"Bang!"
Some of the Heavenly Sun cavalry managed to dodge the hail of bullets and charge through the shield wall, but due to the heavy losses along the way, they ultimately failed to break through the Great Qian army's formation.
The Mo Dao soldiers in the Great Qian army did not rush to attack, as the enemy was currently using heavy cavalry charges, and the Mo Dao would have minimal effect.
Even so, Yue Qingtian would occasionally draw his Silver Dragon Golden Treasure Blade and, from the gaps in the shield wall, cleave enemies and their horses in half vertically, striking terror into the hearts of thousands of soldiers!
The Heavenly Sun cavalry realized how dangerous the red shield was and dared not approach further, instead turning to charge other shield walls.
The Heavenly Sun light cavalry were also flanking from the wings, but they faced volleys of longbows, Great Qian bows, and flintlock guns in succession, suffering heavy casualties and failing to form an effective threat. They could only tie down the Great Qian's Huihui cannons and Shenbi bows, buying time for their own infantry to charge.
Mars had a general understanding of the front-line situation and was filled with regret.
"If only I had heeded Attila's advice and switched entirely to padded armor, perhaps the padded armor could have effectively resisted the impact of those magical wooden rods, and the casualties wouldn't have been so severe!"
The Shenwu great cannons were considered "magical iron balls" by the Heavenly Sun tribe, while the flintlock guns, due to their long range, were vaguely perceived as "magical wooden rods."
However, Mars quickly dismissed his own thought.
In the height of summer, the Heavenly Sun tribe could not wear padded armor; only their converted slave soldiers could.
"Could it be that Liang Xiao had already anticipated that my tribe would not learn from the Xiongnu cavalry and wear padded armor..." Suddenly, Mars remembered something and broke into a cold sweat.
If the other side had even considered this, then it was too...
Liang Xiao was with the army, and with his vision far superior to that of ordinary people, he could clearly see the front-line battle and was secretly delighted.
The Xiongnu Empire's people were not resistant to the cold, so it was reasonable for them to switch to padded armor to improve mobility. Even in the height of summer, they could store their padded armor and keep it ready at all times. This way, the Xiongnu Empire had a much higher rate of padded armor wear than the Heavenly Sun tribe. Deploying firearms against the Heavenly Sun tribe was the correct decision!
If he weren't worried about the arrival of autumn and winter affecting the army's combat effectiveness and pursuit capabilities, creating unforeseen variables, he would have wanted the Military Equipment Bureau to produce more flintlock guns, as training flintlock gunners was far easier than training archers.
"Infantry charge!!"
The Heavenly Sun tribe's horns sounded, and their heavily armored infantry and spearmen finally advanced to the front lines under the cover of heavy cavalry!
Just as the two sides were about to engage in fierce close-quarters combat, a massive amount of Great Qian Skyfire rained down from behind, falling heavily in front of the Great Qian army. Fueled by the wind, a sea of fire instantly spread!
The Great Qian Skyfire, which was poured and thrown, was essentially equivalent to "Molotov cocktails" in the cold weapon era.
However, to ensure that the front ranks of the Great Qian army were not affected, the Great Qian Skyfire was dropped thirty zhang away from the point of contact between the two armies.
In the sea of fire, countless Heavenly Sun heavily armored infantry and heavy cavalry struggled and rolled, and the battlefield was filled with the smell of burning.
The rolling smoke also greatly hindered the charge of the Heavenly Sun infantry.
In contrast, the Great Qian army, which was already on the defensive, was in a favorable wind position and completely unafraid of the sea of fire spreading to their own lines. While the sea of fire obstructed battlefield vision, it greatly increased the importance of long-range attacks, though it also reduced accuracy.
"Boom!"
The Shenwu great cannons, with a range exceeding two li, were unaffected and fired another round!
The Great Qian army displayed coordinated operations across all arms for the first time on the battlefield, achieving significant results.
"Such a tactic, unheard of and never seen before!"
Mars and the Heavenly Sun generals behind him on the high ground were terrified.
But now they were in a predicament; retreat meant complete defeat.
"Immediately order the light cavalry and heavy infantry to bypass the sea of fire and flank the enemy!!"
