The cavalry charge is a complete psychological test. The power of the landslide and earth-shattering can make recruits on the battlefield for the first time so scared that they wet their pants. However, the soldiers of the Anxi Army are not afraid of such a charge at all, especially when standing in front. The Mo Dao soldiers, and the soldiers from the Huozi camp in front of the Mo Dao soldiers had basically retreated. There were iron pipes half buried on the ground, with the ends of the iron pipes pointing slightly upward, and behind them was a thinner iron pipe, which was probably too long. One hundred meters, this is Yaoyin's protection.
The half-buried thick iron pipe was the big tube used by Li Zuoguo in Shule to deal with the Turkic cavalry. Now the improvements in gunpowder have made the big tube more powerful, and it is filled with iron sand and iron beads. Now Li Zuoguo mainly uses gunpowder. After the siege, the muskets of the Anxi Army in the field were still not up to par, especially when facing cavalry, so Li Zuoguo did not intend to use the musket formations of later generations to break the cavalry charge and use them now.
The barrel production of muskets has never been up to Li Zuoguo's standards. Although Zhang Xiaodong, the director of the Anxi Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau, has been able to produce muskets with a long range, high shooting accuracy, and not easy to explode, but a skilled craftsman needs a full It takes a year to produce two qualified gun barrels. It is better to use hydraulic drilling to make holes in the barrels. This has already improved the speed a lot. More than 50% of the gun barrels are not qualified, so now 50% of the gun barrels are not qualified. Years passed, and Li Zuoguo had only 500 real musketeers.
How effective is a five-hundred-man musketry unit in a war of hundreds of thousands? Li Zuoguo simply left five hundred musketeers in the Kucha Protectorate to protect his family. He only transported a large amount of gunpowder and large barrels, weapons that exerted the explosive power of gunpowder, to the frontline army.
The forward of Cai Xide's cavalry has entered within 500 meters, and the shaking of the ground has been very obvious. Li Zuoguo seems that Cai Xide does not take his infantry seriously at all. This is also the case. Sixty thousand cavalry versus 80,000 infantry. Normally, Infantry cannot stop cavalry at all, unless there are fortifications such as city walls, and the way to deal with cavalry in the wild is to dig trenches and use carts to block the cavalry's attack route, reducing the cavalry's charge speed.
"These are useless for the Anxi Army. In Cai Xide's opinion, the Anxi Army in formation is just a piece of fat, and the sharp scimitar of the cavalry will cut this piece of meat into pieces.
Li Zuoguo showed a sneer on his face and ordered: "Let's start!"
When the order came out, the first to attack were 20,000 crossbowmen. With the "buzzing" sound, the crossbow arrows covered the sky. Many of the Hu cavalry wore leather armor. Although Anlushan gave a lot of The armors were given to these Hu tribe soldiers, but not many of them were worn. The armors of the Tang Dynasty were exquisitely made and highly valued. When the Hu tribe got these weapons and armors, they would either take them back as family heirlooms, or exchange them for money to buy the tribe's needs. The grain, tea, salt and other items were left behind, and the weapons were left for use, but the leather armor seemed too thin in front of the armor-piercing arrows of the Anxi Army.
The screams of the people were mixed with the neighing of the horses. The menacing cavalry seemed to have touched a painting with wet ink with their fingers, and fell down immediately. I don¡¯t know how many cavalrymen. The Hu cavalry had obviously experienced the charge. They all lowered their bodies under the rain of arrows, some directly raised their wooden shields, and some waved their weapons to block the flying crossbows. Although the crossbows did good damage, when the cavalry ran wildly, the front was very wide, and they were extinguished without a single blow. The momentum of the cavalry charge.
Not only the Hu generals, but also Cai Xide¡¯s generals who were following them desperately urged the cavalry to charge forward. Although the crossbow arrows could cause a large number of casualties, as long as the cavalry rushed close, they could immediately turn the tide of the battle.
The three hundred soldiers of the Huozi Camp who were responsible for lighting the medicine fuse had already lit the medicine fuse with the fire sticks in their hands, and then ran backwards through the Mo Dao soldiers' formation and ran to the rear formation. This situation was like a formation in front. The infantry could not withstand the pressure of the cavalry charge and began to turn around and run for their lives. The Hu cavalrymen who saw this scene became excited. Although their companions screamed and fell off their horses from time to time, they all felt that victory was right in front of them and charged. Even wilder.
