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Cavalry is the most challenging type of military force to deal with.
The reason lies in their unparalleled mobility and high initiative. On open plains, whether it's engaging in battle, encircling the enemy, harassing, or retreating, the advantage of choice almost always rests with the cavalry.
Archers, and even crossbowmen, can to some extent counter cavalry, but archers are fragile. If cavalry closes in on them, archers are even less effective than ordinary infantry.
Dense formations of spearmen can withstand a cavalry charge, but their marching speed is far too slow compared to cavalry. Cavalry can simply bypass the tightly formed spearmen and target easier prey, leaving the slow-moving spear formations helpless, like turtles crawling in the mud…
The greatest adversary of cavalry will always be other cavalry.
Just like now, Guo Pu's only choice is to accelerate forward, crash through the enemy cavalry blocking his path, and then, depending on the situation, decide whether to execute a full turn or disengage entirely…
Stopping to form a defensive formation or attempting to turn around on the spot would be the most foolish course of action.
Because the most critical factor for cavalry is speed. The second most important is also speed. And the third? Still speed.
To the left and right were scattered farmlands. Charging into them would inevitably cause the warhorses to lose momentum, and worse, risk stumbling. Thus, Guo Pu's current decision was undoubtedly the correct one—but if the initial choice had already been wrong, what good would the right decisions afterward do?
Guo Pu roared, "Speed up! Speed up! Form a wedge formation! Loose arrows inward!" At this moment, Guo Pu could no longer concern himself with the cavalry behind him. He didn't even have time to ponder how the Yellow Turban rebels had suddenly produced so many mounted troops in the blink of an eye. The situation was dire—their only hope for survival was to charge forward!
The Xiliang cavalry, after years of battling the Qiang and Hu tribes, were seasoned veterans. Though caught in a pincer attack and somewhat panicked, they still managed to form a charging wedge under Guo Pu's command, shaping into a sharp arrowhead that thrust forward relentlessly…
Five hundred paces… three hundred paces… two hundred paces…
The pounding of their hearts seemed to synchronize with the thunder of hooves, growing faster and faster, pumping blood furiously through their bodies…
A hundred and fifty paces! The faces of the enemy riders were now clearly visible. The commanders on both sides shouted almost simultaneously, followed by the deafening twang of over a thousand bows releasing as one—as if a massive swarm of hornets had suddenly blotted out the sky above them…
"Raise shields!" Guo Pu bellowed.
The Xiliang soldiers swiftly stowed their bows in their side pouches, grabbing the shields hanging from their saddles in one fluid motion. They hunched down, tucking their heads and torsos beneath the shields, leaving their legs and horses exposed—there was no time to worry about that now.
Peering out from the edge of his shield, Guo Pu saw something shocking: the enemy cavalry avoided the incoming arrows by splitting apart instantly to either side, as if their once-narrow formation had suddenly bulged outward like an inflating belly…
Guo Pu's eyes widened in realization—
These weren't Yellow Turbans—they were Hu barbarians!
But there was no time left to think. With a deafening crash, the two cavalry forces collided!
Guo Pu roared with all his might, his voice tearing from the strain, "They're Hu riders! Disperse the wedge! Disperse the wedge!" But it was already too late…
The soldiers were fully entangled in melee. How could they possibly reform from a single massive wedge into smaller, more agile wedges better suited to fighting Hu cavalry?
Thanks to their superior horsemanship, the Hu riders could easily converge and disperse at will. Against them, Han cavalry had to adopt smaller wedge formations—tight enough to maintain impact and offensive power, yet not so dense that the riders in the middle became useless, left to helplessly endure the Hu's deadly arrow volleys…
The hundred Southern Xiongnu riders, now reinforced with Han armor, were far more formidable. Stray arrows could no longer inflict serious damage, unlike before when they had no armor and had to rely on flesh alone to withstand every shot.
The more resilient Southern Xiongnu successfully bogged down Guo Pu's advance. The large wedge formation, unable to disperse in time, lost its momentum and became little more than a plump, inviting target—like a giant round pancake…
Yu Fulo, following close behind, revealed a cruel grin as he raised his saber high. "By the grace of Tengri! The Wolf God favors us! Slaughter them all!"
"Ohooo—!"
Four hundred Xiongnu cavalry, now clad in Han armor, spontaneously split into three charging formations and drove straight into Guo Pu's "giant pancake" like sharpened forks…
Guo Pu bellowed in fury—partly at his own carelessness that had led to this predicament, partly at the realization that the so-called Yellow Turban rebels were nothing but a trap!
Most crucially, this trap had been set with the help of Han conspirators!
How else could these barbarians be equipped with Han iron armor and ring-pommel sabers?
Dying at the hands of barbarians was one thing, but being stabbed in the back by his own people? That was a humiliation Guo Pu could not swallow!
"Rear ranks, turn and cover the retreat! Vanguard, break through the flanks! Clear a path!" Guo Pu barked orders—commanding the rear cavalry to turn and delay the enemy while the front ranks pushed outward to create space for those trapped in the middle.
Staying stuck in the center meant certain death!
Only by regaining speed and carving out an escape route was there any hope of survival!
A Xiliang cavalryman spurred his horse desperately toward the side. Though the nearby fields would slow his mount to a crawl—or even make it stumble—he charged forward without hesitation.
Unlike Guo Pu's fully armored cavalry, the Xiongnu flanks consisted of lightly armored or even unarmored riders, making them significantly lighter than the Xiliang troops. Their horses sank less into the mud, allowing them to maintain some speed…
As the Xiliang riders on the flanks slowed to a crawl, the Xiongnu cavalry managed to keep moving. The disparity cost the Xiliang soldiers dearly—one by one, they became stationary targets, picked off by Xiongnu arrows…
The sacrifices of the Xiliang cavalry bought a sliver of space for those trapped in the middle. Seizing the moment before the Xiongnu could fully encircle them, Guo Pu and his personal guard led a desperate charge forward!
Guo Pu cleaved an oncoming Xiongnu rider from his saddle, ducked a slash from the side, then swung his blade horizontally—slicing open the belly of another barbarian as his horse surged ahead, blood spraying across his face without a second thought.
Suddenly—light!
He had broken through the Xiongnu blockade!
But his elation lasted only a heartbeat. A hundred paces ahead stood a tightly formed Han infantry square—spears like a forest, shields like a wall, and behind them, rows of crossbowmen with weapons leveled…
A Han officer at the center raised his hand high, then swept it down.
"Shields—!" Guo Pu's scream was raw with desperation.
Too late.
A storm of crossbow bolts blotted out the sky. Even raised shields would have been futile—let alone the fact that most of his men hadn't reacted in time…
"…Cough… Damn you ancestors…" Guo Pu looked down at the bolt embedded in his chest. With his last ounce of strength, he hurled his saber forward in a final act of defiance…
The ring-pommel saber tumbled through the air before embedding itself into the earth with a metallic clang. A trail of blood seeped from the hilt down the blade's spine—like a single, weeping tear…
*****
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