Seven thousand soldiers in white robes had once followed the Heavenly General to crush the barbarians, their might echoing through mountains and rivers.
Now, with improved weaponry and superior troop quality, they were magnificent, possessing an air of invincibility, like a charging bear or tiger, striking directly at the enemy's flank!
Liang Xiao personally led the grand army, the cavalry unleashed in full force, even the armored cavalry charging forward with fierce determination. The Divine Archery Corps, holding their bows, dismounted their steeds, temporarily setting aside their long bows for powerful crossbows.
Despite being outnumbered, the Great Gan army held the advantage in weaponry, morale, and wind direction. From the very first clash, they broke through the enemy's already disordered front lines.
With heavy cavalry being mowed down by the Divine Archery Corps, large numbers of Xianbei cavalry lost their protective shield. Faced with a dense volley of Great Gan crossbow bolts, they were sent tumbling from their horses.
Leveraging their advantage in crossbows, the Great Gan army's originally semicircular formation curved inward, then immediately outward, forming a semi-encirclement that pressed towards the enemy, expanding the area of engagement.
Tens of thousands of crossbow bolts flew through the air, and both sides engaged in their first volleys of fire.
However, the Xianbei, having organized a retreat, had given almost all their bows and crossbows to the rear guard. With the rear guard of forty thousand annihilated, the Xianbei's supply of bows and crossbows was drastically reduced. Faced with the Great Gan crossbow bolts, their formation immediately fell into disarray.
"This battle, we shall slay the Heavenly General and butcher Liang Xiao!!"
The Xianbei King, watching from afar, felt mocked and exploited by the Tianri tribe, and now facing the iron cavalry of Great Gan, he was near madness. He did not issue a retreat order.
Even Duo She cautiously reminded him, "Your Majesty, our army is exhausted, our horses weary, and our crossbows have failed. I fear we must temporarily withdraw, rest, and regroup!"
"The Grand Marshal is correct! After all, our army has already understood the movements of the enemy's golden elite. We can join forces at any time and engage again," the strategists couldn't help but agree.
"We cannot retreat! If we fight again, we will have to endure at least another round of Zhuge repeating crossbows!" the Xianbei King roared.
The generals' hearts tightened. Humans die for wealth, birds die for food. Their陛下 would rather risk the annihilation of the entire army than let go of so much gold. It was clear he had lost his reason...
However, upon further reflection, they could only give their full support.
This was indeed a heaven-sent opportunity for the Xianbei. If they had to endure another barrage of Zhuge repeating crossbows, the tens of thousands of densely fired bolts would be enough to kill thousands, possibly leading to a complete rout.
If the Great Gan soldiers recovered their strength and received reinforcements, the Xianbei would have no choice but to flee in disarray. It was even possible that Langcheng, their tribal capital, would be razed to the ground!
If they surrendered to Great Gan, given Liang Xiao's cautious nature, he would undoubtedly disarm them and place them under control.
No Xianbei dared to gamble that Liang Xiao would not annihilate them. After all, Liang Xiao had mercilessly slaughtered over five hundred thousand barbarian troops. Who knew if he would emulate the ancients and bury surrendered soldiers alive!
The front lines clashed fiercely, while the rear guard archers unleashed volleys of fire.
On this day, the Xianbei finally felt the true gap in military equipment and combat effectiveness between the two sides!
The Great Gan soldiers, after years of selection, good food, and rigorous training, possessed powerful weapons, armor, and a disciplined army. The Xianbei, dwelling deep in the desert, might have nobles feasting on beef and lamb, good wine and meat, but ordinary soldiers likely endured hunger, lacking salt and rice. Their only advantage was their acclimatization to the cold and their horsemanship and archery skills...
The damage inflicted by Great Gan's crossbows on the Xianbei was far greater than that of the Xianbei crossbows on the Great Gan soldiers. The sheer numbers were worlds apart, and the Divine Archery Corps had even dismounted at the front lines, drawing their bows.
The Xianbei's crossbow numbers were greatly reduced due to the annihilation of their rear guard of forty thousand. Against the iron armor, cotton armor, iron helmets, and medium-sized shields of the Great Gan soldiers, their attacks were now largely ineffective.
In contrast, tens of thousands of Xianbei arrows soared through the air, and everywhere, Xianbei were falling from their horses with cries of agony!
Even so, the Xianbei cavalry in the rear could not directly perceive the specific gap on the front lines. Remembering the battlefield rewards promised by the Xianbei King, they still roared with bloodshot eyes, charging towards the front!
