At the same time as the fierce battle, another cavalry unit in the Qilian Mountains was being reviewed by Liang Zhan. All the cavalry were equipped with strong bows, crossbows, and small to medium-sized shields, wearing light armor and padded armor.
"Reinforce the Western Front, defend our homeland, and expel the white devils!"
With Liang Zhan's final command, all the horse archers turned their horses and galloped towards the Western Front, creating a roaring momentum!
Liang Zhan watched, his expression grave.
Half of these horse archers were new recruits, yet every one of them yearned to fight to the death in the Guishuang Dynasty to earn merit, for this might be a rare opportunity for commendation in any soldier's career.
Today, west of Yumenguan, golden blades clashed, and sands stretched for miles!
Liang Xiao gazed into the distance from the highlands, observing the imposing Western Allied forces with thoughtful consideration.
The Western Front campaign, perhaps the most brutal war since the great victory in Yanzhou, was just beginning. However, the Great Qian Dynasty absolutely had to defeat the enemy to avoid prolonged trouble, lest they repeat the tragedy of their homeland lagging behind the West here!
The Great Qian cavalry converged, flanking from both sides, with elites dispatched to strike the Western cavalry's flanks.
Upon sensing that the Great Qian cavalry had finally launched their attack, Attila and Mars were both surprised and enraged.
"To what extent has their cavalry force expanded in these past few years!"
Due to fighting and retreating, the Western cavalry's formation was not entirely neat, and a head-on confrontation would undoubtedly be disadvantageous.
The Great Qian iron cavalry had reached near perfection in intelligence gathering, tactics, and formations.
The Xiongnu cavalry and the Tianri cavalry originated from two different ethnic groups, making absolute unity impossible!
But they too had their advantages...
"If the enemy rashly charges our complete formation, they will be utterly defeated. Immediately obstruct them with cavalry phalanxes and have the longbowmen fire volleys from the rear!"
With a command, the Western Allied forces mobilized swiftly. The cavalry in the front row raised their long spears, their tips pointed directly at the Great Qian cavalry.
The grand battle between the two sides seemed imminent!
But soon, the Western cavalry discovered something unusual.
These Great Qian cavalry held shields in their left hands to block arrows and led ropes in their right hands, with a spherical object hanging from the end of the rope?
"Is that... the 'Great Qian Skyfire' from before..."
The Western cavalry suddenly recalled the "Great Qian Skyfire" they had encountered during the siege, and their hearts jolted.
"Defend!"
The Great Qian cavalry in the front row, each equipped with a light iron-bound shield, used hooks between the horse's bridle and the shield to erect the shield in front of them. With their left hands, they took pre-prepared tinder, ignited the fuse beneath the spherical clay pot in their right hands.
"Sizzling—"
As the fuse burned, this group of cavalry suddenly spurred their horses forward at a gallop. On horseback, they swung the clay pots in circles, and at a distance of about fifteen zhang from the enemy, they threw the pots with all their might.
These cavalrymen were carefully selected and long-trained strongmen from the army. Combined with the centrifugal force generated by swinging the rope in circles, it was an easy task for them to hurl a five or six jin clay pot over fifteen zhang.
In an instant, thousands of clay pots rained down upon the enemy vanguard, like thousands of meteors hurtling down.
At the same time, the charging Great Qian cavalry, seizing the opportunity, re-equipped their long lances on horseback and, with imposing momentum, charged directly at the enemy.
"Boom!"
The clay pots exploded one after another into the enemy vanguard, with fire bursting forth in all directions.
The projected and burning petroleum quickly spread into balls of fire, sticking to the Western cavalry and their horses.
The vanguard of the Western cavalry, clad in iron armor to shield the rear ranks from arrows, had never encountered such a bizarre attack. The burning petroleum adhered to their iron armor, and they were powerless to shake it off. For a moment, their formation fell into disarray. They then met the Great Qian cavalry's first powerful charge, being heavily thrown back or even killed.
The loose formation was quickly pierced through its first layer of defense by the Great Qian cavalry!