The firing of crossbows did not stop. After four rounds of crossbows, the cavalry's front formation approached the Anxi Army's front army. The eyes of all the Mo Dao soldiers showed contempt and murderous intent. There was a loud "bang" and the cavalry crashed into the Mo Dao soldiers' formation. Among them, Mo Dao soldiers still adopted the Mo Dao horse-rejection formation when faced with the attack of cavalry.
Countless sharp Mo Dao blades moved forward, and the tails of the swords were inserted into the ground. The Mo Dao soldiers clamped the blades with both hands, trying to lower their body center of gravity. The Mo Dao soldiers in front were basically veterans who had participated in the Ulan War. These soldiers had experienced hell. For ordinary killing, everyone is the most elite Mo Dao soldier elite, and they can easily face this level of cavalry charge.
The barbarian cavalry in front smelled the acrid smell of gunpowder smoke when they crossed the Datong position, but the horses were galloping at high speed during the charge. Who could stop to check where such a smell was coming from? Anyway, it¡¯s justJust the taste.
The Hu people's 30,000-man army quickly rushed into the Mo Dao formation. It seemed that they almost covered the entire Mo Dao formation with great momentum, but the real killing effect was not exerted at all. The Mo Dao soldiers resisted the horse. In the formation, once the high-speed charging horse collides with the horse, it will not be able to escape and die. The cavalry on the horse will be thrown away by the violent inertia. If they are unlucky, they will fly directly to Mo Dao, and their limbs will be mutilated, either dead or injured.
The Hu cavalry also wielded their weapons to attack the immobile Mo Dao soldiers while their horses were galloping. However, this attack had little effect in front of the Mo Dao soldiers' strong armor. The Mo Dao soldiers, whose upper body had the strongest protection, basically blocked this attack. Ignore it, unless the Mo Dao soldier was hit by a war horse and lost his balance, there would be casualties.
The cavalry who did not hit the Mo Dao soldiers quickly filled the gap between the Mo Dao soldiers. The gap between the last two rows of Mo Dao soldiers was extremely small. The Mo Dao soldiers were set up with shining swords, and the Hu cavalry could rush here. All the soldiers halted their horses, and their charge into the formation slowed down and stopped.
Among the noise, the first one to start moving was Sanjani, the leader of the Mo Dao army. This outstanding Mo Dao general stretched out his grown body. The huge Mo Dao swung around, and the waves of blood rolled, squeezing beside Sanjani. The three horses and the soldiers on them screamed in agony. Two soldiers were cut in half. Huge wounds appeared on the sides of the horses, and their internal organs flowed out. There was also a Huqi who had his thigh cut off and screamed suddenly. He fell from the other side of the war horse, and as a result, the body of the war horse was cut open and the dying horse was directly pressed under the body. The blood from the broken thigh flew up to three feet high. The bleeding speed would kill him very quickly.
Hu Qi¡¯s stagnation caused Cai Xide¡¯s cavalry who were following behind to squeeze into a pile in front of Mo Dao Formation. Cai Xide, who was at the back, shouted anxiously: ¡°Order the cavalry in front to break through immediately and don¡¯t stop.¡±
The crossbows of the Anxi Army did not stop, and they kept pouring crossbows at the cavalry. The cavalrymen who were full of crossbows kept falling down. Cai Xide was so angry that his face turned blue. What happened to the Hu cavalry in front? Why don't you move forward? Cai Xide was full of doubts.
At this time, the smell of gunpowder smoke became stronger, and even Cai Xide could smell it. Cai Xide looked around and asked, "What does it smell like?"
As soon as he said these words, Cai Xide's cavalry, who were huddled together, felt like a volcano erupted suddenly. The huge roar suppressed the sound of the entire battlefield. Black-red flames spewed out, and the densely packed cavalry were lifted like toys. Fly, Cai Xide couldn't say the following words at all. His mouth opened and closed. Cai Xide saw two war horses flying into the sky together with the cavalry on them. The war horses were divided into several pieces in the sky, and their flesh and blood seemed to be gone. Money flew into the sky, and then fell, turning into a rain of blood.
The most densely packed place happened to be where the 30,000 Yan Shenjun cavalry in Cai Xide's hands were. Most of the Hu cavalry rushed into the Mo Dao formation. The explosion of hundreds of large tubes was simply a disaster. The cavalry near the explosion point of the large tubes were not completely dead. , the iron sand and iron beads in the large tube flew, hitting the cavalry a little further away like a sieve. The sophisticated armor of the Yan Shen Army's cavalry was like paper, and they could not resist such high-speed iron beads. Three hundred The explosions of the big tubes were not at the same time, but at different times.