To seize Great Gan's gold! To make Great Gan's women conceive their children and become their playthings!
Their unyielding objective spurred them on, their teeth gritted.
At this moment, the Great Gan soldiers were also fighting with eyes red, their anger soaring. They vied to kill the enemy before them, their blades pointed at the very definition of enemy!
Before the battle, they had learned of the shame of Yanzhou brought by the barbarians, a shame in which the Xianbei had also participated. It was a blood feud!
And now, they dared to attempt to steal Great Gan's gold?!
The Great Gan soldiers, with eyes also turned red, charged fearlessly towards the Xianbei cavalry.
In a narrow path, the brave prevail, but after the Xianbei cavalry fell in droves, the Great Gan soldiers advanced steadily, their blades directly at the Xianbei's main banner!
On another front line, the seven thousand soldiers in white robes plunged into the enemy formation, blood splashing with every step.
Led by Liang Xiao, the Great Gan generals fought at the forefront, slaying generals and capturing banners, leading their troops to tear open a path through the enemy lines.
Wherever the Great Gan commander led, the iron cavalry's might followed!
After fifteen minutes of fierce battle, the white-robed soldiers finally crushed through multiple enemy defense lines like an unstoppable force.
The collapse of one sector triggered a chain reaction. Large-scale routs began to occur in various parts of the Xianbei army. They could no longer organize an attack and shifted from proactive engagement to passive defense. Ultimately, as more and more Xianbei cavalry on the front lines fled, their defeat became a landslide.
"The front lines can't hold!"
The Xianbei cavalry, charging with bloodshot eyes, heard news of the fleeing soldiers and finally regained their composure.
Defeated??
Our one hundred and forty thousand Xianbei cavalry, with the support of Tianri tribe's weaponry, charging at tens of thousands of the enemy, have been defeated!
The war cries of the distant Great Gan cavalry were like the roar of collapsing mountains, their morale soaring. The Xianbei cavalry scattered and fled, their generals no longer able to control them.
Thousands of miles of vast sand were stained red, the air filled with the scent of blood!
After a mere hour of fierce fighting, the victor was decided!
The Xianbei King, upon hearing news from the front, was utterly terrified. "How is this possible... The Tianri tribe's weapons were not fake!"
The Tianri tribe had provided a vast amount of ironware, especially iron armor, almost draining the Xianbei's gold reserves.
Now, on the desert battlefield where they were most skilled, they had still suffered a crushing defeat!
"Is this... the might of Great Gan?" The Xianbei King finally calmed down. He glanced at the corpse of Walentin beneath his horse and shivered.
He had killed Walentin in his rage, but Walentin had also betrayed him and the Xianbei, and truly deserved to die...
"Your Majesty! We must retreat now!!" Duo She urged desperately.
"The Tianri tribe has betrayed me!!" With the defeat sealed, the Xianbei King calmed down, sighed several times, and issued the order, "The entire army will withdraw to the northeastern heartland!"
Upon receiving the command, the Xianbei completely lost their will to resist, and everyone turned their horses to retreat.
The Xianbei's front lines became their rear guard, and now they were once again the front guard, fleeing towards the northeast.
The Great Gan soldiers, however, showed no inclination to cease the fight. They all bravely pursued, their blades stained with blood.
"Our army has an ambush! Hurry and pursue the enemy leader!"
Liang Xiao raised his arm and shouted. The white-robed soldiers followed closely, and then all the Great Gan iron cavalry surged towards the northeast.
The small rivers in the oases along the way, which had begun to freeze, were now stained crimson by the Great Gan soldiers pursuing the Xianbei cavalry!
The Xianbei desperately fled, leaving behind the corpses of forty thousand from the first battle and fifty thousand from the second. They could no longer care about their comrades being slaughtered by the Great Gan soldiers behind them, each wishing their horses had four more legs!
The two sides pursued to within ten miles of the northeast, when the Xianbei King's vanguard suddenly ground to a halt.
"What is this?!"
Everyone stared at the layers of black granules underfoot, their faces filled with shock and disbelief. "Black beans?!"
One of the favorite feeds for warhorses, cooked, crushed, in various forms, lay in a thick layer. They had been buried beneath the yellow sand, and after being blown by the northwest wind and trampled by the Xianbei, the surface layer was now exposed.
It was exactly what Liang Xiao had ordered Nie Yuan to bury here in advance. The Xianbei, arriving in the darkness, had not discovered them in time!
The Xianbei horses and men were already famished. The warhorses were the first to stop, lowering their heads to eat the black beans, making them difficult to control!