Chapter 358: Vulnerable to a single blow
Chapter 358 Vulnerable
On the vast plains, thousands of horses are galloping, never stopping.
North of the Heshui River, a scout who was taking a nap under a tree sat up alertly and looked around subconsciously.
The earth seemed to be shaking.
Beads of sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead. After climbing up the tree in a few steps, he looked towards the north.
Start by searching nearby.
It was a flat field, so desolate as if no one had cultivated it for thousands of years. The field was empty, with nothing but green wormwood and colorful wild flowers.
Continue looking north.
The terrain was slightly undulating, and there was a distinct ridgeline where the emerald green carpet stretched all the way to the other side, then stopped abruptly, and still there was nothing.
But he did not relax because the earthquake tremors became more and more obvious.
Suddenly, several riders appeared in the middle of the ridge.
The scout's gaze froze for a moment, and his face turned slightly pale.
Almost instantly, more cavalry appeared in the center of the ridge, then to the left, to the right, further to the left, further to the right...
They appeared as if by magic, standing densely in a row, looking quietly to the south.
The scout's teeth couldn't stop chattering up and down, making a "clacking" sound.
A flag appeared on the ridge, and the flag bearer waved it non-stop.
As he waved his weapons, the cavalry slowly walked down the ridge.
Fifty, one hundred, two hundred, five hundred...
More and more cavalrymen appeared in sight.
The pace was neither fast nor slow, just like strolling on the grass.
The officer with the flag on his back waved one arm and shouted something. Every time he shouted, there was a chorus of responses from behind him.
The cavalry were still moving slowly downhill; the front row was almost reaching the flat field, while the latest row at the back had just crossed the ridge.
More than a thousand riders have appeared!
Their pace became faster and faster, and the horses' hooves kept hitting the ground with a unique rhythm.
Sand mixed with grass clippings flew up and down.
The cold light of the weapon was extremely dazzling under the scorching sun.
The riders controlled their horses' desire to sprint, slowed down their pace, and gradually formed a long line.
Gradually, the speed picked up.
The warriors on horseback lowered their bodies slightly and took out the horn bows that had been strung long ago.
The scout suddenly woke up, rolled down the tree, and untied the reins tied to the trunk with trembling hands.
While solving the problem, he looked up.
The sound of the cavalry running was like thunder.
The mount couldn't help but neigh, as if it was also nervous. Fortunately, he finally untied the reins, and without even taking time to get water or a quiver, he jumped on the horse and galloped south.
Before leaving, he turned his head and took one last look.
The flat wilderness was already filled with cavalry.
Further up the ridge, cavalry were still crossing over and running down quickly.
one two three four……
The scout counted a total of four lines of cavalry. In the corners of his eyes, he seemed to see cavalry marching forward quickly and encircling the enemy.
He was so frightened that he dared not look back and ran desperately towards his own camp.
The large group of cavalry behind him completely ignored him and did not send anyone to chase him, and the whole group continued to move forward at a steady speed.
The sound of horse hooves seemed to be knocking on one's heart, bringing a full sense of oppression.
******
Five pontoon bridges have been built across the Heshui River, and a large group of Gou soldiers are queuing up to cross the river.
The enemy's reinforcements had been defeated by the commander-in-chief, but a part of them retreated into the camp and put up a desperate resistance.
After so much fighting, the front troops are very tired and need to cross the river for rotation.
Judging from the enemy's situation, even with reinforcements, they will definitely not survive tonight. If they keep trying, the camp will be breached, and then no one will be able to stop them.
So we saw -
There was a lot of noise on the floating bridge.
On the north bank of the Heshui River, there were constant urging voices.
But all this came to an abrupt end after the sound of the earth trembled continuously.
Some people subconsciously looked north.
In the dense smoke and dust, the ferocious figures of the cavalry were looming.
Among the dozens of riders rushing in the front, the sound of bowstrings could even be heard.
There was a man standing on his horse, waving one hand vigorously, calling on the people behind him to catch up quickly.
As he moved, a long row of cavalrymen rushed out of the smoke and dust and laid down the long spears in their hands.
The sound of hooves became more frequent and faster.
The soldiers who stayed behind in the camp regretted not building earth walls and setting up chevaux de frise. They hurriedly moved the baggage carts and tried to stop the charging cavalry.
The scout who ran back to the camp found that there was no need for him to report the news.
When he saw his comrades frantically making their last efforts, he subconsciously wanted to dismount and help.
The horse whinnied uneasily.
The scout turned his head and saw that the enemy cavalry was getting taller and closer.
He turned his horse's head and rushed out of the camp without caring about anything else.
The defenders who were moving obstacles also scattered.
The violent tremors, the smoke and dust, the tall figures, the cold spear blades, and the overwhelming momentum were something that only those with a strong will could resist. They ran in vain.
The charging cavalry passed them and continued forward, breaking through tents, knocking over rice steamers, jumping over ditches, and cutting diagonally into the fleeing crowd, washing everything to pieces.
