The two teams of heavy cavalry, similar in weight, charged at each other. The slower ones often suffered more severe injuries.
Facing the heavy impact of the Xiongnu iron cavalry, the Great Gan heavy cavalry, to avoid losing speed, also immediately charged forward, relying on their full plate armor to withstand arrows and reach their maximum speed.
The two sides erupted in the first round of earth-shattering impact!
The moment they clashed, the Xiongnu iron cavalry in the front row discovered with horror that their finely crafted lances were at least five chi shorter than their opponents!
"How is that possible?"
The Great Gan heavy cavalry's lances, with their four-edged spearheads designed for breaking armor, pierced the Xiongnu iron cavalry's armor, immediately flinging enemy soldiers into the air!
However, the astonishing impact force also snapped the lances. The Great Gan heavy cavalry promptly disengaged their lances to avoid being thrown back by the counterforce.
The hundreds of lances from the Xiongnu iron cavalry's front row barely inflicted any effective damage on the Great Gan heavy cavalry.
In contrast, the Great Gan heavy cavalry's lances had already pierced over a hundred men. Xiongnu cavalrymen died on the spot, and soldiers were sent tumbling from their horses in swaths!
But the Xiongnu cavalry and horses in the rear did not stop. The powerful impact force also struck the Great Gan heavy cavalry's front row.
The Great Gan heavy cavalry were well-prepared. They tightened their grip on their horses' bellies and, relying on their heavy armor and that of their mounts, withstood this round of impact. Only a few dozen men were sent flying, landing heavily on the ground, unconscious.
The point of contact between the two armies quickly devolved from orderly formation into a chaotic melee.
"What kind of armor is that?"
The Xiongnu cavalry, discovering that their lances could not penetrate the plate armor, were greatly alarmed.
But the charge of the two armies was unstoppable, and there was no time to rein in their horses.
"Boom..."
The dull thuds of heavy cavalry collisions were incessant, and screams echoed, but the screams of the Xiongnu heavy cavalry were more numerous.
The Great Gan heavy cavalry, almost without a single scream, even when struck by fatal impact from men, horses, or lances and falling from their mounts, did not forget to strike back. Until their last breath, their eyes held a satisfied smile as they slowly closed, never to wake again.
Where the heavy cavalry clashed, the light cavalry and archers in the rear drew their bows and fired, seeking to inflict damage on the enemy's rear.
The Great Gan divine archer teams dismounted and fired volleys from their longbows.
At the same time, the Great Gan heavy cavalry from the second rank advanced, scattering the enemy's heavy cavalry, only to face the charge of the enemy's third rank of heavy cavalry.
The Great Gan heavy cavalry's third rank advanced, and met the Xiongnu heavy cavalry's fourth and fifth ranks...
However, the Great Gan heavy cavalry's fourth rank did not carry lances. Each soldier held a jar of Great Gan Skyfire with its fuse lit. Riding the momentum of their charge, they hurled them with all their might.
Those selected for the Great Gan heavy cavalry were all men of exceptional physique and strength. With the initial velocity of their charging horses, the Great Gan Skyfire flew far.
In an instant, the skyfire spread like wildfire!
The earthenware jars shattered, and the petroleum exploded, splashing onto the Xiongnu iron cavalry.
"Where did all this Great Gan Skyfire come from!"
Attila and others watching from a distance were both angry and anxious.
The padded armor cavalry could not afford to be hit by the Great Gan Skyfire, as they would have no time to remove their armor and would certainly die.
In the first round of engagement, the generals of the Xiongnu Empire discovered that their side had suffered serious losses, with a severe imbalance in the casualty ratio. They were forced to reorganize their heavy cavalry and reform their troops.
At least two thousand heavy cavalrymen from the front line perished from lances, collisions, and the sea of fire.
In contrast, the Great Gan army, utilizing the advantage of their lance length, the Great Gan Skyfire, and their archers, suffered losses of only four hundred!
After a brief engagement, both sides had a grasp of the enemy's offensive tactics. For the moment, they suppressed their lines with bows and arrows, regrouped, and prepared for the next charge.