This caused more damage. The horses were frightened by the loud noise and began to move. As a result, there was another loud noise and a large tube exploded. After the three hundred large tubes exploded, Cai Xide passed through the soldiers in front of him. I saw an open space through the gap. This open space was covered with layers of corpses. Blood formed streams and flowed to low-lying areas. Every cavalryman under Cai Xide had only one expression on his face, and that was panic.
At least three thousand cavalry were killed immediately. The same number of cavalry were injured by the iron sand in the barrel. Countless horses were frightened. Frightened horses were running wildly everywhere on the battlefield. The soldiers of the Anxi Army were also surprised. They knew There were firearms on my side, but I didn't expect them to be so powerful.
Cai Xide's cavalry was cut into two pieces. The cavalry on both sides looked at the hell-like open space in the middle in horror. Although the crossbows of the Anxi Army were still shooting, and from time to time some cavalry fell off their horses, but the scene was different from the scene where the big tube exploded. It is said that the cavalry have ignored that this kind of firearm has a very heavy blow to morale.
At this time, the Mo Dao soldiers were the first to react. The swords of the entire Mo Dao soldiers were flashing like horses. Each of the Hu cavalrymen and their horses were chopped to death. The Hu cavalry trapped in the Mo Dao formation were completely It became a target for the Mo Dao soldiers who were practicing their swordsmanship with enough energy. People and horses were very big targets. As long as the Mo Dao soldiers swung their Mo Dao, they could easily kill the Hu Qi around them. Soon, the Mo Dao soldiers were in the formation. There were patches of empty space, where all the Huqi were killed.
Li Zuoguo stood under the commander's flag and looked at the open space in the distance and smiled. In the cold weapon era, he encountered such a weapon with huge lethality. Even if Sun Wu was resurrected, Cai Xide could notNo matter what method, Li Zuoguo calmly ordered: "The spearmen and sword and shield soldiers come forward, and the sword and shield soldiers attack. Kill as many of the opponent's cavalry as possible."
The rhythm of the war drum suddenly changed to an attack rhythm of three beats. Then the flags of the spearmen and sword and shield soldiers in front of Li Zuoguo waved, signaling that the attack could begin. The spearmen and sword and shield soldiers who had been watching for a while began Advancing, the spearmen divided into two phalanxes of 10,000 people and rushed to the left and right wings. This was to expand the range of frontal contact with the enemy and increase the attack on the opponent's cavalry.
The Mo Dao soldiers also changed their formations. The two rows of Mo Dao soldiers at the back moved away, leaving passages one after another. The spearmen, sword and shield soldiers behind them moved forward along the passages to attack. The Anxi army's lineup suddenly became tighter, and the cavalry moved around. The room for movement was greatly reduced, and Mo Dao's army began to advance forward.
The tall Mo Dao soldiers, who were covered with the enemy's flesh and blood and were fully armored, lined up in rows and swung their Mo Dao forward to kill. Although the speed was not fast, they gave people the feeling that they were unstoppable and unmatched. Each of the cavalry was like a giant in front of the Mo Dao soldiers. Each bamboo was chopped down and killed.
Cai Xide's cavalry, who were still on the battlefield, had begun to dodge and prepare to retreat. The cavalry on both sides had been stabbed with long spears by the spearmen on both sides. A small group of cavalry had appeared and fled. Cai Xide looked at Anxi, who was pressed by the entire army. Army, look at the ugly faces of the soldiers and generals around him. The loss is not terrible. Most of the cavalry lost so far are barbarian cavalry, but Cai Xide saw fear. This only appeared after the morale dropped. His own men The elite cavalry are all elites who have been in battle. They will only be afraid when there is no morale.
Cai Xide sighed and said: "Withdraw, retreat." After Cai Xide said this, he immediately saw a look of relief on the face of one of his bravest soldiers. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. His morale was gone. This attack was completely It was a disastrous failure.
As the horn of retreat sounded, all the cavalry began to turn their horses. Even the cavalry that was fighting with the Anxi army immediately turned around and left. Regardless of whether the weapons of the Anxi army soldiers behind could still kill them or whether the sky was still there. Crossbow arrows fired by the Anxi Army fell one after another.
While slashing Sanjani with his sword, he suddenly felt that his eyes were empty. The dense cavalry in front of him suddenly disappeared. Not far away were all the cavalry with their horses facing backward. An Qingxu's cavalry retreated. They came with a fierce momentum but fled in embarrassment. Li Zuoguo There are infantry here, and the cavalry cannot stop them from leaving. They can only watch Cai Xide lead the cavalry away.