When the smoke and dust caused by the first row of cavalry gradually dissipated, the ground was already littered with corpses lying in all directions.
The second row followed suit, and taking advantage of the chaos caused by the first row, they stabbed with long spears, swung with halberds, and struck with sabers, dispersing the enemy soldiers who had gathered slightly, then turned a corner and dispersed to both sides.
The third row rushed forward and drove the scattered enemy soldiers towards Heshui.
The light cavalry that went around the two wings fired their bows continuously, driving the dazed and chaotic enemy soldiers towards the center, and then they were smashed to pieces by the shock cavalry.
In the Heshui River, the sound of "splash" is heard constantly.
On the north side of the pontoon bridge, arrows fell like heavy rain.
The bridge had overturned, and the enemy soldiers floating in the water were crying and shouting.
A huge fire broke out in the camp and columns of smoke rose into the sky.
The battlefield fell into unprecedented chaos, with countless casualties.
The cavalry gradually gathered together and formed a loose formation in the distance.
The flags were waved again, and the officers waved their arms and shouted loudly.
The sound of horse hooves began again.
First, jog at a slow pace, then run at a steady pace, and finally charge at high speed.
They were like iron plows, plowing up the seven or eight thousand enemy troops still remaining on the north bank.
Horse lances, long spears, iron swords, sabers, horn bows, etc., all common weapons, at this moment, have transformed into extremely fierce weapons, and each of them has been stained with more than one life.
The enemy army completely collapsed.
Hundreds of people stumbled into the Heshui River.
A team of cavalrymen with lances stopped at the river bank, dropped their lances to the ground, then drew out their bows, quickly stringed the bows, and after a rough adjustment, they scattered deadly arrows onto the river.
The bright red water splashed continuously.
The human body sank quickly like a stone.
The cries of grief echoed on both sides of the Heshui River.
Dark clouds blocked the scorching sun, as if God didn't want to watch this tragic massacre any longer.
A total of 8,000 people were rushed into the Heshui River by the surging cavalry and were completely defeated.
At this moment, "the water stops flowing" is not an exaggerated description by literati, but a real reproduction of the scene.
******
On the south bank of the Heshui River, Gou Xi closed his eyes in pain.
He had countless ways to stop a cavalry charge, but he didn't plan any of them today.
The large number of cavalrymen that descended from the sky was really beyond his expectations.
Until now, he has racked his brains but still cannot figure out where this cavalry came from and who they belong to?
There is no need to fight any further.
The defeat is inevitable, and it is a terrible defeat, the worst ever.
The bodyguards rushed over, lifted him onto his horse, and then ran south in a group.
Gou Chun was commanding the attack on the camp. When the noise from the north bank came, he was about to win the final victory and had no time to care about anything else.
By the time they realized the chaos was gradually spreading, it was already too late.
The soldiers shouted loudly and retreated one after another.
My brother's personal soldiers shouted something with hoarse voices across the fleeing soldiers.
Gou Chun looked intently to the north, and saw teams of cavalrymen with lances raised high had rushed across the pontoon bridge and were charging towards this side.
In that instant, Gou Chun was sweating profusely and felt weak all over.
The personal soldiers brought horses and told him to escape quickly.
The cavalry also noticed his presence, sped up their horses, and rushed straight towards him.
Gou Chun quickly mounted his horse and just as he took two steps, two horse lances stabbed at him from the front and the back.
He clamped onto one pole and narrowly avoided the other. Just as he was about to turn his horse around and run away, he heard a sharp sound of breaking air. An arrow flew across the chaotic battlefield and hit him right in the forehead.
"Bang!" Gou Chun fell to the ground with a bang, blood flowing from his forehead and seeping into the grass.
The bodyguards' eyes suddenly turned red, and they no longer cared about escaping. They rushed forward and fought with the cavalrymen who were rushing over, exchanging their lives for theirs, like mad tigers.
More cavalrymen gathered around.
Gou Chun had become unrecognizable after being trampled by horse hooves.
On the pontoon bridge, cavalry continued to cross the river. After a slight formation, they broke up into small groups and began to chase in small groups under the leadership of officers carrying recognition flags.
The enemy troops fled in all directions, throwing away everything they could just to stay alive.
The cavalry pursued the enemy easily and leisurely, taking away one life after another with almost no effort.
Looking down from the air, corpses were everywhere from the north bank of the Heshui River to the south, extending for ten miles.
When the last batch of horses came back snorting, it was already dark.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
The south wind blew strongly, blowing away the summer heat.
Song Tao sobbed and took away the crying new soul.
A general in golden armor, surrounded by a crowd, slowly arrived at the south bank of the Heshui River.
Outside the camp, more than ten officers including Qiao Xiang Xiahou Heng came forward and bowed to the ground.
The golden-armored general stopped his horse and silently scanned the battlefield.
The flags rustled.
No one spoke, and everyone was in a state of unspeakable emotion.
"General Gou Dao is vulnerable!" said the golden-armored general with a chuckle.
(End of this chapter)