The Great Qian assault force knew when to advance and when to retreat. Taking advantage of the enemy vanguard's inability to retaliate, they swiftly turned their horses, held up their shields to block the Western crossbow bolts, circled back to their own lines, and prepared for the second charge.
The Great Qian arrows from the rear rained down like a storm. The Western cavalry, having lost the effective protection and deterrence of their vanguard, immediately faced even heavier casualties. Numerous mounted cavalry and ground archers were hit by arrows, descending into chaos.
At close range, the power of the Great Qian bows was even greater than that of longbows. Combined with the Great Qian Skyfire and the cavalry charge, this formed the first effective strike!
At this moment, the close-combat units at the rear of the Western cavalry also rapidly advanced from their positions, preparing to engage.
The Great Qian cavalry used arrows to pin down the enemy formation, firing but not advancing.
The Western cavalry at this point also realized their disadvantage. However, because their vanguard was still defending and reorganizing, they could not effectively counterattack and could only endure the Great Qian arrows.
Attila angrily ordered: "The central army will transform into armored soldiers, advance!"
It turned out that the rear ranks of the Western cavalry each carried parts of the armored soldier's protective gear. This dispersed the pressure on the logistical trains and allowed for rapid delivery and assembly of the central army.
The armored soldiers of the central army swiftly advanced, but by the time they pursued, enduring the arrow volleys, the Great Qian cavalry had already rapidly retreated to the safety of their own lines.
From afar, the Western commanders observed the Great Qian formation, their hearts filled with dread.
These were also carefully cultivated cavalry, so how could the opposing side possess such strong organization and discipline?
Due to the nature of warhorses, cavalry formations were more difficult to control than infantry.
Yet, the order of these Great Qian cavalry was even stronger than that of the elite infantry of the Western Allied forces!
At this moment, they still could not comprehend the root of the problem.
The Great Qian cavalry, according to military regulations, meticulously cared for their horses and never allowed them to witness the consumption of deceased horses. To the cavalry, these warhorses were like their own family members, with whom they shared an emotional bond. The coordination between man and horse was, on the whole, higher than that of the Western cavalry.
The army also arranged for a large number of veterinarians to provide meticulous care. While creating employment for the populace, this also ensured a stable supply of warhorses.
After several years of cultivation, coupled with new military equipment, they had finally formed the most powerful and stable cavalry system in history.
"Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, invasive as fire, immovable as a mountain, inscrutable as the darkness, swift as thunder!"
The soldiers of the Great Qian were also well aware that the enemy was an elite force from across the land. They did not rush into a decisive battle but continuously eroded the enemy's fighting will and the vanguard's defense line.
Attila watched, clenching his fists, his face filled with unwillingness.
The Western cavalry, having launched a night raid and not yet fully recovered, had fallen prey to Liang Xiao's continuous schemes, suffering tens of thousands of losses, perhaps even approaching twenty thousand!
Once the vanguard unit collapsed, the entire army would soon follow.
This time, he did not want to suffer the same fate as the Left Wise King and be annihilated.
"The enemy was prepared. We can only retreat and mobilize all our cavalry to fight them decisively," Attila stated.
Mars merely responded with a stiff "Mm," waving a flag. Caesar's expression was extremely grim.
They too realized that with their current army size, it was impossible to defeat this Great Qian cavalry. The enemy could very well rely on the strategic advantage of Yumenguan and launch a full-scale assault. If they were forced into a melee, their side could be dragged into a quagmire and consequently be annihilated.
However, they absolutely could not retreat in panic at this moment; they had to ensure an orderly withdrawal to prevent the collapse of morale.
"Send word to the rear infantry to come and provide support!"
With Attila's command, messengers along the way waved their flags, reacting swiftly.
The Western cavalry began to use Great Qian bows to hold their ground and execute a tactical retreat.
Liang Xiao, who was observing the battlefield, also received a report from the front lines.
"Reporting to Your Majesty! The enemy is retreating. Shall we pursue?"