Sanjani raised his left hand high and clenched it into a fist. All the Mo Dao soldiers stopped advancing at the same time, and then squeezed two steps into the middle. Suddenly, the Hu cavalry who had not died in the Mo Dao formation were surrounded, and the Anxi infantry immediately They stepped forward to kill, and soon the Hu soldiers in the formation realized something was wrong. They were smart and immediately dismounted and knelt on the ground to beg for surrender.
The unintelligent ones were immediately killed under the double stranglehold of Mo Dao soldiers and infantry. The cavalry in the distance had disappeared without a trace. The cavalry in the formation were all eliminated. Those who refused to surrender were all killed. Countless Anxi soldiers stood tall. They raised their weapons and cheered. Many new soldiers had not experienced the victory of infantry against cavalry, but the facts proved that it was indeed a great victory. More and more soldiers couldn't help cheering, and soon all the soldiers on the battlefield were cheering. Screaming heartily and venting the emotions in my heart.
Li Zuoguo smiled. This result was what he had expected. If Mo Dao soldiers, firearms, and favorable terrain could not defeat a mere 60,000 cavalry, then his years of preparation in Shule would have been in vain.
Li Zuoguo issued an order loudly: "Count the casualties, accept the prisoners, clean the battlefield, finish it within an hour, and then march to Chang'an."
The casualty statistics were soon sent over. Compared with Cai Xide's cavalry losses, the casualties of the Anxi Army can be said to be negligible. There were only more than 2,000 casualties, most of which were Mo Dao soldiers, but only more than 400 died. It can be seen that Excellent armor is really a good thing to save your life on the battlefield.
Cai Xide's cavalry suffered heavy casualties. The forward 30,000 Hu cavalry were almost wiped out. In addition to the more than 6,000 prisoners, they suffered more than 20,000 casualties. The main casualties of Cai Xide's Yan Shen Army came from the killings of Da Tong, which lost six With more than a thousand men and horses, and more than a thousand losses caused by crossbows, Cai Xide made a simple charge, and the cavalry in his hands was reduced by half.
Cai Xide was galloping back at this time. Cai Xide's face on the horse was livid. He was hit hard by this huge loss. There were 60,000 cavalry when they came, but when they went back, there were only more than 20,000, more than half of them. All the cavalry were destroyed. Cai Xide had never been so defeated before, and his heart was full of anger. How could he explain to the emperor now, especially the loss of the Yan Shen Army.
A group of defeated soldiers were walking back in panic. Cai Xide wanted to go back quickly and let An Qingxu return to the camp. The fighting power of Anxi's army was too strong, and the loud noise of the firearms made Cai XideStill frightened, Cai Xide regretted it. He felt that An Qingxu was wrong for not paying enough attention to the Anxi Army, but in his heart, didn't he despise the Anxi Army? Now they have lost their troops and are retreating. It is not known where the cavalry of the Anxi Army is.
Cai Xide thought of this and suddenly stopped his horse. The defeated soldiers who were running away saw the general and stopped their horses. First, the personal soldiers stopped, and then the Yan Shen Army's troops stopped. The Anxi infantry had disappeared, and the cavalry only had runners. There is no way to catch up, but it is not easy for a team that is in chaos to follow the usual rules and regulations.
It took about half an hour for Cai Xide to initially integrate the more than 20,000 defeated soldiers. Looking at the elite cavalry helmets with crooked armor, Cai Xide felt a chill in his heart. The Anxi Army should not be underestimated. Many cavalrymen still had Although the armor's protection did not seriously injure the cavalryman who was struck by the arrow, the crossbow arrow embedded deeply in the armor made the cavalryman look miserable no matter how he looked at it.
Cai Xide breathed a sigh of relief, but soon his face became even more ugly, because he felt the vibration of the ground, and a thunderous sound came from the distance. With his experience, he immediately recognized that it was the sound of a large group of cavalry galloping.
Sure enough, three lines of cavalry flashed out from the hills in the distance, and quickly formed a huge charge formation five or six miles away. They wore black armor and red cloaks. These were the cavalry of the Anxi Army. Cai Xide looked at his two cavalry in front of him. More than 10,000 defeated troops, many of whom were cavalrymen and two cavalrymen, how could they face the 30,000-strong Anxi cavalry in such a state? The main target of the Anxi army was not Anqingxu's infantry, but his own cavalry.
Cai Xide closed his eyes in despair. Li Qi led the Anxi cavalry to charge closer. The Yanshen Army cavalry became agitated. Cai Xide pulled out the horizontal sword at his waist and shouted: "There is still a way to survive if you rush forward, follow me." Breakout.¡±