Attila's face was ashen, and for a moment, he felt a sense of helplessness, unable to devise a plan.
He had already considered the combat strength of the Great Gan army and was aware of the Great Gan Swift Cavalry's challenge, but such casualties were beyond his expectations.
The Great Gan heavy cavalry, as the steel Great Wall of the Great Gan army, blocked the massive forces of the Xiongnu iron cavalry, providing the divine archer teams with excellent conditions for volleys. Even the Xiongnu heavy cavalry could be pierced by longbows and Great Gan arrows!
The Xiongnu iron cavalry, imitating the tactics, dismounted and fired volleys from their longbows, but they were unable to penetrate the Great Gan heavy cavalry's armor.
The Great Gan Skyfire easily killed hundreds of heavy cavalrymen, who could not even escape in the sea of fire.
"Perhaps we need to wait for Mars to repel the enemy and come to reinforce us. Otherwise, my Xiongnu iron cavalry will suffer heavy losses, perhaps even a complete rout." Attila clenched his fist, his eyes burning with rage. "No! What if Mars also suffers a defeat? We must find a way to force the enemy back here!"
At the same time, on the northeastern battlefield, the fighting was fierce.
The Great Gan soldiers, using the Great Gan Skyfire and Divine Might Cannons, successfully broke through the front line defenses of the Tianri tribe, crushing the enemy's vanguard charge and giving the rear troops sufficient time to rest.
The central and rear armies had already formed up. With a command from Qin Feng and others, the heavy-armored spearmen were gradually pushed forward.
"Rumble!"
The Divine Might Cannons began to fire, their roar shaking the heavens.
The flintlock rifle volleys followed closely, repelling the enemy cavalry attempting to flank from both wings.
Facing the Great Gan army's integrated combat of all arms, Mars was also at a loss.
The Great Gan army's front line had become a grinding stone, crushing the lives of countless Tianri Swift Cavalry.
The elite troops meticulously trained by the Tianri tribe lost nearly half their strength in less than two quarters of an hour of engagement.
Mars's heart bled, but at this moment, he knew he absolutely could not turn back.
"The Great Gan Swift Cavalry are not here; they must have gone to Attila's side. The enemy used scout warfare, saw through our formation, launched a cavalry surprise attack on the Xiongnu Empire, and a combined infantry-cavalry assault on us. How troublesome..."
At this moment, Mars's scalp tingled, and he finally understood why the other commanders of his tribe had met their deaths at the hands of Liang Xiao.
"This battle is a fight to the death between the Tianri tribe and the Great Gan. Charge!"
Mars glared at the shells continuously flying from a distance, gritted his teeth, and roared his order.
The Tianri tribe's forces became increasingly frenzied, but they could not break through the Great Gan shield wall.
Nearly five hundred Huihui catapults were all destroyed by the Divine Might Cannons. The remaining dozens were also smashed after firing a few stone projectiles, managing to kill only dozens of Great Gan heavy-armored shield soldiers!
Liang Xiao, observing the distant battle from the highlands, was filled with righteous anger when he saw dozens of his vanguard soldiers refusing to retreat until they were crushed by the Huihui catapults.
"The Emperor has ordered! Advance immediately and annihilate the Western Rong!"
The sea of fire was extinguished by the raging sand. Over a hundred thousand Great Gan soldiers transitioned from defense to offense, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
Just then, the sound of horses neighing suddenly came from the northeast, startling both armies!
"It's our army that was ambushing the troops in Qilian Mountain!" Mars exclaimed in surprise and joy as he saw the Tianri cavalry in the distance, but his expression then changed drastically.
This cavalry force numbered only a little over a thousand, but behind them were tens of thousands of Great Gan cavalry!
It was Zuo Wuji, leading tens of thousands of Great Gan iron cavalry in pursuit of the enemy remnants!
"Reporting to the Emperor, it is the Deputy Commander of the North Expedition, Zuo Wuji, who, on the Emperor's orders, has led troops to reinforce, pursuing the enemy cavalry along the way!"