The night is the best assassin.
Under the cover of darkness, while the Great Gan archers' accuracy was diminished, the overwhelming hail of arrows was enough to inflict widespread casualties on the enemy.
The machinery in the rear had been successfully constructed, continuously producing crossbow bolts to support the troops. Production efficiency had multiplied, and the cost was far lower than manual labor, with expenses only for timber, steam engines, coal, and significantly fewer workers than before.
The Great Gan heavy cavalry, requiring only to execute military orders, struck wherever directed, fearless.
However, for the Tianri cavalry, whose invincible confidence had already been shattered by the Great Gan elite cavalry, the night brought greater uncertainty and inexplicable fear.
They only wished to retreat to their main camp!
But the Tianri cavalry generals had received Hannibal's death order and had not yet received his command to withdraw, forcing them to stubbornly continue directing the battle.
The sky was dim, and only fleeting streaks of light could be vaguely seen in the air – the final reflections of arrows before they completed their mission.
Countless arrows pierced the enemy's rear, easily penetrating leather armor and even, at close range, iron armor, causing immense casualties to the Tianri cavalry.
The night weakened the accuracy of arrows, but it equally weakened the enemy's precise defense against them!
Chains of screams erupted from the Tianri cavalry, startling the Tianri generals who scanned their surroundings.
But due to the dimness of the night, only the torches of both sides could be seen, making it impossible to discern the specific situation.
"Why are there such frequent screams from our army?" the Tianri generals asked the messenger repeatedly.
"The enemy has surrounded us! A unit of light cavalry has appeared from nowhere, likely the Great Gan Central Plains cavalry! They are also firing volleys at us!"
The messenger's report left the Tianri generals shocked and pale: "It seems the enemy was well-prepared and has been waiting for this moment!"
The darkness provided the Central Plains cavalry with an excellent opportunity for a flanking surprise attack.
The Tianri cavalry had also been mobilizing for a surprise attack, intending to utilize the dim environment.
Thus, the two armies encountered each other. The Central Plains cavalry, equipped with Great Gan's shields and spears, utterly crushed the surprised Tianri light cavalry, sustaining far fewer casualties than the enemy.
The Tianri generals remained unwilling to concede. Using the Tianri elite cavalry as a defensive line, they repeatedly probed the edges of the battlefield, seeking to ambush the Great Gan ranged units.
However, the two thousand Great Gan heavy cavalry combined forces, with the Central Plains cavalry scouting the flanks, proactively engaged, ensuring the close protection of all longbow units.
A fierce battle unfolded under the veil of night.
Meanwhile, outside the fortified town to the east of the mountain range, Liang Xiao was in command, personally adjusting the aim of several Shenwu cannons.
He too had discerned the enemy commander's original intention: likely to use ordinary Tianri heavy cavalry as a vanguard to wear down the Great Gan front lines, and then dispatch the Tianri elite cavalry for a final charge to secure victory.
The prolonged absence of the Tianri elite cavalry led to increasing casualties for the enemy's heavy cavalry, forcing them to send heavy infantry to the battlefield to counter the Great Gan guards.
The Shenwu cannons roared, combined with the Huihui cannons, the three-bow bed crossbows, and the Shenbi bows. These various weapons, with pre-set angles, brought even greater lethality to the Tianri forces in the night.
Innumerable Tianri soldiers were mowed down by solid iron balls, Huihui cannons, and three-bow bed crossbows, while the Shenbi bows were fully capable of powerful armor penetration.
Longbows excelled in firepower efficiency, but for armor penetration, heavier ordnance was still essential.
In the darkness, Hannibal could not obtain accurate front-line reports, only knowing that his soldiers were suffering increasing losses.
"It's as if Liang Xiao knows I would employ this cavalry tactic. Now the night is advantageous to the enemy... Could he have even calculated the timing of the battle?" Hannibal muttered to himself, his eyes filled with confusion.
The Great Gan army's ability to easily counter the Tianri cavalry's combined tactics had already proven to be a formidable challenge.
The level of weaponry was only one aspect; the former Roman Empire, despite its peak and superior weaponry compared to them, was ultimately defeated by the Tianri cavalry, oppressed for centuries, leading to the nation's demise.
The Tianri relied on their invincible cavalry tactics, adapting their strategies to the terrain, primarily utilizing light cavalry. Even the Tianri elite cavalry could transform into light cavalry for sorties.
This strategy had never failed.
Yet now, they faced an opponent who could counter them not only in tactics but also in battlefield strategy!
Hannibal suddenly began to worry about the Tianri cavalry dispatched to intercept the Great Gan cavalry.
Xiao Che asked nervously, "Could it be that Western merchants have informed the Great Gan?"
Hannibal shook his head and said helplessly, "Our battle plans change with extreme efficiency. Simply knowing our tactics is meaningless. The only explanation is that Liang Xiao is cautious in his campaigns, striving for a perfect strategy to minimize soldier losses. We must deduce his intentions from this aspect."
"The Great Gan has cultivated an elite cavalry unit composed of heavy cavalry and horse archers, the 'Great Gan Elite Cavalry.' That must be the unit."
Hannibal pondered for a moment, then summoned a messenger and gritted his teeth, "It is late. Inform the Tianri elite cavalry to repel the enemy at all costs before withdrawing to their main unit!"
Tianri swift horses galloped towards the southern battlefield.
Turning back to Liang Xiao, with his superior eyesight, he commanded with assurance even under the cover of night, specifically targeting the most vulnerable areas of the enemy's defense line with the Shenwu cannons.
Liang Xiao had confirmed that almost all of the enemy's light cavalry had been dispatched to the southern battlefield!
Jiaozhou Village, the southern battlefield, this was the engagement.
According to his plan, the Great Gan soldiers and the Jiaozhou allied forces were engaged in a three-pronged operation!
"Cavalry deploy, harass three miles to the southwest!"
The cavalry from Luzhou, in addition to the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry, included regular cavalry who had previously come to support Zhuo Ying. At Liang Xiao's command, they all sallied forth, harassing the enemy's heavy infantry and heavy cavalry from the flank.
These heavy infantry and heavy cavalry in the darkness were already on edge. Now, facing the Great Gan cavalry, they were incessantly disturbed. The longbowmen had all been dispatched by Hannibal to the southern battlefield to deal with the Great Gan cavalry.
The range of the siege crossbows was insufficient, and the bed crossbows could only target a limited number of enemies...
"Why does the Great Gan cavalry have so many?"
Hannibal, upon receiving the news, was filled with shock and anger.
"This means Marshal Hannibal's strategy was correct, the main battlefield is actually to the south. With cavalry battles, if the enemy has deployed so many cavalry here, then the Tianri cavalry will be absolutely safe!" Xiao Che still did not forget to flatter.
Hannibal frowned, "But Liang Xiao seems to have also discovered my intentions. Their long-range attacks have clearly weakened now. Liang Xiao must have dispatched troops to reinforce the southern battlefield!"
"Should we recall the heavy cavalry, leaving only the heavy infantry to disrupt the enemy's lines, and then have these heavy cavalry re-equip as light cavalry and reinforce the southern battlefield?" Xiao Che suggested.
Hannibal thought it made sense and was about to issue an order when the sound of cannon fire erupted again from the front, followed by heart-wrenching screams.
"Marshal! The enemy's offensive is fierce, the shield wall has suddenly advanced, and our army has suffered heavy casualties!"
"Marshal!! The southern Jiaozhou Village has been attacked by the enemy and has already fallen!!"