cavalry is growing in number. This subordinate estimates that the Jiaozhou and Daliang forces invading Jiangnan number at least five hundred thousand!"
"Five hundred thousand?" The generals behind Zhuo Ying's expression changed.
Zhuo Ying had never mentioned this before, evidently to maintain morale.
The enemy's propaganda regarding their numbers was greatly exaggerated; even common folk understood this to some extent.
But if Zhuo Ying himself admitted the enemy's strength, even with the united hearts of the people of Luzhou, morale would inevitably be affected.
"The rebel army is numerous, but not to be feared. Ten thousand Zhongzhou troops are coming to reinforce us. With this, our assembled total force will reach three hundred and fifty thousand, and we will also have the advantages of time, geography, and human support. Defeating the rebels is merely a matter of time. We have come to sweep away all barbarians."
Liang Xiao's expression was calm, and he immediately began to plan strategy with the generals.
For large-scale operations, the front line was too long, requiring sufficiently detailed operational plans.
The greatest weakness of the Great Qian was that it could not afford to lose any front. A loss meant the complete devastation of that area.
To avoid tragedy, the people would have to be relocated when necessary.
"Are there any news from General Nan?" Liang Xiao asked.
Zhuo Ying replied, "Half a month ago, news came from Yizhou that the Nanman could be pacified within five months, and three thousand troops have already been dispatched to support Jiangnan."
Liang Xiao pondered, "The situation in Yizhou is uncertain. The army's strategy should temporarily exclude Yizhou's participation."
Two more hours passed, and the heads of ten thousand Sun-Eater cavalry were displayed high on the city walls, deterring the enemy's morale!
"Why was our clan's cavalry annihilated? Who did this!"
"Marshal Alexander, the one leading the troops is the An Guo Hou of Great Qian, Liang Xiao."