The decisive battle in the Western Regions raged on, while the Great Qian capital city was unprecedentedly prosperous, as millions of soldiers and laborers on the front lines bore the burden for the Qian tribe.
All departments of the capital city worked at full capacity, and Xiao Qing seized this rare opportunity for good governance, urging officials to work diligently.
Even Ning Xuejun, while protecting Xiao Qing and her son, was learning new knowledge that interested her.
Now, she and Medical Saint Mu Xueqin, who was visiting the palace, were using a handmade microscope to observe a piece of fur.
The lenses within had also been slowly ground by her in her spare time, following Liang Xiao's conceptual drawings.
"Incredible!"
Xiao Qing and her son, who were studying together, heard Ning Xuejun's exclamation and turned to look.
"On a small piece of fur, there are actually countless tiny creatures like mustard seeds, and even small blood vessels..."
After viewing it, the Medical Saint was full of shock, as if a new world had opened up to her.
Xiao Qing curiously leaned in and successively looked at rabbit ears, insect wings, and onions, her face turning pale with shock.
"Are these the 'bacteria' that Brother Xiao spoke of? They truly exist!"
Mu Xueqin nodded, "The so-called 'plague' must also be related to these tiny creatures. If research in this area is increased, the medical skills of Great Qian physicians in the future will surely be greatly improved! No wonder my son-in-law has always recommended refining the 'one-drunk-hundred-years' wine heads for 'disinfection' of some external wounds!"
"Because the 'alcohol' concentration in the wine heads is very high, and if extracted further, it can kill these 'bacteria'!" Xiao Qing was both shocked and overjoyed, immediately sending people to inform the Ministry of Works to increase the production of microscopes.
Great Qian medicine also ushered in a historic day, as people learned that the Medical Saint, on behalf of His Majesty and the Emperor, had discovered "bacteria"...
On another battlefield, the four marshals of the Great Qian, united, engaged in a cavalry decisive battle with Attila, the Whip of God.
The battlefield roared with killing intent, thunderous as a storm, with thousands of horses charging!
Twenty thousand Great Qian heavy cavalry formed the front line, with ten thousand ordinary armored cavalry guarding the flanks, followed by countless White Robe soldiers, Liaodong Iron Cavalry, and Central Plains cavalry...
On the other side, the Xiongnu Empire also arrayed its forces.
Both sides adopted large square formations composed of smaller square units, maintaining a relatively stable formation.
As the two armies faced each other, drums and gongs sounded in unison, and from the rear, arrows from bows and crossbows rained down like a torrential downpour.
The Great Qian forces consisted of cavalry and chariots, and they did not carry large siege weapons, three-bow bed crossbows, or Huihui cannons.
The Xiongnu Empire had also dispatched their Huihui cannons to the front lines occupied by the Heavenly Sun tribe and the Britons.
With a roar, both armies charged forth, beginning their first round of frontal engagement.
Due to the formidable momentum of the heavy cavalry and their difficulty in stopping, if they charged into the enemy formation without disrupting it, they risked being surrounded and killed. Therefore, neither side's heavy cavalry rushed into action immediately.
Before the vanguard of either army made contact, they endured a round of arrow volleys, and a few men were shot from their horses.
On the Xiongnu side, due to the smaller number of heavy cavalry, they were unable to shield all the arrows for the flanks and rear. Some arrows struck the padded cavalry, piercing the flesh through the gaps, and felling them from their horses on the spot.
Attila himself was on the central army's high ground, observing the situation. At first glance, he noticed the gap between the two sides and felt an unprecedented tension, swallowing hard.
At this moment, even if the opposing commander was not the enemy he longed to face, he still felt an unprecedented pressure.
"The Great Qian actually supports tens of thousands of heavy cavalry. Each heavy cavalryman requires at least three excellent warhorses, vast amounts of fodder, expensive equipment, and grooms. Moreover, their heavy cavalry lances are clearly much longer than reported in intelligence... Is this the gap in national strength?"
Even the Xiongnu Empire, skilled in nomadic warfare, could not muster such a luxurious lineup.
"Boom!"